//------------------------------// // CH23: Radiant Arrival // Story: Kingdom Hearts F.I.M: Rise of The Elements // by Spirit Shift //------------------------------// For what had to have been the first time since it’s creation, the colorful Gummy ship found itself, and its passengers, descending from the sky in a graceful fashion befitting a sky vessel such as itself. Landing expertly on the soft grass, the doors opened and a figure emerged. That figure was Pinkie Pie, and she “emerged” by flipping out of the ship and dancing around wildly. “I did it!” she cheered. She began singing a small tune to go with her dance. I did it! I landed! Go Pinkie! Go Pinkie! Who’s the Captain? Who’s the Captain?” After a few more seconds of that, the other wielders exited the ship, some rolling their eyes, and some giving the girl deadpan looks. “All right,” began Rachelle as she immediately floated out of the door. “We get it, you can fly the ship. Big whoop.” She began grumbling as she stretched her wings. “So could I if you guys just let me.” Twilight exited soon after, gently hopping to the soft ground. Crossing her arms, she gave the excited girl a confused look. “Frankly, I’d be surprised if she really couldn't fly it. Considering that she created it in the first place.” Twilight glanced up and stepped to the side just as Rarity gently levitated herself down next to her. Fixing her clothes, she said, “It’s called benefit of the doubt, dear. I knew she could get us here safely if she put her mind to--” Jackie immediately cut Rarity off by dropping down harshly and knocking up a few clops of dirt onto the girl’s previously immaculate boots. Almost chuckling, AJ met the piercing glare that Rarity was giving her with a raised eyebrow. “Didn't help that ya went and threatened the poor girl.” Rarity huffed and crossed her arms. “Well, she needed some encouragement.” Pinkie hopped up and gave them both a hug. “And I thank you for it!” she giggled. “So where are we?” Pinkie glanced down at the lush garden that she had parked on. It was was filled to the brim with beautiful flowers of many different colors. Looking around, the group noticed that the garden they were standing in stood at the edge of an even larger area that sported several other, equally beautiful, gardens. In the center of the area sat a stone water fountain that shot out clear sparkling water. Rarity’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she was the first to turn around and notice the large radiant castle behind them. It stood, tall and gleaming, like a tower of light and hope that could banish any darkness. Simply gazing upwards at it was enough to send away any negative feelings that one might have had, almost as if the light from the tower resonated with the light in peoples hearts. Truly it was a magnificent structure worthy of it’s name. The group stared up at it for a time before Twilight finally glanced down and noticed the two figures standing next to the kingdom gates. One was a tall light skinned women with long multicolored hair. She wore a short sleeve blouse with various sun themed designs, as well as a sash wrapped around her waist that seemed to glow with magic. She was also waving at them with a kind smile on her face. Next to her, stood a shorter, younger looking, women who had familiar dark blue hair, who wore a night blue form fitting dress with various moon designs. “Master Luna, Master Celestia!” Twilight immediately ran over and bowed her head to both of them. The others soon made their way over and did the same, though AJ had to remember to drag Dash out of the air. “Please,” Luna urged. She motioned with her hands. “Rise, my students.” Following her order, the girls raised their heads to look up at Luna’s smiling face. “We are glad to see that you have all made it here safely.” Twilight looked up at her nervously. “I-I wasn't expecting to meet you here,” she confessed. ”Especially not both of you together.” Celestia gave her sister’s student a kind smile and gestured to herself, saying, “I told you that this was my favorite world. I live and raise my own students here, just as Luna did with you all in the Lunar Mountains world that she has adopted.” Dash excitedly rose into the air and took a deep breath. “Yeah, but this place is so much cooler than the mountains.” AJ quickly leapt up and grabbed the insensitive girl's leg, slamming her back down to earth. “Rainbow!” she hissed, leaning over the fallen girl. Both Rarity and Twilight leaned over her with glares of their own. “Rachelle,” began Rarity, “Apologize! That was incredibly rude.” “Fine, sorry,” Dash huffed. Luna held up her arms to sooth them, “Girls, it’s fine. Even we have to admit that this world does have a certain charm to it.” Luna looked up at the shining kingdom behind her. “After all, it is where we were first trained.” Twilight immediately turned back to her with a sparkle in her eye. “This is where you were trained, Master?” she squealed, glancing back up at the shining castle. “It’s everything I’ve ever imagined it would be,” she whispered in awe. Celestia laughed and turned to her sister. “Lulu, I love your students!” Luna’s eyes widened at the mention of her nickname. “Celestia!” she hissed. “Lulu?” Pinkie snickered. Twilight wanted to lecture her on disrespect, but even she reluctantly found herself snickering over her mentors childish name. Rarity also tried to hold back her snickers when she saw her once proud master blush embarrassingly. AJ simply smiled and rolled her eyes. Nodding from a job well done, Celestia patted her sister’s back and gestured to the kingdom behind them. “Welcome, children, to the Kingdom of Light, Radiant Gardens.” Just as she said that, the large doors opened and the girls rushed in after the sisters. ~~~ As Celestia and Luna made their way through the city, the girls nearly spun in circles looking at all of the ivy covered buildings and fountains. It was beautifully connected with nature as Twilight even saw a home built into a tree. The people moved around with a special energy about them, happily going about their day in peace, with some even responding to Pinkie’s frantic waves and greetings. Dash, as she flew high in the clean air, noticed the many people wearing what looked like military suits and carrying around interesting weapons. She eventually came to the conclusion that they must have been the guards of this kingdom. Twilight also marveled at the many kinds of people present; from humans to anthropomorphic animals. While looking around, the group continued to listen to the sisters as they made their way through to the castle at the center of the city. Currently, Celestia was explaining the history of this world. “Radiant Gardens is a special world that attracts all kinds of people from many different worlds,” she explained, gesturing to the people. “Back when darkness ran rampant, and caused many worlds to disappear, this is where the survivors came to seek protection.” At the end of that last sentence, Twilight’s head snapped back to Celestia. “Wait, does that mean…” Luna quickly anticipated this question and spoke up to answer it. “Yes, dear Twilight. Look around you, there are indeed humans from the constellation of Equestria. You’ll find many Avians, Mages and Earthans in this world if you look closely.” Hearing this, Twilight began to look around with even more fervor. She had learned soon after arriving on the Lunar Mountain world, that regular humans were nearly identical to Equestrian humans, save the fact that they didn't have marks or natural magic. The only way to tell them apart was to locate the mark on their body, or ask them directly. Twilight eventually found a few Mages by locating the individual symbols on their foreheads. Realizing that she had fallen behind during her search, Twilight rushed to catch up with the group. Hopping up to Luna’s side, Pinkie gave her a curious look before asking, “Do you think that anyone we knew made it here...?” Luna put a hand to her chin in thought, no doubt in her mind about who Pinkie was talking about. “Probably, though Radiant Gardens isn't the only place they could've ended up. There are many worlds that act as magnets for the lost, though to a lesser extent. It is also very possible that they could have been simply swallowed by the darkness.” Rarity and AJ winced. Glancing over at Pinkie, they expected her to be looking sad. They definitely weren't expecting her to be bursting with excitement. “So there's a chance that Maud could be in a world we visit?” she squealed. “If she isn't here, that is,” Luna answered. “I suggest that you take a look around when you are free.” Pinkie leapt up and wrapped her Master up in a large hug. Luna squirmed before extracting herself. Refusing to acknowledge her sister’s wide grin, Luna continued to make her way towards the castle gates that were now coming into full view. “Pinkamena, I have told you about personal space,” she called out behind her. “Personal what now?” Pinkie asked, cocking her head confusingly. “Such a good Master you are,” Celestia cooed as they entered the castle. Rarity ohh’d and ahh’d at the interior of the castle, as it had both nature and machines intertwined in it’s construction. The sight of this interesting design sent the wheels in Rarity’s head turning on possible designs for clothing. Everyone else also looked around with a curious awe. It wasn't until Dash spoke up that everyone turned their attention from the interesting architecture. “So, what sort of ruler lives here anyway?” Celestia had been expecting that question and turned around with a smile. “No one,” she answered simply. She took in the confused faces of her sisters students before continuing. “You see, this castle, it used to be one large laboratory for the research of hearts and other worlds. Keep in mind that this was before the relationship between worlds was fully understood. Dangerous experiments caused horrible events to occur here. And these events caused pain for many people and sent this world spiraling into ruin.” Rarity but a hand to her mouth and gasped. “That’s horrible.” Twilight nodded sadly, completely aware of this history lesson. “So this is the place where the ‘Era of Xehanort’ began?” she asked. Celestia nodded. “That is correct, Twilight. Eventually though, the pain subsided, and the world rebuilt. This castle is no longer used for those experiments. Today, it is used for the community. Ansem's computer is used as the central information hub, and the people are free to use it if they need information.” Celestia gestured to herself and the area around her. “I train my students here as well, and while I may be in charge of this world, by no means am I it’s ruler. Think of this castle as the town hall.” Pinkie hopped excitedly. “Does that make you it’s Mayor?!” she asked. Celestia thought about it briefly before nodding happily. “I suppose I am.” Dash flew up to meet her on eye level, and gave her a suspicious look. “You have students?” When Celestia nodded, Dash flew higher and began to look around. “Well where are they? I wanna test their mettle,” she declared confidently. Celestia’s smile turned from a smile to a smirk as she turned to Luna. “Lulu, your student wishes to challenge mine,” she said in mock astonishment. Celestia leaned down to whisper slyly. “Are you sure that she’s ready?” Luna rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to answer, but Dash immediately flew down between them and said, “Of course I’m ready. I’m already this close to finishing my Mastery exam. I even--” “Rachelle!” Luna called, her voice reaching bold levels. Instantly, Dash submitted to her authority and lowered herself to the ground. Luna continued. “We can talk for ourself, thank you.” She turned to Celestia, who had an impressed look on her face. “Now, as much as we would love to see our student come out victorious over yours, we do believe that there are matters to discuss. The kidnapping of small Shia?” At the mention of their lost friend, many gazes fell to the ground in sadness. Quietly, Dash gave voice to the very first thought that all of them had when they landed. “Shy would've loved this place.” Twilight sighed and whispered, “I think so too.” With the mood significantly downcast, Celestia sighed and supposed that it was finally time for them to fully inform her and her sister of the events that have transpired until this point. Leading them to the closest conference room, Celestia and Luna ushered them inside. Once inside, Celestia and Luna sat on opposite ends of the large round table, and both of them adopted serious faces. Luna was the first to begin. “Alright, my students. Now that we are together again, this is the time to tell us everything.” ~~~ Despite some initial hesitation, Twilight and the others began to recount their tale to Celestia and Luna. Starting from the moment they left and detailing their rather interesting arrival on their first world. During which, Rarity pointed out the curious fact that they never did find out that world’s name. Twilight retold Yuna Zecora’s prophecy, and then, with a pained heart recalled Spike’s entrance and abduction. During that part of the story, Luna noticed the odd looks that Dash and AJ were giving each other. Moving on, Twilight finished up by telling them about her adventure in the Temen-Ni-Gru, and what she learned. As Twilight finished her tale an emotional silence fell over the table as Masters Luna and Celestia thought about Twilight’s story. Luna muttered the first phrase of Yuna Zecora’s prophecy. "The lone child who’s lost his days. With two in hand, he will open the way. Twisted, the past she’s misdirect... will allow the seeker to complete the set? What does it mean?” “I’m not sure, sister,” Celestia sighed. “I have a few theories, but I don’t want to draw any conclusions until I know more about this Chrysalis character. However, something else concerns me more at the moment.” Luna turned to her with a curious look. “And what would that be?” “Twilight,” she began, lifting her head she stared right into the young girls eyes. “You said that Spike wielded two keyblades. Are you absolutely sure.” Twilight flinched back from the women’s powerful gaze, but nodded. “I’m sure, they were identical black and white keyblades that allowed him to become seemingly invulnerable. Celestia took her gaze away and netted her fingers in thought. “I see. If they were identical, then the keyblade wasn't taken.” Dash leaned back in her seat in surprise. “Woah, you can steal keyblades?” Luna turned to answer her question. “In a way. You see, in special circumstances, keyblades can be… given, or borrowed.” “Really, now?” said Rarity, astonished. “That’s amazing,” breathed Twilight. “How?” Luna and Celestia glanced at each other, mentally debating on whether they should tell them or not. Eventually, Luna shrugged. “Say that one of us is injured, and in order to assist you when we cannot, we hand you our keyblade to use. Normally, when removed from our possession, our keyblades return to us, but when given to another that we share a deep bond with, that person will be able to use it for a time. Keyblades can also be passed on to a successor in the event that it’s owner perishes.” “As you know,” Celestia added, “keyblades choose their masters. They are connected with you on a deep level. Should you give your keyblade to someone that you do not trust with every bit of your heart, they will not be able to use it.” Dash summoned her keyblade discretely under the table and glanced down at it. “Connected… huh.” “The curious thing about this,” Celestia continued, “is that most, if not all, keyblade masters are unable to own more than one keyblade at a time. If they do, than the second keyblade was most likely given to them, or passed on from someone. If neither is the case, then powerful magic is usually involved. And in any of those cases, the keyblades that are wielded are always of two different designs. If Spike was wielding two identical keyblades, that makes him a natural dual wield. The amount of keyblade masters that have naturally owned two keyblades, without outside assistance, could be counted on a single hand.” The entire table went completely silent for a time, all of the girls were giving stunned or surprised looks. They never imagined the importance of Spike’s situation. It was no longer a mystery as to why they lost like they did. If he had complete control over both of his weapons, his powers were no doubt, in a completely different league than theirs. Twilight finally raised her head and asked, “What does this mean, Masters?” Celestia nodded, happy that Twilight was asking the right questions. “The powers of a natural dual wield aren't fully understood. Normally, the powers of the second keyblade merge with the first, adding onto the wielders power. But this is only the case with borrowed keyblades. In Spike’s case, I suspect that one keyblade multiplies the powers of the other, and vice versa especially since they're the same. While not as creative, this would mean that whatever powers he has normally would pose an exponentially greater threat than normal.” Dash clenched her fists at her last sentence. Luna chimed in with her own thoughts. “My thoughts are that the two keyblades work both separately and together.” Luna held up both of her hands, one finger raised on each. “We think that Spike may have access to two different sets of abilities, one corresponding to each keyblade. But when used together...” Luna put her hands together, then raised a finger on her right one. Now she only held one hand up, but that hand now had two fingers raised. “Spike is able to use both sets. But either way, this means that he’s extremely dangerous.” *Slam* Everyone turned to Dash, who had slammed her clenched fists on the table and stood up. She gave a hostile look Luna’s way. “Stop talking about him like he’s the enemy,” she whispered through clenched teeth. Rarity, who had been sitting next to Dash, reach out to calm her. “Rachelle, we aren't…” Unfortunately, Luna cut Rarity off before she could continue. Wearing a stony expression, she said, “Spike has captured and endangered one of my students. What is worse, is that he has openly displayed lethal hostility to Twilight. He’s a threat now.” “It’s not his fault!” Dash yelled. “He’s being tricked… or… or mind controlled or something. The Spike I knew wouldn't do this. Spike. Is not. A threat. If he really wanted us dead he would have done something in the castle.” “If he’s captured young Shia for something, it’s reasonable to conclude that he will return for you all,” explained Luna. “If he does then I’ll fight him myself,” she replied. “I’ll beat some sense into him and break whatever mind control Chrysalis has over him.” Luna could sense no doubt in the girls words as she stared into her resolute eyes. She sighed, Rachelle Dash was always her most stubborn student and the first one to challenge her on her decisions. Some part of Luna admired that, for she had been the same way during her own training. In any case, Luna decided to give up the argument for now. Luna closed her eyes and stood up in her seat. “Fine, but...” Opening her eyes she gave Dash such a fierce gaze that she instinctively fell back in her seat. Luna’s eyes were glowing with dark magic, and her voice was deadly serious, and everyone could feel it. Some like Rarity and even Pinkie trembled in their chairs as they looked at the terrifying visage of their Master. Low but commanding, Luna spoke. “If Spike purposely attacks or abducts another one of you without reason. I shall end this exam, send you all home, and track him down myself. I will find him, and I will end him if he does not return her. Am I understood?” All of her students instantly began nodding, and none of them uttered a single word of protest. Calming down, Luna sat back in her chair and folded her arms. The effects of her presence gone, Dash gave Luna a dirty look, muttering something about not letting anything happen to Spike. Laughing nervously, Celestia rose up from her seat and addressed the room. “A-alright then. To wrap up this little meeting, Luna and I will be investigating this Chrysalis character. Currently, she’s one of the biggest unknowns in this problem, and could be the key to solving it. Until we find something, you all will continue traveling the worlds.” Luna sighed sadly, “We had initially wanted you all to have the genuine experience, but for your own safety, we will take the liberty of installing new navigational software in Pinkie Pie’s Gummy ship.” Rarity sat up excitedly, her eyes sparkling in delight. Her voice was nearly a high pitched squeal of delight. “You mean that we’ll finally know where we’re going?” Master Celestia nodded and smiled brightly. “Indeed, this new software will contain details about any world you come across, including what kind of world it is, it’s history, and the current problems that it faces. I’ve even taken the liberty of including a danger level!” she exclaimed. Twilight’s eyes lit up in amazement while Pinkie Pie slumped sadly, “Well that’s boring…” she whined. Twilight’s sparkle disappeared as she turned towards her with a shocked expression. “How? It’s everything we needed!” “Makes choosin’ a new world a mite easier, that’s for sure,” AJ remarked. Luna groaned and leaned back in her chair, much the same way that Pinkie did. “I agree with my student. I prefer the excitement of walking straight into the unknown.” Celestia rolled her eyes at her suicidal sister. Once again addressing the table as a whole, she said, “Well then, meeting adjourned. I think that we could all use some time to relax.” Celestia turned and smiled at the Rarity. “Rarity, I think I promised you a spa, didn't I?” “YES!” Rarity screamed instantly. Realizing what she did, she coughed awkwardly into her fist. “I-I mean, yes please.” Celestia chuckled and called over one of her assistants. A few seconds later, Rarity had left with her to find the local spa in the city. “Now,” she said, turning toward Dash. Her face quickly returned to the mischievous one that it had been before the meeting began. “I also distinctly remember someone challenging my students.” Dash looked confused for a second when she realized that Celestia was looking directly at her, but quickly remembered what she had said earlier. “Oh, oh yeah! Bring ‘em on!” she said, giving Celestia a challenging look. Twilight raised her hand like a good student to ask a question. “How many students do you have, Master Celestia?” “I have a few students, though not as many as Luna does,” she answered. “However, one is a little… free spirited, and tends to wander off without telling anyone.” Luna chuckled and shook her head mockingly. “Tsk, tsk, Tia. Such a good Master you are. You don’t even know the whereabouts of your students.” Celestia smiled through the twitch in her eye. “Twilight, would you like to learn about aura?” Luna’s eyes opened wide in surprise. She was about to object, but one look at Twilight told her that she didn't have a chance at keeping her away now that the thought was in her head. Instead she turned to Pinkie with a frustrated look. Standing up, she more or less dragged the girl out of her chair and out the door. “Come, Pinkamena. Show me this new technique you have.” “I have a new technique?” Pinkie asked as she left the room. Even as Dash, AJ and Twilight looked on with confusion, Celestia chuckled and turned back to Dash. “Rainbow Dash, I think your name was.” Dash groaned. “No, that’s a stupid nickname. My name is Rachelle. You can call me Dash though.” “My mistake," she apologized. "Rachelle, you’ll be able to find my students in the training gym. It’s at the end of this hall behind double doors. You can’t miss it. Feel free to explain your situation and challenge them. They love sparring with others, so I bet they’ll love sparring with another wielder.” Dash beamed and rose out of her seat on magical wings. “Sweet!” she exclaimed, rushed down the hall in an excited blur. With only three people left in the room AJ rose up from her seat as well. “Got anything in this big ol city for me? Name’s Jackie Apple, by the way. But you can call me AJ.” Celestia put a finger to her chin in thought. “I’m not sure what you would be into. You could look around and see if you can find something. Or just find somewhere to relax. We have a rather large courtyard that you could loiter in. Or you could revisit the garden just outside the city where you arrived.” AJ also thought on it before nodding. “I gotcha. I think I’ll just go take a walk around. Twilight, don’t work to hard, an get some rest.” With that, AJ left Celestia and Twilight by themselves.