Kingdom Hearts: The Dalmatian Bodyguard
Chapter 48: Slaying the Dragon
As Sora and friends forced opened the door forward open, Riku was running down a corridor like an injured wolf.
Riku: (Panting) Why? It was mine.
A voice from nowhere made Riku stop.
?: Know this. The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade.
Riku saw some kind of dark light with a man standing inside it.
Riku: What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?
?: For that instance, it was. However, you can become stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow even stronger.
Riku: (Giving in) What should I do?
?: It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself.
Riku did so and started to glow a nasty shade of green. Meanwhile, the heroes were fighting their way through Heartless, ripping the castle apart.
Dolly: (Cutting down Shadows with Yubashiri) Sora, I'm glad you're back in charge.
Sparky said he was happy to have him back with them while pinballing against Heartless.
Sora: (Fighting with both his weapons) Thanks, guys. Right now, we got to save our friends.
Goofy: (Fighting in his own way) He's right! Riku said we had to go up.
Donald: (Preforming spells) And we have to hurry!
As the heroes were on the warpath, Riku, wearing his dark outfit again, walked to a door with Maleficent. When he spoke, it wasn't just his voice.
Riku?: So, I see the path has emerged at last.
Maleficent: Yes. The Keyhole to the darkness.
Riku?: Unlock it and the Heartless will overrun this world.
Maleficent: What do I care? The darkness holds no power over me. Rather, I will use its power to rule all worlds.
Riku?: Such confidence.
Riku then summoned two dark-looking Keyblades with broken hearts as the key teeth. Maleficent was surprised.
Maleficent: Impossible! The Princesses of Heart are all here! (Looking at Kairi and Roxy) It must be them. Even if one of them isn't a Princess of Heart, her Light is still just as strong.
The duo approached Kairi.
Riku?: Without her heart, she will never be able to release her power.
They suddenly heard the carnage the heroes were causing.
Maleficent: The king's fools are here. (Leaving) I'll deal with them myself. You stay here and guard the Princesses.
Riku looked at Maleficent and sparked his powers, thinking it was time to ditch the dead weight. Storming into a large hall, Maleficent greeted the heroes.
Maleficent: I'm afraid you're too late. Any moment now, the final Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness. It is unstoppable.
Sora: (Everyone ready to fight) We'll stop it. After coming this far, there's no way we're gonna let that happen?
Dolly: Yeah, you're going down, Witch! There's seven of us and one of you.
Maleficent: You poor, simple fools. You think you can defeat me? (Flaring her powers) Me, the Mistress of all Evil?!
Maleficent fired a beam from her staff but Sora used the Keyblade to deflected it back at her, causing her to fall through a portal.
Stone: After her!
Everyone charged into the portal. Maleficent staggered, using her staff to support her. Then Riku came in.
Riku?: Do you need some help?
Sora: Riku!
Riku turned and saw the heroes.
Donald: (Seeing the dual Keyblades) Are those…?
Riku?: (Showing them) Yes, Keyblades. But unlike yours, these Keyblades holds the power to unlock people's hearts. Allow me to demonstrate… (Stabbing Maleficent with the left one) Behold! (As she fell to the power) Now, open your heart, surrender it to the darkness!
Riku left as Maleficent started to change.
Maleficent: (Throwing her staff aside) This is it! The power! Darkness… The true darkness!
Everyone watched as Maleficent changed into a large black dragon. Nobody flinched, wanting to take her down. Scattering around her, everyone did their best to hurt her but her dragon skin was too thick. As she blasted green fireballs at the heroes, Stone spotted an old wound along her chest that didn't look like it never healed. Stone ran up to Sora.
Sora: General, she has a weak spot!
Sora spotted what Stone saw and so did Dolly. Rushing towards her with Yubashiri in hand, Dolly slashed her sword along Maleficent's wound and reopened it. Sora, drawing Uramasa, threw it into the reopened wound like a spear and nailed it perfectly.
Sora: Beast, finish her!
Rushing hard and fast, Beast slammed his fists into the sword, making it dig deep into her. As history repeated itself, Maleficent felt herself defeated by another Keyblade Wielder as she collapsed in defeat. Burned away by her own green fire, all that remained was her cloak, a claw, a Summoning Gem, and a Data Disc.
Riku?: (Arriving) How ironic. She was just another puppet after all.
Donald: What?
Sparky asked what's he talking about.
Riku?: The Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to notice in her heart eating away at her. (Stomping on the cloak) A fitting end for such a fool.
Riku stepped through a portal. Gathering the items quickly, everyone followed him.