~ by David Glenn
Everyone in Disney Town was bright and happy, glowing with joy like the sunlight on the freshly fallen snow. All throughout the world, people were busying themselves getting ready for the upcoming Christmas festival. Some people shoveled the snow out of the streets, while others finished their last-minute shopping before the stores closed for the holiday. No matter where you looked, everyone was smiling and whistling carols for the season.
The biggest preparations, however, were going on in the large castle that overlooked the town. Inside his throne room, Mickey Mouse himself was also helping to prepare for the season. As the broom servants swept and cleaned the halls, the King made sure that everything was perfect. Straightening the red jacket with black sleeves which he wore over matching shorts, he finally found the person he’d been looking for.
“Oh, Donald. Perfect timing. How’s the rest of the castle?”
“All ready for the season, Your Majesty.” The court wizard smiled at his monarch. He was dressed in the blue and black robes which he formally wore on this world, and a purple hat that was similar to the ones that Merlin and Yen Sid wore, save that it was curved and bent at the top. “I used a little magic to give it an extra special shine.”
“Great. Now, as soon as we finish the tree, we’ll be ready for the best party this world has ever seen.” The King smiled.
“Not just the best party. This will be the most magical Christmas in our history,” a gentle voice said, earning the attention of everyone in the room. Queen Minnie was dressed in her traditional pink gown with its three large buttons. The crown that decorated her head was shaped like the round head and ears that served as the royal insignia for their world. “It’s the least we can do to thank our friends.”
“By golly, it is! Did you remember to send the invitations, Donald?” Mickey asked.
“Yes, I remembered to send the invitations. I wouldn’t mess that up, unlike a certain someone.”
The Queen waved her finger at him. “Now, now, Donald. That’s not the way to talk at Christmas. Especially not after meeting Santa in person like you said you did. Do you want to end up on the naughty list?”
The court magician gulped at that, before forcing a grin upon his face to show that he was determined to behave – at least until Christmas morning arrived. Turning back to his task, he used some of his magic to continue lifting ornaments to place on the massive Christmas tree, which towered almost as tall as the thrones.
With a smile, the King approached his Queen. “Ah, Minnie. Our world was so lucky that you were around while I was helping battle the Seekers of Darkness.”
“I was fighting them too… just in my own way. Just because I wasn’t with you, doesn’t mean that I stopped standing by you.” Minnie smiled back as the two rubbed noses. “Thankfully, those days are done now, so we can all enjoy the holiday.”
“Not everyone.” The King looked down. “Not Sora… wherever he is.”
“Don’t worry. He’s faced and overcome more dangers than most people ever would. He’ll come back. I know it!”
Her words brought a smile back to the King’s face. Before he could say anything, though, a crashing sound came from outside the throne room, earning everyone’s attention. Through the doors came the captain of the guard carrying a pyramid of food trays in his arms. “Goofy, be careful! That’s all the food we have for the party!”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ve got this. I won’t let anything happen,” he said, right as his helmet fell off and rolled under his feet. With a gasp he began rolling around on it, swaying back and forth in an effort to keep his balance while the trays of food leaned precariously with every movement. Everyone held their breath. One wrong move would cost everyone their snacks at the upcoming party.
Everyone’s hearts felt like they skipped a beat when Goofy finally fell forward. The trays of food flew through the air as if they were going to crash against the wall or on the floor, but to everyone’s surprise, the food somehow landed on its intended table in a perfect arrangement, without so much as a crumb out of place.
Dusting off his orange uniform, the captain just shrugged and chuckled at what had happened. “Gawrsh. Last-minute catering.”
“Be more careful next time, ya big palooka!” The court wizard yelled at his friend, steam shooting from his ears. “Do you want to ruin the party?”
“Now, now, Donald. That’s no way to act on Christmas. You wouldn’t want Daisy to be upset, would you?” Minnie chastised him, making the steam quickly retreat back into his ears again. He looked over at the Queen and gave a nervous chuckle.
At that moment, three ducklings ran in, wearing matching caps and sweaters. “Hey, everybody! They’re here!”
“Oh, boy!” King Mickey said. “Huey, Dewey, and Louie, can you please head into town and try to entertain them with some of the festival games? We’ll finish up here and send word when we’re ready.”
***
In the town square, a trio of armored figures emerged from the Door to Light, and as the door closed, their armor vanished to reveal three heroes who had fought alongside the Guardians of Light, against the Seekers of Darkness.
“I’m glad I remembered to bring a coat. It’s cold out here,” a woman with short blue hair said, though her matching coat with white fur lining was more like a cloak that extended all the way down to her ankles.
“It was cold back home too, Aqua,” one of her friends reminded her. He was a young boy who looked to be about fourteen to fifteen years old, with short blond hair that was spiked up. He was also wearing a white winter coat with matching gloves, to keep himself warm in the low temperature. “It feels like forever since I’ve been to Disney Town.”
“It wasn’t just you, Ven. Terra and I came on separate occasions, and now that we’re all here together…” Aqua’s blue eyes fell as she remembered their fallen master – the father figure in their lives. “I wish Eraqus could be here for this.”
“We’ll just have to make the most of it for him,” the final member of their group said as he looked around. He was dressed in a brown winter coat and had a serious expression on his face. “He would want us to enjoy this holiday.”
With a smile, Aqua took Terra’s hand in hers. “You’re right, Terra. He would want us to make the most of this.”
“There’s the others!” Ven pointed to a red and yellow ship that had appeared in the sky. The Highwind gummi ship served as the means of transportation for Donald and Goofy when they traveled around with the Keyblade’s Chosen. Now, however, it was used to help some of their other friends who didn’t know how to turn their Keyblades into gliders or have the ability to call on those weapons and move around between the worlds as the need arose.
The Highwind touched down in the middle of town. A door then opened up, and the passengers emerged.
“Man, I’ve got to ask King Mickey to install more seats in that thing, and that’s a fact I’ve got memorized,” the wisecracking Lea said as he stretched himself out; he was wearing a long black coat to ward off the winter chill. “Isa, you and the others are okay, right?” He asked as a man with long blue hair, and an X-shaped scar in between his eyes stepped down from the ship with a glare.
“It’s times like this that I miss using the Corridors of Darkness to get around. At least I wasn’t cramped that way,” the man grumbled.
“You know the rules. No using dark powers on this world. Be sure to get that memorized,” the redhead teased his childhood friend while they waited for the other passengers to disembark.
As the blond-haired Hayner emerged with his friends, he looked around at their surroundings. “Is this place always so cheerful?”
“I think it’s quite beautiful,” a brunette said as she exited the ship followed by a chubby kid with black hair. “I bet Pence, and I can get in some great shopping here.”
“I’m pretty sure all the shops are closed, Olette,” Hayner said. “We’re here for a party, remember, and something tells me everyone’s going to want to be spending time with their families now.”
The group of friends had to make room so that the remaining passengers could exit from the Highwind. As Roxas emerged from within the ship, everyone was reminded about how he and Ven looked exactly alike. To someone unfamiliar with this group of heroes, they would appear to be twins.
“You coming, Xion?” He asked, turning back to the ship.
“Of course, I am,” said a girl with short black hair, who was close to Roxas in age. She climbed down from the ship. “This is my first time celebrating Christmas.”
“It’s your first time, too, Roxas.” Lea grinned.
“Something I’ve got memorized.” Roxas grinned at his friend, turning his catchphrase against him. All the pyro fighter could do was smile at his buddy, pride swelling up in his heart. What did he do to earn such a great pal?
Emerging behind Xion was Naminé, who shivered despite wearing a white heavy winter coat and a matching pair of earmuffs over her long blonde hair. “I’ve drawn so many pictures of this world, and it’s so beautiful to see it for myself.”
“Seeing a world for oneself is different from reading or learning about it from other means,” Isa said as Xion helped her down. “I spent countless hours studying worlds during my time with the Organization, but….”
“But you never even left,” Lea teased him. “You were so busy playing supervisor and monitor for the Organization that you never checked out a world for yourself.”
“And how do you know that for certain?”
“Because we’ve been friends since we were kids.”
“Things change, Lea.”
“Not that much, Isa.”
“Okay, we get it.” Roxas laughed with some of the others. He had to admit that it felt good to have an honest laugh. When he was with the Organization, he’d been taught that he didn’t have a heart because he was a nobody. Even then, though, there had been times when he’d felt like he did have one, despite what he’d been told. These days there was no doubt at all that he had a heart of his own, just like Lea, Isa, Xion, and Naminé. And no one was ever going to separate them again.
While this exchange was going on, someone else had left the Highwind to join the crowd. Like Aqua, this man was a Keyblade Master, as well as being one of the most powerful warriors in the Guardians of Light. Long silver hair gleaming in the glow of the festive lights, he adjusted his yellow and black coat to keep out the cold. “Kairi, come on. Everyone’s waiting.”
“I’m coming, Riku.” With that, Kairi, the last of the ship’s passengers, emerged. Riku helped her down to the frosted ground, which had been covered with snow not so long ago. She was dressed in a pink Christmas outfit that complimented her short red hair. Any bystander would’ve noticed how Xion, Naminé, and Kairi all bore a strong similarity to each other. If they wanted to, they could’ve passed as sisters. “So, this is Mickey, Donald, and Goofy’s home. I wonder if Pluto is here as well?” She said, looking around.
“I’m sure he is,” Riku replied. “I know you two went through a lot when the Organization was in power.”
“Hey, ancient history,” Lea said with a shrug. “Water under the bridge. Now let’s just go enjoy… hey!” The pyro’s words were cut off as something cold hit him in the back of his head. Reaching up with a hand, he pulled some snow out of his mess of hair. “Okay, who threw that?!”
A trio of laughter turned the group’s attention toward a series of decorations, where three familiar-looking ducklings held freshly made snowballs. “We got you good!” Dewey said as he threw another snowball, this time hitting Ven on the shoulder.
Ven smiled. “Okay, you asked for it!” Running over to some snow, he made a large snowball and threw it at the ducklings. His pitch went way off course, though, crashing against the side of a building and earning a trio of snickers from the triplets.
“Free for all!” Lea cried out as he grabbed some snow and threw it at Louie. Louie ducked and ran from cover down an alley, with his brothers close on his heels. Most of the Guardians of Light followed after them, smiles breaking out on all of their faces at the fun they were starting to have. The only ones who didn’t join in were Isa, Riku, and Naminé.
As the group came out into another plaza, Olette let out a gasp. She’d been pelted by three well-aimed snowballs from the triplets. Taking the initiative, Pence and Hayner grabbed some snow that was lying around and formed them into balls of their own, which they threw back at their attackers. With a laugh, the ducklings managed to dodge them before throwing three more, making the boys shiver as the cold hit them hard.
Grinning from ear to ear, Ven and Roxas moved to help their friends. Ducking behind a bench and mailbox, the two lookalikes made some snowballs and threw them at their opponents. Huey and Louie managed to avoid getting hit while Dewey threw another snowball at them. The two Keyblade bearers managed to dodge the cold missiles, although Ven’s arm was grazed by a passing snowball. Preparing to counterattack, Roxas was surprised when he got hit in the back. “Huh? What?”
“Hey. I said it was a free for all, didn’t I?” Lea grinned from his spot. “Guess you didn’t get that memorized.”
“I did, though,” Terra said, as he threw a snowball that hit the pyro square in the face. Lea fell backward into a snowbank, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the usually serious guy’s radical change in attitude. Christmas really was a magical time of the year if he was actually having fun for once.
Laughing all the way, Huey, Dewey, and Louie ran down the street towards the old racetrack where they raced against Terra years ago. Ven and Aqua also had memories of racing on this track, but there was no time to enjoy the trip down memory lane as more snowballs were quickly sent flying their way. The blue-haired mage was forced to throw up a barrier around her friends, as well as herself, in order to avoid the projectiles.
With a giggle, Kairi scooped up some of the snow and formed it into a ball. Taking aim, the Princess of Heart threw it at one of the ducklings, just missing him by a hair – or feather in his case. As she ducked another ball from one of the triplets, she couldn’t help but think about someone she wished could be there. “Sora,” she quietly said to herself, losing some of the joy that the holiday was supposed to bring.
A bark brought her back to reality. Turning back the way they had come, Kairi saw a familiar yellow dog bounding towards her. “Pluto!” With a smile, she crouched down so that she could hug him. “It’s so good to see you again.”
“Guess we’re reuniting with all sorts of friends today.” Lea grinned while the dog gave the Princess a series of welcoming licks to her face, making her laugh.
The three ducklings stopped their icy assault. “He must’ve come from the castle,” Huey noted.
“That must mean we need to get back there now.” Dewey nodded.
“Then let’s get going!” Louie finished, as Pluto turned and ran back in the direction of the castle. The triplets took off after him, with the rest of the team following behind. They couldn’t complain because they were getting in their cardio and keeping themselves warm at the same time.
As the team passed through the gates into the castle courtyard, they saw that the topiaries there were also covered with snow. They didn’t stay in the gardens for long, as the dog kept on going, leading them through the maze of corridors inside of the castle, and stopping only when he reached the doors which led into the great hall.
As the team paused for a moment to catch their breath, what most of them thought was a humongous door turned out to be little more than decoration, as a smaller door opened up in its base. Several walking-broom servants emerged and took their winter coats from them so that they wouldn’t be too hot while inside the castle walls. Walking through the small door, they saw that the throne room had been decorated with streamers and garlands of Christmas decorations, and there was a massive tree filling the corner of the room. The room was also filled with a menagerie of anthropomorphic animals that were, in equal measure, both familiar and unfamiliar to many of the Guardians. At the head of them all stood the Queen and her King.
“Welcome to Disney Castle, fellow guardians,” King Mickey said. “We are so honored to have you here among us. Everyone here has heard of all that you’ve done to keep our home safe from the forces of darkness, so we decided to thank you by throwing you this special Christmas party. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Now, enjoy the party!” With that, he summoned his Keyblade, which reminded Kairi of Sora’s Kingdom Key except that the blade was colored blue with yellow stars and fired a stream of light from the end, which exploded in a series of lights looking almost like fireworks.
The party had officially begun. A band began to play a series of familiar carols, and animals began to pick their partners and lead them onto the dancefloor. Mickey was the first to start dancing with Minnie – of course – and they were followed closely behind by Donald and his sweetheart Daisy. The Guardians of Light began to look at each other with reservations. Sure, they’d been through a lot together, but some of them weren’t altogether sure that they were ready for commitment. There had only been two members who had been willing to take that leap, and now they were separated.
Minutes passed, and finally, the pressure of wanting to get in on the fun was too much for Xion. She dragged Roxas out onto the dance floor. At first, the former Nobody was reluctant to dance, but he quickly changed his mind as he looked into the beautiful blue eyes of his teammate and friend. Following the example of the animals all around them, Roxas and Xion became the first two in their team to dance.
While Riku, Naminé, Terra, and Aqua all eventually worked up the nerve to join in on the dancing, the rest made their way over to the snack table, instead. There, they helped themselves to an assortment of gingerbread cookies and holiday candy. Ven ended up in a conversation with Goofy, while Pence filled his arms with the goodies, earning a warning glare from Olette.
The only one not to join in the festivities was Kairi.
Seeing everyone smiling and having a good time made her happy, but at the same time, it made her long for her friend. She had tried to help during the Keyblade War, but Xehanort had overpowered her and according to the others, had destroyed her body so that Sora would be forced to clash with him and forge the X-Blade. After the Seeker of Darkness’ defeat, her friend had used the Power of Waking to find her heart and bring her back, despite being warned not to.
Leaving the great hall, Kairi retrieved her winter coat so that she could walk in the gardens by herself. She felt like she’d failed her friend, that the reason he was gone was because of her. She’d thought that everything would be okay when the two of them shared the star-shaped papou fruit and bonded their destinies together forever, but now she’d never felt further apart from… no. Sora was more than a friend to her. She knew in her heart that she loved him and that he had loved her in return.
“Sora, I’m sorry,” she said, looking up at the stars. “If I’d been stronger, Xehanort wouldn’t have used me to get to you. I couldn’t help you, and now you can’t be here with us. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas without you.”
As she gazed at the lights in the sky, she wondered how Sora would have responded to her. He’d probably tell her to not blame herself for what had happened, and to enjoy the holiday as if he were there. If she was happy, then he would be happy too. He’d probably make a funny face to try and cheer her up.
“Okay, Sora,” she whispered. “I’ll try. For you,” and with that promise, she turned and went to rejoin the party.
For more fantastic articles from our latest magazine issue ‘Disney’, please click on the below link:
F&F Winter 2019: Disney