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

A/N: YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY? ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER... CHAPTER!

Welcome back, everyone! You're just in time for the premiere of Chapter 28! HIP-HIP-HOORAY! YIPPEE!

Okay, so that was probably not the best way to start off, considering the way Chapter 27 ended.

Either way, for those of you who might have noticed, this is quite a LONG Chapter - words AND pages alike! I was actually caught by surprise when I discovered it was about 50 pages long (according to Microsoft Word). That is why I am going to keep this introduction short.

As it is, I wanted to point out how the amount of views on this story (and the other two I have posted) has/have significantly dropped in the last month. I still do not understand why this is the case. Are you not pleased with any of the stories I posted? Please, be honest. If you feel displeased, let me know.
Like Walt Disney, I often take pride in my work. So, if you have anything to say negative about it, please keep it short and to the point. Don't go on and on and on without stating what you mean. I don't know anyone who likes that.

Well, anyway, I would like to once again recommend you all check out the POLL on my Profile Page.
I am giving the chance to choose up to TWO SUMMONS for This Story!

Plus, I wanted to say something to any/all of you who read "Kingdom Hearts - World Unto Dreams". If you look back at THAT STORY'S Chapter 10, I added a scene at the ending (a flashback). I added another scene at the start of the following Chapter 11 (also, a flashback). I decided to do this after coming back from DISNEY WORLD.

CHAPTER 28
The Star OF Hope

DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!

The ringing echoed from one of the castle's towers. Sora glanced at his cellular phone. Through the cracks, he could just make out the clock. It read 12:00 A.M. He gave a deep sigh, knowing it was now officially Christmas Day — at least, in this world. Everywhere else, the holiday was still about one week away. The same was true for the Destiny Islands.

Even so, his mind was wrapped around all the things he had witnessed lately. He had saved the lost city of Atlantis from the hands of a greedy commander using the Heartless. He had prevented the outbreak of a war between a native tribe and a group of settlers. He had brought an end to the tyranny of a Darkness-infested judge and restored peace to an entire city. He had helped a world-renowned teenager save her world from a mad scientist.

Yet, here he was unable to bring back the Christmas Spirit to an entire castle. If he only knew what he had done wrong. Why wouldn't the Beast compromise with Belle? At one point, the Beast had seemed eager to celebrate Christmas after all. Now, it appeared all that excitement had simply been temporary and worn off altogether. The ballroom and kitchen were ruined, and the Beast had ordered Sora and his friends to leave. To top it off, Belle was now locked up in the dungeon.

Sora looked around the parlor. On the other side of the room, Donald was lying before the roaring fireplace. His bill was so close to the flames, it seemed to be about to catch fire. The duck magician had been there ever since the group had returned to the castle. Sora did not blame him. His bill had been frozen stiff from the outside air, and an icicle had been dangling from it.

Goofy was plopped down in a chair, looking through a comic book. Sora noticed the cover was old and faded. He was unable to make out the title, although it looked like it had been written in the Old English style. The letters were all fancy and huge. The colors were faded, yet still bright enough to be appealing to the eye.

The only other thing Sora saw was Goofy was wearing a pair of eyeglasses as he read. Having never seen them before, the spikey-haired Keyblade wielder wondered how long the knight had owned those glasses.

Amemi was the last one Sora saw in the room. Launchpad had gone outside to get Herbie started. It would not be long before the group would be off into space and heading to another world. Maybe they could check in with King Mickey and Master Yen Sid. Perhaps they could get some advice for this dilemma from Leon and the gang. Who knows? Kairi might have something to say.

Sora's eyes were trailing his sister. As she continued to pace the floor, he watched her walk back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…. He soon felt a little dizzy, especially when Amemi's steps became faster.

This was not an uncommon sight for him. At home, whenever the sandy-haired girl had been nervous about something, she tended to pace around and around and around her room, sometimes through the whole house. Those were the times Sora preferred to lock his door whenever he was in his room. Once, she had spent an entire night pacing. The result had been a series of thick footprints that still remained in her carpet to this day. True, she had been worried about a major Mathematics test the next morning… she had not slept a wink. Because of this, their Mom had allowed her to stay home and get caught up on all the sleep she had missed.

Sora had felt jealous at the time, yet now, it did not matter. Still, the sight of his sister pacing around like this bothered him for some reason. What was she thinking about? Did it have anything to do with the current events? She had scolded the Beast and called him a number of things, one being a "slave driver". Another was a "monster". It was no surprise to him that the Beast had yelled at her. With his bad temper, anything could have happened.

With curiosity filling his mind, Sora finally opened his mouth to speak. "Amy, what's up? You look like you've got another test tomorrow."

Amemi stopped in her tracks. She turned to face the young man. Sora could now see she was frowning. Before he could ponder why this was the case, she started yelling at him like a violent, erupting volcano. "What's going on?!" she hollered in an extremely loud voice. "Every single time I ask you why this castle seems very peculiar, you change the subject or ignore me!"

Sora nearly jumped out of his seat. The only other time Amemi had shouted at this volume was when her first boyfriend had run off with another girl. "Sora, what are you hiding?!" the sandy-headed young woman added. "I need to know what's happening around here!"

Sora's hands flew to his head. This was the last thing he needed. His sister was determined to learn this world's secrets, stuff he had been trying to keep her from. The story of the Beast, the servants, and the castle was clearly not a pleasant one! It was the kind of tale Amemi would be terrified to hear.

When he saw both Donald and Goofy turning their eyes towards the two, Sora knew he had no choice. With a dismayed sigh, he turned to his sister. "It's… kinda a long story."

Amemi crossed her arms. "Then, let's get started! We have all night, remember?"

Sora sighed. He could not recall all the details Cogsworth, Lumiére, and Mrs. Potts had shared with him, Donald, and Goofy. All he could remember was the spell, its effects, and how it could be broken. Perhaps his friends remembered more of it?

He looked at the anthropomorphic duck and dog. The two had risen from their places and approached them. "Could you guys help me out?"

"Yeah!" Goofy nodded as he put away his eyeglasses and the comic book. He paused and put his finger to his chin. "Let's see… it all started on some old Winter-y night. A woman came to this here castle, and she asked for 'shell-y-tear'."

"That's 'shelter'," Donald corrected. The duck cleared his throat. "But the Beast — I mean, the Prince — wouldn't let her in. She was soooooooo ugly!"

Amemi gasped. "That is a terrible story!"

"Yup!" Goofy agreed. "He was a mean guy before we met him. The servants said he was spoiled meat. Thuh woman told him to be nice, but he was still very mean and closed thuh door in her face."

"She transformed into an Enchantress," Donald continued the story. "And she turned him into the Beast."

"Oh, yeah!" Sora saw, his eyes lighting up. He had just remembered the rest of the story. "And then, the Enchantress put the spell on the castle. Cogsworth and the others became what they are. Then, the castle was transformed."

"And it became so unfriendly," Amemi realized. Her eyes told Sora she was shocked by the tale. "I knew there was a reason! Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Sora hesitated in his response. "Well… I wanted to protect you, Amy. Some stories can be dangerous."

Amemi's right hand instantly slammed against the right side of her head. She rolled her eyes and smiled. "You really are naïve, Sora," she said. "You can try to deny it, but I know you. You're my brother, and you will always be naïve."

"He's always this way," Donald informed the nearly fourteen-year-old girl.

"He's also very shy around girls," Goofy explained. He started to chuckle.

Amemi had to smile all the more. "No wonder you don't like it when someone mentions how Kairi kissed you."

Sora was on his feet and staring straight at his friends. "WHAT?! Haven't you forgotten that already?!"

"Nope," Goofy grinned.

"We never will," Donald stated. He waved his right arm around in a semi-circle.

Amemi's shiny, blue eyes had never looked more clear and bright. "Kairi will never let you live it down!"

Sora groaned in annoyance. Now, he wished he could jump back through time and prevent that incident from ever taking place. If only he could. If only he could….

"See, Sora?" Amemi went on. "There's nothing to worry about. The story of this castle was a tragedy, but it's all over now. Nothing else can happen here."

"Yes, there is!" Sora argued. "The last time we came here, a guy named 'Xaldin' was trying to turn the Beast into a Heartless."

Amemi froze. "Who?"

"He was a member of Organization XIII. Xehanort's Nobody, Xemnas, was their leader."

"They controlled all those Nobodies," Donald added. He shrank back at the memories. The very thought of being surrounded by those monsters still haunted his mind.

"That's right!" Goofy spoke up. "They were gonna make thuh Beast into a Heartless! They would have had control over his Nobody. They wanted ta make their own Kingdom Hearts!"

Amemi looked lost. When Sora opened his mouth to explain, his sister raised a hand to him. "Please, that was a lot of information for me to take on at once."

Sora gave a nod. He completely understood what it felt like to learn too much too fast. When King Mickey had explained to him about how the Ansem he'd fought and defeated was really the Heartless of Ansem's apprentice, Xehanort, he had been nearly completely lost. It hadn't helped when Goofy had started to ponder. Fortunately, the knight had realized Xehanort's becoming a Heartless had meant he probably had a Nobody. Sure enough, King Mickey had confirmed that very Nobody was the true leader of Organization XIII. (You can just imagine the alarm Sora had felt inside!)

Sora had been willing to practically strangle Xehanort at that exact second — especially after all he had done to Riku, Kairi, and him! His own family… his island home… his mind was running away without him. He needed to stop there.

Now, Amemi looked puzzled. "But… what does the story of this place's spell have to do with the Beast hating Christmas?"

Sora shrugged.

"Well, we know it was during some 'cold winter's night'," Goofy mentioned.

"Yeah," Donald nodded. "That's what the servants told us."

Amemi gazed at Sora. "Is there a connection?"

"I dunno," the seventeen-year-old Keyblader confessed. "That's the only lead we've got."

Amemi paused to think. Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched her with anticipation for the next few minutes. "There could be more to this story," she said.

"But what?" Donald wondered aloud.

Sora and Goofy shrugged in turn. Before anyone could speak or move, a bright Light shot across the room. The group spun their eyes to the far wall as a magical, transparent screen appeared. It reminded Sora of a television screen, only much clearer.

It also looked somewhat… familiar.

An image appeared in the projection. The display showed a slender, muscular boy about ten or eleven years old with fair skin, light-auburn hair, and blue eyes. The background appeared to be the castle's Entrance Hall, only much brighter with white walls and golden lining rather than the dark-blue walls and dark-magenta lining.

To Sora, the boy looked familiar….

"Bring me my presents!" the boy snapped. His face was twisted into a snarl. On the other side of the room, a small group of people were gathered around a Christmas tree. A number of presents lined the tree's base.

Among the people at the tree was a large man sporting a curly, brown toupee and a mustache. Another was an older woman with blue eyes, magenta lips, long eyelashes, lavender eye shadow, pink cheeks, and a round chin.

One of the people approached the boy. It was now clear the boy was seated in a large, golden chair. It resembled a throne.

The one who had approached the boy was a tall, thin man with a long nose, brown eyebrows, and heavy-lidden brown eyes. He knelt before the boy and smiled. A package covered in nice, green wrapping paper was in the man's hands. "Your Highness, please accept this humble gift as a token of our appreciation," he said. "I know I speak for everyone when—"

"Oh, just give it to me!" the boy demanded. He snatched the item out of the man's hands. Everyone in the room stared in surprise. With an excited look in his eyes, the man tore away the wrapping paper. To his shock and dismay, inside was nothing more than a book with a red cover. "A storybook?" he stared at the man with a funny look. "You call this a present…. "

He dropped the book to the floor and scowled into the direction of the group of people. "I hope you have something better for me, Forté!"

The group of people all swung their eyes to one particular figure. It was a rather tall man sporting a mask-like face with lavender circles around his eyes. He had rather pale skin and a large wig that made him look like an Egyptian pharaoh. He was dressed in a nice, black overcoat with light-colored pants, a bronze-like vest, and black shoes. He had huge, puffy ends to his sleeves, the design resembling a piano's keys.

"Yes, sir," the man said as all eyes turned to him. "Of course, Master."

He sat down at the pipe organ across the room. He started to play a series of notes. The song sounded very uncheerful and haunting. He was starting to show a hint of a grin when the boy stared in disgust. "What's that?"

The man turned to face the child. "A small piece," he explained, bowing very politely. "In your honor, sir."

The boy shook his head and stuck out his tongue. "Ugh! I hate it," he sighed, a little. "Forté, that stuff is gloomy."

At that precise moment, a loud knocking echoed about the room. Everyone whirled their attention to the castle's front doorway. The boy rose to his feet and scowled all the more. "Who disturbs my Christmas?!"

He stomped over to the doorway and opened it. Outside was a middle-aged woman sporting long, magenta hair that gracefully descended down to just below her shoulders, magenta eyes, and very light skin. She was wearing a faded, magenta dress with long sleeves and silver lining along its cuffs, collar, and bottom trim, and a pair of pointed, magenta shoes. There were a pair of wilted, magenta antennae on her head, each sporting a yellow ball on the end. Her sagging and soaked magenta wings were shaped like paper fans with a slightly-brighter tint inside their outlines. Her eyes were outlined with smeared light-green eye shadow.

She was shivering the snow outside. She held up a lush, green rose in her left hand. It almost seemed to be glowing a little. "Please," she said despite her chattering teeth. "T-take this rose i-in exchange for sh-sh-shel-t-t-ter from this bitter cold."

The boy snorted at her. The look on his face indicated how appalled he was to have this woman at his doorstep. "I don't need a rose. Go away, you wretched old hag!"

He turned to step back inside. The woman grabbed his arm. "Please, help me! You should not be deceived by appearances!" she gave a hint of a smile. "Surely you know how beauty is found inside?"

"I told you to go away!" the boy shouted. He swung his arm and broke free. He turned and kicked the woman onto the ground. Next, he went back inside and slammed the door shut.

The woman stared in alarm. As some tears filled her eyes, she also felt something else — anger and rage. This quickly became evident on her face. Her scowl was accompanied by a thin layer of Darkness shrouding her body. "NO WAY!" she declared. "I shall NOT be treated like I was a mindless animal! Justice MUST be served!"

She started glowing a strange color of red. In a flash, the doors of the castle flew open. The boy and everyone else inside whirled their focus over to her. They covered their eyes with their hands. The woman had become a hovering being wearing a scarlet robe with short sleeves and a pair of matching sandals. She had a magenta wand in her right hand; the tip was a scarlet-colored star. The rose was still in her left hand.

"You have been long deceived by your own cold, self-centered heart!" she declared in a loud voice that seemed to echo. "I hereby place this curse upon you and your household! Unless you can learn to love someone else and win their love in return, you shall forever remain a beast!"

Before the boy could have said anything, magic started to swirl around him. He stared in alarm as he suddenly transformed into a hideous creature with horns, fangs, and extremely sharp claws. The other people around the tree remained frozen, watching this event. Magic started to circle each of them. In a matter of minutes, all of them had been transformed into objects — a clock, a candelabra, a teapot, a teacup, a piccolo, even a wardrobe.

The woman saw what had become of the boy and all the servants. When the castle's walls became a very dark shade of blue, she summoned a glass lid. She placed the rose underneath the lid and put it carefully on the floor. She then turned to the open doorway and flew outside. "That shape is so suitable! If only I could have done the same to 'him'…. "

The image faded away and the projection vanished. The screen itself flickered for a few moments before it disappeared altogether.

Sora, Amemi, Donald, and Goofy were still staring in astonishment. Sora was the most speechless. If what the projected movie had showed was true (and he was sure it was), the Beast had indeed been a spoiled brat — just like Lumiére had claimed. To make matters worse, the spell had been placed onto the castle on Christmas night. What a tragic tale! It was much darker than he had first believed! Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Lumiére had not said anything about the timing of the spell. Christmas… no wonder the Beast hated it so much! It was indeed a painful memory for him. The only other case where someone had gone through a similar situation (as far as Sora knew) was Ebenezer Scrooge — in that classic story, "A Christmas Carol".

However, his mind was mainly focused on the Enchantress. Her appearance. Those wings, her hair, the wilted antennae that made her look a little like an alien… they looked and felt familiar. He thought back to the first time he had met Violet in the then-Sleeping World of Traverse Town. He had initially assumed she was a flying alien that had invaded the town. If Riku had not explained to him how Violet was an angel, Sora might have feared the worst and attacked her.

Now he was wondering if there was a connection between Violet and the Enchantress. Was there? He was stumped about the whole, entire thing.

Through the corner of his eye, Sora thought he saw something poking out from behind a luxurious couch on the other side of the room. He turned his head to the right. Whatever it was, it was gone now. In its place was a faint glow… was that a shade of blue? Or was it violet? Mainly… indigo?

Curiosity rapidly flooded Sora's head. He decided it was time to investigate. He stepped away from the others. They were still staring in complete shock. As he approached the couch, a head poked itself out before ducking back behind.

"Wha—?" Sora muttered to himself. Had he just seen what he thought he saw? There was someone hiding behind that couch!

He needed to know who it was. It could very well be a troublemaker. Maybe… someone linked to Maleficent and her council of villains. He would have to summon his Keyblade in an instant if necessary.

The brown, spikey-haired young man stopped at the side of the couch and reached his hand behind it. He could feel something back there. It almost felt like… a butterfly's wing? He reached further and grabbed something more solid. He could feel something pulling against him. He pulled harder and harder. He stepped back as he yanked a figure out from behind the couch.

"Huh?" he was startled by what he saw.

He was holding onto the arm of a slender young woman with very pale skin, and indigo eyes and matching shoulder-length hair. She was decked out in an indigo dress with long sleeves and silver lining along the cuffs, bottom trim, and collar. A pair of indigo shoes with pointed toes were slipped on her feet. She sported a pair of indigo antennae with light-bluish balls on the ends, and a pair of indigo wings that were a shade lighter on the inside. There was a large, triangular tear in her upper, right wing. A necklace around her neck contained a large capital "I" for its emblem. Her whole body was engulfed in an indigo glow.

When he sensed a strong Light radiating from her, Sora's eyes lit up in a flash. He knew this feeling. It was the same sensation he always had whenever Violet was around.

The girl's eyes showed signs of fright. She looked away and closed her eyes. "Please, do not hurt me," she said in a voice that sounded like something Sora recognized. He wondered… could this be Violet, only transformed? No way! That was impossible! …Or was it? He did not know.

"Uh… Violet?" he asked. "You know I'm not gonna hurt you."

The girl's eyes opened and she swung her attention back to the young man. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in complete surprise. "You know Violet?"

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah."

The girl gave a deep sigh of relief and smiled. "So sorry. I… I did not know you knew her."

Sora grinned in return. This was definitely not Violet. Even though she had a similar appearance and voice, she did not use the same word choices as the angel. That was quite clear.

"Sora?"

"A-Hyuck! Who's this lady?"

"What is she?"

Sora and the girl spun their focus to the middle of the room. A fascinated Amemi, Donald, and Goofy were walking over. Goofy looked amazed. Donald was puzzled. Amemi was smiling.

Sora gestured to the young woman. "She was hiding behind the couch," he explained. He turned to the girl. "I'm Sora. These are my friends, Donald and Goofy, and my sister, Amy."

"Amemi," Amemi corrected. "'Amy' is a nickname."

The girl gave a shy grin and small wave. She had one hand (her right one) hidden behind her back. Sora presumed she was left-handed.

"My name is Indigo — The Angel of Hope," she introduced herself. "Violet is my sister."

"A-Hyuck!" Goofy declared. "Ya do look an awful lot like Violet. Are ya sure you ain't her twin?"

Indigo hesitated a little in her response. "It is… something along those lines. We were… separated many years ago. All three of us."

"'All three'," Donald muttered aloud. "There's three of you?"

Indigo nodded. "Correct. There is Violet, myself, and Teal. We are part of the mythical 'Angels of Light'."

"So, what you're saying is there are other angels?" Sora questioned. When Indigo gave another nod, the Keyblade wielder knew he had been given his answer. He now knew he should never had doubted Violet. He had outright accused her of lying to him and Riku about stuff. It turned out, the angel had been honest from the get-go. If only he could hop backwards and stop that terrible event from ever happening. If only he had not been misled by that mystery guy in the black coat. If only he could….

"How were you separated?" Amemi asked. Indigo turned away. The sandy-haired girl immediately understood. It was one of those things that were better off left unsaid. More than likely, it was an extremely hurtful memory.

The door barged open. Everyone whirled their eyesight around. Into the room strode Launchpad. His big bill was a little blue and had a few now-dripping icicles on it. He was shivering as he stepped down the steps and neared the group. "Sorry, buddies," he told them. "Herbie's fallen into a deep sleep. He wouldn't start. I guess we're stranded until morning."

The moment he saw the angel with the others, Launchpad took a second look. "Hey, who's she? A Christmas angel, or a large butterfly in a dress?"

"This is Indigo," Sora informed the pilot. "She's Violet's sister."

Sora and the others stepped back as Launchpad marched up to the angel with lightning speed. He grabbed her left hand and started shaking as hastily as he could. "Nice to meet ya! The name's Launchpad McQuack! If it's got wings, I can crash it! You're the second angel I have seen not on a tree or in heaven!"

Indigo broke free from the muscular duck's firm handshake. "Please do not 'crash' me. It would hurt too much."

Launchpad stepped back a little. He looked downright confused. "Why is it all my friends tell me not to crash? Would they all rather take up skydiving? Or can they fly like an angel or bird? Maybe they're all conspiring against me to fly solo…. "

Donald leaned in close to Indigo. "His flying's out-of-control," he whispered. "It's why I joined the navy."

Indigo gave the duck a nod of understanding, even though Sora could tell she had her doubts and did not quite comprehend.

Sora looked to the now-open doorway. Knowing they were going to have to spend the night in the castle, he decided they might as well try to do something about the Beast and Belle's falling out. What was the worst that could happen? The two would never see nor hear from each other for the remainder of eternity. Of course, that was extreme. Yet, it was also the worst-case scenario.

Sora turned to his teammates. "Let's head to the dungeon. As long as we're stuck here, let's try to help Belle and Beast."

Amemi nodded. "Yes. I'm not giving up without trying."

Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all agreed in turn. Indigo asked if she could come along, to which Sora signaled for her to follow. The angel beamed brightly as she followed the group out of the room and up the stairs to the West Hall.

As the group strolled down the enormous corridor, Indigo was busy telling the group all about her latest adventure. When she mentioned about being in the bell tower of Notré Dame, Sora paused in his footsteps. He suddenly recalled sensing a powerful Light from the upper reaches of the cathedral's bell tower. Amemi was the one who spoke.

"I knew there was something up there!" she admitted. "I thought I had seen someone hiding in the rafters."

"Yes," Indigo acknowledged. "I was keeping my eyes on the bell ringer. His heart was trapped in a set of walls I knew needed to be torn down."

"Quasi," Sora realized. "Then… you know him, too."

"I sort of know him," Indigo said. "I know what lies in the hearts of others around me. I can sense their Light shining out. When it starts to fade, I head over and take a closer look. It has been taking place a lot these past few weeks. Whenever Christmas comes around, the Darkness tries to destroy the Light."

"Must be the same with all angels," Donald mentioned. "Violet told me she can feel my jealousy towards my cousin, Gladstone."

Indigo gave another nod. "Yes, it is. All angels can sense Light all around them and tell exactly where it is fading from."

She turned to Sora. "I can tell there is a strong Darkness growing inside you. It is moving slowly, yet it is still very strong."

Sora was startled to hear this. "Huh? What're you saying? My heart's full of Darkness?"

"That is not what I said," the angel replied. "I told you, there is a slowly growing Darkness inside your heart."

"Must be Xehanort's doing," Goofy blurted. All eyes turned to him. "Don't you remember? 'Zen-ha-court' put his Darkness inside ya, Sora."

"You mean 'Xehanort'," Donald hastily corrected.

"Oh yeah, A-Hyuck!"

Donald wanted to slap the knight's face.

"I forgot about that," Sora realized.

"Must be normal," Launchpad commented. "I'd forget everything if Mister McDee and DW let me."

Amemi turned her eyes to the pilot. "Don't you use flashcards to remember things?"

"I used to," the duck-pilot admitted. He gave a shy grin and rubbed the back of his head. "But… I forgot where I put 'em all."

Amemi crossed her arms. "Launchpad, when you were young, did you fall on your head?"

"All the time," Launchpad answered. "Why?"

Amemi rolled her eyes and shook her head. Sora had to shrug this all aside. He had something important to tell the angel. After all, she was Violet's sister. Perhaps she would join them — just as he had told Master Yen Sid, King Mickey, Riku, and Violet. She could help them in their fight against Xehanort, Maleficent, and anyone else who tried to get in their way.

"Indigo," the seventeen-year-old Keyblade wielder started to say. "Do you know what's going on out there?"

"Lots of trouble," Indigo replied. "There are scary monsters hiding in the shadows. I watched one set a house on fire. Another one stole a soldier's heart. He faded away and turned into one of them. It was such a scary sight!"

"Yeah, I know all about the Heartless," Sora sighed. He had the feeling the angel was not very well-informed. At least Violet had possessed knowledge of the current events taking place in the Realm of Sleep. Her sister did not seem to be familiar with the on-going threat of Darkness. Worlds were in danger, and she was doing absolutely nothing to help them… well, that's the way Sora understood it. He wondered why the Angel of Hope was not retaliating against Maleficent's Council. Was she completely unaware of their nefarious deeds? Did she see them acting and simply run away? Was she a coward at heart?

He had to shove all this thinking aside and focus on filling her in. "Look, Indigo, there are these creatures called 'Heartless' that go around stealing people's hearts," Sora explained. "There also try to steal the hearts of worlds."

Indigo stepped back a few feet. "That would be a very scary to see!"

Sora summoned his Keyblade. "That's why I have to lock their Keyholes. A witch named Maleficent is trying to—"

"Wow!" Indigo interrupted. She rushed forwards and bent down to get a close look at the magical weapon in Sora's hand. Her eyes filled with sparkling stars. "Is this… a 'Keyblade'?"

"Uh… yeah?" Sora was puzzled. What was she driving at?

Indigo hugged Sora so suddenly, she knocked him onto the floor. "I have always wanted to see one! Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"

Sora had to shake the angel off his shoulders. "Like I was saying, there's this witch, Maleficent, who's trying to use the Heartless to take over the worlds."

"She's got a council of villains helpin' her," Goofy elaborated.

"Pete, Mortimer, and the Beagle Boys are among them," Donald added in turn.

"Don't forget that fairy, Thistle," Amemi indicated. "She was one tough opponent."

"What about all those others?" Launchpad wondered aloud. "Judge Frollo? Drakken? And anyone else we haven't seen?"

When Sora started to speak, Indigo swung her eyes back to him. "That's why we need your help, Indigo. We need seven hearts who can stand up for the Light."

Indigo froze. Her left hand touched the air directly between her neck and chest. Her eyes were wide and focused, like she had just watched a horror movie. "So, all this time, you were looking for me to help you fight these 'Heartless' monsters," she summarized.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Will you help us?"

Less than a second later, Indigo leaped into the air. She curled into a ball and flipped around as she fell towards the floor. The whole time, a loud, "YIPPEE!" echoed about the hallway. When she landed back on her feet, she saluted using her left hand; Sora saw sparkles of enthusiasm in her eyes. "Spectacular! I shall help you out any way I can! You can count on that, I promise!"

This caught Sora completely off guard. He had not expected the angel to get so animated and agree to provide help in an instant. He had the feeling there would be a lot more to angels than he ever would know. Violet and Indigo were sisters, yet they were also very different when it came to their personalities. That much, he could definitely confirm at this point.

He noticed his teammates reacting to Indigo's excitement in various ways. Donald sighed. Goofy chuckled. Launchpad looked confused. Amemi was shrugging; that was normal for her.

Sora shook his head and gave his world-renowned grin. "C'mon, let's go see Belle. She could use some cheering up."

The others nodded. Only Indigo spoke in reply. "Bringing Hope to others is my duty!" she declared. "Let's do it!"

The group headed for the green doorway leading to the basement… err… the undercroft.

Sora shivered as he led Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo into the castle's dungeon. His eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to make out their surroundings. The middle of the room was empty, except for a hard, stone floor. A few stacks of hay were situated against the walls. The only light came from a small, rectangular window. The moonlight shining through was rather dim, so it did not fill the room.

Belle was seated against the wall near the window. She had a blanket, yet it looked too thin to fight against the cold air coming in from the window. When Sora and the others stepped into the room, the young woman looked up and gave a small smile when she saw them. "…You're here?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah. We want to clear up this misunderstanding."

"Are you sure that's what it is?" a puzzled Donald asked.

"Well, what else would it be?"

The duck-magician folded his arms in thought. Sora did not wait for an answer. He signaled Indigo to come forward. "Belle, this is Indigo. She's a new friend of ours."

Indigo stared at Belle for a few seconds. When she sensed the young woman's heart of pure Light, she took a deep breath and relaxed. With a smile, she waved. "Hi, Belle! I am the Angel of Hope."

Belle's smile seemed to grow. "Pleasure to meet you."

Indigo placed her hands together as though she was praying. A cheerful smile appeared on her face, and her eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight. Just by looking at the angel, Sora could tell she was delighted to meet the Princess of Heart. He wondered what exactly was going through her head. Was she thinking about Belle's Light? Did she question what was going on in this world?

"I know you are hurting," Indigo said at least. "Yet, Belle, this whole problem is not your fault. Someone else has tried to hurt the Beast."

Sora's ears perked up in a flash. The last time he had heard something like this, Xaldin had attempted to turn the Beast into a Heartless so he could seize the latter's Nobody. "Huh?"

"Is it somebody using thuh Heartless?" Goofy inquired.

"Or did the Organization come back here?" Donald asked.

"You are close," Indigo replied. "The Darkness I have found here is coming from upstairs. I can tell it is very strong. I just cannot tell exactly where it is coming from."

Sora crossed his arms. He was now wondering just what the angel had detected. He recalled how Violet's antennae had always started swaying whenever she had sensed any form of powerful Darkness close by. He had the feeling Indigo was no different. Perhaps all angels had this special skill? Was it like instinct?

However it happened, the brown-haired youth knew for sure that something or someone using Darkness was somewhere in this very castle. The only question left was… who was it? Who could possess that much Darkness? He was not sure.

He was about to speak when a series of sounds came from the still-open doorway. Cogsworth, Lumiére, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Angelique all came hobbling, waddling, and hopping into the dark room. The moment Cogsworth saw Goofy and Launchpad, he became quite cross.

"You two are forbidden to make cookies in our kitchen!" the clock scolded.

Goofy and Launchpad tried to reason with Cogsworth. The clock refused to hear them out. Sora ignored them and kept his focus on everything else going on around him.

"Belle?" Chip said.

Lumiére approached the shivering young woman. "Hello, Cherie."

"There she is," Mrs. Potts said in turn.

"Merry Christmas," Lumiére declared in an attempt to cheer Belle up. It seemed to be working, a little. Sora made a note of Belle's slowly growing smile.

Chip sighed. "Doesn't look so special to me."

"The ballroom's a disaster," Donald mentioned.

"So's the kitchen," Launchpad added. This brought the pilot a stern look from Cogsworth.

Belle looked down. "Oh, Chip, I'm sorry. Nothing's changed."

Sora had to admit, Belle was correct. From the time he had set foot in this castle (during this quest, that is), the castle had not become brighter in the least, little bit. If anything, it just seemed much darker than before. The gloomy hall when he had first walked in reminded him of Eeyore's mood. The number of Heartless roaming in the castle's corridors was overwhelming.

This world was definitely not on the side of Light, at least not at this point in time. It did not help this was the Holiday Season. That was when the Light was supposed to be at its strongest. Of course, that also meant the Darkness would be strong, too. It was a shame this world was currently stuck closer to the Darkness.

Angelique came forward. "I told you," she stated in a stern voice. "I told you nothing would change. I told you the Master would not allow this. I told you that Christmas was a hopeless folly!"

Sora was taken by surprise. He had not expected the castle's decorator being so harsh. Sure, she had come across as a little controlling from the moment he had first met her. Yet, this was going a little too far. Now, she was coming across as somewhat of a bully… if you could call it that.

Belle shut her eyes. It looked as though Angelique's words were doing damage. The decorator sighed and her face changed from its scold-like look to one of understanding. "But… I was wrong."

Everyone turned their eyes to the Christmas angel. Indigo's eyes were wide and alert. To Sora, it appeared she was paying close attention to the decorator.

"Angelique," Amemi said. "Are you saying… ?"

Angelique's response came in the form of a song. This made Sora wonder if her heart was doing the singing. Then again, this world did seem to be set in a fairy-tale. He wondered if this was normal in any world that appeared to be a fairy-tale-like story.

"When I felt lost and lonely, not a dream in my head, your words lifted my spirits high. I remembered what you said, 'As long there's Christmas, I truly believe that Hope is the greatest of the gifts we'll receive'."

Belle smiled and held out her hands for the Christmas angel. She held up Angelique as the two continued to sing out. The sight reminded Sora of when he had sang with Ariel in an undersea musical. He found himself recalling Donald's terrible singing voice… he had to shove it out of his mind. He wanted to see this.

"As long as our guiding star shines above, there'll always be Christmas. So, there always will be a time when the world is filled with peace and love."

At the mentioning of "guiding star", a sparkle appeared in Indigo's hands. The angel calmly held it up and tossed it into the air. The tiny sparkle drifted out of the dungeon through the window. Sora watched through the window as it headed into the sky and ended up in the sky. The sparkle had now become one of the brightest stars in the night sky.

He glanced back into the dungeon. Thanks to her indigo-colored glow, Indigo was easy to see in the dim lighting. Her hands were folded and she was smiling. Noticing the twinkling sparkles in the angel's eyes, Sora had the feeling the star she had released most-likely was the "Star of Hope".

He looked back out the window. He knew somewhere in the sky would be the "Arrow of Truth", a constellation he had made up years ago. Unfortunately, he could not see any familiar shapes in the stars. Not a single one looked familiar. He had the feeling this was because he was in a completely different world than his island home; the Destiny Islands.

"Oh, my dear old friend," Forté said as the Beast strolled into the enormous, shadow-filled chamber. His Master looked more depressed than normal. The Beast solemnly strode up to the window and looked out. It appeared he was regretting what he had done to punish Belle. He gave a deep sigh and looked down.

"I told you not to feel for her," Forté told him in his usual, manipulative style. "Things were so much simpler before she came along, before we dared to… hope."

The Beast gave a deeper sigh and put his hands behind his back. He slowly looked up, a little. "I thought she was the one."

He turned around and began pacing back and forth across the room. Forté kept his eyes on his Master. He already had figured the Beagle Boys had gotten lost trying to find their way back to the castle. Fife had not returned, either. It did not matter.

His plan was working itself out, regardless of whether or not he had his underlings present. Yes, he did the Beagle Boys as his underlings. After all, they had agreed to help him in order to avoid the wrath of someone named "Maleficent". Forté had never heard of such a name before, yet it sounded like his kind of person.

He decided to make his next move. He pretended to feel sorry for the Beast by making his mask-like face droop. It looked a lot like the sad-mask from the standard theater/play logo of the two masks. "Ah, it tears me up to see you this way, Master," Forté said. "Why do you torment yourself?"

The Beast gave a deep sigh in return. Forté glanced at the rose in the next room. He gestured towards it. "There's the symbol of your curse," he told his Master. "Destroy it! End these adolescent notions of love and redemption. End your pain — forever."

A thin cloud of Darkness enveloped the Beast. The creature approached the rose in his room. He stared at it for a moment or two. A rosy petal started to descend from the plant's top. As it drifted to the marble table, the Beast lifted the glass cover. The rose was still hovering in place.

Forté saw his chance. "Yes! Do it! Smash it!"

The Beast's eyes filled with rage. He growled and raised his right arm. He was about to slash his claw at the rose when the falling petal caught his eye. The petal drifted down to the forest-green package on the table. The Beast stared at the package, recalling who had had it sent to him. "Belle."

He grabbed the package and strolled back into the enormous chamber. Forté was startled. This was not part of his plan! "What are you doing? What is it?"

The Beast quickly opened the package. Inside, he found a handwritten tome. The book contained a paper cover. He held it in both hands, still thinking about who had given him it.

"Oh, a storybook," Forté scoffed. "Does this one have pretty pictures you can color?" he gave a laugh. "Utterly dreadful, Master."

"No!" the Beast stated in a firm voice. He scowled at his court composer. "This one is different," he looked back at the book and approached the still-glowing fireplace. "It's from Belle."

Forté gave a smirked grin. "Well, that would account for the creative wrapping."

"Quiet!" the Beast bellowed. Forté was so shocked, he nearly shrunk back and slammed his head against the wall. "I want to read."

Forté groaned softly as he watched his Master sit down in the latter's chair. The Beast opened the book and started to read. As he read the fancy lettering, he could almost hear Belle's voice speaking to him.

"Once upon a time, there was an enchanted castle. It's Master seemed as cold as winter. Deep inside his heart, there was no love. His cries echoed through the stone wall of the castle. Though surrounded by servants, he was all alone…. "

The Beast paused for a second. This all sounded very familiar. He decided to continue reading.

"…And in that simple act of kindness, he knew that someone cared. Christmas that year was spent exchanging humble gifts, but the greatest gift that anyone received was the gift of Hope."

"Hmm… 'Hope'," his eyes lit up. He could feel a strong Light filling his heart. He wondered what it meant. Was Belle correct? Had he really been too selfish — again? He knew he needed to set things correct.

He needed to apologize to Belle.

The Beast carefully closed the book and stood up. He gently placed the book in the chair and headed for the doorway. Forté stared in alarm. "No, Master! Come back!" he shouted in an attempt to lure the Beast back. "She'll only prolong your torment!"

The Beast slammed the door behind him. As its echo rick-rocked about the chamber, Forté started to glare. "So, Beast gets girl, and it's a happy ending for everyone. Enchantment lifted, and Forté fades into the background. No longer important. No longer needed…. "

His scowl swiftly transitioned into a snarl. "I think not!"

Through the corner of his eye, he saw the Beagle Boys stepping into the room. Their faces were a pale shade of blue and they were shivering. A few slowly-melting icicles hung from their hoods and arms.

Forté snorted his disapproval. It was time for "Plan B". "They shall see, even if they are blinded right now."

The dungeon felt much brighter and cheerful than earlier. Sora was feeling pleased, certain this meant the Light was returning to this world. His eyes turned to Indigo. He wondered if her presence had anything to do with it.

The angel was happily chatting with the servants about Christmas-related stuff. Although he could not tell what they were saying, Sora decided to relax a little. He placed his hands behind his head and started to sway slightly back and forth.

Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were all gathered with the servants. As he started to listen, Sora realized they were discussing about what to do about the now-ruined Christmas party. At last, Chip spoke in a loud enough voice for everyone to hear — including the seventeen-year-old Keyblader.

"You know what, Belle?" the chipped teacup asked. "I don't need a tree to celebrate Christmas."

Lumiére gave a joyful nod. "And I can do without mistletoe."

Cogsworth frowned at the candelabra. He crossed his arms. "Well, I don't need tinsel."

Lumiére must have taken this as a challenge of some kind. "Oh, I don't need holly."

"And I don't need a wreath."

"I don't need ornaments."

"And I… don't need turkey."

"I don't need stuffing."

"I don't need pudding!"

The two servants scowled at one another. This reminded Sora of how he and Riku had sometimes started their sword fights. There were those times they had smiled before starting. Other times, they scowled or even glared. Once, they had even fought during a play — "The Nutcracker". Well… their roles had required them to have a duel. Sora had been cast as the Mouse King while Riku had starred as the Nutcracker.

He had been so jealous, he had actually encouraged Riku to go a little too far with the fight. The two had knocked over a piece of the set. This had resulted in Clara — Selphie, that is — in shouting at them. Sora had then chosen to just fall over like he had been killed. He had seen Kairi and Amemi standing backstage with Tidus and Wakka. The two girls had been staring while Wakka was shaking his head. Tidus had slapped his face. All Sora had thought of doing was giving his shy grin, which was basically his well-known smile, only slightly wider.

"To each his own, my friend, you know how to get me stressed," an outraged Lumiére snapped, breaking Sora way from his pondering and recollection. "But when it comes to making Christmas special…. "

"Ah-ah!" Cogsworth interrupted. He stubbornly gestured to himself. "I'm a cut above the rest!"

"If you could see things clearly, you would say that I've been blessed."

Cogsworth pointed to Lumiére's arms. "You can't hold a candle to my timing!"

"Ahh! I'm a cut above the rest!"

The two turned their backs on each other and folded their arms. They held their noses high in the air and shut their eyes. The sight caused Sora to recall the behavior of his friends, Rabbit and Tigger. It also reminded him of two characters from that animated show — the one his sister and him had watched together for years. What was it called again?

He only remembered it had something to do with an eight-year-old boy who was a human-like aardvark. He had a bratty sister, who happened to be Amemi's favorite character. There were lots of other characters. The bunny who loved food… the smartest kid… the monkey-girl who loved sports… that one girl who only cared about money and fancy stuff… the bully-like kid who played the clarinet.

Belle bent lower so she was about four times Cogsworth and Lumiére's eye-level. "You belong side-by-side," she told them. "You should never be apart. Cause when you're both together, you're really twice as smart."

Amemi stepped up. "Yes," she agreed. "If you both work together, you can make many things happen."

The two servants stared at the sandy-haired girl. They started to ponder. "They do have a point," Cogsworth gave in.

"Yes," Lumière approved. "Well, two heads are better than one."

They shook hands… if you could call it a "handshake", that is. Sora still knew they meant it. They were grinning happily. He knew the pair had settled their disagreement. The only thing he wanted to know now was how long this truce would last.

A shadow loomed into the dungeon. Sora gazed at the entrance door. The silhouette of a large figure was standing in the doorway. When they took a few steps in, it became clear who it was.

The Beast. To the brown, spikey-haired youth's surprise, the castle's Master seemed to be showing a look of regret on his face.

Chip gasped. "Uh-oh! It's the Master."

Amemi stepped to her brother and held his hand as tightly as she could. Sora knew she was a little uncomfortable. He could not blame her, especially after the spat she had had with the Beast.

Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad gathered against the far wall. Cogsworth, Lumiére, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Angelique did the same. Sora was ready to summon his Keyblade in case some funny business was afoot. For all he knew, the Beast might have turned into a Heartless. Then again, he was not sure, specifically since there was no stench of Darkness in the room.

He felt something from behind. He looked over his shoulder. Indigo was ducking down behind him. She peeked out from over his shoulder. He could see her anxious eyes staring at the Beast.

Belle was the only one who held her ground. She stared at the Beast with a rather calm look. The Beast approached her and took her hand. He looked into her eyes. "Uh, Belle," he sighed. A few tears formed in his eyes. "Can you forgive me?"

Belle's smile told Sora everything. She had seen the sincerity in the Beast's eyes. "Of course. Merry Christmas."

The Beast beamed with delight. He turned to everyone else with a large smile. "Let's give Belle the Christmas she's always wanted!" he declared.

The servants all cheered. Sora saw Amemi jumping up for joy. "Yahoo!" she cheered.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Donald called, throwing his hat into the air with glee.

Goofy and Launchpad both started leaping up and down with excitement. The last time Sora had this behavior from them was at his birthday party. Yes, that was the time Kairi had—…. No way! He was not about to let that memory return to his mind!

"Yes!" Sora declared in turn. Indigo emerged from behind him and stepped up to the Beast and Belle. She had a large, friendly smile. The two turned their attention to her.

"My name is Indigo — The Angel of Hope," she said, curtseying before them. "I knew you both could fix your relationship. I believed in you. Your Lights shall shine brightly for the rest of this year and long into the future."

Belle smiled all the more. "Thank you, Madam Indigo."

Indigo's smile shrank and she cupped her hands together above her chest. It almost looked like she was fidgeting with something or other. Her eyes moved around a little. Her glow dimmed slightly before it grew again. "Please, just call me 'Indigo'. That is my real name."

Sora had to shake his head. The angel's actions reminded him of how he sometimes reacted around girls. That was one thing he knew Donald and Goofy had always noticed and remembered. Why else had they teased him so much about Kairi?

A loud blast of noise echoed about the immediate area. The entire room shook violently. Sora found himself wobbling about, trying to keep from toppling over. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were not so lucky. "Get offa me!" Donald snapped from the bottom of the pile.

Amemi leaned against the wall as the room continued to shake. Indigo stepped backwards as the floor suddenly opened up. Sora was appalled. The castle was coming apart! Why?! What was going on?!

"Earthquake!" Amemi screamed.

Sora jumped back as the ceiling began caving in. "Whoa!"

A small trinket bounced off his shoulder. When he turned to see what it was, his eyes lit up in surprise. It was a two-sided item. On one side, it was a shiny, golden star that resembled the badge of a law enforcement officer. The other side looked like a jet-pack with some white and green colors. The object was glowing a little.

Even though he was not quite sure what this thing was, the spikey, brown-headed young man shrugged. He put it into his jacket pocket without a worry. What harm could it do?

Fife was hurrying down the darkened corridor of the West Wing. The entire hallway was shaking and dust from the ceiling was coming down in some places. He hobbled into the Beast's room and dashed to the large chamber next door.

Inside, he found a cackling Forté. For a moment, the piccolo thought the composer had lost it. The next, he realized the composer was the one responsible for the racket. He gasped, wondering why Forté was causing all this damage to the castle. Had he gone completely mad?!

The noise for the pipe organ was releasing such violent vibrations, the enormous windows on the far side of the room had shattered into oblivion. Chunks of the ceiling were starting to rain down. A few lampstands had been knocked over and the floor was quaking like a shockwave had rushed through it.

"Maestro!" Fife shouted as loudly as he could. "Stop! What do you think you're doing?"

Forté ceased his playing for a moment. His enormous grin turned to face the tiny instrument. "Don't you see, Fife?" he proclaimed. "They can't fall in love if they're dead!"

Fife was appalled. He could not believe what he had just heard. Forté was plotting to assassinate the Master — and kill Belle in the process! No way was he going to stand for this! He needed to take a stand against the villain.

"I'll tell you what I see," Fife stated. He hesitated, wondering how he should come across. When he noticed the cloud of Darkness surrounding the pipe organ, he finally felt courageous enough to speak. "A… big, old windbag."

Forté just laughed off the piccolo's insult. "You could have joined me, Fife, but I see my triumph is a solo act."

Before Fife could question what Forté meant, a trunk near the destroyed windows came bouncing over. It crashed down before the piccolo and popped open. A bunch of papers flew everywhere. Fife reached out and caught one. To his surprise, it was titled as the solo he had been promised. There was no music written on it.

"My solo!" he declared. "It's blank!"

Fife scowled at Forté. The latter laughed away with such a sinister tone, it sounded completely unhuman. In fact, it did not sound like a laugh. It felt like… a demon had possessed the composer.

"So naïve," Forté ridiculed. "You're second fiddle, Fife, and that's all you'll ever be."

Fife gripped the paper in his hands so tightly, it nearly tore in half. "You won't get away with this!"

"Oh, believe me," Forté countered. "I already have the high notes."

A series of footsteps approached Fife from behind. The piccolo spun around in time to see a trio of hooded figures with black masks standing behind him. Before Fife could react, the three individuals slammed the trunk they were carrying over the piccolo's head. They immediately locked it shut.

"Let me out!" Fife yelled from inside. "Let me out!"

Forté continued to play on. He gave the hooded trio a look of delight. "Well done, Beagle Boys. One less mouth to feed."

The Beagle Boys grinned with sinister smiles. Forté cackled away in as loud a voice as he could. "Can you believe I never took a lesson?" he declared with pride.

The sinister cackle echoed about the castle. Sora's ears froze the instant he heard it. He knew that voice… that evil-sounded, spooky tone of voice. It could only belong to one individual living in this place.

"FORTÉ!" the Beast roared in anger.

Sora gave a quick nod. That was all he needed to confirm who was responsible for this destruction. Only the castle's composer could be capable of such harm. The seventeen-year-old had not trusted the composer from the moment he had first seen him. His suspicions had increased when Forté had twisted Belle's words and then had denied doing it.

Sora had the feeling Forté was probably linked to Maleficent… or Xehanort for that matter.

The Beast charged to the door. The doorway had been partially blocked by the crumbling debris from above. That did not stop the Beast. He slashed his way through and proceeded through the undercroft and the West Hall beyond.

Sora saw where the floor had been torn apart and instantly leaped over. He landed safely on the other side. He turned and told Amemi to follow. The sandy-haired girl nodded and jumped for him. He caught her arm and helped her stand. After that, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all knocked over a wooden beam and stepped across it like a tight-rope. Belle and the servants followed them before the beam snapped apart and fell into the chasm. "That was close!" Sora exclaimed.

Indigo was last. She jumped into the air and spread out her wings. She soared across the gap and continued to fly after the Beast. Sora and the others gave chase.

The West Hall was literally coming down. Chunks of marble rained from the ceiling. Some of the suits of armor had been smashed or simply toppled over. The sight did remind Sora of an earthquake-in-progress. Although he had never experienced such an event on the islands, he had learned they naturally happened here and there.

Sora led his teammates up the stairs to the West Wing. As they charged up the steps, a chunk of debris broke loose from the ceiling and came crashing down. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all came to a halt. Amemi had slid to a stop directly below the debris. She was not moving, only standing like a statue.

"Amy!" Sora called. "Run!"

Amemi did not act like she had heard him. Sora realized she was frozen in alarm. He knew he needed to act for her. He raced over to his sister. As he drew close, the young man saw a blur of indigo rush by. Before he knew it, Sora saw Amemi had been shoved to safety. Indigo had swooped in and pushed her to one side. The debris had ended up crashing down onto the angel, pinning her in place.

"Ouch!" Indigo shouted in agony.

Sora knew he needed to free her. Violet would never let him live it down if anything terrible happened to her sister. He knew he had to act — no matter what!

The Keyblade wielder sped over and summoned his Keyblade. He used the weapon's blade like a lever. The large chunk of debris started to rise. Goofy and Launchpad dashed over and grabbed Indigo's arms. They pulled her to safety. Sora felt his Keyblade slip. The debris crashed down with such force, it tumbled down the rest of the stairs and broke apart when it hit the floor.

A bruised Indigo stared in alarm. "I was almost smashed!" she realized. She turned her eyes to Sora. "Thank you so very much!"

Sora gave a nod. He saw Indigo's antennae were bent slightly and her winds were crumpled like a folded piece of paper. A few scrapes and bruises were visible on her arms and forehead. Otherwise, she seemed unharmed. Donald was quick to use his magic to heal her. Sora had to nod at the duck-mage.

He turned to the stairs. "C'mon!"

He ran up the stairs and turned left. As he barged through the still-open doorway leading into the West Wing, one of the large doors broke off its hinges. The wooden door started to lean his way. Sora rushed by before the door could crash down on his head.

He glanced back. Donald and Goofy were helping Indigo along. Launchpad easily lifted the fallen door and leaned it gently against the wall. "It's a good thing Mr. McDee's vault door once rolled away," he remarked. "Or I wouldn't have had practice with carrying doors."

Sora had to shake his head. Even in the middle of a serious situation, the pilot always had time for a silly comment.

He turned his attention to the corridor up ahead and signaled for the others to follow. That was when he saw the Beast was almost to his room. Amemi suddenly raced by and sped down the hallway. Knowing they were on the correct track, Sora charged down the corridor as fast as he could manage.

He darted into the Beast's room. After hopping over a few pieces of ruined furniture, Sora made a sharp left and hurried into the gigantic room through the doorway. He entered it just in time to hear the Beast holler, "Forté!"

On the other side of the room, the castle's composer was cackling away without a care in the world. Sora was not surprised by this sight. He could make out the thick blanket of Darkness shrouding the villain. He had seen this same thing time and time again. What was new?

"We can remain as we are forever and ever!" Forté declared.

The Beast clearly was far from amused about being ignored. "Forté! Enough!"

Forté looked as though he had been busted for a crime. "Heaven, Master," he said. "You're not singing!"

At once, a strand of greenish music flew from one of Forté's pipes. It slammed straight into the Beast, knocking him backwards onto the floor. In an instant, Sora summoned his Keyblade. "You're gonna pay, Forté!" he provoked, glaring at the composer.

In a heartbeat, Donald, Goofy, Amemi, Launchpad, and Indigo were standing around the brown-headed Keyblader. Donald had his wand ready, Goofy's shield was held out, Amemi was readying her slingshot, and Launchpad held up his gas-gun.

Indigo was holding a magical wand with a star-shaped point. The staff was indigo-colored while the star was a bright shade of silver and sparkling brilliantly.

When Forté saw the group, his evil smile grew all the more. "Kids like you? Don't make me laugh!"

All of a sudden, a group of creatures appeared from the cloud of Darkness. To Sora's shock, it was a pack of Air Soldier Heartless, only with dark-yellow helmets instead of brown ones.

He did not waste any time charging at the enemies. He swung his Keyblade and slashed his way clear through one. That was when two others attacked from both sides. Sora found himself clobbered and shoved onto the floor. Indigo raced over and waved her wand in a sideways triangle. "Three-sided Windspeed!" she declared.

The Heartless were suddenly scooped up by an enormous whirlwind. The few left were rapidly knocked aside by Goofy's shield and Amemi's slingshot. Donald reached Sora and tossed him a potion. By this time, a horde of Neoshadows had appeared and were busy slinking across the floor.

"Watch it!" Launchpad shouted as one of the Heartless rose up and started to spin his way. The monster was literally spinning like a top. The pilot was so startled, he ducked behind a statue. He accidentally bumped into the object, knocking it over. The statue banged into another one beside. Then another. And another. Before long, the short line of statues were toppling over like dominos set in a line of some kind. The last statue fell flat onto the floor, crushing four Neoshadow Heartless lurking near the wall.

"Heh, heh," Launchpad chuckled. "I meant to do that."

Sora gave a roll of his eyes before he turned his focus onto Forté. He was about to rush forwards and attack the pipe organ when three hooded figures surrounded him. He glared at them, recognizing the Beagle Boys.

"This castle belongs to us," the tallest Beagle Boy stated.

"Now, you can just leave us alone," the medium one added.

"Get out!" the shortest one barked.

Sora had seen enough. Although he was not certain why the three villains were here, he knew Maleficent was deeply involved in this world's affairs in one way or another. Why else would the Beagle Boys have been in this castle? He simply held his ground and tightly clutched his Keyblade.

"If I've defeated you once, I've defeated you a hundred times!" he declared. "I can do this all day!"

The Beagle Boys rushed at him. Sora whirled around and sliced his weapon through each of the villains. They all fell back and bounced around a little. The two taller ones hastily returned to their feet and rushed at him. Sora swung his Keyblade and knocked them back so hard, they rolled across the floor like balls on a billiard table. They slammed against the wall and a few stars shone above their heads. Sora knew they were out for the count.

The shortest Beagle Boy crept up from behind. "Take that!" he yelled, swinging his sword in a wild manner.

"Waah!" Sora did not have time to turn around. He was struck from behind and knocked back. He whirled around in time to see Amemi shoot the villain in face with her slingshot. Goofy charged over and smashed his shield into the Beagle Boy's face.

That was when Donald arrived. When he saw the Beagle Boy was out cold, he sighed and grumbled. "Phooey! I always miss the action…. "

Sora had to grin. He knew Donald all too well. The duck magician tended to complain about… just about, well, everything. The food… the work… the heat… the beds… the showers… the homework… the barley… the handouts… wait, what was he thinking about?! He was not sure.

Forté's sinister grin seized the attention of Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo. "Try performing this song! I call it, 'The Tune of Doom, in D Minor'!"

He slammed down his keys. A shot of pure Darkness mixed with a green glow flew straight from the pipe organ. A few others immediately followed.

"Look out!" Sora shouted. The group huddled behind Goofy's shield. Indigo tried to race over, only to get cut off by a falling lampstand. The room was still coming apart. Instead, she ducked down as several Darkness blasts rushed by.

Amemi was also caught in the open. She had speedily raced behind a column and stayed there. She felt her heart race as one of the Darkness blasts nearly struck her. Another one slammed into the column a few inches above her head. It caused a few pieces of debris to fall on her head. Fortunately, they were about the size of sand grains. "This is getting dangerous," she murmured to herself.

Out the corner of her eye, Amemi saw Lumiére, Cogsworth, and Angelique scurrying across the room. That was when something else caught her eye. The rose in the next room. All the shaking had caused the glass container to shift around. It was now on the verge of falling over the table's edge.

"The bell jar!" Lumiére exclaimed.

The three hurried to the table. The container suddenly toppled over the edge. Cogsworth rushed in and caught it at the last second. "Got it! Got it!"

"Careful," Angelique said, trying to sound calm.

Amemi looked away. She did not want to get distracted. The only way to stop all this chaos was to stop Forté's terrible music. The composer was blasting attacks of dark music from his pipes almost constantly. Over and over, the Beast tried to get up, only to get knocked back by another blast of dark music.

"Is this happy enough for you, Master?" Forté called over the loud music and blasting attacks. "I know I'm downright giddy!"

Amemi was concerned. How would they stop the villainous Forté now?

Sora was struggling to stay safely behind Goofy's shield. Something bumped against his shoe. He looked down. A small, wooden trunk was there. It seemed to be bouncing around a little. When he thought he heard a soft voice coming from inside, Sora used his Keyblade to unlock the trunk. It opened and out hopped a tiny piccolo. "Fife!" Sora immediately recognized him.

"What were you doin' in there?" Goofy wondered, having noticed the little instrument.

"No time to explain!" Fife declared. He saw the Beast rising from the floor, again. "Oh, Master!"

"Get to safety!" Donald ordered.

"We've gotta stop Forté," Sora added.

Another blast of dark music slammed hard against Goofy's shield. "Gawrsh! That was a strong one!" he remarked.

"Oh, the keyboard!" Fife exclaimed. Sora's eyes trailed the piccolo's eyesight straight to a large, fancifully-decorated keyboard at the top of a short flight of stairs. Either side of the platform was protected by railings.

"That's it!" Sora realized. If he could just reach that keyboard, he could put a stop to Forté's destruction. He needed to get to it — and fast! He took a few steps away from Goofy's shield and the others behind it. A blast of dark music barely missed him. He needed to keep moving. He did, only much, much, much, much slower than he had wanted. The dark musical blasts had forced him to hold his Keyblade before him and defend himself from the attacks of Darkness.

"Aside!" The Beast marched past. Sora watched as the castle's Master began slashing his claws at the incoming blasts. He sent each and every one of the attacks into a void deep within the Twilight Zone. He reached the steps. Before Sora's eyes, the Beast strode up one step at a time. Not a single blast of dark music clobbered him there.

"You can do it, Beast!" Sora cheered his friend on.

Forté continued to roar with delightful glee. His laughter reminded Amemi of a combination of Miss Power and The Wicked Witch of The West. She hated both those characters. It was no shock she despised Forté, too.

She kept her eye on the villain. The Beast was standing directly before the pipe organ's keyboard. He grasped the sides of the contraption and yanked it free from the rest of the instrument. The keys instantly stopped moving. The vibrations ceased, so the shaking halted, too. Forté stopped cackling and started to gasp for air. Amemi knew what this meant.

Forté was suffering. After all, he was only a human that had been transformed into a pipe organ. Amemi caught a mere glimpse of Cogsworth, Lumiére, and Angelique returning the container with the rose back onto its table. She gave a sigh of relief.

Sora was taken by marvel. He watched as the Beast lifted the keyboard above his head. With all his might, he threw the keyboard at the wall. The contraption broke in half on impact. Ivory keys went flying through the air and clattered all over the floor. A few sheets of music went flying all over the place.

"What a good crash!" Launchpad approved.

The crash was plenty to cause the chains keeping Forté bolted to the wall to snap apart. "What?!" the composer declared in alarm. He started to topple over. "NO! NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Sora stared at the pipe organ as it toppled over in his direction. The Beast was standing in place. "Beast!" the spikey-haired youth yelled. "Run!"

The Beast held his ground. Sora was beyond worry. Was there something the castle's Master knew that he didn't?

Forté toppled over and his scream grew softer and shallower like an instrument losing its sound. He crashed down upon the steps, snapping the railing from its place and sending up a cloud of dust and Darkness. The shockwave resulting from the impact nearly knocked Sora off his feet. He looked back to see what was left of the pipe organ.

All the pipes were smashed or crumpled. The top of the instrument had been dented in badly. With the keyboard also gone, Sora knew what this meant. Forté's heart had been lost to the Darkness. There was no coming back for him.

"Forté…. " the Beast muttered through his gritted teeth.

That was when Sora saw the Beagle Boys coming to. The three villains saw the destroyed pipe organ and gasped.

"There goes our golden opportunity," the tallest one said.

"She'll have our heads now," the medium Beagle Boy added.

The shortest one gulped. "Let's get outta here!"

The three villains rushed to the side of the room. A dark portal opened. Before Sora could say or do anything, the Beagle Boys had raced into the portal and disappeared.

Sora was completed puzzled. Why had the Beagle Boys been in the castle? It did not make any sense to him. Had they been causing miscellaneous mischief? That sounded possible.

Whatever the case, they were gone. Sora had the feeling he might not see them again for a long time. Of course, he had defeated them in the Sleeping World of The Country of The Musketeers, taken them down in Le Villa de Sonner Les Cloches, and now he had fought them again here — at The Beast's Castle.

Now, he wondered… how many other members of Maleficent's Council were roaming about causing trouble?

Only time would tell….

A few hours had passed since Forté had been taken down once and for all. The ballroom had never looked so beautiful. In such a short time, Angelique had managed to make it look as lovely as a fireworks display.

All the servants were gathered in the room, including Fife. Sora, Amemi, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Indigo were also in attendance. They stood on the side of the ballroom beside Cogsworth, Lumiére, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Fife.

Amemi was admiring the decorations. There were wreaths placed neatly on each window. The garland had been re-applied to the columns. There were hollies and mistletoes located on opposite sides of the circular room.

"This is so nice," she remarked with a large smile. She loved such pretty sights. They reminded her of all things that were good.

"Oh yes," Mrs. Potts nodded. "It is lovely."

Lumiére gazed at Angelique as she strode past him. "And you said it was impossible," he quipped.

"Uh-uh-uh-uh," Angelique stated, shaking her finger with a smile. "I said it was impossible without me."

Cogsworth's eyes were on the entrance doorway. He suddenly called, "Everyone, shh-shh! Here they come!"

Into the room strode the Beast and Belle. Amemi's eyes nearly burst with delight when she saw the golden dress Belle was wearing. She held her hands to keep them from fidgeting too much. Belle truly did look like a princess.

"Wow!" Chip exclaimed.

The Beast and Belle both stopped long enough to take a look around the ballroom. Belle's smile grew all the more. "It's wonderful."

The servants all cheered with glee. The Beast gestured to the crowd. "Merry Christmas, one and all!"

"Merry Christmas!" the servants all cheered.

"Yeah!" Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all chimed in. Indigo gave a thumbs-up with her left hand. Sora beamed brightly.

"Maestro," the Beast said.

All eyes turned to Fife. "Yes, Master?" he asked.

The Beast smiled. "Would you do us the honor, friend?"

Fife's grin increased in less than a second. "I'd be delighted!"

He started to play a calm, yet very holiday-spirited song. A group of violins and other stringed instruments joined in. Even though no one was touching them, Amemi knew they were simply enchanted — just like the rest of the castle.

The Beast and Belle started to dance around the ballroom. As she watched them, Amemi felt a strong Light in the room. A thought crossed her mind. This place was under a spell, like in a fairy-tale. Did that mean there was a way it could be broken?

She turned to Sora. "I hope, one day, this world will no longer be under this spell," she told him.

"Yeah," Sora nodded. His smile faded a tiny bit. "I hope so."

Amemi stared at her brother. That was the last thing she had anticipated. Was he still hiding something about this place? Hadn't he told her everything about the spell?

"Sora, what are you saying?" she enquired.

Sora turned to face her. "Remember the rose in the Beast's room?"

Amemi gave a nod. She recalled how she had first encountered the Beast while attempting to touch that plant. Yet, for some reason, the rose had been floating. Then, there was that mysterious, crimson glow. Was that rose magical?

Sora continued. "If Beast can love Belle, and have Belle love him back, the spell'll be broken."

Amemi's eyes lit up. So, there was a way for the spell to be broken! She had seen the Beast and Belle give each other romantic looks during the dance so far. If this kept up, they would be loving one another in no time. Yes, just like a fairy-tale. "I know it'll happen," she said. "They're falling in love as we speak."

Sora did not look so sure. "True, but the spell's got a limit."

The sandy-headed teenage girl's ears perked up. "What?"

"Beast needs to break the spell before the last petal falls from the rose," her brother explained. "It's like… all his and the others' hopes are on that rose."

Amemi was completely taken aback. This castle's tale was much more serious than she had initially thought. The spell had a time limit. Unless the Beast fell in love and earned Belle's love in return before the last petal fell… would the spell be permanent? Or was there a worse consequence? She refused to think about it.

She spun her attention back to the dance. "I hope so, too," she admitted. "It would be a shame for this place to remain like this forever. There needs to be Hope."

Indigo approached the two from behind. "That is exactly what I was thinking," she told them in a calm, clear voice.

"Yeah," Sora nodded. A flash of Light seized their attention. The Keyblade had appeared in Sora's hand. He held the weapon up into the air with both hands. That was when the three realized Angelique was glowing with Light. A beam of Light shot into the air from the decorator and formed a large Keyhole in the air.

Acting upon his Keyblade's instinct, Sora pointed the weapon straight at the Keyhole. A beam of Light formed at the tip of the blade and shone out across the room. The beam struck the middle of the Keyhole. The sound of the Keyhole unlocking could be heard. A brilliant shower of Light flooded the ballroom.

Sora looked at his Keyblade and gave a nod. "Looks like we're done here," he declared.

"Oh boy!" Donald cheered with enthusiasm. It was clear based on the duck's gleeful eyes he'd been cooped up in the castle for too long.

The Beast, Belle, and the servants approached Sora and his companions. "What happened?" the Beast asked.

"It's time to get airborne," Launchpad announced.

Belle and the Beast both looked a little worried. "Will you come back?" Belle inquired.

"Please do," Chip pleaded. "You're so much fun to be around, Sora."

"You'll be back," Mrs. Potts said. "I believe you will."

Lumiére approached Amemi and waved. "'Til we meet again, mademoiselle."

Angelique folded her arms and frowned at the candelabra. "I knew you were a real ladies' man, but this is ridiculous, Lumiére," she stated.

Lumiére spun around and hobbled over to the Christmas angel. "But, Angelique…. "

Angelique did not move. This was plenty of evidence for Amemi to conclude she was not the only one Lumiére had… well… she decided not to let her mind dwell on it. At least, it seemed Indigo had not been "involved" with the candelabra.

She shoved the pondering aside in the time it takes someone to blink their eyes halfway.

Cogsworth turned to Sora and the others. "I apologize for Lumiére's 'rude behavior'. Remember, you're welcome here any time."

Sora gave a nod. "Thanks a lot. See ya!"

He waved before he strolled to the ballroom's exit. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all waved before they followed. Amemi saluted before joining them. Indigo waved (with her left hand) before she hurried after Sora and the others.

Once on the other side of the doorway, Indigo tripped on the top step and tumbled down the stairs. She banged into Amemi. The two bumped into Launchpad, Goofy, and Donald. The group landed onto a startled Sora at the bottom of the staircase.

"Get off," Sora muttered from the bottom of the pile.

Indigo opened her wings and started hovering above the others. Her wings stirred up some dust, causing Donald to sneeze. "So sorry," she quickly apologized to them.

It did not take long for Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi to get untangled and off the floor. Sora was the last one up. Indigo came down for such a graceful landing, Amemi took a double-look. It had looked unnatural to her….

"Sora," Indigo started to say. Her hands were folded against each other over her chest and shaking a little. She was looking off to the left. Her antennae seemed to be shifting slightly. To Sora and Amemi, the angel was acting very nervous. "I… I… I want to join your… your team."

Sora gave a large grin. He placed his right hand onto the angel's shoulder like Sheriff Taylor sometimes did to Deputy Fife. "You didn't have to ask," he told her. "I was gonna tell you we've been looking for you all this time."

Indigo hastily stared at the spikey, brown-haired young man in surprise. Sora thought he saw a growing sparkle in her indigo eyes. The angel gave a pleasant smile and gave Sora a hug so suddenly, everyone else stepped back two steps (except Amemi). Sora was completely startled.

"Thank you so much!" Indigo declared with excitement evident in her voice. She removed her arms from around Sora's torso and stepped back a few feet. She leapt into the air and started flipping as she soared upwards. "YIPPEE!"

"Gawrsh, she sure gets excited," Goofy remarked.

"It's hard to believe she's related to Violet," Amemi indicated. "Their personalities are very different."

"They look the same," Donald mentioned. "But talk different."

"Heh, heh, like Huey, Dewey, and Louie," Launchpad chuckled. "Only with different colors and a torn wing. I wonder if she ever crashes on her own?"

No one dignified the pilot's question with a response.

"She's very special," Amemi added.

"Yeah," Sora gave another nod. "She's got a strong Light. I can feel it. It's just like Violet's."

After a few minutes, Indigo returned to the floor. She turned to the group. "Does this man I shall see Violet again?"

Sora gave a swift nod. "Yeah! We're gonna head to Master Yen Sid's tower next. Violet was there when we left."

Indigo's smile started to fade. "Oh, I understand," she said in a less-than-enthusiastic tone of voice. "Well, I guess you cannot choose who shall see ahead of time…. "

Sora was astounded. Was Indigo hesitant at seeing her sister again? He wondered why. Had something happened between the two of them that he did not know about? Had Violet kept that a secret from him, too? He had to admit, angels came across as being very outgoing, yet secretive, individuals.

He turned to see if he had the others' undivided attention. When he saw he did, Sora said, "Okay. Let's get going. We're off to Master Yen Sid's tower."

He started for the door. Through the windows on either side of the doorway, sunlight was starting to shine into the gloomy hall. Amemi smiled when she saw this, knowing this was a sign the world's fate had not been eternally sealed. There was still Hope.

She followed Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Indigo towards the exit. Her shoe landed on something crunchy. It sounded like paper. She looked down and saw a piece of torn paper underneath her right shoe. She bent down and picked it up. It looked peculiar, mainly due to its colorful, painted illustrations and large letters for the text. It almost appeared to be something straight out of a storybook she had read years ago.

She held it up and called, "Look what I just found!"

Everyone stopped and turned back. Sora's eyes grew when he saw the piece of paper in his sister's hand. He ran back over to her. "Amy, where'd you find that?"

Before Amemi could speak, her brother snatched the paper from her hand and was staring at it. "It was lying on the floor," she informed him. She took note of how focused he was on the paper. It appeared he recognized it from somewhere. "Do you know what book it's from?"

"Pooh's Storybook!" Sora realized in a flash. "This's one of the missing pages Aerith and Myrna were talking about!"

Amemi was puzzled. What was her brother talking about? She had never heard of a book titled "Pooh's Storybook". What was her brother driving at now? "What are you talking about?" she enquired.

Sora slipped the paper into his pocket and rushed over to the others. Even though she was still confused, Amemi followed him. "Guys, we'll have to make a stop on the way," he told the group. "We've found a page from Pooh's Storybook."

"Huh?!" Donald exclaimed.

"I thought we'd already put that there book back together," Goofy indicated.

Sora wanted to slap himself in the face. He had forgotten to tell his teammates what he'd learned the last time they'd been at the Radiant Garden's castle. Either way, it was now time to return and put the page back where it belonged.

"C'mon," Sora proclaimed. "We've gotta get going! Other worlds might be calling!"

He led the others out the door and into the snow. Launchpad then took charge and led the way to Herbie. He climbed into the cab and started to engine. It worked (for a change). Once Sora and Amemi had sat down in the front, and Donald, Goofy, and Indigo had taken their seats in the back, Launchpad took off.

Herbie soared off into space. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo had finally left the Beast's Castle safe and sound.

Flashes of green lightning could be seen from outside the windows of the tallest tower of the fortress of Villain's Vale. "You fools!" Maleficent declared from inside. "You imbeciles!"

Just hearing and seeing this would have been more than enough to determine just what was going on inside. In the circular tower room, Maleficent was sending bolts of her magic aimed at the scattering Beagle Boys. Ever since the trio had returned, the sorceress had refused to hear their pathetic excuses and was punishing them with her magic.

Her goal? To smite them for good.

"Maleficent, we gots word that — Whoa!" A stray lightning bolt nearly sliced off Pete's head as he stood at the room's entrance. He ducked when he saw the enraged look written in the witch's eyes. Her face was twisted in a snarl. That was one look Pete hated to see!

When he saw the Beagle Boys huddling in a corner in fear, the large cat grunted and shook his head. No wonder Maleficent was so outraged. Those three had seemingly deserted the team. Now they were back. And after he had taken the blame for their disappearance and Frollo's loss.

Maleficent saw Pete marching across the chamber. She stopped and snorted her disapproval. "Leave, fool! You have no business here!"

Pete did not pay any attention to her. He marched over and halted before the Beagle Boys. He scowled at them. "Cause you three decided to high-tail it after that runt with the Keyblade beat youse, I got blamed for everythin'!"

"We's sorry," the medium Beagle Boy declared.

"We won't do anything without anyone's approval," the tallest one stated.

"Count on it!" the third, and shortest, Beagle Boy confirmed.

Pete snorted. He was not sure whether or not he could even rely on those three. They botched every job they had been given. He had the feeling Maleficent had the correct idea. Those three did need to be taught a lesson — permanently.

"Go ahead, Maleficent," Pete told the sorceress. He headed for the exit. A bolt of greenish lightning struck the floor directly before him. Pete tumbled backwards in alarm.

"You may only leave when I say you can," Maleficent stated in the same harsh voice she was best known for using.

Pete rolled over and rose to his feet. "Uh… okay. What can I do fer ya?"

Maleficent held her staff with both hands. She gave a friendly grin at the large cat — if you could call it "friendly", that is. Her raven, Diablo, was perched on her shoulder. He seemed to be giving a sinister grin of his own. This sight always made Pete anxious. For all he knew, the sorceress had something terrible going through her mind.

"Please seal off this room for the next two hours," Maleficent said. "I don't want to harm anyone else than I deem necessary."

Pete was taken by surprise. Maleficent did not want to punish him for messing things up so frequently? That was unexpected! He saluted with a proud smile. "Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Yes, ma'am!" he declared.

Maleficent snorted her disapproval. "Just one 'Yes, ma'am', will suffice. Now, leave me!"

Pete nodded and scurried out the door in a flash. Once on the other side, he used a magical spell Maleficent had once shown him. A shield appeared before the doorway. The shapes it was made of resembled hexagons.

He shrugged it aside and marched away. He did not wish to be anywhere close to the chamber when Maleficent created another enormous ruckus.

He looked over the railing and grinned when he saw the Heartless down below looked more and more like a thick, soupy mess. It would not be long before they would be getting their revenge against the runt with the Keyblade and this world's leaders. Time might be on their side, for a change.

The stars were still shining and twinkling in the sky above the Mysterious Tower. From the front steps, Violet as watching them. Her antennae had moved a little while back. For a moment, she had thought she had sensed her sister's Light in another world.

Had she? Had she really detected Indigo's presence out there? It seemed possible. She wondered where her sister was now. She was curious to know what she had been doing. They had not seen each other in so long. Was she doing well? Was she trying to help the worlds, too? Had she also acquired a Keyblade?

The door behind her opened and closed. She heard the sound of someone's foot tapping from behind. Violet looked back and saw a young woman standing behind her. Thanks to her bright, blonde hair with the red petals, and her blue bracelet, Violet immediately knew who it was. She leapt to her feet and turned to face her. "Niccole! For what length of time have you been situated there?" she inquired.

Niccole's arms were folded and she did not look happy — not in the least, little bit. "Do not deny it," Niccole stated. "I know all about you and Riku."

Violet looked perplexed. "What are you referring to?"

"I've seen the way he looks at you. It's the same way he used to see me," the young woman stated to the angel.

Violet was startled. "I do not comprehend what you mean."

Niccole pointed straight at Violet like a district attorney. "You are his new girlfriend!" she stated in a firm voice. "Why didn't either of you tell me?! Instead, you left me in the dark!"

Violet scowled. "That is completely fallacious! He is my friend! We clashed against Xehanort together!"

Niccole's eyes started to tear up. She turned away. "You don't get it! Riku brought me out of my shell! If it wasn't for him, I would still be living with the flowers in Wonderland."

Violet's antennae started to vibrate. She understood what they probably had detected. "Do I detect a sliver of envy?" she questioned. "Or, am I detecting something a quadrillion times more precious?"

Niccole turned back. Violet pointed at the former with her right arm. "I can detect your desire to share your Light with him," the angel announced. "Is it… what do other individuals refer to it by? …'Love'?"

Niccole gave a deep sigh. She scowled back at Violet. "Look, you stay away from Riku or there'll be one less angel in this or any world."

She stormed off down the steps to the where some low-level trees had been growing for many years.

Violet was shaken. Did Niccole truly "love" Riku? Based on that short observation, it appeared to be so. She cared for him. She had been concerned she would lose him to an angel. What an outrageous concept! Angels did not have marriages with just anyone. As far as the Angel of Dreams knew, marriage was a sacred institution and she was completely unware of how it functioned when it came to angels such as herself.

She continued to contemplate over it. She crossed her arms.

A dark portal opened to the left of the stairs. Out stepped a young man sporting fiery red, spikey hair. He looked around the immediate area and saw the pondering Violet and sulking Niccole. He was completely confused. "What's happenin'?" he muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Did I miss a fight? Was my brother, Reno, here?"

He did not receive an answer, other than the twinkling lights from the stars shining down from above.

MEANWHILE, IN A FARAWAY WORLD….

The large, circular room seemed to be have been crafted from golden stone. In reality, it was made from limestone with golden, black, and red white paint along it. The floor had been carefully made from marble with a tile design. The architecture resembled that of either Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome.

A few, enormously wide paintings on the walls depicted important moments in this world's history. The floor against the wall was lined with display cases. It was night outside, so the building was closed to the public and most of the lights were out. Only a few remained on, obviously for security reasons.

Standing before one particular display case was a man in a black-hooded coat. He possessed long, white hair that was spiked on top and tied into some type of ponytail in the back, whitish eyebrows, amber eyes, and mildly-tanned skin. With his hood off, a hint of the white, laboratory coat he had on underneath could be seen. He was gazing straight at something in the case. A sign above the case read in big, bold letters,

The Charters of Freedom
Declaration of Independence

He gave a grin. His eyes looked over the encased document. The parchment it had been inscribed upon was more than two hundred years old. The bullet-proof glass was not enough to keep the document's scent out. It reeked of both Darkness and Light.

He admired this smell. Darkness for the anger the author and signers had felt at the time. Light for the powerful nation that was born through it. It reminded him of all those experiments he had conducted on the Heartless and all those people who he'd been forced to sacrifice for the pursuit of knowledge.

The noise of a dark portal opening drew his attention away for a moment. A series of footsteps occurred. Striding out of the dark pathway was a young man in a black-hooded coat. He had short, red hair. The spikes partly covered his face and kept his eyes buried in shadow. Even so, his eyes still glowed an ominous combination of orange and yellow.

The first man turned his full, undivided focus back to the display. He started to read what the document stated. "'When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the Political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.'"

He turned around to face the red-haired man. "What does that mean to you, Genesis?"

Genesis shook his head. He spread out his arms and declared in a loud, clear voice,

"My friend, the fates are cruel.

There are no dreams, no honor remains.

The arrow has left, the bow of the goddess.

My soul, corrupted by vengeance,

Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey,

In my own salvation,

And your eternal slumber.

Legend shall speak,

Of sacrifice at world's end.

The wind sails over the water's surface.

Quietly, but surely."

Genesis beamed without opening his mouth. "Is that what you were trying to say?"

The white-haired man did not show any hint of reaction. "You are always using LOVELESS as an excuse for letting us down. You need to do something important if you desire to remain in the Organization."

Genesis snorted. He turned and strolled back into the dark portal. The white-haired man turned back to the document he had been reading. Not even this worked….

A/N: THUS ENDETH THE BEAST'S CASTLE. Of course, this means more worlds are on the way!

So, that was a LOT of Chapter to go through! That's why there are number of things I would like to point out now:
(1.) Yes, INDIGO is another one of MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS! She IS Violet's sister, so I imagine she will become a popular character rather quickly! That is what happened to Violet; she became a VERY popular character. That was not something I had foreseen (in case you were wondering).
(2.) Yes, The Enchantress featured in this story is not the same one from the original movie(s). You can complain all you like, yet at least let me state how IT IS SOMETHING THAT SHALL CONNECT TO MY NEXT KH STORY! Please keep that in mind! Okay, NOW you can complain about it!
(3.) I actually had a LOT of fun writing the battle against Forté. Why? Because I was looking forward to finally seeing his role in there end. I personally find him to be a much darker and stronger villain than Gaston. He gets more involved with the story, and there are those times when his character seems to have been possessed by the devil. Talk about dark and creepy!
(4.) During the squabble between Cogsworth and Lumiére, there was a show referenced through Sora's thoughts. Well, okay... it was about two or more shows. Still, see if you can identify at least one of them!
(5.) That spat between Violet and Niccole... any thoughts on it? Based an a previous poll, it appears a Riku&Violet pairing is more popular than a Riku&Niccole one. Well... that only applies to my stories, of course! I do wonder... why is that?
(6.) I am sure you can tell who it was that appeared at The Mysterious Tower. I shall not say any more about THAT!
(7.) See if you can identify what Disney movie the last scene was inspired by! I shall give you a small Hint: The setting (the background around the characters) is the key to figuring it out! In the meantime, how about you take a guess at who the "unnamed" man in black was. If you'd like, you can post your answer(s) in the Reviews section for this chapter.
(8.) Plus, Sora found an interesting trinket when the castle's dungeon was being torn apart. I will tell you, that item is a SUMMON CHARM! So, which summon is it? Take a guess, given the provided information (look at the poll on my profile, too!)!

Anyways, here is a HINT for the next Disney-based world in this story! Once again, it is a "'RIDDLE-HINT'"!
HINT: "AN EMERGENCY MESSAGE HAS SORA AND HIS TEAM HEADING INTO A MOSTLY DESERT LAND! WILD ANIMALS AND HEARTLESS MAY BE LURKING THE SAND, ALONGSIDE MORE VILLAINS! EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE SMALLER THAN BLADES OF GRASS, SORA SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND A WAY TO RESCUE A BOY AND HIS BIRD FRIEND!"
Please keep in mind, this world will show up in Chapter 29, even though Sora's team might not be going straight there. Either way, if you believe you know which world/movie the Hint is referring to, please post your answers in the Reviews section for This Chapter!

Until Then, I'll See You Next Time!
So, 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!"