I really should know better then to keep people waiting for more chapters, maybe working on multiple fics at the same time really is a bad thing. Anyway, here's another chapter for Kingdom Hearts Dissidia Duos: Dawn to Twilight. I'll be switching between characters a bit in this chapter.
Just so you know, this chapter will spoil some things from the movie Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. Does anyone think that was an uneccessary sequel?
As redundant as this seems, thoughts are represented by ', " indicates spoken dialogue, and _ is a change in point of view or lapse in time.
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia are properties of Square Enix.
Chapter VII: A Twist in Time
Sora and his group boarded their Gummi Ships and sailed around the Lanes Between. On the Radiant Light, Xion proceeded to teach Serenia and Tyler some basic magic while Roxas navigated the controls to remain in formation with the Ragnarok II. Quinn, Terra and Lightning also boarded the Radiant Light.
"Gravity is a bit more advanced then fire, blizzard, thunder and cure, but it's still simple enough. But for now, we'll concentrate the basics" elaborated Xion as the two Keyblade apprentices listened to her instructions.
Lightning approached Roxas"If you don't mind, I will have to return to Radiant Garden. Quinn, Terra and I will need a ship of our own if we are to cover more ground faster."
"I was thinking about that, myself" said Roxas.
"Hey, we're coming up to a world right now, want to check it out?" called Cid over the communicator.
Roxas glimsed at the navigational panal at his seat and glanced out the window to see what appeared to be a white palace surrounded by a greenish countryside.
On the Ragnarok II, Ventus recognized the world"The Castle of Dreams, I've been here before. Sora, we should take a look down there and see how things are holding up."
"Great idea, Ven, though it doesn't feel like we'd find any clues about the Eclipse back on Cecil's world" replied the brunette hero.
"There might be Heartless down there" said Roxas from his station on the Radiant Light.
Sora shrugged"Point taken, I want to see how Cinderella's doing. Terra, Ven, are you with me?"
Terra nodded from where he stood near the Radiant Light's communicator"I've been here myself, it shouldn't take long. Lightning, are you coming with us?"
"All right, let's get going" said the pink haired warrior.
While the two ships drew near the Castle of Dream's atmosphere, Tyler and Serenia were asked by Xion to stay with her and Roxas while Sora checked out the Castle of Dreams. Serenia was surprised"What about me?"
Roxas sighed before addressing Sora over the communication console"What do you think about this? If I bring Serenia down there and stay out of sight of any Heartless, she can at least catch a glimpse of this world and get some fresh air. The intensity of darkness is not very high, here."
Sora thought for a moment before replying"I don't want to take the chance of her ending up in a situation she's not ready for. Serenia was lucky she made it through that false moon with us, but there's always a chance something will happen. In fact, I have a mind to see her back to safety at the Land of Departure."
"I know I'm only an apprentice, father, but I'm already getting cabin fever here! Besides, I can take care of myself if I need to, and I want to explore the worlds" griped the young red head.
"All right, but try to stay out of trouble, okay? Noel, Serah, if you don't mind, can you go with Roxas and Serenia?" said Sora.
Noel nodded"You can count on us."
"Dosen't my sister have better things to do besides babysitting?" sighed Lightning.
"It's okay, Claire. I don't mind" piped her sister.
Lightning sighed and contacted Noel"Make sure Serah is alive by the time we're done investigating this world."
"It won't be a problem" responded the brunette hunter.
Sora got together at the Ragnarok II's teleportation pad with Ventus"The coordinates are different for each group, so we'll be sent down two at a time."
Cid acknowledged Sora"We'll keep the ships going while you're out."
Sora activated the device and teleported himself and Ventus down to the Castle of Dreams. No sooner had they landed in a clearing near the forest in the world, Lightning and Terra joined them. The pink-haired warrior addressed Sora"So what next?"
"Something feels a little off" murmered Terra.
Sora turned in the direction of a magic sparkle in the distant village"You might be right, let's go check it out."
As the three proceeded in the direction of the village, Sora addressed Terra"What was this place like?"
"I can't say for certain, I was too busy with my first mission when I last came here" replied the older brunette.
Ventus paused briefly"Hm, now that I think about it, I remember making some good memories here.
Near a flower garden near the world's local chateau, Serenia's group emerged in front of the large out"Wow, this place is beautiful."
"Nothing compared to Radiant Garden though, I imagine" said Roxas.
Serah spotted a wilting flower in the garden"Looks like this place hasn't been looked after, much."
"Nothing we can't fix. Serenia, can you try casting cure on the flower?" said Roxas.
The teenage red-head nodded and strode towards the flower, whispering a cure spell the moment she stopped in front of the garden. Roxas addressed Serenia"As you can see, curactive magic can heal wonders of injuries. It won't work on anything too severe, though."
Serah breathed in the fresh air"This place feels just incredible, would it be wrong to want to take a flower home?"
"We'd have to ask the owner of the house, but right now that's not important" said Noel.
"Hmph, time has changed in this world" said another voice.
Startled, the group turned to see Caius standing before them. Noel addressed the purple-haired man"What do you mean by that?"
The older man replied"I can sense it. Upon changing the future, one changes the past, time's contradictions shall not go unnoticed" said Caius.
"Enough of your riddles, tell us what's going on!" exclaimed Roxas.
"I don't think he'll tell us anything" muttered Noel.
Even as they spoke, a group of shadow and darkball heartless appeared. Caius vanished as he spoke to Noel"You've been warned."
"Thunder!" Serenia's spell took out three shadows, while Roxas, Serah and Noel fought the Darkballs. The heartless in the area were obliterated almost instantly.
"Something fishy is definately at hand" said Roxas.
"Look! Over there!" called Serenia.
Noel glanced in the direction she pointed to see what looked like a paradox orb hanging above the nearby forest"Caius wasn't kidding, time's definately a mess here."
"Let's go check it out" said Serah.
"What about me?" chirped Serenia.
Roxas responded"Just stay close."
Sora and his team headed towards the village to search for the source of the magic that they saw. Ventus paused as he glanced at what appeared to be a gap in the sky"Something's definately wrong."
"Let's find out what it is" said Sora, drawing his Kingdom Key and pointing it at the gap. In an instant, a beam of light shot out and hit the anomaly dead-on. Terra watched as it began to glow.
"What the devil is happening?" whispered Lightning.
Even as they spoke, a ray of light swallowed them and deposited the group in a strange crystal-blue landscape with a black starry sky above. Sora glanced at their surroundings"This is new."
"It must be some kind of parallel dimension from the looks of things" said Lightning.
"We're not alone, either" said Terra, as a group of Elemental Heartless appeared and showered them with spells. Lightning unleashed Thundaga on the monsters, only for three Defender Heartless to appear in their place.
"We'll have to go for the source" said Sora.
The four pressed on, fighting past the defender heartless and pressing forward into the paradox. At the end of the path, Sora caught sight of a strange set of crystals lying in a strange pattern. A line shot between them as they studied the crystal formation.
"Now what?" said Lightning.
Ventus studied the crystal formation and was astonished"It's some kind of constellation puzzle, we have to connect some lines to the various colored crystals."
"Easier said then done" scoffed Lightning.
Sora walked towards the puzzle"Leave this to me, I think I can figure it out."
The younger brunette proceeded to trace the lines' paths and connect them to the crystals while the others watched. The puzzle was confusing at first, but Sora got the hang of it by magically tracing the lines to several matching colored crystals.
"That was too easy, wasn't it?" said Ven, watching as the puzzle faded upon being solved.
"It's not over yet" said Lightning, as the group found themselves being warped elsewhere.
Back at the forest entrance, Roxas's group rushed to the mysterious paradox. Noel couldn't believe his eyes"I guess the fact that this is a different world then Gran Pulse dosen't seem to matter."
"It may not be easy to enter the paradox. Roxas, do keyblades work on any lock?" inquired Serah.
Roxas shrugged"Keyblades aren't as convenient as you'd think, but I can probably teleport us up there."
Serenia glanced at the older man"How?"
"The corridor of darkness lets me travel anywhere, just grab my hand and I'll get us up there" said Roxas.
Serenia, Noel and Serah linked hands with Roxas while the blond nobody channeled his energy into the power of darkness and they vanished into the corridor. At the other side, the group found themselves on a crystal platform with a large set of crystals shaped in a particular pattern. Noel glanced at Serah"Ready for a little puzzle?"
"I'm on it" responded the pink haired girl, rushing onto the platform with the crystals. Noel followed her, and the two began inspecting the crystals and figuring out the puzzle.
"They've done this before, haven't they?" wondered Serenia.
"Obviously" muttered Roxas.
A few seconds later, the room glowed a bright white. Soon, they found themselves back in the world's countryside. Roxas sighed"That should take care of the paradox, right?"
"Yep, everything seems normal for the most part" said Noel.
"Serenia! Roxas!" Sora's group rushed over to them.
"Is everything okay?" said Roxas.
Sora nodded"Yeah, we made our way through a paradox that was hovering above the village. But what caused it?"
"Beats me, but my group went through a paradox as well" said Noel.
"Look!" said Ven, gasping at the sight of what looked like a orange pumpkin coach rushing past them. The group was caught by surprise as they heard a girl's voice cry out.
"Someone's in trouble, this is no garden variety monster" said Lightning.
"I got this one" said Ventus, summoning his keyblade glider. The blond raced towards the cursed pumpkin and slashed at the 'wheels'. Terra caught up on his glider and hacked at the front of the pumpking coach. The wheels were destroyed as the pumpkin collapsed, Terra thought he heard a cat cry out as it did.
Sora raced over to the pumpkin to find the person who was trapped inside climbing out"Are you okay?"
The woman, who had blond hair and a maid's outfit, replied"Yes, thank you for saving me."
"No problem. It's me, Sora. Are you Cinderella?" said the brunette.
The woman was taken aback"Sora? It's really you? It's been a long time, though I wish we'd have met again under better circumstances."
"Did something happen?" interjected Ventus.
Cinderella glanced at him"Ven? You're here too? Yeah, you see, my stepmother had somehow gotten ahold of my fairy godmother's wand and used it to change history. It was as though I never married, much less met the prince."
"Are the paradoxes connected by any chance?" inquired Noel.
The blond princess replied"I don't know, but I have to stop my stepmother and stepsisters. I fear that my stepmother turned Anastasia into what looked like me and is about to marry the prince in my stead."
"We'll stop them, which way is the castle?" said Sora.
"It's north west of here" replied Cinderella.
"I'll open a shortcut" said Roxas, opening a dark passageway.
Cinderella was amazed"What is that?"
"If we do not go now, we can't capture the culprit behind the time anomaly and return this world to normal" interrupted Lightning.
The group stepped into the dark portal and warped to the entrance to the castle. But as they entered and marched down the hallway, a swarm of Shadow Heartless attacked. Sora countered the threat with Rising Sun, while the others covered him from behind.
"The Heartless just don't know when to quit" remarked Roxas.
"Heartless are attracted to people who have steeped too far into darkness, right? Let's hurry and get my fairy godmother's wand back from my stepmother" said Cinderella.
Inside the ballroom, a black haired prince and what looked like Cinderella were in the middle of a wedding ceremony. The king, the duke, Cinderella's stepmother and one of the stepsisters watched. The prince said 'I do' as they began going through their vows. When the Cinderella look-a-like was asked if she would take the prince as her husband, she hesitated.
The stepmother raised an eyebrow at the imposter"What are you waiting for?"
"Hold it right there!" shouted Sora as he and his friends stormed into the room.
"You" whispered the dark haired stepsister.
The Cinderella look-a-like shook her head"I can't do this."
"You ungrateful fool!" growled Cinderella's stepmother, drawing the wand. Just as she was about to cast a spell, a dark aura surrounded her and Cinderella's other stepsister.
"I almost pity Lady Tremaine, darkness is unforgiving" murmered Terra.
Tremaine gasped as the darkness siezed hold of her, and a dark cloud emerged from the wand. Sora drew his keyblade"This could get ugly."
The prince stood back as Terra and Ventus stood near him and Cinderella to protect them. Nearby, Tremaine seemed to have recovered, except a purple haze now shone in her eyes.
"Talk about a plastic surgeon" remarked Serah, sarcastically.
The transformed woman brandished the wand and fired a beam at Sora. The hero dodged and rushed towards his opponent, only to get knocked back by a dark aura.
"Mother! Snap out of it!" cried the Cinderella look-a-like.
"It's no use, your mother has succumbed to darkness" said Terra.
Serenia cast fire at Tremaine just as Serah fired an arrow, both projectiles struck the transformed being in the shoulder. The impact caused her to let go of the wand, prompting Sora to rush ahead and grab it. Lightning took the opprotunity to knock Tremaine out with a solid punch, much to the onlookers' surprise.
"What was going on?" muttered the prince.
"It's a long story" said Sora, handing the wand to Cinderella. The princess of heart used the wand to turn her doppelganger back into her true form.
The black haired stepsister nearby hissed"You'll pay for this."
"Oh really?" said Lightning, drawing out her gunblade and swinging it at her target. Sora watched as the dark haired woman fell unconcious.
"Did you-?" Sora gasped.
"I only used the flat part of my gunblade" said Lightning, coolly.
A voice interuppted"Well, well, this is quite the turnaround."
Sora turned in surprise to see the speaker, a pink haired man"Lumaria!"
Lumeria grinned as he pointed to the castle entrance"The heartless responsible for her transformation is here, nice knowing you."
"Huh?" Sora gasped as a greyish skinned Camelion appeared out of nowhere.
"Get everyone else out of here" said Terra, referring to the prince, the king, the duke and Cinderella.
"Got it" said Roxas.
The Camelion immediately lunged at the group and nearly smashed Serenia. Ventus knocked her out of the way, only to recieve a blow to the head. The Camelion unleashed a breath of darkness at the group, which they barely dodged. Lightning rushed into the frey and hit the monster with Lightning Strike.
The irratated monster attempted a clumsy head-butt attack, only to be intercepted by a blow by Terra. The Camelion turned invisible and made for the walls of the castle. Sora was slightly annoyed by the turn of events.
"Hold on" said Cinderella, using her fairy godmother's wand to put on a shadow of where the monster currently hid as it prepared to unleansh another dark breath. Ventus tossed his keyblade at the monster, knocking it down. The Camelion launched lasers from it's eyes, which Ventus dodged.
"That's where I want you. Thunderfall!" cried Lightning, casting a powerful spell. The thunder magic proved too much for the monster, as it collapsed. Sora watched as a purple heart rose from the defeated monster's body as it vanished.
"Thank you for protecting the kingdom, but what were those creatures?" inquired the prince.
Sora explained"It's a long story, but the monsters seem to be working for a guy called Yoran. History seemed to have changed before that, though."
Nearby, Cinderella's godmother suddenly appeared"Thank you for retrieving my wand."
"It wasn't a problem, but isn't there some way for your magic to ignore thhe wishes of those with a dark heart?" inquired Ventus.
"I'm afraid not, but now that's all over. Cinderella, if you wish, I can return the timeline to it's original state" said the Fairy Godmother.
Cinderella shook her head"No, it's okay."
The prince approached the blond princess of heart"Cinderella, will you marry me?"
"Yes, I will" smiled Cinderella.
"What about Lady Tremaine?" frowned Terra.
The king interjected"Just let us deal with her. What matters is you possibly saved my kingdom."
Sora smiled as the prince asked Cinderella to dance. Nearby, Ventus spotted a keyhole materializing above and said"That's your cue, Sora."
"I know" said the younger brunette, walking towards the keyhole and pointing his keyblade at it. Before Serenia's eyes, her father's keyblade unleashed a beam of light which engulfed the keyhole. The keyhole vanished as the Kingdom Key finished sealing it.
The king pondered for a moment before addressing Sora"If you don't mind explaining, who is this Yoran?"
"We don't know for sure, but we'll find him your highness" replied Sora.
Cinderella stopped dancing with her prince to address the light brown-haired hero"Thanks again for helping to set things right. Will you come back and visit sometime?"
"We will, princess" said Sora.
Serenia sighed as she looked out the window'I wonder which world is next, this has been an interesting month so far.'
Okay, I finally got this chapter set up. I hope it wasn't too boring or rushed or anything. I guess I could've based this chapter off of Cinderella II, but that movie didn't have much action.
Please feel free to review.