CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

My heart leaped with excitement as I stepped into Disney Town. With all the consecutive, stressful events that took place not too long ago, I thought maybe coming here would ease my mind. I walked along a dirt pathway with green hills and wooden fences on both sides of me. Balloons of different shapes, sizes, and patterns floated above me in the clear blue sky. I took in a deep breath; this was the closest I've felt to my home on the islands in a long time. How long has it been since that mysterious darkness sucked me into this time period? I only stayed in the Land of Departure for three days and four nights before my friends and I all started our separate journeys.

I stopped walking and touched my crown pendant. The journeys of Aqua, Ventus, and Terra are all separate from each other, and each have experienced different events during their time in a world. But I was there to witness all three parts come together. I was there to connect the story.

"Look out!" I snapped out of my reverie as a vehicle darted towards me. I screamed and threw myself out of the way. I hit the ground as the purple and black vehicle zoomed right past me and disappeared around the corner. "Are you all right?"

I looked up and blinked away the dust from my eyes. My chest heaved from the sudden rush of adrenaline that got my hearting pumping. I gasped quietly when I saw a female mouse dressed in a tiara and pink and red gown, a brown dog, and two chipmunks dressed in yellow aprons decorated with tools standing on the side near the wooden fence. I recognized them from when I met them twelve years from now in Disney Castle: Mickey's wife, Queen Minnie, his dog, Pluto, and his friends, Chip and Dale. I scrambled to my feet and approached the group of creatures.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, brushing my clothes off. "Thanks for warning me. My name is Hallie."

"It's nice to meet you, Hallie." Minnie said.

"What're you, nuts, runnin' out onto the course like that?!" Chip said.

"Yeah, that's against the rules!" Dale chimed.

"I'm sure you had your reasons, but I can't say that I approve either." Minnie said.

"Um... sorry. I didn't know." I said.

"All right, then. Let's head back to the registration area. You must be pretty frazzled."

I chuckled. "Thank you."

We headed back to the Raceway Registration, passing by the same speeding vehicle many times.

"Who's riding that vehicle?" I said.

"Just that nasty old cat, Pete!" Chip said. "He's nothin' but trouble around here!"

I rolled my eyes. As if I had enough with that cowardly cat in my time. Upon entering the registration area, I stopped as my eyes met with a familiar pair of blue irises.

"Terra." I said.

"Hallie, hi." Terra said. He sighed. "I'm... I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

I crossed my arms. "Which part: your fight with Aqua, snapping at Ventus, or when you called me a liar? Because all of the above stung just as badly."

Terra looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry. It's just... I'm having a hard time battling against the darkness."

I unfolded my arms. "I understand. But you need to be careful. If you keep messing around with the darkness, it'll turn you into something... or someone you'd never want to be."

"I will. I'll try. I'm doing this for all of us: you, Aqua and Ventus."

I nodded slowly; his promises were nothing but empty.

"Look, it's Captain Dark!" Dale cried.

"Huh?" I said, following the chipmunk's gaze. "Oh, boy."

"Disguised in shadows, the rogue racer reigns!" Pete leaped from a balcony and landed in front of us. He wore a black jumpsuit with purple and pink zigzag lines and a belt around his pudgy belly with a purple "CD" as a buckle. "I am... Captain Dark!"

We stared at the cat, dumbfounded. Pete walked towards us, his beady eyes directed at me.

"And you must be the chump who made me miss a new track record." He leaned in closer and looked between me and Terra. "Hold on... How's come I don't know you two? Somebody bring in some ringers?"

"Uh... no." I said, crossing my arms.

"We're not even racers-" Terra said.

Pete threw his beefy arms around our shoulders. "Must be downright temptatious to try 'n' stop a primo racer like me from gettin' the record, but we all gotta play by the rules, Rookies."

I let out a mocking laugh. "You're the one that never plays by the rules!" I said, heaving his arm off my shoulder.

"I can't say racing interests me, but I need to defeat those Unversed." Terra said.

"Unversed? On the track? Here?" I groaned and rubbed my temples. "Can't I catch a break?"

"Are you talking about those karts that look like scary, ugly monsters?" Chip said. Terra nodded, and the chipmunk brothers crossed their arms thoughtfully.

"Well, we've only ever seen the monsters on the track..." Minnie said.

"That's it! Terra, Hallie, you just need to enter the races! And while you're at it, take that Captain Dark down a notch or two. He's always breakin' the rules and causin' trouble."

"With pleasure." I said, smiling mischievously. "Sign me up!"


I signed up for the races, and Terra happily volunteered to be a spectator. I summoned my Keyblade Glider and waited at the starting line. A few Unversed and Pete revved up excitedly.

"I hope you're ready to lose!" Pete smirked.

"I hope you're done talking to yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a race to win." I said.

"Ready! Set!" Chip's voice called over the speakers. "GO!"

We took off down the track. I heard Pete cackle as he and the Unversed zoomed past me. I grumbled to myself when I noticed a Mickey-shaped hoop and ramp along the path. As my opponents cruised past it carelessly, I shifted over and launched myself up in the air, stumbling inside a secret shortcut.

"Now that's what I talking about." I smiled.

I picked my speed back up. I glanced back to see the others riding around the corner.

"Wha?! How'd you-?!" Pete called. I giggled and leaned forward, urging my Glider to go faster.

Turning the corner, I saw some tornadoes swirling. I gasped and shot my hands out, creating a Barrier around me at the last second. I zipped through a tornado unharmed and sighed with relief. I glanced back to see a few Unversed get caught in the tornado and vanish. One Unversed spiraled towards me. I flipped in the air and landed on its shoulders. I stretched out my hand to my Glider and it appeared back in my hand as Ultima Weapon. I turned it upside-down and stabbed it in the Unversed's chest. It twitched violently, and I jumped forward. I chucked my Keyblade in front of me and it changed back into my Glider. I landed on it and continued on as the Unversed exploded, taking out another of its buddies.

"Looks like it's just you and me, now!" Pete said as he caught up and we now rode side by side. "That means you can eat more of my dust!"

"We'll see about that!" I said.

Despite the next four laps, Pete was still oblivious to the secret shortcut I used to get ahead. Typical. The finish line was within my sight, and Pete was behind my shoulder. I smiled triumphantly.

"That's it!" Pete called.

I turned around as his arm swung forward and a giant rock flew at me. I gasped and jumped vertically in the air, watching in what seemed like slow motion as the rock flew underneath me. It crashed into the ground, and I used it to rocket myself into the air and straight through the finish line. Pete, not expecting me to do that, drove right into the rock. He and his vehicle went spiraling into the air. Pete flew out of his car and fell onto the track, while his vehicle crashed into the fence, obliterating that section into a pile of wood debris.

"Nice work, Hallie." Terra said, giving me a thumbs up.

"Thanks." I said, jumping off my Glider. It disappeared in a flash of light.

"Ohhhh, my kart musta sprung a spring!" Pete cried, stomping his foot like a two-year-old. "You yahoos just wait- next time, I'll clobber all of you!"

"No one likes a sore loser, Pete!" I giggled as Pete climbed back in his smoking vehicle and peeled off.

"Yippee! I hope he's gone for good!" Chip cried. "Nobody's gonna vote for a weasel like you, Pete!"

"Pete? Vote? What are you talking about?" Terra said.

"Chip means the Million Dreams Award. It's a very popular part of our Dream Festival." Minnie said. "Everyone in town votes for who we think is the most exemplary citizen."

"And since everybody knows how much of a troublemaker Pete is, he probably figured wearin' a disguise was the only way he'd get any votes." Chip said.

"Well, if he keeps going around acting like Pete, people will definitely see right through his ridiculous costume." I said.

"No votes, no prize!" Dale said.

"Yeah, the prize is all he really wants anyway. He doesn't care about bein' a good citizen." Chip said.

"Oh, I think that's very sad." Minnie sighed. "The award is supposed to help us appreciate how much we all look out for each other every day."

"Well, one thing I know for sure. I'm votin' for Hallie! Your racing really saved the day against those monster karts!"

"Hip hip hurray for Hallie!" Dale chimed.

"Oh." I said, laughing nervously. "Thanks, I guess."

"I got something out of it, too. I learned that you don't always have to bend the rules to reach your goals." Terra said. He nudged my arm with his elbow. "Hey, maybe you'll end up winning the Million Dreams Award."

I chuckled. "Fingers crossed."

Terra stared at the ground and dropped his voice. "All this time, I've been staring into the darkness... But... that doesn't mean I have to jump in."

"See? That's what I've been trying to tell you." I playfully punched his arm.

Terra smiled at me. "Thanks, Hallie."

"It's what anyone would've told you."

"No... thanks for being a good friend."

I paused to absorb his words and smiled warmly at him.

"I'd better get going." I said. "I promised I'd meet up with Ven and we'd explore the town."

Terra nodded, and I turned around and headed towards town.


"Tadaaaa!" a voice cried.

"...What?" I said, looking around. My eyes caught onto something big and white, and I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

"Wearin' the mask of peace and hope... comes the fearless defender and hero of this town! It is me- Captain Justice!"

Pete struck a pose in his white, yellow, and red jumpsuit, nearly identical to his Captain Dark costume he wore moments ago. The only major difference were the red initials on his belt, which spelled "CJ".

"Pete, what are you doing?" I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Wha?! Now listen here! I don't know who this 'Pete' is you're talking about! I'm Captain Justice!" Pete cried. "Who do you think you are, talking to a bona fide hero like that?"

"Hero?!" I laughed. "You're not a hero! You're just an annoying cat who needs a better sense of fashion!"

"Somebody, come quick!" a voice called. A cow wearing a red long-sleeved shirt and blue overalls stumbled into the square. He fell to his hands and knees.

"Sir, are you all right?" I said, rushing over and kneeling at his side.

"What's that, trrrrrouble? Captain Justice to the rescue!" Pete cried, running up behind me.

"Ignore him. Please. Tell me what's happening."

I helped the cow stand up.

"Why, thank ye kindly." the cow said, tipping his small hat. "Those annoyin' monsters have turned up again over in Fruitball Plaza."

"Monsters?" I said. "Unversed!"

"Monsters?! Well... too bad. Not on the list." Pete sneered with his hands on his hips.

"Passing up an opportunity to help someone? That doesn't sound very 'bona fide hero' to me." I said. I turned back to the cow. "Don't worry, I'll take care of those monsters."

"Would you? Oh, that'd be just jim-dandy!"

"Need some help with that?" I turned to see Aqua stepping up to my side.

I smiled. "Of course!"


I never thought a way to defeat terrible creatures of darkness would be to beat them at a game of fruit volleyball. Aqua and I faced off in a match against a team of Shoegazers. We tossed back and forth giant pieces of fruit, and the team with the most points won.

I wish I were kidding.

Luckily, we won. I wouldn't be able to bear the thought of losing this ridiculous game. Once we finished, the cow approached us.

"My, you sure taught those monsters a lesson. Bless your hearts!" he said. "Thank ye so much! I think you guys are the real heros in town, if you ask me."

The cow stood at attention and bowed as Minnie and Pluto walked up to us.

"He's right. I couldn't agree more." Minnie said. "Thank you so much, Hallie and... um..."

"I'm Aqua. And you're very welcome." Aqua said. "Who are you?"

"She's Minnie, and she's our queen." the cow said.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Your Majesty! Where are my manners?" Aqua cried. She dropped to one knee and bowed. I giggled in my palm.

"There's no need to be so formal. Just call me Minnie." Minnie said. I yanked Aqua back up to her feet. Minnie sighed sadly. "You see, I'm not sure I'm doing a very good job protecting my kingdom."

"Oh, don't say that, Queen Minnie. We all know how hard it's been since the King set off the way he did. Don't you trouble yourself!" the cow said. "Why, we wouldn't even think of putting on our yearly Dream Festival if we thought there was the slightest chance anything might go wrong."

"Oh, you're very kind, Horace."

"It's okay to worry a little, Minnie, but don't get too stressed. When Mickey left, he had full confidence in you. He knows you'd be able to take care of things while he's gone." I said.

"Oh! You know Mickey?"

I nodded, and Minnie smiled.

"How 'bout that Pete, though?" Horace said, crossing his arms. "Captain Justice, my hide! You can't count on him for anything."

"Thank you!" I said exasperatedly.

"Wait... You're saying that giant cat's real name is Pete?" Aqua said.

"Well, it sure as sugar isn't "Justice." Pete never does anythin' for anybody except Pete. That getup is just an act, to get folks to vote for him. He wants to win the Million Dreams Award and hog the prize." Horace said.

"Million Dreams Award? What is that?" Aqua said.

"It's part of our Dream Festival. We all vote for who we think the most admirable citizen is." Queen Minnie said. "But Pete seems to have the wrong idea. He thinks that dressing up as a hero and proclaiming that he is one will win him votes. What really makes someone a hero isn't what they wear or what they say- it's the things they do and how they treat everyone."

Horace walked up and clasped my hands. "Well, in my book, Hallie here is number one! You've got my heartfelt vote."

"Thanks, Horace." I chuckled.

"Seems like you're getting pretty popular around here." Aqua smiled.

"I guess. It'll be hard to keep it up."