Kingdom Eds: Rise of Darkness
Chapter 11: Friends Forever?
"Ah... Traverse Town." Sora sighed, folding his arms. The town was its usually self, a quiet little town with a few people still around town.
"So, what are we here for again?" Eddy asked impatiently, tapping his foot.
"We're here to return the page to Merlin." Goofy replied, turning to the short boy "Maybe we could split up, so we don't get too crowded."
"Good idea Goof." Sora said, smirking "How about Me, Donald, Goofy and Jonny?" He stared at the whole group, who merely looked at him.
"Sure, why not?" Alex asked, walking forward "Just don't take too long Sora, we've got worlds to save remember?" Sora nodded, pointing towards his group.
"Alrighty guys, let's go!" Sora commanded, as he and his group walked off to the door leading to the second district. Meanwhile, Alex, the Eds, Nazz and Kevin had merely stood at the centre of the town, bored.
"So, where to now?" Nazz asked, looking around "There isn't much to do here huh?"
"Maybe, but..." Alex muttered, staring at the accessory shop "Let's go in there, I've got an idea!" The party merely shrugged, following Alex through to the shop. It was the same old shop; however instead of Cid running the shop, they saw a familiar face.
"Huh?" Eddy wondered, pointing to the man "Didn't we see you..."
"Hey, isn't he the one who's heart was eaten by the heartless?" Nazz pondered, staring at the man.
"Me? No, I think you have someone else mixed up with me." He replied surely "Can I get you anything?"
"No thanks, but..." Alex muttered, looking upwards towards the ladder "Where does that place lead to?"
"So, you wanna know huh?" The group looked down, seeing a strange animal with a tail, and at the end of said tail had a pom-pom.
"What the, huh?" Kevin asked, pointing at the thing "What are you supposed to be?"
"I'm a moogle, silly!" The moogle replied "Do you want to know where that place leads, kupo?"
"Yes mister moogle!" Ed exclaimed.
"Well, its simple... it leads to the synthesis room!" The moogle revealed, pointing at the ladder "But it's too high I'm afraid..."
"Got any suggestions on how to get it down?" Alex asked, crossing his arms.
"Teamwork, that's usually the answer." The moogle replied simply, turning away from the group.
"I've got an idea..." Nazz muttered mischievously, rubbing her hands together slowly as she looked at the three Eds. Alex and Kevin saw what she was looking at, before realizing what she meant. The Eds saw too, gulping in fear. Meanwhile...
Xxx
"Hey Merlin!" Sora exclaimed, smiling widely "We've got a page for that book."
"Well done Sora, just take a little look at the book and put the page in." Sora nodded, walking towards the book on the table. Then, as he turned it, a bright flash of light blinded him.
"Ah! What the... what is this?" Sora wondered, noticing something a little different. He was actually on top of the book's pages in a sort of mini form, "Cool..." He saw a picture in the book with a large field with the log in the middle of it, before walking towards it. He was met with another flash of light, before being in the field now. He looked around, nothing but trees surrounding him and a log in the centre. He saw a small yellow bear who wore a red shirt thinking to himself, pondering something whilst its paw rest on its head. Sora raised an eyebrow, before slowly walking in range of the bear so that he was in hearing distance.
"Think Pooh... think..." Pooh chanted, thinking as hard as he can.
"Hey there." Sora greeted, waving at the bear. Pooh looked up, a large grin on his face.
"Oh hello, are you here to say bye too?" Pooh asked. Sora stepped back in a startled manner, before nervously laughing and rubbing his hear.
"Of course not, why would I do that?" Sora wondered worriedly, staring at Pooh with concern.
"Everyone from the 100 acre wood is gone; I and my friends were walking through the woods when I went looking for some honey..." He stopped slowly, a sad expression on his face. He then turned his head upwards to stare at the deep blue sky, "And I was wondering how I would say goodbye to myself..." Sora merely stared at the small, pudgy bear.
"Okay..." Sora muttered quietly, staring at Pooh. The yellow bear then got up, and looked as if a light bulb had lit up inside of his head.
"I know, I'll get some honey!" He exclaimed, running away from Sora as fast as his little stumpy legs could carry him. Sora reached out, a surprised facial expression on his face.
"Hey, wait!" Sora shouted, before being hit with another flash of light. He opened his eyes slowly, before staring incredulously in front of him "Wow, talk about having being literal..." He saw a large tree, but what was strange was that at the front of the tree was a door that was Sora's size, a true tree house. He opened the door slowly, glancing inside the house. He looked around and saw the usual: A sink, wardrobe and a cuckoo clock. It was basically anything and everything that you would see in normal houses. He sighed, a frown on his face, before walking out of the door again. He saw an owl on top of a tree branch, smiling at him.
"Would you like to know more of the story?" The owl asked, Sora merely nodding dumbly "I must ask, do you have any torn pages?" Sora nodded, pulling out a torn page.
"Is this it?" Sora wondered, holding it in the air.
"It certainly is young man! Remember, you'll need more of these to advance the story of this book." The owl reminded, as yet another flash of light had occurred. Opening his eyes slowly, Sora saw that he was in a different place this time. A larger tree was seen this time, full of large holes and beehives that had hung on the branches.
"Pooh!" A meek little voice called out from inside a hollow log. A little piglet wearing a pink shirt with black stripes scurried across the floor, scanning his surroundings "Where are you Pooh? It's me, Piglet!" Sora had sneaked behind him before crouching lower to his level.
"Hi." Sora greeted, the little piglet turning around sharply to see the large figure of Sora.
"Wh-who are you?" Piglet asked worriedly, his body shaking wildly "I'm sorry, please don't hurt me!" Sora just smiled, trying to seem friendly.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. You're looking for Pooh huh?" Sora wondered, a smirk on his face.
"Huh, you know Pooh?" Piglet asked, as Sora nodded. He then sighed in relieve, as he once again looked around the area. Right on time, the lovable Pooh came walking through with a big smile on his face.
"Oh Piglet, Piglet!" Pooh called, searching for his timid friend.
"Pooh?" Piglet wondered, running quickly to his friend "Pooh! I found you!"
"Why, hello Piglet." Pooh greeted, still sticking with his bright smile.
"Hey Pooh, I found this for you..." Piglet said, pulling out a balloon. He passed it to the little yellow bear, who giggled with glee.
"Oh thanks Piglet, now we can get that honey!" Pooh exclaimed as an owl flew towards a branch, landing deftly on it "Oh, hello owl."
"Why hello Pooh bear, what are you doing today?" Owl wondered, glancing at balloon he was holding "Ah, you're using a balloon to catch some honey, good idea Pooh? Are you going to help him Sora?"
"Sure thing!" Sora replied, beating his chest proudly.
"Splendid, now before we begin..." The owl muttered, meanwhile, in another part of Traverse Town...
Xxx
"Cool..." Ed muttered excitedly, staring into the synthesis machine. Double D stood next to him, analysing the entire room carefully. Kevin stood with Nazz as she patted one of the moogles on the head softly, whilst Alex and Eddy were having a conversation.
"You know Eddy..." Alex stopped, before clearing his throat "Do you think we'll ever get to go home?" Eddy raised his eyebrow in a confused manner, before shrugging.
"Beats me." Eddy replied sullenly.
"I miss the Cul-de-sac..." Alex muttered, sighing deeply.
"Ah don't worry!" The two turned to Ed, who had a big dumb grin on his face "We'll get back, I have my lucky cheese: Sheldon!" everyone in the room covered their noses, especially Double D, who began to blush.
"Ed, I demand you get rid of that cheese!" Double D ordered, "It's detrimental to my physical AND mental health!"
"Take off your hat!" Ed retorted, frowning at smart Ed. Alex and Eddy merely sighed in frustration.
"Will you guys just shut up about that stinkin' cheese?" Eddy exclaimed furiously "It's givin' me a headache." Alex and Kevin laughed loudly, before Alex stood upright again.
"Alright guys, I think we've seen enough in this place." Alex mused.
"Onward to our journey!" Ed shouted, running through the door of the synthesis shop. The group laughed at the dim-witted boy, following him through to the second district.
Xxx
"Thank you Sora!" Pooh thanked gratefully, rubbing his tummy gently "I'm full."
"It's nothing Pooh." Sora said, smiling widely "Just take care okay?"
"Hey Sora, are ya coming?" Goofy asked from above. Sora just nodded, as a bright flash of light blinded him for a moment. The flash receded, and he returned to Merlin's little house; however he was met with strange stares.
"Umm, what's that Sora?" Jonny asked curiously, staring at the spiky headed hero.
"Huh?" Sora asked, looking down on himself "What? Is it a bug?"
"In your hand Sora." Goofy pointed "What is it?" Sora stared at his hand; he noticed a strange stone, a similar stone to the one that Leon gave to him.
"Oh... hey Merlin what's this stone?" Sora wondered, holding it in the air. Merlin walked up to the youngster, examining the stone closely.
"Why, it appears to be a summon gem! Fairy Godmother, look!" Merlin called, as the pumpkin carriage into an elderly lady wearing purple robes and holding a wand.
"You called?" She asked, staring at them "Is that a summon gem?" She quickly scurried towards Sora, before examining it.
"I've got another just like it." Sora said, pulling out Squall's lucky stone. She took a hold of both of the summon gems.
"These aren't just lucky stones, these are the very essence of life." She stated, gazing sadly at them "The poor dears..."
"Whoa, can you bring them bag?" Jonny asked.
"Oh yeah, but only their recurring spirit..." She replied sorrowfully "If you find any more stones, may you bring them back?" She then tapped the two stones with her wand, as they disappeared into a large flash of light.
"Huh, where did they go?" Goofy wondered, searching around the house.
"They rest in Sora's heart, in hopes that they may come to him when he needs them." She replied, a smile creeping on her face "Go now Sora, find them."
"I will, I promise!" Sora exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air "Come on guys, let's go!" and with that, the quartet left Merlin's house...
Xxx
"Okay guys, where to?" Alex asked over the intercom.
"I suggest warping near Agrabah and then making our path through there." Donald replied.
"Roger." Alex said, as the two gummi ships entered warp drive. They appeared near Agrabah in a few seconds, before deciding where to go next.
"Hey Donald, let me drive today." Sora chimed over the radio "I am the Keyblade Master after all."
"What? What about me?" Eddy questioned furiously.
"Stick a pipe in it dorky!" Kevin shouted over the radio.
"Be quiet!" Donald commanded "I'll drive, now follow me!" The gummi ship then travelled through inter-space, moving at a relatively slow speed. In Alex's gummi ship, Jonny and Kevin were having a conversation between each other.
"Hey Kevin, how comes you're so good with that spear?" Jonny wondered, putting his ear against Plank's 'mouth' "What's that buddy? Kevin's a dragoon?" Kevin just stared at Jonny with an incredulous expression, before deciding to answer.
"All I do is swing a spear around, anyone can do that." Kevin replied, smirking with arrogance.
"But where did 'Jump!' come from?" Alex asked from the seat, turning to the two "I've never seen anything like that before..."
"Hmm... I don't know where that came from actually. It was kinda like instinct, ya know?" Kevin mused "I guess it's just the funky spear, huh?"
"Yeah, that explains it." Alex said, smirking.
"Hey Alex, how does your sword work then?" Kevin wondered.
"What, my weapon? Oh it's simple, it gets stronger with the more darkness in my heart, why?" Alex asked.
"Isn't that a bit dangerous though, having so much darkness in your heart?" Kevin pondered "Doesn't it make you vulnerable?" Alex didn't answer; he merely shrugged and turned his seat around. Meanwhile, in Donald and Goofy's gummi ship...
"You know, this could get boring after a while." Eddy remarked.
"What do you mean, we get to explore other worlds and broaden our horizons Eddy, being bored is simply not an option." Double D replied surely.
"What I'm saying is that... all that we really do is go around worlds and lock Keyholes." Eddy said "Why can't we do anything fun for a change?"
"Being a hero isn't easy Eddy, sometimes you've got to do what's right for everyone, and not just yourself." Sora lectured, smiling widely "We have to make sure that evil doesn't triumph over good."
"Wow Sora, that's cool what you said." Nazz said, smiling "You'd make a great hero, that's for sure." A big grin formed on Sora's face, as he filled with confidence.
"Thanks Nazz." Sora beamed gratefully.
"Whoa!" Ed exclaimed "Look at that big fish!" The entire group looked out of the window to see a gargantuan whale that was almost the size of a whole world.
"That isn't a fish, that's a gigantic whale!" Double D screamed.
"It's Monstro!" Jiminy stated "We're in trouble, his meanness is as big as his size!"
"Donald, am I seeing things, or is that really a giant whale?" Alex asked over the intercom.
"Yep, it's a giant whale." Donald replied.
"Yeah, I thought so..." Alex muttered, before chuckling "Well, if there's ever a way to go, it sure beats being a heartless huh?" Monstro then began to 'swim' towards the two gummi ships, stretching its mouth out wide.
"Donald, do something!" Sora shouted desperately, as the gigantic beast edged closer. It was then in eating distance, as the entire party began to scream in fear.
"AAH! IT'S TOO LATE!" Donald exclaimed fearfully, as the whale consumed the gummi's inside of its mouth...
Xxx
"Are you okay?" A small little boy wearing a black shirt, blue shorts and black shoes was about the age of 3 years old, with black medium length that reached just above his neck. He stared down on another young boy about the same age, who wore a black sock over his head, wore an orange shirt and purple shorts, as well as small white and black striped shoes "I thought you was gonna suffocate!"
"I'm fine thank you." The little sock headed boy said, standing firmly upright "Thank you for getting me out."
"Ah, it's nothin'!" The boy in black replied "Anythin' to help right?" The two children laughed, as they stared up into the bright blue sky.
"Wow... it's a wonderful day today..." The sock hat boy replied, before looking at the other boy "What's your name?"
"The name's Alex!" He replied cheerfully "What's yours?"
"Alex huh? Well my name's Double D, short for Eddward!" Edd announced, as Alex laughed at him "What's so funny?"
"Tehe, you're smart for someone in diapers!" Alex remarked, folding his arms "You're smarter than that stink head Eddy, that's for sure!"
"Hey!" The two turned around to see a little boy around their age, who was much smaller than them. He wore diapers that looked a little too big on him, as three hair protruded from his head "I heard that, you jerk!"
"Oh, hello Eddy." Double D greeted. Alex glanced at Double D at a moment, raising an eyebrow.
"You know him?" Alex asked curiously.
"Yeah, he introduced me to Ed; you know... the one who you pulled me out of?" Double D said, as Alex took a moment to think. Realizing what he said, like a light bulb lit up in his head.
"Oh... cool!" Alex exclaimed excitedly "And I guess you know Ed huh?" Double D nodded, as the black haired little boy began to giggle with glee "Ooh, this is so cool! We can be best buddies forever!"
"Yeah!" Another boy exclaimed, approaching the three youngsters. He was the same age too, although he was much bigger than the all. He had dirty yellow skin and wore only his diapers and his shoes, with one little hair appearing on his head "And we can all read comics at my place." Alex then frowned at this, the little energetic boy for the first time showing signs of unhappiness.
"No way Ed!" Alex disagreed, shoving his finger into his belly "I ain't just gonna sit around when I'm older! I wanna explore the world!"
"Wow, pretty ambitious isn't it Alex?" Double D wondered, curiously gazing at Alex "What made you think like that?" Alex put a finger on his chin, as Eddy grinned from side to side.
"Don't listen to him, I'M the boss around here! After all, I was here first!" Eddy exclaimed "And I say we scam the kids off of all their money!"
"Shut it you!" Alex ordered, showing his mean streak as he shoved his face into Eddy's "We aren't doing stupid scams that don't work, we're gonna have an adventure! It's always been my dream..." He gazed at the sky with a dreamy look in his eyes, sighing peacefully.
"Well, can't we just do both fellows?" Double D asked, as both Alex and Eddy stared at him with excitement.
"Double D, you're a genius!" The two boys exclaimed, hugging the smart Edd "Why didn't we think of that?" The two boys looked at each other with sadness in their eyes, feeling sorry for each other.
"I'm sorry Eddy, will ya forgive me?" Alex asked, putting a hand out.
"Sure thing pal, were in this together!" Eddy exclaimed, putting his hand over Alex's "Come one Ed and Double D, put your hands on top!" The two Eds had put their hands on top, before throwing them up into the air.
"All for one, and one for all!" All of the boys exclaimed, as the memory suddenly ended with a flash of light...
(TBC...)