World of Hearts: Linked as One (Book 1)

2-4: The World is a Stage

Mickey Mouse was standing on the stage of the auditorium, where several students and teachers had sat down. One floor up in the auditorium sat LOGOS personnel who were invited to attend the orientation ceremony, sitting on the upper-level seats. Several honored guests were on the upper level as well. Mickey was a bit nervous, despite having done this for years. Back in his days as king of Disney Castle, he addressed his subjects from time to time. He'd think he'd be used to addressing such crowds by now. Everything was prepped and ready to go. He took a deep breath and tapped the mic to see if it was on. He heard ringing coming from the speakers. He signaled for the volume to be lowered and tapped it again as soon as the adjustments were made.

'Sound, good,' Mickey thought. He looked in the control room of the auditorium to see Minnie give him a thumbs up. He stepped back and looked up to see Daisy Duck testing the backstage lights, turning them off and on before moving them around. She gave him a thumbs up.

'Lights, good,' Mickey mentally checked off.

He looked at the cameras and they were focused on him. He stretched his bow tie a little bit in front of the cameras. Balan himself was manning the cameras, smiling as ever.

'Cameras, good,' Mickey thought. 'Everyone is seated in the auditorium, the cameras are rolling...'

"Alright, Your Highness, smile for the camera," Balan said, raising his hand with three fingers up. He began to count down. "3..."

Two fingers. "2..."

One finger. Total silence.

Zero.

Mickey clears his throat. The buzzer goes off and the lights dim. The auditorium got dark for a moment before the lights on the stage turned on. The crowd became quiet as they looked at Mickey.

"Hello everyone, students, teachers, and my fellow man, I thank you all for attending orientation today," Mickey said. "For those new here, I congratulate you all for passing your entrance exams and making it here on your first day. For those of you who have been here last year, I thank you all for being here with us today. As you all know, Daybreak Academy was founded years after the Chaos Era had ended with the forces of good triumphant over the forces of evil. This school and Neo Bastion, as well as its counterparts across the world, is the brainchild of Ansem the Wise and was built upon by the Hero Association."

Ozpin, Lord Death, Nezu, Miranda Holbrooke, and many other headmasters/principals of schools connected to the Hero Association were sitting in their seats on the upper floor of the auditorium.

"You know, I always like seeing Mickey giving speeches," Miranda said. "He knows just what to say during his speeches. He's a natural when it comes to being an orator."

"True, even with how small he is, he's still got it with that squeaky voice of his," Lord Death said, tilting his mask slightly.

"It's glad to see that he still has his usual charms," Ozpin said.

Miranda looked at Ozpin with a blush. "Oh, like you're not charming enough, Ozzie?"

"Stop that," Ozpin said. "I already have enough women hitting on me as it is Holbrooke..."

Roy Mustang, along with Olivier Mira Armstrong, Riza Hawkeye, and other high-class personnel of LOGOS were watching.

"This is utterly pointless," Olivier said. "I shouldn't be sitting here watching an anthropomorphic mouse give speeches to a bunch of kids and adolescents."

"It can't be helped," Riza said. "We are required to attend the ceremony at the start of the school year once we are invited."

"Besides, the seats are comfy," Roy said. "And you have a nice view of everything in the auditorium."