Last time found Kazuto, Asuna and company confronting the mad Suguo as he threatened to erase Kairi from existence, forever. Yet all was made right as the madman was detained and Kairi returned to the real world, and then returned to Radiant Garden with the Rapture survivors. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

Epilog: A Shining Coronation

…Castle Infirmary…three hours later…

"Oh my God! That's so much better!" sighed Rachael as she, Calvin, Joshua and Lisa, sat on hospital beds and were given the recently synthesized special EVE intravenously.

"For a moment I really thought I was losing it," said Joshua, "I mean, fairies with guns and talking mice, it had to have been the withdraw, right?"

"I'm afraid you experienced more reality than hallucination, my young friend," said Ansem as he monitored the survivor's condition.

"I still can't believe you got this stuff ready so quickly," said Calvin, "remind me to thank those little guys with the big noses and those big red balls sticking out of their heads."

"You can thank me by paying the bill, kuppo!" said one of the Moogles as he stood nearby, "rush jobs don't come cheap!"

"We'll discuss your compensation later," said Aerith. She then looked at Rachael and the others, "right now you four need your rest."

"Chrissie doesn't need to rest," said Liza, "why's that?"

"I have no idea," said an annoyed and slightly impatient Chrissie as she sat in a nearby chair, tenderly rubbing a bandage in the crook of her elbow, then rubbed a smaller bandage on her other arm, "and if those doctors take any more blood from me for tests, I'll take it back from them through their noses!"

"I apologize for that," said Ansem, "but you seem to have a slight advantage over your friends."

"You're not as badly affected by the withdraw as the others," said Aerith, "we don't know if it's genetic or something else, but you're definitely handling your addiction better."

"You kept your head while the rest of us were losing ours," said Rachael.

"Guess that makes you a freak among freaks," said Joshua.

"And he's the biggest freak of them all," said Calvin.

At that Chrissie looked and saw Travis standing by an open window, looking out at the night sky.

"He's been like that for since was brought here," said Aerith, "even after he was injected with the synthesized EVE."

Chrissie walked up to Travis and was about to talk to him, but he spoke first. "It's beautiful," he said as he looked out the window.

"Yeah, the view's nice," said Chrissie cautiously.

"Not the view, the music!" snapped Travis, "can't you hear the music?"

"What music?" Chrissie asked.

"The Spheres, Chrissie!" said Travis as he turned to face Chrissie, revealing a mutation welt on his face, "The Music of the Spheres! Can't you hear it?"

"I…" said a shocked and tongue tied Chrissie, "I…"

"The stars, the stars are singing to me!" said Travis as he blissfully turned to look out the window again, "they're singing just for me! Isn't it glorious?!"

"Yeah, it's wonderful," said Chrissie mutely as she backed away from Travis. She then walked over to Ansem and Aerith, "isn't there anything that can be done for him?"

"I wish I knew," said Ansem, "his mind may never fully recover. Or he may snap out of it in five minutes, who knows? Only time will tell. And speaking of time, I really must be going, the meeting is about to start."

"Oh…one of the stars is losing its voice," said Travis in a sad tone.

"Now what?" Chrissie asked as she looked out the window, just in time to see a star go out.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Aerith, "not again! That makes five!"

"Then we'd better work fast to make sure it doesn't become six," said Ansem.

"Did anyone else see that?" Yuffie asked as she, Leon, Quistis, King Mickey and Kairi stood looking out the windows of the main library. Also there was Donald, Goofy, Cid, Professor Ludwig von Drake, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie and The Gullwings.

"That makes five Keyholes smashed," said Quistis, "and we don't even know which one got hit this time!" She then beat her fist against a nearby table in frustration.

"We're not beaten yet," said Leon, "at least I don't think we are."

Just then Ansem hurried into the library, "did you see?" he asked.

"We did," said Kairi, "but that can wait until the meeting actually starts. How are Chrissie and the others?"

"Recovering," said Ansem, "yet young Travis has a longer road ahead of him."

"They'll be fine," said King Mickey, "now, is everyone here?"

"They are now!" said Nessie as she and Jacob hurried into the room and up to Kairi and the others, "sorry we're late;I had to call home and tell them I'll be staying. Nice to see you again, Kairi!"

"You too," said Kairi as she hugged Nessie and shook hands with Jacob, "but what about Lyra and Will? And Victorie and Teddy?"

"They had to go back to their worlds," said Jacob, "but promised to be back with reinforcements."

"So it's just us for now, okay," said Kairi, "now, you all want to know what I know about Columbina and Darklight. Okay, here's what happened."

And so Kairi told her friends and allies about the events in Rapture, focusing on the encounter with Columbina and Darklight, how Columbina was a witch from another dimension hell-bent on achieving revenge against her twin sister and fellow magic users, the revelation of Darklight's identity and the separation of Sora, Riku, Tess, Aiden and Malcolm, then finishing up with her experiences in ALO.

"So Darklight was someone you met while you were with The Guardians?" King Mickey asked, "who was corrupted by Columbina into a Princess of Dark?"

"It's our fault," said Kairi as she sat down in a dejected manner, "Sora, the others and I. We should have known Bethany was a potential Princes of Heart. We shouldn't have left her and Kate behind."

"No, it's not your fault!" said Queen Minnie, "there's no way you could have foreseen what Columbina would do."

"What I don't understand," said Leon, "if Malcolm can identify potential Princesses of Heart, how come he didn't figure out that this Bethany was one?"

"I don't know," said Kairi, "but it doesn't make much difference now, does it."

"It should, but we can worry about that later," said King Mickey.

Just then a SeeD operative ran into the room and handed a message to Quistis, "well," she said after reading the message, "it's official; the fifth world to have its Keyhole smashed is Neverland."

"Oh no!" said Donald.

"What about Peter Pan and the Lost Boys?" Goofy asked, "and Wendy and even Captain Hook?"

"We don't know if anyone got off the world," said Quistis, "all that we know is that Darklight took out the Keyhole single-handedly. The SeeD team assigned to Neverland didn't even get a chance to fight."

"She's getting stronger," said King Mickey, "Darklight. I barely managed to hold my own against her on Wonderland."

Just then both Nikolai and Katarina ran into the room, "what the hell, Kairi!" exclaimed Katarina, "you've been back for three hours and you didn't even come to say hello? I thought we were friends!" she then rushed over and embraced Kairi in a near suffocating hug.

"Let her go, you idiot!" snapped Nikolai, "you're going to crush her like an insect like that!"

"No, it's fine," said Kairi in a strained tone as Katarina released her, "I'm sorry I didn't see you, Katarina, I was a little busy."

"Aren't we all," said Nikolai, "but now that you're here, all will be well, in the fullness of time."

"How can you be so sure?" Yuffie asked, "Keyholes are getting smashed like there's no tomorrow, and whenever someone tries to stop it, they get their tails ripped off and shoved down their throats."

"But now we know for sure that the enemy will be defeated," said Nikolai, "a prophecy was made by one of the New Zumakali, a prophecy that says that Sora and the others will return from their exile."

"Well, that's good to know," said Yuffie, "but they couldn't stop Darklight before. How can they stop her now that she's smashed five Keyholes?"

Just then another star went out of the night sky.

"Six Keyholes," said Yuffie. She then blinked in surprise and did a double take, "say what?!"

It was then that the entire room erupted into shouts of confusion, anger and a mix of fear and despair. That is, until Nikolai summoned an air horn and used it to grab everyone's attention.

"There, that's better," said Nikolai as he put the air horn down, "now let's not all lose our heads like hapless chickens."

"Man, I think the best thing we can do is lose our heads like chickens," said Hayner.

"How did she do it?" Selphie asked, "how did Darklight take out two Keyholes in a row like that?"

"Just settle down," said King Mickey, "settle down, everyone. We don't even know if that was a smashed Keyhole. For all we know it was some distant star at the end of its natural life."

"Like a nova or something," said Pence.

"Stars that go nova don't fade out like that," said Olette.

"How do you know?" Tidus asked, "you're no scientist."

"Well, why don't we ask a scientist?" said Olette. She then looked at Professor von Drake, "can you tell us if that was a nova or not?"

"Can I tell you if that was a nova or not?" asked Professor von Drake, "what am I saying? Of course I can tell you if that was a nova or not."

"Well?" asked Hayner.

"I…don't know," said Professor von Drake in a thoughtful manner.

Just then another SeeD operative ran in with another message for Quistis, "hold onto your hats, everyone," said Quistis gravely after reading the message, "it was a Keyhole, this time The Enchanted Domain."

"That's Aurora's world!" exclaimed Kairi, "what are we going to tell her?"

"I don't know," said King Mickey in a dejected tone as he sat down.

"How are we going to stop them?!" exclaimed Pence, "how can we stop them!?"

"I don't know," said King Mickey.

"How did Darklight smash two Keyholes so quickly?!" asked Yuffie.

"I don't know," said King Mickey.

"How can we stop them!?" exclaimed Pence.

"With the prophecy," said Nikolai.

"You and your prophecy," said an annoyed Katarina, "it's still mostly gobbledygook."

"What?" Kairi asked.

"The prophecy was made by one of our espers," said Nikolai, "she went into a trace and began speaking in Old High Hakonian, a language that hasn't been spoken commonly since the fall of Hakonian Prime ages ago."

"We've got people trying to make sense of it," said Katarina, "but so far all we know is that Sora and the others will come back."

"And that you will welcome them with a glowing diadem on your brow," said Nikolai.

"A glowing diadem?" Ansem asked, "the Crown of Radiant Garden is a diadem that glows with magic."

"What difference does that make?" Yuffie asked in a tone that indicated she was in the depths of despair, "we're finished."

"We are if we lose hope," said Ansem in a thoughtful manner, "what we most at this point in time is hope, not just for us on Radiant Garden, but for the rest of the worlds, for it will take all the worlds of The Realms of Light to stand against Columbina, Darklight and the other villains. What we need is a symbol of hope to inspire all, to rally against the rising tide of darkness."

"Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to look elsewhere for your symbol," said Kairi, "I'm just not qualified."

"Oh, but you are qualified," said Alegra as she emerged from behind a bookcase, an open book in her hands, "more than you realize."

"You," said Kairi irately. She then rushed at and slapped Alegra hard across the face, then slapped her again, and again, tears of rage falling from Kairi's eyes. She would have hit Alegra more if Selphie and Yuffie hadn't pulled her away.

"I assume I deserved that," said Alegra as she calmly set the book down.

"Shut up!" shouted Kairi as she struggled to break free of Selphie and Yuffie, "don't even talk to me! This is your fault!"

"How is it her fault?" asked Laura Dunbar as she and her grandmother, Sylvia, walked into the room, "sorry we're late everyone, we were with Merlin and Yen Sid. Merlin thinks he may be on the brink of a major breakthrough."

"That can wait," said Alegra, "but first thing's first," she then walked up to Kairi, whom flinched away from her, "how many times do I have to reassure you that I'm not your enemy?"

"You might as well be," said Kairi, "you should have told us about Bethany! She was a potential Princess of Heart and you didn't even mention it to us!"

"I know, and I'm sorry I didn't," said Alegra in a more serious tone, "I'm sorry I didn't warn you about what Columbina would do, and I'm sorry I couldn't stop Columbina from separating you from Sora and the others."

"What about the smashed Keyholes?" Kairi asked, "why didn't you warn us about them!? Well!?"

"I'm sorry, I've…I'm…I'm having a couple of rough decades," said Alegra in a tentative manner, "I've been distracted."

"If there's one thing I've learned about you," said Sylvia as she walked forward, "is that the older you get, the worse you get at lying."

"You've been more than distracted," said Lara, "you're losing your mind."

"What?" Kairi asked.

"I'm not losing my mind!" said Alegra irately, "I've just been having trouble focusing. Believe me, nothing more has been on my mind than defeating Columbina and stopping her dark plans."

"And just what are her plans?" Sylvia asked, "do you know which Keyhole she and Darklight will attack next? Or how they'll create the Sampo? Or just what they'll use the Sampo for? Have you even discovered her true name?"

"What the hell do you think I've been doing for the past seven-hundred years?!" snapped Alegra.

"Seven-hundred years?" Kairi asked in an astonished tone.

"Since I last saw you all in Meridian," said Alegra, "and yes, I have been…less of myself lately."

"Just admit you've got Alzheimer's already," said Lara.

"Alzheimer's?" a shocked Kairi asked.

At that Alegra sighed, sat down and looked at Kairi, "yes, I have Alzheimer's, albeit a much slower and drawn out progress of the disease, but yes, I am definitely losing my mind. I've got another six or seven-hundred years or so before I am completely addled. Oh, there is proper medication I can take to slow down my mental degradation even further, and there are some worlds where they even have a cure."

"But you won't take it, will you," said Sylvia, "you've finally had enough, haven't you."

"Yes," said Alegra in an admitting tone, "it's been a long time coming, over two thousand years, but soon I shall have to give up my endless crusade against the forces of darkness."

She then stood up and walked up to Kairi, "but not before I help you, Sora and the others one last time, while also searching for someone to take my place. Not you, Lara, you can't be the new semi-immortal time traveler crusading against the darkness."

"How'd you know I was going to ask that?" Lara asked.

"Because it's what I'd ask for if I were in your shoes," said Alegra, "yours as well, Melody, and shouldn't you be back with your mother and father on Atlantica?"

It was then that Melody emerged from behind another bookcase, "I can still try, can't I?"

"You could, if you were as hard to kill as I am," said Alegra, "but you have only one life, young lady."

"Why are you here, Melody?" Nessie asked, "I thought you went back with Ariel and Eric to your world."

"I couldn't leave Alice and the others," said Melody, "Alice isn't well, while Belle, Jasmine and Cinderella are getting weaker day by day."

"Columbina already has one missing power and is looking for the other two," said Kairi, "but what's happening to Alice?"

"We don't know," said Melody, "after she drew that picture of Rapture she started drawing others, but she kept tearing them apart before she finished them and started on something else. That's pretty much all she's doing now. Aside from eating, sleeping and other necessities, all she does day in and day out is draw, draw and draw some more."

"As if we didn't have enough problems as it is," said Nikolai, "we don't have time to take care of every single problem that comes up. The prophecy must be fulfilled!"

"Kairi has to accept what's hers," said Katarina, "her birthright. And just wait until you see what I'm making for your coronation gown!"

"We don't have time for that either!" said Nikolai irately, "we'll know what to do next as soon as more of the prophecy is decrypted, but for now, Kairi must accept her destiny."

"My ailing mind has clouded my understanding of the future somewhat," said Alegra to Kairi, "and I'm having trouble focusing my time travel, nothing to worry about, just that I'm often off by a few minutes and meters in terms of arriving at a specific point in space and time.

"But one thing I'm sure of is that you can't run away from who you are anymore. You are the rightful heir to the throne of Radiant Garden. What you do after the crisis is your business and no one else's, but right now, your people need you. We all need you. Become who you were meant to be, Queen Kairi."

"I…don't know if I can," said Kairi, "you all want me to be not only the queen of an entire planet, but to lead you all against the forces of darkness. I keep getting kidnapped and separated from Sora and the others, for goodness sake! I got cursed and tried to kill my friends! I couldn't even keep Bethany and Kate safe.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not the leader or symbol you want. Sora's the right one for the job. Riku or Aiden would be pretty good too; even Tess and Malcolm would make better leaders than me."

"Well…maybe you're right," said Alegra, "but you're here and they're not. I'll do everything I can to find and bring them home, but until then, you'll have to make do."

"What about King Mickey?" Kairi asked, "He should lead. He's already a monarch, and he's a full blown Keyblade Master."

"If it were that simple, I would lead, Kairi," said King Mickey, "but I've already got my own world to rule, and it simply wouldn't be right."

"Even though you've been away for most of your life," said Yuffie to Kairi, "even though you've been running around the worlds fighting Heartless and other nasty stuff, the people still love you and have been waiting for you to be their queen."

"Let's face it, Kairi, you're stuck with the job," said Selphie, while Hayner, Pence, Olette, Tidus and Wakka, all nodded in agreement.

"I…please, everyone!" said Kairi desperately, "think what you're doing!"

"They have and their minds are made up," said Alegra, "now stop being so wishy-washy and grow a backbone already."

"I do have a backbone!" said Kairi irately, "it's just…"

"I know, Sora and the others," said Alegra, "I'll find them; I swear it. Now go make yourself more presentable and beautiful, we've got a coronation to get through."

"We're doing it now?" Katarina asked, "but…but it's too soon! We've got to plan the event; we need to pick a location, get the right people to perform the ceremony, the decorations, the guest list, the celebratory party and after party, not to mention that I still have to finish designing her coronation gown."

"We'll do without," said Ansem, "I'm fully qualified to perform the ceremony."

"As for a venue and guests," said Quistis, "this library and all of us will suffice."

"We can save the celebration for when we beat Columbina," said Lara.

"Oh, now that'll make it an even bigger party," said Katarina, "but at least let me pull together something fantastic for Kairi to wear. Oh! I've got just the thing in my wardrobe!" she then gently took Kairi by the shoulders and led her out of the library, "and you must let me do your hair and makeup. I swear, you Keyblade Wielders, I don't care how many worlds you save and how many nasties you destroy; that's still no excuse for you to not look your best."

"Someone should go with them to make sure Katarina doesn't go overboard," said Selphie.

"Yeah, us girls need to stick together," said Melody as she, Olette, Selphie, Yuffie and the Gullwings, followed Kairi and Katarina.

"My work here is done for now," said Alegra.

"Wait, you're leaving already?" Sylvia asked, "why?"

"I've got a lot of work to do and less than less than a thousand years to get it done before I completely lose my mind," said Alegra, "no time like the present to get started. Give my best to Kairi and tell her that I'll be back, with Sora and the others, light willing." With that she vanished.

"She has to be the most infuriating woman alive," said Sylvia irately, "so much that she may just drive me to drink!"

"You get the glasses and I'll get the champagne," said Quistis.

"Save it for when we win," said Leon, "now what the hell are we going to do about the Keyhole-smashing maniac on the loose?"

"What happened to the giant robots?" Tidus asked, "I thought we were going to build giant robots."

"And what about the defensive warships and satellites?" asked King Mickey.

"We're working on all of it, we just need more time," said Professor von Drake, "what am I saying? We need more than more time, we need years, decades even, before we'll ever have giant robots."

"Then we'll have to rely on Merlin's breakthrough," said Sylvia.

"What breakthrough?" King Mickey asked.

"To copy the protective power of The Cornerstone of Light," said Lara, "we've made a lot of progress in figuring out its power. We just need to figure out a few things."

"Like what?" Quistis asked.

"Oh, nothing much," said Sylvia, "we just need to figure out what the hell the damn thing is, where it came from and why its magic repels Heartless so well. And to do that, we need to go on a little trip."

"You're leaving?" Queen Minnie asked, "when?"

"Tonight," said Sylvia, "in fact, we've got to go right now, so this is goodbye for now. But there's one thing that has to be done first." She then looked at Donald and Goofy, "I need you two to go to the basement and look for a hidden safe behind the water heater. Bring up what's in the safe. The combination is 4-8-46-19-1. Can you remember it?"

"Of course we can remember," said Goofy, "right, Donald? The safe's behind thu' water heater and the combination is…uh…" at that Goofy took off his hat to scratch his head, "uh…" he then looked at Columbina, "What was it again?"

"Come here!" said Donald irate as he grabbed Goofy by his shirt, pulled him down, summoned a pen and wrote the combination on Goofy's face, "now we won't forget."

"That's going a little far," said Sylvia in a slightly uncomfortable manner, "but doable. And with that, we must go."

"Tell Kairi I wish her good luck," said Lara. With that she and Sylvia vanished.

"Unbelievable," sighed Quistis, "time travelers and magic users, they're so…so…"

"So-so?" Wakka suggested.

"No, but close enough," said Quistis as she walked out of the library.

"Where're you going?" Leon asked.

"I've got a headache, so I need some aspirin," said Quistis, "I'll be back for the coronation."

"Anyone else want to step out for a bit?" King Mickey asked.

"No, we're good," said Hayner as he got a short tournament of Triple Triad going with Wakka, Tidus and Hayner.

…Castle Oblivion…

"My dear, you have done me proud," said a delighted Columbina as the castle common area had been decked out for a party, "two Keyholes in one outing! I couldn't be prouder!"

"I just felt like stretching my legs," said Darklight as she idly stood near a table loaded with snacks and punch, while a handful of Neo Shadows wearing white bowties and gloves were made to serve champagne to the assembled villains, "nothing to brag about."

"Nothing to brag about?" an impressed Dio Brando asked as he was served champagne, "you snuck out without anyone noticing it, took out Neverland and Cinderella's world all by yourself!"

"I'm especially impressed that you destroyed the Keyhole of The Enchanted Domain first, then went to Neverland," said Young Xehanort.

"How is that impressive?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"It is impressive if you take the theory of relativity into account," said Insano, "Neverland's orbit currently has it closer Radiant Garden than The Enchanted Domain is, so from the prospective of those nauseatingly heroic fools on Radiant Garden, they'll see the light of Neverland go out first. It's not really that important, just a little something for them to think and feel bad about."

"Yeah, well, she's still an awesomely evil babe," said Dio Brando. He then looked at Darklight, "If you weren't even crazier than I am, I'd ask you to marry me!"

"I already proposed to her, so back off!" snapped Gaston, whom happened to be next to Darklight on one knee, a black felt box open with a large diamond ring on display.

"Not interested," said Darklight as she walked away to sit in one corner.

"Well, what's up with her?" Dio Brando asked as he popped some hors d'oeuvre into his mouth, "you'd think she'd be happy about what she just did, especially the part where she wiped out all those SeeD guys without breaking a sweat."

"She's bored, that's what," said Regina.

"Bored?" Columbina asked, "how could she be bored when we're halfway to achieving our goal of twelve smashed Keyholes! And we are very close to having the means of creating The Sampo!"

"Just how are you going to do that?" Regina asked, "make the Sampo?"

"That's my dirty little secret," said Columbina, "and you, young lady," she looked at Darklight, "why are you so gloomy?"

"She fought and held her own against a Keyblade Master," said Young Xehanort, "everything since her battle with King Mickey has seemed dull and uninteresting in comparison."

"She won't be satisfied until she fights and defeats King Mickey," said Regina, "until then, I suggest you leave her to wallow in her misery."

"I refuse to believe such nonsense," said Columbina defiantly, "get up, child!" she then walked over and dragged Darklight to her feet, "now is the time for celebration!"

"We've also got the completion of the new Interocitor to make a fuss over," said Dio Brando, indicating the recently finished device, which had a multi-color ribbon tied around the view screen in a big bow.

"I know what will raise your spirits," said Sephiroth as he brought out a large pair of scissors, "would you care to do the honors?"

At that Darklight hesitated for a few seconds, before she took the scissors and used them to cut the ribbon on the Interocitor, upon which Sephiroth and the other villains applauded eagerly.

"Feeling better?" Sephiroth asked as he took the scissors back.

"As a matter of fact, yes, a little," said Darklight.

"Yes, we're all glad you're out of the doldrums of despair," said Dio Brando, "now, let's get back to spying on those idiots on Radiant Garden!" he then eagerly walked over to the Interocitor and turned the Intensifier Disk 18 to the left.

"You have a voyeurism problem, my friend," said Insano as he and the other villains sat around the Interocitor, waiting for the screen to clear.

"I do not have a voyeurism problem," insisted Dio Brando, but any further argument was shattered by a cry of outrage from Columbina.

"What is she doing there?!" exclaimed Columbina as she pointed at the screen, which showed Kairi, now wearing a red and gold dress with an ankle-length skirt and high heels, while her hair had been done up in an elegant style and wore makeup that enhanced her natural beauty.

Around Kairi stood King Mickey, Queen Minnie and the others, while in front of Kairi stood Ansem.

"What is this?" Young Xehanort asked irately.

"You said she was as good as dead!" snapped Dio Brando at Columbina. He then pointed at Kairi on the screen, "does that look good as dead to you?!"

"She looks quite lively to me," said Lady Tremaine through gritted teeth.

"I knew it," said Regina as she smiled a smile that could be interpreted as one of angry satisfaction, "I knew it."

"If Kairi's still alive, then so may Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders," said Darklight as she smiled wickedly, "my life just got interesting again."

"Yeah, yeah, but what is Kairi doing?" asked The Lord of Illusions as he appeared, sitting next to Regina.

"When did you get here?" Regina asked in an offended manner as she scooted away from the trickster.

"Just after you switched on the Interocitor," said the Lord of Illusions as he summoned a bowl of popcorn, "I've been busy looking for the makings of The Sampo, and no, don't ask me what they are, I'm under orders to keep my mouth shut."

"Then why did you tell us as little as you did?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Just a tidbit of information to drive you all crazy with curiosity," said the Lord of Illusions smugly as he flicked some popcorn into his mouth.

"Something's happening!" said Young Xehanort as he and the others saw on the Interocitor Donald and Goofy bring in a cart bearing an ornately carved wooden box.

…Radiant Garden…

"It was right where Sylvia said it'd be, Ansem," said Goofy as he and Donald brought the cart over, "right in the basement behind the water heater! And I even remembered the combination!"

"Sylvia didn't tell us that there were five water heaters in the basement," grumbled a slightly dust and cobweb-covered Donald as he handed the box to Ansem.

"Sylvia must have gone to great pains to hide this," said Ansem, "for if this is what I think it is, then she must have used what was left of her magic after her battle with Maleficent to hide it, even at the risk of her life."

Ansem opened the case, revealing a glowing golden diadem encrusted with diamonds and engraved with mystic symbols

"The Crown of Radient Garden," said an awed Yuffie.

"Maleficent must have gone ballistic when she couldn't get her hands on that," said Aerith, "legend has it that whoever wears the Crown can call upon fantastic powers."

"What kind of powers?" Tidus asked.

"No one knows," said Aerith, "it's just a legend."

"Even legendary magic would have been enough to stir up Maleficent's greed," said King Mickey, "but now The Crown is about to be placed on its rightful owner."

"Are you ready, Kairi?" Ansem asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Kairi in a slightly doubtful tone, yet she gave a confident smile for Ansem and the others.

"You'll be fine!" said Katarina, "my fashion skills are a testament to that!"

"Just because you managed to couple together an outfit, doesn't make you an expert on motivation," said Nikolai.

"Sometimes all one needs is the right outfit to be more confident," said Katarina, she then frowned, "assuming she likes it. You do like it, Kairi?"

"Yeah, Katarina, you did great," said Kairi, "thank you so much." She then looked at Ansem, just as Katarina gave a squeal of delight.

"Then let us begin," said Ansem, "the actual ceremony isn't that complex. You have to swear a few promises and I place the diadem on your head."

"That's all?" Kairi asked.

"Indeed," said Ansem, "though such an event would merit much grander pomp and circumstances. Nevertheless, times are what they are. Now, I must ask if you are indeed ready to take The Crown? No one will be upset if you were to say no. This is an enormous responsibility you're about to undertake, it is not a mantle to be worn lightly."

"I know," said Kairi, "and I wish I could say no, but I have to. Not because I've been avoiding it, not because I'm afraid, and I'd be crazy to say that I'm not. I'm doing it for my friends, for those who love me, for Radiant Garden, for The Realms of Light and for all those whom wish to live in peace, happiness and freedom."

"Well spoken," said an impressed Ansem, "now, kneel."

At that Kairi knelt, while Ansem raised the diadem above her head.

"Do you swear to take up the role of sovereign of Radiant Garden?" asked Ansem.

"I do," said Kairi.

"Do you swear to use your powers and authority with wisdom, reason and justice?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to defend the lives, hearts and souls of those under your leadership?"

"I do."

"And do you swear to protect the light and to stand firm against the darkness?"

"I do."

At that Ansem lowered and placed the diadem on Kairi's head, "then rise, Queen Kairi of Radiant Garden! Long may you reign!"

"Long may She reign!" cheered King Mickey and the others as Kairi stood up.

"Thank you, all of you," said a joyfully glowing Kairi, "thank you all so much."

"Speech!" shouted Selphie.

"I'm no good at speeches," said Kairi modestly, "but...well, here it goes. All I can say for now is thank you all for placing your faith and trust in me. I don't know what kind of queen I'll be, but I promise I'll do my best, not only as your queen, but also as your leader. However this crisis turns out, I promise I'll do the best I can.

"I honestly don't know what's going to happen next. I know what I want to do next; go find Sora and the others. I know," she held her hand over heart, "I know here that they're still alive, lost somewhere and can't get home on their own. Right now there's a voice in my head and heart that's screaming at me to go find and bring them home.

"But that voice is drowned out by what I know is right and true, that my place is here, with you all. There are those obsessed with bringing about a terrible darkness and will destroy anyone and anything that gets in their way. We'll, we're in their way and none of us will be safe until Columbina, Xehanort and the other villains are stopped.

"Again, I don't know what's going to happen next, but one thing I do know is that as long as I'm alive, I'll fight for the lives, freedom and happiness of all those whom walk in the light, and you can take that to the bank and cash it."

At that everyone cheered and clapped.

…Castle Oblivion…

"NO!" bellowed Columbina as she grabbed a Champaign bottle from a Neo Shadow and prepared to throw it at the Interocitor, only to be restrained by Gaston and Dio Brando.

"That miserable little slut!" shouted Columbina as she struggled violently to break free of the villains holding her back, "I'll kill her! I'll rip her heart out and burn it on a sacrificial altar and send her miserable soul to Hell!"

"Not if you give yourself a brain aneurism first," said Insano as he smugly watched the struggle.

"This is definitely an unexpected turn of events," said Regina as she watched Kairi being congratulated by her fellow defenders of the light, "I honestly didn't expect her to have the sheer nerve to take up The Crown of Radiant Garden."

"So?" asked Lady Tremaine irately, "so what if the child is the new sovereign of a world?"

"You know nothing," said Regina, "Kairi has finally accepted her destiny as queen of Radiant Garden. Not only does she have the rights, privileges and authority that goes with the position, she also the keeper of many secrets that have lain buried on Radiant Garden, locked away in safe keeping until the heir claims her birthright."

"And Kairi now can claim those secrets as her own," said Young Xehanort, "secrets I tried to uncover during my time as Ansem's apprentice, and I would have uncovered them, if I weren't distracted by my research into the darkness."

"Just what kind of secrets are we talking about?" Dio Brando asked.

"That's the thing; no one knows for sure," said Young Xehanort, "some say the secrets are about ancient and deadly magical items. Others say it is a hidden library full of arcane tomes of great and terrible power, while others simply believe it is a vast and glorious treasure vault filled with enough gold and other precious items to make whoever controls it the richest person in the Realms of Light."

"All of which are part of the legends of Radiant Garden," said Regina, "I hear Maleficent tried to gain access to those secrets when she first took over the world, yet her endeavors bore little if any fruit. I guess we'll never know."

"No, we won't, and neither will Kairi," said Columbina as she calmed down enough for Dio Brando and Gaston to release her, "for she is going to die, tonight! Lady Darklight! Go forth to Radiant Garden and destroy Kairi! Wait, where do you think you're going!?"

By then the other villains had noticed that Darklight was already walking out the room, "to go look for Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders. As I said before; if Kairi survived, then the others may still be alive. Perhaps this time they'll put up a better fight."

"To hell with Sora and the others!" shouted Columbina, "you'll do as I say! Now go kill Kairi! Then you can get back to work on destroying six more Keyholes!"

"The Keyholes aren't going anywhere," said Darklight, "and neither is Kairi. Don't worry, I won't stay away too long. I'll be back every few days or so to smash another Keyhole, just to take a break in my search." With that she summoned a Dark Corridor and stepped through it.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, you ungrateful brat!" shouted Columbina as the Dark Corridor closed up, "you think you can do whatever you want!? I made you! I can break you just as easily!"

"She's gone," said The Lord of Illusions.

"And you're going after her," said Columbina as she glared wrathfully at the trickster.

"No way!" exclaimed The Lord of Illusions, "that psychotic girl wants to kill me! You've seen how many of my doppelgangers she's taken out. What do you think she'll do when she finds out that the real me is following her?"

"So you are the real Leslie," said Regina.

"I never said that," said The Lord of Illusions, "it's just that the majority of us doppelgangers are out looking for the Sampo makings. Speaking of which," he then looked at his watch and stood up, "I've got to get back to work. Later, ya'll!" with that he summoned a shimmering gray doorway and stepped through.

"You just can't get good help these days," said Dio Brando in a mocking manner.

"BE SILENT!" shouted Columbina as she pointed her right index finger at Dio Brando. The vile immortal tried to retort yet, to his shock, found he was unable to utter a sound.

"You stole his voice," said an impressed Lady Tremaine, "outstanding! I thought the brute would never shut up."

"I'll do the same to you and anyone else who stirs my ire," said Columbina, "I'll deal with Lady Darklight soon enough. She has no idea that I have a tracking spell on her in case of emergencies. She can go as far from me as she wishes, but she'll always return; one way or another."

"How wickedly devious of you," said Regina.

"You cannot comprehend the depths of my wickedness," said Columbina. She then looked at the Interocitor, which showed Kairi happily accepting a toast of congratulations from her friends and allies.

"As for you, your majesty," said Columbina in a mocking manner as she glared at Kairi, "you want a war of light verses dark, I'll give you a war."

…someplace else…

Tess walked through a densely thick forest with a butchered wild boar across her shoulder, sticking to a recently made trail. Around her were the sounds of birds chirping in the upper branches of the trees. Sunlight dappled through the green leaves to create a shifting pattern of light and shadow as the wind moved the branches.

Another minute of walking and Tess smelled burning wood and came upon a small clearing. A lean-to had been constructed near a ring of stones, near which lay Malcolm, tending a fire, his left leg splinted with small branches and vines.

"Sorry I'm late," said Tess, "finding game isn't so easy as it was before." With a grunt of effort she dropped the butchered boar onto the ground near the fire.

"You did well today," said Malcolm as he summoned a large knife and began cutting the boar into more manageable pieces, "and tonight we feast!"

"I was lucky to catch one so stupid," said Tess as she stretched her sore muscles and sat down, "the animals of this forest, they know there's a hunter who can turn invisible, so they're starting to wise up and avoid my traps. If we're gonna stay here any longer, I'm gonna have to get creative."

"I'd help you, but.." said Malcolm as he indicated his broken leg. He then sighed, "you know, magic can pretty much do anything, but if you don't know a specific branch of magic, you're pretty much out of luck in certain situations."

"It's not your fault that you never learned healing magic," said Tess, "well, in a way it is, but I'm not blaming you."

"Oh, you're just being nice to be because you fell on top of me when we landed in this forest," sulked Malcolm.

"I already apologized for breaking your leg," said Tess, "we're past that. All we can do now is move forward and find Sora, Riku and Aiden."

"You've been looking for over a week and no sign of them," said Malcolm, "all the while I've been laying around like a sack of potatoes, and who knows what happened to Kairi, and even more, what Columbina and Darklight are up to?"

"At least we're not as in the dark as we were yesterday," said Tess as she placed some meat over the fire to cook.

At that Malcolm smiled in a knowing way, "you didn't spend the morning just hunting smart boars, right?"

"I finally found a road that lead to a rest stop for trading caravans," said Tess, "I managed to convince the people there that I was a lone passerby and started asking questions, and believe me, did I get answers."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense!" exclaimed Malcolm as he crawled over, wincing at every jolt and bump to his mending leg, "you can start by telling me where the hell we are."

"We're in the Kingdom of Enchancia," said Tess, "in the 20th year of the reign of King Roland II."

"Oh, sure, that really helps," said Malcolm sarcastically.

"There's more," said Tess, "Enchancia's in the middle of fighting an extended feud with the Parzon Republic that's about to escalate into a full scale war."

"Now that's more like it," said an intrigued Malcolm, "do go on."

"It all started several years ago," said Tess, "Roland had just came out of mourning for the death of his first wife. He met and fell in love with a commoner, Miranda, while the feeling was mutual. They hit it off and got married, with Miranda becoming the new Queen of Enchancia.

"Now, Roland already had two children from his first marriage; James and Amber, twins, then aged 8, while Miranda had a daughter, Sofia, then aged 7. At first the children didn't get along that much but quickly bonded, and for a time they all lived happily ever after."

"But not all happy endings last forever," said Malcolm.

"Ain't that the truth," said Tess, "anyway, fast forward to Sofia's 13th birthday. The whole kingdom and the neighboring kingdoms, Enchancia's various friends and allies, celebrated Sofia's ascension to womanhood. Things started to go sour when a representative of the Parzon Republic arrived with a marriage proposal from Baron Silas Dubois, a member of one of Parzon's noble families. Said marriage would bind the two nations closer and open the door for profit and prosperity for all."

"Let me guess," said Malcolm, "the prospective groom turned out to be totally inappropriate."

"The man was not only 40 at the time," said Tess, "but also rumored to be a heartless brute whom only saw Sofia as the means to an heir, among other faults that would take too long to explain."

"Was he a degenerate gambler and a child molester?" asked Malcolm.

"Nothing like that," said Tess, "but such faults would be better than the rumors I heard. Parzon is an industrial nation; the whole place is full of pollutant-belching factories. They ruined their ecosystem; strip mining and deforestation. They have to import all their food and have massive water purification systems in place. But even so, the land, waters and air of Parzon are so polluted, it's affected the biology of their people."

"How badly?" asked Malcolm, "are we talking about mutations and infertility?"

"That and more," said Tess, "Parzon has no magic. The rest of the world has plenty of magic users and magical creatures, but Parzon is completely without magic, so they relied on science to an extreme. But the leaders of Parzon believed, so I heard, that a marriage between one of their nobles and a princess capable of magic would bring magic into Parzon."

"That doesn't make any sense at all," said Malcolm irately, "you can't breed magic into a land without magic, at least not in any way I know."

"Well, it's what Lord Xenu proposed to Rolland and Miranda," said Tess, "he's the Parzon ambassador and overall boss of Parzon, Lord Xenu. Needless to say, Roland and Miranda said the match was emphatically out of the question. Lord Xenu said that the refusal was an outrage and an insult, that there would be a union between Baron Dubois and the Enchancia royal family, one way or another. Next thing you know, the party is attacked by Parzonian commandos. They try to abduct Sofia but wound up kidnapping Amber."

"They were able to save her, right?" Malcolm asked, "They rescued the princess, right?"

"Yes and no," said Tess as she sat down, a grim look on her face, "here's where things really piss me off. By the time Roland mounted a rescue party and reached the Parzonians' hideout, not only had Amber been forced into a marriage ceremony with Baron Dubois, he was in the process of ravaging her in order to get her pregnant."

"He raped her!?" exclaimed Malcolm as he tried to stand up, then winced in pain and clutched at his leg.

"Hey, take it easy!" said Tess as she made Malcolm relax, "I already had to set your bones once."

"Don't remind me," said Malcolm through gritted teeth. He then summoned a small bottle of pills and rattled it, frowning at how few were left. He then shook out one, broke it half and swallowed it.

"If you're still in so much pain, you should take more," said Tess.

"These pills are from Magix," said Malcolm as he vanished the bottle, "and not exactly recommended by the average Magix doctor. They do the job but are highly addictive. I won't get hooked on these things, even if it kills me. Now please go on. What happened to Amber?"

"The rescue party burst into the makeshift bridal suite while Dubois was attempting to consummate the marriage," said Tess, "rutting over Amber like a dog in heat," said Tess, "or so the stories I heard went, no one knows for sure what happened. But one thing's for sure; Roland and the rescue party walked out with Amber, while Dubois was dead." Tess then smiled with righteous glee, "I wish I had been there to see him die, the filthy pig. Seriously, he had the face of a pig, or so I heard."

"What happened to Lord Xenu?" Malcolm asked.

"He managed to evade capture and make it back to Parzon," said Tess, "Roland sent an envoy to the Parzon government, demanding that Xenu be extradited to Enchancia to stand trial for his crimes. Naturally they refused."

"Naturally," agreed Malcolm, "so, why now? Why has it taken this long for Enchancia to go to war with Parzon?"

"Politics," said Tess, "to launch a full-scale invasion of Parzon, Enchancian forces would have to cross a series of mountain passes that are controlled by Ustoria, a small but proud country that seeks to profit from both sides of the conflict. It's taken years for Enchancia to negotiate a right-of-passage treaty. In the meantime, both enemies have been carrying out covert operations across the border; commando raids and acts of espionage, hoping to gain the upper hand for the day when the war would truly begin."

"But what happened to Amber?" Malcolm insisted, "I hope her family did everything they could to help her."

"They tried but her trauma was too deep," said Tess, "severe PTSD and an already present psychological condition, all of it really messed up her mind. She locked herself in her room and refused to come out, while only allowing a few trusted servants in to clean and bring meals, all the while she hides behind a privacy screen. That was four years ago.

"Seeing Amber reduced to such a state broke Roland and Miranda's hearts, while James and Sofia were equally devastated. They and some close friends swore an oath of vengeance, vowing to never rest until Lord Xenu and the rest of those in Parzon responsible for Amber's abduction and rape are punished."

"I hope they do," said Malcolm.

"Me too," said Tess, "but part of me wishes it were otherwise. The people I talked to reminisced on how Sofia was before the incident; how she was loved and admired for her kindness and generosity, her compassion and wisdom, how she always sought the goodness in everyone, her purity of heart."

"A potential Princess of Heart," said Malcolm.

"Not anymore," said Tess in a slightly exasperated tone, "after she swore the oath of vengeance, Sofia threw herself into training for the war. Now she's a hardcore warrior princess whom eagerly awaits for the day she and her friends and stepbrother will present Amber with the flayed hide of Lord Xenu."

"Good grief!" exclaimed Malcolm, "if she does that, if she kills in cold blood, her heart could crack and we'll have another Princess of Dark on the lose! And one is more than enough!"

"Which is why we've got to find Sora and the others," said Tess, "we've got to talk to Sofia before it's too late, if it's not already."

"Then what the hell are sitting around in this shack?" Malcolm asked, "help me make some crutches so we can talk to the princess, save her heart and stop the war."

"There's some other things I heard that may be related," said Tess, "rumors of strange people who may or may not be Parzon agents."

"So we've got spies running around," said Malcolm, "typical of war."

"These aren't any old spies," said Tess, "these spies have bug-like eyes, or so the rumors say. Sound familiar?"

"Raztonians," said Malcolm grimly, "I knew we hadn't seen the last of them! But what are they doing here?"

"I don't know," said Tess, "but if they are here, then our lives will be that much more complicated."

"As if our lives weren't complicated enough," said Malcolm, "so, anything else I need to know? Any other rumors I'd find interesting?"

"Well, there's one more you'd might like, and this one's a real dozy," said Tess, "but try not to throw up."

"No promises," said Malcolm warily.

"Well, it's like this," said Tess, "the other day an entire village was wiped out; not by enemy agents, not by magic, a plague or any known natural disaster. Every single man, woman and child was killed while leaving the buildings and animals mostly untouched, while the bodies of the people were found nearby, piled up in big, gooey, bloody masses."

"You're right," said a disgusted Malcolm, "that is a dozy."

"It gets worse," said Tess, "the bodies showed signs of being crushed, torn and even bitten into, and not by any known animal, but apparently something humanoid, only several meters tall."

"Giants ate them and then tossed them up?" Malcolm asked.

"It seemed that way," said Tess, "but there were no signs of digestion of any kind. Even more so, there were enormous humanoid footprints in the area but they didn't match any of the local giants; there are local giants and none of them eat people."

"This definitely is a mystery," said Malcolm as Tess brought over some branches and vines to work into crutches, "but we can't worry about that, we've got a princess to save!"

…another time and place…

Marceline, recently restored queen of the vampires, hurriedly floated through the streets of The Candy Kingdom, a large sack over her shoulder as she headed towards the Candy Castle with severe determination, ignoring the shouts of welcome and congratualtions from The Candy People she passed.

Eventually she reached the Castle and flew up towards the upper floors. She intended on knocking on Princess Bubblegum's window, when she passed an open window and heard the familiar voices of Flame Princess, Slime Princess and Hotdog Princess. Marceline hovered outside the window and listened on the conversation between the three princesses.

"I'm telling you, it's weird," said Flame Princess, "people don't go missing without a darn good reason, or a bad reason if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I know what you mean," said Slime Princess, "at least seven people in The Slime Kingdom have disappeared that I know about, and Glob knows how many more are unaccounted for."

"I agree, it's weird," said Hotdog Princess, "but that's no reason to panic."

"And how many of our people have to go missing before we do panic?" asked Flame Princess irately, "almost twenty of The Fire Kingdom's own just up and vanished. I lead the search for the disappeared from one end of The Fire Kingdom to the other and turned up nothing. The Rest of my people are getting scared and I don't have any answers."

"Neither do I," said Hotdog Princess.

"Me neither," said Slime Princess, "wait…wait, no," she then shook her head in denial, "he wouldn't do that, would he?"

"He who?" asked Flame Princess. She then irately put her hands on her hips, "wait, are you talking about…?"

"Ice King? Yeah," said Slime Princess grimly as she crossed her arms.

"You think the Ice King is kidnapping our people?" asked Hotdog Princess, "why?"

"For hostages?" asked Flame Princess, "to force one of us to marry him? Wouldn't surprise me."

"Oh come on, he's not that crazy," said Hotdog Princess.

"He's kidnapped us plenty of times," said Slime Princess, "what's to stop him from kidnapping our people?"

"Simon wouldn't do that," said Marceline as she floated through the window with her sack, startling the three Princesses, "yeah, he's nuts, but not that nuts."

"Well, look who's back," said Flame Princess, "the recently re-crowned Queen of the Vampires. Done sulking about in the dark?"

"Oh, I had plenty more me-time scheduled," said Marceline, "but something happened, something big."

"What kind of big?" asked Hotdog Princess.

"And what's in the sack?" Slime Princess asked cautiously.

"I'll show you later," said Marceline as she made sure the rope securing the sack was good and tight, "first I need to talk to Finn and Bubblegum. You wouldn't happen to know where they are?"

"You want to talk to PB and Finn?" asked Flame Princess, "get in line; we need to talk to them about the rash of disappearances afflicting our Kingdoms."

"It's not just our Kingdoms," said Slime Princess, "people are going missing all over Ooo."

"Mass disappearances," said Marceline in a thoughtful manner, "and then there's this thing," she gave the sack a nudge with her foot, causing whatever was inside to shake violently.

"Goodness!" exclaimed Hotdog Princess as she stood up on her hindquarters in shock, while Slime Princess jumped into Hotdog Princess's forearms in fright.

"Marceline? What is that?" asked a visibly startled Flame Princess.

"Something that shouldn't exist on our world," said Marceline grimly, "something I thought I'd taken care of long ago."

Just then Jake the Dog walked into the room, "hey, Princesses! You seen Finn? Oh, hey, Marceline! You finish those Sudoku and crossword puzzles?"

"No, but I've got other things to worry about," said Marceline.

"Well, if you see Finn," said Jake, "tell him I'm gonna pick up dinner. But if he's not back by the time I get back, I'll start without him…hey, what's in that sack? Looks like it wants to get out."

"Believe me, Jake," said Marceline, "you do not want to know what's in the sack." She then kicked the sack in order to quiet the thing within, only to make it shudder more violently.

"Oh, come on!" said Jake, "I wanna know!"

"No, you don't," insisted Marceline, "and if I had my way…" she then paused and smiled deviously, "you know what, I'll let you take a peek. In fact, I'll give you all a peek." She then began untying the sack.

"Uh…I'm not sure that's a good idea," said a nervous Hotdog Princess.

"It's perfectly safe as long as I've got an eye on it," said Marceline as she finished untying the sack. She held the sack out and prepared to open it, "so come on, it won't bite, hard." She then opened the sack.

The three Princesses and Jake looked in, with Jake standing a few feet away but stretched over to see.

"Oh…sick!" said a nauseated Flame Princess, while Slime Princess and Hotdog Princess backed away in disgust.

"Eeew!" said Jake, "that thing shouldn't even be alive."

"Technically, it's not alive," said Marceline as she retied the sack, "it shouldn't exist, but it does, which is why I need to show it to Finn and Bonnibel. The fate of Ooo and maybe our entire universe is at risk."

"You sure you want to do this, Princess?" asked Finn as he sat across Princess Bubblegum, "we could always wait until you're ready."

"Finn, I've waited long enough," said Princess Bubblegum, "believe me, I'm ready, and I hope you are."

"Oh, I'm ready," said Finn with joyful eagerness, "I've waited for this for so long, I can't tell you how happy I am."

"Well, I hope you are ready," said Princess Bubblegum as she smiled coyly, "'cause I'm about to rock your world." She then picked up a video game controller and began mashing buttons, "Prepare To Die!"

"Hey! No Fair!" shouted Finn as he picked up another controller and began mashing buttons. He and Princess Bubblegum sat in her room in front of BMO, who's screen displayed a turned-based strategy game involving two armies intent on dominating a map.

"You'll never win that way, Princess!" said Finn, "I've already got the lead on captured territory!"

"You're spreading yourself too far too fast!" said Princess Bubblegum, "once my forces are built up, I'm gonna walk all over you!"

"Not today, Princess!" said Finn.

After several seconds of intense button mashing and more intense looks on the face of the two of them, the game was decided in Princess Bubblegum's favor as her forces overwhelmed Finn's and conquered the map.

"Game Over!" said BMO, "sorry, Finn, but the Princess wins this one."

"Wow! That was great," said Princess Bubblegum as she and Finn sat back in excited exhaustion, wiping sweat from her crowned brow, "I can't believe I missed out on video games for so long. Wanna go again?"

"Heck, yeah!" said Finn as he grabbed his controller and started the game over.

Several minutes of extreme strategy later found Princess Bubblegum the winner again, but this did nothing to deter Finn's enthusiasm. But Princess Bubblegum put her hand over Finn's before he could start the game again.

"Can I tell you something, Finn?" asked Princess Bubblegum.

"Sure, PB," said Finn as he set the controller down, "you can tell me anything."

"Good," said Princess Bubblegum as she sat her controller down, "because what I want to say isn't easy." She took a bracing breath, "I've had a lot to think about, what with losing my crown and getting it back, the crisis with the comet and Orgalorg, then with the vampires, it's all got me thinking."

"About what?" asked Finn.

"About what's important in my life," said Princess Bubblegum as she looked at Finn with serious eyes, "my duties will always lie with The Candy Kingdom and its People, but if there's one thing I've learned from everything that's happened, it's that I've been taking myself too seriously. I need to stop focusing on my duties so much and devote more time to my own happiness."

"You wanna make time for fun?" asked Finn, "well, if you need anyone to play video games with, I'm so there, but don't expect to beat me all the time."

"That's not what I'm talking about," said Princess Bubblegum, "I mean, I'm glad you showed me how much fun video games are, and…" she then looked around in confusion, then saw the door to her bathroom was open. The light was on and she could hear BMO talking to himself, "uh…is he alright?"

"BMO?" asked Finn, "yeah, he's fine, he's just talking to his imaginary friend, Football."

"FOOTBALL IS REAL!" shouted BMO, then resumed his conversation, "that's just Finn and Princess Bubblegum, just ignore them."

"Uh…yeah," said a slightly uncomfortable Princess Bubblegum. She then looked at Finn, "what I'm trying to say, Finn," she then put her hand on Finn's, "is that I'm done denying my happiness. I'm done denying what makes me happy."

"Okay," said Finn, "and…what makes you happy?"

"You, silly," said Princess Bubblegum as she smiled warmly, "All this time I've seen you as a loyal and true friend, a righteous and selfless hero who'll always be there for me. You've stuck by me through thick and thin, through life and even death. Heck, you went to the underworld and convinced Death to give me a second chance at life. If that's not love, I don't know."

"Princess…i….I…!" said a flabbergasted Finn, "I…I…"

"I'm so sorry, Finn," said Princess Bubblegum, "you've had such a hard time and suffered so much heartache, but I'm here now and I'm ready to try love."

"Princess," said Finn.

"Call me Bonnie," she said as she leaned close.

"Okay, Bonnie," said Finn as he too leaned close and they kissed for the first time since Princess Bubblegum reagified.

But then Jake stretched through the window, "FINN! YOU IN HERE!?"

At that Finn and Princess Bubblegum screamed in fright, while Jake screamed as well.

"JAKE!" snapped Finn.

"Oh...sorry!" said Jake, "didn't mean to interrupt! But you gotta see what Marceline brought! You too, PB!"

"Marceline's back?" asked Princess Bubblegum.

"Yeah, and she brought this really gross thing," said Jake, "you gotta see it to believe it!"

"Jake, is this some kind of joke?" asked Finn.

"No, man," said Jake, "this is real, and really big, really, really, really big."

"Wow, that's big," said Finn.

Just then Lumpy Space Princess burst through the wall, "OH MY GLOB, YOU GUYS!"

"LSP!" exclaimed Princess Bubblegum, "what the frick!? That's my wall!"

"Who cares about some dumb wall?!" shouted Lumpy Space Princess, "you gotta see this! Come on, you guys! You've gotta see this!"

"Hey, wait a second!" said Jake, "they're gonna see what I gotta show them."

"Oh, lump off, Jake!" said Lumpy Space Princess, "this is bigger than whatever lumping thing you've got! Come on! You gotta see it before it goes away!" with that she burst through the wall again.

"Well, that was nice of her to drop by," said Peppermint Butler as he pulled out a dustpan and brush and began cleaning up the mess.

"What do you think?" asked Finn.

"Might as well see what's gotten her lumps in a twist," said Princess Bubblegum.

"Okay, but we're gonna check out what Marceline brought right after," said Jake. With that they walked out onto the balcony, where Lumpy Space Princess was waiting and eagerly pointing up in the sky.

"Okay, the clouds," said Princess Bubblegum, "we're looking at clouds."

"Not clouds!" snapped Lumpy Space Princess, "That thing! That weird tornado!"

"Huh?" asked Princess Bubblegum as she, Finn and Jake looked up at where Lumpy Space Princess was pointing, to a vortex of clouds rotating in the sky.

"Huh, that is a weird tornado," said Finn.

"Wait, that's no tornado," said a worried Princess Bubblegum, "that's a…"

Just then a portal formed within the cloud vortex, and from it, with an accompanying raspberry sound, shot Riku, whom landed hard on Lumpy Space Princess.

"OOW! WHAT THE LUMP!" exclaimed Lumpy Space Princess.

"You okay, man?" asked Finn as he looked at Riku.

"What do you think, Finn!?" whined Lumpy Space Princess, "how you would you feel if a total stranger fell out of the sky onto you!?"

"I meant this guy," said Finn

"Well, then," sobbed Lumpy Space Princes, "would you kindly tell him to GET THE LUMP OFF ME ALREDY!?"

"Hey, I'm sorry," said Riku as he regained his senses, while Princess Bubblegum and Finn helped him stand up, "I didn't mean to land on you after…after…what just happened."

"Dude, you just got farted out of a portal," laughed Jake.

"Uh, yeah, right," said a slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed Riku.

"You must have been through something terrible, man," said Finn.

"Yeah," said Riku. He then looked up at the dissipating clouds, "and it looks like I can't go back the way I came."

Just then came the sound of terrified screams below. Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Lumpy Space Princess and Riku, all looked over the balcony and saw Slime Princess, Hotdog Princess and Flame Princess, being chased by a Heartless, with the creature chased by Marceline in turn.

"What the jam is that thing?!" demanded Princess Bubblegum.

"That's what we wanted to show you and Finn," said Jake, "that thing is just gross."

"Hey, man! What are you doing?!" exclaimed Jake as Riku jumped off the balcony, summoning his Keyblade on the way down.

"Whoa!" said Finn and Jake as Riku landed in front of Slime Princess, Hotdog Princess and Flame Princess, whom ran into each other as they tried to avoid hitting Riku. The three princesses collapsed in a heap as Riku calmly walked up to the encroaching Heartless.

This Heartless was unlike any Riku had seen before. It had the physical proportions of a Neo Shadow, yet it seemed to be made entirely out of rotting garbage, and smelled like it too.

Marceline, wielding her bass axe, delivered a powerful chop that cut the creature in half. Yet instead of exploding in a puff of smoke and releasing a crystal heart, the two halves of the Garbage Heartless regenerated into complete Heartless.

"Oh darn!" exclaimed Marceline, "I missed the sweet spot!"

"What sweet spot?!" asked Finn as he stood on Jake's back as he stretched to the ground. Finn drew his sword and prepared to face the two Garbage Heartless.

"You gotta hit it in just the right spot!" said Marceline as she readied her axe again, "otherwise they'll just keep splitting and regenerating!"

"Or use one of these," said Riku as he stabbed one of the Garbage Heartless with his Keyblade, destroying it.

"Whoa, cool!" said an impressed Jake, while Finn and Marceline looked equally impressed.

But then they both heard Slime Princess and Hotdog Princess scream in absolute terror as the other Garbage heartless grabbed them.

"Get Away From My Friends!" shouted Princess Bubblegum as she and Peppermint Butler ran out the door, both carrying magical shotguns. Princess Bubblegum fired twice, blasting off both the creature's arms and releasing Slime Princess and Hotdog Princess.

But the creature regenerated its severed arms, while said arms regenerated into complete Garbage Heartless.

"No one regenerates in my kingdom without my permission!" said an outraged Princess Bubblegum as she cocked her shotgun.

"No, you'll only make more!" shouted Marceline as she flew up to and chopped into one of the Garbage Heartless. This time the angle of attack was just right to destroy the creature, "that's how to get rid of them!"

"Oh, like this!" said Finn as he sliced into the second Garbage Heartless at just the right angle, destroying it, while Flame Princess merely incinerated the last one.

At that Slime Princess and Hotdog Princess let out coordinated sighs of relief, "thank Glob that's over," said Slime Princess.

"Marceline! What the jam is wrong with you!?" bellowed Princess Bubblegum as she walked up to said vampire queen, "bringing that horrible thing into the Candy Kingdom, what the flipping jam?!"

"Hey, I didn't mean to let it loose," said Marceline as she tuned the strings on her bass, "I just wanted to show you that The Heartless are back."

"Heartless?" asked Princess Bubblegum. She then closed her eyes in frightened thought, "there's a name I'd hope I'd never have to hear again."

"What are you talking about, Bonnie?" asked Finn.

"It was a long, long time ago," said Marceline, "you know how I originally became a vampire, well, I was hunting other things besides vamps."

"The the darkness has always been a threat to our world, Finn," said Princess Bubblegum, "it was the darkness, infested in mortal hearts, that caused The Mushroom War and all but wiped out humanity. But," she looked at Marceline, "I thought we wiped The Heartless off the face of Ooo at the founding of The Candy Kingdom."

"Well, they're back," said Marceline, "and they're different, way different."

"And gross," said Jake, "why'd that thing look and smell like garbage?"

"Heartless adapt to the worlds they infest," said Riku, "but I couldn't even guess how or why these Heartless took the form of trash."

"It's lumping gross, that's why," said Lumpy Space Princess.

"Well, whatever the reason," said Marceline as she hovered up to Riku and held out her hand, "thanks for the assist." At that Riku shook her hand.

"And are you single?" asked Slime Princess as she and Hotdog Princess looked up at Riku with adoring eyes.

"Uh, no," said a slightly uncomfortable Riku. He then looked at Finn and Jake, "Are all the girls around here like…like…?"

"Eager for a boyfriend? Nah," said Princess Bubblegum.

"Wait, did Finn just call you Bonnie?" asked Marceline, "oh my glob! You two have so hooked up!"

At that Finn and Princess Bubblegum looked highly exasperated and embarrassed.

"Is this normal?" Riku whispered to Jake.

"It is for The Land of Ooo," said Jake, "where are you from anyway?"

"Someplace where I hope my friends are," said Riku as he looked up at the night sky, "Sora, I hope you and the others are somewhere safe."

…Another Place and Time…

Aiden sat on the driver's seat of a wagon pulled by a gray horse down a cobblestone road. Wearing a dusty travel cloak, Aiden's clothes were torn and ragged, his body were covered by small cuts and bruises, while a large bandage covered his left eye.

His right eye burned with fury and determination as he looked ahead down the road, intent on reaching his destination by nightfall.

But then the horse stooped and neighed in fright, rearing back on its hind legs as it tried to get away.

Aiden managed to calm the horse, then looked back at what terrified the animal. In the wagon was a large square-like object covered by a tarp. Something large and angry rattled and hissed beneath the tarp.

"I told you to keep quiet, you monster!" snapped Aiden as he pulled out a metal rod and climbed into the wagon. He then pulled part of the tarp up, revealing the square object to be a metal cage. A black claw reached out and tried to grab Aiden. He swatted the claw away with the rod and hit one of the cage bars, producing a distinct ringing sound. The creature pulled its claw back in, shuddering violently.

"You'll get more of that if you don't shut up," said Aiden as he lowered the tarp, "and believe me, this is the least I can do to you. And just wait until we get where we're going, they're gonna tear you apart."

The creature within the cage let out a menacing hiss, then went silent.

"Whatever," said Aiden as he got back into the driver's seat again, "you'll get yours soon enough." He flicked the reigns and the horse started forward again.

…Somewhere?...

"Wow, I feel like I've been here forever," said Sora as he tumbled through the Möbius Continuum, "or maybe I just got here." He then pulled out his phone for the latest of countless times and saw, once again, the battery was dead, "it sucks not knowing what time it is.

"If I don't find a way out soon, I'll go crazy. Or maybe I'm already crazy. Maybe I've always been here. Yeah, maybe this is real and everything else was a dream.

"No, Kairi and the others are real! I'm not crazy! I'm just lost in…this," he then waved at the infinite expanse of the primal darkness.

"I'd say I was getting dizzy," said Sora as he continued to tumble, "but there's no up or down here. There's no left, right, forward or backwards either. There's nothing.

"But I'm here, so I'm something and this is nothing. I am existence in this place of non-existence. Hmmm, either I am going crazy or I'm getting smarter. At this rate I'll be the smartest man in the world." At that he laughed, "what am I saying? I'm the only one here, so I am the smartest man in the world!"

At that Sora sighed with exasperation, "great, I'm talking to myself. I hope Kairi and the others find me before I really do go crazy."

The End of Volume 10

And that's it, fellow readers and writers! Well, our heroes certainly are in more than one sticky situation. But do not despair, for Sora, Riku and Aiden will be found, but not before Tess and Malcolm get involved in their greatest, most enchanting and most bizarre adventure yet! For next volume will not only take us to the world of Sofia the First, but also, among other things, Attack on Titan. So get ready, fellow readers and writers, it's going to get wild!

Coming Soon

Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master

Volume 11: Sofia's War

See you then!