They were gathered at the Krusty Krab.
"Well…," Sora began, resting on a table, "…guess we had better get going."
Spongebob seemed deep in thought as he stood near the cashier.
"Something wrong, Spongebob?" Sandy asked, concerned.
"Yeah, you look uneasy," Tony commented.
"I never found out what Plankton was actually planning to do with those snails," the sponge said.
Eddy grinned slyly, resting his helmeted head on his arm….which was resting on the same table Sora was leaning on, "Hey, Ed. Still got the piece of paper?"
"Sure, Eddy," Ed reached into his pocket, and pulled out a piece of folded A4 paper. "Here you go," he gave it to his friend.
"What's that?" Sora craned his neck to see.
"Plankton's plan," Eddy answered. "Before Ed and I left the Chum Bucket with him, he snagged it, encase we'd need it."
"…………"
Silence.
A cricket's chirping sounded in the background.
"Yup," Ed nodded in agreement. "It was my idea."
"Congratulations," Squidward rolled his ovular eyes, "you're morons."
Everyone, except for Squidward, Ed, and Tony, looked over Eddy's shoulder as he read, "'Step One: Capture snails. Step Two: Train snails to do bidding. Step Three: Distract Krabs, Spongebob, and ugly guy at cashier with snails' meowing. Step Four: Sneak into Krabs' office, and steal Secret Formula. Step Five: Escape'."
"…….you have got to be kidding me," Sora said sceptically.
"Apparently, you don't know Plankton," Spongebob answered.
"That is one confusing plan," Ed said, somewhat intimidated by the plan's 'intelligence'.
"Where is your ship, anyway?" Sandy wanted to change the subject as soon as possible.
"I haven't a clue," Sora answered. He, too, wanted the subject to change.
"Then, let's go and look for it," Eddy announced as he crumbled the piece of paper in his hands and threw it over his shoulder.
"I think I saw something fly and crash on the island," Sandy recalled.
"What do we have to lose?" Eddy shrugged.
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"How much farther?.?.?" Eddy demanded. The mage was tired out as he walked up a seemingly endless hill.
"Not far," Sandy told him. The squirrel was at the front of the line. "There it is! Is that yer ship?"
They had almost reached the surface of the ocean. Three live action palm trees took up most of the island.
"Well, goodbye," Spongebob waved, staying put.
"You can keep the helmets!" Sandy waved. "You might need them some other time."
"Sure," Sora nodded.
"Hey, Sora, I forgot something!" Spongebob squealed. "Here. Take this," he held his hand out to him. Two glowing, green spheres flew out. One was absorbed into Sora's Keyblade. The other went into Eddy's staff.
"Wh-What happened?" the short boy inspected his staff, encase it was damaged.
"I just gave you the Cure spell," the sponge answered, standing with his hands on his hips proudly.
"Wow, thanks," Sora smiled.
"Use it wisely. It has the ability to heal your wounds."
"Awesome!" Eddy jumped with glee.
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A few minutes later, the Gummi Ship left the world, passing though the stars.
"Whew," Eddy sighed, manning the controls, "I don't know about you guys…but I'm glad to be dry again."
"Me, too," Tony said. "That place was a little scary."
"Me……ummm," Ed rubbed his chin.
"That gummi that came out of that glowing hole," Sora began, standing behind Eddy, "it's not like the others. I wonder what it's for."
"I dunno," Eddy shrugged.
"Maybe, Leon will know," Tony suggested.
"Hmmm, he might," Eddy thought. "Back to Traverse Town, then?"
"I wanna be pilot!" Sora yelled in his ear, making the other one grow for a two-second time period. He reached for the nearest button.
"Hey, STOP IT!" Eddy fought back.
"Oh, come one! I'm the Keyblade Master!"
"I don't care if you're my mother! NO!"
Ed and Tony sighed in unison, "Here we go again."
Then, the ship rocked side-to-side, having been struck by gunfire. Eddy and Sora let go of each other and put their faces to the glass, looking behind the ship. Ed, with Tony on his traffic cone, did the same.
"What's that?" Sora squinted.
"It looks like a……," Eddy's voice lingered.
"Hearse floating through space…?" Tony suggested.
"No," Eddy shook his head as the vehicle got closer. "….A patty wagon…?"
"How about both?"
"Works for me. Ed, go get me the walky-talky."
"Right-o," Ed saluted and ran off.
"Think they were the ones who shot us?" Sora asked.
The ship was pelted with bullets that flew against its outer body. "Whao!" Eddy fell backwards. "That answer your question?"
Ed gave him the walky-talky, which was connected to the main consol.
"Hey!" Eddy spoke into the receiver, his voice echoing. "What's the big idea?"
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"Hand me da microphone!" Smartass ordered with one brown hand on the wheel.
"We don't have a microphone," Greasy said, shrugging with a simper from the passenger seat.
Wheezy just shook his grey head, in the middle of the two.
"Morons," Smartass ran a hand down his face, stretching the skin, and temporarily reshaping his snout. He stuck his head out the window. For some odd reason, he wasn't sucked into space. In fact, he could breathe just fine. "We has orderz ta blow you punks outta da sky! Or, in this case, space!"
"What for?" Eddy's voice echoed. He managed to hear him, somehow.
"You're meddling with Doom's planz. And if ya meddle with 'im, ya meddle with us! So, hold still, and make this easy fer me!"
"In your dreams!"
"Y'asked for it!" Smartass shifted gears, and got ready to rock.
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"How can he breathe out there?" Sora asked as everyone buckled their seat belts.
"Cartoon stuff, Sora!" Eddy said, pressing buttons as he went along.
"Are you gonna fight them off?" Tony asked, still on Ed's head.
"Nope. I'm gonna lose them. They're not worth it! Hold on!"
Sora fastened himself.
"ENGAGE!" Eddy opened a compartment and slammed his fist on the big, red button.
Everyone was pulled back into their seat. Ed's gums flapped so much, parts of his skull could be seen. Tony held on for dear life. Sora gritted his teeth and practically dug his nails into the armrests. Eddy's arms stretched two extra inches so he could hold the joystick.
Random gunshots could be heard behind them; the hearse/patty wagon was on their tail.
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"I'm gonna blow 'is head off!" Smartass yelled as he used a live action revolver. After a few seconds, he was out of ammo. "DAMN!" he yelled throwing it inside and hitting Greasy in the head. "Stupid non-cartoon weapons! Always run outta ammo da moment da battle begins."
"Waddaya gonna do?" Greasy asked, rubbing his head.
"Wheezy!" Smartass yelled. "Yer up!"
The grey weasel nodded, and lit three cigarettes. He stuffed them all in his mouth. He then turned around, and opened a sliding window to the back. He squeezed himself through.
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The black vehicle's back doors opened. Wheezy crawled out, and onto the roof without falling off. A thick, furry arm and an arm in a straitjacket sleeve closed the doors from the inside.
The grey weasel stood on the roof, armed with a live action tommy gun. "Heh-heh-heh--KAFF!-KAFF!--heh-heh…," he chuckled and coughed on his cigarettes and took aim. "Enjoy--KAFF!--the flight….while it--KAFF!--lasts." He closed one eye and aimed.
The vehicle was getting closer to the Gummi Ship.
"FIRE!" he heard Smartass yell.
Wheezy held his finger on the trigger. Bullets flew with loud bangs, creating small potholes in the Ship's rear. The weasel jerked slightly, but kept his footing. He coughed and laughed as every shot was a direct hit.
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"We're taking fire!" Tony said hysterically.
"Ya think I don't know that?.!" Eddy shot at him, still struggling to keep his hold on the controls. "Time to manoeuvre!" He turned the joystick left and right, trying to avoid the shots.
The other three jerked side-to-side.
"EDDY!" Sora yelled, his eyes screwed shut. He was unheard.
"Not feeling well….," Ed's face turned green. He leaned over and threw up.
"Oh, that's nasty…," Tony looked away.
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"YER MISSIN'!" Smartass shouted, sticking his head out from the window to look at the roof.
"They're too fast!" Wheezy retorted. "Drive better!"
"Screw dat gun, and get back in!" the leader told him. He stuck his head back in the car. "Psycho!" he called to the back. "Use dat bazooka again!"
The window compartment opened and a live action big gun was shoved through. Greasy helped the insane weasel with it.
"Be careful," Smartass told them. "Don't fire dat ting off in 'ere."
"Hehehe," the spiky-haired weasel in the straightjacket crawled through. He giggled and he took Greasy's place at the right window. He aimed the bazooka. "Gonna kill the Keyblade Master. He-he…"
K-K-K-K-K-K
SHOOOOOM! A powerful missile closed the distance between it and the Gummi Ship. With a loud boom, it struck the thrusters, causing the brightly-coloured ship to slow down.
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Uh…oh," Eddy said.
"What?" Sora's body relaxed in his seat. "Why are we stopping?"
"We're not stopping; the jet thrusters just got hit by something. We can't use hyper speed."
"In a way, that's good," Tony jumped down from Ed's head.
"Look!" Ed pointed a yellow finger.
Eddy looked. He did a double take.
Their ship was heading straight for a meteor shower. The meteors were either blue, green, or brown.
K-K-K-K-K-K
"SHIT!" Smartass slammed his fist on the dashboard. "A meteor shower!"
"Why don't we just give up and kill 'em later?" Greasy suggested.
Smartass punched him in the face, causing his snout to be turned inside out. "MMMMM!" his face turned blue as he suffocated.
"He-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he!" Psycho hugged himself as he giggled.
"Stop laughing and help him, will ya?"
Psycho nodded and performed the Heimlich Maneuver.
"Everyone inside?" the leader asked. His responds were heard from the back as well as the front.
"Uh huh."
"I'm--KAFF!--here."
"Present!"
"MMMMMMMMMMFFFFFFF!"
"Hold on tight, then, cuz we'z in fer a bumpy ride!" Smartass put his weight on the acceleration as their vehicle entered the meteor shower.
K-K-K-K-K-K
The Gummi Ship tuned left and right, dodging big rock after big rock. Its wings scraped the sides of random meteors, but no real damage was done. It shifted vertically to get through a really tight spot. It moved up, down, further down, and up again. The ship's cannon never stopped firing, destroying the smaller obstacles.
The hearse/patty wagon had an easier ride, thanks to the Gummi Ship clearing its path. It darted left and right occasionally.
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Use da bazooka again!"
"Mmhmm," Psycho nodded, having brought Greasy back to normal. He loaded the gun, aimed out the window, and fired again. This time he missed when the Gummi Ship moved upwards. A meteor was destroyed.
"You moron!" Smartass shook a fist at him. "Aim properly!"
Psycho nodded sheepishly. "Sorr--!" WHAM! His head was still out the window. A meteor had flown into his cranium, decapitating him. His body pulled back in, his head missing, the place where his neck should have been looked like it was sucked in.
Greasy gasped.
Smartass sighed, rolling his eyes.
The sliding window opened and Stupid poked his head through. "Everything okay, boss?" he asked with his tongue sticking out.
"Just swell," Smartass muttered.
"Okay," Stupid closed the window as he pulled his head back.
"Greasy, use the bazooka, will ya?"
"But what about Psycho?"
"He's fine."
Psycho's fists clenched, and all his muscles tensed. His head and neck popped out from between his shoulders. He rubbed his head, dizzy. His eyes swirled.
"See? Just fine. Now, use the bazooka."
"Sorry, boss. Lost it when the meteor nearly knocked by block off. He-he."
K-K-K-K-K-K
"We're not losing them, Eddy!" Sora told his friend, standing near the window.
"Not now, Sora. Tight turn up ahead!" Eddy pointed.
They were heading for an immensely large rock.
"U-turn!" Eddy hollered, having suddenly changed his mind.
"But Traverse Town's the other way!"
"We need to lose them first! YAH!" Eddy turned.
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"Nnnnngh!" Smartass used all his strength to turn the wheel.
The vehicle turned so hard, that everyone's head's moved to the right. After a complete one-eighty, Smartass', Greasy's, and Psycho's heads bumped against each other with the sounds of hollow wood.
K-K-K-K-K-K
"This isn't working!" Tony screeched, standing on Sora's head by the window.
"They're right behind us!" Sora yelled with him.
Eddy smirked, "Not for long!" He turned the joystick with all his might.
The Gummi Ship spun one thousand and eighty degrees. Ed--who was still strapped in his seat--had his neck stretch an extra foot.
Eddy inhaled, "Now, they're right in front of us!"
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Why did they just do that?" Greasy wondered.
The Gummi Ship was now trying to escape them…in reverse.
"Who cares?.!" Smartass cried. "We gotta stay with them."
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Eddy," Sora stood by his friend, "why are we going in reverse?"
"It's funnier that way," Eddy answered, reaching for the walky-talky that was connected with the ship's loudspeaker. "Eat this!" he button-bashed for the cannon to fire.
K-K-K-K-K-K
White lines screamed towards the weasels' vehicle from the Gummi Ship's cannon.
"Hang on!" Smartass swerved left, then right, left, right, up, down, left, right, left, left, right, right, down, up, and left again. "Ya 'ave crappy aim!" he yelled out the window.
They were getting closer.
K-K-K-K-K-K
"They're getting closer!" Tony jumped down from the glass.
"Can we go the right way?.?.?.?.?" Sora barked at Eddy.
"Alright, already! Sheesh……..," Eddy spun the Gummi Ship around. "There. Happy now?"
"………y-yes….," Sora had lost his footing and was lying on his back against the wall with his shoes sticking in the air.
"Heh-heh," Eddy chuckled. The second he looked where he was going, his eyes widened. "AAAAAAGH!.!.!.!.!.!.!" His head stretched from the jaw upwards, with his green tongue slithering about like a snake.
They were heading straight for a big meteor.
"OH, NO!" Tony bellowed.
"Bad!" Ed cried
Eddy pulled the joystick as hard as he could. The ship rose quickly, narrowly escaping crashing.
K-K-K-K-K-K
The weasels were so close, they didn't see it coming.
Smartass', Greasy's, and Psycho's eyes quadrupled in size, taking up the entire windscreen.
Smartass tried to steer the black vehicle around, but only managed to have it crash into the meteor sideways.
BOOOOM!.!.!.!
K-K-K-K-K-K
"YES!" Eddy punched the air above his head, having heard the crash.
"We lost them?" Sora asked, unsure.
"Yup," Eddy allowed the ship to slow down.
"Glad that's over," Tony dusted himself off for some reason. "How are you feeling, Ed?"
"I don't feel well……," a green-faced Ed murmured.
"Whatever you do, don't puke on the floor."
"He already did, Eddy."
"WHAT?.!"
K-K-K-K-K-K
"You guys are such idiots!" Smartass howled, floating through space.
"Hey, it's not my fault Wheezy has bad aim?" Greasy jabbed a thumb at the grey weasel, upside-down.
"Up yours," Wheezy muttered, lighting another cigarette.
"And you!" Smartass pointed at Psycho, who was ten-feet-away. "Next time, don't lose the bazooka!"
Psycho frowned and folded his sleeved arms.
"It's all of your faults we lost 'em!" he scolded them.
"What about me?" Stupid asked with frown. "What did I do?"
"Absolutely nothing!" Smartass grabbed the broken vehicle's steering wheel as it drifted by him, and threw it in the plump weasel's face.
"ULP!" Stupid accidentally swallowed it, causing a large, round lump to shape his neck awkwardly. His face turned blue as he choked.
"Help him, will ya?" Smartass said to Psycho.
The crazy weasel 'swam' towards Stupid, and did the Heimlich Manoeuvre again.
The steering wheel flew out, and hit Smartass in the face. "OW!"
This, of course, caused the other weasels to laugh.
"Hah-hah-hah-hah!"
"Hagh-hagh-hagh-hagh!"
"Hehh-hehh--KAFF!-KAFF!-KAFF!--hehh-hehh!"
"Hee-hee-hee-hee!"
"Stop laughing!" Smartass told them. He grabbed the steering wheel, and threw it at Wheezy.
The weasel was hit in the stomach. He flew back, and banged his head against one of the hearse/patty wagon's doors.
This made the other weasels laugh harder.
An artery pulsed in Smartass' forehead. He grabbed the gearshift. "You know what happens when you can't……."
He smacked Greasy upside the head.
"….stop……"
He whacked Psycho in the face.
"….laughing!"
He threw the gearshift straight into Stupid's face.
No one was laughing now.
"Help me fix the car," the leader commanded.
"Yes, boss."
"Ugh…..one of these days, you're all gonna die laughing."
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Thanks, sir," Sora waved to a citizen as he ran in the other direction. He crossed the First District of Traverse Town, and found Ed and Eddy waiting for him by the stairs to the Accessory Shop.
"Well?" Eddy asked, leaning against the wall.
"The guy said he last saw him in the alley behind the Second District," Sora explained.
"Then, let's go."
K-K-K-K-K-K
The second they entered the Second District--
W-WARP!
--Heartless appeared. There were four of them. Three of them looked just like the red nocturnes and blue rhapsodies, but had a yellow colour instead. It was called a yellow opera.
The other one was more freakish. It had the body shape, and hands of a soldier, but the similarities ended there. It possessed bat-like wings, which it used to stay airborne. It wore brown and blue boots. Lastly, an aviator's helmet rested on its head, complete with a propeller and goggles. It was an air soldier.
"Oh, for the love of--!" Eddy was cut off when the air soldier flew straight into him, knocking him off his feet. He crashed into Ed, who didn't budge an inch.
Sora jumped with his Keyblade ready, "I'll take--!" he smacked one of the yellow operas "--this one!" He didn't give it time to attack, and it was defeated.
The other two flew in his direction. One of them charged electricity while the other one avoided Sora's swing.
Sora landed with a frown. He gasped and arched his back, missing a lightening bolt. "HA!" he jumped and sliced right through a second opera. "AAAG!" he was scratched in the back by the air soldier.
"I'll take the yellow thing!" Eddy jumped up. "ICE!" Although the opera wasn't defeated, it spun backwards dizzily.
"YAAAH!" Ed jumped and killed it with his shield.
"HFFF!" Sora winced again after the air soldier rammed into him.
Ed landed behind it from a jump, and pushed it straight into Eddy's fiery staff, destroying it.
"Thanks, guys," Sora wheezed, bending over while clutching his wounded back. "These Heartless just keep on changing."
"No problem," Eddy said. "Let's get moving to the alley."
"O-Okay, but….let's take the stairs."
They walked the long way.
"You okay, Sora?"
"It's my back. That flying Heartless really hit me badly."
"Not to worry. I have one potion left. Here you--"
"Wait," Sora stopped him. "Use that spell Spongebob gave us."
Eddy shrugged as they descended the stairs, "Okay, but don't blame me if it goes wrong." He held his staff up, "HEAL!" it glowed green with emerald leafs. The same thing happened with Sora's body. The spiky-haired boy was now standing up straight, good as new.
"Thanks, Eddy," he said with a friendly tap on the pink mage's shoulder.
"No problem."
K-K-K-K-K-K
"It doesn't look like there's a hinge," Sora moved his hands over a barred hole. He stood boot-deep in water, which flowed through the spaces between the planks. "Think Leon's in there?"
"Could be," Eddy said, shrugging as he leaned against a wall, his feet out of the water. "You'll never find out just by rubbing it."
Sora glared at him, "I don't see you doing anything useful."
"Don't need to," he inspected his nails casually. He snapped the fingers of his other hand without a word.
Ed, who had been by his side, saluted with a serious face, which consisted of his eyebrow lowering and his eyes changing into semicircles. He jumped in the water and faced the barred hole.
"I'd get out of the way if I were you," Eddy mused to Sora, who stepped out of the small stream.
Ed grinded his heels into the ground, bent his head over, snorted actual smoke from his nostrils, and barrelled through the door, smashing it to pieces. "You may now enter," he stated like a dim-witted doorman.
"Coming or what?" Eddy asked.
Sora shook his head with a chuckle and followed his two exaggerated friends.
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The cavern was damp, but well-lit by something that grew brighter as the group swam closer. There, they saw Leon swiping at nothing with his sword. Aerith stood a few feet away, deep in thought. There was a staircase behind them. The two were on a piece of land that stood an inch above the water. Sora, Ed, and Eddy walked in shallow water before standing on dry land.
The group got to talking.
"So, you found two of the Keyholes?" Leon held his sword by his side as he asked.
Sora nodded, "Yeah; the Keyblade locked it automatically."
Aerith smiled with relief, "Good."
"Every world among the stars had a Keyhole," Leon explained as his gaze travelled from person to person. "And each one leads to the heart of that world. His eyes momentarily travelled to the cavern's ceiling, "There must be one in this town as well."
Sora didn't understand. "What do you mean?" he cocked his head as he leaned on his Keyblade.
"It was in Ansem's report," Aerith stated.
"The Heartless enter though the Keyhole and do something to the world's core," said Leon.
"And what happens to the world, hmm?" Eddy raised an eyebrow.
"In the end, it disappears," Aerith said gravely.
"WHAT?.!" Sora's eyes widened.
"Shadowy," Ed cogitated.
"Should have seen that coming," Eddy rubbed his chin with the head of his staff.
"That's why your Key is so important," Leon pointed at the Keyblade with a gloved hand.
"Please lock the Keyholes," Aerith clasped her hands together. "You're the only one who can."
"I don't know…," Sora slouched with lack of confidence.
"Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well."
"Yup," Eddy nodded coolly.
"We should find your friends, Sora!" Ed yelled, causing an echo. "And Double D, too!"
Sora pondered, "I guess you're right….. Okay!"
"Then, let's go," Eddy walked to the edge. "This place gets on my nerves."
"Hold on, Eddy--Leon," Sora wasn't ready to leave yet, "we found this gummi block that's different from the others." He gestured Eddy over. "Do you know what it's for?"
Eddy approached the swordsman, and held out the gummi block they found in Bikini Bottom.
Leon examined it from the magical boy's hand, "………"
"Ask Cid; he should know," Aerith knew Leon had no idea what he was looking at."
"Wait, Sora," Leon stopped them before they could try to go. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a glowing, blue, spherical object, "Take this with you."
"What is it?' Sora asked as he took it, testing its weight, as if he would suddenly drop it. He gave it to Eddy for carrying.
"This stone holds some mysterious power. I've been carrying it for luck," Leon told him. "I want you to hold onto it."
"How do you use it?"
"………"
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Welcome back," Cid greeted with a wave and a smile while polishing his countertop.
"Hi, Cid," the group responded in unison, Sora and Eddy plainly, Ed stupidly.
"We need your help," the Keyblade Master said as they approached the counter.
"With what?" Cid casually threw the cloth he was using to polish his countertop aside.
"With this," Eddy placed the gummi piece on the counter.
"Well, if it ain't a gummi block," Cid held it between his thumb and forefinger and inspected it at eyelevel.
"Duh," Eddy rolled his iris-less eyes. "What's it for?"
"You're kiddin' me!" Cid couldn't believe his ears. "You're flyin' a gummi ship and you don't know nothin' about navigation gummis? Bunch of pinheads…… Interspace ain't no playground, y'know."
Sora furrowed his brow, "There's a lot we don't know. So what? We have to use the Gummi Ship to go to other worlds. We don't have a choice."
"Whoa, easy. I didn't know," the shop owner held his hands up in defence. "No hard feelings, alright? I guess I could lend y'all a hand, then."
Sora smiled, "Thanks."
"Basically, with navigation gummis, you can go to new places. You want one in your ship, right?"
They nodded.
"I'll install it for you. But I got this thing I gotta go deliver first," he turned around and shuffled through some drawers for something.
"Hmm?" Eddy raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Just this," he placed an almost mint condition comic book on the counter.
Ed grinned, "Ooooh," he wiggled his fingers. "Shiny comic."
"Don't get any ideas, Ed," Eddy placed a hand on his chest to keep him back.
"It's really old," Cid went on. "When the kid brought it in, it was practically falling apart. Too beat up to restore it to the way it was. But overall, I did a decent job puttin' it back together. Anyway, you mind deliverin' it for me? It's the old house past the Third District. Look for a big fire sign." He gave Sora the book.
The spiky-haired teen examined it. It had cartoons of different animations on its cover, and some toys, too. The title was in big, yellow letters, outlined by a red comic-styled explosion. It said 'KaBlam!'.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled with the sound of a bell ringing.
"AAK!" Eddy was caught by surprise. He jumped and grabbed onto Ed's head. "Wh-What was that?"
Cid cocked an eyebrow, "Seems the bell at the gizmo shop is ringing. Go check it out if you want, but deliver that book for me first. When you're done, stop by the house near the stairs in the Third District. I'll be there."
"Okay," Sora held the comic under his arm. "Let's go, guys."
"Sure," Eddy lowered himself from Ed's head, and made for the door.
"G'bye, mister!" Ed waved at Cid.
When no one else was around, the store owner laughed to himself, "Bunch o' knuckleheads."
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Well, here's the door with the flame on it," Eddy said, feeling around the door for any possible switch or something of the sort, "but I have no idea how we can get in."
Sora shrugged from behind him, "Why not have Ed crash through it?"
"Yeah!" Ed grinned, hopeful.
"No can do, Sora," Eddy shook a finger. "I sense magic here. This door is sealed with the stuff."
"So, how do we open it?"
"Magic. Problem is I have no idea how," Eddy rubbed his pink chin.
Sora and Ed waited patiently.
It was than obvious to them, and yet, it took Eddy a few seconds to figure it out. He slapped his forehead with his animated hand, and equipped his staff. "Fire," he said calmly. The tip of his staff ignited, and a fireball was launched at the door. There wasn't a single scorch mark. Instead, the door just slid upwards. "There," Eddy smiled, proud of himself. "Let's go."
K-K-K-K-K-K
The place was a dark, dome-shaped cavern, just like the secret waterway. The group stopped at the edge of the path, watching small platforms move from left to right. The stands seemed to float on water, and led to a small island in the middle of the cavern. A wooden shed with its triangular roof covered in hay stood on the island.
Sora took a few steps back between the Eds. He waited, timed it right, ran, and jumped. With luck, he landed on a platform. "Whoa…..," his voice echoed, his arms flailed to keep balance. When he regained his footing, he sighed in relief. "C'mon, guys," he jumped to the next.
"Well, you heard him," Eddy took a running start, and landed on the first stand.
"This is easy," Sora mentioned, keeping his balance.
"Whatever, Sora--Quit fooling around and get going so I can get going!"
"Where's your sense of adventure, Eddy?" Sora jumped to the fourth one.
"In that shed!" Eddy pointed. "Where we should be! MOVE!"
"Hahahahaha!" Sora chuckled.
"I wouldn't laugh in here, Sora…."
"Why? Against the rules of cartoons?"
"In a way, yes, but you'll lose your--"
"WHOOPS!"
--BALANCE!" Eddy wasn't quick to react. Sora fell, and grabbed his wrist to save himself.
No such luck; Eddy's limb stretched.
"ED!" Eddy shouted. He reached an arm out and grabbed Ed's wrist. The yellow boy had just jumped to his platform. "Don't let go!"
Sora spat water from the little moat he was in. "You can pull me out anytime….," he glared.
Ed pulled both of them. Eddy hastily jumped towards the platform Sora had fallen off, and jumped on the little island. "See what happens when you can't stop laughing?" he asked the wet boy.
Sora glared at him, squeezing the water from his coat. "This means war, Eddy."
"Hahaha!" Eddy hugged himself as he rolled on the sandy island laughing. "Ed, did you hear that?" he asked the oaf, who landed by his side. "'This means war'," he mimicked in a singsong tone.
K-K-K-K-K-K
The shed was empty inside. There was nothing but dust in the corners.
Sora, still a bit wet, blinked, "Wait a second…. How come--?"
"It's bigger in the inside than the outside?" Eddy remarked from the other side of the area. "It happens."
"Hello?" Ed called. "He-llow?"
Sora checked the side furthest away from the other two.
"There's something about this must place…," Kairi walked from out of nowhere with her hands behind her back.
Sora's eyebrows rose. He rubbed his blue optics to make sure they weren't deceiving him.
"It reminds me of the secret place back home; where we used to scribble on the walls." She moved towards him. Their faces were almost touching, "Remember?"
Sora inhaled, "K-Kairi..?"
"Sora?" he heard Ed's voice, and turned.
"Everything alright?" Eddy asked.
Sora looked back. Kairi was gone……..or was she never there? Sora had no time to contemplate, because he heard someone come in.; two someones, to be exact.
"I guess you were right," the shorter of the two spoke with a raspy voice. He had a nose ring, and brown hair that consisted of three shoots. Two buckteeth protruded from his wiggly mouth. All he wore was a purple loincloth and a necklace with a shark's tooth. His head was huge in proportion with his tiny neck. His body was the shape of a giant bean. "Someone would be visiting."
"Make that three," a Jamaican-accented voice came from the tall one besides him. He was a skeleton with a huge jawbone. His attire consisted of a midnight black gown with a hood. He was carrying a suitcase. "Don't ask me how I knew, mun; I saw it in one of those crystal balls on the way home."
"You knew we were coming?" Sora asked as they grouped up in a circle.
"Of course," the skeleton answered.
"Are you a Heartless…?"
"He doesn't look like one," Eddy stood on tiptoes to examine the hooded skeleton. "And neither does he," he pointed at the almost-naked boy.
"We ain't Heartless," the skeleton raised his hands in defence. "I'm the Grim Reaper; 'Grim' for short."
Ed grinned before the Reaper could do anything, "It looks just like the zombie people from My skin is melting!" Eddy groaned silently to himself.
"And I go by the name of Og," the boy said, holding his hand out to shake. Sora gladly shook it. "Anyway," he spoke to Ed and Eddy, "we spend a lot of time travelling. Your friend asked for my help."
"Double D?" Eddy asked with surprise.
"Yes. He said you two were Ed and Eddy…." he looked at Sora strangely, "but I have no idea who you are."
"I'm Sora."
"And you have found the Key," Grim added.
"What did Double D want with you guys?' Eddy questioned.
"Just a second," Og raised a finger to halt him in his speech. "Grim, care to unpack?"
"Sure thing, kid," Grim wiggled his bony fingers, which suddenly had a bright green aura. The suitcase opened, allowing several pieces of machinery and furniture to fly out.
Sora looked on in awe as the shed was suddenly filled with pieces of wooden machines and fancy gizmos he had never seen before. Steam hissed and gears turned from random robotics. It looked rather homey, complete with two beds with bedside tables. And they were in the centre of it all.
"Wow…..," he stared.
"I'll be reading in bed if ya need me," Grim said. The bottom of his robe didn't move in the slightest as he went to where he'd say he'd be going.
"Double D asked Grim and I to train you in the art of magic," Og explained. He put a bare hand over his bare chest to gesture at himself, "I don't know much, but Grim certainly does."
"Ahhhh."
"Say, is this your comic book?' Sora handed him the book titled 'KaBlam!'.
Og took it and examined it. "So, Cid asked you to bring this. Thanks. I don't really know what this book is, other than a comic book," he said. "In fact, it's not mine. Somehow, it found its way into my bag one day. It was such a strange book, I asked Cid to repair it for me." He shrugged as he walked over to the bedside table, "I'll leave it here somewhere, for now. I think this book holds a great secret. The missing pages will unlock it. You can look at it whenever you like. Next time you see Cid, tell him I said thanks."
Eddy leaned against the wall, casually. Ed sat on a random stool he found.
"Eddy, give me the stone Leon gave us," Sora said. Eddy gave it to him quietly. "Og, do you know what this is?" the blue-eyed boy asked.
The boy examined it closely, with one eye shut. "Sorry, I don't. Ask Grim about it." He walked away.
"Let me see that," the grim Reaper barged in, grabbed the stone and scanned it with his empty eye sockets. He gasped, "Oh, the poor thing! He's been turned into a summon gem!"
"Eh?"
"'A summon gem'?"
"Bless you."
"A summon gem," the Grim Reaper told them. "This creature lived in a world that was consumed by the Heartless. Of course, you know what when a world vanishes, so do its inhabitants, right?"
Sora and Eddy agreed gravely, "Right."
"But this one had such a strong heart, he became a gem instead of vanishing with his world."
"Well, that stinks," Eddy stated, receiving glares from Sora and the Reaper.
"Can he regain himself?"
"He can be regained, but only his spirit for a short amount of time," he handed the summon gem back to the spiky-haired teen. A long, black scythe appeared in his hands magically. "CH-yah!" he pointed the sharp tool at the stone. A blue beam shot out and hit the stone. There was a flash of light, and a new person was standing in front of the group……or whatever it was.
It was a blue animal, standing on two sneaker-wearing feet, supported by skinny, blue legs. Its blue head was much bigger than its blue body. Three spike-like shoots poked out from behind the large cranium. The only things that weren't blue were its thin arms, belly, and mouth, which had a peach colour. The gloves it wore were white. Its black nose was very tiny, slightly smaller than its blue tail. Its red sneakers each had a white stripe going through the middle. But its eyes were the most bizarre. They were one large, white object, shaped like the number eight horizontally, with two green irises and pupils, topped off with a white 'background'. A large, blue space between its optics barely separated them, leaving the bottom parts touching.
"What the heck is that….?" Eddy blurted.
"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," the blue creature answered, pointing a thumb at….himself.
"Oh really?" Eddy challenged. "You don't look like a hedgehog."
"Believe it or not, it's true," 'Sonic' replied.
"Right. And what, exactly, can you do?"
"I'd love to show you, but I don't want to bring this fancy place down."
"Uh…huh…. Okay. Then, get your blue butt back in the summon gem, so you can collect dust."
Sonic shook his big, blue head, "No way am I going back in there. I wanna be free."
Eddy looked at him with a furrowed brow. "Too bad," he held the summon gem up to him.
Sonic felt himself being sucked in, "Hey, wait a minute--!"
"Time's up," Eddy said before the blue hedgehog was sucked right into the gem. "Okay. Who's for never letting him out? Aye!" he raised his hand.
"……," Sora, Ed, and Grim didn't say 'aye!'.
"We'll use him when we need to," Sora caught the gem as Eddy threw it to him. "I'm sure he's a good fighter."
"Well, here you go, if you like summons so much," Grim reached into his robe, and pulled out a handful of grey spheres. "These gems are empty, but can hold any person, enabling them to travel from world to world with you."
"Cool," was all Sora could say as he took the five spheres, and stored them in his suit. "Thanks."
"Anytime, kid. Whenever you call for him, he will help you."
"How?" Eddy interrupted. "By getting run over by a truck?"
"Ahem!" Grim 'cleared his throat' in frustration. "As I was saying, if you find any more of these, then bring them to me. And don't worry; they will return to their worlds when they're restored."
Sora nodded as the Grim Reaper's scythe disappeared from his skeletal hand, and the robed one sat down in his bed, reading.
Sora examined the comic book again. Ignoring Ed's and Eddy's blabbering, he opened the book. There were only a few pages. The rest were torn out.
He did a double take, and looked closer at the comic strip. 'No, it can't be,' he thought. The images he was seeing were of…..himself. This reminded him of when he saw himself falling from the sky. It was true under further inspection. They were of him, complete with speech bubbles. He was talking to a boy with a big head and green hair. "Hey, guys! Come and see--WHOOOOOO-AAAAAH!" he was sucked into the book like a rag doll that had shrunken in size.
"Huh?" Eddy turned around. "Sora?" he looked around. "I swore I heard him scream."
"It wasn't me!" Eddy said innocently.
"Well, duh! You were talking to me the whole time. Hey, bonehead! You seen him?"
Grim glared at him over the cover of his book, "No, I haven't."
Eddy scratched his chin, "Where could he be?"