Key of Harmony: Kingdom Hearts

by snivygamer97

Rating: teen
Tags: Kingdom Hearts, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Comedy, Adventure, Violence, Crossover, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe
Length: 6111

Rainbow Dash, Spike, and friends journey across multiple worlds to find and save them from darkness.

One day, the Mane 6 and Spike's lives are shaken up when the Heartless attack Equestria. Rainbow Dash wakes up on the Destiny Islands and Spike at Disney Castle only to learn that their quest to find their friends and save the worlds from darkness are now related. Join Rainbow Dash, Spike, and the Mane 5 as they journey with Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy to save the worlds from the plans of the Disney villains and beyond.

Published 2021-05-02 02:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-08-14 04:56:35 UTC

Twilight to a New Journey

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what had just happened. It happened too quickly. One moment her friends were all hanging out at Twilight’s castle in Canterlot, trying to go over the current state of Equestria one year after she took over for Celestia and Luna. The next, however, some strange dark creatures had appeared around them and were trying to do them harm.

They all did their best in order to fight off the creatures. However, it eventually became clear that they were fighting a losing battle.

“What are these varmits?” Applejack wanted to know as she punched one of them, the creature disappearing in a puff of smoke.

“I don’t know, but I doubt that they’re here for anything good,” Rarity responded as she blasted one with magic from her horn.

“I wanted to think they wanted to relax, but they aren’t. Otherwise they wouldn’t be trying to scratch us,” Pinkie Pie commented.

“W-Where do you think that they came from?” Fluttershy asked, curious as to where these dark creatures originated from.

“I don’t know and I don’t care. All I know is that we need to stop them before they harm any innocent creatures,” Rainbow said as she kicked a dark creature.

“Rainbow, we need to focus more on stopping them. That much is accurate. However, I don’t think we’ll stand much of a chance. They just keep on coming!” Twilight yelled, running out of hope.

“Twilight’s right. We may want to evacuate the city and flee while we still can,” Spike suggested.

Unfortunately, before the group could act on that idea, the castle began to be torn apart by a dark tornado that started to suck up all that it could. The group of seven tried to avoid being sucked in, but in the end they were unable to escape the tornado and were forcibly trapped in the tornado, falling unconscious as they sucked in.
______________________________________________________________________________

On a bright sandy beach, the sun shines warmly on the same spiky-haired boy, who opens his sleepy eyes and sits up. He yawns, starting to lay back down again, when suddenly a girl’s face appears in his line of sight.

“Whoa!” The boy jumps back up and turns around, kneeling in the sand. The girl giggles, hovering over him. “Gimme a break, Kairi.”

“Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here,” Kairi teasingly commented.

“No! This huge, black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe! I couldn't--,” Before Sora could continue, Kairi proceeded to smack him. “Ow!”

“Are you still dreaming?” Kairi jokingly asked.

“It wasn't a dream! Or was it? I don't know,” Sora was uncertainly pondering. He looks off toward the ocean, seeing the clouds billow in the sky. “What was that place? So bizarre…”

“Yeah, sure,” Kairi sarcastically jokes as she walks past him toward the water.

“Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up,” Sora asked out of curiosity as Kairi stared out into the sea.

“I've told you before, I don't remember.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Nothing.”

“You ever want to go back?”

Kairi thinks for a second before responding, “Hmm. Well, I'm happy here.”

“Really…”

“But you know... I wouldn't mind going to see it.”

“I'd like to see it too. Along with any other worlds out there. I wanna see 'em all!”

Kairi faces Sora as she asks, “So what're we waiting for?”

“Hey!” They turn to see a silver-haired boy wearing a blue and yellow outfit named Riku, carrying a log. “Aren't you guys forgetting about me? So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft.” He tosses the log to Sora, who falls over with a yelp, and walks over to Kairi. “And you're just as lazy as he is!”

“So you noticed. Okay, we'll finish it together,” Kairi decides with a giggle. She jumps up and down as Riku sits down next to Sora. “I'll race you!”

“Huh?” Sora is confused.

Riku replies, “What, are you kidding?” Riku knows that his friend Kairi isn’t the fastest. After all, she hasn’t spent time trying to get stronger like Sora and especially himself. However, he does like proving his strength to Sora, so he decided to agree to race.
Kairi giggles, “Ready? Go!”

Sora and Riku glance at each other before leaping up and racing across
the beach. They smile at each other as Kairi follows them, still giggling, even as she is a fair distance behind the two.

And so, the trio began to look for pieces to build their raft. Kairi began by looking for logs on the smaller island that could be accessed by a wooden bridge. She found a few logs, but she also saw a strange blue pony with wings and and a rainbow lightning bolt mark on her flank. Concerned for the strange creature, Kairi shook the pony to try and wake her up. After a minute of shaking, she heard the pony mutter, “Five more minutes.” Kairi was surprised to hear the pony talk, but she didn’t have time to think about that as the pony woke up. “Man. I just had the strangest dream, Tank. Some dark creatures showed up and attacked me and my friends before a dark tornado sucked us all up.” The pony then turned her head and noticed Kairi and was left surprised to see her. “Who in the world are you?” However, after a moment of thinking, Rainbow had an idea what Kairi was. “Oh, you must be one of those humans that Twilight was talking about. The name’s Rainbow Dash. What’s yours?”

“My name is Kairi,” Kairi responded. “I must say, I haven’t seen anything like you before. Are you a horse?”

Rainbow grew a little irritated at this remark. “Hey! I’m not a horse! I’m a pony! A pegasus to be specific!”

“Oh, sorry. I’ve read about some strange creatures before but I haven’t seen everything yet. So, what kind of world did you come from?” Kairi asked curiously.

“What world? There is more than just two? Well, I come from the land of Equestria. There are many different creatures that live where I am from, but the main species of Equestria are ponies like me,” Rainbow Dash explained. “So, what about here? Where did I end up?”

“You’re in the Destiny Islands. It’s a pretty nice place to live. However, me and my friends are trying to find a way to visit new worlds like the world I came from. Anyway, I have to get going. I have to help finish our raft,” Kairi said as she turned to leave.

“Wait! Will this raft be able to help me find my friends?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Maybe. Why? Did you want to help us and join in our quest? Because if so I’m pretty sure that Riku and Sora would say yes. They would be happy to meet someone from another world,” Kairi agreed.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Rainbow cheered as she flew up into the air, following after Kairi.

As it turned out, both Riku and Sora were indeed happy to meet Rainbow Dash. They weren’t able to do much talking at first because everyone was busy working on the raft. However, soon when everyone was able to get more work done on the raft to the point that it was pretty much finished apart from obtaining the food and water for the trip, everyone met up on the small island across the bridge and stared at the ocean. Sora and Kairi sit on the paopu tree as Riku leans against it, his arms folded. Rainbow, meanwhile, flew in the air right across from them.

“Whoa! So you’re really from another world?” Riku asked Rainbow, amazed upon seeing the foreign creature. “So, Rainbow Dash was it? How are things like…”

“What types of creatures are there in your world?” Sora bluntly asked Rainbow.

“Sora…,” Riku scolded, wanting to have asked his question.

“Well, there are a variety of different creatures. Aside from the ponies that inhabit Equestria, there are also dragons, yaks, griffons, changelings, hippogriffs, and various other creatures back home. You’d have to ask Twilight for a bigger list,” Rainbow Dash explained.

“Interesting. Maybe we can visit your world on our raft,” Riku said.

“Maybe. I need to get back soon. When I left, our world was under attack by some strange dark creatures. I can’t just abandon my home. Equestria needs me and my friends,” Rainbow Dash explained.

“Are you a hero where you and your friends come from?” Kairi and Sora curiously asked.

“You bet! Me and my friends stopped many threats from taking over Equestria and beyond. In fact, our most recent victory was over some long time threats we’ve faced before. But, we prevailed all the same. We’re awesome like that! Still, I hope that on our trip we can find my friends. You’d like them,” Rainbow informed the trio.
“I hope we do. So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right? Just like Rainbow’s?” Sora asked as looks over at Riku. Kairi places her hands on her knees.
“Could be. We'll never know by staying here,” Riku answered.
“But how far could a raft take us?” Sora wondered.
“I don’t know. Hopefully it will take us back to Equestria somehow or at least back to Canterlot High,” Rainbow Dash hoped.
“Maybe. Even if it doesn’t, we'll think of something else if we have to,” Riku said.
“So, suppose we get to another world,” Kairi began to ask as she giggled. “What would you do there?”
“Well, I haven't really thought about it,” Riku admitted. Sora rocks back and forth on the trunk of the tree.
“Wait, you haven’t? And you’re still trying to head off to other worlds? I love a good journey as much as the next pony, er, creature but that sounds a bit reckless and believe me that it means something coming from me,” Rainbow pointed out.
“I know. I know. Maybe I am being reckless. It's just... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, which I guess is the case considering Rainbow Dash here, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could've just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?” Riku revealed his reasoning to the trio.
“I don't know,” Sora said.
“Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just
sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go,” Riku told his friends.
“So that is why you are wanting to go to another world. Well, one way or another you’ll be sure to find your answer while we’re on the open sea,” Rainbow Dash said supportively.
“Thanks,” Riku accepted the thumbs up from Rainbow Dash.
“You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?” Kairi asked Riku.
“Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never
thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks,” Riku thanked Kairi.
“You're welcome,” Kairi accepted the thanks.
“Wait. Kairi is from another world too? That sounds awesome,” Rainbow was amazed.
“Well, it’s getting late. We should head on back home. Rainbow Dash, you can sleep somewhere here on this island, right?” Kairi asked. “I’d like to invite you back home, but I’d rather not risk any big trouble happening if everyone back home reacts poorly to you.”
“Hey, I can sleep like a filly just about anywhere. I can get a good night’s sleep with ease,” Rainbow said, proving herself right away by landing on the paopu fruit tree and falling asleep on the tree.
“Well, see you guys later,” Sora said goodbye. The trio starts walking back to the dock. Kairi leads the way.
“Sora,” Riku called to his friend. Sora turns around and catches a star-shaped fruit that Riku threw to him. “You wanted one, didn't you?”
“A paopu fruit…,” Sora realized.
“If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll
remain a part of each other's lives no matter what,” Riku reminded Sora of the legend as he walks past Sora. “C'mon, I know you want to try it.”
“What are you talking--,” Sora asked as Riku laughs and Sora tosses the fruit away. They all run back to the dock and head for home.
______________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, in another world known as Disney Castle, Donald Duck the court wizard walks proudly through the Colonnade of Disney Castle, looking for the king’s throne room and passing a group of brooms carrying buckets. Donald stops in front of two enormous double doors that lead to the throne room. He clears his throat and knocks on the doors three times. A smaller door just his
size opens and he walks through. “Good morning, Your Majesty,” Donald greets King Mickey. He walks down the long red carpet of the Audience Chamber toward a golden throne. “It's nice to see you this morn--.” Finally, Donald sees that the throne is empty. “What!”
All of a sudden, Pluto walks out from behind the throne, carrying an envelope in his mouth. Donald opens it and reads the letter. He blinks for a second, then suddenly speeds back out into the Colonnade. He races across the courtyard to where Goofy, Captain of the Royal Knights, is sleeping.
“Wake up, Goofy, wake up! This is serious!!” Donald yells, only for Goofy to not respond. Goofy continues to snore and Donald’s temper gets the better of him. He points his finger into the air, yelling, and summons a lightning bolt,
which swoops down and strikes Goofy in the side, jolting him awake. He sits
up sleepily and looks around.
“Hey there, Donald. G'morning,” Goofy goodnaturedly greets his friend.
“We've got a problem, Goofy! But don't tell anyone…,” Donald warned.
“Queen Minnie?” Goofy asked, seemingly in response to Donald.
“Not even the queen,” Donald confirmed.
“Daisy?” Goofy asked, once again seemingly in response to Donald.
“No, it's top secret!” Donald yelled, shaking his head furiously.
“G'morning, ladies,” Goofy called over Donald’s shoulder.
“What?” Donald turns to see a cross Daisy, hands on her hips, and Queen Minnie. Daisy clears her throat and Donald laughs sheepishly.
“We were just looking for you two. We found a purple dragon unconscious just outside the castle,” Queen Minnie explained as she moved a little to show that
Spike was with the duo. “He doesn’t know how he got here, but from what he could remember it seems like he went through a lot.”
“Trust me, I did. I don’t know where Twilight or the others ended up. I just hope that they are all okay. And Equestria as well,” Spike said.
“Anyways, what is it that you wanted us to be left in the dark about, Donald
?” Daisy demanded from her special someone.
“Um, well…” Donald began.
______________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash was sleeping like a filly on the paopu tree when suddenly she heard a voice.

“Well, well, well. What have we here? Looks like we’ve gotten one of the heroes of Equestria sleeping soundly on a tree on a foreign little island,” The cheerful voice said, making his appearance unknown to the pegasus.

“Huh? Who are you and what do you want?” Rainbow asked as she opened her eyes, annoyed at having been woken up. However, for some reason that she couldn’t explain, the area around here was muted gray with no color in anything around her. “Wait! Why is everything gray?! How do you know about Equestria?!”

“First off, I’d rather stay in the dark right now, so I’ll leave who I am up to your imagination. Second, it’s very simple, Skittles. With me, just about everything is common knowledge. As for the greyness, I can only appear in someone’s dreams like that Luna princess used to do. So, how else to show that you aren’t awake?” The voice explained.

“I’m… asleep still? Wait, Skittles?”

“Correctamundo, Rainbow Dash. It’s a nickname for someone as awesome as you.”

“Um, thanks? Hold on a second. What are you doing here, and what do you want with me?”

“Isn’t it obvious, Skittles? I want to help you get back home and protect your home. How’s about you let me help you, huh? I only ask for a small favor in return,” The voice offered, his voice darkening and deepening for a brief moment as he said favor.

“You’d really be able to do that?” Rainbow Dash asked the voice.

“Sure! And, as a show of good faith I’ll even give you a gift. Here, have some fish scales.” In an instant, some scales were plucked off of the fish swimming in the water and placed in Rainbow Dash’s hoof.

“What the?! What is wrong with you?!” Rainbow Dash demanded the voice.

“Isn’t that the question of this century,” The voice responded. “So, go ahead and tell me yes already. I have things to do and people to see.”

“Look, I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather go and find help with Kairi, Sora, and Riku. Together, we’ll find my friends,” Rainbow said.

“You really are loyal, aren’t you?”

“To the bitter end.”

“Well, fine. Have it your way. However, if you ever change your mind or want help with something else I’ll be here for you, Skittles,” The voice said before the grayness disappeared and the color returned to the island. It was now daytime and Rainbow could see Sora, Riku, and Kairi rowing over to the island. She considered telling them about her strange dream, but decided against it. After all, it wasn’t that important to let them in on this encounter, at least not yet.

Author's Note

Wonder who the voice belongs to? Well, you'll find out soon enough. Anyways, I wanted to write a Kingdom Hearts story starring the MLP cast that explores the main series so I decided to make this. By the way, I will be taking both from the Disney movies and from Disney shows for this story. Anyways, enjoy

The Journey Begins

“Good morning you guys! So, how’s it hanging?” Rainbow Dash asked the trio as they walked back to the back of the island to head to the raft.

“We’re doing great, Rainbow!” Sora exclaimed. “What about you? Did you have a good night’s sleep?”

“Of course! Like there was ever any doubt! So, what else do we need before we can take the raft and go?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“We’re almost ready. We just need to gather up provisions for the trip, which if we get done today means we can sail off tomorrow,” Riku answered.

“Awesome! With all of us working together we should have it done in no time flat!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as the group arrived at the raft.

“Perfect! Rainbow Dash, you can help Sora with gathering his provisions. Let’s see. Sora and Rainbow, you’re looking for... Five Seagull Eggs, Twelve Mushrooms, Eight Coconuts, Nine Fish, and fill this up with Drinking Water. But not from the ocean!” Kairi reminded the duo as Kairi handed Sora the canteen. “Bring everything back here. If you need help, just ask.”
“Will do! So, obviously she was reminding us about getting fresh water because of you, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“How do you know it wasn’t you she was reminding? After all, brains haven’t been exactly your strongest trait so far,” Sora teased.

“What?! But I-,” Rainbow Dash cried out, only to begin chuckling after a good few seconds. “Nice one, Sora. Anyways, we should gather up everything and report back to Kairi.”

“You have a deal there, Rainbow,” Sora agreed as he shook her hoof.

And so, the duo went off to find the provisions they would need for their trip. In about an hour, they were able to find most of what they needed.

The duo brought most of the starting provisions back to Kairi, who was impressed with how quickly they were able to bring together all their provisions. “Great job you guys! Now all we need is another mushroom and we’ll be ready for our trip tomorrow! You even got fresh water instead of sea water!” Kairi teased.

“Thanks, Kairi. Anyways, I’ve looked over the entire island and I haven’t been able to find any more mushrooms,” Rainbow Dash explained.

“Well, there is the Secret Spot. We can always look there. I remember seeing signs of a mushroom growing a little while ago,” Sora pointed out.

“Perfect! You guys go look there!” Kairi said as she went back to a personal project.

Just as the two were about to head back to the Secret Spot, they ran into Riku. “Hey, Sora, Rainbow Dash. Our raft still needs a name. Let's see... How about Highwind? What would you guys call it?”

“Me? Well...hm... Excalibur!” Sora exclaimed as he came up with a name.

“Yeah! I agree with Sora! We should call it Excalibur!” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“Well, Kairi was fine with the name I picked out, so I’d say we have a tie. We just need a tie breaker for the ship’s name. Hey, how about…” Riku said.

“The usual?” Sora asked, realizing what Riku was thinking.

“Let's do it!”

Meanwhile, Kairi appears on the wooden bridge nearby. “You guys at it again? All right, I'll be the judge. The usual rules apply. Take any route you want... First one to tag that tree and make it back here wins,” Kairi reminded the duo of their race.

“Oh, a race?! Can I race too?” Rainbow Dash asked the pair.

“Sure thing! So, if I win, I'm captain! And if you win Riku…” Sora was deciding.

“I get to share the paopu with Kairi,” Riku suddenly said.

“Huh?” Sora was confused.

“Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi,” Riku explained.

“Wha... Wait a minute…,” Sora was caught off guard.

“Hold on. What is the paopu fruit anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“Okay! On my count!” Riku, Rainbow Dash, and Sora were ready to race “Three! Two! One! Go!” She slices through the air with her hand and both Sora and Riku race across the bridge. The two are neck and neck until one of the boards on the bridge collapses, sending Riku into the water. Sora takes this chance to run past the lookout tower and across the bridge. He runs up the hill towards the star tree, seeing Riku catching up to him, by jumping across the tops of the palm trees nearby. Sora quickly tags the tree and races back to the starting line. Sora throws a fist into the air in success.

“Now the score’s 1 to 1!” Sora cheered until he noticed that Rainbow Dash was already there before him. “Wait. How did…”

“Simple. I can fly really fast. In fact, there isn’t really many if any ponies or any other creatures that can outspeed me!” Rainbow Dash explained.

“Well, I still won against Riku, so yeah!” Sora was happy at the results in spite of being in second.

“Man, lighten up. It’s just a name, after all.” Riku teased, much to Sora’s frustration.

“Hey, Sora, if you don’t mind I would like to go with Rainbow Dash instead if you don’t mind,” Kairi decided, having changed her mind.

“Really? Well, okay. I’ll meet you guys back at the raft,” Sora agreed as he headed for the raft.

“So, Rainbow, how are things going with you?” Kairi curiously asked the blue pegasus.

“Things are going fine, I guess. I just want to find my friends is all. I’m kinda worried. I know they can take care of themselves, but these shadow creatures are something else. I don’t know if they’ll be okay or not when we find them,” Rainbow admitted.

“I wouldn’t worry. After all, between the four of us, we’ll find them and they’ll be fine,” Kairi comforted.

“Thanks, Kairi. I can’t believe we’re about to set sail out on the open sea. I hope you three will find it to your liking,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Don’t worry. We will.”

“So, are you just friends with Sora and Riku, or do you have feelings for one of them?” Rainbow bluntly asked.

At this, Kairi stopped before saying with a blush on her face. “Well… Both Sora and Riku are my best friends, but I’ve always had a bit of a crush on Sora for as long as I can remember. He can be a bit of a hassle and I do like to mess with him at times, but I do love him. I just don’t know if he returns these feelings. What about you? Do you have any crushes back at home?

“Well, don’t tell her I said so, but I do have a crush on Applejack from back at home. I don’t know when I started to feel this way, but I do,” Rainbow Dash answered.

“So we both have a crush, huh? Well, I wish you luck for it working out,” Kairi said.

“Thanks, you too,” Rainbow Dash said.

Kairi and Rainbow Dash enter the Secret Place and walk through an underground tunnel, with roots lining the walls. They two girls reached a room made of walled boulders with chalk drawings scrawled on them. The only light is from a small hole in the ceiling. Kairi sees the last mushroom Sora commented on near a wooden board in the wall and plucks it from the ground. Behind the mushroom is an old drawing of Kairi and Sora that brings memories flooding back to her. She kneels on the ground, placing a hand on the drawing of Sora with a soft smile. Her mind flashes back to the two of them as 5 year olds when they drew each other on the walls. Kairi sits, picking up a rock and begins carving. She stops and stares at her work. She is giving Sora a paopu fruit. Suddenly, she hears a noise behind her and stands up swiftly.

“Wh-who’s there?” Rainbow Dash demands.

“Yeah, and if you don’t mind, why are you here?” Kairi asked.

A mysterious figure in a brown cloak answers, “I’ve come to see the door to this world.”

“Huh?” Kairi and Rainbow were confused, both by what was said and who was saying it as they haven’t noticed the figure yet..

“This world has been connected,” The figure vaguely explains.

“Wh-What are you talking about?” Kairi asks, confused.

“Tied to the darkness... Soon to be completely eclipsed,” The figure refuses to answer clearly.

“Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this!” Rainbow shoots back.

“Yeah! Who are you anyway? You don’t sound like anyone I’ve met on the islands,” Kairi wonders as she turns and sees where the voice came from.She notices a hooded figure standing in the shadows. An X is emblazoned upon its chest.

“Wh-Where did you come from? If you aren’t from the islands like Kairi said, then where did you come from?” Rainbow Dash demanded.

“You do not yet know what lies beyond the door,” The figure says, still refusing to answer.

“Wait, if you aren’t from the islands, then you must be from another world, just like Rainbow Dash! Am I right?” Kairi asks.

“There is so very much to learn. You understand so little,” The figure mocks coolly.

“Can you stop with the cryptic talk and just talk to us like people?!” Rainbow Dash demands as the figure remains quiet.”Oh, yeah? Well, you’ll see. We’re gonna get out and learn what’s out there!”

“A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing,” The figure says before disappearing.

“Well, yeah! Fine! We didn’t wanna know who you were anyway!” Rainbow yells as she sticks out her tongue.

“Um, Rainbow Dash? Maybe we shouldn’t be so mean. I know he wasn’t the nicest, but it isn’t like he was trying to hurt anyone,” Kairi warned.

“I know. But what do you think he meant by what he was saying?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I’m not sure. I doubt the others will believe us if we told them. Maybe we should just remain quiet for the time being. After all, if that man wanted to harm us, he would have done so already. So I doubt anything bad will happen if we keep things a secret,” Kairi suggested.

“Um, okay. But if that guy comes back and proves to be trouble, then I’ll clobber him!” Rainbow Dash said, much to Kairi’s discomfort.

Later during the sunset, Sora and Kairi sit at the edge of the dock.

“You know, Riku has changed,” Kairi pointed out.

“What do you mean?” Sora asked.

“Well…,” Kairi begins before she grows silent.

“You okay?” Sora asks in concern.

“Sora, let’s take the raft and go—just the two of us!” Kairi jokingly suggests.

“Huh?” Sora asks, confused at the request.

“Just kidding,” Kairi says.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re the one that’s changed, Kairi,” Sora points out.

“Maybe... You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I’m ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here,” Kairi says as she turns to face Sora. “Right?”

“Yeah, of course!” Sora reassures.

“That’s good,” Kairi sighs in relief. She pauses for a moment, considering revealing her feelings to Sora. However, she changes her mind and instead says, “Sora, don’t ever change.”

“Huh?” Sora is confused.

Kairi stands up and takes a final look over the ocean. Sora stares up at her as she ends their conversation by saying, “I just can’t wait. Once we set sail, it’ll be great.”

Sora follows her gaze as the sun sets, with Rainbow finding the scene to be fairly sweet, even though she doesn’t want to admit it.

Meanwhile in the Library of Disney Castle, Donald reads the letter aloud to Daisy and Queen Minnie as well as to Spike and Goofy.

“Donald, Sorry to rush off without sayin’ goodbye, but there’s big trouble brewin’. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin’ out, one by one. And that means disaster can’t be far behind. I hate to leave you all but I’ve gotta go check into it. There’s someone with a “key”—the Keyblade to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him. Got it? We need that key or we’re doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon. He’ll point you in the right direction.

P.S. Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal.”

The letter is signed with the King’s seal. Pluto sleeps in his bed as the group muses over the King’s words.

“Oh, dear! What could this mean?” Daisy asks in concern.

“It means we’ll just have to trust the king,” Minnie calmly decides.

“Gawrsh, I sure hope he’s all right,” Goofy is worried.

“I know. If he’s anything like Twilight then hopefully he’ll be fine. I do wonder, though. If the stars are worlds… Do you think those shadow creatures are responsible for the worlds vanishing?” Spike wondered.

“It could be. This isn’t the only tale I’ve heard like that. But regardless, I’d be careful out there,” Queen Minnie said to Donald and Goofy.

“Your Highness. Don’t worry. We’ll find the king and this “key,”” Donald reassured.

“Thank you, both of you,” Minnie was grateful for the assistance.

“Daisy, can you take care of the—” Donald began to ask.

“Of course. You be careful, now, both of you,” Daisy wished them well.

“Wait! I know it may be a lot to ask, but can I come with you? I have a very powerful fire breath and can be of much help on your journey. Please! I want to find Twilight and the others. They’re my family,” Spike pleaded, his voice hitching as he said the last part.

Donald thought for a moment before deciding. “Fine. You can come. But don’t get in the way,” Donald decided, not wanting to see the kid hurt on his watch.'

“That’s very nice of you, Donald. Oh, and to chronicle your travels, he will accompany you,” Minnie says as she points toward the desk. Donald peers closer, seeing a small bug jumping on the table.

“Over here!” The bug yells out. The cricket stops jumping once he has Donald’s attention. “Cricket’s the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service.” He bows with his top hat in his hand.

“We hope for your safe return. Please help the king,” Minnie gratefully says.

Donald stands at attention. Joining Minnie and Daisy, Goofy salutes him, before Donald yanks him out the door, with Donald yelling, “You’re coming, too!”

They walk down the stairs under the courtyard to the Gummi Ship Control Room. The mouse-eared lights on the wall are dim in the dark hallway. Donald walks ahead as Jiminy hangs on to Goofy’s helmet.

“Gawrsh, Jiminy, your world disappeared, too?” Goofy asked Jiminy.

“It was terrible. We were scattered. And as far as I can see, I’m the only one who made it to this castle,” Jiminy revealed.

“So, I’m not the only one to have to deal with these shadows,” Spike realized.

“Goofy?” Donald remarks sternly.

“Oh, right… I gotcha. Ya mean, while we’re in other worlds, we can’t let on where we’re from. We’ve gotta protect the world border,” Goofy explains.

““Order.”” Donald corrects.

“Right. World order,” Goofy laughs as Donald sighs.

“So, is there any reason we can’t break the world order? After all, it would probably do more harm than good to keep it a secret,” Spike suggested.

“Look, the last thing we want is for the residents of other worlds to panic or for threats exclusive to that world to become bigger threats. So, for those reasons we need to keep the worlds a secret,” Donald explained.

“Okay then. You do make a good point. Let’s just hope that we can find everyone with that restriction,” Spike said as the group walked through a crown shaped door.

“I guess we’ll need new duds when we get there,” Goofy said.

“So, where is the portal to get us to the other worlds?” Spike asked.

“Where we’re going, we won’t need a portal!” Donald said. They enter the Gummi Ship Control Room, walking across the tiled floor. The whirring of machines fills the air as giant gears spin along the walls. Mechanical arms hang down from the ceiling around a small orange spaceship. The dome of the cockpit reveals three seats. Donald walks toward a large golden tube and puts a hand to his mouth. “Hello up there? Donald Duck to launch crew! Anytime you’re ready.”
In a hanging control booth, Donald’s voice echoes out of the other end of the tube into the ears of a black-nosed chipmunk wearing an apron. Chip salutes and a second chipmunk, this time with a red nose, runs toward a control panel. Dale jumps up to turn a blue lever. Steam billows out of pipes in the ceiling as more gears spin on the walls. Dale leaps to the window and the two chipmunks watch a mechanical hand move across the room. The hand picks up Goofy, carrying him upside down with his arms outstretched. Donald, at his annoyance of being lifted the same way, crosses his arms and frowns. Spike tries to fly away and into the ship only to be lifted upside down just like Donald and Goofy. As the cockpit opens, Pluto runs into the room and jumps into the Gummi Ship. A light spins on the wall as an interstellar runway opens, lights blinking along the path. A lift moves the rocket ship, aiming it at the tunnel, as Daisy and Queen Minnie enter the room to see their departure. Donald gives Daisy a thumbs-up and a wink as the rockets engines start up with a shower of flames. Donald points forward to the tunnel. “Blast off!!”

In the tunnel, a large neon arrow blinks on, pointing downward. The shaft below the Gummi Ship opens, and the ship falls through it, Donald, Spike, and Goofy all screaming in fear at the sudden dive. The ship drops out of the world and the engine bursts on, sending them into space.

As Rainbow Dash was snoozing on the ship near the port of the island, she dreamed of the shadow creatures that she and her friends encountered. Freaked out by her dream, she woke up to the sight of a storm raging, one not to dissimilar to the one she recalls that endangered her world.