[Kingdom Hearts][Epic Mickey] Lost Lights

Ghost Host

I feel like I'm distilling Sabrina the more I go along. Not sure if my inspiration is waning for this story or not- which is a shame in and of itself because we're about halfway through my initial outline (and my extension, the story at whole).
Thank you for reading!

. . .

Lilac curtains swayed in a gentle breeze as morning light came through the window. Sabrina, already dressed for the day, looked up at the ceiling with an intense focus. Day 3 of housing the ones who interrupted her coronation, and they just now had clues on where Wasteland's keyhole might be. It was the Mad Doctor of all people who could know too. The very same Mad Doctor who decided to betray Oswald during the Thinner Disaster. The very same Mad Doctor who only pretended to be Oswald's friend in the early days to get on his good side, with full thoughts of overthrowing him at some point.

Sabrina hated him.

Not that it wasn't unusual, really. But there was a special kind of hatred set aside for the Mad Doctor. It was people like the Mad Doctor that solidified Sabrina's distrust of others. Anyone could turn on you. Anyone could abandon you. That was why she could only take Terra, Aqua, and Ventus with a grain of salt. They could turn on her too. But... at the very least Aqua seemed fairly honest. No one really worked that hard to go against what Oswald wanted for Sabrina- besides Sabrina herself. Terra seemed like the type who could understand holding darkness close to your heart. Or reject it entirely. It was hard to get a good read on how he would react, considering what little she's seen of him so far. And then there was Ventus...

A grimace made its way onto Sabrina's face as she sat up. The plan was still the same- to get Terra, Aqua, and Ventus out of Wasteland as soon as possible. When did it get so complicated? Find the keyhole, get attacked by a shape shifter, confront the Mad Doc, hope he was in a good mood to actually be helpful. She didn't like this. She didn't like them. But her heart wanted them to stay- there was just a curiosity too profound to ignore. They could travel to other worlds. Aqua could train her to actually learn something about the Keyblade other than relying on muscle memory.

The plan was the same, but her heart craved a different outcome.

Mean Street wasn't that busy today, which didn't feel too off. Seeing the party crashing trio patiently waiting for her at Paulie's made things uncomfortable. To what kind of discomfort was beyond her.

"The Mad Doctor knows where the keyhole is." Sabrina announced to the others once she was close enough. "To do that, we have to go to Bog Easy. We can take the train, but it might be leaving soon, so we shouldn't waste any more time standing around."

"We're following your lead." Aqua replied with a nod. The boys followed suit right after. Sabrina looked the three of them over, the corner of her mouth twitching with some thought she didn't know whether to voice or not.

"Then let's get going." she decided before the four of them moved on out.

Sabrina did not sit during the train ride to Bog Easy. Instead, she had her arms folded and her gaze steely as she watched the three friends occupy their time. Aqua had apparently found a travel guide and was reading through it with some interest. Meanwhile Terra kept harassing Ventus for not sitting properly- not that there was much to see outside. The thinner seas became an effective barrier between hub areas. Nothing but green for miles until the next area came into view. Hearing Ventus gawk at Ventureland as they went passed it was a little heartwarming. His disappointment after was admittedly a bit humorous too.

What a bunch of tourists.

The train came to a stop in Bog Easy, and the four of them did not hesitate to get out. The swamp that mostly made up Bog Easy was particularly hazy this time of day, despite the lack of natural light. Beyond several street lamps along what amounted to a haphazard road, lanterns were strung from the old fashioned buildings as the only light source.