...And From The Twilight, A Familiar Hero Is Reborn (Kingdom Hearts 2) in Gamer's Gaming

The Road So Far…

As Sora sleeps after his journey through Castle Oblivion, a new hero emerges. Roxas, a young boy who lives in Twilight Town with his friends, begins having dreams about the adventures of Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Roxas himself is in his last week of summer vacation before school starts once again. On the first day, Roxas and his friends Hayner, Pence, and Olette, investigate a string thefts that have been blamed on his group. However, even Roxas and his friends have some items stolen. Their ------…ah, damnit all. Their photos were stolen, as were the photos of everyone around the town. Roxas and crew hunted down the thief. Roxas tracked it to a courtyard in front of the mansion that sat at the edge of the town. The thief was a quick and agile silver creature that had taken all of the photos. When Roxas attempted to fight the creature, he couldn’t land a single hit until, out of nowhere, Roxas found himself armed with a Keyblade! After a short battle, Roxas defeated the enemy and retrieved the photographs. As the group looked through them, they noticed one definitive pattern: all the photos were of Roxas! Weird. As Roxas slept and had more dreams of Sora, DiZ and a cloaked man, who later reveals himself to be Ansem, talk about the thefts within the town and worry that the Organization has managed to find them. Their time was running short. The next day, Roxas and his friends planned on going to the beach. To do so, they needed to raise some funds, so Roxas set out to complete some odd jobs around town. By the end of the day, the group had made enough money to take their trip. However, Roxas lost the munny (read: stolen by Ansem), and the group had to abandon their plans. The next day, Hayner had left a note in the clubhouse to meet up at the station later and they would go to the beach. As Roxas waited for Pence and Olette to do some shopping, however, time seemed to freeze and Roxas met Namine for the first time. Roxas followed Namine as far as the woods leading to the mansion but, as he entered the woods, a dark portal opened and a group of the silver creatures from the other day all jumped out and tried to capture Roxas. Roxas managed to escape and made a run for it, all the way to the Sandlot, where Seifer, the local bully, stood around with his crew. Roxas attempted to fight them off with a Struggle bat, but to no avail. Finally, as the creatures attacked, Roxas found himself in another place entirely. Roxas learned how to used the Keyblade and made his way along the various platforms until he was attacked by a giant creature that looked like the smaller silver creatures’ nightmarish big brother. Roxas fought bravely and managed to defeat the creature. After the battle, he spoke to Namine briefly, but ended up waking up on the ground in front of Seifer and his crew. Just then, Hayner came along and, assuming that Roxas had been hanging out with Seifer all day, ran off in a huff. The next day, Roxas participated in the Struggle, a tournament held every summer. Roxas squared off with Hayner, defeating him but repairing their friendship in the aftermath of the match. In the second match, Roxas faced Vivi, one of Seifer’s crew who had suddenly become much stronger. As the battle drew to a conclusion, however, time froze once more and Roxas found himself fighting the silver creatures, which he found out were called Dusks, once again. After the battle, Roxas was approached by Axel. Yep, that Axel. He had been looking for Roxas but seemed surprised when Roxas had no idea who he was. Axel attacked Roxas, trying to disable him, but Roxas managed to fight him off. While being talked to by both DiZ and Axel, time started up again and Roxas found himself victorious over Vivi. The final battle of the day was almost anticlimactic as Roxas soundly defeated the defending champion, Setzer. With a new trophy and championship belt in his possession, Roxas celebrated at the top of the train station clock tower with his friends… that is, until a wave of dizziness overtook him and Roxas tumbled from the tower. As Roxas fell, his heart came into contact with that of Kairi, who was now older and back on the islands. She had been trying to remember the name of another boy, one who had played with her and Riku as children. As Roxas and Kairi connected, Sora managed to connect to Kairi through Roxas. Kairi was finally able to remember Sora’s name. Even DiZ managed to be astounded by this. The next day, Roxas awoke in his bed as if nothing had happened. He and his friends decided that it was time to complete a homework assignment that was due when school started back. Pence suggested that they investigate the seven wonders of Twilight Town. While the other children only saw the simple explanations for the weird occurrences, Roxas saw something else going on. However, he was the only one who could see these things and it started to worry his friends. As he investigated the final “wonder”, the mansion on the outskirts of town, Roxas found himself inside the mansion and face to face with Namine. Namine told him a little bit about what was going on. About Sora, Donald, and Goofy. About how she had taken apart Sora’s memories and was trying to put them back together. Before she could say more, however, Roxas found himself back outside the mansion. After a night of sleep, Roxas awoke and found everything had changed. As Roxas attempted to talk to his friends, he found that he could not speak to them or even touch them! As Roxas ran through Twilight Town, he continued to be assaulted by Dusks and pursued by Axel. It wasn’t until Roxas reached the basement of the mansion that the truth became clear: Roxas was a member of Organization XIII, captured by DiZ and Ansem, for the sole purpose of being returned to his true form as part of Sora. Roxas fought against the truth and even fought Axel as Axel sought to destroy him at the behest of the Organization, but Roxas, in the end, could not deny his fate and, as Sora awoke, Roxas said goodbye to his summer vacation and possibly to himself as he became part of Sora once more…

Now…

A purple train with star shaped windows pulled into Central Station in Twilight Town. The door on the side of the train opened and out stepped Mickey, still wearing the black cloak of the Organization that he had received in Castle Oblivion. Mickey stepped out onto the platform and looked around. Meanwhile, as Roxas took his place within Sora, a voice called out to Sora. Sora asked who was there. Donald and Goofy both called out to Sora and told him to wake up! Sora awoke inside his pod and, as it opened finally, Sora stretched as Donald and Goofy laughed at him. Sora went to jump from the pod, but seemed more to fall into Donald and Goofy’s arms as the three friends were finally reunited. Jiminy popped out onto Sora’s shoulder and said that that had been some nap. Sora asked if they had actually been asleep. Jiminy said that they must have been, or he didn’t think that they would be so drowsy. Goofy asked when they had went to sleep. Donald tried to remember, but with no luck. Sora thought about it for a moment. They had defeated Ansem, restored peace to the world, found Kairi, and then they had went to look for Riku and King Mickey. He figured that was right, so far. Donald asked what had happened next. None of them could remember, so Goofy asked what Jiminy’s journal said. Jiminy took out his journal and told the group that there was only one sentence in it: Thank Namine. Jiminy wondered who that was . None of them could even remember. Donald sarcastically said that that was some journal Jiminy had. Jiminy, embarrassed at the lack of information in his journal, suggested that they find out where exactly they were. Sora and company made their way through the hallways of the mansion and outside. Sora, while exploring briefly, found a couple of treasure chests that contained a Potion and an Mythril Shard.

After a brief exploration, Sora, Donald, and Goofy left the mansion ground and, a short while later, found themselves at the entrance to a clubhouse used by some of the local kids. As Donald and Goofy walked ahead, Sora looked around and said to them that he felt like he had been to this town. Donald asked what it was called. Sora thought about it for a second and figured that he must have imagined it. As the trio wandered into the clubhouse, they caught the attention of a bored looking bunch of kids. Wait, that is Hayner, Pence and Olette! Or, well, at least we know who they are. As Sora and company looked around, Hayner asked what they wanted. Sora got defensive and said nothing. Just wondering what was back here. Hayner said now he knew. This was their spot. Pence got up from where he was sitting and walked up to Sora, saying that Sora must be new around here. He introduced himself, as did Hayner. Hayner said, however, that they had stuff to do and would catch Sora later before walking out of the clubhouse. Olette introduced herself next and asked if Sora had finished up the summer homework yet. Independent studies were the worst, huh? Sora, confused, asked what she meant by homework. He looked back to Donald and Goofy, but all they could do was shake their heads and shrug. Pence asked the trio what their names were. Goofy introduced the three of them to Pence and Olette. Sora said hey there. Pence and Olette looked at each other like they had just seen a ghost. Olette said that they had just met someone who was looking for them. Pence said that he had sure seemed in a hurry, but he’d had a black coat on, so Pence hadn’t been able to see his face. But…he did have these big round ears. Sadly, it took a few seconds for the trio to realize that Pence was talking about King Mickey. Wow, I really hope that the slumber is to blame for that one. Maybe they haven’t completely thawed out yet. Sora asked where they had seen Mickey. Pence told them that they had seen him at the station. Sora thanked them for the help. Olette said that they better get back to their assignment and Pence said later as the two kids walked out of the clubhouse. Donald was excited that Mickey had been trying to find them and Sora suggested that they get right to the station. On the way to the station, however, the trio took a wrong turn and found themselves in the Sandlot where Seifer, Rai, and Fuu were standing around. Seifer approached and asked where they had come from. Sora umm-ed, and Seifer asked if they were there to pick a fight or something. Sora said they weren’t there to fight as Donald, ever the pacifist, called Seifer a big palooka. Seifer called them smart alecks and said that it was time to teach them how to behave in his town. Seifer and his crew stood ready to fight. Sora said that Seifer was a jerk and the trio readied themselves to fight also. A man told them to hold on a moment and said that, if they wanted to fight, why not make it a proper Struggle? Seifer asked what the guy was talking about. The guy said he was a big fan of Seifer’s. Seifer was startled and asked what the guy wanted. The guy said he wanted to see more of Seifer’s “super cool” moves (Ed.- Hey, the game put the quotes in there. For all I know, Seifer may actually have super cool moves). He said that Seifer had handled the tournament in style and had absolutely dominated the title match. But he couldn’t get enough. Didn’t Seifer see? The matches were just far too short. The man turned to Sora and asked his name. Sora introduced himself. The man said that if Sora wanted to fight a match, all he had to do was say the word. Umm, would the word be “creeper” by chance? Sora talked to the man a minute later and the man said he would like to test Sora’s ability…creeper…however, he didn’t have any opponents for Sora, so he would have to wait. Even though he felt bad about leaving Seifer with a creeper like that guy, or at least I assume that is the case, Sora wandered off and explored the town a little further. Finally, after finding a few treasure chests and meeting a few more of the people around town, Sora and company headed off in the direction of Central Station.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy approached the station and looked around the area, but saw nothing and spotted nobody. Suddenly, a Dusk materialized directly in front of them, startling the trio. As they looked around, more and more Dusks materialized and surrounded them completely. Faced with a multitude of enemies they had never seen before, Sora and company drew their weapons and charged in an attempt to fight their way free of the blockade. The trio fought through wave after wave of the silver creatures but, eventually, found themselves completely worn out from the battle as more and more creatures continued to appear. As the creatures launched an attack that may have ended in the destruction of our heroes, a cloaked figure with big ears leaped down from the station tower and laid waste to the rest of the creatures with his golden bladed Keyblade. The trio got to their knees as Donald asked if it was really Mickey. Mickey shushed him and told the trio that they needed to board the train and leave town immediately! He said that the train would know the way. Mickey handed Sora a pouch and, as Sora contemplated the new object, Donald called after Mickey as the King ran from the area and down into Station Heights. Sora asked if that had really been Mickey. Goofy said that it could have been…no, he knew it was! Donald said that now, they knew he was okay. Sora said that the King had been locked in the realm of darkness. And if Mickey was here, it must mean that Riku was here as well! Donald said that he must be. Sora said that he was going to go look for Riku, then he and Riku could go back to the islands together. Sora asked what the two of them were going to do. Donald and Goofy looked at Sora like he was the world’s biggest moron. Goofy asked if Sora really needed to ask that. Sora laughed and Donald squawked, asking what was so funny. Sora said that it was their faces. All three of them busted out laughing and Sora asked what they thought about sticking together for one more journey. Sora asked where they were supposed to be going again. Goofy said that they had to board the train. Sora told them to come on and the trio ran off to board the train.

Inside the station, Sora and company were about to walk up to the platform when a voice called out to them to wait up. Sora turned around and saw Hayner, Pence, and Olette running up to them. Hayner said Sora’s name, but when Sora asked what he wanted, Hayner said nothing. Pence, however, said that they had come to see Sora off. He said that it seemed like something that they ought to do. Sora thanked them for being so kind. Olette told them that they should hurry and get their tickets. As Sora reached the window and took out the pouch that Mickey had given him, Olette gasped. Donald asked what was going on. Olette removed a pouch from her pocket that looked exactly like the one that Sora was carrying. Goofy noted that they were the same and Olette agreed. Sora, while finding it an odd coincidence, continued on and asked for three tickets. Sora said that he couldn’t help but feel like they weren’t going to see this town again. Donald asked why not. Goofy said that Sora was thinking too much. Sora nodded and figured that he was right. With their tickets in hand, Sora and company made their way onto the train. As he was about to board, Sora turned to his three new friends and told them goodbye. Before he could get on the train, Hayner asked if Sora was sure they hadn’t met before. Sora said he was positive and wondered why Hayner asked. Hayner said that he didn’t know, which made Sora smile. Just then, a small tear fell down Sora’s cheek, surprising the three friends. Olette asked if Sora was okay. Sora said that he was. He didn’t know where that had come from. Sora clapped his cheeks a couple of times and told himself to pull it together. Finally, Sora told the kids goodbye and boarded the train. Hayner, Pence, and Olette all looked a little emotional as the train pulled out of the station and rounded a corner on the track, pulling out of view.

On the train, Sora leaned against a wall while Goofy sat on one of the benches and Donald held himself up to look out a window. As the town passed by outside, Sora took the pouch out of his pocket again and removed a small blue crystal from it. With the ball held up between his fingers, he told Donald and Goofy that he felt sad. Donald said that they would be back. Goofy agreed and said that they could visit Hayner and those guys again. Sora nodded as a bright light flashed outside the train. Outside, the train had seemingly arrived in the cosmos, travelling along a track of light towards some unknown destination.

Back in the town, a tall cloaked figure said that that was that. Another figure stood nearby with Namine sitting on a bench and told Axel that it was time to go. Axel asked where they would go. It wasn’t like they had homes to return to. They didn’t exist, remember? Namine said that it was true. They may not have homes, but there was some place she wanted to go and someone that she wanted to see. As she said it, she looked at the picture she had drawn in her notebook of Sora and Roxas walking along, hand in hand. Axel agreed with Namine. Axel asked the cloaked figure if he would let them go. He knew the guy was there to get rid of them. Namine seemed surprised at that. DiZ wanted to get rid of her? The cloaked figure told her to go. Axel asked if he was sure about that. The figure said that he owed them both. He said that both of them had helped him somehow. Axel said that he didn’t have to be told twice and opened a dark portal. Namine thanked the cloaked figure and ran off into the dark portal. Axel followed closely behind as the portal closed and the cloaked figure looked off into the distance.

Meanwhile, the train finally arrived at a lone island floating in the sky. The trio exited the train and, as they walked towards a castle that sat on the island, the train behind them disappeared. Sora laughed nervously and said there went their ride. As they approached the building, however, they spotted a large bodied guy standing near the door into the castle. Donald asked what was going on. The dog-like guy said that he had sent a couple of his baddies inside to see if the master of this tower was as big and tough as everyone said. Word had it that he was a really powerful sorcerer, which the dog-man said would make him the perfect bodyguard. It wouldn’t matter how tough he was. As soon as the sorcerer was a Heartless, he would do exactly what dog-boy said. Donald was startled and yelled about the Heartless. Dog-man said that was right. They were the things that came out of the darkness in folks’ hearts. Why, with all those Heartless on her side, his dear friend Maleficent was going to conquer everything. And, since he had a debt to pay, he was going around to a bunch of different worlds and building an army of Heartless, just for her. Wow, way to give away the evil plan right at the beginning of the game, dumbass! Of course, it is Pete after all. Not exactly known for his brains. He asked why he was even talking to pipsqueaks like them, anyway. He was behind schedule as it was and he told the trio to scram. Goofy said that he ought to find something nicer to do. Pete asked who said. He turned around and spotted the trio, freaking out when he finally recognized who they were. Donald and Goofy both recognized Pete, as well. Pete asked what two nimrods like them were doing there. Donald asked what HE was doing there. Sora asked if they knew who this guy was. Goofy said that they sure did. Pete had been causing trouble for ages. Mickey had banished him to another dimension a long time ago. Goofy wondered how he had managed to escape. Pete asked if they wanted to know how. He told them that Maleficent had busted him out. And now their world, and all the others, were going to belong to him because Maleficent was going to help Pete conquer them. Sora and the others got a good laugh at the mention of Maleficent. Pete asked what they were laughing at. After all, Maleficent’s power was so great that- Sora interrupted him and told Pete that she was toast. Goofy apologized and said that Maleficent couldn’t help him now. Pete realized that they were the ones who had defeated Maleficent. Sora said that they might have had something to do with it. Pete called on the Heartless to appear and Shadows rose from the ground. The trio drew their weapons and attacked the Heartless. However, the Heartless were no match for seasoned fighters like Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Pete got mad and told them that they should just wait. Nobody, and he meant nobody, messed with the mighty Pete. Sora asked the “mighty” Pete who lived in the tower anyway. Pete was surprised that they didn’t know. It was old Yen Sid. Of course, he was probably a Heartless, by now. Donald was surprised to realize that Yen Sid lived here and took off into the tower. Goofy explained that Yen Sid was Mickey’s teacher. Sora thought he sounded pretty powerful and the two of them took off into the tower, leaving Pete outside, dumbstruck and angry.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy found a couple more treasure chests in the entryway of the tower before climbing the stairs nearby. As they did, they came upon a bright portal of light, the pure elemental opposite of the portals that Organization XIII used to move around, it seemed. Passing through the portal, the trio found themselves on another tall, winding stairway. After fighting off a couple of Shadows, the trio arrived at a large door, set into the stairs and emitting a bright light, as if there was another portal on the other side. The door itself had a lone star on it, surrounded by banners. On the other side of the door, the trio faced off against a group of Shadows that arose within the room. The trio, professional Shadow busters at this point, made quick work of the enemies. In front of them, there was a green door that had a glowing “up” arrow on it. As they looked back to the door they had just come through, they noticed that there was a glowing “down” arrow on the blue door. Sora shrugged. Since they were trying to get to the top of the tower, might as well go up. On the other side of the door, Sora found himself on another winding staircase. As he looked over the side, he could see the staircase they had come up before. He could also see a horizontal walkway above him. All three seemed to just be floating in mid air, supported on either end by portals of light and doors. As Sora looked beyond, he noticed that this tower didn’t have a floor or a ceiling either. Where the floor should have been was a swirling yellow cloud, almost like a desert sandstorm. The ceiling was a dark swirling blue that led to a circle of bright, white light high above. Shaking off his confusion at the magic that was undoubtedly at work here, Sora moved on and found another green door at the top of the staircase, this one adorned with a crescent moon. The trio moved through the doorway and into the next room, where they faced another group of Heartless invaders. This time, they faced off against not only Shadows, but Soldiers as well. After the battle, Donald complained that there seemed to be nothing but Heartless blocking their way. Things hadn’t changed one bit. Goofy figured it was a good thing that they were on the job, then. Sora seemed a little confused. After all, hadn’t they closed the door to the darkness? Shouldn’t the Heartless be gone completely? Shouldn’t the worlds be at peace? With more questions than answers, the trio kept going. On the other side of the room from where they entered, they found a brown door with another glowing “up” arrow adorning it. As they climbed this last staircase and face off against another group of Heartless, the trio finally found themselves in front of another brown door, this one adorned simply with a yellow triangle. Feeling that some questions were about to be answered, the trio marched through the door.

In the room beyond, Sora stared off at the ceiling in wonder of where he was while Goofy and Donald both stood at attention before a table in the middle of the room. As Sora approached, the two Disney Castle inhabitants bowed in the direction of the table while Sora just looked back and forth between them, confused. Sora finally looked towards the table and, on the other side, saw an old man dressed in a blue robe with a pointy blue hat and a long gray beard that forked at the end. The man’s eyes were wide open and the irises were tiny pinpricks of black in a sea of white. Donald, still bowing, said that it was an honor to meet Master Yen Sid. Sora said, “Hey there!” Donald and Goofy both shot a look at Sora and Donald told him to show some respect. Sora looked a little sheepish at his social misstep, but Yen Sid moved his hands up and down, indicating for Donald to calm down. All was fine. Yen Sid said that this must be Sora and asked if Sora had seen the King yet. Goofy said that they had, but they hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to him. Yen Sid said that Mickey had been quite busy, as of late. Therefore, it seemed that the task of instructing the three of them would fall on his shoulders. Yen Sid told the trio that they had a perilous journey ahead of them and they must be well prepared. Sora asked if that meant that they had to go on another quest. He said he had been looking forward to finding Riku so they could go back to the islands. Yen Sid said that he knew, but everything in Sora’s journey was connected. Whether he would find his way home to the islands. Whether he would return alone, or with Riku. And, whether or not the islands would still be there. The key that connected them all was Sora himself. Sora seemed confused that he was the key to anything. However, instinct took over and Sora raised his hand, making the Keyblade appear. Yen Sid said that Sora was a chosen wielder of the Keyblade and he was the key that would open the door to light. Yen Sid looked between Donald and Goofy and the two of them snapped to attention, ready to receive orders. Yen Sid nodded and waved his hand over the table in front of him, making a book appear. The master said that they book contained valuable knowledge that they would need for their journey. He told Sora to study it carefully and, once they had finished, they would speak of the enemies that Sora would surely confront. Before reading the book, Sora explored the room and found a treasure chest that held a map of the tower they were in. Finally, Sora looked in the book and began to read…

“The Beginning”
Each journey gives rise to chance encounters, and each encounter brings forth a farewell.
When a farewell leads to a journey, the worlds open their hearts.
There are those chosen by the light and those ensnared by the darkness. Friends who share the same bonds, though their paths may differ.
When you doubt the path trod thus far, when the hand you held is lost to you, gaze anew at the heart that once was…
For all answers are within.

“Interlude”
A long dream.
A sad farewell, hanging in the air in that “world between.”
What is reality? What is illusion? The path chosen by the young boy leads to his memories.
When caught in the stream of the days and nights going past, gaze anew at your steps…
For there, all confusion will end.

“The Future Story”
Will the day come when this battle, born of confusion, will end?
It is different things to different people.
Can the reality be that which is hidden?
The reason is mere existence. Still, memories can be believed.
Be not afraid. Entrust your body to the soothing waves of your memories. By and by, your fleeting rest will be over…
And everything will begin.

…After reading the entries in the book, Sora felt a little confused, but somehow at peace inside. However, something still bothered him. Sora asked Yen Sid why the Heartless were still running around. Donald and Goofy had been wondering the same thing. The master said that, while Sora’s past endeavors had prevented an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness, the Heartless were simply darkness made real and darkness yet lingered in every heart. The Heartless were fewer, but while darkness existed in even a single heart, it would be difficult to eliminate them. The three heroes looked downtrodden. All that work and it felt like they had accomplished so little. Goofy figured that if everybody’s heart was full of light, then the Heartless would go away. Yen Sid nodded, as that was true. He said that now, they needed to speak of the enemies that they would encounter on their journey. Yen Sid raised his hand and made a projection of Donald appear in a circle of light. Donald squawked in surprise. Suddenly, the image changed. Yen Sid said that if one, such as Donald, yielded to the darkness in his heart, they would become a Heartless. But the trio already knew that. The three of them nodded. Yen Sid said that the Heartless were always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts. He reminded them to never let their guard down. He raised his hand again and a second white circle of light appeared, this one with a Dusk inside of it. He continued that sometimes, in cases of someone with a strong heart or will, be they good or evil, when such a person becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own. An empty vessel who’s heart had been stolen away. A spirit that went on even as it’s body faded from existence. As they could see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this was a ruse. They only pretended to have hearts. Yen Sid cautioned the trio to not let themselves be deceived. Sora worked to grasp this new information. Nobodies didn’t exist. Yen Sid made two more circles of light appear, both holding two more Dusks. He told Sora and company what they were called and told them that these were the most common form of Nobodies. But there were others. Some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. He told them to be vigilant. On their journey, they would meet an alarming number of Dusks. They would all attempt to do Sora and company harm. As the circles of light blinked out, Yen Sid said that still, they were nothing but empty shells and were destined to return to darkness. Yen Sid raised his hand and the circles reappeared, this time holding three black cloaked figures. The trio shrunk back from them. Yen Sid told them that the beings they saw before them were different. Those powerful Nobodies had formed a group called Organization XIII. It commanded the lesser Nobodies. Sora thought about Organization XIII, feeling like it was somehow familiar, but neither he nor his friends could remember anything about them. Yen Sid told them that, while Heartless acted purely on instinct, Nobodies functioned in a higher manner. They could think and plan and it seemed they were always working towards a goal. What that goal was, they did not know. He told them that Mickey had sensed the danger and had journeyed forth to fight it. He had found the dark realm’s Keyblade and, with it, closed the door. Now, Mickey was traveling the world, fighting the Heartless and seeking the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII. The trio decided that they would have to go searching for Mickey. Sora figured Mickey would also know where Riku was because the two of them were together in the realm of darkness when they had closed the door after defeating Ansem. Yen Sid agreed and said that before they left, they would need more suitable traveling clothes. He thought that Sora’s clothes looked a bit too small for him. Not that Sora realizes that he is almost two years older than when he left the islands wearing the same clothes. Yen Sid said that, through the door in the side of the chamber, they would find three good fairies. If they asked, the fairies would create appropriate clothes for their journey. Goofy commented on how fast that Sora was growing. Sora looked kind of embarrassed and said that he guessed he was. With the guidance done for now, the trio went into the next room to receive their new clothes.

In the next room, a green, blue, and red fairy all stood around, talking excitedly. Sora said that with, he, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey, along with Yen Sid, he didn’t care what the Organization had planned, there was nothing to worry about. Right? Donald agreed. The blue one said that these clothes would only help as much as his growth allowed. Sora’s true potential lay dormant and it was his job to unleash it. The green one told him that as soon as he changed his clothes, he could be off on his journey. The red one told the other two to look at who was here: Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The blue one said that if they were looking for clothes, they had come to the right place. The green one said that she would do the designing. Let’s be frank here, ok? The red one is Flora, the green is Fauna, and the blue is Merryweather. Sorry, that is just easier, right? Recognize the names? If you have ever seen Sleeping Beauty, you ought to. Funny, haven’t we met Aurora, the princess from Sleeping Beauty already? Anyhow, Fauna and Merryweather guided Sora forward. Fauna flicked here wand, but Sora’s clothes only changed color to green and brown. Merryweather said that those clothes would never do and flicked her wand, except, again, only a color changed. Flora said that wouldn’t do either and flicked her wand. Again, a color change from blue to red. Poor Sora was used as a guinea pig as the fairies continued to change the color, but not the size of his clothes. All the while, a crow looked on from a window high above before turning and flying off. Sora, tired of the games, asked if they would just decide already. The fairies had a little chuckle at that and Flora told them to cast the spell altogether, and no more squabbling. The three fairies waved their wands simultaneously and, suddenly, Sora was standing there in a more suitable set of clothes for his journey. His shoes had become black, as had the shorts and jacket he now wore over his red jumpsuit. The fairies told Sora that these weren’t ordinary clothes. Flora flicked her wrist and a yellow orb appeared beside Sora. Fauna told him to grab hold of the orb. Sora did as she suggested and a surge of power shot through him, making him glow brightly. When the glow dissipated, Sora stood now with all of his clothes red, but he was holding a second, magical looking Keyblade as well. Donald and Goofy oooh-ed and aaah-ed, impressed with the transformation and Sora’s new ability to dual wield Keyblades. Merryweather said it was necessary as this journey would be twice as difficult as the last. Flora said that Sora’s new clothes also held other powers but Sora would have to discover them himself as he journeyed. Sora thanked the fairies for such a great gift. Fauna said there was something else for him from Master Yen Sid. Sora took a close look at his new Keyblade, called the Star Seeker, which increased the length of his midair combos by one strike. The trio turned to return to Yen Sid’s chamber when Goofy told Sora that it looked like he had dropped something. Sora turned around and saw a small golden crown medallion laying on the floor. Donald figured it had dropped out of his pocket. Sora wondered what it was, if it was part of a picture or something. He asked the fairies if this was a gift also. Merryweather said that they didn’t know anything about it. Flora said that if it had been in his pocket, it must have something to do with his adventure. Merryweather told Sora to hold on to it and any other pieces he came across in his journey. Jiminy jumped out of nowhere and said that he would make a note of them in his journal. Finally, the trio made their way back into Yen Sid’s chamber and the sorcerer called them over to the window as a familiar ship appeared. Donald squawked out that it was the Gummi Ship! The trio ran over to the window, happy to see something familiar finally. Sora asked if Donald and Goofy were ready to go. The two friends nodded and all three stood at attention before Yen Sid. The master told them to wait just a moment. The three heroes slumped. Yen Sid told them that, because of their previous endeavors, the worlds had returned to their original states. That meant that the pathways between them had disappeared. Donald asked how they were supposed to get around. Yen Sid told them not to fear. If what Mickey suspected had proven true, the world had prepared new pathways along which they may travel. Those pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How the gates were opened, he did not know. However, the Keyblade would be able to serve as their guide. When a beam of light radiated from the Keyblade, they were to return to the Gummi Ship. Though the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, they nonetheless remained connected by invisible ties, as did their hearts. Sora said that meant that their hearts were connected. Yen Sid said that he was correct, but to be warned. As they proceeded, the Heartless and the Nobodies would be using their own paths: corridors of darkness, allowing them to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link the dark pathways to the gates between the worlds. Donald said that wasn’t fair, but Yen Sid simply nodded with a smile on his face. The master said that he had given them all the information that he could and bade the trio to go forth. Everyone was waiting for them. The three stood at attention and told him that they appreciated his help before taking off. Yen Sid himself took off in a pillar of light.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, Flora wondered what had just arrived in their room. The crow was back, but it wasn’t alone. It carried a dark cloak with it. Merryweather wondered if they had seen this somewhere before. Fauna said that they had, but couldn’t remember who the cloak belonged to. Merryweather started. Malefi- She caught herself before she could fully say the name out loud. Flora said that they mustn’t remember her name. Merryweather said she was a mean old witch, but the memories of Maleficent began to flood back into her mind. As Merryweather wondered what they would do, the cloak began to rise and take form. As the fairies talked amongst themselves excitedly, Fauna suggested that they should tell Yen Sid about it. Flora agreed that that was what they must do and the two fairies flitted from the room. Merryweather stood in horror, however, as Maleficent reformed in the middle of the room, staff in hand. The blue fairy finally turned and ran after her companions as the dark witch regained her full form. Maleficent stood alone in the tower room and laughed maniacally.

Inside the Gummi Ship, Chip and Dale said hi to Sora once more. Looking at the display, Sora was disappointed to see that there was only one world they could reach, but Goofy pointed out that it looked like one they knew. Sora could see that there were other worlds nearby, but only one that he could access at the moment: Hollow Bastion. Sora flew the Gummi Ship to the connected world and the trio made ready to land back in Hollow Bastion, for the first time in much longer than any of them realized…

Last updated August 06, 2015