DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: HELLO THERE, EVERYONE!! IT IS GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN! CHAPTER 49 HAS ARRIVED, AND YOU ARE JUST IN TIME FOR IT!
So, to start off, I wanted to apologize for not posting anything for the last two months. My class took top priority, and it was a very demanding class, too. Now that I am finished with it, and my Summer started, I have been able to get back into This Story!
After all, I did start This Chapter around mid-April.
That aside, I have some things to state before you can read on.
For starters, it is becoming more and more clear that "'Kingdom Hearts 3'" shall indeed be released in 2018! Th worlds they have already shown are looking more and more and more and more Spelltacular! In fact, I, for one, am eager to see what else they have in mind for the game and its story when e3 comes along!
Despite all the excitement regarding "'Kingdom Hearts 3'", I have some saddening news, too. Two voice actors who performed as some rather well-known Disney Characters have passed away in the last few months. Who are they? See below this line for the answer.
CHUCK MCCANN - (September 2ND, 1934 TO April 8TH, 2018; AGE 83). He was probably best known for his work as Duckworth, Scrooge McDuck's butler, in Disney's "'DuckTales'", alongside some of the Beagle Boys. He also appeared in "'TaleSpin'" and "'The New Adventures of Winnie-The-Pooh'", among several other Disney shows and movies.
In 2013, he reprised his role as Duckworth for the video game, "'DuckTales: Remastered'".
DAVID OGDEN STIERS - (October 31ST, 1942 TO March 3RD, 2018; AGE 75). He was the one who played Governor Ratcliffe AND Wiggins in Disney's "'Pocahontas (1995)'", The Narrator for several of the "'Winnie-The-Pooh'" movies, Dr. Jumba Jookiba in Disney's "'Lilo And Stitch (2002)'" and "'Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep'", Cogsworth in all the "'Beauty And The Beast'" movies and "'Kingdom Hearts 2'" (as well as The Narrator for Disney's "'Beauty And The Beast (1991)'"), The Archdeacon in the Disney version of "'The Hunchback of Notré Dame (1996)'", Fenton Q. Harcourt in Disney's "'Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)'", among other smaller roles here and there.
He also voiced Nicky Flippers, the froggy detective, in the animated movie, "'Hoodwinked! (2005)'" and its sequel "'Hoodwinked Too! Hood V.S. Evil (2011)'", and had many other animated roles.
Starting in 1977, he played Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on the classic television series, "'M*A*S*H'".
(For those of you who recall, back on Chapter 15 of This Story, this actor was the subject of the Trivia for That Chapter.)
Now then, I have some more TRIVIA for you today. Do not worry! This is not so saddening!
DID YOU KNOW? Can you name the various cast members who appeared in Disney Fairies? Yes, there HAVE been a LOT of them!
Yet, some of them did work for Disney outside of those movies, too! I have personally seen some in other Non-Disney shows and movies as well!
Allow me to please share some of that information with all of you!
Tinker Bell - Since the start of the Disney Fairies franchise, this iconic Disney Mascot has always been voiced by Mae Whitman. She also voiced Shanti in Disney's "'The Jungle Book 2 (2003)'", Yuffie Kisaragi in the "'Final Fantasy VII Compilation'" (Minus "'Final Fantasy VII'" and "'Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)'") and "'Kingdom Hearts 2'", and she also played First Daughter Patricia Whitmore in "'Independence Day (1996)'"!
Periwinkle - She was voiced by Lucy Hale. Outside of Disney Fairies, I (unfortunately) am not familiar with anything she appeared in. It might be partially since, like Mae Whitman (Tinker Bell), she is not much older than me in real life.
Rosetta - Initially, Rosetta was voiced by Kristin Chenoweth, who also played Fifi (Snoopy's girlfriend) in "'The Peanuts Movie (2014)'". She was later voiced by Meghan Hilty, a Broadway actress.
Silvermist - Less than a year before signing on as Silvermist, actress Lucy Liu had just finished voicing Maggie Lee in Scholastic's "'Maya & Miguel'", an animated show that ran from Fall 2004 to Spring 2007 (which happened to be my full Middle School age). She also voiced Mei in Disney's "'Mulan II (2004)'", and Master Viper in the DreamWorks-made "'Kung Fu Panda'" series.
Iridessa - For those of you who have watched Disney Channel for years, you might have heard or seen the actress Raven-Symoné at one time or another. In addition to taking part in Disney Fairies, she was also Raven Lydia Baxter on the Disney Channel show, "'That's So Raven'", and she also played Monique in Disney's "'Kim Possible'" (Yes, that includes the world's storyline earlier in This Story!).
It appears her career with Disney is long from over...
Fawn - Unlike the others, Fawn was voiced by Three Voice Actresses over the course of Disney Fairies. The original actress, America Ferrera, only voiced her in the first movie. Throughout most of the movies (shorts and specials included), she was voiced by Angela Bartys. In 2015, the latest Disney Fairies movie came out, and since Fawn had the lead role (instead of Tinker Bell), she was given a new voice actress.
This new cast member was the one and only Jennifer "'Ginnifer'" Goodwin, who has been best known for playing Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard on ABC's "'Once Upon A Time'" (which recently came to a final close), and she also did the voice of Judy Hopps in Disney's "'Zootopia (2016)'".
Vidia - Throughout the whole series (minus one movie where the character had no lines), Vidia was voiced by Pamela Adlon, who also voiced Ashley Spinelli in Disney's "'Recess'", Ket in "'Kiki's Delivery Service (1989/1998)'", several characters on "'Rugrats'", and Eileen (The Birthday Girl) on Scholastic's "'WordGirl'".
She also voiced Shinra in "'Final Fantasy X-2'".
Terence - While Terence might not have appeared in This Story (other than a brief mentioning), he did appear in "'Kingdom Hearts - World Unto Dreams'". In the movies, he was voiced by Jesse McCartney, who also played Roxas and Ventus in the "'Kingdom Hearts'" Series!
Bobble & Clank - These two, rather comical, sparrow men were always voiced by Rob Paulsen and Jeff Bennett respectively.
I Sincerely Hope I do not have to name all the things they have been in. When it comes to voice-acting in animation, they tend to appear in nearly everything from Disney to "'The Land Before Time'" to "'Curious George'" to whatever is coming next!
Chances are, you might have seen them in something and never realized it!
Queen Clarion - The queen of Pixie Hollow was voiced by Anjelica Huston, who has played many roles in Hollywood. Disney Fairies aside, there does not appear to be much of a pattern (if one at all).
There have been Dozens of cast members in Disney Fairies. Others included Jim Cummings (of course!), Zendaya, Timothy Dalton, Ben Diskin (Young Xehanort in "'Kingdom Hearts'" and Slush), Jodi Benson, Rosario Dawson, Debby Ryan, and Grey DeLisle. I cannot list all of them. There are simply too many for one sitting.
(Yes, I have more to say for Mae Whitman and Ginnifer Goodwin since they are among my favorite actresses! Lucy Liu is a close second, though, and I have considered Raven-Symoné for a place in the list, too.)
SHEESH! THAT WAS QUITE THE TRIVIA, WASN'T IT?
So, without further ado, the time has come for you all to READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT!
GO ON! GO ON! LIVE IT! PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW, TOO!
CHAPTER 49
Operation Periwinkle
The scenery at the border between the Fall and Winter regions of the land had not altered in the slightest. The only exception was a gentle breeze blowing from the snowy terrain, across the stream, and over to the trees on the other side. A passing woodpecker soared overhead. She looked down to admire the picturesque view below. What she saw instead surprised her.
Down below, on the wooden, root-like bridge, a small, reddish-brown leaf and a small snowflake had landed. The leaf tilted itself upward to reveal a small fairy with golden hair and green dress. "Anyone see you?" she asked the snowflake.
The snowflake tilted up, showing a fairy about the same size with white hair, paler skin, and clothing that was a light-blue color. "No," she said, a hint of excitement in her voice. "I can't believe we're doing this!"
The woodpecker shrugged and flew off, not aware she had witnessed a meeting between Tinker Bell and Periwinkle.
Sora and Indigo emerged from the grass and flew over to Tinker Bell. "All set," Sora said, giving a thumbs-up.
Indigo gave a nod. "Correct!"
Tinker Bell nodded at them and turned her focus to Periwinkle. "So, did you bring it?"
Periwinkle nodded back. She turned towards the winter wonderland of the Winter Woods and whistled. Out of the heavy snowfall emerged two fairies and two sparrow men using rather thin vine ropes to carry a huge block of bluish ice towards the bridge.
Sora was astounded. Is this what Tinker Bell had in mind? The ice chunk felt too big for them to use. He wondered how Periwinkle's friends had managed to collect such an item. They were all so tiny, and that icy block was so enormous! Unless his mind was playing tricks on him, all he could truly do was go with the flow — even though he was not in a waterway this time.
He looked closely at the fairies and sparrow men carrying the ice. Sora immediately recognized three of them. There were Gliss and Spike, Periwinkle's friends. The Keyblade wielder also saw Sled, the sparrow man who had (unknowingly) led him, Indigo, and Tinker Bell straight to the Keeper's — Dewey's library. As for the other sparrow man, he did not recognize him.
"For the record," he heard Spike mutter. "We shouldn't be doing this, whatever it is we're doing."
The group reached the bridge and set the block of ice down before Periwinkle. "As ordered," Sled announced. "One big block of ice."
Gliss gestured to the second sparrow man. "Courtesy of our resident glacier sparrow man, Slush."
Slush poked his head up from behind the ice. Sora could now see he had blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a blue cap with a matching shirt and pants. "Hey," the sparrow man said.
Sora waved. "Hiya!"
Periwinkle spun to face Tinker Bell. "So, what do you think?"
Indigo raised her hand. "Are you sure it is big enough?" she inquired. "I pictured using a bigger piece of ice."
Either Tinker Bell ignored her, or she was not paying close attention. "It's perfect!" she replied to her sister.
Before Sora or Indigo could say anything, Tinker Bell gave a whistle in the Fall Forest. The sounds of something huge rustled the leaves. Sora knew what was coming. After all, he and his team had been up nearly all night long helping to put that thing together.
Sora knew what late nights were like. He always would put off homework until the next day or later at night. He did not need to get much sleep at night. He could easily sleep it all off during the following day. It did not matter if he was in a classroom or on the beach in the sand. He could sleep just about anywhere.
He caught a glimpse of Spike eyeing Periwinkle closely. "Are you sure they're not luring you into a trap?" she questioned.
The sound of button wheels rolling on dirt and wood flooded everyone's ears, immediately snatching their focus. Within seconds, a huge machine emerged from the foliage of the amber leaves and plants. The front of the machine had a brass funnel speaker, similar to the ones used on old record players. An old, pink seashell was in the middle with pieces of curved metal leading up to a tall, metal grater. A piece of wood behind the grate seemed ready to lift something up, up, and away into the sky for good. Along the sides of the seashell were wooden wheels with acorn caps on the ends; the shape reminded Sora of an old water wheel. The handlebars of a bicycle were positioned at the top of the seashell with pedals attached to the wheels.
Pushing the contraption from behind were Bobble, Clank, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi. Every now and then, Donald slipped and fell onto the ground, so Goofy grabbed him and pulled him back up.
One mere look at the gizmo and Gliss flew beside Periwinkle, a look full of marvel on her face. "Oh! It's one of those…. "
Spike flew down to the other side of Periwinkle. "Things we shouldn't be doing?" she said.
"It's a snowmaker!" Bobble announced, rounding the side of gadget.
"It makes snow!" Clank declared in turn.
"Yeah, A-Hyuck!" Goofy approved, giving his victory pose. Amemi saw the "L" in Goofy's hand and slapped her hand against her head.
"You said it," Launchpad agreed. He paused in thought. "I still don't know why we're saying 'it'."
"Yeah," Sora told Periwinkle. He felt like nudging Indigo a little. The angel leaned away from him, almost like she had sensed his approach.
"This is your ticket to the warm side of Pixie Hollow," Tinker Bell approved.
Periwinkle stepped forward, a look of complete amazement on her face. Sora gave her a nod and gestured for her to come a little closer. Spike grabbed Tinker Bell's sister by the arm.
"Wait a second," she said. "This is crazy! You don't even know if this thing works!"
"It works," Amemi said.
"Yeah!" Donald nodded stubbornly.
"Oh, it works, all right," Clank summarized.
"Aye," Bobble confirmed. "We made it ourselves."
Spike gave an obvious fake smile. "Of course you did," she turned to Periwinkle and yanked her arm a few times. "Just walk away."
Periwinkle frowned at Spike and broke free from her friend's grip. She flew up to the edge of the border and gazed at the snowmaker. "How does it work?"
Tinker Bell turned to Bobble and Clank. "Guys?"
Indigo turned her attention to Amemi, Donald, Launchpad, and Goofy. "Please step away from the snowmaker," she urged.
Sora pointed to the angel. "Yeah, what she said."
Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi all backed away from the machine. With a call of "Pull!", Clank pulled a lever on the snowmaker. A spring beneath the device shot down and stuck itself on the bridge. Clank carefully started to turn the machine around. "Move this around here," he said to himself.
Once the snowmaker was the other way around, Clank turned to the Winter fairies and sparrow men. "You might want to step aside for this part," he informed them.
Periwinkle stepped to one side while Spike grabbed Gliss and yanked her to the other side of the bridge. Sled and Slush backed away from the icy cube. Clank pulled a cord on the snowmaker. A tiny fork shot out from the middle of the grater and stabbed the block of ice. Slowly, the cord started to wind itself back up again, reeling in the ice with it in the same fashion of a fishing rod.
"Whoa!" an astounded Sora proclaimed.
"Gawrsh!" Goofy remarked.
Sled smiled. "They're serious."
Indigo shook her head, a smile showing on her face. "You have no clue how true that statement is."
Once the ice cube was on the wooden panel below the grater, Clank secured it tightly against the grater. Sora could now see the handles he, Donald, and Goofy had helped attach to the panel. Bobble hopped onto the seat atop the seashell and grasped the handlebars. His feet landed onto the pedals and he started to pedal along like he was riding a bicycle.
Before Sora, Indigo, Amemi, Launchpad, Goofy, Donald, Bobble, Clank, Tinker Bell, Periwinkle, Gliss, Spike, Sled, and Slush's eyes, the grater started to slice and dice the icy block into teeny, tiny pieces. The pieces were sucked up into the seashell and came out through the speaker funnel. A series of fan blades inside the funnel blew the pieces of ice out in the form of….
"Snow!" Periwinkle declared. "Tink! You did it! You actually did it!"
Even Tinker Bell seemed amazed at the sight. "Wow," she said.
Sora had to marvel in turn. "Whoa!"
Donald stared in disbelief. "Wow!"
"Kinda cool, huh?" Goofy commented.
Launchpad nudged him a little. "And that's coolly cold! Wish I had a cooler to make it icy, but then I'd need Darcy and Stormy, too!"
Tinker Bell reached her hand into the icy cloud coming from the funnel. She pulled it away quickly. "It's cold."
Indigo helped the fairy back away. "The last thing you need is to have your wings struck by tiny pieces of snow and ice," she said in a soft voice.
Tinker Bell turned to Periwinkle. "So?"
Periwinkle's enthusiasm clung to her face. She turned to her friends.
Spike shrugged and shook her head slowly.
Gliss gestured for her to "shoo". "Go, go on."
"Live it, man," Sled nodded.
Amemi crossed her arms. "'Man'? She's a girl."
Periwinkle approached the cloud of snow. She stopped on the edge of the border. Once she crossed, they would be no going home for a while, unless someone from behind pulled her back. She took a deep breath and flew into the snowy mixture. "Whoa!" she said, taking in the freezing air with delight.
"Welcome, Miss Winkle," Clank said.
Periwinkle turned to him. "Thank you."
"Alrighty then," Indigo said with a smile. She flew up to Periwinkle. "Tinker Bell set up a full list of things for you to see."
"Right," Clank approved. "Your tour begins with the Autumn Forest. Next, it's a quick stop in Springtime Square."
The very mention of the name caused Sora's mind to perk up in a flash. He knew that place. It was where Violet, Riku, and him had first seen Tinker Bell, back when Pixie Hollow was sound asleep in the Realm of Sleep. Now that the world was wide awake, he was feeling curious about what state that area would be in.
When he got home, he could tell Riku and Violet all about what it was like. Unless, of course, Violet was too busy reuniting with Indigo. In that case, maybe he should start with Riku.
"And finally, the Pixie Dust Tree," Clank went on. "Which, as you know, makes all fairy life possible."
"Aye," Bobble approved as he continued to pedal. "That's where you'll be meeting her majestiness, the queen."
Periwinkle's eyes grew. "The queen?"
Gliss tugged at Spike excitedly. "They're going to see the queen!"
Spike pulled away from Gliss. "Like I really care…. "
"Hey," Donald waved his fist at her. "That's my line!"
It took both Goofy and Launchpad to hold the duck back and stuff a jar of butter into his bill. Sora was not sure how long they had had that. When he saw Launchpad add a dash of bacon grease into the duck's mouth, Sora turned away.
His mouth afire, Donald dashed away from the border and into the Fall Forest. "YEOWCH!"
Sora shook his head. "Okay?" He turned his attention back to the bridge and the snowmaker.
Tinker Bell was soaring up to Periwinkle. "Queen Clarion's very wise," she stated. "If we tell her we're sisters, she'll change Lord Milori's rule."
Sora saw Gliss leap into the air. "That is so exciting!" she turned to Periwinkle. "Say 'hi' for me, or curtsy, or whatever it is you do, and bring me back an acorn — a big one!"
Periwinkle nodded. "Sure."
Gliss spun around with a cheer. "I can't believe I'm going to get an acorn! Finally! That is so exciting!"
It took Sled and Spike to pull her back down. Slush sat in the snow, shaking his head and smiling.
Tinker Bell gestured ahead. "After you."
Periwinkle gave a nod. "Thank you," she turned to her friends back in the Winter Woods. "Bye!" she waved.
After helping to turn the snowmaker back around, Sora's team (minus Donald) followed Tinker Bell into the Fall Forest. Periwinkle led the way along with Clank happily adjusting the snowmaker according to every move she made. Bobble continued to pedal. At the same time, Spike led Gliss back into the cold winter wonderland. Sled helped Slush up and the two followed.
No one from either side of the line had noted the presence of the white, snowy owl perched on a branch high above their heads.
The trek through the Fall Forest was a lot faster than Sora had thought it would be. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle walked side by side along the ground for several yards before the latter took flight to touch some tall blades of grass. The whole time, Clank constantly pushed the snowmaker and adjusted its position so Periwinkle could continuously be showered in icy snow.
Before long, they reached a long stream. Sora stared at the water. The river was so wide. He looked both ways, upstream and downstream. Not a single bridge in sight. "How'll we cross?" he asked.
Amemi stepped up beside him. "This is Havendish Stream," she told her brother. "Rani told me it flows clear through Pixie Hollow to the other side."
"Springtime Square's on the other side," Clank added as he shoved the snowmaker along. "But not to worry!"
"Aye," Bobble panted from his seat, still pedaling hard. "We planned for everything."
Sora watched as Clank shoved the snowmaker onto an enormous lily pad. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle were immediately behind. Donald jumped on after them, followed by Goofy and Launchpad. Then came Amemi.
Sora tried to step aboard, yet the lily pad raft had already started to shift downstream. The young man nearly fell into the water. At the last second, he found himself carried away by Indigo. The angel had seen the seventeen-year-old losing his balance and swooped it to catch him. She had her arms wrapped around his waist. The wobbly flight to the raft made it clear to Sora how his weight was putting strain upon Indigo's wings. It was becoming harder for her to maintain altitude above the waves.
Just as the two were nearing the surface of the stream, Indigo shoved Sora with all her might. The brown-haired youth landed onto the raft, squashing Donald and Goofy in the process. Amemi stepped back a few steps. Launchpad held his spot nice and firm.
"Sorry about that," Sora quickly apologized as he returned to his feet.
Indigo landed onto the lily pad. Her landing was not very graceful (for the first time Sora had seen), and she struggled to keep her balance. She teetered and waved her arms. She tipped toward the water. Sora reached out and grabbed the angel's right arm. "Got you!" he said.
He pulled Indigo back aboard the raft. "Thank you," Indigo said. She gave a sigh of relief. "I cannot let my wings get wet. If they do, I cannot—"
"You can't fly," Sora finished. "Yeah, Violet told me."
Indigo forced a smile. "What else did she tell you?"
"This," Sora reached out and put his hands on her wings. Indigo wrapped her arms around her body and fell to her knees. She struggled not to burst out laughing.
"Please," she said. "Stop it. That tickles too much."
Sora let go of the angel. He put his hands behind his head and tried his best to look not guilty. He turned his focus to Periwinkle and Tinker Bell. The former was admiring her reflection on the waves in awe. Sora could tell she had never seen liquid water before. The idea of someone never seeing something he himself was accustomed to was mindboggling for Sora.
Something in the branches of the nearby trees caught his eye. He looked up. Watching from up above were Tinker Bell's friends. Sora recognized almost all of them. He knew Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, Fawn, Beck, Bess, and Rani. He also saw another fairy he did not recognize.
This fairy was watching the scene from where she sat between Silvermist and Rani. She had dark hair held in place by a brown hairband, blue eyes, and wings that gave a light-lavender glow. She was wearing a dark-purplish dress with a single shoulder strap, brown boots with a similar design to Sora's own shoes (only hers were all one color), and a dark-purple leaf tied nicely and neatly around her waist. She also had pearl earrings and a sky-blue scarf around her neck.
"There she is!" he heard Silvermist say.
"That's her?" the new fairy asked.
"Yes," Rani said. Sora noted how she was wiping her eyes with a tiny hankie.
"She's so wintery," Iridessa said.
Silvermist rose from the branch to hover a tad closer. "This is so exciting!"
It took Rani, the new fairy, Beck, and Bess to hold her back. "Wait for the signal," Beck said.
Sora cocked his head. What "signal" did they mean? He had never heard Tinker Bell mention anything about a "signal" while everyone was working hard to build the snowmaker. Well, for Donald, he was either working hard or hardly working. Sora still could not decide which one he had been doing.
It was at that second when Periwinkle stuck her hand into the river. Tinker Bell turned towards the group gathered on the branch and saluted their way. Sora felt like slapping himself in the face (for once). So that was the "signal"!
"There it is," Bess announced.
"Yes," Rani approved.
"Operation Periwinkle's in effect," Beck declared.
Rani hopped off the branch and dived, headfirst and straight like an arrow, into the stream. Silvermist and the new fairy flew down low over the water's surface. When they got close to Periwinkle and the lily pad raft itself, the pair reached out and grasped the water. They lifted a full tube of water out of the river. It rose like a hose above the raft. Down below, Rani guided some small tadpoles into the tube as it lifted up into the air.
Sora stepped closer to Tinker Bell to see the display. "Whoa!"
Periwinkle looked up and smiled in delight when she saw the tiny tadpoles inside the watery tube. "Wow!" she marveled.
"Waak!" an astounded Donald exclaimed. "How'd that happen?!"
"A-Hyuck!" Goofy commented. "Must've been magic!"
"Yeah," Launchpad agreed. "But Donald's not using spells. Must've been one of them little ladies we saw earlier but don't see now. …Or maybe it's someone telling a story about us."
Donald frowned at the duck-pilot. "Why would someone tell a story about you?"
Launchpad shrugged. "I'm a likeable guy! The girls fall for me all the time. It might have something to do with all the slipping and sliding I do on the sidewalk when it rains."
Amemi shook her head at the pilot's statement and turned her attention to the tadpoles. She reached up and her hand went into the tube. Her fingers rubbed against one of the little creatures. She smiled brightly. "This is so magical…. I feel like we're at some theme park where dreams come true."
Sora had to shake his head. "Yeah, but I don't think such a place exists."
His sister smiled his way. "It might. You never know."
Jiminy Cricket emerged from his spot in Sora's pocket. "She's right, Sora. They could very well be more to this world than any one of us knows."
Indigo approached them. "He is correct," she turned her gaze over at Sora. "Sora, you should try listening to him as your conscience more often."
Sora showed his signature grin. "Man, since when have you become my Mom?" he laughed.
Amemi started to laugh in turn. Jiminy chuckled a little. Indigo shook her head and covered her mouth with her left hand. Her antennae flipped up and down as she secretly giggled.
Sora had to smile all the more. He gazed back up at the branch above them. Beck and Fawn were taking flight. Rosetta soon followed. Iridessa was next in line. Bess packed up her art supplies and flew off with a small canvas tucked under her arm.
Sora knew this was only the first segment of Tinker Bell's self-named, "Operation Periwinkle".
The voyage down Havendish Stream had ended soon after Silvermist, Rani, and the fairy Sora had never seen before had completed their surprise for Periwinkle. Now on the other side of the river, Clank was back to pushing the snowmaker down a long path through a grassy meadow. Tinker Bell flew beside her sister. Sora, Indigo, Amemi, Goofy, Donald, and Launchpad trailed alongside the machine.
The tall grass caused Sora's memory to leap back to the last time he was in this meadow. This was the same path where he, Riku, and Violet had first arrived in this world back when it was sleeping. Now that it was awake, he was amazed to find the grass still looked as healthy as ever. Not even attacked by the heartless, lost to Darkness, plunged into a deep slumber, and then being reawakened again was enough to damage this world's appearance.
His mind stopped. He and his companions had not encountered any Heartless here for a while. He remembered seeing a number of them back when they had first arrived in this world. An alarming amount of Heartless had also been roaming in the Winter Woods. Now, it seemed they had all up and disappeared. What gave?
…Unless Thistle's presence in this world was the reason the Heartless had shown up. He recalled how the dark fairy had first revealed herself back in Jamestowne. In fact, as far as Sora could tell, she had been the one causing mayhem with the Heartless. That very mayhem had never brought that world to war.
Deep, deep down, the spikey-headed youth had the feeling he and his teammates had not seen the last of Thistle. For all he knew, she was plotting trouble in a far-flung world they were going to visit somewhere down the line.
For now, he wanted to enjoy this little break. It was not too often he could spend time in a world after dealing with the Heartless problem there. Besides, he wanted to see Periwinkle's reactions to every solitary thing she had never seen or touched.
'I want to see it, too! It makes me wonder how it would've been like if you and I had met in person, Sora!'
Sora felt his heart racing with excitement. Had he heard Roxas speaking again? Maybe he had. If he had, why now?
His train of thought of interrupted when Rosetta and Iridessa flew overhead. With a dash of pollen and some beams of light, the two convinced a field of red flowers to pop open. The view was so dazzling; Periwinkle seemed ready to squeal with happiness.
That was when Sora spotted Vidia and Jasper speeding past. A gust of wind picked up, blowing a steady column of moving air around Periwinkle. Next, Fawn and Beck whistled. A swarm of Monarch butterflies took flight. They were quickly pulled into the air column. Around and around they flew, circling Periwinkle. The Winter Fairy spun around enthusiastically. "Butterflies!" she squealed in delight.
As the whirlwind died down and the butterflies started to disperse, Periwinkle was laughing for joy. Then she stared straight ahead. Hovering before her eyes were Silvermist, Rani, the new fairy (Sora still did not know her name), Iridessa, Rosetta, Fawn, Beck, Vidia, and Jasper.
Bess was hovering a few feet off the ground, her focus on the canvas situated on the easel before her. Sora wondered if she was painting a portrait of Periwinkle and Tinker Bell together.
"Surprise!" everyone called.
Periwinkle nearly flew back. "Oh!" she turned to Tinker Bell. "Your friends did all this?"
Tinker Bell gave a smile. "They wanted to surprise you."
"Yeah," Donald approved.
"It's not every day ya get ta see a Wintery Fairy. A-Hyuck!" Goofy said. "Nice ta meetcha!"
Tinker Bell turned to the group of fairies, sparrow man, and Sora's team. "Everyone, this is Periwinkle, my sister."
Periwinkle gave a nod as the cluster of fairies (and one sparrow man) gathered close around her. Sora waited beside Periwinkle — opposite Tinker Bell — while Indigo hovered beside him. Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad hovered beside her.
Rosetta approached first. "Hel-lo," she said in a loud, clear, slow voice. "It's nice to meet you. I am Ro-set-ta."
Vidia nudged her. "Ro," she whispered loudly. "She's a Winter Fairy. She's not from the moon."
"Oh, right," Rosetta hastily snapped back to attention. "I know, I know. I'm just so excited!"
"I'm Iridessa," Iridessa said. She gestured toward Silvermist, Rani, and the fairy Sora still did not know. "This is Sil, Rani, and Abigail Flickerfly."
"You can call me 'Abby'," Abigail said. She shifted her eyes at Sora and winked. Sora was perplexed. Why did she wink his way? Did she know him from somewhere? He decided not to ponder about it too much.
"My name's Fawn," Fawn excitedly introduced. She put her arm on Beck's shoulder. "This is my friend, Beck!"
"Nice to meet you!" Beck waved with a smile.
"Vidia," Vidia said. She pointed at Jasper. "This is Jasper."
"Call me 'Jas'," Jasper said, his smile showing.
Bess waved up from down below. "Hi, Periwinkle!" she called. "I'm Bess!"
Periwinkle waved down at her. She looked over at Sora's teammates.
"Hello," Amemi waved. "My name's Amemi."
"Hi!" Donald said. "I'm Donald!"
"Name's Goofy," Goofy chuckled.
"The name's Launchpad McQuack!" Launchpad declared. "If it's got wings, I can crash it!"
Sora had to smile more. He had not heard Launchpad give that introduction for a long time. He turned to Periwinkle. "They're close friends of mine," he said.
Periwinkle smiled again. She gave a small curtsey. "It's great to meet all of you."
"This is so remarkable!" Silvermist said.
"Yes," Rani said, wiping some tears out of her eyes with another hankie. "You two are sister. It's so emotional!"
"Yeah," Vidia said. She flew in close to whisper loudly. "A little fairy-to-fairy advice. Tink can be tricky to get along with at times."
Tinker Bell placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah," she gazed at Vidia. "Look who's talking."
Jasper snapped his finger and pointed his hand, index finger and all, at Periwinkle. "You're lit!" he declared.
Periwinkle's smile faded for a puzzled look. She turned to Tinker Bell. "We just go along with whatever he says," explained Tinker Bell.
Periwinkle nodded and her smile resurfaced.
"We can't believe you're over here!" Fawn and Beck said at once.
Fawn turned to Beck. "Jinx!"
Beck smiled back. The two laughed.
"So," Iridessa smiled. "Are you cold enough?"
"Yeah," Periwinkle said. She flew forward. "It's perfect."
"Gawrsh, you flew out of yer snowy stuff," Goofy pinpointed. He pointed to the snowy cloud.
Donald slapped the knight's hand. "What did I say about 'pointing'?"
"I wasn't pointin' at nobody," Goofy replied.
Realizing the knight was correct, Periwinkle swiftly flew back into the snowy cloud. Sora saw the cloud had shrunk dramatically. Periwinkle gave a friendly giggle. All of Tinker Bell's friends kindly sighed.
"Oh, I nearly forgot," Rosetta said. She reached for a small flower tucked in her hair. She removed the planet and held it out for Periwinkle. "This is for you. It's called a periwinkle. Also."
Rosetta handed the item to Periwinkle. The latter smiled. "Thank you," she said, wiping something off her forehead. "I'll keep it forever."
Periwinkle waved her hand across the flower. A coating of ice magically appeared over it. In four seconds, the flower was encased in a frozen sphere. She held it up proudly.
"Look at that!" Silvermist exclaimed.
"Wow!" Donald declared.
"A-Hyuck!" Goofy remarked.
"It's a frozen flower!" Launchpad realized. "And this ain't a Winter Wonderland!"
Amemi stared at the icy texture the way Periwinkle had admired the water of Havendish Stream. "What is that stuff? It's so very, very lovely."
"Frost," Sora answered. He knew his sister had never seen snow until this adventure. It was no surprise to him she had no clue what frost was either. For that matter, he had never considered what it was himself until the day before when he had ventured into the Winter Woods alongside Indigo and Tinker Bell.
Launchpad swung his head back and forth. "But I don't see Jack Frost anywhere!"
Tinker Bell gestured to her sister. "She and her friends practice in the Frost Forest," she explained. "You should see it!"
"Oh, you should see Tink on ice skates," Periwinkle giggled. "She's a natural."
Indigo nudged Sora in the shoulder. "You were showing off, remember?" she teased.
Sora rubbed his arm and have her a grin.
Tinker Bell gazed at Periwinkle. "It's only because you had that lost thing."
Vidia seemed startled. "Uh, she collects lost things, too?"
"Yeah!" both Periwinkle and Tinker Bell responded in unison. Periwinkle proceeded to wipe her forehead again.
"You guys are so alike," Fawn and Beck declared together.
"Jinx," Beck grinned.
Fawn laughed. Beck joined her.
"Maybe too alike," Vidia grumbled.
Rosetta scowled at her. "Vidia!"
"I know," Tinker Bell stated. "Even our wings are identical. That's why they sparkled," she turned to Periwinkle. "Let's show them."
Periwinkle's head was spinning. She wobbled in the air for a second and then descended to the ground. "I don't feel so…. "
"Periwinkle!" Tinker Bell exclaimed. She flew down rapidly to her sister. The Winter Fairy was panting. She repeatedly wiped her forehead.
Sora hurried down below. "What's going on?"
"Is she all right?" Iridessa worried.
"I think she's getting a little too hot," Rosetta said.
"This is bad," Donald gulped. He tugged at his collar.
"My wings," Periwinkle gasped. "I can't feel them."
Sora and the others took a closer look. Periwinkle's wings were sagging low. Their shape was deformed and they were starting to drip droplets of water. "Oh no," he said. "Her wings are melting."
"They're too warm," Abigail stated.
"But why?" Silvermist questioned.
Goofy looked up. He gasped and pointed at the snowmaker. "Look! Thuh snowmaker!"
"Oh!" Bobble exclaimed from his seat. He was pedaling furiously.
"It's running out of ice!" Clank declared from the back of the machine.
"We must get her across the border," Indigo announced.
Periwinkle turned to her sister. "Tink, what about the queen?"
"There's no time," Tinker Bell told her. She turned to Sora. "Help Clank grab some ice. We'll wrap her wings."
Sora gave a nod. He flew to the back of the machine with Donald and Goofy in tow. The three grabbed some pieces of ice as Clank handed them over. Together, the three joined the others by Periwinkle. Donald's ice started to slip, so Goofy caught it for him. When they returned to Periwinkle, they found everyone else helping to use some blades of grass to wrap up Periwinkle's wings. Tinker Bell gave orders. Everyone else acted quickly.
Sora handed Silvermist, Rani, Fawn, and Beck the ice; Donald and Goofy did the same. Using a piece of vine, Bess and Tinker Bell tied up Periwinkle's wings nice and snug. With the icy chunks inside the leaves, they would be protected. Sora knew it would not be for long.
"Let's get her back to the other side," Jasper said. All eyes turned to him in surprise. "Dudes, there's no time to stare. She won't be lit unless we get her back safely."
Sora nodded. "He's right! Let's go!"
"Hurry!" Tinker Bell added.
Sora and Vidia helped Tinker Bell carry Periwinkle into the air. Away they flew, the snowmaker not far behind. Sora started to lose his grip, so Abigail flew up and helped.
Behind them, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, Indigo, Silvermist, Rosetta, Bess, Fawn, Beck, Iridessa, Jasper, and Clank all pushed the snowmaker along. Rani rode on the device; she used a hankie to wipe the sweat off Bobble's face so he could pedal faster.
"Hurry!" Iridessa declared. "We can do this!"
"Go, go, go!" Bobble shouted.
Sora knew — if there ever was a race against time — this would be the one.
Several long minutes flew by. Sora, Tinker Bell, Vidia, and Abigail Flickerfly held onto Periwinkle as they soared down the dirt path to Havendish Stream. When they reached the stream, the group flew across the water. Behind them, everyone else strained as they used their wings to carry the heavy snowmaker across the river. Once on the other side, the machine landed with a huge CLUNK, and the race against time resumed.
Abigail started to gasp for air. "Hold on," Sora told her. "We're almost there."
"Hurry!" Bobble exclaimed. "It's nearly out of ice!"
"Not much further," Vidia called back.
"Don't worry," Tinker Bell assured her sister. "We're almost there."
"We're gonna make it!" Sora declared.
As the words left his mouth, Sora saw the Fall Forest open onto the clearing where the border between Fall and Winter resided. The bridge had never looked more inviting.
"C'mon!" Sora yelled.
The snowmaker suddenly screeched to a stop a few feet from the middle of the bridge. The contraption stopped moving. Sora knew the ice was gone. It was now only a matter of getting Periwinkle into the snowy, icy landscape on the other side.
With one final heave, Sora, Tinker Bell, Abigail, and Vidia brought Periwinkle across the middle of the bridge. They stopped and set her down gently in the snow. Vidia shivered. So did Abigail. Sora rubbed his arms before he realized he was not cold. He wondered why he was unaffected by the snowy land. Maybe because he was not from this world? Had his Keyblade protected him? He decided not to worry about it too much.
"Let me help you," Tinker Bell told Periwinkle. She untied the vine and removed the leaves. The icy chunks had melted, but Periwinkle's wings were intact. They were simply sagging and distorted. "I'd fly backwards if I could. I really would."
The sound of something landing caught everyone's attention. Up ahead, the group could see a decorated snowy owl had landed. The rider hopped off and hurried over. As they came closer, Sora could now see it was Lord Milori, the leader of the Winter fairies and sparrow men.
"Please," Tinker Bell said to him. "Can you help her?"
"Yeah," Sora nodded. "Please!"
"Tink," Vidia gently grabbed Tinker Bell and slowly pulled her back out of the snow and onto the warmer side of the bridge.
Abigail grabbed Sora's arm. "We should get out of the snow," she said. "It's not safe."
Sora nodded. Once Lord Milori had reached Periwinkle, Sora and Abigail stepped out of the snow and waited alongside Tinker Bell, Vidia, and the others. Indigo, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi all gathered around Sora. Amemi grabbed his hand. Indigo placed her left hand on his shoulder. Silvermist, Rani, Jasper, Beck, Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta, and Bess all stood behind the others. So did Bobble and Clank. All eyes were focused onto Periwinkle.
Lord Milori knelt down on one leg and offered Periwinkle his hand. "Gently," he told her in a calm voice. "Lift your wings. Let the cold surround them."
As Lord Milori stood, he helped Periwinkle to her feet. The latter stretched her wings. Slowly, yet surely, they started to bend back into shape. The longer she stood in the cold air, the more they un-distorted. Tinker Bell was relieved at the sight of her sister's wings regaining their shape — and in one piece.
"You're okay," Tinker Bell said. "Your wings are okay."
Periwinkle smiled with relief. "Yeah. Yeah."
"Yahoo!" Goofy cheered. "We did it!"
Donald gave a nod. "Uh-huh!"
Jasper snapped his finger at Periwinkle. "Babe, you're still lit! So are your wings."
"You will be okay," Abigail assured.
Sora gave a nod. "Yeah!"
Lord Milori turned to the group on the other side of the borderline. "This is why we do not cross the border," he stated with a strict tone of voice.
Sora gulped. The last time he had heard such a tone was when Mr. Barkin had yelled at him for dozing off in that classroom back in Kim Possible's world. Other than that, his teachers (particularly his Math ones) and his Mom were the only other ones who had lectured him so strongly. At least, as far as this current year had gone.
"No," Periwinkle said. "It could've worked! We just needed a bigger piece of ice!"
Lord Milori turned to face her. "And when that was gone? Your wings could have broken."
"But they didn't. I'm fine," Periwinkle told him. She turned to face Tinker Bell, Sora, and the others. "Thanks to them."
Lord Milori shifted his gaze at everyone on the bridge. "The rule is there to protect you," he stated. He turned to leave. "I'd fly backwards if I could. You may never see each other again."
Periwinkle and Tinker Bell stared at him in alarm. Sora reached out his hand. "Wait!" he called out.
"Oh, please don't do this," Periwinkle called in turn. "We belong together."
"We're sisters," Tinker Bell declared. "We were born from the same laugh."
Lord Milori stopped in his footsteps. To Sora, it seemed the lord was looking down. Perhaps he was reconsidering his decision? When the tall sparrow man turned his head back, Sora wanted to cross his fingers.
"All the more reason you should want to keep each other safe," Lord Milori stated. He turned to Periwinkle. "Return home."
Sora's heart sank a little. Lord Milori had not been reconsidering anything. If anything at all, he had only paused for some other reason. True, his contemplation was incomplete. He was not sure why the lord had stopped. Only that it had something to do with something else he was completely unaware of, whatever that something was in the first place. He chose to stop his mind there. This was getting to him too deeply….
Tinker Bell's friends all turned to leave. Rani was shedding tears at an alarming rate. She pulled a few hankies out of multiple pockets. Sora wondered how many hankies she had, and how pockets in her dress to store them all. His mind refused to let itself dwell on that for long.
"Come on, Tink," Vidia said as she turned to leave. "Let's go home."
"We can't stay here," Abigail said.
Tinker Bell defiantly shook her head. "No!" she stated. She marched up to the edge of the borderline where the snow stopped. "Lord Milori!"
Lord Milori turned to face her. "Your rule will not keep us apart!" Tinker Bell declared.
"Yeah!" Sora added as he strode forward. "It's not fair! You get to make all the rules, and no one else can do anything!"
"Sora," Donald and Goofy said together. They reached out their hands for their friend, but he was too far out of reach. They sighed deeply and turned to one another.
Launchpad gritted his teeth. Amemi shook her head. Indigo sighed deeply and folded her arms.
"Tinker Bell!" a voice called from behind. All eyes whirled around to spot a tall fairy sporting light-brown hair in an up-do style and blue eyes. She was wearing a long, shimmering pale yellow dress crafted from light itself. Even her shimmering wings were made of light, and they were golden, butterfly-shaped, and glittery. She had a small tiara on her head.
Sora stared in complete awe. He knew who this was. He had seen her back in the dreams of this very world. "Queen Clarion," he said to himself.
"This is not Lord Milori's rule," the queen said. "It's mine."
Tinker Bell stared in shock. "Queen Clarion?"
Queen Clarion's eyes became downcast. "I'd fly backwards if I could."
Tinker Bell seemed ready to fall on her knees and cry into her hands. Everyone else looked down. Goofy removed his hat. Launchpad let his arms hang.
Donald was the only one who shrugged. "Oh, well," he said.
Goofy kicked the duck in the leg. "Ouch!" Donald yelped, grabbing his leg very comically. Sora was not surprised the kick had hurt — Goofy's shoes had metal toes.
Tinker Bell turned back to Periwinkle. Lord Milori was starting back toward his snowy owl. "You should get deeper into the cold," he told her. "Back to the north side of the mountain."
Periwinkle looked back at Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell stood at the edge of the border. She reached her hand out into the snow. The air was freezing against her skin; she did not care. All she wished to do was be with her sister. Now, it appeared that would be impossible after today.
Periwinkle took a deep breath. She raced back at the border and onto the bridge. She reached the edge and threw her arms around Tinker Bell. She looked at her sister in the eye. Tinker Bell felt a tear sliding down her face. Periwinkle closed her eyes and broke free. She flew away, off into the distance. Before two seconds had passed, she was long out of sight, vanished into the falling snow and the shadows cast by the snowflakes and trees.
Tinker Bell did not bother to wipe away the tears from her eyes. She took flight and soared away. Silvermist and Abigail grabbed Rani and flew away in turn. Vidia and Jasper were next. Then came Fawn, Beck, Rosetta, and Iridessa. Bess was the last one of Tinker Bell's friends to leave.
Sora gave a deep sigh. The concept of a world divided was coming to his mind. He wanted to put his mind on something else. Yet, the memory of watching Tinker Bell meet Periwinkle for the first time was fresh in his mind.
He grabbed his chest. His heart was pounding. It hurt. He wondered why. Unless… could this be Roxas?
He gave a deep sigh and flew away to find Tinker Bell. Indigo was directly behind him. Amemi, Launchpad, Donald, and Goofy took off soon after.
Queen Clarion looked at Lord Milori. The lord gazed back. After a few long seconds, the queen turned and soared off. Lord Milori took a deep breath and returned to his snowy owl. He clambered onto the animal and rode away into the Winter Woods.
No sooner had everyone left did a dark portal appear on the warm side of the border. Out strode a young man clad in a black-hooded coat. He had short, red hair. The spikes at the end of each hair strand partially covered his face and kept what was visible in a light shadow. His eyes seemed to be glowing a combination of orange and yellow.
He held out his arm. A weapon appeared. It was a large sword. The blade was a dark shade of blood red and the handle was silver with a peculiar design to it. The weapon glowed a bright red color and then started to alter its shape. Before long, it became a key with two spokes angled it at one another at the end of the blade.
The man faced the abandoned snowmaker, which sat on the edge of the bridge close to the Fall Forest. He pointed his sword at the machine and a blast of Darkness shot at it. The snowmaker took a direct hit and tumbled off the bridge to the river below. It crashed down into the middle of the stream. Huge chunks of ice were smashed free and carried away by the current alongside the snowmaker itself.
The snowmaker was the first thing to reach a waterfall. The machine got snagged on a tree's root and the ice piled behind. The movement of the cascading water against the snowmaker's cupped wheels caused the machine to start. The grater began slicing and dicing the chunks of ice piled up. In no time, a column of snow had appeared. The man now pointed his weapon at the column and sent another blast of Darkness at it. The Darkness mixed with the snow. As the wind blowing off the Winter Woods hit the column, it shifted direction and blew into the Fall Forest. Pieces of snow and flakes of Darkness flew into the trees.
Where the Darkness flakes landed, Shadow and Soldier Heartless started to appear. A few Dusk Nobodies quickly joined them. The man gave a sinister grin. He extended his arms and gazed at the sky. In a loud voice, he called out,
"'My friend, do you fly away now?
To a world that abhors you and I?
All that awaits you is a somber morrow.
No matter where the winds may blow.
My friend, your desire…
…Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess.
Even if the morrow is barren of promises,
Nothing shall forestall my return.'"
With a grin, the man opened a new dark portal and stepped through. It sealed shut behind him.
Several minutes had flown by since the scene at the border. After what had taken place, Sora's mind had continued to dwell on why Queen Clarion had placed the rule forbidding anyone from crossing between the warm area of the world and the Winter Woods. Could something have happened at one time? Could the Organization or Maleficent have something to do with it?
All he did know was he wanted to find out for certain. That was why he had gone to Tinker Bell's house with Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad. Following the event at the border, Indigo had seemingly disappeared again. He was not sure why she had departed nor where she had gone. One thing was for sure, he did not have time to question it. Rather, he needed to find answers regarding the division policy in Pixie Hollow.
After finding Tinker Bell moping in her house, he had offered to go with her to see Queen Clarion and find out why the rule had been made in the first place. Tinker Bell had agreed, so now Sora and Tinker Bell were at the Pixie Dust Tree. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad had all flown off elsewhere to search for Indigo. Amemi had stayed at the tree, only inside the queen's waiting room while her brother and Tinker Bell had stepped inside.
They found Queen Clarion in her room, gazing out the window in the direction of the Winter Woods. She turned to them when she heard them step into the chamber.
"Queen Clarion," Tinker Bell said. "Why?"
"She means, why is there a rule?" Sora asked.
Queen Clarion took a deep breath. "Tinker Bell, and…. "
"Sora," Sora nodded, patting his right hand against his chest.
The queen gave a nod in return. "Sora," she turned toward the window again. "Long ago, when Pixie Hollow was very young, a fairy and sparrow man met and fell in love. One of them was from the Winter Woods, and the other was from the warm seasons."
Sora crossed his arms, trying to take all this information in. It sounded to him as though the queen was telling them a story about something that had happened in this world many years ago. Maybe there had been a mishap some time prior to now.
"The fairy and sparrow man were enchanted with one another," Queen Clarion went on. "And every sunset, they met at the border where Spring touches Winter. But as their love grew stronger, they wished to be together and share each other's worlds. They disregarded the danger and crossed."
She turned to face Sora and Tinker Bell. "One of them broke a wing, for which there is no cure."
Sora stared in alarm. He noticed Tinker Bell was doing the same. The concept of a fairy or sparrow man with a broken wing… it felt as though a bird had lost its ability to fly ever again. To the brown-haired young man, it would be like if he had completely lost the ability to use the Keyblade before he and his friends had managed to defeat Xehanort. Or anyone else who tried to take the corrupt Keyblade Master's place down the road.
"That's horrible!" Sora declared.
Queen Clarion continued, "From that day forward, I decreed fairies and sparrow men must never again cross the border. Lord Milori agreed our two worlds should forever remain apart."
"But the fairy and sparrow man," Tinker Bell spoke up. "What happened to them?"
Queen Clarion turned away and her wings drooped. "They had to say goodbye."
Tinker Bell and Sora stared at the queen. Neither of them moved for several seconds. Sora could not believe what he had heard. So, there had been a mishap some time ago in this very world. And someone had paid the price for crossing the border. While he was not sure who the sparrow man and fairy had been, the seventeen-year-old knew one thing for sure.
Unless that rule was changed, Tinker Bell would never be able to see Periwinkle again. True, she might find a way to arrange a meeting at the border itself. However, all it would take is one slip-up for Queen Clarion and Lord Milori to forbid them from even that.
No. Sora had to face it. Tinker Bell was separated from her sister, and there was nothing he could do to help her. Besides, how could he reunite a divided world that did not wish to be together? Or did it? He was sure his Keyblade had led him to this world for a reason. The question was… what purpose did he have now?
He was at a dead end. A dark wall in a cave. A sealed box without a door. And even if there was a door, there was no doorknob, let alone a keyhole.
Nope. For the first time on this quest, he himself was at a total lost. Just as Milo Thatch, Pocahontas, Quasimodo, Kim Possible, Belle, Cody, Rabbit, Nora, Nani, Lilo, and Stitch had been at one time or another. The Darkness was closing in and there seemed to be no Door to the Light in sight.
With a deep sigh, Sora strolled out of the room and into the waiting area. He found Amemi seated on a wooden stool with three legs. To his surprise, Indigo was also there. In fact, the angel and his sister were speaking to one another. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were nowhere in sight.
He stepped over to the two. Indigo and Amemi turned to face him. "Sora!" Amemi said. "What did she say?"
Sora took a deep breath. "It's not good. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle aren't the first ones to cross that border. Someone else did a long time ago, and they broke a wing."
Amemi gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "That's terrible!" she said.
Indigo crossed her arms. "A broken wing is a very serious problem. Without both wings, fairies and sparrow men cannot fly. If they cannot fly, they cannot do their jobs."
Amemi turned to the angel. "Rani doesn't have her wings."
Indigo smiled at her. "True enough. Yet, she gave them up."
Sora turned to Indigo. "Didn't you break a wing once?" he inquired. "She showed me that tear in your wing."
Indigo unfolded her arms. She started to fidget with her arms. Her eyes darted to the far wall. "That took place more than one time. Cruella's house was the last time it did. Yet, my wing has been torn there several times over my lifetime. Each time, it healed, yet it took years to heal."
Sora eyed the angel closely. "Did one of those accidents happen here? In this world?"
Indigo appeared to be a little hesitant. Her wings fluttered a little and her antennae vibrated slightly. "As an Angel of Light, I have visited many worlds, and I have seen and met so many individuals. I might have been here long ago, yet that is another story in itself."
Sora frowned. "I knew it!" he declared. "That book at the library, it had your picture in it!"
Amemi rose to her feet. "Sora, what are you talking about?"
"When we were at the library with Tinker Bell, I found this book. It contained pictures of fairies and guys who'd been banished from Pixie Hollow," Sora explained. He pointed an accusing lawyer's finger at Indigo. "She was in it!"
Indigo stepped back several steps. She stared at Sora. "Let's get something straight," she said, trying to stay calm. "Maybe I was kicked out of this world. Yet, it was not my fault."
"What?!" Sora did a double take. "What do you mean?"
Indigo took a deep breath. "Queen Clarion's crown disappeared the day before her Arrival Day event," she informed the two. "Several fairies and sparrow men blamed me for the crime. The crown showed up a few days later, yet everyone still blamed me for taking it and putting it back later. I disliked the impoliteness and mean things they said about me. So, I left this world and explored elsewhere."
She looked down at the floor. "I never dreamed I would come back here again…. "
"And you're here now," Amemi realized.
"That's why you've been flying away," Sora added. "You've been hiding from everyone."
"Not exactly," Indigo looked back up, a serious look in her eyes. "I never took the crown. I wish others would believe me, yet in this world, it is a kangaroo court worse than Wonderland. Only one fairy believed me. I tried to find her, yet she is no longer around. I do not know where Breezy is now."
"'Breezy'?" Sora tilted his head. His curiosity was growing.
"She was a fairy I became friends with at one time," Indigo said. "Her true name was Isabelle Lightsky, yet everyone called her 'Breezy'."
Sora's ears perked up to the name. He recognized it; it had been written in that book back at the library. He knew the truth. Indigo had not been able to find her friend simply because her friend had been banished. "I know what happened to her," he said.
Indigo closed her eyes. "I do, too," she admitted. "I found her house. There was a sign on the door that revealed she was banished for swiping and returning Queen Clarion's crown. She took the fall for the incident. I do not know if she was guilty or not. Now that she is gone, I shall never know."
She fell to her knees and placed her hands in her lap. Her antennae drooped and her wings did the same. A few tears slid down her face. "I wish I could have seen her one last time…. "
"You knew Isabelle?" Tinker Bell's arrival in the waiting room caught everyone by surprise. All eyes turned to face her.
"How long have you been there?" Sora asked.
"Long enough," Tinker Bell said. She turned to Indigo. "Indigo Frostysky, I haven't seen you in forever. I know you didn't steal the crown. You've always been too nice to steal anything."
Indigo gave a nod.
"But when the queen cleared your name, no one could find you," Tinker Bell continued. "We thought you'd already been banished."
Indigo shook her head. "I was not kicked out," she said, slowly opening her eyes. "I left like Zarina. No one wanted me around anymore. I felt like someone had turned on me and stabbed me in the back. That is the worst feeling I ever had touch my heart."
Sora held out his hand. Indigo looked up at him. "Well, look at the bright side. You didn't steal it, and Tinker Bell and Queen Clarion know it. Besides, you've got friends — other than me and Amy, and Donald, and Goofy, and Launchpad. You're not alone."
Indigo gazed into the young man's eyes. Sora thought he could see a flicker of Light shining in her eyes. With a deep breath, Indigo reached out and took Sora's hand. The brown-headed Keyblade wielder pulled her up to her feet. Indigo smiled again and threw her arms around him.
"Thank you so very much," she said. Her wings and antennae returned to their happy stances.
Sora felt a tad startled by the sudden embrace. The only other time someone had hugged him without prior warning was when Kairi had thrown her arms around him in The World That Never Was. Despite the awkwardness, he relaxed and returned the hug.
Tinker Bell turned to Amemi. "Why are they hugging?" she whispered.
Amemi shook her head. "It must be love — Friendship Love."
Tinker Bell cocked her head. "I wonder what you mean by that?"
Amemi gave another shake of her head. Sora and Indigo stopped hugging and the former turned to the others. "C'mon," he stated. "Let's find a way to fix this mess."
"You mean," Tinker Bell said. "You want to find a way to reopen the border?"
Sora gave a nod. "Yeah!"
Amemi's face showed signs of mystification. "What do you have in mind?" she said, crossing her arms.
Sora shrugged. "No idea," he confessed. "But we'll think of something."
Tinker Bell shook her head. "Do you always do everything on a whim?"
Sora gave his big grin. "I dunno."
This brought out a series of laughs from everyone. Tinker Bell's head turned to the nearby window. She strolled over and gazed outside. "Oh no," she said.
Sora, Amemi, and Indigo whirled their attention to the fairy. "What is it?" Sora asked.
Tinker Bell pointed out the window. "Look!"
The group gazed out the window. Tiny pieces of something white could be seen blowing away in the wind. One look at the tiny objects and Sora's eyes grew. "Is that snow?" he said.
Indigo gulped. "This is not good," she said.
Amemi stared. "Where's it coming from? I thought there wasn't any snow around here."
Tinker Bell shook her head. "There shouldn't be," she turned and flew to the queen's chamber. "I'll alert Queen Clarion. Sora, see if you can find anything."
Sora pounded his chest in agreement. He turned to his sister and Indigo. "Let's go!"
The two nodded. Sora led the way out of the room and into the open air outside the tree. Amemi and Indigo followed him across the sky as they soared through the forest.
As they were nearing Havendish Stream, Sora saw something he had not expected. Shadowy creatures were roaming about on the riverbank. Further back, he caught a glimpse of some other creatures that were white and slipping about.
"Heartless!" Amemi pointed out.
"And Nobodies!" Sora exclaimed.
Indigo reached out her left hand. Her Keyblade appeared. "Let's take care of them here and now!" she declared.
Sora gave a nod. The three descended to the horde and started to slash, slice, and shoot at the enemies. They soon found themselves surrounded on all sides.
Sora sighed deeply. "Why does this keep happening?" he glared intensely at the Heartless and Nobodies. He held his Keyblade at the ready, just in case any of them attempted a sudden assault or ten.
A cloud of smoke mixed with poison flew through the air and contaminated some of the Heartless to the point they were starting to attack one another. A shield flew through the air next and terminated some Nobodies. Then, a shower of rain drenched several Heartless and Nobodies out of existence.
Sora could not believe his eyes. The enemies had been vanquished. He turned his eyes to the path ahead, the one leading to the Winter Woods. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were approaching.
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy declared.
"Hey, buddy, and girls!" Launchpad proclaimed.
"Guys!" Sora returned. "What's going on here?"
"We don't know," Goofy said.
"The worse of the Heartless and Nobodies are at the border," Donald indicated.
Sora's face lit up. "What?!" he shouted. He gestured with his Keyblade for the others to follow him. "Let's go!"
Indigo, Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all nodded in approval. Everyone gave chase as Sora led the way down the path to the border between the Fall Forest and the Winter Woods.
Deep inside, Sora had the dreaded feeling something terrible was about to take place. He was not sure what form it would take shape here. Only that it was about to happen. Yes, exactly like when he sensed the Ulysses was about to be attacked by the Leviathan, Sora had a feeling of dread. Talk about having a sudden premonition!
He sincerely hoped his feelings were wrong.
The scene at the border was beyond chaotic. Sora could not believe his own two eyes. There was the snowmaker, jammed in the middle of the river between the Fall Forest and the Winter Woods. The movement of the water was causing the machine to operate. It was constantly grinding up ice flows drifting down the stream and converting them into a massive column of ice and snow. It seemed to resemble a frozen whirlwind of a tornado.
The group flew down to the snowmaker where they found Bobble and Clank trying to yank it free with a long wooden root. "Heave! Ho!" they called together.
The snowmaker did not move.
Sora flew down to them. His friends followed. "What happened?" he asked.
"We don't know," Clank stated. "But it's stuck real good!"
"Aye," Bobble agreed. He pointed at the gigantic icy whirlwind. "And it's making that thing bigger by the minute!"
Sora summoned his Keyblade. He jabbed the blade between the machine and the branch were it was stuck. He pulled with all his might. Nothing happened, aside from a creak or two. "It's no use," he said at last.
Indigo summoned her Keyblade and stuck it into the side of the snowmaker where the ice was grinding. She pushed while Sora pulled. Amemi grabbed a piece of the machine and pulled. Donald and Launchpad pushed. Goofy did the same, only between them. Donald wobbled and fell over.
"This thing's not moving," Amemi grunted.
"Put your muscle into it, Clanky!" Bobble called.
"I'm trying, Bobble!" Clank called back.
Sora turned his head to the Fall Forest. He stared. Heartless and some Nobodies were appeared out of the whirlwind and landing in the trees and underbrush. He could not believe what he was seeing. He looked up at the snowmaker's speaker-shaped end. The snow blowing out had a dark-purplish tint in the middle.
Darkness. It was the power of Darkness.
How that power had gotten there, he did not know. Sora knew there would not be enough time to figure it out. All he and his teammates could do was break this gizmo free before the Heartless and Nobodies (as well as the snow and ice) overwhelmed the surrounding landscape.
"We need help," Sora shouted.
"Guys!" a voice called. "What happened?" Sora and the others turned their heads. Flying over to them was Tinker Bell. Near the treetops above, Queen Clarion was watching.
"There here thing-a-ma-bob is stuck tight!" Launchpad grunted. "If we can get it free, it'll make a nice crash."
"Forget crashing it," Donald snapped. "We're doomed!"
"We need more help," Sora told Tinker Bell.
Tinker Bell nodded. She looked up at the sky. "Down here!" she waved at some others up above.
Within a matter of seconds, a group of fairies and a sparrow man flew into view. Sora did not need to take a second look to know who they were. Silvermist, Rani, Abigail Flickerfly, Rosetta, Iridessa, Fawn, Beck, Bess, Vidia, and Jasper gathered around the snowmaker to push it free. Silvermist and Abigail held onto Rani and helped her gain some footing on the ice as she pushed against the machine.
"Come on!" Silvermist called.
"All together!" Iridessa said. "All together!"
"Push!" Beck and Fawn yelled.
With so many pushing and pulling at once, the snowmaker started to move. Slowly, yet surely, it shifted out of its position and over the branch. Rani started to lose her balance, so Silvermist caught her. Abigail nodded happily at the sight.
"Upsy-daisy," Clank called.
"Here goes nothin'!" Goofy said in turn.
"Look out down below!" Indigo declared.
The whole contraption tipped over the branch it had been snagged onto, and it fell over the waterfall. It splashed loudly into the stream below. The machine sank within seconds, although it hit the bottom in no time, still making it visible from above.
"We did it!" Silvermist cheered.
"Yahoo!" Goofy proclaimed.
"Yeah!" declared Donald.
"That is that," Amemi approved with a smile.
"This could inspire my next painting," Bess said.
Sora wiped his forehead and smiled. "That should do the trick!" he beamed.
"It's over," Tinker Bell stated.
Vidia's half-smile faded. "I don't think it is," she pointed at the branch directly below everyone. A thick coat of ice was forming over the wood.
"Frost," Sora said.
"Dude," Jasper murmured. "That's so not lit."
Beck put her hand to his mouth. "No time for statements, Jas."
Everyone stared in alarm. Donald gulped. "This is bad."
The others nodded. Abigail shivered. "It's cold," she said.
Goofy shifted his gaze up. He gasped and pointed. "Hey! Look up!"
Sora, Donald, Amemi, Launchpad, Indigo, Silvermist, Rani, Abigail, Rosetta, Iridessa, Fawn, Beck, Vidia, Bess, and Jasper all turned their eyes into the direction the knight was pointing. The tops of the trees were starting to ice over. Leaf after leaf, branch after branch was being shrouded in the frozen texture.
Queen Clarion flew down to the group when a branch broke free and tumbled onto the ground. "Oh, my goodness," the queen worried. "The seasons have been thrown out of balance."
"If the temperature continues dropping, all of Pixie Hollow will freeze," Abigail realized.
"This is not good," Amemi said. "This can't be good at all."
"It is 'The Day After Tomorrow' taking place a second time," Indigo stated. "This is the next ice age."
Sora gulped. It appeared his feelings of dread had been true.
Another branch broke off the tree and descended straight at the queen. Vidia and Jasper rushed over and pulled her out of the way — just in time. The branch crashed onto the ground and bounced into the stream.
Queen Clarion started to shiver as the air grew colder. "Oh, no," she said, her voice still full of shock.
Jasper held Vidia back. "Babe, it's too dangerous."
Vidia broke free from him.
Bobble's eyes grew. "Queen Clarion!
"The Pixie Dust Tree!" Clank hollered.
Queen Clarion's eyes lit up. She gasped. Her eyes swung to the enormous tree near the center of the hollow. Through the freezing trees, the towering plant could be seen. "We must hope the tree survives the freeze," she announced. "Otherwise there will be no more pixie dust."
Bess gasped. "We can't let that happen."
"Life in Pixie Hollow will change forever," Fawn realized.
"No one will fly again," Beck added.
Iridessa shuddered at the thought. "This is not good," she worried. "This is not good. Not good at all."
Queen Clarion took to the sky. "Hurry," she called out as loudly as she could. "We must do everything we can."
Tinker Bell, Silvermist, Abigail, Rosetta, Iridessa, Bess, Beck, Fawn, Vidia, and Jasper took flight and scattered in various directions to warn everyone. Bobble and Clank soared off into the direction of the Pixie Dust Tree with Queen Clarion. Rani raced across the path toward Havendish Stream.
Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad started to battle the Heartless and Nobodies on the ground below. As Sora watched the skirmish, the ice covering below inched forward at a steady pace.
"Waak!" Donald yelped.
"They just keep comin'!" Goofy exclaimed.
"We're being overtaken," Launchpad declared. "And they haven't taken over us!"
Sora swung his focus back to the fight. Several more Heartless had shown up. And they were much larger than the previous ones. Amemi swooped down and started to fire her slingshot at the monsters. It took a few hits to strike them down. Indigo summoned her Keyblade (again) and flew in to assist her.
Sora remained hovering in the air. He gazed back at the Pixie Dust Tree. A flash of Light surged across his mind. He grabbed his head. He shook it free and looked again. As he did, something emerged from deep within his heart. A memory?
"Long ago, I sent many groups of Heartless into various worlds. Most of those worlds' Keyholes were uncovered, allowing me to consume them in the glorious powers of the Darkness. One such world had a Keyhole clearly located within a large, crooked tree, to which I was able to consume the world as planned. Still, when I ventured about to check each of the remaining worlds, I discovered the world I had thought to be lost was still mostly intact. At first, I assumed I had failed to locate the world's Keyhole, but I knew I had already found it. You, Sora, found the Keyhole I had missed. Had I known to inspect that clock-tower more closely, I might've found the secret way to reveal it — just like you had."
"The 'clock-tower'…. That world you mentioned. It… was… Never Land?!"
"Correct. This now-Sleeping world… the world of fairies — Pixie Hollow — is part of a larger world; Never Land. The reason why I had failed to consume this world initially was because it did not have one, but two hearts — one for the island, and one for the 'Mainland'."
Sora stared in complete shock. It was indeed a memory. And not just any memory. It was the time he had encountered Ansem, The Seeker of Darkness with Riku and Violet — back when the world of Pixie Hollow had been locked away deep in the Realm of Sleep.
Ansem had claimed the world of Never Land (or "Neverland", if you prefer) had possessed two Keyholes. There were supposedly two hearts. One for the island itself, and another for the "Mainland" Tinker Bell had been eager to see. Sora knew that "Mainland" was London, and the Keyhole for it had been located inside the clock-tower. He had sealed that Keyhole.
Yet, that still left the other Keyhole. Maybe he was having that memory replaying because the second Keyhole was close by? Ansem had mentioned something about a "large, crooked tree". Did he mean….
Sora stared at the Pixie Dust Tree and his eyes became wide and alert. The only tree he knew of around here that fit the description Ansem had given was the one at the center of Pixie Hollow. Could the second Keyhole be there? If it was, he knew he needed to seal it. But that tree was huge! How could he find it?
He had to start somewhere.
"SORA!" Donald bellowed.
Sora looked down. His teammates were completely surrounded by a swarm of giant Shadow-like Heartless, flying squirrel-shaped Heartless, some Soldier Heartless, and a number of Large Body Heartless that had bat-like wings attached to them. Several dozen Dusk and Samurai Nobodies were also crowded around them.
"HELP!" Goofy exclaimed.
"We are surrounded!" Amemi shouted.
"There are too many for us to handle at this time!" Indigo yelled.
"I can't keep them back!" Launchpad added.
Sora summoned his Keyblade and soared down low. He landed before his friends. He glared at the enemies. "Try me!" he snarled, positioning his weapon into his battle stance.
The Heartless and Nobodies did not move. The six watched as their opponents started to wander away from the group. They marched down the path and straight toward the heart of the hollow.
"Muh feet are freezin'," Goofy spoke up.
Sora looked down. The ice had caught up to them. A few branches snapped off the surrounding trees and crashed to the ground. None of them were close enough to hurt anyone, fortunately. Unfortunately, Sora knew this was only the start of something far worse than Tinker Bell and the others knew.
He turned to the others. "We gotta get to the tree!" he stated.
Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo all nodded in agreement. Within seconds, they were all airborne and zooming away through the Fall Forest. The dying leaves shifted a little in the gusts of wind that followed. Down below, the Heartless and Nobodies continued to make their way toward the tree as well.
Knowing the Heartless and Nobodies were crossing the land with the ice and snow, Sora knew he had to find the second Keyhole before they did. He did not have a choice. The fate of this world was at stake, and he was NOT about to let it down!
Riku sat alone in Yen Sid's study. He leaned against the wall and sighed deeply. He looked at his Keyblade. The handle reminded him of a flag he used to have years ago. Back when he was so innocent and full of Light.
What he would give to go back in time and start over. Maybe Niccole would no longer be upset with him. Maybe he would have made something of himself. He might have been a video game director, digital storyteller, and character designer like his Dad. He knew he might be able to patch things up, yet the odds seemed against him.
He did not know how to get out of this slump. Not at all.
Something out the window caught his eye. He turned his gaze toward the star-shaped window. He could see two rather distant violet-blue stars. One of them, the second on the right, was blinking rapidly.
Riku stared, sensing something might be off. Yet, all he could do was watch, wait, and wonder about it.
A/N: YIKES! THAT IS NOT GOOD! NOT GOOD AT ALL! NOT AT ALL!
It would appear Tinker Bell's world is on the verge of falling to the Darkness! Let's HOPE Sora and the others can save the day in time!
Before you all are dismissed, please let me go over a few things,
(1.) I plan to get the next chapter - Chapter 50 - completed as soon as possible. That way, this cliff-hanger shall not be hanging too long!
(2.) Abigail Flickerfly is a friend of mine from FairyABC! In fact, every Friday night, she hosts the weekly "'Fashion Contest Friday (FCF)'"!
(3.) I might have referenced a few of my favorite movies and shows in there somewhere. Since I put so much detail in there (by my present standards), I cannot tell for certain.
Among them is a "'Secret Story'" that is based on True Events! If you wish to know more, closely examine Indigo's tale...
(4.) Yes, that river in Pixie Hollow, Never Land ("'Neverland'", if you prefer) is called "'Havendish Stream'" in the Disney Fairies books!
(5.) In case you are wondering what Sora's flashback means, it's from Chapter 11 of "'Kingdom Hearts - World Unto Dreams'"!
(6.) I have a feeling you might be able to predict who the mysterious man in the black-hooded coat is supposed to be.
(7.) There is more to come! Please Stay Tuned!
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 DAY!" In Addition, "I SHALL FLY WITH YOU LATER!"
SWEET DREAMLAND, EVERYONE!