Hearts of Harmony

by Legrio

Chapter 13: Those Who Fight

Several rounds later...

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“Phew, that last one got a lucky shot in,” Rainbow Dash winced as she strained to look at another dent in her Royal Guard armor. “I really need to find a blacksmith.”

“Maybe there’s one in Traverse Town,” Twilight said, as one of the coliseum’s healers smeared salve over a cut and wrapped it in bandages. “Hey, not so tight!”

Applejack laughed. “And that’s why Ah prefer to fight with mah rope!”

“Hey, I don’t like getting in close, either, I am a mage, you know. It just happens!” Twilight protested, flexing her lightly injured arm. “This feels better already, thanks!” The robed woman bowed and left.

“Hey girls, you’re up again!” Phil said as he burst into the room. “And I’ve got bad news. You’ll be facing that guy with the sword earlier. I’ve been watching him fight and he’s a real heavy hitter. Good luck out there!”

“Thanks. Any news from Hercules?”

Phil shook his head.

Twilight sighed. “Well, here goes. Come on girls!”

“Right behind ya, Twilight!”

“Let’s kick this prettyboy’s butt!”

The trio strode out into the arena. Their opponent stood near the opposite door, locked in an argument with Hades. Twilight raised an eyebrow. Just what was going on here? The man suddenly shook off the lord of the dead and walked forward to meet them while Hades threw up his hands in exasperation and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“It’s the fantastic Elements of Harmony versus the one man army, Cloud! Who will win this battle of titans?!” The announcer shouted. “And, fight!”

“He’s fast!” Twilight thought as Cloud suddenly dashed forward, but Rainbow was there to meet him. There was a flurry of blows, then the pegasus flew back with several new dents in her armor. She crashed into the wall behind them, cracking the tan stone. The mare slumped to the ground, unconscious. “Rainbow!” The keyblade wielder gathered her magic before unleashing it in a grand fireball, but her opponent simply deflected it with the flat of his blade.

“Why ya big galoot!” Applejack exclaimed, lashing out with her weapon. Cloud quickly sidestepped the flying spike and grabbed the rope. With a powerful tug, he launched himself forward, catching the farmpony by surprise. Smacking her with the flat of his blade, the swordsman sent her flying to land atop the unconscious pegasus. She laid there, groaning.

“You,” Twilight growled, darkness beginning to flow from her corrupted necklace. “How dare you...” The darkness seemed to seep into Twilight’s clothes, changing them, turning them into a dark blue bodysuit. “How dare you hurt my friends?!” Holding her keyblade aloft as darkness swirled about, she screamed with rage, “DARK AURA!”

A portal of darkness opened before the keyblade wielder. She dove in, only to reappear behind her opponent. Cloud turned to parry her blow with a clash of metal, but Twilight suddenly disappeared, streaking in from the other side in a surge of darkness. He grunted as he took first one slash, then more. Suddenly, the keyblade wielder crashed down from above, a wave of dark power erupting from her weapon, blowing the swordsman back.

Cloud coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. “You know, I made the same mistake once, giving in to the dark,” he spoke for the first time, wiping his mouth. “It didn’t end very well.”

Growling, Twilight raised her keyblade for another attack, when a noise from behind gave her pause.

“Don’t give in to the darkness, Twi’,” Applejack wheezed. “Ya don’t need it! You’ve got friends!” She managed to get out before falling unconscious as well.

“She’s right,” the keyblade wielder realized, memories flashing through her head of her friends and how they helped her, how they stood together against Nightmare Moon. “Friendship is a power far greater than the darkness ever could be!” She announced, as light began to shine from her keyblade. The darkness recoiled, retreating back into the cursed element. Unseen beneath her now normal clothes, her necklace flickered to pure gold for a few moments.

The bandages around Cloud’s sword suddenly unwrapped themselves, revealing a shining blade. “Hmph,” he grunted. “Looks like I’ll have to get serious.” The tall man crouched, about to launch himself into the air, when a large cloud of smoke erupted, covering the arena floor. Screams began to fill the air as the smoke cleared, revealing an enormous three headed dog! Its razor sharp claws clacked along the arena floor as drool dripped from its tooth filled maw. The black-coated hellhound roared, sending the spectators fleeing for the exits.

“Oops!” Hades’ voice mockingly rang out from above. Twilight looked up to see him lounging in the announcer’s box. “Oh right, there was one little rule I forgot to mention: accidents happen!” The lord of the dead laughed mockingly.

Twilight stood protectively over her friends as the beast began to advance upon them. Cloud leaped over to stand at her side, angling his sword towards the monster. “Truce?” the keyblade wielder asked. Cloud nodded silently. The monster roared, its claws gouging great furrows in the stone floor as it began its charge. Suddenly, a shape dropped in from above. It was a heavily muscled man, riding some sort of white flying creature. The man jumped off of the creature and punched the middle head of the beast, driving it back a few yards. It roared in pain, shaking its heads.

“Phil!” the man called, “Get them out of here!”

“I’m on it, Herc!” the satyr shouted, grabbing Applejack and tugging her inside. “Gimme a hand here, girlie!”

Twilight looked back at the growling beast before nodding. She quickly grabbed Rainbow Dash with her magic and darted inside, laying her out on a nearby bench before making for the door once more. But she found Phil blocking her path.

“Are you kiddin’ me, girlie?! Surely you’re not thinking of going out there? This ain’t no arena match, this is the real deal, life or death!” He exclaimed.

“I don’t care!” Twilight shouted. “I’m not going to leave those two to fight that thing alone! Besides, Hades has one of my friends, and I’m not leaving until I get him back!”

“Alright, but be careful out there!” Phil relented, moving out of the way as the keyblade wielder ran back outside. After a moment, he let out a sigh. “Damned heroes...”

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A crash shook the arena as Twilight ran in, her keyblade tightly grasped in her hands. “What is that this thing?!” she shouted, gathering magic for a powerful spell.

“It’s the guard dog of the Underworld, Cerberus,” Hercules replied, holding back a set of the snapping jaws back as the blonde swordsman dashed in. The edge of his blade took on a magical sheen as he sliced through one of the offending head’s eyes. Ichor began to drip to the ground as the beast let out a howl of pain. “And I thought I told you to get to safety!”

“I can handle myself,” Twilight announced, holding her keyblade aloft as icy blue energy gathered at the tip of her weapon. With a cry of “Deep Freeze!” the keyblade wielder plunged her weapon into the ground. Suddenly, ice grew over the three headed dog’s feet, locking it in place. The beast growled before taking a deep breath. Moments later it began to spew huge orbs of flame.

Ducking under one of the fireballs, Hercules exclaimed, “I don’t remember it doing that the last time!”

Hades’ laughter rang out from above. “I taught my pet a few new tricks since then!”

“Maybe he knows this one, then,” Cloud said, dashing forward. “Play dead.” He jumped high into the air, his sword glowing with power once more. But the right head grabbed him just before he could strike, biting down hard on one of the swordsman’s arms. Crying out in pain, Cloud tried to slash his way free with his sword, but couldn’t get a good angle on the beast.

“I’ve got to help him,” the keyblade wielder frantically thought, as Hercules dodged orbs of flame, trying to get closer. Quickly gathering her power, she shouted, “Aero!”

A shield of wind whirled around the muscular hero, whipping aside the flames. Jumping straight up, he landed on the monster’s back. Cerberus roared in pain as Hercules brought his hands down in a powerful two handed strike, dropping Cloud to the ground. The swordsman quickly retreated, his arm hanging limp at his side, as Hercules did his best to keep the monster busy.

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked, running to meet him.

Cloud shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

“Let me see,” the keyblade wielder muttered, taking a healing potion out of her bag. Carefully taking hold of Cloud’s limp arm, she poured the magical liquid over his wounds. The swordsman winced as the wounds quickly knit themselves back together.

“Not bad,” he said, flexing his newly healed arm.

“Hey!” Hercules shouted. The duo turned to see him struggling to hold down the massive beast as it bucked and roared. “I could use a little help over here!”

Cloud hefted his massive sword. “Time to put this mutt down. Ready?”

Twilight let out a little gasp as a sense of strength and power suddenly overwhelmed her. “What’s this feeling? It’s like, I have a connection with him!” Her keyblade began to glow in her hands. She nodded. Suddenly, the blonde swordsman began his charge, the keyblade wielder running beside him. Cloud leaped into the air once more, as Twilight ran straight in. A single word flashed through the transformed woman’s mind. Omnislash

Darting around the snapping jaws, Twilight lashed out with her keyblade, opening a large cut along along the side of the head. Dark blood dripped to the ground. Cloud wasn’t so kind, gouging out the other eye of the head he’d only partially blinded before. The duo landed, only to leap into the air again and again, opening huge wounds in the beast’s hide. Finally, the beast known as Cerberus let out an earth shattering roar. Maddened with pain and half blind, it bucked Hercules off before rising to its feet, shattering its icy bonds. The beast crashed through the arena wall, fleeing.

“What?!” Hades shouted, his fiery hair glowing a fierce red in his rage. “How could you beat Cerberus?!”

“With the power of my friends!” Twilight replied, Hercules and Cloud standing beside her.

“It’s over, Hades, you lost. Release your prisoner,” Hercules commanded, arms crossed.

Spike appeared beside the flaming figure in a puff of smoke. He was slumped over, out cold. “You want the little brat so bad? TAKE HIM!” Hades shouted, tossing the little dragon to the arena floor. Twilight caught him with her magic just in time. She looked up to glare at her foe. “Enjoy the little time you have left with your pet! Remember, no win means no antidote! Without this,” he mockingly waved the vial of antidote between two fingers, “He’s as good as dead!” A lasso suddenly whipped in front of him, snatching the vial from his fingers. “What?!” A rainbow streak looped around him, creating a miniature tornado that lifted Hades into the air. “I’ll get you all for this! Just you wait and see! You’ll pay!” The lord of the dead’s voice faded as he was blown into the distance.

“Rainbow Dash, Applejack, you’re OK!” Twilight cried, darting forth to her friends.

The pegasus winced as the keyblade wielder hugged her. “Hey, careful, damaged goods here!”

“Here, Twi’, I’ve got the antidote,” Applejack said, giving her the vial.

“Thanks.” The keyblade wielder took the antidote and pried open her assistant’s mouth. “Please let this work,” she whispered, carefully pouring the liquid down Spike’s throat. At first, nothing happened, but then the little dragon began to cough and sputter.

“Ugh, Twilight, what happened?” He asked, color quickly returning to his face. Twilight suddenly hugged close.

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied, tears running down her face. “All that matters is you’re safe now.”

“Hm,” Cloud grunted. “There’s nothing for me here. I guess I’ll be moving on.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying up into the swordsman’s face. “You think you can just walk away after beating me like that?! I demand a rematch!”

“No thanks.” The swordsman began to walk off.

“Why’d you go along with Hades?” Cloud turned to look at Twilight. “I saw you talking with him.”

“I’m looking for someone. Hades promised to help. Like I said before, I tried to exploit the powers of darkness, but it backfired.” He shook his head. “I fell into darkness and couldn’t find the light.”

“You’ll find it.” The keyblade wielder looked to her friends. “I’ve already found part of mine.”

“Hm. Here, take this.” The man tossed her a folded up scrap of paper.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, looking the paper over.

“Just some instructions for an old technique of mine. You might find it useful.”

“Thanks for everything!” The keyblade wielder called, as the man walked off.

After a moment, Hercules coughed. “So, I don’t think we were ever properly introduced. I’m Hercules.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” she introduced herself, “And these are my friends, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and my little assistant, Spike.”

“Nice to meet ya.” The farmpony tipped her hat.

“Yeah, hi,” Rainbow said, distracted. “What’s that emblem there?” She pointed at Hercules’ belt.

“Oh, this? It’s the mark of my father, Zeus.” A winged, four legged creature with a coat of white fur swooped down from above to land beside him.

“What the hay is that?!” Applejack cried.

Twilight looked up at the preening creature. “It’s like someone took a pegasus and made it about two or three times bigger. But the proportions are all wrong!”

“Huh?” Hercules patted the creature’s side. “It’s just Pegasus. He’s a winged horse.”

“He’s a winged horse that you call ‘Pegasus’,” Rainbow Dash repeated, sizing up the big creature. He sniffed at her curiously, before giving her a lick. “Okay, I’m ready to leave.”

“What? Leaving so soon?” Phil asked, trotting up.

“Yeah, we have to search for the rest of our friends,” Twilight explained.

“Well, I guess that means no parade. Here.” The satyr handed her some sheets of paper.

“What’re those?” Applejack asked.

“Entry passes for the next games, of course! Feel free to come back any time ya want!” Phil exclaimed, before taking a look around. “Well, after we get the coliseum fixed up, anyways. Jeeze, you kids don’t do things by half, do ya?” Twilight blushed slightly. “So, here’s your winnings.” He handed her a small golden medallion, with the same emblem as the one on Hercules’ belt. She looked it over for a moment before slipping it into her pack.

“Hey Twi’, I think we should stay here for the night.” Applejack asked, yawning. “I don’t feel like trying to sleep in that stupid ship.”

The keyblade wielder thought it over for a moment. “Well, I guess we could stay for one night,” she relented. “And the healers can look us over again, you two can’t possibly be okay after slamming into walls like that...”

Rainbow Dash exasperatedly sighed as they followed the satyr inside...

Comments

[Legrio]

2336407

Fixed the error.

And as for Reaction Commands, I always felt that they were just the Keyblade alerting it's wielder to openings and opportunities to take advantage of his or her foe's weaknesses.

[Rainbow Dash the Awesome]

Before I start reading this there's something I need to know: is it just Twilight that goes on this Keyblade adventure, or do the rest of the mane six come with her? I see the mane six tag, but for all I know the rest might just be there to see her off in the beginning. I've been dying for a good KH crossover, but I'm going to be extremely disappointed if it's all Twilight. Some crossovers work with just one mane six member, but KH is one where only giving a single mane six member time in the spotlight would just be a travesty.

[Legrio]

2344657

Without really giving anything away, Twilight starts her journey with her friends, but is seperated from them. She will eventually have the rest of the mane cast join her over the course of the story.

Twilight is the protagonist and viewpoint character of the fic, but not the only important one.

Edit: That said, certain characters may receive more focus than others.