Traverse Town – First District

"Good golly!"

Cid could only exclaim in surprise at all the navigation gummis that the party managed to acquire throughout their journey.

"You kids have been going on out there, huh?"

"Well, you know us!" Neptune boasted. "Whether it's pudding or our friends, we go the distance for them!"

"Pudding aside" IF snarked. "Think you can get something to work with these, Cid?"

"Hmmmmmm" Cid thought for a moment.

"Will it take some time like before?" Sora asked.

"Yeah." Cid said as he stood up. "But once I got these babies adjusted and ready for installation, you kids should be good to go over at Maleficent's home base!"

"Hollow Bastion..." IF recalled.

"Truly a fitting name for a vile place filled with scum and villainy!" Neptune commented.

"Um, wasn't that world Leon's homeworld once?" Sora reminded her, causing the girl to cover her mouth in shock and shame.

"It was" Cid noted bitterly. "Now, I don't know how much of the old place is left there. Heck, we can't even remember WHAT our world was once called."

"S-Seriously!?" IF gasped.

"Yup." the engineer nodded. "Honestly, everything just happened so fast, some of us were wonderin' if we're all in some weird collective dream or somethin'. Sorry for the ramblin'"

The guild agent shook her head. "Don't be. Anyway, how long will it take for this to work?"

"Should take a while" Cid said, scratching his head. "Why don't ya kids take a breather? I'll call ya when I got an update."

"Gotcha!" Neptune saluted. "Let's head for Arty's house!"

Traverse Town – Third District – Vacant House

"So, we need more time, huh?"

Compa, along with Donald and Goofy, returned to the house with fresh supplies in the bags. The trio placed them in a high place for now so the residing dogoo wouldn't feast on it's contents.

"Considering we haven't been back in town for a long time, I'm not surprised" IF stated.

"But our next destination should be this 'Hollow Bastion' place, right?" Goofy wondered.

"It's gotta be!" Donald believed.

"The place for the final battle!" Neptune couldn't contain her excitement. "Once we get there, there's no turning back! We go all in or not go at all! Right, Sora!?"

She turned to see the boy lying down on the bed, his arm closing his eyes.

"Uh, Sora?"

"Sora!"

The boy got up from Donald's call, groaning as he did so. "How can you guys be so cheerful? We still haven't found King Mickey or Histy yet. Does it not bother you guys?"

"Aw, phooey" Donald could only reply.

"I mean, I'm still worried" Neptune said, scratching her head. "But hey! Histy's been doing fine as far as kidnapped people are concerned, so we can take our time a bit."

"Not to mention that Hollow Bastion's our next destination" Compa stated. "I feel that we'll at least find some clue about King Mickey's whereabouts and get Kairi and Histy back as well"

"How can you be so sure?" Sora asked the nurse.

Neptune gasped. "Can you see the future, Compa!?"

The nurse giggled. "Nothing like that. It's just...I believe it to be the case. No, I WANT to believe that's what we'll find there!"

"Just believe..."

Sora closed his eyes as he laid down again...

"I believe in you..."

? ? - ?

Suddenly, Sora and Neptune found themselves flying into a bright light, which led them into a...library of some sort?

"Where...am I?"

"You tell me, buck-o"

Sora turned to see his fellow Keyblade Wielder right next to him, floating beside him.

"How did you follow me here?"

Neptune shrugged. "Dunno. One minute I was in the room with you guys, then the next I'm right here"

"Grandma, tell me the story again!"

The two then saw a little girl, with red hair and a white and purple floral dress, running up to an old lady sitting near the window.

"Okay, okay. Now, how did it go again...Ah, yes!"

As the old lady narrated her story, the duo began to receive images...

Strange images that tell a story all on their own, but neither of them could really process what they are seeing...

"But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return. So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away. Do you understand, Kairi?"

Sora's eyes gasped at the mention of that name.

"Kairi!?"

Suddenly, the old lady vanished from her seat!

"Huh? Grandma?"

Sora tried to reach out to the younger Kairi, but she eventually vanished too!

"What the nep is going on!?"

Eventually, the two of them were kicked out, leading them to be tossed into the corridor of light.

"Now, where are we going!?" Neptune complained.

"Kairi..." Sora muttered, staring at his hand.

"Sora, remain focused! We gotta-WOAAAAAHHHH!"

Eventually, they arrived at another destination...

? - ? - Main City

...One that was familiar to the both of them...

"Now, where are we?" Neptune wondered as she got up. "What happened to this place?"

"This place?" Sora looked around as he got up. "It looks...familiar..."

"Huh?" Neptune looked to her sole companion. "Whaddaya mean?"

"Hmmmmmm" Sora tried to think. "I think...I saw this in a dream before..."

"A dream..." Neptune then gasped. "Ya mean that weird dream you told me about!?"

"Run!"

"The monsters will kill us all!"

"The CPU's have fallen!"

"We're doomed!"

"Why does she hate us? What did we ever do to her!?"

The duo looked around as people began to run in a panicked frenzy.

"What's going on here?" Sora wondered.

"Hey!" Neptune shouted out to the crowd. "Mind telling us what the nep is going on!?"

But their cries weren't heard as the crowd continued to run.

"They're not listening..." Neptune said glumly.

"Well, we can't just stand around here" Sora urged. "Let's keep going. Hopefully, we'll find something out there..."

? - ? - City Park

As the two continued to wander around, they began to see some people ducking and covering on certain places in small groups.

They found one such group, consisting of two men and a woman, hiding near a tree.

"Are they gone?" the sole woman of the group asked.

"Dunno" one of the men said. "Those creeps could be popping back in at any moment"

"At any rate" the other man, wearing some sort of robes, said. "We should remain put for now. Until I receive contact from the Basilicom, you two are under my charge."

"Thank you very much" the woman bowed to the robed man. "Truly, this is the blessing from the Goddess. Our Lady CPU's followers are always reliable!"

The robed man laughed. "No need to worry, ma'am! As a proud follower of Lady - Heart, we will ensure the safety of all Planeptunians, nay, of all Gamindustrians we can find!"

"That's some big talk, coming from you..." the first man complained. "Didn't this all started because of what YOUR Lady Goddess unleashed!"

"P-please calm down..." the woman pleaded.

"No!" the man shouted. "The fact of the matter is, YOUR GODDESS unleashed ALL those monsters on us! And it's not just her own nation, the other nations are being attacked too! Soon, there won't BE a Gamindustri left to live!"

"Sir, I can understand your frustration..." the robed man tried to calm the other man down.

But...

"Understand?" the first man repeated in frustration. "UNDERSTAND!? It is you blind fools who don't understand! The Goddesses can no longer be trusted with this world! They had to be deposed!"

"P-please, sir..." the woman tried to plead again.

"And from what I heard, they were so close a few times too..." the man bemoaned. "If she had been killed, that would've been the end of it. This whole situation would never have happen-"

"SILENCE, YOU APOSTATE!" the robed man yelled at him. "Can't you see that the Goddess you oh so wished to depose are no different from us regular folk!?"

"What are you-"

"They cry. They weep. They feel pain like any other. And like us, they strive to learn more about their citizens in order to better serve them. Serve us! But because she couldn't control her powers, Lady - Heart has closed herself off in order to protect us! THAT'S what she has been doing!"

The man scoffed. "Fat load of good that did. Now look what happened. Planeptune's being destroyed. We are scattered and lost and who knows what'll happen to this world after! That's why she has to-"

"DON'T YOU SEE THAT YOU'VE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROBLEM AT HAND HERE!?"

The man was surprised by the robed man's declaration.

"Yes, she was flawed. Yes, she was scared. But she always strived to do her best for her citizens. But then, ever since that grassroots promoter was assassinated, our Lady has kept to herself ever since! I would not be surprised if she has carried some sort of resentment towards people like you! People who refused to believe in any one goddess!"

"Why you...!?" The other man growled...

"But..." the robed man continued, his tone becoming more sorrowful. "It wasn't just the Goddess who has doomed our world. We did too. You, who wished to dispose of them. We, who couldn't comfort our Lady CPU in her darkest hour..."

The woman could only cry at the current state of affairs as both men were too depressed to continue fighting.

"And all we could do is wait for the inevitable..."

Sora couldn't help but feel bad for these citizens...

"I wish we could do something for them. What about you, Neptu-huh?"

When he saw her face, tears were flowing out of her eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh?"

Neptune turned, noticing how coarse her voice sounded. She then wiped the tears off her face.

"S-Sorry, I guess their conversation got to me..."

"How so?"

"Well..."

She looked to the group of three from earlier, the two men now silent as they kept a lookout while the sole woman continued to cry.

"...You heard what they were saying, right? About how the Lady Goddess was supposed to defend their nation and all that? But then, she couldn't and then the people hated her. And now, those same people are left to suffer, just as badly as the Goddess did! Hearing all this...all this...it...struck a chord on me, you know? And the worst part is...I don't know why..."

Sora pursed his lips, wishing he knew the answer to those questions...

"I wish I could tell you something, but I think there's more to this place that we haven't looked at yet. Let's keep looking for now..."

As the two left the premises, the rogue man stood up and attempted to storm off…

"Hey!" the robed man shouted. "Where are you going!?"

"Away from you!" the rogue man yelled. "I swear, you CPU worshippers are all al-"

And then, all of a sudden, several Shadow Heartless spawned around them.

"What the…!?"

The Basilicom agent stood in front of the rogue man while the woman rushed behind said man's back.

"Stay back! Come at me, you monsters! In Lady - Heart's name!"

However, all that was left of this small group were the screams of terror that escaped their throats as their hearts were consumed by the darkness…

Gamindustri – Planeptune – City Streets

And so, the duo continued walking through the streets of the ruined city, seeing only panicked citizens crying for salvation...

"What is happening!?"

"What did we do to deserve this?"

"I don't want to die...I don't want to die..."

"Oh, Lady Goddess..."

"Someone...anyone...please, save us!"

"Don't come near me! Don't co-AAHHHHHHHH!"

"This is terrible..." Sora bemoaned as he looked around. "Everywhere we go, there's only people panicking here. I'd like to know more about this place and why they're so panicked, but it doesn't help that they can't hear us. We can't even touch them at all."

Neptune kept silent as the noise around her drowned her thoughts.

Sora shook his head. "Well, we can't do much here. C'mon, Neptune. Let's keep moving..."

Neptune could only look down, as if hesitating. "I don't wanna..."

"Why not?"

The girl proceeded to clutch her head as she choked out her next words…

"What if we end up meeting more people like them? People who are conflicted about this whole thing? People who just wanna survive but realize they can't? People who just...accepted that they're going to die along with their world? I don't wanna see their sad faces. I don't wanna see their despair! I HATE IT! I HATE ALL OF THIS!"

Neptune continued to cry as her fears began to surface.

"Neptune..."

The girl wiped her tears off. "Sorry 'bout that! I guess this place is a bit too much for me, huh?"

"Hey, I don't know what to do about this either…" Sora admitted. "I can't begin to imagine how the people in my world felt when it was consumed…"

The girl nodded. "I feel ya there…"

Neptune then pointed to a tall structure located in the center of the city.

"Hey! Why don't we go to that tall tower over yonder?" the girl asked. "I bet we're gonna find out what's really going on around there, huh?"

The boy nodded. "Good idea. Let's check it out!"

Neptune snickered. "Race ya there, buck-o!"

She then made a mad dash for the tower as her sole companion sighed.

"Off she goes. Still, I hope you're at least feeling a little better..."

Sora followed after her as they dove deeper into the city.

Gamindustri – Planeptune – Planeptower

Weaving through the crowd of people, the duo eventually found their way onto the large tower in the middle of the city, it's massive size known for all to see.

"You think there's something here?" Neptune asked her companion.

"You're the one who wanted to go here." Sora shrugged. "I mean, it's the biggest place around. There's gotta be at least something here."

"Well, why don't we take a closer look, then?" Neptune urged.

Sora nodded, but as they took a few steps forward...

"Woah!"

Several Shadows sudden rose from the ground, ready to attack them!

"Heartless!? Here!?" Sora complained, summoning his Keyblade. "Then this really is just like in that dream!"

"How in the nep did they get all the way here!?" Neptune wondered, also summoning her Keyblade. "Wait, don't tell me...?"

"Worry about that later!" Sora said, slicing through three Shadows. "Let's take care of this first!"

Neptune nodded, slicing through four of the Shadows with ease. "At least we can slice these guys down!"

But as they take some down, more Shadows are ready to take their place.

"There's no end to this!" Sora complained, casting Thundara to wipe out more of them.

Neptune groaned, wiping out three Shadows with a Blaze Break. "If only we could find their head huncho...!"

Suddenly, the ground shook as a large, yet familiar figure rose from the ground!

"That...Heartless..." Sora gasped.

"The freakin' tutorial boss!?" Neptune freaked out.

Indeed, the large lumbering Heartless standing in front of them is a Darkside.

"Hope you remembered how to deal with these guys, buck-o!" Neptune asked the boy.

"I remember beating two of these!" Sora recalled. "One in that place with the glass platforms, and another before the island was destroyed"

"Wow, that's a better track record than me" Neptune gasped. "I only got one in the glass platforms place."

The Darkside gathered dark energy into it's right hand...

Neptune screamed... "Incoming!"

...as she and Sora moved the heck out of dodge! "Move away!"

...and slammed it down, creating a pool of darkness on the ground.

"This is..." Sora figured out what the Darkside is doing. "Neptune, can you..."

"Way ahead of you, buck-o!" Neptune shouted, already jumping on the dark creature's arm.

Sora grinned as he turned his attention back to the rising Shadows that are ready to jump on him.

"I'm tougher than last time!"

Charging his Keyblade with energy, he unleashes a powerful dome attack that stuns all nearby Shadows, leaving them open to attack! This is his Stun Impact!

"You're through!"

He then proceeded to eliminate all the stunned Shadows in a flurry of attacks.

"Now that that's done, how's Neptune doing?"

"CRITICAL EDGE!"

Neptune landed back down after performing her technique against the Darkside's head.

"How's that!?"

Sora pumped his fist upon seeing his fellow wielder's act. "Nice!"

The Darkside retracted his right arm, and began to kneel down...

"He's kneeling down!" Neptune cried.

Sora growled. "That means he's gonna shoot at us!"

Sure enough, the Darkside's open-hearted chest began to glow, releasing several shots of darkness that targeted the Keyblade wielders.

"But we know how to take those down!"

Neptune nodded at Sora's statement. "Let's get blocking, buck-o!"

The two of them deflected the incoming projectiles, sending them back to it's head, but the Darkside was not done yet!

"Now, what is it doing?" Neptune wondered as she narrowed her eyes against the creature.

It raised it's left hand this time, and slammed it down to the ground...

"Jump!" Sora urged as he and Neptune hopped up to avoid the incoming shockwave.

They then see the Darkside grabbing what appears to be a large dark orb from below the surface.

"What is that?" the girl with the key asked.

The boy with the key groaned, not liking this. "Dunno. But it can't be good..."

The Darkside then released the orb, causing it to disperse into the sky, releasing several smaller orbs that rained down from the sky slowly...

"Those things can't be good!" Neptune shouted as she ran around to avoid the orbs.

"Better avoid them!" Sora urged. "For now...!"

The boy then readied his Strike Raid against the Darkside, primed to at least hit his arms at a distance.

"I can hit him at a range, too! WIND SLICER!"

Neptune then followed up with her Aerora-enhanced range attacks, piling on the damage!

"Nice! Let's keep it up, Neptune!"

While the two continued their ranged assault, the Darkside began to summon that dark pool again...

"Here it comes...!"

...which it did! Wasting no time, the girl in the parka jumped up on it's arm again, ready to finish this fight!

"Here's a new technique I've been working on!"

As she got close on the Darkside's head, she unleashed an upward diagonal slash on the left, then a downward diagonal slash on the right, and finished it up with a horizontal slash below...

"DELTA SLASH! GO!"

...and sent them against the Darkside, causing the lumbering Heartless to fall over.

"Aw-right!" Neptune cheered.

"We got it!" Sora then high-fived his companion...

But it was too soon to celebrate. Soon, more Darksides, and several Heartless began to rise from the depths in droves!

"Oh, come the nep on!" Neptune complained.

Sora growled as he scanned around the area. "There's too many!"

The Heartless then proceeded to piledrive on the two Keyblade wielders, leaving them trapped.

"Gah! Can't breathe..." Sora struggled to break free.

"No...Not here...Someone...help...us..." Neptune struggled as well.

"May this..."

The girl's eyes widened at the voice. "Is that...?"

"May this hold the last salvation of our world...May they fly away to parts unknown..."

Suddenly, a burst of light shot out from the giant tower nearby. This light then split up into three smaller lights as they flew away from the world.

Eventually, three more lights burst out far from the sky and flew away as well.

"May those who survive...continue to live in peace...their memories of this world be reduced to nothing but a dream..."

And then, pillars of light emerged from the ground, bursting forth into the reddened sky, contrasting the giant dark orb that gazed upon the fallen world...

"And perhaps...one day...this world will be restored...so that our sins...may be redeemed..."

Traverse Town – Third District – Vacant House

"HISTY!"

Neptune's sudden shout shocked everyone else in the room!

"Huh!?" Donald yelped at the sudden shout.

"Nep-Nep!?" Compa cried, approaching the girl with the key in worry.

"What's gotten into you, Nep?" IF said, concerned for her friend that is now sweating buckets. "Are you okay?"

"H-Huh?"

Neptune looked around, seeing her friends crowding her in worry, but...

"Sora!"

The girl in the parka ran to her fellow Keyblade wielder, slowly getting up from the bed with a groan.

"You okay!?"

"Y-Yeah..." Sora said, shaking his head as his cheek was licked by the resident dogoo. "What...even was that?"

"You tell me..."

"What happened?" Donald asked.

"Did something happen to you two?" Goofy wondered.

The two Keyblade wielders looked to each other for an answer, then they looked to their friends.

"You...could say that" Neptune answered meekly.

"What do you mean?" Compa asked.

"This isn't like you two to be so meek" IF noticed. "Whatever happened to you, mind telling us? Slowly, if possible."

Neptune looked to Sora, who nodded. "It's quite the long story, though…"

"We don't mind" the guild agent reassured, turning to the rest of their party. "Right, guys?"

They nodded.

"Then I'll keep track of this conversation." Jiminy declared, jumping out of Sora's hood. "Feel free to speak out your minds as much as possible"

Neptune nodded. "Thanks, Jiminy. So, basically, blah blah blah..."

"A dream with a younger Kairi and her grandmother, and then a nightmare about a world that fell to darkness" IF summed up. "Did you get all that, Jiminy?"

The cricket nodded as he continued to draw on his journal. "Just finishing up some touches here..."

"Still, how could you end up dreamin' about someone else's memories?" Goofy wondered.

"We got no clue on that" Sora said, shaking his head. "But..."

"What's up?" Donald said.

"It may have something to do with how we thought we saw Kairi at that old hut..." the boy guessed.

"Hmmmmm" IF thought aloud. "The fact that both of you claimed to see her there is already a bit strange."

"How so, Iffy?" Compa asked while clutching on to the dogoo.

"People usually don't get shared hallucinations, unless a spell is designed to do that" IF explained. "Is there anything else?"

"Well..." Neptune thought for a moment. "There was that one time we had weird dreams..."

"Weird, how?" Donald asked.

"Basically, I was dreaming about one of Sora's childhood memories..." the girl in the parka explained. "And Sora ended up dreaming about...something else"

Sora nodded at that.

"Differing dreams from two people..." IF mumbled. "This is getting stranger by the minute..."

"What did you dream about, Sora?" Goofy asked the boy.

"Well, here's the thing..." the boy tried to explained. "That dream I had back then, I just had it again today..."

"You mean the one with the city and the large tower you told us about a while back?" Compa asked.

Sora nodded.

"And this time, I was there with him in that dream" Neptune followed up. "We could even beat up the Heartless in there and stuff! That was really trippy!"

IF hummed. "Trippy is just underselling it. Jiminy, are you done sketching?"

The journalist nodded. "Just the finishing touches...and, there!"

Everyone looked to the cricket's journal, but...

"It's too small..." Neptune pointed out the obvious.

"Here!"

Goofy procured some monocles for them. "This'll help ya out!"

Taking the monocles, the party closely inspects the drawings on Jiminy's Journal

"Wow-zers!" Neptune gasped in amazement. "These are better than anything I could draw..."

"They are just sketches, mind you..." Jiminy pointed out. "But I made sure the details are as precise as possible. Are they accurate?"

Sora furrowed his eyes as he inspected the drawings. There are three of them, one of the city itself, another with some lines near the tower and a third one with more lines drawn across the sketches.

"Yeah." the boy confirmed. "The big tower is over there. And the lines showing the lights we saw are there too."

"Looks kinda...futuristic" IF managed to say.

"Yeah, the city there was kinda fancy" Neptune commented.

"So, this is the place you two saw in your dreams, huh?" Compa mused.

"Do ya know what the world is called?" Goofy asked.

"Maybe?" Neptune guessed. "I heard some folks there say words like 'Basilicom' and 'Planeptune' and even 'Game Industry'"

"Don't you mean" IF started. "Gamindustri?"

"Yeah, that!" Sora nodded.

"You know something?" Donald questioned.

"Not really" the guild agent clarified. "But that purple hag mentioned a 'Gamindustri' in the middle of her rant"

"Now that you mention it, she did, huh?" the nurse recalled.

"Not to mention, she knows about these dogoo fellas!" Goofy pointed out to the currently docile creature in the house.

"Does that mean that purple hag knows about this place, then?" Donald theorized.

IF nodded. "Possibly, but..."

She inspected the sketches once more.

"Whenever I look into these sketches, I feel like...I've seen them before..."

Compa slowly nodded. "Yeah...Me too..."

"Why don't we ask for some help here?" Donald suggested. "Perhaps someone can help interpret this for us?"

Neptune tilted her head. "Yeah, but who?"

Traverse Town – Merlin's House – Training Area

"Hmmmmm...this is certainly fascinating..."

Within the confines of the training area, the party met up with Merlin and the Fairy Godmother, the latter who was asked regarding the nature of the dreams Sora and Neptune saw.

Right now, she is inspecting the sketches of the city Jiminy drew in his journal.

"A futuristic city...one that spew lights during the world's twilight hours...And a voice praying for their redemption..."

"Any ideas?" Neptune asked.

"Hmmmmmm..." the Fairy Godmother hummed as she sipped her tea.

"Nothing?" Compa bemoaned.

"Hold on, now" Merlin interrupted. "Let her finish her thought."

Eventually, just as she placed down her teacup, so too did the Fairy Godmother reach an answer...

"Tell me dears, do you recall what happened to the sky of that world?"

"The sky...?" Neptune wondered.

"Apart from the lights?" Sora asked, to which the godmother nodded. "Well, we saw a dark orb that grew larger and larger after we were pounced by the Heartless."

His voice lowered. "The same one I saw before my island was gone..."

"Then the reason is clear..." the Fairy Godmother started. "What you two have just witnessed was a clear memory of how a world fell."

"W-What!?/Huh!?" most of the party screamed.

"Based on what I heard from other Drifters" Merlin said. "One of the signs that the world is about to fall into darkness is the sight of that large dark orb in the reddened sky."

"It was quite the dreadful sight" the Fairy Godmother recalled with glum. "When I felt a disturbance in our world, I ran to check on poor Cinderella, only to find that she has been taken by an evil fairy surrounded by those dreadful Heartless."

"Maleficent…" Donald growled.

"Fairy Godmother..." IF said, her voice laced with sympathy.

"We're sorry about your loss" Goofy apologized.

The Fairy Godmother shook her head. "There's nothing to apologize for, dears. Back to the topic, between the dark orbs and the number of Heartless that spawned, we can say for sure that the world you just saw has now joined several others in the Realm of Darkness..."

"For sure..." the guild agent said, shelving the term 'Realm of Darkness' for later. "So, what about the lights?"

The Fairy Godmother turned to Neptune. "Neptune, dear, did that voice mention anything peculiar when you saw those lights?"

"Peculiar...?" Neptune thought for a moment. "Something about the last salvation of their world, and scattering them to parts unknown?"

"That must mean that whoever spoke had a plan to bring their world back from the Realm of Darkness" Merlin hazarded a guess. "And whatever it was, involved the creation of beings from those said lights"

"Wait!" Neptune interrupted. "But then she also said those who survive continue to live in peace, and their memory of this world be nothing but a dream..."

IF and Compa gasped loudly at the mention of that. "N-No way!"

"But she said that AFTER the first wave of lights, right?" Sora clarified. "When the second set of lights came in, I mean?"

Neptune nodded. "Yeah, yeah!"

"So, basically" Jiminy summed up. "Someone managed to plan out a rescue operation for their world by creating new beings and sent them away when their world fell, and then had more people evacuated just in case, right?"

"That surely seems to be the case, yes..." the Fairy Godmother surmised.

"But then..." Donald began to wonder. "Who were the ones that were created? Who were the ones that were evacuated?"

"We don't know..." Neptune shook her head in shame.

"Actually...I think I have an idea..."

Everyone turned to IF and Compa, the former clutching her head while the latter is supporting her friend.

"Then tell us, Iffy!" Neptune demanded.

"First, I need to repeat the terms you mentioned to us, Nep" IF started. "Basilicom, Planeptune, Gamindustri, CPU, Lady Goddess. These terms seem to indicate that the world you've seen has their own localized terms. Their own language, so to speak."

"What are you getting at?" Donald asked.

"That's the thing" Compa continued. "These terms feel familiar to us. Not just that, the city Nep-Nep and Sora described to us, the one they heard people call 'Planeptune', whenever we hear it, we felt a tinge of familiarity in our hearts about it."

"Familiarity?" Merlin questioned.

"Do ya think this Planeptune might'a been your hometown?" Goofy guessed, earning shocked reactions from everyone in the room.

"C-C'mon, Goofster!" Neptune stammered. "That's kinda a big stretch, isn't it?"

"No" IF muttered, still sweating buckets. "He might actually be right on the munny on this one"

Everyone then looked to IF with mouths agape.

"He is!?/I am?" the rest of the party (except Compa) and Goofy said all together.

IF nodded. "Whenever the image of the city pops up in our heads and we connect it to the term 'Planeptune', a wave of nostalgia swept over our minds about it. Almost like recalling home."

"So, you actually remember what your home is?" Sora asked.

The guild agent pursed her lips. "I wish I could say we do."

"What's stopping you, then?" the court wizard asked.

"How do you describe this?" the nurse thought for a moment. "It's like...you're about to grasp on something really close, but for some reason, you still can't reach to grab that something. That sort of feeling."

"Meaning they're in the cusp of remembering" Merlin stated. "They realize, with all these clues given, that this 'Planeptune' must be their hometown. Yet, due to their collective amnesia, they still cannot fully remember it."

"Do you recall anything else, dears?" the Fairy Godmother asked.

IF and Compa shook their heads.

Neptune groaned loudly at the prospect, scratching her hair in annoyance. "What is this!? We're so close to getting something, but we're just a few inches short!? This is annoying!"

"Don't give up just yet!" Donald tried to encourage.

"Yeah!" Goofy followed. "The fact that you managed to recall this much means we're on the right track!"

"They're right" Jiminy chipped in. "Once we get the final pieces of this puzzle, we may be able to figure out what to do from here."

"But" Sora wondered. "Where else can we go to make sure our answer is correct?"

Merlin and the Fairy Godmother looked to each other, and then back to the party. "Why not try asking your hearts that?"

The party looked to the Fairy Godmother at what she said.

"Our...hearts?" Neptune said slowly.

Merlin nodded. "You'll often find the answers you seek if you look back and retrace your steps. Perhaps someone you knew or met may have the answers you're looking for. Trace the connection and you'll see it."

"Trace the connection..." IF thought for a moment, then gasped. "That's it!"

"You figured something out?" Sora asked.

The guild agent nodded. "Remember those dreams you had?"

"What about 'em?" Neptune asked.

"Earlier, you said you had a dream about Sora, and right now, before you went to that city, you both had a daydream about Kairi, right?"

The two Keyblade wielders nodded.

"Now, I believe the reason you had those dreams is because of the connection one of you shared with them. You're both friends here, and Sora and Kairi are friends, too, right?"

"Yeah?" Sora tried to follow.

"So, the reason I was able to see Sora and Kairi's memories is because I'm friends with Sora?" Neptune tried to figure out. "But I never even met Kairi for realsies yet."

"True, but it doesn't change the fact that you saw her memories because of your connection to Sora." IF elaborated. "Because of that, the reverse also works the same way."

"The reverse?" Compa asked.

"Oh!" Jiminy shouted. "That means Sora's able to see what Neptune and those connected to her could see due to Sora's connection to her, is that right?"

IF smirked as she nodded. "Correct"

"I see..." Neptune nodded. "But wait, I didn't meet up with anyone else before I first came to this town. I was literally stuck in a pitch-black void, remember?"

IF shook her head. "Try to recall, Nep. There IS someone you met. Someone who guided you out, even if you didn't see them."

"Wait, are you talking about Histy!?" Neptune gasped. "She's the source of these dreams!?"

IF nodded. "That's what we believe, given what we know now."

"That's all the more reason for us to find her!" Compa stated. "She'll know what happen to us and our homeworld!"

"Sure thing, but..." Neptune said. "...we still don't know where she even is."

"Well, you mentioned that she was kidnapped by an evil witch, right?" IF jogged Neptune's memory.

"There's only two people we know who fit that profile..." Jiminy mentioned.

"Arfoire and Maleficent, right?" Donald answered.

Compa nodded. "And we already ruled out Maleficent, so that just leaves the old hag."

Sora groaned. "Great. That means we have to fight her again..."

"Yeah..." Neptune sighed, scratching her head with her fingers. "Ugh, all this thinking is stressing a girl out. This Nep wants to hit something!"

Merlin stood up from his seat. "Oh, in that case..."

Suddenly, a loud ringing is heard.

"Isn't that one of your phones, Iffy?" Compa asked her friend.

"Lemme check..." IF pulled out a pink phone and checked on the caller's ID. "It's from Rena"

"Rena?" Donald asked.

"Ya know, that adventurer gal from the Coliseum!" Goofy recalled.

"Oh yeah, the Coliseum!" Neptune chirped up. "We still haven't signed up for the other Gaaaaaaaames yet!"

"Oh yeah!" Sora exclaimed as Jiminy hopped back into the boy's hood.

"Yes? Hello?" IF spoke to the phone. "Uh-huh. Yeah. Huh. Okay. Really? Yeah, sure. I'll tell them. Okay, bye"

She put her phone back into her coat and faced the party. "Looks like the old goat's been busy. The Pantheon Foundation Tournament's opened up and since we won the prelims, we're all signed up for it!"

"Ah-ha!" Neptune laughed. "Just what the goat ordered! Whaddaya say, fellas? Ready to go the distance to become heroes?"

"Do we ever!?" Donald jumped in joy.

"Then let's go already!" Sora shouted as he and the other two left the area.

"Wait for me!" Goofy followed after them.

"We should check our supplies first!" Compa followed suit as well.

IF sighed. "I swear, we were in such a serious mood for a while there"

The Fairy Godmother chuckled. "Everyone needs a good break once in a while. It seems for them; a riveting tournament is just the thing."

"We'll brainstorm some theories here with what you shared with us" Merlin stated. "We'll try to keep you informed if we ever reach a breakthrough"

IF bowed in gratitude. "Thank you so much. We appreciate it!"

"Ah, before you go, take these"

The Fairy Godmother produced two Summon Orbs and handed them to IF.

"These orbs..." the guild agent muttered. "We brought these to you a while ago!"

"And I've managed to unlock their power, dear" the Fairy Godmother informed. "You will need all the help you can get. These young ones will do wonders in the road ahead"

"Again, we can't thank you enough" IF bowed again in thanks.

"No need for that. Simply do what you have to and that will be enough for us." the Fairy Godmother said humbly.

"Now run along. You wouldn't want to miss your ride now..." Merlin advised.

"Good point. Thanks again!"

IF waved the two goodbye as she ran after the others.

"Those young ones..." Merlin said, stroking his beard. "Always so adventurous. Reminds me of young Wart"

"I have no doubt they will find something wonderful along the way" the Fairy Godmother replied. "Although, now that they mentioned it, didn't Leon and the others say they were going to another world to train?"

Merlin hummed. "Indeed. Fate certainly has an...interesting sense of humor, don't you think?"

The Fairy Godmother sighed. "It does indeed..."

NEPSTATION

Nepstation 11: Traverse Town (Third Visit)

Neptune: You're tuned in to Nepstation, the news show that delivers the news rain or shine, bright or damp!

Compa: *giggles* It's always feels energetic around here!

Neptune: You bet! We gotta jolt our viewer's up so they'll listen to the latest buzz! Now then, shall we do this?

Compa: Let's do this!

*an image of the World Map is seen onscreen*

Neptune: Recently, the number of Heartless attacks has lowered. The worlds that once suffered under such distress are beginning to regain a semblance of peace.

Compa: That's great to hear. However, just because things are quieting down doesn't mean the danger's over yet. Everyone, please make sure to keep emergency aids and rations with you at all times and if you're heading outside, make sure to have a buddy with you. Going alone is just tempting Heartless to jump at you!

Neptune: You better take the nurse's advice seriously here, folks! She knows the dangers better than most people I know! Anyway, onto the next segment...

*an image of a dogoo being fed by two women, their eyes crossed out, appears onscreen*

Compa: Recently, the dogoo that has been making noises throughout the neighborhood has been reported to be well-tamed. Citizens have stated that their new owners have been keeping it well-fed and took it out for walks around the town.

Neptune: I also heard that the little thing managed to fight off some weak Heartless during one of their walks. This little critter might actually be a tough one, huh?

Compa: Hm-hm! Never underestimate cornered prey, for it is at it's most ferocious when backed into a corner, or so my grandpa used to say.

Neptune: Your grandpa's a wise and travelled fella, huh? Got any more wise nuggets from him?

Compa: *giggles* I'll tell you if I can recall any. For now, let's head to our last segment...

*an image of three differing Gummi Ships appears onscreen*

Neptune: Recently, the production of Gummi Ship parts have begun to increase thanks to the skilled engineering of a local Drifter in town and the financial support of Scrooge International Trading Enterprises. While actual ship counts are still in the single digits, new and improved designs may be taking off into the Ocean Between before you know it!

Compa: That will certainly help with supply management and protection!

Neptune: You tell me! Those Heartless ships are trouble with a capital T, I tell ya! If we didn't have that Shield Gummi, our ship would've been toast.

Compa: That's because you keep pressing the boosters, Nep-Nep! We kept bumping into things and Sora couldn't steer fast enough because of that...

Neptune: Aw, come on! It's not everyday I actually manage to be awake when we're flying the darn thing. Seriously, why does this game's ship travel sequences have to be so darn slow!?

Histoire: Neptune, you're getting off-topic again...

Neptune: Gack! Sorry about that, everyone! Anyway, we're all done with the news for the day! Thanks for keeping me company, Compa!

Compa: *giggles* Anything for you, Nep-Nep! Now, I'll turn over the seat to Sora for our next segment!

Neptune: First up, we've got our usual review from our usual reviewer, keybladelight! And yes, it is quite fun to experience our inner child once in a while! It is very lovely!

Sora: You guys were laughing out a lot when we started flying.

Neptune: Uh-huh! Oh, and if you've been paying attention, a certain betrayal won't ever happen now. Don't worry about it!

Sora: Betrayal? Is someone leaving us!?

Neptune: Like I said, don't worry about it! We're all in this together, y'know?

Sora: Er…right! Next one's from Dario Flaman!

Neptune: Oooooohhh~ New reviewer, and not another artist bot, for once!

Sora: Right (-Doesn't get it)! Anyway, glad you found us here! Hope you can stick around, because we're getting close to the big part!

Neptune: (reads through review) Oooooohhhh~! That's a new catchphrase, though! NEP IT UP!

Sora: *laughs* Anyway, who else?

Neptune: Our last one's from…an Enemy Stand!

purple symbols appear on top of the hosts*

Neptune: Okay, first off. The reason Peter over there was nice was because he adheres to Prequel Game Continuity. The very moment he saw our Keyblades, his mind goes "Oh yeah! We can definitely trust them!".

Sora: What about Sting?

Neptune: Let's just say…she's got some bad experiences with the pirates there. And as for your next points…I'll just say you're 2/3rd's close to hitting the mark there!

Sora: More spoiler stuff?

Neptune: Yup, and lastly, I think mini-games are pretty chill. Usually, I just go to them if I feel it like (mostly so I don't do more work, ughhhh). I'm not an Achievement Hunter like a certain friend of mine.

Sora: A friend? Who?

Neptune: One who takes gaming to the extreme level. She literally play games day and night without sleep! I'm amazed we don't see bags under her eyes!

Sora: Wow! When I can meet her?

Neptune: Eh, probably in the next story or two?

Sora: That long!? Oh man, I hope Mr. Author's got his whole plan figured out. Anywho, that's all we got today!

Neptune: And next time will be the Tournament of the Century! Join us at Olympus Coliseum as Nep Team Epic takes on the Pantheon Foundation Tournament and come out of it as true heroes!

Sora: Isn't this the first time we did an episode preview?

Neptune: Sure did! But come on, doesn't this tournament get you hyped!?

Sora: *laughs* Of course it does! We're so gonna win this!

Neptune: He-he-he! You bet we do! So, cheer us on next week, and from all of us here at Nepstation...

Neptune and Sora: See you next time!