Chapter 42: origins of evil
I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.
Right. Now for the conclusion of the beagle dimension hopping arc! The future version of Disney castle is like watching x-men: days of future past. (apologies to marvel fans everywhere)
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Sora's gag reflex was on overdrive; while sloshing underground through the grimy sewers, h nearly puked when he stepped on something solid under the water, silently cursing that this was the only way to safely enter the transformed Disney Castle. They would certainly be killed on sight attempting this above ground. Their plan had been formulated quickly, no time to waste. They would proceed stealthily through the sewers, entering the stronghold undetected from below; from there, someone would provide a distraction long enough for Sora to make a break for the magic door in the centre of the castle. The strike team consisted of Sora, Denzel, Marlene, Wade, Darius, Stitch and Rufus 3000, all backed up by a select team of Stormtroopers and naked mole-rats.
"Yucky icky poo-poo!" Stitch gagged, plugging his nose.
"You can say that again," Darius agreed, the smell seeping into his helmet.
"So why is the door still inside?" Sora asked Wade as they waded. Wade was equipped with a laser rifle, while Leon's Gunblade was strapped to Sora's back.
"Before Disney Castle fell, Merlin made sure to seal the door," Wade explained, looking ahead. "He didn't simply get rid of it, hoping that you might come back some day. The Horned King has been trying to unlock its secrets; he has used Disney Castle not only to uphold this world but to study the magic door. So expect it to be well guarded."
"We're here," Rufus 3000 said to them all. They stopped and stared up a ladder leading to a hatch in the ceiling. Sora nodded and climbed up the ladder.
Slowly Sora opened the hatch, hinges creaking from lack of use, and peaked out. He was in the Gummi Ship hanger where Chip and Dale worked. He couldn't bear to think what may have happened to those two. The place had drastically changed; it was filled with Heartless ships and had a much darker atmosphere. They all cautiously crawled out of the smelly sewer and ducked behind a nearby Heartless ship. There was no one in sight and Sora was about to move out, but Darius stopped him.
"Wait," he whispered. He pointed to a catwalk above where two figures were partolling. Sora's eyes narrowed. They were Stormtroopers, except that their armour was pitch black. They carried rifles and walked down the catwalk silently. "Shadowtroopers," Darius whispered again. "Turncoats to the Empire. When the Horned King rose to power, it was pick a side or pick a death sentence. Traitors, everyone of them." As the Shadowtroopers passed above them, Darius gave the signal to move. They quickly moved across the hanger and exited via the doors.
Sora gasped. The Disney Castle he knew was gone, replaced by its complete opposite. The walls were now a dull grey, decorated by sickening art, and any sign of good was extinguished. There were shadows lurking in every corner. The entire place radiated with an evil that was never meant to be here.
"This is bad," Sora gasped.
"I never imagined it to be like this," Marlene whispered.
"We can't dawdle. Let's move!" Rufus 3000 commanded.
Through the halls and doors they made steady progress, going completely unnoticed for a large group such as theirs. They were lucky to have a former Imperial general on their side; the corridors were crawling with Shadowtroopers on guard. A lot of Imperials had converted to the church of the Horned King. Thanks to Darius' knowledge of their training and routines and Stitch's acute sense of smell, they were able to dodge all patrols. Not a single Heartless had crossed their path yet, for which they were grateful, but they failed to notice the pair of red eyes trailing their every move.
"The door should still be in the throne room," Wade said quietly, peeking around a corner. "Not much farther now. We're almost home free."
"This has been way too easy!" Denzel snickered. "I thought this would be much harder."
"We're not out of this yet," Marlene whispered back. There was shuffling behind them and, as they turned to look, there was an Omega Heartless staring back at them. They stood stock still as it shifted left and right.
"I don't think it sees us yet," Sora whispered. The Omega Heartless roared, loud and echoing as to compete with any alarm system, alerting the whole castle. Immediately Darius' Stormtroopers and Rufus 3000's naked mole-rats open fired and ripped it to pieces. They were safe from this one, but the word was out. Alarms started blaring; there were intruders in the castle, and now the whole castle knew.
"Oh foka!" Stitch cursed.
"Move!" The need for stealth now completely unnecessary, they broke into a run down the hallway, Stormtroopers and naked mole-rats bringing up the rear. The former Disney Castle was abuzz with activity. The Shadowtroopers mobilized and the Heartless were awakening. They hadn't got very far before a squad of Shadowtroopers emerged to intercept them.
"Open fire!" their leader shouted, and they did. Denzel had drawn his buster sword and rushed in with Marlene coming up behind, staff in hand. Denzel deflected the lasers and cut down the troopers down one by one, with Marlene driving her staff against their heads and chests; they were quite the tag team. For the finale, Marlene fired a firaga into the leader's chest.
Sora gawked. "You guys really learned a few things!" Denzel grinned and rested his sword on his shoulder.
"You have no idea!" Wade fired a shot from his blaster and took out an Omega Heartless preparing to strike Denzel down. Unfortunately, it had brought some friends. Omega Heartless and regular yellow-eyed Heartless of many kinds popped out of the walls, the ceiling, the ground, appearing all around them one after the other.
"Let's go!" Sora shouted and they took off down the hallway, Heartless following after. They didn't have time to wait around and fight, not with every enemy in the place about to bear down on them. Running and fighting was their game now. They formed a neat little box defense: Sora and Denzel taking the front to cut down any who got in their way; Wade and Marlene in the centre, with Marlene providing magical support and Wade's size giving him a better shot; and, finally, Darius, Rufus 3000, Stitch and their Stormtrooper/naked mole-rat backup to fire long distance at any pursuing foes.
Shadowtroopers and Heartless appeared at every corner they turned, trying to stop them. The entire population of the fortress was hunting them now. Luckily, they were an adept team. Sora deflected lasers and destroyed attackers with the Gunblade; it was a little heavier than the Keyblade but it did nicely. Denzel was almost as good as Sora himself. Marlene fired numerous spells and protected them from harm as well, while Darius directed his troopers to many complex formations. The years of oppression had done nothing to impair the general's military expertise. While Sora found it strange to fight alongside naked mole-rats, he found it even stranger to fight alongside Stormtroopers, having been on the other end of their rifles so many times before. For a second he felt like he was Anakin Skywalker, fighting with those strange white armoured soldiers on the plains of that desert planet.
Sora quickly pushed those thoughts away. There was a job to be done after all.
KHKHKHKH
Rosso and Nero stood outside the barrier-protected door to the throne room of Disney Castle, their army gathered behind them. All their skeleton and Omega Heartless forces had converged on this one spot, so the Princess of Heart must be in here. Unfortunately, they couldn't get past the barrier, and the army was beginning to get restless.
"Good magic is certainly an annoying tool," Rosso said irritably.
"Not even my darkness can pierce this shield," Nero sighed. "At this rate we'll starve them to death before we can attempt anything."
"Out of my way you idiots." The Heartless and skeletons were pushed aside so that the large and lumbering Azul the Cerulean could get to the door. While the others found the still-locked door an annoyance, he saw it as a challenge. "Step back if you want to live." Rosso and Nero complied, both knowing what he was about to do. Azul suddenly started lurching, breathing heavily and more harshly as his yellow eyes began to glow...
"We're trapped! Trapped like rats! No way out!" Jack trembled, eyes darting back and forth. "The walls, they're closing in! I can't breathe. I can't breathe! How long has it been since I've seen the light of day!?"
"Twenty minutes," sonic answered in annoyance.
"That long?! A pirate's not meant to be cooped up like this! I need air! AIR! Someone bring me the jaws of life!" He crawled into a fetal position and sucked his thumb. They had been cornered by the Horned King's forces not too long ago and the scraping noises on the other side had stopped. That didn't mean they weren't still out there, though. And Sora was still nowhere to be seen. "So hungry. So very hungry. But there's no food! What to do?" There was a small poof on his shoulder and a little devil Jack appeared.
"In a time of crisis, it's every able bodied lad for himself," Devil Jack instructed, sporting a pair of horns from his bandana. He looked hungrily at Daisy Duck. "And you know what they say about rum with roasted duck. Uh...rum goes good with roasted duck!" On Jack's other shoulder appeared another Devil Jack exactly like the first. While most people had both a good and evil side, it is a well known fact that Jack had an evil side and an evil side.
"I like the way you think!" Devil Jack #2 complimented. "But we need to aim higher, mate! Beasty there has much more meat on his bones!"
"Yes, but I'd prefer a meal that couldn't rip my face off," Jack argued.
"When life gives you lemons and your trapped inside a room with your closest friends and there's a horde of bloodthirsty monsters outside, you make lemonade!"
"I prefer rum. Rum's good," Jack slurred.
"Oh, can't argue with ya there," Devil Jack #1 sighed.
"The man is clearly a visionary," Devil Jack #2 said. "Dashingly handsome too!"
"Oh, you're too kind!" The others in the meantime just watched as Jack had a conversation with his empty shoulders about rum and himself.
"And so the first one falls," Leon sighed stroking the bridge of his nose.
"Why is he looking at me like that?" Beast asked.
BOOM
All eyes turned to the door, the only thing keeping the enemy out, when it suddenly shuddered under a tremendous force. BOOM it went again and, to their horror, they saw the barrier was beginning to break. BOOM. Everyone prepared for the worst when Queen Minnie's magical protection around the door erupted in several cracks.
BOOM
"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!" It was not a Heartless that completely knocked the door in and shattered the barrier into pieces, but something else altogether. It was huge, it was massive, it was blue. What looked like a giant in bear in sharp scaly armour broke into the chamber, bellowing fiercely. It's paws were with razor sharp claws, it's shoulders were broad, large yellow horns curled from its head, and a thick tail trailed behind it. Every part of it was coloured a different kind of blue, immensely strong to have broken through the barrier.
"You're on your own on this one, Jack!" Devil Jack #1 whimpered.
"We give evil advice, not survival tips." Devil Jack #2 said. "Good luck, Captain!" They both poofed away.
"Lousy manifestations of my evil persona," Jack muttered sourly. The beastly bear roared on its hind legs then came back down on all fours to shake the ground and charge into the throne room.
sonic blasted an energy wave and unintentionally tearing the castle floor apart, only for the monster to break through the light unharmed, not slowed down in the least. Mulan's Keyblade let off a stream of concentrated fire and Jack crossed his blade with her's to add a whirlwind, creating a flaming cyclone, but it shrugged that off by running straight through it. Po rushed to meet it and he were knocked aside. It was unstoppable. Another deafening roar sent massive shockwaves through the room, knocking everyone off their feet, sliding across the floor. Whatever this thing was it was only the blue tip of the iceberg. Rosso and Nero rushed through the broken door and the army thundered behind him. They flooded the chamber en masse with armour clanging and claws scraping, the final leg of the invasion.
KHKHKHKH
The intruders had broken into dark fortress not long ago with a mission and a purpose, one small force against the entire occupied keep. There were endless amounts of Heartless and Shadowtroopers within and they threw themselves against the intruders one after the other, in massive numbers, but they couldn't be stopped, not with all that was at stake. So now, a large squad of Shadowtroopers waited for them in a place where they knew they would come through. They kept their rifles pointed squarely at the steel door where they could already hear signs of fighting. They were silent, waiting with growing anxiety for them to come. The door was blown apart and the black armoured soldiers charged their weapons, ready for anything that emerged from the cloud of smoke.
They weren't really expecting a small blue ball to roll slowly out into the open before them. Their concealed eyes followed it along the floor until it was smack dab in the middle of them. It sat there for awhile, then expanded into a four armed, black eyed creature.
"Aloha," Stitch giggled, then pounced on them in earnest. Through the door came the freedom fighters, taking advantage of the distracted enemy, catching the Shadowtroopers off-guard and tearing into them. Sora wielded the Gunblade as he would his Keyblade, with Denzel backing him in swordplay. Marlene's spells flew and lasers from Darius and Rufus 3000's troops whizzed. Stitch was just a completely unpredictable fighting machine, hopping onto Shadowtroopers so their comrades would shoot each other as they tried to hit him. They worked so magnificently together that the Horned King's soldiers were no match. Soon every enemy was down. Afterwards, most of the heroes were panting from exhaustion, having fought through countless foes just to get here.
"We're almost there," Wade panted, looking around. They were in a large and mostly empty room, a few pieces of machinery lying about here and there. This room must not have been used a lot. "Just a little bit farther."
"I hope so," Sora replied, wiping his forehead. "I never thought I'd have to fight all my enemies in one building. Now all we're missing are Nobodies."
"Don't jinx it," Denzel sighed.
"We need to hurry," Marlene reminded. "We don't know how well our past selves might be faring right now." They heard a snarl through the door they just came through, the unmistakable cry of an Omega Heartless and, with it, the scurrying of many feet coming their way.
"I don't think we're done here just yet," Darius growled.
"Great," Sora said through clenched teeth. He and everyone prepared for a fight.
"No, Sora!" Rufus 3000 held up his paw in front of Sora, small beady eyes hardened. "My warriors and I will deal with these interlopers! You must continue on!"
"But Rufus-"
"No, he's right," Darius interjected. "Every hour we waste fighting is another hour lost to stop the Horned King. We need to get to that door as fast as possible."
"You represent the only hope for the future," Rufus 3000 continued. "Don't worry about us. It is you who must survive." He and his naked mole-rat squadron detached from the group. Stitch walked forward to join them as well. Together they formed the weirdest team any of them had ever seen.
"You too, Stitch?" Sora asked. Stitch grinned with his sharp teeth.
"Sorry Sora," he said. "Meega wanna fight some bad guys! You go! Save future! Save Lilo!"
"Sora, we gotta go now!" Denzel barked urgently. "I don't want to leave them either, but you can trust Rufus! He knows how to take care of himself!" Sora frowned, not really one for leaving his friends behind. But it was the only way. He nodded in agreement.
"Good luck you guys," he said.
"It has been an honour to fight along side you, Sora," Rufus 3000 replied. Sora managed a grin before he and the others set off again through another door to continue their mission. As soon as they left, a large pack of Heartless arrived at the room's entrance, Omega and regular, staring down the naked mole-rat group and the former evil genetic experiment. "Stand strong! The future of the universe depends on us! For Rufus Prime!"
"Naked mole-rats, ATTACK!" Stitch hollered. He and the rodent army charged with hearts a blazing to meet the Heartless in a powerful clash. Lasers blasted, fists landed, Heartless were destroyed. Fiercer than lions the naked mole-rats fell upon the creatures of darkness, fighting for nothing but the greater good.
While they kept the enemy busy, the rest of the group had piled into an elevator that lead down deep into the castle, possibly underground. They went down quite a way before the elevator finally landed and the doors opened to a long hallway, at the end of which was a single steel door. With all the speed they could gather, they rushed down the hallway and entered the next room.
"Seal the door," Darius ordered a Stormtrooper, who did so without question. The door they came through slid down and locked, no one getting in or out. There it was, in the middle of the large bare room. The door to the past. Both the cause of, and the solution to all their hardships. It was dirty and dusty, the spotless shining silver now dulled from the passing years. Everyone crowded around it while Darius and his Stormtroopers hung back.
"Man, I used to hate this thing for making you disappear," Denzel commented. "Never thought it would be the thing to save us all. Funny thing, irony."
"Remember Sora," Wade said to the boy. "When you go back you'll have to fight a lot of Heartless. An army big enough to have taken Disney Castle. I hope you're feeling up to it."
"No problem," Sora said determinedly. "You might say I've been ready for it for ten years. You guys don't have to worry about a thing. When I get there, I'll stop them and then everything will be back to normal."
Beautiful," Darius said behind them.
BANG
Denzel cried out and collapsed to the floor after a laser struck him in the back of the shoulder much to the shock of Sora and Wade. When they turned around they found their Stormtrooper allies now pointing their rifles at them, one of them smoking after shooting Denzel. Darius himself had his arm locked around Marlene's throat while the other held a laser pistol her head. Her eyes were wide with shock and fear, not for her but for Denzel as he struggled to get up.
"Lower your weapons," Darius ordered, his voice dead serious. When they didn't comply, he jerked Marlene violently. "Lower 'em!" Sora and Wade were forced to do what he said for Marlene's safety, Sora laying down the Gunblade and Wade his blaster. "Smart move. It would be a shame if someone would have to harm a hair on her pretty little head." Marlene glared at Darius through the corner of her eye.
"Darius! What are you doing!?" Sora shouted angrily. Wade was helping the wounded Denzel beside him.
"What does it look like, you fools? One of us is going through that door, and it's going to be me."
"What!" Sora seethed.
"I've been waiting years for an opportunity like this," Darius continued, keeping a firm hold on Marlene. "Did you honestly think I wanted to help you? I see time travel hasn't affected your sense of judgement. When the Empire fell, I was without a purpose in life, because I spent all of it in service. Everything that we had worked so hard to achieve was taken from us in an instant. We were unfairly robbed of our lives by this Horned King and it angered me to no end. We were a shadow of our former glory, doomed to drift off into memory until we were all but forgotten.
"But then you came back, Sora. And with you, came hope. Hope for the ragtag group that you honestly called a 'resistance'. At first, it didn't matter to me. Even if you were back, what could you do now? At best you were now just an annoyance to the Horned King. Until, that is, I heard of this door to the past." He looked past them at the door. "It was too good to be true. With this door, I'll be able to travel back to the time before that demon took over and warn the Empire to take action before he can attempt anything. The Imperial Fist will fall down upon them all, and my place in the universe will finally be restored."
"I thought you wanted a better future?" Wade demanded angrily.
"I do. My better future involves a ruling Empire, with none of you there to get in their way."
"You backstabbing bastard!" Sora hissed. "I won't let you get away with this!" The Stormtroopers cocked their rifles in warning.
"What can I say?" Darius shrugged. "Old habits die hard. Now..." He held the pistol closer to Marlene's head. "Back away from the door."
"Don't do it, Sora!" Marlene shouted from Darius' grasp. "Don't worry about me! Save the future!"
"Shut up you little brat!" Darius snapped, jerking her again.
Sora growled. He had weighed the options, and so far he could only think of one way out of this. But it involved the greatest risk. But who knows what Darius could accomplish if he went back instead of him. He took a deep breath, and raised his arm.
"What are you doing?" Darius asked in annoyance. He stared at Sora, at the fire in his eyes, the fearlessness...and his blood ran cold. "No. Y-you can't. You wouldn't!" Sora looked at Wade and the injured Denzel, who had also figured out what he was about to do. They nodded at him. Sora looked at Marlene, who nodded as well, anything rather than being a prisoner. "Stop! Don't do it! Don't you dare! I'll kill her! I swear I will!" There was such desperation in Darius' voice that his troops also became uneasy. Sora had to resist smirking. Narrowing his eyes, the Keyblade whisked to his hand.
"NOOOOO!" Darius cried, but it was already too late. The call went out through the universe faster than the speed of light, like a massive ripple that spread to all corners of the galaxy. Three individuals heard that call and rose from their slumber. "YOU FOOL! YOU"LL BRING THEM RIGHT HERE!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!
The sealed door that they had entered was blown apart completely. The Stormtroopers stumbled back, some knocked away, and in the confusion Darius lost his hold on Marlene. She quickly ran back to the others. Darius' attention however, along with everyone else's, was now fixated on the gaping hole in the wall and the three figures standing inside it.
"Knock knock!" a southern accent called in a sing song voice. The smoke cleared and there they stood with Keyblades drawn, the three most feared beings in existence, the emissaries of the darkness itself, the Chasers. Aradan, Brisen and Charon. Sora had never seen them all together before, and hoped never to again. "We just happened to be in the neighborhood," Charon giggled again, crazy as always. "When we felt an oh-so-familiar sensation!"
"Am I not mistaken," Aradan said suavely. "Or was a Keyblade possibly summoned in this vicinity?"
"It's been awhile but I'd remember it anywhere," Brisen answered. Her helmet looked past the Stormtroopers, landing at once on Sora's weapon and Sora himself. "I don't believe it."
"The one who got away," Aradan acknowledged. "This certainly is an unexpected, yet welcome, surprise."
"We never thought we'd see your sorry face again!" Charon mocked while laughing. "We've gotten a little full after all the Keyblades we've taken, but hey! I think we can spare one more."
"Take them," Aradan ordered. He walked forward with Brisen and Charon on either side of him, Keyblades gleaming as they made for the Stormtroopers that stood between them and their prize.
"FIRE! FIRE!" Darius shouted at the top of his lungs, he and his Stormtroopers unloading a merciless laser storm upon them. The lasers merely bounced off of their dark armour, not even leaving a mark or slowing them down.
"Sora, you've got to go now!" Denzel choked as the first Stormtrooper scream reached their ears. Marlene, meanwhile, tended to his wound with a cure spell.
"Will you guys be okay?" Sora asked. A trooper flew over their heads.
"We'll be fine!" Marlene assured as she finished up Denzel. "Go now! If you can stop the Horned King none of this will ever happen!" Wade stood off to the side and fired his blaster at a hatch in the wall, blowing it off.
"In here!" Wade called to Denzel and Marlene. A Stormtrooper's helmet rolled along the floor, whether anything was in it no one wanted to know. Marlene helped Denzel over to their escape route. With one last look and a smile at Sora, they slipped inside. Wade followed in behind them, giving Sora a grin and a thumbs up before he too disappeared.
Now Sora had a job to do. With Keyblade still in hand he pointed it at the door to the past and, after many years, it opened once again. Sora stared into the colourful portal when he heard a shout behind him.
"Going somewhere, Sora?" Aradan held a Stormtrooper by his throat and tossed his limp form aside. "You're not getting away again!" He jumped high in the air and came down on Sora with Keyblade raised. Sora was quicker to move, though, and jumped through the door in the nick of time before Aradan's Keyblade chopped the door in half.
KHKHKHKH
Disney Castle's throne room was filled with monsters. Omega Heartless and skeleton warriors covered every inch of the huge chamber, their loud chattering bouncing off the walls. Every enemy in the castle was now inside this room, all of them strong and fighting, ready to tear the down the very castle if they had to. For now, they would settle with killing the defenders.
"You're quite strong, darling!" Rosso the Crimson laughed, she and sonic crossing blades in a duel. Their speed and agility was almost the same, jumping through the ranks of Heartless and skeletons while at the same time trying to kill each other, almost like a dance. "Not many people can hold their own against me. And you honestly think you're part of these humans?"
"More human than you!" sonic shot back. He must have lowered his defense because Rosso was able to rake her weapon across his shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound. sonic and Rosso stooped their mid-air ballet to land and face each other.
"Tell me something I don't already know, darling," Rosso mocked, eyeing the liquid of her signature colour on her weapon. "I traded away my human weaknesses for power long ago. It did nothing but hold me back. You should take a page from my book, darling." sonic gripped his bleeding shoulder.
"You'll find I'm full of surprises!" He transformed into a sharp projectile before Rosso's surprised eyes. She blocked him and jumped away from the others, sonic following after her to continue their clash.
"I hate this place! Why did I come on this stupid adventure?! Davy Jones, take me now!" Jack whined while he, Mulan, po and Barret fought off enemies on all sides. "I just wish I could have said goodbye to Devil Jack #1 and Devil Jack #2. I love those little guys!"
"What in the hell are you talking about?!" Barret shouted, ducking under an Omega Heartless' claw and filling it full of holes.
"I think he's having an epiphany," Mulan called back. Clouds of darkness descended upon them and wisped around like shapeless snakes. The darkness tore away and accumulated before them into the shape of the steel-winged Nero.
"An angel of death!" Jack whimpered. "Those are the worst kind of angels!"
"Stay back, guys!" po shouted. Nero's eyebrows rose at the panda but he composed himself immediately. His dark aura began to expand again, spreading out so it circled the fat panda. The darkness rose in separate columns and took several forms, turning into any copies of Nero. he found himself surrounded by Nero clones.
"Hey! He's got ninja skills!" po snapped.
"Yeah," Jack agreed. "He's like you. Only cool." The Nero clones surrounded them on all sides. Their metal wing tips changed into guns which were aimed at the group, so they did the most natural thing for them and prepared for the worst.
The massive blue bear-like creature which no one had been able to stop currently had eyes for only one person. Shelke was completely dwarfed by the giant monster approaching her, backing away as it came closer, its hot breath hitting her head on. Everyone else was engaged in battle and could not come help to her aid; she was alone. Her expression focused as the creature raised one of its huge paws to strike; it was then she brought out her secret weapon: a small glowing sphere the same colour as the beast. It glowed even brighter and the beast suddenly stopped in its tracks, frozen.
"You forget," Shelke said, her voice unwavering. "Each of the Tsviets was given one of these to suppress the power of your true form, Azul." A large light enveloped the bear until it all but vanished, replaced by the smaller, although still imposing, form of Azul the Cerulean.
"Shelke?" Azul said confusedly. He apparently didn't remember anything after his transformation. His yellow eyes landed on the object in Shelke's hand. "Why do you stand in my way?" Shelke sighed at such a question.
"Because you were trying to kill me. I had to protect myself." Azul raised an eyebrow.
"Was I now?" He chuckled lightly and smirked to himself. "Then I guess now is as good a time as any." His fist swung at Shelke and she barely avoided it by ducking.
"What are you doing?" Shelke gasped.
"The Horned King no longer has any use for you. You're no different from the others. Your frail little body is nothing without his magic. The only reason he rescued you all those years ago was because he saw potential. But, as it turned out, your only talent was retrieving lost information. It sickens me to think you were ever considered a member of the Tsviets. The Horned King has ordered your termination."
"What?" Shelke gasped, utterly shocked.
"Your mission was to collect information on the Keyblade War, and you failed at even that. But, even so, we cannot let that kind of information fall into the hands of our enemies." Azul smiled cruelly at the girl. "Your fate has been decided, Shelke. It's time for you to die." He advanced on her again, and this time she could do nothing to stop him. Until someone grabbed Azul by his short cape and turned him around to face them.
"What's up, Papa Smurf?" Beast growled, before he reared back and punched the Cerulean man in the face so hard Shelke had to jump out of the way as he flew backwards. Azul was now in a kneeling position as Beast glared at him. Azul wiped his mouth and found it bleeding; his blood was, like most of him, blue.
"Not bad," he complimented, standing back up. "You're strong. It's been awhile since I've seen my old blood." He laughed and looked at Beast. "How long has it been since I've faced a worthy opponent?"
"Are you gonna talk, or are you gonna fight?" Beast asked scornfully, twirling his Keyblade. Azul chuckled.
"So eager to die..." Beast and Azul the Cerulean charged each other and the battle of the behemoths was on.
KHKHKHKH
Sora knew he had made it through the door, he knew that the future was now behind him and so was the danger. What he didn't know was where he was right now. This wasn't the past or the future, it was just sort of...there. He wasn't moving at all, just floating in wide empty white space, nothing as far as the eye could see. It hurt his eyes to even look around. Then the empty canvas began to fill itself and Sora found himself in a round room. It was mostly empty, bookcases and shelves lining the walls behind him.
"Welcome Sora." Sora looked forward and saw a desk before him and a bearded man in blue robes and a pointy hat sitting behind it.
"Master Yen Sid!" Sora gasped, and he realized where he was. He was at the top of Yen Sid's tower, in the old sorcerer's chambers. And that's where Yen Sid sat now, smiling kindly. "What am I doing here?"
"I summoned you," Yen Sid answered, his voice deep and powerful. "It was not an easy task. Only when you had returned to the timestream was I able to bring you here."
"But, Disney Castle! They're in trouble! I need to help them!"
"Do not worry, Sora," Yen Sid assured, raising a hand to calm him. "Time does not pass through here. For us, right now the rest of existence is at a standstill. For now, I must discuss a matter of the utmost importance." Sora looked at him quizzically, interested now that he knew his friends weren't in danger.
"What is it?" Yen Sid entwined his fingers and exhaled deeply.
"It's time you learned of the Chasers." Sora's eyes widened and he had to let out a small gasp. Yen Sid opened his eyes and began.
"You know already of the three Chasers, the warriors of the darkness and hunters of Keyblades. And you also know of the terrible conflict into which they plunged the universe hundreds of years ago known as the Keyblade War." Sora nodded to confirm. "Now I will tell you what you don't know. The Chasers were once beings of the light, men and women like yourself, who turned to the darkness for their own selfish reasons. This you know. But the Chasers did not convert on their own. They had a leader, a master. One who was far more powerful than any of them. It was this man who began the Keyblade War and nearly wiped out all light in the universe." Sora was shocked. There was another Chaser? A much stronger one? Yen Sid closed his eyes again. "His name was Xehanort." Sora's eyes widened to the point where they would burst.
"Xehanort!?" he exclaimed. "Ansem's assistant Xehanort?! That can't be right! It's just a coincidence, another guy with the same name, right?"
"No. The Xehanort you know and the monster to whom I refer are one in the same."
"But...how?"
"I'll start from the beginning," Yen Sid said, settling himself for a long explanation. "Centuries ago, darkness was just beginning to be born. Despite the light that brightened their lives, some slowly began to drift away from it. They craved the light, perhaps too much, for they wanted its warmth more than anything else and selfishness and resentment grew among them. It was thus that the Keyblades were forged. A powerful group of light worshipers called the Ancients utilized their magical might to create these powerful objects. They would be used to unlock the light people's hearts, to stay the darkness before it was too late. The Ancients, once the Keyblades were made, entrusted them to people of the purest hearts, one for each world. It was a complete success. The Keyblades kept peace and order for thousands and thousands of years throughout the worlds, and for that time, everyone was happy."
"What does this have to do with Xehanort?" Sora asked. Yen Sid's face darkened.
"Xehanort was one of the few to be entrusted with a Keyblade. He received his at a very young age, possibly at about the same time yours came to you. The Ancients found his heart strong, worthy to be a wielder of the Keyblade, and entrusted one to him. He became a Keyblader, a warrior of the light, and was excited at the prospect. He had the opportunity to become a hero. To rise above all others and become everything he ever wanted to be. He resolved to be the greatest Keyblade wielder there ever was.
"He succeeded in that. As the years passed he became one of the most well known Keyblade wielders in the universe. Word of his great accomplishments circled the worlds: his daring rescues, his brilliant escapes, his sharp mind, his excellent level of fighting. I daresay he was the former you." Sora scowled at the statement. "Xehanort grew up to be a powerful Keyblader, the most powerful there ever was, fulfilling his childhood promise. His fellow Keybladers respected him as such. His praise was sung from his followers. It seemed that there was nothing he couldn't do.
"It was this thought that drove him over the edge. He began to become arrogant in his abilities, thinking everyone else beneath him, not worthy enough to be in his presence. It wasn't long before he grew resentful even of his fellow Keyblade wielders. He found it sickening that people who weren't as strong as he would ever be chosen to wield such a weapon. He thought that if the Keyblade was such a powerful tool, why would it choose such weaklings? What made them so worthy? That's when he came to his realization. They weren't worthy. None of them were. Weapons such as these belonged to him and him alone! He was the only one capable to possess them!" Yen Sid momentarily paused, stroking the bridge of his nose. "That's when he snapped.
"He made a new resolution. He would take all of the Keyblades for himself. He would strip the other wielders of their place of honour, take their weapons and add their power to his own. He would cleanse the universe of weakness until there was nothing but a perfect world. The darkness had truly taken his heart." Sora gulped nervously. He didn't like where this was going at all.
"As strong as Xehanort was, he knew he needed help if he was going to accomplish his goals," Yen Sid continued. "It wasn't hard for he had many followers. He chose three Keybladers, ones that were strong enough for his plans. He seduced them to evil, turned them over to his way of thinking so that they were as convinced about his plan for the Keyblades as he was. Eventually they were broken down, darkness seizing their hearts, and they were reborn as the Chaser: three servants who were unquestionably loyal to Xehanort. He now had all he needed to begin.
"Xehanort's first act was to attack the City of the Ancients, so that no more Keyblades would be blessed upon anyone else. He and his three armoured warriors fell upon the city. The Ancients were completely caught off guard, never dreaming that any Keyblader would turn to the very darkness that was the antithesis of that for which they were chosen. The darkness had made Xehanort and his Chasers even more powerful than before. They left nothing standing in their rampage and completely leveled the city. No one was spared. The Ancients were completely wiped out. The Keyblade War had begun." Carnage, destruction, death. Sora remembered it all from the hologram report Shelke had showed them on the subject. He hated thinking about it. Now it became so much more real for him.
"Xehanort and the Chasers traveled the worlds, hunting down Keybladers and relinquishing them of their Keyblades. They left nothing but destruction in their wake. Entire worlds were destroyed in their conquest, and he grew more powerful with each one. Naturally, the Keyblade wielders tried to stop them, though it nearly seemed impossible. Keybladers were falling, one by one. Finally, though, Xehanort and all three Chasers were cornered on the very world at which they had started their mission: the ruins of City of the Ancients, now nothing more than a desert wasteland. Every last Keyblader in universe had gathered on that world to put a final stop to Xehanort and his schemes, swearing they would not rest until he fell. What followed was an epic battle that would decide the fate of all existence. For nearly two days over a thousand Keybladers fought Xehanort and the Chasers, and the death toll was catastrophic. After one day and one night, Xehanort and his servants were defeated. While it seemed they were destroyed, the Keybladers were doubtful that their destruction could be complete, considering all of the power they had absorbed. So, they came up with another option: they sealed them away into another realm so that they would never have to deal with them again. The Keyblade War had ended, and the cost was dear."
Sora stood with his mouth hanging open. What he just learned was the most incredible thing he'd ever heard. "But one thing doesn't make sense," he muttered. "You said that Xehanort and the one I know are the same. How is that possible if he was sealed away?"
"Xehanort would not allow himself to be defeated, apparently. He was determined to complete his task. But his strength had been lost in the battle against the good so he was forced to wait and recover his strength. For hundreds of years he and his Chasers stayed trapped in their ethereal prison, unable to escape, unable to do anything. Finally, the time came when Xehanort had regained enough of his strength. He released it all in an instant, and the force of it was enough for him to break free of his jail. He left the realm and his servants behind him on the way to freedom. But it was not the freedom he expected. He was propelled through time and space to return to the universe he once knew, only for it to blow up in his face. He did indeed return, and where did he land but on Ansem the Wise's doorstep.
"However, the Xehanort Ansem met was not the same as he once was. For one thing, his appearance had drastically changed, possibly into what he could have been if darkness had not corrupted his heart. His escape plan resulted in him using the very last of his energy, so at that point he was virtually powerless. Not only that, but the trip through the realm had affected his memory; he now knew nothing about Keyblades or Keyblade Wars or his three Chasers. He didn't remember anything other than his name. He was completely harmless, and lost. So Ansem, being the kind man that he was, decided to take him in.
"When I first learned of this I was severely troubled. If Xehanort had indeed returned it would mean chaos for us all. His evil far outweighed that of any other. However, when I observed him working as Ansem's top apprentice, powerless and with no knowledge of his previous life, I became more at ease. He didn't seem dangerous at all, he seemed eager to work under the genius of Radiant Garden. I decided to let it pass, thinking maybe this Xehanort could do some good for the universe." He sighed deeply, looking much older than ever. "I was terribly wrong." Sora grimaced. It had been Ansem's assistant Xehanort who had created the Heartless and sent this whole adventure spiraling. It seems that even a Xehanort with no powers and no memories was capable of evil. "I have only myself to blame," Yen Sid uttered sadly.
"Hey, it's not so bad," Sora reassured, not wanting to see the sorcerer depressed. "It's all okay now. Xehanort's gone. Even though his Chasers are back, we'll find a way to beat them, too." Yen Sid did not look at all better, in fact, his frown deepened. "Master Yen Sid?"
"I'm afraid there is another reason I brought you here, Sora," he admitted sorrowfully. "To warn you. The Chasers, Sora. They are trying to restore their master." The boy gasped.
"But, that's impossible! How can they do that?! Xehanort's completely gone!"
"If only that were true," Yen Sid sighed. "Xehanort is not gone. For they already answer to Xehanort now." Yen Sid sighed again. "At least, to his body." Sora's eyes widened in realization.
"Xemnas," Sora whispered aloud. Xehanort had split into Heartless and Nobody the day he created the dark creatures. The Heartless was all but gone, and Sora thought they got rid of his Nobody Xemnas not long ago. "He's alive?! But how!? Riku and I destroyed him!"
"You almost did. If the Chasers hadn't rescued him, you would have." Sora looked at him confused. "When the Keybladers sealed Xehanort and the Chasers away they chose a place where they would be sure they couldn't attempt anything, That place was the Realm of Nothingness." Sora gasped. That was the place where he and Riku fought the final battle against Xemnas. They had been there? "I'm sorry to tell you this, Sora, but when you launched your final attack against Xemnas you also broke the bonds that tied the Chasers to their prison, and set them free."
"I released them?" Sora whispered, suddenly feeling ill at the prospect.
"Do not worry," Yen Sid assured. "You only did what you knew would stop Xemnas. They would have found a way to escape eventually. Once the Chasers were released, they immediately felt the presence of their master and stumbled across the weakened and fading Xemnas. They were able to save him, and start their plans once again." Sora growled. That explained how the Chasers could control Nobodies.
"But how are they gonna restore Xehanort?" Sora asked.
"They already have one half," Yen Sid answered. "All they need is the other. When a person's heart is stolen from them they are split into both Heartless and Nobody, I taught you that. The process can be reversed, however. When a person's Heartless and Nobody are brought together, they can again become whole. I believe you experienced that before." Sora absentmindedly touched his chest, remembering his own blond other half.
"So they need Xehanort's Heartless," he muttered. "But we destroyed that too. Didn't we?" Yen Sid again frowned.
"You did. However, it's presence is still out there. Think back, Sora. Who was it that steeped himself in Xehanort's darkness? Who was it that became a puppet for its own designs? Who was it that took Xehanort's Heartless' very form?" The answers all came to Sora at once, all of them pointing to one name.
"Riku," he whispered in horror. Yen Sid nodded grimly.
"Xehanort's Heartless resides in Riku's heart. It's where he draws on the dark powers to aid him. Ever since it reigned its control over him it has maintained a constant presence. While it has no further control on him it still places him in extreme danger. The Chasers want nothing more than to bring their master back to them. They will hunt Riku down relentlessly not only for his Keyblade. They won't rest until they remove his heart from his chest."
"No. Riku...," Sora said softly. Riku was being held by the Empire - but wait, the future General Darius said that Riku had escaped from them. He could be anywhere now!
"I'm not quite sure yet," Yen Sid said carefully. "But if they were to reunite Xehanort's Heartless and Nobody, the process may restore his memory and all of his powers. He would remember everything. The Keyblades, the Chasers, and his unyielding desire to make everything in the existence his. The universe would be plunged into war once again if that tyrant was reborn." He stood up from his seat and walked to where a table appeared out of thin air, a teapot and cups along with it.
"I'm very sorry, Sora," Yen Sid said as he poured himself a cup of tea, feeling rather parched after his long explanation. "If only I had stopped Xehanort all those years ago. None of this would have ever happened." Sora wasn't really listening. He was still rolling Yen Sid's words around in his head.
"Do you know where Riku is now?" Sora asked.
"I wish I did. No, Riku has gone beyond my sight. But, do not worry," Yen Sid said when he saw Sora's panicked look. "The Chasers have not claimed him yet. If Xehanort had returned, believe me, we would have known about it. Riku is on the run now."
"This is stacking up way too fast," Sora groaned. It was bad enough when he had the Empire, Maleficent and the Horned King to deal with, now the Chasers had brought back Xemnas, probably with a vengeance. "Kairi's in danger of being kidnaped again, and Riku's in danger now, too. Is Xehanort really that powerful?" Yen Sid's grim silence as he poured himself tea was his answer. "Just when I thought things were going okay. What a mess! I need a stunt double or something! Heartless, Empires, Anakin Skywalker, Xemnas, Malefi-" Something shattered to the floor behind him. When Sora looked to the sorcerer he saw that he had become deathly pale. His eyes were wide with some kind of hidden shock and didn't even seem to have noticed he dropped his tea cup.
"Master Yen Sid?"
"How do you know that name?" Yen Sid whispered, though it was clearly a demand.
"Name?" Sora repeated in confusion. "You mean Anakin Skywalker? Yeah, I don't really know who he is. He just appears in my dreams. But, a lot of things have been appearing in my dreams lately. He seems like some kind of hero. A Jedi I think it's called. Master Yen Sid, do you know who he is?" Yen Sid looked like he was trembling, almost like a child who had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar. Sora had never seen the Master like this.
"Sora." Yen Sid turned to face him, that haunted look on his face making Sora uneasy. "I don't know how to tell you this. Anakin Skywalker..." Yen Sid paused, as if contemplating whether he should go on. "He's your father."
Sora heart caught in his throat.
Yen Sid disappeared and so did his tower chamber and Sora found himself hurtling through the space-time continuum once again, left with only Yen Sid's haunting words.
KHKHKHKH
The Disney Castle defenders were now approaching their limit. For nearly one hour they had been fighting off the horde after it broke into the throne room and there were a lot more than they had originally anticipated. When an Omega Heartless was killed a skeleton soldier would take its place and when they killed that one three Omega Heartless would pop up. The Tsviets on the other hand looked like they could go on for hours. Nero's darkness, Rosso's sadistic nature and Azul's brute strength made for a lethal team. They would soon break through and then the killing would start.
"Merlin, isn't there anything you can do?" Queen Minnie asked worriedly. The sounds of fighting had reached the Cornerstone room where Minnie and Daisy hid while Merlin worked frantically to retrieve Sora back from the silver door.
"I'm trying my best, your Majesty!" Merlin answered back, his wand casting spells on the door to bring Sora back but so far nothing yet. "Where could that boy be!? This is the worst possible time for him to be missing! He does this just to annoy me, I swear!"
"They're gonna be here soon!" Daisy shouted from the upward stairs.
"Oh horse boggles!" Merlin snapped impatiently. "Very well then. I'll have to seal the door. We can't let this fall into their hands. Hopefully, Sora will be able to find his way back without it." He raised his wand and pointed it at the door to seal it shut for years to come, when it suddenly began to open. Merlin, Minnie and Daisy gasped as the double doors swung open to the rainbow portal and someone stepped out of it...
"You know, me and my boys, we don't really like good guys either!" Ma Beagle stated nervously, she and her sons backed into a corner by Omega Heartless and skeletons. "You might say we're pitching for the same team here!"
"We're playing basketball?" Baggy asked cluelessly.
"We're not even remotely fond of these guys!" Bouncer added quickly.
"Total opposites of us!" Bigtime whimpered while maintaining a smile.
"I don't want to die!" Babyface whined pathetically.
Kairi fared the best she could against the onslaught but she, like everyone else, was beginning to tire. A shadowy tentacle wrapped around her ankle, tripping her up. She looked up at Nero, his darkness wrapping around her legs, face inscrutable from under his freaky mask.
"You're our prize, princess," Nero drawled tonelessly. "We don't need you getting hurt now, do we? We need you nice and cooperative for the Horned King."
"Like hell! I'm done with the damsel in distress bit!" Kairi shot back. She sliced the tentacle and attacked at Nero, but unfortunately the ravenous Heartless around him were quickly beginning to overwhelm her.
Azul and Beast continued their little clash of the powerhouses not far off from the steps leading down to he Cornerstone room. They were both as strong as oxes, stronger than elephants even, equal in size, pushing themselves to the limit to out do the other. Beast used his Keyblade while Azul used his bare fists; an interesting fight to say the least. Azul dodged and ducked under Beast's powerful weapon, Beast avoided or blocked his hammering punches against his Rumbling Rose, no Heartless or Nobodies dared to get in the way of this battle. The turning point came when Azul slammed his fist down on Beast's skull, then taking advantage of his daze to uppercut him to the floor. Laying on his back Beast struggled to get up with his Keyblade still in his paw, but Azul's boot pinned the Keyblade to the floor, looming over the hairy hero.
"Know this, you fool." Azul slammed his other foot down on Beast's head but Beast stopped it before he was crushed, working with all his might to keep Azul from crushing him. "Nothing stands in the way of the Horned King. You're beaten, you're all beaten. But I'm curious. Tell me, where is Sora? Yes, where is your hero?"
Something large flew out of the Cornerstone room and into the air with a roar of an engine. Azul's eyes shot overhead and Beast took that chance to roll out of the way, just before a white buggy car fell from the sky and flattened the blue giant. Azul screamed when it burned rubber on his face and sped over him, leaving a visible tire track down his body in its wake. It drove a swath through the Omega Heartless and skeletons, sending them flying everywhere, screeching to a halt in the middle of the room. The fighting had all stopped in the throne room, for all were simply gawking at the white car with the red and blue number 53 tattooed on its front and sides, its engine purring and letting out a happy HONK-HONK.
The door to the car opened and someone stepped out of the driver's seat, Keyblade resting over his shoulder and wearing his trademark grin. "Sorry I'm late guys! I got a little sidetracked."
"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed with happiness.
"You're back!" po shouted.
"About time!" sonic yelled.
"I've never been more happy to see spikes on a lad's head," Jack gushed.
"You sure decided to take your sweet precious time," Leon smirked. Sora stepped out of Herbie and looked all around at the army that surrounded him and most of his friends, the Lovebug expressing no more fear than him. Omega Heartless snarled at him like dogs, skeleton soldiers waited patiently.
"I was wondering what was keeping you, darling," Rosso the Crimson cooed. "Does Disney Castle falling not peak your heroism?"
"Perhaps he was merely building dramatic tension," Nero said.
"Is it true, Sora? Were you building dramatic tension?" Adelbert asked.
"No!" Sora snapped.
"It does not matter." Azul stood back up, cleaning himself of the skid mark on his body. "You're too late, boy! Maybe you haven't noticed, but you're completely outnumbered! You and this castle will die, and Horned King will rule. Give it up. You've failed."
Sora smirked.
"I've seen what will happen if I fail." He placed his hand on Herbie's hood. "And I'll never let it happen!" He and his summon suddenly glowed with a golden aura, drawing power from one another, the enemies shying away from the light. They brightened the already bright chamber, and everyone looked on in awe. The light dimmed and they were back to normal. Then, in the blink of an eye, they split up and into battle.
Sora was now much faster than before, moving almost like a blur through the enemy army, destroying them quicker than most people could see. One by one by one Omega Heartless were obliterated, skeletons were knocked to pieces, Sora was simply too strong a force for them to handle. Rosso jumped in to stop him, firing off her weapon but Sora was too fast and avoided all shots to attack her. Rosso was blocking Keyblade blows before she even knew it, coming faster than she had time parry, fueled by the racing spirit of Herbie. Rosso couldn't keep up with him and let one hit her, then another and another before she was knocked away and Sora went off again.
Herbie's metal body landed on top of the dark monsters and crushed many beneath him. He didn't have nor need a driver, it would probably only slow him down. The Lovebug was an unstoppable flurry of a patented style of car kung-fu. His doors swung open and slapped Heartless and skeletons alike, he spun around like a top to rip through their ranks, or he simply just ran them over under his need-for-speed tires.
"You idiots!" Azul yelled at his own forces. "Crush it! Kill it! It's only a car!" Herbie must have heard him, because now he made a straight line for the blue giant, knocking away any enemy in his path. Azul growled and braced himself; he'd deal with this annoyance himself. Herbie plowed into Azul head on and he clamped his strong fingers into the car's sides, his feet leaving scuds in the floor as Herbie pushed him back before he stopped. Azul smirked holding the car in place, its tires screeching behind it, until Herbie's hood sprang open and nailed him painfully in the chin, knocking him flat of his back. The Lovebug made a mocking honking noise and drove off again.
Someone loomed over Azul as he lay on the floor. "I never did like the colour blue," Beast said with a smirk. He grabbed the front of Azul's outfit, lifted him off the ground and swung him round and round. With Azul screaming and swinging at his maximum speed, Beast tossed him with a mighty roar, flying him back into his own army. With that done he summoned his Keyblade and went to give Sora a hand.
Thanks to Sora and Herbie the Horned King's attack was broken. The boy had sent them into a state of confusion, all order gone. His forces were no match against them, no matter how many they numbered. Numbers meant little to Sora right now, he had seen the future and did not like it one bit; his determination to stop it from happening overcame any weakness he might have had. His sudden and dramatic appearance had sparked new found prowess in the other heroes. It was time for them to drive out the Horned King, once and for all.
"YAAAA! Eat lead, suckas!" Barret jeered, unloading hell from his metal arm, blowing his enemies apart. Tifa smashed them to pieces with her fists, her feet, her head at some points, and she was just getting started. Adelbert and his trusty, mouthy sword Lula made a great team as always, though of course they argued through the course of the battle. Aerith currently squared off against Nero, her staff as her weapon, Nero aiming blasts of pure darkness at her. She twirled her staff to dispel each one to harmless wisps, then raised her palm for bright light to glow from it and Nero to scream and shield himself.
"The light!" he hissed backing away. "I can't stand the light!"
Sora and Leon managed to slash through the army so they could reach each other to fight back to back. "So, mind explaining where you went?" Leon asked, blocking a skeletons sword then decapitating it.
"Let's just say I'm glad to see the Gunblade in the right hands," Sora answered, jumping back in the fray to leave a puzzled Leon.
"Let's see, you go there. Now you go there," Jack droned as he used his Keyblade's powers to sweep many Heartless and skeletons into a compact sphere he had made, working the way a conductor of an orchestra would. He now had accumulated a bowling ball of twitching limbs that he kept levitated in the air. "I call it 'Big Ball of Bad Guys'," Jack went on, treating his clump as a piece of art. "It's a depiction of how deep down in each and every one of us there is a patch of darkness that would otherwise turn us evil until it utterly consumed our being to the point where-" Fire engulfed his 'art piece' directed from Mulan's Keyblade and reduced every Heartless and skeleton to cinders. Jack stood there blinking. "Well, that was just rude." Mulan rolled her eyes.
"YEHAAAAAAA!" po cheered, riding on the roof of Herbie like a surfboard. While Herbie rolled around and lashed out like a bull, po kept the Heartless off his back with Keyblade and kicks. A ninja and a living car; who would have thought? "I've got to get me one of these! Mush! Mush!" As Herbie raced for a battalion of skeleton soldiers, they bunched together raised their shields as one forming an effective shield wall. po grinned, whipped his Keyblade ahead. The Keyblade glowed with red energy and streaked for the shield wall to blow it and the soldiers apart. Herbie ran down the remains.
Azul, with growing anger, tried to crush Sora under his powerful punches, not getting many results with the boy being as erratic as a monkey. Azul was big but the boy was fast. Every time Azul missed, which was a lot, Sora delivered a blow to a different part of his body. His head, his chest, his legs, there were no restrictions; Azul was getting quite the beating. Sora hit him in the chest again so he staggered back, glaring at Sora's determined expression. He made for him again when an orange saber struck his hand; he staggered again.
"Tell the Horned King," Shelke said, wielding her dual sabers and pointing them at her former comrade. "I'm through with him as well." Azul ground his teeth. He looked around. His army was being destroyed all around him by the heroes. It was as if Sora's fighting spirit was now flowing through each of them. They were beaten. They had been so close. So close. He took a few steps back and Herbie rammed him in the side to send him flying across to join Rosso and Nero on the other side of the room.
"We're done here," Azul growled reluctantly. "There's nothing more we can do."
"I can't believe this," Rosso hissed. "Beaten by a boy and his buggy. I will never live this down. Nero, get us out of here."
"The master will not be pleased," Nero stated.
"No he won't," Azul hissed ominously. Nero's darkness spread over all three of them like a veil, wrapping around their beings. Then they were gone. The remains of their army also began to vanish. The Omega Heartless melted into the floor to escape and the skeleton soldiers fell apart on the spot. The Disney Castle invasion was over. It had been a hell of a close call.
Sora stood alone looking at the place where they had disappeared. Herbie rolled up beside him. With one last honk, he turned into light that landed in Sora's hand, solidifying into the summoning charm with the number 53. Sora pocketed it as everyone crowded around him, no one breaking the silence. Seconds ago the chamber had been filled with fighting, now not a sound.
"Guys," Sora finally said. He turned his head to look at them with a big smile on his face. "Have I got some things to tell you."
"So..." Everyone turned to the back of the room. Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys were still tied up, Ma being the one who just spoke. "Do we still have to go to jail?" She and her sons smiled hopefully. Everyone glowered at them and Ma's face drooped. "Yeah, that's what I thought..."
Elsewhere, the Horned King roared in anger.
KHKHKHKH
Elsewhere too the old version of sora arrived at the future version and sees the destruction and carnage that his past self made. He was too late to meet him and explain what's been going on.
He was running out of time.
"he's down to his final visions of his dreams. There's no turning back." He whispered. "Master yen sid you shouldn't have told him."
He looks upward at the black sky and said.
"May your heart be your guiding key my past self. i'll do my best to reach you but beware of those visions. It won't solve anything. Not even for me."
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews, adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt, turn it into a webcomic or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!