DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: HELLO THERE! YOU'RE STRAIGHT ON SCHEDULE FOR THE RELEASE OF CHAPTER 50! YAHOO! HIP-HIP-HOORAY! YES!
So, I also feel a tad sad. After all, This Chapter is technically the Last Chapter for the world of Pixie Hollow (Disney Fairies) in This Story.
When I first started This Story back in 2015, I was so excited about including this world into the story. Yet, now that it is done, I feel both relieved and saddened. It was a fun world to put into This Story.
Anyways, I do have some TRIVIA for you all today!
DID YOU KNOW? In 2008, Disney launched the virtual world, "'PIXIE HOLLOW ONLINE'" on their website. It was a huge success practically overnight. It allowed players to create a fairy (or sparrow man, as was the case starting at the end of 2009) and then fly around Pixie Hollow. Everyone could customize their fairy (or sparrow man), collect items, talk with others, play games, take part in contests, etc. It was a LOT of fun!
Even Yours Truly gave that virtual world a try back in 2009!
Sadly, it was not to last forever. In 2013, Disney announced they were going to close down the virtual world, alongside two other such games; "'PIRATES ONLINE'" and "'TOONTOWN ONLINE'". The membership cost was removed from the site, and everything was free until the end.
For on Thursday, September 19TH, 2013, "'PIXIE HOLLOW ONLINE'" closed down for good. Dozens of fairies and sparrow men (controlled by players, of course) gathered in Havendish Square to watch the last few minutes. After that, it seemed "'PIXIE HOLLOW ONLINE'" was gone for good.
...Until 2016. Starting in 2014, a group of players from the old game decided to work together to recreate "'PIXIE HOLLOW ONLINE'". It took them nearly two years. Yet, in Fall, 2016, a new "'PIXIE HOLLOW ONLINE'" was launched until the name of "'FAIRYABC'".
So, for those of you who miss playing "'PIXIE HOLLOW ONLINE'" and wish to play it again, you can! Simply look up "'FAIRYABC'", and you should find the link to the remake's site! I might see you there!
Well, with that exciting piece of information, how about something else?
In the last few weeks, I went to see Disney-Pixar's "'The Incredibles 2 (2018)'" and "'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)'". Both movies were Spelltacular!
If any of you has not seen one or both of them, I highly recommend you go see them! ...Unless the superhuman genre and/or dinosaurs don't interest and/or scare you. I know the feeling. I have relatives who dislike dinosaurs, and the superhuman genre is not exactly my favorite genre.
Yet, I still went to see both movies since I am a Disney Loyalist and I like Disaster Movies.
I should also mention how part of the [slight] delay with This Chapter's release was the revelations at e3 2018! All that new content regarding "'Kingdom Hearts 3'" has got the whole internet - especially KH13 - talking a LOT!
While I might not be too excited about exploring the world of Disney's "'Frozen (2013)'" in the game, I am still going to play it. I personally wish they had waited until "'Kingdom Hearts 4'". I feel that world has a LOT of potential they could use in another saga.
Yet, I am still VERY delighted to see Disney's "'Pirates OF The Caribbean 3: At World's End (2007)'" shall be in it! I had the feeling we might see it! After all, Captain Jack Sparrow STILL needs his Keyblade!
That all aside, it is TIME TO READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! GO ON! AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW TOO!
CHAPTER 50
The Secret Heart OF Never Land
Medy grumbled to himself as he stepped out of the dark portal. He clutched his sitar tightly with both hands and was careful about his black coat not slipping down over his eyes. He heard the CRUNCH, CRUNCH of fallen leaves under his feet. When the crunching sound got louder, he stopped and looked down. "Wha—?!"
He was standing on a giant, reddish-brown leaf. Several other leaves were lying on the ground beside it. He looked around. He was standing in a forest of gigantic trees. Swift winds were rushing through their branches. Several more leaves were knocked off and tumbled their way to the ground.
"Man," he groaned. "This place is too weird. Wish I was back in the Underworld. Why did I have to get sent here to look for that guy?"
Medy took a few more steps. A chilly gust of air blew around him. He shivered. "What is…?" he said, barely able to bring out the words.
He turned his head to the right and stared. A sheet of ice was rapidly making its way across the ground. Medy turned and started to run. No way was he about to be slipping on ice!
He tripped over a fallen leaf stem and tumbled over. As he stood back up, he held up his instrument. The sitar was in one piece, but it had scratch marks along its sides. He could only stand in place as the ice overtook him and he found himself trapped in its frozen snare. 'Isa won't be happy when he hears about this….'
The wind had picked up dramatically by the time Sora, Donald Duck, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo reached the Pixie Dust Tree. Trees were starting to bend over a little in the sway of the gusts. Chilly air was rushing all around them. Sora shivered. "It's cold!" he yelped as they flew along.
"Guess he's too used to the beach," Goofy remarked.
"Hey," Sora cheekily said. "Islander!"
Launchpad cocked his head. "We're on an island? Is it made of LEGOs?"
Amemi shook her head. "We're getting distracted, again."
"Yeah!" Donald approved.
Indigo pointed straight ahead. "Look over there!"
Directly before the group's eyes was the large, crooked tree that stood prominently in the center of this world. Fairies and sparrow men fluttered about. Many of them were carrying small, leafy blankets. Others were guiding animals to burrows, caves, and other hiding places.
Sora glanced up at the sky. Clouds had started to roll in, adding to the coolness they already had. A gust of freezing air struck him in the side. He shivered, but knew he needed to stay focused. If what Ansem, The Seeker of Darkness had stated was true, the missing Keyhole of Never Land was somewhere in this tree. All he and his team needed to do was find it and seal it — and quickly, before the Heartless got there with the freeze line!
Based on the weather conditions around them, it would not be too much longer. Might as well be hanging from a cliff and clutching a small, rather weak, tree branch.
"C'mon!" Sora declared. He led the way to the middle of the tree. At this spot, he saw the waterfall of pixie dust he remembered from this world's dreams. At the base, it gathered into a large pool. The Pixie Dust Well. He figured, as long as it was flowing, the tree was alright. Yet, with that freeze coming, who knew what would become of this world?
"That's it, everyone," Queen Clarion called from where she stood before the well. "Lay those blankets along the branches. We must do all we can to protect the Pixie Dust Tree!"
Tinker Bell flew into view and landed before the queen. "We're starting to run out of blankets!"
Sora and his team landed on the tree before a surprised Tinker Bell. "Sora?" she said, turning to face the young man. She came to a stop and landed beside him. Several fairies and sparrow man raced by around them. "Is there anything you can do?"
"I don't know yet," Sora told her. He paused in thought. "This is too weird."
"Sora, you need to have a plan," Amemi said. "You always have one."
Sora shook his head. "Not always."
"He's right," Donald stated.
"Yup," Goofy agreed. "Remember how he got us stuck in that there seashell?"
"That was a submersible!" Donald corrected.
"A-Hyuck! Yeah!" Goofy chuckled.
"And we got all that bacon grease," Launchpad added. At the very mention of "bacon grease", Donald gagged and started to turn green.
Sora turned to the others. "Cut it out, guys! This is serious! This world's in trouble!"
"Gawrsh, Sora," Goofy said. "Ya sure sound a little outta character."
Sora crossed his arms. "What's that mean?"
"I think thuh Darkness Xehanort gave you is startin' ta take control of ya. Maybe you should take a moment an' calm down."
"Yeah," Tinker Bell nodded. "Count to ten. That's something Fairy Mary told me."
Sora groaned. He clenched his fists so tightly, his Keyblade appeared. "One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten."
He took a deep breath and felt a huge amount of stress exit his body. He relaxed and his Keyblade vanished. He turned to his sister, Indigo, Launchpad, Goofy, and Donald. "Got any ideas?"
Amemi shook her head. Goofy, Donald, and Launchpad all shrugged. Indigo folded her arms. "So sorry, Sora," she said. "This is something you might have to solve on your own."
Tinker Bell sighed deeply, hearing all of this. She scooped up a small basket from the tree and tucked it close in her arms. Sora saw three, small insects gathered in it. "I have to finish this run," she said. "I'll meet you in the tree."
"Wait," Sora spoke up. "Maybe some of us should go with you."
"Yeah!" Goofy agreed. "Sora, take IndyGo with ya! Ya two make a perfect couple! A-Hyuck!"
"My name is 'Indigo'," Indigo stated.
Donald shook his head. "They do not make a perfect couple," he said. "And Sora's heart already belongs to Kairi."
"Heh, heh," Launchpad chuckled. "That's cause she kissed him — right on the cheekbone, connected to the facebone, connected to the Facebook, connected to the…. "
Sora covered his face as he friends started to laugh. Amemi covered her mouth to keep from giggling. Indigo shook her head and stepped forward. "We should soar off before things get more out of hand," she suggested.
Sora nodded. "Yeah. You're right."
Sora turned to Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad. "Help everyone protect this place from the Heartless," he instructed. He pointed at the well of pixie dust. "Don't let them get anywhere close to that."
Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all nodded in understanding. Amemi gave a thumbs-up. The four held their ground and took out their weapons. Sora and Indigo followed Tinker Bell away from the tree and across the landscape.
The gales were particularly strong by the time Sora, Indigo, and Tinker Bell arrived at Tinker's Nook. The whole area was deserted. Abandoned carts and wagons were locked onto the ground or stored in a small, rocky shed. Baskets and buckets were lying strewn about, having been blown away from their storage room long ago. A couple of the stick houses had been flung onto their sides, and everything from within lay strewn about on the ground. Along the side of the ditch, the bucket-and-pulley system with its flowery cups shifted in the wind.
The workshop's exterior sign had lost one of its pins and was now dangling sideways. It squeaked as it rocked back and forth, particularly as Sora and the others flew past.
"This is bad," Sora commented. If Tinker's Nook was in this state, he did not want to know how bad it was in the other areas. He could imagine Springtime Square was a disaster zone, with all the seeds, sproutlings, and other supplies lying around, all mixed up (like he, Riku, and Violet had seen in the Sleeping Worlds).
All he did know was he needed to find that Keyhole before the freeze hit the Pixie Dust Tree.
The group at last reached Tinker Bell's house. The teakettle structure appeared to be very durable, especially against the fierce squalls. The flight up to it was a little unsteady, yet the group made it. Sora opened the door, allowing the other two to follow as he held it open. He pulled it close, and the wind made it slam a little hard.
Sora, Indigo, and Tinker Bell could clearly see they were not alone in the room. Several other insects, a few birds, and Cheese the mouse were also in the space. A comforting fire was burning in the fireplace across the room.
"Everybody okay?" Tinker Bell asked. One of the birds chirped. "Great," she set down the basket and let the three insects crawl out. "You guys just stay here and keep warm. Everything's going to be fine."
"I sincerely hope it shall be alrighty," Indigo admitted.
Sora gave a nod. That was when something caught his eye. The brown, spikey-haired youth swerved his attention to a sphere of frost lying on a nearby empty spool of thread. He stepped over to it and took a closer look. The sphere was breaking apart. To his surprise, the periwinkle's petals were blooming.
"Huh?" he felt like scratching the back of his head. He turned his focus to Tinker Bell and Indigo. "Hey, guys! Check this out."
Indigo and Tinker Bell hurried over. "It's still alive," Tinker Bell realized when she saw the flower.
"I might not understand much about frost," Indigo said. "Yet, I do know someone who should."
Tinker Bell looked up. "Right. Peri."
Sora put his hands behind his head. "Guess it's back to the Winter Woods?"
"Yet, how can we cross?" Indigo said. "The air is so cold."
Tinker Bell grabbed her coat, mittens, and earmuffs and opened the door. She flew away before anyone could stop her. Sora and Indigo hurried outside in turn. Tinker Bell was already a good distance away.
"What is she thinking?" Indigo exclaimed. "This is too dangerous!"
Sora shrugged. "I dunno, but I'm gonna find out!" he hopped into the air and flew away before Indigo could grab his arm or one of his legs.
Indigo sighed deeply. She closed the door to the house and soared off herself. "I should at least try to make sure he does not get himself hurt, again," she told herself. That bruise she had seen on his forehead might not be the last time the young man would get himself in hazardous situations.
Gusts of wind were blowing throughout the Winter Woods. The squalls were so great, snow was rushing between the mountain peaks and slicing its way into the valleys and crevices. The chilly air did not bother Periwinkle much as she flew through the area. Behind her, Dewey slowly made his way along, his cane making his advance gradual.
"Dewey, you've got to see this," Periwinkle told him again. "There must be something wrong with the Pixie Dust Tree."
"Now, don't worry," Dewey said. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."
The two stopped suddenly. They stared straight ahead. "Oh!" Dewey said. "Oh, dear."
Up ahead, they could see the wooden chute that brought the pixie dust from the Pixie Dust Tree out to the snowy landscape. Only now, very little was coming out. The pool of dust on the ground was smaller than anyone had ever seen it. It was barely big enough to be called a "puddle", let alone a "pool" or "loop".
Gliss, Spike, Sled, and Slush were all gathered around the chute. As Periwinkle and Dewey approached, the last few flakes of the sparkly pixie dust dribbled off. The chute had stopped delivering. Dewey tapped his cane against the side of it. Nothing. Nothing left.
"Okay," Dewey said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "You might want to worry just a little bit."
"This is scary," Gliss worried. "Without pixie dust, we can't fly or use our talents!"
Spike gave a nod. "For once, we agree."
"Dude, this is trouble," Slush muttered.
Periwinkle cupped her hands together. What they needed now was an explanation, and perhaps a miracle. That was when she saw a glow coming from behind. The faint sound of a child's first laugh quickly joined it. She knew what that meant.
Her wings were sparkling again. That could mean only one other thing. Periwinkle spun around. "Tink?"
"Periwinkle!" In the distance, she could see three sparkles of light heading their way. One of them she could easily tell was her sister, Tinker Bell. The other two accompanying her were Sora and Indigo, Tink's friends.
She felt a smile cross her mouth. Then it faded. Why were they here? And now? It was too cold for them! Periwinkle watched as Tinker Bell suddenly shot ahead and tumbled out of the sky. She slammed, face-first, into the snow below. Periwinkle gasped and zoomed over to help. Gliss and Spike were not far behind. Dewey followed suit.
By the time Periwinkle and the others had arrived, Tinker Bell was on her feet and Indigo was helping her into her coat. Sora had picked something small off the ground.
"Tinker Bell! Are you okay?" Periwinkle asked, checking over her sister. "Why would you and your friends fly here?"
"We had to," Tinker Bell answered. "Pixie Hollow's in trouble."
"Correct," Indigo added. "A freeze is coming across the land, and your Pixie Dust Tree is in serious danger."
The shock on Dewey's face was evident. "That explains it," he said.
"The pixie dust here," Periwinkle told her sister. "It already stopped flowing."
Sora stepped forward. "This might be bad, but we have an idea," he held up the periwinkle plant. "That frost of yours kept this flower alive."
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Frost does that," Gliss enthusiastically blurted. "It's like a little blanket. It tucks the warm air inside and keeps out the cold."
Periwinkle took the flower and eyed it closely. Her face lit up. "We could frost the Pixie Dust Tree before the freeze hits it."
Spike crossed her arms. "Uh, one question," she said in a tone of voice Sora had only ever heard from Vidia or a member of the Organization. "What about our wings?"
Dewey grinned. "If it's a freeze, it will be cold enough to cross."
Spike shrugged. "Then what are we waiting for?"
"Take Fiona with you," Dewey added. "She will come in handy for getting there quick enough."
Sora gave a nod. "Thanks, Dewey!"
It did not take long for Dewey to summon Fiona over. The moment the snow lynx arrived, she purred and knelt down for the group. Sora and Indigo helped Tinker Bell on board before climbing on themselves. Periwinkle, Gliss, and Spike flew alongside as the cat-like animal raced across the frozen earth. With each lunge, stride, or leap, Sora knew they were getting closer and closer.
After a few minutes, Tinker Bell called out, "We're almost to the border!"
Fiona charged ahead. Periwinkle and her friends did their best to keep up, yet they were starting to drift back a tad. They kept going and going and….
The group came to a halt. They had now reached the border and the long, wooden bridge. However, all they could do was stare across at the trees on the other side. Every inch of them from the leaves to the base was covered in thick ice. Branches were snapping off and tumbling onto the ground. To make matters worse, they could see small groups of Heartless of various shapes, sizes, and colors marching about.
"The Autumn Woods," Periwinkle gasped.
"The freeze," Tinker Bell realized. "It's moving so fast."
"There is not time to lose here," Indigo declared. "We must get to the Pixie Dust Tree!"
"Let's go!" Sora called. "The Heartless are already on their way there!"
Fiona jolted ahead. Sora had to hold on tightly to keep himself from falling off. The snow lynx hurried down the path through the forest. In no time, they had reached the freeze line and rushed past it. It was now a slip-less landscape from here until the Pixie Dust Tree.
None of them noticed the icy block containing a young man in a black-hooded coat holding a bluish sitar.
The stormy squalls around the Pixie Dust Tree were only getting worse. Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad tried their best to help everyone lay the leafy blankets along the branches. Each time, a gust of air would rush by and blow them all away. Repeatedly, this happened. A nonstop cycle.
Bobble and Clank were working overtime, attempting to hold them down. Nothing was proving to be effective enough.
"Queen Clarion, it's not working," Clank finally announced.
"The wind," Bobble added. "It's too strong!"
Queen Clarion looked down. Amemi sighed in turn. That was when she spotted an Air Soldier Heartless diving at the queen. She raised her slingshot and fired. The creature was terminated only inches from the queen's head.
A startled Queen Clarion turned toward the sandy-haired girl. "Thank you," she said. "I had no idea there was something behind me until the last second."
"That's what we're here for," Donald boasted. "We're heroes!"
"'Honorary' heroes," Goofy corrected with a chuckle.
Donald frowned upon hearing the knight's statement. He stomped away. A long list of illegible garble left his mouth, ending with another "…Aw phooey!"
Amemi shook her head. "That's a new one."
The tree shook a moment later. Amemi, Goofy, Launchpad, Queen Clarion, and everyone else around turned to see a giant snow lynx clambering onto the tree. Sora, Indigo, and Tinker Bell were seated on its back. That was when three more fairies flew into view. Amemi stared in surprise. She immediately recognized one of them as Periwinkle. Yet, who were those other two?
"Sora!" Goofy proclaimed.
"And Indigo!" Launchpad declared. He paused and started to scratch his head. "I think it's her. She has the same color of dress, hair, and wings."
"Tinker Bell," Queen Clarion said in surprise.
"Queen Clarion! They can help," Tinker Bell said as she hopped off the snow lynx and approached the queen.
Periwinkle landed beside her sister. "Our frost, it covers like a blanket," she informed the queen.
Sora strode forward. "Yeah! It can protect your tree."
Queen Clarion turned her gaze at the pixie dust well. Sora, Amemi, and the others could clearly see the amount of dust flowing out had decreased. Several fairies and sparrow men were gathered around it, including Jasper, Abigail, Bess, and Rani.
To Sora, it looked like they were keeping a close eye on the well. He knew this was a crisis point for their world, and it might only be a matter of time before something disastrous happened. He might not know many things, but he did know this was not a good sign. Maybe the world was calling him for help, too? It would not be the first time. Middleton had seemingly done the same and thanked him afterward.
Queen Clarion whirled her attention back to Periwinkle, Gliss, and Spike. "Do it," she commanded.
Periwinkle turned to her friends and smiled. The three of them soared away and spread out to cover the tree in frost. Periwinkle set to work on the leaves above. Gliss headed for the dust well and the plaza around it. Spike zoomed to the trunk and started down there.
Sora was about to give a sigh of relief when a small, flying Heartless caught his focus. He summoned his Keyblade and hurled it at the enemy. The weapon returned once it had done its job. That was when Sora realized he had been tricked. Several more flying heartless were around him. They resembled Shadow Heartless, only with fairy wings.
"Again?" he groaned. He slashed his way through two of them before Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo joined the fight.
"We'll help you out!" Donald stated.
"Yup!" Goofy affirmed. "We stick together!"
"Like peanut butter and jelly and honey and cheese and pickles and pizza!" Launchpad added.
Amemi gagged and covered her mouth. "Did you have to say that?"
Indigo shook her head. "Let's keep our attention on the Heartless. They strike when you least expect it."
"Yeah," Sora approved.
That was the second the Heartless lurched forward from all sides. The group rushed around destroying every and each monster than tried to strike. Keyblades swung around. Slingshots fired. Magic lit up the air. Shields went flying.
In no time, all the Heartless had been eliminated. Sora shivered. "It's getting colder," he said aloud.
"Must be cause that there icy line is getting' closer," Goofy pinpointed. He pointed into the distance. The freeze was approaching rapidly.
Sora gasped. Either it was his imagination or the ice was closer than it had seemed. Several more trees were swiftly consumed in its wake. It was only a matter of time before the freeze reached the Pixie Dust Tree.
"Oh, no," Sora declared. "It's almost here!"
He turned to Tinker Bell. "It's too cold for your friends."
Tinker Bell nodded in approval. She turned to Bobble and Clank. "Let's hand out the blankets. They'll keep us warm!"
Bobble and Clank gave a nod. As they set off to collect all the blown leafy blankets, Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, and Fawn flew over and offered to do the same. Tinker Bell agreed. As her friends set to work rounding up and handing out the leafy blankets, Tinker Bell looked up at the tree's high leaves. There was Periwinkle; she was hastily and carefully covering every single detail of the tree as she frosted.
"Hurry, Peri," she called. "Hurry!"
Sora's team was too busy dealing with the Heartless; they had no time to help with the blanket situation. Every Heartless they took down was quickly replaced by another Heartless. It was almost like they were caught up in a repetitive spiral of fighting, one with no end to it. In fact, the more the freeze line advanced toward the Pixie Dust Tree, the more the Heartless kept coming.
'This isn't good,' Sora thought to himself.
After another minute, Sora and his teammates were exhausted. Tinker Bell and her friends had passed out all the blankets and everyone was wrapped up nice and warm. Periwinkle, Gliss, and Spike all flew over to the plaza where everyone was gathering.
"The tree! It's too big," Spike declared. "We're never going to make it."
Tinker Bell looked down. Periwinkle landed and put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'd fly backwards if I could."
All at once, the sound of a multitude of wings flapping in the wind filled the air. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, Indigo, Tinker Bell, Periwinkle, Gliss, Spike, Bobble, Clank, Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, Fawn, Queen Clarion, and everyone else in the tree turned their attention to the clouds above.
Donald pointed at something in the sky. "Is that?"
Out of the clouds came Lord Milori riding upon his snowy owl stead. A few dozen other snowy owls accompanied his own. Dewey rode on one of them, although he seemed to be having a little trouble maintaining his balance. A swarm of fairies and sparrow men flew into view from all around them.
Sora felt relieved. It seemed the cavalry had arrived from the Winter Wonderland across the border. "It's the lord of Winter," he said, equally amazed by the sight.
Periwinkle flew to the lord of Winter. Wondering what this was about (or at least feeling curious), Sora flew up after her.
"Lord Milori," she said when they reached the flock of snowy owls.
"What're you doing here?" Sora inquired.
"We've come to help," Lord Milori told them.
Dewey flew up on his own snowy owl. "Now, you didn't think I was going to let you do this all by yourself, now did you?"
Sora had to laugh. He should have expected something like this from the Keeper of All Fairy Knowledge. Dewey was such a kind, gentle sparrow man. He would never hurt a fly, let alone allow Pixie Hollow to be covered in ice without a strong fight.
Periwinkle nodded to Dewey. She turned back to Lord Milori. "The tree should be our top priority, but any fairy and sparrow man we can spare should try to frost the other seasons."
Lord Milori gave a nod. He turned to Sled, the sparrow man closest to him. "Start at the freeze line and spread out to Spring and Summer," he ordered. "The rest of you, cover the tree!"
On cue, the fairies and sparrow men scattered. Half of them headed straight for the Pixie Dust Tree and began assisting Periwinkle, Gliss, and Spike in covering the tree in frost. The rest split into small groups and headed for the freeze line. As Sora rejoined his friends at the Pixie Dust Tree, he could see numerous fairies and sparrow men working hard to ensure every last detail on every tree, flower, and grass blade, and everything in between was coated in a protective layer of frost. The freeze kept coming. And now a small swarm of Heartless was reaching the Pixie Dust Tree.
Sora reached his friends and came in for a rather smooth landing. He wobbled for a moment, now seeing he had set down upon a patch of frost. "I'd fly backwards if I could," he heard Gliss call out from above.
Sora nodded at her and then started to run around. The freeze was now so close, he knew time was running out for him to find that Keyhole — the one Ansem, The Seeker of Darkness had told him about. He spotted a nearby cranny in the tree and peeked inside. No Keyhole there. He raced across the tree and checked another opening. Only a room full of broken mirrors and a couple smashed pieces of tinfoil. "Must be a trash collection room," he muttered to himself. He proceeded to the next part of the tree.
"Sora?" Donald and Goofy both asked after they had watched their friend zipping back and forth several times.
"You're making me dizzier than Webby on skates," Launchpad said, his pupils spinning in their whites. He grabbed his head from the sides. The shaking stopped.
"Sora, what are you doing?" Amemi asked.
"You shall tire yourself out completely if you keep pacing to and fro over and over like this," Indigo indicated.
Sora screeched to a halt and turned his focus to them. He could see all the startled, confused, and unsure looks on his friends' faces. "I gotta find the Keyhole here," he rushed. "If I don't, it'll be too late!"
Donald and Goofy glanced at one another. Then back at Sora. "But we sealed Never Land's Keyhole," Donald said.
"Yup," Goofy agreed. "It was in that there clock-tower. Remember?"
Sora wanted to smack himself in the head. He could not believe he had completely forgotten to tell the others about what he had learned from Xehanort's Heartless. He took a deep breath and started to speak. "Remember how I said this world was asleep?"
Launchpad tilted his head and shrugged. Donald, Goofy, and Amemi all nodded. Indigo folded her arms. "Did something important take place in those dreams?" she asked.
Sora gave a nod. "Riku, Violet, and I found Ansem in this world. You know, Ansem — the Heartless of Xehanort."
"You are talking about 'Ansem, The Seeker of Darkness'," Indigo pointed out. "I remember him. He tried to lure me into a trap once."
"Yeah, that guy," Sora continued. "He said he had found a Keyhole in this world, but it wasn't the one I sealed. He said there was one in some large tree, because this world has two hearts — one for the island we're on and one for its Mainland."
"What?!" Donald screeched. He slapped himself in the face and fainted. "You gotta be kidding me! All that hard, hard, hard work for nothing…. "
Goofy partly covered his mouth. "Sounds like we gotta find that there Keyhole."
Amemi gestured around the Pixie Dust Tree. "You think it's in this tree," she enquired.
Sora gave another nod. "I need to find that Keyhole," he declared. "I'm not letting this world fall into Darkness again!"
Indigo held up her Keyblade. "Let's starting the search for it. We do not have a lot of time left."
Sora smiled with determination. "Let's do this!"
At that moment, Launchpad pointed to the space behind the spikey, brown-haired seventeen-year-old. "Look at that thing!"
Sora whirled around. Towering over their heads was a dark shape as black as night itself. It was at least forty feet high (by fairy foot standards) and whirling about. He stared at it in alarm. This was not any Shadow Heartless. It was a cluster of Shadow Heartless combined into a swirling column of Darkness in the shape of a twister. "What in the world?"
"It's huge!" Donald quacked.
Goofy hid behind his shield. "What'll we do?" he questioned.
Sora strode forward and readied his Keyblade. "Like we have any choice," he groaned. If these enemies kept coming in such massive droves like this, how would he ever be able to find that Keyhole?
Amemi stepped in front of him. "Sora, let me do this with Launchpad and Indigo. You go with Donald and Goofy and find that Keyhole."
Sora gave a nod. "Right!"
Sora sped off with Donald and Goofy in tow. Amemi, Launchpad and Indigo turned their undivided attention to the Heartless swarm. "Go!" she shouted.
The three launched their attacks. The more they fought their way into the Heartless horde, the more they knocked Shadow Heartless out of the column. The enemies fell from the trees and vaporized by the time they hit the ground. The whirlwind kept spinning. Amemi knocked several more Shadow Heartless away with one or two hits. Yet, the more the three knocked away, the faster the twister seemed to get.
"I wonder if Sora's having this much trouble," Amemi wondered to herself.
Little did she know Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in the branches above her head. They ran along the wooden twigs and past all the Winter fairies and sparrow men who were busy frosting everything around him. Sora peered into another nook in the tree's branch and noticed a tiny object inside. He reached in and pulled it out. "What in the world?"
It was a small, round trinket with a light-bluish color. The picture of a perfect snowflake was emblazoned on one side. The other contained an illustration of an icy texture.
Not sure exactly what it was, he shrugged and slipped it into his pocket. The search resumed.
Time went by quickly. It only took a matter of minutes for the Winter fairies and sparrow men to frost every inch of the Pixie Dust Tree and all the areas of the land the freeze had not reached yet. Despite his rushing around the tree's branches with Donald and Goofy, Sora could see a field of frosted sunflowers in the distance. Havendish Stream was also visible, completely coated in a layer of frost. He imagined Tinker's Nook was no different.
By the time Lord Milori and the rest of the fairies and sparrow men from the Winter Woods returned to the Pixie Dust Tree, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had scrambled over every inch of the tree itself. They had bashed their way through some Heartless here and there. A few Winter fairies had waited impatiently for them to pass by so they could frost the next part of the tree.
Other than that, nothing. Sora had no clue where that Keyhole was located. He now started to wonder if Ansem, The Seeker of Darkness had been playing a trick on him. Maybe there was no Keyhole here. Then again, why else would Pixie Hollow have been trapped in the Realm of Sleep in the first place?
He returned to the plaza before the pixie dust well with Donald and Goofy. Amemi, Launchpad, and Indigo were already there. Amemi explained how they had managed to drive away that Shadow Heartless swarm, to which Indigo then asked, "Did you find the Keyhole?"
Sora shook his head. "No. I don't know where it could be."
Lord Milori approached everyone in the plaza. "The freeze is upon us," he announced. "You must take cover."
Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, and Fawn all hurried into a small room protected by a green leaf. Jasper, Abigail, and Rani headed into another room and closed the leaf behind them. Bess, Beck, and Vidia hurried into the room where Silvermist, Fawn, and the others had gone. Bobble and Clank headed into the one with Jasper and Abigail.
Tinker Bell looked up at Periwinkle. "I hope it works," she told her sister.
Periwinkle gave a nod. "Me, too."
Tinker Bell nodded back. She headed for the room where Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, Fawn, Bess, Beck, and Vidia had gone. She was about to close the leaf behind her when she paused. Sora could see she was gazing straight at the pixie dust well behind him and his teammates. With a deep breath, Tinker Bell shut the leaf behind her.
Sora turned his eyes to the well. Why had Tinker Bell kept her attention on it? Maybe there was more to this fountain of golden, sparkling dust than he knew. The question was, what else was there?
"Will everything be all right?" Queen Clarion asked Lord Milori.
"I don't know," the lord of Winter admitted. "I've never seen anything like this."
The queen shivered. Lord Milori sighed and removed his cape. He draped over the queen's back and placed it on her shoulders. She smiled at him. "Thank you, Milori."
"Please, take cover."
Queen Clarion nodded. She turned and headed for her room. Lord Milori then turned to Sora's team. "You should take cover. The freeze is upon us."
"Don't worry," Sora assured him. "We'll handle this."
An unimpressed Lord Milori turned around and started for the edge of the tree. "Winter fairies and sparrow men," he called. Stand guard."
Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo could not believe their eyes. Without his cape, Lord Milori's wings were completely visible. Only one of them — the right one — was broken. The end of it was gone.
"I don't believe it," Amemi said.
"Gawrsh," Goofy muttered softly. "No wonder he didn't want nobody crossing thuh border."
Sora gave a nod. Goofy was right on the money once again. He knew this meant the story he had heard with Tinker Bell was actually about Queen Clarion and Lord Milori. The two of them had fallen in love long ago. Yet, because Lord Milori was from the Winter Woods, he and the queen could not be together. When their love grew strong enough, he had decided to risk the danger and crossed over, only to have his wing melt and break.
Sora nodded. "Yeah."
"That explains why this world has been divided," Indigo said.
"A house divided falls apart and crashes," Launchpad stated. "I know from personal experience."
"Oh, brother," Donald shook his head. Sora rolled his eyes halfway. This was probably the first time he had not seen the mage slap his face, scold, or faint from something silly Launchpad had said.
It was at that precise second when the air became even colder. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi all shivered. Indigo breathed into her hands and rubbed her arms a little. "It is not too cold for me," she said.
Before everyone's eyes, the ice advanced onto the Pixie Dust Tree. As the ice started covering the frost inch by inch, all the fairies and sparrow men holding their ground winced a tad. A slight gust of freezing air rushed into the tree. Sora shivered all the more. "It's too cold!" he yelped.
Amemi shuddered. "Other than that c-c-castle, I've never been in the sn-sn-snow!"
Goofy rubbed his arms. "Reminds me of when muh son, Maxie, made all them snowy angels."
Indigo frowned at the knight's statement. The icy coating made its way under the group's feet and to the well of pixie dust beyond.
To Sora, the air around him felt as though someone had locked him in a laundry hamper, dumped it into the deepest depths of the ocean, and then stabbed him repeatedly with countless knives, daggers, swords, and anything else sharp and pointy.
That was when he caught a glimpse of something glowing from behind. He turned his head. A brilliant Light was shining against the ice and frost. He whirled around completely. Set into the side of the tree at the base of the well was a glowing shape. The well stopped flowing as the ice covered it, too.
Sora stared in surprise. He pointed at the shape. "There it is!" he exclaimed. "Never Land's second Keyhole! We found it!"
Amemi, Indigo, Launchpad, Donald, and Goofy all spun around. Each of them stared at the shining Keyhole in amazement.
"It does exist!" Amemi realized.
"Well, well," Donald marveled.
"A-Hyuck! Looks like Xehanort was right," Goofy remarked. "This here world does have another keyhole."
"Aw, gee," Launchpad frowned. "It's just a keyhole! Probably needs to be unlocked for some door. I dunno what side door that leads into. Maybe a fairy sauna?"
Indigo looked at Sora. "So, the plan is to make sure Xehanort cannot get his hands on the heart inside that Keyhole. Correct?"
Sora gave a nod. He summoned his Keyblade. "All I've gotta do is seal it!"
"That would be nice," The sound of the voice caused Sora and the others to spin around. Stepping out of a dark portal was 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. "But you forgot about one thing," the man said. "Xehanort desires this world's heart for himself, and he can't have anyone get in his path."
Sora stared at the man. "You!" he declared. "You're the riddle guy from the Sleeping Worlds!"
"I see you haven't forgotten," the man said, bowing politely. "Allow me to introduce myself. Genesis Rhapsodos, a member of the True Organization XIII."
Genesis took a step forward. Sora instantly entered his fighting stance. He clutched his Keyblade tightly. Donald pulled out his wind. Goofy held up his shield. Launchpad took out his gas-gun. Amemi raised her slingshot. Indigo summoned her own Keyblade and held gracefully in her left hand.
"My applause to you, Sora," Genesis said, his grin not leaving his face. "You found the other Keyhole in this world. Now, I'll take it in the name of the Organization and Xehanort."
Sora glowered at the villain. "There's no way I'm letting you steal this world's heart!"
Genesis's grin faded into a frown. He inhaled and reached his arms up into the air. In a loud voice, he called,
"'My friend, the fates are cruel.
There are no dreams, no honor remains.
The arrow has left, the bow of the goddess.'"
"Shut up!" Sora yelled. "Cut out those stupid riddles!"
"Yeah!" Donald and Goofy shouted in unison.
"Gibberish is gibberish to everyone," Launchpad added. "Especially me!"
"You're not getting away with this," Amemi stated.
Indigo stepped forward a few inches. "One step, and you shall be dealing with all of us!"
Genesis's frown intensified. His gaze became a glare and his brow furrowed. "Since you refuse the 'gift of the goddess', I have no other choice. Prepare yourself!" he declared.
He reached out his hand. A large sword appeared. 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. A moment later, it became a key with two spokes angled it at one another at the end of the blade.
Sora stared in alarm. "A Keyblade?!"
Genesis held up his weapon with his right hand. "Bow in terror, Keyblade wielder!"
He raised his free hand. The tree shook a little. In the distance, Sora could see the whirlwind of Shadow Heartless spinning its way over. When it had set itself upon the plaza, the swarm crept up behind Genesis. The villain leaped into the air. He performed a perfect backflip and landed onto the peak of the Shadow Heartless swarm.
Sora and his friends glared at him. The Heartless shot forward. Sora raised his Keyblade and slashed at it as he stepped ahead. A couple dozen Shadow Heartless were sent flying about. Donald called down several bolts of lightning while Goofy tossed his shield and eliminated some of the remaining Heartless. Amemi shot down some more and Launchpad shot them out of the way. Indigo stepped to Sora's side and helped him attack the front of the swarm.
"You won't stop me," Genesis stated.
"That's what you think!" Sora retaliated.
Sora and his team continued to attack the swarm as it lurched forward a few more times and wiggled its way through the plaza like a worm lost on the sidewalk during a rainstorm. Genesis remained atop the swarm's front end. A dark sphere in his hand glowed more and more as he led the Heartless around.
"There!" Genesis shouted. The Heartless raised up and slammed down upon the tree. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi were knocked off their feet. Indigo leaped into the air and grabbed Sora as he started to fall back down. The Heartless swarm lifted up and slammed back down again, and again, and again. When it had finished, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi were lying in a small heap before the Keyhole. They attempted to break free of one another, yet it looked like they needed some outside help.
Indigo set Sora down gently on the plaza. "Thanks, Indigo," he told her.
Indigo gave a thumbs-up. "This is what friends do," she said. "They help each other out of troublesome situations."
The two returned their focus to the Heartless swarm and the villain atop it. "It's no use," Sora admitted. "That thing's stronger than any Heartless I've ever seen before."
"It might have lots of Heartless working together," Indigo informed. "Yet, every enemy has a weakness."
The angel pointed to the icy plaza beneath their feet. Sora's eyes grew and he nodded. He took a step forward.
CLINK!
"Sora," Indigo said. "You dropped something."
Sora turned around. Indigo was pointing at the tiny item he had found earlier in this very tree. He reached down and picked it up. The perfect snowflake on its front side caught his eye. He remembered seeing emblems like this one before earlier in his quest. One had been decorated with a sky-blue color and had a yo-yo design; he had used it to summon Joy for help. Another had been a brownish color with a thunderbolt sketched on it; he had used that one to summon Hercules at one point. The third had been double-sided, with one side bearing a shiny, golden star and the other possessing a white and green jet pack; he had put it to use to summon Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear for assistance. The fourth had also been two-sided, with one-half containing a shiny, gold star and the other sporting the badge of a law enforcement officer; he had used it to summon Judy Hopps.
Sora paused for a nanosecond. Maybe this item in his hand was another Summon Charm. There was only one way to find out. Besides, this was one time where he needed some outside help.
He raised the charm into the air. "Help us!" he called.
A brilliant flash filled the air. When Sora looked again, a young woman was standing before him. She was slender with radiant, pale skin, pink lips, blue eyes, and purple eye shadow. Her long, platinum blonde hair was wound into a French braid. She was wearing a crystal-blue, off-the-shoulder dress made out of ice and translucent, powder blue sleeves. A pair of icy kitten heels were slipped onto her feet, and she had a long, transparent floor-sweeping cape of sheer ice decorated with large snowflakes
Sora could only stare at her for a couple seconds. Indigo folded her arms. "Who're you?" Sora finally asked.
The young woman gave a smile. "I'm Elsa," she introduced. "I am here to help."
Sora gave a nod. He pointed straight at the Heartless swarm. "Can you do something about that?"
Elsa turned toward the Heartless. The swarm of enemies was now plowing her way. Elsa reached out her arms and thrust her hands forward. Before Sora or Indigo could react, magical ice came shooting out of the young woman's palms. It struck the Heartless swarm and quickly froze it in its tracks.
When he saw the Heartless below him freezing, Genesis turned and jumped onto the plaza. He lost his balance and slipped on the icy texture below. Down he went, landing on his back on the ice.
Elsa turned to Sora. "It is all yours," she said.
Sora gave a nod. He ran up to the frozen Heartless and jumped. He raised his Keyblade over his head and sent it forward in an axe-like chop. The blade slammed down hard upon the iced creatures. The ice cracked and shattered, taken out all of the Heartless as it did so.
Sora turned to Elsa and nodded. "Thanks! You're amazing. You can control ice."
Elsa gave a nod. Her smile faded and she looked off to one side. Sora cocked his head. "What is it?"
Elsa shook her head. "Nothing. Call me when you need help again."
Sora gave another nod. "Right. See ya!"
Elsa waved with her hand. A brilliant light lit up the area. When it faded, Elsa was gone, and Sora had the snowflake-emblazoned trinket in his hand. He smiled, knowing the Heartless had been defeated. He calmly placed the item back into his pocket.
"She was astounding," Indigo said, striding up to the brown, spikey-headed young man. "I never saw someone use such powers so freely."
It was at that moment when Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi came rushing over. They stopped when they saw the Heartless swarm was gone and Genesis was lying flat on the ice.
Donald threw down his wand and stomped on it. "Phooey! I didn't get a chance to fight!"
"Well, at least the Heartless are gone," Goofy mentioned.
"That thing was terribly hard," Launchpad added. "And it wasn't in a video game."
Amemi directly approached Sora. "Are you alright?" she asked her brother.
Sora nodded once more. "Yeah! No worries."
"You should worry," came a voice from behind. The group turned their attention to Genesis. The man had risen from the ice. He clutched his arm with one hand and held his weapon with the other. "This isn't over."
Sora twirled his Keyblade and placed it over his shoulders. "Yeah, it's over."
Genesis glared at him. He reached out his weapon-less hand. A tearing sound came from the black-hooded coat. A black wing shot out from the man's back. It resembled a hawk's wing, with lots of black feathers.
Sora stared at the sight. "What in the world?"
Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were speechless. Amemi gulped and reloaded her slingshot. "This isn't going to be easy," she murmured to herself.
Indigo raised her Keyblade. "We can take you down again," she stated.
Sora leaned into the angel's ear. "We don't wanna get him mad," he said.
Genesis held out his arms. His body began glowing an ominous, dark purple color. The air around him and the others darkened.
"It is too late," Indigo indicated.
Genesis gritted his teeth together. "Accept the Gift of the Goddess or perish!" he snarled.
Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo all positioned their weapons to the ready. Genesis raced forward. Sora, Indigo, and Goofy slid to one side while Donald, Amemi, and Launchpad jumped to the other. Genesis slammed his weapon down onto the spot where they had just been standing.
The villain turned around and headed toward Sora. The young man raised his weapon to either block, or parry, the attack. At the last second, Goofy slid in front of him and held up his shield. The impact of the shield against Genesis's sword caused the knight to start wobbling. "W-W-Whoa!" he declared. "Gawrsh!"
Genesis rapidly recovered from the recoil and struck again. Sora quickly found himself locked in a block and counter strategy against the villain. Indigo took to the air and swooped in to slice her Keyblade through their opponent's hair.
Launchpad hurried forward and fired his gas-gun. Genesis took a direct hit and the resulting confusion spell forced him to cover his mouth and nose with his free arm.
Amemi fired her slingshot repeatedly at Genesis. The enemy managed to block a few of her attacks, dodge a couple more, but the rest made their target. Donald sent a number of fire, ice, and lightning spells at Genesis. One of the ice spells made the villain slip and slide, allowing Goofy to charge over and ram his shield clear into Genesis's stomach.
Genesis landed onto his back. He gritted his teeth tighter and jumped back onto his feet. He whirled around to face Amemi and charged at the teenage girl. Amemi tried to step away, but Genesis grabbed her with his free hand. He placed his blade up to her neck.
"If any of you make a movement," he called to Sora and the others. "She loses her heart!"
Sora scowled with much intensity at the villain. His fists tightened. His glare darkened. His teeth gritted against one another. His feet tensed up. "That's not happening today!" he hollered. "Take this!"
Sora put one foot behind him and veered back. He thrust his foot forward. The movement sent the Keyblade flying out of his hand in a direct path for the enemy. Genesis had no time to react. The blade clobbered him in the face. At the same time, Amemi kicked him in the leg. Genesis lost his grip on her, allowing the sandy-haired girl to flee over to Sora.
Amemi threw her arms around Sora's torso. "Sora!"
Sora gave a nod. All eyes focused on Genesis. The villain had collapsed to his knees and he was gasping for breath. His sword's blade was stuck into the icy texture on the tree, his hand still clutching the handle. Tiny flakes of Darkness were leaving his body. The red-haired man glowered at the group.
"It's over," Sora stated in a very firm tone of voice.
Genesis looked up at the sky above. In one last cry, he called out,
"'Even if the morrow is barren of promises,
Nothing shall forestall my return.
To become the dew that quenches the land.
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies….'"
He started to gasp for air. He released his weapon. The sword toppled onto the ice and vanished from sight. A cloud of Darkness formed around Genesis as he spoke.
"'…I offer thee this silent sacrifice.'"
The cloud increased until the red-haired man had been consumed completely by it. A few seconds later, the cloud disappeared and faded from sight. Genesis was gone, having faded away with the Darkness.
Sora gave a sigh of relief. Without Genesis Rhapsodos, Xehanort was now one more member short of the thirteen vessels of Darkness he needed for his new Organization XIII. He recalled how he had first encountered Genesis in the dreams of Camelot, back when he and Riku were squirrels and Violet was a butterfly. He had later learned from Riku how Genesis had shown up in one of the musical scores the silver-haired youth had explored. Genesis had seemingly also appeared before Riku and Violet in that (possibly) illusion of The World That Never Was.
Yet, now, after all this time, that man was gone — along with his stupid riddles.
Sora wiped some sweat off his forehead. "Well, that's that!"
"Sora?" Donald spoke up.
"Aren't ya forgettin' somethin'?" Goofy asked.
Sora turned to the mage and knight. The two were pointing to the glowing, somewhat shimmering Keyhole located at the base of the Pixie Dust Well.
Sora's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah!"
Amemi stepped away from her brother, allowing Sora to raise his Keyblade. He pointed the weapon at the Keyhole. A ball of Light formed at the tip of the blade. A beam shot out from the sphere and struck the Keyhole directly. There was the sound of something locking. The Keyhole vanished from view mere moments later.
Sora spun his Keyblade in a circle and placed it on his shoulder. "That should do the trick!" he proclaimed. He was glad; knowing the secret heart of Never Land had been locked away, deep within Pixie Hollow. Never to be seen again, and ultimately leaving this whole world at peace.
A short, triumphal piece of music played in the background. Indigo stepped up to Sora and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You did it, Sora," she told him.
Sora shook his head. "No. We all did it. I mean, c'mon! If it weren't for all of you, I wouldn't have made it this far."
"Yup," Goofy confirmed.
"You're too lazy, Sora," Donald pointed at him.
Goofy cocked his head. "I thought ya said it ain't polite to point at nobody?"
Donald put a finger to his mouth. "Shhh!"
Launchpad slapped Sora in the back so heard, the young man nearly fell head over heels. "Way to go, lil' buddy!" he declared.
"Thanks for saving me," Amemi told her brother.
"Yeah," Sora grinned. "Just doing my job."
It was at that precise second when Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo saw Tinker Bell emerged from her room. Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, Fawn, Bess, Beck, and Vidia were right behind her. Jasper, Abigail, Rani, Bobble, and Clank all came out of another room. Queen Clarion emerged from her chambers. All over the tree, fairies and sparrow men flew out of their hiding places and approached the Pixie Dust Well. Lord Milori, Periwinkle, Gliss, Spike, Sled, Dewey, and all the other fairies and sparrow men from the Winter Woods joined them.
Tinker Bell and Periwinkle stood beside Sora's team. All eyes were on the well. Sora could see the ice had still not yet melted from the top of it. He remembered how the freeze's advance had caused the well to stop flowing, bringing the pixie dust to a halt. Unless it flowed again, it would be clear the tree had not survived the freeze.
Donald crossed his fingers. Goofy held his breath. Sora could see everyone else staring at the well. The first rays of Sunlight since the freeze had collided with the Pixie Dust Tree landed upon the well. Water drippled off slowly. The ice was starting to melt.
'Please,' Sora thought to himself. 'Don't let this world be in trouble!'
A faint glow appeared from the melting ice. It swiftly grew into a brilliant display. Before everyone's eyes, a flood of pixie dust surged out of the tree, forcing it way through the ice in a hurry. Sora felt his signature smile returning to his face. "Yes!" he yelled with delight.
Bobble had tears in his eyes. "What a beautiful sight."
Fairies and sparrow men took to the air. They flew all around the fountain of sparkling pixie dust. Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, Fawn, Jasper, Abigail, and Vidia were among them. So were Gliss, Spike, and Sled. Beck and Bess carried Rani around; all three of them cheered with delight.
"It worked!" Periwinkle exclaimed happily. "It worked, Tinker Bell!"
"We did it," Tinker Bell agreed.
"Yahoo!" Goofy cheered.
"Hooray!" Donald added.
Launchpad started to dance about, only to slip on the ice and fall flat on his face. "I meant to do that," he quipped.
Amemi helped the duck pilot back to his feet. Sora placed his hands behind his head. He could see Indigo soaring through the air, her face full of delight. According to what he had learned earlier, this was probably the first time she had felt the warmth of the Light of Pixie Hollow in a long time. With the pixie dust flowing again, it was clear the Pixie Dust Tree had indeed survived the freeze after all.
Sora's eyes landed on a sparrow man fingering the pixie dust with a smile. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and he was wearing an acorn cap, brown pants, tan shirt, brown vest, and brown shoes. He stared at the sparrow man for a moment, immediately recognizing him as Terence, a friend of Tinker Bell's from the dreams of this world. 'I wondered where everyone from then was,' Sora thought to himself. 'Guess that answers that!'
Periwinkle grabbed Tinker Bell's arm. "Tink! Come on!" she said with excitement.
Tinker Bell did not budge. She looked down. Sora stared at her. "Hey, what's up?"
Periwinkle looked completely baffled. She landed before her sister. "Tink? What's wrong?"
Tinker Bell still did not answer. She reached for her coat and slowly pulled it off. First one sleeve, then the other. As it fell to the ground, an audible gasp filled the air. Sora could only stare. Donald gawked. Goofy and Launchpad covered their mouths. Amemi slapped a hand over her mouth. Indigo gulped and her antennae quivered a little.
They could all see the gaping crack in Tinker Bell's left wing. While it did not go clear through the wing, it cut through it enough to leave it dangling.
Sora could not believe what he saw. Tinker Bell's wing was broken. He remembered what Queen Clarion had said. There was no cure for a broken wing. Knowing how Indigo's torn wing made her flying difficult and a little unsteady, he realized Tinker Bell's damaged wing could ground her for good. She might never fly again. Never soar through the skies of Never Land. Never fly circles around him or Peter Pan. Not anymore.
Periwinkle covered her mouth for a second and her eyes grew big. "When you flew to Winter, that's why you fell," she realized.
"Oh, no," Queen Clarion said.
From where she stood beside the queen, Fairy Mary was in tears. "Oh, Tinker Bell."
"That is awful," Sora said in turn.
Periwinkle put her hand on Tinker Bell's shoulder. "Tink. Why didn't you tell me?"
"We had to save the tree," Tinker Bell replied, showing a hint of a smile. "Besides, there's no cure for a broken wing."
Periwinkle had tears forming in her eyes. "I'd fly backwards if I could."
Lord Milori stepped up beside Queen Clarion and put his hand on her shoulder. "This happened because we tried to keep you apart," he admitted.
"But never again," the queen said. "You belong together."
Tinker Bell and Periwinkle turned their attention to the two. They both smiled. This news made Sora feel like smiling in turn. After all, it meant the rule that prohibited fairies and sparrow men from crossing the border between the Winter Woods and the rest of the land had been eradicated. Pixie Hollow would now be reunited into one world for all to explore.
The Sun's rays descending upon the tree increased. Tinker Bell and her sister looked up into the bright light. "It's getting warmer," Tinker Bell said. She turned to face Periwinkle. "You should get back to Winter."
Periwinkle gave a sigh. "Yeah."
"I'll be okay," Tinker Bell assured. "I'll meet you tomorrow at the border," she stepped forward. "Sisters?"
Periwinkle smiled and turned around so her wings were facing Tinker Bell. "Sisters."
Tinker Bell gave a nod. She turned around. The pair's wings touched. Like magic, the wings rose until they were lined up nearly perfectly. The bright flash of colorful light Sora remembered from the Keeper's study occurred again.
Tinker Bell and Periwinkle leapt apart. "Jingles!" they proclaimed together. Then they laughed.
It was then they noticed something new. Sora and his teammates also saw this. So did everyone else around them. A couple fairies and sparrow men gasped. A tiny sparkle of magic had appeared on Tinker Bell's broken wing. As the sparkle carried itself along, it seemed to seal up the tear, one piece at a time. After a few more seconds, it vanished.
"Do it again!" Launchpad called out.
After a brief pause, Tinker Bell and Periwinkle both stepped back to back of one another. Their wings overlapped perfectly, and the brilliant light returned. As it increased, they closed their eyes and clasped their hands tightly. The glow became so immense, Sora's whole team had their shield their eyes. Silvermist, Fawn, Bess, Gliss, Bobble, Clank, and the other fairies and sparrow men standing and sitting around squinted in the brightness. The sound of an infant's laugh filled the air.
Once the brightness faded, everyone looked again. To the astonishment of all — especially Sora — the tear in Tinker Bell's wing had disappeared. She and Periwinkle stared at it in marvel.
"Whoa!" was all Sora could say.
"Wow!" Donald stared.
"Kinda magical, huh?" Goofy commented.
"You said it, buddy," Launchpad approved. "Guess I'll never know why we're-a sayin' 'it'."
"That is so amazing," Amemi declared.
"It is spectacular," Indigo agreed.
"So cool," Silvermist said.
"You're not kiddin', sugar," Rosetta added.
"It's so much fun," Fawn stated with excitement.
"It looks a little fun," Vidia remarked.
"And bright," Iridessa said.
"Dude, that was beyond lit," Jasper grinned.
"I should make a portrait of it," Bess smiled.
"And it'll be hung on the wall of the Home Tree for all my animal friends to see," Beck approved.
Rani was wiping tears from her eyes. "It's so happy."
"It's more than that," Abigail said. "It's a miracle."
"If you say so," Spike shrugged.
Gliss turned to her. "Aw, c'mon, Spike! This is fun!"
Dewey looked even more excited than anyone else. He pointed at Tinker Bell's healed wing. "That's a new chapter!" he announced in a loud voice.
Clank flew up to Tinker Bell and Periwinkle and grabbed them both in a group hug. "That was amazing," he said.
"Clank," Tinker Bell barely said. "You're squeezing us."
Clank released his grip on the pair of fairies. "I'd fly backwards if I could."
Bobble flew in beside him. "Miss Bell, you are fantastic!" he declared.
All at once, silence fell over the crowd of cheering, applauding fairies and sparrow men. Everyone's attention was now on Queen Clarion and Lord Milori. The two leaned in close and their lips made contact.
"Oh!" a surprised Fairy Mary said. "Queen Clarion!"
"Yuck," Sora said.
"Yeah," Amemi agreed. "Yuck."
Dewey scratched the side of his head. "I didn't know they were going to do the smoochy-smoochity," he admitted with a smile. "Guess they're telling people now."
Indigo covered her mouth with her hands to hold back her laughter. Launchpad chuckled. Goofy and Donald nudged Sora from the sides. "Yer face is all red," Goofy pointed.
Sora waved his hands a little. "It is not red," he stated.
"We know who you're thinking about," Donald boasted.
The two pointed at Sora and burst out laughing. Sora could now see even Tinker Bell and Periwinkle were gazing his way. The two fairies were laughing in turn. Soon, Amemi was giggling, alongside Indigo.
"Come on," he said to himself. 'Why can't everybody just drop that already?' he thought to himself. 'Why can't they stop reminding me of Kairi's kiss… ?'
'Maybe because it happened to you? Remember, if you don't stay with Kairi, I can't stay with Naminé.'
Sora stared straight ahead for a moment. Had he just heard his Nobody's voice again? His eyes wandered over to the still-laughing Tinker Bell and Periwinkle; the two sisters were falling over in laughter. Everyone else around them was doing the same.
He wondered if him meeting Roxas in person would be just like how Tinker Bell met Periwinkle. They were two of a kind, just like him and his Nobody.
If only things were so simple….
The Sun was back out. All the ice and frost covering the warmer areas of Pixie Hollow had melted away. With the temperatures back to their regular level, and the rules about not crossing the border removed, Sora and his team had joined Tinker Bell, Rosetta, Silvermist, Iridessa, Fawn, Vidia, Beck, Bess, Rani, Jasper, Abigail, Bobble, Clank, and many others in the Winter Woods. Thanks to their frost powers, several of the Winter-Talented Fairies were able to cover everyone's wings in a layer of frost. This prevented anyone from having to worry about their wings freezing and breaking.
At this time, everyone was gathered at a large, frozen lake. Sora watched as Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were led across the ice by a group of fairies. Nearby, Beck and Fawn were playing with some runaway bunnies. The sparrow man from the Warm Seasons Library was busy getting Dewey's autograph in addition to asking him dozens upon dozens of questions. Rosetta and Sled were spending time together. Bobble was giving Gliss an enormous acorn. Jasper and Abigail were having a snowball fight with some Winter Fairies. Rani was learning how to skate with the help of Amemi. Vidia and Spike stood beside one another, spectating everything.
With all this going on, Sora felt like smiling. Up above, he could see Tinker Bell and Periwinkle fluttering about. From upon an icy cliff a few feet away, he could see Clank with Slush.
"So," Clank asked him. "Is it true that glaciers are stealthy?"
Slush had to smile. "You're sitting on one now, man."
Clank stared in surprise. "Sneaky glacier."
All Sora could do was shake his head and smile. He noticed Indigo soaring up beside him. She came in for a very graceful landing. No matter how many times he saw an angel land, the seventeen-year-old was still astounded by how graceful they were able to do it. Clearly, Indigo's torn wing did not make her landings unsteady, only her flying.
"This is how it was meant to be," she told him.
Sora gave a nod. "Yeah. You know it."
Tinker Bell and Periwinkle landed before them. Sora tilted his head. "What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing," Tinker Bell said. "We just wanted to say thanks."
"If you hadn't come here and helped us," Periwinkle added. She grabbed Tinker Bell around the neck in delight. "Tink and I might still be separated."
Sora beamed. He held up a hand. "Don't mention it!"
"It was all in a fairy day's work," Indigo agreed. "For you, those days must be very busy."
Tinker Bell rolled her eyes halfway. "You have no idea."
Periwinkle gave a laugh. "My days are busier."
The two laughed together.
"Tink," Periwinkle said.
"You ready?" Tinker Bell asked her sister.
Periwinkle nodded. "Ready."
They turned and gave a loud whistle in unison. On cue, all the snowy owls flew overhead, carrying their greenish baskets in their claws. The baskets all opened up, pouring snowflakes and periwinkle flowers all around. The mixture of the two collided with the sunlight, creating a small rainbow-ish halo effect in the air.
To Sora, it resembled the Light from a Keyhole. His Keyblade came to his hand, answering his question immediately. He pointed it at the glow. A sphere of Light formed at the end of the weapon's blade. A beam of Light shot out and entered the glowing Keyhole directly. It unlocked, sending a flurry of dazzling Light shining all around.
Sora smiled with glee, knowing the gateway to the next world had been unlocked.
Once the Light faded, Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad flew over. "I guess it's time to go," Amemi said. "Now that everything's the way it should be."
"Yeah," Donald agreed. "The sun's back."
"And the Heartless are gone," Goofy added.
Only Launchpad looked disappointed. "And I was all set to go sleddin' down this glacier…. "
This made the group laugh louder than ever. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle turned back to face them. In Tinker Bell's hands was a periwinkle flower. In Periwinkle's was a snowflake. The two sisters instantly traded items.
"You're leaving now?" Tinker Bell asked.
Sora gave a nod. "Yeah. Other worlds are still calling."
"Please come back soon," Periwinkle pleaded. "I want to show you how to ride a toboggan down the North Mountain."
"They'll be back," Tinker Bell informed her sister. "Sora and his friends might be busy, but they always keep their promises."
"And he makes them so easily," Donald mentioned.
"Yup, A-Hyuck!" Goofy chuckled. "That's our Sora!"
Launchpad stepped up behind the spikey-haired young man and grabbed him in a tight embrace. "He's out lil' buddy!"
"Launchpad, you're squishing me," Sora gasped.
Launchpad dropped him back into the snow. "I meant ta do that," he said. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle both giggled at the pilot's statement.
"Oh! Before you go," Tinker Bell reached into the bag around her waist. She pulled out two items. She handed them to Sora. "Dewey wanted us to give you these."
"He said he found them in two of his books," Periwinkle added.
Sora looked over the two items. One of them was a torn piece of paper with some text on it. He read it all quickly.
"According to the mayor's son, there's a special book,
It contains lots of stories with plot-twists that sound relatively new.
He claims it takes much more than a simple look,
All these stories are not fantasy, but true."
He could not believe his own eyes. It was another part of that torn letter, the one Master Yen Sid had told him about. The other item, he immediately saw was from an old storybook; it had an illustration in one spot. He knew it was a page from Pooh's storybook — the one he thought he had repaired twice already, only to learn more pages were missing.
"Thanks," he told Tinker Bell and Periwinkle. "I promise we'll be back."
Tinker Bell and Periwinkle smiled back in response.
Following a series of goodbyes, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo all teleported back to Herbie. Once they were back aboard the Gummi Ship, they soared off into space. Sora was now sure — since it had been awakened and its second Keyhole had been sealed — Pixie Hollow and Never Land would be at peace at long last. Deep down inside, Sora knew the great divide would not be so wide anymore.
Maleficent stood on the balcony overlooking the massive valley. This was the Great Maw; the gorge separated her fortress from the city of Radiant Garden. In the distance, she could see a new section had been added to the castle, making it more complete. A few cranes could be seen as tiny slivers in the distance.
She looked up as Diablo came in for a landing. The raven squawked a few times. "I see," she said with a grin. "That imbecile Thistle is also searching for the 'Tome of Prophecies'. If she thinks she can get it first, she'll have another thing coming to her."
"Uh… Maleficent?"
The sorceress turned around, her grin fading. Standing before her was Pete. "What is it now?" she stated.
Pete gulped and stepped aside. "You got somebody who wants ta see ya."
Into view stepped Lieutenant Colonel Staquait. Maleficent gave a sinister grin. Ever since Frollo had fallen to that wretched Keyblade wielder, this man had seemed to have the same level of ruthlessness inside him. Everything about him reeked of Darkness — especially that scar on his face.
"I bring you a message from Camille Chameleon," he stated in a voice full of seriousness. "She and the others have reached their destination. They are starting to scour that world's capital city in search of the book."
Maleficent snorted a little, even though her grin remained. "Perhaps we can get something done around here."
Riku strolled up the stairs to the top floor of the tower. As he pushed open the door and stepped into Master Yen Sid's study, he paused. Standing on the other side was Niccole. She was standing behind the desk, her body partly hidden behind Yen Sid's tall chair. Riku could tell she was hiding, or at least trying. He could not blame her.
With a deep breath, he opened his mouth. "Niccole, I'm sorry," he said. "I wasn't there for you when you needed me to be. I wish I could go back in time and rewrite history. But I know I can't."
His Keyblade appeared in his hand. He gazed at it. "I know you can't forgive me and you have moved on. You can hate me all you want, but I still feel I should tell you 'sorry'. Sorry for everything. I'm not good enough for you, for anyone."
His Keyblade vanished and he turned to the doorway.
"Riku."
Riku stopped and turned around. Niccole was emerging from behind the chair. "I understand," she said. "We all make mistakes. Maleficent was using you, and you fell for it. But you came back. You apologized. You admitted what you did was wrong and are working hard to make up for what you did. All is forgiven."
Riku stepped closer. Niccole stepped up to him. "Do you mean that?" he asked.
Niccole nodded. "I do."
Riku sighed. "But I never did anything great."
"You don't have to. You have something greater — goodness."
Riku smirked. "I guess, sometimes, greatness is thrust upon someone."
Niccole had to laugh. "Did you get that from the movie?"
Riku wanted to laugh in turn. "I guess."
"You don't need to be something great. You're good."
Riku sighed again. "But I hurt you."
"And you apologized," Niccole indicated. "Riku, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found way here. I'd still be living in that faraway land, believing I was a flower. I was lost, but now I'm found, and it's all thanks to you."
Riku stared for a moment. Maybe he had done something worthwhile after all. He had found a new, special friend. And her name was Niccole Hope. "I guess that's what makes me good," he said. "And you, too."
Niccole smiled brightly. She threw her arms around the silver-haired young man. "I still owe you a hug," she told him.
"No," Riku told her. "I owe you this."
He closed in and pressed his lips against hers. Niccole was a tad startled for a second. Then she gave in.
The two stopped when the door on the right opened. In stepped King Mickey. The moment the mouse saw them, he stopped. Riku and Niccole broke apart and stood side by side like nothing had happened.
Mickey gave a friendly laugh and smiled. "See?" he said. "I told ya you needed to resolve these problems by yourselves."
In a distant world, from inside a damaged building, an older man sat in a chair, one of a few still in one piece in the room. The rest of the place was full of debris and some dust and sand. Shadows concealed most of his appearance, so only his yellow eyes and silver goatee could be seen.
At that point, a dark portal opened on the chair next to him. Out came a tall man with long, bluish hair. A pair of cars criss-crossed on his forehead. He frowned deeply.
"Genesis is no more," he said. "We're down to eleven."
"No matter," the older man said in a gruff voice. "All the pieces are destined to fall into place. How goes our search?"
"As long as Maleficent and everyone on her side stays this strong, we won't have any control over the Heartless," the young man replied. "Can we pull our efforts into stopping her?"
"Not a chance. If the Keyblade wielder is to do what we have in mind, he needs to face the fairy on his own terms. We cannot interfere. It'll make a mess of everything."
The young man turned to face the older one. "If he strikes her down, the balance will be upset. How do you propose we react if that happens?"
The older man grinned. "It will push the Darkness on our side," he said. "We will have control over the Heartless and anyone aligned with them. Do not forget we have an ally out there assisting us along the way."
The young man nodded. "I know."
"That is all for your report?"
"Yes."
The younger man disappeared through another dark portal. The older man's grin grew as he gazed at the ceiling. "Soon, everything will be on our side."
A/N: SO, THAT IS THAT! WHAT A CONCLUSION TO PIXIE HOLLOW / NEVER LAND IN THIS STORY!
Before I let you go off and do whatever you wish (including (possibly) checking out "'FAIRYABC'" for yourselves), I have some things to go over.
(1.) Medy's presence was intended as a cameo, in case you were wondering.
(2.) I tried to picture that whole "'FREEZE'" as something straight out of a Disaster Story. My favorite Disaster Movie, "'The Day After Tomorrow (2004)'", kept coming to my mind as I typed all that into This Chapter.
(3.) That Heartless Swarm is supposed to be like the ones featured in the "'Kingdom Hearts 3'" Trailers and in "'Kingdom Hearts -2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue-'".
(4.) For those of you who might have lost track, Genesis Rhapsodos is from "'Final Fantasy VII -Crisis Core-'".
(5.) I have a strong sensation you already know who that SURPRISE SUMMON is! Yet, to be on the safe side, it was Elsa from Disney's "'Frozen (2013)'".
No - I did NOT include her simply because she was featured in the "'Kingdom Hearts 3'" Trailers!
(6.) YAY! Sora and his team have defeated one of the members from Xehanort's True Organization! That leaves... eleven! Or does it?
(7.) I am Not going to include a HINT at the end of This Chapter for one simple reason. You can already tell where the next stop shall be!
(8.) I Sincerely Hope you liked how that scene with Riku and Niccole turned out!
(9.) I have added a NEW POLL to my Profile Screen! Check it out, IF you would like to do so!
(10.) I have nothing else to state here.
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 ALL LATER!"