In which Sora finds himself in Prankster's Paradise.
It was in the in-between, the moments of quiet, of seeing nothing that Sora felt it strongly; the warmth of a kind voice, one that meant more than usual considering he was on his own again. Even as the light from the newly-awakened Keyhole engulfed him, something else had too, something his mind and heart almost always considered foreign, unwelcome, and thusly pushed away with all his strength whenever he could manage. But it was as those thoughts shrouded over his mind that another voice had chimed in, a voice he didn't know, yet couldn't help but believe he could trust in regardless.
Her accent was like something straight out of the old west, where old dusty saloons were like castles and sheriffs and outlaws reigned supreme over the lawless stretches of desert, and it had honestly caught him kinda off-guard at first, were he to be honest. Not in a bad way, just...he hadn't been expecting it. Maybe it was because it was so different to the ones he was used to, like Riku or Kairi, and it wasn't anything really like Nemurin's voice either; if anything, it was the opposite, hers a laid-back, whispery tone, the other's voice possessing the potential untapped energy of a spitfire. Yet, while his body had been somewhere else, and his mind someplace else along with it, that voice had spoken to him, and though he didn't know how she knew, the lady seemed to know what to say to him, or she seemed to get an idea of the thoughts he wanted to tell himself.
"Trust yourself, just as you would trust your friends, you got it?~" its surprisingly reassuring timbre advised as if the two were making a sworn oath.
"Whoever you are...thanks a lot," he had thought.
Then, with a small gasp of air, Sora's eyelids lifted to reveal a peaceful array of colours, all slowly easing their way into his senses; a start separate from the liveliness of the Festival of Fools and the monochromatic set-up of the Grid's technological cities. Just a small way off from him, he could hear the gentle runs of the sea, the tide lapping in and out against the raised stone on which he stood. Looking around at it all, Sora figured it was a dock of some kind, noticing the wooden boats secured with rope along the walkways. About ten metres or so from him stood long wooden gates, obscuring what was inside, though from what he could see, it sure was bright! Bouncing lights seemed to reach out from behind the long walls, and a chorus of loud, excitable and vibrant cheers seemed to trumpet their way through to the otherwise quiet port.
Standing upright, his head tilted slowly up, before shaking back and forth slightly, as if regaining himself again, only for his gaze to land upon the familiar faces of his Dream Eaters. Morgana had been nuzzling at his lowered left hand, only to freeze like a criminal caught in a bank's safe once she noticed Sora looking directly at her, but she didn't necessarily stop either, and at his right, Sheppy remained nestled on the ground, looking rather lonely. Anyone looking at him, as Sora did now, would likely even say he brought to mind the image of a dog at a front door, waiting for the return of his owner. At that, Sora felt a sad smile slowly appear on his face as he looked at the pair of them, and he knelt down to meet their eyes.
"Thanks, Morgana," he said, gratefully, rustling the top of Morgana's head a little. Instinctively, the cat-like Spirit hissed and barked a little, but soon seemed to accept them with a grumble, and only began to grow more pleased when he scratched behind her ears, something that prompted a small laugh from the boy. "You two are a big help!" he added, putting his other hand on Sheppy's head.
Almost shyly, the timorous Dream Eater looked up at him, his large ears lowered slightly, as though to hide his face. His little eyes had looked left and right as they first emerged, and then lost the wind in his sails as he remembered the one who wasn't with them now. Sora couldn't say he blamed him — after all, Sheppy had been with Nemurin even before he'd met her there in Traverse Town, and it was Nemurin who always seemed to have been attuned to him ever since.
Looking to Sheppy now, whose face slowly seemed to lighten up, Sora continued, "Don't worry, Sheppy. Nemu will be back soon...I know she will," he assured, remembering the words the unknown voice had said to him in turn. "And until then, I'll look after you, okay?"
With a small but somewhat more cheerful bleat, Sheppy gave a single determined nod, and Sora beamed a little. "Great!" he said, looking towards the shut set of gates. "Hey, why don't we check this place out?" he added, gesturing his head slightly towards it for emphasis.
Just as the boy and the two Dream Eaters had begun to take their first steps towards the towering wooden gates, however, they were soon forced into a backwards stumble as another two figures came tumbling out of it, running for what looked to be dear life, one mewling and screeching like a cat and the other quickly sprinting along, a wooden walking stick clacking against the stone walkway, his feline companion bundled up at his shoulders. Sora's eyes widened as he gasped in slight surprise as they suddenly darted past them like arrows slung from a bow. The figures, now that he could have a proper look at them, actually reminded him a little bit of Donald and Goofy; at least in the sense of being anthropomorphic animals, one a tall, bright red fox clad in a patchy dull green suit and top hat, and the other a cat with a rather dull expression splat across his face, even as the fox was dragging him as far from the gates as possible.
"Move it, Giddy! That deal may have been worth a lot, but certainly not that much!" the fox practically shrieked, eyes flicking between the various boats on offer.
"Hold on!" Sora protested, waving an arm to grab their attention. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"The matter?" the fox repeated, as if he were the dull one. "The matter is those monsters in there!" he answered. "Absolutely terrible things they are!"
What Sora didn't catch though, was the figure also whispering to his companion, "Did one of the stupid boys fall asleep on the boat?"
"Nightmares!" Sora responded with immediate recognition, his Keyblade appearing once more in his hand. "Don't worry! We'll take care of it!"
With that, the spiky-haired boy rushed inside, past the wooden gates and into what would be any kid's paradise — an eternal carnival, aglow with lights and activity, boys running in and out of them from one to next in a frenzy of wild energy, and with a flood of colours at every corner, practically like a rainbow. Truthfully, Sora would have loved to stop and admire it, but he had to look for those Nightmares first — and found them he did, targeting an old man, no less! It wasn't hard to miss, the old man's distinctive scarlet coat and black top hat, terrorised by a circular circus of one, two, five Nightmares, all resembling jesters or puppets, sticking their tongues out back and forth as if taunting him.
Opening the fight with a blast of magic, a collection of coloured balloons shot out from the tip of his Keyblade, bouncing and rolling until they reached the closest Nightmare. And for a moment, the balloons simply sat, prompting one of them to try their luck, edging towards it; suddenly, its tongue tore from its mouth and sucked them all in like a drink through a straw — a mistake on its part. Namely because as soon as the jester-Nightmare closed its mouth, the balloon popped with fire inside of its jaw, sending it tumbling up into the air. Darting forward, Sora swung his Keyblade hard into its back, the strike a tough one as it evaporated.
The man in the red coat slowly looked around him in the few seconds that Sora's arrival allowed, the boy calling out assuredly, "Go! I can handle it!"
"Well, if you say so, m'boy...!" the man agreed, and with that, scampered off back towards the comparative safety of the gate.
As soon as their brief exchange had concluded, however, Sora felt a violent tug at his Keyblade, and his ears caught a distinctly unpleasant noise, that of smacking lips. One of the jesters in front of him was trying to use its tongue to wrench his blade out of his hands! The jester Dream Eater let out an irritating laugh, an odd high-pitched chortle, as it attempted to pull the boy in, his footsteps now clumsily trying to remain steady and in place, distracting him for the moment as a second leapt up behind him, mouth open wide.
Before it could make any impact though, it was sent scrambling against the hard stone ground, as Morgana rammed her round yet sturdy form against it, sniffing and mewing with disdain as she did so. Sora's eyes flicked behind him, catching sight of a light post as an idea came to life in his head; without another moment, he kept his hold on the Keyblade firm, taking it with both hands as he dragged it swiftly over to the light, his teeth gritting as he carefully loosened it.
Just ever so slightly.
Just enough for the jester to try and vault him over.
Once the puppet Nightmare did so, however, Sora rolled behind the light post, before sprinting forward and with one forceful yank, the jester was catapulted off the ground and with a hard thwang, smacked headfirst against the unforgiving pole, dazing it as it defeatedly pulled its tongue away, releasing the edge of Sora's weapon before disappearing into a mass of black and violet sparks.
Sheppy tapped his tiny hooves against the ground, once, twice, and then tore into a sprint, his head first and his eyes shut as he braced for collision with the third of the jesters, with both being sent sprawling across the checkered tiles of the funfair floor, dust kicking up into the air from the sudden clash. Coughing slightly as it filled his chest, Sora's mind took a single second to count the Dream Eaters remaining — three down, two to go, one the same size as the others and one fairly larger, presumably their 'leader' so to speak.
Just before another of the puppet Nightmares could try the same trick as its ally, Sora called out, "FIRE!", a blazing ball soaring through the air in tandem with his call. The puppet Nightmare's tongue flared backwards, prompting it to hiss a little, but as Sora turned his blade to block a Dream Eater attempting to tackle him with a single leap, forced back by the stern metal of his weapon, he didn't catch sight of the Nightmare sucking up the flame like someone sucked up oxygen, only spotting the warning spark of orange and gold at the corner of his eye until it made contact with his chest.
Crying out instinctively at the searing burns, thankfully blocked out mostly by the protective clothing he wore, even if the inner joints of his arms were going a little itchy red now, the boy was sent hurdling to the ground with an uncomfortable thump, the third of the jesters quickly taking advantage of the opening. The blue-eyed combatant lifted his Keyblade instinctively, ready to slice the Nightmare down, but he was beaten to the punch by Morgana who had quickly caught onto the incoming attacker and flung herself into her bouncing attack, springing up and down from the ground and with a small shockwave, straight across the Nightmare, knocking it flat, leaving only dark particles in its place.
"Heh, thanks Morgana," Sora grinned quickly, before rising back to his feet again.
His eyes now fell on Sheppy who had gone after the Nightmare who'd previously deflected his fire attack, the biggest of them all, and was now (literally) butting heads with it, and just as Sheppy was about to use his head to ram into him, the jester's tongue lashed around him, practically tying him up. The sheep spirit bleated out, prompting Sora to bullet his way over, and with a quick slice, he had torn through the surface of the Dream Eater's tongue, followed by a loud shriek as it flailed its arms, staggering with small steps backwards. Just as Sora was about to land the finishing blow though, the jester released an ear-splitting screech of rage, and its appearance shifted, revealing a pair of teeth as sharp as knives and as numerous as a full audience of people.
It lunged forward for the boy's arm, forcing him to roll back in order to avoid its ripping bite, and then again twice more as it pounced for him. Not even having a second to catch his breath, Sora felt that tug again, but this time not at the end of his blade but at the front of his throat. Before he could even pull himself backwards again, the sickeningly damp thing tied at his neck, yanking a ragged breath out of him as he fought both the creature and for breath. Thinking fast, he temporarily allowed it to pull him towards it, and once close enough, slammed his leg into its side before taking his Keyblade and chopping straight into its head, just as he was beginning to feel his face go blue and his vision start to dim. Its tongue recoiled and returned to its mouth, and the final puppet disappeared in a puff of shadows.
At last, Sora could take a breath, and a deep one he did. "Phew..." he muttered to himself, as Sheppy and Morgana trod up to his side. Allowing a smile to return to his face, he said, gratefully, "Thanks, guys."
Before he could think or even say anything else though, a legion of crowing cheers filled the air all around him, and it was at this moment that Sora realised he had gathered quite the crowd with that little battle. A sea of kids, some perhaps not that much younger than he was when he ended up on the journey that started everything and some even younger, whooped and cheered him with intense bravado, one he couldn't help but feel a bit taken off-guard by, his mouth forming a small dazed 'o'.
"Woo! Now that's what you call a real fight!"
"That kid's a man, a real man for sure! He took out those things like it's his day job!"
"My ma would send me to the army if I could fight like that!"
"Forget you, I bet even your pops can't fight like that!"
"I gotta ask that kid to show me some tricks!"
"Gotta say, I thought he was funny-lookin' but he can really swing that thing!"
"What is that thing anyway? Is it a sword?"
"That look like any sword you've seen, Alexander?"
"Well, no, but it took 'em out as easy one! Easier even!"
Finally, amidst the sea of youthful voices, came an older one, the fox from before, now strutting along quite cheerily on his walking stick, 'Giddy' jauntily strolling next to him and nodding along to every word he said. "Well, well, well! I'd never expect a boy like you to be able to fight quite like that!" he declared. "I say, Honest John's seen quite a lot but most certainly not that! Now, ain't that the truth, Gideon!"
Grinning a little, Sora's Keyblade disappeared once more in a small glimmer of light, both hands resting behind his head. "Heh, it was nothing. You guys alright?" he asked.
"Oh, yes! Thanks to you, boy," a second voice joined in, the elderly man in the red coat he'd saved before. "Those creatures, they would have had my-" the fox and the cat looked at him. "Well, our, guts for garters if it weren't for you!" he proclaimed. "Why, with a blade like that, I could run this place from midnight 'till sundown with no issues! But alas, I ain't as young as I used to be, and I'm only a coachman,"
"Hey, I'll handle the Nightmares around here. That's why I came here, actually!" Sora explained — decisively leaving out the details as to why so that the phantom of Donald didn't quack in his mind's ear about the world order again, but it seemed to satisfy the man in red regardless.
"Brilliant!" the coachman grinned — but there was something about it that, even if he didn't know why, made him feel a bit uneasy, making his smile grow a bit more nervous. "Now off you go, I don't know where those things'll be hiding next, and I have work to do," he prompted, his smile growing strained once Sora turned his back.
With the excitement of the battle over, the boys who had swarmed to watch and cheer dispersed back to the various rooms of revelry strewn around this strange place. As Sora took another breath, he felt something hugging his leg again — Sheppy, cowering away from the crowd of unknown faces.
"Hey, it's alright, Sheppy," the boy assured.
"Oi!" a brutish, yet young voice sparked up in front of him.
"Huh?" the spiky-haired boy turned his head up, and was met with a boy about three years younger. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"What are these things anyway?" the boy questioned, kneeling a little — only to give Morgana's ears a violent tug.
Brow furrowing, Sora swatted the boy's hand away from the spirit, chiding, "Hey, don't do that! They aren't things, they're-"
"Funny lookin', that's what they are. And I oughtta say, you are too!" the boy continued, poking at his chest for emphasis before turning to scamper off for what looked like a pearly white mansion.
Huffing slightly, Sora folded his arms, his expression indignant, "Jeez, what's his problem?" he commented, rather vexed. "C'mon, you two. Let's go fight off some Nightmares. Doesn't look like we've got a friendly crowd after all..."
Yet, even as he began his patrol, knowing that regardless of result or intent, it'd be a good thing to rid this world of malevolent Dream Eaters, the weight of uncertainty turned repeatedly in his gut. Perhaps not of outright distrust, but at least...of caution.
As he strode out towards the docks, the Coachman could hardly believe his luck tonight.
The jackpot was already in reach with tonight's collection, the sea of 'stupid boys' had been ever plentiful, ever rowdy and so easy to lure off the beaten path and into his hands, and it had all been working as smoothly as a fine-tuned machine — up until those wretched creatures showed up and threatened to knock some fatal sense into the boys, when he needed them alive for what he had in store for them. But then, Lady Luck smiled at his crooked self, and sent that boy along, that boy and that weapon. Admittedly, he could still make no sense of it, and he'd have to say the boy was an odd-looking one, even in all the time he'd been running his black-hearted operation on Pleasure Island, but that hardly mattered, did it! No, not one bit!
It was so simple now — all he had to do was keep that boy playing along, and keep him fighting off those monsters, and thus keep all these brats nice and distracted, making right 'jackasses' of themselves, all the while, until...
Well, that was the part the Coachman liked the most, let's say. And if the boy himself posed any problems with that? He'd deal with him, straighten him right out, as no matter what his weapon was, he was still just a boy. A stupid boy. And besides...even if that did happen, the brat didn't look to be cut from the same cloth as the rest of them. On the opposite, he was one of those sick sweet types, always looking to help out this, always looking to do that. Ugh, just the thought of it made him sick, even if that suited him quite well now, since it meant one thing — he'd be unable to stop himself getting rid of the creatures either way!
Arriving now in a slew of boats, were figures, all in pitch black, to the point he could hardly even decipher if they had any faces. But that didn't matter, but what did was what they were loading with them; crates and markings, a routine both parties knew exceptionally well, one they repeated every night since the start of his little operation.
"Hurry it up, now! Bring in those crates, and close them gates!" the Coachman urged now, as the hooded men all trailed out, loading their crates and cargo and cages across, all where they couldn't be seen. A smirk practically lit by the devil himself scarred the man's face as he rubbed his hands together in twisted delight, "We're in for a good one tonight!"
A/N: Oof, this one took longer than I planned. Fuck. Ah well, at least I got it out, and writing that fight scene was a ton of fun! I actually saw a movie called The Princess on Disney+ recently and though it's not a very good story (it's basically a fest of cliches), the fight scenes in it are fucking banging and it's probably my go-to for quick fight clips and the like. Unpopular opinion but I think its fight scenes are better than what RWBY's put out for the last...five years, since that was my previous go-to. I was originally gonna have a bit more on the end of this chapter, but I ended up deciding the original ending would be more suited for the next chapter's start instead. Anywho, onto the reviews~
Thanks as always to Captain Imaginat and Tsuuji for your reviews of the last chapter! Starting with Captain Imaginat, I'm glad you enjoyed my portrayal of Pete, he was actually pretty fun to write. I got a kick out of the back-and-forth, and I really enjoyed the last bit with Snow White getting to show off some Magical Girl strong game. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, I wanted to go with something a little different from the game, kinda incorporate more of a story arc into it since the game didn't really...well, didn't really have much of one, y'know? Not to mention, one of my commenters from AO3 back in the Traverse Town arc made me realise I could really go in hard on the whole circus/rainbow colour scheme 3D seems to have, and what's more fitting for that than Pleasure Island, a fairground with darkness underneath? ^^
Now, for Tsuuji's! ^^ Alas, I ended up losing my updates streak there, but ah well, it happens to all of us eventually, I guess. I will confess I have a fair number of plot bunnies, but it's not too strenuous for me. My nature dictates I can only write and publish a fic either after making a relatively full outline or, as was the case with Cosmogyral, writing one chapter and then using that as a launchpad for an outline. Either way, structure is generally what saves me from having too much on the plate of my mind at a time. ^^
To answer your question about chapter rearrangements (namely in regards to Snow White's last chapter), I didn't actually rearrange the chapter's position (as that's where it was in my outline to begin with), though now that you bring up the order of things, I'm thinking I probably should have, or saved some the stuff in it for a later chapter. I'll confess Snow White's parts started out namely as a way of seeing what was going on in the Waking World while still keeping things as a crossover (even when not focused on Nemurin and Sora's adventure), so my positioning of those chapters was namely in the spaces between worlds, similar to how it was in the game. But in hindsight, it's a tad jankier than I intended it to be. Thanks so much for the feedback on that, I'll keep that in mind for the future- ^^ I don't wish to confirm or deny any of your guesses, but you're certainly on the right track for a good chunk of it~ And of course, you're more than welcome to PM me or I can PM you if you'd be more comfortable with that! And honestly I really don't mind at all that your reviews are longer, it means a lot to me that you have so much to say in regards to my fic! You definitely have a point too about the MoM and the First Sage too! They do have a fair bit in common, now that I consider it...
Last, as always, thanks so much to you both for reviewing, thanks to everyone as always for reading, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!