Film Review #119: Inside Out

Of all the studios to get into a rut, the very last studio I expected to fall into this kind of a slump was Pixar.  I've come to expect this from Disney once in a while and Dreamworks has yet to get on a real role with their films.  There are obviously more animation studios besides those three, but they've also never hit the same levels of success as these three.  But Pixar's slump (at least in my eyes) began with one of the most anticipated films of all time: Toy Story 3.  After this film was released, a string of iffy to poor animated films followed, resulting in an unexpected off year for Pixar.  In 2015, however, Pixar was back in full force and released their next new film.  

Much like how WALL-E and Up captured the imaginations of children with original ideas and unique and lovable characters, Inside Out manages to capture the hearts and minds of both children and adults and showed signs that even with "Sequel Syndrome" plaguing them (Thanks Disney), they can still come up with something charming and original.  

Plot: A bunch of emotions live inside the mind of a girl named Riley from Minnesota.  These emotions include Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.  All of the emotions try to work together to keep Riley afloat, but often dismiss Sadness because they do not know her true purpose.  What complicates matters though is Riley's family's departure to San Francisco, where she has to start her life all over again and the emotions try their hardest to keep her happy in this difficult time in her life.  But Sadness's sorrow begins to cause irreparable damage to Riley's memories, prompting Joy to try everything in her power to keep the happiness from fading, but an accident knocks them both out of Riley's mind and into the far off reaches of the girl's memory.  To make matters worse, the others try to keep Riley in good spirits and fail miserably, only to inadvertently cause Riley to run away back to Minnesota.  Needing to set things right, Joy and Sadness must hurry back to Headquarters before Riley's memories collapse into misery and depression.  

What's Wrong?: There are a few issues with the film, but the issues are not very major.  One thing I noticed early on was how many emotions the film neglected to show us.  I mean, surely there are more emotions than the five shown on screen, right?  Like jealousy, love, common sense, etc.  They obviously couldn't overinflate the film with characters, but still, it would have been nice to have some extra ones instead of others covering more vague levels.  

What's Good?: This is one of those rare films that does not need a major sinister villain to get the plot rolling.  More often than not, most films feel the need to rely on an antagonist like a Jafar or a Ratigan to act as a foil to the main character and drive the plot.  But not in this film.  The film allows circumstance and stereotypes to foil the good guys drives to keep things in order, which is a fresh idea over the lackluster villains we've been getting from Marvel and Disney recently.

The animation is also incredible once again.  Showing signs that Pixar is indeed still a top dog in this animation race (though Disney seems eager to claim it with their recent animated films Zootopia and Moana).  Even though many say they reached their peak in human animation in The Incredibles, I like to think of their animation as ever evolving.  The humans in The Incredibles look very little like the humans in Up, and the humans in Brave look nothing like in this film.  To put it bluntly, Pixar would need to make another movie about inanimate objects to really disappoint me on a larger scale.

One thing I would also like to cover is the colors of the world inside Riley's head.  They look brilliant, alongside such sweeping films as Aladdin and Pocahontas.  I love how colorful the designs of the emotions are and how they can range from all sorts of those colors.  Like how Anger goes from crimson to maroon in some scenes.  It's just beautiful to look at.

Overall: Inside Out proved to me that Pixar still has some magic up their sleeves.  So long as they stay away from sequels, prequels, spinoffs, and otherwise stupid ideas, they should have no worries about falling into Disney's shadow once again.  And Pixar would have to try pretty damn hard to shatter these expectations.  Could they?  Um...

Final Grade: 95 or A

Bon Bon the Birthday Clown: A Star Among Planets

I don't usually comment on something that comes out directly (with exception given to The Force Awakens, Frozen, Captain America: Civil War, and Zootopia), mostly because I do not want to be viewed as a critic of any kind who only goes after something while it's still a hot commodity.  However, as is the case with Zootopia, I will comment on something if it hits me home on an emotional level.  Along with other stellar episodes of my favorite shows, like "Almost Got 'Im" and "Heart of Ice" for Batman: The Animated Series, "Aftershock" and "Things Change" for Teen Titans, or pretty much 80% of the episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, one particular episode of a quickly blossoming show caught my attention in ways I never thought possible of a Disney Show not named Gravity Falls.  In terms of the epic flowing narrative, Star vs The Forces of Evil is not up to par with the three previously listed shows, nor can it be judged alongside contemporaries like Steven Universe or Gravity Falls and expect to come out on top.  However, it does possess a charm about it that MANY other cartoons lack and it has definitely won me over with a few solid episodes.  And the Winter Finale of the show, "Bon Bon the Birthday Clown", completely shocked me in more ways than one and has officially brought this show into serious consideration as the top dog in cartoons.  It had comedy, action, romance, and tragedy that few shows can balance so well without falling into cliches or common destinations.  To put it bluntly, I have watched this episode no less than 15 times since it premiered on November 21st and have even downloaded a version of one of the most tender and endearing songs I've heard in an animated show in recent memory.

WARNING: The remainder of this post will be going into detail over SEVERAL key aspects of the show, along with revealing spoilers for other similarly themed episodes of Danny Phantom, Kim Possible, and a few other shows of it's ilk.  Reader's discretion is advised.  

Before I go in depth about this episode, let me first talk a little bit about the show:

Star vs The Forces of Evil is a fantasy/comedy animated show that follows the bizarre adventures of Star Butterfly, the magical princess of the kingdom of Mewni, who is sent away to our world (or at least as close to our world as it can be) in order to avoid entanglements with various monsters that plague Mewni.  While on Earth, she lives with and befriends the members of the Diaz family, chiefly their son Marco, with whom Star becomes fast friends with.  While adjusting to the new customs of her new home proves challenging sometimes, Star does eventually make more friends, including the skater girl Jackie Lynn-Thomas, an "oddball" named Janna, and the object of one of her first crushes, a "rocker" named Oscar.  But evil manages to find it's way into Earth, as many villains and fiends attempt to steal Star's powerful wand and use it for evil purposes, including the maniacal Ludo, the mysterious Toffee, her hotheaded ex-boyfriend Tom, and the headmistress of S. Olga's School for Wayward Princesses, who tries her hardest to have Star (and even Marco) committed for their wild ways.

Season 2 started over the summer and has continued to get more and more complicated.  Due to events in the Season 1 finale, Star's Wand has been "cleaved" and now has many strange oddities about it.  Only adding fuel to the fire has been the discovery of a hole in the Mewni Monster Shield, Ludo's acquisition of half of Star's Wand, and a potential romance blossoming between Marco and Jackie and the unforeseen consequences that may follow because of it.

Now, for the episode at hand:

Plot: Despite beginning with a flashback to the titular character's unfortunate demise, very little about this episode has to do with the actual spirit of the dead clown.  Instead, I will say the episode begins with Star and Janna talking about performing the seance to resurrect the spirit of Bon Bon, as he warned that he would return to the realm of the living that very night.  Star is conflicted though, because she would have to cancel her plans to attend a school dance with Marco.  These thoughts are initially alleviated because Jackie asks Marco to go with her instead, which a lovestruck Marco happily agrees to.

That evening, as Star and Janna prepare for their seance, Jackie arrives at Marco's house in a beautiful dress that Star remarks as "You Look like the Ocean".  However, the spotlight shifts to Marco, who we discover cleans up exceptionally well for a boy who was once too afraid to even speak to Jackie.  Star is stunned by her friend's handsomeness, but soon remembers that he was dressed that well only for Jackie.  After taking a picture of them, Star watches them leave the house with mixed emotions, holding onto those mixed emotions even at the graveyard as she, Janna, and her book of spell's keeper, Glossaryk, try to resurrect Bon Bon's spirit.

At the dance, Marco and Jackie remark with disappointment with the festivities and decide to leave to go off on their own, as Jackie tells Marco she should have just asked him out on a date instead of to go to the dance.  Despite Marco messing up with Jackie on their date, she explains that she always liked Marco because of how he always got up and tried again even with his numerous failures (which she hilariously reminds Marco of).  When Marco confesses that he never rode a skateboard before, Jackie coerces him into riding with her.  The two balance on the board together (with similarities to the scene in Titanic where Jack holds Rose near the bow of the boat).

The seance preparations go off the rails when Star constantly brings up petty things to say about Marco and Jackie and when both Glossaryck and Janna fall asleep.  Left alone with her thoughts, Star attempts to call Marco, but cannot get through to him.  Desperate to know what's going on, Star goes through her spell book to find a "Spying Spell" that Glossaryck warns is delving into Dark Magic.  Using the spell, Star sees Marco and Jackie close together on the skateboard, their arms wrapped around each other.  Filled with jealousy, Star uses her powers to cause the skateboard to trip.  Stunned by her actions, Star is unable to sense the coming ambush of Ludo and his henchmen.

Recovering from their fall, Jackie and Marco find themselves holding hands.  After remarking about their date, the two share their first kiss, which is interrupted when Marco sees the Blood Moon in the sky (see below for more information).  Sensing Star was in trouble, Marco and Jackie rush to the graveyard to find her, which causes Star to lose focus on the fight with Ludo and instead create a dark vortex that began sucking her in.  As Marco rushes to Star's rescue, Ludo steals Star's spell book with Glossaryck still inside.  Despite being rescued, Star is devastated, both by her loss of the book and Glossaryck, but also the thought of losing Marco to Jackie as well.

The Non-perfect Emotion: 

The ultimate reason for this being one of my favorite episodes of any show may not be one you are thinking of.  Throughout the history of animation, virtually the entire gambit of emotions has been felt by at least one character.  However, while most of the emotions have been captured perfectly at least once, one of the few I noticed was never truly captured was heartbreak.  Many animated shows and movies attempt to show heartbreak, but they always fall into two stereotypes with regards to the emotions:

1. One and Done: No, this does not mean that they feel it for a minute and then feel better.  No, this means that the heartbreak is only felt in one way.  Heartbreak is not a simple to define emotion.  In many cases, it is almost impossible to define.  It runs through many of the emotions at once, from jealousy, regret, sorrow, and depression.  But in quite a few cases, heartbreak only covers one of these emotions.  Many Disney films that deal with heartbreak fall into this trap.  Beauty and the Beast, for instance, falls into the trap of just depressing the Beast when Belle leaves to help her father.  The whole gambit of heartbreak is not felt by the Beast when his true love abandons him.  The same can be said for The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Tangled, both of which only react sorrowfully and then immediately get reminded of a bigger plot importance (the plight of the Gypsies for Quasimodo and Rapunzel's royal heritage).  It goes past Disney films, though.  In Adventure Time, Finn goes into a deep state of depression after Princess Bubblegum rejects him, never going through the other stages involved with it.  Actually, as disgusting as this sounds as I write it, Padme's "heartbreak" in Revenge of the Sith is the closest I can think of that goes through at least two or three of the stages.  She goes through denial and sorrow over how Anakin has changed.

2. Comedic Overselling: This is one of the most infuriating ones to cover.  These are the heartbreaking moments in shows that get overly weepy, overly angry, or overly depressing.  Shows that ranged from overly childish like Total Drama and The Fairly Odd Parents, to more adult shows like Family Guy or The Simpsons have all had moments like this, where a character goes to great lengths to make their heartbreak comedic and it is either quickly forgotten by a character or just ignored for the duration of the episode.  In fact, this current season of South Park is a major culprit of this crime, with the boys and girls getting into Battle of the Sexes that has them all at each other's throats over a matter as mindless as trolling on the internet.  This one infuriates me to no end, chiefly because it usually tries to take something very serious like heartbreak and tries to make it something worth exploiting for a cheesy story line or a punchline.


This episode of Star vs The Forces of Evil took a much different tone with the development of Star's character.  While many of the shows fans have "shipped" them together for sometime, it did not become abundantly clear to the bulk of fans that there was something brewing between Star and Marco until the Season 1 episode called "The Blood Moon Ball".  In the episode, Tom tries to convince Star that he's changed, only to trick her into dancing with him during the Blood Moon, which is said to forever bind those that are beneath it's gaze for eternity.  Through a misunderstanding, Marco and Star are together underneath the moon and dance together.  Then, in the Season 2 premiere, Marco and the audience almost discover Star's "Thoughts on Marco" which Star is incredibly worried Marco would discover.  But by far the biggest hint at things to come came in the episode "The Sleepover", when a box that demands the truth of all that take part in it's questions goes haywire when someone lies about who they have a crush on.  At the end of the episode, when Star shouts at Marco for not going with her to get breakfast burritos, the box responds by saying that she indeed did have a crush on Marco.

Star's emotional free fall in this episode is what truly made this episode for me.  Personally, I have gone through an event in my life similar to hers, where I took a friend that I liked for granted and then lost just when I realized how special she was to me.  It isn't overdone for laughs nor is it glossed over as just some fans overthinking something.  Star's character took a surprisingly dark turn in this episode, as she finds herself willing to even touch dark magic in order to get what she wants.  She always expected Marco to remain by her side, never truly understanding what he wanted and what his heart needed.  Her heartbreak covers several stages in this episode, from curiosity and confusion, to jealousy and despair.  If there was a moment that cemented this for me, it would be at the end, when despite him coming to her rescue, Marco seemed more concerned with Jackie's well-being than hers and the face she makes was truly painful to see.  It was a combination of all of the above emotions all wrapped into one character who seemed finally ready to break under the pressure of all that had happened.  You usually don't see someone break down like this in a cartoon like this, so that was very refreshing.

The Love Triangle

The Love Triangle has always been one of the most difficult things to pull off in any medium.  From soap operas and romantic comedies, to big musicals and animated films, there have been numerous attempts at a love triangle that have never truly taken off.  This can be attributed to a few reasons, most commonly being that one of the parties is an unlikable character that should be out of the relationship all together but is either engaged to another party or has leverage over both parties to get what they want.  In some cases, the love triangle can sprout between friends and family and tear friendships and family apart because of them.

And then there are the rare cases like this one, where all three parties just happen to be likable characters.  Jackie does not turn out to be a shallow and vain girl like Paulina in Danny Phantom, nor does she turn out to be a pawn of or even an incarnate of evil like Eric in Kim Possible.  Jackie was once a background character to both Star and Marco, but she has gotten more and more screen time as the series has progressed and has become a truly likable character.  She sees the good side of Marco through all of his many understandable and even quirky faults and cares about him because of this.  She was oblivious to Marco's crush on her until the events of "The Sleepover", where Marco makes an impassioned speech about how he believes she deserves someone who wants to know her for who she really is and expresses his desire to be that guy.  Marco, conversely, has been in love with Jackie since preschool, but never had the courage to speak to her or often messed up his opportunities to talk to her.  However, thanks to his adventures with Star and his perseverance against foes like Tom, he has grown more confident in himself to come to terms with his flaws and even confesses to her a laundry list of his own personal flaws when afflicted with a spell meant for him should he try to ask Star out instead.

And then there's Star Butterfly.  She always viewed Marco as a friend, but through many events in the series, from the Blood Moon Ball, to his encouragement of her riding a bike for the first time, and from his desire to repay her for all she has introduced to him of Mewni by showing her some of Earth's wonders, to his proclamation that the best thing he could ever ask for was her friendship, she developed feelings for Marco.  And yet, prior to the second half of the episode, she held no animosity towards Jackie and even encouraged Marco to take bigger steps in talking to her and becoming a better person in her eyes.  As with many close friendships, there can come that time when one develops feelings for the other that are not reciprocated (at least as far as we know from Marco).  Star's confusion with regards to her feelings for Marco do lead her to do bad things, particularly using the spell her ancestor, the Queen of Darkness used to rule over Mewni with an iron fist.

As with all Love Triangles, I see no way out for one of this triangle's three participants.  In other words, this is going to end badly for either Jackie or Star and I can literally see it going either way.  From a dramatic standpoint, I see it going badly for Star more likely than Jackie, otherwise there wouldn't have been much of a point to introducing her as a more developed character at all.  But from a personal standpoint, it literally crushed me to see some of Star's reactions in this episode and as I explained earlier, do not want to see Star go through what I went through with my friend.  So, from that standpoint, I am torn over how I want the series to progress (which is ALWAYS a good thing).

Moving Forward: Growing up is coming fast for me.  Though I am well out of High School, there are still many things I take part in that would not be considered age appropriate.  But things about my life are changing.  Integral parts of my childhood and life in general are changing and if I don't adjust as well, I could be left behind.  My sister is engaged, Ash Ketchum got his first kiss from someone that was neither a Pokemon in disguise or a non-canonical adventure, Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, and many other series from my youth are wrapping up, Kingdom Hearts III is right around the corner, and Disney seems back to making animated films as good as when I was born in the 90's.  So, like Star, I have to pick up the shattered pieces of myself and recreate the puzzle so that I am satisfied with where I am and where I can go.  Also, like Marco, I have to venture off into areas I am unfamiliar with and take on dangers head-on so I will be ready should the day come when I can no longer look to my parents for support.  And like Jackie, I have to be able to see the goodness in people and be willing to take chances on both myself and others.  When a cartoon about a magical princess can affect me as much as something as powerful as all the other things in my life have, what more can I ask for?

Kingdom Hearts III: My Five BIGGEST Questions

Considering this is a film review site, I'm sure you're wondering why quite a few of my posts (including a fanfic) have been about a video game series, Kingdom Hearts?  In case you haven't seen my Let's Play of Kingdom Hearts I on YouTube, all I'll say is that if there was a video game series that meant more to me on a personal level far more than even some of my favorite films have, it'd be Kingdom Hearts.  And, having spent the last 14 years of my life playing, dreaming, thinking, watching and living this series, the first arc is coming to an end in 2018, when Kingdom Hearts III finally comes out.

The game is going to have to answer many questions the fans have had over the years, while still moving the story along to a place it deserves to rest.  Despite my eternal love for this series (which unlike some of it's contemporaries like Mario, Halo, Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, among others has not yet become stale, although it's probably because it's been three years since the last major title in the series), I might call it quits after this game.  This is the movie fan in me, who would like to end a story with a satisfying conclusion.  This is why films like The Fellowship of the Ring and The Empire Strikes Back don't bug me as much as they do others, because I knew that there would always be the next chapter to answer these questions for me.  And considering Tetsuya Nomura has announced that this will be the finale to what he calls the "Xehanort Saga", I think this game will have a very satisfying conclusion to it (and not suffer from Return of the Jedi Syndrome).

But as time passes, I still have some questions, some that I would like to have answered when the games come out.  You might have your own questions should you be a fan of the series, and hopefully yours and mine are both answered.  In this blurb, I will be speculating on the five most gut wrenching questions I have that I hope get answered in this game:

WARNING: The following speculation contains spoilers for ALL Kingdom Hearts games made to this point, including Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Birth By Sleep, II, and Dream Drop Distance, which I am currently Let's Playing and plan to Let's Play.  If you do not want to learn the story ahead of time, please look away now.

1. Who is the Narrator?  

Considering this series extreme attention to detail, be it the obsession with Sea Salt Ice Cream, or the connections between Kairi's good luck charm and the Wayfinders, or even something as simple as why certain characters are where they are.  But this is one question that I don't see many people asking, and ever since I first played Kingdom Hearts I, I've been wondering.  At first, I thought it was King Mickey, but the voice doesn't always speak the way Mickey Mouse does in the series, so it couldn't be him.  I do have several theories behind them, but no matter where they go, they all lead to failure in one way or another.  This isn't one of the most pressing questions I have to ask, but it is one I would like answered regardless.  Especially considering how much effort was put into this game by all parties involved...

2. Who are the Thirteen Seekers and the Seven Guardians?  

According to Master Xehanort, the X-blade cannot be forged until Seven Guardians of Light and Thirteen Seekers of Darkness have merged and clashed with one another.  In Dream Drop Distance, we discover a handful of Xehanort's Seekers, including himself, his Heartless, Xemnas, Xigbar, Isa, and his younger self, but the rest are left in shadows.  We also speculate that Riku, King Mickey, Sora, Aqua, among others are viable candidates to be one of the Seven Guardians of Light.  However, the light seems to have an abundance of potential guardians, which could also include Terra, Ventus, Kairi, Lea, and any of the warriors seen in Kingdom Hearts Unchained.  This could mean that some of the heroes listed above won't be considered real guardians and some might not appear at all, or could perhaps be trapped as one of Xehanort's puppets.  The events of DDD also say that Xehanort sought Sora to be the Thirteenth Seeker, but failed when Lea intervened.  Could this be a harbinger of things to come, or could it be that once again, Xehanort knows more than he is letting on?  Either way, however this plays out will be interesting.

3. What became of Xion?  

While definitely not their flashiest or most unique of titles, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is arguably the best in terms of character development.  It's crowning achievement is, of course, in the character of Xion, the puppet Organization XIII made to copy Roxas's powers and drain Sora of his strength and memories.  But what they didn't count on was how powerful her connection to Roxas and Axel would be.  However, at the end of Days, Roxas is forced to destroy her and set things right by wiping out the Organization, setting in motion the events of Kingdom Hearts II.  Her death is still one of the most painful to experience in my game playing career.  However, in DDD, we learn that she is one of the many hearts connected to Sora's that he has to save.  We are not told why she's there or what her ultimate purpose will be to either good or evil, All we know is that she, along with Roxas and Axel, all need him.  This will definitely be one of the questions I would like answered, as she did develop as a strong character by the end of the game.

4. Will Sora and Kairi ever end up together?  

What was once Sora's greatest motivator has been thrown to the side and really should be addressed in this game.  It was abundantly clear that Sora had at least a crush on Kairi and she reciprocated the feelings.  But with Kairi taking a backseat to other characters, her romance with Sora has been shelved for quite a few games, only being brought up by characters like King Mickey and Riku and usually in a expository dialogue.  Hopefully, Kairi will get a much larger role in this final game and I also hope that she and Sora finally end up together.  This is something I have waited to see since 2002 and I will not be satisfied until I see it happen.  Granted, the final question I have might just make this question null and void, but I still would like to see some kind of development of their emotions, as it seems Kairi will always be more of a motivator instead of a character that needs motivation...

5. Will a Good Guy Die?

Answering this question would obviously need more of a story input than anything else.  But, given our only evidence is the previous games, we have quite a bit to speculate on.  Firstly, since the games have progressed, they have become much darker and have even killed off a few side characters and in Xion's case, a main character.  But Kingdom Hearts III's main storyline will involve the infamous Keyblade War, and in wars, not everybody generally makes it out okay.  While most stories that involve war will only kill off side characters or lesser ones, the most personal and the ones that hurt the most are the ones that do not hesitate to kill off a main character.  Secondly, to kill off one of the central characters, aside from Xehanort or Maleficent of course, we would have to take a look at several factors, the most important being both character arc and character importance.

An arc is the emotional journey a character takes, which will often lead to a dynamic change in their physical or emotional presence.  In terms of this factor, not too many have completed their arcs, and the ones that have are already gone.  Of the two character that remain that have completed theirs, Riku and Aqua, we can look and analyze which is likeliest to bite the big one in this final showdown.  Aqua's entire goal in life is to reunite with Terra and Ventus, though both are currently unable to see her due to Ventus's hearts resting within Sora's and Terra being a puppet of Xehanort.  If she were to die beforehand, this would keep her from completing a personal journey, and I don't think that's where Aqua was meant to go, if she is at all.  Riku, conversely, has been around for many games and has completed the journey from curious child, to rebellious adolescent, to living shadow, to determined and powerful Keyblade Master.  However, aside from his attachments to Sora and Kairi, his role in the story is a very hazy one moving forward.  With his main arc completed, are we going to see a repeat of Aqua's arc, or are we going to see a repeat of Axel's?  Is it possible to create a new arc for one who has completed a large one already?  Personally, I doubt it.  Riku's death would definitely make the series much darker and more adult moving forward, and could perhaps be a rallying point for the heroes.

Importance involves the relevance to the overall plot.  In this case, the most important character is Sora and will likely continue to be so, as long as Disney and Square intend on continuing the series past III.  With this information, Sora is arguably the least likely to die, along with Donald, Goofy and Mickey (who wouldn't die in a Disney game).  This does add concern for Kairi, however, as her role as a Princess of Heart and a potential Guardian of Light could make her a ripe target to be slain.  This would emotionally destroy Sora, I believe, and like in Riku's death, could propel him and the series to newer territories.


But if I was a betting man, the two heroes most likely to perish would be Lea or Terra.  Terra in particular, has undergone a similar character arc to that of Anakin Skywalker, even becoming the very evil he desperately tried to destroy.  So, it stands to reason that Terra would overcome the shackles Xehanort has over his heart and banish the fiend from within it, even destroying himself if he has to.  He cares about Aqua and Ventus too much to be willing to lose them again.

Lea, on the other hand, could be an easy choice to kill off because of how little we really know about him.  He is no longer his Nobody, Axel.  Could he retain memories of Xion and Roxas?  What about his previous friendship with Isa/Saix?  Could this be a motivator for him in the game?  Or is he just destined to follow the path of fallen lesser heroes?  Only time will tell...


These were my Five Biggest Questions.  Maybe, when the game comes out, I will get a satisfying answer to these.  What are your questions?  Leave them in the comments so we could perhaps discuss...

Fixing Total Drama All Stars

Prior to the recent renaissance of cartoons over on Cartoon Network (which spawned such hits as "Adventure Time", "We Bare Bears" and "Steven Universe"), the most successful series the channel had was a Teletoon production about several teenagers competing for a cash prize while fending off their sadistic hosts, dangerous alliances, monstrous wildlife, and their own emotions.  While not a flawless show by any means, the "Total Drama" series was without a doubt one of the network's biggest powerhouses.  The show didn't break any major ground in terms of animation, story, or theme, but all of the things the show did was so well done that we as an audience were able to bypass the watchful eyes of critics.

But, like with most shows, the series hit a snag.  However, whereas most animated shows often fall into a creative slump and often retread tired formulas, "Total Drama All Stars" was one with too many ideas and plot points jammed into a thirteen episode run that rubbed many fans the wrong way, so much in fact that the series has declined in ratings ever since.  While I enjoyed the last season "The Ridonculous Race", where they changed up the formula and even brought back some old characters, the show is in limbo and may not get renewed by Cartoon Network should they want to continue.

"All Stars" was a rare case.  The structure for the show was set almost flawlessly, bringing back some of the most popular characters in the series and giving them bizarre and hilarious things to do.  Few of the gimmick characters were brought back, and we were able to see interactions between the Original Cast and the cast from Season 4, "Revenge of the Island".  But, something went horribly wrong.  Whether it was staleness, new writers, a drastically shortened season, or what have you, the show took a nose dive and lost a ton of popularity.

In this post, I am going to highlight the five most irritating things about this series and how they could have corrected this before rushing the show out for it's date with decline...

1. BFF's Courtney and Gwen 

Even hardcore fans of the series were rubbed the wrong way with how this friendship/rekindling of friendship came about.  In "World Tour", Courtney and Gwen were able to find common ground with their hatred of Heather and even a few little things that could override Courtney's suspicion of her teammate's crush on her boyfriend Duncan.  Duncan's return to the show and subsequent kissing of a certain goth girl shattered the illusion of a budding friendship and made Gwen and Courtney mortal enemies until Gwen was eliminated.  This could have been seen as a cautionary tale and should have been a harbinger of things to come in this series.

"All Stars" took a shocking turn and turned a reasonably likable character like Gwen into a pile of melodramatic mush that spent literally half of the season OBSESSIVELY trying to get Courtney to forgive her and for them to become friends.  Uh, did I miss something?  Were Courtney and Gwen really close enough to warrant something like this happening?  Before writing this post, I binge watched the entirety of Season 3 to see if they really were as close as this show made them out to be.  Until I realized, that neither of them considered the other a friend and even criticized the other behind their backs until Duncan came back.  Sure, they bonded over a report both made regarding 18th Century England in the infamous "I See London..." episode, but nothing too drastic.  But to have the two of them sobbing and crying over a "lost friendship" and even commenting about loving each other's hair got me nearly sick to my stomach.

Fixing this major issue would entail them changing the way these two interacted throughout the season.  Not much would have to change on Courtney's part, but Gwen's character would need a MAJOR reshuffling.  Instead of only going back to make amends with Courtney, you could have had her and Duncan going strong and then slowly pull apart as they were on separate teams and Gwen and Courtney began to talk again.  Then, once she and Duncan broke up (I will deal with that train wreck in a moment), she could then set out to try and patch things up with Courtney (especially having few allies on their team once Duncan was moved off).  Courtney could be very distant at first, but eventually forgive Gwen, or better yet, pretend to forgive Gwen in order to gain her trust like the manipulative shrew I know she is.

Of course, Courtney eventually reverted back to the character I have come to know and love over the last few seasons, but Gwen did some pretty irreparable damage to her character in this season and lost a TON of respect from me, especially with how she treated one character in particular...

2. The End of "Gwuncan" 

Granted, while I was a firm believer that Duncan and Courtney should have always remained the argumentative yet passionate couple they had been in Seasons 1 and 2 (mostly because she was the Yin to his Yang in terms of character), I didn't really mind it when Gwen developed a crush on Duncan and the two ultimately became a couple in Season 3.  After all, as proven on multiple occasions by multiple people, the two had a lot in common, were strong competitors that would jeopardize a relationship in order to get money, and even had previous relationships with Trent and Courtney that were doomed to fail.  Their spontaneous hook up in "I See London" was not very out of the blue to me, and I stood behind it because it made the show more interesting.

To say Season 5 was not kind to Duncan would be an understatement, as right from the word go, Gwen continually shows little to no emotion towards her supposed boyfriend and even dodges his attempts to be romantic and spontaneous at almost every level, and then has the gall in "Moon Madness" to blame him for their breakup.  The key to making any relationship work is both being invested in it, and for Gwen to show no reaction to him or any remorse for him later on is absolutely frustrating and makes me despise her character even more.

There is a simple way to fix this mistake and it is to have Duncan break up with Gwen instead of the other way around.  Have Duncan growing frustrated that all Gwen wants to talk about is Courtney and completely ignores his feelings at every turn.  By the time Gwen is close enough to Courtney for her to forgive her, Duncan gives up and breaks up with Gwen.  Gwen is initially stunned and hurt by Duncan's actions, but eventually gets over it, that is, until another event (Which I will talk about in a moment) that causes Gwen to lose focus and get eliminated.

As it stands now, Gwen's breakup with Duncan is one of the most frustrating moments of the series because there was almost nothing to go on except for Gwen's faulty character.  Hopefully, if another season goes by, Duncan will get payback, but until then, it's time to move on.

3. Zoey's Obliviousness 

In case you haven't seen the show yet, I won't spoil how it ends, but let's just say that the main villain of the series is one of a character named Mike's many personalities he has in his head.  Zoey and Mike have been going strong since the end of Season 4, but Zoey's obliviousness to Mike's evil personality in this season until the end was very disturbing.  She had multiple signs handed to her on a silver platter and she does almost nothing to prevent herself from being bought off by it.  She sees Mike break Cameron's glasses, Duncan warns her that he knew the evil personality of Mike from his time in Juvenile Hall, and even a cameo from Izzy can recognize the evil within Mike.  But she remains strong for him until the end, which I guess makes her a somewhat unique character, but it still bugs me that she does that.
Personally, I would have went with a much more different approach.  Zoey recognizes the evil within Mike early on and tries to convince Duncan and her other teammates to help her fix him, until the personality makes Zoey think that Mike was actually the personality all along, causing her to break up with him, unintentionally making the situation worse by isolating Mike on his own.  Upon realizing her mistake, Zoey would work through the issues to rekindle her relationship with Mike and rescue him from the evil within.

This was one of the lesser things, as the things I want to comment on are not entirely in order.  But it still irked me because I really liked Zoey's character in Season 4 and wanted to see something better of her in Season 5.

4. Duncan Do-Right

Aside from the whole "End of Gwuncan" arc, Duncan's arc (From a dramatic and comedic standpoint) was actually one of the better arcs in the series.  After being forced to switch places on the teams with Courtney and joining the Heroic Hamsters, Duncan is surprised to be greeted warmly by his new teammates, especially Zoey, who goes out of her way to make him feel at home.  Having been surrounded by the likes of Heather and the other villains on his last team, he doesn't quite know how to take it and slowly begins to soften.  He knows he's softening and his inner delinquent wants to break free of his niceness, but it's finding a place in his heart and it is what inevitably costs him a chance at a million dollars.

My problem with this arc is, like many of the arcs, it does not get enough time to develop.  Duncan is not able to do something bad and then instantly regret it or something along those lines.  Instead, his character rapidly deteriorates into madness.  And while that is funny and okay from a character standpoint, it still frustrates me as yet another missed opportunity for the series.

Changing this is simply a matter of adding more episodes.  He is dealing with this urge to do good after his breakup with Gwen and has no one but positive role models near him.  He develops good relationships with his teammates and even attempts to rekindle a friendship with his old teammates (except Gwen because F$%# her), but his urge to do bad again comes back into him and he commits a similar action to what he did in the actual show that got him kicked off the show.  And in the end, despite his bad boy attitude, he still gets visits from Zoey and Mike in prison to show him how they believe that he made a change for the better.

The jury is still out on Duncan, especially if they choose to continue the series, but this was probably the least annoying thing of the five I picked...

5. Mal 

One of the best things that Total Drama has done for me over the years is to give me a villain that I can absolutely loathe and despise.  Heather was an antagonist who manipulated her way into the semi-finals of Season 1 by preying on the meek and dumb and tricking others into doing her dirty work.  Courtney took up the villains role in Season 2 by manipulating the rules to her advantage and using these advantages to win many challenges in succession until her bossy attitude cost her her one and only ally left in Duncan.  Season 3's was of course Alejandro, who womanized and tricked almost every candidate on the show into elimination, including: Harold, Bridgette, Leshawna, DJ, Noah, Tyler, Owen, Courtney, Blainely, Duncan and Cody.

The evil personality within Mike, Mal, was the first villain the show had that I really didn't get behind.  His actions were juvenile or retreads of what Heather or Alejandro did previously (and when those two are still in the show, it's kind of bizarre).  While he does get more evil the later he goes (including sabotaging Courtney's friendship with Gwen and Scott by showing them the chart she made about her winning), his actions early on are pretty childish.

A villain of truly epic proportions would have done much more evil things.  If Mike's biggest strength was his relationships with his friends, Mal's first objective should have been to sabotage that.  While doing this, he would also cause trouble for the other contestants.  For example, while he would be pushing Zoey away from him in order to prevent Mike from taking over again, he could push Zoey and newly single Duncan together, all while throwing Gwen off her game along with her teammates.  While Duncan and Zoey become better friends, Cameron would start to feel isolated and in turn would turn to Mike for support, only to find Mal there, ready to cause him more trouble.  Should any of the smarter villains catch on, he could do what he did in the series and trick them into falling prey to his scheme, including Alejandro and Courtney.

In this case, the missed opportunity wasn't as drastic as the previous ones were, but it still made things hard to take seriously, especially when the rest of the things are so oddly placed and awkward.

Why is Nothing New in Hollywood?

Much has changed since the last time I talked to you guys, hasn't it?  The DC Cinematic Universe is imploding, Star Wars is now going to become an annoying yearly affair, and even Disney's most cherished animated classics are being planned as live action reboots.  I was willing to put up with the mediocrity that was the Summer of 2016 (aside from Civil War), until I learned that Jon Favreau (who had barely dodged ruining The Jungle Book) has taken it upon himself to make a Live Action retelling of The Lion King.  Now, there are an almost incalculable amount of things wrong with this idea, but the biggest one for me personally came from one of the most unlikely of sources, at least for me:  George Lucas.

During my drafting of this post, I happened to come across RedLetterMedia's review of The Force Awakens, which as expected was brilliant.  But the most brilliant part of the review came from a borrowed interview of George Lucas, who had this to say about the way Hollywood is going:

"Only do something that's proven...Ya gotta remember, Star Wars came from nowhere.  There was nothing like it.  Now, if you do anything that's not a sequel, or doesn't look like one, they won't do it....it really shows a lack of imagination and fear of creativity, of an industry...The Movie business is exactly like professional gambling, except you hire the gambler...you give him $100 million dollars, tell him to go to the tables, and come back with $500 million dollars.  That is a risk.  Now, the studios don't want to think of it that way.  They say, well, maybe if we tell him he can't bet on red, maybe if we tell him we did market research...they try to minimize their risks...you hire the kid to take risks, to do things that have never been done before...that is the complete antithesis of what a big modern corporation is."

Never has a corporate sellout understood us so much.  When George Lucas is telling someone their not selling out properly, you know you're doing something wrong.  When you really look at Hollywood, there are no Star Wars kind of films being made.  Gone are the days of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, The Lion King, The Sixth Sense, Up, and so many other original ideas and movies that touched our hearts when we saw them and in some cases, shaped us as who we are as people.  The days of original content being enormously successful are completely gone, as this summer proved to me.  When an almost flawless film like Kubo and the Two Strings fails to outgross something predictable and bland as The Secret Life of Pets or Angry Birds or a sequel film like Finding Dory, you know something is really wrong here.  How is it that we almost never hear anything about the films that win Best Picture until Oscar Season, but we get commercials for Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Ghostbusters, or the eightieth Ice Age movie all year long?

And this epidemic is not just locked into one studio, though ironically one studio is doing the most damage.  20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, Dreamworks, New Line Cinemas, and many more studios are releasing hardly anything that does not fall out of the category I cruelly call "safe films".  "Safe Films" are films that tend to be either sequels, midquels, prequels, or films made in the same universe as previously successful content in a shameful attempt to get the most money out of a product as quickly as possible.  Almost anything that was once successful, be it original or based on a preexisting story, is up for grabs.  I even hear someone wants to make a Cinematic Universe out of the Hanna-Barbera content.  Really?  REALLY?  Didn't we hate those films when they came out back in the SIXTIES?

Like Lucas said above, no studio executive is willing to take a chance anymore.  Everything needs to be manufactured and pre-made and pre-planned out in order for it to be released and marketed by Hollywood.  Why does this have to be?  After all, without the filmmakers with visions or ideas, would there be a Star Wars?  Or would we know how good directors Scorsese, Spielberg, or Tarantino are?  No, there wouldn't be.  Instead, we'd be re making films like Gone With the Wind, Ben Hur, West Side Story, or Willy Wonka constantly and nothing in Hollywood would be good.  And this is something that is sorely lacking in Hollywood.  Why is this?  Where are all the creative people going?  Where is the next generation of filmmakers and story tellers?  I can tell you they're not in Hollywood.  But I do know where some of them are...

1. Television

Like it or not, Television still exists as an important tool in our lives.  We may watch these shows on Netflix, Hulu, or any other type of sharing network, but the fact remains that we still have these shows on TV.  And while there will always be a dozen or so shows based off of preexisting content or a spin off or remake of an older show, the original content on television is also thriving.  Let us not forget that shows like "Star Vs the Forces of Evil", "Steven Universe", among others exist out there, without the aid of previously worked on content.  I mean, one of the shows I mentioned follows the adventures of magical feminine creatures made from various gemstones warring over how to utilize their clear advantages over the rest of the galaxy.  There aren't any studio mandates in these shows, as they go where they want and do what they want.  They will not shy away from topics like genocide, nationalism, pride, sexuality, depression, and the Illuminati.  Would a Marvel film go in depth on a homosexual relationship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes?  Or would a Disney film actually have the gall to have an openly homosexual relationship?  No, and until homosexuality can make it past stereotypes we see in shows like "Family Guy", we won't see it.

2. Video Games

Yes, there will always be the standard Mario game, or the rehashed Call of Duty game out every year or so.  But when it comes to originality within video games released, we have never been in a better era.  For every three or four rehashed Pokemon or Final Fantasy game that comes out every year, you get a game like The Last of Us or even something as refreshingly original as Arkham City, even if it was based off of preexisting content.  Let's face it, the idea pool for creating new and refreshing ideas is very slim.  Hell, I keep finding that my own personal stories do have some similarities to other people's works and I am in the process of reworking and rewriting them.  The key to creating original ideas if some are already used or borrowed, is to put a different costume on them.  Sure, there's a new Mario platformer every year and sure the holidays will no doubt see another COD or Pokemon game.  But if Nintendo or any of the other developers was simply rehashing the same game year after year, their audiences would be bored and stop buying the games.  So, the developers know to introduce new mechanics, new level designs, or new special ops missions.  This is why I have little to no problem with the immense amount of Lego games out there now (though Rock Band was pushing it).  Sure they borrow story and gameplay elements from various movies and television franchises, but they let you put your own spin on it every now and then.  Even game series like Kingdom Hearts and The Legend of Zelda often reuse certain gameplay elements while introducing new ones or further deepening the story.



This does not happen in movies.  The more I watch The Force Awakens, or when I have to sit through one of the live action Disney Remakes, the more I yearn to remember how good these stories were THE FIRST TIME I saw or heard them.  Instead of watching a fancier version of A New Hope, why don't I watch the ORIGINAL A New Hope.  Instead of going to see ANOTHER Spiderman film in theaters, why don't I just go watch the original?

The saddest part, though, is that there probably are a bunch of people out there with original ideas that don't get the funding or time they deserve to show how imaginative they can be.  I ran into this problem myself personally.  When looking for an agent, I happened to find one who represented a former bestselling author.  He looked at me and him and chose to roll with him instead of me for his next book and I was left alone.  The younger generation is always going to get scorned by the older generation, because we are not smart enough to make good films, but we're not hard workers because we haven't had the opportunity in filmmaking or publishing.  It's a no win situation and shows why SO MANY people desperately need their YouTube or other media network revenue to make a living doing things they're good at without diluting the market for other things.

This is a problem that the Movie Moguls are going to have.  Like all bubbles in Hollywood History (Shaymalan, Dark Fairy Tales, Tim Burton, etc.) this remake bubble will pop and result in bomb after bomb.  We saw it already with Ghostbusters and Ben-Hur.  Eventually, one of the bigger ones will fall, and if it's Lion King that takes the big hit, so be it.

Chapter 13 (SORA): Return of the Princess

Chapter 13 (Sora): Return of the Princess

      A scream on the shores nearby ended Sora and Kairi's moment.  Both looked up and towards the shores.  Rapunzel and Eugene's boat had docked, but Eugene was gone.  Rapunzel was surrounded by the two burly thugs from their time at the dam.  The thugs eyed Rapunzel with greedy looks and held a large burlap sack and rope.  Sora and Kairi hurriedly rowed their boat to Rapunzel's side as the thugs advanced upon her.  

     "He wouldn't!  He's not like that!"

     "We told you straight from his mouth" the thief sneered.  "Rider just led you on.  All he was after was that crown.  Unlike Rider, we're not gonna lie to you, sweetie.  We want that hair of yours.  And we're willing to do anything we need to get it."

      "Leave her alone!" Sora shouted, landing on the shore with his Keyblade in hand.  "You're not going to take her anywhere."

      "Stay out of this, kid" the second thief warned.  "You'll live longer that way."  When Sora didn't budge, Kairi jumped to his side with her Keyblade in hand.  The thief rolled his eyes.  "I guess we gotta do this the hard way."  

     "Run, Rapunzel!" Sora shouted.  The frightened girl did as she was told, running away from the scene.  

     When the second thief prepared to chase her, the first stopped him.  "Leave her.  With that hair, she can't get far.  We can enjoy this beatdown."  The thieves drew daggers from holsters on their belts and prepared to advance upon the duo.  Sora and Kairi remained on the defensive.  "Fight!"  

     Before the men could strike, both were delivered swift blows to the head from a blunt branch and collapsed to the ground.  Sora looked past the unconcious bodies of the thieves to see a woman, draped in maroon colored robes, wielding the branch in defense.  "Who are you?"

     "Aren't you Rapunzel's--" Kairi began

     "Mother?" a stunned Rapunzel asked as she returned to the shore.  

     "Oh, my precious girl.  Are you alright?" the woman asked.  

     "How did you find me?" Rapunzel asked, running into her mother's arms.  

     "I was so worried about you" the woman cried.  "So I followed you all here.  And when I saw those men attack you--never mind.  Let's get away before they come to."  The woman then looked to Sora and Kairi.  "I want to thank you two for protecting my darling Rapunzel for me.  If anything had happened to her, I don't know what I would have done."  

     "Your welcome" Kairi replied.  "We're just glad she'll be safe.  Right, Rapunzel?" 

     But Rapunzel was distracted by a ship sailing away in the distance.  When Sora and Kairi stared out into the distance, they saw the makings of Eugene sailing the boat away.  Tears swelling up in her eyes, Rapunzel fell back into her mother's arms.  "You were right, Mother.  You were right about everything."  

     "I know, dear" Gothel replied.  "I know.  But we really should flee before those brutes wake up."  Rapunzel slowly followed her Mother into the woods, but not before turning back to Sora and Kairi.  She nodded and waved sadly before vanishing into the dark forest.  

      Sora clenched his fists.  "I should have known Rider would do something like this!"

     "Something doesn't seem right, though" Kairi chimed in.  "Why would he go through all of that with us just to get some crown.  He looked like he was enjoying his time with her.  I don't get it."

     "That's just what he wanted us to think" Sora fumed.  "I should go tell him off right now!"

     "Sora, what is that going to solve?" Kairi asked.

     "I don't know" Sora sighed.  "I just--don't like it when people hurt others."  

     Kairi put her hand on Sora's shoulder.  "I know.  If Eugene has a side to his story, maybe we can ease Rapunzel's pain."

     Sora nodded.  "I think we should split up.  You go with Rapunzel and her mother to find out what exactly happened.  After we saved her daughter, I think she wouldn't mind the visitors."  

     "What about you?" 

     "If you think Rider has some good in him, I should be the one who has to find it for myself.  I'l lgo after him and figure this out.  We'll meet by the tower."  Kairi nodded and followed Rapunzel into the woods.  Sora turned back towards where Eugene's ship had sailed away towards and hopped into his boat to make his way after him.  

      Sora was surprised when he made it to the docks before Eugene's sailboat.  He skidded to a halt on the dock when the ship finally stopped moving at the docks.  He was about to chastise the thief for hurting Rapunzel, when he noticed Eugene was unconscious.  He'd been tied to the mast and made to look as if he was sailing the boat.  

      Sora scooped some of the water from the lake into his hands and splashed Eugene with it.  When he came through, he finally saw his predicament.  "What the--huh?  Wait?  Rapunzel?  RAPUNZEL!  Where is she?"

      "She's gone" Sora told him.  "She's going back to her mother."  

      Eugene struggled to free himself.  "Those stinking monsters!  They were going to hurt her!"

      Sora helped him unstrap himself from the boat.  "It doesn't matter.  She's going back home now.  She'll be safe there."

      Eugene shook his head.  "No.  She won't.  She'll be miserable.  Trapped up in that tower for the rest of her life.  I won't let her go through that again."  As he tried to board the dock again, Sora stood in his path.  "Sora, come on.  Let me through."

     "It's not for us to decide what's best for Rapunzel" Sora explained.  "If she wants to go stay with her mother, it's not our choice to make."

      Eugene lowered his head.  "Sora, please.  I'm begging you.  At least let me go and say goodbye."

     "I don't think Rider deserves that option" a sinister voice called.  Sora turned to see the two goons from before approach the boat.  "After what he pulled, he's lucky we haven't skewered him yet."  

     Sora called forth his Keyblade.  "What do you guys want?  I thought you were after Rapunzel?"

     "The girl with the magic hair was only part of the deal" the grunt explained.

     "Deal?" Eugene echoed.  

     "We were promised three rewards for our loyalty: the first was the girl.  The second was payback on Rider, here.  Finally--"  The thug pointed his finger at Sora's Keyblade.  "--was that."  

     "Sora's sword?" Eugene asked.

     "How dense can you be, Rider?  That sword is the key to unlocking everything we could have hoped for.  That, immortality, and revenge?  How could you get a better offer?"  

     Sora was about to attack, when Eugene leaped from the boat and tackled the thief.  When the second tried to intervene, Sora fired a beam of light at him and knocked him backwards.  Eugene and the thug wrestled until the brute was pinned underneath Rider's boots.  "How did you know about her?  Tell me NOW!"

     Terrified of Rider and the wrath of the Keyblade, the thug capitulated.  "It was the old lady."

     "Old lady?" Eugene echoed again.  

     Sora's eyes widened in horror.  "Oh no.  It's her mother!"

     "Rapunzel!" Eugene screamed, hurrying down the path towards the forest.  Sora followed him and came to a stop when Eugene was surrounded by Heartless.  "Out of the way!"  

     "Can't take a hint, eh?" a loud, bombastic voice shouted.  Sora recognized the voice instantly.  From the shadows of the night infested village, Pete stood behind his Heartless lackeys.  "You're not messing with my plans here.  That there girl's going to be my Heartless Servant."  

     "You'd better not--" Eugene snarled.  

     "Oh what?" Pete mocked.  "Mr. Big and Scary Thief is gonna stop me?  Ha ha ha ha ha!  Gimme a break!  Run along, pipsqueak!"  

     "Then try me, you big oaf!" Sora called, jumping to Eugene's side.  

     "Payback time, Spike-Head!" Pete laughed, sending his Heartless into battle.  

Boss Battle: Pete II

HP: 560

Battle Music: Rowdy Rumble

GET BONUS:

Sora Learned Guard Break

        Pete fell to his side from the last blow from Sora's Keyblade and quickly began to nurse his ailing wounds.  "Ow ow!  Ya little runt!  That hurt!"

       "There's more where that came from!" Sora shouted.  

       "Not for much longer" Pete snickered.  "I'm sure Mommy Gothel's already turning Rapunzel into a Heartless as we speak.  Then, once Mommy becomes one too, all that magic power will be mine!  Ha ha ha ha ha."  

       "You think she'd let you turn her into one?" Sora slyly asked.

       "She won't have a choice in the matter" Pete guffawed.  "Even if she manages to get ahold of a Keyblade, she still won't stop me!"  Pete prepared to call more Heartless to battle, but a loud whinny caught his attention.  He whirled around, only to find two large hoofs flying towards him and knocking him backwards.  Pete rolled past Sora and Eugene and into the water.  

        Maximus walked up to the boys, with a triumphant look on his face.  "Max" Eugene exclaimed.  "You came back for me?"

        The horse eyed him bluntly, then huffed.  

        "I figured it was just for Rapunzel" Eugene rhetorically responded.  He hoped aboard Max's saddle and turned towards Sora.  "We have to get to Rapunzel before it's too late.  If anything happens to her--"

       "You do care about her" Sora realized.  

       "Come on!  Let's go!" Eugene shouted.  

       Maximus took off down the path towards the forest.  Sora nodded contently, until he realized the disastrous mistake he'd committed.  "Oh no!  Kairi!"  Knowing she was in mortal danger if she was in the presence of someone who could turn others into Heartless, Sora put on his armor, summoned his hoverboard, and soared into the sky towards the hidden tower.

      Sora soared through the air atop his hoverboard, staying close to to Eugene and Max and they galloped on the ground towards Gothel's hidden tower.  Finally, the trio made their way into the meadow where the tower was hidden in the shadows of the valley.  Eugene jumped off of Max and Sora lowered himself down to the ground.  They hurried to the base of the tower to look for a way up.  As they did, the window that they'd climbed down some time ago opened.  Both boys looked up to see an immense amount of Rapunzel's hair flung out the window and landed beside them.  Eugene grabbed ahold first and began to climb his way up to the tower.  Sora followed at a distance, trying not to yank too hard and cause Rapunzel pain.
     Eugene disappeared into the window.  As Sora was about to join him, he heard a muffled shriek.  Sora climbed faster, but the hair was yanked back into the tower and Sora was left to dangle from the windowsill.  Sora struggled to get into the tower, as the window had been slammed shut behind Eugene.  He slowly swung his body up and down until his feet found the tower.  With one great kick, Sora kicked himself over and flipped up towards the window.  His feet blasted the window open and he landed inside the tower, Keyblade in hand.
     Gothel stood in the center of the room, her back to Sora.  "You are quite a persistent boy.  No wonder you were able to keep Rapunzel safe for so long."
     Sora studied the situation in horror.  Eugene was slumped against a wooden column, a large stab wound in his chest.  As the blood began to drop onto the floor, he continued to weakly try to get to Rapunzel.  Behind Gothel, Sora could see Rapunzel, bound in chains and gagged with a cloth, her eyes staring directly at Eugene, who slowly seemed to fade away.
      "Where's Kairi?" Sora shouted.
      "That's none of your concern" Gothel sneered.  "She and Rapunzel will guarantee me things I could have only dreamed of.  And I will not allow any obnoxious brats or criminals stand in my way."        Rapunzel struggled against the cloth over her mouth, until she finally wrestled it free from her mouth.  "Kairi's locked in the tower.  There's a tunnel over there."
      Sora dashed towards where Rapunzel had said, but two Large Bodies appeared to block his way.  Sora prepared to fight them, but noticed Gothel was preparing to drag Rapunzel away.  Before he could get past the Heartless to stop her, one of the Large Bodies knocked him backwards with his fist.  "Our secrets will die with them."
       "We won't have any secrets!" Rapunzel proclaimed.  "I will never stop fighting you.  If you take me away from him, I will always keep running away from you and you will never find me!"  Rapunzel took a deep breath.  "But if you let me heal him, I won't struggle or resist.  I'll go away with you and we can have that life you want.  Just let me heal him."
       A stone cobble burst open from the floor and Kairi emerged, flinging rope and a cloth to the ground and surveying the situation.  Gothel slammed Rapunzel's chains to the ground and ran over to Sora.  Dazed, he was unable to stop Gothel from grabbing him and placing her knife near his chest.  "I want that Keyblade.  Unless you want your friend to die, I suggest you go back down there, child."
       "Never!" Kairi shouted, aiming her Keyblade at the evil woman.
       "LET THEM GO!" Rapunzel shouted.  "Let them go and let me heal him.  And I will go with you."
       Gothel dropped Sora to the ground.  "How should I trust you?"
       "Rapunzel?" Kairi asked.
       "Kairi" Rapunzel explained.  "Losing someone for a while is one thing.  But if I keep fighting this, we both lose the two people we care about most in the world.  If one of us has to lose something, I'm glad it will be me."
      Gothel studied Rapunzel before undoing her chains.  "Make it quick."
      The Heartless stood near Kairi as she tended to Sora.  "Are you alright?"
      Sora nodded.  "Ye--yeah.  But we can't just--"  Sora tried to rush Gothel, but Kairi grabbed his hand and pulled him back.  "Kairi?"
      "Sora" Kairi pleaded.
      Sora was about to argue, but returned his attention to Rapunzel, who now tried to tend to a reluctant Eugene.
       "You're going to be alright, Eugene" Rapunzel whispered.
       "I can't let you do this" Eugene weakly insisted.
       "And I can't let you die."
       "If you do this, you will die."  Rapunzel and Eugene stared into each other's eyes.  The two leaned close to each other as if they were about to kiss.  But Eugene, with his last ounce of strength, grabbed a shard of glass from the broken mirror and cut Rapunzel's hair.  Rapunzel gasped as her hair turned brown.
       Gothel cried out.  "NO!"
       Sora and Kairi were stunned to find Gothel's appearance rapidly change.  She was quickly morphing into an elderly woman.  Her black hair became white.  Her face was filled with wrinkles and her skin turned a ghostly white.  She stumbled backwards until falling out the window.
       Rapunzel remained by Eugene's side, trying desperately to heal him without her powers.  "Stay with me, Eugene!  Please!"
       "Rapunzel?  You--were--my new--dream"
       "And you were mine" Rapunzel cried.
       Eugene coughed slightly before his eyes closed and his breathing stopped.  Kairi buried her head into Sora's chest while he comforted her.  Rapunzel took Eugene's lifeless head in her arms as she tried one last time to heal him with her song.  Heal what has been hurt.  Change the Fate's design.  Save what has been lost.  Bring back what once was mine.  What once was mine.  But when Eugene remained lifeless, she sobbed into him.
       A tear fell from her cheek and landed on Eugene's.  With that, Eugene's entire body began to glow.  Sora and Kairi watched as the light that had once shined in Rapunzel's blonde hair shined around Eugene's wounds and began to mend him.  With one gasp from a mysterious flower, the light faded.  Eugene slowly opened his eyes.
      "Eugene?"
      "Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?"
       Ecstatic, Rapunzel leaped onto Eugene and hugged him.  Sora and Kairi cheered as their friend had survived.  Before they could celebrate, a loud roar was heard from outside.  The two Keyblade Warriors rushed to the window.  A monstrous Heartless plant emerged from the ground, frightening Maximus.  The creature bore the same kind of design as the plant that had emerged from Eugene's wounds.
      "What was that?" Rapunzel gasped.
      "The darkness in Gothel's heart" Kairi explained.
      "She's become a Heartless" Sora added.  With two swift movements, he activated his armor and Kairi's.  "Find cover.  This place isn't safe anymore!"  The two jumped out of the window and summoned their Keyblades.  The two landed in front of the demonic flower, that rose from the ground and eyed them coldly.

Boss Battle: Furious Fauna 

HP: 850

Battle Music: Extreme Encounters

GET BONUS:

Sora: +5 HP

Kairi: +10 HP, +10 Friendship 

      The Heartless form of Gothel vanished into the light and withered away into nothingness.  From where it's massive form had once stood, a single heart shined and vanished as well.  Sora and Kairi sighed with relief and put away their Keyblades.  

      Back in the village, the friends had gathered by the castle.  Rapunzel stood calmly as the dark haired King and Queen came out of the main doors to see their daughter.  Eugene stood beside Sora and Kairi, who hoped that her parents would recognize her.  

      The Queen was the first to approach Rapunzel.  She was cautious at first, but when she got a good look at her daughter's green eyes, she threw her arms around her.  The King, in tears, followed in suit as the family was reconnected.  

     Eugene smiled on as Rapunzel reacquainted herself with her family.  Even Sora noticed how quiet he was being.  "What?  No quips?"

     "I never said I was always a wise guy" Eugene laughed.  "Besides, Rapunzel's back with her family.  That's all that matters."  

     "Yeah" Kairi agreed.  "And with Gothel and Pete gone, I'm sure we won't have to worry about the Heartless around here."  She turned to Eugene.  "You just make sure you're on your best behavior.  Especially since you're going to be with a Princess like Rapunzel."  

      Eugene nodded.  "I doubt Max will let me get away with much."  

      As Eugene walked away to be with Rapunzel and her family, Sora and Kairi turned to each other.  "I guess we're done here" Sora said.  

      "Uh-huh.  And there are more people out there who'll need our help."  The two looked fondly at Rapunzel and Eugene one last time before they called forth their Keyblades and summoned a pathway to the light.  

Sora Obtained the Sundrop Wonder Keychain

STR: +4

MAG: +3

Ability:

Boost the amount of damage given during Reaction Commands  

      

      

       

Chapter 12 (SORA): Night of Lights

Chapter 12 (Sora): Night of Lights

        No matter where the group turned on their path towards the kingdom, they would be attacked by Heartless.  At every new attack, Rapunzel would either leap behind Sora or Kairi, or would leap onto Flynn's back, flailing her frying pan at the enemies trying to shoo them.  As Kairi and Sora bested another band of their familiar foes, Flynn shook his head.  "Those things, whatever they are, are spreading pretty quickly."

      "You mean those monsters are everywhere?" Rapunzel nervously asked.

      Sora nodded sadly.  "Yup.  How long have they been running around here?"

      "For a while" Flynn explained.  "A couple of friends--well--we were friends at the time, were helping me out on a little appropriation in the kingdom,  When we hit the outskirts of the city, those things ambushed us.  I got away, but I'm not so sure about them."

      "How do we get rid of them?" Rapunzel asked.

      "Easy, Blondie.  Just sit back, relax, and let Sora and Kairi take care of them."

      "Yeah" Sora bragged.  "We've taken care of hordes of those things before."

      Kairi looked ahead towards a nearby dam.  Numerous Palace Guards were scanning the area.  "We've got company" she exclaimed.
       Flynn looked ahead.  "Oh boy."
      "Who are they?" Rapunzel asked.
      "They don't like me" Flynn answered shortly.  "I think we should--"
      "And who are they?" Kairi asked.  Everyone looked down into the canyon and noticed two burly and hulking thugs beside the guards in chains.  Both had carrot colored hair and muscles that reminded Sora of Gaston.  On top of that, when the guard approached them, they grunted bitterly and made strangling gestures with their hands.
      "They don't like me either."
      Sora continued gazing into the canyon and noticed a horse down in the canyon, frantically sniffing and scouting out the area like a bloodhound.  "And the horse?"
      "Let's just assume everyone here doesn't like me, okay?" Flynn asked impatiently.
      "How are we going to get passed all those guards?" Rapunzel asked.
       Sora looked around for a way around the canyon.  "There has to be a way around.  We could get through easily if Flynn wasn't a wanted criminal."
        Kairi sighed.  "Nothing is ever easy, is it?"
        Rapunzel looked over to the other side of the canyon and noticed two small posts.  She then bunched up her long blonde hair prepared to lasso it to the other side of the gorge.  "I think I can get us over there."
        Sora eyed the young woman curiously.  "How?  With your hair?"
        "If I can lasso it across to those posts, we can climb across" she reasoned.
        "And if you miss?" Kairi asked.
        "I think we should consider something else" Flynn responded.
        "We don't have another choice" Rapunzel answered.
        Sora and Kairi looked at each other.  The flare they noticed in each other's eyes assured them they had the same plan in mind.  "We can get the hair over there without you having to lasso yourself over, Rapunzel."  Sora and Kairi triggered their armor and regained their warrior's garb, only not putting on their helmets.  "We can fly the hair over and you and Flynn can climb across."
        "Fly?" Rapunzel asked.  "But how?"
        "Leave that to us" Kairi laughed,
        Flynn rolled his eyes.  "I really should not have gotten out of bed this morning.  First, I get chased by guards.  Then I get chased by monsters.  Then Blondie and her miles of hair.  And now, two kids who think they can fly?"
        Sora tossed his Keyblade into the air and allowed to transform into his hoverboard.  Kairi followed in suit as hers transformed as well.  The two hopped aboard, each with a bunch of Rapunzel's hair and flew swiftly over the canyon, hoping no one would hear below.  When they landed, they held the hair tightly while Rapunzel shoved the rest into Flynn's.  With that, she grabbed hold as she had when she left the tower and swung down and over.  As she reached the top, Sora and Kairi pulled her back onto the ledge.
        Despite it all, Rapunzel's actions had not gone unnoticed.  The guards now looked towards the side where Rapunzel had left and saw their target.  "Rider!  He's up there!  Get him!"
        "Hurry Flynn!" Rapunzel called out.
        Rider closed his eyes and swung down, but he swung too low and crashed into a nearby window.  As he fell to the ground, the guards began to follow him to his crash site.  The horse, in particular, galloped after Rider as if they had had some feud in the past.
       "We have to help him!" Rapunzel pleaded.
       "Why?  Can't we can get to the city without him?" Sora reasoned.
       "I wouldn't leave you guys behind and we can't leave him behind" the maiden affirmed her position.
       Sora looked to Kairi.  "You ready for this?"
       Kairi nodded.  "Yup.  Time to show you how much I've learned."
       The boy nodded and turned back to Rapunzel.  "Wait here.  We can handle this."  Before waiting for Rapunzel to answer, the two took off into the canyon.

       As he recovered and grasped at his cut open hand, Flynn found himself surrounded by guards and the horse in particular.  "So, did you guys miss me?"
       "Not enough, Rider" the lead guard growled.  "You're going to do some time for what you did.  Hard time!"
      "Captain!" another guard shouted.  The guards turned to see a horde of Heartless emerge from a nearby tunnel and surround the men.  Panicked, the guards darted off shouting, "Let them kill Rider first!"
       The horse bucked and kicked at the Heartless, knocking many of them back and stomping pridefully on the ground.  The shadowy creatures kept their focus on Flynn, causing him to nervously back against the canyon wall.  Sora and Kairi landed in front of him and stood guard over him.  "I appreciate the sentiment, guys."
       "Get a grip" Sora replied.  "We're doing this for Rapunzel."
       "Go take cover" Kairi ordered.
       "No need to tell me twice" Flynn called back as he darted down deeper into the canyon.  Sora and his best friend stood back to back as they found themselves surrounded by the same creatures they'd been fighting for years.  Without hesitating, they leaped into actions.

Defeat All of the Heartless!

        Sora and Kairi looked down as the last Heartless faded into the darkness to find Flynn.  The horse had chased him deeper into the canyon,  Flynn dodged the horse the best he can, as the creature had plucked up a sword and tried to strike him with it.  Sora was about to aim his Keyblade to knock the creature back, but a loud creaking noise caught his attention.  He looked back and saw Rapunzel, who had wrapped her hair around one of the braces for the dam and yanked it free.  As the water built behind the dam began to squeeze through, she slid down on a wooden plank and skidded past Sora and Kairi.  "Come on you guys!" she shouted.  

       "What the--?" Kairi asked. 

       "That was awesome" Sora exclaimed.  

       Kairi rolled her eyes.  "We can talk later.  Let's get out of here!"  

        Sora and Kairi darted down towards Flynn and Rapunzel.  The horse was paralyzed in fear as he noticed the water coming towards him.  Rapunzel and Flynn had taken the opportunity to escape into another tunnel.  Sora and Kairi took off after them as the tunnel began to show signs of collapsing.  They slid into the tunnel just as a boulder collapsed, blocking both their exit and the light within the tunnel.  But it did not keep the water from flowing into the tunnel.  As the water flooded the tunnel, the companions could only find a dead end from this last tunnel.  

        "How do we get out of here?" Rapunzel asked worriedly.  

        "I've got nothing" Flynn answered.  "Sora?  Kairi?"

        "We should be able to blast our way out with our Keyblades" Sora reasoned, "but if we hit the wrong place, we could drown or crush ourselves."  

        "So don't hit the wrong place" Flynn laughed nervously as the water seeped into boots.  

        "We can't see anything" Kairi reasoned.  "We'd be making a blind shot!"  

        "This can't be happening!" Flynn cried.  

        "We're going to be alright!" Rapunzel spoke softly, but Sora could notice she too was fighting off tears of intense horror.  

        "So much in life we haven't done" Flynn shouted as the water pushed the group to the top of the tunnel and their last breaths of air.  

         Sora looked frantically for a way out but could not find one.  "What are we gonna do?"

         "Eugene Fitzherbert!" Flynn shouted.  

        Rapunzel, Sora, and Kairi all stared at Rider in confusion.  "What?"

         "My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert" he yelled again.  "I figured before we die, someone ought to know."

        Sora and Kairi both shouted "I've never--" but when they noticed the other was going to speak, they both silenced themselves.  When neither said another word, they turned away from each other, their cheeks slightly red.  

         Rapunzel sighed.  "I have magic hair that glows when I sing."  

         Flynn and the Keyblade warriors know eyed Rapunzel curiously.  "What?"

        "I have--I have--I HAVE MAGIC HAIR THAT GLOWS WHEN I SING!"  Rapunzel grabbed hold of her hair and handed some of it to Sora.  "Have that sword of yours ready."

         "For what?" he asked curiously, spitting out water that got into his mouth.  

         "You'll see.  Flower, gleam and glow.  Let your powers shine.  Make the clock reverse.  Bring back what once was--"  The water consumed the rest of the tunnel in time for Rapunzel's hair to start shining.  Her friends were completely flabbergasted by the new turn of events.  Sora, using Rapunzel's hair as a light, saw a small hole in a nearby wall and blasted it free with a pulse from his Keyblade.  The water surged and roared, pulling the friends through the hole and out into the river.  

         Some time later, the four washed up on the shores of the lake, desperately gasping for air.  Rapunzel climbed out of the water first, exclaiming her happiness.  "We made it."

        "I was afraid we wouldn't" Sora heaved, pulling a still adjusting Kairi out of the water.  

        Rider was still in awe about what had just happened.  "The hair glowed.  Her hair glows.  Why does it glow?"

        "Eugene!" Rapunzel shouted.  "It doesn't just glow.  There's something else it does.  Let's find a safe place to make camp and I'll show you what I mean."

         Rider pulled himself out of the water and followed Rapunzel.  Sora sat beside Kairi as she coughed out the water that was in her lungs.  "Are you okay, Kairi?"

        "Mmm-hmm" she replied weakly.  "Just a little disorientated."  

        Sora helped his friend to her feet and the two looked towards where Rapunzel had sat Eugene down.  As Sora prepared to follow his friends, he thought he had heard Kairi laugh quietly.  He stopped to look at his friend, who wore a bright smile on her face.  "You okay?"

        "I'm just curious.  What were you going to admit when we were in that tunnel?"

         Sora looked away, hiding his scarlet face.  "Uh, nothing.  I just--well--we can talk later.  Let's go check in with Rapunzel."

         

        As Sora and Kairi returned to their friends, they saw the blonde haired girl wrapping her hair around Eugene's injured hand.  "Guys, will you promise me you won't freak out?"

       "About what?" Kairi asked.  

       Eugene looked from Rapunzel to his hand curiously.  Rapunzel took a deep breath and repeated the incantation that she had sung in the cave.  "Flower, Gleam and Glow.  Let your Power Shine.  Make the Clock Reverse.  Bring back what once was mine.  Heal what has been hurt.  Change the Fates design.  Save what has been lost.  Bring back what once was mine.  What once was mine."  

        The hair wrapped around Eugene's hand glowed once more.  When he unwrapped his hand, his eyes widened and his hand shook.  The cut in his hand was completely gone.  He was about to scream when Rapunzel stopped him.  "Please don't freak out."

         In a painfully forced voice, Eugene tried to assure Rapunzel.  "Who's freaking out?  I'm not freaking out.  I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses.  How long has it been like that?"
        Rapunzel shrugged.  "I guess...forever."  Her tone changed as her eyes lowered.  "Mother says when I was a baby people tried to cut it.  They wanted to take it for themselves.  But..."  She pulled back her hair to reveal a small strand of brown hair.  "...once it's cut, it turns brown and loses it's power.  A gift like this needs to be protected.  That's why Mother never let me--that's why I never left--"
      Eugene eyed his friend sadly.  "You never left that tower?  But you still want to go back?"
      "No!  Yes?  I don't know.  It's complicated."
      A moment of silence followed, where all the friends sat in an awkward silence.  Finally, summoning the courage to continue, Rapunzel turned to Eugene.  "So...Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?"
     Eugene laughed.  "Yeah.  I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphaned Eugene Fitzherbert.  You guys wouldn't want to hear such a downer."  But when Rapunzel, Sora and Kairi leaned in closer to listen, he shrugged and decided to tell it.  "There was this book I used to read to all the orphaned kids.  It was about a swashbuckling rogue with more money than anyone and seriously popular with the ladies."
     "Was he a thief too?" Rapunzel asked.
     "Well...no.  Actually, he had enough money to do anything he wanted and could go anywhere too.  And for a kid with nothing, well, it seemed like the better option."  When both Kairi and Rapunzel seemed to be about to squeal in adoration, he raised his hands in disapproval.  "You can't tell anyone about this, okay?  It could ruin my whole reputation."
      Rapunzel snickered.  "Well, we wouldn't want that will we?"
      "Well a fake reputation is all a man really has, right Sora?"
      Sora leaned back and grinned.  "I don't need a fake reputation.  I make my own one."
      "You'd be one of the lucky ones, then.  Now, I think we need to know a little more about 

you two.  I've been all across this land and I have never seen any two people like you.  Sora?  Kairi?"
      Rapunzel eagerly rested her head in her hands.  "I'm kind of curious too."
      Kairi smiled.  "It's a long story."
      "Basically" Sora explained, "there's these bad guys who run around using the Heartless to hurt people.  They've already hurt plenty of people.  But the only people with the power to stop them are people who wield the Keyblade."  Sora summoned his Keyblade to his hand.  "Me, Kairi, King Mickey, Lea, and our friend Riku.  We're the ones who protect everyone."
      "Sounds like you guys have things taken care of then?" Eugene figured.
      Kairi lowered her head.  "Not really.  There are still friends we have to find and worlds to save.  And sometimes, no matter how many times we save a world, more Heartless keep coming back.  And if something happens to any of us...well...everyone we know and care about would be in danger."
      "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Rapunzel asked.
      "A lot more than you'd think" Sora continued.  "But we won't give up.  There are too many people out there that need us.  And the Keyblade is what helps us light the way for all worlds lost to darkness and keep them safe from the Heartless."
      "Then" Eugene remarked, "I'm glad you're looking out for this place."  After eyeing Sora and Kairi curiously for a moment, he rose from the log he and Rapunzel had been sitting on and pretended to shake in cold.  "I should go get some firewood for us before I get sick.  Let's go, Sora."
      Sora shrugged.  "Okay, I guess."  Hopping to his feet, Sora and Eugene walked into the woods to collect firewood.  As he picked up a few thick branches for burning, Eugene began to laugh to himself.  Curious, Sora stopped him.  "What are you laughing at?"
      "I'm just wondering how long it's gonna take you to notice she's into you" Eugene remarked slyly.
      "What?"  Sora looked back near the campsite, but Kairi was out of his sight.  "You mean, Kairi?  No, she's not.  We're just friends--I mean best friends--uh well--"
      "Ooh, I think someone else might be into someone" he continued teasing.
      "Okay, so what?"
      The thief put a hand on Sora's shoulders.  "Let me guess, kid.  In all of your travels and journeys across the known universe, you've never once been on a date, huh?"
      Sora brushed off Eugene's comment.  "Of course I have!  There was that--"  But when Sora let the question sink in after a moment, he realized that he was dead wrong.  Not once had he ever been on a date.  He'd never even had a kiss with a girl, which was the secret he was going to reveal when he thought they would drown in the tunnel.  He'd certainly made friends with many girls and women, including Yuffie, Mulan, Alice, Ariel, and Aerith, and had even been kissed on the cheek by Elsa, but never once had he done what he was certain his friend had done at least a dozen times.
      "I thought so.  Hey, it's no big deal, kid.  Just because some get more practice than others, doesn't mean it's over for you.  Look, I used to be a nervous kid like you.  But after you clear your first date, the rest of 'em are smooth sailing."  Eugene handed Sora more branches, causing him to stagger.  "Come on, Sora.  Tomorrow night in the kingdom is supposed to be one of the most romantic nights out there.  While I take Rapunzel out onto the lake to see her lantern show, you can take Kairi out."
      "Gee, I don't--"
      "Kid, what you need is confidence.  If you've fought hordes of those monsters, I think you could handle taking a friend out on a date."  Eugene prepared to leave Sora in the woods with most of the branches, but turned back to him.  "One last thing, before we go back.  There are just some chances you won't get to take back.  A girl like that, in your case, may not be there forever."
       As Eugene returned to the camp and called to the girls, Sora was left alone with the branches.  Eugene's words rung in his ears like bells.  What if he's right?  Someone like Kairi won't be free forever.  Maybe I should--

       As Sora finally returned to his friends, he found Kairi and Rapunzel struggling to keep Eugene from being dragged off by the same horse they'd encountered in the gorge.  No matter how far they ran, the horse was obsessed with bringing the thief to justice.  "What the heck is going on here?"
      As Kairi and Rapunzel pulled Eugene free, the horse stumbled backwards with his boot.  Eugene scrambled away and backed himself against a rock nearby.  As the horse charged again, Rapunzel stood in it's way.  "Whoa whoa!  Easy.  It's okay.  Calm down.  Sit.  Sit!"
      The horse stared at Rapunzel, then eyed Pascal, who sat on Rapunzel's head and urged the horse to comply.  Defeated, the horse slumped down.
      "Now drop the boot!"
      The horse whinnied defiantly.
      "Drop it!"
      After a moment, it's will weakened, the horse dropped Eugene's boot.  With that, Rapunzel began tenderly stroking the horse's mane.  "You are such a good boy.  Yes you are."
      "Did I miss something?" Eugene asked aloud, in complete shock at Rapunzel's attitude towards the horse.  "He's a bad horse!"
      "He is not" Rapunzel insisted.  "He's just a big softee, aren't you?"  Rapunzel lifted the horse's head and read the name on it's golden plate.  "Maximus?"
      The horse whinnied eagerly and allowed Rapunzel to pet him more.  Kairi shrugged.  "I guess it's better than being chased all over the place."
      "You can't be serious" Eugene insisted.  "Come on!  He'll crush you in your sleep!"
      As Maximus and Eugene got close again, Rapunzel came in between them.  "Hold on a second.  Today is one of the most important days in my life, okay?  And I need this thief to take me to see the lights today."  Maximus tried to brush past Rapunzel.  "And it's also my birthday."
      Maximus looked from Rapunzel to his target and slumped back again.
     "Was that so hard?" Rapunzel asked.  "Now, we're going to the kingdom to see the lights.  And tomorrow, you two can chase each other to your heart's content.  Okay?"
      When both rivals refused to budge, Rapunzel moved Eugene's arm and the horse's front leg up towards the other to emulate a handshake.  When they finally sealed their brief truce, Rapunzel looked past them and saw the bridge leading towards the kingdom.  She swiftly slid past them and stood in awe at the sight of the village beneath the castle.
       Maximus and Eugene stared each other down bitterly until Sora and Kairi came in between them.  "Remember, you're doing this for Rapunzel" Kairi reminded the two rivals.  She leaned close to Maximus.  "And if you keep your promise to her, I'll make sure you get a nice big bag of apples."
       Whinnying in approval, Maximus took off after Rapunzel.  Eugene laughed.  "You have no idea what you're getting into.  That thing's a menace to--"
       "Thieves?" Sora asked condescendingly.
       "Don't you have some apples to get or something?" Eugene replied, slowly walking after his charge.
        Sora turned to Kairi.  "Well, you said we should buy him some apples.  Guess we'd better go look for some."
       Kairi laughed.  "Come on, Sora.  What did you expect me to do?  Let the two of them beat each other?"
       "I guess not."
       "Let's at least go and make sure their aren't any Heartless in the city, okay?"  Kairi hurried into the city with her friend close behind her.

       The village beneath the castle was a bustling marketplace filled with people celebrating the Day of Lights.  Rapunzel could not keep her hands to herself, enjoying all of the wondrous new sights and smells for her.  When she kept tripping over her hair in all the excitement, Eugene convinced a group of sisters to braid the long blonde hair and make sure she wouldn't be tripped by it again.
       Kairi and Sora found themselves immersed with the culture of the village as well.  An artist painted the two of them as he noticed them walk by his shop.  They noticed many of his beautiful murals, including one of the King and Queen and their lost daughter.  Both Keyblade Warriors studied the mural closely, as their daughter looked strangely familiar to them.
      "Sora?  You don't think--"
      "It could be" Sora reasoned.  "But I don't know how she--"
      Before they could finish, a band of street performers began to reach the climax of their musical movement.  Rapunzel began gathering all of the villagers in to the center of the square for a dance.  When she noticed her friends weren't involved, she danced and spun her way over to have them dance alongside her.  Wanting in on the fun, Kairi took the arm of one of the little boys Rapunzel had coerced and she twirled and danced with him.  Sora, Maximus, and Eugene watched from the sidelines as the girls had fun.  Noticing some guards marching nearby, Eugene ducked nervously behind the horse, causing it to whinny approvingly.
      "You'd be worried too if you knew what would be in store for me" Eugene reasoned.
      "Well, not everyone is a thief, Rider" Sora laughed.
      "And not everyone is the hero type, Sora" Eugene mockingly saluted.
      Before Sora could react, Rapunzel had grabbed his arm and pulled him into the dancing crowd, while Kairi did the same for Eugene.  The girls moved with the grace of the wind, while the boys tried their hardest to catch up with them as the tempo grew faster and faster.  Every time Sora spotted Kairi, or Eugene glimpsed Rapunzel, they would get spun in a different direction, unable to meet up with their partner of choice.  It wasn't until the music finally stopped that the friends were reunited.  Rapunzel and Flynn matched up as though it had been predetermined, while Kairi had been gently tossed into the air and landed in Sora's arms.
     The crowds of villagers cheered and applauded the dancing of the couples.  Realizing how close they were, all four pulled away from their partner nervously, hiding awkward smiles and crimson cheeks.  Their attention was diverted when many of the villagers began hurrying for boats docked in the harbor.
      "Why are they going towards the harbor?" Rapunzel asked.
      "Seats on the water are the best views for the show" Eugene explained, handing a bag of apples to Max, who looked at him curiously.  "What?  I bought them."  The horse then happily ate the apples he was given while the friends followed the people to the docks.
     
       With two small rowboats left as the main ships departed, Eugene tapped Sora's arm as the girls headed for the docks.  "I think this might be a perfect time for your confidence to grow.  I'll take Rapunzel and you take Kairi."
       Sora nodded.  "Okay.  If you say so."
       "Kid, there isn't much you could do to mess this up."  Eugene walked over to the docks and picked up Rapunzel, plopping her into the boat and hopping in after her.  As they rowed out into the water, Sora nervously approached Kairi.
       Kairi's smile began to wash away all nervousness in Sora's mind and heart.  "Are you ready, Sora?"
       Sora nodded.  "Of course."  Sora walked down the dock and stepped into the boat.  Two lanterns had already been placed there.  As he made sure he kept his footing, he turned to Kairi.  He took her hand and helped her into the boat.  As she sat down on one of the seats, Sora began to row their boat out towards Rapunzel and Eugene's.

       As the night sky crept over the Kingdom, Sora and Kairi's boat finally reached the middle of the lake.  Kairi looked out into the beautiful blues of the starry unknown and let out a soft sigh.  Sora noticed this and looked at her casually.  "Are you okay?"
     "It's just--" Kairi began, but caught her breath.  "Three years ago, all we could worry about was trying to get our raft out onto the open water."
     Sora nodded.  "A lot's changed."
    "And we've done so much since then" Kairi continued.  "But now, we're getting so close to stopping the darkness and saving the world.  What's going to happen after all this?  What will happen to all our friends?  To Mickey?  To Donald and Goofy?  What about Lea?  Riku?  Us?"
      Sora was surprised at the seriousness of her question.  He had never even hazarded a thought to that kind of a future.  He'd been so used to hopping from place to place with his friends trying to save the day, that the days of peace and quiet seemed like things of fantasy.  But a few years ago, the life he leads today would have seemed like a fantasy.  "Wow.  Um--I don't know.  Maybe, we'd go back home and get back to what we were doing."
      "But what about all the things we've done?  What about all the people we've met?  What happens to all of them when we stop the Heartless?"
      Sensing the distress in Kairi's voice, Sora put his hands on her shoulders.  "You and I are going to figure things out.  Okay?  Even though the worlds might go back to the way they were before, I know the one thing that won't change is that we're going to be there for each other.  You, me--heh--even Riku.  No matter what happens out there, we'll always find each other again."  Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a star shaped object.
     Kairi beamed.  "My good luck charm."
     "Anytime I think like you just did" Sora reasoned, "I remember you gave me this.  I remember that promise we made back in Traverse Town and I can see things the way they're meant to be.  But, if you think you may need it, you can have it back."  Sora let the charm slide down on it's thread and prepared to hand it to Kairi.  When she didn't take it, he held it out in his hand once again.  This time, Kairi took Sora's hand and put it down beside them.
     "I gave that to you" Kairi smiled.  "It's just as much yours as it is mine."
     Sora gulped nervously again.  "You sure?"
     "I know I am.  And I know I can count on you for anything."
     Sora and Kairi leaned closer to each other, but as they did, the skies above them began to light up.  Looking towards the castle, the first series of lanterns began to fill the evening skies.  From boats and streets all over the kingdom, the lights began to float into the sky and shine with the light beckoning the lost princess to them.
     Kairi called her Keyblade to her hand.  "Let's light the skies, Sora."
     Sora nodded and summoned his to his hand.  Each tapped their friend's and they lit up as the others had done.  Taking the lanterns in their hands, they gently bumped them into the sky and they floated up and away with their counterparts.  Leaning back, Sora reclined himself back on the bow of the boat to get a better view of their lanterns.  To his surprise, he looked down and saw Kairi rest herself at his side, her head laying on his chest.  He expected her to jump back in place, but the smile she bore made him all the more confident.  The two sat and enjoyed the night skies above them, never wanting the moment to end.