DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: "IT'S A PLAN! IT'S A PLANE! IT'S... SILENT E-MAN!"
NO! It's ME - HERE WITH CHAPTER 34!
So, HERE I AM! It has been less than one week, and still, I AM BACK!
Yes, yes! I know I used yet another Between The Lions joke up there! The Cliff-Hangar & Silent-E were ALWAYS my Favorite parts!
As it just so happens, I decided to include a Special piece of TRIVIA in THIS CHAPTER!
DID YOU KNOW? Walt Disney had ALWAYS wanted to make a Mickey Mouse Feature Film - IN COLOR! Once Donald Duck and Goofy came along, he wanted to include all three together. He and his artists came up with THREE concepts to use.
(1.) NO ONE REMEMBERS WHAT THIS STORY WAS! - It is believed to be something along the lines of a "Fairy Tale".
(2.) JACK AND THE BEANSTALK! - This one became the featurette "MICKEY AND THE BEANSTALK (1947)", but it was never a Feature Film.
(3.) THE THREE MUSKETEERS! - This one was initially dropped due to the story requiring FOUR Characters . Walt Disney's nephew, Roy E. Disney, later discovered this concept from his uncle's notes and used it to create "MICKEY, DONALD, GOOFY - THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2004)".
As you are ALREADY well aware, THE COUNTRY OF THE MUSKETEERS is based on a movie inspired by the THIRD CONCEPT LISTED HERE! Most of this information I learned while watching the BONUS FEATURES on the DVD of said movie, while the rest I found out about through some research.
NOW that you know "MICKEY, DONALD, GOOFY - THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2004)" fulfilled Walt Disney's dream of a Mickey Mouse Feature Film,...
...LET'S TAKE THE TIME TO READ CHAPTER 34! ALSO, READ AND REVIEW ALIKE - PLEASE!
CHAPTER 34
Protecting The Princess
With a deep breath, Sora reopened his eyes and let out a relaxed sound. As a large smile started to cover his face again, he felt a slight bump as the carriage gently bounced along the dirt road. To his right, the brown-haired Keyblade wielder could see Riku sitting with one leg in and the other stretched out; his eyes appeared to be closed as he was taking in the clean air. Violet sat on the far end with her legs outstretched and knees bent; her upper body was hunched over with her left wrist set upon her left knee and right hand upon her right cheek. One look at the angel's facial expression and Sora began wondering if she had sensed the Darkness coming from Crystal's scar. Other than that, Riku had later informed Sora how the young woman's heart was "filled with a strong Light no Darkness could easily remove". Sora's response had been "Why?" — Riku had only shrugged in return.
Glancing behind the three, Sora spotted Crystal holding on to the handle at the rear of the golden-yellow carriage between Mickey and Donald. Mickey took a deep breath and said aloud, "Isn't this Musketeering stuff great?"
Crystal nodded while a thrilled Donald replied, "You bet!"
Sora had to shake his head and give another smile. Recalling how Mickey had gently helped Princess Minnie into the carriage, Sora had taken note of how Donald had then wanted to assist the princess's Lady-In-Waiting, Daisy. Sora had only met Daisy once; the latter had chased Donald in anger for neglecting to remember their "date" and not "checking in" every now and then. All Sora could do was smirk when Daisy had turned away from Donald's "shy" smile and mutter, "I don't think so."
Once Goofy had helped Daisy into the carriage, he had gently shut the door and marched over to the front. Along the way, he had tripped over the two horses' reins and gotten tangled in the middle. It had taken Crystal, Mickey, and Sora to untangle him. This mishap had reminded Sora of the time Goofy had been struck on the head by a flying piece of stone. Even though the knight had shoved King Mickey out of harm's way, he had been knocked unconscious before being sent flying backwards and slamming head-first into a wall of blue stone. It had initially appeared Goofy had been "killed" in the incident, which had led King Mickey to throw his black-hooded coat aside and charge into battle with his Keyblade. Donald went off in a state of rage while a depressed Sora had followed shortly. When it was later revealed how Goofy had only been out cold, everyone was relieved — except for Donald, who then slammed his magical staff onto Goofy's foot and yelled at him to "never do that again!" Goofy's overall remark was, "I get bumped on the head all the time", which was interesting as Sora had also heard the knight mutter how the impact had "really hurt". Clearly, Goofy was just plain clumsy.
Turning to face the front of the carriage, Sora covered his face to prevent himself from bursting out with laughter. There sat Goofy with his back to the others. With the reins secured in his left fingers, the tall dog was reading a book. The title was written on the top of the left page,
THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO MUSKETEERING
This only forced Sora to muffle his laughter all the more. It was no surprise to him to see Goofy reading such a random book; Goofy had always seemed to possess a form of absent-mindedness alongside his clumsiness. Talk about silly!
Before Sora could contemplate over anything else, a series of violent footsteps could be heard from behind. Judging from the pacing of the steps, Sora concluded a creature of some sort was running quickly towards the carriage. He whirled his head around, only to notice how almost everyone else had done the same. Several feet behind the carriage was a creature that resembled the king of the dinosaurs; a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The creature had orange skin, yellow claws, glowing blood-red eyes, and light-red sharp teeth. In a state of alarm, Sora shouted, "It's a Nightmare!"
Mickey hollered, "Bad guy!"
Donald fainted in his spot from shock. From the front, a puzzled Goofy reciprocated, "Bad… guy?"
The carriage started to roll along at a faster pace, which indicated to Sora how the pair of horses dragging the carriage along had been frightened. They had good reason to be; the Nightmare was rapidly approaching. Mickey was about to draw his sword when the monster leapt into the air and slammed itself into the carriage. Mickey and Donald were thrown off in a flash while Goofy's book went flying into the air and banged into the back of Riku's head. The silver-haired youth rubbed his head while Sora summoned his Keyblade in no time. With a glare in his eyes, Sora declared, "We've gotta protect the carriage!"
Riku kicked the book to the side of the roof before summoning his own Keyblade. "No matter what happens!" he stated in agreement.
Violet and Crystal's weapons were out seconds later. Through the corner of his eye, Sora noticed how Crystal's Keyblade's hexagon-shaped handle was a sky-blue and her blade was yellow like the sunlight shining down. He even heard her call out, "I'm helping you all out! Don't talk me out of it! I always end up winning!"
Sora and the others nodded in reply. They turned their entire attention to the Nightmare. The creature sent a burning sphere of matter soaring straight for the group. Before anyone could dodge it, Crystal raised her left hand toward it; the fireball was sent flying back when a strange, blue-white shield appeared and reflected it. The ball of flames crashed into the monster and sent it recoiling for a few moments.
Sora was so amazed, he asked, "How'd you do that?!"
With a determined look in her eyes, Crystal answered, "It's called 'Magic'! Surely you've used some before?"
Sora gave a nod back. The two's focus shifted around when Violet declared, "It is charging this way!"
The four watched in horror as the Nightmare rushed up to the carriage at lightning speed. Riku shouted, "Grab the railing!"
The four grasped the handrail seconds before the enemy slammed into the carriage for the second time, sending Goofy's book flying into the air. The whole world seemed to be moving at a snail's pace as the book went flying straight into the Nightmare's open jaws. In a bright flash of Light, the dinosaur-resembling creature exploded into a flurry of bubbles that drifted away — taking the book with them.
Sora shook his head and smiled. "Guess those textbooks are good for something."
"Knowledge is true control," Violet approved. "Remember what Merlin said before?"
"Right," Sora rapidly acknowledged. His famous smile showed up while Riku shook his head. It was clear Sora would solely use books for throwing at enemies rather than for reading.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Crystal spoke up. "But you're all true friends. Are you not?"
"Of course we are!" Riku stated firmly.
"What'd you expect?" Sora added, pounding the left side of his chest with his right fist.
Crystal smiled for a few seconds before it faded and she turned around. The group glanced at each other in perplexity. Had they said something they shouldn't have? Or was the concept of "true friends" bothering Crystal for some reason?
"Hey Crystal," Sora started to say.
Crystal whirled around and shook her head in a hurry. "Never mind! It doesn't matter," she said rapidly.
Sora, Riku, and Violet paused in silence. The sound of music filled the air. To everyone's surprise, it almost sounded like an instrumental version of the song "Pop Goes The Weasel" was being performed inside the carriage. As it ended, an audible SLAM could be heard. To the surprise of the four, Goofy was bouncing along the ground beside the carriage. Curious to know what had caused the tall dog to fall off the vehicle, the group swung their eyes toward the front.
They were greeted by a series of sinister chuckles. Standing upon the roof were a trio of dog-like individuals wearing black masks over their eyes. They were dressed in black clothing from head to toe. They each wore a black cloak possessing a hood that was fastened by a gray-colored, circular clip on each of their chests. Two of the figures were about as tall as Sora while the third was about half their height. All three were wielding sharp-pointed swords with hand-guards — just like the ones the Musketeers used. Together, the three called out, "Make way for the Beagle Boys!"
Sora was astounded. Not once had Donald, Goofy, nor King Mickey told him about such peculiar individuals. In fact, the three strongly resembled thugs from the Fourteenth Century. The two tall ones had spoken in deep voices while the short one's was somewhat scraggly. "Huh?! The… Beagle Boys?"
"They are gonna be nothing but trouble," Riku said, re-summoning his Keyblade.
"We'll be lightin' your load by this one princess," one of the taller Beagle Boys said.
"Be like those Musketeers and scram!" the other tall one added with an evil smirk.
"That's right!" the short one nodded.
Before anyone could react, Crystal summoned her Keyblade, strode forward, and announced, "Okay! On guard!"
One of the taller Beagle Boys looked offended. "En guard?! French words make me mad!"
He shoved his sword in the direction of the young woman. Crystal blocked it, only to lose her balance as the carriage immediately hit a large bump in the road. As Crystal was sent flying off, Violet soared away to retrieve her. In the meantime, Sora shouted, "Violet! Crystal!"
"Hit the road!" the second Beagle Boy snapped. He swiped his sword at Riku. The silver-haired teenager jumped backwards to avoid it and ended up tumbling on the roadway. Sora was astonished to see his best friend accidentally leaping overboard just to avoid getting hit by a simple sword.
Sora would've summoned his Keyblade, too. Unfortunately, the shortest Beagle Boy had darted forward and slammed his whole body into the brown, spikey-haired Keyblader. "Take that!"
The impact had been plenty to send Sora flying into the air. He bounced upon the dirty road for a few seconds before landing at the base of a leafless tree. His head slammed into the trunk with such force, it left him stunned. As his eyes closed up and his vision blurred, Sora saw a terrified Princess Minnie and Daisy peering through the rear window of the carriage as it rode on with the Beagle Boys assuming control of the reins.
"Sora? Why haven't you finished your homework?"
"Sorry, Mom! But I've gotta see the sunset on the island. Riku and Kairi are waiting for me!"
"What about that pile of crumpled paper on your bed?"
"I'll clean it up later! I'm gonna be late."
"Sora… what am I going to do with you?"
As Sora's eyes finally reopened, he saw Riku standing over him while Violet was knelt down at eye level. The two were looking at him with what appeared to be concern.
"Sora? Are you injured?" Violet inquired.
Sora's answer was a tad groggy. "Not… really. What… happened… to make… you say… something like that?"
"You're lying against that tree," Riku explained. He smirked a small grin. "Just like when you lay across the Paupu Tree."
"What is a 'Paupu Tree'?" Violet questioned, rising to her feet. The angel's face was full of confusion. Riku's hesitation to reply made her cross her arms.
It was then Sora's eyes were wide and he leapt to his feet. Riku and Violet jumped back when the sixteen-year-old's eyes started darting around in alarm. "Where's the carriage?!"
"Gone," Riku informed his friend. "Those three 'Beagle Boys' have kidnapped the princess."
Violet nodded before something apparently caught her eye. Gazing to the left, the Angel of Dreams pointed into the distance. "Look over there!"
Turning their heads to see what the angel had, Sora and Riku took note of four figures strolling along; Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Crystal were walking in the direction of the others. From the looks on Mickey, Donald, and Goofy's faces, they were heavily discouraged. Sora cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Your Maj—!"
Instantly remembering how he had learned earlier that the dreams were probably showing events that had taken place before Mickey Mouse had become the King of Disney Castle, he speedily corrected himself, "Mickey!"
Mickey looked up and yelled back, "Sora!"
In no time, Sora, Riku, and Violet were reunited with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Crystal. After explaining to the others about the Beagle Boys and the abduction of Princess Minnie and Daisy, Crystal told Sora, "Don't be sorry! It wasn't your fault those bandits were stronger than they seemed!"
Mickey sighed, "Now how are we gonna protect the princess?"
"'Protect the princess'?!" Donald exclaimed. "Are you kidding?! It's hopeless! We failed!"
"'Hopeless'?" Goofy repeated as tears started to flood his eyes. "'Failed'?"
At once, Goofy began wailing and his tears came flowing out like a fountain. The sight made Riku nearly jump back in surprise. Donald handed Goofy the edge of the latter's tunic and said, "Aww! There, there, pal! Here! Blow!"
As Goofy blew his nose into his own tunic, Sora shook his head. Not only had Goofy been sobbing dramatically, but he had used his Musketeer uniform as a tissue. This sight made Sora start to feel bad for the group of Musketeers. Based on what Violet had told Riku and him shortly after the carriage had set off, it was important to keep in mind how everyone was still a figment of the dream and it would take its course according to the world's memories of what had actually taken place. Either way, that hadn't prepared him to see such sights.
"Welp," Mickey declared, suddenly getting serious. "I don't think we're hopeless! The captain's got faith in us!"
"He does?" Goofy asked a moment later. A brief pause followed before he added with a smile. "I mean, he does!"
"Yes," Crystal agreed. "He made you three Musketeers after all."
"Yeah!" Donald approved as his smile returned. "We're Musketeers!"
"That's right!" Mickey emphasized. "Just like we dreamed when we were kids! So, whadda ya say? Are we a team?"
Goofy saluted. "Count me in, Mickey!"
"Me too!" Donald stated with a salute of his own. "Me too!"
"Don't forget I'm here to help," Crystal reminded them.
"Happy to help!" Sora agreed, placing his hands behind his head and smiling.
Riku nodded when Violet stated, "Riku and I will provide assistance to resolve this dilemma!"
When everyone stared at the angel, Riku clarified, "She means we'll help out."
"Alrighty!" Mickey declared, drawing his sword. "We're off to save the princess! No obstacle too big! No danger too great!"
"You said it!" Donald shouted in agreement.
Mickey finished, "Together we'll save the princess or die tryin'!"
As everyone started to rush along down the roadway, Donald mumbled to himself, "Die? Die… "
Nearly two hours had passed before the group rounded a curve in the road. To their surprise, the golden carriage was sitting on the side. Goofy was the first to speak, "Hey! There's the carriage!"
While Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Crystal rushed over to check if Princess Minnie and Daisy were safe, Sora, Riku, and Violet found themselves standing a short distance away to survey the terrain — just in case the troublesome Beagle Boys were hiding somewhere close by and had set a trap. To keep their lookout position, they had climbed to the top of the hill overlooking the carriage.
Gazing across the almost-desolate landscape of sharp curves, dirt hills, and dried trees lacking any sign of leaves, Riku assumed the entire region had been under a serious drought for a long while. A small pit of tar-like mud was located roughly twenty yards down the road and off to the side. The only landmark around was an old, wooden tower constructed on the opposite side of the river running along through the middle of the countryside. A long, wooden bridge connected the tower to the other side, where the road led back around the hilltops to where the carriage had been found. Beyond where the bridge was, Riku thought he could make out the edge of a waterfall alongside a cliff. If those Beagle Boys were lurking anywhere in the area, they probably had a hideout in the tower. For all he knew, it could very likely be their base of operations…
"Sora! Riku! Violet!" Crystal called out from below.
The three peered down from above only to see Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all gathered around where Crystal stood a few feet from the carriage. Using her right hand to project her voice, the young woman added, "The carriage is empty. Is there any sign of her up there?"
"Nope," Sora admitted. "There's no sign of her or the Beagle Boys. It's like they disappeared."
"Not quite," Riku broke in. He pointed in the direction of the bridge. "There's a tower up ahead. They might've taken her there."
After Sora, Riku, and Violet had clambered down the hill, Riku said, "We'll reach the tower if we follow this road."
Everyone else nodded. Mickey stated, "Yup! She's counting on us to come to the rescue."
"Yeah!" Donald agreed with pride. "Cause we're Musketeers!"
"And we're gonna be the ones to save her!" Mickey approved with a strong determination to his voice.
As Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Crystal took off running down the roadway, Riku heard Sora shout, "Hey! Aren't you forgetting someone?"
The whole sight made Riku shake his head and smile. This was no different to how he had imagined Sora responding to Donald and Goofy's "hasty" behavior. He followed Sora and Violet as they trailed Mickey and the others straight up to the tower's entrance.
Violet was starting to get impatient. Mickey and Donald had been yanking on the door-handle of the tower for what felt to be several minutes. Still, the door hadn't budged even a tad. Sora, Riku, and Crystal were waiting with the angel further down the bridge. Beside them, Goofy was awaiting the opportunity to charge into the tower and save Princess Minnie and Daisy in the blink of an eye.
"Hey Goof," Mickey finally groaned. "This door won't budge!"
"Let me give it a go!" Goofy declared before dashing over with high speed. His legs became a blur of movement and a trail of dust was sent flying behind him.
Violet continued to watch as an impatient Donald slammed his fist onto the door. To the surprise of the others, the old, wooden door opened slightly. A relieved Mickey called, "Goofy, wait! We got—!"
The mouse's words went unheard as Goofy rushed through the open doorway and straight up the tower's steps. A few seconds later, he went sailing through a glass window at the top before disappearing from sight. All Violet could think of doing was rolling her eyes. When Goofy went soaring across the sky a few more times, the sight made everyone assume he was criss-crossing it. Finally, Goofy went flying through the same window again and soon emerged at the still-open doorway of the tower. Violet, Sora, Riku, and Crystal hurried over to ensure Goofy was alright. A slightly-stunned Goofy replied, "Uh… door's open… "
Violet gently slapped her face with her right hand. After having bounced around through the air along with a series of other random actions, Goofy was unaware he hadn't opened the door and instead had darted through an open doorway and straight inside the tower. Apparently, the impact of falling down the tower's stairs had caused him to lose track of what had occurred.
"C'mon," Sora spoke up. "Let's rescue the princess!"
"And Daisy, too," Goofy agreed, coming back to his conscious state. From the corner of her eye, Violet noticed Donald's cheeks starting to turn a reddish color.
Before long, Sora, Riku, and Violet were following Crystal and the three Musketeers up the long, spiral staircase within the tower. As they climbed higher and higher, Violet began counting the number of floors they were walking up. Within three minutes, they had passed the thirty-fifth floor. From all accounts, the steps seemed endless. When the angel finally reached the number "forty", her necklace started to glow.
"What is it?" Sora inquired, spinning around. The rest of the group did the same.
"I am not certain," Violet answered. "It must be a flashback."
A beam of Light shone from the necklace onto the far wall of the tower. A rectangular-shaped projection appeared with an image showing the trio of Beagle Boys with a tied Princess Minnie and Daisy. From the looks of the surroundings, the bandits were nearing the top floor of the tower.
"Oi!" one of the taller Beagle Boys exclaimed. He turned around to face the other two. "What'll we do about them Musketeers?"
"We's eighty-seven floors up," the other tall one replied. "It'll be hours before theys on us!"
"Yeah," the short Beagle Boy agreed. "But… what can we do to slow 'em down?"
"I gots an idea!" the first Beagle Boy announced with an evil grin. He pointed at a pile of wooden barrels and crates stacked upon the floor. "Shorty, roll them barrels down the steps. That'll keep 'em busy for a while!"
The shorter Beagle Boy turned around to face the pile. "All of them?!"
"Oi!" the first Beagle Boy shouted. "Just hurry up and do it!"
The short one's expression became an evil grimace. "Yeah!"
As the image faded and the projection disappeared, Violet heard Crystal yell, "Look out!"
Violet swung her head towards the stairs; Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy did the same. Bouncing down the steps was a number of wooden barrels. Realizing they were headed straight for the group, the Musketeers, Crystal, Sora, and Riku leapt to the side of the stairwell, leaving Violet to use her wings to hover over the oncoming obstacles. The barrels continued to bounce down the stairs before falling through an open window the procession had passed a few minutes before.
"That was too close," Sora muttered.
Riku nodded. "You're not kidding."
"There might be more on their way," Violet informed the group as she set her feet upon the steps once more. "Try to focus! The princess is depending on us!"
"Yup!" Mickey agreed. Donald and Goofy gave nods in turn.
"Let's continue," Crystal stated. "There's only one way up and that's where those criminals must be hiding."
In a matter of seconds, the group was hurrying up the stairs at almost the speed of light. Like Violet had predicted, some more barrels came bouncing down the stairs every few minutes. Each time, the group either rushed to the side of the stairwell or attempted to leap over the obstacles that coming down too roughly to avoid from the sides. At one point, Goofy tripped over one of the barrels, sending him crashing into Donald and finally into Sora. The three were sent slamming into the railing, where they were lifted to their feet by the others. Violet had noticed Riku giving a smirked expression. The angel concluded this was how the silver-haired seventeen-year-old Keyblade wielder had imagined Sora behaving around Donald and Goofy. From all she had heard, Violet had learned Sora had travelled on multiple quests with Donald and Goofy, so seeing the three of them colliding into each other was probably as un-ironic as ever.
Finally, the group reached the top of the seemingly-endless spiral staircase. The Musketeers and Crystal panted for several seconds while Sora, Riku, and Violet summoned their Keyblades. From up above, the Beagle Boys were standing in a small room with the tied Princess Minnie and Daisy locked in a small birdcage hanging in the middle of the ceiling.
"Hold it right there," Mickey panted out an order. "You… you… fiends!"
The Beagle Boys looked pleased to see the group approaching them. "Let's have some fun with these blighters, eh?" one said to the others.
"Let's get 'em!" Mickey declared, drawing his sword. Donald and Goofy drew their own swords seconds after.
With a slight gust of wind, Crystal summoned her Keyblade. "Prepare to meet defeat!" she yelled with determination.
"Oi!" One of the taller Beagle Boys shouted as the three drew their swords. They rushed down the short ramp above the spiral staircase. The clanging of steel could be heard as Mickey and Goofy rushed forward and started to clash weapons with two of the bandits. Crystal joined Sora, Riku, and Violet as they fought the short one. From the corner of her eye, Violet thought she saw Donald running down the stairs — his eyes had turned yellow with fear and his feathers resembled a chicken.
Sora swung his weapon at the short Beagle Boy, who immediately countered and nearly stabbed the former's chest. Riku rushed in with his Keyblade and tried to hold the criminal off while Violet snuck in from above. Crystal swiped her own Keyblade at the bandit, only to get struck in the right arm. Although no sign of anything red appeared, the young woman was wincing in pain. Sora was so shocked to see someone getting injured, he hadn't seen the short Beagle Boy pull out a curved scimitar like the one Aladdin had used back in Agrabah. The bandit was about to slice his head off when Crystal rushed forwards and slashed her weapon through the criminal. He was stunned long enough for the group to force him up the ramp and into the tower's upper chamber.
Violet smiled, knowing the tide might be turning…
Inside the single chamber at the top of the tower, Sora and his friends found Mickey and Goofy battling the other two Beagle Boys. One of them had used his taller height to keep Mickey from reaching him while Goofy was still trapped in a continuous delivery of slashes and strikes with the other.
"Hey pal," the Beagle Boy asked, pointing out the nearby glass window. "Is that Halley's Comet?"
"'Halley's Comet'?" an excited Goofy asked in amazement. He glanced out the window. "Where?"
The distraction had been plenty to allow the bandit the chance to pull Goofy's hat over his eyes. Unaware of where he was going, Goofy's sword slipped from his hands and he started to wobble around. The very sight of the tall dog wandering around the room aimlessly took the attention of Sora, Riku, Violet, Crystal, and the Beagle Boy they had been fighting. Before their eyes, Goofy bumped into Mickey, and caused the mouse to drop his sword down the tower's staircase shaft. Down it went, spiraling out of sight.
Worried at seeing Mickey and Goofy defenseless, and noticing how Donald was nowhere around, Sora, Riku, and Violet turned their attention to the other two Beagle Boys. In response, the pair of taller criminals loudly proclaimed, "Now it's your turns!"
The fight resumed with Crystal standing off to the side (her arm was still giving painful sensations). Sora darted around fighting each Beagle Boy one-by-one. Riku slashed his Keyblade through two of the criminals, leaving Violet time to slam her Keyblade into each of them. Even though the Beagle Boys would have been expected to fight as a team, they were continuing to wander off at the sight of seeing Sora, Riku, and Violet acting like a real team in comparison. When one of the taller ones finally collapsed from exhaustion, the other two ran off. In the end, Sora and his friends managed to stop each Beagle Boy one-by-one by wearing them out from too much moving around.
"Yay!" Mickey cheered once the Beagle Boys had been rendered unconscious. "We did it!"
Goofy nodded with a chuckle. "A-Hyuck!"
Sora beamed as he placed his hands behind his head. "Of course! We're happy to help!"
Riku smirked a grin while Violet shook her head. Crystal smiled as she strode across the floor. Her arm appeared to have healed some as she was no longer letting it hang to the side. Before she could congratulate the three, her eyes darted to the area behind them. "It's not over yet!" she called.
Goofy gazed in the same direction before exclaiming, "It's the bad guys!"
Whirling around, Sora, Riku, and Violet were appalled. Across the room stood the infamous Beagle Boys. The three had recovered from their worn-out selves a few minutes before. Now they had their swords drawn and were ready to re-enter the battle.
"Thought we'd go down easy-peasy, eh?" one of the tall ones asked with a glare in his eyes.
"Let me get 'im!" the short one added.
"It's all over!" the third (tall one) finished. "Looks like you blokes got in over your heads!"
Sora and his friends rapidly summoned their Keyblades. "All right!" Sora snarled. "We can do this all day!"
"And you still won't win," Riku added with a glare aimed at the trio.
"You can count on those facts!" Violet declared in turn.
At that moment, Goofy exclaimed, "Aha!"
Mickey and the others gazed in the tall dog's direction. "What're you plannin', Goof?" Mickey inquired.
Goofy leaned in and whispered, "I've got an idea-r! Ya with me?"
"You bet!" Mickey whispered back.
In the blink of an eye, Goofy grabbed Mickey and shouted, "Hot soup! Comin' through!"
Goofy ran clear through the Beagle Boys, knocking them aside like bowling pins. He ran straight through the same glass window as before, shattering glass everywhere. Everyone else rushed to the window where they spotted Goofy and Mickey soaring down the same way the tall dog had earlier.
One of the Beagle Boys murmured, "That was a bit of a bonnie. Wasn't it?"
"Man," an awestruck Sora marveled. "What a way to go!"
Further down below, the spectators watched as Goofy and Mickey landed upon a tree shaped like a claw on the land below. The impact caused the tree to bend back before launching the pair like a catapult clear across the sky. The two passed over the tower, forcing everyone inside to rush to the other side and watch the pair slam into the back of a cow grazing in a nearby field of lush, green grass. The irritated animal kicked them back into the air and sent them sailing over the tower once more. When the group reached the other side, they saw Mickey and Goofy were spinning around a windmill that sent them soaring back at the tower's window.
Anticipating the incoming pair, Crystal shouted, "Sidestep!"
Sora, Riku, Violet, and Violet leapt to the sides of the room moments before Mickey and Goofy crashed through the window and slammed into the startled faces of the Beagle Boys. The three criminals went flying through the window on the other side and straight down into the river below. The collision had caused such a racket, the birdcage fell from the ceiling and landed on the floor.
After Crystal had unlocked the cage with her Keyblade (per her own request), Sora gazed towards the window on the other side of the room. He smiled with relief, knowing Goofy's clumsiness had stopped the Beagle Boys and saved Princess Minnie and Daisy from harm. He turned back in time to see Mickey and Goofy regaining consciousness.
"Did we do it?" Goofy asked.
"Yeah!" Mickey cheered. "We did it! The three of us did it!"
Mickey and Goofy raised their hands and declared, "All for one, and—"
"Wait!" Mickey said in surprise. "Where's Donald?"
At that exact second, Donald came strolling up the ramp and into the chamber. With a look of astonishment on his face, the duck exclaimed, "We did it?! Hooray! We did it!"
"Excuse me?" Daisy asked.
The group turned their focus over to the two girls. Noticing the ropes keeping them tied, an anxious Mickey muttered, "Let me… kinda tight… "
Gently pulling on the knot, Mickey accidentally caused Princess Minnie's skirt to pop out and send the rope flying backwards with himself. He shyly said, "Oops!"
Princess Minnie only giggled in response and smiled cheerily. The whole sight made Riku smirk and shake his head. This was just like what Sora's reaction to Kairi was typically viewed as. Too bad the spikey-headed sixteen-year-old was usually competing with his best friend for her attention.
Everyone else watched as Princess Minnie said, "My hero!"
The two mice strolled down the steps, sharing gazes with a hint of emotion that made Sora smile, Donald and Goofy stare for a few moments before speedily covering their eyes, Riku shake his head, and Violet cross her arms with a smile of her own. Crystal saw the two walking off together and reached into a pocket on the side of her dress. Through the corner of his eye, Sora believed he saw the young woman holding a forest-green star-shaped trinket made from seashells. For some odd reason, the very sight made Sora automatically recall Kairi's pink lucky charm; it had been made from thalassic shells she had sown together with string. To make it nice, Kairi had even drawn a small smiley face on it.
"It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me!"
"Don't worry! I will!"
"Promise?"
"Promise!"
"Don't ever forget: wherever you go, I'm always with you."
Reaching into his pocket, Sora found himself holding that very trinket. He glanced at it before switching over to Crystal's. A few glances between the two, and he was sure they were of the same design. The only question was… how had Crystal obtained such an item? He noticed the young woman sighing deeply. Whatever the case was… Sora started to wonder if he should get involved in someone else's life.
The sun was just on the verge of touching the horizon. The early evening sky was turning into a dullish-red color as the shadows across the landscape continued to extend. Upon returning to the Musketeer's Training Yard, Sora, Riku, Violet, Crystal, and the Musketeers had parked the recovered carriage inside some stables close by before escorting Princess Minnie and Daisy into the wooden doorway at the facility. After that, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had split up to patrol the grounds. Donald was in charge of watching the doorway while Goofy would keep his eyes on the dirt-covered yard. Mickey was assigned to patrol the various corridors along the perimeter of the compound.
As for Sora, Riku, and Violet, they waited in the courtyard while Crystal grabbed a greenish-blue shoulder-bag. At the moment, the three were watching Crystal prepare to depart from the building.
"Where will you go now?" Sora inquired in curiosity.
"I don't know," Crystal answered. "Someplace where I can make some friends, I suppose…"
"But we're your friends, too!" Sora blurted.
"Yeah," Riku agreed. "'Friends for life'."
"Correct," Violet approved. "You are never alone."
Crystal smiled at the trio. When her eyes met Sora's she gave shy smirk. "You know, Sora," she began. "You have true friends. Look out for them."
Sora nodded in return. A moment later, Crystal stepped up to him and placed a piece of paper in his hands. Afterwards, she turned towards the archway outside. With a wave back, she called out, "See you later!"
Sora, Riku, and Violet all waved as Crystal calmly strolled through the gateway. A flash of Light could be seen for a few seconds after before an airplane-resembling vehicle came soaring into the sky above. From below, Sora and the others stared in wonder as the vehicle swooped through a strange portal-like sphere in the darkening sky. It disappeared from view moments before the sphere vanished from sight.
Alone in the clearing, Sora heard Riku and Violet muttering to each other about what had just taken place. At the same time, Sora unfolded the piece of paper in his hands. It was a photograph showing three individuals. One was a young woman he recognized as Crystal; another was a teenage girl with sand-colored hair who seemed to resemble his mom [Star Hikari]; the third was a young man wearing a green hat who was completely unfamiliar to him. On the back, some words had been scribbled on in green ink,
"THERE'S ALWAYS LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS!"
- CRYSTAL LING
Gazing up at the sky above, Sora's eyes filled with wonder. There was only one thought going through his mind.
'Who was that girl?!'
A/N: "Who WAS that girl?" Hmm... Might take some time for Sora to come up with a valid answer on THAT one.
Anyway, for those of you who have never seen "MICKEY, DONALD, GOOFY - THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2004)" before, most of the lines and even Goofy's actions at the tower are taken directly from the movie (and my memory of it). Of course, Crystal and Violet are STILL my ORIGINAL CHARACTERS - SO ARE THE TWO OTHERS IN THE PICTURE!
As it is, there are probably a MULTITUDE of Questions going through your head now after such a Chapter like THIS one was!
Let's see...
(1.) Why was Goofy reading that "strange" book?
(2.) Why did Crystal have an item like Kairi's good-luck charm?
(3.) Where did Mickey and Princess Minnie go?
(4.) Where was Daisy in KINGDOM HEARTS 3D?
(5.) Why was Crystal acting "depressed"?
(6.) What happened to the Beagle Boys?
(7.) Where did Crystal go?
(8.) Who were the two in the picture Crystal gave Sora?
Most importantly... WILL SORA GET ANY SLEEP TONIGHT?!
The ANSWERS to probably MOST of these (along with some unnamed others) are going to be revealed in the next two or three Chapters (depending on how long this world lasts for).
Nevertheless, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!
This is SoraLego278 saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!"