Minnie: Welcome everyone. I do hope everyone's having a good school year so far.

PrismRain13: I'm not! There's too much homework!

Minnie: well, try not to worry too much, dear. At least you finished this new chapter.

PrismRain13: Yep, that's an accomplishment, all right :) I still own nothing other than the plot and my OCs West and Lydia. Kyra and Rusty belong to MysteryGirl7Freak and Dragon belongs to Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint.

Minnie: enjoy!

Chapter 47: Dream Festival

When the Gummi Ship touched down on Disney Castle, the occupants wasted no time in piling out of the crowded ship. Looking around, they found themselves inside the fully-automated, gear and machine coated Gummi Hangar.

Kairi, Riku, Roxas, Naminé, Xion, West, Lea, Myde, Dragon, Kyra, Rusty and Lydia looked absolutely amazed at the sight of the machines operating by themselves, excited to see the rest of the world. Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Max just looked happy to visit their home again at this point in their journey.

Sora glanced around the large room, recognizing it from his last visit to the castle when Maleficent had attacked the corner stone of light. He could definitely feel a more positive change in the atmosphere than when the heartless were attacking. Almost everything had Mickey's insignia on it.

Still, he knew this was where Chip and Dale usually were, but he couldn't see a single sign of the chipmunk brothers anywhere. And he couldn't hear anyone else nearby either, like the castle was deserted. Looking over to the control pannell where they usually worked, Sora found a large sign that read "closed until after the festival".

Festival? Sora thought. What festival? Is that why no one's around?

"Wow, so this is Disney Castle, huh?" Riku asked, looking around the area in awe. The others all looked equally amazed at the new scenery.

"Yep. Feels good to see home. It sure fells like we've been gone a long time." Mickey nodded.

"King Mickey! Donald! Goofy! Max! You're all back!" A small, squeaky voice exclaimed. The group all spun around, finding Chip and Dale scampering down the stairs.

"We just saw your ship land from town." Chip stated.

"Guys, this is Chip and Dale." Max said to the people who had never met the chipmunk brothers before, "They run the Castle's Gummi Hangar and build a lot of the Gummi Ships."

"Wow." Dragon gasped in amazement of his first new world. "You guys made the ship? That's amazing!"

"Thanks!" Dale accepted the praise. "Our handiwork's nothing to laugh at."

"So, why weren't you guys here?" Donald asked, having not seen the sign.

Chip raised an eyebrow. "You guys don't know? Today's the Dream Festival!"

"The Dream Festival? That's today?" Mickey gasped. Donald, Goofy and Max all looked equally surprised that they forgot.

"What's the Dream Festival?" Kairi asked curiously.

"It's a festival we hold every year to celebrate the founding of Disney Town." Explained Mickey.

"It's a lot of fun." Stated Max. "The whole town and everyone in the castle get together."

"Yeah, and we missed it for the last two years because we were away." Goofy said sadly.

Silence flooded the Gimmi Hangar for a few moments, until an idea popped into Dale's head.

"Hey, since you guys are here anyway, why don't you guys stay for the festival?"

Chip nodded excitedly. "Yeah! It'll be awhile before a ship will be ready for you anyway. And you guys probably need some rest after all your hard work."

"Sweet! First new world and we get to relax at a festival!" Myde exclaimed with a big smile on his face. "I could get used to this job!"

Kyra rolled her eyes. "You better not."

"We'll get started on you're new ship right away!" Chip said.

"Yeah, and if we hurry we'll be able to see the fireworks tonight!" Dale added as he and his brother scampered off to get to work.

Disney Castle

Meanwhile, in the centre of Disney Town's decorated plaza, Queen Minnie watched as the town's citizens enjoyed the Dream Festival. Her subjects looked so happy. But, Minnie herself couldn't find it in herself to enjoy the festival, not when Mickey wasn't here. Just like the last two years, she was alone. Of course she knew the worlds needed Mickey, but she still missed him terribly. As she thought of him, her fingers unconsciously touched her wedding ring.

Just then, she was approached by Daisy and Pluto. "Hey, Min. How's it going?" The female duck asked.

"Oh, fine Daisy." Replied Minnie, sadness leaking into her voice.

Not believing her, Daisy raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips."No, you're not."

"Yes I am-"

"Minnie, I know you." Interrupted Daisy. "You miss Mickey." Minnie didn't reply, confirming that Daisy was right. Pluto released a small wine, saying that he missed Mickey as well.

Minnie sighed in defeat. "How'd you guess?"

"Because I understand how you feel; I miss Donald too." Replied Daisy. "But, you know they still care about us. We need to have faith they'll come home again soon."

"How about today?" Minnie, Donald and Pluto all gasped in surprise. They recognized that voice.

The three of them all spun around to find none other than the large group of world travellers, Mickey at the lead.

"MICKEY! You're back!" Minnie exclaimed with a wide smile. Before the king knew it, she had rushed over to his side and pulled him into a tight hug. Barking happily, Pluto came up beside them and started licking Mickey's face.

"Minnie, Pluto, I missed you both so much!" Smiled Mickey, hugging them tightly as though they were going to slip away.

"When did you get here?" The Queen asked curiously.

"Just now." Replied Mickey. "Our team's getting a little too big, so had to get a second Gummi Ship. And when we found out the Dream Festival was happening we thought we'd stay. Plus, I really wanted to see you." A large blush spread to Mickey's cheeks as Minnie kissed him.

"Well, I'm really glad you did."

Meanwhile, Daisy had rushed over to Donald and nearly tackled him to the ground with a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, Donald! I'm so glad to see you!" Daisy squealed in excitement. "I was so worried about you!"

"Happy to see ya too, Daisy." Donald smiled, hugging Daisy back.

"So, did you bring me anything?!" Demanded Daisy in excitement as she pulled away, remembering her boyfriend had promised to bring her a souvenir from his travels.

Donald gulped in embarasement; he hadn't. "Uhh... Yeah... I got you..." He stammered nervously as his hands moved behind his back.

Sensing Donald's distress, West pulled out a beautiful, shiny blue bracelet she stole from a heartless and quietly set it in the duck's hands. Feeling the bracelet in his hand, Donald pulled it out in front of him, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"You got this for me?!" Exclaimed Daisy, pulling the bracelet out of his hands. "Oh, Donald it's beautiful! Thank you!" She pulled him into another hug. West gave a small wink to the duck, Donald mouthing 'thank you'.

"Nice to see you again, your majesties." Said Sora, stepping forward and giving a small bow.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Sora." Minnie returned the smile once she, Mickey and Pluto separated from their group hug. "And, I see you've brought some new friends."

Quickly, Sora and the Disney Castle occupants introduced their teammates to Minnie, Daisy and Pluto. Of course, Kairi and Riku instantly recognized Pluto. Kairi had proceeded to give him an affectionate belly rub while Riku gave him a scratch behind the ears. It wasn't long before two other residents started to appear. They were people Sora didn't recognize.

One of them was a slender teenage dog with soft red hair. She was wearing a teal t-shirt, denim shorts and white ballet shoes.

The other was an overweight teenage cat dressed in a pink turtleneck, dark blue jacket, jeans, white gloves and white sneakers. Sora couldn't help but notice he looked slightly similar to Pete.

"Roxanne! PJ! Long time no see!" Max exclaimed, rushing up to them and pulling them both into a tight hug. Roxanne kissed him on the cheek and PJ playfully punched him in the shoulder when the hug ended.

"Who are they?" Asked Riku curiously.

"Roxanne's Maxie's girlfriend." Goofy explained. "And PJ's Pete's son."

"Pete's son?!" Sora gasped in shock. "Seriously? He managed to reproduce?"

"I sure hope so, otherwise I wouldn't be here." PJ said.

Sora shifted in embarrassment, having not realized he said that out loud. "Wow, Sorry. I guess I was just surprised." The brunette apologized.

"It's okay." Reassured PJ with a warm smile. "I already know about all the bad stuff my dad did. I can't say I'm proud of him or anything but I'm hoping that one day the old man'll come to his senses."

"Wow. It's so hard to believe you guys are related." Said West. "I mean, you're actually a nice person!"

Soon, the conversation between them all was interrupted by Mickey clearing his throat. "Whelp, with that out of the way, I think it's time we start enjoying the festival!"

"Sweet!" Exclaimed Myde. "I'm gonna go find a nice soft spot and catch up on some Z's!" Without another word, the former nobody slinked off.

Gradually, everyone separated into smaller, separate groups in order to explore the Dream Festival. Max had planned to confront his dad about his earlier actions, but Goofy had disappeared.

"So, Max. What do you wanna do first?" Asked Roxanne.

"Uhh... actually guys, I need to talk to my dad about something." Max mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's been acting wierd for awhile, and I want to ask him why." Roxanne and PJ glanced at each other before nodding their heads in understanding.

"No problem, buddy." Said PJ. "We'll catch up with you later."

"Don't worry about it, we understand." Added Roxanne.

Pulling his best friend and his girlfriend into another hug, Max smiled. "Thanks, guys. You're the best!" And with that, Max took off, ready to search the entire world if necessary.

~*KHIII*~

Lea, Roxas, Naminé and Xion didn't hesitate in rushing over to the large ice cream stand at the edge of the main plaza. Standing behind the stand, Roxas recognized Hewy, Dewy and Louie from Sora's memories. Scrooge McDuck stood off to the side with a brown and white cream bar shaped like a bear.

As soon as the group reached the stand, the four ducks looked up, happy to see customers.

"Well, hello there. I see you've noticed my nephew's humble little ice cream shop." Scrooge said. "Taking after their great uncle, they are. I'm so proud." The elderly duck sniffed as a stray tear fell down his cheek.

"Yep! We've got the best ice cream across all the worlds!" Hewy bragged.

"And we've got a whole bunch of different kinds of flavors!" Stated Dewy.

"We've even got some healthy choices!" Added Louie.

Roxas looked almost ecstatic. "Sweet! We'll take four sea-salt ice creams-"

"-actually, Roxas." Interrupted Xion. "Why don't we dry something else?"

"Yeah, they said they had lots of different flavors. We should try some different kinds." Agreed Naminé.

"What do you say, buddy?" Lea asked, ruffling Roxas's hair. "My treat."

Roxas thought about it for a few moments, before he finally nodded his head. "Okay, I guess I'll try 'Double Crunch'."

After the others ordered, the triplets started preparing the ice cream. Scrooge had even placed another order, picking the Spark Lemon instead of the Snow Bear like he had before.

Soon, their ice cream was ready. Roxas's Double Crunch was shaped like Mickey's head and was full of fruit with decorative chocolate keyblades all in a waffle cone. Lea had picked the Bueno Valcano which was a veggie ice cream shaped like a volcano. Naminé had chosen Royalberry, which was a raspberry cone shaped like Minnie. And Xion had chosen the Honeybunny; a bunny-shaped honey and apple ice cream cone. Scrooge's Spark Lemon was yellow and white in a lemon-shaped bowl.

Roxas nervously looked at his ice cream as the triplets passed out the rest of the orders. Picking up the spoon, he slowly took a small taste.

"Wow!" Roxas exclaimed. "This is really good!" He didn't hesitate in digging in. Xion, Naminé and Lea all appeared to really like their chosen flavors too.

The four friends and Scrooge enjoyed the rest of their ice cream, laughing together. Soon, Hewy, Dewy and Louie made their own ice creams and joined them.

~*KHIII*~

Kyra, Rusty, Dragon and Lydia had found themselves at the Raceway. The entire area was full of large cartoony and colurful buildings and a large racetrack.

Standing near the entrance of the racetrack was an old duck with a pair of glasses on his bill and tuffs of grey feathers on his head. He was dressed in a grey jacket, pink button-up shirt, black tie and red vest. Next to him were three unoccupied carts coloured green with a yellow dragon painted on its side, red with orange flames and purple with blue lightning bolts. The racetrack was empty too.

As soon as the duck saw the group of four approach him, he immediately broke into a wide, friendly grin.

"Well, hello 'dere!" He said in a thick accent as he rushed to shake everyone's hand(and even Rusty's paw). "Professor Ludwing Von Drake, Certified scientist, and all-around expert on brilliant things! I take it you kids want to try some Rumble Racing?!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Rumble Racing?" Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Is that what the carts are for?"

"Oh-ho-ho, so I see you've noticed the Professor's brilliant work!" Von Drake laughed. "No more will we have to deal with those other cooky carts! My brilliant carts will make you go fifty percent faster! And 'dey even have cup holders!"

"Wow. You built these?" Dragon gasped in amazement, gazing at the green cart. "They look so cool!"

"Want to try it out in the next race, 'dere?" Asked the Professor.

"Can I really?" Gasped Dragon as the professor nodded. "Thank you, Professor." Dragon didn't hesitate in climbing into the green car and driving it up to the starting line.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Lydia exclaimed, jumping into the red cart and following Dragon up to the starting line. "I can't let you have all the fun! Kyra, you coming?"

The black-haired teenager rolled her eyes, having not moved from her spot. "I'm going to get some training done. Come on, Rusty, let's go." Kyra turned to leave, but she soon realized that Rusty was nowhere to be seen. "Uhh... Rusty? Where are you boy?"

When she looked up, Kyra was surprised at the sight of Rusty sitting happily in the last car. His tail was wagging and he looked eager to start the race.

"Are you serious?" Groaned Kyra. Rusty nodded his head in excitement.

"Come on, Kyra. If anyone needs to loosen up, it's you." Said Lydia.

Dragon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, besides its going to be awhile until we get another ship. We might as well take in the festival like the king said."

"Come on, have a little fun for once. Don't be such a downer." Lydia continued.

Finally deciding that there was no point in arguing, Kyra climbed into the car with Rusty. The fox barking in excitement. The three racers made their way over to the start line as the Professor ran in front of them holding two large racing flags. The second he dropped the flags, the racers took off, sending the Professor spinning to the sidelines.

~*KHIII*~

Sora, Riku, Kairi and West had wandered over to Fruitball Plaza. A large area surrounded by colorful buildings with a line dividing the court and a net on each side. And, standing there were three familiar faces Sora recognized from Timeless River. They weren't black and white anymore and they looked a little more up-to-date, but the spiky-haired teenager still recognized them.

There was a tall, thin cow with a bright green bow on her head. She was dressed in a red shirt with a frilly white collar, a long skirt that matched her bow, yellow heels and white gloves.

Next to her was a horse dressed in blue overalls, a red long-sleeved shirt, white gloves and yellow shoes. On his head was a brown hat and around his neck was a brown horse collar with a red bow.

Then, there was an overweight hen with brown and white feathers. The only clothing she had was a purple sun hat with a large pink feather.

"Clarabelle! Horace! Clara!" Sora called out to them. The three animals turned there faces around, smiling at the sight of the group.

"Hi there folks!" Horace waved. "You here to try a game of Fruitball?"

Sora's face fell; they didn't recognize him at all. "You... Don't know me?"

"Well of course we know you!" Exclaimed Clarabelle. Sora's face lit up right before the cow rushed over and shook his and Riku's hands excitedly. "You're Sora and Riku! The King's told us all about you!"

"No, I mean we've met before!" Sora shook his head. "In Timeless River. Don't you remember?" Horace, Clarabelle and Clara all sadly shook their heads.

"Sorry." Apologized Horace. "But, this world hasn't been called Timeless River for over sixty years. We don't exactly remember a whole bunch from those days."

"Though, now that you mention it, I do kinda recall someone that looks like you walking around with Donald and Goofy." Clarabelle pondered. Clara clucked in agreement. The brown-haired Keyblade Master smiled, happy that his memory was still there even after sixty years for them.

"Well, either way, it's nice to meet you all." Said Kairi, placing a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder.

"So, what's Fruitball?" Asked Riku.

"Oh it's a real fun game. Different fruits go flying everywhere and each team tries to land the fruit in the other team's goal to get points." Horace explained.

"Sounds like fun! Let's play." Exclaimed West excitedly, turning to her three companions

"Sure, I'm up for it." Said Sora, eager to try the new game. Kairi and Riku looked equally excited.

"Wonderful!" Beamed Clarabelle. "So, what are the teams going to be? Boys against girls?"

"That sounds like a good plan to me." Nodded Kairi.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Riku smirked. "With me and Sora on a team, I don't think you girls stand a chance."

"Those sound like fightin' words to me, mister!" Exclaimed West.

Sora laughed as he rushed over to his and Riku's side of the Fruitball court. "Oh, it's on now!"

~*KHIII*~

Goofy timidly peeked around the corner of a building, checking to see if anyone was there; namely Max. Content that he didn't see anyone, the dog emerged from behind the corner and wandered into the small back alley.

He hadn't even taken five steps before a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks. "Finally found you!" Goofy turned around to find an irritated Max standing behind him with his arms crossed.

"Oh, Maxie." Goofy said nervously. "I thought you'd be busy hangin' out with Roxanne and P.J.-"

"I need to talk to you." Interrupted Max walking up towards his dad with complete determination. "What's been going on lately? You've been avoiding me ever since we left Olympus Coliseum. Why?!"

Looking around himself, Goofy found no where to go; the alley was a dead end. Sighing in defeat, the older dog finally caved and decided to tell Max the truth. "Okay, you got me. Maxie, the truth is... I don't think you should travel with us anymore."

"What?!" Exclaimed Max in surprise. "Why?!"

"Well, because it's getting too dangerous." His dad explained. "I thought I was strong enough to protect you on our journey, but I was too late on Olympus. A second later and you could've been hurt real bad. I already lost your mom, I can't loose you too. My point is, Maxie is that it's getting too dangerous and I might not be able to protect you-"

"Dad! Stop it!" Interrupted Max. "I'm not a little kid anymore; you don't need to worry about me! I can take care of myself!"

"Not well enough!" Argued Goofy. "I'm not strong enough to protect you out there. So, the only way for you to stay safe is for you to stay here-"

"The worlds need our help! The whole reason I asked the King to come was to help the worlds and fight alongside you, dad! I can't just sit here and do nothing like I did before!" And without another word Max ran off the same way he came, leaving Goofy alone in the alley.

PrismRain13: so, now we know why Goofy was acting so weird towards Max. Next chapter we may see what Pete and Mortimer are up to ;)

Minnie: I wonder who's going to win Rumble Racing and Fruitball...

PrismRain13: I dunno, I guess we'll let the readers decide. Thank you guys so much for 408 reviews, sticking around and being so supportive!

Minnie: we'll see you next time!

PrismRain13: oh, and Von Drake, Clarabelle, Horace and Clara are classic characters from various Disney shorts.

Guest(Oct 31); see? I updated!

Guest(Nov 14); you mean my profile pic? It's supposed to be a self-portrait of me with Toothless and Stitch.