"Ah, there it is! The Starbright Carnival, about to open up and go into full swing!"

"...er, Ms. Gothel? I believe it's actually the Starlight Festival."

"Whatever, Pascal."

The bodyguard heaved out a low sigh at the dismissal, but she hardly noticed as she continued to smile smugly at what she saw. There, just across the way, with all its vibrant festive colors all but shining like a beacon in the bright morning sunlight, stood the entrance to the Starlight Festival. Many upon many blocks of the city had been closed off from cars and other such vehicles as it had all been taken completely over by the event. The entryway was currently roped off, but that flimsy barricade was mere moments away from being moved aside to let in the crowd that was already forming. Beyond the quickly growing mass of fairgoers, the tops of large whimsically decorated tents could be seen, along with purple and gold flags and banners flapping merrily in the wind, beckoning to all who walked by.

Jakob cleared his throat uncertainly. "'Scuse me, Ma'am, but… why are we here? With you trying to track down your kid n' all still, would think taking a break to play a few fair games would be the last thing you'd want to do…"

Ms. Gothel hummed a tiny chuckle, casting a pleased little look out of the corner of her eyes towards him. "Because if I know my daughter - and trust me, I do, I know that silly reckless girl better than she knows herself - she's there, somewhere, amidst all of that…" she waved a lazy hand in the direction of the festival, cringing slightly with a roll of her eyes, "...ugh, revelry. All we have to do now is simply find her."

She'd honestly been hoping it wouldn't come to this. Ideally, she would have been able to locate Rapunzel last night and had her back home safe and sound before any volunteers had so much as pitched up the first carnival tent. Even with that magical hair of hers that should stick out like a sore thumb, trying to locate that headstrong unruly child in a several block radius amongst thousands, if not tens of thousands of merrymakers was going to be difficult. And trying to make her leave now that she'd gotten a taste of the outside world? Now that was going to be a nightmare.

But one step at a time. First, they had to actually find her.

The entrance must have just opened up at long last, for yellow and purple balloons were suddenly released to drift skyward as the crowd let up a cheer and started to file in. "Let's go," Ms. Gothel said as she moved to join the press of people entering the festival, the boys not too far behind her.

The place was already packed and as she pushed her way through the throngs of people, she noticed the festivities stretching out in both directions to her left and right. She frowned, glancing either way as she took a moment to consider her options. Then, "We'll split up, hopefully increasing our odds that one of us will spot her sooner. Pascal, you go that way. Call me the second you lay eyes on her. You," she pointed at Jakob, "With me. Now get a move on."

Jakob hesitated, eyes flicking towards Pascal, but the big bodyguard had already been swallowed whole by the crowd. He grimaced and began to take a step to follow Ms. Gothel, then stopped himself. Hands balling into fists at his side, he called out after her, "You don't need me anymore, right? Why are you still making me go with you?"

She froze, one eye twitching. She had been anticipating him asking this, but she'd been hoping he wouldn't be able to muster the courage to actually bring it up for a while yet. Certainly not immediately after she'd sent Pascal away. Without him around to keep the little hoodlum in line, this was going to be a bit more of a challenge.

But not impossible.

Really, she was just keeping him around at this point because the added muscle didn't hurt. Rapunzel wouldn't let herself be easily re-captured, but Pascal should have no trouble handling her if need be. Ms. Gothel on the other hand would probably be in for a bit of a struggle if she tried to wrangle her daughter by herself. That's where Jakob came in. Out loud however, she cooed all sugary-sweet as she turned to face him with a plastered-on smile, "You want revenge on that nasty Flynn Rider, don't you? Or what about your brother, how do you ever expect to find him again on your own? Help me now, and I'll be only too happy to help you later. How's that sound, hm?"

At first, Jakob didn't respond, just glared at her with eyes narrowed skeptically. But then he puffed out a tired breath and his whole body relaxed as he released his fists. She was right. He was in a strange city with no munny and no real clue where he was or where to even begin searching for his brother. He didn't know what else to do.

As Ms. Gothel turned to start walking again, he reluctantly followed after her, feet dragging the whole way.

"Ahh! Ahh! It must have just started, look at all those balloons that just flew off!" Rapunzel squealed happily.

Sora used a hand to shield his eyes against the sun, squinting from their balcony perch as he took in the festival far below. Then he gasped, "I think I see a juggler!"

"Oh my gawd, where?!" She gripped his shoulder, shaking him and he pointed. "...Ah! I see her, I see her! And is that a magician next to her?!"

"Mm-hm, and look! A bouncy castle right behind 'em!"

"There's a petting zoo too! And pony rides!"

"Easy there, ya couple o' dorks, you're about to fall off,'' Axel snagged them both by the scruffs of their clothing and pulled them back, as in their growing excitement with each new discovery, they'd both been leaning further and further out over the handrail to point things out, coming closer and closer to teetering over. However as soon as he'd dragged them back several steps and released his grip, they just went right back to their precarious balancing acts against the railing as they continued eagerly calling out attractions. Axel threw his hands up in defeat and turned away to walk back into the penthouse. "Fine then, ya wanna become a couple of flapjacks on the asphalt fifty stories below, no skin off my nose."

Ignoring him completely, Rapunzel shoulder bumped Sora and jabbed her finger out once more, "Over there! A bubble station!"

"Oo, those are so fun! And, hey! There's also a clown!"

She bounced on the balls of her feet, clapping in delight, "Yay, a clown!"

"Really? You like clowns?" Elsa rose her voice to be heard through the balcony doorway, wrinkling her nose from her seat at the foot of one of the beds. Noticing her braid seemed a bit frazzled from sleeping with it in, she started to pull it free so she could redo it as she shrugged, "They always kind of freaked me out a bit."

Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder towards the other girl, frowning thoughtfully for a moment. "...you know what? I actually have no idea if I like clowns or not." Her face immediately lit up once more, "Guess I'll find out today!" But then her eyelids drooped and she came stomping back inside, yelling, "That is if freaking somebody weren't taking for-freaking-ever primping in the freaking bathroom!"

"Flynn, buddy, pal, ya better get a move on, the natives are getting restless," Axel snickered as he rapped a knuckle against the restroom door. The only reply from the other side came in the form of chipper whistling and the muffled hum of a blowdryer.

"Ugh, hurry up, the festival is already going and we're missing it!" Rapunzel whined, slamming both her hands repeatedly against the bathroom door before moving to press her back against the wall beside it, crossing her arms and releasing an impatient, petulant little huff.

At long last, they heard the blowdryer click off, the door unlocked and out stepped a rather self-satisfied looking Flynn in all his groomed and preened glory. "Relax, Blondie," he smirked as he ran some fingers through his now flawlessly coiffed hair, "you think this kind of perfection just happens on its own?"

Before she could respond, Axel was suddenly in front of him, rubbing his own chin as he scrutinized Flynn with narrowed eyes. Then he sighed and shook his head, "Nope. Still ugly."

Flynn looked horrified. "What?! Why?" Both his hands flew up to grasp at his cheeks, his nose, his scalp. "Is it my face? My hair? What's wrong with-"

"Nothing, you look fine, ignore him!" Rapunzel snagged one of his hands in both of hers, stopping him before he could dart back into the bathroom for damage control. She started dragging him towards the other door that would lead out into the hall, "Can we please just go already?"

"Absolutely, we can get this ball rolling, just…" Flynn glanced back towards the restroom door, stumbling as he was still towed along. "...gimme five more minutes in the bathroom! Then I promise we'll be out of here faster than you can say cotton candy!"

"We could always head over without him and have him just catch up with us when he's ready," Elsa suggested as she finished finger combing her hair before beginning to weave it back into its braid. Axel had taken the seat beside her, watching her hands work with seemingly idle fascination.

Even as Flynn began to nod rapidly at the proposed plan, Rapunzel stubbornly said, "No! Flynn's my guide, we were supposed to do this together! I'm not leaving without him."

Flynn couldn't help the tiny upward tug he felt at the corner of his lips. Was that a bit of the warm fuzzies he was feeling? Nah, must've just been all that vending machine junk food Sora had made them all eat for dinner last night, not to mention breakfast this morning too. Whatever it was, Flynn dug his heels in, stopping them both with a chuckle. "Alright, Blondie, alright, we can all go together… as soon as you figure out what to do with that," he gestured towards the trail of never-ending golden tresses she was leaving in her wake.

"My hair?" she furrowed her brow, looking from it back up to him. "Why do I need to do anything with it, what's wrong with it?"

Oh nothing, except for the fact that it was like a giant flashing neon sign declaring, 'Hey! Looking for that infamous master thief who stole the crown? Well, here he is, served up on a silver platter!' to every cop in the city, not to mention Detective Trench Coat from the night before.

But instead, what Flynn said was, "Well, it's a, um… tripping hazard, don't you think? Not to mention festivals like this are always super crowded with both people and booths, you don't want it constantly getting snagged and stepped on, do you?"

"I guess you're right," Blondie conceded, pursing her lips to one side as she plucked at a few strands thoughtfully before shrugging. "But what exactly can I do about it?"

"Maybe something like that?" Sora chimed in, pointing at Elsa. More specifically, at her braid that she'd just finished tying off. There was a pause as everyone glanced from it to the yards of Blondie's hair strewn all about the room. Then everyone perked up into smiles.

Ten minutes later found the group exiting the elevator into the lobby of their hotel. Not being weighted down by her ginormous backpack which had been left behind in the penthouse for safe keeping, Blondie led the way in a delighted skip as she sported a brand new braid of her own. The thing was hellishly intricate and massively thick, but they'd all somehow managed to work it so it didn't end up being all that long, the tuft at the end just barely brushing the floor behind her as she went. She waved and called out a cheerful thanks and goodbye to the doorman as he opened the door out onto the sidewalk for her and the rest of the gang.

As they started heading in the direction of the festival, Flynn plucked a blossom from one of the hotel's flower bushes decorating its entrance and tucked it behind Blondie's ear with a playful little wink. She giggled, "Thanks, Eu- I mean, Flynn. That's very-"

"Here's more!" Sora interjected excitedly, apparently having wasted no time in plucking the hotel's hedges clean of every last flower and now carrying practically a whole garden in his hands. He immediately went to work decorating the full length of her braid with it all.

As Flynn rolled his eyes, Blondie laughed again, "Thanks Sora." Unconsciously her hand went to the one Flynn had put behind her ear and, cheeks heating slightly, she bit back a grin before pressing onward to their destination.

It didn't end up being far - just around the corner, across the street, and there it was. The Starlight Festival. The moment she laid eyes on it, it took Blondie's breath away as she gaped and her step faltered. Then she turned to the others, practically vibrating with glee as she exaggeratedly mouthed the word 'wow' to them before running off ahead.

It was like a rainbow had exploded, covering every last inch around them in color. Flowers of all shapes and shades were everywhere, decorating booths and tents, covering walls of the surrounding buildings, and strung up in hundreds of garlands zig-zagging back and forth overhead. Where there wasn't flora, there were instead banners and flags all sporting a bright yellow sun artistically weaved into a rich purple background. And people, so many people. They were everywhere, walking around the festival, operating game booths, selling baked goods or clothing or jewelry, laughing and apparently having a blast. You'd almost never even know the city had apparently been under assault from strange shadow creatures the night before. It seemed the citizens of Corona were determined to not let a little thing like nightmares given physical form ruin their day of fun.

Oh, and there was one more thing that could be spotted practically everywhere you looked.

That thing being?

"Yeesh, the showrunners here certainly gotta fetish for lanterns, huh?" Axel commented as he along with everyone else took in their surroundings. And sure enough, the place was practically lantern-palooza. There had to be more of the things scattered about than flowers, banners, and flags all put together. All made of paper, some sporting that same sun symbol, some not, some various vibrant colors, most of them pure white.

Nodding her head rapidly and smiling so big that her face threatened to split in two, Blondie said, "Mm-hm! It's the highlight of the whole festival! After the sun sets, they light them all up and release them to float away into the night sky. I've only ever seen it from the condo which is pretty far away so I could barely make it out, but I've dreamed of what it'd be like to be in the middle of it all and see it up close! It must be gorgeous and-"

"Oh awesome, there's face painting!" Sora suddenly called out.

Blondie gasped, "Really?! Where?!"

Sora waved for her to follow him and the two ran off with whoops of delight.

"Hey wait, we're not here to goof around!" Flynn shouted after them. "Aren't we supposed to be looking for that keyhole-whatchamacallit to lock it… or unlock it... or, uh…" he frowned, scratching his head as he turned to Elsa and Axel. "Ya know, to be perfectly blunt, I still don't really understand what it is you kids do exactly. Most of that stuff explained last night went whoosh, right over my head. All I know is, whole city going up in smokes if we don't find this thing pronto? Not exactly sounding like a picnic."

Axel batted a dismissive hand through the air, "Hey, don't worry about it, you don't really need to understand. And it's fine, let them have a lil fun. The Waypoint Keyhole will show itself to us when it's supposed to."

"Or so Sora keeps saying," Elsa sighed, crossing her arms. From the sound of it, she wasn't particularly convinced herself.

"Still," Axel struck up a finger, "doesn't hurt to knock out exploring as much as we can early on. So how 'bout we all split up and cover more ground?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "Snowflake and I can scout out that direction, while you n' the kiddos keep checking out straight ahead."

Flynn's eyelids drooped. "Great, so I get stuck with babysitting while you two go on a little date, huh?"

Eyes widening and blushing slightly, Elsa shook her head frantically and held up her hands, "Woah now, who said anything about a d-"

"Don't be bellyaching just cuz you're jelly," Axel snickered at him before shrugging. "You gotta better idea?"

With a tiny harrumph, Flynn grumbled, "Why doesn't the kid go with you two and Blondie and I can be our own team?"

Axel flicked him in the forehead, "Think, bozo, or is the only thing that noggin' of yours is good for is growing a pretty head of hair? It's basic math - equal distribution of power. Sure, Punzie's good in a fight, but all she can really do is capture and detain. You? Pfft, you're useless, ya muggle. If you two get attacked by Heartless or Nobodies, golden boy can actually kill those lil punks with that giant magical can-opener of his. And Snowflake and I make sense on a team together, we got our ice and fire to back us up. 'Sides,'' he gestured over towards the face painting tent, "the ball o' sunshine twins are practically joined at the hip. Do you wanna be the one to separate them?"

Rubbing his sore brow with a mildly sour expression, Flynn looked in the direction Axel had indicated. There Blondie and Sora were, seated next to each other, exchanging looks and giggling in unadulterated joy as a couple of fair workers brushed paint across their cheeks and foreheads. Shoulders slumping and blowing out a tiny huff through his nose, Flynn conceded, "Fine, Keyboy Wonder can stick with us."

"Perfecto!" Axel chirped, before cupping a hand to his mouth and yelling, "Yo, kiddos!"

Both Sora and Blondie glanced over their shoulders towards him.

"Snowflake n' I are gonna split to check out more of the festival and get a lay of the land! You guys do the same in this area, yeah? Call or text if any strange hoodoo happens, otherwise let's all meet up back here in this spot at sundown!"

The two of them gave their reply simply by waving and turning back around in their seats to let the painters complete the works of art on their faces.

With that, Axel pivoted and bent into a tiny bow towards Elsa, sweeping a hand out before them, "Ladies first."

Shaking her head, she cast Flynn one final look. "We mean it. Text Axel if you're in trouble or need anything." Then she turned and headed off. Axel shot Flynn a two finger salute before following after her, catching up in a couple strides to walk beside her. Within seconds, they'd disappeared into the crowd.

"Well?" Blondie's voice piped up from behind him. "How do we look?"

He turned to find them both standing before him now, proudly showing off their "masterpieces." Blondie had had one cheek painted purple with a golden sun emblazoned in the middle, the very same symbol that was practically everywhere you looked here. As for Sora, he'd gone all out and had his features transformed to look like a lion's face, complete with drawn on whiskers. His naturally spiky hair even looked kind of like a lion's mane.

Still a tad grumpy over the way the teams had been divided, the best Flynn could manage was a flat, "Yes, yes, very vice."

Sora blinked. Then he looked to Blondie with a small shrug and shake of his head, "What's his problem?"

Humming a tiny laugh, she said, "Aw, he's just feeling left out." She stepped closer to Flynn, holding up one hand to reveal a couple globs of paint in her palm she'd apparently snagged from the face painting tent. Dabbing her fingertip in the black one first, she drew a happy face on Flynn's left cheek before switching to the red to decorate his right cheek with a little heart. "There," she beamed up at him, "now you're just like us!"

Crud. It was hard to stay in a rotten mood when presented with an adorable face like that.

Chuckling, he ruffled her hair, "Thanks, Blondie. Alright, you two, where to next?"

She took in a breath, preparing to say something, but then stopped. Her head turned, ear perking up at some sound it seemed. Then with a sharp intake of breath, she smiled big and bolted off. Not wanting to lose her in the crowd, Sora and Flynn had little choice but to quickly run after her. It wasn't long before they too could hear what had gotten her so excited.

Music.

When they'd caught up to her, she'd stop at the edge of a giant public square that seemed to be the only place at the festival so far that wasn't shoulder-to-shoulder people. Off in one corner of the plaza was what looked to be some sort of celtic band playing upbeat folk tunes. Blondie was enthralled, slightly swaying where she stood in time with the rhythm.

"It sounds so pretty!" she breathed, before the corners of her lips turned down as she glanced around. "...why is no one dancing?"

Flynn snerked, "Should they be?"

"There's music! In TV and movies, people always dance when there's music," she pressed.

"What, you mean like in musicals? Sorry, Blondie, but real life isn't like the movies."

Not ready to back down just yet, she argued, "But last night there was music and people were dancing then!"

He laughed, "That's because we were in a nightclub, that's why people go there. People don't go to a street fair to dance, they go to pet sheep and to eat their weight in candied apples."

Something flashed in her eyes and she lifted her chin a fraction. "Well I know at least one person who came to dance."

With a snort, Flynn glanced around to the rest of the people. AKA the rest of the not dancing people. "Oh yeah? Who?" When he heard no response, he gave another snort. "What's wrong, cat got your-" he turned his head to her. Or rather, where she had been. "Huh? Where'd she go?"

Grinning, Sora gently elbowed him in the arm before pointing out straight ahead into the open plaza. There Blondie went, skipping and twirling in time with the music, her giant braid whipping merrily about and her smile bright enough to light up the sun itself. A second later, Sora went prancing after her, dancing up a storm himself. It wasn't long before they were joined by a giggling child that couldn't have been more than five. The surrounding crowd was starting to pay attention it seemed as there was a smattering of chortles all around and some started to clap along with the music as the three impromptu dancers joined hands in a circle and started to spin together.

Seemingly encouraged by the newfound attention, the band was getting more lively and spirited. Soon, Blondie broke free and started pulling more people from the growing number of onlookers into the dance. Her enthusiasm was infectious and made it impossible for anyone to resist. Following her lead, Sora began drawing more people in too. Soon the square - empty just moments ago - was now all but bursting with people as they all laughed and moved together in a big intricate jig. And at the center of it all was Blondie, having the time of her life.

Flynn watched from the sidelines in awe before shaking his head with a soft chuckle.

She really was something else.

Their eyes met abruptly across the sea of fairgoers. He wouldn't have thought it possible, but Blondie's grin grew even bigger. Then she nodded to him, gesturing for him to join in the dance too. He laughed, holding his hands up and taking a step back as he called out over the clamor, "No, no, no, sorry, Blondie, I don't dance! I-"

Sora was suddenly behind him, shoving him in. Flynn scowled back at the kid who just gave a sorry-not-sorry kind of shrug as he went back to boogying himself. Before Flynn could make his escape, a random woman had hooked his elbow and swept him along into the dance with the others. Blondie clapped and smothered a laugh into her hands before getting lost in the music once more. Flynn rolled his eyes, but couldn't help a tiny smile.

Fine then. If it would make her happy, he supposed he could dance. Just this once though.

People started pairing off for bouncy spins and whirls about the plaza. Sora got the five-year-old, while Flynn and Blondie each just ended up with the dancers that were closest at hand. Every few beats, partners would trade off and Flynn realized he and Blondie were getting closer and closer to one another. Soon she came twirling into his arms and she stared up the few inches that separated them. She was giggling and out of breath, her green eyes sparkling and her face flush from exertion. She looked absolutely b-

"Oh my god, Punzie, there's a cupcake eating contest!"

Sora's sudden exclamation startled them apart. For the first time, Flynn realized the music had stopped and so had all the dancers who were now just applauding the band as they took a breather. Blondie cleared her throat, awkwardly tucking a stray strand that'd gotten free of her braid behind her ear as she slowly registered Sora's words. "C-cupcake eating…?" Then it seemed to click and she gasped. "Where?! I can eat so many cupcakes, you have no idea!"

He motioned for her to follow, "This way, I saw a big sign for it!"

"Hold it!" Flynn barked and they froze, both glancing back towards him. He gave them a dry look. "Aren't we supposed to be looking around? Searching for something like say, oh, I dunno… some big, mystical keyhole?"

Blondie and Sora exchanged looks. Then Blondie smirked, "The Waypoint Keyhole could be anywhere, right? Like, say… even inside a cupcake?"

Sora grinned and nodded, "It's a distinct possibility! We won't know until we thoroughly inspect all of them. And by inspect, I mean eat."

She squared her shoulder, pounding the side of her fist into the open palm of her other hand. "It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it!" Snickering together, the two of them ran off.

Eyelids drooping, Flynn heaved a sigh through his nostrils before hurrying after them.

After all, someone had to be the adult here. Someone had to keep an eye out for this keyhole-thingie while those two goobs stuffed their faces with cupcakes.

...not to mention someone had to be the one to root them on.

"...I don't like it."

But that's the beauty of the plan, sweet child. You don't have to like it, you just have to do it.

The person in Riku's hoodie scoffed. "I don't have to do anything." They momentarily fell into a brooding silence as they looked out from where they stood in the shadows between two tall brick buildings, watching the crowd mill about the festival. Then, "...it feels wrong."

The silken voice in their head gave a low throaty chuckle. But who's to say what's right and wrong, I mean really?

"I am, especially when I'm the one you're trying to force into it," they spat back, crossing their arms. "The answer is no. I won't do it. Find someone else to do your dirty work."

How very noble, came the voice's wry reply and the person in Riku's hoodie could sense an underlying annoyance as its patience seemed to be wearing thin. However, the voice maintained its composure and simply purred, I wonder where all this virtue was when you… persuaded your new companion here to join our cause.

They stiffened, then glanced back over their shoulder behind them. "Him? That's different. I… It's not like I… hurt him. I'm just borrowing him temporarily," they argued in their own defense, but it sounded weak even to their own ears. They shook their head, "Besides, he seemed kind of like a jerk anyhow. But what you want me to do that girl, it… it just feels… wrong."

So you won't do it then?

They made no further comment, giving only silence as their stubborn refusal.

...not even to help save your little friend?

A gasp escaped from them unbidden. "Riku?" Their eyes shifted about in uncertainty within the dark confines of their hood. "...how? How would this possibly help him?"

Unfortunately there's not enough time to explain it to you now. Just know every second wasted has your friend slipping further and further out of your grasp. Soon there will be no saving him. Not unless you do as you're told, child, it said now with a cold superiority, dropping all honeyed-sweetness that normally colored its tone.

They frowned, hugging themselves as their stomach churned unpleasantly with indecision. Then they hung their head. "...you promise you won't hurt her?"

They could all but feel the voice smiling now. They always could. It was a sensation that made their skin crawl. Darling child, she will be as safe as a newborn babe in my gentle, loving hands.

Somehow, that wasn't exactly reassuring.

But it would have to be good enough.

Best to start looking now. The Starlight Festival was huge, after all. With luck, maybe they wouldn't even find her. And if they did…

...well if they did, they just hoped Sora would forgive them.

They shot another look behind them and said, "Let's go." With that, they stepped out into the sunlight. Not too far behind them, a second figure emerged from the shadows.

Josef.

His movements were rigid and unnatural, his eyes dull and devoid of life.

He lumbered stiffly along behind the person in Riku's hoodie and the two of them slipped into the flow of the festival crowd to begin their search.

Author's Note: We've finally made it! We're here! At (da-dun-da-dun)... the Starlight Festival! A lot about to go down, believe you me xD But first, just some fun, fluff, shenanigans, and good times all around xP Sora and Punzie are always a treat to write together, they really are the ball o' sunshine twins x'D And the person in Riku's hoodie finally makes another (albeit brief) appearance with with a seemingly ensorceled Josef in tow. What are those two troublemakers about to do? We'll find out soon!

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