In which Sora and Nemurin experience a very unrelaxing carriage ride.
The scenery surrounding the little bumpless road the carriage was rolling across couldn't have been more idyllic if any of them made it by hand. Soft green patches of grass stretched out into the French countryside, with little slapdash wooden fences lining the divergences in the dirt road, and flowers poked out of the ground and breathed a sweet scent through the air, one easily felt despite them being so tiny. Trees gave shade to the ground below, the leaves rustling gently. A fresh breeze was the most danger that nipped at the ears of the carriage's riders, with one assigned to the task of driving the carriage forward and three to guard the back - one with his spikes of hair more notable, while the remainder of those present were within the vehicle's four walls.
Nemurin could feel Minnie looking at her, her hands resting in her lap, Sheppy and Morgana seated at either side of her. The seats were pretty plush, she had to admit, her form sinking slightly into it, and she had the feeling if a couch had this same texture she would easily drift off - it certainly provided her exhausted body something to be soothed by.
"Thanks for letting me guard you more personally, your majesty~" she said, only for a yawn to threaten to come out. She put one of her long sleeves over her mouth, to try and stifle it, knowing that would seem pretty rude.
Minnie simply giggled, shaking her head. "No, no, it's alright," she said. "You still performed remarkably, as did your companions,"
Morgana looked up for a moment to give a head raise of pure pride, Sheppy bleating and flattening his ears as if flustered.
"They are pretty cute...not to the enemy though," Nemurin smiled to herself, patting Sheppy's head. "Still...it's pretty small in here- not in a bad way, but in the sense where there's not much room to fight, y'know...?"
"Yes, I know...but we have the musketeers on the outside, as well as your friend, and then you and your...Spirits, did you say they were called? On the inside," Minnie said, sounding fairly relaxed now, her shoulders slack, compared to Daisy who seemed ever so slightly stiff.
"True enough..." Nemurin shrugged, rubbing her eyes slightly.
"I do have to say...you do seem to dealing with a tiredness that seems a bit...chronic? And is it just me or is your hair changing?" Daisy pointed out, stiltedly.
"Again?" Nemurin quickly grabbed one of her long tails of hair in her hand and made a face. Though still noticeably long, the blonde was becoming more faded out, and saying it was more brown than blonde and magenta would absolutely be accurate. "Oh, no...ah, that's...been happening a lot. Sora and I were travelling to try and sort out those monsters. We met while I was trying to find a cure for my...problem. He's a great kid, that Sora."
"Well, I assure you we will do what we can to help," Minnie said, sweetly. "And he certainly seems to be...! I must say, he seems to be having a knack with the other musketeers...it's almost like he knows them already~"
"Good thing someone has a sense of charm," Daisy said, clearly not as taken.
A look of genuine glee gleamed in Minnie's eyes, her eyelashes fluttering as she beamed. "It's so romantic in a way, isn't it, Daisy? Being protected by five- no, seven bodyguards? And the little one is so handsome..." she sighed.
Nemurin knew that look from anywhere. It was the same face La Pucelle had when talking about Snow White, or anytime Sora happened to mention Kairi. A small, ever-so-knowing smile crossed her face. "You sound fond of him~"
"Yeah, he's kinda cute, got his own underdog charm," Daisy conceded. "But, your grace, you're forgetting something...they're musketeers. Commoners. Collège-bound."
"So, what you mean to say, it's...forbidden?"
"Bingo."
"I mean..." Nemurin shifted, glancing aside. "You're the princess, right...? Soon-to-be queen, probably, right...?"
"Well, yes," Daisy said. "She is,"
"Soooo...when you're on the throne, what's stopping you from, y'know...changing a few rules...? After all, if you're the queen and you can't make new laws then what can you do?" Nemurin proposed.
"Forbidden romance with a glimmer of hope...how romantic!" Minnie's smile only grew brighter at those words, and Daisy's expression softened in spite of herself.
"You make a good point, Nemurin," Daisy admitted. "Gotta say, you don't have a bad head on your shoulders,"
"Really? You think so? Most would say I have my head in the clouds..." Nemurin said, a few of the clouds that dotted her hair floating about for emphasis.
"Welll...that's probably still true. But you're not bad for advice. Just don't try and come for my job," Daisy teased.
"Wouldn't dream of it~" Nemurin giggled a little.
As the carriage continued forward, a storm was being talked up between Sora, Mickey and Donald atop it, as the three continued to survey the sides and back. "So, we had to go undercover..." Sora explained, his blue eyes surveying the empty road they left behind. "Cause this guy was totally crazy,"
"Like Mont-Saint-Michel bad?" Donald's eyes were wide, anxiously glancing over his shoulders.
"Don't know what that is...but yeah, let's go with that!" Sora said.
"Gawrsh, Sora, you sure sound like a fun adventure partner! Maybe the three of us should go on one with ya, sometime!" Goofy suggested warmly.
Those words were bittersweet, Sora's smile soft. "Yeah. Maybe sooner than you think,"
He had gone to say more, only to glance upwards; spotting three almost painfully conspicuous figures stood atop a coming tree branch. "These guys look bad,"
"Y'mean? Bad guys?" Goofy made the mistake of turning around.
"Bad guys!?" Donald almost squeaked, if that were possible.
"Oh no...and one of those monsters!" Mickey pointed back towards the road, and Sora's hope that there being only one would be easier to deal with - this Nightmare could only be compared to a dinosaur, with a jaw full of sharp teeth, and it was charging straight for the carriage, letting out a roar that shook the once peaceful path.
"I'll handle this guy!" Sora said, turning his attention towards the largest and most immediate threat, bringing out his Keyblade. He had to keep it away from the carriage, at any cost. "Nemurin!"
Nemurin immediately peered out her head, her twin tails quickly flapping back against the walls, before crawling out. "I've got your back~"
"Goofy! Can you keep this thing moving, so we can try and outrun this guy?"
"You got it, Sora...!" Goofy obeyed, quickly bringing down the reins as the horses began galloping as fast as they could down the track.
"We'll protect the princess and her handmaiden!" Mickey offered, climbing down the side, grabbing the top of the carriage with one hand and holding his sword with the other. "C'mon, Donald!"
"R-right..." Donald quaked, feathers moulting off of him as he similarly held on, though much more for dear life than his companion.
Before he could feel that relief for more than a second though, the three darkly-clad figures hopped onto the roof with a thud. Nemurin counted the number of opponents to deal with next. Despite the wavering magic in her chest, she called on as much as she could, knowing that at top form she could easily take on these three - just knock these guys off onto the road and then help Sora take out Jurassic Park over there.
"We'll be lightenin' your load by one princess!" one of the thugs declared.
"Au revoir~"
"I don't think so...~" Nemurin shook her head.
She opened with an upwards kick, going to disarm them; succeeding at doing so with the little one, their fencing sword flying up into the air and rolling off of the moving vehicle and onto the road behind them. The bigger two acted fast though, one spotting her long hair and yanking one of the twin tails hard, while his friend tried to swing at her with his blade. She stifled the pain shooting through her roots, moving her body back as she narrowly dangled for a moment off the edge, her arms swinging a little, before she turned her body sharply, as if mimicking a helicopter's propellers.
With a solid chop against one of the Beagle Boys' sides, she sent one fumbling near the edge of the roof, attempting to use his imbalance to grab in through the window. Fortunately, Morgana had a different idea; bouncing up and biting hard on his gloved hand.
"Agh!" the thug cried out, moving his hand back and forth rapidly as if trying to reduce the sting from the Dream Eater's teeth. "Why you little-"
To guarantee he fell off, Sheppy acted next, bowling up and smacking straight into the enemy's head. Nemurin rolled down, swinging her arm to grab Sheppy's little paw, so he didn't go rolling off with the distance.
"Thanks, lil guy..." she encouraged, though it was deflated somewhat by the solid wheeze. Before she could think further, she noticed the glint of metal under the sunlight and rolled to the side again, narrowly avoiding bumping into Sora's leg. He stood upright, trying to hold off the Nightmare pursuing them, smashing his Keyblade down on its giant jaw, any distractions earning him a near slash from its claws.
Her movement was well-timed, as seconds after she found another of the thin swords jabbing into the top of the carriage, though she quickly reached out a hand to hold it up, to stop it from going in any deeper and potentially hurting the princess.
"You dimwit, you're supposed to get these guys, not the princess!" his ally scolded.
Nemurin was still struggling for breath, but she forced herself upwards, bolting up suddenly enough that her head collided hard with one of the two thugs' chests, sending him stumbling off. But there was just one problem; the Beagle Boy fell near Donald's side, and the sight of the sword near his beak was enough to make him freeze up.
"Donald, look out!" Sora called out, spotting the sight at the corner of his eye, before having to lunge forward and block the jaws of the attacking beast, gritting his teeth as he held it back for as long as he could.
With a single strike, the Beagle Boy successfully sent Donald tumbling down the road, hit hard enough to see stars. Mickey's eyes widened, seeing his friend be knocked out of the fight. "Oh no!"
"Donald!" Goofy snapped his head around, still trying to keep up speed.
That look away was an error of its own though, as the one still on top of the carriage pulled something out - a...jack in the box?
Realising quickly what he was probably gonna try and do, Nemurin's chest burned as she got up, moving to tackle the guy down. "No one wants to see that trick!"
"Oh, I'd disagree, sleepyhead!" the Beagle Boy grinned, looking as delighted as a moustached fellow tying someone to the railway tracks in an old cartoon.
"No!" Sora turned around, attempting to lobby an ice spell at the enemy before it could knock off another of his friends; only for the Nightmare to again impede his efforts, attempting to snap at the top with its teeth, forcing him to turn that spell to the inside of the Nightmare's mouth.
Goofy had turned around just enough that when 'Pop! Goes the Weasel' reached its melodic end, and the box opened to reveal something not as friendly inside; like a boxing glove or something. Nemurin wasn't gonna question the logistics of that, not right now, as the problem was that their friend and the carriage's driver was sent plummeting off as well.
Trying his best to assure their passengers, as the carriage became more unsteady, Mickey quickly called in, "D-don't worry, your Highness! We'll get this under control!"
He quickly closed the curtains of the carriage's inside on his end, before hopping on top to try and duel the Beagle Boy that Nemurin had tackled. "I'll handle this one! Just you help deal with that Nightmare!"
"G-got it~" Nemurin said, as the pair began clashing swords.
Fortunately, the ice spell seemed to do the trick - as it seemed to cough, as if trying to bring out something else, something it no longer could now. The Nightmare at first was content with just trying to chase after the carriage, with heavy thudding steps, but Sora acted fast as soon as he saw the massive claw it tried to swing, especially now that the driver had been knocked off and it was beginning to enter the area of completely uncontrolled, the horses just running wherever the path took them, to try and get away from the threat leering behind them.
"Oh no you don't!" Sora cast a spell, circled by balloons that he then smashed downwards against with his Keyblade, causing them to fly up and explode against the Nightmare's hand, a roar of pain escaping it.
Sheppy revved up again, with Nemurin's help. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and even with the amount of stuff they were trying to juggle, she knew Sora had noticed her physical straining. Still, she conjured up some cloudy pieces, forming them into a wall, one that she made in front of her, and the other at the two sides of the Nightmare's face. With a final loud bleat, Sheppy rolled forward, using the cloud wall behind him to help increase the force he propelled onward with, the two cloud walls at the side of the Nightmare's great jaws preventing him from flying off too far and ending up out of the fight.
One hit, two hits, three hits!
The dinosaur Nightmare moved to claw at Sheppy, knocking him back into Nemurin's chest. With her concentration broken, a sharp gasp for air escaping her, she was sent flying backwards alongside her Spirit, who she shielded best she could. Sora turned sharply, noticing the Nightmare's attempts to finish them off, acting fast. He landed painfully on his side, grabbing Nemurin's ankle with one hand so she didn't go falling off, the other gripping his Keyblade tight as he pointed it at the monster's open throat.
Just as the inside of its mouth glowed with a faint hint of orange, like fire about to come rumbling from the back of it like a dragon, Sora called out, "BLIZZAGA!"
In a great set of ice shards, a missile of snow and frost went straight down the Nightmare's throat. Nemurin knew it was almost finished, and she quickly choked out the incantation for her beam, just long enough to fire a strong blast into the monster's head. The purifying effect thankfully set in before the wooziness became too much for the weakened Magical Girl to stand, her head tilting back as the attacking enemy backed away, docile and no longer interested in causing them grief.
Alas though, the Beagle Boy still was, as it became obvious that despite Mickey's best efforts, he was struggling to overpower him; his small, weak strikes doing little to dent the largest of the trio of attackers. From underneath his cloak, he pulled out a...suitcase? And snapped it round Mickey's body, before kicking it hard with the toe of his boot and off the carriage edge.
"No!" Sora tried to reach out to catch it, Morgana peering out the window through the curtains to grab the handle with her teeth, narrowly missing it. Due to the speed of the carriage, she couldn't balance on the edge for long, falling forward and rolling along the road.
It was just the two of them and Sheppy standing between this jerk and the princess. Sora quickly stood up, stumbling a little due to the speed the carriage was careening down the road at, but he still had his Keyblade in hand, ready for a duel. The Beagle Boy that remained though didn't bother with that, simply yanking an arm forward and forcing the horses to come to a sudden stop, enough to disrupt Sora and Nemurin's balance.
"Ahhh!"
Both of them were sent flying once again, this time into a nearby tree, Nemurin using one arm to hold Sheppy and the other to try and cushion Sora's fall as they fell to the ground with a thump, leaves rustling slightly from the impact, the pair rolling into a dip in the ground, mud staining the forest floor. The snap of the reins of the horses quickly filled their ears as they scrambled to get up, the Beagle Boy turning back around only to collect his two devious friends, before riding off faster than the two could run after them.
"No!" they tried to follow for a few seconds, when the escaping vehicle was still close, but it was too late. They lost.
The strain on Nemurin's chest as she tried to breathe, coughing so hard her eyes watered. Nemurin quickly moved a hand and sleeve over her mouth, trying to talk, but always finding her old weakness interrupted her, more brown streaks taking over the blonde that had once been there.
"Nemu!" Sora knelt down in front of her. He tried to help her sit down, keeping her back upright. "It's okay, I've got you...!" he said, trying to sound assuring, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes, the anxiety at the sight of his friend in such a state forming a pit in his stomach. "I've got you..."
"Curaga!"
He didn't know if it'd help. Or if it'd even do anything, but he had to try. A green, soothing aura fell over Nemurin, and the pain that had seized her chest eased somewhat, allowing her enough of a moment to try and breathe deep, doing so for a few minutes.
"You okay...?" Sora asked, his eyes wide as his lips set into a concerned frown.
"Y-yeah...I'm...I'm fine..." she assured, before her own face fell. "Just...I used to have this when I was younger."
Sora knew what that meant. "It's getting worse..." he said. "I need to stop that guy...and soon..."
"Don't rush into it." Nemurin shook her head. "I think...well, I think he's up to more than just magic stealing. I'll be fine. You gotta look out for yourself,"
"Still, we're friends! I've gotta look out for you too!" Sora asserted.
Her friend slowly helped her to her feet, looking around; though they didn't have to wait long for extra company. Morgana came bouncing down the road, Mickey, Donald and Goofy following behind her; though they had been stuck in an even muddier part of the woods than they had, it seemed. Morgana quickly picked up her pace at the sight of Sora, jumping onto his stomach and licking his cheek a little.
Sora's eyes brightened a bit, petting his Dream Eater's head. "Morgana! Thanks for finding our friends,"
"Sora! Nemurin!" Donald said.
"Gawrsh, are you guys alright?" Goofy asked.
"Yeah...we're...we're fine now," Sora glanced at Nemurin, as if still uncertain if that applied for her. "I'm sorry. We lost them..."
"You mean...they got the princess?" Mickey repeated.
Sora and Nemurin could only nod, and the guilty nature of it only doubled with how Nemurin did.
"So it's hopeless. We failed." Donald said, gloomily.
"But..." Goofy began. "As long as we all stick together, we can still get the princess back!" he said.
"Yeah...yeah, you're right...~" Nemurin said, perking up a little bit.
"Geez, Nemurin...you look...did you get hurt?" Donald wondered, warily.
"N-no, just...just a slip-up." Nemurin said, as Sheppy looked up at her. "I'll be fine. Still...I don't think I have enough magic to catch up with those guys..." she looked down, as if thinking of the clouds she couldn't conjure for them to ride.
"So how are we gonna get to them?"
The group pondered for a few moments, only for Sora's eyes to light up again, as he sat up. "Hold on a second. Nemurin, you used that beam of yours again to take out that big guy, right?"
"Yeah...?" Nemurin tilted her head.
"That doesn't destroy it - it purifies the darkness from it. Sooo, it's basically on our side now, right?" Sora suggested, a gleam in his eyes.
"Wait..." Donald paled, somehow. "Are you saying...we're gonna ride that thing!?"
"Gawrsh, Sora! That's a great idea!" Goofy beamed. "Look, there it is!"
"You are not getting me on that thing." Donald said in protest.
"C'mon, Donald...you want to save the princess too, don'tcha?" Mickey tilted his head. "And her handmaiden?"
"Well...yes..." Donald said, reluctantly.
"So, c'mon...!~ We won't let anything happen to you..." Nemurin took Donald's hand, doing her best to disguise how hoarse her voice was.
One by one, they got on, though Donald seemed to be looking around as if expecting every limb of the former Nightmare to try and eat him. Mickey and Goofy were significantly more open to the idea, though they had to let the former go to the front due to his small size, as he couldn't see anything or anyone when seated behind the others. Sora made room for Nemurin next to him, the pair seated behind Mickey, near the front.
"Nemu...you sure you don't wanna sit the next one out?" Sora said, uncertainly.
"What...? No, no," Nemurin refused. "I mean, I don't wanna slow you guys down but I don't wanna do nothing either...ah, when you're as sleepy as I am that feels like one of those riddles that contradicts itself..."
"Trust me, you've been plenty helpful. And I probably can't stop you from trying to fight. Just...just be careful for me, okay?" Sora said.
Nemurin mulled those words over, finding a soft smile had crossed her face. "...Okay. I'll be careful...~ I'll try and focus on environmental stuff instead of fisticuffs~"
She brought up her clenched fists for emphasis, getting a small laugh out of her companion. "Good...! We've all got each other's back. You've had mine this whole time, and I have yours."
"So do we!" Mickey chimed in.
Just like the Musketeers' motto - all for one, and one for all.
A/N: There we go! Took a few days slightly longer than intended, but ultimately still got this one out in good time! Man, once I got into the main setpiece of this chapter (i.e. the action sequence with the carriage) it was so fun to write! It reminded me of back in the early days when I was able to pump out a chapter every week, or when writing fight scenes for the earlier worlds - it felt satisfying to get back up closer to the 4000-word mark, I've not hit that in a while I feel. I've learned my habit of keeping in the worlds that I don't like story-wise tends to hinder my ability to write for them; I like the first version of Traverse Town but the second visit just feels a bit..not unnecessary, but it just feels kinda 'there' for me story-wise, and then there's the Pinocchio world which while I did manage to get something out that I think was solid, it definitely took a lot longer simply because I don't like that movie that much. I'm gonna take this as a lesson to maybe get more inventive with world choice - but I'm still glad I did it, as it meant I had the challenge of trying to make it engaging anyway, so I guess that goes both ways...!
Also, fuck...we're 11 days away from Cosmogyral's 3rd year anniversary now? God that's surreal...it's so strange knowing I was in like my 1st year of university when I started writing this and I'm now gonna be starting my 4th and final one, especially because we're on the final few worlds now. I'm gonna try and keep writing, or at least try and keep things going so I can actually post something near the anniversary this time.
Now onto the reviews! Thanks as always to Keijou Hikari for reviewing! It always brightens my writing experience seeing your reviews, especially with the amount of detail you put into them, it means a lot you're still reading! ^^ Regarding the points you mentioned, if I go ahead with sequels and what not, I think Sora having a Heartbinder for Nemurin would work really well for being able to stay connected to her, even before involving things like Replicas which can straight-up revive a person, as long as there's still a form of their heart you can use to put in it. Death in KH isn't very permanent unless you're Eraqus, it occurs to me, afhrhgt. Regarding Reality Shift, the fact I didn't use it is now something that bugs me - I think my thought process that explaining it within a story context wouldn't work and that it was a bit too much of a game thing to be kept, but now that I consider it I'm like 'Nemurin can literally do what she wants in the dream world?' so even if I had to impose limitations I could have just had it be Nemurin's thing. Ah well...I'm this far in that introducing it would probably be an endgame thing, but I'm gonna keep it in mind anyway! I also really love your idea! I definitely wanna hone in on that bond they've formed throughout the story, so I think something like that would be a really fitting thing to have. Most importantly, I'm really glad you're doing better and having that self-care, and that working out's fun for you! ^^
As always, to everyone, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!