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

A/N: WELL THEN, HERE IT IS! THE LAST CHAPTER FOR THE OUTBACK!

Anyways, before I let you go ahead and read, I wanted to share some Saddening news.
Both Bernard Fox and Zsa Zsa Gabor passed away recently. I would like to take a few minutes to talk about those two.

In case you did not know, Bernard Fox voiced The Chairmouse [of The Rescue Aid Society] in Disney's "The Rescuers (1977)" and Disney's "The Rescuers Down Under (1990)". He was also the Doctor in Disney's "The Rescuers Down Under (1990)". On top of that, he also played (although Uncredited) Lookout Frederick Fleet in "A Night To Remember (1958)", Colonel Archibald Gracie in James Cameron's "TITANIC (1997)", and the bumbling Colonel Crittendon on "HOGAN'S HEROES". He even made appearances on other Classic Shows - including "F-TROOP", "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW", and "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW".
Plus, he passed away on Wednesday, December 14TH, 2016 at the age of 89. Please do not tell Sora about THAT part - THAT'S HIS BIRTHDAY!

Plus, Zsa Zsa Gabor was Eva Gabor's sister. Like I stated at the start of Chapter 29, Eva Gabor voiced Miss Bianca in Disney's "The Rescuers (1977)" and Disney's "The Rescuers Down Under (1990)". Yet, Zsa Zsa Gabor played Miss Erika Tiffany Smith on "Gilligan's Island". She was 99 years old when she passed away last Sunday - Sunday, December 18TH, 2016.

Either way, I wanted to state how determined I am to get through Chapter 34 by the END of 2016! Please keep up those Reviews! They shall help keep This Story going!

By the way, I added a Flashback somewhere in Chapter 32. IF you have not read it yet, I HIGHLY Recommend reading THAT part BEFORE reading This Chapter! There are SEVERAL SCENE(S) - INCLUDING THE OPENING SCENE - THAT BUILD ON THAT STORY ARC!

Plus, I also added a SUMMON in This Chapter! Keep your eyes open!

So, without further ado, IT'S TIME TO READ ON AHEAD!
PLEASE READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW, TOO!

CHAPTER 33
Showdown At Crocodile Falls

The rain had finally subsided. As she put her umbrella away, Indigo looked around. She was standing on the sidewalk in a city park. Droplets of rainwater were still dripping from the nearby trees. The sky was still cloudy enough to make the day feel gloomy. It was so dark (even for the daytime), the nearby lampposts were brighter than at night.

Indigo sighed. It would be a while before things cleared up enough for her to open her wings and take flight from this world. …And all she had wanted was to do a little exploring today.

The angel proceeded further down the sidewalk. As she continued along, she thought she heard a car rolling by down the nearby street. Indigo halted in her steps and looked to the left. On the side of the street was a slow-moving car in the model of a Panther Deville. The vehicle was red with black trim. The headlights and front bumper looked a little like a scowling face. The hubcaps each had a stylized "CD" on them.

The car rolled to a stop. Indigo watched as a young woman emerged from the driver's seat. To her surprise, it was the same woman she had encountered at the department store. There was no mistaking her — mainly since her skeleton-like appearance and white hair stood out like sore thumbs.

"Darling girl," the woman said as she approached the angel. "Whatever are you doing out here, all alone?"

Indigo was not sure how to reply. Deep down, she had the feeling she should be running away as hastily as she could. Still, something caused her to hold her ground. Why? What was keeping her there?

"I… I," Indigo hesitated in her answer. "I was out for a walk."

The woman crossed her arms. "In the rain? You could catch a terrible cold," she extended her hand. "Would you mind a ride to the nearest hotel?"

Indigo stepped back. She hoped she was doing the correct thing. The strange sensation still lingered in her heart.

She nodded. "Alright, you can take me there."

The woman gave a friendly smile. She escorted Indigo back to the car. "My name is Cruella De Vil," she introduced as she opened the passenger door for the angel. "Who might you be?"

Indigo climbed into the vehicle. "My name is Indigo."

Cruella smiled all the more as she climbed in to the other side and behind the wheel. Once the two were seated, Cruella drove away. One quick look around the interior and Indigo realized there were no seatbelts. Remembering what her Mother had shown her, Indigo secretly summoned her wand to her hand. She tilted it slightly. As if by magic (which it was), a seatbelt appeared and strapped her in nice and tight.

"What?! Where'd you get that belt?"

Indigo hastily put her wand away when she realized Cruella was eyeing her in surprise. The angel's hands flew to the spot above her chest. "This seatbelt? It was already here."

Cruella slammed on the brakes. The sudden stop nearly jolted the two out of their seats. If it had not been for the seatbelt, Indigo might had banged her head against the roof. "It was not there before," the fashion designer pointed out.

Indigo shifted her eyes straight up. She showed a large smile. Cruella eyed her with a grin of her own. "You used some kind of power," she stated.

Indigo stared in surprise. How did the woman figure it out so fast? "Yes, I did," she admitted. "It is called 'Magic'."

Cruella grinned all the more. "Maybe you can help me," she said.

"What do you need help with?"

"It's not easy being a fashion designer. All the good ideas have already been done. If I don't come up with something new soon, I'll be in line at the unemployment office again."

Indigo paused in thought. She wondered if there was something she could do. Her Mother had told her specifically not to meddle in other worlds' stories. Yet, this was someone who it appeared needed help, regardless of what the angel had been told.

She looked around the car. Her eyes landed on a piece of crumpled paper on the floor beneath her feet. She reached down and scooped it up into her hand. "What is this?"

"One of my early designs," Cruella sighed. "Many of them I never showed. No one would ever buy them."

Indigo unfolded the paper. On it was a sketch of a slender woman wearing a fur coat covered in spots. "What in the world? Is this a Dalmatian?"

Cruella glanced at the paper and turned away. "That's just a doodle. No one would ever appreciate it."

Indigo turned to Cruella. "The more you tell yourself you are a failure, the more you shall believe it is true," she stated. She gestured to the drawing. "Yet, this is not a bad idea. I believe there is possibility in this design. You should not give up on it. Try it out! It might work."

Cruella gazed at the angel for a few minutes. Indigo smiled as warm and kindly as she could. If there was one thing she was good at, it was reassuring others. She was The Angel of Hope. It was in her title to encourage others never to give up trying to fulfill their dreams.

Indigo handed the paper over to the fashion designer. Cruella took another look at the drawing. After a few seconds, she grinned. "I think you're right," she said. "There is potential in this design. I will try it out first thing in the morning."

Indigo gave her a nod. "That is the spirit! Do not give up. Unless you try, you shall never know."

Cruella finally stopped outside a four-story building. Indigo unbuckled and opened the door. As she headed for the hotel, Cruella rolled down her window. "Thank you again for the help, Indigo! If this idea spreads, I'll give you equal credit!"

Indigo beamed with delight, knowing she had helped someone out. Yet, even as she watched Cruella leave, she still felt that same, strange sensation. It almost seemed like the world's Light was trying to warn her about something or other.

She shrugged it off and headed inside.

The dawn seemed to come early a few days later. Indigo yawned and stretched. As she rose from the bed, she heard a large amount of noise coming from the hallway. She listened for a moment. She could hear several voices chatting away. The sounds of newspaper ruffling could also be heard.

"That is strange," Indigo murmured to herself. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "There is a lot of activity for this early in the morning."

At that moment, a newspaper slid in from under the door. Indigo picked it up and glanced over the headline on top. She froze, realizing what it read. "What?!"

Her eyes swerved to the window leading outside. Since she was on the top floor of the hotel, she could see a long way. In the distance was a large, stone mansion. She frowned at it.

She needed an explanation, and her heart was telling her where she would find one.

"Indigo? Hey, are you okay?"

Indigo snapped back into attention. She saw Sora was looking at her. She paused for a moment to sweep her eyes around. The two and Bernard were now at the edge of a cliff. Up above, the night sky was filling up with clouds. A flash of lightning lit up the surrounding landscape, revealing an odd-shaped rock formation across the river. It seemed to resemble a crocodile.

McLeach's truck was backed up against the cliff's edge. When she gazed up, Indigo saw the silhouette of a crane arm dangling over the river. She looked over to the crane's controls. McLeach was grinning through the dark night. She pointed straight at him. "Look over there!" she said.

Sora and Bernard instantly swung their attention to the crane. Tied to the hook was Cody; his arms were held down by some tightly-bound knots.

As they looked around, the three spotted Mortimer and Cruella watching from the side of the truck. Mortimer had a curvy-shaped pistol in hand; the weapon's design reminded Sora of something straight out of a cartoon.

"Are ya ready, boy?" McLeach said from the controls. "It's time you learned how to fish for crocs!"

"Ha cha cha!" Mortimer agreed. "Everyone knows they love living things."

Cruella pointed straight at Cody. "You're as lively as we could find."

McLeach cackled a laugh. He hopped down from the control panel and skipped his way to a small light beacon. He hit a switch and the area was swiftly illuminated by a single beam of light. All the while, McLeach sang, "Oh… you get a line, and I'll get a pole, matey. You get a line, I'll get a pole, friend. Oh, you get a line, I'll get a pole, we'll go fishin' at the crocodile hole, buddy, pal o' mine!"

Sora wanted to cover his ears. To him, the villain sounded off-key. He recalled how tone-deaf Donald had been during the undersea musical back in Atlantica. His voice had been filled with just too much QUACK! McLeach, on the other hand, had a mocking-style touch to his singing.

McLeach gave a loud laugh. He swung the beam of light down to the water below the cliff. Several crocodiles growled and bared their teeth as the light hit them. McLeach adjusted the light so it was now positioned straight onto Cody. He looked over all the approaching crocodiles. "That's right, babies! Suppertime!"

Sora wanted to panic. Watching a human being becoming fishing bait was a terrible sight for him to have to see. "Oh no!" he declared. "What're we gonna do?!"

Indigo swept her eyesight around the immediate area. When she saw how both Mortimer and Cruella were watching McLeach, she turned to the others. "I do not see any 'Heartless' here," she whispered. "Yet, they have left the truck unguarded. We could sneak in and shut the whole thing down."

Sora nearly wanted to slap himself in the face. Why hadn't he thought of that?! All they really had to do was remove the key from the villain's truck. Without it, McLeach would be unable to "feed" Cody to the crocodiles down below. It was such a simple plan, it sounded like something Goofy would have thought up.

Of course, the reason why he had probably been off his game here was due to the lack of Heartless. He was used to dealing with at least five of them all at once — if not more. It just felt weird bringing down a villain or groups of villains without a single Heartless to confront.

Bernard signaled the other two to follow him. Sora and Indigo trailed the rather large mouse to the truck. Sora carefully stepped over a few blades of grass as he reached the vehicle first. To his dismay, he had forgotten the truck was gigantic; he was still the size of a normal mouse in this world!

"Great!" he complained. "How will we get up there?"

A patch of dust got into his mouth. As he coughed, Sora turned. Indigo was busy flapping her wings. Their paper-fan-like shape was doing exactly what he would have expected.

Stirring up dust. Sora's eyes grew as a lightbulb sparked to life in his mind. "Indigo, that's it!"

Indigo stopped moving. "What is 'it'?" she asked.

The look on her face told Sora she was bewildered. He shook his head and smiled. "You can fly us up there," he explained, pointing to the cab's open window.

Sora beamed with delight. They still had a chance to stop McLeach, Mortimer, and Cruella before it was too late for Cody!

Indigo's hands flew to the space above her chest. She looked to the left and her fingers began fidgeting. Her antennae were drooping a little. Plus, she was not smiling.

"Huh?" Sora asked, a bit surprised. He had never seen this reaction before. Not even from Violet.

"I cannot do that," Indigo replied.

Sora shook his head. "Of course you can! Violet had to carry me many times!"

"Then means Violet's wings are still in one piece," Indigo gestured to the tear in her wing. "I cannot fly straight anymore. I have not been able to fly smoothly in years."

Sora's hands flew to his face. Why hadn't he let Violet tell him more about her sister? If he had only known a torn wing could prevent an angel from flying correctly. Then again, Violet and Indigo were the only angels he had ever met. When he remembered how Violet's wings had become unusable whenever they got waterlogged, he realized there must be lots of limitations that come with the ability of flight.

Just like the Keyblade and Magic. Everything that was mysterious had its limitations.

"I hate to interrupt," Bernard spoke up. "But, we've got to hurry."

Sora and Indigo followed the mouse's pointing arm to where Cody was still on the hook. At the moment, McLeach was back at the control panel. The villainous poacher cracked his knuckles and grasped the controls. "Now, this is my idea of fun!"

He jerked the controls back and forth. Cody went straight down into the water and rose back out and into the air. His hair was dripping wet and the crocodiles were eyeing him with glee.

McLeach cackled as he went on. "Nothing personal, boy, but I wouldn't want to disappoint the rangers. They was looking so hard for ya, and now… they're gonna find ya!"

He jerked the controls forward. Cody headed straight for the water. Both Mortimer and Cruella watched with anticipation.

"Let's keep moving!" Sora declared. "We're wasting time!"

Bernard nodded. "Let's get inside!"

Indigo gave a nod and bent down. In one enormous leap, she was airborne. As she circled the air for a few seconds, Sora took note of how she was wobbling here and there. He gave a nod, now knowing what the angel had meant. If she had tried to bring them into the truck, she would have lost control and crash-landed.

Indigo managed to straighten her flight pattern enough to soar through the open window in the door. She swooped over to the door's handle and stomped on it with all her energy. The door clicked and flew open. Sora and Bernard watched as Indigo grabbed a piece of shoelace from the floor of the cab and tossed it down to them. Sora and Bernard nodded and hastily climbed up.

As Cody headed for the water once more, Amemi wanted to scream. She held her hands over her mouth. She looked to the right. Donald was pressed against the cage by Goofy and Launchpad. All three of them were trying to peer out through the bars to see what was happening.

Jake and Bianca were on the other side. Marahute screeched in alarm.

"It don't look good, Miss B," Jake said. "I can't see any way out of this one."

Bianca looked deeply concerned. The last time Amemi had such a reaction was the last time she had seen the show, "Green Acres". Lisa Douglas had always had a similar look on her face whenever she was worried about Oliver. Fortunately, that hardly ever had happened. Lisa had been the most unrealistic character in that show… at least, as far as Amemi was concerned.

"Oh, Bernard," Bianca said as she looked up into the sky. "Please hurry!"

Amemi watched in shock as the hook carrying the tied Cody dropped lower, lower, lower to the river. From her perspective, there was nothing anybody could do now. Unless Sora, Bernard, and Indigo suddenly showed up, it would be all over for the golden-haired boy.

All at once, the crane stopped. Cody was left dangling several feet above the waiting crocodiles. Then, the searchlight's beam faded and went out. Marahute screeched once more.

Amemi was taken by complete surprise. What had just taken place? Where had the power gone? This did not make any sense. Unless, the Electricity Monster had somehow gotten here. She quickly denied that explanation. After all, that creature only existed in "WordGirl".

She looked over to the crane's controls. McLeach was moving them over and over. Nothing happened. "What the blazes' going on here?" he said aloud.

"Can we get this over with?!" Cruella snapped from below.

Mortimer shifted his eyes to the right. "I see a pig's tracks!"

McLeach's eyes grew with realization. This sight made Amemi gulp. She hated such a look in the eyes on an evildoer.

McLeach gave a smirked grin. "Joanna?" he said in a friendly-sounding voice. In a flash, the salamander scurried over. "Did you know, there was a razorback in my truck?" he asked.

"What's a 'razorback'?" Mortimer inquired. No answer was returned.

Joanna nodded to McLeach as the poacher climbed down until he was eye level with his pet. "Did ya? Did ya?"

Joanna hastily gulped and shook her head no. McLeach scowled harshly at the salamander. "There was a razorback in my truck!" he yelled. He grabbed the animal's mouth and held it firmly. "Now, you quit playing around and do your job, you four-legged python!"

Joanna scampered away to patrol the area. Mortimer grumbled as he rolled her eyes and folded his arms. "Why don't ya just give that animal up?" he stated. "She's the worst guard I've ever seen!"

McLeach paid the tall mouse no mind. Cruella's arms flew to her sides like she was pouting. One look at the former fashion designer, and Amemi could tell Cruella did not approve of McLeach's ignorance either. Deep down, the sandy-haired girl had the feeling she and the others were about to watch a mutiny against the poacher.

McLeach climbed down to the cab. He bent over and looked around inside. Like he had anticipated, his key was not in the ignition anymore. The cab seemed lifeless. There was no trace of any living thing having been inside since the group of villains had arrived. "Hey, what happened to them keys?" he muttered to himself.

He shifted his arms along the floor. "Must be around here somewhere. They couldn't just get up and walk away."

He took a sniff of the air. He frowned. "Something weirds going on around here…. I small a big, fat rat."

He searched the entire cab and found no trace of the keys. Climbing back out, the poacher turned to the other two.

"No luck?" Mortimer asked.

McLeach gave a sneaky grin. Cruella knew that look. She had seen the poacher use it before. The villain removed his overcoat and placed it into the cab. He reached into the truck and pulled out his shotgun. "Well, there's more than one way to skin a cat," he laughed as he checked to see if his weapon was loaded.

Cruella raised an eyebrow. She had the feeling it was almost time to act against this man….

Sora released a breath he had just realized he'd been holding. When McLeach and felt around inside the truck, he had feared the villain would find their hiding place. When Indigo had noticed McLeach, Cruella, and Mortimer approaching the cab, the angel had tossed the keys down to Bernard. Sora had swept his eyes around the immediate area and spotted a hiding place — the space beneath the gas pedal. Although he wasn't sure it was the best place to hide, there was not enough time to search for another one.

Now that McLeach had seemingly given up trying to find his set of keys, the brown-haired youth accompanied the angel and Bernard down through a small gap in the floor behind the pedal. After sliding down a set of colored wires, the three landed upon the ground. Well, at least two of them did. Indigo had descended from above by gliding gently through the air. Her flight pattern had resembled a paper airplane spiraling downwards.

Even so, she landed so gracefully, it reminded Sora of a dream. That caused him to recall Violet's calm descents. He figured this must be the case for all angels — even if their wings were damaged.

As he slid down the wires, Bernard hit a slight bump. The keys slipped from his grasp and clattered into the ground below. Acting swiftly, the mouse hopped off the wire and scooped up the keys himself. Sora was on the ground moments later. Indigo approached the two and gestured to the right. Sora looked up ahead. He could see the cliff's edge in the distance. McLeach's boots, Cruella's shoes, and Mortimer feet could be seen heading in said direction.

Sora had to shake his head. "You could've said which way out loud," he teased.

Indigo folded her arms. "Sometimes, I like pointing instead," she replied. A second later, it appeared a lightbulb had been lit inside her mind; a smile formed on her face. "Do you know any 'Sign Language', Sora?"

Sora stared at the angel. "Huh?"

This was the last thing he had expected to hear in this conversation. Was Indigo trying to get them sidetracked? Or was she just trying to understand the seventeen-year-old Keyblade wielder better? True, the two had just met a few chapters ago. Their friendship had just begun. All he knew about Indigo was she was Violet's sister, got excited easily, probably was a little shy, was fascinated about the unknown (like he was), and she seemed self-determined. Plus, she could not fly straight and smooth thanks to her torn wing. Deep down, he was starting to question how she had damaged her wing in the first place. He had seen seagulls with bent or torn wings before. However, this was the first time he'd heard of such an occurrence with an angel.

Ever since he had met Violet in the Realm of Sleep, Sora had been forced to reconsider everything he'd ever been told when it came to angels.

Sora felt something slimy and sticky against his back. He glanced back over his shoulder. To his shock and alarm, there was a massive, greenish-blue salamander behind him; the animal was glaring at the young man.

"Run!" he yelled to the other two.

One look at the hungry-looking salamander and Indigo leapt into the air. She glided away as swiftly (and silently) as she could. Bernard and Sora ran straight under the truck. The animal followed. As they ran, Sora felt annoyed. This was the second time he had fled from a larger foe during this quest. The first time had been when he and Amemi had been forced to outrun the Wargoyle Heartless in La Ville de Sonner Les Cloches. Now, here he was, trying to evade a giant salamander. He wondered how many more times he would be forced to get away from a larger-than-normal opponent.

Well, he was not about to let this time count! The brown-haired youth skidded to a stop and whirled around to face the salamander. He glared at the laughing animal. With a flash of Light, Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hand. Just as the salamander was about to pounce on him and Bernard, Sora swung his weapon. The blade clanged as it rammed into the salamander's head. With the creature stunned, Sora and Bernard seized the opportunity to run away.

Before long, the two reached the other side of the truck. They raced out into the open. They swung their eyes around, looking for any sign of any Heartless. To Sora's relief — and disappointment — there were none.

"Look, it's Bernard!" a familiar voice called from above.

"And Sora!" another added.

Sora and Bernard looked at each other for a moment. The two turned around and gazed straight up. Peering through the bars of the cage were Bianca, Jake, Marahute (the eagle), Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad.

"I don't believe it," Jake said in surprise. He smiled and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Way to go, mates!"

"Sora! You're safe!" Goofy pinpointed.

Donald scowled at the knight. "Of course he is!"

Launchpad gave the sign for "Okay". "Way to go, lil' buddy!" he declared loudly and proudly.

Sora and Amemi's eyes met. From where he stood, Sora could see the Hope in his sister's eyes. For a brief second, he thought he could feel a strong Light passing through his heart. It felt so warm and inviting, he wished he could stay with it for all time. It reminded him of a hot, sunny, Summer day at the beach. The sound of the waves was one thing he had looked forward to hearing every day — even during the school year.

Yet, here in the outside world(s), the lack of the waves often made it difficult for him to fall asleep at times. He missed his home so much. Hopefully, he would hear those waves again in time for Christmas.

When he started to question where this sensation had originated, it vanished. Sora's mind returned back to reality. He paused for a moment, wondering where he'd been for the past few minutes. Had it been that long? He wasn't sure. He was terrible when it came to keeping track of time.

"Sora, use your Keyblade!"

Sora shot his eyes straight up. There was Indigo, hovering in the air. She was pointing straight at the cage's lock. Sora gave a nod, knowing what the angel was referring to. He raised his Keyblade and pointed it straight at the lock. Any second now, a beam of Light would form on the weapon's tip and shine out straight into that lock.

Nothing happened.

Sora was astounded. Why wasn't the Keyblade working? He looked closely at the blade. He thought back to the last time this had taken place. In the palace back in Atlantis. He had tried to seal the world's Keyhole, only to have his Keyblade fail. He was completely perplexed. Why had this happened? And this was the second time, too!

Now that he was thinking about it, there had been a massive amount of Darkness in the Atlantean palace. The Heartless soldiers, Rourke, Helga, and… Isa had been there. He wondered if Xehanort had anything to do with it. It was possible the villain had done something to Sora after all. Maybe Goofy had been correct.

Maybe Xehanort had implanted Darkness into his heart back in the dreams. Except that didn't exactly make total sense. For starters, Goofy wasn't the smartest member of their team. He wasn't the dumbest, either. He was somewhere in the middle. In fact, Sora himself sometimes considered himself to be the least intelligent member of the group.

Then, there was the fact Sora did not feel any different. True, there were those times where he had possessed atypical powers. But that was just what happened to anyone using the Keyblade. He recalled how often his Antiform had taken control when he'd been trying to bring down Organization XIII nearly one year ago.

Still, none of this could explain why his Keyblade was not working properly. What was going on?!

"Miss Bianca, Jake, catch!" Bernard shouted, breaking Sora away from his train-of-thought. The mouse tossed the keys into the air. Jake reached for them at a higher point in the bars. When he missed, Donald snatched them near the bottom. The keys slipped from his hands and fell lower. Just as the keys were about to fall out of reach, Amemi and Bianca reached through the bars at the same time. The keyring slipped into their waiting hands.

The mouse and the sandy-haired girl smiled and carefully worked the keys upward. Sora gave a sigh of relief. For a moment, he was fearing they would have to throw the keys back up a second time.

A soft growl came from underneath the truck. Sora and Bernard swerved their attention towards it. There was the salamander. The animal was racing for them. The two turned and ran for it. Just as Sora was gaining ground, he felt a sparkle of magic fall upon his shoulders. As he looked around, he noticed the grass was getting smaller. Before he knew it, he was much taller and larger than he'd been moments before.

He slid to a halt and took a few seconds to observe his new surroundings. He was about his normal size back home — at least, compared to the size of the grass blades and Bernard (a mouse). "Did I just…. "

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Indigo slowly descending from above. To his surprise, she was about the same size she'd been when he'd first found her behind the couch. Even though she was still about 10 inches shorter than him, Sora had to look up when he faced her; the angel was hovering a few inches off the ground.

"I used my magic to make you bigger," Indigo explained. She gestured to her right (Sora's left). "Now, we can stop them."

Sora shifted his eyesight into the direction the angel was referring to. There were Mortimer and Cruella. The two seemed frozen in astonishment. Their mouths were wide and their eyes were huge. In a flash, Sora readied his Keyblade into his fighting stance. He glared at the two villains.

Mortimer frowned. "Hey! Where'd ya both come from?!"

Cruella looked less pleased. She pointed straight at Indigo. "She's the fool who ruined my hair — and my life!"

Sora stopped glaring. What was Cruella talking about? He slowly turned his eyes to Indigo. "Indigo?" he said. "Did something happen with you and her?"

Indigo gave a deep sigh. "Yes," she confessed, looking down at the ground. Her necklace's charm started to glow brightly. Before Sora could say anything about it, a beam of Light shot out from the charm and a projection formed in the sky. In it, an image appeared, showing Indigo strolling down the hallway of a mansion.

Indigo strolled down the corridor. As she reached the last room, she peered through the cracked-open doorway. Inside, she saw Cruella sitting on her bed. In one hand, she had a newspaper. In the other, she was holding a long, pointy stick with smoke coming off it.

Indigo's eyes remained fixed on the woman. Her white hair seemed to blend into the paint on the walls of the room.

"'Dognapping'," the angel heard Cruella read. "Can you imagine such a thing? 'Puppies stolen'."

The fashion designer paused as she looked over the page. She grinned. "They are darling, little things. Anita… and her bashful Beethoven! Pipe and all!"

She laughed in such a way, Indigo nearly wanted to cringe with fear. This laugh made her think of a chuckling hyena.

At once, the telephone rang. Cruella picked it up. Although Indigo could easily hear what the fashion designer was saying, her antennae were tuning in to the voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello?" Cruella asked into the receiver. Indigo detected a man's voice at the other end of the line. Cruella frowned. "Jasper, you idiot! How dare you call here."

"We don't want no more of this!" declared the voice on the other end. "We want our boodle! We'll settle for half!"

"Not one schilling 'til the job's done."

"Jasper! Jasper!" another man's voice said from the other end. Indigo was startled. Were there two men on the other end of the telephone call? "It's in the blinkin' papers — pictures and all!"

"Hang the papers!" the first man said to the second. "It'll be forgotten tomorrow."

"I don't like it."

"Shut up, you idiot!"

Cruella leapt to her feet. Her eyes grew wide and her frown shifted to a scowl. "What?!"

"Not you, Miss," the first man said on the other end. "I mean Horace!"

"Why, you imbecile!" Cruella snarled into the telephone. She slammed the receiver down onto its stand.

Indigo gasped. Her worst fears had proven true. She pushed the door open and strolled into the room. Cruella's eyes whirled to the angel. She gave a friendly grin. "Indigo, darling!" she said in a friendly tone-of-voice. "What brings you to my home?"

Indigo was not smiling. "I know you have something to do with this," she stated. She held up the newspaper in her hand. The instant Cruella saw the headline, she shrugged and grinned all the more. Indigo folded her arms. "Are you going to explain what this is all about, Cruella?"

Cruella reached onto her bed. Indigo watched as the woman scooped up a large, fur coat and pulled it over her shoulders. One look at the outfit, and Indigo nearly wanted to jump through the ceiling. "That design," she said. "It is exactly like the one you showed me — the Dalmatian-design!"

"Yes, it is," Cruella approved. She started to move in a slow spin. "Isn't it just the loveliest thing you've ever seen?"

Indigo did not respond. She started to tap her left foot. When she took note of this reaction, Cruella turned to face her. She reached out her hand and gently placed it against the angel's chin. "And it's all thanks to you, dear."

Indigo jerked back. "No way! You are lying! I never told you to kill innocent animals!"

"But, if you hadn't come along, I never would have so many orders. If this keeps up, I'll be able rich enough to retire in a few weeks. You've made me a wealthy, happy woman."

Indigo shook her head. "Stop trying to trick me!"

Cruella frowned. "Get out! You and I are through!"

Indigo summoned her mystical wand. "I am not leaving until after I stop you from hurting innocent animals!"

Cruella grabbed her purse from a nearby table and swung it at the angel. Indigo jumped into the air. In one swift movement, her wings appeared and helped her step airborne. Cruella swung at Indigo again. The purse struck the angel's side, knocking her off balance. Indigo went spiraling straight into a nearby table. The table toppled over, sending a container of ink flying through the air. The container's contents splashed all over Cruella's hair.

When Indigo looked again, Cruella's hair was now half white and half black. The angel gulped, realizing the ink was permanent; there was no way Cruella would ever get it out.

Cruella reached for a small, silver handgun on her nightstand. Fearing the worst, Indigo waved her wand at the fashion designer. Cruella grabbed the weapon and pointed it straight at the angel. "Say 'Goodnight', you idiot!" Cruella barked as she squeezed the trigger.

CLICK!

Nothing happened. Cruella stared at the weapon in surprise. She squeezed the trigger a second time. Recalling how she had kept the weapon clean and loaded at all times (in anticipation of an event like this one), her eyes landed onto the angel rising from the floor beside the now-sideways table. She glared with such intensity, her body seemed to glow an ominous color.

"What have you done?!" she snarled.

"A 'Pacifist' spell," Indigo replied. She grabbed the table's side and pulled herself back to her feet. "Now, you cannot kill another living creature."

Cruella was outraged. "Get out of my mansion before I summon Scotland Yard!" she hollered.

Indigo swept her eyes around the room. Spotting the windows on the wall behind her, she turned and raced for them. Cruella seized her purse and gave chase. Indigo reached the window first. When she tried to open it, the angel realized the window was locked tight. Knowing there was no time to tamper with it, Indigo glanced back. Cruella was almost upon her.

"Yikes!" Indigo ducked down as the fashion designer swung her purse. The bag smashed against the glass panes, shattering the window and its interior frame in a matter of seconds. Pieces flew all over the floor. Seeing the gap in the window was just large enough for her to climb through, Indigo flapped her wings and soared through.

A sharp pain crossed her mind. Indigo was now outside, flying through the clear, nightly air. As the pain started to transition into agony, she lost her balance and tumbled out of the sky. Down she went for a crash-landing on the grass outside the mansion. Indigo quickly rose to her feet. When she looked over her body, she realized the terrible truth.

A shard of glass had badly torn her right wing. Her speedy movement through the window had only made it worse. The tear was triangularly shaped. She knelt in the grass, knowing it would take a while for her wing to heal.

Until then, she was grounded. She had the feeling she would never be able to fly straight and smooth like her Mother could ever again.

As the image blurred and the projection ended, Sora was so astounded, he did not know exactly where to start. So, that was how Indigo's wing had been damaged? By flying through a broken window? The thought of an angel tearing her wing so she could escape someone evil was a terrible thought for him.

He understood how Indigo must be feeling, having to witness this again. Apparently, she had told Cruella some advice, only to have the wretched woman twist it to her advantage. Although the Keyblader had no clue what Cruella had been up to back then, he did know it was not Indigo's fault. Cruella was clearly a deceptive, underhanded villainess who wanted to harm innocent animals.

Fortunately, thanks to Indigo's spell, the former fashion designer would never hurt another living thing. In fact, thanks to learning about what had happened, Sora knew Cruella was defenseless. There was no reason for him to be afraid of her. That meant, he really only needed to deal with Mortimer.

Mortimer grinned, having watched the display himself. "Ha cha cha!" he laughed, gazing at Cruella. "Ya was a terrible fashion designer, weren't cha?"

Cruella glared at the tall mouse. "Shut up, fool!"

"Oh! I see! Ya fooled Maleficent so's ya could join us, is that it?"

Cruella swung her purse at the mouse. "I told you to 'Shut up', you idiot!"

The large, red purse slammed into Mortimer's long snout. The mouse stumbled backwards and crashed down into the grass. "All right!" he snarled, rising back to his feet. He reached into his pockets and drew two curved pistols. One was silver and the other was golden. "If that's the way ya wanna play, it's on, toots!"

Before Sora could act, Mortimer and Cruella were engaged in quite the brawl. Over and over, Mortimer fired his pistols at the woman. Cruella repeatedly swung her purse at him. Each time, the other dodged the attack and launched one of their own. It seemed this skirmish could take hours, if not days.

Sora turned to Indigo. The angel had fallen to her knees. Her face was buried in her hands. From what the brown, spikey-headed Keyblader could see, Indigo was crying into her hands. At least, he presumed she was crying. He'd seen Violet do the same thing once more — back at the docks in Corona.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

"Now, you know the truth," Indigo gave a deep sigh. "If I had not made that stupid suggestion…. "

Sora placed his free hand onto the angel's shoulder. "Hey, hey, where's your spirit? You were so excited and hyper when we first met you."

Indigo jerked her head towards the young man. Sora nodded. "Don't you remember?" he added with a smile. "You kept flipping through the air and yelling 'Yippee'. You're nothing like Violet. You're fun, and silly — just like me!"

Indigo had to smile. "Sora, you are correct. The two of us are mostly the same. Yet, I am a little more careful, and you are always being careless."

"Yeah, well, can't win them all, right?"

Indigo shook her head. "You shall never win any of them. Your naïve side shall always take over."

"Was that a curse?"

"No way! It was an observation. See? My wand is not out."

Indigo held up her hands. As he grinned and nodded, Sora had to admit, this was something he had been missing for quite a while. When was the last time he had taken the time to mess around with a friend? It did not matter if that friend was a girl. He enjoyed spending time with all of his friends.

The two shook hands. "Let's finish this quest, together," Indigo said.

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah, you know it."

"What?! Look at this, toots?"

Sora and Indigo swerved their attention straight ahead. Mortimer and Cruella had stopped fighting each other and turned their focus to the Keyblade wielder and the angel. "I sense a romance startin' here," Mortimer remarked.

Sora swiftly waved his hands in front of his face. "No way!"

Cruella's grin became more sinister. "Then, what are you doing with 'That-Girl'?"

Sora scowled. "Cut it out! I don't have a girlfriend!"

"Sora," Indigo started to say. "Be careful! They are trying to trick you!"

Sora's Keyblade was positioned for a battle in a heartbeat. Mortimer chuckled. "Looks like this kid's gotta sore heart," he mocked. "At least I've still got that queen wrapped nicely around my finger."

"Shut up!" Sora yelled in anger. He rushed at the tall mouse. Mortimer pointed one of his pistols at the approaching seventeen-year-old. He fired one full round. Sora easily dodged them and slapped his Keyblade against the villain's right hand. The silver pistol went flying through the air and clattered onto the ground several feet away.

Mortimer clobbered Sora's head with his other pistol. "Take that, scum!"

Sora did not flinch. Instead, something strange seemed to happen to him. Before anyone could react, Sora's eyes turned a dark shade of amber. Mortimer gasped in alarm. "Why, you're nothin' more than—!"

"Shut up!" Sora yelled. He sliced his Keyblade in a sideways arc. The blade knocked the other pistol out of Mortimer's other hand. Sora jumped and kicked the villain back onto the ground. As Mortimer tried to stand up, the Keyblader stomped down onto the former's chest. He pointed his weapon straight at the tall mouse's face.

"Give it a rest, will ya?" Mortimer pleaded. Drops of sweat started to slide down his face.

Cruella charged over. "I'll teach ya a lesson, you idiot!"

Sora looked up just in time to have Cruella's purse swing at him. The impact of the collision sent the young man flying back onto the ground, a few feet away from where Mortimer lay. Sora was not moving.

"Sora!" Indigo rushed over to him. She knelt down and grabbed the young man's shoulder. "Sora, wake up! Please wake up!"

Sora was still not moving. Indigo looked down into the young man's closed eyelids. Fearing the worse, she closed her own eyes. A tear slid down her face. It dripped off her cheek and splashed onto the spikey-haired teenager's face.

There was a soft groan. Indigo reopened her eyes. Sora's eyes slowly opened and he sat up. He rubbed the back of his head and looked all around. "What just…. "

He turned around. "Indigo?"

Indigo looked straight at the young man. A large, friendly smile formed upon her face. "Sora! You are alright!"

Sora rose to his feet. "Yeah! Why wouldn't I be?"

"You attacked Mortimer and Cruella."

"I… did?"

Indigo gave a nod. She froze. "Wait a second! You do not remember nearly stabbing Mortimer?"

Sora looked down at his Keyblade. The weapon felt hotter than usual. Recalling how warm this weapon had felt when he'd conducted battle against Judge Frollo on the rooftop of the cathedral of Notré Dame, he gave a deep sigh. He had lost control of himself, again.

Then again, maybe this was all that stupid Antiform's fault. Perhaps that was why he was acting all strange. His darker self had tried to take control of him many times before. Maybe this time, it was trying to go all out.

Of course, that still did not explain why he felt very little difference whenever his friends told him something weird was going on. Whatever the case, maybe now was not the best time to ponder about it. Cody was still in danger, and he still had to help Bernard and Bianca save him.

"I… I don't know what happened," Sora sighed.

Indigo put her hand on his shoulder. "You lost your spirit, Sora," she told him. "It is like you said, I need to keep fighting. I cannot give up — and neither can you!"

Sora gave a nod. Indigo was correct. He could not give up — no matter what took place! The worlds were counting on him to save them from the Heartless in time for Christmas. He was not going to let them down! He'd already saved Atlantis from a greedy commander, prevented a war between two groups of people, brought an end to the injustice in an entire city, stopped a "'mad scientist'" from taking over a world, and restored the True Christmas Spirit to a whole castle. Now, here he was, trying to save a young boy from the clutches of a poacher, an ex-fashion designer, and Mortimer Mouse.

He was not about to give up — not at all!

Sora readied his Keyblade once more. He glared at Mortimer and Cruella. "You two are going down — and not so badly this time!"

Mortimer had just finished retrieving his pistols. "Ha cha cha!" he laughed. "Ya wanna try for round two?"

"Be our guest," Cruella added.

Sora was about to rush over when Indigo grabbed his arm. "Sora, did you already forget what I told you?"

Sora wanted to slap himself in the face. He could just rush in and do battle. What if his Antiform kicked in again? He needed to find another way to stop these two.

As he sighed deeply, something fell out of his pocket. Sora paused to pick it up. "What's this?"

Indigo took a moment to eye the object. It was a two-sided trinket. One side contained a shiny, golden star. The other resembled a jet-pack with some white and green colors. The angel's antennae started to jerk around. "It must be a Summon Charm," she realized.

Knowing what he was holding, Sora gave a nod of understanding. He recalled the last two Summon Charms he'd used. The first one had summoned that tiny girl, Joy. The next had brought Hercules into the fight. He wondered who this one was supposed to be.

He held the charm up high. "Come out!" he shouted.

There was a brilliant flash of Light. When it finally faded out, Sora was startled. Standing before him were two figures.

One of them was a slender cowboy doll with brown, "plastic" hair and eyes, fair "plastic" skin, rosy cheeks, and thin brown eyebrows. His outfit consisted of a yellow shirt with red square outlines, brown, "plastic" cowboy boots, gold, "plastic" spurs on both sides of his boots, a brown, "plastic" holster, a white vest with black cow spots, a red bandanna, blue jeans, a brown, "plastic" belt with a gold buckle, and a brown, "plastic" cowboy hat with a triangle-shaped brim. He also had a couple white buttons vertically on his chest and matching cuff-links on both his cuffs. One look at the gold, "plastic" star-shaped badge with small spheres on each tip and the word "SHERIFF" on the center, Sora realized this figure was a sheriff.

The other was a slender, space-age, muscular action figure in a lime-green-and-white spacesuit. He had three, oval-shaped buttons — one red, one green, one blue — positioned on his torso. There was a clear, bubble-shaped sun-helmet on his head with purple buttons on the sides. On his back was a jetpack.

Sora was a bit surprised. These two resembled toys — just like the ones he used to play with years ago. The only question left was… who were they? "Who are you two?" he asked.

"Sheriff Woody," the cowboy announced.

"I'm Buzz Lightyear," the spaceman declared. "I come in peace."

Sora gave a nod. "I'm Sora," he gestured to Indigo. "This is Indigo."

"What seems to be the trouble?" Buzz asked.

Indigo pointed the other way. "We need to get past those two."

Woody and Buzz spun around. One look from behind and Sora saw Woody also had a pull string on his back with a white loop attached to it.

Mortimer and Cruella looked pleased. "Now, this should be interesting," the latter commented.

"Ya can't handle us," Mortimer indicated. "So, ya called out for help. Ha cha cha! Wait 'til Maleficent hears about this!"

"Leave it to us," a determined Woody declared.

Buzz pressed a large, red button on his spacesuit. A pair of purple, pop-out wings appeared out the sides of his jetpack. The wings were decorated with red and white stripes. The tips were flashing like the wings of an airplane.

In a loud voice, Buzz proclaimed, "To infinity — and beyond!"

In no time, the two were in a heated fight between Mortimer and Cruella. Woody grabbed his pull-string and swung it around and around like it was a lasso. He snatched Cruella with it and pulled tight. "Looks like you've got a date with justice!" he declared.

As he watched Buzz fire his laser into Mortimer's eyes, Sora felt relieved. At least the way to McLeach was wide open. Now, he and Indigo could stop the villainous poacher before any harm came to Cody.

The sound of a gunshot echoed through the air. It was quickly followed by Marahute screeching in panic. Sora and Indigo nearly jumped in alarm. Their eyes flew around to the side of the cliff. There was a frustrated McLeach desperately trying to reload his shotgun. "Blasted!" he sneered at the weapon.

Sora had to roll his eyes. This was the type of reaction he expected from someone like Pete. Usually, the large cat-man would get so flustered over trying to stop him, he would summon extreme amounts of Heartless. Still, even that was never enough. In the end, it always came down to Pete vowing revenge and running away.

Except McLeach was standing his ground. A moment later, he had his weapon armed and at the ready. He pointed it straight at the rope connected to the crane's hook.

Sora and Indigo gasped. "Yikes!" the angel declared.

Sora readied his Keyblade. "C'mon!"

"Oh my gosh!" a voice called out from a nearby tree stump. Sora and Indigo watched as Bernard poked his head out of the stump. That was when Sora saw the salamander was nowhere in sight. Bernard hopped out of the stump and ran in the direction of the truck. "I hope I know what I'm doing," he said aloud.

"Bernard! Come back!" Sora called out.

Indigo grabbed his arm. "Not now, Sora!" she shouted. She pointed to McLeach. "We have to stop him!"

At that exact second, McLeach's finger squeezed the trigger all the way. The gun fired. The bullet went clear through the rope, severing most of it. The villain gave a sinister chuckle as he positioned his weapon to shoot the rope once and for all.

Sora gave a quick nod. There was not a moment to lose. If McLeach had ample time to fire again, Cody would fall into the crocodile-infested river. There would be no saving him from there.

Sora and Indigo raced over. "Give it up, McLeach!" Sora hollered. "You're going down!"

McLeach glanced back for a moment. He rolled his eyes and returned his eyes to Cody. Knowing they couldn't let McLeach get away, Sora decided there was only one thing left to do. He had to shove the gun out of the villain's hands.

"Sora!" Indigo shouted. "Look out!"

Sora whirled around in time to see Bernard hurrying over with the salamander in hot pursuit. Just as the salamander rushed past, Sora hopped to one side. Bernard stopped short of McLeach. The salamander pounced. Bernard dashed over to Sora. The salamander landed onto the poacher.

"Hey, get off me!" McLeach hollered as the salamander tackled him. "Joanna! What are ya…. ?!"

Bernard pointed to McLeach's teetering foot. Sora gave a nod. He reached his Keyblade out as far as he could. The blade was long enough for him to nudge the poacher over the edge. Down, down, down went McLeach and the salamander.

SPLASH!

"Yes!" Sora declared with pride. McLeach and his pet had been taken care of. They no longer posed a threat to Cody, let alone the eagle, Bianca, and the others.

"How dare you try to win!"

Indigo spun around. "Sora! Look out!"

Sora turned in time to see Cruella charged for him, purse in hand. Behind her, he could see Woody all wound up by his own pull-string.

"Woah!" Sora yelped. He hastily ducked. Just as Cruella was about to smack him in the face, Indigo reached out her right leg and tripped the former fashion designer. The villainess lost her step and tumbled over the edge.

SPLASH!

Sora looked down into the waterway below. There they were, McLeach and Cruella, struggling to stay afloat in the river. All it took was one look for him to mutter, "Man! Talk about two for the prince of one!"

Sora froze. Had he just said something Launchpad might have said in this type of situation?

The river seemed to be moving at a steady pace. All the crocodiles kept their eyes on the tied, golden-haired boy dangling in the air just above them. Each time one of them tried to jump from the water to snatch the prey, they missed. The boy was just out of their reach.

They just needed to wait until they had the opportunity to get their teeth on the prize.

Some splashing from close by drew their focus. The crocodiles all swung their eyes further down the river. There were two figures struggling to stay afloat in the water.

McLeach and Cruella, with Joanna clambering on the former's shoulders.

"Joanna!" McLeach snarled. "Joanna! You stupid rodent! Get off me! You idiot! Get off of me!"

Cruella was dragged under for a moment. When she resurfaced, the former fashion designer spat out the water she'd collected in her mouth. "This world is so disgusting!"

She shoved her hair out of her eyes in time to see the crocodiles were nearly upon her and McLeach. When Joanna saw the predators bearing down, the salamander hastily hopped off McLeach's shoulders and swam to the nearest riverbank.

By this time, the crocodiles were baring their jaws of razor-sharp teeth at the villain and villainess.

"No! No!" McLeach yelled as he began beating away at the carnivores with his shotgun.

Cruella banged her purse against a crocodile's head. "You stay away, you fools!"

Up on the cliff, Mortimer was watching the entire scene. A sneaky grin formed on his face. Once those two were out of the picture, nothing would stop him from becoming Maleficent's favorite follower. He would be able to replace that idiotic Pete.

All he had to do now was take over this world with the Heartless — and he needed to do it all on his own.

A laser nearly sliced his gloved hand off. The tall mouse whirled around. The two larger-than-life toys were closing in rapidly. The cowboy was swinging his pull-string around and around over and over again.

"Reach for the sky!" the cowboy declared.

Mortimer glared with such intensity, it seemed his eyes were ablaze with pure Darkness. "I'm outta here!"

He reached out behind him. A dark portal appeared. He saluted in the direction of where Sora was charging at him, Keyblade in hand. "So long, chums!" he scoffed.

Without another word, the tall mouse headed into the portal and out of sight. The dark portal sealed up just after him.

As he watched the dark portal close up, Sora slid to a stop in his tracks. He gave a deep sigh. Mortimer had escaped. Oh well! At least he was no longer causing mayhem in this world! With McLeach and Cruella stranded in the river, he knew the three evildoers had fallen. They would not be using the Heartless to take over this world… given that was what they had had in mind. He wondered just what was going on. Why hadn't those three used the Heartless more often? Were they afraid of the creatures for a change?

Or was Xehanort's Organization taking control of the monsters, again? He recalled how Saïx had revealed the Heartless would side with whomever was the strongest when it came to the Darkness. …Was that the case here? Or not?

Woody and Buzz both approached the brown-haired young man. When they saluted, Sora did the same. "The situation has been resolved," Buzz declared.

"Call us when you need help again," Woody added.

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah, you know it!"

Without another word, the two toys disappeared in a flash of brilliant Light. Realizing the Summon Charm was back in his hand once more, Sora calmly put it away. He smiled, knowing he had even more hearts connected to him than he could see in person. All those lives he was protecting by using his Keyblade.

He turned his eyes to the weapon. He gave a nod, knowing this very key had not chosen him directly. Instead, the Keyblade had chosen his friends. Since he was the one connected to them all, that was where his power came from.

Just like he had declared to Riku and Xigbar. His friends truly were his power. That also meant he was theirs.

"Sora!"

Sora spun around in time to see Indigo soaring over to him. Even though she was a few feet off the ground, the angel's flight pattern was still very wobbly. "What is it?" he asked.

"Cody has fallen into the river," the angel explained.

Sora's eyes immediately grew wide. He swung his head around. The rope attached to the crane had snapped. Although he knew the crocodiles were no longer going to be much of a threat, Sora did know Cody's hands were still tied behind his back. He would not be able to swim to the surface.

Sora started for the Cliffside. "Then, c'mon! Let's hurry!"

Indigo gave a nod in return. She carefully stepped to the edge of the cliff. The second she saw the water moving down below, she halted. She gulped, recalling her lack of ability to swim. That was one skill an angel was unable to learn. Wet wings were heavy, and they could drag an angel down with speed.

She stepped back from the edge. "I cannot dive in there."

Sora stopped and turned in her direction. "What're you saying?"

"I cannot swim," Indigo clarified. "Angels are non-swimmers. If I jump down there, I could drown."

She turned away. "It is too dangerous."

Sora gave a deep sigh. "Well, I'm from an island! I learned to swim before I could walk. I'll take care of this!"

Indigo spun around. Before her startled eyes, Sora put his Keyblade away and dove off the cliff like a professional diver in a High-Diving Show at a theme park. She peered over the edge. When she started to teeter, Indigo stepped back a few paces. She relaxed, knowing she was back on solid ground.

A voice echoed in her ears. "Bernard! The boy!" Bianca called from the truck's cage.

Indigo looked to her right. There was Bernard, hastily heading straight for the cliff's edge. The large mouse jumped into the water and went under.

Indigo gulped and glanced to the side. "I never had the chance to tell him that spell does not work in water."

Sora was under the river's surface in no time. As he peered through the darkness, he spotted Cody. The young boy was sinking rapidly; his eyes were sealed and his mouth was agape.

Sora did not take his eyes off the severed rope before him. As he swam along, he felt something strange. All of a sudden, he found himself drifting further away from the rope. Not to mention, Cody had seemingly grown bigger.

That was when it dawned on him. Indigo's spell had worn off. Either that, or it probably just did not work underwater.

It did not matter what size he was. Sora had a job to do. He needed to rescue this golden-headed kid if it was the last thing he ever did. He reached for the rope. Just as he grabbed it, something caught his eye. There was Bernard, grasping the rope beside him.

The two exchanged looks of surprise. They nodded and yanked as much as they could. They pulled and pulled and pulled. Finally, the rope seemed to be moving. As they continued to tug, Sora began feeling light-headed. He shoved it aside and kept his focus on saving Cody.

Cody's head burst out of the water. Sora and Bernard were moments behind. As he gasped for breath, Cody saw he was heading downstream. "Help!" he shouted. "Help!"

Sora and Bernard tried to pull Cody back upstream. It was in vain. The current was too strong. Spotting a nearby branch, Bernard pointed to it. Sora gave a nod of confirmation. The two swam to the riverbank and hopped onto the branch. They wrapped the rope around the piece of wood. Cody stopped moving down the river.

The more they tugged, the tighter the wet rope became. Sora and Bernard kept at it. They were not about to let Cody get swept downstream — especially since the two could now see what lay just ahead.

The crocodiles were relentless. The more McLeach and Cruella fought back, the more the carnivorous animals snapped at them. It almost appeared they were in the middle of a stalemate.

McLeach had had enough. He was so flustered, he threw his shotgun at the predators. "Get back! Get back!" he yelled. "Go on! Get away from me! Get away from me!"

The vicious animals turned back. Cruella tossed her purse. It bounced off a crocodile and then splashed into the river beside the animal.

"Ha!" McLeach declared with pride. "I whooped ya! I whooped ya all!" He held his hat in the air with delight. He slammed in back on his head. "You'll think twice before messin' with Percival C. McLeach!"

"And Cruella De Vil!" Cruella added in turn.

The two started to chuckle and cackle away. This was one triumph they wanted to cherish. Maybe, just maybe, they were stronger than any animal in existence.

McLeach's laugh came to an end. Through the corner of his eye, he saw Joanna waving at him from a nearby bank. The salamander was looking in the direction behind the poacher and woman. The two villains glanced back.

A drop was located just up ahead. "Woah!" McLeach shouted, realizing they were headed for a waterfall. He instantly started swimming as fast as he could.

Cruella was not struggling as much. She opened her hand, revealing a small whistle. She held it up to her lips and blew. A few moments later, a large creature came flapping over.

McLeach could not believe his eyes. It looked almost exactly like the great, golden eagle he had captured and killed months before. The only difference was this eagle's eyes were reddish-black and the stench of Darkness surrounded it. The Heartless Emblem was positioned directly on the creature's head. "Is… is that…?" the poacher started to say.

The creature extended its claws and seized Cruella by her shoulders. The villainess was swiftly pulled out of the raging river. "Yes," she told McLeach. "This is that other eagle's mate's Heartless. When you took his life, this was left behind."

Now McLeach could not believe his ears. The eagle he had poached some time ago had a Heartless. How would he have known such a thing was possible? That was when he saw the waterfall was directly behind him. "Pull me up!" he demanded.

Cruella gave a sinister grin. "Why should I help a fool like you?" she questioned in a voice flooded with mockery. "Nice knowing you, Mac L.!"

The eagle took flight and headed straight for the clouds. That was the last thing McLeach saw before he found himself tumbling over the edge. Realizing he had been betrayed by a fellow member of Maleficent's Council, had created a new Heartless months ago, and was now about to lose his life, the poacher opened his mouth to scream. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

He tumbled down the waterfall, flipping over several times. The last thing that registered in his mind was his mother's voice. "You should be kind to animals! Your father killed the last Tasmanian Tiger living in the wild! Don't be like him!"

If only he had heeded his mother's words….

Sora was appalled. Cruella had escaped on board a giant eagle-shaped Heartless. McLeach had fallen over the waterfall and (by now) was out of the picture — for good. He knew what this meant. Percival C. McLeach was now in the same place where Rourke, Judge Claude Frollo, and Forté were already located. Maybe the four of them were meeting up in that unknown dimension. Perhaps Clayton, Oogie Boogie, Ursula, Jafar, Scar, Shan-Yu, Mother Gothel, CLU, and The MCP and Sark were also there. Well… maybe not the last two. It was too difficult to know for sure. It might even be impossible!

Either way, Sora knew he could not allow Cody to suffer the same fate. He tugged onto the rope harder and harder. Bernard did the same. "Don't give up, Cody!" the mouse declared.

The branch snapped. Sora and Bernard suddenly found themselves being dragged downriver by the current. Sora gasped, knowing the pair and Cody were headed straight for the waterfall. Now, there seemed to be nothing the two could do to save the boy.

What they needed now was a miracle.

When she saw the branch snap, Amemi exclaimed, "Sora!"

Out of nowhere, Indigo soared into view. "You must hurry!" the angel said in a frantic voice. "Your brother is about to fall over the waterfall, Amemi!"

Amemi gave a frightened look. She had watched McLeach disappear over that same waterfall just minutes ago. She could not bear the thought of her older brother sharing the same fate. What would their Mom say?

She looked straight up. Goofy and Jake were still trying to insert the key into the lock. The knight pushed with all his might. Jake turned the key. The lock clicked and opened. "There!" Jake declared.

The lock slipped off the cage and clattered onto the ground. Marahute poked her head at the door. It flew open. As the eagle took flight, Amemi jumped on. Donald, Launchpad, and Goofy were next. Jake grabbed Bianca's hands and pulled her aboard. "Hop on, Miss B!"

It was not long before the eagle was airborne. Indigo pointed the way to where Sora and Bernard were about to go over the edge of the waterfall with Cody. Marahute seemed to nod at the eagle's directions and soared that way in a flash. Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad held on tight as the massive bird flew like a rocket to the waterfall.

Cody was starting to fall over the edge. "Help! Help!" he shouted repeatedly.

The boy went over the edge. Sora and Bernard followed, still holding onto the ropes.

As he descended over the edge of the waterfall, Sora slammed his eyes shut. He knew this was the end. He was about to fall to his doom at the base of the waterfall alongside Bernard and Cody. There was no way out of it.

He had so been looking forward to Christmas! Now, it seemed he would not be able to celebrate this year — let alone the years that followed.

He wondered…. What became of people's hearts after they met their end? Did they just cease to exist? Or was there an alternative way? Reincarnation? What about Eternal Life? Or was Death the ultimate end? He would be finding out very shortly. Once he reached the bottom of the waterfall, he would know what fate had in store.

He only hoped it would be short. The longer this took, the more agonizing it would be.

He reopened his eyes in time to see the waterfall's mist surrounding him. He slammed them shut once more.

WHOMP!

Sora found himself landing on something that was neither too hard, nor too soft. It almost felt like it was moving very, very swiftly. Wondering if he was in the afterlife, he slowly opened his eyes and allowed his vision to come into focus.

He jolted awake. He was not dead, let alone anywhere near death. Inside, he was alive and well. And he was flying through the night sky. He looked around, realizing he was on one of the tail feathers belonging to the great, golden eagle Cody had befriended. In fact, the boy himself was riding on the bird directly before his eyes.

Sora wanted to cheer. "Yes!" he declared.

He leapt into the air. Forgetting he was small, he landed on Cody's shoulder. The boy stopped smiling and turned to face him. He smiled again and reached out his hand like a platform. "It's okay," he said. "Come on."

Sora gave a nod and jumped in. Cody lowered him down to the bird's neck. Just after the young man had set foot upon the feathers, he found himself being pounced on by three others.

"Sora!" Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all declared in turn.

Sora had to laugh. It had been a while since his friends had jumped on him. "It's great to see you, too, guys!"

Donald frowned. "You gave me a heart attack!"

"Not a literal one," Goofy indicated. "But we're sure glad you're okay, Sora."

Launchpad chuckled. "When you went over the falls, I didn't think you were comin' back."

The three anthropomorphic animals climbed off the teenager. Sora rose to his feet. He then found himself being hugged by someone else. He looked down and relaxed. It was just his sister.

"You scared me," Amemi said. "Please don't do that again!"

Sora nodded. "I won't," he replied. He returned the embrace. "I'll always be here for you, Amy. You're my sister."

Amemi released the hug with tears in her eyes. Based on her large, friendly smile, Sora knew they were tears of joy and relief. He felt happy. This was the first time he had really seen his sister so happy-go-lucky in ages. Back home, he had seen her this way numerous times. At one point, he had thought his sister's personality was changing.

Yet, deep, deep down, she was still the same sandy-haired, fourteen-year-old girl he had known his whole life — minus his first three years.

Sora looked around the area, noticing someone was absent. "Hey, where's Indigo?"

"I am over here," came a reply.

All eyes swerved to the right. There was Indigo, swooping in for a landing. She set down so gracefully, Sora could not tell her damaged wing was having an effect on her flying. It almost felt like her story about tearing her wing was not true.

What else had caught Sora's attention was how the angel was smaller, too. He figured she must have shrunk back down. When he inquired about this, Indigo answered, "Spells like that one have a time-limit. It is impossible for me to keep them lasting loner than the limit. Do you understand?"

Sora gave a nod of understanding, even though he really did not quite comprehend what the angel had told him.

At that moment, Cody also held up the piece of rope Bernard had been clinging to. The large mouse was still there; he looked like he had also been preparing for the worst. Sora reached out and helped Bernard down off the rope.

Cody smiled at the Keyblade wielder and the large mouse. "Thanks, little mates."

Bernard grinned at everybody. Bianca ran up to him and gave him a hug. "Oh, Bernard, you are magnificent!" she announced. "You are absolutely the hero of the day."

Bernard gave a slight nod. Once Bianca had released her grip on him, the large mouse took a deep breath. "Miss Bianca, before anything else happens," he sighed and took the black box out of his pocket. He got down on one knee and opened it. "Will you marry me?"

Bianca looked shocked. One look at the shiny diamond in the ring and she smiled brighter than ever. "Bernard! Of course, I will!"

She embraced the large mouse with a caring hug. Bernard hugged her back. Sora had to grin. He could tell that Bernard's heart truly did belong with Bianca's heart. The two mice would be joined together, and they would spend the rest of their lives together and forever. Just like him and K—….

He forced his mind to stop right there. The thought of marrying Kairi made the brown, spikey-haired youth feel completely uncomfortable. Kairi being called his "girlfriend" was one thing. Yet, Kairi being considered his "wife" — that was going too far!

Jake grinned and gave the thumbs-up sign. "Well done, mate," he told Bernard.

Amemi turned to Sora. "Sora?"

"Hmm?" Sora looked at his sister, awaiting the remainder of the question.

"Do you think you and Kairi will ever tie the knot?"

Sora felt his completely uncomfortable sensation returning. "Uh," he stammered, his cheeks starting to turn a hint of the color pink. "Well…. That is, I…. I…. "

Goofy started to chuckle. "Gawrsh, Sora! Your face is turnin' red!"

"What?!" Sora declared. "It is not—!"

"I know who you're thinking about!" Donald stated.

The duck mage and knight started to laugh louder than ever. Sora hastily threw his hands in front of his face. How he hated it when Donald, Goofy, and the others teased him about Kairi! The last time they had made fun of him of his cheeks was back in Port Royal — just after the group had taken down Barbossa.

"Come on, Marahute!" Cody called out. "Let's all go home!"

The eagle soared off into the distance. The enormous moon lay directly ahead. With the clouds below them, everything seemed rather peaceful. This was exactly the type of victory Sora had always expected.

Now, it felt the world itself was thanking him for saving it from the Heartless and Maleficent's Council.

The dawn was starting to break by the time Marahute set down. Following Cody's directions, the eagle had soared through the night sky over the course of a few hours. Now, daybreak was starting to appear on the horizon.

Upon the landing, Indigo used her magical spell to make Sora, Donald, Goofy, Amemi, Launchpad, and herself larger. "Remember," she informed Sora. "This is not going to last a long time."

Sora gave a nod. He knew (in reality) they were smaller in this world, even if that was not the case back home on the islands, at the Radiant Garden, Disney Castle, or any other world out there. At least, as far as Sora knew. The only exception might be Wonderland. To him, that seemed a little bit of a stretch. Maybe… Pixie Hollow? No, that was part of Never Land. Maybe there was no other world.

Sora took a moment to examine the surrounding landscape. He took note of the humungous mountain of sandy-looking rock towering over the surrounding terrain. The ground was crunchy in some spots, which reminded him of the beach back home. He knew, if there was sand involved, he and his team were more-than-likely somewhere in the desert. Aside from the mountain, the land was mostly flat as far as the eye could see.

Before the group was a small farmhouse. Its blue paint was faded and some parts seemed to be chipping off. An older, blue pick-up truck was parked out front.

Cody hopped off the eagle and raced straight for the front door. He knocked on the door as loudly as he could. The door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with green eyes and brown hair that was tied into a ponytail. She was decked out in a lime-green dress that appeared to be faded in the shadows of the house's porch-roof.

One look at the boy, and the woman gasped so dramatically, it reminded Sora of Carol Burnett in one of the many skits she did with Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Tim Conway. She quickly grabbed the boy and hugged him so tightly, it seemed neither one of them would be able to breathe for a long time. "Cody!" she declared, tears forming in her eyes. "I… I was sure you weren't coming home."

Sora had to smile. He knew this was Cody's house. This was Cody's mother. Seeing the two reunited made him feel delighted. He remembered how happy he'd been when he had finally been reunited with his Mom and Dad and Amemi after his earlier quests. He had been away for over a year. Still, they acted like he'd just ceased to exist and had suddenly reappeared like it was all a miracle.

That had been one year ago. The Holiday Season had just started. Now, here he was doing the same thing for someone else. Like Jiminy Cricket would have said, "A Good Turn Is Its Own Reward".

Sora stepped forward. "Glad to see you two are back together."

Cody's mother was more than pleased. "Thank you for bringing my son back to me."

"No thanks needed," the young man said with his famous grin showing on his face. "But, if it wasn't for us, he might've been…. "

He would have told her about how Cody had been abducted by the late Percival C. McLeach, Cruella De Vil, and Mortimer Mouse, but he decided to stop mid-sentence when Donald gave him a stern look. Instead, he just let his smile grow bigger. He knew Cody was safe and sound.

Amemi smiled in turn. This was the first happy ending she had witnessed first-hand. Actually, it was the fourth, but this one was her favorite. The sight of seeing mother and child reunited in time for the holidays made her beam with Joy. When it came to Joy at this time of year, there was absolutely nothing like it!

Goofy and Launchpad looked at one another and nodded. They had seen a happy reunion. A few tears slid down their cheeks. Goofy pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose. He passed it to Launchpad. The duck-pilot blew his nose in turn. When the two tried to hand the used handkerchief to Donald, the duck mage turned away, a scowl on his face.

Indigo smiled brightly. She loved happy endings! As the Angel of Hope, this was her job. She was charged with ensuring everyone had a happy ending. There was nothing like seeing someone else's faith in Hope being restored.

As the group looked upon Cody and his mother, Sora's Keyblade suddenly appeared in his hand. Marahute gave him a gentle nudge. "Okay, okay," Sora said. "I get the hint."

He pointed his Keyblade into the sky. The early morning rays started to illuminate brighter and brighter. A gigantic Keyhole-shape formed in the sky above. Sora watched as a ball of Light formed at the tip of his weapon. A beam of Light shot out from the ball and entered the Keyhole. It unlocked and Light shone all around the area, engulfing the group for a few seconds.

Once the Light died down, Indigo strode up to Sora. "Looks to me like everything is done in this world," she said with a smile.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. He gazed at the rest of his team. "Let's get going."

The others all nodded. Amemi gave her brother a thumbs-up. Sora nodded and returned one of his own. Just before everyone could set off, Cody's mother approached them. "Thank you for returning my son," she said. "I almost gave up hope of seeing him again."

Sora nodded. He understood how she felt. It was the same thing he had once felt when he'd learned Kairi had been kidnapped by Organization XIII. He had been so disheartened, he'd nearly gave up his quest. If it had not been for Donald and Goofy, who knows what might have become of the worlds?

"Allow me to offer you a reward," Cody's mother went on.

Sora held up his free hand. "That's alright. We don't need anything."

Through the corner of his eye, the seventeen-year-old caught a glimpse of Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad sighing deeply. He grinned, recalling how disappointed Donald and Goofy had been when Sora had turned down the reward from the Emperor during one of their earlier quests.

Cody's mother shook her head. She remained smiling. "You brought my son back home safely," she told the spikey-haired young man. "I insist!"

She held up a piece of torn paper. "I found this on the floor a week ago," she explained. "I believe it blew in from an open window. It had an ominous glow…. "

Sora paused for a moment. He wondered what Cody's mother was getting at. Was this paper part of something important? Or was it just a piece of trash that had been blown about by the wind?

The brown-haired woman held it out for him. "Here you go," she said. "I have no use for it, so I thought it might come in handy for you and your friends."

Sora accepted the paper. "Thanks," he said, a little unsure what else to say.

Once he had the piece of paper, Sora slipped it into his pocket. He turned to his teammates. "Well, that's that!"

Amemi took a step forwards. "How will we get out of here?"

Goofy reached into his oversized pants' pockets and held up a black remote. "A-Hyuck! This is how!"

Amemi nearly wanted to slap herself in the face. She had forgotten how Sora and his friends had a teleportation device attached to the inside of Herbie. …Or something like that.

Sora turned to Bernard, Bianca, and Jake. "What're you guys gonna do?"

"We're going back to the Rescue Aid Society," Bianca explained.

"Yes," Bernard nodded. "They're stationed in New York. We've been gone for too long."

Jake gave a nod of his own. "I'll take these two back to Mugwomp Flats. They can hitch a ride back to the States."

Sora gave a nod. Although he felt bad leaving the two mice behind, he knew this world was their home. He thought back to when he had first met Bernard. The large mouse had handed him the Summon Charm for Joy.

Now, it was time to say goodbye. Well… at least for now.

"See ya soon," Sora told the mice. Bernard and Bianca both waved to him and the others. Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo all waved back.

"Do be careful now," Bianca called.

Without another word, Goofy hit the switch on the remote control. In no time, the six friends were back inside Herbie and soaring away back into space. Sora's grin was bigger than ever. He knew The Outback would now be at peace for all time.

As they flew along, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the torn paper Cody's mother had given him. He unfolded it and read the handwritten text in silence.

"Her son is a boy, one about age ten,

He seems really nice.

He claims everyone is from another land quite often,

And that all magic comes with a price."

His eyes grew wide. This was another piece of the letter Master Yen Sid had told him about. He looked out the windshield at all the stars shining in the bluish space of The Other Sky.

He wondered how many other pieces of the letter were scattered out there….

Maleficent had never felt so enraged. She wanted to take her staff and plunge it straight into Mortimer's chest, impaling him and destroying his heart all the same. She was beyond furious at seeing the tall mouse return all alone.

"You imbecile!" she shouted. "You abandoned McLeach and Cruella and failed to complete a simple task!"

Mortimer gulped. A drop of sweat slid off his extra-long snout. The last time he had felt this way was when Sora had threatened to kill him. Even then, he had felt safer than he did now. Dealing with Sora seemed less strenuous that facing Maleficent after he and those other two had failed to take over a certain world.

"Listen," Mortimer began. "That kiddo with the Keyblade interfered. He almost killed me!"

Maleficent slammed her staff down with such force, a shockwave shook the circular chamber. Mortimer lost his balance and tumbled over. He sat up and shook his head to regain his focus.

A loud laugh came from the doorway. Pete marched into the room. "Youse can't even tie your own shoes. How can ya takes a whole world by yourself?"

Mortimer glared at the large cat-man. "Shut yer trap!"

From the doorway, the Beagle Boys and Cinnamon Teal stared at the display. The sight seeing Maleficent on the verge of wanting to destroy one of her own followers was shocking. Cinnamon Teal started to wonder… would she be next?

The sound of footsteps passing by caught her attention. Dr. Terminus and Judge Doom were out for a stroll along the balcony. When the two passed the open doorway, they stopped. Pete and Mortimer were still eyeing each other with ferociousness evident in their eyes.

"Those two could use a 'Cooperation' potion," Dr. Terminus commented. "I have one on me right now — just one dollar!"

Judge Doom rolled his eyes and scowled. "Those two are as stupid as Donald Duck and Daffy Duck!" he snorted.

The two men continued on their way.

Master Yen Sid's study had never felt so empty. The retired Keyblade Master had strolled away from his desk for a few hours, so Niccole and King Mickey were the only two in the room.

Niccole gazed out the crescent moon-shaped window. She looked up into the sky. Three colorful stars seemed to be twinkling together. It almost felt like they were meant to be together.

She gave a deep sigh. At one time, she was certain this was the way she and Riku would have ended up. She had been raised as a flower in Wonderland. The first human she could remember meeting was that silver-haired young man. He had been so interesting back then. No petals. No leaves. No stem. While the other flowers had dismissed him as a weed, Niccole had begun thinking outside that box.

There was something different about him. Perhaps it was his distinct hair color. Maybe his clothes stood out to her? No, it was neither of those two. She was sure of it. It was his heart. She had sensed something in his heart. It was the same feeling she had.

Longing to be with another.

Now, she was not sure how she felt. He had turned on her. He had struck with the Keyblade and she had suffered for a long time. As she had laid in the castle's dungeon, she had starting having suicidal thoughts. Even the idea of smashing her head against the wall and crushing her skull felt better than simply starving to death.

She gave a deep sigh, recalling how friendly and encouraging Riku had been when she'd first met him. That first night… they had watched the sunset together from that balcony. Niccole remembered her reaction the first time she had switched on the television. "The Odd Couple" theme song had startled her so much, she had screamed.

Now, she wanted nothing more than to go back in time and relive all those events. At least, up to the part where Riku left to meet Maleficent in the Castle's Chapel.

"What's wrong, Niccole?" a familiar, high-pitched voice asked.

Niccole looked to her right. There was King Mickey Mouse, gazing at her through his charismatic-filled eyes. She gave a deep sigh. "I just want everything back the way it was," she admitted. "You know, with Riku and me."

Mickey nodded. "I understand how ya feel."

"All I wanted to be was Riku's closest friend. How will I ever resolve this problem with him?" she turned her eyes straight to the mouse. "Do you have any ideas?"

Mickey looked downwards and his eyes became downcast. "You know, Riku asked me the same thing."

Niccole was a bit surprised. "He did? What did you tell him?"

"I told him, 'I can't help ya with this'," Mickey looked Niccole straight in the eye. "You two will need to resolve these problems on your own."

Niccole gave a nod. Even though she dreaded the idea of facing Riku again, she knew Michael Mouse had a point. Only the two of them could resolve these problems.

Only then, would they have a true and honest relationship.

A/N: WELL, THUS ENDS THE OUTBACK!

This can only mean ONE THING - MORE WORLDS ARE CALLING FOR HELP!
Yet, Sora's Team shall NOT be heading to them - yet! First, it is back to THE RADIANT GARDEN!

Anyways, I would like to go over some points regarding THIS CHAPTER!
(1.) Indigo and Cruella De Vil's story arc might resemble some of the plot featured in ABC's "'ONCE UPON A TIME -SEASON 4-'". That was part of the inspiration for what happened in This Story!
(2.) I know. THIS Chapter was quite the DARK One, now wasn't it? Fortunately, the Next One shall not be so intense.
(3.) There was a Reference to "'The Carol Burnett Show'"/"'Carol Burnett And Friends'" in there! Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Tim Conway ALL were on That Show!
(4.) I have the feeling you know who the Two SUMMON(S) was/were in there! Technically, it was TWO SUMMONS IN ONE!

Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear are both from Disney-Pixar's "Toy Story [1] (1995)"!

Even though the next Disney-based world shall not be coming along for a little while, I still feel obliged to provide a "'RIDDLE HINT'" for the next, upcoming Disney-based world featured in THIS Story!
HINT: "SORA AND HIS TEAM VENTURE TO A FAR-FLUNG COASTAL TOWN WHERE RUMOR HAS IT THERE IS A MYTHICAL CREATURE RUNNING AMOK! ONLY THE LOCAL L.H. KEEPER MIGHT KNOW THE TRUTH! MYTH AND TRUTH EXIST SIDE BY SIDE, ALONG WITH A CANDLE ON THE WATER! A SECRET TO AMEMI'S STORY IS YET TO COME TO LIFE, EVEN THOUGH IT IS MORE LIKELY TO COME TO LIGHT!"

I shall re-include That "'RIDDLE HINT'" later on, once THE RADIANT GARDEN storyline coming up is complete! THAT is when That Disney-Based World shall appear in THIS STORY!

I do not believe there is anything else to state now. Well, with Christmas on the way, I suppose it is time to call it a Night!

So Then, I'll See You Next Time!
In other words, 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 CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!"