Don't Dream It's Over [Champion]

[King Mickey]

Brighten My Heart

At long last, Mickey was home. His gummi ship was easily recognizable, so the second he got off the ramp, Pluto was there to roughly greet him. In a fit of laughter, the king collapsed beneath the happy paws and tongue of his faithful dog. "Awright, boy. C'mon, now. Lemme get up!"

Pluto relented, tail still wagging a mile a minute. He followed Mickey closely as the mouse king wound through the courtyard and into the castle proper. He greeted Daisy, Donald, and Goofy when he saw each of them, but his primary interest was reaching his chambers where he would find his queen.

Unfortunately, she wasn't there when he entered the spacious room. Normally, he would have turned about-face and headed back down to search the other rooms more carefully. But there was something he needed to do here first. Dropping his few travel belongings into a corner, he went to his desk and hopped up into the chair. After finding a blank sheet of paper and a pen that wrote well enough, he began writing a rather lengthy letter, addressed to no one in particular.

He folded the completed letter, slipped it into a nondescript envelope, and marked it only with a red wax seal in the shape of his own head. Then, he heard the door open. He turned, and a wide smile spread across his face. There was Minnie, perfectly punctual.

Mickey jumped down from his desk chair and walked over to rub noses with his wife. "I sure did miss ya. Everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything's been quiet around here. Barely a peep out of the Heartless or the Nobodies, even with the Cornerstone muted. And I missed you, too." She smiled, but her smile quickly turned to puzzlement when Mickey pressed the envelope into her hands. "What's this?"

"Don't open it yet. And I hope ya never need to. But just in case, I want ya to hold onto that for me." He squeezed her hand and let go. "I'm gonna take a little walk. Got some things to mull over. Can't wait to sit down and eat with everybody again, though." He headed out the door, shouting over his shoulder to Minnie. "Make sure Donald and Goofy don't inhale everything off the table before I get back!"

This was no aimless walk. He headed straight for the Hall of the Cornerstone. He was greeted immediately by the Cornerstone itself, light dimmer than usual, of course. His footsteps echoed loudly until he finally stopped right in front of the pedestal.

[Prythian]

Like usual, there was no sound to announce the Champion's arrival. He simply wasn't there at one moment and the next he was. The golden sword vanishing from his hands as he strode forth from where he'd appeared on the other side of the Cornerstone, he laid his empty hands on the Cornerstone, and when he spoke, his voice would come as a surprise.

"How pure and sterile the light of your Cornerstone is, King of Light." He said, black skin gleaming much like onyx in the radiating glow. "Considering who you are, I'm wondering just what side you truly are on." He strode around, following the curve of the sphere, until he saw the King.

[King Mickey]

Oh, The Irony

Even though it had been a little while since Mickey had heard it, that voice was unmistakable. He stayed rooted where he was, only his eyes moving to watch the Champion walk around the Cornerstone. Ironic that he had been searching the worlds for him, and he finally found him by returning home. The tension in the room suddenly skyrocketed, but the king did not summon his Keyblade. Yet.

"What d'ya mean, which side am I on? Is that really a question?" He shifted his gaze pointedly to the Cornerstone for a moment, then returned it to the Champion. "I'd like to know why you're here in my home." His thoughts immediately went to Minnie and the others. If this came to violence, they would be in danger.

[Prythian]

"The war is coming, little King." The Champion said, his voice low enough to hiss. "The war between Light and Dark. And you've yet to declare what side you are on. And I am here to determine that. Don't worry about the others in your home, they are not in any danger from me. But you... you could be altogether too dangerous." He withdrew his hand from the Cornerstone, and there was a red flash.

In his hands was a very simple looking blade. It was not elegant or pretty or ugly. It simply was. By appearance it was a longsword with a black blade. But by feeling... it exuded an aura of death. "Don't move, little King! I will strike faster than you can stop me." The Champion held it right next to the Cornerstone. "Simply asking you would do no good. Yet, this sword can cut through both magics and solids with equal good. It is very simple. You will choose your side through this method. Either you will unseal the power of the Cornerstone, and I will be banished from this place before I can strike. This will be choosing the side of Light. Your other choice is to simply let me destroy the symbol and light of Disney Castle, removing this large source of light from the universe. This will be choosing the side of Darkness."

[King Mickey]

White Lights

Mickey's eyes widened at the sword now hovering inches from the Cornerstone. This wasn't a choice at all. He knew what he had to choose, what he would choose. The Cornerstone was too precious a protection to simply allow its destruction. He had to unseal it now.

But what if it was better for everyone involved if the Cornerstone was destroyed? The balance was so heavily tipped in the light's favor that perhaps this could be a way to help restore balance. But then, what if the darkness grew stronger again? Disney Castle would have no way to protect itself. Visions of Heartless overrunning the world, taking the hearts of his friends--and his wife--bombarded him. No. He couldn't let that happen.

He looked first at the Champion, then intently at the Cornerstone. And he unsealed it.

[Prythian]

A quick flash in the growing light of the Cornerstone.

A single glimpse of a longsword, with not just a black blade, but entirely black, pulsing erratically, distressingly, with purple lightning along the sword.

The Champion's look of intent determination and triumph as he drove the sword into the flame of the unsealed Cornerstone.

Then it was over, and yet the Champion and Cornerstone were both still there, the brief glimpse of the strangely powerful sword gone. Neither appeared unchanged at first glance, but then at second... The Cornerstone now glowed from within not from a single beacon of light, but from an altered source. Within it was now contained equal amounts of darkness and light orbiting each other. "It seems I cannot fully corrupt your Cornerstone. However, with half of its light turned into darkness, it will pose a threat to my purpose no longer. It was only vulnerable during the moment of unsealing; before or after that moment would've made the corruption impossible due to its wards."

He turned to King Mickey. "One of the two sources of light on this world that I was seeking to put out is gone. One yet remains... one which actually just now as good as told me they were on the side of Light..."

[King Mickey]

Everything's Not Lost

He should have known this was going to happen. Should have known not to trust the Champion's words. It was probably for the best that he had followed Riku's advice and not doing anything about the Doors.

The Cornerstone. The Cornerstone was changed. But at least, Mickey could take some small comfort in knowing there was still light within. Even in the darkest darkness, there was always a little bit of light.

Riku.

His forehead knitted in determination, and the Kingdom Key D appeared in his hand. "How about ya just leave? You've done enough!" He didn't want to fight here. Someone else might walk in, looking for him.

[Prythian]

"Ironically..." The Champion mused, ignoring Mickey's demand. "...this is perhaps the first time I have outright lied to one of you." He pursed his lips. "It leaves a poor taste in my mouth, as does the necessity of my actions. But, King of Light, you had no choice in what you did... and I have no choice in what I do." He held out his left hand, and darkness materialized in it into the blade with which he'd laid waste to the Marketplace. He held out his right, and a broadsword made of faceted prismatic blue crystal appeared in it.

"For what it's worth, I truly am sorry." And there was utter sincerity in his voice right before he lashed out with the two swords, slashing for Mickey with utter ruthlessness.

[King Mickey]

Liar, Liar

Was that sincerity in the Champion's voice? He was sorry about having to kill him? It was probably fake. Another lie, just like the one he'd told before.

"It's not worth much at all."

Both swords came at him with a vengeance, but he caught both on his Keyblade, then quickly flipped backward, putting some space between them. Even before his feet touched the floor, light was forming in his free hand. When he finally did land, the orb of light shot straight for the Champion.

[Summary:
Mickey used Pearl.
Posts until next use: 3
Uses remaining: 4]

[Prythian]

The Champion crossed his swords to attempt to block the sphere. He was not, apparently, expecting the explosion of light that resulted. When the explosion was gone, the Champion was grimacing but didn't appear really wounded. "I figured as much. I steeled my resolve long before I set out to do what must be done. But I cannot allow for a protracted battle with you; others may get dragged in and only end up hurt themselves." The blue sword flashed, gleaming.

There was now 8 Champions, each wielding the two swords. They spread out and then charged towards Mickey, swinging the dark blade and sending forth eight total crescents of darkness at him.

[King Mickey]

It's Just a Flesh Wound

Well, wasn't that a neat little trick? There were suddenly seven more Champions he had to deal with, and all of them were spread out around him. Too many to watch at once. He held his Keyblade at the ready, trying to split his attention eight different ways. It wasn't easy.

All of them moved at once, sending eight dark crescents in his direction. One second was all it took for him to concentrate additional power into the Kingdom Key D. And then he jumped into action, Keyblade moving in a blur faster than usual. What crescents he didn't slice through, he dodged. Though, one edge of the last one did catch him against the ribs. He winced, the blow sending extra pain shooting through him. He landed in a roll, and was back on his feet. He'd just have to shunt the pain aside if he wanted to last for the rest of this fight.

[Summary:
Mickey used Sword of the King.
Effect lasts through next post.

Mickey used Swift Blow.
Posts until next use: 4
Uses remaining: 1]

[Prythian]

"Hah!" One had managed to slip behind him. The crystal blade slashed outwards at Mickey's back, with a follow-up swing that was less a sword-swing and more a large mass of darkness flying from the blade towards Mickey. If it hit, it would send him flying forwards, directly towards three more of the clones who clustered further away. If he neared them due to a successful hit, they would each swing once with each sword at Mickey.

The other four seemed to be scattering to corners of the room in preparation for something.

[King Mickey]

Best Efforts

Thanks to the verbal warning from the Champion, Mickey managed to roll out of the way of the strike at his back, but he could not avoid the mass of darkness that came crashing into him a mere second later. More pain wracked his body, and he was tossed across the room. Blue and black filled his vision as swords came slicing toward him.

Being so small certainly had its advantages. He moved in a spinning ball of black, red, and gold. The sound of metal clanging rang throughout the hall. Six strikes were either deflected or dodged. When no others came, he went on the offensive, slashing at each of the three Champions in turn. Everything he had was put into the attacks, despite the pain.

And despite the growing thought that he probably was not going to survive this.

[Summary:
Sword of the King has worn off.
Posts until next use: 5
Uses remaining: 1]

[Prythian]

With each blow, the copy struck vanished in a mass of black smoke, which dissipated rather quickly. But now the set-up the Champion had been going for was complete; the real Champion, the one that had struck Mickey from behind, was in roughly the center of the room. The four copes that had split up were each standing in a corner. "It is time to finish this."

And with that, each one held up the dark sword which then erupted outwards in all directions, spreading outwards in spheres with a 20 foot radius from the blade in the center. And it began to shatter outwards from the edges with more darkness flying away from the sword to disappear only once it had reached 50 feet away.

Even if this attack did not outright kill King Mickey, it would leave him severely harmed to the point of not being able to move and avoid a finishing blow if he was bounced around by the enormous churning darkness.

[King Mickey]

The Passing of a King

Sora... I'm sorry.

There was nothing he could do to avoid or stop the insane amount of darkness that shot through the hall. He had thought he was in pain before, but this... this was far beyond that level. And he wasn't hit just once and allowed to settle on the floor somewhere. Oh, no. Each wave of darkness batted him back and forth, all over the room. This would be one of those times when his small, light frame was a severe disadvantage.

When everything finally stopped, he tumbled onto the floor in a disheveled heap. Even shallow breathing burned his lungs. He had no strength left to fight. But hope was still stubborn in him. There was always hope. There was Sora. And Riku.

Bright light drew Mickey's eyes to his side. Where the Kingdom Key D had once been, the Starseeker was now in its place. That's when he knew. There was no getting out of this. No chance for a change of heart on the Champion's part. The Keyblade of the Realm of Darkness would not have left. His gloved fingers, greeting it like a long-lost friend, patted the handle of his old Keyblade. He murmured, "Wish we coulda met again differently..."

Blackness was creeping in at the edges of his vision. The pain was fading, but not because he was getting better.

Minnie... you're always gonna be my dear...