DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: HEY THERE! HI THERE! HO THERE! YOU'RE AS WELCOME AS CAN BE!
HELLO THERE! After nearly ONE Week, Chapter 35 is READY TO GO! In fact, I am planning to post at least One Chapter Each Week This Summer!
To start off, I wanted to say I was pleased by all the Reviews that have been coming in. If this keeps up, TWO Things will take place.
(1.) The Goal of 100 REVIEWS will be met - IN NO TIME!
(2.) The Chapters will get done MUCH SOONER AND BE MORE DETAILED LIKE "THIS" ONE IS!
Also, I noticed how some of you are probably wondering what the Answers to the Questions at the END of Chapter 34 were. Am I correct?
Well... unfortunately, I cannot REVEAL ALL THOSE ANSWERS! SOME OF THEM WILL PROBABLY BE ANSWERED IN THIS PARTICULAR CHAPTER!
Either way, I ALSO wanted to point out how I included another FINAL FANTASY Character somewhere in this Chapter! To give some assistance to those who may be struggling to figure out who the one in Chapter 31 was as well, BOTH Characters are from the games of the FINAL FANTASY 7 SERIES!
Of course, I WON'T be revealing who they are until closer to the END of this Story!
So, I assume I have bored you LONG ENOUGH! So, let's get on with Chapter 35!
One last thing, HAVE A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY! SAME FOR YOUR SUMMER/WINTER (For Southern Hemisphere)!
CHAPTER 35
Rescue From Mont Saint-Michel
Sora was restless. The sun had descended beyond the horizon and the cool, night air could be felt all around the open field. He saw the lights of yet another window in the compound turn on, which meant another group of Musketeers were most-likely inside getting ready for bed.
With an audible YAWN, Sora stretched his arms. It had only been approximately two and a half hours since Crystal had departed for the unknown, and still Sora was wondering why Crystal had sounded so depressed whenever the term "true friends" was used or referred to. Chances were that particular mystery would always be a mystery, unless… Mickey, Donald, and Goofy knew the reason. Perhaps it was time the spikey-headed Keyblade wielder questioned the three brand-new Musketeers.
As he strolled around the yard, Sora recalled what he had also recently learned from Goofy less than twenty minutes before. It appeared the trio had automatically been assigned to be Princess Minnie's bodyguards within minutes of becoming official Musketeers by their captain. From all accounts, the Captain of the Musketeers had often informed Mickey, Donald, and Goofy of all the reasons why the three couldn't be Musketeers. However, once the princess had requested some "Musketeer Bodyguards", the captain had rapidly chosen the three to take the job.
That's where Goofy's account got Sora stumped. Why would the Musketeer Captain suddenly choose three individuals he believed were never fit to be Musketeers in a million years? Sure, Princess Minnie had insisted on Musketeer Bodyguards. Still, the idea of choosing someone clearly unsuitable for a specific job failed to make any form of sense in the sixteen-year-old Keyblader's consistently wandering mind.
As Sora approached where Goofy was patrolling, he took into account how the latter was marching around in circles. His sword was positioned in his hand like he was shouldering a rifle. His feet were stepping at crooked angles in comparison to his body as he continued to chant, "Two… three… uh… four! A-Hyuck! Two… three… uh… four! A-Hyuck!"
The whole sight made Sora shake his head and smile. His friend had not changed in the least little amount from the time when these events in the dream had taken place and the moment when the two had first met with Donald back in Traverse Town. Earlier, Sora had noticed how Donald seemed to have altered very little, too. If he were to see the duck get into just one temper tantrum and start yelling during the remainder of his visit to the Sleeping version of the Country of The Musketeers, Sora would have enough evidence to confirm his belief.
"Say Goofy," Sora started to say. "Do you know if Crystal had any friends with sandy hair and green hats?"
Goofy turned to gaze at Sora. He paused for a second before squinting. "Mickey? Is that you?" he called out. "You sure are talkin' funny."
Sora was perplexed. Either Goofy assumed the brown-headed youth was Mickey Mouse or his mind was playing on himself. Sora crossed his arms to decide which one he should play along with. Then again, the whole sight could've been part of the dream itself.
At once, Goofy's face lit up with a large grin. "Hey!" he shouted, tossing his sword to the side. "Save some for me!"
A startled Sora watched in surprise as the tall dog jogged towards the still-open gate at the entrance to the courtyard. When Goofy ran though, Sora yelled, "Goofy! Where're you going?!"
There was no answer received; Goofy sped through the gate under the archway and turned to the right. After rounding the corner, the tall dog had seemingly disappeared.
Sora was both shocked and mystified. What could have driven Goofy to wander off in such a hurry? Was someone trying to lure him away to get to Princess Minnie? Were the Beagle Boys up to something and had drawn Goofy out of the training facility? Or… Sora's eyes grew in alarm. The stranger in the black coat had drawn Goofy away. Yet… why would that guy do such a thing? It didn't seem like him. Did it? Then again, he had kidnapped some members of the Cybersquad… tried to make Sora think his heart was a prison… given Vidia the power to control a Nightmare… used Nightmares disguised as Pinocchio to trick Riku, Violet, and Sora… informed Sora how Tron's world was not asleep… taken the map from the group and knocked Riku and Tigger into the chasm… and now he was luring Goofy away to drive Sora into yet another trap! That's when Sora realized he hadn't seen the stranger during his visit to the now-awakened world of Camelot. Had he even been there? Maybe Riku or Violet had seen him and just never told Sora about it.
Determined to ensure nothing happened to Goofy, Sora started to run towards the gate. A shout from an all-too-familiar voice stopped him, "Sora? Where are you heading?"
Sora spun around to see Violet swiftly gliding over from the wooden doorway on the opposite end of the field. She gently landed upon the ground about two feet from the spikey-headed teenager. She took a super-fast glance around the area. "Wait," the angel said. "Where has Goofy ventured off to?"
"I dunno," Sora replied. "He just sort of… took off."
"Hey!" The shout caused the two to turn their attention back toward the main building. Riku was rushing down the stairs beside the porch leading to the large doorway Donald was supposed to be guarding. The silver-haired Keyblade wielder stopped when he reached the pair. "Have you two seen Donald? He's missing."
Sora's eyes were wide with alert. "Really?! Goofy's run off, too!"
"Something tells me there is a connection between these two vanishings," Violet concluded. "The query is… what could it be?"
Riku placed his hand upon his chin. "Donald's hat's sitting on a plant shaped just like him. His sword was there, but he's nowhere in sight."
"Yeah," Sora acknowledged, crossing his arms. "Goofy suddenly ran out the gate. He said something about 'Mickey'."
Violet looked up in a hurry. Her eyes showed indication of concern. "That is it! Mickey could very likely be the next victim! We need to check on his security!"
Sora's puzzled expression caused Riku to sigh before translating. "Violet means Mickey might be danger. We have to protect him."
Sora nodded before the three headed for the main doorway. Just like Riku had claimed, the only indication Donald had been there was his hat and sword in a green bush cut to resemble the duck whenever he got terrified by something or other.
"There's something funny going on," Sora summarized.
At that moment, a large, golden dog with long, black ears and a green collar came dashing over. The group leapt back a few steps to make room for the canine. It didn't long for Sora's eyes to fill with recognition. "Pluto!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
Violet looked confused. "'Pluto'? I recollect that being the identity of a planet."
Riku shook his head. "The dog is named 'Pluto'," he explained. "He's Mickey's dog."
Violet crossed her arms. "That still lacks a valid explanation about why 'Pluto' is Mickey's pet and a planet… "
Riku had to smirk a grin. He had learned about the planet named "Pluto" in Science class. Whether or not there actually was a connection between the planet and the dog before their eyes, the silver-haired teenager didn't know.
A few seconds later, Mickey showed up; his eyes were full of astonishment and puzzlement. He glanced at the bush shaped like a startled Donald Duck before taking note of the presence of Sora, Riku, and Violet. "Where's Donald?" the mouse inquired.
"Gone," Riku responded. "Goofy left, too."
Mickey's expression transformed into one of worry. "They're gone?! But… why would they leave their posts?"
Before anyone could give an answer to the question, the sound of a whisper could be heard. Everyone swung their heads around the immediate area. When the sound occurred again, their eyes fell upon a marble square-shaped prism at the end of one of the handrails.
Mickey drew his sword. "You better come out of there… or I'm coming in after ya!"
A pair of shaky, white hands appeared on the side of the stone. Two light-blue colored eyes came into view from a white head covered in feathers. The group relaxed a little — it was only their friend, Donald.
"Donald?" Mickey put his sword away. "What's the big idea?! Come out from there! Why aren't you at your post?!"
Leaping out from his hiding place, Donald rushed over and grabbed Mickey by the collar. "We need to get Goofy and get outta here!" the duck exclaimed.
Mickey was more perplexed than ever. "Goofy? Where is he? He's not at his post either!"
"Yeah," Sora confirmed. "I was beginning to think he was with you."
Donald's eyes lit up with fear. "Oh no!" he exclaimed. "He's already got Goofy!"
"Wait!" Violet interrupted. "Who has Goofy?"
Mickey broke free from Donald's grasp. With a stern look in his eyes, the mouse declared, "Donald, are you nuts? What's going on?"
In a flash and with a series of garbled words, Donald shouted in a frenzy, "The captain's gonna kidnap Princess Minnie so he can become king cause he's really a bad guy and he has a secret lair — it's really dark and scary! So the point is, he's gonna kill us if we get in his way, so we should run now as far away as we can!"
One mere glance at the looks on Riku, Violet, Mickey, and Pluto's faces and anyone could tell they hadn't understood a single thing Donald had just told them. Even Sora's face was blank. As Pluto's tail drooped significantly, Mickey finally said, "Donald… I can't understand a word ya say."
"Could you try to talk in a clear and concise voice?" Violet asked, offering a suggestion.
An alarmed Donald instantly knew no one had comprehended what he had said and grabbed Mickey. The mouse's hat flew off his head and landed onto Pluto.
"Put me down!" Mickey yelled. "We can't leave our posts like this! What would the captain say?!"
"The captain is the bad guy!" Donald hollered back. He was about to rush down the stairs and sprint towards the gate when Mickey grabbed the railing and yanked himself out of the duck's hands. Seeing his friend had broken free, Donald screeched to a halt on the steps and turned to face the others. At this moment, Sora, Riku, and Violet approached the staircase. They nodded to each other to remain silent while the dreams continued to follow their usual patterns.
"Ya mean the captain's tryin' to kidnap the princess?" an astounded Mickey inquired.
"Exactly!" Donald approved.
Mickey now appeared to be hurt. "But he… he made us Musketeers."
"It was all a big lie," Donald stated.
"A lie?!" Mickey exclaimed in alarm. He glared at Donald with a look of determination in his voice. "Welp, lie or no lie, Musketeers don't ever run from danger!"
Holding up his uniform to make his point clear, Mickey added, "And as long as we wear these uniforms, neither do we!"
At the last line Mickey said, Donald smiled excitedly. "You said it!"
In the blink of an eye, Donald ripped his Musketeer uniform off to reveal a blue sailor suit with black buttons and some red and yellow stripes. He tossed a blue hat with a black ribbon onto his head before declaring, "It's every duck for himself!"
If the sight of seeing Donald change outfits so rapidly wasn't enough to make Sora smirk and shake his head for several seconds, it was the fact the duck seemed to lack the bravery Sora had always seen him possess. If he truly was a coward at heart, then Donald would never have fought Ansem — Xehanort's Heartless, let alone a simple black, bug-like Heartless with yellow eyes. He never would have been King Mickey's Royal Magician and instead would probably be living in a boat for the entire duration of his career — let alone his life. On the contrary, Donald had had enough courage to take down countless Heartless, Nobodies, and even stop Organization XIII. Therefore, why was Sora seeing the exact opposite of the duck he had come to know?
As Sora finished his deep contemplation, Donald was already down the steps and speeding for the gate. He came to a sudden halt when Mickey called out, "Donald! Wait! Together, we can stop the captain!"
"Yeah!" Sora agreed. "We're all in this together!"
Riku nodded. "Count me in!"
"I am certain I shall of some assistance for you all," Violet admitted in turn.
Mickey nodded. "Remember how we rescued the princess?"
Donald gulped a few times before gazing down at the ground. "I was hiding," he confessed.
Sora exchanged glances with his best friend and the Angel of Dreams. No wonder Donald had seemingly vanished during the battle against the Beagle Boys! He had turned into a chicken and dove for cover. However, he had also come to warn the group of the scheme he had somehow uncovered involving the Captain of the Musketeers. Something like that would've required…
"Hiding?" Mickey said, drawing Sora and the others away from their thoughts. He gave an encouraging smile. "Welp, tonight you came back to warn us, and that took courage, Donald."
Donald eyes were filling with tears and uncertainty. Taking this into consideration, Sora said, "Donald, we need your help."
"You might be just what we need," Riku added.
Violet reached out her right hand. "Please come back."
Mickey extended his own hand. "I'll be right beside you," he said, trying his personal best to sound as encouraging as possible. "Cause we're friends."
The next few seconds seemed to go on forever. Donald's eyes remained tearful and filled with concern. From what the group could tell, the duck seemed to be unsure whether or not he would run away or help them save Princess Minnie. Mickey's smile started to fade when Donald finally gave a reply.
"I just can't," the duck sighed deeply. "I'm sorry!"
Glancing back with tears in his eyes, Donald ran for the gate. Mickey tried to call him back, but it was in vain. All the mouse could do was watch sadly as his friend acted like a true coward and abandoned him during a time of need. Mickey's eyes started to tear up. He sighed, "Donald… "
Beside him, Mickey spotted Pluto holding the former's Musketeer hat. Mickey took it into his hands and placed it on his head. "Thanks, boy," he said.
Sora gave a simple shake of his head and looked down. The friend he had come to know as Donald Duck had just fled because he had discovered what the Captain of the Musketeers was up to. The duck wasn't courageous at all — he was a chicken. Perhaps that was the reason why he initially wasn't allowed to become a Musketeer? Goofy's clumsiness would most-certainly explain his inability to be a Musketeer. But what about Mickey? Sora couldn't arrive at a decent response.
Riku was deep in thought. Donald was coward; that much wasn't news to him. Goofy was easily distracted; no surprise there either. He once told the two how Sora hadn't chosen the "brightest friends", which only resulted in Donald snapping, "What do you mean by that?!" Even so, Riku began wondering if the two had actually been lured away by a trick from the guy in black? Perhaps there was a logical explanation for the dilemma after all!
The only thing moving around in Violet's mind was the identity of the Musketeer Captain. From what the fleeing Donald had said, the captain was plotting to overthrow Princess Minnie. Chances were he wanted to become king in her place. Yet, that didn't explain who the captain was. If only Donald had clarified such information, the group would automatically know who they were up against. Then again, perhaps Mickey could provide some answer to the growing number of questions.
"Donald will come back," Sora finally said. "He can't stay scared forever. I just know it!"
Mickey seemed to smile at Sora's statement. "Aw, thanks, Sora!"
"So," Riku stated. "The 'captain' is the culprit? What's his scheme?"
"That is a great question," Violet agreed. "I am wondering what the identity of this captain is."
"If the 'captain' is the one we need to stop," Sora summarized. "We need to know who he is and what he's up to."
At that precise second, Pluto started to sniff the air. He glared with an audible GROWL shortly after. Mickey asked, "What is it, boy?"
The sound of a sinister laugh filled the group's ears. They gazed this way and that. A voice followed, "Who am I? What am I up to?"
Spotting a strange silhouette lurking in the shadows beside the doorway and the duck-shaped bush, Violet pointed at it in astonishment. "Look! Someone is over there!"
The others spun their focus toward the silhouette. The same, deep voice they had heard moments before added, "I am right here, and I am up to plenty!"
With a glare on his face, Sora snarled, "Show yourself!"
With a series of steps and clomps, the silhouette moved into view. To the total surprise of the group, the figure was an enormous cat-like man wearing a red shirt, black pants, a black Musketeer hat sporting a white feather, and a large blue tunic just like Mickey, Donald, and Goofy's had appeared. He had a black boot on his left foot while his right foot had been replaced with a shiny-golden peg-leg. One look at the man was all it took for Sora and Riku to realize who it was.
"Pete?!" Sora and Riku proclaimed in alarm, summoning their Keyblades in the blink of an eye. Their eyes were full of shock and anger.
Violet was baffled. "You both know him, too?!"
"You bet we do!" Sora replied, not removing his eyes from the villain before them.
"One thing is for certain," Riku explained. "Pete will cause trouble in any world!"
With this knowledge in mind, Violet glared at the Musketeer Captain before summoning her Keyblade. When it failed to appear in her hand, the angel was shocked silent.
Pete's mouth fell wide open at seeing the two Keyblade wielders and the Angel of Dreams. "Whozzat?!" He gave an evil snicker. "Some strangers who're lookin' to be endangered!"
In a state of anger, Mickey marched up to Pete. Pete noticed him and laughed, "Well, well! If it ain't the one Musketeer!"
"Captain Pete," Mickey declared. "By the power vested in me as a Musketeer, I arrest you, mister!"
Pete gave another evil laugh in return. "That's a good one!"
Raising his right fist, the villain added, "How's about this? By the power invested in my fist, I clobber you!"
With a gasp of fright, Mickey attempted to draw his sword, only to end up punched in the head by Pete's giant fist. As the mouse fell flat upon the stone porch, Sora, Riku, and Violet whirled their attention towards him.
"Mickey!" Sora shouted in alarm.
Riku glared at Pete. "You won't get away with this!"
Pete laughed with an evil tone. "I already have!"
Violet pointed her Keyblade at the Musketeer Captain's neck. "You will not do any such actions! We hereby place you, Captain Pete, under arrest for treason!"
Pete gave a sinister-looking smirk. He turned his face to the left. "You!" he called out. "Mangle these yardsticks!"
In a flash, the three-hooded Beagle Boys stormed into the yard with their swords drawn. Sora and his friends were appalled. Now it was quite clear Pete was in charge of the Beagle Boys and had most-certainly sent them to try and abduct Princess Minnie and Daisy on the carriage in the first place. The only question was whether or not the villains had any other schemes still waiting in their sleeves.
When the Beagle Boys charged at the group, Violet leapt back to avoid getting hit by their weapons. Unaware of where she had been standing, the angel tripped over a stone railing and tumbled down one of the two staircases leading to the yard below. She landed face-first at the bottom and was not moving.
Riku was so shocked at seeing the angel unconscious on the stairwell, he didn't see the Beagle Boys shoving him backwards into the same stone railing. The silver-headed Keyblade wielder flipped over it and landed upon the ground below — unconscious.
Not wishing to end up like the other two, Sora climbed onto the staircase's handrail when the Beagle Boys closed in. Like he was surfing on the waves back on the Destiny Islands, Sora slid down the rail and set foot on the ground below. Before Pete or the Beagle Boys could go after him, a dark portal appeared beside the spikey, brown-haired Keyblade wielder.
Turning to face it, Sora saw a man wearing a black-hooded coat appear before his eyes. The hood was down, revealing the man to have a long, black ponytail with small, round glasses. From what Sora could tell, the man was probably middle-aged and the shape of his face almost appeared to be like a Native American — even though Sora knew little to nothing about tribal-related stuff. All he asked was, "Who are you?!"
The man gave what seemed to be a sinister grin. "They weren't kidding," he said in a high-pitched, nasal-type voice. "You truly are quite the specimen! What an experiment this's turning out to be! Quite fascinating!"
"I meant your name!" Sora countered, not wishing to hear a lengthy explanation about stuff he didn't care about.
Another individual stepped from the same portal. To Sora's shock and surprise, it was the same guy he had been encountering in the last several Sleeping Worlds. The guy raised his hand, causing an invisible shockwave to fill the air. Sora was thrown back into the wall on the opposite end of the compound. He started to lose consciousness as he fell onto the ground. Rather, he landed upon a wooden scaffolding that had been left lying around with some rope for cables and a bucket of spilled water.
The last thing Sora saw as his vision darkened was the two strangers returning to the dark portal before it closed up.
"Sora? Are you okay?"
"Sora?! Please wake up!"
"Sora!"
As Sora reopened his eyes, he thought he saw an angel towering over him. For a minute, he believed he might have ended up in heaven and was going to see white, puffy clouds with dozens of golden angels soaring around him. Their hands would be full of harps and there would be music all around….
The next second, Sora's vision had come into focus. The angel standing above him was Violet — the Angel of Dreams. Her appearance was nothing like how Sora had originally dreamed angels looked like. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Violet was an angel, yet she did not look a thing like the angels Sora was used to seeing in paintings and on murals all over the place. Why was that the case?
Glancing around, Sora's eyes caught onto Riku and… Goofy? The tall dog was gazing down at the brown-haired Keyblade wielder with a worried look on his face. His Musketeer uniform was intact, unlike what Donald had done a while ago.
When Sora started to rise to his feet, he smiled. "Goofy… Riku… Violet," he said, gazing at each of the three peering down at him.
Violet gave a smile; her violet glow suddenly increased in the darkness of the night. "You are as sluggish as Riku advised me."
"Gawrsh," Goofy spoke up. "What does 'sluggish' mean?"
Riku had to smirk. "It means 'lazy'," he translated.
"Oh yeah! A-Hyuck!" Goofy nodded. "Now I remember!"
Sora's smile grew as he set each foot down upon the ground and regained his standard height. It was then, the spikey-headed teenager noticed two others standing with Riku, Violet, and Goofy.
One was a cow-like woman with a similar shape to Goofy's head. She was wearing a scarlet-colored shirt over a dark-purple dress. A pair of black heels could be seen on her feet while a pair of long, black gloves stretched from her hands to about half-way up her arms. Around her neck was a piece of rope carrying a golden cowbell. When Goofy noticed Sora's puzzled eyes, he said, "That's my friend, Clarabelle!"
Sora hadn't been staring at the cow. His eyes were directly focused upon the girl beside Clarabelle. She was slender with long, sand-colored hair that was tied in place by a yellow ribbon on the top. A small cowlick hung down towards her left eye before pointing towards the side of her face. Her eyes were a deep shade of azure-blue. She was wearing a short-sleeved pinkish jacket, a red skirt that stretched down to just above her knees, and blue tennis shoes. Around her shoulders was a pink handbag while a shiny, seashell necklace was around her neck. From what Sora could see, the girl was probably around fourteen or fifteen years old, and yet… she seemed to resemble his own mother. Recalling the other two individuals depicted in the photograph Crystal had given him, Sora realized the girl was one of them. Perhaps she was one of Crystal's friends? There was only one way to find out.
"Who are you?" Sora inquired.
The girl answered with a calm, yet strict voice. "I'm Shelly. You must be Sora?"
Sora was taken aback. His mom had told him about her older sister — his Aunt Shelly — who had gone missing years ago. Perhaps this Shelly he had just met was the same one Sora had been told about? How would he know for sure? Also, Shelly had apparently known who Sora was without the latter introducing himself. How could that be? Then again, Riku and Violet might have met her while he was unconscious….
"Y-Yeah," Sora admitted. It was at that point he realized someone else was still unaccounted for. Whirling his head around this way and that, Sora stared at the others in alarm. "Where's Mickey?!"
"He's in dire peril!" Clarabelle informed the group.
Goofy looked very perplexed. "No he's not! He's in the Musketeers!"
Clarabelle stared at the tall dog. "I mean he's in danger!"
"Yeah," Riku broke in. "You told us earlier."
"I thought you said he was at 'Mont Saint-Michel'," Shelly added, crossing her arms with annoyance present on her face. "Wasn't that where the captain took your friend?"
"'Mont Saint-Michel'," Violet paused in deep thought. After a few minutes passed, the angel's eyes were filled with realization. "Of course! That monastery is situated on an islet where the tide rises much swifter compared to anyplace else."
"Which means Mickey will probably drown in the dungeon?" Riku surmised.
"What?!" Sora exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock and concern. He gestured towards the still-open gate leading outside. "C'mon! We've got to save him!"
"Wait!" Riku shouted, preventing Sora from trying to sprint for the entrance to the compound. "We don't know where that place is!"
"Riku is correct," Violet agreed. "How about we learn its whereabouts first? All I know is it was constructed upon a tiny islet somewhere along the coast."
"That sounds like a beach," Shelly pondered aloud. "I saw a sign leading toward a nearby shoreline. That must be it!"
"Then c'mon!" Sora yelled once more. "We've got to save him!"
Following a series of nods from the others, Sora led the way outside the training yard with Riku, Violet, and Goofy tagging along behind; Clarabelle remained in the dirt field for their return. Shelly helped the spikey-headed youth determine the direction to travel in (coincidentally being straight North). In no time, the group was rushing down the road to the not-so-distant shoreline.
Jogging alongside a large river leading towards the ocean, the group found Pluto sniffing around in circles on the trail. Sora had them all stop while he took a few minutes to inform the dog about what had taken place. Pluto leaped into the air a couple times to show how eager he was to rescue his master. When Pluto neared Shelly, the latter started to step back a few paces. She calmly said, "N-Nice dog… Please… s-stay away from me… "
The whole sight of seeing Shelly feeling uncomfortable around a dog reminded Sora of the time Riku's older brother had let Riku take his dog to Sora's house. Sora's mom… Star had leapt onto the kitchen table in a panic when she saw Sora and Riku petting the animal. Sora's dad had come home a few minutes later and was as caring for the dog as Sora was — a sight his mom did not approve. Since Amemi (Sora's little sister) had been down with a cold that day, Sora's mom had been worried for quite some time. Seeing the dog was what finally drove her up the wall — almost literally. All Sora had done was laugh with Riku when the incident had occurred, which still felt too unbelievable to be true.
"I'll be a Musketeer when cows fall from the sky!"
The voice stole everyone's focus. Before their eyesight was a small rowboat moving down the river. Inside the rowboat was the unmistakable form of a duck wearing a trademarked sailor suit. Sora was amazed; it was Donald still in the middle of his retreat.
"Donald!" Sora called out.
When he saw the group heading for him, Donald tried to row as far away as he could. Unfortunately, the boat struck a large rock on the opposite riverbank, sending the duck flying straight into Goofy's open arms. Clutching the duck tightly, Goofy continued on his way with the others directly before him. At the same time, Pluto proceeded to use his nose to sniff the path towards Mont Saint-Michel.
"We're comin', Mickey!" Goofy hollered as loudly as he could.
Donald was having a serious temper tantrum. "Put me down!" he demanded repeatedly, punching his fists up and down. "Put me down!"
It wasn't long before the group darted down a hill and arrived at a large, wide beach full of sand. Despite the lack of wind, the sand was beginning to blow across the shore. All of a sudden, a large creature emerged from the sand. The group came to a dead halt before it. The monster strongly resembled a gigantic penguin with red and yellow colors instead of the typical black and white. Its eyes were giving a bright orange glow. One look at it and Sora and Riku's Keyblades appeared in their hands.
"Not another Nightmare!" Violet sighed at the sight.
"Outta the way!" Sora snarled at the creature.
Riku simply glared at the enemy. Through the corner of his eye, the silver-haired teenager believed he saw a flash of yellow in Shelly's left hand. A second later, the teenage girl was holding a huge key-shaped sword. The pink handle was shaped like a diamond while the light-red blade resembled a spade from a deck of cards with the point aimed outwards. If it had been positioned towards a lock, the spade would've resembled a heart instead.
The Nightmare slid towards the group, sending a line of ice behind. As it passed through, the creature was struck by Sora and Riku's weapons a few times each. The two Keybladers' attempts had failed and they were now slipping on the ice beneath their feet. The monster must have saw this and turned back to attack once more. Following a deep, deep breath, the enemy unleashed a strong gust of freezing air from its yellow beak. When Sora and Riku were hit by the gust, they became trapped in solid ice.
Only able to move his eyes around, Riku watched in wonder as Shelly rushed forward a few moments after the two had been trapped. With a leap into the air, Shelly spun around like a top while her Keyblade was pointed directly out. The blade of her weapon clobbered the enormous Nightmare several times in a row, which caused the monster to suddenly explode into a flurry of bubbles. The bubbles quickly burst one-by-one until there were none left.
Using the magical wand she had rarely shown, Violet set Sora and Riku free from the icebergs they had been within. The pair of teenagers gazed toward where Shelly stood proudly on the beach, her Keyblade resting upon her left shoulder.
"Thanks," Riku smiled.
"You're really good!" Sora complimented. "Are you a Keyblade Master?"
Shelly shook her head as her Keyblade vanished. "No," she admitted. "I'd like to be, someday… "
Riku looked at Sora, the latter did the same. It appeared the two were wondering the same thing. Had Shelly claimed to be a Keyblade Master-In-Training? Or was it simply her dream to become one? Either way, she seemed to be about their age and still wasn't a Keyblade Master. Then again, the time she had visited this world was probably long before the pair had been born. Violet had also told them how dreams could recall anything from any time of its memories. Still, what had Shelly been referring to?
"Goofy!" Donald yelled in terror, removing Riku and Sora from their otherwise deep contemplation. The duck and tall dog were standing on the shoreline a few feet away with Violet and Pluto. "Pete's gonna kill us!"
"Pete or no Pete," Goofy firmly stated, a serious look in his eyes. "Mickey's our pal and we've gotta save him! 'All for one, and one for all!' Remember?"
Pointing towards a distant structure near the horizon of the ocean, Goofy added, "I know it's the most hideous house of torture in all of France, but we're goin' in there!"
Everyone gazed into the direction Goofy was referring to. Close to the horizon was a large island with a gigantic structure built upon it. One glance at the building and it was quite obvious the place looked ominous. To make matters worse, a few storm clouds were looming in from above, sending some bolts of lightning to illuminate the seemingly-haunted place up ahead.
"That's 'Mont Saint-Michel'?" Sora inquired, unable to believe the building was supposed to be a monastery. It was so uninviting — like a prison with torture chambers or a mad scientist's laboratory from a horror movie. It was clearly not the kind of place anybody would think of as a sanctuary.
"Yes," Violet approved. "I once heard it was converted into a prison during the French Revolution. It most-likely still is one."
"And that's where we'll find Mickey," Riku finished.
As Donald was glancing at the location, a bright flash of lightning with a loud thunderclap lit up the monastery, showing what appeared to be a glaring face amidst the buildings. Donald's pupils shrank instantly and he rapidly began burying his face in the sand. Goofy turned to face the others. "Gawrsh," he questioned. "Could this be the end of the three Musketeers?"
"This is the end!"
The extra loud shout nearly made the group jump. Shelly, Violet, Pluto, and Goofy rushed over to Sora and Riku. Their eyes darted this way and that before landing upon an anthropomorphic turtle wearing a blue cape, a black hat with a red feather, and black shoes. His shell was both green and yellow. In his hands was a stringed instrument Riku recognized as a mandolin.
"This is the end!" the turtle chanted, indicating Donald, who still had his head buried in the sand.
Turning to face the others, the turtle chanted aloud, "You've seen how Donald gave his friends the double-cross! He's in retreat and Peg-Leg Pete is now the boss! It's France in flame! With just its name! With Donald Duck ta blame!"
Riku had to shake his head. Whatever was happening was definitely part of the dreams. Since when did someone spontaneously show up and start singing away about how negative someone else's actions were? Not to mention, the turtle was using the melody from Beethoven's 5TH Symphony. How original was that supposed to be?
"That Donald Duck has left poor Mickey Mouse to drown!" the turtle continued to chant. "And Goofy trusted him, but Donald let him down! We all berate him, because we hate him! He's a traitor, vacillator! He's a lousy second-rater! Mangy mallard! He's a coward! Donald's destiny has soured, it's the end!"
Donald forced his head out of the beach as the turtle used the word "traitor". The duck's head started to turn an obvious shade of red as his anger speedily escalated. Once the turtle had reached the word "end", Donald snatched the mandolin and began banging the instrument against the sand. He started screaming in fury as the full force of his temper took its toll on the mandolin. Within seconds, the instrument had snapped in two and the strings were all tangled up. Donald's head remained red as he glared at the turtle, raising his fists. "I'll show you, dirty tortoise!" the duck yelled.
The turtle gestured at the others further down the beach. "Zat way, tiger!"
Donald's face lost its reddish tint when he saw Sora, Riku, Violet, Shelly, Goofy, and Pluto watching from a short distance away. With a smile emerging upon his face, the duck shouted, "Wait for me!"
Following a shake with the turtle's hand, Donald added, "Thanks for the song!"
Donald rushed into the group with such force, he shoved Goofy flat upon the sand. "Donald!" an excited Goofy exclaimed.
Pluto licked Donald's face a moment later, even though the duck didn't yell at the former.
"We're friends," Sora said with a smile. "Friends for life. Remember?"
"Yeah!" Donald agreed.
Shelly seemed confused. "I'm lost! What're you talking about?"
"The definition of 'true friends'," Violet explained.
"Yeah," Riku approved. "We're all friends."
Shelly nodded before looking downward. For a brief second, Riku thought he saw the girl shedding a tear or two. When she gazed back up, Shelly proclaimed, "There's not a minute to lose! Let's get to Mont Saint-Michel!"
"Alright!" Sora acknowledged.
Tearing off his sailor suit, Donald revealed a second Musketeer uniform underneath. He placed his Musketeer hat back on top before declaring, "C'mon! We've gotta save Mickey!"
The group hurried into a small, wooden boat sitting at a small dock on the shoreline. Once they had all clambered aboard, Pluto used his tail in the form of a propeller, sending them all sailing swiftly towards the islet up ahead. They were on the verge of saving Mickey from wherever he was trapped inside.
One mere glance around the entrance of Mont Saint-Michel, and Violet was starting to sense a dark presence all around. The monastery actually had been converted into a prison. The only question was where the dungeons were located. As the group strolled through the main gate of the former monastery, the angel took note of how the buildings seemed to resemble the numerous townhouses she had seen long ago back in the Sleeping World of Corona. The multitude of shadows all across the buildings were plenty to make her feel nervous about heading further. Very few lampposts were situated around the area and even fewer were illuminating the dense fog blotting out the rooftops. From what could be seen, the interior almost felt haunted.
As the group proceeded toward a nearby archway down the mud road leading through the middle, a number of creatures spontaneously appeared and blocked the way. To Violet's alarm, the beings were shaped like blue fish with orange tails and yellow fins. The fish-like creatures moved toward the group with their mouths shooting out some laser-resembling lines of water.
"More Nightmares!" the angel declared.
Shelly, Sora, and Riku had their Keyblades out in the blink of an eye and were rushing around slashing, stabbing, and countering the monsters. Donald, Goofy, and Pluto remained watching as the battle continued.
Violet once again tried to summon her Keyblade, but nothing happened. Although worried something was wrong with her, Violet was determined to assist anyway. In a state of uncertainty, she heard herself shout, "The time has come, Holly!"
Before her eyes, a small, green hedgehog-shaped creature appeared and charged into the horde of Nightmares. As it began clobbering the enemies with its spiked tail, Violet was taken completely by surprise. She had attempted to summon the Spirit way back during the adventure in The Grid. Yet, it wasn't until now it finally appeared. Had she lost the capability to wield a Keyblade just so she could regain the ability to rely on her Spirits?
Before long, Sora, Riku, Shelly, and Holly had obliterated all of the Nightmares. Holly returned to where Violet was standing and vanished directly before the Angel of Dreams. Although the battle was over, the group remained focused on the task at hand.
They headed through the archway and ended up inside the entrance to a long hallway lined with small rooms sealed off by metal poles forming bars between each one and the main corridor. Many of the doorways to each tiny room were smashed and a little creek was gently flowing down the center of the corridor. As the group trudged through, Violet knew for certain this was the dungeons of the prison she had heard about.
SPLASH! Whirling around in place, Violet found Sora lying face-first in the creek. At the base of his feet was a little piece of wood forming a miniature bridge over the stream. Donald and Goofy started to laugh with their fingers pointed directly at the brown-haired sixteen-year-old. Riku smirked a grin while Shelly groaned in irritation. All Violet could do was kneel down to see if Sora was hurt. "Sora, did you get injured?" she inquired.
Sora looked back up at her. To the angel's sudden wave of amusement, a tiny starfish was stuck onto Sora's right cheek. Violet pulled it off and held it up for the teenager to see. She started to giggle when Sora stared in alarm before blushing a tad. Everyone else — except an annoyed Shelly — starting laughing all the more; even Riku had to smile brightly.
"Cut it out!" Shelly suddenly snapped loudly. She lifted Sora to his feet. "No messing around! Mickey is dying and you're all being very stupid wasting all this time!"
Donald and Goofy looked at each other. "Ya think that was a little harsh?" Goofy whispered.
Donald shrugged. "Who knows?" he whispered back.
"Come on!" Shelly instructed, taking charge. "Let's get going! There's not a moment to lose!"
Violet sighed deeply before following the others as Shelly led the way down the hallway and straight to a staircase curving to the left. The wall of the dungeon curved at the same rate with a torch located along it. As the group proceeded down the steps, the small stream of water in the corridor started to increase. Hearing the sound of water rising, Sora shouted, "Oh no! The dungeon is flooding!"
"That's why I told you slowpokes to hurry up!" Shelly stated. "We need to find Mickey — now!"
"We don't even know what cell he's in!" Riku realized.
At that exact moment, Violet's necklace started glowing. Everyone stopped to watch as it formed a projection upon the far wall. In the image, a carriage was located just outside the archway leading to the dungeon with a cage on it. Captain Pete was shown removing the tarp over the cage.
As he lifted the tarp, Captain Pete declared, "Hey there! Hi there! Ho there! You're as welcome as can be!"
The cage's single occupant was an angry Mickey Mouse. He snapped, "That's my song!"
Pete didn't acknowledge the mouse's complaint and proceeded to take the cage with him through the archway. With a laugh, Pete started to dance along to an unknown beat. A few minutes later, he marched down a curved stairwell leading to the left. Stepping into the next room, Pete lifted a manhole cover that strongly resembled a drain. He dropped the cage through, which landed with an audible CRASH below.
"Oopsy!" Pete smirked. "I'm such a butter-fingers!"
Clambering down through the opening, the captain found Mickey lying on the floor beside the destroyed cage. He picked up the mouse and locked him in a chain attached to the wall.
"Well, Mickey," Pete said with an evil smile. "It looks like this is the end of the line."
As Pete started to laugh, Mickey glared back. "Think so?!" the mouse countered. "My pals will be right behind us!"
"Oh sure," Pete scoffed. "Uh-huh! The duck dumped ya! Remember?"
Mickey gasped in realization. "Welp… Goofy then!"
"The Goof?" Pete stated with a serious look in his eyes. "He's being fitted for a halo!"
Mickey was astonished and horrified. "No!" he exclaimed sadly. "No! No!"
"Yes!" Pete contradicted with a sinister grin. "Yes! Yes!"
Lifting Mickey to make certain the mouse was at eye level, Pete added, "Face it, Mickey! It's 'All for one'! And you are on your own!"
With a thrust of his arm, Pete tossed Mickey onto the floor. Mickey landed with an audible THUD followed by a grunt.
"Enjoy your brief stay here at the Mont Saint-Michel!" Pete said, dousing a nearby candle. "You know, they say the tide comes in faster than horses!"
Mickey was starting to feel depressed.
"So long, runt!" Pete called as he climbed back up the ladder leading topside. "I've got me tickets to the opéra! A little somethin' called 'I just can't wait to be king'!"
Following yet another laugh, Pete headed upstairs before slamming the cell door with a loud BANG! Alone in the cell, Mickey glanced over his Musketeer hat. Knowing he was all alone and no one would be coming to save him, he threw the hat aside and buried his face into his hands.
As the flashback ended and the image faded, Violet heard Sora declare, "Over there!"
Everyone swung their attention toward a small, square-shaped archway leading into another room. From within came the sound of flowing water rushing in from outside. Violet began feeling more and more anxious — the water was rising extra fast thanks to the tide coming in. "We must hurry!" the angel added.
In a matter of seconds, the group had rushed down the stairs and found themselves in a small section of the dungeon with a single sewer lid. The walls covered three sides of the room, leaving Violet to realize they were at a dead end.
"Look!" Riku called, indicating the manhole-drain cover in the middle of the room near the far wall.
Lifting the lid, Sora exclaimed, "We're too late! It's already flooded!"
Now Shelly was furious. "Swamped or not," she declared. "I'm still diving in there to save Mickey!"
Before anyone could say otherwise, the teenage girl threw open the lid and jumped into the water below. Moments later, Donald and Goofy did the same. As the two Musketeers dove in head-first, their hats went flying onto the floor.
An eerie silence followed. For what felt like three years (rather than three minutes), the only sounds that could be heard were Sora, Riku, and Violet's nervous breathing, and the angel's tapping of her foot. When it ended, Shelly came clambering out of the cell, dripping wet. Tucked in her arms was Mickey Mouse. Donald and Goofy were seconds behind her. As Shelly set Mickey down upon the floor, Violet felt the mouse for a pulse. Sensing nothing, she concluded, "He is not breathing! I cannot find a pulse!"
Shelly knelt down upon the floor and leaned over the mouse. With a deep sigh, she muttered, "Then there's only one thing left to do… "
Following a deep breath, she gently breathed some air into Mickey's unconscious body. It took a few more tries before the mouse gave any sign of response. Watching the sight, Sora murmured to himself, "CPR… "
"Mickey?" Donald asked.
"Mickey?" Goofy pleaded. "Come back to us, pal!"
As Mickey started coughing violently, Riku said, "He's coming out of it."
The coughing died down, allowing Mickey to slowly reopen his eyes. With a groan of agony, the mouse glanced over the others around him. "Donald… Goofy? Sora? Riku? Violet?"
Looking straight at Goofy, Mickey added, "Pete told me you were a goner!"
"Aw shucks!" Goofy chuckled. "I ain't goin' nowhere without you, Mick!"
Mickey gave Goofy a strong hug, which almost caused the latter to fall over. When Mickey shared a caring embrace with Donald, the former said, "Aw pal! You came back!"
"Aww!" Donald said, wiping a tear from his eyes. "Of course I did!"
"We wouldn't let you down, Mick," Goofy explained. "We're your friends."
Turning to gaze at everyone around him, Mickey smiled. When he saw Shelly, he inquired, "Who are you?"
"I'm Shelly," Shelly answered. "I stumbled upon Donald and Goofy and helped revive you."
"I'm Mickey!" Mickey introduced. The mouse and Shelly shared a friendly handshake. From Sora's perspective, Shelly's smile was the first one he'd ever seen the young lady use.
"C'mon!" Donald called, handing Mickey his recovered Musketeer hat. "We gotta save the princess! Don't you remember? 'All for one'?"
"Yeah," Goofy nodded, placing his Musketeer hat back onto his head; Donald did the same with his own.
Mickey looked down and sadly glanced over his hat. "Aw fellas… we're not even real Musketeers… "
"That's not true!" Sora blurted. "You are real Musketeers! Nobody can tell you you're not!"
"It doesn't matter if you're wearing a Musketeer uniform," Riku stated.
Violet agreed, "It is the hearts you have within!"
Goofy scowled at Mickey. "'Not real Musketeers'?! Who says so?!"
Gesturing at Donald, Goofy added, "Listen! Donald might be a big chicken… "
"Hey!" Donald snorted at this remark.
"…And you're just a little guy," Goofy continued, patting Mickey's head. He pointed to his own head. "And I ain't no genius!"
The very sight of seeing Goofy admit he's nothing close to Albert Einstein made Sora place his hands behind his head and show his enormous smile once more.
Goofy continued, "But I know one thing! When the three of us stick together… "
"…We can do anything!" Donald finished.
Mickey smiled with resolve. "And not Pete… "
"…Or nobody else can stop us!" Goofy concluded.
As the three Musketeers placed their hands together in a circle, Shelly placed hers in too. "You're going to need some help," she said. "And I can give it to you!"
As Sora placed in his own hand, he declared, "I'll help stop Pete — no matter what!"
"We can do it!" Riku agreed, placing in his hand.
Violet smiled as she placed her hand in with the others. "Together, we are unstoppable!"
In one loud voice, the group cheered, "All for one, and one for all!"
"Pete said he's headed for the opéra house," Mickey informed the others. "That's where we'll find Her Majesty. Musketeers, we've got a princess to rescue!"
A/N: YEESH! THAT WAS QUITE A LOT THAT HAPPENED THERE! NOW IT'S OFF TO THE OPÉRA TO SAVE PRINCESS MINNIE AND DAISY FROM THE EVIL PLOT OF CAPTAIN PEG-LEG PETE! LET'S HOPE NOTHING GOES WRONG - THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
So, I believe you may have noticed a NUMBER of things I cleverly have hidden in THIS Chapter!
First of all, there actually IS a connection between Pluto and the [former] planet. In early 1930, an astronomer accidentally discovered the "planet" Pluto while searching for something else. Later in 1930, the Disney character Pluto made his first appearance on the big screen; The Chain Gang (1930).
I'm NOT kidding! It's a TRUE Story!
Secondly, SHELLY is yet ANOTHER of My ORIGINAL CHARACTERS! THEREFORE, YOU CANNOT HAVE HER!
For that matter-ly, MONT SAINT-MICHEL IS a REAL place in France! It WAS a monastery with tides that come in SUPER-FAST! During the French Revolution, it became a prison and thus would've had dungeons, too!
Last, But Not Least, The Song "This Is The End" is from the actual movie. The Flashback in there ALSO is nearly quote-on-quote what is said in the movie; even Pete's "mocking" of Mickey Mouse with the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB MARCH! Yes, Donald DOES change costumes in the real movie, too!
I certainly HOPE those things among others brought it more to life for those of you who requested such!
Another thing I felt needed to be said was I DO tend to make references to various spots elsewhere in THIS Story! Should I write any SEQUELS, THAT will NOT be changing! Also, just for Chapter 35, I thought it would be BEST to compare what is said here to a certain moment involving Sora's memory of his Mother in Chapter 16. You can IF you'd like... might help clarify a few "tiny things" here and/or there.
In Conclusion, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!
This is SoraLego278 saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!"