Sora groaned as he regained consciousness. He was lying on a bed inside a bedroom of the Mysterious Tower. A familiar figure was sitting next to him, reading a book to pass time. "Oh, you're finally awake," Logan happily said.
"Logan? Where are we? What happened?" Sora drowsily asked. When his memory returned, he quickly pulled himself up to a sitting position. "The Organization XIII! Where are they?"
"Hey, easy there," Logan calmed his mentor. "To answer your first question, we're back at the Mysterious Tower, so you don't have to be worried. And for your second question... Well, that's a long story. Let's go downstairs; the others can help me explain everything."
"The others?" Sora asked.
The two friends left the bedroom and went downstairs to the living room, where all of Logan's friends were hanging together. Shenzi was teasingly chasing Jameson around, making the little black owl giggle in amusement. Almyra was kindly brushing Liquorice's hair, whilst Darkmare just sat in his corner, reading the latest book written by Master Yen Sid. Ferroth was showing the drawings in his sketchbook to Blu and Dory, jumping when Lucky appeared behind him to take a look as well. RDJ held Judy's shock pistol so that he could show her a few tricks to use it, and Destiny was giving a ride to Vitani, Kaa and Tomada, all of them wanting to know what it was like to ride around on a whale's back. Finally, Violet was asking questions to Sunny, Roman and Vincent, all of them more than happy to answer them.
"Looks like the Sleeping Beauty has finally decided to wake up," Liquorice remarked upon noticing Logan and Sora's arrival.
The young Keyblade Wielder was confused to see everyone except for Destiny. "What's going on, here? Who are you guys?"
"This is where we explain everything," Logan said.
The entire group proceeded to tell the whole story to Sora, starting with how he got captured by The Inventor and his replicas of Organization XIII, making sure to explain his plan to steal his heart and come living in the Magical World at his place, how Logan originally intended to save him with help from the other Dream Defenders, but couldn't due to their absence, leading him to assemble his own team of friends, getting to the Virtual World, a virtual version of Castle That Never Was, how they all led their own battle with their respective partner, and how they ultimately saved him.
"Y-You really managed to defeat most of the members of Organization XIII on your own?!" Sora exclaimed with an impressed expression.
"You bet we did!" Jameson beamed, jumping around in excitation. "Wish I could've seen them all! Roman and Lucky beat that guy with floating spears even after he hit them, like, a hundred times! That's awesome!"
Roman chuckled and patted the young owl on the head. "Not as much as when you and Violet smacked the lights out of that illusionist guy!"
"And you, Almyra, you got into a dance contest against that guy with a guitar, who controlled water!" Jameson continued. "He couldn't do anything against your magic, right?"
"You said it!" Almyra agreed, giving a wink and shaking her waist. "There's nothing that can resist a few swings of my magical hips!"
"Hey, you forget that I'm the one who took him out," Judy remarked, crossing her arms in an annoyed way.
"And you really managed to beat Axel without any magic?" Sora asked Sunny and Vitani.
"Magic isn't everything in life, kid. There are other factors that can make just as big a difference, like determination, physical strength and a good team," Sunny explained, exchanging a smile with the leader of the Lion Guard.
Sora rubbed his chin with interest. "That's very impressive. You all did great. I'm sure Master Yen Sid, Gabriel, and the others will wanna hear about it." He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm just sorry you had to risk your lives because of me."
"If you wanna make up for it, you can always offer me a bonus payment," RDJ stated.
"RDJ," Shenzi said with a scolding tone and glare.
"Just kiddin', jeez. That being said, I'd like to get my promised payment before the end of the day," the Brazilian bomber said, giving a look in Almyra's direction.
The peafowl groaned. "Alright, I'll go assemble the money later on." She turned in Logan's direction, giving him the 'you owe me BIG time' glare. The Owl gulped and chuckled nervously, understanding he would be in her debts until getting her whole money back.
Vincent stepped close to Sora, giving him an analyzing look. "So you're Sora, hum..."
"Huh, do I know you?" the young Keyblade Wielder asked with an uneasy look.
"Not officially. However, I heard a lot about you from someone you do know: Cloud Strife."
"Cloud?! You're his friend?" Sora asked, his face lit up with excitation. "Man, I haven't seen him since he started working on his video game's remake. Are you gonna be in the sequel?"
"That's an information I'm not allowed to share. Sorry," Vincent answered.
Sora turned his attention back to Logan, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. "I'm really proud of you, Logan. It's the first time you take on such a mission without being led either by me, Riku, or Gabriel. You know what that means? You can now choose your missions without needing approval from me nor Master Yen Sid."
"Really? You think?" Logan asked with a smile. However, it melted away when a detail popped in his mind. "Sora, there's something I wanted to tell you. During my fight against Roxas, I discovered something."
"Something? What is it?" the brown-haired boy asked, tilting his head curiously.
Logan stared at Destiny's fin. It had healed by now, but the memory of what happened was still present. Destiny saw him looking and gave him the 'it's alright' look before he turned back to his mentor. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times, trying to find the right words. "I... I found... my true inner strength. It came to me when I needed it the most and allowed me to win."
"Is that so? Well, glad to hear it," Sora said with patting his student on the back. Destiny looked away, respecting her boyfriend's decision to remain vague on the details.
Logan stepped to the middle of the living room and said: "Your attention, everyone!" Everybody looked at him. "I would like to thank each one of you for the help you gave us. Without you, I don't think Destiny and I would've been able to save Sora."
"Actually, that's not entirely true," Violet interfered. "The stipulation to save Sora was for all of us to defeat a member of Organization XIII in a virtual fight. Even if our group had been smaller, we still would have to simply win individual fights and-"
"Violet, just let him finish," Blu stopped her.
"As a thanking gift for your help, I wish to offer you these." Logan approached the guests and gave them all little pieces of paper with star symbols on them.
"What are these?" Ferroth asked.
"They're special membership cards that make you honorary Dream Defenders," Logan explained. "After everything you did during our mission, I have no doubt that you all have what it takes to be part of our team. The only problem is... recruiting new members is a decision we must take together. I don't think my friends would be happy if they returned from their adventures and have me announce them, 'Hey, guys, I recruited ten new members to our group without asking you first!'. We're gonna have to wait for them to return and decide if you guys deserve to become full-time Dream Defenders or not. In the meantime, these cards grant you honorary membership, meaning you can take on missions usually reserved for Dream Defenders like me until you get recruited or not... If you accept the offer, of course."
Tomada excitedly looked at the membership card and at Logan. "You mean that I could actually get to join your team, and we could go on missions again, like when we were younger?" Pushing a cry of joy, he wrapped a wing around his best friend. "Alright! The Falcon and the Owl are back, babyyyyyy!"
"Hmm... I've spent most of my time here fighting on my own," Sunny remarked whilst looking at her card. "However... I cannot deny that you caught my interest, Logan. I'd be interested in spending more time with those like you. Especially if it means new challenges to take on."
Liquorice shrugged and put the card in her pocket. "Sure, could be interesting."
"I don't know if I'm ready for this...," Ferroth admitted with rubbing the back of his head.
Kaa touched his hand with her tail. "Now, now, Ferroth, I'm certain this is nothing we cannot handle together. There are people in need of help everywhere in the Magical World, right?"
Ferroth smiled. "Yeah, you're right, I guess it's worth trying."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Jameson beamed whilst jumping on the spot. "This is gonna be so much fun!"
Looking at his card, Roman rubbed his beard with a thoughtful look. "Guess that could make my life here a little more spicy."
"That sure would be good for my business to be associated with such a group," RDJ nodded, pulling the card away in his pocket. "However, that doesn't mean I'm gonna start working for free; artists can't live on love and fresh water, y'know?"
"It would be my pleasure to help you as much as possible, Logan," Almyra assured with a smile.
Logan happily nodded to her response before turning his attention to the last one who hadn't talked. "Sir Darkmare?"
The Vampire-Werewolf Hybrid gave the most hesitant, thoughtful look at his card. After many seconds of silence, he finally looked at the young Dream Defender. "It has been a very long time since I have been part of a group, Mr. Jindrak. That being said, we are in a very interesting era and you younglings have a lot of potential. I suppose it would be of no harm for me to spend my time around your group, if only as a teacher." He extended his hand, Logan happily shaking it. "I look forward to sharing my knowledge with you and your friends."
"Alright! Now that this has been taken care of, let's move on to the serious matter!" Tomada suddenly exclaimed. "We have accomplished our mission, defeated super strong guys, and rescued our friend, so now, it's time for the best part that must come with any scenario like this: the celebrations!"
"Oh, great! I love celebrations!" Dory beamed.
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Liquorice asked.
"The answer is simple: summer's ending in a few days and, I don't know about you guys, but I haven't been to the beach a single time since the season began." Tomada tossed a fist in the air. "Let's go celebrate our success and the last days of summer to the beach!"
"Alright, I think I'm ready," Logan announced as he admired himself in the mirror. The young man had changed his casual clothes for a pair of navy-blue swim trunks, but kept his baseball cap. Before going, he once again gave himself a good look. "... Wow, when did I get so much muscle?"
"What are you doing, Logan? Come on; the others are already at the beach!" Destiny called from the bedroom's entrance. She was in her human form, clad in the one-piece swimsuit designed to look like her usual whale shark skin she had bought before the start of summer, alongside her sun hat and glasses.
"Coming!" Logan responded, quickly grabbing his belongings and running out of the hotel room with his girlfriend.
After filling in a report for Master Yen Sid, the duo and their friends went to reserve rooms at the Disney's Vero Beach Resort to have fun together at the beach. As they ran down the Atlantic Treasure Coast, Logan and Destiny could see their friends were already having fun together. Tomada was walking alongside the seashore, collecting seashells in a bucket with Dory, the little blue fish beaming in joy when she found a purple one.
A group of local musicians were playing soft, exotic music, to which Almyra was having fun dancing alongside Jameson, the young black owl happily laughing. Not too far from there, Roman sat down at a juice bar on the beach, swallowing so many cups of different juices and milk that the patrons were looking at him with wide eyes. "Are you just gonna drink during our whole time here, Roman?"
The hunter turned around... and widened his eyes when he saw Sunny wearing a... let's say, not very modest two-piece swimsuit. "Come on; let's go play in the water a bit!"
As she walked away, Roman blushed madly and turned around. "I need to find the courage to ask her out, one day...," he mumbled.
Ferroth and Kaa had found sea turtle nesting grounds, watching the little creatures crawling in the sand. The anthropomorphic snake was making a drawing of them, seeing as they weren't moving very fast, whilst Kaa either patted their heads or teasingly wiggled the tip of her tail for them to try to catch. Blu was surfing some waves, his Keyblade training having made him a lot more confident to try risky activities like this. Judy was also there catching some waves with him - Nick Wilde had even joined them, wanting to spend time with his girlfriend.
"Look very well, everyone," RDJ said, taking position with one of his rifles. "Now, Shenzi!" The hyena launched training frisbees that the Brazilian Bomber took down with great accuracy to impress some local people. However, for some reason, the last one moved out of the way at the last second, making him miss his shot and failing his streak. As he started protesting in confusion, Liquorice was chuckling from behind a nearby stone.
Darkmare looked at the young ones having fun whilst he sat down in a chair near the water to read a book. Violet was doing the same right next to him. At one point, Lucky decided to use his Predator strength to jump from the hotel's roof all the way to the water, creating a huge splash. While Violet managed to protect herself with a magical barrier at the right time, Darkmare wasn't so lucky. Giving a silent glare at the alien, the gentleman let out a sigh. "Maybe I should have followed Vincent's example and returned home..."
Vitani was lying down and relaxing near the water when she noticed Logan and Destiny approaching. "Hey, guys! The water's great, if you wanna go for a dip."
"That's exactly what we wanted to do!" Destiny beamed as she removed her hat and glasses. "Ready, Logan? Oh, unless you don't wanna go out in the sea?"
"Don't worry, Destiny. You know there's nothing I'm afraid of when you're with me, right?" Logan assured with a smile.
The young couple exchanged a kiss before going out in the water. At first, they simply swam around and playfully splashed at each other, before Destiny turned into her whale form again and had Logan climbing on her back as she swam out to the more distant part of the beach. The whale swam at tremendous speed, making Logan beam and yell in excitation as he could feel the wind brushing against him. At one point, his baseball cap flew off, making him trip off Destiny's back to catch it. The whale stopped and turned around in worry to see her boyfriend coming out from under the surface, having caught his dear piece of cloth. They looked at each other in silence... before laughing out loud.
By the time they returned to the beach to reunite with their friends, the sun had started setting down on the horizon. They have had so much fun that they failed to see the time pass. Rather than going back to the hotel, they all stayed at the beach, where Sunny made a bonfire, around which everybody sat down to relax and talk.
"... And then, I finished her off by jumping on her head and planting my sword through her upper and lower jaw," the Sun Knight finished telling a story to her friends.
"Whoa! That was amazing!" Jameson beamed.
"I'm not sure what to think of it," Blu admitted. "It's true that dragons are dangerous creatures, but Ventus told me that his friend, Aqua, had fought Maleficent once, and that she wasn't that tough."
"Easy for you to say when you have a mystic key that can allow you to use practically every power possible and imaginable," Vitani sarcastically remarked.
Logan was resting against Destiny, who as lying in the sand in her whale form, whilst looking up at the sky. He sighed. "It's crazy how fast time goes by... It feels to me like it was yesterday that summer started, and now, we're soon gonna be September. I was given so much free time... Yet, there's still so much I would've wanted to do."
"Bah, don't be like that, buddy!" Tomada said with patting his friend on the shoulder. "Summer's not over yet; we till have time to have fun with each other! Besides, didn't you say you were gonna take part in a huge competition soon?"
"The Hero's Rumble?" Logan asked. He rubbed the back of his head. "Unfortunately, Mickey and Zeus sent me and the other participants bad news. Apparently, Hades once again attempted to conquer Olympus with one of his schemes, during which the coliseum has been completely destroyed. It's gonna take them a while before building it back to its full glory again. Because of this, the event has been postponed to an unknown date."
"Really? This sucks," Roman remarked.
"Yeah, I was looking forward to participating, too," Logan agreed. "On a more positive note, I can't wait to introduce you guys to the other Dream Defenders of my group; I'm sure you will like them all."
"The one I'm the most excited to meet is your friend, Rachel," Sunny said. "It's always pleasant to meet other knights in the Magical World. Maybe she and I could have a sparing duel one of these days."
"You can ask her soon. I heard that she should return from her monster hunt in a few days," Logan explained. "Poe de Spell's gonna be with her."
Upon hearing this, Jameson's ears perked up, his eyes widening in surprise. "In a... few days?" He gulped and gave a nervous smile. "Huh, sorry, but... I'm gonna be busy with... something, in a few days." Everybody gave the kid curious looks, while Logan just looked down with a sad expression.
"As for me, I really want to meet Gabriel," Almyra said in excitation. "I mean, I like Silver because he's a fashion-lover, just like me, but it'd be cool to meet another bird with a power revolving around music."
"You're gonna be in for a treat then," Logan said. "We recently recruited a new member in our group. He's called Double D, and he happens to also be a raven, but his power is based on his dancing skills, just like you."
"Really? Great, thrice the fun!" the peafowl beamed.
"I have been wishing to meet the Dream Keeper for a long time," Darkmare admitted. "From all the stories I heard about him, he could very well be one of the most important figures for this generation of the Magical World. I am curious as to whether he is similar to Walter Disney or not."
As everybody started talking about which Dream Defender they wanted to meet, Destiny noticed her boyfriend was looking at the bonfire with a nostalgic expression. "What are you thinking about, Logan?" she asked.
"Well... Back when I was a kid, my uncle would always take me, my brother and my cousins on camping trips, back in Quebec. I remember that, sometimes, we would sit around a campfire and sing one of his most favorite songs all the time. It was fun," Logan explained.
"Really? Wanna sing it to us now?" RDJ asked. "I think a little music would be fun."
As the others all agreed, Logan thought about it. Unable to resist the power of nostalgia, he got off Destiny's side with a smile. "Okay, for the sake of nostalgia. Let's do it!" He took out his cellphone and turned the beat on as he began singing.
('All Summer Long' by Kid Rock, with some lyrics changed to fit with the K+ rating)
Logan:
It was 1989, my thoughts were short, my hair was long
Caught somewhere between a boy and man
After singing the first part, Logan turned his attention to Destiny with a smile.
Logan:
She was seventeen and she was far from in-between
It was summertime in Northern Michigan
Destiny:
Ahh Ahh Ahh
Ahh Ahh Ahh
Logan got up and actually started performing little dancing moves to go with the beat of the song.
Logan:
Splashing through the sand bar
Talking by the campfire
It's the simple things in life, like when and where
We didn't have no internet
But man I never will forget
The way the moonlight shined upon our heads
During that final part, Logan pointed at the full moon that started coming out on the dark side of the sky. Destiny then joined, combining her voice to her boyfriend's.
Logan and Destiny:
And we were trying different things
We were playing funny things
Singing love out by the lake to our favorite song
Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow
Logan:
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Everybody looked at them with smiles, Almyra, Tomada and Jameson moving a bit to the rhythm of the song. Even Darkmare and Liquorice seemed rather interested in the performance. Logan continued the next part, turning into his owl form and flying near the seashore.
Logan:
Catching Walleye from the dock
Watching the waves roll off the rocks
She'll forever hold a spot inside my soul
Logan passed by to kiss Destiny on the cheek, making her blush.
We'd blister in the sun
We couldn't wait for night to come
To hit that sand and play some rock and roll!
Logan landed back near his friends, taking a cool and excited pose during that last part, and returning to his human form again. Everybody was enjoying the song so much that they actually decided to sing the next part in unison with their friend.
Everyone:
While we were trying different things
And we were playing funny things
Singing love out by the lake to our favorite song
Tomada wrapped a wing around Jameson, the two birds rocking side to side as they sang together.
Everyone:
Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow
Roman smacked his milk bottle against RDJ's rum one, the two sharing a toast that they drank together.
Everyone:
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
During the guitar solo, every member of the group showcased their dancing skills, starting with Logan and Destiny, the two sharing a cute couple dance. Once they were done, Tomada jumped at their place and performed some impressive breakdancing moves. Naturally, Almyra swung her wings and hips around, performing a dance that made most of the boys blush cutely. Liquorice wasn't that good at dancing, so she simply did some beatbox over the guitar.
The next one to go was Ferroth. The young snake seemed hesitant, but eventually got into the song, moving his body fluidly to show his 'smooth grooves'. Jameson then hopped onto the 'dance floor', swinging his wings and doing the worm. He tried to invite Darkmare to join in the dance, but the ancient one gave a serious look, meaning he did not want to. However, the Dream Walker kept insisting and, unable to resist his enthusiasm, Darkmare finally conceded and got on the dance floor, showcasing rather impressive dance moves that seemed to be from another era.
RDJ revealed he was capable of doing the moonwalk across the sand whilst holding his cowboy hat Michael Jackson style. Afterwards, Roman drank his milk bottle in one go and then jumped on the dance floor, performing a hopak dance (a traditional Russian dance) mixed with some breakdancing. Sunny was the last one to go, performing a basse dance in which she moved quietly and gracefully in a slow gliding.
When Sunny finished, Logan sang again, this time in a softer, more nostalgic tone.
Logan:
Now nothing seemed as strange as when the leaves began to change
Oh, how we thought those days would never end
He took Destiny's fins in his hand, giving her a soft smile.
Logan:
Sometimes I hear that song and I start to sing along
And think, man, I'd love to see that girl again
Logan and Destiny shared a kiss. "Come on, everyone! Sing it together!" the young man beamed, the song getting energetic once more as everybody sang together.
Everyone:
And we were trying different things
We were playing funny things
Singing love out by the lake to our favorite song
Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow
Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long
We were trying different things
We were playing funny things
Singing love out by the lake to our favorite song
Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow
Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long
All the friends sang this part over and over again in a chorus, holding a friend close whilst making sure to have the most fun they could.
Everyone:
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
As the song finally came to an end, the friends all laughed together - even Darkmare! They kept chatting, drinking and laughing for a while, until Almyra noticed that Jameson had fallen asleep next to her.
"Aww, so adorable. Looks like he had a little too much fun partying," the peafowl remarked with a chuckle. She picked the kid up, allowing him to rest against her shoulder as she got up. "Okay, guys, it's getting late. I'll go back to my hotel room and sleep. See ya tomorrow!"
Roman pushed a long yawn. "I think I'll do the same. We all should." He picked up his empty bottles and walked away from the dying bonfire.
Logan watched his friends leaving with a sad expression. Soon, all of this would be over, and he'd have to return to his duties as a pro wrestling coach and Dream Defender. At least, he still had a few days left to enjoy. "Come on, Logan, let's go back to our bedroom and enjoy some alone time," Destiny said as she took his arm with her fin and pulled him away.
Whilst walking back toward the hotel, Logan turned his attention to the full moon in the night sky and began to think about his whole summer from start to finish. Spending his first day at Blizzard Beach with Destiny, catching up on all the movies and Disney+ shows he hadn't seen, taking part in a dogfight with Adam and Melanie, helping Nigel overcoming his inner darkness, going on an adventure with Clan McDuck, having a sleepover at Manor McDuck, falling sick and having Destiny and Della taking care of him, drinking his first alcoholic beverage (and all the trouble that came afterwards), making new friends, and playing the leader's role for the first time ever. He would have so many stories to share with his other friends. With a smile forming on his face, only one thought crossed Logan's mind.
"That's a summer I'm never going to forget..."
Author's note: After such a long and difficult mission, there was only one thing left to do: celebrating at the beach! It's always fun writing chapters of all the guests and Disney characters just hanging out and enjoying each other's presence. 'All Summer Long' is one of my favorite summer songs of all time, as it just captures everything I love so much about the season, including the sad truth that it has to end sooner or later.
With the 'Rescue Sora Arc' concluded, I must announce my decision to step away from this story for a while. It was a lot of fun writing all those adventures, but, as I stated at the start of the arc, I have to focus on real life stuff, including the fact that I'm almost done with school, that I must learn how to draw and do 3D animation to hopefully one day work at Disney, and also, my vacation at Disney World coming this October! Not only that, but after two entire months of writing, I'm starting to feel a little creative fatigue; I prefer to take my time and write something I can be proud of instead of rushing and ending up with regrets.
Unfortunately, this means that the Hero's Rumble I announced will have to be reported. Sorry to all of you who were excited to see a new competition. Y'know what's funny? This was the part of my story I was looking forward to writing the most for the season, but then, the 'Rescue Sora Arc' came to my mind after I started inviting my friends to submit their OCs, and I ran out of time. Guess I bit more than I could chew.
I'm not gonna leave the site, though, as I do plan to keep reading other MW stories, like TheDragonSaver's current one, 'Across theMirrorverse' and SuperWolfieStar's 'A Days in the Magical World'. I'm really looking forward to publishing new chapters, but for now, we're gonna give Logan and Destiny a little break.
Your favorite owl, Logan Jindrak X, out!
