Hello everyone! And welcome to the next chapter of the "Key of the Titans"! I hope you all are doing well and taking care of yourselves as my favorite holiday gets closer and closer. I cannot wait for Halloween! But for now, let us focus on this new chapter! Let's go!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Teen Titans.

Chapter 70: Kingdom of Corona Part 3

(In the Forest, near the riverbank)

It was close to dawn in the forest as the group consisting of Kairi, Raven, Flynn, Rapunzel, and Pascal slept the night away. Kairi was the only one up since she was taking the next watch as she tossed a few more sticks into the still-crackling fire, keeping the area lit while the others slept. She looked around at the trees, making sure nothing was watching them before looking up at the sky, and seeing all the sparkling stars high above them. The sight always made her smile in awe, knowing that every sky had its own form of beauty.

"One sky…one destiny." Kairi whispered to herself. Suddenly, she heard a twig snap near where Flynn and Rapunzel were sleeping, making her quickly stand up from the log she was sitting on and ran over to where the two were sleeping, only to find the thief still asleep and the blonde girl standing there with a confused look on her face and a satchel hung around her shoulder. Though her hair obscured her figure, it looked like the girl was holding something. Kairi looked confused as she even noticed a cloud of fog dispersing near her.

"Rapunzel?" Kairi whispered, making the girl jump as she quickly stuffed something in her satchel and turned to face the Keyblade Wielder.

"Oh, hi Kairi. I-I hope I didn't wake you…I…I was just taking a midnight stroll." Rapunzel said, nervously while trying to hide the satchel. Kairi raised an eyebrow in response while planting her arms at her waist in a questioning pose.

"Hhm and the satchel you just happened to find?" Kairi asked, pointing at the poorly hidden shoulder bag.

"Uh, lucky find?" Rapunzel asked, making Kairi stare at her even more, eventually breaking the blonde and making her let out a breath in response.

"Rapunzel, what's going on?" Kairi asked. The blonde looked around before reaching into her satchel.

"Look, please don't tell anyone, especially Eugene." Rapunzel said, pulling out a well-decorated tiara, making Kairi look at it in confusion.

"What's so special about this?" Kairi asked.

"This is the crown Eugene had with him when he first snuck into the Tower. We agreed that if he took me to see the lights, I would give this back to him." Rapunzel said.

"And…you had it this whole time?" Kairi asked.

"No, I left it back at the Tower. I planned to give it back to Eugene when we got back, but my mother must have found it and- "Rapunzel said.

"Wait, your mother was here?!" Kairi asked aloud, but Rapunzel silenced her by covering her mouth.

"You have to be quiet!" Rapunzel said quietly while releasing Kairi.

"S-she was here? What did she want?!" Kairi asked.

"She tried to take me home! I said no but then she said give Eugene the crown and see how he reacts." Rapunzel said, wringing her hands nervously.

"Is that why you're worried? That he'll leave if you show him the crown?" Kairi asked.

"What? No, no…maybe a little…yes, is it obvious?" Rapunzel said it all in one breath.

"Ok, Rapunzel listen to me. I may not know your mother, but you gotta ask yourself, after everything we've been through so far, do you think Flynn would really just abandon you if you gave him the crown?" Kairi asked. Rapunzel held the crown close to her while looking down at it with an uncertain look in her eyes.

"I-I…dunno. I would like to think he wouldn't." Rapunzel said. Kairi sighed and placed a comforting hand on the blonde girl's shoulders, making her look up from the crown.

"Have hope. Trust in what your heart is telling you. No matter what is going on, your heart will never lead you astray." Kairi replied, making Rapunzel smile and nod in acknowledgment, but still had an uncertain look on her face.

"Why don't you think it over while you rest? We've got some time before sunrise, and we all need to be ready to go to find the others. Remember, we've all got your back with this and we're not leaving you alone." Kairi said.

"I will, thanks Kairi." Rapunzel said. The two smiled as the blonde laid back down next to the tree and made herself comfortable before closing her eyes. Kairi watched and let out a sigh before looking around for any possible threats or strangers. Rapunzel's mother managed to sneak by on her watch and she has to make sure that never happens again.

(Meanwhile, in the Castle of Dreams)

Riku, Mickey, Robin, Starfire, and Lea followed Cinderella through the castle to a safe place where they could talk in private. They passed the large ballroom, walked through a small passage, and entered a small room leading to a balcony that overlooked the ballroom.

"Please, everyone take a seat." Cinderella said, bringing out some chairs for everyone.

"Would you like some assistance, Cinderella?" Starfire asked.

"Oh, no thank you. I got it. Please relax." Cinderella replied, setting the chairs up for everyone. Axel quickly settled down on one of the chairs with his limbs dangling on the sides.

"I gotta say, this is one nice castle you got, Princess." Axel replied until Mickey lightly slapped him on the knee. "I uh mean, ma'am." Axel corrected as he straightened himself out.

"Oh, this isn't mine. It belongs to my beloved Charming's family. His father is the King and Charming chose me to be his bride." Cinderella said, doing a little more sweeping of the walls and straightening some of the pictures.

"Sounds like a nice guy." Robin replied.

"Cinderella, do you have to clean everything if you are the prince's bride?" Starfire asked.

"Oh, no. I don't have to. But I want to help out where I can, and it calms me in a sense." Cinderella replied, setting her broom down and straightening her dress out before sitting down. "Now, about Ven, Terra, and Aqua I believe her name was?" Cinderella asked. Riku leaned forward in his seat and took a breath.

"Yes, princess. We…we wanted to see if you might remember anything specific about them." Riku asked.

"We're looking for them and were hoping to pick up something here like a clue." Mickey replied. Cinderella stood up and paced around the room, trying to think of something.

"Hhm, from what I can recall, Ven was at my old house. He was the size of a mouse when I met him. He and my friend Jaq helped set up my old dress. As for Terra and Aqua, they protected me and gave me the motivation I needed when I went to the ball that day. I am eternally grateful to them for their help." Cinderella replied. The group shared an intrigued look before looking back at the Princess of Heart.

"Princess…" Mickey said.

"Cinderella, please." Cinderella said.

"Cinderella, we were hoping we could look around the castle and see if we could find any trace of Aqua and the others." Mickey said, making Cinderella look on in worry.

"Have they gone missing?" Cinderella asked.

"For some time. But now we're working on finding them. And we could really use a lead." Axel said.

"Well, I have no problem with it, but it is Charming's castle, so we'll have to ask him for…" Cinderella said when the door to the room suddenly opened, revealing said Prince on the other side. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and he wore a white long-sleeved collared shirt, red pants a golden belt, and black dress shoes.

"Cinderella—oh hello. It looks like you're attending to our guests already." Charming said as he closed the door behind them while the princess walked up to him. The two shared a kiss before turning back to see everyone.

"Is everything ok? The Duke informed me but he didn't specify the guests." Charming replied.

"Yes, everything is fine. Everyone, this is my beloved Charming. The King's son." Cinderella said.

"It's an honor to meet you, Prince Charming." Riku said as everyone quickly righted themselves and bowed.

"His name is actually Charming?" Axel whispered out.

"I can see why." Starfire spoke up with star-struck eyes, but Robin lightly tapped her shoulder, making her snap out of it.

"Your Majesty, we were hoping with your permission that we could look around your castle and any nearby areas." Mickey said.

"May I ask why?" Charming asked, confused.

"They're looking for any signs of the three people who helped us all that time ago. Do you remember?" Cinderella asked, making the prince's eyes widen.

"Ah, yes. The tall man, the blue-haired girl, and the boy you mentioned back at your home." Charming said.

"Yeah, we decided it's about time we bring 'em all back home." Axel spoke up.

"Any help would be appreciated, your Majesty." Robin said. The Prince crossed his arms in thought as he paced back and forth before turning to the group.

"I will have to discuss it with the other officials here. But if you are as just and righteous as the people who helped dear Cinderella, then I see no problem with it. My guards will join you in your searches. If you have any questions, please ask me, The Duke, or Cinderella." Charming said, making everyone smile and nod in agreement.

"Thank you, Prince Charming. We'll get started right away." Mickey said.

"Follow me. I'll show you to the guards and then you can begin your search." Charming said.

"We should split up if we have a lot of ground to cover. Starfire and I can take one area." Robin said while the Tamaran clapped happily.

"I can go with King Mouse." Axel said.

"Sounds good. Oh, what about Riku?" Mickey asked. The boy was about to say something until Cinderella walked up to him.

"I can accompany him in the castle." She said, surprising everyone, especially Riku.

"Cinderella, are you sure? I know you have a lot of tasks- "Charming said.

"I'm sure. I want to help them. Besides, the maids have been telling me to stop stealing their jobs." Cinderella said, making everyone laugh a little.

"Very well. I'll send some guards to join you. The rest of you, please follow me." Charming said as he opened the door. Robin, Starfire, and Axel followed the prince while Mickey shared one last glance and nodded with Riku before walking out.

"By the way, is your name actually Charming?" Axel asked with a curious tone.

"Haha, no actually. It's Henry. But I've been called Charming so many times that it eventually stuck." Charming replied.

"Hah! I knew it!" Axel yelled.

"Well, we shall continue to call you charming because you are so-OW!" Starfire exclaimed from Robin pinching her.

"Star, you gotta leave him alone." Robin said as their voices soon muffled out, leaving only Riku and Cinderella in the room.

"Oh, um so where should we start, Cinderella?" Riku asked.

"When Charming's guards arrive, we'll start searching in the ballroom. That is where Terra escorted me." Cinderella said.

"Very well. Lead the way." Riku said, gesturing for her to go ahead, making the Princess giggle a little. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"Nothing. It's just you are just as gentlemanly as he is. Terra, I mean." Cinderella replied, walking out of the room. Riku looked down in thought before following after her.

(Meanwhile, with Sora and his group)

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Beast Boy, and Cyborg were walking out of a dark cave after getting out of the creepy forest and back into the open sunlight of the natural forest.

"Ah, finally! Sunshine." Beast Boy said, turning into a hummingbird and flying up toward the sky.

"Hey, while you're up there, look around and see where we are!" Cyborg yelled up.

"Now we just need to find the others. Hopefully, they're not too far." Goofy replied.

"Hopefully…" Sora said, his tone still set in determination. Suddenly, Beast Boy came flying back and transformed back into a human.

"Well?" Donald asked.

"We're actually not too far from the castle. But I couldn't see any sign of Rapunzel or the others." Beast Boy said.

"Thanks for the try, BB. C'mon, let's keep going." Sora said. The group continued walking through the trees until they suddenly heard a loud yell, making them freeze.

"What was that?!" Cyborg asked. Everyone listened closely as they heard more yelling and sounds from what sounded like an animal.

"Sounds like a horse." Beast Boy heard, narrowing down the noise. The group ran further into the forest toward the source when suddenly two figures burst out from a nearby bush and collided into Sora, knocking him to the ground. Everyone readied their weapons but stopped when they saw familiar blue and red hair.

"Raven?" Cyborg and Beast Boy asked.

"Kairi!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed, making the two girls look up at their names.

"Guys!" Kairi exclaimed with a smile.

"Wait, where's- "Raven said when suddenly Sora let out a groan from beneath the girls, making the two look down and gasp.

"Oh, Sora!" Kairi exclaimed as they helped him up.

"Oh, you girls knocked the air out of me." Sora said in a dazed tone.

"Sorry!" Raven replied.

"What are you guys doing here?" Beast Boy asked.

"Where's Flynn and Rapunzel?" Cyborg spoke up.

"They're up ahead, near a small pond for them to rest." Kairi said.

"We were scouting ahead looking for any trouble and for the path to the castle. Then we heard those noises and made our way back." Raven said.

"W-w-whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, boy, easy! Settle down!" They heard Rapunzel's voice from further within the forest.

"Sounds like they're still in trouble!" Donald exclaimed.

"Yeah, c'mon!" Goofy yelled out. Everyone nodded and ran further into the forest. They soon reached a small clearing where they could see Rapunzel and Flynn standing next to the guard's horse, now sitting like a dog and shaking the thief's hand with his hoof. The blond-haired girl noticed the group running toward her and broke into a smile as she ran over to them while the horse got a lucky shot on Flynn by hitting him in the stomach with his hoof, bringing the thief down while the horse actually laughed to himself.

"Raven! Kairi! You found the others! Glad to see you're all okay." Rapunzel said with a smile.

"You too!" Sora said with his own smile, making Raven roll her eyes.

"Uh, isn't that the same horse that was chasing us earlier?" Beast Boy asked as the horse walked up to them.

"Yeah, but don't worry. He's friendly. Meet Maximus. Flynn introduced us. And if he goes somewhere, Maximus follows. Maximus, this is Sora, Goofy, Donald, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Kairi. They've been helping me." Rapunzel said. Maximus leaned in closely to get a better look at the group before leaning close to Sora.

"Uh, good boy." Sora said nervously as he scratched Maximus' chin, making the horse smile and let out a happy noise.

"Huh, he is nice, aren't you Maximus?" Kairi said, giving the horse a few rubs and making him smile. Meanwhile, Flynn stood to his feet while holding his stomach in pain and pointed toward a nearby opening in the clearing.

"Hey c'mon, the Kingdom's not too far from here." Flynn said through his pained groans.

"Right, we better get going. The Kingdom should be this way. C'mon!" Beast Boy yelled out, running ahead.

"We should get after him before he gets lost." Raven replied.

"Or ambushed by something." Cyborg said.

"Or both." Sora and Kairi said together as they all went after the changeling.

(Meanwhile with Riku and Cinderella)

The Princess of Light and the Keyblade Master walked into the large ballroom where the last ball dance was held and where Cinderella first met Prince Charming.

"This is where the last dance was held. And where Terra fought a very scary monster. He was very brave." Cinderella said.

"He certainly sounds like it." Riku said, looking around the ballroom, trying to sense or pick up anything. Suddenly, an image appeared in his mind of a being of darkness that fought against Terra. But what perplexed Riku was that the creature didn't have the same scent as a Heartless but something else.

"Interesting…" Riku said as he ran a hand over his chin in thought.

"May I ask you something? Did you ever meet Terra?" Cinderella asked, making the boy turn to face her.

"I did. Once when I was a child. He's…the one who actually inspired me to see the other worlds. To grow stronger." Riku said, looking down with a smile.

"Hhm, well you've certainly taken after him." Cinderella said, making Riku look at her in confusion. "You have the same look in his eyes as he did. A look that says you have great strength but carry a heavy burden. And I can see that you'll be just as great a man as Terra was." Cinderella said. Riku smiled and nodded as they went back to searching until Riku let out a breath.

"Um Cinderella, I gotta ask you something too. Do you…remember me when Maleficent kidnapped you?" Riku asked. He felt a little tension arise, but he managed to remain steadfast as Cinderella turned to face him.

"I remember…faintly seeing you. A young boy who believed that he had found the answer to the question he was always asking but had no idea he was lost the whole time. But you know what?" Cinderella said, making Riku look her in the eye. "I don't see that boy anymore. I see a young man who found who he is and is now working to redeem himself. And I think you have." Cinderella replied, making Riku smile slightly and nod.

"Thank you, Cinderella." Riku replied, making them both smile in response.

"Now, we should get back to searching, yes? Don't want to miss anything." Cinderella replied.

"Agreed. Is there anywhere else that we haven't searched yet?" Riku asked.

"Yes, outside in the forest where I first met him. This way." Cinderella said as the two left the ballroom and went out of the castle. However, neither of them realized they were being watched from the balcony in the ballroom by a figure dressed in a black cloak, who overheard the entire conversation.

(Meanwhile with Sora)

"C'mon Sora, swing one more time with me!" Rapunzel said as she threw her hair around a nearby branch after the group had just exited a large cave and fought a bunch of Heartless throughout the forest. Beyond the tree was a small mountain that led further to the outside of the forest where the wall of the dam could be seen.

"Ok, Rapunzel. One more time." Sora said, taking her hand in his. Suddenly, the two swung across the cliff and over the rocky top of the mountain, with Sora whooping at the swinging motion and Rapunzel cheering as well.

"This is getting tiresome." Raven replied, creating a bridge between the cliff and the mountain with her powers, allowing the rest of the group to cross.

"Agreed. We need to get them both to focus." Kairi replied.

"Good luck with that." Donald spoke up. They soon crossed the bridge and jumped down from the rocks to a large clearing where Sora and Rapunzel were awaiting them.

"Whoo, that's always such a rush!" Sora exclaimed.

"I know right?! It's so fun!" Rapunzel replied while jumping up and down and clapping her hands. The others walked up to them after landing in the rocky clearing.

"Look guys, exploring is fun and all, but we really need to hurry if we want to make it to the Kingdom and see those lights. We can't keep stopping for every little thing." Cyborg said.

"As much as I'd want to explore the world too, Cy's right. We gotta hurry." Beast Boy said.

"Yeah, Sora. There's plenty of time to see the world once we see those lights." Goofy replied. Sora and Rapunzel shared a look before looking toward Raven, who had a look in her eye that said the same thing, making the boy look down.

"You're right. Sorry guys." Sora replied.

"We'll- I mean I will try not to get so distracted now." Rapunzel replied, making everyone nod happily.

"Uh…guys?" Everyone heard Flynn call out as the group turned to see the thief and Maximus staring at something in the clearing. "Is it just me or is that tower out of place?" Flynn asked again. The group followed his gaze to see a large, three-story tower on wheels set right in the middle of the clearing.

"Definitely out of place." Kairi replied. Confused, Sora walked closer to it at a slow pace.

"Sora…" Raven said in a cautious tone.

"I'm being careful." The boy replied. He got closer and closer to the tower when suddenly several cannons shot out of the stories while a monkey Heartless appeared on top of the tower. And slapped its butt in a mocking tone.

"Huh, it's always a trap." Sora replied in an annoyed tone. More monkey Heartless appeared, making Sora backflip away while the others readied themselves.

"Had to take a look at it huh?" Donald asked.

"What? I have a natural curiosity, ya know?" Sora exclaimed. The tower started shooting cannonballs at the group while the monkeys attacked as well. The group quickly dispersed and engaged the Heartless while the Tower moved about in an erratic manner.

Sora, Donald, and Cyborg focused on the monkeys moving about, taking them out with a combination of sonic blasts and magic while Kairi, Rapunzel, Flynn, and Beast Boy took out another group of Monkeys that spawned into the clearing.

Kairi and Rapunzel backed each other up with the blonde reeling in the Heartless closer for Kairi to take them out. Flynn meanwhile used Rapunzel's pan to bonk some Heartless away while Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and batted some more away.

Raven, meanwhile, focused on the tower, shooting the monkey that was seated on top of it with her magic, destroying it. The tower came to a halt without its pilot but continued to shoot cannonballs. Raven quickly put a shield around the tower, encasing it to make sure no one else got hurt. Soon, the rest of the Heartless were defeated, leaving the tower by itself.

"That seemed…too easy, right?" Kairi asked. Everyone nodded when suddenly the tower broke apart into a chariot. The front compartment of the tower opened, suddenly revealing a large horse Heartless that burst out.

"That's new." Goofy exclaimed.

"Seriously, what's with me and horses?" Flynn asked out loud.

"Hey, Maximus, any chance you can talk this one down?" Beast Boy asked the guard's horse. Maximus let out an angered noise in response, making the changeling shy away. "What makes you think I can?" Beast Boy replied.

"Wait, did you just- "Flynn asked what everyone was thinking.

"Can we focus?!" Raven exclaimed as the Heartless carriage rammed against her shield, causing it to break. The chariot charged at everyone while shooting cannonballs at them still but came to a stop when it ran headfirst into Goofy and Cyborg's shield, making it bounce back and fall over. The two high-fived while everyone else attacked the chariot, destroying the first part.

Suddenly, the second part of the chariot opened up, revealing another horse that swung the whole contraption around in a circle, making everyone back away. Sora wasn't so lucky as the chariot hit him hard in the side and sent him flying toward a nearby rock wall, making the boy groan in pain.

"Sora!" Everyone exclaimed. Donald, Raven, Kairi, and Cyborg all fired their respective powers at the second horse, easily destroying it. The third horse soon emerged from the chariot but before it could do anything, it was crushed under the weight of Beast Boy's T-Rex foot as he let out a powerful roar. The heart of the Heartless floated away while Beast Boy transformed back to normal.

"Nice one, green guy." Flynn exclaimed as everyone put their weapons away. Raven and Kairi were the first to run over to Sora until they saw that Maximus was helping the boy up.

"Thanks, Max." Sora replied while the horse nodded in response.

"Sora, are you okay?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, that seemed to be a bad hit." Cyborg said.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Not the first bad hit I-oww!" Sora said, stretching his arms out before gasping in pain as he looked at his shoulder to a clean cut now there and a trickle of blood flowing from it. "How did- "Sora said, looking closer at the cut.

"You must've cut yourself on the rock when you hit it." Raven said inspecting it herself. Donald and Kairi were about to cast Cure until Rapunzel walked closer to the boy.

"Here let me." She replied. Rapunzel stood next to Sora and wrapped his arm with her hair, making a look of confusion run across the boy's face.

"W-what are you- "Sora asked.

"Stay still." Rapunzel replied as she tightened her hair.

"What is she doing?" Donald asked Flynn, Raven, and Kairi who looked on with a knowing look.

"Just watch, you're gonna want to see this." Flynn replied. Everyone watched in curiosity as Rapunzel took a breath and closed her eyes.

"Flower gleam and glow. Let your powers shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine." Rapunzel sang as suddenly her hair lit up and glowed brightly, making everyone's eyes widen in shock and awe, especially Sora as he saw light drift into the air from his arm. Soon the glow died down and Rapunzel unwrapped her hair, revealing the cut on Sora's arm to be gone, making everyone's eyes widen even more.

"Woah…" Sora exclaimed quietly as he looked at his arm in shock.

"Did she just…" Donald asked.

"How did…" Goofy asked.

"Did her hair just…" Cyborg asked.

"Her hair just…" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes it did." Flynn replied. All the boys beside Flynn and Sora fell in shock upon hearing the confirmation, even Maximus who had yet to witness the healing fell over.

"Wow, Rapunzel…t-that's amazing. Thank you." Sora said in amazement as he kept looking at his arm looking for any trace of the cut while Rapunzel nodded in acknowledgment. "H-how long have you been able to do that?" Sora asked again as he and Rapunzel stood back up.

"All my life." Rapunzel said with a shrug.

"She did the same thing for Flynn's hand when we were separated." Kairi replied.

"Freaked out like you guys are now." Raven spoke up.

"I did not. I handled it quite well." Flynn said with a big grin. Raven leaned in close to Sora and mouthed that he didn't, making them both smile.

"So, that's why you're so protective of your hair? Because of its healing powers?" Cyborg asked and was answered with a nod from the blonde.

"Makes sense. Who wouldn't want to keep that fountain of life safe?" Beast Boy asked, making Raven's eyes widen a little before looking down in thought, catching Sora's attention. She noticed his gaze and shook her head, indicating that she'll discuss it later. He nods before turning back to the conversation.

"That's actually why. If my hair is cut, then it loses its healing powers. That's why it's so important to protect it. That's what my mother says anyway." Rapunzel said. Suddenly, Sora's eyes widened as he remembered something.

"Oh, that's right! Rapunzel, we ran into your mother when we were separated. She was looking for you." Sora said.

"Really?" Rapunzel exclaimed.

"Yeah, but she was really weird about it. We offered to help her, but she just blew us off." Cyborg said.

"Called us useless too." Donald replied.

"That's odd. Wouldn't she want to go with them to see you?" Flynn asked. Rapunzel shares a quick look with Kairi before answering.

"I-I think my mother is still hesitant of strangers. Probably didn't trust you yet." Rapunzel said nervously.

"Didn't feel that way to us." Beast Boy replied, making everyone wonder what Mother Gothel was really up to.

"We also ran into one of the creepy cult guys again." Cyborg said.

"Cult guys?!" Flynn and Rapunzel asked.

"What did they want?" Raven asked.

"They said they wanted us to keep protecting Rapunzel. At least I think so." Donald replied.

"But I'm guessing these cult guys are the ones sending those monsters, right?" Flynn asked. Everyone but Rapunzel nodded when suddenly Maximus let out a noise, catching everyone's attention as the horse motioned toward a climbable wall that led to the kingdom.

"Looks like we're getting close. We better hurry if we want to see those lights." Goofy said.

"He's right! C'mon guys, this way!" Rapunzel exclaimed running off to the wall. Everyone quickly took off after the blonde while Beast Boy helped Maximus up the wall by turning into a pterodactyl. The group ran further into the forest as they got closer and closer to the kingdom.

"Ooh, look! I saw some birds! Let's follow them!" Rapunzel exclaimed.

"What did we say about stopping, Rapunzel?!" Raven yelled.

"But…" Rapunzel quietly replied.

"C'mon, we need to hurry!" Sora called out.

"Oh, alright…" Rapunzel sadly said.

(Meanwhile, with Mickey and Axel)

The mouse king and the former Organization member were walking around the forest area, looking for any leads while the two guards accompanying them awaited at the path leading back to the castle. Axel was kneeling toward a nearby bush while Mickey stood in the center, trying to sense any possible traces of Aqua.

"Well, your mousiness, I don't think we're gonna find anything after so much time has passed." Axel said, standing back up to his full height.

"We're not looking for anything physical, Lea, just something that helps us pick up Aqua's trail." Mickey said, trying to pick up a sense of Aqua's energy.

"Huh, I thought I told you guys, just call me Axel." The redhead replied.

"I wanted to ask about that. Is everything all right with you?" Mickey asked, confusing Axel.

"What do you mean? I'm on an actual mission while wielding my very own keyblade. I'm feeling great." Axel said with a cocky smirk and hands on his hips.

"Hmm, just kinda sounds like you're having an identity crisis to me." Mickey said.

"A what?" Axel asked.

"Y'know? "A period of uncertainty in which a person's sense of- "Mickey explained.

"I know what it is! What makes you think I'm having it?" Axel exclaimed.

"Well, you go back and forth on whether you want to be called Lea or Axel- "the king replied.

"That part is on you guys for always calling me Axel." Axel replied.

"Hehe and rightfully our fault. But now you're insisting on it." Mickey answered, making Axel look down in thought and laugh a little.

"You know, it's kinda funny, I've always told people to keep my name memorized, so that way I'll live on in their memories. Forever immortalized in a sense. But now…now I feel like I've forgotten something…or at least someone very important to me. Back when I was Axel." Axel replied while Mickey looked down in thought.

"Someone?" Mickey asked while the fire-wielder nodded in response.

"I can't put a name or a face to them, but I know they were in the Organization the same time Roxas and I were. And…they feel very important to me. Just as much as Roxas does. I guess -I'm hoping that being called Axel might lead to me remembering something…anything about them." Axel revealed, looking down at a small puddle of water that showed his reflection back to him. Soon, Mickey's reflection appeared in the water, making Axel look to see the king standing next to him.

"We will help them come back. No matter what. They deserve to have their lives back. Just like you and the rest of us. And if there's a way to help you remember, then we'll help with that too." Mickey replied, making Axel smile a little.

"Thanks…your majesty." Axel replied.

"C'mon Axel. We're friends now. Call me Mickey." The king replied with a big smile, making the redhead smile and chuckle a little. They soon went back to searching for any remaining energies until Mickey sensed something.

"I think I found something." Mickey replied as Axel walked closer to him. The king reached his hand out to get a better sense of the energy until it formed into a couple of visions for him. The first vision showed Cinderella sulking at a nearby bench while Terra protected her from some dark monsters. The next vision showed Aqua fighting a large monster on her own while protecting Cinderella from its projectiles.

"Well, something good?" Axel asked.

"Oh yeah, Terra and Aqua were definitely here. They protected Cinderella from some evil creatures. This will be the best place to pick up on Aqua's trail. We should get the others and let them know, then meet back at the castle." Mickey said.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll get the new recruits, and you get Riku." Axel said. Mickey nodded and the two split up until Axel turned back. "And Mickey!" He yelled, making the king turn around. "Thanks." He said, making Mickey smile once more.

"Anytime, Axel." Mickey said as the two ran off.

(Back with Sora)

The group slid down a steep hill through a field of flowers and trees until they finally reached a small shoreline that overlooked the large castle and the bridge that crossed the ocean to the kingdom.

"Look, there's the kingdom!" Goofy exclaimed as he pointed at the castle, making everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's about time. That took longer than expected." Kairi replied.

"Yeah, but it was still fun to travel around and see the sights, right?" Beast Boy replied.

"Too many sights, in my opinion." Raven said.

"Well, at least we made it in time for the lights." Donald said.

"Agreed." Flynn and Sora said at the same time. Rapunzel and Maximus walked past them and looked out toward the large kingdom that lay before them.

"I just knew the outside world would be full of amazing things! All of you…helped me find them. Thank you." Rapunzel replied, making everyone smile while Raven nodded. The group walked across the bridge until they reached the gate leading into castle town, where banners and other event decorations could be seen. Rapunzel, bouncing with excitement, ran first into the city while Maximus and Flynn walked after her. The group lingered behind as they took in the sight of the kingdom before them.

"Now that is some castle, huh?" Cyborg spoke up.

"Too bad we can't go in." Beast Boy replied while the half-robot nodded in agreement.

"Rapunzel sure looks happy." Sora said.

"Why wouldn't she? She's experiencing the outside for once and she's gonna see those lights soon. I'd be excited too." Kairi replied.

"I'm just glad we finally got here in time." Raven spoke up with her arms crossed.

"Agreed." Donald said with his own arms crossed.

"I think she said that they're sending the lanterns up after dark." Goofy said, making Sora jump in excitement.

"Oh cool! Gives us time to look around! Let's go!" Sora exclaimed, running ahead of everyone. Donald and Goofy gave chase while Beast Boy and Cyborg trailed after them, leaving Kairi and Raven alone.

"Would you be mad if I put a leash on him?" Raven asked, making Kairi look at her with a surprised look.

"You haven't yet?" Kairi asked.

"Not yet. Always seemed rough." Raven said, making the redhead laugh a little, confusing the empath. "Why? Have you?" She asked.

"I'm the one who always kept him and Riku in check. Had to try it once." Kairi replied, walking away while the blue-haired girl looked at her with wide eyes. The group separated into three with Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy checking out all the vendors lined up down the main street.

Donald and Goofy went down to the nearby pier where the captain started fishing using a move called the perfect cast while Donald thought it'd be easier to dive in after the fish, though this only resulted in Goofy catching Donald with the hook.

Meanwhile, Sora and Kairi traveled toward a nearby tower that overlooked the entire ocean and out toward the large forest. They climbed up to the very top and sat down, taking in the breeze and the sight before them.

"Hard to believe, huh? After all this time, we finally traveled to a new world. Together." Kairi said, making Sora smile and nod.

"I know. Finally reached our dream. To see new worlds together. It finally came true." Sora replied.

"We need to do this with Riku, then it'll feel like we actually did it." Kairi said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I agree with you there." Sora said, making the two smile and look toward the sky.

"Those lights are gonna look amazing up there, huh?" Kairi said.

"Yeah, I actually can't wait to see them!" Sora exclaimed. Kairi smiled a little in response.

"Maybe you could take Raven to see them. As a way to make it up to her." she said, making Sora look at her with an uncertain look.

"What do you mean? Did I do something to her?" Sora asked.

"Wow, you have your moments Sora but sometimes you really are clueless." Kairi replied.

"What? Hey!" Sora exclaimed while the redhead burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! Well, it's true!" Kairi laughed while Sora pouted. "But seriously, have you not noticed how quiet Raven's been while we were in the forest?" Kairi replied, making Sora look down in thought as he noticed how quiet the empath had been. Quieter than usual. And how other weird random stuff happened while Raven remained silent like the water splashing and things exploding and-

"Oh my gosh, I'm such an idiot." Sora realized with wide eyes and a shocked face as he slapped a hand over his face. Kairi smiled and took said hand into her own, making the boy look at her.

"No, you're not, Sora. You're just very easily distracted, and Rapunzel took up a lot of your attention with all her sightseeing. We all know you mean well, Raven especially, but I could tell it was getting to her. And she confirmed it after we talked." Kairi said.

"You two talked?" Sora asked.

"Yep. She was worried that I'd be angry that you two were dating." She spoke.

"You're not, are you?" Sora asked.

"Of course not. I'm happy you two found each other. You both seem happy together too. But you get what I mean? Take her to see those lights. You and she both deserve it after all. And you know she'll appreciate it." Kairi said, making Sora nodded in agreement.

"You're right, as always. Thanks, Kairi." Sora said, making Kairi smile brightly in response. Suddenly, they heard some noise coming from within the city, almost akin to dance music and people cheering.

"Something tells me our resident blonde is catching some attention." The redhead replied.

"Let's go check it out." Sora said, jumping off the tower and running to the center, with Kairi following along after him. They called out to Donald and Goofy, who had just finished up with their fishing session, and ran back to the main street and followed it all the way to an open circular hub where a majority of the townsfolk were gathered around. The four looked to see a mural dedicated to the King, Queen, and a little baby blonde girl.

Music was being played by a nearby band and in the middle, Rapunzel, Flynn, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and several other people were dancing to it. Rapunzel's hair was also nicely tied and braided with flowers to avoid any extra attention. Raven was standing off to the side with her arms crossed with Max next to her while Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy walked up to them.

"Everything ok? We could hear the music from the pier." Sora asked.

"So far. Though I would've gone through another trek through the forest then a dance." Raven said as Rapunzel and Flynn danced together while Cyborg and Beast Boy danced along with the townsfolk.

"Still, at least we're all getting a little break, right?" Kairi replied and everyone nodded in response as the dancing continued while the sun began to set, casting a reddish-orangish glow around the kingdom. The music soon came to an end while Rapunzel and Flynn stood next to each other holding hands while Cyborg and Beast Boy came to a stop.

"Aw, and just when it was getting good." The mech titan exclaimed.

"Right, I was just about to show everyone how the worm is actually done." Beast Boy said.

"Everyone to the boats! The lights will be released soon!" One of the townsfolk yelled out. The crowd started making their way to the pier while Rapunzel and Flynn broke apart and headed toward the boats. Kairi gave Sora a little nudge to Raven before walking away while the boy nervously nodded.

"Um…Raven?" Sora asked, making the girl turn to look at him. "Uh…would you like to see the lights…with me?" he asked, surprising the empath in response.

"R-really?" Raven asked and was answered with a nod from the boy. Raven blushed in response and looked down a little. "Um…sure." She said, making Sora smile as he held out his hand to her. She smiled slightly and took his hand as they headed down to the pier, leaving Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Max alone.

"Ah, finally! They better make up while they're out there." Beast Boy said.

"They will. I'm sure of it." Kairi replied with a smile.

"So…do we want to go out on the boats?" Cyborg asked.

"Actually, I saw a pretty good spot down by the wharf where we can see the lights. Looks out over the entire ocean." Goofy said.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Donald replied.

"Yeah, let's go!" Kairi exclaimed as they waited until the crowd was gone to head toward the wharf.

(Meanwhile, with Robin and Starfire)

The two Titans were in the old house that used to belong to Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil stepmother. The house has gone unoccupied since Tremaine and her two daughters Anastasia and Drizella tried to destroy Cinderella with the power of darkness. Their attempt ended in failure though and they were consumed by that same darkness, leaving the house empty except for some of Cinderella's animal friends.

Thanks to some convincing from Cinderella, the Prince ordered some of the workers there to keep Lady Tremaine's house nice and tidy for her friends and if she and Charming ever wanted to take a break from the castle since the house wasn't too far from the kingdom. The guards accompanying Robin and Starfire unlocked the front door, allowing them to walk around and investigate the house.

"Robin, this house is truly wonderful." Starfire said, flying up to the second floor while Robin checked every nook and cranny.

"It definitely is surreal to be here." Robin replied, looking under a nearby desk while the Tamaran hovered down next to him with an amazed look in her eyes.

"It truly is a miracle that Cinderella cleaned this house all by herself. There's so much to do." Starfire replied looking around the house.

"That's what makes her special." Robin replied as he checked behind a large wardrobe. "Wish we had an idea of what we're looking for." The Boy Wonder said to himself.

"Perhaps it is a form of energy or something. I do not believe we are looking for a physical clue." Starfire spoke up while looking around. "I wonder how Cinderella and Charming handle being together while dealing with kingdom responsibilities and everything with the darkness. Must be quite the ordeal." Starfire said in a curious tone. Robin smiled and walked up to her side in response.

"The same way we handle being heroes and the keyblades too. By trusting in each other and always being here for you." Robin replied with a smile, making Starfire smile as well. The two continued looking around when suddenly Starfire noticed small lines of energy around the living room.

"Robin! I believe I found something." Starfire exclaimed. The Boy Wonder ran over to see the traces of energy, noticing they were colored blue and green, and ran all across the room. He followed the trails to see that they originated near a small mouse hole in the wall.

"Hmm, two trails so two of them were here. And yup, definitely mouse size." Robin replied.

"We must search the rest of the house if we hope to get a better trail of whoever was here." Starfire replied.

"Agreed. Let's start upstairs and see what we can- "Robin said when suddenly, the front door flung open, making the guards stationed there jump into action while Robin and Starfire turned to see Axel running in.

"Oh good, you guys are still here!" Axel said as he took a breath.

"What's going on?" Robin asked as he and Starfire walked up to him.

"Mickey found a solid trail out in the forest. He went to grab Riku while I grabbed you guys." Axel replied.

"We found something here too. But we can come back later if that one's a big one." Robin said.

"Yes, a solid trail! Lead the way, Axel!" Starfire replied with excitement. Axel nodded and ran out with Robin and Starfire while the guards closed the doors behind them.

(Back in the Kingdom of Corona)

Sora was rowing one of the boats out in the middle of the ocean with Raven along with several other boats, one of them holding Rapunzel and Flynn. Sora and Flynn waved at each other as they rowed further and further out. Sora soon reached a small spot not too far from the pier but also far enough from the kingdom to see the whole structure. Raven looked around with her arms crossed while Sora set the oars down.

"This spot seems nice, right? Clear view of the castle and far from everyone else." Sora said.

"I guess." Raven replied, nonchalantly. Sora frowned a little but quickly put his smile back up.

"I wonder what we're gonna do after this. I guess take Rapunzel back to her tower." Sora said, trying to make small talk. Raven adjusted her seating and looked toward the calm waters.

"We're flying back this time, no more walking." Raven replied, making Sora look down in response. She continued looking out toward the waters and out at the kingdom, wondering how the lights would look from where they were.

"Raven, I'm sorry." Sora suddenly said, making the girl's eyes widen and she turned to look at Sora, who currently had his head down and his eyes locked to the boat.

"Sorry? About what?" Raven asked.

"About…our whole trip here. I know you've been quieter than usual because of all the stuff I was doing with Rapunzel, and I was so stupid to not realize the position I was putting you in or the emotions you had to deal with…" Sora said.

"Sora…" Raven spoke up, but the boy kept going.

"I didn't realize what you had to put up with me spending time with Rapunzel in the water, chasing the squirrels, dancing with her and those guys at the food place. I only see her as a friend, that's it. I should've been more attentive to you and your feelings a-and Kairi being here, I didn't even consider how you'd feel with her being here with us…" Sora continued.

"Sora…" Raven said again but Sora kept going.

"I mean I should've realized better, and I understand if you're angry at me but I'm so sorry Raven and I just hope- "Sora exclaimed but Raven placed a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"Sora! You're rambling. Let me talk now, ok?" Raven asked. Sora slowly nodded as she moved her hand from his mouth and ran it around his cheek.

"You don't have to apologize. I understand that we wanted to help her see the outside world and I know you would never go after her. You do care about my feelings. But please understand, the emotions I'm feeling now are…new to me. Jealousy is…so strange to me. Anger and everything else I'm used to. But jealousy…" Raven said.

"Whole new ball game I'm guessing?" Sora asked, making her laugh a little.

"You have no idea. But I never should've taken my frustrations out on you or Rapunzel or the others. I'm sorry, Sora." Raven said, looking down a little. Sora took her hand in his and raised her head by her chin.

"Raven, you don't have to apologize either. You were trying to keep yourself calm while dealing with all these new emotions. That's a lot to ask for. From anyone." Sora said, making her smile as well.

"Guess we both have nothing to apologize for then, huh?" Raven said, making Sora laugh.

"Guess so." Sora said. They rested their heads against each other and closed their eyes as they released a collective sigh of relief, both relying on each other's energies for comfort. Suddenly, a light passed over their head, catching Sora's attention and making his eyes widen.

"Raven look!" Sora exclaimed as he leaned back in awe. Raven followed his gaze, and her eyes widened too as she saw one light flying over the castle in honor of the missing princess. Then millions of lanterns flew up into the air after the lone lantern from the kingdom, illuminating the night sky in a warm glow of light. Hundreds of lights flew over their heads as they watched in amazement.

"This is…outstanding." Sora replied.

"Beautiful…" Raven quietly exclaimed, catching Sora's attention. His eyes widened as he saw the light reflecting off Raven's face, making her shine brightly and from Sora's perspective, she looked like an angel.

"…So are you." Sora naturally said. Raven turned his gaze toward him and laughed a little.

"That was cheesy, even for you, Sora." Raven replied.

"And yet I meant it." He said, making the girl blush. They continued looking around the lake until Raven saw Rapunzel and Flynn releasing their own lanterns up into the sky. This gave her an idea and she turned to look at Sora.

"Sora, I got an idea." Raven said, making him turn to face her.

"What?" Sora asked.

"Can you make an orb of light?" Raven asked. Sora nodded and created a small ball of light in his hands. Raven did the same with her powers, creating an orb of black energy in her hands.

"What are you thinking?" Sora asked.

"Just watch. Now on three, release your orb. 1…2…3." Raven said and with that, the two released their orbs into the air, along with the other lanterns. The orbs flew in conjunction with each other like they were dancing among the lights like on a sea of stars. The orbs continued to fly around until they went out of sight while Sora and Raven watched in amazement.

"That…was so cool!" Sora exclaimed.

"I thought you'd like it." Raven said with a small smile.

"I did, but not as much as I love you." Sora said, leaning in and taking her hand in his, making her smile.

"And I love you, Sora." Raven said, making him smile as well as they shared a kiss after so much time had passed. Meanwhile, over by the pier, Kairi was watching their boat with a big smile on her face, finally happy to see the two reconciling.

"Well, it is about time…" Kairi said to herself.

"Did they finally make up?" Donald asked.

"Yup, mission accomplished." Kairi replied as she leaned back on the wood to get a better look at the lights.

"This sure is one heck of a sight. Wonder what else we'll see while traveling." Beast Boy said, dangling his legs over the side of the pier.

"Guess we'll have to wait and see." Goofy replied as he watched the lights in awe.

"How are Flynn and Rapunzel, Cyborg?" Kairi asked. Cyborg used his red eye to zoom in on the river and scan around for the duo in question until he saw their boat rowing toward the shore.

"Got 'em. Odd, looks like they're heading to the shore for some reason." Cyborg said.

"How come?" Donald asked.

"Don't know. Looks like Flynn is going somewhere with a satchel or something…" Cyborg replied, making Kairi's eyes widen as she tried to squint to see better.

"A satchel?! Are you sure?!" Kairi exclaimed in worry, surprising the others.

"Fairly sure. Why?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh, no! Rapunzel, why?" Kairi yelled out in frustration.

"Kairi, what's going on?" Beast Boy asked.

"Long story, we gotta go after them now! C'mon!" Kairi yelled, running up the pier with the others when suddenly, Nobodies spawned in the wharf, blocking their way.

"Oh, c'mon! Not now!" Beast Boy yelled out. Most of the Nobodies comprised of the Reaper Nobodies, along with the numerous Dusks.

"We have to hurry! Cyborg, Beast Boy, go see Flynn and Rapunzel! Donald, get Sora and Raven's attention! C'mon, Goofy!" Kairi yelled as she summoned her keyblade and charged, with Goofy summoning his shield and joining her, while the rest of the group broke apart.

Meanwhile, Sora and Raven were enjoying the sight of the lanterns and the glow presented to them along with the stars above until Sora noticed something.

"What's that?" Sora asked, looking toward the pier, making Raven follow his gaze to see Kairi and Goofy holding off the Nobodies while Donald cast several light spells to catch their attention.

"Trouble!" Raven replied. The two shared a look and nodded before taking off from the boat and into the air. The two flew and landed next to Donald as they summoned their keyblades.

"What's going on?!" Sora asked.

"We got Nobodies and something's going on with Flynn and Rapunzel." Donald replied.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"I dunno! They rowed to the other side of the bridge. Something must be happening. Cyborg and Beast Boy are on their way to check it out." The mage exclaimed. Sora and Raven nodded in understanding as they assessed the situation.

"Let's deal with the Nobodies first. Then we'll go see what else is going on." Sora replied. Raven and Donald nodded in agreement as they joined Kairi and Goofy in combating the Reapers.

(Meanwhile, with Flynn and Rapunzel)

Flynn rowed the boat to the shoreline on the other side of the bridge and disembarked on the beach while Rapunzel remained on the boat with a confused look as more lights flew into the air. Flynn held the satchel that Rapunzel gave to him in his arms as he pulled the boat further onto the beach.

"I'm sorry. Everything is fine. There's…just something I have to take care of." Flynn replied. Rapunzel gave him an unsure look while Pascal watched from the front of the boat.

"Ok…" Rapunzel replied nervously.

"I'll be right back." Flynn said as he walked away while Pascal climbed up on Rapunzel's shoulder.

"It's all right, Pascal." She said, making the chameleon look up at her in worry. Meanwhile, Flynn walked toward the other side of the shore where one of the Stabbington Brothers was waiting for him. A small boat floated near the shore as the brother sharpened a piece of wood with his knife.

"Oh, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you guys since we got separated. Hey, the sideburns are coming in nice, huh? Gotta be excited for that." Flynn said with a grin. Stabbington said nothing back as he glared at Flynn before focusing back on the wood. The thief cleared his throat in response before continuing.

"Anyhow, just wanted to say, I shouldn't have split. The crown is all yours." Flynn said, tossing the satchel to the ground next to the brother while the crown fell out a little. "I'll miss ya. But I think it's for the…best?" Flynn said until he walked right into the other Stabbington Brother, who was glaring at him with his lone eye.

"Holding out on us again, eh Rider?" The vocal twin asked, making Flynn turn toward him.

"What?" Flynn asked, confused.

"We heard you found something. Something much more valuable than a crown. We want her instead." The twin replied, throwing his knife into the sand and stomping past the crown.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel was still waiting by the boat with Pascal when Cyborg and Beast Boy finally arrived, quickly hiding in some bushes to see what was going on.

"There's Rapunzel and Pascal." Cyborg replied.

"Yeah, but where's Flynn?" Beast Boy yelled until Cyborg silenced him, pointing toward the outline of a figure in the fog walking toward Rapunzel.

"I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me." Rapunzel said. As the figure got closer, it became clear that it was two figures and twins walking up to her, figures that she recognized from the dam.

"He did." One of the twins said, making Rapunzel back away in worry.

"What? No, he wouldn't." Rapunzel said in anger.

"See for yourself." The twin said with a smile as he gestured toward the water. Rapunzel followed his gesture to see a small boat sailing out and Flynn manning the wheel.

"Eugene…Eugene!" Rapunzel called out, but Flynn didn't turn back as the boat sailed away.

"Fair trade, I say. A crown for the girl with the magic hair." The twin replied as he ran a hand over Rapunzel's hair, making her back away in fear. "How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" The twin asked as both of their eyes glowed pink and several Nobodies spawned around them.

"No, please." Rapunzel begged but the brothers didn't listen as one of them pulled out a bag and stalked toward her while the Nobodies got closer to her. Rapunzel quickly took off, grabbing her dress so she could run faster while the creatures and brothers gave chase.

"We have to help her!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"Yeah, let's go!" Beast Boy said, about to charge out when they were both punched in the back of their heads by Marluxia, knocking them both out. He cracked his knuckles and watched Rapunzel run away with a smile on his face. The blonde ran further down the shore until her long hair got stuck on a nearby log. She pulled and pulled when suddenly she heard a loud commotion coming from where she ran from.

"Rapunzel!" A familiar voice yelled out, confusing the blonde.

"Mother?" she asked, pulling her hair free and walking to the shore to see the Nobodies gone, the Stabbington Brothers knocked out, and Mother Gothel standing over them with a piece of wood in her hand. Gothel looked up to see Rapunzel and dropped the wood to the sand.

"Oh, my precious girl." Mother Gothel replied.

"Mother…" Rapunzel said, running right into Gothel's arms as they embraced.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?!" Gothel said, checking Rapunzel's hair and face while Rapunzel noticed gray strands in her mother's hair.

"H-how did you- "Rapunzel asked but her mother silenced her.

"I was so worried about you dear. So, I followed you and saw them attack you and- let's go let's go before they come to." Mother Gothel said, pulling Rapunzel toward the forest.

"B-but Flynn and m-my friends…" Rapunzel said, looking out toward the kingdom and specifically focusing on Flynn still sailing away. She then looked back to see Mother Gothel standing in the forest with a green lantern in her hands. Gothel placed the lantern on the ground and held her arms out to the blonde, inviting her to join her. With tears brimming in her eyes, Rapunzel ran and embraced Mother Gothel again.

"You were right, Mother." Rapunzel said, tears now running down her face.

"I know, darling. I know." Mother Gothel replied, wrapping them both under her cloak and walking back to the forest. As they walked away, Mother Gothel looked behind her to see Marluxia standing behind a tree, a smile plastered on his face. She smiled back as they disappeared out of sight with Rapunzel.

(Meanwhile, with Sora)

Sora destroyed the last Reaper with his space hammer transformation while the others gathered around him.

"That felt random." Goofy said, putting his shield away.

"It never is with the Nobodies. We need to find Rapunzel and Flynn, fast." Sora said, changing his keyblade back to normal.

"Hey, what's that?" Donald asked, looking out into the water. Everyone followed his gaze to see a small boat floating closer and closer to the kingdom. They squinted their eyes to see a familiar thief at the wheel and a crown clutched in his hands.

"Is that Flynn?" Sora asked.

"What's he doing?" Goofy asked until they all spotted the crown held in Flynn's hands.

"Is that a crown…oh, I knew we shouldn't have trusted him." Raven said. Sora's eyes widened in shock until he noticed that Flynn was tied to the wheel of the boat with the crown in his hand and he was knocked out.

"Wait, hold on guys…Oh, no he's tied to the wheel! He's being delivered right to the guards!" Sora said as everyone looked to see the small boat hitting the side of the bridge, catching the attention of the local guards. The group took cover behind the staircase to see where the guards were taking Flynn.

"We gotta help him." Kairi said.

"How? He's the kingdom's number one most wanted thief. He's gonna be locked in their biggest prison on 24/7 watch. How are we gonna help?" Raven asked. Everyone racked their brains for a good idea until Goofy's eyes widened.

"Uh, fellas, I might have an idea." The captain replied as everyone looked toward him.

"What is it?" Donald asked.

"We might need some friends we met back in the forest." Goofy replied, making everyone confused.

"Okay…what about Rapunzel? She should be back with Cyborg and Beast Boy already." Kairi asked.

"Something must've happened!" Donald exclaimed.

Ok, we gotta split up! Donald, Goofy, do whatever you have planned to help Flynn. Raven, Kairi, come with me so we can find Rapunzel. Let's move!" Sora said as the group split apart with Donald and Goofy discreetly following the guards to see where Flynn was being held while Sora, Raven, and Kairi ran/flew across the bridge toward the shore. They stopped at the now abandoned rowboat and looked around until they saw Mother Gothel leading Rapunzel away in the far distance.

"Rapunzel, wait- "Kairi yelled out when suddenly a corridor of darkness opened in front of the three Keyblade Wielders, revealing Marluxia standing in front of them.

"Show some decorum." Marluxia said.

"Is this the Organization member you met?" Raven asked and Sora nodded in confirmation.

"The girl has found her dear mother. You should let them be." Marluxia replied.

"And leave them in your hands? Why would we do that?!" Sora asked.

"Because Rapunzel is far too important. Atop her tower, she must remain out of sight and live out her days with Mother Gothel." Marluxia retorted.

"And live her life in isolation? Stuck in her own prison?!" Raven exclaimed.

"Exactly. Rapunzel's hair holds the powerful magic of healing. And yes, Mother Gothel wants it for herself. As will others. And if Gothel's actions will protect Rapunzel, preserve her…then she is doing the Organization a favor." Marluxia explained.

"A favor? Why do you guys care about Rapunzel's safety? Especially when you're sending all these monsters after her?!" Kairi asked.

"Let's say she's keeping Rapunzel on the shelf for us. An extra pawn in case you fail in finding the remaining guardians of light, and we find ourselves in need to call on other hearts of light instead. A New Seven Hearts to fill in the blanks." Marluxia said.

"New Seven Hearts? What does that mean?" Sora asked.

"Seven who inherited the princesses' light after their role has been fulfilled." Marluxia said, making Kairi place a hand over her heart.

"Inherited? Could that mean…" Kairi said to herself.

"So, you don't even care about Rapunzel. You're just saving her for your own use!" Raven yelled.

"Enough of this! Where are Cyborg and Beast Boy?!" Sora yelled, summoning his keyblade while Raven and Kairi did the same.

"Hmph, I knew you and your meddling friends would go and make a scene. Very well, lights out then for all of you." Marluxia said, suddenly summoning a pink gust of wind around the three. They all started to feel drowsy as Sora slowly turned to see Kairi and Raven fall to the ground asleep.

"Raven…Kairi…" Sora said slowly as he dropped his keyblade and fell to his knees. Suddenly, Marluxia leaned close to Sora's ear with a smirk on his face.

"You always were such a sound sleeper. Very well, if you wish to meddle even more, let's see how quickly you can get back to Rapunzel's tower…before time runs out." Marluxia said. That was enough for Sora to finally fall asleep as he fell to the ground in a heap. If Sora was still awake, he would've noticed the Nobody symbol materialize on his hand as Marluxia disappeared through another corridor of darkness.

(Meanwhile, with Riku)

Axel, Robin, and Starfire ran further into the forest in the Castle of Dreams to see Mickey, Riku, and Cinderella awaiting them.

"Tell them what you found, Mickey." Axel said as they all regrouped.

"Found what?" Riku asked.

"A solid trail. I can sense both Terra and Aqua's energy here. We can use this to finally find them." Mickey said, concentrating on the trails to reveal two faint traces of energy to everyone present, one orange and the other blue.

"We're getting close. We can finally find them." Riku said in awe of the trail.

"I believe we also found some of Ventus' trail. If you went to the house, Your Majesty, you should be able to find it." Starfire said.

"Then we'll go there next and pick up on the trail too. Wanna make sure he remembers me." Axel said.

"I do hope to see Ven, Terra, and Aqua again. They were very good friends to me." Cinderella said.

"Don't worry, Princess, we'll find them all." Robin said as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Hmph, so sure of yourselves." A sinister voice spoke out, putting everyone on edge. Suddenly, a corridor of darkness opened up in front of everyone, revealing Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, still adorned in his Organization coat.

"The one from Twilight Town!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Should've known. Your scent never left Ansem." Riku said, stepping in front of Cinderella.

"Glad to see you haven't changed as well." Ansem replied.

"What do you want?" Mickey asked.

"I'm here to keep track of your progress in finding your missing Guardians. And imagine my surprise to see that you're nowhere near close to finding them." Ansem said.

"We will find them!" Robin exclaimed, making Ansem laugh.

"So full of hope. What a lie to believe in. Even if you do find them, how do you intend to save them? And what backup do you have? These pitiful Titans? They will fall as easily as you. Our plan is set in motion and darkness will consume the realms." Ansem said, confidently.

"You need to have more faith in your opponents, great seeker." Axel said.

"I have no words for you, traitor. Nor do I need to care about you." Ansem replied.

"You're wrong Ansem. Hope is what gives us the strength to move forward. And hope always leads back to the light. You may have your plans, but we have each other. And we will find Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. And then we will stop you." Riku said in a determined tone. Ansem smirked to himself in response.

"Stubborn as ever. Let's see what could be done about that." Ansem said, suddenly shooting several blasts of darkness at everyone. They were either about to block or dodge the blasts when suddenly a large circle of light encompassed them, protecting them from the projectiles. Everyone turned to see Cinderella casting the shield spell, her hands glowing until the shield went down.

"Ah, Princess Cinderella. Glad to see you can still defend yourself." Ansem spoke up, making Cinderella's eyes widen.

"You…after all this time. I hoped to never see you again." Cinderella said.

"Do not worry Princess. Our plans do not involve you. But darkness can be unpredictable. Anything can happen. One can only be so prepared. I shall see the rest of you in the future. For now, I'll leave you with this little test." Ansem replied, creating a large orb of darkness as he disappeared through another corridor. The orb started to pulsate and grow with dark energy as everyone summoned their keyblades in response. The orb grew bigger and bigger until it finally exploded, revealing three large Heartless standing before them. One Heartless was a large feminine figure with large grey hair with the Heartless symbol on it, a large black and white tail, and grey hands. The Heartless wore a dark red with violet lines, a gold corset, and several jewels adorning it. It also had a large, jeweled staff in its hand and a ring and crown as well. This Heartless was known as the Mean Maiden and joining it were two cat-like Heartless at its side.

"Was wondering when we ran into these things." Axel said, spinning his blade.

"It looks like…my stepmother." Cinderella said, taking a good look at the Heartless.

"Let's hurry and beat this thing." Riku said, getting into his stance.

"Agreed. Let's kick the butt." Starfire said while Robin nodded in agreement.

"Let's go, everyone!" Mickey replied as the Heartless ordered its cats to attack. The yellow and pink cats charged at them quickly. Robin and Starfire took the yellow cat while Mickey and Riku took the purple cat, leaving Axel and Cinderella to focus on the Mean Maiden.

Axel turned his keyblade into his signature chakrams and threw it at the Heartless, who easily deflected them with its staff. In response, the Maiden slammed the end of its staff against the ground, causing the dirt around Axel's feet to shake. Suddenly, a large gold cabinet enclosed around the former Organization member, trapping him inside as it locked on the outside. Cinderella managed to avoid the cabinet and banged on it with her fist in an attempt to open it.

"Axel! Axel!" Cinderella yelled when suddenly the Maiden shot a large white projectile at her, making the princess take cover behind the cabinet.

Meanwhile, the Heartless cats duplicated themselves and tried to overwhelm the Guardians and Titans, but they easily fell between the teamwork and might of the duos. Riku and Mickey teamed up to fire multiple orbs of light and darkness at the yellow cats, destroying them all.

Robin and Starfire stood back-to-back as the Boy Wonder threw several discs at the Heartless, having them stick to the cats like glue. Starfire then lit her keyblade up and fired several starbolts at the discs, causing them to explode in bursts of green energy and destroying the Heartless.

This left only the Mean Maiden, who was still shooting at Cinderella with her projectiles until it fired a dark chain at the Princess, restraining her in place.

"Hold on, guys!" Riku yelled out as he, Mickey, Robin, and Starfire charged together. Before they could attack, Cinderella's hands started to glow before she released a powerful burst of light from her body, destroying the chains. She then fired a ball of light at the locked cabinet holding Axel, setting it free. Suddenly, the cabinet blew up in a large fiery explosion, while the red-haired keyblade wielder walked out.

"That was just rude." Axel said to the Heartless. The Heartless was about to attack again but Axel beat it to the punch by throwing two flame-enhanced chakrams, putting the Heartless on the defensive. Robin and Starfire kept up the assault with a whip strike and a powerful blow from Robin's bo-staff, putting more of a strain on the Heartless' cane. Mickey leaped up and struck at the Heartless several times, scoring small hits on the creature while weakening the cane even more. Now glowing with dark energy, the Mean Maiden gathered light to the tip of her cane and fired a powerful beam at the group, but Cinderella stepped in front of them and fired her beam of light right back.

The two beams clashed between Princess and Heartless until Cinderella's beam grew stronger and overpowered Maiden's beam, destroying her cane and severely weakening it. Riku then charged forth and swung his blade in a quick flash across the Heartless' body as he slid behind it with his keyblade stretched out. A few seconds later, a large slash cut through the Mean Maiden, making it fall to its knees as it dissipated into nothing while releasing a heart.

"Goodbye…stepmother." Cinderella said as her hands glowed brightly before dimming slightly.

"Wow, that's amazing Cinderella. When were you able to do that?" Mickey asked.

"Back in Hollow Bastion. Me and the other princesses had to hold back the darkness for as long as we could. We had to fight off some of those awful creatures when we were slowing it down. Our power manifested as both shields and a tool." Cinderella replied.

"Are the other princesses capable of this power?" Starfire asked.

"Yes, though I am not sure if they have kept on training or using these powers as I have." Cinderella replied.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side." Axel whispered to Robin, who nodded in response.

"That held us back for a little." Riku said.

"Yeah, we gotta hurry and follow these trails, quick!" Mickey exclaimed.

"Agreed, we should get going." Robin said.

"Princess Cinderella, we thank you for your hospitality. Please give our condolences to Prince Charming as well." Starfire said.

"You're very welcome. Just please promise me, all of you. That you'll find them. They all deserve a happy life." Cinderella said.

"We promise Princess. We'll find them all." Axel said with a smirk. Everyone started walking back to the Gummi Ship when Riku felt someone tugging his arm, turning back to see Cinderella standing behind him.

"Yes, Cinderella?" Riku asked while Mickey stopped next to him.

"I wanted to tell you something. Please know that you're not the same boy. You're a new young man. You are forgiven." Cinderella said, taking his hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Riku smiled and nodded while Mickey smiled too.

"Thank you, Cinderella. For everything." Riku said. The two smile and nod as they part ways, with Cinderella heading back to the castle and Riku joining Mickey as they went back to the Gummi Ship.

"Told you so." Mickey replied.

"I know, I know. Now I actually believe it." Riku said as they got back to the ship.

(Meanwhile, back in the Kingdom of Corona, with Rapunzel)

The blonde-haired girl lay down on her bed with a saddened look on her face while holding a small flag of the kingdom in her hands. After she and her mother returned to the tower, Rapunzel was quiet and crest-fallen all the way, her heart broken by all the events she had experienced recently. Her pet Pascal sat on top of the bed with a worried look on his face as the girl let out a saddened breath.

Rapunzel turned her attention up to the ceiling where several of her paintings were drawn, reminding her of all the time she spent here on her lonesome and of what Sora and his friends told her, about her being locked away. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to an empty spot on the ceiling that resembled the symbol on the flag in her hand, that of a large, yellow sun. Rapunzel sat up on her bed and looked closer at the empty space until her eyes widened in shock, realizing that the space was exactly the same as the symbol of the sun and it was in her other paintings as well.

All of the symbols sent a sudden realization into Rapunzel's head as she remembered the mural set up by the king and queen for their missing…blonde…daughter.

Suddenly, the image of her wearing the crown before her whole adventure came back to her, causing her to hold her head in pain and stumble against her desk, making the chair fall over and the mirror rattle, catching Mother Gothel's attention. The woman walked into her daughter's room, who was breathing heavily from the realization.

"I'm…the lost princess." Rapunzel said, making Mother Gothel scoff in response.

"Please speak up, Rapunzel. You know how I hate the mumbling." Gothel replied, walking up to her.

"I'm the lost princess, aren't I?" Rapunzel asked in anger, making Gothel back away in worry. "Did I mumble, mother? Or should I even call you that?!" She asked while the older woman regained her composure.

"Oh, Rapunzel. Do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?" Gothel said, running her hand through Rapunzel's hair, but the girl pushed her away.

"It was you! It was always you!" Rapunzel yelled out, while Gothel suddenly changed her whole demeanor.

"Everything I did was to protect you." Gothel said. Rapunzel shook her head in anger and pushed passed the older woman, walking out of the room and down the stairs, with Gothel trailing behind. "Rapunzel- "Gothel yelled out.

"I've spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power." Rapunzel exclaimed.

"Rapunzel- "Gothel tried to explain but the girl kept going.

"When I should've been hiding from you!" Rapunzel yelled out as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Where will you go? That thief won't be there for you and that useless group of his will be gone as well." Gothel said.

"What did you do to him? Did you do something to Sora and the others?" Rapunzel asked in worry.

"That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes and this Sora will be taken care of as well." Gothel replied, making Rapunzel gasp in shock.

"No…" the girl said.

"Now, now, it's alright. Listen to me, all of this is how it should be." Mother Gothel said, trying to pat Rapunzel on the hair, but the girl reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her.

"No! No, you were wrong about the world, and you were wrong about me. And I will never let you use my hair again!" Rapunzel exclaimed. Gothel finally wrenched her hand free from the girl's iron grasp, but this made her stumble back and knock the mirror over, causing it to shatter into pieces. The two stared each other down until Rapunzel walked over toward her things. Though with her back turned, she didn't notice the now growing dark aura emanating from Mother Gothel.

"You want me to be the bad guy? Fine. Now I'm the bad guy." Mother Gothel replied as she stalked toward Rapunzel.

(Meanwhile, with Sora and the others)

Sora started to slowly wake up as he felt his eyes and body move in response. Soon, he started to hear noises around him, bringing his senses back little by little.

"Sora… Kairi…Raven!" That sounded like Donald.

"Wake up..." That one must be Goofy.

"Hhm…unresponsive sidekicks." Wait, is that Flynn? Wasn't he in prison? "Wait…I know how to fix this. Max, give him a wash." Wait, what?

Sora soon felt something lick his face, finally awakening him from his slumber and he opened his eyes to see Max staring down at him while Flynn rode on his back.

"Uh…what?" Sora asked drowsily. Donald and Goofy suddenly popped up in his view.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed. Sora groaned as he got up and looked around to see that it was now dusk and cloudy outside and Kairi and Raven were just stirring awake as well.

"Glad that did the trick. What happened to you guys?" Flynn asked.

"Ugh, that uh-cult guy…he put us to sleep so that- oh, right! Guys, Rapunzel's being held prisoner!" Sora exclaimed.

"Ugh, I hate being asleep." Kairi said, slowly getting to her feet. Suddenly, everyone heard some bushes rustling and they turned to see Cyborg and Beast Boy stumbling out while holding their heads in pain.

"What happened to you guys?" Sora asked.

"Pinky got a cheap shot on us. We were about to save Rapunzel from those creepy twins when he snuck up on us." Beast Boy said.

"Can't wait to get some revenge on that guy!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"Join the club." Raven replied.

"This calls for a rescue. We gotta get back to that tower and save Rapunzel. You guys with me?" Flynn asked. Sora shared a glance with everyone who nodded their heads in agreement.

"Count on us! Let's go!" Sora exclaimed with a smile as he ran ahead of everyone. The group was about to follow him when the boy suddenly fell to the ground in a big heap.

"Sora!" Everyone exclaimed as they ran up to him while Kairi and Raven helped him up, though they noticed he looked paler than before.

"What's wrong?!" Kairi asked as they heard Sora's breath get weaker.

"I…I dunno. It…just felt like all my strength just…" Sora said until he looked at the palm of his hand to see it ensnared by vines and flower petals and a faint timer could be seen, counting down to zero. His eyes widened in shock as Marluxia's words echoed in his head.

"Let's see how quickly you can get back to Rapunzel's tower…before time runs out." The voice said.

"Oh no…" Sora said.

"Sora, what is it?" Raven asked, making the boy focus.

"We have to get back to the tower. Quick!" Sora exclaimed, trying to stand on his own but failing.

"Why, what's wrong?!" Cyborg asked.

"Marluxia cursed me! If I don't get to the tower before this countdown goes down, I'll…I'll…" Sora said slowly as he showed them the countdown on his hand, making everyone realize what was actually at stake.

"Oh, not good! We gotta hurry!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Sora, do you think you can make it on your own?" Kairi asked.

"Let me try." Sora said, standing up but falling over again as he groaned in pain. "I can't." He spoke.

"Max can carry him! That ok, buddy?" Flynn asked and the horse nodded in agreement. Cyborg picked Sora up and placed him behind the thief. Sora started to shake from the effects of the curse as he started to feel tired and weak. "Ok, Max let's see how fast you can run. Try to keep up guys!" Flynn said as he snapped the reins while Maximus reared up and took off into the forest. Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl and picked up Cyborg while Raven created a platform for Kairi, Donald, and Goofy and took off after Max, the group flying back up the hill and past the flower fields. They sped past several trees and cliffs when suddenly, several Nobodies appeared, blocking their path.

"Oh, not now!" Goofy exclaimed. He, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Donald, and Kairi jumped to the ground and summoned their weapons.

"Flynn, go on ahead. You both need to get to that tower now!" Kairi exclaimed. Flynn nods while Sora slowly nods back. "Raven, go with them! Make sure they get there safely!" She spoke.

"I will." Raven said with a nod. Sora reached his hand out to Raven, who took it in response and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Flynn snapped Max's reins, and the horse took off while Raven flew after him, while the rest of the heroes stayed behind to fight the Nobodies. Maximus was full-on sprinting through the forest while Raven flew at top speeds to keep up. Suddenly, more Nobodies appeared before them, making Raven ready her keyblade.

"Don't slow down!" Raven yelled out, shooting several bolts of magic at the Nobodies, destroying them. She flew closer to Max when suddenly another Reaper appeared behind her and moved to strike at her. Suddenly, Sora summoned his keyblade and shot a fireball at the Reaper, destroying it. The two shared a smile until Sora groaned in pain, almost dropping his keyblade in the process as he leaned more against Flynn.

"Sora, save your strength! We need to get you to that tower!" Raven exclaimed. Sora nodded with now bloodshot eyes as the curse took more of an effect as green, thorny vines now grew further up his arm and up to his chest. Max ran faster and faster until they reached the hidden entrance through the caves. Before they could enter, several Heartless spawned in and surrounded Max, making him rein in the process.

"Easy Max!" Flynn called out as the Heartless surrounded them.

"Flynn! Take Sora and go! I'll hold them off!" Raven said.

"No arguments from me!" Flynn yelled out.

"Rae…" Sora slowly groaned out in worry.

"Don't talk, Sora. Just focus on your strength. Hurry, Max!" Raven said. Max nods as he takes a large leap over one of the Heartless blocking his path and rides through the hidden entrance. The dark creatures attempt to follow them but Raven cuts them off with a dark shield as she teleports in front of the entrance.

"Nothing…gets through here." Raven said with her eyes glowing as she sent a powerful wave of magic at the Heartless as they engaged her. Meanwhile, Flynn, Max, and Sora rode as fast as they could through the cave until they could see the end leading out to the tower.

"Almost there, Sora! Just hold on!" Flynn said. He could feel the boy weakly nod against his back. But just as they passed the exit, a thorny, black vine reached out and grabbed Sora from Max's back and tossed him back into the cave while more and more vines materialized, wrapping tightly around the entrance, trapping him in the cave. Sora weakly hit the shield in an attempt to break it while Flynn and Max ran back to the cave.

"Sora! Hold on! We'll find some way to get you out!" Flynn yelled out looking for something to use, but Sora slowly shook his head in response.

"No! Flynn…save…Rap…unzel. Got…ta…hurry. Don't…worry." Sora got out with a small reassuring smile on his face. Flynn looked like he was about to argue some more but Sora stopped with another look. "Go…Flynn." Sora replied. The thief and the horse shared a look as they realized that there was nothing, they could do to help their weakening friend. Sora and Flynn shared a nod of agreement as Max took off toward the tower while Sora rested against the rocky wall as he felt himself get weaker as the thorns grew further up his arm and up to his neck.

"Hur…ry…Flynn." Sora wheezed out.

"Sora!" several voices exclaimed, and he weakly turned to see Kairi, Raven, Donald, Goofy, Cyborg, and Beast Boy running up to him, making him smile a little as Raven and Kari kneeled next to him.

"What happened?!" Raven asked.

"Where's Flynn?! Kairi exclaimed as everyone crowded around him. Sora tried to speak but could only get a light groan, so he slowly raised his arm up and pointed toward the tower, making everyone follow his gaze as they saw the vines blocking their path.

"We don't have time for this!" Cyborg said.

"I'm with you there!" Kairi yelled as she, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Donald fired beams of flames at the vines, burning them in order to clear a path while Raven and Goofy stayed next to Sora.

"Don't worry, Sora, everything's going to be ok." Goofy said, with his shield out in case a Heartless or Nobody decided to attack.

"Yeah, soon you'll be back to your goofy, clownish self." Raven said as she placed a hand on Sora's cheek, making him still smile as brightly as he could as more and more vines were burnt away.

(Meanwhile, with Flynn)

Flynn and Max rode down the field toward the tower as dark, grey clouds rolled across the sky, blocking out the sun while the thief dismounted and ran to the base of the structure.

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel, let down your hair!" Flynn called out. After getting no response, he started climbing up the rocks of the tower, when suddenly, he heard the window high above open up and Rapunzel's long blonde hair tossed out like a rope for him to climb up. The thief quickly started climbing as he reached the windowsill and jumped in.

"Rapunzel! I thought I'd never see you again." Flynn said with a smile on his face. His smile soon turned into a shocked expression as he saw Rapunzel chained up to a nearby pole in a crotched position and a white handkerchief tied around her mouth. Though muffled, he could hear Rapunzel screaming like she was trying to warn him.

SHINK!*

Flynn suddenly felt someone stab him in the gut and he only had a few seconds to see a woman, who he must've assumed was Mother Gothel, standing behind him with a silver dagger in hand as he fell to the ground while Rapunzel screamed in horror.

"Now, look what've you done, Rapunzel. Oh, but don't worry. Our secret will die with him." Mother Gothel replied as she stepped over Flynn, who curled further into himself in pain. Rapunzel tried to drag herself closer to Flynn, but the chains stopped her as Gothel undid them from the pole and started dragging her away. "And as for us, we are going where no one will ever find you again!" Gothel exclaimed as she pulled Rapunzel closer and closer to the door that led further inside the tower. Pascal suddenly ran out from where he was hiding and bit down on Gothel's dress in an attempt to stop her, but the woman easily kicked the chameleon away toward the window. Gothel pulled more and more but Rapunzel continued to fight against the chain.

"Stop fighting me!" Gothel exclaimed in frustration and anger as the final push from the blonde girl made her fall to the ground and the white handkerchief to fall free from her face.

"No! I won't stop! Every minute, for the rest of my life, I will fight! I will never stop trying to get away from you. But…if you let me save him, I will go with you." Rapunzel said while Mother Gothel glared at her.

"No…no…Rapunzel." Flynn groaned out as he tried to fruitlessly crawl toward her and Pascal recovered from being knocked aside.

"I'll never run, I'll never try to escape, just let me heal him. Then, you and I will be together, forever just like you want. Everything will be the way it was. I promise. Just like you want. Just…let me…heal him." Rapunzel proposed while tears started to well in her eyes. Mother Gothel stared her down before slowly nodding in agreement. She quickly undid the chains from Rapunzel and instead chained Flynn to the pole in case the thief had any idea of going after them. Once Gothel was done, Rapunzel ran over to the thief.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she checked the wound to see fresh blood seeping out as Eugene grunted in pain. "I'm so sorry. Everything's gonna be okay." She said as she gathered her hair up but was stopped by the thief's hand.

"No, Rapunzel…" Eugene groaned out as she placed a strand of her hair over his wound.

"I promise, you have to trust me." Rapunzel said.

"I can't let you do this." Eugene said as he looked at her in pain.

"And I can't let you die." Rapunzel said, sadly.

"But if you do this, then you…will die." Eugene replied as she tried to comfort him.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright." Rapunzel said with a smile. Eugene smiled back as she started to sing but the thief stopped her.

"Rapunzel…wait." Eugene said as he ran a hand over her face and through her hair. Then, just as fast, Eugene cut Rapunzel's hair down to near shoulder length with a piece of a broken mirror.

"Eugene, what- "Rapunzel asked in shock as the hair on her head turned from a blonde into a brunette color.

"NO!" Mother Gothel exclaimed in shock as the long strand of Rapunzel's hair also lost its golden color. Mother Gothel tried to gather the remaining hair that was still blonde, but it too met the same fate as the rest. Suddenly, the woman's hand started to quickly grow pale and wither as she started to age rapidly.

"What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Mother Gothel screamed in rage as the rest of her body also started to age, with her face becoming more sunken in and her hair turning grey and white. She fell in front of the broken mirror to see her reflection and what she saw horrified her as the old woman tried to cover herself with her cloak as she aged more and more, stumbling all across the room. Unfortunately, her stumbling led her closer and closer to the open window and Pascal took the chance to get some revenge by grabbing some of Rapunzel's cut hair in his mouth and using it to trip Mother Gothel out of the window. The older woman fell head over heels out the window as Rapunzel watched in shock.

(Earlier, with Sora and the others)

"We're through!" Cyborg called out as the last of the vines fell to the ground in front of them, allowing them to finally leave the cave.

"C'mon, up that tower!" Beast Boy called out.

"C'mon, Sora. We gotta get you to that tower." Goofy said. The boy slowly nodded as he saw that he was a few minutes away from his time running out and the vines were growing further, now across his chest to his other arm. He tried to stand up on his own but again failed. Luckily, Kairi and Goofy were there to help him to his feet.

"We got ya. Just hold on, okay?" Kairi said with a smile, but it couldn't hide the worry that she had of Sora's condition. Before they could move, Raven placed a hand on her shoulder, catching her attention.

"Let me, I can get him there faster." Raven said. Kairi nodded and passed Sora to Raven, who carried him with one arm over her shoulder as she took off into the air. They flew past Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Donald while Kairi and Goofy ran to catch up. They got closer and closer when they suddenly saw something falling out of the tower, accompanied by a loud scream.

"What is?" Raven asked, watching what looked to be a cloaked figure falling from the tower.

"Is that…Rapunzel's mom?" Beast Boy asked as the group came to a stop.

"Looks like it." Donald replied. As Mother Gothel fell further, her body eventually aged to the point where she was nothing but dust and the only thing left falling was her cloak.

"That was…dark." Cyborg said as everyone nodded in agreement. Not too far away, Marluxia watched the cloak fall with a disappointed look on his face.

"Fallen to darkness…We can't allow her near our pure light now. Her presence would only cast a pall over it." Marluxia said, casting a dark spell, causing Mother Gothel's cloak to get surrounded by cherry blossoms. Suddenly, darkness erupted from the cloak in a giant cloud as four large arms and a long tail burst out of it.

"Why is it never so simple?" Kairi said, summoning her keyblade while the others did the same. The ball of darkness fell to the ground in a large crash, while blocking Raven and Sora from the tower. The cloud soon dissipated, revealing a large tree-like Heartless blocking their path. Its face was brown and made of wood, with large yellow eyes, a jagged mouth, and the Heartless symbol on its forehead. It had a mane of green leaves surrounding its head and four arms sprouting from it. The tail was actually a long stump with scales and green markings all over it. This Heartless was called the Grim Guardianess and it proved its point by jumping into the air and roaring at the group of heroes, blocking the tower from them.

"Uh, guys, any ideas?!" Beast Boy asked.

"Let's keep its attention on us. Rae still needs to get Sora to that tower!" Cyborg exclaimed as everyone turned their heads to see Sora getting weaker, now barely able to lift his head as more vines covered his body.

"She's right, hurry Raven!" Donald shouted as he fired a large Firaga spell at the Heartless, catching its attention. "Hey, over here, ya big palooka!" The mage shouted. The Guardianess let out a roar as several dark birds flew out of its mouth and divebombed at the heroes, making them all scatter. Raven flew around with Sora as several birds flew after them while she shot several bursts of her magic at them, eventually trapping them in a ball and launching them back at the Heartless, causing a large burst of energy.

The Guardianess gave chase after the empath but was stopped by Beast Boy, who turned into a rolled-up Ankylosaurus and crashed into the Heartless, causing it to run into the nearby rocky wall. Raven and Sora turned around and flew toward the tower when suddenly the Heartless' tail wiped out and smacked them away, causing her to drop Sora as he tumbled to the ground while she hit the opposite wall. The empath shook her head clear until she realized Sora was gone.

"Sora! Sora!" Raven called out. Suddenly, the Grim Guardianess punched Beast Boy with its four arms and flew toward her at high speed, but was stopped by Goofy stepping in to protect her while Cyborg rammed into it with a large fist, making the Heartless tumble to the ground while Kairi and Donald bombarded it with their magic and light spells.

"Guys, I lost Sora!" Raven called out.

"What? Sora, where are you?!" Kairi yelled out. Everyone was about to look for the missing boy when suddenly the Heartless' eyes shone brightly, blinding everyone as they ended up back at the cave while the Guardianess wrapped itself around the top of the tower.

"We gotta hurry and find Sora! He doesn't have much time left!" Raven exclaimed.

"Right!" Everyone exclaimed when suddenly a large branch-like cage sprouted out from the ground around them and locked them in place.

"I'm seriously getting tired of being a cage." Beast Boy said.

"Now what?" Donald asked. Everyone heard something above and they looked up to see red, glowing cherries falling toward them, looking like they were about to explode.

"Oh, boy." Cyborg replied as everyone tried to blast the bombs before they reached the cage or defend themselves. Meanwhile, Sora was slowly climbing up the hill the tower was planted on after falling into the lake from the Heartless' attack. He heard a bunch of explosions behind him, and he turned to see his friends fending off the cherry bombs as best they could while trapped in the wooden cage.

'They need help. C'mon Sora, you can't give up. You never do. Don't let this spell be the end of you. You are your friend's power, as they are yours. Come on!' Sora heard a voice in his head, giving him the determination to reach that tower. He dug his hands deeper into the dirt and looked up at the tower as he started climbing on all fours toward the structure. Even though he could feel the effects of the curse trying to slow him down, he didn't let it stop him as he climbed faster and faster to the base of the tower. He looked down at his hand to see that he was about 10 seconds away, so he crawled faster and practically threw himself at the tower, with his hand outstretched to touch the tower and just down to the last second, his palm made contact with the stone structure. Suddenly, the vines dried up and slowly fell off Sora's body as he felt strength return to his body. He smiled and looked up at the Heartless high up on the tower as he summoned his keyblade and transformed it in a large burst of light.

Meanwhile, the group was doing their best to protect themselves from the cherry bombs when they saw the burst of light at the base of the tower.

"What is that?" Donald asked. Suddenly, the burst of light exploded to reveal Sora flying his Hyper Hammer all the way up to the roof with a determined smile on his face.

"He made it." Raven said with her own small smile. The Grim Guardianess continued to summon more cherry bombs over the team when Sora suddenly flew up next to it with the Hammer in swinging position.

"Hey ugly!" Sora yelled out, making the Heartless turn to face him. Just as it did, Sora swung the hammer hard, nailing the Guardianess in the face and knocking it clear off the roof, making the creature fall to the lake below. Sora spun the hammer a few times before diving after the Heartless, increasing his speed with the jet booster installed to reach it and smash the Guardianess into the ground with a loud crash and splash.

Dislodging the Guardianess from the tower caused the cage around the heroes to fall, allowing them to join the fight as they bombarded the Heartless with several projectiles and strikes. Suddenly, the Heartless flew away and summoned several large flowers all over the place. Then, the flowers blossomed, which shot out long vines that restrained the heroes.

"Enough of this!" Kairi said, throwing her keyblade in a strike raid as it went around, cutting everyone free from the vines, including herself. The Grim Guardianess roared and was about to charge again when suddenly, it was hit by several fireworks and light energy orbs from Donald and Kairi, a double shield charge from Cyborg and Goofy, and a combined blow from Beast Boy as a T-Rex and Sora with the Hyper Hammer.

The Heartless weakly tried to fly away but Raven pinned it up against the tower, preventing it from escaping. In a rage, the Guardianess let out a powerful roar, causing several flowers to sprout up and shoot out vines at the heroes, trapping them in place. The vines also wrapped around Sora as the vines pulled everyone underground and high into the air, then slammed the group hard onto the ground.

"Oh, what just happened? I'm sure I just saw my life flash before my eyes." Beast Boy groaned out.

"More like all the insects and roots growing around here!" Cyborg said. Suddenly, a large, gold, enclosed, cage was raised around the group as they got back to their feet to see the Grim Guardianess flying above them.

"Ok, any ideas?" Kairi asked as she readied herself. The Guardianess let out another roar as it unleashed hundreds of explosive cherry bombs and hundreds of flying ravens spawned in the cage, surrounding the group. Sora gritted his teeth and his eyes glowed white briefly as he prepped his hammer and jumped toward the cage. With a single powerful swing, the hammer broke through the cage and flew toward the Heartless with energy emanating from his keyblade as it suddenly started to transform. The boy looked down confused as it changed shape from a hammer to a long sword while his clothes started to slowly change colors from red to white. The boy focused as he flew faster and stabbed his long sword into the Heartless, pinning it against the tower while it roared in pain. Sora grunted as he suddenly pushed the blade upward, leaving a long strike all across the Heartless' body as he jumped off and landed back on the ground.

The Grim Guardianess slowly dissipated as it fell to the ground in a large crash while Sora's keyblade and clothes changed back to normal.

'That was…a different kind of power.' Sora said as he de-summoned his keyblade.

"Sora!" He heard behind him before he was suddenly dogpiled by everyone, Raven being the one holding him tightest.

"Don't scare us like that again!" Donald exclaimed.

"Yeah, you had us all worried back there." Goofy said.

"Don't worry, guys. I'm not going down that easily." Sora said.

"Good, 'cause we've seen you take bigger things down before." Cyborg said.

"Even laziness." Kairi replied.

"Hey, laziness can be helpful sometimes." Beast Boy said.

"Still, good to have you back." Raven said as they both kissed. Sora smiled and held her closer before focusing back on the task at hand.

"Guys, we still gotta check on Rapunzel and Flynn." Sora said as everyone looked toward the top of the tower.

(Inside the Tower)

The room was darkened as Rapunzel crawled to the now limp and quiet Flynn, taking the man into her arms as she tried to get a response out of him as he moved slowly.

"Don't go. Stay with me, Eugene." Rapunzel said, checking Eugene for any kind of response, but got nothing. Right behind her, Sora, Raven, and Kairi climbed their way, hoping to see a good sight, but instead were met with the sight of Rapunzel holding Eugene close, the sight making Sora's tears well up at the ready. Raven and Kairi watched in worry as they both hung their heads while Rapunzel took Eugene's hand and placed it on her hair, hoping that there was still some power left to use.

"Flower, gleam and glow…Let your power shine…Make the clock reverse…Bring back what once was mine…" Rapunzel sang but nothing happened while Eugene slowly ran a hand over her face, catching her attention as she took his hand in hers.

"Rapunzel…Hey, Rapunzel." Eugene said, making her stop singing.

"What?" she asked as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Rapunzel…You were my new dream." Eugene whispered, making the girl smile.

"And you were my mine." Rapunzel admitted, making Eugene smile a little before suddenly going limp, his hand dropping from hers, as she started to cry while the three heroes started to cry as well.

"Heal what has been hurt…Change the Fate's design…Save what has been lost…Bring back what once was mine…What once was mine." Rapunzel sang once more as she finally started to cry as a tear fell on Eugene's cheek. Suddenly, the tear dried on Eugene's face, causing a spark of light to beam from his cheek in the shape of a sun. Then a bright light emanated from his wound, catching Rapunzel's, Sora's, Kairi's, and Raven's attention as they watched in shock. Suddenly, the light grew long and bright, illuminating the entire room as a bright flower-shaped light appeared around Flynn's wound. The light soon dimmed as Rapunzel checked the wound to see that it was completely healed before leaning closer to Eugene's face, looking for any signs of life. Eugene's eyes slowly began to move as he looked upon the now brunette girl.

"Rapunzel…" Eugene groaned out, making her smile brightly.

"Eugene…" She said happily as the man took a breath.

"Did I ever tell you…I've got a thing for brunettes?" Eugene asked with a smirk, making Rapunzel smile and embrace him in a hug. Sora, Kairi, and Raven smiled at the sight as they all shared a three-way hug, happy that the ordeal was finally over.

(Later, outside the tower)

Everyone was standing outside the tower as everything was explained to those missing out on all the events.

"So, you're actually the princess of the kingdom?" Kairi asked.

"Looks like it. The mural and the crown were the main clues. I'm sure I'll get more answers when I talk to the King and Queen." Rapunzel said.

"Wow, all this time we were traveling with an actual princess! Who would've guessed?" Beast Boy asked.

"Well, Kairi is still a Princess of Heart, so we were traveling with two actually." Goofy said.

"Whoa…" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Looking back at that mural, Rapunzel really does look like the child in it." Cyborg said.

"Painfully obvious when I first saw it." Raven replied.

"So, you're finally gonna get to see your real home, Rapunzel? That must be cool!" Sora exclaimed.

"I know! I mean…I can't believe it. I can finally be with my real family! I couldn't have done it without your guy's help." Rapunzel said.

"You're welcome." Donald replied.

"Well, from where I'm standing, the Kingdom couldn't ask for a better princess. And I couldn't have asked for better sidekicks! Thanks!" Eugene said.

"Thought we would've moved past the whole sidekick thing after all this, but okay." Beast Boy said under his breath.

"Yes, thank you so much." Rapunzel said.

"Sounds like a happily ever after story to me." Cyborg said as Donald and Sora nodded in agreement.

"Max, be sure to play nice with Flynn, alright?" Beast Boy asked and the horse made a noise in reply. "I know, he can be tough but who isn't?" Beast Boy said while Max nodded.

"Seriously, how long could you understand him?" Flynn asked in a shocked tone while Beast Boy laughed. Raven meanwhile stood off to the side when Rapunzel walked up to her.

"Uh, Raven?" the girl said, making the girls look at her. "I'm sorry for everything. For being an annoyance and dragging you guys everywhere. I didn't…" Rapunzel said. Raven shared a look with Kairi, who nodded with a knowing look while Raven shook her head with a smile on her face.

"You don't have to apologize. I wasn't the easiest to deal with at the time and you were experiencing the outside for the first time. I kinda get that in a sense." Raven said with a shrug while Rapunzel nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. And sorry if I came between you and Sora somehow." Rapunzel said, making Raven blush and look down a little. "Oh, sorry, it's just Sora had the same look Eugene has when he looks at me. He really does love you." Rapunzel said, making Raven look over at Sora who was conversing with Eugene about the whole sidekick thing. Sora soon noticed her looking at him, as he smiled and waved at her. She did the same as Eugene and Rapunzel walked closer and held their hands together.

"You guys are gonna be great." Kairi spoke up, making the couple stare at her. "I mean, what with the guy controlling the creatures gone, you don't have to worry about any other weird stuff." She spoke.

"Still, you guys should be on the lookout. They could always come back." Sora said.

"Hey, don't worry she's got Pascal, Flynn, and Max with her. She'll be safe." Cyborg spoke up.

"And you can count on us too." Goofy replied.

"I dunno, if you ask me, Rapunzel's the strong one here." Raven said.

"True. But nevertheless, I won't let her out of my sight. Besides, I got the pan now." Flynn said, tossing the pan in the air before catching it.

"Oh, Eugene." Rapunzel said, taking the thief's hand in hers.

"Who's Eugene?" Beast Boy asked.

"Oh, remember when we got separated. Well, we came to find out that Flynn isn't his real name." Kairi said.

"Yes, my real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. Forgot to mention." Eugene said. Everyone shared a look as they tried not to laugh.

"That's definitely different." Donald said.

"Oh, very different. The number of jokes to be made." Beast Boy said.

"You shouldn't be talking, Garfield." Cyborg said, causing the changeling to leap over to Cyborg and cover his mouth.

"Shush, shush, not the secret identity dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"I think it's a great name!" Goofy said.

"Nice to re-meet you, I guess, Eugene." Sora replied.

"Well, we really should be going." Kairi replied.

"Remember, no more secrets between you two." Raven said.

"Don't worry, any secrets now are ones you don't have to worry about." Eugene said.

"Right…Max." Sora said. Suddenly, Max was in Eugene's face staring him down and causing the man to fall over.

"Oh c'mon, you gotta be kidding me!" Eugene said as everyone laughed to themselves as the sunlight shone over Rapunzel's tower, illuminating its beauty.

Whew…that…took…much longer than I wanted to. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I am so sorry that this ended up taking so long. I never intended to keep you all waiting for so long, but I want to make sure that the chapters turn out amazing for you to enjoy. I hope you all had a great Halloween and that you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Now, onto the reviews you guys left behind.

XenoBlaze: You're very welcome! I hope you loved this chapter as well. Hope I'm doing my best in making sure these characters interact correctly.

Cman6465: Thank you my friend! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I know, I can't wait until that chapter.

Guest1: Well, I dunno about a harem story.

Guest2: Was looking forward to seeing Raven and Kairi clear the air and of course there's always something.

QuintinFMA: Not really any inspiration. Just felt like it was only natural to respond to everyone this way. I was hoping to do this so that no one reading my story feels ignored by me. As for your Justice League question, I could see the general members like Superman and others being open to Sora while the more cautious members like Batman and the Question would be suspicious. That's what I think anyway.

D.J. Scales: A whole lot of craziness ensues. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and everything that takes place.

Jake: I'll have to make it like a side story but maybe one day. Thanks for the idea.

Naedinefebrary2.0: Thank you so much for the offer. If I ever consider it, I'll contact you as soon as I can. Thank you for reading my story and offering to illustrate it. It's truly an honor.

Many-Fandom-Novice: Thank you! Thought she needed a little more attention when I first heard about her. And I'm glad you're enjoying the Raven and Sora ship.

Curate: While I'm glad you're still reading, I would highly disagree since I think Robin is a good leader. Someone who goes through trial and error to better lead his team while still being a young teenager. But I respect your opinion.

As always I want to thank you all for reading my story, all of you always inspire me to keep writing and make this story good. I also want to thank Ultra Bloodedge for beta reading my story and helping me ideas to add to this story. If you ever want to see more, please favor and follow so you can stay updated on new chapters. If you have any ideas to share, please leave a review or PM me at any time. Hopefully I can get back to you. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and if my next chapter takes too long, Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!