DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any of the Disney/Square Enix characters that appear in this work. Please support the original releases.


Chapter 24: Supernova


When Sora rolled out of his hammock and slammed onto the floor early the next morning, he was surprised to see Locke standing over him.

"Kid, those clothes are filthy and it seems as though you've outgrown them. Now I managed to scrounge up what I could, but I still think this outfit is a better look for you then what you've got going on." Locke dropped a paper parcel onto Sora's chest. "Get changed. Silver's hollering for us." Locke walked out.

Standing, Sora looked at his red shorts and jacket. He was still covered in all the paint and grime he had collected from the worlds he had traveled to so far. The soles of his shoes were starting to peel off. His shorts were ripped and higher up on this thigh then he remembered. Just how long had he been traveling?

He unpacked the parcel. The outfit Locke had picked out for him replaced his red onesie with a blue and black shirt. He got a new black, short sleeved jacket with a hood and a pair of black shoes. Cargo pants completed the look. Yellow belts, red pockets and blue accents decorated the outfit. After changing, Sora met Donald, Goofy, Jim and Locke up on deck.

Goofy gave him a thumbs up. "Nice duds, Sora."

"Glad I picked the right size," said Locke. "Looks good on you."

Donald crossed his arms. "About time you changed those old shorts for pair of actual pants."

Jim smirked. "Yeah, you look less like a momma's boy now."

Sora narrowed his eyes. "You want to say that again?"

"You kept the necklace though." Jim pointed to the silver crown that rested on Sora's collarbone.

"This? It was my dad's."

"Was?"

"Yeah," Sora looked up at the sails. "He's gone now."

"You too huh?"

"Not like that. I lost him."

"Oh."

Donald and Goofy looked down at the floor. "Gosh, Sora."

"It's no big deal. It was a long time ago."

Jim opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. Mercifully, Silver arrived just in time to distract them from their grim mood.

"Well, I see that yer all up and about. Hope ya got a good night's sleep." Silver smirked. "Because you cabin boys have one doozy of a chore list."

"Silver!"

Donald, Sora, and Goofy stiffened, hands at their sides. Locke, Jim, and Silver looked up at Mr. Arrow with passive expressions.

"Captain's orders. We're in need of restocking. Assemble an away team. We'll be docking on a supply planet shortly."

"My dear sir! The crew hasn't even had their mornin' stew!"

"You have one hour. The captain expects breakfast to be ready before docking."

Mr. Arrow walked away, his hands clenched tightly behind his back.

Silver leaned his heavy body forward in a massive sigh, and then pinned Jim and Sora with a sneaky grin when he straightened. "Well, I did say I was going to teach the pair of ya a thing or two." He pointed to the kitchens. "We've got a monster of a day's meal to cook boys."

Silver had not been kidding. Locke, Jim, and Sora peeled and sliced an entire storeroom full of vegetables. Goofy stood over a cauldron, stirring a thick soup for so long that his arms trembled. Meanwhile, Donald washed so many cooking utensils that his feathers bristled with annoyance.

When they rolled out the giant stew onto the deck, the entire crew swarmed them like a pack of hungry wolves. While Silver took a cart full of breakfast to the captain's quarters, the trio, Jim and Locke took turns ladling and serving bowls of stew. Each member of the crew ate over three bowls, leaving barely any breakfast left for the cooks.

After eating, Silver returned and gave Locke, Donald and Goofy a chore chart.

"Best hope those tasks are finished by the time I come back, boys," Silver winked, "because you don't want to see what a hungry crew will do to ya!"

Goofy grabbed Donald before the duck could jump on Silver's shoulders and start punching. Shaking his head, Locke tied an apron around his waist and got to work.

Sora and Jim followed Silver to the deck where the away teams lined up in neat, three man rows. Captain Amelia, marched in front of the crew and pierced them with a narrowed, green eyed stare.

"Listen here you miserable pack of unscrupulous, blathering, untrained dung beetles. We will be docking on a rogue planet shortly. Each of you has a list of provisions and supplies you are to bring back to the ship, and I expect nothing less then the amount specified. Otherwise, it will be your meal that will come up short for the rest of the voyage."

Captain Amelia nodded at Mr. Arrow. He gave each team out a piece of paper. The vastness of space faded, blocked out by a massive purple, blue, and green sphere. As the ship moved closer to the planet's surface, the atmosphere replaced the distant stars and nebulas, painting the sky in a green hue instead.

Sora felt tingly. An actual planet, not another world. How was that possible? He had to bite his lip to keep himself from jumping up and down in excited glee. After all, Mr. Arrow and Captain Amelia were right there. The captain's eyes caught him, as though she had a radar for sensing unprofessionalism. Immediately, Sora swallowed and tried to look as serious as possible, which was super hard because the corners of his lips kept twitching, begging to smile.

As the ship docked, Sora felt the skin prickle on the back of his neck. He turned to see Scroop sneering down at him from the main mast, his orange eyes narrowed.

"Creepy spider psycho," Jim mumbled, noticing Sora's line of sight.

"You said it."

The away teams jumped off and disappeared into the rough, rocky, blue and purple mountains. Sora tried his best to keep pace with Jim and silver, despite the fact that all he really wanted to do was stare at the strange, spiral shaped bushes, zigzagging flowers, and arched mountains.

"We're looking for plasma pods. Not an easy task our dear Mr. Arrow handed us."

"Plasma pods?" Sora and Jim repeated.

"Seems as though that last battle reduced the cannon's supply," Silver explained. "Plasma pods make good fuel for explosives."

Jim eyes brightened. "Cool."

"Aye, but they're hard to find, growing in a place that's both dark and light. Not to mention there's no tellin' what kind of creepy crawlies there are on this here rock. Keep yer eyes peeled."

Sora summoned his keyblade.

Shrugging, Jim put his hands in his pockets.

Silver raised a brow. "Lad, get yer hands out! Here." He shoved a laser pistol in Jim's hands.

Jim looked back at Silver with his mouth open. "You're serious?"

"What? Don't tell me ya don't know how to shoot."

Jim rolled his eyes, twirling the pistol."Please, how hard could it be?"

The trigger went off and a runaway shot flew out, nearly shooting through Sora's toe.

He jumped. "Hey!"

Jim held the pistol right side up, his eyes wide. "Oops."

Silver rubbed his forehead with his meaty paw. Then he snapped his fingers at Sora. "I trust you know how to use that blade o' yers?"

Sora, without looking away from Jim, twirled his keyblade.

Jim huffed. "Show off."

"Focus on me, Jimbo." Silver's robotic hand morphed into pistol. "Got to teach ya how to shoot that thing right before ya put holes where they shouldn't be. Sora, give us a target."

Shrugging, Sora shot out a series of fire spells into the sky. Silver stretched his arm, pointing the tip of his pistol at the three fireballs.

Pop, pop, pop!

Each of the targets burst one by one, sprinkles of laser dust appearing in the smoke. Jim and Sora clapped.

"Your turn, lad."

Silver got behind Jim and raised the boy's arm. "Keep yer knees bent but yer stance firm. These things push back."

Jim planted his feet firmly in the dirt. Holding his pistol with both hands, he raised his weapon and closed an eye.

"Keep 'em both open."

Silver nodded at Sora.

Sora casted his spell. Silver held Jim's arm, angling the pistol at the fireball.

"Now!"

Jim shot. The spell exploded.

"Nice lad!" Silver clapped. "Still standing. That's a good sign."

Jim flung his arm up and down, as though trying to throw off a spider. "This thing recoils more then my solar sailer."

"Harder then ya thought eh?" Silver went over how to use the laser pistol correctly. "Well, ya got the basics. Now practice with a few unmoving targets. Let's go."

Hiking through the curving trails, Jim snuck a few shoots at rocks and bushes whenever Silver stopped a moment to scan the environment. Soon they found themselves hiking up a rocky mountainside. Up ahead, was a spiral shaped peak.

Sora followed Silver silently until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he watched as Jim grinned and then proceeded to shoot a tiny rock that had been resting on the tip of the cliff they had just passed.

Bullseye. The rock popped off the cliff, disappearing down into the dark valley below.

Accepting the challenge, Sora pointed to a boulder across the cliffs. He hurled his keyblade at it, cracking the rock down the middle. Jim rolled his eyes. At the top of Sora's cracked rock were three tiny pebbles. Jim shot all three rocks. Huffing, Sora threw a fire spell at a rock wall. It crumbled, the boulders sliding down the cliff. Jim shot the rocks as they fell, hitting each of his targets. It was all fun and games until a runaway laser whizzed by Silver's ear.

Turning around, he bellowed, "Boys!"

Sora and Jim pointed at each other. "It was his idea."

They glared.

"If you two have time for fun and games," Silver smiled, "then you'll have plenty energy for the rest of the chores we've got lined up back on the ship."

Sora and Jim hung their heads. "Great."

"And besides," Silver said, "this is how you do it!"

Morphing his hand into a pistol, Silver aimed. They stood on a slopped cliff above a great chasm. Across the dark valley below was a rock formation with a single, thinly sliced boulder balanced precariously at the top. Silver shot the slim target and then waited patiently. The rock pancaked hard onto a pile of boulders. The entire mountainside roared. A rockslide thundered into the darkness below. Sora and Jim's jaws dropped.

One of the boulders hit the wall on their side of the mountain, cracking it. The wall crumbled away, revealing a cave underneath. Sora stared into the hole. Something glimmered within.

He pointed. "I think I found what we're looking for. Look in there."

Silver's cyber eye zoomed into the crevice. "Hah! Light from above, darkness from within. We found the plasma pods, lads."

While Silver held a rope, Sora and Jim climbed down into the cliffside cave. Slipping into the surprisingly large space, Jim and Sora opened up a pair of burlap bags. Purple moss pulsed along the walls, swelling and collapsing, as though they drew breathe. Poking out of the moss were bright, green bulbs. They glowed like lanterns. Carefully, Jim and Sora cut the plasma pods off their vines. Sora picked the last pod and stared into its green light. Something grey and syrupy dripped onto the pod's glimmering surface.

Sora looked up and his throat went dry.

"Jim! Look out!"

Sora threw his keyblade. By the time Jim reacted, the keyblade shredded through the black tentacles that had reached for him from the ceiling. It took seconds for Jim to aim his pistol at the giant, fanged, heartless flower that hung overhead. The creature's thorny vines flashed out, wrapped around Sora, and hoisted him up. Jim shifted his attention, shooting at the vines that were quickly mummifying Sora. Angry, the creature's vines tightened, squeezing Sora until the boy's face turned red.

Jim threw a plasma pod at the ceiling. Keeping his eyes open, he shot. The pod burst right under the flower's dripping mouth. Green fire spread all along the its thorns and leaves. An ear drilling squeal vibrated through the cavern.

The heartless dropped Sora. He sucked on air, hacking as he wobbled to his feet. Through the smoke above, thorny tentacles reached out and grabbed Jim's waist. The heartless threw him to the wall. Jim's shoulder and temple banged against the rock. He crumbled to his knees.

Sora dashed forward. Thorns rained down on him from the ceiling. Sliding and ducking from the sharp attacks, Sora threw firaga spells over his head. The only good that did was slow the heartless' attacks down, letting Sora reach Jim . He bellowed a healing spell, bringing color back to Jim's face.

"Let's get out of here."

Jim pointed over Sora's shoulder. The heartless' vines were covering the entrance to the cavern, blocking the light, casting them in complete darkness.

Something sliced through the vines. Silver's face appeared through the cut.

"Cover yer ears!"

Silver's arm morphed into a mini cannon. He shoved the barrel through the vines, aiming at the heartless. The resulting shot banged along the walls and slammed against Sora's chest. If he hadn't been covering them, he was sure his ear drums would have burst. The heartless' ripsaw shriek made him grind his teeth together. It pulled back its tentacles. Silver stretched his cybernetic arm.

"Reach lads!"

Sora and Jim lunged at silver. Jim was the first one out, climbing up the rope with Silver and Sora right behind him. Seconds after he grabbed the rope, Sora felt a stinging pain on his leg. The creature's thorny vine wrapped his calf, the thorns digging into his skin. The rope burned Sora's palms as the plant pulled him down.

Jim called from above. "Hold on!"

A pair of lasers flared down from above, searing the vine. It peeled away from Sora's leg. Holding on to the rope with one hand, Sora aimed his keyblade at the cave entrance. He ignored the burning throbs in his leg, and screamed.

"Firaga!"

The spell crashed against a loose rocks on the roof of the cave. The cliff wall collapsed inward, squashing the heartless within. Sora spotted a pink heart floating out of the debris. Then, a pair of arms reached down and hoisted Sora back up onto the cliff.

Silver fell on his behind, holding both boys in his arms. "You all right lads?"

Jim stood, rubbing his temple and shoulder. "I'm fine."

Sora didn't rise. He lifted his pant leg, looking for injuries. Healthy skin greeted him. He rubbed his leg, feeling for bumps and scabs. There was nothing there, even the pain was gone, yet he swore he had felt burning just moments ago.

"You got a boo boo, Sora?"

Standing, Sora gave Jim a sideways glance. "Please, you're the one that needs a nurse after that thump on the head."

Jim stretched. "Naw. Thanks to you, I'm am operating at one hundred percent."

Sora reached out his arm. "And thanks to you, I wasn't plant food."

Jim bumped his fist with Sora. Then, he nodded at Silver, a heartfelt smile dancing in his eyes. "Thanks for getting us out of there."

"O' course. Now let's get those pods back to the ship."


Mr. Arrow counted the plasma pods. "Fine work. There was no trouble I assume?"

"Nothing me and the lads couldn't handle. Pair of bright boys, those two."

Jim and Sora beamed.

Mr. Arrow nodded approvingly. "The ship will be ready to sail soon. I suggest you get your afternoon meal before then."

It turned out that Donald, Goofy and Locke had made quite the delicious seafood (or was it space food) stew. Even Silver was impressed, but that hadn't made him ease up on the chores for the next few days. He made all five of them scrape off space urchins, from the ship's rudder all the way to its figurehead. They swabbed and polished the deck, tightened the mizzen ropes, and scrubbed so many dirty, stinky dishes, that both Sora and Jim's hands were wrinkly by the time they were done.

And that's how the voyage went, day after day. Sometimes they would watch Silver entertaining the crew by telling sweeping stories of his adventures. but most nights, Goofy, Donald, Sora, Locke, and Jim collapsed in the crew's quarters. The boys didn't even have the energy to go solar sailing. After five days, Silver finally gave them a break. On that night, Sora and Jim sat under the main mast, staring up at the ship's sails.

"Man, I miss the islands. I would just sail to the island where all the kids went to hang out, skipping homework and chores."

"No kidding. My mom needed all the help she could get running the Benbow Inn, and I would spend all of my time solar surfing if I didn't want to take on an extra shift."

Jim and Sora listened to the cosmic winds moving through the sails and the groaning of the ship as it cut through space. The quiet was interrupted by the sound of metal scrapping on wood.

A dog man in a red coat walked out onto deck. One of his arms was full of rolled up parchment. The other dragged a metal stand behind him. He muttered under his breathe.

"That woman, that feline. Who does she think is working for whom? If it weren't for me financing this expedition-oh!"

A powerful cosmic wind rocked the ship, and the parchment flew out of the dog's hands. The paper unrolled itself and rained down over the deck, easily sliding over the wood. They would have slipped off the ship if Sora and Jim hadn't jumped up to catch them all.

"Here you go, Delbert," said Jim, handing the star-charts and maps back to their owner.

The dog man set down the paper on the deck, using an old compass to hold them down. "Thank you Jim, and um, terribly sorry, young man, but I never got the chance to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Delbert Doppler."

Sora shook the dog's hand. "Nice to meet you Doctor. I'm Sora. So what's all this stuff?"

Dr. Doppler set up the metal stand, balancing a telescope on top of it. "It's not everyday one gets to look out at the vastness of the universe from a completely different point in space. I thought it a fine opportunity to view the nearby star systems."

Jim picked up one of the maps and unfolded it. "How far do you think we've come?"

Dr. Doppler put his tongue between his teeth, wrinkling his nose. "Well, that feline," he cleared his throat, "I mean, Captain Amelia, states that she's been viewing the map and we are halfway through the Magellanic Cloud."

Jim tapped a crescent shape on the map. "We're a long way from Montressor. Wonder what Mom's doing back at home."

Sora stared at the map in Jim's hands.

"Say, um, Doctor, are all the worlds, I mean, planets, charted on these?"

"Interested in astronomy are you? Well, even with my vast experience, I have yet to discover all the stars and planets out there. The universe is ever expanding and it will take more then my lifetime to unlock all of its secrets."

"Have you come across any planets called Olympus Colosseum or Halloween Town?"

Doppler lifted one of his floppy ears. "Afraid not. Are those newly discovered planets?"

Sora shook his head. "No, they're just, um, legends. I was just curious."

Dr. Doppler sniffed Sora with his big nose, as though trying to smell out a lie like a bloodhound. He must have decided that Sora was not suspicious, because he adjusted his round glasses, finished setting up his telescope, and looked through it.

"Ah! There it is! Take a look Jim. The Coral Galaxy."

Jim put his eye to the telescope. "Kinda small."

"Of course it is," Doppler huffed, "we're still light years from-"

The ship rocked over a turbulent solar wind, and the telescope nearly fell over. Sora caught it before it could hit the ground. Picking up a rope, Jim tied telescope's metal stand to one of the ship's cannons.

"What a fine knot. Is this one of your other hidden talents?"

Jim shook his head. "No. Silver showed me how."

"Keeping you on your toes, is he?"

Jim leaned his head back. "You have no idea. Any time I even think about running off to take a nap-"

Sora rubbed his temples. "He's there. Watching us."

"Aye, is that me name yer gossiping about?"

Sora and Jim grimaced when Silver walked by.

"Doc!" Silver slammed his fleshy hand on Doppler's shoulder. Doppler's glasses nearly flew off his nose.

"What do you say to me taking Jimbo here out on a ride to see the comet."

"Comet? What comet?"

"Aye, the Etherium is clear-"

"And the nebula are shining. Of course. A plasma comet is on the way."

Jim's eyes filled with excitement. "Really? We're going to fly up next to it?"

"A little reward for all yer hard work. That is if ya don't mind manning the skiff."

"Sora, are you coming?"

Sora rubbed his neck. "Normally, I'd say yes, but I have to save up energy for tomorrow."

"Hop to it, Jimbo. We can't let that comet get away."

"Aye, sir!"

Dr. Dopper removed the telescope from its stand. "Sora, watch my charts! I simply cannot let this opportunity pass me by!"

Dr. Doppler ran back to the quarter deck, where he pointed his telescope to the sky. It wasn't long before an electric, blue glow shined overhead. Sora watched the comet sail over the ship, its glittering tail sprinkled shining dust over the sails.

A memory flashed in Sora's mind, of Kairi reaching out for him at the End of the World. Coldness as well as warmth went through Sora's heart. He remembered screaming her name as he faded away from the newly restored Destiny Islands.

Reaching into his pocket, Sora pulled out Kairi's star shaped good luck charm. He promised he come home to her. Was their would a part of this one? Would they find his home if they kept sailing through space? If they went back to Castle Oblivion and defeated Dr. Facilier, would he eventually find a way home through the castle door?

"Something on your mind, kid?"

Sora pocketed Kairi's charm.

Locke came to stand next to him.

"This world is so confusing. It's like, where are we? Are we in interspace? The space Donald, Goofy and I flew the gummi ship in? Is this world a universe within an even bigger universe? It even has its own planets!" Sora drummed his fingers on his scalp. "My head hurts."

"Don't think too hard on it then." Locke leaned against the railing, taking a bite out of an apple. "Sometimes you just have to accept things as they are."

"They say that every star out there is a different world, and this world doesn't even have its whole universe mapped out. How far are the worlds from each other? How many are out there? It just makes me wonder if I'll ever find my friends."

"You'll find them," Locke said. "I'm searching too."

"For your friends?"

"For redemption."

"Hunting for more then treasure then?"

Locke threw what was left of his apple into the vast space below. "The greatest treasure kid," he pointed to Sora's chest, "is right here. Everything else is just shiny stuff. As long as you have that to connect you to your friends, you'll find them. I want to believe that's true."

Sora looked back at the comet. A tiny, spec chased after it. Silver and Jim. If they could catch up to a comet, why wouldn't he eventually run into his friends?


Sora and Jim balanced on their solar surfers. Hovering just behind the ship, they flew close to the thrusters. The plasma was weak, like a dying oil lamp in the middle of a frozen tundra.

"How's it looking, Jimbo?" Silver called from the deck above.

"I think the power is a little low. We may need a replacement."

"Hold on. I'll be down in a minute."

"Sora! Mr. Hawkins!"

Sora and Jim looked up. Captain Amelia watched them.

"Make sure those thrusters are operating at one hundred percent. We are about to enter a dangerous sector."

"Yes ma'am."

Captain Amelia's face disappeared from overhead, but her voice carried over. "Mr. Arrow, make sure this miserable ship is spot on from stem to stern."

"Aye. You heard the captain! Inspect the sails, tightened the ropes, make sure those cannons are secure!"

Clamoring echoed from above as the crew set about their tasks. A moment later, Silver floated up to Jim and Sora in a skiff.

"Here you are." He lifted a black cube. "One sparker, as ordered."

Sora passed tools along to Jim while the boy worked on opening up the compartment behind the thrusters. He set the black cube inside, tightened some knots, reworked some wires and then bolted the compartment shut.

"That should do it." Jim said. "Now all we need is to light it up."

"I got this. Get clear."

Sora flew back from the thrusters, aimed his keyblade into the rectangular tubes of the thrusters and shouted. "Firaga!"

The fireball hit the thrusters, and, like a chimney roaring to life, the thrusters burned with white, hot, plasma fire.

Silver whooped. "Now that's how it's done! All right, you two, get in the skiff so we can go back."

Once the boys were in the boat, Silver pointed to their solar sailors.

"I tell ya, if I was able to ride like you two, they would've been bowing in the streets as I walked by."

Sora leaned back against the skiff, a grin on his face. "We are pretty good huh?"

Jim shrugged. "I don't know, they weren't exactly singing my praises when I left home." Jim looked up at the stars. "But I'm going to change that. Already on my way to making people see me a little different."

A flicker of doubt crossed Silver's face, or was that guilt? It was gone before Sora could fully comprehend it. Silver grunted, using a screwdriver to tighten the bolts on his robotic leg.

"Say, what happened," Jim nodded to the robotic prosthetic, "that caused that?"

"You give up a few things," Silver said sadly, "chasing a dream."

"Was it worth it?"

"I'm hoping it is, Jimbo," Silver winked. "I surely am."

They made it to the underbelly of the ship. A pair of doors opened up, revealing the skiff hanger. Silver moved the skiff upward, parking it nicely into the small space. The three of them worked, wordlessly securing the skiff and the solar surfers. Just as all the ropes were tied and skiff hooked steadily in place, the ship banged from side to side.

The skiff rocked back and forth violently, nearly bucking both Sora and Jim off. Silver caught both boys his arms.

"What is going on?"

Jumping out of the skiff and rushing up onto the deck, they felt an intense heat coming from overhead. Sora looked up and saw nothing but fire in the sky.

Dr. Doppler screamed from the quarter deck, pointing his telescope at the red inferno. "Good heavens! The star Pelusa. It's gone supernova!"

Captain Amelia ran to the ship's wheel. "All hands, evasive action!"

The heat of a thousand desserts rained down on the ship. Molten star chunks zipped through space. Donald climbed onto the sails, shooting blizzard magic at the meteors. At the helm, Captain Amelia fought with the wheel, turning the ship away from the falling debris. Locke, Goofy and Sora jumped behind the cannons, blasting any burning rocks that was heading their way.

"Secure all sails!" Mr. Arrow ordered. The crew raced up the masts, pulling the solar sails back.

"All hands, fasten your lifelines," roared the captain.

Jim and Silver ran around, handing out ropes. Every member of the crew tied the rope around their waist. One by one, Jim secured the other ends of the ropes to the main mast, tightening the knots. A shock wave blasted the ship, several crew members were blown off their feet, including Silver.

He flew like a cannon ball over the ship's deck, right toward the edge. Sora and Jim reached out, grabbed Silver's legs and hauled him back onto the ship before he could be flailing behind them like a kite.

"Thanks lads," Silver huffed.

There was another blast. The ship rocked back and forth, the crew sliding from one side of the deck to the other. At the helm, Captain Amelia grit her teeth, using all her strength to hold the helm steady.

"Oh no you don't," she growled, forcing the wheel back to its original position.

Where there was once blinding, orange supernova light, a sudden shadow blanketed the atmosphere.

Dr. Doppler raised his telescope, and gasped. "Captain, the star! It's devolving into a," he gasped, "a black hole."

From their place at the cannons, Sora, Goofy and Locke saw the hot comets being pulled back into the collapsing star. The ship was pulled backward, toward the gaping, black leftovers of the star.

The closer they flew to the hole, the more Sora felt a cold, bone scraping feeling of despair and forgetfulness, almost as though he were being pulled into the realm of darkness. He stood there, watching the black mass get bigger and bigger, feeling a sharp needle work its way into his leg.

A big paw slammed down on his shoulder, waking him up.

"Get a hold of yerself, lad!"

Another shockwave slammed the ship. The only person that didn't completely lose their balance was Captain Amelia.

"Blast these supernova waves. They're so deucedly erratic!"

Dr. Doppler ran onto the quarter deck, and looked down at the rip's radar.

"No captain, the waves are not erratic at all! There'll be another one in precisely fifty point eight seconds, followed by the biggest magilla of them all!"

"Of course! Brilliant, Doctor! We'll ride that last magilla out of here!"

Mr. Arrow rushed up to the helm. "All sails secured, Captain."

"Good man! Now release them immediately!"

Mr. Arrow balked, but did as he was told. "Aye, Captain. You heard her, unfurl those sails!"

Glaring, the crew raced to set the sails free. Sora, Goofy and Locke joined Donald on the main mast, and fumbled with the ropes. Even Mr. Arrow climbed the masts to help undo the sails.

Down below, Captain Amelia barked at Jim.

"Mr. Hawkins! Make sure those lifelines are secured good and tight!"

Jim checked all the ropes and called back. "All lifelines secured, Captain!"

Another wave pounded the ship, sending Sora and Mr. Arrow flying off the mast. Hanging above the black hole with nothing but a single rope to protect them, Sora and Mr. Arrow could do nothing but watch Donald, Goofy and Locke try to pull them back.

Above them, something red slithered behind the sails.

A red claw appeared behind Locke. Sora cried out, but it was too late.

Scroop's claw slammed on the back of Locke's head. Locke swayed, slipping from the sail. Donald and Goofy rushed to pull him back up. With them distracted, Scroop cut Mr. Arrow's lifeline.

"No!" Sora summoned his keyblade, blasted a fire spell behind him to propel himself forward, but he was too far to grab Mr. Arrow and had no choice but to watch, helpless as Mr. Arrow vanished into the black hole.

Donald and Goofy, furious, lunged at Scroop, but the spider creature reached out with his claws, grabbed Donald and Goofy by their shirts, and threw them out into Sora. The three friends crashed into each other and barely had enough time to look back at the ship. Locke, still dizzy, wasn't able to defend himself when Scroop threw him out next.

With the four of them lagging above the ship, Scroop gave each of them a sneer. He cut their lines.

Terror ripped through Sora. The black void pulled at them. Its cold fingers wrapped about Sora's neck, numbing him. He forgot how to scream, how to feel, or think, or stay awake. Vaguely, he felt something burning in his pocket. There was a blast from the black hole, and it slammed into Sora like a giant fist. The last thing he saw before he was blinded by a pink light, was the ship being pushed away by the final wave from the black hole.


The RLS Legacy sailed away, its sails pushed by the titanic final wave from the black hole. Flying into safer space, the crew cheered, throwing their hats up into the air. At the helm, Dr. Doppler held his chest, his frantic breaths turning into ones of relief and admiration.

"Captain! That was-my goodness-that was the most-"

"Oh tish-tosh." Captain Amelia waved him off. Pausing for a moment before she left the helm, she smiled at him. "Actually, Doctor, your astronomical advice was most helpful."

Dr. Doppler straightened his collar. "W-well, thank you."

Captain Amelia walked to the main mast, waving Silver over. "Congratulations are in order. Your cabin boy did a bang-up job with those lifelines."

Silver turned and gave Jim a proud smile.

Captain Amelia cleared her throat. "All hands accounted for, Mr. Arrow?"

Silence.

"Mr. Arrow?"

Scroop slithered forward, his head down, his teeth clenched in sadness. "I'm afraid Mr. Arrow and the other cabin boys were lost. Their lifelines weren't secure."

For the first time in the entire voyage, Captain Amelia's steadfast and unflappable demeanor vanished. When she took Mr. Arrow's hat from Scroop, her green eyes dimmed.

Then all eyes were on Jim. He raced to the main mast. Five lifelines were missing from their posts. "I checked them all! They were secure. I swear!"

Jim fell to his knees. Around him, everything slowed down. He could still feel the rough edges of the ropes, the sudden stop when he tugged each one, the burning in his palms when he pulled each knot tight. His hands remembered them all being tightened, but his sight did not match.

Somewhere, Captain Amelia began to speak, her voice breaking, but Jim didn't understand her words.

Taking a deep breathe to steady herself, Captain Amelia addressed her crew. "Mr. Arrow was a fine spacer, finer then most of us could ever hope to be." She paused, pushing down a shiver in her throat and setting her face back to its usual stern mask. "But he knew the risks, as do we all. Back to your posts. We carry on."

The crew went back to work.

Jim heard Dr. Doppler approach, saw the old dog's shadow move toward him, pause, and then move away. The night wore on, but Jim couldn't bring himself to go down to the haul and get some rest. He held onto the shrouds, staring up at the sky, hoping to see a familiar face, but there were none.

Then Silver's step-creak gait made him turn around.

"It wasn't your fault you know," Silver began. "Accident's such as these are part of the voyage."

Jim jumped off the shrouds, and walked down to the deck, passing Silver by.

"If it weren't for you, why, half the crew would be spinning in that abyss."

Jim turned around, his teeth clenched, his eyes wide with fury. "Don't you get it? I messed up! Thanks to me, Sora, his friends, Mr. Arrow. They're gone. Okay? And it's all my fault! For two seconds, I thought that maybe I could do something right but now-" Jim covered his eyes, taking in a deep, shaky breathe.

There was a hand on his shoulder. He looked up into Silver's face. The big man's eye was full of compassion.

"Now you listen to me, James Hawkins." He pressed a hand over Jim's heart. "You got the makings of greatness in ya, but you have to take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls." Silver looked toward the sky. "And when the time comes, you get the chance to really test the cut of your sails, and show what you're made of, well, I hope I'm there, catching some of the light coming off ya that day."

Jim threw his arms around Silver's torso. The big man patted his back. "It's all right, Jimbo."

Stepping away and whipping his eyes, Jim let out a tiny thanks. Yet, as he walked away from Silver, his heart felt heavy. No matter what Silver said, even if the lifelines had come undone because of an accident, it didn't change the fact that people were lost. No matter how he thought about it, the truth was that he wasn't ever going to see Sora again.


The chains holding him in place, the prison that had been his purgatory for countless years, was weakening. There was only one more lock to be released before his cage came undone.

The cloaked figure watched the boy and the king. Even though the boy had conquered his darkness, even though his plans for control had failed, it didn't matter. There was another that was now touched by darkness. Soon he would have everything he needed to finish what he couldn't do so long ago. The only thing was to make sure the shadow man did his part.


He was stuck in a void of light that was quickly darkening. The ringing in his ears was interrupted by disjoined words.

"-up, please!"

He didn't want to open his eyes. The brightness was already searing through his brain, giving him a headache. The incoming darkness was more soothing, cooler.

"Wake up!"

"Cure spells aren't working!"

The voices were clearer now. The light was almost gone. He felt as though he were forgetting something important.

"Do you think the black hole did something to him?"

Black hole?

Mr. Arrow.

Sora's eyes open and he jerked, sitting up in a flash. The next moment, he was tackled back to the ground. Donald and Goofy squeezed him. Sora and touched his friends' faces. They were real. Breathing out, he hugged them back.

"Don't scare me like that," Goofy sobbed.

"He's okay! He's okay!" Donald chanted.

Someone patted his head. Looking up, Sora spotted Locke. The treasure hunter looked a little worse for wear. There were scratches on his face, but he was still alive and kicking.

After Donald and Goofy released him, Sora looked around. They were no longer in space. In fact, the new world they found themselves was painted entirely by faded shades of orange and brown, almost as though the entire planet had rusted from years of neglect. Sora sat on a cushion of half dry, half rotten vines. Mushroom trees provided shade from above. Forgotten pieces of metal rose up from the dirt like a scrap heap's graveyard. Yellow-green moss covered the copper material.

"Where are we?"

"We don't know," Donald said. "We woke up and we were just here."

Sora looked around and then stared down at his hands.

"Mr. Arrow. He's gone."

"It wasn't your fault, Sora."

Goofy put a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Yeah! Scroop is he one that cut his life line. And ours! When I get my hands on that spider, I'm going to-" Donald made a strangling motion with his fists.

"But, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't stop it. First the king of Atlantis. Now this. Why can't I protect everyone?"

Donald and Goofy were silent. They opened their mouths several times, but couldn't produce words.

Locke pulled Sora to his feet.

"You're growing up, kid."

"What?"

"I know how you feel, when you try so hard to help people in need. But you can't always save everyone. Believe me, I know. What makes you a hero, what keeps the darkness away, is the fact that you don't stop trying to do the right thing."

Sora whipped his eyes. "You're right. We still have things to do. Like find out where we are, and how we got here."

"Gee, before I blacked out, I remember a light coming out of your pocket, Sora."

"A light?"

Sora reached into his pocket and felt something hot. He pulled it out. It was the green gem Locke had given them as collateral back in Agrabah. The gem glowed and dimmed, pulsing with an inner pink fire.

Locke gasped. "What? How?"

"Say, isn't that the, uh, magisit?"

Locke corrected Goofy. "Magicite."

"Right. But why's it glowing?"

"I-I don't know. I've never seen it do that. But my friend, she could-"

Sora handed the gem back to Locke. "You've proven that you're trustworthy. I don't think I need to hold on to this anymore."

Locke looked at the gem with longing. "Thanks."

"That treasure seems important to you."

Locke put the magicite next to his heart. "When the darkness invaded my home, my friend, Terra, protected me. The darkness overtook her. This gem is all that all that's left of her."

Donald rubbed his arms, a guilty pout on his beak. "You gave us something that precious?"

"I'd hoped that, maybe going to different worlds might trigger something, to change her back." Locke said. "Terra was special. If she wanted to, she could fly and when she did, she had a pink glow about her."

Sora scratched his collarbone. "Wait, I remember a pink light before I passed out. That must have been the magicite. Your friend protected us from being drawn into that black hole."

Locke squeezed the magicite. "Maybe there is hope for her after all."

Goofy waved at the gem. "Thank you, Terra."

The pink fire in the gem flickered and then faded. Locke put the magicite in his pocket.

"Hey, Sora," Donald began, "maybe we can take Locke to a princess of light. Maybe they can help bring Terra back to normal."

"What do you say, Locke? Down to stick with us for a little longer?"

Locke smirked. "I'm always up for an adventure."


Gadget was the "build if first, then test it" sort. While Professor Drake, Chip and Dale brainstormed and worked on blueprints in the gummi hanger, Gadget preferred to be out and about, making things. And that was how Kairi, Max, Huey, Dewey and Louie found themselves on the edges of Disneytown.

Hauling wooden trollies full of all kinds of materials and tools, they stopped on a wide field of hills and flowers. Gadget jumped off Kairi's shoulder, diving into the materials. She pulled out an oversized remote control, jumped off the trolly, and started pacing in the grass.

"Now I just need to figure out the right coordinates for the test flight and then we can begin the experiment."

Huey, Dewey and Louie fussed about Gadget, listening to her every demand as she began putting something together out of spare parts. It was like watching a surgeon demand tools while they worked. Pretty soon, clinks, clangs and hammering drowned out Gadget's voice as she worked.

While the triplets worked with Gadget, Max checked the perimeter. He came back with two other dog guards. One of them was a tall and thin knight with a mohawk of red hair, and the other was a plump knight who looked around anxiously, his black fur sticking up.

"Are you sure about this, Max?" said the portly guard. "We're supposed to be on guard duty."

Max waved him off. "Relax, PJ. You said it yourself. Nothing happens out in the fields."

"Yeah, take it easy bro-oh," said the mohawk guard, "embrace the chill."

"But we shouldn't leave our posts."

"You're telling me you want to miss this? This could be our chance to see if we can travel between worlds."

The anxious dog looked around and spotted Kairi. Clearing his throat, he stood straight and saluted.

"Ma'am. Sir PJ, at your service."

"Relax Peej, she's with me."

Mohawk guard whistled. He bowed in front of Kairi. "Intros are in order. The name's Bobby Zimmeruski, knight of Disney Castle."

Kairi looked at the two knights. Bobby gave her a wide grin, his cheeks pressing against his round, beady glasses. PJ ducked his head shyly. There was a war hammer attached to PJ's back. Bobby held a spear in his hand.

Kairi reached over and pulled one of Max's swords out of the scabbard at his hip.

"Hey!"

"Nice to meet you guys. What do you say to a quick sparring match until Gadget and the boys are finished setting up the experiment."

Bobby held out his spear. "A little spar-age. Nice." He howled like a wolf.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea," PJ said. "We should be stopping fights, not starting them."

Max ignored PJ. "I'll fight the winner."

While Bobby and Kairi practiced, PJ decided it was better to help Gadget with her tinkering. The dual ended with Kairi knocking Bobby's spear out of his hand.

"Total bum-age. Yo, Maximilian." Bobby stretched out each syllable in Max's name. "She fights like you do."

"With mad skills?"

"No. Cheap."

Max bowed to Kairi. "I have taught you well."

"What?" PJ stomped forward. "You taught her how to use a sword but you gave up teaching me?"

Max shrugged. "Hey, she's a quick learner." Then put his hand on his chin. "Either that or we've spent way longer training in Mary's timeless painting then I thought."

"That didn't answer my question, Max."

Max stammered and then pointed over PJ's shoulder. "Hey, look's like Gadget is done!"

The group gathered around the tiny mouse. Gadget and the ducklings had assembled a mini gummi ship as well as ramp to help the rocket shoot off into the sky.

Huey and Dewey unrolled a set of blueprints and notes on the ground. Gadget walked on top the paper.

"I think I've followed Professor Drake's instructions well enough. Though I did add a few tweaks. I mean who builds a spaceship without a grabby claw."

Gadget rotated and pressed buttons on her remote control. "All right, stand clear of the ramp. Beginning gummi ship piercing test number one. Huey, take notes."

Huey held a notepad and pen. "Ready."

"Ten seconds to launch!"

Kairi crossed her fingers. Gadget counted. The mini gummi ship's thrusters came to life.

Three, two, one.

Gadget slammed her feet on the red button on the remote control. The ship launched, shooting through the air like a firework. They watched as the rocket cut through the clouds, vanishing.

Gadget was glued to her remote control, watching a little blip on the pink radar.

"How's it looking?" asked Huey.

"Still gaining altitude," Gadget said. "It hasn't reached the edge of the world yet. Just a little farther. I hope you're keeping time."

Gadget's remote control exploded. She flew up into the air. Max thrust his hands out and caught her before she started falling. Shaking the soot off her head, Gadget stood, completely fine.

The group stared at the mouse, stunned.

Gadget shrugged. "Oh well, back to the drawing board." She jumped off Max's hands, landing on the blueprints. "Now what could have gone wrong? Maybe it needs better stability? I did follow all of the professor's instructions. Or could it have been my add ons?"

"Um, Gadget," PJ began, "what exactly happened?"

"No big deal really. The test ship just exploded upon reaching the world wall is all."

The triplets quacked. "Exploded?"

"Yep. Into pieces. We're going to need a tougher ship. Or at least a more intricate wall piercing system."

Max and Kairi hung their heads. "Total bum-age."

Bobby nodded. "Right on, my dudes."

Gadget jumped onto Louie's notepad and looked at the data he had written. "Don't look so down. The ship was able to reach the edge of the world. That's pretty good for the first run. Now we just need to test, tweak and keep going until we strike gold."

She looked up at all the defeated faces. "Or are all of you giving up."

"Never!" Max and Kairi said.

"Good. Let's do another test run and then get Huey's data back to the professor."


Jiminy's Journal

Dr. Delbert Doppler (First Appeared in Treasure Planet, 2002): Longtime family friend of Jim's mother. Though a bit clumsy, both socially and physically, Doppler is highly knowledgeable about astronomy and cares for Jim deeply. He is not afraid of adventure, though his lack of experience in it makes him contest with Captain Amelia at times.

Peter Pete Jr. (First Appeared in Goof Troop, 1992): A knight at Disney castle and one of Max's best friends. His buddies affectionately call him "PJ" or "Peej." PJ is too honest and nervous to act out, though he still gets dragged along to break the rules whenever Max and Bobby "break" the rules. Still, it's good to have him around to act as the voice of reason.

Robert Zimuruski (First Appeared in A Goofy Movie, 1995): A super chill knight at Disney Castle, Bobby's laid back attitude makes him more agreeable when playing hooky. He likes to hype up his teammates and has no problem getting into all sorts of trouble.

Gadget Hackwrench (First Appeared in Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, 1990): A cheerful inventor that doesn't let failure stop her from building. She has a naturally curious mind that allows her to easily tinker with all manner of things, from robots to rockets. She helps Chip and Dale in the gummi hanger from time to time, but has agreed to work with Professor Ludvig Von Drake to create a new gummi ship.