Shifty Trains

Twilight Town and Yen Sid's crib. God, I hate the music for these places! It makes me feel like I wanna rip my ears off. Feel free to imagine rave music in it's place. That aside, a really long chapter, especially compared to the last three. And the next one... You didn't hear it from me! Also, a prize goes to the one who guesses what the Gummi Ship entry code is a reference to!

I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or Kingdom Hearts, savvy? On with the story!

Trying to Chaos Control somewhere that you've never been before is hard work. The Chaos Emerald keeps trying to drag you off in random directions. It's hard to keep your focus on a place that you don't even know yourself. When I managed to teleport myself to Traverse Town I was thinking 'take me to safety!' as hard as I could.

This time it's a bit more specific.

I manage to keep myself on course. I struggle with the power in the Chaos Emerald until it yields to me and stops trying to take detours. I feel the familiar push of my destination as we start to slow down. I don't know how Shadow can stand to do this is much as he does. It must come with time.

I appear in a flash of light. At least I'm not in Traverse Town any more. Progress! Wherever I am, it's hot. It must be the height of summer. Or the wrong world. I prefer the first option. Aerith said something about taking a train, so I suppose that's where I'll start. It's never obvious.

A noise sounds from behind me. I turn to see what it was. I hope it's not a Heartless or one of those 'Nobodies' Aerith mentioned. I'm not in the mood to fight right now. It isn't either; just a group of astonished and slightly scared looking humans. If they can get past the fact that I'm a large, blue, talking hedgehog, they might be able to help me.

"Anyone know where the train station is?"

The humans exchange looks. I don't think they're going to be much help. They mustn't get many unusual visitors.

"It's... at the top of the hill... what...?" states the girl, sounding somewhat unsure of herself.

"Are you certain? You don't sound very sure."

"I'm sure. It's just..."

"Yes, I'm a hedgehog."

"Are you certain?" asks a boy impudently. I glower at him. The fat boy seems to snap out of it.

"We've had people come flying out of walls before, but not in a flash of light. We'll show you to the train station, and you can tell us about what you're doing here."

"Sounds like a plan. It's not far, is it?"

"No."

"You won't get much of my story then. I walk fast."

They get up. I can't help but notice the way they look at me. I had this problem the first time I appeared in the media for saving the world in my early days. Blue is a rare colour for a hedgehog, even where I come from. We leave via a strip of cloth hanging over a doorway, which they need to move to get past. I just duck a little. Being short can have its advantages.

"Just up the hill."

"Right."

"So, what's your name, then?" asks the girl.

"I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm trying to find a guy called Yen Sid. Apparently I need to take the train."

"Oh, there's a train that's said to have no driver and only comes in the evening. It's supposed to be haunted."

"Sound like my ride! So, this is Twilight Town, then?"

"Yeah. How'd you get here?"

"I... teleported?"

"You don't sound very sure," teases the blond one.

"It's a long story. I basically teleported."

"Why do you need to go see this guy?"

"Well, I come from another world which was destroyed by these things called Heartless. I don't see any here, so I think you're OK on that end. I need to give this key back to the King, whoever that is. Yen Sid is going to help me find him."

"A key? Is it really big?" asks the chubby one.

"Yeah. Have you seen him with it?"

"No, it's just a guy came through here a while ago with a big key. He said his name was Sora."

"He's second on the list. Can you tell me about him?"

"Sure. There's a place where we can talk without being disturbed. Do you have time?"

"You're not afraid of heights, right?"

"Not a chance."

"Look up, then."

I do. We're at the train station now, but this sounds more important than a visit to see some guy who might not even be any help for all I know. A huge clock tower rises out of the station. Everyone in Twilight Town can probably see it, unless they're facing the other way. At least no one will be late to work.

"If we sneak around the back, we can climb up some stairs to get to the top of the clock tower."

"Stairs? I have a better idea."

I take a few steps backwards, sizing up the size of this thing. I probably only need to run at 200 MPH to reach the top. I could run faster, but I might over shoot. I crouch down slightly, building kinetic energy in my legs.

"Hey, what are you-"

I'm gone in a flash. I force myself to defy gravity and run up the side of the building. The air gets thinner as I get up, which is stupid because I need more oxygen the longer and faster I run. Curse you, physical limitations. I reach the top of the tower in a few seconds. Much better than climbing up some lame stairs.

I sit down and patiently wait for the others to catch up. They'll probably be about twenty minutes, considering the speed humans usually move at, and the number of stairs they probably have to climb to get up here. There's a lovely view from up here. The sky seems to stretch on forever, the sun barely peering over the horizon. The air is cooler now. Not by much, but it's probably more bearable for the humans who live here. I personally like hotter weather.

The others finally drag themselves up here. They're panting slightly, probably not wanting to keep their unusual guest waiting. They flop down beside me, getting their breath back.

"Did you have to leave us behind? I thought we we're showing you where to go."

"I'm not the most patient guy."

"Sora wasn't either."

"It must be a Keyblade Master thing."

I let them get their breath back before I push them for details. Yen Sid can wait. Besides, it doesn't sound like he's going anywhere fast. I'm surrounded by gasping and the smell of fresh sweat, which smells different coming from a human than it does coming from the guys back home. Specifically, Knuckles after we've been through one of our conclusion-less fights. I prefer the way I smell, personally. Humans are smelly creatures.

"So, about Sora..."

"We haven't introduced ourselves yet! I'm Olette," says the girl.

"Hayner," says the blond.

"Pence," says the chubby one.

"Sonic. Now, about Sora..."

"OK, OK, hold your horses," Hayner butts in. "I got these. For some reason I felt like I should get four this morning, so I did. Looks like it was a good idea after all."

He pulls four wrapped ice-cream bars out of his pocket. Pence and Olette practically start drooling at the sight of them. Hayner passes them around; I take a few hesitant licks. It's OK. Too salty for my tastes.

"Sora!"

"OK, fine! Sheesh. Sora walked into the Usual Spot about a year ago. He had a weird duck and a dog with him. They kinda seemed like you, you know: big and could talk."

"They weren't from my world. I've never met them before."

"Maybe they lived somewhere on your world that you didn't go to?" asks Olette naïvely.

"I've been everywhere. And I mean everywhere."

"If you say so. Anyway, he got on the same train you're going to get on. He came back a while later, looking for some chick called Kairi, who was the one who fell through the hole in the wall we told you about earlier. We started getting strange white creatures in town at some point, too."

"Everything just seems to blur together a bit. It was just one big adventure."

"Not for us it wasn't. Sora was the one who did all the adventuring."

"You're missing the point."

"Sorry. Anyway, Sora went to this alternate Twilight Town we discovered and we never heard from him again."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

We sit in silence for a few minutes, just eating our ice cream.

"Why are you so interested in Sora?" asks Pence.

"I have to give him his key back."

"How did you get it?"

"I have no idea. We're not even in the same world. One second I'm getting the snot beaten out of me by the Heartless, the next second, whoosh."

I summon the Keyblades. The others look on intrigued, but not nearly as surprised as I thought they would be. They must have gotten used to keys appearing from thin air after all the Sora-exposure they've had.

"Sora only had one. That one," says Hayner, pointing at the Kingdom Key.

"Well, this other one belongs to the King. I think it's called the Kingdom Key D or something like that."

"Sora mentioned him too. He has big ears," says Pence, miming the shape of two round ears on his head. Sounds familiar somehow.

"Yen Sid is going to help me find them both so I can give these back."

"How do you know he's going to help you?"

"He will. I say he will, or else. He doesn't get a choice," I retort with force, dismissing the Keyblades.

"You're a lot less well-spoken than Sora was!" laughs Olette. I frown. Something about that statement insults me a little bit, but I'm not sure why.

"Oh, the train's only supposed to appear while it's twilight! The sun's going to set soon. You'd better get on before it leaves."

I stand up. Pence makes a good point.

"Thanks for the help – and the ice cream."

"Will we see you again?"

"Well, I think I'm supposed to be sealing keyholes. If I am, I'll have to come back to seal this world's keyhole. So, sure! Why not?"

"There's no point going now. The sun's almost set. You'll never get to the station in time."

"Weren't you paying attention when I ran up the side of the tower before? I'm the fastest thing alive!"

With that I chuck myself off the top of the tower.

I freefall for a few moments, enjoying the feeling that I'm flying. I eventually plant my feet on the side of the building and stride down the side. The momentum of my fall already carries me down: all I'm doing is controlling it. When I hit the ground I do a quick round of the plaza outside the station to burn off the extra energy I gained when I fell. When I've slowed down enough to not run into anyone I enter the building.

One of the upsides of supersonic speed is the ability to run past the pay point and hop on the train without paying.

I get on the train just in time; it leaves a few moments later. How time flies when you're discussing the true owner of your current weapon. The train really is empty: no passengers or driver. Olette was right. It's a shifty enough train anyway, with all the stars on it. Everyone is probably too suspicious to get on.

I take my seat, waiting for the train to reach its destination. I twiddle my thumbs for a while. I'm not good at waiting, and the train isn't big enough to go for a substantial jog. I play with the chain on the end of the Keyblades. They're both in the shape of mouse heads; one silver and one gold. If the King has such big ears as I imagine, then maybe this is a silhouette of him?

The train jerks slightly, like it's changing tracks, and a flash of light shines through the window. I hop up and take a look when it fades. I'm not in Twilight Town any more, that's for sure. It seems like the train tracks are suspended somehow, leading to an island with a tower on it. And I thought the Arabian Nights world was weird!

The train comes to a halt. I peer curiously out the door before stepping outside. I don't trust this in the slightest. Nothing seems out of place so I step out of the train. It immediately jerks away and disappears. I hate it when my ride deserts me. I take a few steps towards the tower, figuring that Yen Side has to be somewhere inside.

I stop when I see the husks.

They're like the big one I fought in the dream that wasn't really a dream. They're standing in front of the tower doors, just staring. Not at me: I'm currently hiding in a bush. They don't look as strong as the big one, but I don't fancy getting into a fight with them. There's too many, for one thing.

They eventually enter the tower and don't come back out. I wait for a few moments before emerging from my makeshift hiding spot. I'm probably going to have to tear them apart before Yen Sid will talk to me. Oh, it's never easy. I summon both Keyblades and enter the tower.

It's empty except for a spiralling stairway. I'm not impressed. First impressions are so important, after all. If I was as powerful as Yen Sid is supposed to be I'd at least have pictures up. There isn't any sign of the husks, so I move on. I climb up the staircase and open the door at the top.

Now this is more like it! I'm on a staircase that begins and end in a door which is nowhere near a wall, with no obvious room behind it. The staircase is floating miles above a churning vat of sparkling goo. If magic existed, that's what I'd say it was.

I take a few steps. I meet a few Heartless.

They're of the same type that attacked my home, but probably not exactly the same ones. Still, I can't help but feel anger towards them. Their kind did destroy my world and most of the people in it. I slice them apart, which is odd because the Keyblades are blunt. Maybe I should try hitting them with the teeth. I deal with any Heartless that dare stand in my presence and take the door at the top.

I end up in a room with lots of Heartless in it. Looks like Sora did a rubbish job of getting rid of them! I battle for a few minutes, taking down any that get too close. Life's much easier with two big keys to swing around. When the Heartless are vanquished the door ahead opens on its own.

I'm on another staircase. I know I've moved upwards, because I can see the other staircase beneath me. I clobber the Heartless, clean out a few rooms, and get to the final staircase, where I get a surprise.

I run into the husks I saw at the entrance. They're heading up to the top of the tower, it seems. They don't notice me, so I take the moment to chop at one from behind. They're made of tougher stuff than the Heartless: they don't die with one hit! I use my speed to run around them in circles, confusing them a lot. Monsters are never very smart. It makes me wonder why Yen Sid hasn't dealt with them himself.

When the creatures are vanquished Sonic-style, I finally reach the door. I don't open it, but press my ear to it. If there's more Heartless inside, then I'm going home. I don't have time for this! I hear talking coming from inside. They mustn't be Heartless or whatever the other things are: the Heartless never made any noise and the husks just hissed occasionally.

So, I barge in without a second thought.

A duck and a dog and a guy in a big hat turn to meet me.

"... Am I interrupting anything?"

The duck looks a bit peeved, but the other two don't seem too bothered. No one seems to care about anything in the worlds I've visited so far. The guy in the hat stands up and beckons me towards him. He has an aura of power around him, and I don't want to invoke his wrath, so I do as he says.

"I take it you are new Keyblade Master."

"I guess so."

"We have been waiting for you."

"Sorry. I stopped to get ice cream."

The duck doesn't take kindly to this. He quacks loudly and angrily before coming to face me.

"You mean we've got to travel the worlds with this guy?!"

"You got a problem with that, Duck Dodgers?"

"That's Donald to you!"

The dog doesn't look very happy that we're arguing. He seems like the kind to be the peace keeper. The man shakes his head and coughs impatiently. The duck jumps to attention.

"Sorry, Master Yen Sid! It won't happen again!"

"So... You're the guy I'm supposed to come talk to?"

"Did Merlin send you to see me?"

"Merlin? Is he a geezer in blue robes with a long white beard?"

"Yes, that's him. I trust you had a safe journey."

"You've gotta be kidding me! My world get's destroyed; I have to find my own way to travel between worlds because no one seems to have a clue, then fight my way through a whole battalion of Heartless to get here! No, I didn't have a safe journey. Thanks for asking."

"Gawrsh, I thought we'd beaten all the Heartless!" says the dog. "They just keep coming back!"

"Someone mind explaining?"

Yen Sid smiles and nods. A chair bounces over from the corner and lets me sit in it. It's getting harder and harder to convince myself that magic doesn't exist.

"I see you already know of the Heartless."

"Yeah, some guys in Traverse Town told me about it. Very rude, they were."

"But do you actually know what the Heatless are?"

"Umm..."

"To defeat a foe you-"

"Must understand your foe. Yeah, I know."

"Good. Now then." He summons some Heartless. They don't actually appear to be real, but illusions of the creatures. "When a sentient being loses its heart to the darkness, it becomes trapped within the darkness itself, creating a Heartless. The Heartless hunger for the power that hearts contain, and seek to devour the greatest heart, the hearts of all worlds. They're going about this task by devouring any hearts that get in their way to increase their ranks, including the hearts of the worlds they come across. This is why your world no longer exists."

He dismisses the Heartless illusions with a wave of his hand. He then summons the white husks I fought on the way here.

"When a person with a strong heart is overcome by the darkness, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own. These creatures become the Nobodies. There used to be an Organisation made up of thirteen powerful Nobodies, but Sora, Donald and Goofy defeated them."

"Donald and Goofy?"

"A-hyuk! That's us! I'm Goofy, and this is Donald. We helped Sora save the world!"

"That's all fine and dandy, but I still have lots of questions to ask."

"I shall do my best to answer them, but I can't promise you that I'll know all the answers."

"It's gotta be better than the way I am now. So, do you know why the Heartless are still here, or where they're coming from? This girl I met said I need to stop them."

"Well, part of the Organisation's goal was to assemble Kingdom Hearts by letting Sora release the hearts within the Heartless. However, Ansem the Wise attempted and failed to encode Kingdom Hearts as data, which resulted in an explosion within Kingdom Hearts itself, freeing countless hearts, which then became Heartless once more. That is why the Heartless still exist. Where exactly they are originating from is a mystery: one which the King is attempting to unravel."

"Oh, the King! Where can I find him? I've got his key."

"So, you're where it went!" accuses Donald. We're not getting off to a very good start.

"Hey, it's not my fault! It just appeared with the other one! The one that belongs to Sora, apparently."

"May I see them?"

I summon them both. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. People just can't take my word for it.

"It would appear that the Keyblades have chosen you over their original owners. They'll be wanting them back."

"Gawrsh, I wonder if you have Riku's Keyblade, too?"

"Riku...?"

"He was supposed to be the original Keyblade Master, but he fell into darkness."

"Sounds like a nice guy."

"Just misunderstood."

"So, I give these guys their weapons back. Then what?"

"That, I cannot answer, for I cannot predict the future. One woman can, however. She predicted that you would come."

"Me?"

"Specifically: One whose fur was the sea, and eyes the land. One who would connect light and dark together and end all feuds."

"No pressure or anything. You sure she got the right guy?"

"She's at Disney Castle with the King now. You should ask her when you give the King his Keyblade back."

"Great! Where is this 'Disney Castle'?"

"Hang on a second!" yells Donald. "What about the worlds?! They're still vulnerable to the Heartless!"

"Donald is right. You'll have to go to the other worlds first and seal their Keyholes, or all will be lost to the Heartless."

"Kinda like a detour, huh? I can handle that."

"You can travel with us on our ship! We can go to other worlds on it!"

"Hold up! I'm not having this guy on our ship!"

"Donald, are you forgetting? The King told us to stick with the prophesised one."

"But...!"

"Come on, ladies," I butt in. "Fighting isn't going to change anything."

Donald turns away angrily. I get the feeling it's going to be a hard job getting him to trust me fully. Yen Sid nods wisely. He was more help than I first imagined him to be.

"Before you leave, see the three good fairies in the other room. They'll give you magic."

I start to protest, but I get dragged off by Donald and Goofy. They must be more used to this kind of thing than I am. It all seems a bit far-fetched. True to Yen Sid's word, three fairies are inside the room I get dragged into. They're draping cloth over some mirrors. I get the feeling I don't want to know what's behind them. They turn and see us when the door slams behind us.

"Welcome back, dears!" chirps the red one in a motherly fashion. "Oh, but who's this?"

"I'm Sonic," says I, holding out a hand. All three take it in turn to shake it. They genuinely look happy to see me.

"Did Master Yen Sid send you to us?"

"He did. He said something about magic."

"Oh, you've come to the right place!" exclaims the one in blue. "Well get you sorted in a flash!"

I'm lead over to a chair, which I'm forced into. Trinny and Susannah would be impressed.

"Oh, how rude of us. We haven't even introduced ourselves! I'm Flora," says the one in red.

"My name's Fauna, dear," says the one in green.

"And I'm Merryweather. Now stop squirming!" says the one in blue.

"When Sora came to us, we gave him clothes that would absorb magic from his surroundings, so he'd never run out! We'd do the same thing for you, but..."

"I don't wear any clothes."

"Exactly."

"I can't even use magic!"

"Not even a little bit?" questions Fauna with a dumbfounded expression.

"Nope. Magic doesn't exist where I come from."

This causes quite a reaction. Even Donald and Goofy look slightly horrified. I almost feel bad for it. Almost; part of me enjoys winding people up.

"Are you sure there's no magic?"

"Positive. We do have something like magic called Chaos Energy. We keep it in seven Chaos Emeralds. I've got one on me now."

I take said Chaos Emerald out of my quills. The fairies pass it around, seemingly confused.

"How do they keep it all in here?"

"This 'Chaos Energy' is a mystery indeed."

"Well, we'll just have to work with what we've got. If you don't have any magic in your soul, you can't use magic to cast spells, so we can't give you any magic clothes."

"Thank God. Oh! I mean, what a pity."

"We can still use our magic to allow you to have better access over this 'Chaos Energy', though. It'll be like using magic, but without the magic."

"Sounds good to me."

"OK then, dear. Just hold still now."

They twirl their wands together and send magic at me. I flinch instinctively. But the magic barely touches me. I feel slight warmth, but nowhere as near as much as I thought I would. Having very little magic within me must give me added resistance to it.

When the magic dissipates, it is revealed that the fairies didn't keep their word. I have new gloves and shoes, both with straps across. Something seems familiar about them...

"I thought I wasn't getting new clothes."

"You didn't, dear. Shoes and gloves are only accessories."

"You can tell you're women."

"Now, we've also included a little feature that Sora made good use of too. When you come to fully trust your companions, you can use these clothes to merge with them, giving you extra powers and abilities. These 'Drive Forms' as we call them don't last forever, but they can give you an advantage in a fight. You'll have to wait for the Chaos Emerald to charge back up before you can use a Drive Form again, though."

"Merge? That sounds painful."

"Oh, you'll discover its uses eventually, dear. Also, as you collect more of these Chaos Emeralds your powers will increase, so you'll be able to merge for longer! Now, don't you have somewhere to be?"

I send Donald and Goofy a questioning look. It's their ship, after all.

"Gawrsh, maybe we should say goodbye to Master Yen Sid first? It would be rude to leave without."

How very proper. I nod, thank the fairies again, who simply beam and say that they're happy to help a Keyblade Master like myself, and leave. Yen Sid is standing this time, scanning a bookshelf for something. He doesn't turn when we walk in. However, as opposed to actually getting his attention which would be the normal thing to do, Donald and Goofy stand to attention and wait for him to be ready. They must respect him a lot if they do that. I just slouch a bit and look around. He could open a bits-and-bobs store with all this junk.

Yen Sid eventually turns around. What kind of a name is Yen Sid anyway? He's holding a book in one hand. He walks over and hands it to the only one of us who isn't standing to attention: me.

"This book contains many valuable secrets about the worlds and everything pertaining to them. Take it with you. You might find it comes in need during troublesome times. Now you are ready to leave. Before you can find the King you'll have to seal the Keyholes and protect the other worlds that are being threatened by the Heartless. Many of the worlds you have visited, Donald and Goofy, are already gone. It seems that the Heartless' reaches have extended, and now more worlds are in jeopardy than ever. Your travels will take you to the very reaches of existence, but I believe that you will have a safe journey."

"Yes, Master Yen Sid!"

"Sure, if you say so."

"Now, go. Give the King my best wishes when you see him."

Donald and Goofy salute and march out, taking me with them. I hope this ship of theirs has comfy sleeping quarters: I'm bushed. I'm led over to a window, out of which Goofy points.

"That's our ship over there!"

I stand in flabbergasted silence. It looks like a toy ship. I give them an inquiring glance.

"That's the Gummi Ship," says Donald, as if that explains everything. "We can fly to other worlds on it. A guy named Geppetto designed it for us."

"And you're sure it can fly?"

"Come with us. We'll show you!"

We descend the endless stairs to the bottom, so maybe they're not as endless as I made them sound. The Gummi Ship is waiting outside where the train used to be. I wonder how I never noticed it before. Goofy puts a code into a panel on the side and a door opens.

"The code's 42002, by the way."

"Does that represent anything?"

"It might. I'm not sure. We didn't pick it."

The inside of the Gummi Ship is spacious enough. There's room for three captains and computers everywhere. The highest chair has a wheel in front of it like the ones you find on ships. I'll take that one, seeing as I don't know how to use the rest of the equipment.

The rest of the ship is taken up by sleeping quarters, a small kitchen and a bathroom. Not quite as luxurious as I wanted it to be, but it'll have to do, I suppose. I can't go Chaos Controlling to foreign worlds all the time.

Donald and Goofy take their places at the two chairs nearest the front. I plonk myself down on the chair I called dibs on earlier. A video link appears on one of the screens, showing two small chipmunks. You know what kind of day you're having when your method of transport is a toy ship piloted by chipmunks.

"Ready to launch, captains?"

"Roger that!"

The ship judders a bit before taking off. I'm secretly surprised that this thing could ever get off the ground. I don't say this, however, as the fairies said something about extra powers coming when we all fully trust each other, and if I keep insulting this duck I don't think he'll ever warm up to me. I mustn't be what he expected. I never am.

Once we're in the air, Goofy sets it on auto-pilot, which is weird as we don't actually have a destination yet. He must've figured that I didn't understand what he was doing.

"This'll lock onto the nearest world and take us straight there. We can relax for now. We just have to keep an eye open for any Heartless ships out there."

"Should you get some rest? When was the last time you slept?"

"Are you kidding?! I'm going on an adventure like no other! I'm too pumped to sleep! Besides, I'm a hedgehog. I sleep better during the day, and that world over yonder doesn't look like it's in high noon."

A world gets closer and closer. It appears on one of the screens in a more focused resolution. Looks like a castle, or a palace of some sort. Strange. I thought the worlds would be bigger.

"Oh, that's Beast's Castle! We went there a year ago with Sora. I wonder how the Beast's doing?"

"Well, looks like we're gonna find out. We need to seal that Keyhole. If you've been before, you know where the Keyhole is, right?"

"Uhh... Not quite. We never found the Keyhole when we came. We never needed to."

"Great. More work for us."

The Gummi Ship starts to come down for a landing. Even when we're this far away I can still slightly hear the roars of the Beast inside. It helps to have big ears like mine sometimes. I just hope that, whatever's troubling this guy, we can fix it.

It sure doesn't sound like he wants visitors.