//------------------------------//
// 9. Castle 
// Story: Locksmith 
// by QuartzScale 
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	Well… In the forest now and luckily not being followed by Pinkie Pie. I think before she could figure out I was going in she felt someone coming to the town. I’m literally working on the very night before the Summer Sun Celebration begins and more likely than not, I’m going to miss the brunt of the celebration because I know that darkness is emanating from the forest. More specifically its emanating somewhere to the east of my position. As much as I wanted to just fly there and get it over with I took the slower route to avoid being seen by the pegasi that roam throughout Ponyville. Besides… I was playing tourist so why not tour some places not on the schedule.

While I was wandering towards the smell of darkness I thought I saw a chariot coming from the mountain and heading over to Ponyville. Huh… maybe I was wrong about the dates… unless I miscounted which might be the case.

“Shit! I took way too long for this meet and greet.” 

I immediately flapped my wings and kept to the areas where the canopy was thinner. If nothing else I have recharging MP and I could just tank all the low hanging branches. I took the first left I found climbing a tall mountain that overlooked the entire forest and saw a castle in the distance and I immediately flew straight for it. No time to waste to get into the bulk of my adventure… 

I still kept low enough not to be seen by anypony patrolling the skies because regardless of how scared ponies get they are worse than stubborn mules sometimes. Even if mules exist here they still fit the criteria better than the real mules here metaphorically. Was that racist or specist of me? Is there such thing as political correctness or do ponies even care? More pondering required but that’s for later. 

As I landed right on the outskirts of the area I noticed a rickety bridge and the castle looming over on the other side. There were plenty of problems already with the scene before me. The worst was that I had spent far too long being sneaky and the area was already being washed in a twilit haze. I looked around the area and noticed a few areas to explore before it could get any darker and made the first critical decision of my entire life. One that would forever dictate this eventfully epic moment with all the respect and dignity that is required of finding the important areas of a new world. 

“I will loot the area.”

I was proud to say those words because I now felt like every other keyblade wielder that had come before me when they went to go save their world from the darkness. This truly must have been how they felt. I even saw my first chest right outside the castle walls. It was blue and had a glowing lock just like all the other important chests back in the second game. I tapped it with my key and it magically unlocked. Within I found something really strange and I could hardly believe it. Inside was the blueprint and fully created gummi ship that apparently was called Diablos. I wonder right now if God also made this similar for my delusions… Either way this is at least good for me in the long run. A gummi ship means a living space and the ability to hide from Pinkie Pie without being a citizen of Ponyville. Loopholes are amazing.

I stopped my celebrating and got back to looking over the ruins in more detail. Several areas were very broken and my senses even in the dark felt so many traps in many of the areas I travel that I kept finding myself hovering through the halls. The floor was dangerous and several of the chests I found triggered a few traps. The first chest I found inside the castle held a piece of mythril… which also led to me being flung through a secret passage and nearly thrown into the ravine. 

“Practical joke or security system gone wrong…”

I actually was relieved that the chests would disappear because it would leave less evidence when I got out of the area. The more I explored though the more I realized that the rewards from the chests while nice were very much catered for synthesis. There were five chests in total including the mythril. I found a collection of munny in the third chest ranging to about five hundred munny, three potions, an ether, and an item called a nightmare shard…

This was one of the important items I had on the list of synthesis items for new keyblades. Only one wouldn’t be enough but that would have to wait. I moved back to my starting point in the castle because I seriously had no idea what I was looking for. Every other room I found was empty and the locked doors I opened led to a bedroom. It was in pristine shape as well since the dressers held a lot of fancy dresses still protected by magic… Also found a leather saddle and bit and a riding crop… Less said about that the better. Otherwise there was nothing else of note worth.

As I was finally getting out of my treasure hunting mode I looked up towards the moon and watched as it shone brighter than it had as four stars seemed to get closer towards it. I wondered if those were worlds or actual stars. I had always been confused on that aspect of the KH universe. I think stars were actual gummi blocks if I remember right but I never really knew much more than that. I’m pretty sure Kingdom Hearts 2 clarified but this was another reality and the rules might even be different for all I knew. Then the shadow on the moon disappeared.

“Well… that was unexpected.”

There was a weird twitching in the area as darkness seemed to pulse throughout the castle and made me cover my nose in disgust. It was really strong and fouler than the sewers I had been through. I summoned my keyblade as a soldier heartless came straight for me from behind me. Damn it… did this mean that the one who controls the heartless was ready to commit their plan. My response came in the form of a spin kicking soldier who was knocked back when I blocked said kick. The tip of the blade shoved through its chest dissipated it and freed the heart it ate. 

Running back inside made it clear that the heartless were in full force but they seemed to be focused on me, the keyblade wielding fool in the forbidden looking castle. Though that was probably my best idea at least. Heartless crave the hearts of keyblade wielders because they are the strongest and while I do feel muted emotions I know I still have my heart. I’m similar to a nobody but they do grow back a new heart so long as they make sure not to have the Recusant's Sigil on them. I’m hoping that’s not a thing yet. I have no idea when I am because each world runs along its own time.

Regardless I fought off a few more shadow heartless rearing back with a thunder spell striking a few of them. Couldn’t make them disappear but the ones that got hit were stunned at least. I also swore I heard evil laughter a while ago. I don’t know how it reached this far but I kept hacking away at the shadows still in the area. The use of magic made my clean up much easier and by the time I reached one of the courtyards I managed to smite about twenty of the regular shadows. For some reason I hadn’t run into many soldiers or any other type of heartless even though I had already faced down a Green requiem the day before. 

Then my body was flung into the wall by something… bouncy. Groaning as I fell from the imprint in the wall I wondered if this was going to be my life of peeling off walls every time I’m sucker punched… or body slammed in this case. A Large Body heartless warped in and it cockily slapped its stomach allowing it to jiggle then ran straight for me. Another triangle appeared in my mind and I managed to knock it into the air. The second triangle appeared again and I smacked through its belly as hard as I could knocking it back on its ass. 

It wasn’t even that hurt and I rued the day that I thought I could actually do much damage like that. I wasn’t exactly the strongest protagonist around the block and I’m pretty sure even with all the heartless I have fought off I’m barely level four… probably. The heartless weren’t roaming the forest and nothing attacked me in the air. I was seriously under leveled with the only abilities I had: Guard, and Dodge roll apparently. I also had two spells which was something… I think.

I’ve got to stop thinking during battle. My time wasted contemplating things allowed the Large body to get back on it’s feet and angrily stomp around creating shockwaves… which did absolutely nothing to me because I was flapping my wings the entire time I was thinking. It charged for me and I flew above it letting it run around until it tripped and fell flat on its face. I wasted no time and swung a flurry of combos at its back from above. It sped up what was gonna be a long battle as the final smash of my keyblade freed the captive heart within the shell. 

“Ha! I am the best! Level five, baby!”

I sheepishly looked around and sighed. I think I’m enjoying this too much but this time I only took minimal damage without ending up in a bleeding pile on the floor. I cast cure though in case I was. I looked around the impact site and found no sign of blood left behind. When I was certain I quickly tried to do a fist pump… only to remember I had no fist. Hoof pump then? It looked weird… never doing that again.

I ended my trek back through the castle in front of this grand monolith with several spheres surrounding a spire. The plaque on the ground near it read ‘Elements of Harmony’ which I promptly ignored since it didn’t really need me to do anything. I was confident that I did nothing to change the way events would play out. Then I tripped. 

“The fuck!?”

When I looked behind me at the statue of the elements I noticed several dark tendrils pulling me towards a portal while this very large alicorn wearing blue armor fitted with crescent moons was standing near the portal. She grinned, showing off the fangs in her mouth, and laughed evilly. I remember seeing same eye that had been watching me throughout the nights leading up to this moment. I don’t know what possessed me to say what I said next but I’m sure it would be one of the weirdest moments I have ever had in the history of the universe. That or one of the most embarrassing moments that Nightmare Moon ever had.

“So… are you the whorse who hid the leather saddle and bit in their room or are you just into being whipped like you were once before when they sent you to the moon. You're probably the worst voyeur in the history of voyeurism since even though you saw me you were still screwed over by three other mares I met before hoof.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody regardless of what they are get that angry. She instantly slammed me into the portal of darkness and came flying straight after me. At least I have her attention though I will have to work on my diplomacy later.