Chapter 4
Sora had finally managed to doze off, and when he woke up, he felt a bit sore, but mostly refreshed. He could hear the ship's engine humming along, and figured they must be in transit to another world. Maybe this one would pan out a bit better, than the last. Sliding his shoes on, he left his room, to find no one in the galley.
"Guys? Donald? Goofy?" He asked, heading for the cockpit.
The doors slid open, and Sora could already see the new world. It looked whacky, to say the least.
"Hey there Sora!" Goofy greeted with a smile and wave from his co-pilot chair, to Donald's right.
"Hey. Where's that? New world?" Sora asked.
"No, it's Traverse Town." Donald said facetiously.
"What do you think, Goofy?" He asked, from his pilot seat.
"Any world is worth a look, Donald. The King could be anywhere! So could Sora's friends." Sora smiled. Donald he wasn't sure about still, but Goofy he definitely liked. He spoke with such sincerity, and kindness. He made Sora feel like he cared about him, for more than just the Keyblade. Donald on the other hand only seemed to care for his well being, because of the weapon. Sora took his seat as well, strapping in.
"How long 'till we land?" He asked.
"Not long. I see an open green field. We'll set down there and activate stealth mode." Donald replied. Within minutes, they'd done just that, and before making sure the coast was clear, they walked out into the field. Cut, green grass underneath their feet, and a clear blue sky overhead, there was nothing of note here, besides a tree, with what appeared to be a small door carved into it.
"Quiet. You think anyone lives here?" Sora asked.
"All worlds have inhabitants." Donald clarified. Goofy meanwhile, had approached the tiny door in the tree. He knocked, and received no answer, but the door seemed to crack open some with his knock.
"Hm?" He mumbled, getting on all four and peering in. It was black inside, and he couldn't tell where the walls, floors, or eve--
"YA-HOO-HOO-HOOEE!"
He hollered, as he fell head first into the tree. Donald and Sora jumped at the loud yell, and shot over. Donald made it there first, and leaned into the doorway, looking down.
"Goofy! Goofy, what happened!? Are you oka--" Donald was interrupted, as Sora who'd headed over as fast as he could, accidently ran into the back of Donald. This forward motion sent the two of then tumbling in after Goofy. They all screamed, and grasped at anything to try and stop their fall, but soon found that they actually weren't falling all that fast. They were floating, actually.
Like feathers!
Donald found his feet, and Sora too landed softly, before Goofy came drifting down fast asleep.
"Wak!?" Donald quacked, and woke the sleeping Goofy, causing him to land on his front.
"Oof!" He exclaimed. They'd landed in a circular room with checkered floors, and many pictures adorning the wooden walls. The ceiling didn't seem to exist here, instead just a black hole, but above them instead of below. Before they could comment on their odd arrival, a small, white bunny rabbit shot past Goofy's face, clearly in a tizzy.
"Oh my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm LATE!" His voice was shrill, and panicked. He wore a red vest, and sported a golden pocket watch that he seemed to clutch to as if his life depended on it. His matching gold rimmed glasses framed his little bunny face, and it was clear, that he was one stressed out little guy.
"Oh dear, oh dear. I'm here! I should be there! The Queen will have my head for this! Why am I always LATE!?" He rushed past them, and into a hallway, that matched the room they stood in, except it did have a ceiling.
"Geez. He's even more stressed than you, Donald." Sora said nudging Goofy, after helping him up.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Donald asked. Sora and Goofy just laughed, before heading in the direction the rabbit went.
"C'mon Donald! Let's see what he's so late for." Sora said. Donald sighed. These two would be the death of him. They rounded the hallway and were met with a door. A closed door. Sora reached for the handle, and opened it, only to be met with another door.
"Huh?" Sora said. He opened this door as well, and, was met, with another door.
"Three times the charm?" Donald asked.
"Only one way to find out." Sora smiled, opening the third, and thankfully final door. The entrance was short, and they were barely able to slip in, especially Goofy. After struggling to get into it, the room they found themselves in now, was shorter than the hallway, and decorated a bit differently.
The floors were still black and white checkered, but this room had lighter colored walls, a fire lit stove, small bed, small table and chair, and another set of small leather seats, with a tiny bookshelf and grandfather clock. It seemed like a room built for someone just a bit smaller than Donald, which made it quite cramped for Sora and Goofy. Sora noticed an itty bitty wooden door, with a gold handle. He couldn't help but wonder aloud, "How'd he get so small?"
"No, you're simply too big." To the gang's amazement, the golden door knob began to speak from what would be its keyhole. With two eyes, where screws would be, and the knob itself representing the nose, it spoke with a pompous, if lazy accent.
"Wak! It talks!" Donald observed.
The doorknob yawned, "Must you be so loud? You woke me up!"
Goofy smiled, and waved. "Good mornin'!"
"Good night! I need a bit more sleep." It yawned again, beginning to doze off.
"Wait!" Sora exclaimed. "What do we have to do to get small?" Sora asked, dropping to his knees to try and make eye contact. The doorknob rolled its eyes.
"Why don't you try the bottle? Over there." Sora turned, and found two bottles sitting on the tiny table. A blue one, and a red one. He stood, grabbing the little blue one in his hand.
"You're not gonna drink it, are you?" Donald asked.
"Why not? He must know what he's talking about, right?" Sora asked, taking a swig.
"Ooh! Blueberr-- Whoa!" Sora began to shrink, rapidly, before he essentially disappeared from sight, to Donald and Goofy.
"Where'd he go!?" Goofy hollered.
"It worked!" Donald quacked, before grabbing the bottle and taking his own swig.
"Wak!" Donald quacked, as he shrunk as well. Goofy stood, puzzled as to what to do next.
"Oh..." he groaned, "Well. Guess I don't have much choice. Bottoms up!" He proclaimed, taking the last of the bottle's contents in one gulp. He closed his eyes, and then slowly opened them, seeing Sora's smiling face. "Hmm?" He asked, checking himself over.
"Look guys! Same room, but now we're tiny!" He laughed, heading for the doorknob. Donald and Goofy followed behind, but all met the same conundrum. The doorknob was fast asleep, and now, they were too small to get his attention.
"Hey! C'mon! Open up!" Sora called from below. His request fell upon deaf ears, however. The doorknob was out cold. Donald was growing tired of this place, already.
"What do we do now?" He asked.
Goofy meanwhile, had made his way over to the now, much too large bed. He swore he could see a small hole behind it. He shoved the box spring slightly, and felt that it had a little give.
"Hey fellers! I think I see a way out, over here!" Sora and Donald walked over, spotting the hole, now.
"Gimme a hand?" Goofy asked. The other two complied, and all together, they managed to shove the bed into the wall. Literally!
"How'd it do that?" Sora asked.
"Boy, this place sure is screwy." Donald remarked. However it happened, the hole in the wall was now revealed to be a tunnel, into a new part of this world. Following along the dark passage, the three discovered that the other side was some type of garden.
Green grass again was under their feet, but something about it felt different. The hedges too, were a bright green, but seemed off. As did the strangley low, and unmoving blue sky above. They immediately noticed that all around them were tall, and carefully trimmed bushes, with various roses, that were mostly painted red, though some still appeared white. Ahead appeared to be a large archway topiary that had been painstakingly cut into the shape of a heart. To everyone's surprise, several tall playing cards were holding weapons, and standing guard, presiding over what seemed to be a trial. A long red carpet carried one's eye to a wooden podium, fit for a witness to be grilled under oath in. To the podium's left was a tall wooden platform with winding stairs that, coincidently enough, the rabbit they'd been chasing was climbing.
In a hurry, too.
To the right of the podium was a brass cage, with a brass vulture sculpture clutching the top of it, in its beak. The middle though, was where all attention had been drawn. A matching podium sat directly in front of the one in question, yet, was much taller and sat in it was a large throne, with a red heart back. A portly, pale, raven haired woman occupied it, and she didn't look happy, to say the least. Clad in a black, white, and red dress, decorated with several red hearts, and of course, a matching crown, she pointed her heart scepter down at someone.
The someone in question, was a short blonde girl, wearing a blue dress with a white front. Her back was to Sora. The white rabbit, suddenly brandishing a trumpet blew into it, as best he could.
"Court is now in session!" He hollered, still clearly winded.
"I'm on trial? But why?" The girl asked. Her voice was pleasant, and dainty. She couldn't have been older than Sora, maybe even younger.
"Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding!" The bunny yelled, clearing his throat. The Queen in question leaned forward, and spoke.
Her voice was harsh, and old, "This girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about it." She seemingly mused for a second, "And, the reason is," then slammed her hands down on her throne, "because I say so, that's why!"
'What kind of a trial is this!?' Sora thought, angrily, as he watched on from the back.
"That is so unfair!" The young girl retorted. This 'Queen', raised an eyebrow.
"Well, have you anything to say, in your defense?" The little blonde wasn't gonna go down without a fight.
"Of course! I've done absolutely nothing wrong!" She continued on, much to Sora's delight, but also to the horror of the white rabbit. He knew she was making a mistake.
"You may be Queen, but, I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be, to be... well, so rude!" She pointed a finger in the monarch's direction. This crazy queen had heard enough.
"Silence! You dare defy me!?" She asked, a loose strand of hair coming undone. Sora was growing more and more uncomfortable, "Hey, guys. We should help her out, huh?" Donald shook his head, vigorously.
"No. This has nothing to do with us. Besides, we're on a mission, and getting involved would be--" Goofy interrupted.
"We're outsiders, so that'd be world muddling!" He said, quietly.
"Meddling, but yeah. He got the gist of it." Donald clarified.
"And that's against the rules, right Donald?" Goofy asked.
"Right. C'mon. Let's go." Donald quacked. Goofy began to follow behind the duck mage, but Sora kept listening.
"The court finds the defendant..." the Queen began, "Guilty as charged!" She shouted.
"For the attempted assault, and theft of my heart, her punishment shall be severe! Off with her head!"
"No, no, no! Please!" The blonde girl cried. The cards shifted in on her, and Sora had heard, and seen enough. He wasn't gonna stand by and watch this. To hell with what Donald and Goofy said.
"Stop right there!" He shouted, much to Donald and Goofy's surprise. Feeling they had no choice, they followed behind the Keyblade master, as he ran out to stand beside the young girl. The Queen was shocked to say the least, "Who are you!? How dare you interfere with my court!"
Sora was a bit shy now, but he continued on, "Uh, well, it's just that, I know who the real culprit is!" He said through a few stutters. Goofy got a bit ahead of himself, "Uh-huh! It's the Heartle--" he covered his own mouth, as Donald stamped on his foot.
"A-Anyway. She's not the one you want." Sora finished. The Queen of Hearts was not amused.
"Nonsense. Have you any proof?" She tapped her scepter in irritation.
"Umm..." Sora mumbled.
"That all you got!? 'Umm'!?" Donald half whispered to him.
"I demand evidence of Alice's innocence! Bring it here! You've one hour! Fail, and it's off with all of your heads!" The Queen shouted.
Goofy gulped.
Sora nodded, and began to look around the garden for clues, or, well, anything at this point. He noticed a hole in the hedges that had to lead somewhere. In the meantime, the card guards had locked the girl, apparently named Alice, in the cage Sora had seen before. He tried to approach her, but the silent guards would have none of it.
Sora rubbed the back of his neck.
"Nice going Sora." Donald quacked.
"Well, we couldn't just let her be killed! Was that what you wanted to see!?" He yelled down at Donald.
"Well, no, but, this had nothing to do wit--" Donald stopped. "Hey, wait a minute, where'd Goofy go?" He asked. Sora had only just noticed now that the loveable knight had disappeared.
"Over there?" Sora asked, gesturing to the hole in the hedges. The pair walked through and found themselves in a forest.
Sort of.
It too had an almost artifical feel to it, yet, it was a forest all the same. The trees were grasses, and even mushrooms, and the flowers were taller than Sora! A massive tree stood tall in front of them, but for all they knew, it could have been just a shrub's trunk. Speaking of which, there Goofy stood, looking up at an odd cat, that laid atop a stump of sorts.
A very odd cat.
In fact, so odd, that it wasn't the stump he stood upon, but rather, his own head. His body balanced precariously atop it, with one foot, a Cheshire smile plastered across the head's face.
"Who are you!?" Donald quacked, breaking Goofy out of his trance.
"Who indeed?" The cat asked, as its head materialized back atop its shoulders. "Oh poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she hasn't done a thing wrong!"
Sora stepped forward, "Hey! If you know who the culprit is, then tell us!"
The cat chuckled, "The Cheshire Cat has all the answers, but doesn't always tell." The cat giggled, before vanishing into thin air.
"The answer, the culprit, and the cat all lie in darkness!" They could hear his voice, loud and clear, but could not see this riddling, Cheshire Cat.
"They've already left this forest, though which exit I won't tell. Three pieces of evidence to find, are a cinch, however, there is a fourth. It's much trickier. A big reward awaits you, if you manage to find them all!" He laughed. Donald was, as usual, irritated.
"Should we trust him?" He asked.
"To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide." The cat said, as only his head reappeared, directly in front of Donald's face.
"Wak!" Donald quacked.
"I don't think we have anythin' else to go on, fellers." Goofy remarked.
"Well, let's spread out. I bet that evidence is somewhere in this forest!" Sora said, before heading for a large bundle of grass. Donald and Goofy nodded, heading in their own directions. This place certainly was peculiar.
Sora was lucky enough to stumble upon a small pink box, almost immediately after heading in his own direction. Glancing around, he noticed that he was entrapped, in a way. Grasses stood tall all around him, but, these were the very same grasses that he'd just plowed through. Still, he didn't like being boxed in. Cautiously, he reached the Keyblade's tip down, and hooked it under the edge of the box, slowly opening the lid.
Finally flinging it open, he looked inside, and, to his amazement, there it was. An antennae of sorts. A black one, at that. This was a Heartless antennae.
"Huh. Well would you look at that?" He said to himself, snickering. He reached down to snatch it from the box, but as he did, he was pulled into the box somehow, still gripping tightly onto the appendage.
"Whoa!" He cried, as everything went dark for a moment. When the light returned to his vision, he found himself in that bizarre room from before, where everything seemed too small, then after the drink, too big.
Only, he was standing on the left wall!
A painting, two lanterns and a whole mish mash of knick knacks adorned the wall, and Sora was somehow defying gravity. He did notice however, that he still held the black antenna in his hand. He smirked, and pocketed it, before beginning to take a look around. How was he gonna get back to normal side up?
Carefully stepping, and avoiding touching anything too firmly, for fear of triggering some kind of normalizing magic, he made his way to the painting. He looked down at it, and cocked his head to the side. Something seemed familiar about it. Almost like he'd seen the place somewhere before. The longer he looked at it, it began to change even. It started to become clearer and clearer, and he even started to see a figure standing in it.
A figure with red hair.
"Huh?" He mumbled, leaning closer.
'No way. Is that--' He couldn't finish his thought, as he once again found himself being pulled down, this time, into the painting itself! Then, everything went dark again, before he resurfaced in an all too familiar setting.
"Stupid, interfering, no good, world order meddling, snot nosed-- huh?" Donald was stewing angrily, before he noticed what appeared to be a small pink present box in his neck of these woods, so to speak. He was suspicious, naturally. Nothing in this world was right. The whole place was screwy. He'd rather be safe, than sorry.
Equipping his staff, he slowly approached the little box, and, keeping his distance, he tapped it once. There was no response. Again, a bit harder. No response.
"Of course." Donald sighed, before leaning in closer and slowly, ever so slowly opening the box. To his surprise, no baddie, or anything nasty jumped out.
"Well, well! How about that?" He said to himself, reaching into the box, and gently removing its contents. It was a footprint mold, of some sort. Made by the Cheshire Cat? Probably. Donald looked it over. It certainly looked like that of one of those knight Heartless that they'd seen recently. Elongated, and almost slipper like in appearance, he couldn't help but notice it was even larger than his own flipper.
Holding it in one hand, and his staff in the other, he turned, satisfied that he'd found enough evidence, but was forcefully, and violently drug backward, into the box. He hollered the whole way down into the black abyss, but then, somehow found he was in that room they first went through, after falling down the hole.
But, it wasn't quite right.
Well, actually, it was very right. He was standing on the right wall, somehow!
He looked around, and realized he wasn't falling, because gravity had been inverted somehow. He noticed that the wood burning, brick stove was directly in front of him, and, with the assistance of a cupboard containing glassware, he could climb atop it and get a better look around. He had to get outta here, after all, and back to the forest.
Clutching the foot print tightly, he made his way on top of what would be the chimney and started walking toward the floor. He noticed the hole that you'd put wood into, was unusually dark, and seemingly had no back. Leaning forward to get a better look, he leaned a bit too far, and was suddenly airborne, falling into the pit.
"Help, help, help me!" He quacked. A moment later, however, he was in no danger, at all. No freefall, just lying on his back, in the forest, flailing his arms and legs.
"Huh?" He quacked aloud, before standing and finding himself amongst some tall grasses. "I hate this place!" He shouted, grabbing the mold tightly, and shoving his way forward, through the grass walls, into an opening. Stepping out, into the open, he found himself back at the entrance of the forest. A second later, he noticed the small pond to the left of the entrance bubbling, and the grasses to his own right were shaking.
Goofy strolled along the forest, smiling as he did. Stopping to sniff the occasional flower, he noticed they were all mysteriously scentless. It seemed odd to him, but so did everything else, here. After a while, he spotted an archway in the bushes, and stepped through. What he found next was most curious. A room, of sorts, with hedges lining it, and a long rectangular table in the middle. Eight chairs sat around it, three on either side, and two at the heads, and a long white table cloth that was home to a large assortment of cakes, pies, teacups, cookies, and other pastries. A banner hung above the table, reading in sloppily written letters.
"Merry Unbirthday!"
"Hmm?" Goofy mumbled aloud. He couldn't help but see that no one seemed to be at this party. Beside, and below the banner was a picture of what appeared to be a man in a tall hat, and a brown hare. They were crying, in the picture, confusing the Knight, all the more.
"Hello?" He called out. "Anyone there?" Goofy scratched the top of his head, in confusion. This little party sure was pitiful, but man, the grub looked nice. Goofy walked up to the table, and noticed that the center cake was rather large. Perhaps even large enough to house something? He had to look inside, right? And, the only way to do that would be to eat the top.
Right?
Goofy smirked, devilishly, and grabbed a plate from the table. He slid the tray upon which the cake sat, over to him and armed himself with the cake knife. He took one slice from the top, and placed it on his plate, and did what anyone would do. He dug in.
He ate his whole piece in just a few bites. It was such a small piece, really. It would be rude to eat so little. The hosts would think he didn't like the food! Piece by piece, and bite by bite, Goofy managed to scarf down the entire cake, and, after feeling too full to move, he noticed a pink box had been right in the center of the tray. How had he not noticed that when he was eating? Content, and a bit ashamed, Goofy pulled the box closer to him, and looked it over. He opened the lid, and looking down into it, found some sort of mold.
He grabbed it, and removed it from the box, and, turning it over, discovered it to be a cast of what looked like claw marks. Goofy ran his fingers over the hard mold. These scratch marks look familiar. Almost like those of a Heartless.
No, exactly like those of a Heartless!
One of those knight Heartless, to be exact! Goofy gripped the mold with determination, and began to head for the exit. He couldn't leave without savoring one more treat, though. With a smile, he grabbed at a cupcake, and ate the whole thing with one bite. Oh, and it was a heavenly bite. So heavenly. The kind of bite that makes you have to take a seat. And Goofy did just that. Relaxing into the big, leather, soft chair at the head of the table, he still held the mold in his other hand. It was a good thing too, because Goofy suddenly felt the chair sling backwards with force, and then felt himself falling, back first.
He held onto his evidence tightly, even as he began to feel a wet sensation enveloping him. He had fallen into water? But how? Holding his breath and closing his eyes, Goofy was now fully submerged into a body of water, but, he was being shoved through it as well. Shoved upward, in fact. Just as he felt his grip on the claw marks mold slipping, he was thrust upward, somehow, and into open air. He landed with a thud, back at the forest's entrance, and coughed, as he did.
"Wak!?" He heard a familiar quack. Prying his wet eyes open, and shaking some excess water off, he chuckled.
"Hey there, Donald! Look what I found!" He smiled, offering his piece of evidence up. Donald looked down at it.
"That's great, but how--" he was cut off, as the grasses shook all the more violently. Goofy, armed himself with his shield, and Donald followed suit with his staff. It was all a false alarm though, as their loveable Keyblade Master simply stumbled out of the grasses, and landed face first on the ground.
"Oof!" He exclaimed.
"Sora!"
"Sora!"
They said in unison. Sora looked up, and smiled.
"Hey guys! Check it out!" He said, holding the antenna in his left hand. Donald and Goofy looked over Sora's piece of evidence, before showing their own.
"Alright!" Sora said, standing.
"That's three down. That cat said the last piece would be tricky. Any ideas?" He asked, pocketing his own piece. Goofy looked up, whilst Donald said, "Yeah, but three pieces like this. We should be fine. C'mon. Let's go show that sour old Queen this stuff, and we can get outta here." Goofy pointed up, at a hole in the center tree.
"What about up there, Sora?" Clearly they were ignoring the duck mage.
"Worth a look." Sora reasoned, heading over to the tree. "Hmm. Too tall. I don't see any hand holds, either. How can I get up there?" He wondered aloud. Goofy came up behind him.
"How 'bout I give ya a boost?" He asked, threading his fingers together, and holding his hands flat, giving Sora a place to step.
"Hey! Are you two ignoring me!?" Donad quacked.
"Good idea!" Sora said, placing both his hands on either side of Goofy's shoulders. His foot stepped into Goofy's hands, and, with a jump, and push up from Goofy, Sora found himself airborne, and just barely grabbed ahold of the ledge where the hole in the tree was.
"I made it!" Sora chuckled, beginning to pull himself up.
"Careful!" Goofy cried. Sora replied, "I always am, ri-- whoa!" He hollered, as he didn't realize the hole had no ground. He was in a freefall, again.
"Sora!" Goofy shouted.
"Oh, not again!" Donald whined.
Sora's vision went dark, yet again, before being blinded again by the light of the bizarre room from before. Curiously enough, the room was the right side up, this time, but Sora was barely hanging on to a water faucet that stuck out from the wall. With one hand gripping tightly, he managed to get his footing on the side of the faucet, and then the other hand grabbed the handle of it.
Sora managed to pull himself up, atop the faucet's handle, and sighed, "Whew. That was close." He turned, and, fortunately, a little pink box sat on top of a cabinet housing glassware, directly across from him. He smiled, and glanced over the edge of his precarious footing. It was gonna be close, but he had to jump.
"Ngh!" He grunted, jumping as hard and far as he could. He barely made it, his chest colliding with the side of the cabinet, his arms and hands being the only part of his body that were on top of anything solid. He pulled, hard and climbed atop the cupboard, standing.
"Sweet." He chuckled, leaning down to take the top off of the box. As soon as the lid was off, the most foul, smell escaped the box. It was sickly sweet, and almost rotten. It was the stench of a Heartless.
"Oh!" He hollered, stepping back. "That is ripe." He said through a grimace. He noticed though, that the box wasn't empty. A jar, that seemed to house nothing sat at the bottom. Reaching down to snatch it up, Sora turned it over, examining it. He guessed that the jar contained the same smell, so, best not to open it. That Cat's mind was like a steel trap. How had he managed to collect all this evidence, box it all up, and then hide it in all these different places?
"Well, well, well. Look what you've found." The familiar, sly voice said behind Sora. He turned, and saw the cat perched atop the faucet Sora had just been standing on. Sora frowned,
"How? How did you do all of this? And why?"
"How and why are two sides of the same coin. Why, is none of your business." The cat laughed. Sora shook his head.
"Whatever. At least we can save Alice now." Sora said, pocketing the jar. Now it was the cat's turn to shake his head.
"Don't be so sure." He chuckled, "She may be innocent. But what about you?" Sora was becoming irritated with this cat's riddles.
"What do you mean?"
"I won't tell!" The cat disappeared again, laughing as he did. Sora had had enough of his games. It was time to set things right. The jump down didn't look too bad. Sora hopped down, and headed for the forest to meet back up with Donald and Goofy.
After the trio were reunited, and stories of how they acquired their evidence were exchanged, they waltzed right back into the Queens court, smug as could be.
"Ah, the assassin's sympathizers. Just in time, too! So, have you found any evidence of Alice's innocence?" The Queen of Hearts asked from her podium, high above the rest. Sora smirked, and removed both pieces from his pockets, the jar and the antenna, placing them on the podium that Alice had been standing on. Donald walked up, placing his foot mold next to the jar, and Goofy placed the claw marks next to the antenna. Sora reached forward, opening the jar, Donald and Goofy holding their respective nostrils. The cards all remained motionless, but the Queen and the rabbit visibly cringed. It was a putrid scent.
"Well..." the Queen began. Just as she opened her mouth to continue, the four pieces of evidence began to rise, and circle one another. Faster and faster they spun, until they all mashed together and a dark ball formed. From out of it, lept a soldier Heartless, its shaky movement, and yellow beady eyes clear indicators that it was no illusion. Sora, summoning forth the Keyblade stepped forward, and vanquished the Heartless with one swing.
"You--You dare bring such witch craft into my court!? That's it! Off with their heads!" The Queen shouted, angrily.
"What!?" Sora asked. He didn't have time to receive an answer, as a large card soldier had raised its axe in front of him, with the intention of using it. Goofy's shield, however, sliced the card in two, after he'd thrown it.
"Behind ya, Sora!" He called, catching his boomerang acting shield back. Sora turned, with a swing and took out a card of his own. Donald, stewing angrily, raised his staff high in the air and hollered, "Thunder!".
Lightning bolts rained down from the sky, zapping several of the card soldiers. This had turned into a full blown brawl now. Two soldiers made their way to Sora, swinging their weapons wildly. He ducked, allowing them to cut each other to ribbons, and dashed forward to slice at a card that was hovering over Donald. Sora smirked, and felt that familiar warmth in his hand.
"Fire!" He cried, as a fireball flew from the Keyblade, igniting a card that was slashing at Goofy's shield. Donald, never one to be outdone cast a fire spell of his own, three flames, all twice the size of Sora's shooting from his staff, setting multiple cards ablaze.
"Show off!" Sora shouted with a smile, slicing another card in half.
"Can't be outshined by a junior hero like you!" Donald chuckled. Wait a minute. Was he enjoying this?
"Take that!" Goofy shouted bashing another card over the head. The cards began to surround the knight. Sora and Donald noticed, but they had problems of their own. Goofy smirked, preparing his shield. He began to spin.
Really spin.
He was like a tornado, with his shield held out by his right hand, and his feet almost leaving the ground. He sliced card after card in half, and lost track of where he was going.
"Watch out, ya big palooka!" He heard Donald quack. Goofy was trying, but in all honesty, he'd lost control. He was spinning wildly, and couldn't stop.
"Goofy, we can handle the rest! Stop!" He heard Sora cry.
"Sorry, fellers! I didn't really think this throu--" He was interrupted as his shield resounded with a loud clang. It stopped him, in his tracks, and rattled his whole body. Dizzy, and lying on the ground, Goofy groaned.
"Oh. What'd I hit?" He asked. Sora finished slashing through one last card, before following Donald over to Goofy.
"You hit the cage, pal. You alright?" Donald asked, casting a small cure spell.
"I think so. How many of you are there supposed to be again, buddy?" Goofy asked. Sora smiled, wiping away some sweat. He'd sustained a few cuts during the battle, but nothing one of Donald's cures couldn't fix later.
"Speaking of which, Alice, you oka-- huh?" Sora looked up at the cage, and was shocked to find it empty.
"What's this!?" The Queen asked from her now, somehow shortened podium. "Where's the little assassin gotten off to!? Guards!" She hollered, but was shocked to find only about four or five cards limp to order, all giving a half baked salute. Her army was decimated. Whilst the pitiful cards and the anxious rabbit scurried about, trying to follow every one of this Queen's absurd demands, Sora and Donald helped Goofy to his feet.
"She must have gotten kidnapped while we were fighting." Donald theorized. Goofy, still getting his bearings back, brushed himself off. He had an idea of his own, "I'll bet that Cheshire Cat is behind this."
"Yeah! Let's go!" Sora agreed, dismissing the Keyblade and running for the forest. Goofy was right behind him, whilst Donald looked back at the exit. The way that lead back to the Gummi ship.
'Well, we started this. May as well finish it.' He reasoned. He certainly wasn't doing any of this because it was fun, or even the right thing to do by Alice. No sir. Certainly not.
The trio ran into the forest, and, almost immediately were greeted by a boulder flying toward them.
"Watch out!" Sora shouted, leaping out of the way, and taking Donald with him. Goofy was able to escape harm as well, but once they'd all stood, the Cheshire Cat materialized atop the rock.
"You! Have you seen Alice!?" Donald quacked angrily.
"Alice, no. Shadows, yes!" The Cheshire Cat giggled.
"Heartless? Where'd they go?" Goofy asked.
"This way? That way? Up? Down? Left? Right? Does it matter? It's all mixed up, thanks to the Shadows!" The Cheshire Cat's corkscrew tongue continued to work its magic.
"Step deeper into the forest. Find the upside down room. You might find Shadows!" The cat snickered, as he vanished again.
"I'm really starting to hate that cat." Donald said.
Sora chuckled, "Me too, but, I don't think he had anything to do with Alice's disappearance. Remember when you were in that room, but on the wall? And I was on the opposite wall? He said something about the upside down room. I'll bet he means the ceiling!" Sora reckoned.
"Right! So all we gotta do is figure out how to get to where the ceiling is the floor room!" Goofy finished the thought.
"Sounds great. How?" Donald asked. The three thought for a moment, before a spark of inspiration struck them. They were starting to get the hang of this place. The rock that was flung at them! With a nod shared between them, they pushed the rock as hard as they could, and into the pond beside them. With a terrific splash, the rock sank to the bottom, and two mushroom platforms rose from the water. With a couple of well timed jumps, the trio made their way to the tree tops, and began a search for any kind of opening or entrance. They climbed from branch to branch, and tree top to tree top, for what seemed like forever.
"Anything yet, fellers?" Goofy asked.
"Nothing on my end!" Donald replied. Sora would have, but noticed what appeared to be a small alcove amongst the grasses. He climbed his way over, and, dropping down, found a little hole, that they could fit through. It was worth a shot, anyway.
"Sora?" Goofy called.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry! Down here guys! C'mon!" He hollered. Donald and Goofy found their way over to Sora's voice, and once they'd all met back up, they walked through the entrance. It was all dark, for a moment, but when they finally saw light again, they stepped out of a hole in the wall of the bizarre room, and found that they were indeed on the ceiling.
"It worked!" Donald said. Sora smiled, "So, what now?"
"What do ya mean, what now? This was your idea!" Donald replied.
"Well, yeah, but--"
"They're hiding somewhere, and the momerath outgrabes." The Cheshire Cat appeared again, just above them, on a wooden beam.
"You!" Donald shouted, with a point.
"Want to find the shadows? Try turning on the lights." He giggled, vanishing again, mysteriously.
"Why I oughta..." Donald muttered.
"C'mon. Don't let him get to your head. See those lanterns? Let's go light 'em!" Sora said cheerily, the gang heading for the lanterns in question. They were a bit high, in their upside down state, and Sora had to be boosted up by Goofy. Aiming his Keyblade at the lantern's middle he focused, "Fire!" He shouted, as a weak flame shot from the Keyblade's tip, and lit the wick inside.
"I've seen better." Donald commented from below.
"I didn't wanna blow it away! Besides, I'm getting be--"
"It's too dim. Make it brighter." The familiar, and frustrating voice called out to Sora.
"Is he up there!? Lemme at him!" Donald quacked furiously, Goofy doing his best to restrain the little mage. Sora lept to the other lantern and repeated the process. Casting magic was a mental game, and this much in one day was beginning to wear on Sora. A headache was forming, though, that could be because of this damn cat and his incessant riddles.
"All the lights are on. You'll see the Shadows soon. In this very room, but somewhere different." The Cheshire Cat chuckled, appearing on the lantern across from Sora.
"The Shadows might go after that doorknob too." He began to dissappear again, but Sora had something to ask, "Why?"
The cat stopped, looking into his eyes.
"Why are you helping us? Or toying with us? Or testing us, or whatever this is?" He asked. The cat only smiled wider, and finally vanished, again.
"It sure is brighter now Sora, but I don't see Alice anyhere!" Goofy called to his friend.
"Yeah, me either. Let's get back on the floor." He replied, hopping down.
The journey back to the bizarre room, in its natural state was long, and even arduous, when climbing down from the tree tops. They had to pass through the forest, eyeing every subtle movement, or lack of one, and then march back through the Queen's court. Luckily for them, she was too busy shouting more orders at her limping cards, while the White Rabbit was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Sora couldn't help but chuckle.
Watching her little kingdom fall apart due to her cruelty was justice, if there ever was any. Finally stepping into their destination, they couldn't help but notice that that cat was standing on top of the table, leaned against the red bottle.
"The view up here is much, much better. Join me." Sora shuddered. He hated following his orders. It felt like walking into a trap. They had to comply though. The Cheshire Cat was their only lead, and only chance at finding Alice. Sora, followed by Donald and Goofy ran over to the chair, and, after a boost from Goofy, again, he made it into the seat. With a jump of his own, he was now standing on the table's top. Face to face with the strange feline, the cat spoke again, excitedly, "The Shadows should be here soon! Are you prepared for the worst?" He asked.
"What's happening up there?" Sora heard Donald ask. Sora also heard what sounded like wood clicking, or creaking. From above him.
"If not, too bad!" The cat pointed upward, and Sora followed his paw, with his eyes. Then he saw it. A Heartless, presumably, falling toward him from above. Not just any Heartless though. Leaping off of the table and rolling along the floor, he was met by Donald and Goofy, both holding their respective weapons.
"What is that!?" Goofy asked, as the monster crushed the table with its landing. Standing tall, it was a curious looking being, naturally. With what looked like matchsticks for legs, and black streamers for arms and hands, it had axe heads for feet, and a multi faced head. A black, red, and yellow color pattern adorned its whole body. It was tall, for their current height, but looked as if it'd only reach Sora's knee when they were normal sized. Summoning forth two feather batons, it began to juggle, and stomp its axe feet toward the gang.
"Watch out!" Sora cried, as they had to leap out of harm's way.
"The Trickmaster's body is its weak point." Sora heard that damned cat in his ear. Well, at least that was straight forward enough.
"Thunder!" Donald shouted, trying to zap the Trickmaster. It seemed largely unfazed, as it now began swiping down at the three with its apparently razor sharp feather batons. Sora managed to parry a few of its swings, but couldn't quite avoid them all, taking a cut along his side. Blood began to seep from the wound, but adrenaline was keeping him going.
Goofy meanwhile, had been busy climbing atop the leather chairs, after they'd been separated. He hurled his shield at the being's center, connecting. The shield flew back to Goofy, but the hit clearly stung, as the Trickmaster seemed to lose consciousness, collapsing to a squatted position.
Sora seized the moment, leaping into the air and beginning an all out assault with the Keyblade. Blow after blow connected, and he seemed to be chipping away, but the Trickmaster wasn't done, just yet.
No, not even close.
It stood, quickly, and brushed Sora away, hard. The Keyblade Master flew back first, into the stove, and when his back collided with the brick wall, he thought he heard a crack. His breathing became heavy, and for a moment he thought he'd pass out.
"Heal!" He heard Donald quack, and that lovely sensation washed over him.
He felt all his ailments fixing themselves, whilst Donald ran over to meet him, inside the stove.
"You okay? Goofy needs our help!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Let's--" He was interrupted, as the furnace began to heat up around them.
"Wak!?" Donald quacked, looking up. "Uh, fellers!?" They heard Goofy call from outside, still doing his best to hold his own, alone.
"This thing is heatin' up that there stove! He's tryin' to light them feathers on fire!"
"Oh crap!" Sora exclaimed.
"There's only one thing to do!" Donald said, stepping out of the furnace.
"Blizzard!" He cast, as icicles shot from his staff. They had been off course though, and only managed to imbed themselves in the Trickmaster's side. Clearly pained, it wasn't going to stop lighting its feathers on fire, though. Sora stood, heading out to leave, but he still felt a bit weak. He needed some ice of his own. He was starting to sweat, as the heat became too much. He needed to cast that spell Donald had. Sora knew what to do. He closed his eyes, and focused. Ice.
"I'll have two vanilla cones, with sprinkles, please." A young Sora ordered, from the ice cream stand. The cashier rang the treats up, and smiling, handed them to the boy, "Here ya go, kiddo. Enjoy."
Sora smiled, taking both in his hands. He waltzed back over to the table by the sea that he and his new friend had acquired. It was a busy day, and the sun was really beaming.
"Vanilla okay?" Sora asked, handing the ice cream cone to a young Kairi.
"Sure. Thanks." She said softly, taking the offered cone. Riku was absent today. He'd been involved in a little scuffle at school, and had detention.
"So, where'd you say you were from, again?" Sora asked.
"I told you. I don't remember. All I remember is waking up, with you saving me from drowning after I fell into the ocean." She muttered quietly.
"Right, right. So, you don't know what it was like, then? Your hometown?"
"Nope. Nothing." She replied. Sora began to eat at his sweet treat, "Do you ever wanna go back, or?" Kairi also took a bite of her own.
"I don't know..." She answered.
"Well," Sora said through a mouth of ice cream, "maybe one day, I'll take you there! We can go see it, and anywhere else we want!" He smiled. That smile was infectious.
"Really?" Kairi asked, her eyes sparkling. Sora stared into them. They were the color of the ocean.
"Yeah! Trust me. I can make it happen." He said pointing his thumb at himself. Little did he know, his ice cream was beginning to melt, and fast. The cold sticky substance made its way onto the hand that was holding the cone, and Sora jumped slightly. "Oh!" He gasped. Kairi chuckled.
"Boy, that's cold." Sora said blushing.
"Here, I'll go get you some napkins." Kairi offered, handing Sora her own cone. She walked away, and Sora watched as she did, staring whilst she came back too. He liked this new friend. He wanted to keep his promise, for some reason, more so than usual...
Sora's hand gripped the Keyblade tightly, and just as he thought he could no longer stand the heat, he found the strength to roll out of the furnace, and simultaneously angle his weapon's tip up, at the Trickmaster's flaming feather batons.
"Ice!" He shouted, and just like that a flurry of icicles and snowflakes flew from the end of the Keyblade, dousing the flames, and further imbedding the already current shards in the Trickmaster's body. It reared back, and, again seemed to black out, in a sense, falling to its 'knees'.
"When did you learn that spell!?" Donald asked.
"Just now. I just focused, remember? C'mon! Let's finish this thing!" He said with a smile. He took off in a full sprint for the lowered torso, and once again began slashing wildly at it. Blow after blow landed, and Sora could see out of the corner of his eye that Goofy was assaulting the other side with his shield.
"Blizzard!" Donald cast again, and, Sora and Goofy taking a step back, even more large shards of ice shot into, and through the Trickmaster's body. It was wounded now, and close to being eliminated.
"I need to get higher! Goofy!" Sora called. Goofy nodded, and stepping up next to the body, offered Sora his hands for another boost. With that Sora flew high into the air above a dazed Trickmaster, and, aiming his Keyblade down at the Heartless, began to descend with some force.
Like a bullet through a sheet of paper, he shot clean through the Heartless, leaving a clean, thourough hole in its middle. Sora stuck the landing, on the other side of the Trickmaster's decaying form, with the Keyblade held out to the side, in one hand, and the other bracing his landing. He watched from below it, as the great Heartless began to dissipate, a large heart following the dark trails, high into the room and up, through the ceiling.
"Great job, guys!" Goofy exclaimed, dismissing his shield, and high fiving Sora.
"Nice job with the blizzard spell, Sora! I'm proud!" Donald said through a smile. Sora's cheeks tinged red, "Thanks. I just focused, like you said."
"What on?" Donald asked. Sora's cheeks turned even redder, before they heard that sleepy doorknob's voice again.
"What a racket! How's a doorknob to get any sleep?" It yawned, loudly, and, as it did, a small glimmer appeared in it's keyhole mouth. Sora felt the Keyblade begin to tug and pull, at the tip, as if it was drawn to the glimmer. Sora glanced down at it, when it suddenly took on a mind of its own, and angled it's tip at the keyhole. A beam of pure, bright, white light shot from it, and directly into the Keyhole. A loud, heavy locking could be heard all around them.
"What was that?" Donald asked.
"Good question." Goofy remarked, wiping his brow.
"You guys hear that? Sounded like something closing, or locking." Sora said, looking down at his Keyblade. A small piece of block that appeared to be like that of the Gummi ship had also flown from the Keyhole. Goofy immediately picked it up, to examine it, "This here Gummi ain't like the others. No, sir." He said, passing it to Donald.
"Okay. I'll hold onto it." Donald replied, pocketing it.
"Splendid. You're quite the hero."
The Cheshire cat appeared behind them, somehow levitating. Donald bristled.
"There you are you no good, stinkin' cat!" He shouted, readying his staff. Sora wasn't sure what he wanted now, but he didn't think it was a fight. Goofy on the other hand, had also armed himself.
"You rid my playground of that horrid beast, so I'll tell you something you want to know. Alice isn't here. She's gone. Off, with the Shadows, into darkness." And just like that the Cheshire Cat too disappeared, yet again. Sora sighed, lowering his head, "No..." Donald dismissed his staff, "Aw, what does he know. C'mon. Let's get back to the ship. If he's not full of baloney, we'll find her in another world."
Sora's head still hung. Goofy placed his hand on Sora's shoulder.
"He's right buddy. Let's go." Sora nodded, a faint smile appearing.
"How're we gonna get outta here though, fellers? I don't see how we can get to the Gummi ship, from here." Goofy asked.
"Drink from the red bottle..." the doorknob mumbled. "And leave me in peace." Sora chuckled. The room was a mess, after the fight, but miraculously, the red bottle remained unscathed. With some help from Donald and Goofy, Sora managed to get the massive cap off of the bottle, and took a few handfuls worth of sips.
Within moments, he felt himself return to normal size, Donald and Goofy following suit. The three drug their feet back to the hallway they originally entered in, and found that the Gummi ship sat, right where they'd landed.
"How'd that get here!?" Donald quacked.
"Who knows. This place is so whacky, there's no telling. Let's just get outta here." Sora replied. The three entered their space ship, and just like that Donald had it airborne, and somehow the black ceiling above them led not to the field from before, but to the world's atmosphere. Sora watched out of the window as that strange place became smaller and smaller, and he couldn't help but wonder.
What had happened to Alice, down in that Wonderland?
The Cheshire Cat watched on from his perch on a branch of the tree they'd fallen into when the heroes first landed on his world.
He smiled.
He had been the one to ensure the Gummi ship was there for them, and he'd been the one to tell the doorknob about the red bottle. He watched the Gummi ship leave, until he couldn't watch it anymore.
"Goodbye Keyblade Master. And good riddance. I much prefer my own chaos to that which you bring..." He purred, and disappeared again, off to wreak more havoc. The day turned to night over Wonderland, and the stars above shone brightly, before one shone a bit too bright, blinking out of existence. Like so many before it.
Sora sat at the table, Goofy and Donald flanking him.
"Gawrsh Donald. That hit the spot!" Goofy remarked, after they'd all finished dinner. Sora smirked, "Yeah. It was great. Thanks a lot." Donald sighed, "Ah, don't mention it. I was starving, anyway." He yawned.
"So, who's ready for some shut eye?" Donald asked. Goofy himself also yawned, but Sora, as tired as he was, was still a little wired.
"How about a game, or something, before bed?" He asked. Donald looked at Goofy, as the two shared that same 'we really don't feel like it' look. Sora noticed, "Aw, c'mon guys! You guys don't like games? Like, go fish, or somethin'? C'mon, just one!" He pleaded. Goofy headed for a cubbie in the kitchen, whilst Donald watched on. He knew what Goofy was going to fetch. The only deck of cards on board.
"Alright. But just the one!" Donald quacked.
"Yeah!" Sora said smiling. Goofy came back to the table, and began shuffling, once he sat down.
"But I'm warnin' you. I'm a mean player." Donald said. Goofy could only chuckle, "It's true. He always manages to outsmart me." Sora and Donald shared a look. The two began laughing, whilst Goofy dealt.
"Hey, what's so funny?"
Sora wanted to be reunited with Riku and Kairi, like he'd never wanted anything else, but until then? This would more than do. These two were alright. They were his friends, even. And for a lonely kid growing up, like Sora, who'd only ever had two real friends, that felt nice.