Sora, Donald, Goofy and Alice walked towards the head and torso of the Mad Hatter: wary. The Mad Hatter, still not noticing the group approaching him, continued to mutter and rabble on. Alice gently picked him up.
'Hatter', Alice began. 'I recall leaving you in a decrepit condition, but not in pieces.'
'Yeah.' Sora joined in. 'Your body was still there when your head exploded.'
The Mad Hatter snapped from his rabbling as he was picked up. 'What? What? Oh… It's you…'
'What happened here?' Alice asked. 'You lost your hat, and some… Parts are missing.'
'So that's what different about him!' Goofy exclaimed. 'I thought it was the hair.'
Donald face palmed as the Mad Hatter spoke. 'Missing indeed. Though, things being what they are… I barely miss their missing. As to what happened, you should know better than I! It's your place, after all. I know my place.'
Alice placed his head back into his mechanical torso and asked curtly. 'When did you know your place or how to keep it? Now, what's going on?'
Without warning, there was a mechanical roar from above. Sora looked around and up the ceiling.
'I think that's answer our question.'
Goofy pricked his ears. 'Sounds like a train.'
'Papa was exceedingly fond of trains.' Alice mused. 'I don't like them much,'
'You won't like this one at all.' The Mad Hatter chimed. 'It's nothing like when Mock Turtle was in charge of the Looking Glass Line.'
'The what?' Donald asked.
The Mad Hatter and Alice ignored him. 'This railroad is a bloody shambles. The stink is ferocious; the light, binding; the noise…'
Alice interrupted. 'Ah, quite, Hatter, I get the idea: a bad train.'
'The world is left upside down, Alice.' The Mad Hatter choked sadly as a mechanical arm pulled him into the air. 'Inmates run the asylum, no offense. And worse, I'm left tea-less.'
Goofy nodded sympathetically. 'Everybody needs tea once in a while.'
'In the Mad Hatter's case, he needs it in every hour.' Donald whispered.
Alice just answered impassively. 'Tragic. If I do help, will you help me in return?'
'Cross my heart, if I had one!' the Hatter immediately said. 'Find my limbs and tossed them in the chute. The machines will do the rest. Be on your way now. That's a good girl. Best way out is through the Clock Face.'
Alice nodded and walked away to where they came from. Sora, Donald and Goofy followed after her. Sora walked next to Alice and asked, 'Are you sure we can trust him?'
Alice shrugged. 'He's the only one who can help us and may know more about this train he been babbling about. The more we know about this train then we know who we're dealing with and I get a chance to find out what really happened during that fire.'
Sora nodded and frowned. 'What did he meant my inmates? I know that this place was like the asylum in your real world but besides you and those children, who else lives here?'
'I can think of two.' Alice answered. 'And they have more reason to use the Mad Hatter's limbs than anybody else.'
'Why?' Sora asked. Alice looked at him.
'Revenge. That's what happened when you turn two of your friends into experiments.'
'I never thought that both Hare and Dormouse would do such a thing.' Donald commented when the group reached two tunnels. It was not difficult to figure it out that Hare and Dormouse, friends and experiments of the Mad Hatter, were now running the Mad Hatter's Domain: the possibility that both creatures possessed the Mad Hatter's limbs.
Alice shrugged. 'Madness makes people do strange things.'
'Like you?' Goofy inputted. Sora and Donald froze when Goofy said that, awaiting Alice's wrath.
Alice, however, just nodded. 'Like me.' She studied both passages. 'I think it's a good idea if we split up into groups. That way, we save time.'
'Right.' Sora agreed. 'Alice and I will handle Hare while Donald and Goofy will take care of Dormouse.'
'Righto! A-hyuk!' Goofy was about to walk into the right passage when he was stopped by Donald. He then walked past Alice and pushed Sora to the left passage.
'If you don't mind.' Donald explained as he pushed Sora deeper into the left passage. 'I'll go with Sora while you go with Goofy.'
Alice blinked her eyes. 'Of… Course. Come on Goofy.'
Goofy allowed Alice to walk past him and he followed behind her. Once Donald was sure that Alice and Goofy were out of hearing range, he stopped pushing Sora and Sora turned around to face him.
'What's up Donald?' Sora asked, puzzled.
Donald folded his hands over his chest. 'I'll tell you what's up. You have a beautiful wife waiting faithfully and loyally back on Destiny Island while you're here reconnecting your feelings with Alice. If Kairi knows about this, this will break her heart.'
Sora took a step back, a guilty look on his face. 'Donald! It's… It's nothing like that! I swear! You know full well I love Kairi! I will never betray her! Alice and I are just friends! Nothing more!'
Donald held up his hands to stop Sora and said, 'It's not you I'm worried about, it her.' At Sora's frown, he continued. 'I know you're loyal and love Kairi but Alice is a different matter. She might want to keep you here in Wonderland for herself, by force if she needs to.'
Sora looked at Donald as if bananas started popping out of his beak. 'That's crazy talk Donald! Alice would never do such a thing! You know her as well as I do!'
'If this was the Alice eleven years ago, I agree with you.' Donald agreed. 'But think about it: Alice lost her family in a fire and it drove her mad. She was a psychopathic lunatic until we came along. Actually, it was you who save her from madness that time. I'm not saying this in a bad way but you were the one who gave her hope, her sense of belonging and her sanity. You were there when she needed someone to be close to her: the only human boy there for her. So I believe you when you said you have no feelings for Alice but she may have feelings for you: and those feelings maybe more than friendship. The fact that you're already married to Kairi doesn't change anything to her.'
Sora was about to defend Alice but stopped himself, as Donald's words were truth. He just stood there, not knowing how to respond to Donald's analysis. Donald continued.
'All I'm just saying is that don't raise Alice's hope for a romantic relationship between the two of you and don't promise anything that might spark it. Just remain as friends.'
Sora slowly nodded. 'You're right Donald. I'll keep your words in mind.'
Donald nodded, satisfied. 'Now let's get those limbs back.'
Sora nodded. 'Right.'
Sora and Donald continued on, not exchanging any words: the sounds of their breathing and machineries can only be heard. As they walked deeper towards Hare, Sora was thinking about himself and Alice. Sure he may, may, have some feelings with Alice but none of them were romantic. In his heart, Alice was a kind, gentle, strong-minded and caring girl he ever met: if cold and sarcastic at times. However, in his heart of hearts, he loved Kairi when she first came to Destiny Island: going as far as searching for her in Hollow Bastion and when she was kidnapped by Organization 13. Kairi was nice, kind, caring, gentle, strong-minded and brave. She and Alice shared the same personalities. It was no wonder Sora was…
'Sora!' Donald quacked, snapping Sora from his thoughts.
Sora jumped slightly and looked at Donald. 'What is it?'
Donald gestured forward and Sora noticed that the room they were about to enter was pitch black. Bravely, he and Donald stepped into the room and continued walking forward. They were not far from the door they came in when it suddenly shut behind them and the lights came on, the room being one of the engine rooms. Sora quickly summoned Kingdom-Key and Donald summoned out his wand as giant robots with mechanical heads surrounded them with light bulbs sticking out from them and rustic-brown in colour. They were towering over Sora and Donald with out-stretched claws. Despite their situation, Sora and Donald looked up and saw a giant hamster-wheel being moved by a pair of legs: running at a moderate speed. Besides it was a tower with levers and gears moving. On that tower was a brown figure with long ears, yellow eyes with one covered by a magnifying glass, and with a mechanical left arm and legs attached to him. He wore a red coat over a white shirt with a black bow tie and he held a curved golden blade.
'Your dogged persistence will be rewarded with pain!' Hare spoke in a dangerous voice. 'I told you to cease and desist and my warning goes unheeded! So, without regret, you're about to feel like a lobster who's been tossed into the boiling pot!' He pointed his blade at them and screamed, 'ATTACK!'
The robots charged at Sora and Donald, clumsily and slowly. Unimpressed, Donald and Sora looked at each other: amused.
'These are the enemies?' Sora asked and took a step on the left when one of the robots slammed one of its claws at a sluggish speed.
'Looks like Hare and Dormouse are not that great an inventor as the Mad Hatter.' Donald said as he ducked a grab by one of the robots.
'Donald.' Sora said as he blocked an attack bb another robot and pushed it back, causing the robot to fall on its back. 'Care to do the honour?'
Donald sighed as he sidestepped another robot. 'I suppose so.' He raised his wand into the air. 'Thundaga.' He spoke in a lazy voice. Lightning bolts shot from his wand and hit all the robots within reach. They all shuddered, electricity sparkling out from their bodies and making them jittery. Some of their light bulbs burst with overpower and one by one: all the robots exploded, leaving only the legs that were burned.
Hare was literally jumping in rage. 'No! My creations! My beautiful creations!' Hare turned to the running legs of the Mad Hatter. 'Argh, stop your running, you blithering idiot!'
The legs only ran faster, making the wheel spun faster and steams coming out from the gears. The engine room shook with mechanical sounds and a few gears falling onto the floor and pipes bursting. The room quiet down and the legs stopped running. Hare furiously turned to Sora and Donald.
'You think that can stop us? A mere trifle! I'll be leaving now!' The platform that Hare was standing on lifted and carried Hare to the upper floors. 'You'll never catch me! Don't even try!'
Hare left the room and the wheel that Mad Hatter's legs were running on collapse onto the floor. Sora and Donald quickly ran towards it and pulled the legs from the wreckage: no damage was done to it.
'That's done!' Donald said gleefully. 'I can't believe that was easy!'
'Yeah!' Sora grinned as he carried the legs. 'Now to get this legs back to the Mad Hatter.'
'Look!' Donald pointed at a hole being opened on the platform. Sora carried the legs to the hole and dropped the legs into it before the hole closed up. Satisfied, Sora and Donald retraced their steps and walked back to find the Mad Hatter.
'I wonder how Alice and Goofy are doing?' Sora asked.
Donald shrugged. 'They're probably having a good time like us. After all, this is Dormouse we're talking about.
'This is Dormouse we're talking about!' Alice screamed as she hid behind Goofy. 'Why are we struggling against him?'
Goofy had his shield raised up, deflecting projectiles flying at them. In front of them was a machine with no specific markings except for two arms that wore green and yellow pinstriped sleeves and white gloves: picking up objects and throwing at Goofy and Alice. Between them was a river of lava.
Above the machine was another tower with a creature that resembled a mouse wearing a sleeveless coat and instead of legs; wheels were attached to his body. Dormouse was speaking throughout the commotion his machine was making.
'Your presence here is unwelcome. We have a mission to complete and you're an intolerable annoyance! Be crush!'
The machine, with the Mad Hatter's arms attached to it, continued throwing projectiles at Alice and Goofy, either bouncing off Goofy's shield or landing closed to them.
'Seriously', Alice muttered. 'How did Dormouse managed to build something like that?'
'Maybe he's been eating brain food.' Goofy suggested as he blocked another projectile.
Alice eyed him quizzically. 'I doubt cheese is counted as "brain food" Goofy.' She peeked from Goofy's shield. 'Blast! If only we are close enough then I can use the Pepper Grinder on him. What about you, Goofy?'
'I can throw my shield at him but if I do that, we be squashed by those things.' Goofy grunted as another projectile hit his shield. 'Not too sure how much longer I can hold on!'
Alice looked around and her eyes spotted something. 'Hello? What do we have here?' Alice picked it up and inspected it. It was an umbrella in the colour of black and the wood polished until it shines. There was a hook at the end of it. 'Who would leave a beautiful umbrella in a place like this?'
'Maybe they forgot it?' Goofy asked.
'Maybe…' Alice murmured and tested it: it was quite strong. Alice looked at Dormouse's machine. 'Maybe not!'
Before Goofy could stop her, Alice stepped out from his protection just as a flying flaming rock flew towards her. Alice raised the umbrella and opened it. To Goofy and Alice's surprise, the projectile hit the umbrella but instead of crushing Alice, it flew back at the machine. The flaming rock hit the machine, causing it to stop throwing objects at Alice and Goofy and the Mad Hatter's arms went limp. Without warning, it exploded. The explosion caused some rubble to land into the lava river: creating a bridge for Alice and Goofy.
Alice looked at the umbrella fondly. 'I think I will keep this.'
Dormouse tried to act brave. 'A temporary setback! A minor hindrance! A trivial impediment!' he squeaked. 'I'll just move along! I'll deal with you later! You'll never stop our grand plan!'
The platform lifted Dormouse higher until he disappeared from the room while Alice and Goofy crossed the lava river. They rummaged through the rubble until they found the Mad Hatter's arms. Making sure that no damages was done on the arms; Alice and Goofy found the chute and dropped the arms into it. The chute closed and Alice and Goofy walked out of the hall.
'Now let's find Sora and Donald.' Alice said.
Sora and Donald were in the same room where they found the Mad Hatter when Alice and Goofy joined them. Sora face split into a grin and he stood up to greet her but remembering Donald's words, he stopped himself: unsure how to act. Alice, noticing Sora's reluctance, frowned and started first.
'Seeing you here means that Hare was no problem for you and Donald.'
Sora, glad that Alice started the conversation, immediately took it up. 'Yeah! Hare had all these robots but they're completely useless. What about you?'
Alice shrugged. 'Not too bad, found a new weapon.' She showed Sora the umbrella. Sora looked at it, sceptical.
'An umbrella?'
Alice smiled. 'Not just any umbrella, it's… Never mind, I'll show it to you when we fight again.'
As they were speaking, mechanical arms reattached the Mad Hatter's arms and legs into the torso. Lastly, one of the arms placed a massive black and white top hat on top of the Mad Hatter's head and gave it a pat before pulling away.
Alice turned to face the Mad Hatter. 'I've finished my work and you're complete, Hatter. Now, what about this "damnable" train?'
'And is it possible we can get some tea?' Goofy asked randomly.
The Mad Hatter dropped to the ground and looked at his hands. 'I feel like a new man, or whatever I am. I feel like an unstrung spring; like an un-corroded gear; like an untarnished bit of metal that sticks into your eye!'
'We get it already!' Sora said impatiently. 'Just answer our question. We did help you get your limbs back!'
'Yeah!' Donald agreed.
'Things have change, Hatter.' Alice continued. 'What the rules now?'
A staff with a teapot on top of it dropped out from nowhere into the Mad Hatter's arms. He looked at it and twirled it around in circles. 'The law is just… Just a whisper away… A way home to wonder… Wonder who… Who knows how to measure rules? With a ruler! Cruel rules…'
Tired of the Mad Hatter's rambling, Alice fumed. 'Idiot! I should have left you in bits. Come! The least you can do is help me discover what's going on.'
The Mad Hatter grinned and grabbed all of them in a hug before leaping into the air. The glass window above them shattered into million of pieces as the Mad Hatter landed on his feat. He dropped them onto the ground and squatted before them.
'Climb aboard. Let's get going now!'
Alice and Sora quickly climbed onto his back, Alice holding onto the Mad Hatter's left shoulder while Sora held onto the right. Donald and Goofy firmly held onto the Mad Hatter's gear that was sticking out from his back.
'You could had given us a warning.' That was all Donald could say before the Mad Hatter ran and leaped into the air again; falling through the air before landing heavily on another gear that led into another part of the citadel. The Mad Hatter ran through his domain, passing moving gears: on the ground or in the air. They passed through engine rooms that were still operating. All of the sudden, they heard that mechanical sound that they heard earlier.
'We must be getting close!' Sora exclaimed as they were outside of the citadel. They were just on time to see something massive riding on railroads. Like the Mad Hatter mentioned earlier: it was a train but instead of having the standard structure with a main cabin and carriages, it was a grey building resembling an abbey with a chimney blowing black smokes. The inside of the building was burning. It made such a hellish sound as it pass through the group.
Sora climbed down from the Mad Hatter's back and helped Alice down. 'Looks like we missed the train.'
Alice nodded distracted. 'We've found the source of the shaking. But are those two quaking? What are they up too?'
Donald looked at Alice. 'You mean Hare and Dormouse.'
Just on cue, Dormouse's voice was heard. 'You never stop us silly Hatter, Alice, Sora, Donald and Goofy! It's left! You're too late! Hohohooo!'
The Mad Hatter started ranting again. 'The insolence, the arrogance, the execrable table manners! They are destroyer of Wonderland! Defilers, denuders, derangers… Delightful… '
As the Mad Hatter continued rambling on, Sora turned to Alice. 'Could this train be the one causing Wonderland's destruction?'
'Looks like it…' Alice answered. 'Or they could be someone else pulling the strings.'
The Mad Hatter dismissed them. 'What does that matter? They deserve to die!' Suddenly, a hook hooked the Mad Hatter and carried him away. 'Aargh! Put me down this instant! I ought to…'
The hook carried the shouting Mad Hatter away as Dormouse's voice spoke again. 'Enough talk! Battle time!'
Chains moved and they were pulling up a giant machinery to face them. At the head of that machinery were Dormouse and Hare.
'Abandoned false hope!' the Dormouse shrieked. 'Forget the past! The damage is done! Hohohooo!'
'Let the madness begin!' Hare spoke. 'Resume the folly!'
A giant robot came in view with a giant left fist and a golden drill attached to it right arm. The group readied their weapons, ready to fight.
'This is for real!' Sora said as he raised Kingdom Key. 'Stay sharp!'
Donald, however, just idly turned to Goofy. 'Hey Goofy, ten munny if Hare and Dormouse robot just fall apart?'
Goofy looked at Donald as if he lost his pants. 'Erm… Are you sure about that, Donald?'
The giant robot raised its golden drill, ready to strike. Alice, Sora, Donald and Goofy got ready to anticipate its move. The robot moves closer and raised it iron fist into the air: only for it to fall limp and its arms slumped downward. Sparks flew from the body as parts of the robot started to fall apart. The body bent forward and spat out Hare and Dormouse: who laid on the platform and moaning terribly.
Donald looked at Goofy, eyebrow raised. Goofy's shoulders slumped and he dug into his pockets for some munny. The robot fell into the water beneath the domain and the Mad Hatter was freed and dropped onto the platform between Hare and Dormouse. The Mad Hatter looked around at his citadel and reacted in horror.
'Nooo! My precious domain! And the guests! All I really wanted was another tea party!'
Alice stepped forward. 'Please, Hatter. You promised! Where is that train going? What's its purpose? Tell me, now!'
The Mad Hatter produced a teacup and dismissed Alice. 'There's no time for… Whatever it is you want to talk about! It's time for tea! Talk trains with Turtle, he ran the Looking Glass Line!' He cleared his throat and started splashing tea onto Hare and Dormouse's mouth. 'Come on, you lot! We can still be friends! I've got a fine Darjeeling! Drink! Drink!'
'Enough of that!' Sora shouted, angry for the Mad Hatter lack of assistance. 'We need to help Alice find her memories and that train is stopping it! You got to help us!'
'You promised!' Alice screamed again.
The Mad Hatter turned a scornful eye at them. 'Ask the ones who help them what helped themselves! Whoever that is.'
Some rubble fell on top of the Mad Hatter and the last thing the group heard was his scream and then silence.
'Very pithy.' Alice said. 'He deserved to die. And we're now going to be drown in tea… In ignorance!'
'Tea?' Sora asked and looked down. Indeed, a brown liquid that smells of tea was rising: covering them.
Goofy looked around. 'Erm… I think that too much tea.'
Tea covered them and they were swept away by the brown beverage. Under the tea, Sora tried to open his eyes and looked for Alice but something hit him and he knew no more.
