Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related media are not owned by me, capsiche?
Twisted Sentiments
Chapter Two- Defending A Doomed World
In all his life, Jiminy could not have found a more dismal scene.
He had been with the King, trying to help the hapless monarch with understanding those accursed tax reforms when they all felt it. The Cornerstone had always provided a warm feeling of light and brightness within their hearts for as long as Jiminy had been in the castle. When it suddenly vanished, they all knew what had happened. The King just up and ran for the hall underneath the throne, not bothering to give any explanation for there was no need for one. Jiminy just stood on the desk, waiting, fervently hoping that no one will be hurt. A few minutes later, the King had not returned but in his stead were Sora, Donald and Goofy. While in any other occasion, Jiminy would've greeted them with a heartfelt welcome, their faces said otherwise.
And so Jiminy ran across the entirety of the castle, looking for people. He scoured through every room and told those who would be needed to meet at the library. Nobody felt like entering the throne room after all that had transpired. It took Jiminy some time to find all the relevant people so when he returned to the library, the King was back, sitting behind his desk, looking forlornly at the two journals in front of him.
It was the first time Jiminy had seen all of these people in the same room. Not much happened in Disney Castle that necessitated all of its high-ranking personnel to attend to it. Mostly, Jiminy would see individual people here and there but not at the same place. Donald and Goofy flanked Mickey's chair, their expressions grim. Goofy's face showed flickers of fear. They nodded to Jiminy as he took his place back on top of the desk. All of the others were lined across the desk. Jiminy saw Gyro Gearloose and Horace Horsecollar conferring silently. Chip and Dale were looking at a map Dale was holding up. Old Scrooge McDuck was fretting to himself while his grand nephews, Huey, Duey and Louie stood next to him, keeping silent for once. Daisy was just standing silently next to Donald, her mind on other things.
But what surprised Jiminy the most was Sora. He knew Sora to be a boisterous boy who always looked on the bright side of every situation and never let himself be bogged down by his doubts and fears. Seldom did he let his fears overwhelm him during their adventures. He always put forward his friends and his duty before himself and his own concerns. Even when he fell into the deepest of darkness, Sora never gave up hope, never faltered in his quest to free the worlds from the evil that threatened to choke it. Jiminy admired him for that.
But perhaps even he had a breaking point. Right now, Sora was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed in thought. He was in a corner of the room, not paying attention to what's happening. When he first saw the trio, after they had escaped from the Hall of the Cornerstone, they had looked haggard and beaten but Sora looked the worse of them. He had definitely exerted the most energy besides probably the King but that did not account for the solemn look or the hunched body language that the boy now exhibited. He had undergone battles of much larger scale than this one so was this one too many? Sora was young after all. At his age, he should be going to school, hanging out with his friends, not worrying about impending war. There's only so much pain a young boy can bottle up.
Jiminy just hoped he didn't end up letting it consume him.
"Good, Jiminy's here." King Mickey said once Jiminy settled on the desk. "Now we can begin."
"Where's Professor Von Drake? And the Queen?" Gyro asked.
"Still on vacation," Mickey replied before grimacing and then continuing. "As for Minnie she…..she was attacked ten minutes ago in the Hall of the Cornerstone. I don't know how but someone, most likely the Phantom Blot, managed to get inside the castle and steal the Cornerstone of Light right underneath our noses. Minnie just happened to be there when it happened. She's still unconscious," For a moment, Mickey faltered. Jiminy felt unease at the sight. He hadn't seen the King so vulnerable before. He sensed that Mickey would rather be with Minnie right now instead of here discussing what happened. Mickey willed himself together and continued.
Right now, the barriers that protect this world are slowly eroding. I strengthened the barriers when I returned so the Heartless hasn't been able to break in since the last time. Without the Cornerstone, though, there's nothing holding up those barriers. From what we can tell from that radar the Professor left us, Heartless are amassing at the world's borders. We have about an hour before they break through."
Ignoring some of the gasps from the less-informed members in the room, Mickey continued. "The Royal Knights have already begun evacuating the townspeople down towards the gummi ships. I'll need each and every one of you to help delay the Heartless long enough for all of the gummi ships to escape,"
"Why can't we just defeat the Heartless?" Dale asked. "We've done that before,"
Mickey shook his head. "I'm afraid without the Cornerstone, we'll just be wasting our time. This horde is nothing like we've ever seen before. There's too many of them. This world will be lost to the Heartless," The atmosphere grew even more depressing as everyone bowed their heads, thinking of the coming events. All of the room's inhabitants began to consider the ramifications of the King's words.
Jiminy had heard of Disney Castle, back when he was just living with Pinnochio in their world. The legends had described it as an unassailable bastion of light, standing tall against the powers of the dark. Nothing could penetrate it. Not even in the dark days of the Unversed infestation or the great Heartless invasion was the castle in any danger. Jiminy had read enough records in the castle to know how nearly all worlds were plunged into chaos by so many misguided souls. Even then, the castle had stood firm, thanks mostly to the King.
Before, Jiminy would have attributed the castle's strength to its tenacious King. Once he saw the Cornerstone of Light with his own eyes though, he felt calmness take over his heart. With something that radiated so much light, so much innate goodness, there was no way the offspring of the dark would be able to penetrate such a barrier. The Cornerstone of Light was an enigma, a piece of glass that just happened to contain centuries worth of light. Whoever created it didn't matter to the inhabitants of that tiny world. What matters is that it kept them safe from the dangers lurking in the dark. With the Cornerstone still filled with light, nothing could possibly happen to the castle.
Well, Jiminy thought bitterly, Now we can test that little theory.
Somehow, the impossible happened. Someone managed to enter the Hall of the Cornerstone, get ahold of the Cornerstone without suffering any repercussions and take it for themselves. Disney castle's safeguards all hinged on the Cornerstone. Without it, the castle was nothing more than a gigantic showpiece.
The Unbreakable Castle, the Bastion of Light was about to be destroyed. Utterly and inexonerably.
"Well then, we can't just give up now, can we?"
Jiminy looked up to find that Sora had spoken up. He was now moving towards the front of the room, next to King Mickey's desk, everyone's eyes on him. "We've fought against stuff like this before, haven't we? And every time the bad guys tried to overwhelm us, we've always managed to get back on our feet," All the quiet despair Jiminy had seen were all gone now, replaced by fiery passion and determination. Sora's eyes glinted as he continued, "I've lost a world to the Heartless before but I managed to get it back. This doesn't mean the end of the world! We're just moving out for a bit!"
"Sora's right, guys," King Mickey said, his voice gaining back its former strength. "Don't be glum. Sure, we'll be losing our first and only home to the dark and we might not be able to get it back but that doesn't mean we should lose hope." All of the people in attendance shot him incredulous looks. In response, Mickey gave them a smile, something that somewhat shocked them. "We shouldn't lose hope! If we give up now, that means they've won already! C'mon guys, perk up!"
Whether it was by force or just the sight of King Mickey smiling so jovially, as if he never pronounced the world's death sentence only five minutes ago, all of the tension snapped and the people in the room began to smile, though they were still cautious. "That's the spirits guys! Now, we've got work to do. Gyro, get down to the gummi hangars and supervise the evacuation."
"Aye aye, Your Majesty!" Gyro responded enthusiastically. He turned and ran towards the exit.
"Horace, you got the keys to the Professor's lab?" Horace nodded, saying, "Took me a while to get them off the good Doc but he gave them in the end,"
"Good," Mickey nodded. "Go in there and you'll find a box marked "Radioes." Find them and hand them out to everyone," Horace nodded affirmatively and ran off after Gyro.
Mickey turned to his right and said, "Goofy, once the Royal Knights are finished evacuating, I want you to round them up and post them in their defensive positions. You'll be manning the wall."
"Defensive positions?" Goofy said. "Gawrsh, I don't know if I can remember that far."
"I can help with that," Jiminy responded. "I found a map of all the castle's battlements while cleaning the library two days ago, I'll help you set up the defenses, Goofy."
"That's settled then." Mickey concluded. "Donald, head to the tallest tower. You'll have a clear view of the grounds and the castle from there. Use long range magic to help out."
"You got it!" Donald said.
Mickey leaned down at the two chipmunks on the floor. "Chip, Dale, head for Von Drake's lab and man the Soliton Radar. You can keep track of the people in the castle and be able to give us coordinates as to where the enemy is."
The two chipmunks stood erect and saluted the King. "Yes sir!"
"Sora," Mickey's voice turned soft as he dropped from his chair and looked up to the boy. For a split-second, Jiminy saw a surge of power go through the King. He saw a side of the King that he would never have guessed he had. All he saw was the benevolent king, the kind and helpful friend. Now he saw exactly why he can wield a Keyblade. He saw a warrior.
"Will you do me the honor of fighting alongside us?"
Sora knelt down to look at Mickey face-to-face. "It would be my honor, Your Majesty,"
TSTSTSTSTSTSTSTS
Goofy felt a tad nervous.
Of course he had been nervous before. Being Captain of the Royal Knights, he had been in tough situations before, not to mention facing the Heartless and Nobodies with Sora and Donald. That was a kind of nervous that he was used to, the kind that kept you on your toes in the battlefield, the kind that wants to keep you living.
This kind was nauseating. This kind wanted him to run out of the castle and face the Heartless instead. Leading the Royal Knights was one thing but commanding them? Most of the time, the Royal Knights only served a ceremonial purpose while still keeping themselves highly trained. After all, what good can Disney Castle be without at least some form of military keeping it safe? Goofy hadn't needed to actually give orders and do the things a Captain would do, thanks to ten years of relative peace.
Now though, he was expected to walk into a large meeting room filled with all of the members of the Knights and lay out the battle plan in front of them. He and Jiminy had spent the last ten minutes piecing out the old wartime strategies from some of the records in the library. Apparently, some guy named Redeker had come up with these plans while he was holed up inside the castle during that infestation of Unversed. They managed to make a coherent plan out of Redeker's somewhat rambling notes. Now, all Goofy has to do was present them to the Knights.
C'mon, you goof, Goofy thought anxiously. Remember when you had gone out to meet Max's girlfriend? Or all that fighting against the Heartless with Sora and Donald? This is nothing compared to those! You can do this! You can do this!
Goofy put on a brave face and marched into the room, his back straight as a ruler. "Atten-hut!" A voice called out and all of the people milling about suddenly stood to attention. He never liked it when they did that.
These men were the members of the Royal Knights, soldiers of Disney Castle. They didn't have much in way of protective clothing. They were mostly dressed like Goofy, only one arm fully armored. This was so that they would be able to move better. He walked towards the front of the room, where a podium has been set up. Maps of the castle were pinned to the wall behind the podium.
"Er...at ease, gentlemen!" Goofy called out. The Knights loosened their stance slightly. Goofy was amazed by the rigidity that the Knights held. Is that what they've been doing for the last ten years? Practicing their posing?
"Okay," Goofy started. "As you know, the Cornerstone of Light has been taken. Heartless are converging at the world's borders and are eating their way through the barriers. In about twenty minutes, they will be able to assault the castle." None of the Knights stirred. Goofy silently admired their bravado. What was a coward and pacifist like him doing commanding a group like them? "The King wants us to delay the invasion long enough for all of the gummi ships containing the refugees to escape."
"Sir?" One of the guards raised his hand. Goofy pointed to him. "Yeah?"
"Why can't they take off now?"
"Some sort of repair problems. You remember yesterday's explosions?" All of them nodded their heads, remembering all too vividly that rather hideous explosion from the hangars. "Yeah, they're still trying to sort that out. So we have to hold back the Heartless until all ships have got out."
"You will split into three squadrons, Alpha, Beta and Omega, which will furthermore split into two platoons." Goofy gestured to the blue map behind him. The wall surrounding the castle had eight marks, two red, two gold and two black. "Alpha takes the red, Beta takes black and Omega takes the gold." Goofy sighed and continued. "I'll be leading Alpha. The King will be taking Omega while Sora will be leading Beta"
"Assigned platoon leaders will be getting those communicating thingies Prof Drake whipped up." Goofy said. "We'll be in constant contact with each other. Remember, our priority is to keep the Heartless at bay long enough. No need for stupid risks."
Some of the Knights began to shift uncomfortably. A few murmurs sailed across the room. Goofy noticed this and said. "Aw, c'mon guys, don't give up hope! Sure, things look grim and not all of us might make it alive but that doesn't mean we should lose hope! Who knows, maybe all of us might make it! Maybe the Heartless would back down once they see how organised we are! Who knows what would happen?"
The Knights gave each other quizzical looks. Goofy didn't notice. He was being taken in by his own rhetoric. "Men, remember that each and every one of you is a member of the Royal Knights, one of the toughest and organized...organizations in this world or any other. By golly, I've been your Captain for the last ten years and I do not intend for the first military operation to happen under command to fail. You hear me?"
There was a complete and utter silence. Goofy continued. "Remember who we are fighting for, men. Remember the inhabitants of this world. Remember your families, friends, neighbors, loves who are counting on us to make sure that we keep the darkness at bay! Isn't that the motto of the Royal Knights? Forever a Bastion of the Light!"
Goofy was practically hollering now, lost in his speech. "We will not give in to the Heartless, you hear me? We will be steadfast! We will do our duty as Royal Knights to protect this castle and its people from any danger! Men, I expect each and every one of you to do your job to the absolute best ability that you can achieve! Is that clear?"
"SIR YES SIR!" was the thunderous reply. Goofy was nearly blown back by such a loud response. "Alright then," He said. "Fall out. Extra orders will be coming in as soon as possible. man your positions."With military decorum, the Royal Knights marched out in single lines, their backs completely rigid, and their faces silent but determined.
Goofy waited before all of them were out of the room then collapsed to the ground. His face was shiny with sweat. That wasn't so bad.
TSTSTSTSTSTSTS
The highest tower in Disney Castle served no real purpose, just like all of the towers in the castle. It was just really, really high.
This was also Donald's favorite spot. Just the calm and the fact that it was isolated appealed to him, away from the madness and the absolute anarchy that filled the castle. The tower also afforded him an incredible view of the castle, the surrounding village and all of the fields. Somehow it calmed him.
Now though, the sight was different.
The once blue sky was now an inky black, creating an atmosphere of dread and doom. It obscured the rest of the world so that Donald could only see the village and the castle. The village, once teeming with life, was now deserted. Donald was both relieved and depressed by this. If all of the villagers are gone, that means they must be down at the hangars, about to leave. If it wasn't for his blasted nephews tricking that poor boy, all of them would've been gone by now.
Not that he was scared of the Heartless. He had faced them too many times to let his fears overtake him.
Donald looked down at the castle battlements. The Royal Knights were forming lines around the walls. He could see Goofy marching in front of them, waving his shield while making grand gestures. That was odd. Goofy always complained that he wasn't suited to the position of Captain. The Knights scared him, being heavily disciplined and completely regimented. Now, Donald could see his old friend slowly warming up to his role. Good. They're going to need that.
From behind him, Donald could see the rest of the battlements where the other Knights were stationed. In front of them was Sora, looking quite out of place from the uniform Knights.
Donald stepped away from the edge of the tower and took a look behind him. A table was there, placed by him only a few minutes ago. On top of the table were five Ethers and a plastic box. This was what Von Drake had referred to as a 'two-way radio'. Donald didn't know what a radio was or how it worked but he thanked Von Drake fervently for making the buttons big and obvious. He was a magician and therefore not obliged to really know all about this scientific stuff.
"Zzzzzzt...Donald?" The radio suddenly squawked. "What?" Donald shouted, startled.
"Donald, can ya hear me?" Mickey's voice came out of the radios speakers. Gently, Donald approached the radio. "Y-Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Aw, don't be such a wuss, Donald!' Mickey responded. "You'll get used to it."
"But your voice is coming out of a box!" Donald whined. "It's completely preposterous!"
"Donald, you can summon lightning out of a stick. You've battled darkness incarnate." Mickey's sardonic tone just made Donald feel worse. "Out of all the many things out there in the worlds, you're questioning this?"
Donald's face grew red. Thank goodness the King wasn't physically there. That would've been ten times worse. "Okay, I get." Donald finally said. "It just takes a while to get used to."
"Well, don't freeze up there, buddy," Mickey said. "We're gonna need all the firepower we can get."
Donald smirked at those words. He hasn't used advanced magicks in a while. Using somethign as powerful and unorthodox as, say a Quake spell in their adventures would mean a constant drain on his magic. But now, with the world in danger and enough ethers to keep him maxed out for quite some time, he should have no qualms about 'overstepping' his bounds.
He drew out his trusty mage's staff. This should be fun. "Oh, don't worry about that, Your Majesty"
TSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTS
It wasn't an army in the regular sense.
It wasn't organized. It didn't have any obvious leaders. There was no collective thought. Just pure instinct.
This wasn't an army.
It was a horde.
King Mickey had travelled into and beyond the darkness, saw how it corrupted people, compelled the good-natured to do terrible things. The darkness was like a malignant sickness, promising glory and power while cruelly eroding your soul. Every once in a while, he would meet someone who had not succumb, who managed to control the darkness within them. Someone like Riku.
But people like that were rare. And the darkness was powerful.
Mickey was at the top of the castle gate, at the gatehouse. The portcullis had been closed for the first time in ten years. Rust had creeped over it during the long, lonely years of misuse. It was still covered by notches and blade marks, relics of battles in the past. Mickey tried not to think about them. There was a new battle ahead.
The Heartless below him were unnaturally still. They were varied, not just the pureblood Shadows but Soldiers, Knights, Air Soldiers and others. Thankfully there were no Darksides. That would've made this battle infinitely more difficult.
Behind him, the Royal Knights stood to attention, ready and patient as a mountain and Mickey's heart went to them. There were two spare gummi ships left for their retreat. Mickey knew that they can't afford to fight to the last man. Someone had to carry on, to keep the flame alive. Hopefully, everyone will make it back.
He eyed the Heartless carefully. The entire horde surrounded the castle, blocking any exit they could use. Mickey could see no end to their numbers. They stretched across the landscape, a huge swathe of black nightmares, waiting for a sign to attack, to swarm. Mickey tried to estimate how much Heartless could be there. They could be thousands, they could be millions. There would be no end to this.
How could so many Heartless end up in one place? Mickey knew how much power you had to have just to be able to command them and get their attention. And most of the time, you could only summon either a large amount of weak enemies or one particularly strong Heartless. Maleficent had been one of the few Mickey had met who could do both at the same time, though how much of it was her own volition or the work of Xehanort's Heartless was unknown.
It must be the Cornerstone. With such a powerful threat gone, every Heartless that could make it throughout the worlds would come here and finish off the world it had spawned.
Mickey narrowed his eyes, taking in every detail of the enemies they would have to fight. Then he spotted something. A multi colored blob was making its way through the throng of Heartless. It appeared to be kicking them out of its way. Nah, Mickey thought. Can't be.
Then he heard that loud, obnoxious, familiar voice.
"Outa my way, you gobs! Make a path! Or do ya want to go back into the dark? Huh? I'll send you mugs back there if you don't show some respect!"
Every once in a while, Mickey would feel guilty about locking Pete up in another dimension. Since Pete wasn't really a threatening villain, Mickey would think that the punishment was a bit too harsh, especially for someone as seemingly harmless as Pete. He was the kind of person that only the desperate or the stupid would trust. Mickey had actually felt a bit of sympathy for Maleficent, seeing how she was now paired with Pete.
Soon, those guilty feelings would overwhelm Mickey and he would go to the dimension where Pete was locked up. Upon meeting him though, any guilt Mickey hadover locking him away quickly vanishes, thanks to Pete's overbearing personality and his self-obssessed world view that he is the greatest. He had always been like this, even back when he was captain of that steamboat. These negative traits were only magnified once he decided that he was evil and started creating havoc in Disney Castle, calling himself the 'Mighty' Pete. True, he was more of a nuisance than an actual threat but Mickey felt obligated to send him away before anyone in the castle lost their sanity.
Mickey often wondered why Maleficent would keep such an incompetent minion like Pete. Surely she was not left wanting for henchmen? She used to have swathes of villains from many different worlds as part of her cabal. Now she was reduced to sending out an unreliable sort like Pete to do her bidding. Even with this vast horde under her bidding, she still handpicked the big oaf who could only conquer desserts on his own above other, able-bodied men. Didn't she have the Phantom Blot now? That monster was worth more than a million Petes. It surprised Mickey that she still had his old boat captain and general oaf under her service.
"Hey there, Mouse-King!" Pete yelled, finally reaching the entrance of the castle. "Ya hear me up there?"
"What is it, Pete?" Mickey said.
Pete spread his arms and gestured around him. "Take a look at this army! You mugs have no chance against all this firepower! Why don't you just mosey down there and open the doors for us? Makes things easier. Why, we might even spare some of you!"
"Is that a fact?" Mickey answered coldly.
Pete's malicious grin turned into a frown. "Now that ya mention it, Maleficent did say to spare no-one. I was just, y'know, trying to be polite. Though I don't know why she's got me doing all this, what with the Blot fella and those creepy guys in cloaks. Heh, she just knows where the real talent is, that's all!" Pete looked quite pleased at the thought.
"Wait!" Mickey called out. "What creepy guys?"
"Oh, them. They've been a great help, getting into the castle and taking the Corner-" Pete stopped once he realized what he was doing. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? If you think it's gonna be easy, messin' with my mind then you've got another thing coming!" Pete pointed at the castle and gates and gave one loud bellow, "CHARGE!"
The battle had begun.
Immediately, the Heartless followed his command, running towards the castle walls. Mickey had been expecting this and shouted to a headphone in his ear, "Donald! Reflect spell around the castle!"
"You got it!" Donald responded. A large clear shell of magic covered the castle, throwing back the first wave of Heartless. The ones behind it paid no attention and crawled over their fallen comrades. Mickey saw the Heartless pile against the walls, not bothering to climb. He could see why.
The pile of Heartless squirming next to the wall slowly rose. Mickey realized that the Heartless were creating pyramid for the others behind them to climb. All of the Heartless that reached the top of the pyramid laid still, creating another layer for the next bacth to reach. Soon, they will be able to reach the walls.
"Donald, you okay for one more major spell?" A slightly-winded voice answered, "Yeah sure."
"Good," Mickey said. "Can you cast a Quake spell around the castle perimeters?"
"Just a sec." A few seconds later, Mickey could feel a rumbling coming from the ground and saw the Heartless pyramid collapse into a heap. The Heartless behind didn't seem to notice, crawling and climbing over their brethren just like before. Mickey saw this and cursed.
Donald's voice crackled into his ear. "I can see flying Heartless going towards your direction, Your Majesty."
"Yeah, I see them." With a flash, the Keyblade teleported into his hand. Mickey raised it above his head and shouted, "Light! Give me power!' An orb of light shot out of the Keyblade and struck multiple flying shadows. More shadows fell as lightning strikes blasted them off the sky. Mickey could hear demented cackling coming from Donald's end and mentally made a note to check up on him and his mental health after this was all finished.
"Get ready, boys!" Mickey called out behind him. In one fluid motion, the Knights unsheated their swords and held them upfront, their faces grim and ready. Mickey shot out a few more orbs of energy at the remaining flying Heartless and then shouted, "Now!"
Mickey somersaulted backwards, behind the Knights as they charged forward, their swords in motion for one simultaneous swipe, taking out the first wave of Heartless climbing over the wall. They continued this motion, each taking out a Heartless with each swipe. More and more Heartless crawled over the wall and each was destroyed by a Knight. Mickey pressed a button on the headphone and said, "Goofy, you okay?"
"Sittin' pretty, Your Majesty!" Goofy's garbled voice answered. Mickey heard several thwacks! from Goofy's end and put it away from his mind. "Hey, this is almost too easy!"
"Don't jinx it!' Mickey replied. He couldn't help himself and smiled. "What about you Sora?"
"Not too shabby," Sora grunted. Mickey heard the whirl of wind and the clash of steel against steel and knew that Sora might be a tad too busy to communicate. "These Heartless are types we've fought before, they ain't so bad,"
"Just try to conserve your strength, Sora," Mickey replied. "We still got a long way to go," A buzz of static obscured Sora's reply and Dale's enthusiastic voice chimed in. "Your Majesty, first gummi ship is away! Only three more to go!"
"That's a start." Mickey said. In front of him, the line of Knights continued to take out the climbing Heartless. Behind them, three Soldier Heartless suddenly teleported and readied to strike. "Oh no you don't!" Mickey charged forward and swung the Keyblade in one stroke. The Heartless were destroyed, dissolving into the darkness. The Knights paid no attention and continued with their systematic chopping.
Mickey knew that they wouldn't throw all of their big guns into the battle so quickly. He tried to estimate the enemy's battle plan. Send in wave after wave of pawns, weak enemies in an effort to weaken them up. Mickey smirked at the thought. Part of the training to be a Royal Knight was to endure long, siegelike conditions with limited resources and constant attack. The castle had neverendured long sieges before but Mickey wanted to make sure that, if it happened, they would be prepared. Everyone had thought he was paranoid. Coincidentally, most of the complainers were new recruits into the Royal Knights.
Another burst of static shot into his ear. "Sir! Heartless are pouring into the gap between the platoons!"
"I'm on it," Mickey replied and ran along the wall, Keyblade held aloft.
TSTSTSTSTSTSTSTS
Pete was in a giddy mood.
He stood on top of a deserted house, on the roof, marveling the attack on the castle. He could see those pathetic Knights on top of the wall, slashing and destroying Heartless. Like that matters. For every Heartless they destroyed, ten more were spawned. Below him, on the streets, a never-ending wave of Heartless ran towards the wall, replacing fallen comrades. Those Knights were only delaying the inevitable.
Pete felt like laughing.
He had to admit: it was a pretty sight. The castle stood alone, an ugly shock of white against a glorious black background. Desperate defenders valiantly staving off an inevitable defeat. All of the lights were opened, as if in defiance of the invasion. It created an apocalyptic feel to the whole scene. It was a scene from one of his most fervent dreams. The Bastion of Light, fallen to the superior power of darkness. Unlike his other fervent dreams, this one was actually coming true.
Pete felt like bellowing his happiness to the doomed world.
How he wished he was there, to see that puny mouse's feeble attempts to stave of the Heartless. He would've laughed so hard to finally see that uppity, pompous jerk of a king shown how pitiful he really was. How weak and insignificant the light that he treasured so much was compared to the incredible power of the dark. He had attempted to show them the way before but they thought that he was being an idiot by backing the wrong horse only to be humiliated and cast off into another dimension. Was it because he was weak?
Nah, can't be.
If only he could replay this memory again and again, then he would be happy.
"Sir,"
"Wha?" Pete cried out, jumping at the sound of the voice behind him. He turned around and found that small, hooded girl standing right behind him. She could've given him a heart attack! What was her deal, just going up to people and surprising them like that? Pete was just about to sock it to the thing when he remembered that Maleficent wouldn't take too kindly to him mistreating one of her toys. And he was smart enough to know that.
"Er whaddaya want?" He said instead, letting his fist fall down to his sides. "Can't ya see I'm busy supervising an invasion here?" Honestly, why did Maleficent assign this weirdo to him? Didn't she trust him? He made his screwups before but it was only a matter of time till he was due for a comeback, right? He didn't need to be babysat by this cloak-wearing freak of nature. They sure as hell don't need those guys anymore. Bunch of pansies couldn't even defeat those Keyblade brats and now they gotta associate with them again? If someone asked Pete, and nobody asked him much, they're doing fine on their own. No need for any of these shenanigans!
"Heartless ships have reported at least three gummi ships loaded with refuges have escaped into space," the girl delivered in an uninterested, flat voice, not even flinching at Pete's nonsense. "They are on their way to an undefined location,"
"What?" Pete yelled. "How in the world did those ships get through our cordon?" Maleficent specifically told him to not let anyone escape, to slaughter everyone and give their hearts to the Heartless! She said it was crucial to her plans and now here he was, like an oaf failing again! "We've got entire fleets of Heartless ships just parked over there!" Pete was screaming madly as he pointed up to the sky while the messenger of bad news didn't even move a muscle. "Why aren't they doing anything?"
"The Phantom Blot ordered them to stand down," She informed him. It was infuriating Pete that this chicka couldn't even be bothered to act abashed that he was messing up again. And it wasn't even his fault! It was all that Blot guy again! Ever since Maleficent found that shady character, he's been muscling in on Pete's territory, thinking he's now top dog. Well, he might be a well-known crook and master of disguise but did he have this whole army of Heartless to command? Did he have experience fighting against those Keyblade-wielding nincompoops, did he?
Well, Pete will show him! Him and Maleficent and any other idiots who dare to insult the mighty Pete!
"For your information, missy," Pete bellowed, throwing forward his impressive bulk. "I'm the commander of this invasion and I order you to take down those refugee ships!" He accentuated his point by pointing dramatically. "Go on, do as you're told!"
"I have been told that the Phantom Blot supersedes your command," the hooded girl responded flatly, clearly uncaring of Pete's display, much to his consternation. "Only he has authorization to command the ships in space,"
"Now see here!" Pete shouted in exasperation, waving his arms nearly hitting the girl. "I'm the commander of this little operation, not his holier-than-thou Blotness, okay? Now, I'm telling you to go out there and order those ships to start firing on those refugees! Got it?"
"No,"
Oh, that was the final straw. Pete didn't care if this thing was important to Maleficent; she was going to get her comeuppance for being a bad flunky! He didn't have to put up with this. Her, the Phantom Blot, even big bad Maleficent, he was better than this! Who rounded up all of this Heartless to do her bidding? Who was the one who travelled throughout the worlds gathering up those pansified so-called 'villains' to do their deeds for them? Who did all the leg-breaking back work while others just sat inside their castles, plotting and planning and never lifting a single finger to do all the work, huh? All that hard work and no one ever gave him any credit for it. Well, he won't just take this one insult anymore!
"Alright, you mug, you've disrespected me for the last time! I'm Pete, ya see and nobody mocks me like that!" He wrenched his right arm backwards and let loose one mighty punch. The girl merely sidestepped it, letting Pete fall into the ground below.
"OW!" Pete cried out. The stream of Heartless that covered the street trampled over Pete. "Ow Ow Ow OW OW!" Pete's screams of pain were barely heard in the din of the Heartless still charging towards the castle. All he could see was dark bodies and feel unrelenting pain.
A rough hand grabbed Pete by the shoulder and pulled him up. How a slight little thing had so much strength he will never know. "I meant to do that," he grumbled, brushing off the dust from his clothes. The girl didn't even bother to say anything else, completely unruffled, instead preferring to watch the continuing onslaught. Suddenly, her head twitched and she just ran into the horde towards the castle, leaving a hardly-mollified Pete behind.
TSTSTSTSTSTSTS
"Only two more gummi ships left!"
"That's good," Sora replied before dodging the attacks of a Gargoyle Knight. He blocked a desperate sword strike and pointed his Keyblade at the exposed Possessor and responded by stabbing it through the hole in its chest, shouting, "Release!" The Gargoyle crumbled as the Keyblade unlocked the stone body and let the small Possessor floated away.
Sora paused to wipe his forehead and let his Keyblade disappear, taking in his surroundings. He was in the colonnade, right outside the library. Around him, Royal Knights were in full retreat-mode, falling back towards the topiary hedge that concealed the entrance to the gummi hangars. Goofy was next to him, having stopped to catch his breath, resting on his shield. Sora offered him a potion, which he took gratefully.
The castle was a mess. The once cheery white walls were covered with cracks and dust. Debris littered the floor, whole chunks coming from the ceiling. Every now and then, a loud rumbling could be heard from the far-off walls, accompanied by a horrendous roaring and the walls and ceiling would rattle, shaking dust on them. Heartless have taken over nearly the entire castle. The only places left were the throne room and the gummi hangars.
Sora couldn't say that the entire day was a complete success. In the beginning, he had thought they could simply outlast them. After all, they had fought hordes of Heartless before. Sooner or later, the mob would run out and they'd have won the day. Heck, he managed to take on an entire army of them beforehand all on his own. His brave words to the elite of the castle were honest, that he knew in his heart. Even though they will inevitably lose this castle, at least they all still had each other. For an assault of this scale, it was a miracle they had only lost two Royal Knights to the clutches of the Heartless. It happened at Mickey's sector but that was all anyone was willing to tell him.
Now the time for heroics was over. They had done all that they could do. All of the civilians have evacuated, dodging the gauntlet of Heartless ships out in space. All that were left were the defenders and there was nothing to gain to just give up their lives to an inevitable outcome. Sora sighed, feeling the weight of the day's events on his bones. He reached into his pocket and took out a star-shaped charm. The figure's little scrawled face made him smile.
No way was he going to die today.
"Where's Donald?" Goofy asked. Sora turned to him only to find Goofy talking directly towards the headphone that he had, not having it in his ear. "Hello? Hello? Er, I think this thing is broken,"
Sora shook his head and said, "Give me that," He stuck the earpiece into Goofy's ear. Goofy's head jerked as someone's voice entered his head. "Well, jeez, I didn't know, okay?" Goofy shouted down the tiny microphone that adorned the earpiece. "Look, Chip, I'm sorry if I hurt your ears but can you tell me where Donald is?" Sora could hear someone squeaking on the other end. "He's already there? Coward." Goofy laughed and said to Sora, "Donald's down at the hangar, prepping our gummi ship."
"Our gummi ship?"
Goofy nodded. "Yup! It's one of those models you wrecked when we were making our way towards Twilight Town. Wasn't that damaged from the explosion so it should carry us to-" Goofy stopped then scratched his head. "Uh, where are we going?"
"The King would know," Sora responded just as Mickey himself came out of the library. "Your Majesty!" Sora greeted, running up towards the King. "Did you get what you need?"
"Yup," Mickey nodded and held out two tiny journals. Sora looked at them, confused. "You're choosing to save those two? But what about the rest of your books?"
"They're just books, Sora," Mickey answered. "These journals have important information, crucial to your mission. We'll talk about it when we get to Radiant Garden," To answer Sora and Goofy's quizzical looks, Mickey continued, "I've already contacted Leon and he agreed to shelter us for the time being. That world has grown since you were last there so I guess you'll be pleasantly surprised,"
He suddenly frowned at the two of them. "What are you two, still doing here? I told you to get down to the hangars with the rest of the Knights,"
"We was waiting for you, Your Majesty," Goofy answered bashfully, gingerly getting up from his sitting position. "We ain't leaving without you! Sora told us so,"
Mickey only sighed and smiled at the two. "Never leave one man behind huh?" A burst of static went through the earpieces they were using and Chip's voiced chimed in on their conversation. "Your Majesty, the last two gummi ships have just left. We're waiting for you three to get here, quick!"
Mickey nodded and responded, "We're on our way," He nodded to the two and summoned his Keyblade to him. Sora and Goofy nodded in turn and brandished their weapons, ready to fight.
"Let's roll!"
Mickey shot of down the corridor, closely followed by Sora and Goofy. Just as they made it past the throne room, they heard a horrendous creaking sound coming from the hall. They heard something large smashing against the doors as the walls around them began to creak and shake dust. The towering doors toppled down, crashing through the walls of the colonnade, creating a path for them towards the garden. A Behemoth Heartless smashed its way through the doorway and turned towards the trio, roaring in fury.
Sora and Goofy stopped, dumbstruck at the sight of the gigantic Heartless. They had not seen a powerful Heartless in the early stages of the attack. Now that the castle was almost theirs, the Heartless seem even more desperate to attain it. Mickey however, did not break from his stride and somersaulted into the air, bringing his Keyblade crashing down on the Behemoth's vulnerable horn. With an almighty clang, his Keyblade smashed the Behemoth's head down, forcing the giant creature to fall on the ground before disintegrating into darkness with a paned scream.
Mickey landed on the hole leading towards the gardens. "Come on!" he shouted to the other two. They broke from their reverie and followed the mouse king to the topiary leading towards the hangars.
"We're gonna make it!" Goofy yelled triumphantly, running ahead of Sora.
"Almost there!" Sora added.
But, just as Mickey had opened the door and Goofy followed through it, a bright flash of light appeared, separating the two from Sora. Numbers and symbols flickered around the circle of light as it faded, leaving behind a short figure clad in a black coat. The figure's oppressive hood shrouded their features but Sora did not need to see their face to know it was the enemy.
"Sora!" Mickey and Goofy yelled. The figure turned to them and shot out a fireball from a hand, knocking Goofy against Mickey into the hangars. The figure once again turned to Sora. He responded by pointing his Keyblade at the intruder. "Who are you?" he asked angrily.
He figure made no response. Instead, it raised its hands and light enveloped them. Two Kingdom Keys flashed into existence in the hooded person's hands before transmogrifying into Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Without preemptive, the figure charged at Sora, barely able to get over the shock of seeing his Keyblades wielded by the enemy, swinging Oblivion in a ferocious blitz. Sora only just managed to raise the Ultima Weapon to block it. The figure immediately swooped from the side with the other Keyblade. Sora quickly slashed away the Keyblade he was blocking and dodged to the right, his attacker's weapon just barely missing him.
"Not going to talk, huh?" Sora said. He straightened up and let his Keyblade fall back to his old, familiar stance. "Then I'll let the Keyblade talk for us," His opponent answered by throwing Oathkeeper at Sora, the Keyblade turning into a disc of brilliant light. Sora dodged forward underneath the Keyblade and brought his in an upward swing, hoping to catch his assailant. His opponent merely brought up Oblivion and the two Keyblades clashed against each other. Sora tried to force the hooded figure back with his strength only to hear a whistling behind him. He only just managed to release Ultima from Oblivion's grip as Sora shielded himself from the return of Oathkeeper. The Keyblade smashed against his and flung to the ground.
Sora had barely paused to breath when his opponent tried to run him through with Oblivion. He swung to intercept and found himself locking blades with this mystery opponent. "Just go away!" he shouted angrily as he gathered magic towards his Keyblade. "Firaga!" A circle of fireballs blazed into existence around Sora, catching his opponent in the stream. Taking advantage, Sora threw all of his strength towards his Keyblade and slashed against his opponent, throwing them back a few feet on to the ground.
"Now talk!" Sora roared in frustration, walking closer to his adversary. "Who are you?" Once again, his opponent did not bother to answer, instead standing up and waving both arms, summoning the two Keyblades back to arms again. Suddenly, in a flash of light, his opponent traversed the distance between them in a split second. Before Sora could react, the two Keyblades came crashing down on him, smashing down on his body. The hooded figure finished the combo and flipped back, only to charge back at Sora with both Keyblades. Sora only just managed to get his wits together and dodge out of the way, landing behind a hedge.
"Sora!" Mickey's voice came through his earpiece. "Your Majesty!" Sora responded only to have to dodge again as his opponent tried to bring both Keyblades on his head from the air. "I'm kinda busy right now," he said abashedly as he shot out a burst of ice at his enemy. "Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine but a barrier's blocking our way to you!" Mickey said. "You gotta hurry The Heartless are coming for you!"
"Got it," Sora gritted his teeth. His opponent was not letting him get away with small chat though. The hooded figure was speeding around him in a velocity so fast that the very light was refracting around them, partially blinding him. His opponent suddenly went through the same combo used before only this time Sora was expecting it and blocked every powerful hit, almost knocking him back. The figure tried one last thrust only for Sora to knock back the momentum and stun his opponent. Sora took the initiative and dashed forward, slashing back the hooded figure with great force, knocking the person against a tree.
Sora was just about to turn and leave when he spied the hooded figure standing up, not even staggering from any pain felt. "Why don't you just stay down?" Sora mumbled angrily to himself before readying his Keyblade for another bout. "Well?"
His opponent, as always, did not answer. Instead, Sora felt a hundred targets lock on to him as his opponent brought forth Oathkeeper and Oblivion together and used them to shoot a gigantic laser beam at Sora, who barely managed to dodge. He kept on running as the beam moved sideways, trying to catch him in its deadly embrace.
Who is this guy? Sora thought desperately as he ran, dodging tress and hedges that populated the garden. He's a Keyblade Wielder and a dual wielder at that. I can't even do that without Driving! Sora hopped over one last hedge and ran towards the laser-spewing beast, trying to catch it unawares only for the hooded figure to cease with the laser attack and jump into the air, trying to bring down the Keyblades crashing on Sora's head by turning them into circles of light. Sora brought his own Keyblade upwards, deflecting the attack with an almighty clash. The figure jumped backwards and landed perfectly on the ground, still preparing to fight. This can't go on forever, Sora only gritted his teeth further. How do I beat this guy?
Come on Sora, don't wimp out on me yet
"Huh?" Sora said out loud only to suddenly have to sidestep as his opponent tried to run him through with Oblivion. Really not the best of times, Roxas. He added mentally as he tried to capitalize on the situation and brought down Ultima Weapon on a downwards sweep. Kinda busy right now. The Keyblade was caught by both Oathkeeper and Oblivion as his opponent once again stabbed at him with both Keyblades. Sora finished his sidestep and managed to hit his opponent on the side, following it up with two more hits before drawing magic around him and creating an explosion of magic light around him, blasting back his opponent.
Can't you tell? Roxas continued as Sora paused to catch his breath. He wields the same Keyblades as I do and uses the same moves, except for that fancy laser thing. Come one, you beat me before, you can beat this impostor.
Not without a fight, Sora thought grimly. Do you even know who this guy is? I thought there were only thirteen of you?
Wearing the black coat doesn't make you a member, your friend showed that.
True enough. Sora thought. He watched as his opponent got up once more without preamble. Sora didn't know if he was even causing damage but he knew he had to battle on or face getting caught by the Heartless. He made a promise that he will return home soon. He wasn't averse to breaking his promises and he wasn't going to start now.
Let's end this
Sora broke to a running start, charging towards his opponent. Once again, light enveloped the hooded figure, meeting Sora's own charge with one of its own. For a split second, Sora was close enough to his opponent's face that he could feel the breath on his own. But all he saw was the darkness of the hood obscuring any features he tried to discern. He put it out of his mind and concentrated on the task at hand.
He had only ever done this once and it was more out of sheer luck than anything else. Sora let familiar reflexes and muscle memory take over as, just before his opponent could strike, he slashed upwards, catching his opponent by the chin and sending them backwards, letting go of the . Out of instinct, Sora brought up his hand and felt the contours of light through the two Keyblades. "Give me strength!" he shouted and the Keyblades flew down on him in an aura of light. He felt their power flow into him and knew that they were not just fakes this unknown figure conjured from thin air. They were as real as the Keyblades he had used before.
His opponent got up again but this time Sora caught a stumble in their step. That was all the hints he needed as he dashed forward, Ultima Weapon ready in his hands, Oathkeeper and Oblivion shooting forward in bright streaks of light. Before the hooded figure could even react, the two Keyblades slammed against it and sent the figure flying into the air. Sora jumped up and sent the Keyblade downwards, slamming the figure on the ground, destroying the ground and forming a crater. Sora followed this up with all three Keyblades descending on the figure only for his opponent to dodge roll out of the way.
Having no weapon, his opponent instead thrust out both hands. Five laser beams appeared around it and tried to surround and trap Sora. He was prepared for it though as Oathkeeper and Oblivion created a field of light around him by spinning in circles, breaking through the laser array. The figure tried again by creating a ball of light that began to spit out several laser beams. Sora redirected Oathkeeper and Oblivion in front of him, turning them into spinning fans that absorbed the enemy's attacks. Sora grinned as he waved his hand and sent the two Keyblades flying from the sky, crashing down on the enemy in multiple directions. By the time Sora got there, both Keyblades were back behind him as he zeroed in on his staggering opponent.
"Time you took a rest!"
Sora closed his eyes and put all of his momentum and strength into his hands as he and the two Keyblades slashed forward, finally catching his opponent right where he wanted. Sora opened his eyes and turned around. His opponent was standing still. Sora was afraid that the hooded figure was going to keep fighting until the figure fell on its knees. Oathkeeper and Oblivion dissolved into shards of light as the figure in front of him was consumed in a circle of white light.
"Hey, wait!" Sora shouted, running up to the disappearing figure. He stopped in his tracks as a large circle of numbers and symbols converged on the hooded figure. The light melted away, leaving no trace of Sora's assailant.
Sora stared at the spot where his opponent had once been, now faded away to god knows where. He felt himself nearly keel over from the bruises and wounds he had received from that one. He had only found that kind of ferocity and skill with the Keyblades before and he was pretty sure from the start that Roxas had not come out to pick a grudge at him.
Thanks for the vote of confidence Roxas snarked. Sora paid him no attention and continued to think it over. There was no one else he knew that can wield two Keyblades or wore the black coat. His adversary had proven without a doubt that they were nothing to be sneezed at. Sora had nothing to work on and that frustrated him.
Who was that?
"Sora!"
Donald's frenzied shout shocked Sora back into reality. He heard a cry coming from the skies and saw to his horror that the sky was filled with Wyverns. They were all descending upon him, eager to catch him in their clutches. They were not alone. Sora saw Air Soldiers, the Black Waltz Heartless, all varieties, Search Ghosts, Air Pirates, Gargoyles, Rapid Thrusters, all types of airborne Heartless coming his way. Ahead of him, Sora saw the walls rumble from where the library should be and saw the cracks enlarge until a gigantic purple Behemoth crashed its way through the walls. Paper and books from the library filled the hole from which it came from, soon followed by Soldiers and Shadows, all spilling out into the garden. From the throne room hole, Knights and Large Bodies came calling, ready to help in the destruction.
And they were all gunning for him.
"Run!"
Sora dashed for the hedge concealing the doorway towards the hangar. Two Wyverns tried to block his way but Sora shouted, "Gather!" and directed at Magnet orb behind them, sucking them out of the way. The Behemoth charged at him and tried to step on him with its front legs. Sora ducked through its legs and continued running. A Large Body launched itself at Sora only to miss and collide with the Behemoth's legs. The door was inches away from Sora's face just as he heard that behemoth's hideous roar once more and the ground shaking behind him.
"Not now!" Sora yelled in frustration, once again forced to dodge to the side as the Behemoth's massive feet came down on the spot he was just standing on. The massive hooves crushed the topiary hedge, blocking the way towards the hangars. Sora resorted to futilely trying to knock the leg away and gain the Behemoth's attention when a number of Knights surrounded Sora. Already beyond the edge, Sora just plowed his way through the Knights like they were stick figures. Only when the Behemoth tried to find Sora by moving did the Keyblade Wielder get his chance.
Sora ran forward, shooting down any Heartless above him with shards of Blizzaga. Just as the Behemoth tried to pound him once more, Sora jumped through the hole on the ground and fell down the stairs, landing a broken heap on the end of the steps. In front of him was the gummi ship they had used to come to the castle, the only one left in the hangars. "Ugh" Sora groaned, trying to get up.
"Get up Sora!" Goofy's boisterous voice broke through the hangar. Sora opened his eyes and saw Goofy waving at him from the open door of the gummi ship. He willed himself to get up and staggered towards the ship, unable to feel more than his feet. "You gonna have to hurry!" Goofy hollered desperately.
"Alright, alright, coming," Sora mumbled, finally making it to the edge of the door and tried to get into the ship only to fail.
"Jeez Sora, what happened up there?" Goofy asked. "Ya think you can help, Your Majesty?" Sora suddenly found himself being lifted into the ship by several hands and propped up on a seat. He could barely focus his senses as Goofy shouted at Donald to launch the ship. His senses rapidly came back to him though when the ship began plummeting in midair, nose diving down to space.
"When we get back," Donald yelled to the two chipmunks, who Sora couldn't see since he, Mickey and Goofy were still sprawled along the floor of the ship. "Re-design these stupid things so that we don't have to fall downwards just to get out!"
"Y-Yes sir!" They squeaked.
Sora sat up and then felt back on the ground as the gummi ship suddenly shot forwards. "Whoah! Where are we?"
"Just escaped Disney Castle airspace!" Donald replied. "We'll be at Radiant Garden in ten minutes,"
"Good to know," Sora said before exhaustion finally kicked in and he fell against his seat, into the realm of sleep.
Well, that could've ended better.
Anyways, please review?