A/N
100 points to anyone that gets the obscure Space Mountain reference in this chapter.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor the Disney and Square Enix characters. Please support the original works.
Chapter Twenty Six: Remember Me
Even in the eerie silence, Sora could not stand by and let Héctor get hurt. Yet, when he raised his keyblade to shout out a spell, Sora's knees nearly buckled. No sound, no chanting, no magic, no music. Mentally, he spared a single second to apologize to Héctor for what he had to do next. He hurled his keyblade across the battlefield, and thanked his lucky stars that it didn't hit any innocent bystanders.
The keyblade smashed into Héctor's legs, crumbling the surprised skeleton into a pile of confused bones. As Héctor tried to reassemble his parts, the keyblade continued spinning through the air. It throttled the darkball that had been creeping up behind Héctor. Sora would have breathed a sigh of relief, but the heartless was not defeated.
He pantomimed to his friends, trying to order them to keep the heartless away from the people. Sora pointed to Goofy's shield, then to the citizens, and then to the darkballs that were raining down from the sky. Somehow the message got across, and the group spread out to try and deflect as many heartless as possible. The minutes dragged by. Sora knew they couldn't keep this up for long. He only had so many potions in his pocket, and without the ability to use healing spells, the team would soon be too exhausted to fight off the heartless.
He got close to Héctor and the two of them moved about the plaza. Héctor was able to duck and dodge heartless by separating his upper half from his legs, or collapsing into a pile of bones. Against everything, the team was able to evacuate the civilians from the plaza. Yet the threat of being forgotten loomed over Sora and the others as they continued to fruitlessly attack the unrelenting heartless.
A darkball smashed into Jack's back and he fell forward, his bones flashing with gold. Goofy smacked the heartless away, but it wasn't long before the whole team was surrounded and exhausted. Another darkball charged at Héctor from his blind spot. Sora reached out and pulled Héctor away, and the heartless bumped into Héctor's guitar instead. The guitar flew across the plaza, landing softly on a broken awning. It slid to the ground, somehow unbroken, but useless. Until pair of feet appeared before the guitar.
Héctor opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Sora knew exactly what Héctor felt in that moment. Across the plaza, Miguel bent down and picked up the guitar. He then had to duck to avoid getting bitten by a rampaging darkball. Héctor broke away from the team, running toward his great great grandson.
In the panic of running and dodging, Sora spotted a flash of red. He skid to a stop. In the center of the plaza, floating above the fountain, its mouth agape, a strange undulating wave of light escaping from its mouth, was a red eyed darkball. Sora reached out, and grabbed Jack's hand. He pointed to the darkball.
Jack grabbed Sora's arms and pulled the boy up onto his shoulders. Using his long legs and height, Jack jumped over the darkballs that were closer to the ground. Up on Jack's shoulders, Sora got a clear shot at the red eyed heartless on the fountain. The moment he was close enough, Sora stood up on Jack's shoulders. He threw his body at the heartless, tackling it to the ground. They bounced along the cobblestone. Sora wrapped his legs around the heartless' round body and used his hands to snap the darkball's mouth shut.
Sound returned to the atmosphere like a window being smashed to pieces. Sora was grateful that he didn't technically have ears, because he was sure they would have been ringing. He never realized how loud hitting the ground was. The red eyed heartless struggled in his arms, but Sora refused to let it go, clamping its mouth shut with everything he had. Jack was there a second later. He stood over Sora, defending him while Sora wrestled with the heartless, panting from the effort of keeping its mouth shut.
Héctor was the first to speak.
"Miguel, you have to play! These creatures don't like music!"
Miguel looked across the plaza at his great great grandfather, hesitating. "But I promised I would never play music again."
A darkball dove down toward Miguel. The boy yelped, but he was saved a moment later when Donald, launched in the air by Goofy, came flying out of the sky. He crashed into the darkball, stomping down on it with his angry flippers. It wasn't enough to hurt the heartless, but it did give Miguel a chance to run away. Dante weaved through the heartless. He ran to Miguel's side and nipped the boy's sleeve. Dante pulled Miguel toward the stage. Once there, he barked at the microphone.
Miguel bit his lip, and lifted the guitar into position. The low, smooth notes of a guitar rang out. "What color is the sky, ay mi amor, ay mi amor," Miguel sang, his voice shaky, but his guitar was loud and rythmic. "You say that it is red, ay mi amor, ay mi amor..."
The second Miguel's musical notes rang out, Sora looked up at Jack and shouted.
"Attack! Now!"
Jack summoned several fire spells, and charged at the heartless. As the music continued, darkballs dropped to the ground, twitching like downed birds after hitting a broken electrical wire. Jack charred and froze heartless with his ghostly magic, while Donald loosed several rage fueled lightning spells at clusters of darkballs. Goofy pounded down on heartless with his shield beneath his feet.
"Where should I put my shoes, ay mi amor, ay mi amor," Miguel's voice was rising, gaining confidence as he watch the team take down heartless. "You say 'put them on your head!' Ay mi amor, ay mi amor!"
The darkball in Sora's clutches finally stopped thrashing. It writhed in place, twitching, but no longer violently jerking its body this way and that. Sora let it go. He stood over the darkball, raised his keyblade over his head, and pummeled the red eyed heartless like a lumberjack hacking a series of logs into pieces. It took up to thirteen powerful hits before the red eyed heartless finally exploded into dust.
Miguel began to dance.
"You make me un poco loco
Un poqui-ti-ti-to-loco
The way you keep me guessing,
I'm nodding and I'm yes-ing
I'll count it as a blessing.
That I'm just un poco loco..."
With the silencer darkball defeated, getting rid of the remaining heartless was a total cakewalk. Miguel's music took on a more joyful tone. By that time, Dante had dragged Héctor up onto the stage to dance and sing alongside Miguel.
The last heartless was defeated, but Héctor and Miguel continued to perform together. Héctor rearranged his bones, his head bouncing on his foot while his hands worked as feet. He bounced around Miguel, singing.
The loco that you make me,
It is just un poco crazy,
The sense that you're not making
The liberties you're taking
Miguel matched his great grandfather's energy, skipping around with his guitar as the two of them harmonized. Dante leaned his head back and howled happily. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack lined up before the stage, clapping in rhythm.
The liberties you're taking
Leaves my cabeza shaking,
You are just un poco loco
Un poqui-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-to loco!
Jack, Donald, Goofy, and Sora erupted into loud cheers when the song ended. Getting up onto the stage, they swarmed Miguel and Héctor, congratulating, thanking, and staring at them in total awe. Donald jumped up and thumped Miguel on the shoulder, making Miguel stumble into Jack and Sora.
Jack reached out, helping Miguel regain his balance.
"A living child. Here? Fascinating." Jack leaned down to stare into Miguel's face. "You truly have the spirit of a performer, my friend."
Miguel turned around to say thank you, but then his smile turned into an slight cringe when he noticed that Jack didn't have any eyes in his sockets. He jerked away, looking the tall skeleton up and down.
"Uh, thanks. You're, um, a lot spookier then the other skeletons."
Jack put his hand on his bony chest and leaned his body forward in a small bow. "Why thank you, young man."
"You really saved us." Sora pointed at the guitar in Miguel's hands. "And you play so well!"
Miguel blushed. When the cheer eventually died down, Héctor asked Miguel why he had come to Plaza de la Cruz.
"Where's Imelda? And Pepita?"
Miguel pulled his hood over his head. "Well, you see, I may have run away to look for you."
"Miguel." Héctor's scolding voice wasn't as scary as Imelda's. In fact, he sounded more tired then disappointed.
"I had to!" Miguel defended. "She doesn't understand. If she says that family so important, then that includes you too! And, I was hoping, musician to musician, that you would help me."
"Of course, I'll help you get home, mijo, but we must-"
"I don't want to go home. Not yet anyway. I want to talk to Ernesto de la Cruz."
"There's no time for that. Look at your hands."
Miguel tried to hide his hands by shoving them into his jacket pockets. But he hadn't been fast enough. Sora had already noticed Miguel's curse had spread beyond his hands, into his wrists and forearms.
"We have to find a way to get you home as soon as possible. We have to go back to Imelda."
"But once I go, I may never get to play music again."
"Miguel, your life is so much more important then that. Don't put that before your family, like I did."
"You sound just like Mamá Imelda." Miguel rolled his eyes. "Please? Just once, I'd like to play for Señor de la Cruz. I want to know if I'm worthy of being a musician," Miguel looked down at his shoes, "before I give it up for good."
"Give it up?" Jack looked aghast. "Why would you want to stop doing something you're so passionate about?"
"My great great grandmother hates music. She made me promise never to play music again, once I go home."
"But music is apart of who you are. Why, that would be like asking me not to scare anyone ever again." Jack shuddered. "I can't imagine never being allowed to do something I love, even if I was a bit tired of it."
Without another word, Jack put his hands under Miguel's arms, and lifted the boy up so that they were eye to eye socket. "I say, you should play your guitar with pride. You have talent, and it brings you joy. Follow your passion."
Jack put Miguel down. Smiling, Miguel began to play a tune on his guitar. Donald, Goofy, and Jack moved around Miguel, dancing along with the music. Sora was about to join the merrymaking, then he heard Héctor whisper.
"He really looks happy, doesn't he?"
Sora watched Miguel. His grin was so wide and toothy that one would be blinded if a spotlight fell upon his mouth. When Miguel smiled, a dimple appeared on one of his cheeks, but not on the other.
"I don't like sneaking behind Señora Imelda's back," Sora began, "but Ernesto de la Cruz is a pretty influential guy, right? I'm sure he would know everything there is to know in the Land of the Dead. We can ask him for information, and let Miguel meet his hero at the same time."
Héctor waved Miguel over. "Mijo, let's go see Ernesto."
Miguel gasped. "Really?"
"Yes. But you have to promise me that we will go back to Imelda right after."
"I promise!"
While Héctor and Miguel shared a smile, no one noticed Dante duck his head and whine. He slowly moved away from the group, running off into the town. No one seemed to notice his absence.
Héctor turned, pointing to something in the distance. Rising from the black buildings and rainbow colored windows, was a white tower. Gaudy and with golden accents, the tower shinned brighter then everything around it. A mansion rested atop the tower's summit.
"The question is how do we get into Ernesto's mansion," Héctor said.
"Easy," Sora twirled his keyblade. "Is there a back door? I can get us through anything that has a lock."
"Not that easy." Héctor counted off on his fingers. "Ernesto's mansion is at the top a tower. It can only be accessed by a tram. And the guards don't just let anyone through. Ernesto likes people with status."
Sora paced. "Okay, so we can't sneak our way in, or break our way in," Sora stopped, glancing at Jack, "but maybe we can scare our way in."
Jack leaned his head to the side, smirking. "Why Sora? Are you suggesting we scare the guards right out of their pants so that we can frighten them off and board the tram up to the mansion?" Jack clapped his hands. "I love it! Gather close friends. Here is what we're going to do."
Ernesto de la Cruz's tower rose out of a lake of water. The tower was so wide and tall that even the bridge leading up to it could have housed a small neighborhood. A massive arch, with reliefs of Ernesto de la Cruz and his guitar, housed the trams that took visitors up the top of the tower, where de la Cruz's mansion rested. The words "seize your moment" were written above the arch.
At the base of the tower, a line of fashionably dressed and glamorous skeletons crowded on a wide, red carpet. At the front of the line, was a burly skeleton wearing sunglasses, and a black, tailored suit. He crossed his arms and looked out stoically at the skeletons in line.
Sometimes he would let a few snazzy skeletons pass the red rope to the tram, but, usually, the guard would either turn people away, or throw them back into the crowd. Those that did not have an invitation, were easily dismissed. No amount of pleading, sweet talking, bargaining, or black mailing moved him from his ever present vigil.
That was, until several skeletons came running up from the bridge, their eyes wide with terror. The crowd packed together, tighter then the straw of a woven basket, trapping the guard between the tangle of skeletons and the tramway. The guard pushed through the crowd, trying to find the source of the commotion and take care of it before things got even more out of hand. Most likely, the hubub was just probably another Ernesto super-fan that was making the skeletons uncomfortable.
By the time the guard made it to the front of the crowd, a slow, creeping noise had fluttered through the air. It was quiet, yet eerie, like the sound of howling wind moving through a metal tube. The low, dissonant tones were followed by a sudden blast of heat, so intense that, for a moment, the guard briefly wondered if he still had the ability to sweat.
The bridge lit up with a flash. A chorus of shrieks followed as the crowd huddled closer in fear. The guard finally made it to the front and froze. A tornado of flames, as tall as an old oak tree, was moving, slowly, across the bridge. The guard stood his ground, even as his knees began to tremble.
The fire crept closer, slowly changing shape from a whirlwind of flames, to something that almost resembled a skeleton. But unlike the regular denizens of the Land of the Dead, this creature was tall, wide, and had no legs. It glided along on its broken spine, its body composed of blazing fire. Lines of hot flames looped around the ghost's spindly arms and through its thick neck and chest, like decayed veins on a corpse. In its right eye was a swirling galaxy. The creature's mouth opened, revealed a black void inside. It spread its arms and roared. A dark scream vibrated through the air.
Civilians began to jump off the bridge. They crashed into the lake, swimming to safety. The guard balked. He'd heard rumors of monsters popping up all over the Land of the Dead, but he had thought they were nothing more then stories to spook superstitious skeletons. His colleagues even mentioned instances of people arguing and then getting into full blown fights. Could this creature be the cause of it?
The ghostly inferno was almost to the trams now. There was a lot of things that ran through the guard's mind in those few seconds. One of them was the fact that he had been a loyal member of Ernesto's security force for as long as he had been dead. He also thought, ever fleetingly, that he was in no way, a coward. However, the thought that dominated everything else, was the the fear of the unknown. Even for the dead, the thought of what would happen to them if they faded away for good, was just too much to bear. Thus, yelping, the guard abandoned his post, and joined the other civilians. He jumped into the lake, and swam for his afterlife.
Not a single skeleton turned back to look at the strange, fiery half-ghost skeleton. If they had, they would have noticed that the creature's fiery body had faded. A boy and a duck stood where the flames had been a moment before, their weapons still smoking from the continuous stream of magic. Now that the fire was gone, the real body of the ghoul was revealed. Two skeletons stood on top of an old dog. Finally, slowly, the ghoul's screams had stopped. A living boy strummed one last, terrible note on his guitar. The sound forced the skeletons to swim faster.
Back on the bridge, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jack, Héctor, and Miguel, turned toward each other. They celebrated with some high fives, whoops, and victory poses, before finally boarding the tram to Ernesto De La Cruz's mansion. For such a tall tower, the ride up to the mansion was actually fairly quick, though it might have had something to do with Miguel's rising excitement.
"I have so many questions for Señor de la Cruz. What inspires his music? Did he do his own stunts in his movies? How did he 'seize his moment?'"
Miguel stilled, sitting down on the tram seats.
"What's wrong?" Héctor asked.
"Ernesto de la Cruz is the greatest musician in history, and I'm just an ordinary kid." Miguel tapped his fingers on his guitar, "What if he won't listen to me play? What if I'm not good enough?"
"Aye, mijo." Héctor shook his head. "Look what you've already accomplished. Your songs were powerful enough to defeat heartless."
"And terrify everyone on that bridge," Jack added.
"But those weren't a audience," Miguel argued.
"So?" Jack grinned. "Music and scaring have something in common. They make you feel powerful emotions. Terrifying and delighting others is what a performer does. I'd say you've already proven yourself."
"And you've already had an audience that adores your skills." Héctor spread his arms, gesturing to the group. "All of us."
Miguel looked from one face to another, the creases of doubt vanishing from his face. A small smile spread across his lips.
"Thanks."
The tram finally stopped, and the party spilled out into a massive courtyard. Hundreds of party goers milled about on the steps before Ernesto de la Cruz' mansion. The building was lit up with so many lights, that the stone looked like a golden beacon in the night. The moment Miguel got to the bottom step, he raced up the stairs toward the mansion, with Héctor right behind him.
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack were about to follow, but something tingled along Sora's spine, making him skid to a stop. Donald and Goofy crashed into his back, but Sora barely noticed. He also didn't catch the curious stare that Jack was giving him. All he could focus on was a sudden, overwhelming and soft feeling. Ernesto de la Cruz's mansion was full of energy. People walked around, enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres, clapping at fire breathers, dancing near street performers...and shouting at each other.
Vaguely, Sora wondered what the shouts were about, but then he forgot all about the distant angry banter. Sora was being pulled toward something. The closer he got to whatever was calling him, the warmer he felt. It was like being sung to sleep by a mother's sweet voice. There was something there, all around the mansion that made Sora feel...free.
Then he saw it. Right between two angry looking skeletons. A sphere of light. It's glow was so warm, so soft. Silver stars swirled inside the light sphere, and every time the stars shined, there was a soft, tingly noise, like the ringing of the smoothest bell ever to be heard.
Sora reached out, wanting nothing more then to touch the light, to let it carry him away. Someone slapped his hand. The sudden sting pushed Sora back to his senses. He jumped backward before an angry fist could clock him in the jaw.
One of Ernesto's party guests glared at him. "Get back! It's mine!"
"No it isn't!" Another skeleton roared. "It's mine!"
One more skeleton joined the argument. "Quite hogging it all to yourself!"
The three men began shoving each other. While they were distracted, other party goers moved toward the sphere of light. The shouting increased. The skeletons joined together in one big brawl, each reaching for the light, only to be pushed away by another's greedy hands.
Donald and Goofy tried to step toward the crowd, to break up the fight, but the angry skeletons threw them back. Sora's bones jingled as shudders formed all over his body. No longer under a spell, he was now aware of all the screaming and arguing. Scattered all over the mansion's grand steps and courtyards, were spheres of light.
"The fights all over town," Sora whispered. "They're fighting over the light."
As he watched the skeletons fight, Sora noticed something else. Flashes of darkness began to shimmer on the skeletons' bones.
"And darkness was born in their hearts."
Sora didn't have lungs, but he felt as though he couldn't breathe. The world around him blurred as his head felt too heavy for his neck. From somewhere far away, a pair of hands reached for his shoulders, steadying him.
"Easy now," said Jack. "This isn't healthy."
Looking up at his friend, Sora could only manage a weak, "W-what?"
"Remember what we talked about earlier? Do not be a slave to your fears."
Jack waited patiently until the boy was able to stand on his own two feet. Once he was sure that Sora wouldn't collapse, Jack let him go. Giving Jack a silent thanks and a smile, Sora faced the angry crowd before him.
"We've got to get the light away from them."
"How?"
Sora summoned his keyblade and lowered his stance. "No clue. Here goes nothing."
Sora charged into the crowd. He weaved through arms and legs, and got smacked around in the process. Somehow, he got close to the orb of light. Warmth fluttered over him again, and Sora felt sleepy for a moment, as if he were in a dream, as if he could fly. What was he trying to do again?
An angry skeleton grabbed Sora's shoulder, and he snapped back to his senses. On impulse, before the light could charm him again, Sora raised his keyblade and smacked the orb of light like a golfer hitting a golf ball. The light orb shot up into the air. It sailed across the sky and then exploded like a firework. When the light finally vanished back into the world, the fighting skeletons froze.
"Huh? What? What are we doing?"
Confused, the skeletons dispersed. But there was still fighting all over. The team spread out, finding and blasting away any light orb they could find. Each time an orb was taken out, the skeletons came back to their senses. Still, the sudden fighting had unnerved many of the party goers. They moved toward the trams, leaving Sora and his team alone on the steps of de la Cruz's manor.
"So the orbs you mentioned earlier," Sora said to Jack, "were spheres of light."
"It seems so."
Goofy tilted his head. "But doesn't His Majesty summon orbs of light too? How come no one fights over King Mickey's magic?"
"The king's magic is powerful," Donald agreed, "but I get the feeling those light spheres are different."
"Locke told me that he found an orb of powerful light while he was searching for a way to bring Terra back to normal. Do you guys think," Sora swallowed, "that there is so much light in this world, that it's condensing into sphere form?"
Donald snapped his fingers. "That's why I felt like there was magic every everywhere. There really is too much light here."
Goofy hummed. "Do ya think that's why the lich came here? Because it's attracted to that light?"
"That, or the darkness that forms when people start fighting over the light." Sora's grip on his keybalde tightened. "It's just like Santa said. Too much of anything can be bad."
"Sandy Claws is very wise," Jack agreed.
"It's Santa Claus," Donald deadpanned.
Jack ignored him, looking up at Ernesto de la Cruz's mansion. "We'd better hurry after Héctor and Miguel."
The team raced up the steps toward the mansion. Sora's foot had just reached the top step, when something big dropped down in front of him, slamming so hard on the stone floor that Sora lost his balance. He would have fallen down the stairs if Donald, Goofy, and Jack hadn't caught him.
Pepita had landed in front of the archway leading into the mansion. She roared, and lowered her wings, revealing Imelda and Dante sitting atop of her back. Sliding down Pepita's wing, Imelda rounded on Sora, fixing the boy with a glower that made him stand straight and pin his arms at his sides.
"Where is Miguel?"
"He's inside the mansion."
"Aye, that boy! Running off and leaving me to look all over. He's going to get himself killed."
Imelda marched into Ernesto de la Cruz's mansion. Sora was unsure if he should follow. Pepita had turned her wildcat eyes toward him. Sora gulped, wondering if the luminescent jaguar would eat him if he tried to follow Imelda. Luckily, Dante jumped off Pepita's back. His dismount wasn't as graceful as Imelda's, as he landed on his chin. He whined at Pepita.
The giant cat and hairless dog stared at each other for a long moment. They must have come sort of agreement because Pepita finally moved out of the way. She sat down and began to lick her massive paw. Dante jumped up and down in front of Sora, yapping excitedly.
"Thanks," Sora said as he passed by.
Jack gave the cat a pat on the nose. "What a magnificent creature. I must make next year's Halloween more colorful."
Pepita purred.
Dante led Sora's team into the mansion. The team barely made it a few steps in before they had to stop and stare at the total pandemonium inside the ballroom. Skeletons were pushing and shoving. In between the thicket of bodies, Sora saw shining orbs of light. Loud, banging, club music reverberated through the cavernous room, but the music was nothing more then low background noise compared to all the screaming and arguing.
Imelda was trying to push her way through the crowd, but she was shoved backward. Jack caught her.
"Are you all right, madam?"
Imelda nodded, moving away from Jack. "What is all this nonsense! And that mind numbing music!"
Donald shouted something but the music and the fighting made his words unintelligible.
Imelda squinted at him. "What?"
"He said, 'We'll never find Miguel in this mess.'" Goofy translated. "Let's split up. Donald, Jack, and I will try to get rid of all the light spheres and calm the people down. Sora and Señora Imelda should go look for Miguel and Héctor."
Imelda crossed her arms. "Very well. Lead the way, young man."
"Okay. Get behind me."
Sora did his best to move through the crowd without hurting anyone too bad. Protecting himself and Imelda with a wind sphere at least forced the angry skeletons to keep their distance. They moved through the room, careful not to fall into the guitar shaped pool that was situated in the center of the massive hall. Imelda didn't spot Héctor or Miguel in the crowd, but by then the two of them had made it passed the main hallway and into a library. As soon as Sora closed the door behind them, the shouts and loud music from the main room silenced. Imelda let out a breathe of relief.
"I can't believe Miguel came to such a place. And that Héctor let him come here!" Imelda stomped through the library, opening the door on the other side, entering the kitchen.
"Don't blame Héctor," Sora said. "He only wanted to make Miguel happy."
"And by doing so, he put Miguel at risk. I spent my life protecting my family from Héctor's mistakes and, even in death, I still have to fix things. Sometimes the best thing for children isn't what they want. Héctor doesn't understand that because he wasn't around to raise Coco."
"But Héctor made Miguel promise to come back to you, and we came here hoping that Ernesto de la Cruz may have some insight about how to send Miguel home."
Imelda grunted. "No good can come from a musician."
Sora sighed. He didn't want to argue. He just hoped that, by the time they caught up to them, Miguel and Héctor had learned something from Ernesdo de la Cruz. Sora and Imelda searched one gaudy room after another, and found no trace of Miguel, Héctor, or Señor de la Cruz. They eventually went back to the room they had started in, except this time, silence could be heard when they opened the door.
Gone were the fighting skeletons, the light spheres, the loud, banging music. The room was empty. Well, almost empty. Héctor stood behind a column. His teeth were clenched, and Sora wasn't sure if his expression was one of pain, nerves, or anger. Imelda was about to march up to him and make demands when a melody began to play, followed by a voice.
"Miguel," Imelda whispered.
In that moment, Sora didn't know what craziness made him reach out and grab Imelda's arm, or how he had found the courage to put his finger to his teeth and silently beg her to be quiet. She gave him a glare that would have made Sora's stomach, if he had one, drop into his knees, but he refused to let her go. Miguel's song ended, and there was clapping coming from further in the hall.
"My boy," said a rich, deep voice, "you have quite the talent!"
"You mean it?"
"Of course."
Sora craned his neck and peeked around the pillar. Miguel was talking to a tall skeleton in a white, mariachi uniform. Though Sora could only see the skeleton's profile, he knew that the man must have been handsome back when he was alive. He had a strong jaw, high cheekbones, and a stylish mustache. When he spoke, his low voice echoed through the hall.
"With a talent like yours, you could charm the world."
Miguel held the guitar to his chest. "It means so much to me that you say that."
"Yet you seem sad. Why is that?"
"Being a musician is my dream, but my family would never approve. My abuelita hates music."
"So?" Ernesto de la Cruz reached down and put his hand on Miguel's shoulder. "From what I can see and hear, you are meant to be a musician. You have to follow your dreams no matter what, or who stands in your way."
Imelda had heard enough. She wriggled her arm out of Sora's grasp and stomped up to Héctor.
"What is going on?"
There was no doubt about it now. Héctor's expression was definitely one of fear.
"I-Imelda. What are you doing here?"
"Trying to save my great great grandson, which you took to see a musician," Imelda hissed.
Héctor put up his hands. "Please, keep your voice down. I don't want Ernesto to know I'm here."
"Is someone back there?"
Héctor flinched.
"Show yourself," Ernesto demanded.
Rolling her eyes, Imelda stepped out from behind the pillar. Héctor reached to stop her, but only ended up stumbling out from his hiding spot instead.
Ernesto's eyes widened at the intruders, but then his face stretched into a charming smile. "Ah, hello Señora and," Ernesto squinted at Héctor.
"Miguel." Imelda pointed to her side. "Come here, right now."
Ernesto's eyes moved from Héctor to the boy that silently shaking at his side. "Do you know these people?"
Miguel ducked his head. "They're my great great grandparents."
Ernesto's eyes widened. "I see."
Sora stepped around the pillar. Something about the scene before him had shifted. It wasn't just that Imelda continued to disapprovingly glance between Miguel, Ernesto, and Héctor. Nor was it Miguel's obvious discomfort at being caught by his great great grandmother. It was that Héctor's entire body had tensed. In all the time Sora had known him, Héctor had never lost his temper. Now his face was pinched, as though he were trying his hardest to push down shouts of fury. He avoided looking at Miguel, his eyes locked on Ernesto, as though the musician were a bear trap that could spring at any second.
Carefully, Sora stepped around the pillar, joining the scene.
"And who is this? Another family member?"
"No, I'm just a friend. We were hoping that you could help us?"
"You're a famous man, Ernesto," Héctor's said with a sigh. "Have you heard, anything at all, about strange occurrences in the Land of the Dead? Any clue about getting back to the Land of the Living?"
"The only way to visit the Land of the Living is to have a photo on someone's offrenda," Ernesto answered.
Imelda huffed. "Tell us something we don't know. The bridge to the Land of the Living is gone, and we can't send Miguel home with blessings."
"And we need to get Miguel back home as soon as possible," Sora said. "It's not just his life on the line. If he doesn't put Héctor's photo up soon..."
Ernesto glanced at Héctor and something flashed in his eyes. It was so fast that Sora wasn't sure if Ernesto had felt pity or something else. Though Héctor hadn't raised his tone, or said anything spiteful, his body was still rigid as he and Ernesto stared at each other.
"You're being forgotten," Ernesto realized.
Héctor raised his head, anger shining in his eyes. "And who's fault is that?"
For the first time since she had come out from behind the pillar, Imelda took her eyes away from Miguel. She blinked at Héctor. "What?"
"Those were my songs you took!"
Héctor shouted, pointing to the projector screens on the second floor of the grand room. All over the ballroom there were screens depicting Ernesto de la Cruz's movies, his concerts, his accomplishments.
"My songs that made you famous! And you never told anyone I wrote them."
Miguel finally stepped away from Ernesto, standing between his great great grandfather and his idol.
"That can't be true."
Miguel took a step toward his great great grandparents, but stopped when Ernesto put a hand on his shoulder.
"Héctor, I only sang your music to keep your memory alive," Ernesto pleaded.
Héctor pinched the bridge of his nose. "It doesn't matter anymore. We came here because Miguel needs to go home to the Land of the Living." Héctor turned around. Gone was his anger and hurt. Instead, his eyes were honest, hopeful. "We were friends once, Ernesto. You once said you would move heaven and earth for me. Do you know anything at all, any clue, about how we can send Miguel home? Please."
"Heaven and earth?" Miguel whispered.
Sora could feel the keyblade stirring inside his heart. Miguel looked horrified as he stepped back from Ernesto. He inched closer to Imelda's side.
"Like the movie?" Miguel looked up at the projectors along the walls. "There."
Sora looked at the projector Miguel had indicated. In it, a young, living, Ernesto de la Cruz and another actor, a man that looked much like the movie's villain, were having a toast.
"A toast!" The villain boomed. "To our friendship. I would move heaven and earth for you, mi amigo."
Movie Ernesto took one sip of his drink, before spitting out the liquid, grabbing his throat, and showing "Poison!"
The tension that had been present in Héctor's body melted. His shoulder's slumped, and his eyes widened, staring out into the distance. "The night that I wanted to leave our performance tour, to go back to Coco. You said you'd send me off with a toast. You spoke those exact same words."
Slowly, Héctor turned his head to face de la Cruz, hurt burning in his voice.
"You poisoned me."
Imelda reached forward, grabbed Miguel's arm, and pulled him to her side. The fury in her expression could have melted an iceberg. She hissed at Ernesto.
"You rotten-"
"Now, now, you are confusing movies with reality."
Imelda's anger was too big for words. She took off her shoe and charged at Ernesto, whacking him twice in the face before he finally pushed her back. She crashed into Héctor. He steadied her, but the moment she was back on her feet, Héctor's body began to glow, and he fell forward, onto his knees. Sora reached forward, to help Héctor stand, but the back of his spine tingled and he heard a distant popping noise.
Heartless were coming.
Sora jerked back just as a darkball materialized before him. Had Sora been a second off, he would have lost his arm. The darkball charged, and Sora whacked it off course by swinging his keyblade like a baseball bat. Miguel tried to strum his guitar, but then Ernesto made a grab for him, catching his jacket. Miguel slipped out of his red hoodie, dropping his guitar in the process, and escaping Ernesto's hold.
Sora's skills were useless without music, and all he could do was bash heartless away from himself. He tried to move toward Imelda and Héctor. They were both on the ground, as Imelda tried to help Héctor stand. Miguel got to them first, but just as he reached down to help Héctor stand, Ernesto appeared behind him.
Miguel yelped. A hand had reached out and pushed him to the ground. But it hadn't been Ernesto's hand. Desperate to save his great great grandson, Héctor had somehow found the strength to get onto his knees and push Miguel out of the way before Ernesto could hurt him. Surprised that his attach hadn't landed, Ernesto instead grabbed Héctor's vest and yanked him up. By the time Miguel turned around to try and make sense of what had happened, Ernesto had already dragged Héctor across the room.
"No. Papá Héctor!"
Miguel rose to his feet, but then a heartless flew at him from the side. Imelda grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. With its mouth still open, the heartless sailed through the space where Miguel had been a moment before. Miguel struggled, watching as Ernesto and Héctor vanished into the mob of heartless.
"What are these creatures!" Imelda snapped, whacking a few heartless with her boot.
"You can't defeat them with your shoe!" Sora shouted. "They can only be taken down when music is playing. Miguel, you're up!"
"I don't have my guitar!"
Sora bludgeoned a heartless into the floor. All he ended up doing was annoying the darkball. It bounced on the ground, rising back up to Sora's shoulder height. He rolled, avoiding getting his skull bitten off. As he spun on the ground, his foot hit something that made a loud twang. Miguel's guitar.
Grabbing the instrument, Sora dashed toward Miguel and Imelda. Maybe the undead had some form of luck, because Imelda managed to pull Miguel through hordes of darkballs without getting bitten or hit by their bodies. A darkball flew down toward her from above, and Sora jumped, throwing his shoulder into the darkball's side. He fell hard on his side, but at least he had landed in a way that kept the guitar from breaking.
Shoving the instrument into Miguel's hands, Sora casted a quick aero spell around Miguel and Imelda. Miguel began to play. A heartless crashed into the wind spell protecting Miguel. The boy tripped, his music faltering. He tried once again to play, but then had to duck when several heartless made it past Sora's defenses.
Imelda watched her great great grandson try to play. She grit her teeth. Miguel got his guitar ready once more, but before he could play a single note, he froze. A low, husky voice had begun to sing. Miguel turned, staring wide eyed at his great great grandmother.
"Ay, de mi, llorona," Imelda sang.
The heartless stilled.
"Llorona de azul celeste," Imelda continued.
Sora sliced through a row of frozen heartless, wasting no time as Imelda's song continued. Seeing the heartless go down, Imelda turned to Miguel, nodding for him to play. Miguel's first notes were somber, his tune low, matching Imelda's singing.
"Ay, de mi, llorona," Imelda turned to Miguel, nodding. "Llorona de azul celeste. Y aunque la vida me cueste, llorona, no dejaré de quererte."
The heartless began to thrash. Sora took down six by the time Imelda's next verse came. By now her voice had gained confidence, and she began to dance around Miguel. "No dejaré de quererte!"
Miguel began to play faster, following his great great grandmother around the ballroom with a thrilled smile on his face. Sora began chanting magic spells and throttling heartless left and right. He finished cleaving through a line of darkballs when he heard a chewing sound from behind him. Sora whirled around, about to block the darkball when a shield came flying out of nowhere. It fizby-ed through the darkball, turning it into dust.
Grinning, Sora waved at Goofy before turning back toward the battle. A darkball came down from above. Before Sora could attack it, Dante came running around the pillar and bit down on the darball's lower tendril. He pulled the darkball down, giving Sora the opening he needed to smash it into nothing. Icicles sailed through the air, spearing darkballs as Donald came into the battle next. Imelda and Miguel kept moving around the battlefield as they sang their song. As if summoned by their music, Jack came backflipping into battle. He made some elegant spins around Imelda and Miguel, all while grabbing darkballs with his claws and popping them, one by one, like balloons.
The song ended the exact same moment that Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack exterminated the remaining heartless. Miguel dropped his guitar, and grabbed Imelda's waist in a tight hug.
Imelda squeezed the boy's shoulders.
"You play wonderfully. Just like Héctor."
Miguel sobbed. "It's all my fault. I begged him to bring him here. I should have listened. I wanted to meet a real musician, just once, and now Papá Héctor-"
"I know." Imelda ran a hand through Miguel's hair. "We'll find him."
"What if he's already forgotten by the time we find de la Cruz? He was right. You were right. Music should never come before family."
Imelda got down on her knees. She looked Miguel in the eye, brushing his tears from his face. "Your music saved us. And now it's going to help us save Héctor. We don't leave our family members behind." Imelda held Miguel's hands. "No matter what. Do you understand me?"
Miguel whipped his nose and nodded. Even though his lips were quivering, there was a determined look in his eyes. Imelda lovingly pinched his cheek before standing. She put her hands on her hips and faced Sora.
"I expect you to come along on this rescue mission."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy saluted, while Jack gave them a low bow.
"A gentleman never abandons a friend in need." Jack straightened. "How do we find Héctor?"
A series of barks answered Jack's question. Dante ran around the group three times before he finally stopped and pointed with his nose. There was a straw hat on the floor. Miguel bent to pick it up.
"This is Papá Héctor's. Think you can find him, boy?"
Dante barked and sniffed the straw hat in Miguel's hands. Then he twitched, his paws suddenly lighting up in a neon green color. Miguel stepped back as the color spread up Dante's legs. The dog noticed the sudden change and began to panic, bitting his own leg. Miguel reached out to try and and calm Dante, but Imelda held him back.
"Just watch," she said.
Rainbow patterns shined on Dante's skin. He began to glow. Small wings sprouted from his back, and his nose changed from black to a bright, mint green.
Miguel scratched Dante behind the ear. "Dante! You're an alebrije? Who's a good spirit guide. You are!"
Dante flopped on his back, getting some happy belly rubs before he suddenly remembered his task. Snatching Héctor's hat from Miguel, Dante led the party out of the house. Once outside, he began to fly toward something in the distance.
Imelda whistled and Pepita dropped down from the sky. When everyone had climbed onto the glowing jaguar, Pepita beat her powerful wings, soaring through the air after Dante. Sora looked down at the town as they flew. His legs tightened around Pepita's flank. There were light orbs all over the town. As the sounds from below drifted upward, Sora began to recognize that the distant noise was full of angry shouts and curses.
Dante howled, and Sora looked straight on, forcing himself to forget the light. Héctor came first. A cold, icy feeling slithered down Sora's legs and through his knees. He just hoped he was making the right choice.
Dante and Pepita landed on a wide balcony somewhere high over the city. The angry curses in the city were silenced, replaced by the soft breeze and the flapping of the nearby, night blue curtains. Sora looked around, noticing the various cameras and control panels on the balcony. Dante moved toward the curtains. He lowered his head and pulled back his ears, whimpering.
As Sora moved toward the curtains, a pair of voices reached his ears.
Héctor and Ernesto.
"Do what you want with me. Just promise me that you will leave Miguel and Imelda alone."
"And what? Let them wonder around the Land of the Dead and tarnish the reputation I have worked so hard to maintain?"
"A reputation you only earned by stealing from and murdering me. How long do you truly believe you can up this farce?"
Malice boiled in Ernesto's lowered voice. "I will do whatever it takes."
Sora peaked around the curtain and gulped. Ernesto stood on a wide stage. Before him, tied to a wooden beam, was Héctor. Even though the stage lights were dim, and the stadium behind Ernesto was empty, Sora could see dark smoke leaking from the seams of Ernesto's white outfit.
The lich materialized above the empty audience seats.
"What does that mean, Ernesto?" Héctor demanded.
The lich moved toward the stage, its body tethered to Ernesto by long, purple lines of darkness.
"What are you going to do to my family?"
Héctor struggled, but the ropes around his body tightened, tendrils of darkness reinforcing the bindings.
Ernesto didn't answer. In fact, it seemed as though he could no longer speak. His eyes glazed over as the lich moved closer. Then the lich reached into Ernesto's back, its fingers poking through Ernesto's rib cage. Darkness pooled in Ernesto's chest. Then he was lifted into the air, dangling by dark puppet strings from the lich's arms.
"Ernesto!"
Héctor managed to get a hand free, but he couldn't grab a hold of de la Cruz. Ernesto was jerked backward, floating behind the lich. The heartless came close, looking Héctor straight in the eye. It raised its staff above Héctor's head. Héctor closed his eyes.
A series of furious roars burst through the stadium, echoing off the empty stadium walls. Héctor opened his eyes to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy drop down from the sky. Goofy and Donald landed on the lich's shoulders. They pulled the heartless' head back, covering its eyes, while Sora grabbed the lich's staff and tried to wrench it free from the its dark claws. The lich thrashed about above the stage. Ernesto flopped about, his puppet strings curving, sending him up and over the lich.
In midair, Ernesto took a swing at Sora's head. The boy was able to duck and Ernesto flopped back down below the lich. Before he could be thrown back up into the air for another attack, Jack came down from the sky and tackled Ernesto, forcing the puppet musician back down. While Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack grappled with the lich and Ernesto, Pepita and Dante landed on the stage in front of Héctor. The jaguar and the dog bit down on Héctor's ropes, freeing him from his bonds.
Miguel dismounted Pepita. He came to stand at Héctor's side, giving his great great grandfather a guitar. Imelda appeared on Héctor's opposite side. She kissed his cheek.
"Let's play. Together this time."
Héctor gave his wife and great great grandson a soft look, before he began to play. A gentle melody rippled through the air as Imelda, Héctor, and Miguel all sang together.
Remember me,
Though I have to say goodbye,
Remember me,
Don't let it make you cry.
The lich stilled. It threw its head back and shuddered. A high pitched tone rang out of its mouth. Sora, Donald, and Goofy let go, falling off the lich and clutching their sculls as the horrible sound banged about in their heads. Jack held onto Ernesto's body, even as he too trembled from the attack. The ringing drowned out the Rivera's sweet song.
For even if I'm far away,
I hold you in my heart.
I sing a secret song to you
each night we are apart.
The lich threw Ernesto's body forward, toward Héctor, Miguel, and Imelda. The family did not dare stop singing, even for a moment. Jack grabbed Ernesto's legs and pulled him backward. He dug his heels into the stage, pulling back with all his might. The lich's body shuddered with pain as the music continued, but it fought back, flinging itself, and Ernesto forward, toward the singers. Jack lost his grip on Ernesto and went flying, crashing into curtains on the side of the stage.
Remember me,
though I have to travel far.
Remember me,
each time you hear a sad guitar.
Pepita and Dante tackled the Lich, pushing its body into the stage. Pepita raised her claws. The lich pulled Ernesto's strings, covering its body with the musician's. Ernesto took the blow from Pepita's claws, which gave the lich enough strength to raise its staff, and cast a fire spell. Pepita was blasted up into the air, where she thrashed, trying to douse the dark flames that erupted all over her fur.
Know that I'm with you
the only way that I can be.
Until you're in my arms again...
The lich was back in the air. Ernesto was standing once again. He stepped toward Héctor, his body swaying. Dante came forward and bit Ernesto's leg, trying to pull him back. The lich blasted Dante with an ice spell, forcing the dog to retreat. Another ice spell sailed through the air, hitting the lich on its side. It turned. Jack, with Donald on his shoulders, ran out of the curtains. They pelted the lich and Ernesto with spell after spell, making it freeze just long enough to distract it from what was going on overhead.
The lich blasted Donald and Jack with a powerful wind attach. Ernesto reached out, his hands inches away from Héctor's guitar. A shield came down from the sky, crashing onto Ernesto's arm, making him clatter to the ground. Goofy stomped on Ernesto's back, keeping the puppet down. The lich pulled on Ernesto's strings, to try and get him loose. It never should have focused so hard on the murderous musician.
Remember me
Lightning came down on the lich's head. It looked up, and the last thing it saw was the glow of Sora's keyblade. The boy came down on the heartless like a missile. Rather then explode on impact, Sora concentrated all of his energy in his keybalde. Several expert slices later, Sora landed on his feet, right below the lich. The heartless began to deteriorate above him, and Sora moved out of the way as the lich collapsed onto the stage. A puddle of darkness bled out from its body as it slowly faded away. The puddle spread and the lich sunk into the darkness, pulling Ernesto down with it. As the lich and Ernesto completely vanished, so too did the dark puddle. It evaporated into nothing.
Héctor, Imelda, and Miguel hugged each other, relieved to be together and safe. Sora ignored the happy family. He looked down at the stage floor, where the puddle had been. Donald, Goofy, and Jack came to stand at his side.
"What troubles you?" Jack asked.
"So many villains lose their hearts to darkness. It's sad that Ernesto cared more for fame then anything else. It sounds lonely."
"Don't waste your sympathy." Jack huffed. "I live with vampires, ghouls, witches, and ghosts. But I will tell you this: none of them are truly as monstrous as that de la Cruz fellow was."
"You're right. But I'm starting to wonder if light is as good as we think it is. Did you hear all the people in town? How long will it take before this world is overtaken by darkness as people fight over the light?"
"I don't think we have to worry about this world falling to darkness anytime soon," said Goofy. He pointed to something behind Sora. "Look."
Across the amphitheater, right above the highest spectator seat, there was a massive bell. A light was glowing on the bell. The light stretched, turning into a keyhole. Sora lifted his keyblade, aiming for the keyhole. Light passed form his key and into the keyhole, sealing it shut.
"Well, that's one less thing to worry-"
The earth roared. Goofy tackled Sora, throwing him down just as one of the theater lights above came lose and crashed into the floor. Imelda and Héctor held onto Miguel. The boy hid his face as the ground beneath his feet rolled and bucked. Sora saw something blooming in the sky. Dizzy, he turned his head, watching the upside down world shudder. Donald slid along the floor, sliding toward a balcony backstage. His horrified howl made Sora feel cold.
Getting onto his feet, Sora, Donald, and Jack chased after Donald. The moment then got to the backstage balcony, they froze in shock. In the distance was a massive wall of white light. Like a tidal wave, it moved over the city, swallowing everything into its white void.
"What's happening?" Donald cried.
"It's like the world is disappearing." Jack whispered.
"No," came Héctor's voice. "It's being forgotten."
Donald grabbed Sora's pant leg. "We have to get out of here!"
"And go where?" There was a tremble in Miguel's voice. "The bridge to the Land of the Living is gone."
"We'll fly to another world," Sora said.
"Have you lost it?"
"No. Trust me. There are other worlds out there. We are from another world. We can fly you and your family to safety!"
Snap.
The stage broke like a twig being snapped in half. Imelda and Héctor watched, their mouths open in silent screams as Sora, Miguel, Donald, Goofy, and Jack began to fall off the high amphitheater and into the ocean below, the very same ocean that was slowly being swallowed by the wall of light. Sora couldn't scream. All he could do was listen to his companions' frightened cries as the ground and the horrible white void of light crept closer.
He jerked.
A massive paw wrapped around his and Miguel's bodies. Sora searched around him, spotting Donald and Goofy grasped tight in the other paw. Jack, on the other hand, was hanging from creature's tail. Looking up, Sora spotted Pepita flying upward, away from the wall of light. Dante flew after her.
Pepita flew up and hovered by the stage, long enough for Imelda and Héctor to see that their grandson was okay.
"Take them to their ship, Pepita," Imelda ordered. "There's no time! Hurry!"
"WAIT!" Miguel struggled. "We can't leave you!"
Sora tried to pry open Pepita's claws. "No! Let me go! There's still time!"
"No grandparent wants to outlive their grandchild," Héctor shouted. "Go! Please!"
"NO!"
But Pepita was already flying. She soared through the air. From above, Sora watched as the white wall of light ate everything. The town, the sky, the oceans. Right before the light devoured the stage and the amphitheater, Pepita flew downward, dropping Sora, Donald, Goofy, Miguel, and Jack right in front of the gummi ship. Before Sora could stop her, she flew back toward the town. With no other choice, Sora, Donald, and Goofy opened the gummi ship and guided Miguel, Dante, and Jack into the bridge.
The thrusters roared to life just as the wall of light crept up behind the ship. Sora punched the accelerator button. He was pushed back into his seat as the gummi ship flew away from the world at top speed. They stopped only when they were back among the swirling blue and purple nebulae of interspace.
Miguel gasped, looking around the cockpit. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were no longer skeletons. Miguel looked down at his hands. His flesh had returned as well. No longer was his skin transparent. He ran to the window and pressed his face against the glass. Sora left the pilot's seat to join him.
Straight ahead, the Land of the Dead flashed. White light was all Sora could see for several terrifying seconds. When the light faded, the Land of the Dead was gone.
Jiminy's Journal
Ernesto de la Cruz (First Appeared in Coco, 2017): Once known as the most beloved musician in Mexican history, Ernesto de la Cruz dazzled the world with his singing. As it turns out, Ernesto is not as talented as once believed. He did everything for fame including betraying and murdering his best friend for his songs. In the end, his ambitions cost him his heart.