Last time found the newly evolved Reina and Rita defeating the vile Djarlo and restoring all the damage inflicted on Equestria and our heroes. After tying up some lose ends, including restoring Yuki's legs and experiencing a lifetime's worth of events with Aiden in another dimension, the newly divine twins departed to create a new universe, while the first of the missing powers was found and sent back to Radiant Garden. Oh, Sara and Ranma are going to be parents. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

Epilog: Between Adventures

...Castle Oblivion…

"Well, who didn't see that coming?" Dio Brando asked in an annoyed tone. He and the other villains had just finished watching our heroes and allies triumph over Djarlo, then saw the twins take their leave of Equestria.

"One would think that Sora and his companions are touched by a higher power," said Lady Tremaine.

"Now they have two higher powers on their side!" said Gaston as he squeezed a stress ball into a worthless misshapen lump, then grabbed another from a nearby box full of stress balls, "it's almost enough to make me want to give up being a bad guy."

"Seriously?!" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Well…almost," said Gaston.

"Despite the fact that Sora and his friends won yet again," said Regina, "and that they gained two divine allies, their victory may have revealed the means to their defeat. Those Raztonians, they could be quite the ally."

"Assuming they don't eat us first," said Sephiroth as he polished Masamune.

"Their ravenous hunger for life energy can be exploited," said Young Xehanort, "yet their blind faith in their god makes them too reckless an ally. Faith can be exploited, yet their devotion to this Vykkao'shatl'uq is undeniably unshakable."

"Then we'll keep The Raztonians as a potential option," said Regina, "but what of this Psychomech? If we can duplicate its power-augmenting properties, then…"

"Then we could be gods as well!" said Lady Tremaine.

"Bad idea," said Insano as he toyed with a gadget, "Djarlo tried to become a god and it only made him even more unstable. Besides, he wouldn't have been that powerful for much longer."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"Turning himself into that super demon cost a considerable amount of psychic energy and physical stamina," said Insano, "had those gorgeous twins not evolved when they did, the fight would have been over in another…" he then took out his PDA and made a quick calculation, "another two minutes and sixteen seconds. Djarlo would have exhausted himself in mind and body, leaving him open for the kill by anyone, even one of those Little Ponies could have finished him of. Hell, even that shy one that's good with animals could have killed Djarlo."

"But then the twins wouldn't have set things right in Equestria," said Regina, "Sora and his companions could have been crippled for life, while many others would have been lost forever."

"They got really lucky this time," said Gaston irately, "if I'd been there, I'd have wiped the floor with them!"

"But we can't," said Lady Tremaine as she glared at Regina, "not while that wretched truce is in place."

"It will be broken when the time is right," said Regina, "and I will know when the time is right. For now, we will watch and wait. Sora and his friends may have gotten lucky this time, but luck doesn't last forever. It's only a matter of time before Sora makes a mistake, a mistake I fully intend to exploit."

"And if exploited right," said Young Xehanort, "then it will be the mistake that finally destroys Sora."

…E-Branch Headquarters…

"And that's it?" Lancaster Lawrence asked as Cassie, Guy, Leah, Chuck, Daniel, Eva and Yuki, stood in front of his desk, while he finished reading their report.

"That's it, boss," said Guy, "Simpkins is dead, floating somewhere in space, the Raztonians are in retreat, the Changelings have gone to ground, Sombra was vaporized and Djarlo received a long overdue lesson in humility."

"And hopefully a lesson in humanity," said Daniel.

"And most importantly, Psychomech was destroyed," said Cassie.

"I figured as much from the report," said Lancaster Lawrence, "what I don't figure is why you let Reina and Rita go."

"What do you mean we let them go?" Yuki asked, "they became living goddesses. It's not as if we could stop them from leaving for parts unknown."

"We couldn't stop them even if we wanted to," said Leah, "they brought an entire town back to life for crying out loud."

"You could have tried!" said Lancaster Lawrence irately as he banged his fist on his desk, "my god, people, do you have any idea how much trouble I'm in now?! Just how am I to explain the disappearance of the twins to our sponsors in Parliament? Those two represented a considerable amount of invested resources and now they're gone, most likely never to return."

"You heartless old bastard!" snapped Cassie, startling everyone in the room, "is that all Reina and Rita were to you? An investment? I get it that they were resources to Parliament and the higher echelons of E-Branch, but don't you feel anything about them personally?"

"I do feel, damn it!" said Lancaster Lawrence, "I was like a father to them, and now they're gone!" He then took a bracing breath, "I suppose it doesn't matter now. The threat has been neutralized, The Machine demolished and all traces of its schematics erased, as it should be."

"Does it really have to be that way, boss?" Daniel asked, "I mean, I know how much evil Psychomech is capable of, but only in the hands of evil men. If someone with good intentions used it to help people, then…"

"Then nothing," said Lancaster Lawrence, "Psychomech is capable of great good, but the risk of its misuse outweighs the benefits. I'm sorry but Psychomech must never be assembled again, not on this world or any other if we can help it."

"We understand, sir," said Yuki, "and you still haven't said anything about my miraculous recovery."

"Yes, congratulations," said Lancaster Lawrence, "perhaps you can finally be the permanent field operative you've always wanted to be."

"Are you kidding?" Yuki asked, "and risk breaking my back again or worse? No thank you. No, I'll stick to my nice safe lab and leave the dangerous stuff to Guy, Cassie and the others."

"Thanks a lot," said an irate Leah, "now that you're walking again, I won't feel guilty when I clean your clock!"

"Fat chance!" said Yuki, "I could kick your skanky ass before and even after I broke my back."

"You wanna prove it?!" Leah asked as she raised her fists.

"That's enough!" said Lancaster Lawrence, "lay one finger on each other and I'll have you both on janitorial duty for half a year!"

"Sorry, boss," said Leah.

"Yes, now," said Lancaster Lawrence, "regardless of the twins, you all did an outstanding job on the mission. I'd say you all earned a lengthy holiday after this."

"Thank you, boss!" said Cassie eagerly, "I've been meaning to visit the tropics."

"Then what are you standing around in my office for?" Lancaster Lawrence asked, "get the hell out before I change my mind!" with that they hurried out of the room, leaving the one-eyed leader of E-Branch to sit alone. He pulled out from his desk drawer a picture of Reina and Rita, the two of them smiling brightly at the one behind the camera. A singe tear fell from his eyes as he looked at the photo.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been more of a father to you," he said aloud, "but you're where you belong now." He then put the photo away and resumed his work.

"Cranky old goat!" said Cassie as she and the others walked down the corridors, "I just checked, he only gave us a week off. How can I arrange a holiday to the tropics and then go there in just a week? It's not bloody fair!"

"Just be glad that we have any time off," said Guy, "if the warning the twins gave is correct, then things are only going to get worse for everyone."

"I'm just glad that we all came back alive from this one," said Eva.

"You can thank the twins for that one," said Chuck.

At that Daniel laughed, "yes, Thank The Twins, that'll be on the lips of everyone in the universe They create."

"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Yuki asked.

"I hope so," said Cassie, "I'm probably the only one who'll admit it, but Reina and Rita, they were the heart and soul of E-Branch."

"Yeah," said Guy, "they sure were."

…Someplace Else…

"Have you made all necessary arrangements?" Obler'intor asked as he and Jachs'ocallf stood in a stone antechamber lit by blue torches.

"Yes," said Jachs'ocallf, "all my assets will be safe, the clergy won't confiscate a thing."

"Neither will they take that which is mine," said Obler'intor, "my lands and properties, my gold, my wives and slaves, all will go to those whom I trust. Unfortunately the one thing I value most of all may not be mine for much longer." He then looked at a nearby clock, "assuming those desiccated husks ever come to a decision. Honestly, how long does it take for a bunch of priests to decide the fate of two people?"

"We did make a rather unfortunate mess of things," said Jachs'ocallf, "we did allow several of our own to die, as well as forge a failed alliance with several species of infidels, not to mention expose us to Keyblade Wielders."

"You don't have to remind me," said Obler'intor.

Just then a man wearing a black and gray monks' robe walked into the room. He was bald, pale skinned with multi-faceted eyes. "Obler'intor," said the robbed man, "Jachs'ocallf."

"7th High Priest Yarblo'zotarn," said Jachs'ocallf as he and Obler'intor bowed.

"I take it that the Council of Nine have made their decision," said Obler'intor.

"Indeed they have," said the robbed man, Yarblo'zotarn, "the two of you are to be spared from the Fires of Admonishment."

"Praise Vykkao'shatl'uq!" said Jachs'ocallf in an overjoyed tone.

"Yes, praise him!" said the robbed priest, "the two of you greatly tempted our god many times during this debacle of a mission."

"We know we made many mistakes," said Obler'intor, "and we will never make them again, that is, if The Council of Nine decides to give us another mission."

"Indeed we will," said Yarblo'zotarn, "but not before further deliberation. Our ancient enemies, The Keyblade Wielders, are aware of our existence. We must decide how to proceed from here on out. Until such time, you two are to return to your domiciles, rest, recuperate and resume training the new cadres of warriors, as was your positions before this fiasco of yours."

"For how long?" Jachs'ocallf asked cautiously.

"Until we deem the two of you have repented for your transgressions," said Yarblo'zotarn, "The Council of Nine has spared your lives, it is up to you to redeem your souls." With that the robbed priest left the room.

"Well, that's just dandy," said Obler'intor, "our lives and property are safe but we get demoted in return."

"At least we have the chance to earn back our promotions," said Jachs'ocallf as they left the room through a different doorway, traveling through a corridor, "and think of the positive aspects of our demotion; we won't have to infiltrate any worlds as disgustingly bright as that of Equestria. That world disagreed with me most greatly."

"I too found being there rather uncomfortable," said Obler'intor as they exited the corridor, finding themselves at the top of a staircase on the side of an enormous red-stoned pyramid. Said pyramid was but one of many in city themed after Ancient Babylon, Egypt, Assyria and India. The streets and alleys of the city, as well as the seemingly endless planes beyond the city limits and the skies above, were filled with hybrid insects and humanoids with multi-facetted eyes. The whole world had a hellishly red hue, while a red super giant sun hung low in the sun.

"Be it ever so crummy," said Obler'intor, "there's no place like home."

Among the fragmented and pulverized remains of Z-Base maneuvered a lone astronaut wearing a black and white suit and EVA unit. The astronaut used his thruster pack to move forward, guided by an advanced radar screen attached to his pack. He soon found and grabbed what he was looking for, turned around and accelerated forward, entering a shimmering gray door in space.

He arrived on an ordinary grassy knoll on a sunlit day, where Columbina stood waiting.

"Did you find it?" the masked woman asked as the astronaut removed his helmet, revealing himself as Leslie, The Lord of Illusions.

"You better believe I found it," said Leslie as he handed the object to Columbina, "but I don't know what use it'll be to you."

"To us, you mean," said Columbina as she held up the object, the red horn of Sombra, "this, my friend, shall be the undoing of Sora and the rest of his miserable friends."

"Well," said The Lord of Illusions as he vanished his astronaut suit and donned his color-changing suit and hat, then summoned the scenario of a Parisian café, where a waiter bade them to sit down and served them coffee and pastries, "considering how lucky Sora and the others have been and that their lucky streak seems to have no end, I sincerely hope that little horn will be their undoing."

"For a man whom prides himself for his imagination, you are somewhat shortsighted," said Columbina as she placed the horn on the table, "the horn is but one component in my plan to destroy Sora and all those he loves."

"Alright, I'll take a guess," said Leslie, "you're going to resurrect Sombra, brainwash him or somehow make sure he can't betray us, and then sick him on The Keyblade Wielders."

"A pleasing thought," said Columbina, "yet wrong. No, this will be a long and complex plan. But trust me, my dear Lord of Illusions. Once this plan is fully in motion, Sora will wish he had died on Destiny Islands when he first encountered The Heartless."

"Speaking of Sora and his merry band of meddling brats," said Leslie, "are you so sure this trap you've set for them will work? The one where you lure a potential Princess of Heart with a free vacation that turns into a living nightmare? You tried that with Rapunzel and it flopped, big time."

"This time will be different," said Columbina, "the plan involving Rapunzel, and Chihiro as well, while it ended in failure, still had its merits. This one will have just one potential Princess of Heart, one Anna of Arendelle, and instead of a free holiday in the spirit realm, it will simply be at a tropical resort on a parallel Earth. Only this time the plan will succeed. Not only will I gain a Princess of Dark, but Sora and his companions will die most unpleasantly, only to rise from the grave as mindless flesh eating ghouls."

"You certainly know how to kill a man's appetite," said Leslie as he vanished the coffee and snacks, "but seeing Sora and the others as Zombies is pleasing nonetheless. When does the plan start?"

"It has already begun," said Columbina.

…Onboard The Intrepid Heart…

"I don't get this game!" said Aiden irately as he threw his cards onto the floor of the recreation room, "and I like games!"

"Triple Triad isn't that hard," said Tess as she picked the cards up. "Leon, Yuffie and Selphie like it."

"So do a lot of kids at our school," said Sora.

"While everyone else was driven crazy by the rule variations," said Kairi.

"I'll stick with poker and blackjack if you don't mind," said Malcolm.

"I actually wanted to try YuGiOh," said Sora.

"And waste all that money on booster packs?" Riku asked, "no thanks. If it'll make you feel better, I'll try to get you the newest Pokémon game for Christmas."

Just then Sidney appeared in the room, "I've got the signal back and I'm patching it down here!"

A second set of holographic projectors now showed King Mickey, "good news, guys! Lara put the second power back into Aurora."

"It was Aurora's," said Kairi, "I kinda had a feeling it would."

"How is Aurora?" Sora asked.

"She's resting and recovering," said King Mickey, "Merlin and the others say she'll make a complete recovery."

"And what about the others?" Aiden asked, "Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and Jasmine? We've still got to find their powers."

"Ansem has them exerting themselves a little as possible to keep their strengths up," said King Mickey in a more serious tone, "they're okay for now but the longer they're without their powers, the weaker they'll get."

"We know," said Sora, "and we'll keep looking."

"But where do we look now?" Tess asked.

"Funny you should ask, Tess," said King Mickey, "before you called and sent back Aurora's power, Alice had another dream vision." He then held up a drawing of a pink crystal in an elaborate metal setting.

"The Heart of Kandrakar," said Sora, "then that means…"

"The second missing power is somewhere near Will and the other Guardians," said Kairi.

"Then it's back to Meridian," said Riku.

"Meridian," said Tess somberly, "my old home."

"Uh…oh, right," said Riku in an uncomfortable tone, "that place really messed you up."

"No, it's okay," said Tess, "I always knew I'd go back someday to face my demons. With Psychomech gone I can't do it the easy way, so I might as well deal with my past head on."

"You won't be going alone," said Riku.

"Darn right," said Sora, "next stop: Meridian!"

…Meridian…

Alegra emerged from a portal onto a balcony on Castle Meridian. This time, the semi-immortal time traveler was wearing a red and black flower print dress with a blue and white jacket and high healed shoes. She looked out over the city and saw signs of recent devastation, yet the sun was shining brightly in a clear blue sky.

She saw the people of Meridian working hard to rebuild their city, laboring side by side with Trog soldiers and other creatures. Though having suffered much, the people were in good spirits, confident of a better, brighter future.

Alegra then turned around and saw that the room connected to the balcony was a conference room where a meeting was taking place. Her arrival having gone unnoticed, Alegra observed the meeting, which was taking place between Queen Elyon, Caleb, Vathek and several other humans and other sentient natives of Metamore.

"Are you sure the surveys are accurate?" Elyon asked.

"We're positive, your majesty," said Caleb, "Phobos's second reign of terror did more than nearly break the people's spirits, he nearly broke the entire planet."

"Nearly every known source of metal ore has been contaminated," said Vathek, "the mines have been filled with toxic gasses, while most of the soil for the farmlands has been rendered barren."

"We have enough food stockpiled for the next winter and into spring," said Caleb, "but with the farmlands barren, it's unlikely we'll be able to have another successful harvest anytime soon. As for the forests, the trees have been infected with a disease that rots them from the inside out. We're doing what we can to keep the plague from spreading to more trees but the disease is magic in nature, it strikes without warning from one part of a forest to another"

"I never realized how much of a mess my brother made," said Elyon, "and the world's magic reserves are still recovering. It'll be years before I can restore what Phobos stole. But that may not matter if my people starve. For all we know the lakes, rivers and oceans have been poisoned as well. It's only a matter of time before the curse Phobos enacted renders Metamore lifeless."

"Can't Cornelia and the other Guardians heal the farmlands and forests?" Caleb asked.

"They're still recovering from their fight with Nerissa," said Elyon, "and are you sure you've got everyone you can looking for her?"

"I have every available eye and ear searching for any sign of Nerissa," said Vathek, "if she's gone to ground, it isn't on Metamore."

"The world has more secrets than even your brother knew, your majesty" said Raythor, one of Phobos's top enforcers, now captain of Elyon's guard, "if Nerissa doesn't want to be found, she has her choice of hiding places here on Metamore."

"She could even be in the Infinite City and we could never find her," said Caleb.

"But we've got to find her," said Aldarn, former second in command of the rebellion and Caleb's best friend, "she abducted Queen Elyon to use her powers! She manipulated The Guardians and so many other lives, all so she could gain more power!"

"We know what she did," said Julian, Caleb's father, "and we know how driven she is to becoming supreme master of the universe." He then looked at Caleb, "if your mother wants to try again, I doubt we'll be able to stop her again."

"She may have given birth to me," said Caleb coldly, "but Nerissa was never my mother."

"None of this matters if we cannot feed our people, gentlemen!" said Elyon irately, "Nerissa is out of our hair for the time being. Now we must focus on figuring out how to solve the crisis afflicting Metamore. Hopeless it may seem, we have to find away to break Phobos' curse."

"That's the spirit!" said Alegra as she walked into the room.

"Intruder!" shouted Rathor as he and the other males shot out of their chairs. Weapons were drawn and pointed at Alegra.

"Stay where you are, woman!" shouted Vathek as he raised his axe, "one step closer and I'll take your head!"

"That's right!" shouted Aldarn, while Caleb and the others shouted in agreement.

"Peace, good sirs!" said Alegra as she held up her hands in a placating manner, "I mean your monarch no harm!"

"It's alright, everyone," said Elyon as she raised her hand in a calming manner, "she's no assassin."

"How can you be so sure, Elyon?" Caleb asked, "for all we know she could be an assassin sent by Nerissa!"

"She could be Nerissa!" said Julian, "that woman is a mistress of disguise!"

"I understand your caution, gentlemen," said Alegra, "and your zeal for your queen's safety. I too wish nothing but the best for Elyon of Metamore. If I had arrived sooner, I could have unmasked Nerissa's deception and prevented her from exploiting Elyon's powers."

"How could you have stopped Nerissa?" Caleb asked, "it took everything Will and the other Guardians had to stop her. And even then they needed help."

"I happen to be extremely hard to kill," said Alegra, "but you have nothing to fear from me. My name is Alegra Wells and I'm a friend of the Keyblade Wielders."

"You know Sora and the others?" Elyon asked as she stood up, "how are they?"

"They're well," said Alegra, "and have been extremely busy since you last saw them, otherwise I would have asked them to come help Will Vandom and her fellow Guardians. Alas, best laid plans. May I sit and talk with you, your grace?"

"You may," said Elyon as she used her powers to summon another chair.

"Carefully," said Vathek as he and the others glared at Alegra.

"One false move and I'll cut your throat," said Raythor.

"You'd be surprised what happens next," said Alegra as she sat next to Elyon, whom sat down as well. "Now, Queen Elyon, Sora and his are on their way to Meridian on an important quest, but I came here first to speak to you of another quest, one of greater importance."

"May I ask how great of importance?" Elyon asked.

"Great enough to ask you and your friends, The Guardians, to join the quest," said Alegra, "I fear I must ask you and your friends to risk your lives for the sake of another world, even so soon after saving this world and so many others against Nerissia's vile machinations."

"Phobos and Cedric had their part in it too," said Elyon, "but that's not important right now."

"You can't be seriously considering agreeing to this woman's insane demands, your majesty!" said Julian, "we can't trust her!"

"I can and do trust her," said Elyon, "call it woman's intuition, call it magical sensing, which makes sense after all that I learned from Yan Lin and the other former Guardians."

"Your powers have grown in such a short time," said Alegra, "you will play a great part in the quest, but you won't be alone. Others will come to help, but you're the first I've come to talk about it."

"You can't listen to her, Elyon!" said Caleb in an urgent tone.

"I can and I will," said Elyon, "I'm the queen, am I not?" She then looked at Alegra, "now, tell me about the quest."

"What do you know about zombie apocalypses?" Alegra asked.

"Uh…not much," said Elyon in a slightly nervous tone, "I never liked zombie movies. Truth be told, even Night of the Living Dead freaked me out."

"Then I've much to teach you," said Alegra, "and not much time to do it in. And for someone whom has been traveling through time and space for over a thousand years, that's serious." She then leaned closer, "but if we succeed on this quest, then I'm sure, well, mostly sure, that the means to break Pobos' curse and save Metamore will be found."

"I hope so," said Elyon, "with all my heart, I hope so."

The End Of Volume 7.

And that's that, fellow readers and writers! But don't fret, for our beloved Keyblade Wielders will be back and in for their biggest, darkest adventure yet. For while they'll be returning to Meridian and reuniting with The Guardians, their quest will land both Keyblade Wielders and Guardians right in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. I won't say any more, except get your Mods and weapons ready.

Coming Soon…

Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master

Volume 8: A Nightmare on Banoi

See you then!