The tall man muttered to himself, frustrated. He waved his hand, blowing the purple smoke away. Those Keyblade brats had messed up Madame Leota. They were more powerful than he had thought. In the faint light of the chamber, he saw his wispy shadow move on its own, shaking its head in confusion and annoyance.

"If those little brats are gonna be knockin' on our door soon," the man said, gently handling the talisman hanging around his neck, "we might need a little more… firepower." The talisman, a wooden pendant carved to resemble a demonic face, glowed red as he spoke.

The room was so dark that the man could not see his shadowy companion. He knew to tread lightly here, as well as be on his best behavior. Behind the stone table was the throne of skulls, and perched upon it was the Horned King. His robes ran down his form, weaving his presence with the color of dried blood. His skull-like face stared down at the man with vexed anticipation as his claws gripped the handles of his throne.

The man removed his tall top hat, revealing his messy, dark hair. He held the hat to his chest as he arced his back in a semi-bow.

"Master," he said in an affable, polite voice. "I know that I'm in hock to you pretty deep already, but it seems Madame Leota has gone and… broken on us… and I think I could use a little more firepower for when those brats arrive."

The Horned King's long fingernails dug into the skull he was clutching, scraping the bone and leaving visible gashes in the bone.

Before the Horned King even spoke, the man continued. "Now, I get it," he said smoothly, placing his hat back onto his head. "You wonder what's in it for you. What more could I possibly have to offer? Well…" The man opened his hand, releasing a flurry of thick, swirling purple smoke. As the man waved his hand, the magic smoke traveled from his palm and onto the round stone table, covering the top. The smoke glowed a golden glow and began to morph shape, and soon other colors appeared. The smoke swirled and shifted, until it resembled a landscape of swamp and forest, as well as a town on the water, with ornate buildings and green parks.

"Once I dispose of the Key Kids, I'll be runnin' my world. But the Heartless are all the company I need. As for all the people currently livin' there, well, you get all the souls you'll need to power the Black Cauldron for centuries. And hundreds of bodies, just waitin' to be reborn… just waiting to be yours."

The man waved his hand again, and his magic glowing display vanished, accompanied by the faint sounds of hundreds of small screams. The smoke and noise dissipated, and the man dusted off his hands with a confident, yet cautious smile towards the dark lord. "Have we got ourselves a deal?"

The Horned King lowered his head in frustration, but it was clear that the proposal was enticing. Without saying a word, the Horned King lifted his gnarled hand and waved it. A strange green light glowed from the center of the stone table, illuminating the dark room. The man's shadow appeared, a wide grin evident on its black face. Suddenly, it was joined by several other shadows: warped, twisted images. They appeared as elongated versions of the Heartless the man knew, only larger and cast against the wall. Their eyes glowed yellow as they surrounded the walls of the room.

The Horned King reclined back onto his throne. "The first world to face my wrath has been decided," he growled. "Do not fail me."

The man cackled as he looked around at his dark allies. "Now we're cookin'!" he cheered evilly.

"Next world comin' up!" Goofy informed his friends.

Sora saw it in the distance. It was a very green world, filled with vegetation of all kinds. The world could almost be spilt in two: one half, filled with lush swampland and dark green trees, dotted with docks and shacks; the other half, a bright, colorful city with buildings that looked similar to the Haunted Mansion, but much more well-kept.

"Where do we go?" Donald quacked.

Sora shrugged. "I'll set down by the edge of the swamp. That way we can do either direction." He flew the Gummi Ship towards the world.

It was twilight in the world as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi disembarked. Sora landed on a small wooden dock that jutted out into the bayou. Even on the edge of the marshland, the trees were massive, and vines and moss clung from every surface they could. The water below was murky, but still and soothing. The distant sound of crickets and moths could be heard in the air.

Kairi took a deep breath in, then coughed and crinkled her nose. "It kind of stinks," she said.

Sora laughed and shrugged. "Well, it is a swamp, Kairi."

"It's kind of nice, all things considered," Goofy said, looking out into the foliage.

"So," Donald quacked, "where do we go to find the Keyhole?"

Sora scanned the swamp, looking for a landmark or item of interest that might give them an idea which way to go. The trees parted to reveal a bayou nearby, but there was little else. He turned and looked behind him, seeing the tops of buildings poking out from beyond the treeline.

"Well," he said, "there's swampland over there and what looks like a town over there."

"Maybe we can split up?" Donald suggested. "Sora and I can investigate the swamp, and Kairi and Goofy can check the town. That way, whichever pair finds the Keyhole or a clue towards it will have a Keyblade ready to take care of it."

Goofy nodded. "That's a good idea. And don't forget, we also need to look for the object that'll open the next pathway."

Both Sora and Kairi were hesitant to the idea, but neither really understood why. Kairi shrugged and turned to face Sora.

"So…" she said sweetly, "I guess we'll meet up with you later?"

Sora blushed as he smiled at her. "Yeah," he replied. "See you in a bit."
Donald and Goofy grinned at each other before grabbing their respective partners' hands and pulling them in the direction they were headed. Both Sora and Kairi blushed as they followed their friends.

Sora and Donald walked on the dirt paths through the swamp, trying their best to stay out of the mud and marsh. Occasionally, Donald's webbed foot would splash into a pool of swamp water, making him grumble. Sora wiped his brow, looking ahead to see anything that resembled a Keyhole. In front of them, the dirt path was ending as the land dipped into the bayou, which was large and surrounded by trees. Sora stepped out onto the shore. The trees were fewer here, and the sun was low in the sky. The first hues of twilight were beginning to emerge.

"Well, we might have an issue," Sora said, putting his hands on his hips. "It doesn't look like there's much of a way around. We'll have to cross."

Donald stepped up to the waterline and peered ahead. He winced and looked at Sora with a raised eyebrow. "That water looks pretty murky," Donald said. "Kinda gross."

Sora shrugged. "We've swam through worse. Monstro's mouth was pretty gross too, remember?"

"Yeah, but-" Donald began, before a sound cut him off. It was a deep, low hissing, which ended in what sounded like a growl. Sora and Donald jumped back as three dark figures emerged from the cloudy water. Sora activated Midnight Spree as Donald pulled out his staff. The figures were Snaptrap Heartless: black, crocodile-like monsters easily as long as Sora was tall, with green and red spikes and scales running along their backs. Their eyes glowed a dark yellow, and they opened their massive mouths to reveal rows of sharp white teeth. Their long tails splashed the water as they clawed up onto land, which were tipped with a single large fin emblazoned with the Heartless emblem.

Donald quacked a mighty war cry as he cast a Blizzard spell at the Heartless, striking all three. The Snaptraps recoiled and hissed, but then pressed forward, snapping their jaws at the two. Sora and Donald jumped out of the way, and Sora stabbed down at one of their heads. The Keyblade's tip slammed against the Heartless' head and pinned it to the ground, but it did not pierce the scales. The Snaptrap roared and lunged, knocking Sora to the ground. The Heartless snapped its jaws and clawed at Sora, who rolled away in time for the claws to miss him. He jumped back to his feet, then jumped up onto the Heartless' back and began slashing at it. The monster tried to throw him off by writhing and snapping its tail at him, but Sora kept his balance and kept swinging until the Keyblade dug deeper and rippled up a portion of scales, sending the dark pieces flying.

The Snaptrap hissed and roared, then bucked violently. Sora attempted to keep his balance, but fell off. He landed in the dirt again, and the Snaptrap charged, gnashing its teeth. Sora quickly threw up his Keyblade and the Heartless bit down on it. It began thrashing, attempting to disarm or devour Sora. The Heartless' strength was enormous, and Sora struggled to keep the powerful jaws and sharp teeth away. Suddenly, a lightning bolt fell from above and onto the Snaptrap, striking it in the exposed spot on its back. The Heartless roared before falling and vanishing. Sora stood up to see Donald with his staff raised give him a feathery thumbs-up.

The other two Snaptraps split, one going after Sora and the other going after Donald. Donald hit the monster with his staff, but it clawed at him and sent him skidding back. Donald turned to put some distance between himself and the Heartless, but before he could run, he felt a terrible pain and pressure on his backside. Donald shrieked loudly in his quacking voice, bolting forward. The pain decreased as he ran, and he stopped to look. His posterior was missing a great deal of tail feathers, and his exposed behind was throbbing and red. The Snaptrap hissed, with several white feathers sticking out from its teeth.

Donald's brow lowered as his feathery fists tightened. He could almost feel steam rushing from his ears as his blood began to boil and his beak twisted into a tight frown.

"So," he growled, "you think you're tough, huh? Doggone, stubborn little… I'll show you!" Donald quacked a violent yell as he rushed in, swinging his staff. The Snaptrap opened its mouth to bite at him, but Donald rammed his staff down on the Heartless' head, slamming the creature's mouth shut as its head smashed to the ground. Before it could even recover, Donald was casting Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and Gravity spells on it, bombarding it with elements and force. He then cast an Areo spell on himself, surrounding himself in an orb of sharp winds. He smacked the Heartless' face with his staff again, shattering a large portion of its scaly armor. Donald's winds immediately began cutting at the spot, and Donald cast a Fire spell. The ring of flames that surrounded him struck the spot, defeating the Heartless.

The last Snaptrap hissed as it approached Sora, ready to attack. Sora raised his Keyblade in front of him, waiting. The Heartless roared and lunged, jumping off of the ground and opening its jaws wide to bite at Sora's head.

Quickly, Sora flicked his Keyblade downwards. "Force!" he called. The Gravity spell yanked the monster back to the ground. Sora lowered Midnight Spree until the bit was almost touching the ground, then slid towards the Snaptrap. The Keyblade rammed into the side of the monster so hard that the whole Heartless flipped over, landing with a thud on its back. Sora raised his Keyblade again and cast a Thunder spell, with the lightning striking the Snaptrap's exposed underside. The Heartless roared and flailed, so Sora kept casting Thunder until his magic power was drained. With a final bolt, the Heartless was vanquished.

Sora exhaled heavily. He looked out at the bayou that the Heartless had come from. As he looked, he thought he saw something in the dirty water. He had to squint, but made out what looked like dozens of faint yellow glows in the murk. He sighed in frustration when he figured out what they were: Snaptrap eyes.

Sora shook his head. "Well, we can't swim across," he said. "The whole bayou is full of Heartless. We need to find another way across."

Donald scanned the shore. "I don't see a raft or log or anything."
Sora huffed and crossed his arms, then looked back out at the water. As he looked, he thought he saw one of the yellow glows separate from the rest of them and begin working its way towards him. Then he noticed that the light was not a Heartless eye in the water, but a small glow flying above it. It was getting closer.

"What is that?" Donald asked.

"I'm not sure…" Sora began to respond.

Suddenly, a third voice interrupted them. "Whoo! Well lookie here!" The voice was loud, and had a very thick accent with a drawl. It came from the glow. As the glow approached, Sora and Donald could see what it was: a green firefly, with a friendly face full of crooked teeth and a large, bright thorax that glowed a golden light. It flew up to Sora and hovered next to his face.

"I never seen the likes of you 'round here before!" the firefly said in his heavy accent. "That was some good monster fightin', I tell you what!"

Sora smiled. "Thanks," he said.

The firefly backed up and flew around in the air in front of them. "'Bout time I introduce myself. My name is Raymond, but ever'body call me Ray."
Sora nodded. "I'm Sora. And this is my friend Donald."

"Do you live around here?" Donald asked.

"Well of course!" Ray grinned. "Born and raised in da bayou. Where'd y'all come from?"

Sora hesitated, careful not to talk about other worlds with someone who was not aware of their existence, so he decided to settle on a vague answer. "Actually, we're from a place far away. We're here looking for something. Do you know of something called a Keyhole?"

Ray chuckled. "No clue here. But if there's anybody y'all would want to talk to 'bout such things, it'd be Mama Odie. She the voodoo queen of da bayou. She got magic and spells and all kinds of hoodoo."

Sora glanced at Donald. "Maybe she could help us," he said. Donald nodded.

Sora turned back to Ray. "Could you take us to her?"

Ray laughed again. "Shoot, I'll show you da way! I lead you through safe path through da bayou!" Ray's glow brightened so he was more visible. The sky was growing gradually darker, so his glow was even more noticeable. "Just follow da bouncin' butt!" With that, Ray turned and began flying down across the edge of the water towards the trees, keeping a pace fast enough to lead the way but not fast enough to lose his followers. Sora and Donald followed after the firefly as he flew through a mess of vines covering the trees. Sora activated Midnight Spree and hacked through them, revealing a path in the shady woods. He smiled as he and Donald followed Ray.

The sun was getting low as Kairi and Goofy walked into the town. The buildings were either white and ornate or colorful and quaint, and lush patches of green grass and moss dotted the landscape. The streets were a smooth cobblestone, and flags and banners hung from railings, fluttering in the breeze.

"This is a nice place," Kairi commented.

Goofy nodded. "So, where d'ya think the Keyhole is?"

Kairi scanned the environment. There were buildings of every color, adorned with signs and advertisements, but none seemed to stand out as being landmarks of special importance.

As she looked, she thought she heard a sound like a scream. She turned around to look behind her, she heard it again, but this time could make it out as a pair of screams. Behind her was a metal gate. Behind it were dark grey tombstones and mausoleums scattered on wet dirt, with a dead oak in the center. Kairi huffed when she saw it.

"Great," she said. "More graveyards."

Then, to her surprise, the sources of the screaming rounded a corner right in front of the gate. They were coming towards her.

"What?" Kairi asked, confused.

Goofy squinted. "It's a pair of little frogs!" he said.

The two frogs were hopping down the cobblestone street towards them. One was a darker shade than the other, and there was no doubt that they were the ones yelling.

"Help!" a female voice cried from the lighter frog.

"They're gaining on us!" a male voice called from the darker frog.

"Who?" Kairi asked. However, her question was answered when a group of Heartless rounded the corner. There were a pair of Acidic Orchestras, two Neoshadows, and a short, humanoid Heartless. It appeared to be made out of patchwork, consisting of dark blacks, reds, purples, and greens with sickly yellow stitching, with the Heartless emblem stitched crookedly to its chest. Its eyes appeared to be black buttons, and in its fists were oversized sewing pins with red heads. Under its button eyes was its mouth, which resembled a misshapen tear in the fabric, with strands of the yellow thread zigzagging across its smiling black maw. It was a Stitch Doll.

Kairi activated Destiny's Embrace, and Goofy pulled out his shield. "Over here!' he called to the frogs. He waved them over to a potted plant on the side of the road, and the two amphibians hopped in and hid in the leaves.

The Neoshadows were the first to attack, both ganging up on Kairi. They dropped to the ground and seemed to melt into black puddles, which darted across the road towards her. Kairi jumped back as the two Heartless sprung out of the ground, swiping at her with their claws. Kairi swiped her Keyblade low, hooking the bit around one of he Neoshadow's necks and pulling it into the other, their misshapen heads clunking together as she threw them down.

Both of the Acidic Orchestras flew towards Goofy, charging up balls of acid. Goofy angled himself, then tossed his shield at one of them. It struck the Heartless and ricocheted into the other one, cancelling both of their shield bounced back to the first target and then back to the second, hitting them both a few times before one shifted position to let the shield fly away, bounce off a building's railing, and back to Goofy's hand. One splashed acid at Goofy, but he blocked it and charged, ramming the Heartless and destroying it before whirling around, jumping into the air, and spiking the other Acidic Orchestra to the ground, defeating it as well.

The Neoshadows clawed at Kairi, but she managed to dodge. She angled her feet and quickly slid across the ground in a half-circle, whirling behind the Heartless and hitting them both in the back with one swing. As she readied another attack, she felt a sharp pain in her back The Stitch Doll rammed one of its weapons into her back, causing a piercing pain. Kairi yelped and spun around to face the enemy, gritting her teeth. The Stitch Doll Began rapidly swinging its arms, stabbing at Kairi with its sewing pins. Kairi blocked, but then heard the Neoshadows approaching behind her. As soon as the Stitich Doll lowered its pins, Kairi pointed her Keyblade down and spun in a circle, hitting back her foes and creating a whirl of air and energy that pushed them back further. One of the Neoshadows vanished as it collapsed to the ground.

Kairi raised Destiny's Embrace to prepare for another attack. The Stitch Doll leapt backwards, then suddenly spat a ball of dark purple energy out of its mouth. The ball did not travel to Kairi, but rather to the Neoshadow. As the dark energy made contact with the Heartless, the Neoshadow's yellow eyes turned purple, and it began to spasm and shake. Kairi backed up, and readied her Keyblade to block. Suddenly, the Neoshadow charged, with a speed and ferocity that it had not had before. Kairi grunted and strained as the Heartless clawed and kicked at her Keyblade, attempting to break her defenses. When she saw an opening, she rammed the Neoshadow in the head with her Keyblade, but the impact hurt her hands more than it seemed to hurt the Heartless. She had to take out the Stitch Doll, but it was too far away.

Goofy, having just defeated the Acidic Orchestras, turned to see Kairi in peril. He threw his shield at the Neoshadow as Kairi broke away from it. Just before the shield struck, Kairi cast a Thunder spell, not on the Heartless but on the shield. Charged with electricity, it struck the Neoshadow, just barely knocking it off-guard. However, upon impact, bolts of electricity arced off of it, with one striking the Stitch Doll right in its open mouth, destroying it. The purple in the Neoshadow's eyes faded, and Kairi slammed Destiny's Embrace down on top of its head, destroying it.

Goofy put away his shield and turned back to the potted plant. "Okay, you can come out now," he said. Two pairs of eyes peered out, and then the two frogs hopped out onto the street. The female one got closer to Goofy as Kairi deactivated her Keyblade and walked over.

"Thank you so much," she said in a sweet accent. "We were in some mighty trouble there."

The male frog hopped over and held up his hand. "Well, I'm sure I could have handled them," he said in a suave tone.

The female frog put her hand on her side. "Oh really?" she said in an annoyed tone.

"I'm glad we were able to help," Kairi interrupted, hoping to keep the two from arguing.

Fortunately, it seemed to work, as the female frog turned her attention away from her partner and looked up at Kairi. "We've yet to introduce ourselves," she said. "My name's Tiana."

The male frog extended his body, rising up on his hind legs shakily, but bowing. "And I am Prince Naveen, of Maldonia."

Kairi nodded. "I'm Kairi, and this is my friend Goofy."

The prince strode towards her, giving her a cheeky grin. "Enchanté, mademoiselle," he said.

"So what are you two frogs doin' out here?" Goofy asked.

"Actually," Tiana said, hopping over, "we're people. Prince Charming here got himself turned into a frog by a voodoo witch doctor, and he accidentally cursed me too."

Naveen shuddered. "Dr. Facilier. The Shadow Man. Nasty man."

"That's terrible!" Kairi said. "Is there any way we can help you?"

Tiana rubbed her chin. "We're lookin' for a woman named Mama Odie. She's a voodoo queen that we heard can change us back. We heard she lives in the bayou, but before we could get to the ferry docks, the Shadow Man found us and sent those creatures after us."

"Well, lucky you ran into us," Goofy said. "Fighting those monsters is our specialty. If you point us in the direction of the ferry, we can help take you to Mama Odie."

"Really?" Naveen said, his face a wide smile.

"You'd do that?" Tiana asked.

"Sure," Kairi said. "Maybe Mama Odie can help us with what we're looking for. We'll keep you safe."

"How?" Tiana asked. "We're just a pair of defenseless frogs waitin' to be appetizers."

Kairi pondered putting her hands on her hips. As she did so, she felt the Summon Gems in her dress pockets and got an idea. She moved Maui's stone to the same pocket as Toodles', then pulled on the fabric of her now-empty pocket to open it wide.

"Tiana, you can jump into my pocket. Naveen, you can ride with Goofy."

"Excellent idea, mademoiselle!" Naveen cheered. He hopped over to Goofy, who lowered his open palm. Naveen hopped up onto Goofy's arm and jumped into one of his jacket breast pockets. Tiana hopped into Kairi's pocket and snuggled down into it, her head and hands peering out.

"So," Goofy said after everyone was comfortable, "which way to the docks?"

"The way we came," Tiana said, pointing back down the road. Kairi nodded and began jogging in the direction Tiana had pointed her to. Goofy follwed with Naveen in his pocket. As Kairi ran, she looked down at her pocket. "Are you okay down there?" she asked.

Tiana nodded. "A little shaky, but quite comfortable," she said.

"Good," Kairi said. She paused for a moment, then peered back down at the frog. "So why did the Shadow Man turn you into frogs?"

"I'm not too sure," Tiana said. "He tricked Naveen before the two of us even met, and Naveen said that Facilier was sayin' something about the Light of the World."

Kairi's brow furrowed. "Sounds like Dr. Facilier might be our enemy too."

Kairi rounded a street corner, and saw ahead of her a large wooden dock with a bright white steamboat resting in the water. She smiled when she saw it. However, before she could cross the threshold from street to dock, a Sitich Doll and a pair of Acidic Orchestras appeared out of thin air in front of her. Kairi skidded to a halt, activating Destiny's Embrace. Goofy hurried beside her, pulling out his shield.

"Oh no!" Naveen worried, sinking into Goofy's pocket. "More monsters!"

"We'll handle this!" Kairi said. "Tiana, get down." Tiana obeyed and ducked down into the pocket.
The Stitch Doll opened its mouth, and a mass of purple energy drifted out. It surrounded one of the Acidic Orchestras, which began to twitch and shake violently as its eyes turned dark purple. Suddenly, it charged and threw a blast of acid at Kairi, who yelped as she jumped back. The acid splashed onto the street, and a few drops hit her arm. She shook it, flinging the stinging liquid off. The Acidic Orchestra had charged and launched its acid attack much quicker than usual, no doubt because of the Stitch Doll's spell.

Goofy threw his shield, hitting the empowered Acidic Orchestra out of the air and onto the ground. The other Acidic Orchestra flew over and attempted to splash acid at him, but Naveen stuck his head out and opened his mouth. His long, wet frog tongue shot out, hitting the Heartless in the eye. The Acidic Orchestra staggered as Naveen recoiled his tongue, and Goofy took the opportunity to slam his shield down onto the Heartles, pinning it to the ground. He then jumped on top of his shield, smashing the Acidic Orchestra between the road and the shield.

The Stitch Doll lumbered over, swinging its pins violently as Kairi. Kairi blocked them with her Keyblade, then began her offensive. She struck the Heartless repeatedly in several spots, then swept its legs with her blade and sent it collapsing to the ground. As she raised her Keyblade to stab down, she was rammed from the side by the other Acidic Orchestra, sending her stumbling. She heard Tiana grunt from inside her pocket.

The Stitch Doll got back up, and the two Heartless approached her. The Acidic Orchestra launched another acid attack, and Kairi dropped and rolled towards her foes, dodging the projectile. She ducked under the Acidic Orchestra and charged the Stitch Doll, ramming it with her Keyblade and destroying it. The dark power that strengthened the Acidic Orchestra vanished, and Kairi hooked the Heartless with her Keyblade and slammed it to the ground stunning it. She stabbed down, destroying it.

Kairi peered down. "You okay, Tiana?" she asked.

Tiana peeked out. "Yep," she assured.

"Good, let's go!" Kairi said, turning to Goofy and Naveen and waving them along.

They ran down the dock towards the ferry, but then Kairi saw another obstacle in their path: a booth, with ropes blocking off the rest of the dock. The booth was a dark brown, with a ledge on the front and a window in the front. Kairi sighed and slowed to a stop in front of the booth. There was a tan sign, stating that it cost fifty Munny for a ticket.

"Shoot," Kairi said, crossing her arms.

Goofy inspected the sign. "Well, Tiana and Naveen are hidden, so we only need to buy two tickets; one for you and one for me."

"But that's the issue," Kairi huffed. "We don't have any Munny."

Tiana sighed, then glanced over at Naveen. He saw her looking at him and shrugged. "Don't look at me," he said. "I'm broke."

Goofy tapped his head with his pointer finger, trying to think of a solution. Kairi decided she should at least check her pockets. She did not bother to check the one Tiana was in, but she reached into her other pocket and felt around. She only felt the two Summon Gems. She figured they would not be much help.

Unless…

Kairi gripped one of the Summon Gems and pulled it out, checking to make sure it was the right one. It was a purple gem with a picture of a question mark. She smiled as she got an idea. Kairi took a deep breath, then pressed the gem to her chest. This was her first time summoning an ally with a Summon Gem, but she instinctively knew what to do. Her Heart beat fast from excitement.

"Light!" she called.

Suddenly, the area around her seemed to vanish, instead replacing everything with colorful and wacky patterns and designs, such as zigzags, polka dots, stripes, and spirals. She heard a trilling and looked up to see Toodles descending from the swirling sky towards her. She giggled as her friend spun around her, similarly to how it did when they had first met.

"Hiya, Toodles!" she said.

Toodles trilled with happiness and excitement as it flew in front of her. On its screen, it displayed four colorful boxes, displaying a Mega-Potion, a Mega-Ether, a bag of Munny, and a question mark. Kairi pointed at the bag. Toodles trilled and glowed with light, and suddenly Kairi felt something in her hand. She looked down to see a small red bag full of Munny.

"Thanks, Toodles!" she said. Her friend chimed and trilled, then flew away. The crazy colors vanished, and she was back on the dock with the Munny.

Kairi opened the bag and quickly counted its contents. "One hundred Munny," she said. "Perfect!" She extended her arm and dropped the bag on the booth's ledge. As if by magic, the bag disappeared, and two green tickets appeared in its place. Kairi grabbed them both and handed one to Goofy. As she turned her head to look back, she saw that the ropes had vanished as well. She smiled and hurried towards the ferry, careful not to jostle Tiana in her pocket. As she and Goofy approached the ferry, there was a loud honk, and steam erupted from the boat's chimneys.

"Hurry!" Goofy said, running up the ramp and onto the boat. Kairi followed, boarding the boat as it departed down the river.

It was dark by the time Sora, Donald, and Ray reached the other end of the bayou. The trees were thick around them, and the water was getting deeper and darker. There had only been a few small Heartless on the way, easy enough ones for Sora and Donald to easily dispose of. They now stood on a muddy spot of land, covered in weeds.

"How much longer?" Donald sighed.

"We almost there," Ray said. "Mama Odie's 'round here."

Sora hated to admit it, but he was getting impatient as well. Ray had been a fun and friendly companion, but he was worried that the firefly had taken them in the wrong direction.

As he pondered, he heard a splashing sound. He paused to listen for it again, but instead heard what sounded like foliage rustling and muddy footsteps. Carefully, he activated Midnight Spree. Donald signaled to Ray to dim his light, then pulled out his weapon and followed.

The two tiptoed as quietly as they could towards the noises, though the mud and water made their footsteps loud. Soon, it seemed as though the noises were right in front of Sora. He slowly reached out towards a patch of vines, readied his Keyblade, and yanked them back.

Something swung at him from the darkness, and Sora quickly raised his blade to block it. He looked down at the attacker's weapon to see it was Destiny's Embrace.

"Oh, Sora, it's you," Kairi said, stepping out of the foliage and lowering her Keyblade. Sora breathed a sigh of relief and deactivated his weapon. Goofy stepped out from behind her.

"Good to see you guys," Sora said.

"You scared us!' Donald said, stomping his flipper in the mud.

Goofy chuckled. "Gawrsh, sorry," he said.

Kairi giggled as well, then turned to Sora. "So, did you find anything?"

Sora nodded. "Kind of. Ray?" He waved the firefly over. The bug brightened his light and flew over.

"These are my friends Kairi and Goofy," Sora explained.

"Well hello, y'all!" Ray said. "My name is Raymond, but ever'body call me Ray."

"Ray?" a female voice said. Sora looked down to see a light green frog stick its head out of Kairi's pocket. Then, a dark green frog peered out of Goofy's pocket.

"Tiana? Naveen?" Ray asked. "Whoo-wee! I was wonderin' where you was!"

"Ray!" Naveen called, hopping out of Goofy's pocket and into the marsh. He hopped onto the muddy land. Tiana followed, jumping out of Kairi's pocket.

"Thank Evangeline youse is okay!" Ray said, flying down to the frogs and circling them.

Kairi giggled again. "Sora, Donald, these are our friends Tiana and Naveen."

Donald quacked inquisitively. "It looks like they already know Ray," he said.

"Ray was the one who told us to go see Mama Odie," Tiana explained. "But we got separated when those monsters attacked."

"Monsters?" Sora asked. He glanced up to Kairi. "Heartless?" he asked.

Kairi nodded somberly. "Yeah. It sounds like the Heartless are being led by a voodoo witch doctor named Dr. Facilier, or the Shadow Man. He turned Tiana and Naveen into frogs."

"Wait," Sora asked, confusedly staring down at the two amphibians by his foot, "you're people?"

Naveen nodded. "He tricked us…" Tiana cleared her throat and eyed him, and he corrected himself. "He tricked me, and turned me into a frog, and I accidentally turned Tiana into one. He said something about the Light of the World."

Sora rubbed his chin. "Sounds like he's bad news, and it sounds like he might know something about the Keyhole."

"So we're tryin' to find Mama Odie so she can change them back," Goofy said.

Donald pointed in the direction they were headed. "We're on our way to see Mama Odie too. We figured she might know something about the Keyhole."

"Well, it's a good thing we ran into each other then," Sora said, resting his arms behind his head.

Kairi was happy that she had found Sora and Donald again, as well as met Ray. However, there was a nagging darkness on her mind, as if there was someone watching her. She felt a presence and glanced right and left to see if there was anyone there, but she could not see anything but trees and vines. She glanced downwards at her feet. Her shoes were partially submerged in the shallow water. In the nighttime darkness, she thought she saw a dark form moving by her foot.

Suddenly, the dark form surrounded her foot, and she could feel a pressure reminiscent of a clawed grip. Before she even had the time to scream, it pulled painfully. Kairi fell as her leg was pulled out from under her, splashing into the muddy water and hitting her chin on a vine. All eyes turned to look at her, when she suddenly was pulled again into the water, dragged by an unseen force.

Sora yelped as he reactivated Midnight Spree. A flat shadow, which looked like an elongated Neoshadow, had grabbed Kairi and was trying to pull her into the deeper water. He jumped and slashed at the shadow, but his Keyblade just splashed in the water and Kairi continued to be dragged. He did not notice what appeared to be the elongated shadow of a Soldier Heartless appear on a tree trunk behind him. It wrapped its clawed hands around his throat and lifted him off the ground. Sora gagged as he grabbed at his neck, but his hand passed right through the shadowy figure. He swung his Keyblade with his free hand, but it just hit air.

Donald quacked with alarm as he rushed to help Kairi, and Goofy hollered and tried to help Sora. Goofy grabbed Sora's legs and tried to pull him back to the ground, but the shadow tightened its grip. Sora gasped and grunted as he was choked, desperately trying to get air.

The other shadow yanked Kairi into deeper waters, and before she knew it, she was submerged. She tried to breach, but black, two-dimensional hands on the surface of the water seemed to keep her down. She flailed and held her breath, activated her Keyblade, and tried swinging at the creature, but her blade just passed through it. Donald jumped into the water after her, casting a Fire spell and surrounding himself in magic flames, unaffected by the water. To both his and Kairi's surprise, the creature recoiled and backed away, allowing Kairi to surface and gasp for air. Donald lunged at the creature, which lunged at him. Before its claws made contact, Donald cast another Fire spell, and the creature vanished in a fizzle of light.

Goofy tried to get Sora down, but nothing was working. Sora's vision was beginning to blur, and he could hear his Heart beating quickly in his chest. He kicked and squirmed, but he could not free himself. However, even with his blurring vision, he saw what looked like the shadow of a Search Ghost approach behind Goofy, one that looked like an Invisible reach out towards Naveen and Tiana, and one that looked like a Darkball approach Kairi and Donald. He tried to warn them, but he just choked.

Suddenly, a projectile of light flew from the trees. It struck the shadow strangling Sora, which vanished upon contact. Sora felt air fill his lungs as he fell, gasping and coughing. Goofy caught him, and another light flew out and destroyed the shadow creeping behind him. The other two shadows recoiled in what looked like fear, before two more projectiles hit them and destroyed them as well. Naveen, Tiana, and Ray flinched when they realized how close one of the shadows was to them, and Kairi and Donald paddled out of the water.

Goofy helped Sora to his knees. Sora bent over, rubbing his neck and coughing. Kairi swam out of the water and ran over to him, sopping wet. She knelt down next to him and rubbed his back.

"Sora!" she cried worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Sora coughed and gasped again, but nodded. He inhaled sharply, finally feeling the pain subside. He continued to rub his neck, but sat up and looked in the direction the lights had come from.

From out of the mist came a short figure. As it approached, he heard a giggling.

"Not bad for a hundred ninety-seven year old blind lady!". The figure stepped into the moonlight. It was a short, elderly woman with dark skin and baggy wrinkles. She wore equally baggy white clothing and a white turban, and was adorned with massive gold jewelry. She had a pair of black glasses perched upon her nose, and held a fat wooden wand that glowed with light.

"Mama Odie?" Goofy asked.

The old woman nodded, shaking her wand. "That's right," she said. She blew on her wand, and he light dissipated. "Now. Which one of you naughty kiddies been messin' with the Shadow Man?"

Tiana and Ray glanced at each other, then looked back at Mama Odie and both pointed to Naveen. He smiled embarrassed, shrugging.

Mama Odie shook her aged head and walked a little closer. "And you," she said, pointing her wand at Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy, "I reckon you're here about the Keyhole."

Sora nodded as he stood up, finally feeling like himself again. "That's right," he said, rubbing his neck a few last times before dropping his hand and deactivating his weapon. "We were hoping you could help us."

"Lotsa people needin' help these days," she said to herself before turning around and walking back in the direction she came. "Follow me, y'all."

Sora and Kairi glanced at each other, but obeyed. Donald and Goofy followed behind, scooping up Tiana and Naveen respectively in their hands and carrying them. Ray flew up next to Sora and Kairi, and they all followed Mama Odie.

Mama Odie's abode was unique to say the least. It was a wooden boat, overgrown with foliage and vines and teeing with flowers and branches. It was nestled comfortably in a tree, held up by the sturdy branches. The heroes followed the old woman up the wooden and stone stairs and into the home. It was full of various items, such as stools, a torn but comfortable-looking red chair, a bathtub of bubbling red liquid, and colorful bottles hanging from string from the branches above.
"Juju!" Mama Odie called. There was a hiss, and a small green snake slithered from a hidden area and across the floor, slithering underneath a chair and between Kairi's legs as it coiled near the old woman. Kairi jumped as Mama Odie pet the serpent.

"What's the matter?" she chuckled. "Don't like snakes?"

Kairi tried to laugh it off. "We had… kind of a bad experience with one a little bit ago," she replied, thinking back with frustration to their encounter with Kaa.

Tiana hopped forward, following Mama Odie as she walked over to the bathtub. "We've been looking so long for you, Mama Odie," she said. "You can't imagine what we've been through."

"We've been looking for you too, ma'am," Sora said. "You said you knew about the Keyhole?"

"One person at a time, now!" Mama Odie complained, dipping her wand into the liquid. She stirred and sniffed. "This here is my specialty gumbo. Tastes so good, you'd think it was magic!" She cleared her throat. "Well, it just so happens that your problems are tied into each other."

"Really?" Naveen asked, hopping next to Tiana.

"That's great!" Kairi said. "What do we have to do?"

"It won't be easy," Mama Odie said. "Y'all are lookin' for the Keyhole to stop the Heartless from comin' though. But that darn Shadow Man has hidden it, usin' some nasty voodoo."

"Do you know where it is?" Kairi asked.

"Hush, now, child, and let me finish!" Mama Odie said. "Even if I tell you where it is, it won't appear for ya. That's because the Shadow Man has messed with the Light of the World. With the Light hindered, the Darkness hides all."

"The Light of the World?" Tiana questioned.

"The Shadow Man… he was talking about that when he transformed me," Naveen pondered.

"Of course!" Mama Odie exclaimed, pulling her wand out of the gumbo and walking over to her chair. She sat down as Juju pushed a footstool under her wrinkled feet. "That's because y'all are the Light of the World!"

There was a pause of confusion, and Tiana gestured towards her and Naveen. "Us?" she puzzled.

"Yes sir," Mama Odie explained. "You two may not know it of each other yet, but your Hearts are so pure and full of Light that they have kept the Darkness back 'til now. But now that the Darkness has grown stronger, the Shadow Man has got some new powers, powers no one should have. And he used that power to turn y'all into frogs, disheartening you and dimming the Light so that the Heartless could start comin' through."

"We have a pretty good idea where the Shadow Man got those powers," Donald huffed, tapping his foot.

"So, how do we restore the Light?" Goofy asked.

Mama Odie motioned towards Naveen and Tiana. "Y'all have to find what you need. When you've found your purpose, when you've found that which brings out the Light in your Heart, the Light of the World will be bright enough to hold the Darkness back again."

"So, we need to become human again?" Tiana asked.

"No!" Mama Odie yelled, sitting up. "You want to be human. But you're blind to what you need."

"What we want, what we need, it is all the same thing, yes?" Naveen asked.

"It's the same thing?!" Mama Odie said. "No! You gotta dig a little deeper to find out who you are, and what you need. I want y'all to go with these lovely people to the place where the Keyhole is, and spend some time together, talk amongst yourselves. Find out what you need, and Light will fill the world once more."

Tiana sighed, but nodded. "Okay, Mama Odie," she said.

"We'll do our best," Naveen said. He and Tiana looked at each other and smiled.

"We'll figure it out, right?" he asked.

Tiana nodded. "If we put our heads together, we'll figure it out."

"Good," Mama Odie chuckled. She jumped up from her chair and walked back over to the bathtub filled with gumbo. "Now," she said, "the rest of y'all, come here."

Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy and Ray hurried over to the bathtub. Mama Odie stirred the gumbo again, and suddenly an image appeared in the liquid. It was faint at first, but then it started to glow. It showed a glimpse of a street, but in the center was an iron gate with a cemetery behind it.

"This is where the Keyhole is," Mama Odie explained.

Kairi leaned in closer and squinted. "Hey," she said. "Goofy and I were right near that place when we met Tiana and Naveen. We were that close to it?"

Mama Odie nodded. "Yep. Keyhole's in that place, hidden by Darkness. And I guarantee that the Shadow Man and the Heartless are guardin' it. They're probably waitin' for you."

"Then we need to go there and rough them up," Sora said, activating Midnight Spree.

"You watch yourself," Mama Odie warned. "You listen to your mama now. Don't underestimate the Shadow Man. He's got voodoo, he's got hoodoo, and he's got Dark tricks he ain't even tried yet."

Sora nodded. "Thank you, Mama Odie," he said. "We'll seal the Keyhole. We promise."

As they all readied to leave Mama Odie's house, Mama Odie pulled Sora aside.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Just some heads up," Mama Odie said. "I know your power. I know your strength. I know what drives you. You think you know what drives you, and you're almost there."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Mama Odie shrugged. "Just know this: y'all need to dig a little deeper too. You've found what you need, but y'all ain't going for it yet."

"Huh?" Sora questioned. "Well, what is it?"

Mama Odie chuckled. "It's closer than you might think," she said. Then she called out, "Little lady? Might I have a word?"

Kairi turned around and walked towards them as Sora turned to prepare to leave. Sora and Kairi passed each other, smiling at each other. A strange thought entered Sora's mind as he thought about what Mama Odie had said.

Kairi watched Sora pass and hurry down to Donald and Goofy, and she approached Mama Odie. "Yes, ma'am?" she asked.

"You're a tough one," Mama Odie said. "But you gotta dig a little deeper too. Find out what you need."

Kairi shrugged. "Well, I need to master my abilities, so I can protect the ones I care about…"

"That's almost there," Mama Odie interrupted. "But becoming a Master is what y'all want. Dig just a little bit deeper, and you'll find what you need. And trust me, y'all don't have far to go."

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Mama Odie," she said. "For everything."

Mama Odie waved. "Y'all take care now, y'hear?"

Kairi waved as she hurried to meet up with everyone else. All of them waved goodbye to Mama Odie as they set off back into the bayou.

It was still dark outside, but it was clear that the dawn was swiftly approaching. There seemed to be a light in the darkness, emphasized by the twinkling stars in the sky. Naveen and Tiana had decided to hop through the bayou instead of ride in someone's pockets, and were quite enjoying the brisk night air. Occasionally, a small Heartless would appear and Kairi or Sora would swat it away, but they had yet to see any of the dangerous shadowy Heartless that they had encountered before. Sora and Kairi walked side-by-side, talking about their mission.

Then, everyone heard a gasp and a sigh. Ray flew higher and pointed. "There she is," he said in an enchanted voice. "The sweetest firefly in all creation. Ma belle Evangeline,"

Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Tiana, and Naveen all stopped and glanced up to see a star, glowing brighter than the others. It seemed to pulse with magic as Ray danced in its light.

Donald quacked. "That's no firefly," he started. That's-"

Goofy pinched his beak closed, cutting him off. He put his finger to his lips and shushed his friend.

Ray swayed back and forth in the starlight. As he did, he began to sing.

"Look how she lights up the sky
Ma belle Evangeline
So far above me, yet I
Know her heart belongs to only me"

As he sang, Naveen gestured to Tiana. "May I have a dance," he said.

Tiana laughed, but then realized he was serious. "Oh, no," she said. "I've never danced."

Naveen just chuckled and took her hand in his. "I'll show you," he said. He raised them both up onto their legs, and began to sway rhythmically with Tiana. She wobbled at first, but he kept the pace slow to keep her comfortable. She got the hang of it very quickly, and was soon dancing to Ray's singing.

Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy decided to take a rest. Donald reclined against a tree, and Goofy sat down on a spit of land jutting out into the water. Sora and Kairi sat down on a large log. As Donald and Goofy watched Naveen and Tiana dance, Sora and Kairi looked up at the star. It truly was beautiful. It was easy to see why Ray was so infatuated with it.

Sora and Kairi both leaned back, enjoying the break from the action. Kairi rested her hands on the log, breathing the night air in deeply. Sora stretched his arms, then set them down, placing his hand right onto Kairi's. Both looked at each other and blushed, pulling their hands away, with Sora setting his back on the log and Kairi folding them on her lap. Kairi glanced back up at the sky, but Sora glanced over back to Kairi. Her eyes twinkled in the starlight.

"You're my queen of the night,
So still, so bright.
That someone as beautiful as she
Could love someone like me"

Sora sighed, happy and content. There were dangers in every world, but he was glad he was fighting alongside Kairi. She had been his friend for so long, and he was thankful every day that they had been able to find each other again.

Tiana and Naveen finished their dance as Ray finished his song. Kairi kept her eyes on the stars, and Sora kept his eyes on Kairi.

"Well," Donald suddenly quacked, snapping Tiana, Naveen, Sora, and Kairi back to reality, "that was really nice. Thank you, Ray. But we should go before the Shadow Man can do any more damage."

Sora cleared his throat. "Yes, good idea," he said. He and Kairi smiled at each other before standing up and leading the way back to the town.

It was daybreak when the group reached the down. Half of the sky had the first rays of sunrise, and the other half was still darkened night. They walked through the streets until they saw the cemetery gate in front of them. Though sunlight was beginning to glow across the buildings, the cemetery appeared to still be encompassed by unchanging night. The shadows on the twisted tree and stone mausoleums were black and long, as if the sunlight was not able to breach past the gate.

As they approached, a pair of Snaptraps and a Stitch Doll suddenly materialized in front of them. The Stitch Doll had what looked like massive sewing needles in its grips, and it immediately began opening its twisted mouth.

As Sora and Kairi activated their respective Keyblades, Kairi called out to Sora and Donald. "That one there!" She gestured towards the Stitch Doll. "It can power up the others! Try to take it down quick!"

"The other two have really tough scales," Sora replied. "Try to hit their undersides or use magic." He then lunged at the Stitch Doll, slamming Midnight Spree onto its head. The Heartless' mouth was forced shut, and Sora took the opportunity to strike the monster right in its face, sending it flying backwards.

Goofy pulled out his shield, and waved to Naveen, Tiana, and Ray. "Go hide!" he said. "And don't come out until it's safe!" They agreed, and hurried to find cover.

One of the Snaptraps lunged at Kairi, snapping its massive jaws at her. Kairi held up her Keyblade, and the Heartless bit down on it instead. It began to pull, and Kairi had to plant her feet to hold her ground. She groaned and winced as she tried to pull away, but her feet were beginning to skid. Suddenly, Goofy rammed the Snaptrap, knocking it onto its side and forcing it to release Destiny's Embrace. It hissed and tried to get back up, but Kairi swung her blade down and struck its underside, knocking it onto its back. As the Heartless flailed, both Kairi and Goofy dropped their weapons down, defeating it.

Donald waited for the other Snaptrap to jump at him, then used a Gravity spell to send it crashing back down. He ran up to it and began rapidly striking a patch of scales, wearing it down until he was able to knock some off. As he readied to cast a Fire spell, the Snaptrap whipped its tail, striking Donald and sending him skidding back. The Heartless charged him, snapping its teeth. Donald quickly cast a Thunder spell on the creature's eyes, disorienting it so he could leap out of the way. As the Heartless tried to snap at him, Donald dodged and rammed his staff onto the exposed patch. The weapon sunk deep, and the Snaptrap vanished in a flurry of black smoke.

The Stitch Doll got back up, readying its weapons. Sora jumped at it, kicking it back down to the ground and landing on top of it. He pinned it down with his foot and began rapidly striking its head. The Heartless rammed its needles into Sora's foot, causing him to yelp in pain and jump back. The Stitch Doll got up and swung its weapons at Sora, but he blocked them and retaliated with a barrage of blows, destroying the Heartless.

Suddenly, three shadows emerged from the cemetery, the same ones that had attacked them in the bayou. One resembled a Shadow Heartless, one looked like a Large Body, and the third looked like a Stitch Doll. They slunk across the street, coming towards them.

"I've got it!" Donald quacked. He raised his staff and cast a new spell: a Light spell. A beam of magic light shone from his staff and hit the one resembling a Large Body, destroying it. The one resembling a Stitch Doll jerked away and into the shadows of the buildings, and the Shadow one lunged at Kairi.

Sora quickly pointed Midnight Spree at the shadow and used the same beam he used to seal Keyholes. The laser struck the creature, destroying it.

Suddenly, there was a yell from behind them. Everyone turned to see the last shadow grabbing Naveen and Tiana and Ray flew towards it. He shone his light, and the shadow recoil, dropping Tiana, but bolting back towards the cemetery with Naveen in its grip. He screamed as the creature dragged him.

"Naveen!" Tiana called, chasing after him.

"Stop it!" Donald quacked. Sora shot another beam, but the shadow dodged it and dragged Naveen screaming past the gates and into the dark cemetery.

"We have to save him!" Kairi called. She ran over and scooped up Tiana, and ran towards the gate. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Ray followed her into the darkness.

There was a cloud of mist covering the graveyard, making the tombstones and mausoleums even scarier. It was as if they had been transported back to the Haunted Mansion. The shadow dragged Naveen deeper, as his allies gave chase. Just before Kairi reached him, several more shadows emerged in her path, all resembling the shadows of Heartless. She was forced to skid to a stop. However, Tiana jumped from her hand and through the enemies, hopping quickly after Naveen.

"No, Tiana, don't!" Kairi called as Tiana hopped out of view. Sora and the others caught up.

"Naveen and Tiana are in trouble!" Kairi cried. "But these things are stopping us!"

Ray buzzed forward, lighting himself up. "Sora!" he called. "You, Donald, and Goofy go on ahead and save Tiana and Naveen! Kairi and I will stay here an' hold these rascals off! Go! Hurry!"

Sora nodded, and he and Donald destroyed two shadows with their magic. They ran through the gap with Goofy in tow, and chased after Tiana and Naveen.

"Be safe, Sora!" Kairi called.

"You too!" Sora called back as he charged into the mist.

Kairi readied Destiny's Embrace as the shadows surrounded her and Ray. Ray put on his meanest expression as he faced the shadows.

"Don't make me light my butt!" he warned. The shadows closed in, and he began destroying each one that came his way with his light. Kairi shot her beam at each one, pacing herself in order to keep up with the magic's charge. As the number of shadows began to dissipate, A Neoshadow and a pair of Stitch Dolls emerged from the mist. Kairi wasted no time stabbing one of the Stitch Dolls right in the mouth. It recoiled, and Kairi slammed her Keyblade into the side of its head. The Stitch Doll slammed into a mausoleum, vanishing.

The other Stitch Doll opened its mouth, then spat purple anergy at the Neoshadow. It stuck, and the Neoshadow's eyes turned purple as it shook and spasmed. Ray charged in with all his might, hitting the Stitch Doll in its button eye and making it stumble back. Kairi charged the Stitch Doll and rammed it. It swung its needles at her, and she blocked.

Suddenly, another shadow resembling a Gargoyle Knight crept up behind Kairi. Ray charged, blasting it with his light. He laughed as it vanished.

"Who's next?" he called.

Suddenly, the Neoshadow leapt towards him and clapped its clawed hands together around Ray. He grunted loudly from the impact, then fell to the ground. His light flickered as he moaned in pain. The Neoshadow raised its foot, then brought it down.

Kairi threw off the Stitch Doll, then swung and destroyed it. She turned and immediately attacked the Neoshadow, beating it until it was destroyed. He huffed, out of breath, then looked around. "Ray?" she asked, scanning the mist. She looked down, and immediately cupped her hands over her mouth as she gasped. "Ray?" she squeaked.

Tiana and Naveen got further and Further as the shadow continued to drag the latter away. Donald quacked and cast a Light spell forward, cutting its way through the mist and striking the shadow. It fizzled away and dropped him, but Heartless began to emerge. Sora, Donald, and Goofy caught up, then motioned for Tiana and Naveen to flee. They did so, ducking behind a tombstone as their friends rushed into battle.

"Naveen!" Tiana said. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "You… came after me," he replied.

"Of course," Tiana said. She sighed. "Truth is, Naveen, my dream wouldn't be complete… without you in it."

Naveen smiled. "What are you saying, Tiana?"

Sora struck down the last Heartless, then looked for more. The mist was beginning to clear, and he saw a figure approaching. It was not a Heartless, but Sora felt a dark feeling as it approached. As it stepped out of the mist, Sora identified it as a tall, thin man with dark skin and black hair and a thin mustache. He wore a dark purple tailcoat, black pants, and a tall top hat with a purple feather and a white skull and crossbones on it. He held a cane with a purple globe on top, and wore a wooden pendant carved to resemble a demonic face around his neck. He grinned a toothy grin as he looked at them.

"Gentlemen, enchanté," he said in a suave, but evil voice. He removed his hat to reveal a mess of tangled, dark hair before placing it back on his head. "A tip of the hat from Dr. Facilier. How y'all doing?"

Sora scoffed. "So you're the Shadow Man," he said. "What do you want with this world?"

Facilier laughed. "Let's just say I'm tired of livin' on the margins. The Heartless are much nicer company."

"Is that why you're working with the Horned King?" Donald quacked.

"Oh, y'all know about that?" the Shadow Man said, still grinning. "The Master gave me power I could never have dreamed of. And all I need to do to pay him back is a few small favors. One of which is disposin' of you."

"Where's the Black Cauldron?" Goofy asked, ignoring the threat.

Dr. Facilier laughed. "Forget trying to find it," he said. "The Master is gonna find it first, and then…" He chuckled and caressed his pendant. "All the magic I got in here will be the least of your worries."

"You're not going to defeat us!" Sora yelled, readying Midnight Spree. "You have no power!"

The Shadow Man's smile dropped and he pointed his cane at Sora. "Don't you disrespect me, little boy!" he yelled. "Don't you derogate or deride!" He waved his hand, and purple smoke flowed from his palm. The smoke mixed in with the mist and soon enveloped everything in Sora's view. As the smoke cleared, Sora found himself, Donald, Goofy, and Facilier in a purple-tinted open space, with colorful shapes and figures darting around the perimeter. More of the shadows appeared behind Facilier, including one that appeared to be his actual shadow, grinning evilly. Lime green smoke bellowed from an unknown source as the Shadow Man smiled again.

"You're in my world now, not your world. And I've got friends on the other side!" As he finished speaking, the shadows charged at Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Let's light them up!" Sora called. He blasted his beam at the approaching foes, taking out one immediately. Donald cast his Light spell at another, destroying it. Facilier scowled and tapped his cane on the ground. Two Stitch Dolls rose from the fog and began shambling towards the trio. Goofy readied his shield and threw it at the Heartless. The weapon hit one and bounced into the other before returning to Goofy, knocking both monsters to the ground.

Sora readied his Keyblade to shoot another beam, but felt something tug at his weapon. He looked to see Facilier's Shadow pulling his Keyblade away and holding it. Donald quacked and cast a Light spell, and the shadow recoiled and released the blade. A shadow creature resembling a Soldier Heartless attacked Sora, pulling him to the ground. Sora jumped back up and saw the shadows closing in. He and Donald glanced at each other, then signaled to Goofy. The three of them touched their weapons together, and combined their magic to create a massive ball of light. Facilier's Shadow ducked behind the Shadow Man as Sora, Donald, and Goofy finished their Trinity Limit, causing the orb of light to erupt and destroy all the shadows and Heartless.

The Shadow Man growled as he slammed his cane down, calling forth another Stitch Doll as well as a pair of Acidic Orchestras. As the Heartless approached, Donald whispered to Sora.

"This isn't good," he said.

"Why?" Sora asked. "It's just some more Heartless."

"Not that," Donald said. He motioned towards Facilier. "His pendant. It's where he's getting all of his power from."

Sora nodded. "Then we just need to destroy it," he said.

"That's the issue," Donald said. "We have to destroy it to stop him, but that's the object we need to open the next pathway."

Sora paused, then groaned. "You're right," he said. "This isn't good."

One of the Acidic Orchestras launched a ball of acid, and all three of the heroes dove out of the way to avoid being hit.

"We need to get that pendent off of him," Donald said. "Then Goofy and I need to keep him and the Heartless busy while Sora opens the next pathway. Then we need to destroy the pendent."

"Go!" Sora said, charging at the Heartless. He jumped and attacked one of the Acidic Orchestras, hitting it to the ground and stabbing it. The Stitch Doll spat its dark energy at the other one, and it shook violently before rushing towards Goofy at blinding speed. Donald attacked the Stitch Doll, but missed his swing. The Heartless jabbed Donald repeatedly with its pins before throwing him back. As Goofy engaged the empowered Acidic Orchestra, it suddenly splashed acid at him. The green liquid hit him, and Goofy yelped and hollered as he flailed and shook, trying to shake the acid off.

Sora defeated his Heartless, then rushed at the Shadow Man. Facilier's Shadow reached out to grab Sora, but Sora dodged the shadow's grip and closed the distance between him and the witch doctor. Facilier growled and swung his cane, and Sora blocked. Sora pushed the cane away and swung at Facilier, but the man vanished in a puff of purple smoke. As Sora looked around, He felt a blunt object strike the back of his head. He stumbled forward, then turned to see Dr. Facilier laughing behind him with his cane in had. The Shadow Man reached up and then swiped his hand over his face. The skull and crossbones on his hat vanished, and he suddenly had white face paint resembling a skull covering his dark, grinning face. He chuckled as he tossed his cane to the side, reached into his coat, then pulled out a small object.

Sora saw that it was a small, crudely stitched doll with button eyes and hair made out of string. It looked just like him. Facilier pulled out a needle and jammed it into the doll's side.

Sora screamed in pain as it felt like a blade was thrust through his ribcage. He gripped the area with his free hand and checked for blood, but did not see any. Facilier laughed and pulled the pin out. Sora felt the pressure and tension lessen, but the pain remained. The Shadow Man then stabbed the needle into the doll's leg. Sora felt the sharp pain again, and was forced to fall to his knees as he cried out in agony. As Dr. Facilier pulled the pin out again, his shadowy minion grabbed Sora's arms and held them. Facilier laughed as he stabbed the doll in the gut.

Donald rammed his staff into the Stitch Doll's head, destroying it. He looked and saw the Acidic Orchestra drained of its unnatural power, and Goofy spiked it to the ground and smashed it. Goofy wiped off the last bit of stinging acid, then then ran to help Sora.

"Oh no!" Goofy yelled as he saw Sora, restrained and crying out in suffering. Donald's magic energy had not yet replenished from their Trinity Limit, so he could not cast a Light spell at the shadow. Instead, both Donald and Goofy had the same idea: tackle Facilier to the ground. Just as the mad doctor was about to run the pin through Sora's Heart, he was suddenly and painfully slammed to the ground, dropping the doll and the pin. The Shadow released Sora and charged at Donald and Goofy, freeing Sora, who took a moment to breathe and let the pain subside. He looked up to see Facilier groaning and turning onto his back, rubbing his head. Despite his pain, Sora knew that this was his one chance. He stood up, ignoring the pain in his body, and ran at Facilier. As he approached, he extended his hand and grabbed the pendent, yanking it off of the doctor's neck.

Facilier gasped with concern as the string broke and Sora pulled the talisman away from him. "No!" he yelled. "Careful with that!"

The shadow turned its attention away from Donald and Goofy and saw Sora running away with the talisman, and changed course to chase after hm. However, Donald and Goofy jumped in the way. Donald pointed his staff at the shadow as if he were casting a Light spell, despite still being out of magic energy. The shadow fell for the bluff and temporarily retreated, before realizing the ruse and charging in.

As Sora ran with the pendent, he saw it start to glow. This was his one chance. He opened his hand and let the talisman float up into the air. Sora knew what to do, as he had done it many times before. The swirling energy and changing environment led to a beam coming off of the talisman, revealing a Keyhole. Sora pointed Midnight Spree at it, and a beam shot into it. There was a flash of white, and suddenly he was back in the graveyard. The purple and green voodoo realm that they had been fighting in had vanished, and Donald and Goofy were being knocked aside by the shadow. Both it and Facilier were rushing towards Sora as fast as they could.

As the talisman floated back down, Sora did not open his palm to catch it, but instead raised his Keyblade and brought it down on the pendent. The relic smashed into dozens of pieces, accompanied by bright flashes of green and purple. Sora saw the Shadow Man approached and jumped away, but was surprised when Facilier did not attack him, but rather fall to his knees and claw at the pieces.

"No!" he yelled. "No!" He began scooping the pieces into his hands. "How am I ever gonna pay back my debt?!" He glanced over his shoulder to see multiple shadow creatures, as well as Stitch Doll, Shadow, and Snaptrap Heartless emerge from the tombstones. They were headed right for him.

"No!" he yelled. He quickly stood up as his shadow flew alongside him. He conjured up purple smoke in his hand, then threw it down. There was a magical pulse of energy, and the Shadow Man man was engulfed in smoke. As is dissipated, Sora saw that he had vanished; run away like the coward he was.

As the smoke cleared, the shadows and Heartless did too. It was as if the Darkness was lifted from the place.

Sora took a knee and gripped his ribcage. He was still sore from the voodoo torture. Donald and Goofy ran to his aid. Donald's magic replenished, and he cast a Cure spell on Sora. Sora felt the pain substantially decrease, and was able to stand up again.

"Well, I don't think the Black Cauldron's here," Sora said. "Let's just find the Keyhole and move on."

As he finished speaking, Tiana and Naveen hopped out from the shadows, holding hands.

"Hey," Goofy said. "Good thing you two are alright."

"Better than that," Naveen said, looking passionately at Tiana. "We came to a realization about each other."

Tiana nodded. "We don't care if we're frogs. As long as we're together."

Naveen and Tiana leaned into each other, their love now evident for all to see.

Sora smiled as he watched. Suddenly, he saw a glow. On the ground where they were standing, there was an outline of a Keyhole.

"The Keyhole!" Donald quacked. "But the Light of the World…"

Goofy chuckled. "I think both Tiana and Naveen have dug a little deeper and found out what they need," he said. "Now the Lights of the World shines through."

Sora pointed his Keyblade at the Keyhole and shot a beam into it. The Keyhole sealed, then vanished with a flurry of light.

As he finished, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Kairi walking slowly towards him, her hands cupped in front of her and a grieving expression on her face.

"Kairi!" Sora said, jogging over to her. "What's wrong?"

Kairi sniffled, holding back tears. "The Heartless…" She trailed off. Instead, she opened her hands to reveal Ray, badly injured. His body was bent and bruised, and his light flickered weakly. Sora gasped as Kairi knelt down and set Ray down on the stone. Donald, Goofy, Tiana, and Naveen hurried over, all shocked and saddened by what they saw.

Ray breathed slowly, his eyes shut tight. He slowly opened them and looked up at his friends and allies. He smiled weakly. "Did y'all find it? What y'all needed?" he wheezed.

Tiana and Naveen nodded. "We're staying frogs, Ray," Tiana said, taking Naveen's hand.

"And we're staying together," Naveen added.

"And we sealed the Keyhole," Sora said, choking slightly. "No more monsters will hurt your friends anymore."

Ray smiled and laughed. "Oh, I like that very much," he said. "Evangeline… like that too."

He looked up at his beloved star, then closed his eyes as his light went out. Sora and Kairi wiped tears from their eyes.

Ray's body was sent floating down the bayou on a leaf, returned to his home. Tiana, Naveen, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi were all present to say their goodbyes as they laid their friend to rest. As the leaf floated out of view, Kairi wiped tears from her eyes as Tiana approached Sora. "We made this for you," she said sadly. "I hope it helps you remember us." She handed Sora a trinket: a small wooden pendent in the shape of a star, attached to a braid of vines and stems with flowers on it. Sora smiled and thanked her. He activated Midnight Spree and replaced its Keychain with the gift, transforming it into Flowering Friends: a Keyblade that appeared to be made out of dark wood and wrapped in vines, various colored flowers, leaves, and twigs. Its bit resembled a lily pad, and its hilt was carved with voodoo symbols. There was a glow, like a firefly's, emanating from the leaf decorations above the hilt.

As Sora stood up and looked at the sky, he smiled and pointed. "Looks like this world will be filled with even more Light than before," he said. Everyone looked up and smiled when they saw a second star right next to Evangeline, glowing just as bright.