After Repliku accepted death at Castle Oblivion, he finds himself strangely alive in the Everfree forest. What will become of him? Will he ever return to Namine? Will Zexion annoy him to death now that he's Repliku's new conscience?
“So, it’s over. Hmph. Death doesn’t frighten me. Good riddance to a phony life. My heart was never real. I’m sure, even what I feel right now, is probably all fake.”
“What are you feeling?”
“What happens when a fake dies? One like me. Where will my heart go? Does it dissapear?”
“It’ll go somewhere. Maybe, to the same place as mine.”
“Teh, a faithful replica, until the very end. That’s...ok.”
…
Darkness…
I was such an idiot. I had a chance to live my own life, and I gave it up. And for what? To try and take another life for my own? I could have protected Namine…I could have been someone close to her. And now, all that’s left of me is darkness. I don’t even know how I’m thinking right now. Am I still partially alive? Is there some piece of my existence still left behind? And what the heck is that light?
…
The first thing I notice is how cold it is. I felt like I was laying down in a block of ice. Second, I noticed I had a massive head ache. Thirdly I noticed I actually had a head.
Somehow, someway, I had a body again. I couldn’t open my eyes yet, it was too bright. I moved my fingers around, just to make sure I actually did have a body again. I was right. I had my gloves on, so I couldn’t quite place what my hands had felt, but my arms felt grass. Was I outside of Castle Oblivion? I must have been. Or maybe I was still there, and this was the grass of a world from someone’s memories. It was too bright to be Twilight Town. After all, the sun never moved in that world, it was always sunset. Vexen told me that Twilight Town was a place where Nobody’s were born, and If I wasn’t there, then I still had my heart. Not that it mattered much, my heart was still fake. I slowly tried to open my eyes, vision adjusting a bit.
I was in a forest, and a cold one at that.
There was frost all over the grass around me, and I could feel a freezing cold breeze blowing in the wind. It was a wonder how I didn’t freeze to death. The clouds above me seemed to be alive, and the trees looked the same, which was odd since they weren’t moving. I slowly get up expecting a sharp winching pain. All I got were some slightly sore muscles, which the numbness of the cold censored most of, and a pounding in my head. Man I was cold.
I switch into Dark Mode, putting on my organic suit to keep myself warm. Darkness wasn’t exactly known for making things warmer, but the cold of darkness was better than the cold of having a sleeveless shirt on. I look at my hands, now covered in organic muscle formed by the Darkness. I could see my breath turning into mist as it came out of my mouth. It was really cold. I look around, and see a small pond near by. I crawled my way to it, and looked into the water to see my reflection.
Yep, I was alive. Somehow I made my way out of the Darkness, and wherever I was, it was really cold. I think for a moment trying to remember how to use my Dark Aura. After a few seconds of thinking, I remember, and threw a ball of blue flames out of my hand and into a patch of grass. Desperate for heat, I go to it, only to find that it had barely any heat to it. Like I said, Darkness isn’t known for bringing warmth. I think some more for a few minutes, trying to remember a basic fire spell. Magic is much easier at Castle Oblivion, where all you have to do is find the right card to cast a spell. And having never used magic outside of Castle Oblivion, it makes sense that this is a little difficult for me.
Oh yeah, and it doesn’t help that Namine fractured my heart and destroyed all of Riku’s memories, thus making me forget all the magic he learned during his adventures. In other words, I was doomed, I had absolutely no means of making a real fire to keep myself warm. So I’d have to do the next best thing, and look for shelter. This was going to be one hell of an evening.
…
It was a bright winter day in the calm town of Ponyville. While the younger ponies threw snowballs and made snow angels, the older one’s, like Twilight, spent their time indoors. Twilight was practicing a new spell. This one would allow her to see into other’s thoughts, which would be necessary, now that her dearest friend Applejack wanted Twilight to play the role as her therapist. The spell had it’s limits of course, no deeply hidden secrets revealed, and nothing shown that she doesn’t want Twilight to see. Twilight was worried however, by what was bothering Applejack. She seemed like such a well living mare, and Twilight would have never expected a day like tomorrow would come. Never the less, she would do whatever she could, and maybe even get a friendship report about it made.
…
Cold, and dark. Those are the only two words I can think of in regards to this forest. There was a single dirt path, like the one outside Castle Oblivion, but I had no idea wether I was getting any closer to the exit. Besides, I was too confused by what my senses were noticing.
First of all, this world was filled with magic, and I could tell by all the magical auras my eyes were picking up. Small traces of magic were blowing in the breeze, matching magical auras in all of the plants around me, and even streams of magic flowing beneath the ground I was standing on. Second, my skin was focusing on the cold wether I was walking through. Thirdly, I was hearing strange noises coming from the forest around me. Lastly, I could smell all kinds of strange plants I’d never encountered before. This world filled with magic was enhancing my senses so much that I could barely think.
“Try and look at the bright side of things. Not that I can see it or anything.”
I stopped, and turned around to see who was talking behind me. No one was there.
“Don’t go paranoid on me now.”
I looked all around me, and saw nothing. Maybe the trees were talking to me or something?
“That wouldn’t surprise me, but no.”
Now he was reading my mind. “Show yourself!”
“I’m afraid I can’t. You can’t see what’s in your own mind unless you visualize it.”
Now I was freaking out. Whoever this was, they were in my head. I held my hands to my head tight. “Get out of my head!!”
“Oh sure, right after I escape from your body and regain my own. Before you go and try raming your head into that tree, which may or may not hit back, try and remember when you last heard my voice.”
I could feel myself blushing. “I wasn’t gonna ram my head in a tree.” I lied.
“Does the name Zexion mean anything to you?”
I thought for a moment, knowing I recognized that name somewhere. An organization member? Had to be, since the name had an X in it.
“Let me give you a hint.”
Suddenly a powerful energy came surging out of my body, putting a large aura around me. “This is…that power I took from you. You’re the Nobody I absorbed.” I put my head down, filled with shameful memories. “I’m sorry.”
“Yes, well I suppose I can’t very well protest when I don’t really mind any more. In any case; Like I said, you can’t see what lies in your own mind. You have to visualize it. You have my powers of illusion, so make me appear, if you want to see me.”
I could’t disagree with that idea. After all, talking to a visible person was better than talking to a disembodied voice in my head. I try and tap into Zexion’s power, and visualize him. Since I was a replica, my memory was photographic. I watched as I slowly made him fade into existence. He was definitely one of the Organization’s younger members, and you could tell that by his height and youthful face. Not that you could see much of his face, since half of it was covered in that steel blue emo hair of his. He looked at me with one bright aqua eye, the other hidden behind his hair. He smiled.
“I’m impressed.” The newly formed persona stated. “You made my appearance just as it was on your first try. Not a hair out of place.”
I smiled, feeling some satisfaction from how well I did. Then I decided to ask- “What are you doing in my head any way? There shouldn’t be anything left of you.”
“No, there shouldn’t. But it seems you're feeling lonely, and your mind decided to make me a more influencial part of your subconscious. I’m here to help you.” He stated mater-of-fact-ly.
I gave him a quizical look. “Why do you care about me?” I asked.
He smiled. “I don’t. One who has no true emotions can not ‘care about’ anything. But due to a lack of any other beings absorbed into you, your mind chose me. Now then-” He pulled out his Lexicon. “You need a basic fire spell, don’t you?”
I didn’t even notice I was cold, until he mentioned it. I guess talking to a figment of my imagination was a distracting thing.
“You’re just as much a figment of imagination as I am, given you aren’t even real.”
I got angry. “Stop reading my mind!”
“I don’t have a choice.” He said, eyes closed. “I am a part of your mind, and therefor your thoughts also belong to me.”
“Then why can’t I read your mind?” I asked, hoping to catch him by surprise with that question.
“You can’t surprise a being that shares your thoughts you know. In any case, you can’t read my mind because I don’t really have one. Whatever I’m saying is just what you imagine I would say. And since you absorbed my very being into yourself, the way you imagine my responses just happens to be very accurate.” He looked into the Lexicon in his arms. “Now then, fire spell. Try to imagine that mission I had with Roxas during his first days in the organization.”
I gave another quizzical look. “Isn’t a Lexicon just a dictionary? How is looking in there going to show how to cast a fire spell?”
He grunted. “Again, this is how you imagine me. Me looking in a book while teaching you magic just makes sense to you. I’m not actually reading. Now please silence yourself and remember that mission I mentioned.”
I decided to shut up, thinking that maybe trying to have a full conversation with him wasn’t a good idea sanity wize. I could tell he wanted to comment on what I was thinking, but I shut him up, and made him think about how inturupting me wouldn’t get us any warmer. I try to visualize Twilight Town, where the mission took place.
It was down town, where most of the markets are placed. Somewhere near the entrance to the nearby forest. Zexion and Roxas were both fighting the Heartless in order to obtain hearts. Zexion served as Roxas’s guide for the mission, and as such, was assisting in fighting Heartless. He used his Lexicon to fight them off, showing how a book can easily be used as a weapon, and cast a few spells during the fight as well. One spell in particular caught my eye. I watched as Zexion levitated the book in front of himself, opened it so that it’s pages were facing his enemy, and focused a specific spell through the book, letting it’s pages turn the spell into a ball of fire that set his foe alight.
I had what I needed. I focused the exact magic I needed into my hand, and was greeted by a flash of light, and a burning flame that hit the ground. The fire greeted me with warmth I hadn’t felt at all since I got here.
Zexion smiled. “Well done. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”
I smiled back to him. “Nothing to it.” I got down on my knees and got as close to the fire as I could without burning myself. It was like finding a spring in a harsh desert.
I shivered in my sleep, all the words I remembered echoing through my head as I slept on the cold hard surface.
“A fake like me could never get away with saying that.”
As the tone of my own voice in the memory grew more harsh, I felt more and more unsettled.
“That’s right. I’m a phony, a fake! The way I look, the way I feel, everything I remember! And even, this newfound power!”
The cold feeling inside me grew stronger, as I visualized the energy courcing into the air around me.
“I thought by finding some new strength, I could finally be someone, someone that’s not at all you!”
I felt the darkness pulling at my sanity, making me loose all feeling of ease.
“But, nothing changes. I’m still just empty! Everything about me is borrowed. As long as your around…”
I saw my reflection pull out a sword identical to Riku’s.
“I’ll never be more than a shadow!”
I forced my eyes open, and sat upright in an instant, with a cold sweat covering my face. It was just a dream. Dreams… How exactly do they work? I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream that didn’t consist of memory, and considering this was only my second time sleeping "if you count me dying as falling asleep", I wasn’t sure if I could make a dream of my own. So far, my only dreams are the memories that haunt me. Three words…that phrase keeps coming to mind. All I had to do was say three words to Namine. She would’ve felt too guilty to share my feelings, but at least destroying my mind so I couldn’t give her false love meant that I wouldn’t be living a worthless life. As I’ve said before, death doesn’t scare me. So, why am I still trying to survive when I don’t even care about my life?
“Because of human nature.”
I grunted, having a back ache from sleeping on a stone floor was bad enough, and now I had to listen to Zexion lexure to me.
“I’m just saying, human nature is to cling to life for as long as possible. It’s the instinct that’s been there since man’s existence after all.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I rose to my feet, and looked at the fire next to me.
Last night I slept in a cave, started a fire, and put Namine’s charm in it to keep the fire going all night. The charm it’s self was made out of memories, and therefore, couldn’t be destroyed, but it’s magic kept the fire going.
“You know, in a way, Namine kept you safe last night.”
I laughed a bit. “Yeah, I guess she did.” I frowned. “She wouldn’t have if she were here though.”
“Now what makes you say that?”
I looked in a certain direction, pretending I was looking at him, even though I hadn’t made him visible yet. “She just feels guilt when I confess my love to her. If she had the chance, she’d just destroy me, to end both our miseries.”
“Now you know Namine wouldn’t be that cruel. She’d protest, say that you shouldn’t love her, but she wouldn’t destroy you. In fact, if you were both out here, she’d try and help you get home.”
“I don’t have a home.” I deadpanned.
“I mean she’d take you to a place you could call home, some place safe, some place you might find today, if you look hard enough.”
I look outside of the cave, and see the cold, dangerous forest I’d been walking through since yesterday. It may sound strange, but rather than wanting to give up, it gave me a sense of satisfaction. I felt I was getting closer and closer to the end with each step, and that, maybe, just maybe, I could find something better once I stepped out of the forest. I smiled.
“Maybe I will find a home.”
…
“Ah just don’t feel like Ah’m doin’ enough Twi.”
Applejack lay there on the couch, sad face being worn, as Twilight Sparkle wrote notes on the subject. Today was the day Twilight played the role of her therapist, and Applejack’s honesty made it all the more easy.
“Ah mean, Ah’ve been savin’ bits for almost a year now, and Ah still don’t have the money to pay for Granny Smith’s hip replacement. You know how hard Ah work in those achres! Ah’m lucky Ah don’t pull another ‘baked bad’ and start workin’ till Ah sleep in the middle of work. Ah feel like, no matter how hard Ah work, Ah just can’t get where Ah wanna.”
Twilight took off her therapist glasses with her magic, and gave a concerned look to her dear friend. “Applejack, I had no idea. Why didn’t you come to me sooner?”
Applejack sighed. “Ah wanted to think Ah could just push it aside and prove mahself wrong. But it just keeps feelin’ worse. Sometimes Ah wonder why Ah even bother.”
“Applejack, hip replacements are really expensive, and you already have to worry about needed supplies at the farm, school supplies for Applebloom, and you need to keep yourself well rested. Not to mention the fact that you hate staying at the acres for too long, that’s why you spend time with me and the others every week.”
“Yer not really helpin’ Twi”
She blushed. “Sorry. Look, clearly things have been going the same way for too long. If your given enough time, you can get enough money saved, but you need something to distract you in the meantime. We need something new, unexpected, exciting.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Any suggestions?”
“None that you’ll be interested in.” Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin. “We need somepony else’s opinion on this.” She donned her therapist glasses. “Tomorrow we’ll have this meeting along with the pony of your choice, and listen to his or her opinion on what you should do to take you mind off of things. But for now, we end this session, and leave to have a picnic.”
Applejack raised her eyebrow again. “Right now?”
“Right now.” Twilight confirmed. “I had the food prepared as a means of removing tension for when we finished. I read that friendly activities after serious matters make things less stressful for the participant.”
Applejack blinked twice. “Alright then.” She got up from the couch and onto her hooves. She took her stetson off the small table beside the couch, and back on her head were it’d been for most her life. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt that something better was coming her way.
…
I knew I was getting closer to the end, because the magic I was picking up now had much less darkness in it. I didn’t even need my newly improved senses to see that, given how it was much less cold here. I actually found this aimless walking kinda nice. It was a routine now; searching for food that wasn’t poisoned in some way, getting water from near by ponds, walking for hours, making two or three fires a day, and oh yeah, fighting a few monsters here and there. You’d think I were talking about the Heartless right? Wrong. I have no idea what these monsters are, but this forest is full of them. I saw some weird cross between a snake and a chicken that nearly turned me to stone, a lion with bat wings and a scorpion tail, and tons of different breeds of spider. I, hate, spiders. They seem like typical wild life here, which only makes me wonder about how powerful the people that live in this world must be. Given that this world is filled with magic, it stands to reason there has to be a lot of spell casters here.
A twig snaps behind me. I summon my sword, and turn around quickly. “Show yourself!” I shouted.
I was greeted with the foul stench of rotting wood, moss, and dead insects. I saw a pair of glowing eyes from the creature that was waiting to pounce. I hadn’t seen any animals with glowing eyes yet, but I knew millions of heartless that those eyes could belong to. Gripping my sword tighter, I prepare myself for the upcoming attack. The creature leaped towards me, hoping to sink it’s claws into my flesh, but I swung my sword as I moved aside to let it fall beside me. When I looked back, I saw a pile of twigs…
“What?” I look behind me to see just what creatures I was dealing with, and saw four wolves made out of wood, with glowing yellow eyes. “Well, this is going to be a weird fight.”
I ready my sword and my first attack. “Take this!” I shout as I perform Strike Raid, and throw my sword like a boomerang, destroying one of the wooden beasts, letting it fly back into my hand. The wolves were unfazed, and two of them lunged at me. “Gather!” I shout as I cast Magnet and leave both wolves hopelessly suspended in mid-air, trapped by the gravitational pull of the spell I’d cast. While they had no way of attacking me, I used Quick Blitz, jumping into the air and using the force of gravity to add to the damage of my sword as it came down and destroyed the two wolves. One left. I use Dark Impulse, knocking the wolf into the air before dealing a hard slam down to the ground. Done, now there’s nothing but a pile of twigs that used to be a set of enemies. I put away my sword, and walk away.
Just when I think all’s over, I sense some dark magic behind me. I look, and see the twigs glowing green, and gathering together in one place, forming a gigantic wooden wolf. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I say, pulling out my sword again.
Just when I was about to attack though I see a figure jump out of the trees and hit the giant wolf with a long wooden staff, getting a yelp in response from the wooden beast. The figure lands, and I get a good look at it. Whoever it was, they were entirely cloaked in a brown garb, face hidden inside of the hood they were wearing. Their stance was similar to Marluxia’s, holding the wooden staff behind their back, and letting the opposite end come slightly close to the ground. She spoke. “There is no need to run in fear, I will handle the fight from here.” It was deep, but it was definitely a woman’s voice. She used her staff to pick up a near by rock, and toss it into the air, only to catch it with her…hoof? The giant wolf gave a roar that could be heard for miles, but that didn’t phaze her, she simply threw the rock into it’s mouth, letting it get caught by the wolf's throat. The beast choked, desperately trying to dislodge the stone from it’s throat, and failing miserably. Rather than simply falling down from lack of oxygen, it exploded into a million twigs, leaving nothing of it’s formerly terrifying form behind.
After watching the amazing display, I look to my savior, and watch as she drops her staff, get’s down on all fours, and lets her head hang low, only to lift it up quickly, letting the hood fall off of her head, and revealing her face. She was a strange looking creature, with white fur that had black stripes. Her dog like ears had gold ear rings on them, and her neck-brace seemed to be several rings of gold as well. Her hair was a mohawk of black and white. Her eyes were big, and green.
Zexion decided to speak. “Fascinating, we seem to have encountered a zebra. I’ve seen them before in the Pride Lands. They’re a form of equine that tend to live in large numbers. Though, this one seems much smaller, and the eyes are remarkably bigger. Not to mention it can actually fight.”
She smiled. “The voice in your mind flatters me so, perhaps we should burn these remains before we go.”
Both me and Zexion were caught off gard, and spoke in union-
“You can actually hear him!?”
“You can actually hear me!?”
She laughed, but stopped as she watched the twigs glow green again. “Hurry now my newfound friends, bring this wooden beast to it’s end!”
I stop staring and look around at all the glowing twigs. I ready a fire spell, and wait for them to gather in one place. Just before they could form another wolf, i set them on fire, watching as the magic in them wore off and let them fall to the ground.
I get closer to the fire, letting the warmth greet me, the zebra did the same.
“Your magic spells truly astound, I can tell from here you are not around.”
“Ouch.” Zexion replied. “That rhyme was terrible.”
She frowned. “A simple voice I do not fear, what I mean is I can tell you're not from around here.”
I stared at her. “How are you able to hear him? Can you read my mind?”
She smiled. “That is sadly not so, I simply have a connection to this worlds flow. I hear the voices of lives lost you see, and I bear the gift of prophecy.”
“That explains how you’re able to keep rhyming. You just know what to say before you say it.” Zexion replied.
“So wait.” I started. “You can listen to the voices of the dead?”
“Yes, though I am unsure how one lies in your head.”
“Do you always have to rhyme?” Zexion asked.
“It is the way of my kind, I must speak this way all the time.”
“Well I’m sure you could beat anyone at poetry at least.” I joked.
“It is a pleasure to have met you while I rome, shall I welcome you into my home?”
“So what you’re saying is, we’re in a world where equines are the dominant species?” Zexion asked.
Zexion was visible now, and we ‘as in me and Zecora’ were having tea in her hut. I briefly explained that I had brought about his end and, as punishment, now had him as my conscience. Zecora was accepting of this, not wanting too much detail on how I murdered a man trying to make myself different from Riku. Zecora was telling us about this world, and how she knew the world order. She, on her quest of self discovery, connected her heart to the heart of this world, and gained it’s secrets. Who knew a simple connection could lead to such a well informed creature? This world was called ‘Equis’ in reference to how the populous consisted mostly of equines. The most common equines were ‘ponies’ which took 3 forms; unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony. Zecora was not from this country, which was known as ‘Equestria’, but was in fact from a place known as Zebra Country. She left her people in the hopes of gaining knowledge, and now locks herself away in this place called ‘The Everfree Forest’, because she doesn’t feel like she belongs around normal folk, and likes to keep to herself. I’d write down her words exactly, but it was too much rhyming for me to keep up with, it’s only because of Zexion’s mind I was able to put that info together.
“That is indeed the way it is, in this world we call Equis.”
I sipped some more tea before speaking. “So, what happens now?” I asked.
Zecora set down her cup. “If you are to keep the world order going it’s way, I must advise that you do not stay. You won’t fit in as well as you think, for the human race has been extinct.”
Zexion spoke. “That’s not entirely a problem. Since Repliku has my abilities as a Nobody, he can simply shape shift into an equine form. All we must do is be stealthy and get a good look and one of this worlds ponies while making certain they don’t see us.”
I spoke. “And since I also have access to the dark corridors, I can just teleport away when I’m done.”
We heard a knock on the door.
“Damn it.” I quietly cursed. “Ok, I’ll use my dark corridor, you see what they want.” I surrounded myself with darkness, and vanished, now in the realm of darkness. I could still hear what was going on, given that I was just in another dimension. I heard the door open, and slowly backed away from where I was standing, until I knew I was far enough to be outside the hut, and got myself back in the realm of light. I was successfully outside of the hut.
Zexion was now invisible again, and spoke. “Now’s your chance. Look in the window and see what those ponies look like.”
No time like the present. I walk up to the hut, and get close.
“Hold on.” Zexion said. “Let me warn Zecora.” He cleared his throat, even if he didn’t have a throat. “Zecora! Keep those ponies away from the window!”
I heard her speak. “I see you’ve come to me this night, what brings you hear my friend Twilight.”
Twilight, I like that name. Reminds me of Twilight Town, where Namine chose to live. ‘Twilight’ spoke. “Well originally I was going to ask about what started that fire, but now I’m wondering what you’ve been up to. I just picked up dark magic.”
“Oh.” Zexion said. “Not good. Get a good look at her and run like hell.”
I look in the window barely, and see her. She looked much more feminine, than Zecora. Unlike Zecora, this pony had eye lashes, and a differently shaped muzzle. She was purple, had purple eyes, and a purple mane with a stripe of pink and a tail to match. They were all different shades of purple, but she was still completely purple. Her horn was considerably more dull than I’d expected a unicorn to have. Beside her was an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and tail, both put into a pony tail. I couldn’t help but find that funny. She also had white freckles and a stetson. Well, these ponies were definitely colorful.
“Very.” Zexion replied. “Hey Zecora! Is it safe to say it doesn’t matter what color we choose for the disguise!?”
“To your accusation I cannot say I ingest, but if you ask to come in, you know I’ll say yes.”
“That’s a yes. Now we just need a good look at a male pony and we’re good to go.”
“Hold on.” I say. “Let me get another look.” I look back into the window and step on a twig.
“What was that?” The orange one asked.
“Fuck.” I curse and get down.
“Zecora.” Twilight started. “You’re hiding somepony who’s using dark magic, who is it?”
“I am bound by laws to simply not say. I advise you two be on your way.”
“What laws?”
“To tell you how they work, I’d have to cross a forbidden border. I will simply say it is called the world order.”
“World order? Zecora this is the balance of light and darkness we’re talking about. If anything, finding out who’s shifting that balance is an obligation of mine to maintain ‘world order’.”
“Oh, now we’re the enemy.” Zexion stated. “You should run.”
“Where?” I whisper. “Zecora’s hut is the only safe place I can hide. I’ll just hide in the trees and wait for them to leave.”
And I do so, being as stealthy as possible but also causing some leaves to rustle.
“There it is again.” The orange one stated.
Twilight burst out of the door, looking for anything suspicious. I was out of sight, but that only served to make her more angry. She calmed down a bit and plastered an obviously fake smile on her face. “Look, I don’t really know if your any harm. If you just come out, I know I can trust you.”
“And strike three.” Zexion stated. “Now it’s either show your face or become the enemy for her to track down.”
No other options. “If I show myself, do you promise not to over react? You might be surprised by what you see.”
Twilight inspected the tree top she heard my voice come from. “Come down, and I promise I’ll maintain my composure.”
I really hoped she meant that. I take a deep breath, and jump down.
Have you ever had one of those awkward moments where you enter a room and all conversations just drop? Try being a different species, and dropping from a tree to say hi to a duo of ponies. The silence is much longer. It probably didn’t help that I was wearing a skirt, but that was the darkness’s fault, not mine. Besides, I made it work.
Fashion sense aside, now I had two ponies starring at me. Twilight had her mouth agape, inspecting every last inch of me. The orange one was just weirded out, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Meanwhile Zexion was laughing at my expense, and Zecora just hid in her hut, probably listening to what would be spoken from beside the open door.
I speak. “Still gonna keep your composure?”
She didn’t respond, momentarily confused by the question, after having been way too distracted by my looks.
Zexion laughed some more. “Oh yeah, your a real stud. Need some more guy-liner?” He laughed some more.
Twilight spoke. “Y-you’re…human.”
“Am I?” I joked, looking at my hand for a few seconds. “I didn’t notice.”
“Uh, pardon my interuptin’ Twi.” The orange one interjected. “But, what the hay is a human?”
She didn’t turn to look at her friend, too busy looking at me instead. “It’s a form of simian that only has hair on the top of it’s head. A bipedal creature that’s been extinct for over a thousand years. Some ponies even speculate that they never existed.” She ran up to me with a huge smile on her face. “And now there’s one right in front of us! Oh I have so many questions! Is it true your kind invented most of our society’s technology? How are you here? Cryogenic suspension? An advanced form of time travel? Is there a secret city filled with humans?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. First off, I have no idea what tech you use. I also have no idea if cryogenic suspension even works. The laws of time travel clearly state there must be some variation of myself at the destination, so unless there’s two of me here, no time travel. And I don’t know anything about any city.”
I could tell Zexion face palmed. “You just disproved all of the theories that could have explained how you’re here while maintaining the world order. I know you have my brain, so I don’t need to tell you how stupid that was.”
Well, now I felt stupid.
“You are stupid.”
I hate you.
“At least insult me intellectually.”
Twilight interrupted our little argument.
“Sure, little.”
Shut up.
Twilight spoke. “Wait a moment.” Her horn started glowing, as she inspected my outfit. “Not only do you use dark magic, you have a suit made out of it!?” She was getting angry.
“And now it’s back to being the enemy.” Zexion commented. “You’re not good at this.”
Twilight glared at me. “Care to explain why you’re wearing that?”
“Be honest.” Zexion said. “She might have a lie detector spell.”
Here goes nothing. “It’s Winter, and I was getting cold in my sleeveless shirt.”
“You have no proof you were wearing a sleeveless shirt.” Twilight deadpanned.
I switched out of my Dark Mode, catching her by surprise, and gestured to the sleeveless shirt I was wearing.
“Oh.” She said. “Why the heck were you wearing a sleeveless shirt during the Winter?”
“Again, be honest.” Zexion said.
“Two reasons. One, this is the only set of clothes in my wardrobe. The other is because I didn’t expect it to be Winter when I came here.”
“Again, pardon me for inturuptin’.” The orange one said. “Don’t take this the wrong way mister…”
“Replica.” I stated. “My full name is Riku Replica.”
She blinked. “Uh, ok mister Replica. Don’t take this the wrong way or nothin’, but those pants make you look like a clown.”
Zexion burst into a fit of laughter, but sadly only I could hear him.
“In what way was I supposed to take that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Ah recon’ you could explain why it looks funny.”
Twilight looked over my outfit. “Actually, I’d like some explaining also. Your pants seem like two pairs in one. The first part seems heavily form fitting, making me wonder if it’s uncomfortable. The other pair is very baggy, and seems to compensate for the fact that you’re wearing tight pants. It seems inefficient.”
Zexian spoke. “She just told you how your pants look ridiculous in the most intellectual way possible. I like this pony.”
“Fine.” I say. “Give me a moment to think.”
Never thought the perfect distraction would be my pants.
Zexion snickered. “Sexy back, those other boys just don’t know how to act.”
Ignoring him with all my might, I think for a moment. I then realize Namine took Riku’s memories away from me, and Vexen never explained Riku’s wardrobe. I think a little longer, hoping Zexion knows anything.
“Sorry, but my knowledge on Destiny Islands is minimal. Little to no heartless would show up at that tiny world, making it pointless for Organization members to go there.”
Great, no explanation.
“I don’t know, ok? I’m a clone. The guy who made me based my clothes off of the clothes Riku wore.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Clone? As in carbon copy based off of the DNA structure of a living organism? You actually know of science good enough to make a perfect clone!?” She was smiling goofily again. This was definitely a nerdy pony.
The orange one raised an eyebrow. “Carbo-what-now?”
Twilight ran to her friend at a remarkable spead, still smiling. “Carbon copy! An exact duplicate of a living creature! Normally it would take super advanced magic only an alicorn could achieve, but scientific research has shown other means of cloning. None of which however are efficient, as they lead to a life form that won’t live as long, and doesn’t grow as healthily.” She ran back to me. “Was it magic, science, or some combination of both?” She was still smiling.
“At least she’s easily distracted.” Zexion commented.
“How am I supposed to remember the process of how I was born?” I ask.
Twilight blushed. “Oh, right.” Her eyes widened. “Wait, I’m supposed to find you suspicious.” She got angry. “Who are you? Why are you using dark magic? How did you get here? And did you corrupt Zecora?”
Zexion sighed. “Just tell her the truth. I’m getting tired of this never ending conversation. Just break the world order and tell them.”
Not like that was the first time that’d happened. Sometimes informing a select few about the world order is a necessity. Besides, people who care about the balance of light and darkness tend to keep secrets well.
“Come with me to Zecora’s hut and I’ll tell you everything. It’s cold out here and I want to go inside.” …
“Excuse me?” Twilight said, bewildered by my words.
“You heard me, I’m from another world. The world order is meant to keep the concept of other worlds secret, and that’s why Zecora didn’t tell you.”
We were inside now, which I was thankful for, since Twilight wouldn’t allow me to put on my Dark Mode suit to get any warmer. Though I had to admit, I kinda liked wearing normal clothes. Dark Mode creates a suit that acts as a second skin, with nerves and everything. Plus it’s more suited for combat purposes. Clothes are just, soft pieces of cloth you get to wear. The feel is totally different.
“But your pants still look like you got them from a clown.”
Shut up Zexion.
“That doesn’t make any sense!” Twilight stated. “Humans existed in Equestria before. You expect me to believe they were aliens?”
“Repliku, make me visible. I think I can explain this.” Zexion asked.
Feeling tired of talking I agree. “Look Twilight, I brought a friend with me who might be able to explain that. Someone who’s been listening the whole time.”
“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked.
I make Zexion appear, making both Twilight and ‘Applejack’ freak out.
“What in tarnation? There’s two of you?” Applejack asked.
“Wait a moment.” She scanned him with her magic, and glared at me. “He’s an illusion! What are you trying to pull!?”
“If I may.” Zexion interrupted. “I’m Zexion. Yes, I’m an illusion, but I’m also Repliku’s friend. Let me show you something.” He snapped his fingers, making the whole room go dark. When we could see again, a familiar scene appeared.
…
Zexion walked out of the dark corridor, wrapped in pain from a torturous battle against Riku. “What is he? No one’s ever worn the darkness the way that he does, it’s impossible.” He stopped musing, as he noticed Axel had come inside with Repliku along side him. Zexion freaked out, thinking he was looking at Riku, and braced himself against the wall. He then realized just who he was looking at. “Oh yes, the replica, of course. We can use this Riku to defeat the real one.” He stared at Axel for a moment, not sure if he could trust the expression he was showing. “Axel?”
“Wouldn’t you like to be real?” Axel asked to Repliku, who only responded with a nod. “All you need, is the kind of power that Riku doesn’t have. If you can get that, you can be a new person. Not Riku, nor anybody else. You won’t just be a copy of someone. You will be unique, your own self.” Repliku was liking this idea.
Zexion couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A replica couldn’t be their own person. Not to his own vast knowlege.
“Axel! What are you saying to him!?”
Axel put a hand on his hip. “You know, he’s as good a place to start as any.”
Zexion was outraged. “You can’t do this!” Repliku gripped him by the coat, and shoved him against the wall, receiving a pained groan in response. Zexion struggled, trying hopelessly to free himself from Repliku’s grasp, knowing full and well what was coming next. He felt all the magic being forcibly pulled out of his body, as his very being was being absorbed into Repliku.
“So sorry, Zexion.” Axel said, watching as his friend slowly died. “Humph, you just found out way too much.”
…
Back in the hut. Twilight and Applejack are silent, trying to process what they just saw. Zexion decided to speak before they could comment though.
“I’m more than just an illusion. I’m all that’s left. I’m Zexion’s mind and soul. And now that Repliku has me as a part of his mind, I’m his conscience. Now, here’s what you could do. You could send this misguided toy out of your world to cause trouble in another, and I wouldn’t blame you for it. But, you could also nurture him. He sees a world of wonder, something he never encountered, and that he’s sure Riku’s never been to. Teach him, and he’ll be that much closer to walking the road to light. You want to keep the balance so badly, teach him not to use the darkness.”
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more complicated, a Miss Twilight Sparkle planned my day tomorrow to be the most difficult one in my whole life. How is it that a clone of a warrior, who was created for the soul purpose of killing his real counterpart, could possibly have a day more difficult than any of the one’s that were experienced at Castle Oblivion? Two words. No, Illusions.
Apparently Twilight not only had no trust for me, but she also wouldn’t allow me to live life in Equestria based off a lie. Translation, I couldn’t disguise myself as a pony. Mind you, trying to pull off being a completely different species would be complicated, but Twilight’s idea seemed much worse.
“Today, I’m going to talk to the Mayor of Ponyville, and inform her that an unusual resident will be staying. Zecora will help me explain, while maintaining the world order. You’ll most likely end up in several interviews, and Princess Celestia will want to speak with you as soon as she hears about it, but consider that punishment for using dark magic.”
Dark magic she calls it. It’s more than just a form of magic, it’s a universal force. You’d think a world filled with magic, meant a world filled with magic experts. But no. I not only had to deal with a pony who makes bad ideas, but a pony who didn’t know what she was talking about.
“Could be worse?” Zexion asked.
Let’s see. I’m staying at a hut in a forest filled with darkness, I’m about to be introduced to a civilization that hasn’t seen humans in a millennia, and to top it all off, Namine has probably left Twilight Town by now, and even if she was still there, I don’t know how to get there from this world. My only experience with the corridors of darkness was short distance travel, never world to world. How in Equestria could things get any worse?
“You could be dead.” Zexion said.
If I were dead, I wouldn’t have to be dealing with any of this.
“Don’t start acting suicidal.”
You are such a useless conscience. I already said death doesn’t frighten me, so what point is there in telling me otherwise?
“Just think for a moment. Why are you here?”
I died, and somehow pieced myself together, the end.
“I mean why are you still here?”
Because searching for Namine would be like finding a needle in a hay stack by now.
“Really now?” Zexion asked in an intrigued manner. “How interesting.”
And this is proof I will never understand Zexion, even if he is my conscience. He’s part of my brain, yet I don’t know what he’s thinking.
“That’s for the best, for the time being. Here’s another reason. Riku has never been to this world. That means, you have the opportunity for a new experience that Riku’s never had.”
Oh great, another reason to pretend I’m real. Zexion, you’re not helping.
I visualized him shrugging in my mind. “You need someone to talk to.”
I sighed, and let my eyes open to get another look at the roof of Zecora’s hut. I was lying in her bed, while she was outside, sleeping in a hammock. She said she had some sort of meditation technique that allowed her to adjust her body heat during the Winter. Whatever, I thought. I just wanted to sleep.
Zecora could tell I wasn’t going to sleep so easily before I was even in bed, and left me an herbal drink at my bedside. She said it was fast acting, so I should only take it when I’m ready. "No time like the present." I say to myself, and gulp the drink down. I’d tasted worse when Vexen tested drugs on me at least.
…
Much like Repliku, Applejack was having trouble sleeping as well. Now not only was she having problems with her life, but soon, everypony would be talking about the new human in town, and none of them will want to spend the day with her. So much for Twilight’s plan. Thinking about it, this idea of Twilight’s meant that Applejack had only two people in mind that she could spend tomorrow with to take her mind off of things. First, there was Twilight. She’d already been introduced to the human in question, and had shown how much she hated him. Spending a day with her PFF would be much less irritating than spending time with Repliku, Applejack mused. And then there was Repliku. Applejack doubted she would get much time with him, since everypony would be wanting an interview with the so called last human in Equestria. Still though, Repliku would rather spend a day with one pony than the whole town. Twilight said it herself. “Look, clearly things have been going the same way for too long. If your given enough time, you can get enough money saved, but you need something to distract you in the meantime. We need something new, unexpected, exciting.”
Nothing could be more unexpected than this. …
Darkness, and laughter. Guess I could put together my own dreams.
I was running from a voice that was all too familiar to me. It was the laugh of my creator, Vexen. “Come out, come out, my little puppet.”
I had no idea what he wanted, I didn’t care. I was running for my life, not wanting to be part of another experiment.
I ran up to the gates of the abandoned mansion in Twilight Town. “Namine!” I cry out, getting no response from the old manner. I look back, but don’t see Vexen. Instead, I see Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
“What’s wrong?” Goofy asks.
“Something, feels really strange.” Sora responds. “I’m sure I don’t know this place, but it’s starting to feel like, it’s familiar to me.”
“You must’ve come here some time before.” Donald said.
“No.” Sora replies. “And that’s what’s strange.” He walked up closer to the gates, not even noticing I was there watching.
“It could be like with Namine.” Goofy says. “You forgot lots of other stuff, and that’s why you remember this place now.”
“No, it’s different.” Sora says. “With Namine, my memories, sorta came drifting back to me. A little piece at a time. But not now. It’s not memories, just this idea that I must’ve been here before.”
“So, feeling nostalgic?”
I recognized that voice, and it was right behind me. I turn around, and see Vexen appear from the darkness. Although, he seems to not see me either. This had to be another memory.
“Sora. A question then for you. Your memories of Namine, or your feelings here. Which of the two of these is more real, I wonder?
“Namine of course!” Sora claimed. “Whatever it is that I’m feeling, I bet it’s just another one of your mean little tricks!”
Vexen laughed. “The memory's wiles can be cruel. In its silence, we forget. In its obsession, it binds our hearts.”
“Cut the riddles!” Sora said firmly.
“I told you. This place was created solely from another side of your memory. It is on the other side of your heart that the memory of this place exists. It is your heart that remembers.”
“You’re wrong!” Sora yelled. “I don’t know this place!"
Vexen wasn’t listening. “If you remain bound by the chain of memories, and refuse to believe what is truly inside your heart, then throw it away. You are not a keyblade master. Just a slave to twisted memories. Yes, exactly like my Riku.” He pulled out his shield. “Your existence is worth nothing!”
I really hate Vexen. But what could I say? He was right. My existence was worthless. Is worthless. Will always be worthless.
“Like your Riku? Worth nothing?” Sora was getting angry. “That’s enough! You’re the one who changed Riku! Every word you’ve said is a lie! I’d never throw away my heart!” Sora pulled out his keyblade. “I’m gonna take you down, and save Riku and Namine! That’s, what’s in my heart!”
The memory faded. I was in a dark space, with nothing but my own thoughts to accompany me. “Sora. He cared about me. He even let me protect Namine.” I lowered my head in shame. “Why didn’t I just accept that, instead of ending up like this?”
“Like what?”
That caught me by surprise. Mainly because it wasn’t a voice I recognized. My memory was…somewhat perfect, and I knew I didn’t recognize that voice.
“Are you going to answer my question?”
Not reading my mind? “Who are you?”
A light began to shine far above me, and with it came the lights of millions of stars. The first light grew, and took shape of the moon, illuminating the grassy field I was standing on. A figure came down from the moon. She was another pony, but definitely a breed I hadn’t been introduced to. She had wings, and a horn. Not a pegasus, yet, not a unicorn. I’d seen statues of these in the Twilight Town mansion. What were they called?
“It’s an alicorn.” Zexion replied.
The ‘alicorn’ was caught off guard, and looked around to see who she just heard. “Who was that?”
“That was Zexion.” I said. “He’s my conscience.”
She looked at me, confused. “But I can’t read minds when I enter dreams. How can I hear your conscience?”
“Because I’m more than just a part of Repliku’s mind.” Zexion pointed out. “I am the spirit of a life he took during his days at Castle Oblivion.”
I chose to speak. “In other words, I killed him, and now I’m punished by having him tell me what to do.”
“Now is this how you should treat your dearest friend?” Zexion joked.
“Don’t know, don’t care.” I deadpanned.
She looked to me. “You’re so strange.” She said. “I could spend all your time asking questions, but I suppose just one will do. Would you like to see me every night?”
That caught me off guard. “What?”
“Let me explain. My name is Princess Luna. I am the goddess of the moon, night, and realm of dreams. In this world, all dreams are connected, like a web that spreads all across Equestria. This allows me to visit my subjects in their dreams, which is a necessity for me. But your dreams, are like a loose strand, floating outside of that web. I could connect your dreams to the web, but I need your permission first.”
No idea what to do. Zexion, advice?
“I’m not sure which you should choose. Your own privacy is an important thing, so maybe you should refuse. If it’s important that you do get connected though, you should consider."
Luna laughed. “If you do not wish to be connected, I understand. I am simply curious about you.”
I grunted. “Yes, well I’ll be getting enough interviews tomorrow, so please don’t.”
“Very well.” She said. “But if you ever need me-“ She set down a necklace with a crescent moon on it. “Just call to me while wearing this.”
She vanished, but her voice remained. “I’ll leave you with a pleasant dream.”
The scenery changed. I was on Destiny Islands, and it was sunrise. The necklace was still in front of me, so I picked it up. It looked nice. I put it around my neck, and looked around. This was the Island me and…the island Riku and Sora played on. Well, at least I had something to do.
I woke up in Zecora’s hut, greeted by the smell of fresh stew. My mouth was instantly watering. I hadn’t eaten anything with meat in it since I got here. Makes me wonder why I didn’t kill any of those monsters in the Everfree Forest. Oh yeah, I don’t know anything about cooking. I guess I could go hunting, but I wouldn’t know how to prepare the meat. I got up, and noticed something. I was wearing a crescent moon necklace…What?
“Fascinating.” Zexion said. “A dream encounter that made it’s way to reality. I’ve seen magic work in strange ways, but this is quite an astounding feat.”
Trying to ignore Zexion’s intellectual thinking, I look to the source of the delicious fragrance. Zecora was at her cauldron, adding spices to her delicious smelling brew. She smiled towards me, and spoke. “A good morning to you, oh friend of mine. You’ve awoken at quite the perfect time.” Friend…Hearing Zexion say that just makes me think of how I don’t have any. But hearing Zecora say it-
Screw thinking, I’m hungry. “Man I hope that’s my breakfast your cooking,” I say, mouth still watering.
Zecora laughed. “Wait in bed and don’t make haste. I will brings some to you, so you may have a taste.”
I suppose some would get tired of hearing her always rhyme, but I kind of like it. I’m still not sure why. Anyway, back to the food. I’d try to describe it, but I still don’t know what kind of meat she used. Could’ve been manticore meat for all I knew. I was just happy to have something with protein. That of course brings me to my next question. After scarfing down the meal I ask-
“Hey Zecora, aren’t ponies herbovors?”
I blame Zexion for me knowing that.
“This is true, that is why this meal is between me and you. In Zebra Country this is not so, and I would prefer that you not let the ponies know.”
“So Zebra’s are omnivores?” Zexion asked.
“There are indeed times when death must be dealt, a mercy kill which we ensure is not felt. My people have learned not to waste the corpse, to help preserve life of course.”
“Bringing death to ensure life.” I started. “I guess many would miss understand that kind of philosophy.” I get back to eating. The sun hasn’t risen much, but I’m an early riser, and so is she. Twilight would arrive in about a three hours, which would give me some more time to study Equestrian history. Better to know something and accept things, than to learn nothing, and deny everything.
…
Normally I can just solve problems with my sword, but not this time. This time, I had to be peaceful. I wasn’t exactly made for negotiations, being a clone built for killing and all. But because of Twilight’s stupid idea, I had to.
“Could be worse?” Zexion suggested.
Honestly, I doubted it.
We were almost in town. I was wearing a hooded robe that Zecora gave me. Had to wear something to keep me warm. Twilight said that her friend Rarity could make me some new clothes, which I was glad to hear. Meanwhile Applejack was being really quiet. I wasn’t sure why she wasn’t asking me questions, but like they say, never look a gift horse in the mouth.
“I wonder if that could be considered a slavery term here.” Zexion said.
I doubted it. These ponies seemed too nice to enslave each other.
“Looks can be deceiving. I’m not saying you should be paranoid or anything, but you should be on your guard.”
Couldn’t argue with that. Those timber wolves were just one of the dangerous species that existed in this world. Who knew what else I’d run into here.
“Now remember.” Twilight started. “You are a recreated human based on a DNA sample I found. Your memories are all genetic, and untrustworthy. I’m not sure if we should stick to your name though.”
Zexion was visible, and walking along side us, with his hood up. “Well, the name Riku is Japanese, a language humans invented during the Keyblade War as a type of code. Riku means, earth. If you say you got the sample while digging up herbs, you could say the name means “Replica of the Earth”, thus making the name Riku Replica more symbolic.”
Twilight stopped walking, and turned around to face Zexion. “Japanese is an actual language!?” She asked, obviously shocked by the statement.
“Yes.” Zexion said flatly. “As I said, it was used as a code language in the Keyblade War.”
“I can’t believe it.” Twilight said more quietly. “The anthropologists were right!” She said smiling. Then she looked at Zexion perplexed. “But I don’t know anything about any 'Keyblade war'.”
Zexion laughed a bit. “It was basically the creation of each and every world, shattering the colossal world all life started on. It’s why most of the worlds out there have humans in them, and why all worlds share the same languages. Japanese is now more of a secondary language than anything else.”
I rolled my eyes. “You're just looking for excuses to show off your knowledge.”
He chuckled. “At least I know how things started.” Zexion said.
“Nerd.”
“Brute.”
“Emo.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“Oh both of you shut up!” Applejack said.
“Wow.” I started. “Even Applejack can’t stand you.”
“Us.” Zexion corrected.
“Oh for the love of-“ Twilight started. “Can we please try to get along here? We’ll be heading into town soon.”
“She makes a good point.” Zexion said. “You best keep your spirits high while you still can. Soon you’ll be headed into a town full of curious creatures.”
“Which reminds me, where exactly will I be going? Do I head to the town hall and make a speech or something?”
“Actually no.” Twilight said. “I decided that it would be best if I did the explaining. You’ll be headed to my library where you can explain yourself to my friends. Keep in mind, they’re Elements of Harmony as well, and deserve to know the truth about you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I still don’t know if I should trust you on this whole ‘Elements of Harmony’ thing.”
“Well-“ Zexion started. “It would explain why she’s so concerned towards the balance of light and darkness. Besides, we have no evidence against it, and she doesn’t seem the type to lie.”
Twilight took some pride in this. “Thank you Zexion. Also, I will allow you to make yourself visible for Repliku’s sake. Given that our story means he only has genetic memory, it would make sense for him to mentally unstable.” She looked my direction. “That will also give you an excuse to make ponies leave you alone.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh trust me, if I have the whole town asking me questions, I will be mentally unstable.”
“Will be?” Zexion asked. “You have to talk directly to your own consciance just to know what to do next. You’re already passed that point.”
Applejack grunted. “Will ya’ll just shut up already!? Ah’m feelin’ stressed enough without you two arguing like foals.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You mean fools?”
“No.” Zexion said. “A foal is the equivilant of a small child for an equine. She’s saying that we’re acting like children.”
Twilight smiled. “Something tells me I’m going to enjoy your company.”
Located in the Everfree Province, and founded after the discovery of Zap Apples, which led to the making of what is now Sweet Apple Acres. This town has a lot of history, both good and bad. And that’s mainly because it’s located next to a deadly forest. Who in their right mind would choose to live here? Crazy people with good tastes. You don’t have to be crazy to live here, but from what Twilight’s told me, it helps.
Looking at it, the town already seemed peaceful. Not a sleepy borough like Twilight Town, but not too busy like Hollow Bastion. The town didn’t have a particular color scheme to it, housing buildings of all colors, and all hues. I felt like I was looking at rainbow incarnate. Like something out of a child’s storybook. One thing that never gets old about seeing new worlds, is that you never know what to expect.
“Man-” I said. “I think I’m gonna like this place.”
Twilight made an unsure look. “Let’s wait and see.” …
“I’m telling you Bon Bon, it could be a plausible theory!”
In the Ponyville Sweats Shop “Not to be confused with Sugar Cube Corner” Lyra Heartstrings was having another discussion on humans with her mare-friend, Bon Bon. Bon Bon was the owner of the Sweats Shop, and Lyra worked part-time as a waiter.
“Sweetie-” Bon Bon started. “It made a good idea for a child’s story book, got published, and is now being read by little colts and fillies everywhere. But it just doesn’t seem likely enough to be a theory.”
“Think about it!” Lyra implored. “The human race was capable of incredibly advanced technology. They created bowling before they even knew what a volcano was! If they could be so far ahead of themselves with technology, then space travel, or at least space intervention, could have been possible.”
She set some candy on table five. “Happy Birthday Button Mash!” She said to the young colt in a propeller beanie.
“There might be a chance they mated, or even cross bread with aliens.” She stopped herself. “Ok, that may be a bit far fetched, but still. They may not have been extinct, but instead moved to another planet to avoid a foretold disaster!”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “If that were true, then why hasn’t there been any change in Equestrian mapping compared to the maps made by human hands? A natural disaster that big would have at least reshaped the continent.” Her eyes widened a bit. “Oh sweet Celestia, I’m turning into you!”
Lyra giggled. “Is that a bad thing?”
Bon Bon thought for a moment. “I guess not. I’m definitely smarter for it.”
Lyra smile grew. “Aw, that’s my girl!” She attempted giving her mare-friend a kiss on the cheek.
Bon Bon quickly dodged the incoming affection. “Lyra please! Not during business hours!”
She stopped, but frowned, and stuck her tongue out. “Fine. But you owe me later.” Het watch started beeping. “Oh! My shift’s over!” She took off her apron, and put on her saddle bag, which had Bon Bon’s cutie mark. “Meet you later sweetie!” She headed out the doors to begin her day in Ponyville.
“Goodbye!” She replied. Than she looked under the counter. “Ok Derpy, nap time is over. Carrot Top wants some chocolate truffles at table six.”
Derpy got up from under the counter, yawned, and smiled. “Derp!” She said, ready to start her shift. …
I was the center of attention when I came walking into town. Everyone, or rather, everypony was hiding in whatever place they could, while still trying to get a look at me.
“Well-” Twilight started. “At least they aren’t avoiding you completely. You should’ve seen how the town reacted when Zecora first came here.” She giggled a bit. “Ponies assumed she was some kind of evil enchantress, just because she lived in the Everfree.”
I raised an eyebrow underneath my hood. “Is the town always this paranoid?”
Twilight hummed in thought. “Well…yes. But you can’t blame them. Crazy stuff happens in this town a lot, and they never know what to expect. One time the town was invaded by a swarm of Parasprites, and they nearly ate the entire town.”
“And mah barn house.” Applejack interrupted. “It took days to get a new one raised.”
Zexion was visible. “Highway to the danger zone.”
I looked his way. “Since when do you listen music like that?”
Zexion grunted. “Since I’ve been forced to listen to Demyx’s CDs. He listens to far too much music.”
Twilight looked confused. “What’s a CD?”
“Compact Disc.” Zexion explained. “It’s a small disc, that when scanned by a scanner, plays music.”
“So it’s similar to a record?” Twilight asked.
“Exactly. Only a CD is considerably smaller, and needs a laser scanner to play music; Unlike a record, which needs to be scratched by a needle to play it’s music.”
“How many genres of music are you familiar with?” Twilight asked.
“Most, considering I’ve had to listen to Demyx’s taste in music. Though I don’t know any rap, country, or religious music.”
I grunted. “So what now? We’re in town. Which way to the library?”
“Applejack.” Twilight started. “Guide Mr. Replica to the library. If anypony is brave enough to ask any questions, just have Riku answer them.”
“Mr. Replica.” I repeated. “I sound like a cartoon character.”
“That’s actually fitting, since you’re in a town filled with cartoony looking ponies.” Zexion said, matter-of-fact-ly.
Applejack grunted. “Common ya’ll. Let’s try and make this quick.” …
Meanwhile, Lyra was trotting through town, unsure as to why things seemed too quiet. She figured that another stranger like Zecora must have come to town, and these ponies just didn’t learn there lesson.
Lyra, on the other hand, was more open minded now. Not only had she learned her lesson from last time, but she also figured that, should anyone new come to town, she could use it as a learning experience. Besides, what if it was a human? No, that would be ridiculous. Still though, it would be nice if that were true.
Hearing the sound of trotting just around the corner, she decided to see just who this new town visitor was. …
Applejack was now face to face with Mrs. Heartstrings. “Oh, hey there.” Lyra said. “Sorry for bumping into you like this. Just wanted to see who everyone was hiding from. Figured it would be a learning experience.” She looked passed Applejack. “Hi there, I’m Lyra Heartstrings, and you are?”
Dead silence. Lyra’s eyes were wide, and her mouth was agape. Applejack could feel sweat going down her neck. She knew what was to come, and she didn’t like it. “Run.” She said under her breath.
“What was that Applejack?” I asked.
“Run.” Applejack said. “Don’t just stand there, run!”
“What? Why would I-“
“Human.” Lyra said under her breath.
“Oh, no.” Zexion said. “Riku, I think we found a human fanatic.”
“Human.” Lyra repeated.
“Here’s an idea.” Zexion said. “RUN!!”
Following his advice, I quickly turned around and started running. The cape I was wearing, flew upwards, and my hood fell down, confirming the minty green unicorn’s suspicions.
“HUMAN!!” She shouted, shoving Applejack out of the way, and galloping top speed trying to catch the so called “non-existant” specimen.
Feeling the amount of drag I was getting from the cloak, against my better judgment, I took it off, and let my skin feel the coldness hanging in the air. This was risky. Snow was on the ground, and so were small patches of ice. One wrong move, and I’d slip, and end up caught by this crazy unicorn. Somehow, I felt like there was music playing in the background.
Lyra tucked and rolled, avoiding the cloak, so she wouldn’t have anything blocking her vision. She just found, not one, but two humans in town, and she wasn’t about to let them escape without a fight.
I grabbed a nearby pole, and used it to quickly turn around a corner, using the ice on the ground to slide my way down the next street.
Lyra on the other hand, was one step ahead, and went down an ally way, ensuring that she’d be there before me.
I saw her come out of the opening between the buildings after I made the next turn. Thinking quickly, I jumped over her, performing a front flip, and spinning 360 degrees in mid air as I did. I could see the world around me in slow motion, and watched the unicorn stare in awe at my skills. I just stuck out my tongue, as if to say, “Beat that!”
She just kept watching, as I gripped a loose water shoot part, and used it as a board to slide down the street ahead of me. “Oh no you didn’t” She said, chasing after me once again.
I was headed towards the market, and there were alot of things to crash into. “Perfect!” I said, jumping off of my makeshift board, making sure I was several feet ahead of it. I landed with my hands onto a food stand, and shoved as hard as I could with my arms, bringing me further forward, and landing with my feet onto another, repeating the process as I went through the market.
Meanwhile, the makeshift board I was riding went through the market, destroying every stand in its way, and leaving behind a trail of broken wood, and fruit. The perfect obstacle course to slow down the crazy unicorn.
Lyra was unfazed, and spun around using the ice beneath her hooves, while still moving forward. Just before reaching the 180 degree mark of her spin, she switched to her bipedal stance she’d developed over the course of her life. Once she hit 360 degrees, she crouched down, and jumped over the first set of debris, and did just as her human rival did, only landing on open spaces of ground, rather than food stands. Once she made it to the other side, not only had she not slowed down any, but she seemed to be even closer to catching me.
“Oh, she’s good.” I pulled out my sword and turned around while crouching down, using my shoes to make enough friction to slow me down. “Hey! Crazy unicorn!” I go into my fighting stance. “Wanna catch me!? Beat me in a fight!”
Lyra stopped in her tracks, following my lead, and going into a bipedal fighting stance of her own. “Bring it!” She said, with adrenaline pumping through her veins. Now it felt like some new music was playing.
Ponies gathered around, coming out of their hiding places to watch the incoming fight.
I made the first move. I used Quick Blitz, jumping into the air, and using the force of gravity to make the downward swing of my sword stronger.
Lyra reacted quickly, covering her hooves in magic to create an armor around them. Putting both her hooves in front of her face, she blocked my attack, showing she was much tougher than she looked. She wore a boastful grin. “Beat that!” She shoved my sword back, and punched me in the gut, getting a pained yelp out of me, as I was launched away from her. I hit the ground hard, feeling an aching in my back, as I hit the cold hard ground. Damn this mare was good.
Zexion stepped into the fight. “Magic? Well played. But try and beat this.” He vanished, and in his place came several other copies. Each copy was levitating, and circling Lyra. The world was distorting around them, as Zexion put his illusion magic to use.
Lyra lit her horn, and started blasting at the clones, making them vanish with each hit. The world around her was spinning, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was answers, and this fight would ensure that she got them. Once she finished getting rid of them, she looked my direction. I was still getting up, but now she had no idea where to shoot. In her vision, my image kept moving from one place on the road to another. She wasn’t sure which one was real and which one wasn’t.
She heard me laugh, and so did I. I wasn’t laughing on purpose though, Zexion was making me. I knew he’d protect me, but this was going a bit further than I’d expected. I laughed like a mad man, and had a smile a hyena would be proud to look at. Memories were flooding my mind, memories that I knew belonged to this mare. “Hey Lyra!” Zexion made me shout.
Lyra was taken aback, wondering how this human boy could possibly know her name. She watched as I slowly lifted my arm above my head, spreading the fingers on my hand apart. “High five.” I said.
Her pupils were pin pricks, as she remembered a recurring nightmare she had. Ponies mocking her for her obsession. Offering her a high five, which was a gesture she’d found when studying humans. It wasn’t possible for a pony to do it because they didn’t have the fingers for it. She once dreamed that everypony in town offered her the same gesture, to make fun of her obsession. This human was reading her mind. Not good.
What the heck was I doing? I wanted to beat her in a fight, not torture her. How was I even getting these memories from her. I thought only Namine could do that
Namine
Lyra could feel tears coming from her eyes. This wasn’t happening, she said to herself. This couldn’t be happening. There’s no way the first human she ever met would be this cruel to her.
This human. What about that other one? That human with the steel blue hair. Was this another illusion of his? An idea came to Lyra’s mind. She used her magic to summon her lyre. She knew a spell that could undo this illusion. She started to play a melody. Focusing on something she knew was real. Something that made her stop having those dreams to begin with. Something…Somepony who made things alright. She cast the spell, and things returned to normal.
I could feel myself acting normal again. Whatever was making me act that way was gone. And now Lyra was running right towards me with an angry look on her…Oh sh*t.
*crash*
Lyra had pinned me to the ground, shoving her hoofs down on my arms so hard that they were aching. “I have one question.” She said.
The question put me off guard. She’d just gotten through chasing me halfway through town, risking some serious injuries from slipping on the ice all over the roads, beat me in a fist fight (or hoof fight I guess), and had to experience me going through her memories, making her live her fears, and nearly drove her to insanity.
All this, just to ask a stupid question?
“Well?” Lyra said. “I beat you in a fight, now answer me. Are you an alien?”
I couldn’t hear Zexion give me any advice, which only worried more considering what he made me do earlier. Still I knew I couldn’t answer truthfully. The World Order was in jeopardy, and lies were needed to keep it in tact. “No.” I answered.
Her ears lowered, and she frowned. “Darn it. And I really thought that was what happend to the last of you humans. Guess Bon Bon was right, no way a natural disaster huge enough to make you leave this planet would go un-noticed.” She raised her brow. “Then how are you here exactly? I knew humans existed, but to my knowledge, they went extinct years ago.”
Time to put my lying to the test. “Twilight discovered a DNA sample from a creature she didn’t recognize, and made me from it.” I tried to offer her a hand shake, only to find that she was still holding my arms down. “Um, if you would kindly get off of me, I’d gladly offer you a hand shake.”
“Oh.” She said, realizing she was still on top of me, and blushing. “Sorry.” She got off of me, and kindly returned my gesture. “So can you speak Japanese?”
“Hai, watashi wa nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekiru”
*Yes I can speak Japanese.*
She squealed in joy, understanding what I said to her completely.
“Kon'nichiwa! Watakushi wa Shimizu Chiharu desu.”
*Hello! My name is Lyra Heartstrings.*
She got closer to me.
“Kawaii desu ne?”
*It’s cute isn’t it?*
I got up and dusted off. “Yes very cute, now can we stop? It gives me a headache to put together Japanese sentences. The only reason I know it to begin with is because of genetic memory.”
That part was actually true. Everything I knew about speech, combat, and anything else, I got from Riku’s memory. After all, the memory and heart were tightly linked. Of course, now that his life was wiped from my memory, I have no idea why he knew the language.
She blushed a little. “Sorry, again.” She said, clearly embarrassed. “I’m just so excited to meet a human!” Her eyes were twinkling. “I’ve been putting a list of questions together since I was a filly!!” She said, now seeming very much more crazy than I’d assumed.
Not wanting a plethora of questions, I respond the only way I knew how.
I used the darkness to warp to Twilight’s Library right in front of Lyra.
…
She was left slack jawed as she went over what just happend. She knew that this human knew illusion magic, but teleportation? That was much more impressive. She smiled even more. “That was awesome!” She exclaimed, only wanting to study her new human friend even more.
…
Back at the library, I was greeted by a scolding Twilight Sparkle. “Two questions. One, what the hey were you thinking using dark magic? Two, what took you so long to get here?”
“Nice to see you too.” I responded. “Anyway, to answer both your questions, I met a miss Lyra Heartstrings, who is completely obsessed with humans and wanted to interview me. I don’t enjoy interviews so I used the quickest escape method I knew, the Dark Corridor.” I put my hands behind my head to give me a lazy and care free appearance, like Sora. “Anything else?”
Sighing in obvious frustration, Twilight responded thusly. “You’re lucky I actually know Lyra, or I wouldn’t have believed you. But just to make sure you don’t use dark magic again, I’ll be happy to teach you a teleportation spell.” She sat down on her couch. “Anyhoof, I just had Pinkie Pie send all the other Elements of Harmony invites to the tree house. You can explain yourself fully to them. And leave no important detail unsaid.”
I grunted. “You know, I wouldn’t even be telling you or your friends if it weren’t for this stupid Helmets of Armory bull crap.”
She flared her nostrils. “Elements of Harmony. And at least I’m giving you a chance. If not for Zexion’s proposal, I would’ve just had Celestia banish you from Equestria because of your power over the darkness.”
“Everyone and everything has darkness Twilight.” I repented. “Without it we would be blinded by our radiance. Sometimes Light can be just as corrupt as Darkness.”
Wanting to end this conversation, I decided to bring up a much more important matter. “Speaking of Zexion, I think something happend to him.”
Twilight’s ears perked up a bit. “What do you mean?”
“ Earlier today, I think he took possession of my body. It was temporary, but I could tell that the movements I made weren’t my own. On top of that, I haven’t heard him say anything since I got control of my body back. Normally I can’t get him out of my train of thought, but now I can’t hear him at all.”
Twilight seemed even more confused. “A conscience trying to possess the mind of his maker? That seems a little far fetched.”
“Well, even if it wasn’t Zexion-” I pointed to my head. “that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t hear him.” I crossed my arms. “Do you have any spells that could let me see what’s happening?”
Twilight hummed to herself, rubbing her for-hoof on her chin in thought. “Well, there is that one mind reading spell I never got to use. It was designed for therapy to help a patient find the source of their worries. I’m not sure it will work though.”
“Anything’s better than nothing” I said.
“Well…” Twilight was a bit hesitant. Humans were a violent species, and looking into one’s mind didn’t seem like a good idea. Even so, Repliku didn’t have his conscience, and that had a lot of potential for future problems. After weighing things out in her mind, Twilight made her decision. “Fine.” She got off of the couch. “Lie down on here.”
I did as I was told. It brought back some stupid memories you know, being told to lie down that is. The major difference was that this was a mad scientist pony, rather that Vexen. And anyone, or anypony in this case, was better than Vexen.
“Now-” Twilight began. “Focus. I want you to imagine Zexion in a room. We will both be entering the confines of your mind, so making him apear in the first place we get to would make this much easier.”
“Ok.” I said. Focusing on Zexion was easy. I could never ignore him after all. Being without his voice, it almost made me feel lonely.
Twilight’s horn steadily lit up, as she readied herself for what was about to come. “I hope this works.”
There I was, waking up on the floor of a room in Castle Oblivion. For a second, I thought that it was all a dream, maybe the result of a concussion from fighting. Looking to my left though, I could see Twilight Sparkle, sitting up on the floor next to me.
At least I don’t have to deal with Vexen, I thought to myself.
Getting up, I saw that this was the entrance to Castle Oblivion, the first room, on the first floor.
“Wow.” Twilight said, impressed by the room we were in. “Simple, but so elegant. I never thought you could visualize things so well Repliku.”
I wasn’t as impressed. “Photographic memory. This is the world I was born in. 13 floors, and 12 basements, all compacted into a castle filled with nothing but white rooms, like canvases waiting to be painted. This is Castle Oblivion.”
Twilight marveled at the room even more now. “13 floors and 12 basements!? This place is huge then. Bigger than Celestia’s castle in Canterlot!”
“It’s actually bigger on the inside. Not sure how it works, not even Organization 13 knows everything about this place. They just chose it as a second base for research on memory, and it’s ties to the human heart.”
“You still haven’t told me much about this Organization by the way.”
I shrugged. “Not really something I’m all that interested in. Besides, we can save that for when your friends get here. Speaking of which, can we get to finding Zexion before they get here?”
“Of course.” She responded. “Now where is he?”
“Probably behind that door.” I said, pointing to the door at the opposite end of the room.
We walked up to it. “Didn’t I say to imagine him in the same room as you?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah-” I responded. “But I honestly don’t know what to expect. I think it’s safer to be at least one room away. We may be in the confines of my mind, but you never know what danger awaits.” I grabbed one of the door handles. “Besides, bad memories of mine reside here.” I opened the door.
I expected either an enemy, an empty room, or just Zexion lying on the ground. Instead, I saw something much worse.
Zexion was unconscious, but his arms were bound, and those bindings were chained to the sealing. He was suspended above the ground, and below him was a dark vortex. This was a death trap waiting to be set off.
He started waking up. “Riku…”
“Zexion!” I shouted, running over to him.
“No! Riku stop!” He said, using his illusion magic to make a wall. “Don’t come any closer. You’ll upset her. And that isn’t a good idea.”
He put down his wall so I could see him. “Her? Who’s her?”
“Um… Riku…?” Twilight said, urging me to look back. The door was closed behind us, by a cloud of floating black smoke, with glowing green eyes. “Don’t be afraid…” It, or rather, she said to us.
I drew my sword, and got into my battle stance. “Who are you!?” I demanded. “What have you done to Zexion!?”
“Don’t be afraid.” Was it’s only response.
“Don’t bother” Zexion said. “I tried talking sense into it earlier, it can only say that one sentence. Whatever you do, don’t touch it.”
“Uh…” Twilight was almost afraid to ask. “What happens if we do touch it?”
“Think about it.” He started. “She put me to sleep, and I’m a consciousness. She’s a mind inhibiting magic, a spell designed to alter the minds of others. Wether it’s killing a subjects conscience so their morality changes, making them forget important facts, or just shutting down certain thinking abilities, she was designed to alter others. From an inside perspective though, she can make things disappear. So long as you’re in Riku’s mind, you could easily be erased, leaving you a husk in real life.”
“And why do you insist on calling it she?” I asked.
“As it was putting me to sleep, the spellcaster insisted on it. She spoke to me through the spell.” He lowered his voice slightly. “Riku, I need you to say that you trust me. Don’t ask.”
I wasn’t sure what he was planning, but I knew he was serious. “I trust you.” I said.
I heard a noise, and turned around to see the vortex below Zexion close. “Good, now say that you need me.”
The spell behind us started growling.
“Ugh, you can’t be serious.” I said, not wanting to say it.
“I’m your conscience, that means you decide wether I’m free to advise you or not. In other words, you decide wether I’m free from these binds. Now say that you need me.”
The spell was getting closer to them, moving towards Twilight. “I don’t want to vanish. So with all due respect, SAY IT!! SAY IT NOW!!”
“I need you Zexion!” I shouted, my words echoing on the walls.
The chains that bound him broke, and in a flash, he jumped in front of Twilight, and made his book grow to a much bigger size, using the cover to block the spell creature. “Don’t touch her!” He shouted.
The creature phased through his book, calling his bluff, and coming face to face with him. Literally. “Don’t be afraid.” She said.
“I’m not.” Zexion said, not even flinching.
“What are you doing!?” Twilight shouted, terrified of this creature. “That thing’s gonna kill you!!”
“Then why hasn’t it? Huh?” He said, facing this creature. “You can erase me from Riku’s mind, make him forget I was even here, and if you wanted a body to operate, just have Riku killed here and now. So why don’t you?”
He got even closer. “I think it’s because not only are you too weak to completely get rid of anything, but doing so would kill you. This isn’t just a spell, and I know because spells don’t have eyes. You’ve literally turned yourself into the spell you’re using. That’s how desperate you are. So how about this? Leave this place. Find some small corner of Riku’s mind to hide in, and hope that I don’t find you.”
There was a minute of silence. Me and Twilight just stood there, hoping that this wasn’t just some bluff. Any second now that thing could touch Zexion, and assuming he’s wrong, kill him.
Instead, it just backed away from him, and vanished.
…
I woke up in the Library. Good, I was alive. I looked next to me, and Twilight was also getting up. “You ok?” I asked.
She sighed in relief, glad to be physical again. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She got up to her hooves. “So, what do you think that was?”
“Dunno.” I said. “Zexion might though. Give me a second.” I sat up properly, and focussed on my illusion magic. I was a bit worried at first, then I saw his figure take shape. Same steel blue hair, same black coat- “Took you long enough.” and same voice… Now I see why I wasn’t so worried. “You could’ve come more quickly, you know?”
*grunt* “Shut up, damn it. You’re acting like Larxene right now.”
He chuckled. “Just making sure you trust that it’s me. Thanks for saving me by the way. And before you ask, I have no idea who that was, but I do have an idea as to how they got inside you. You see-”
Before he could finish however, he found himself being interrupted by the door opening, followed by a small colorful bomb rolling in, which exploded with confetti. A pink pony with a cotton candy mane jumped through the explosion, and glomped me.
“Welcome to Ponyville Mr. Weirdo Thingy Pants! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and when I heard you were welcomed to town without my patented Welcome Wagon, I was all like -*gasp* He’s missing out!!- so I decided to do the next best thing, and bring you my metaphorical welcome wagon. ThatistosaythatIwantedtowelcomeyoumyself,becausenothingbeatsapropperwelcomelikeawelcomefromafacetofaceinteractionyouknow?Itonlymakessenseformetocomehereandsayhibecauseyou’renew,andIlovenewthings,andIlovenewfriends,andIlovenewfoods,butthatdoesn’treallyhaveanythingtodowith-“
“PINKIE PIE!!!” A cyan pegasus shouted, shutting her up.
Good thing too, I honestly felt like stabbing her with my sword just then. I’m not prone to violence, but there’s only so much my perfect memory can take. My head felt like it was going to explode.
And yet… something told me I was going to like her.
Everybo- pony was properly seated. Twilight provided me a crystal ball like I asked so I could use less magic. If I was gonna tell my life story, then I wanted to do it with the least amount of effort.
Rainbow Dash was the first to speak. “Dude, what’s with the get up?”
Grunting, I responded thusly. “Would you kindly shut up about my get up? I’ve heard that question too many times already.” I looked over at the white unicorn. “Besides, Twilight told me Rarity could get me a new outfit later on, so I won’t be looking like a clown forever.”
Rarity rubbed her chin in thought. “Making an outfit for a newly discovered species?” She gasped. “That could make my business flourish.”
“Ahem.” I interrupted. “Now then, I’ve learned your names, and how you fit into the general story of this world.” I did a little magic trick, and pulled a card out of my hair. The card in question had an image of the wide grassy field in the Realm of In Between. “It’s time you learn about me.”
I put the card of memories into the crystal ball, watching as the image swirled into it. Sora and his friends were walking through the grassy field. “Believe it or not, outside of the boundaries of this world, the fate of all worlds was in danger. But much like you Elements of Harmony, there were a chosen few destined to keep that fate safe.
My story begins after they had finished saving the worlds. The Door to Darkness was now locked on both sides, with the chosen heroes trapped on either side. Riku was trapped in the World of Darkness, and as you can see, Sora was left to wander the Realm of In Between. He and his friends, Donald and Goofy, were searching for a way out.
On their way, they met someone who would later prove to be their worst enemy.”
“Woah woah woah!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Spoiler alert much? Whatever happened to suspense in a story?”
Me and everyb- I mean everypony else stared at her. “What?” She reacted. “If he’s gonna make a story sound this awesome, he should try and keep it suspenseful.”
“Fine.” I said. “I won’t spoil anything else.”
“A man in a black coat arrived. He claimed that the road Sora was walking had something he needed. But in order to get it, he’d need to give up something dear to him. Believing that he may find his close friend Riku, he followed the path.”
I changed the scene to show Riku, with Ansem the Seeker of Darkness behind him. “You see, Riku had just begun his struggle against Ansem. Ansem was an evil creature called a Heartless, a form of life that preys on the hearts of others. He strung the events that nearly brought the worlds to ruin, and chose Riku as his vessel. Even now that he was defeated, Riku would still struggle with his darkness, and Sora knew this. As optimistic as Sora was for his friend, he knew he couldn’t leave Riku to fight this out on his own. Sora felt he owed Riku for letting him be trapped in the Realm of Darkness, and was willing to trust anyone that may lead the way to him.
I know you must think I’m talking about myself given how similar Riku looks to me. But actually, I’m his copy. Truth of the matter is, I wasn’t even born yet while all of this was going on.”
Fluttershy raised her hoof. “Yes?” I asked.
The butter yellow pegasus hid her face a bit more behind her pink mane. “Oh, um, sorry. I just wanted to ask, um, that is to say- I was wondering, how old are you exactly?”
Dear Kingdom Hearts above she was a shy one. “I’m honestly not sure. It’s been a long time since I was there, maybe a year? Your guess is as good as mine.”
*gasp* Pinkie reacted. “You’re not even a year old!? That’s amazing! You’re like, way smarter than I’d expect from something that’s essentially a baby! Do you still sleep in a crib?”
This of course got a laugh out of Zexion; and everypony else for that matter. I grunted, not enjoying the others laugh at my expense. “No, I sleep in a bed like everyone else I know. And I’d prefer you stop laughing.” Some of them continued to giggle, so for good measure I pulled out my sword. Yup, that shut them up.
“Yeesh, can’t you take a joke?” Pinkie asked.
“Guess not.” I responded. “Now if I may continue-”
The Crystal ball showed Riku floating in the Realm of Darkness. “At the same time Sora was being drawn into a trap, Riku was sleeping on the other side in the Realm of Darkness. He was greeted by a strangely familiar voice. The voice explained that Riku was too weak to stay awake after he’d been possessed by Ansem. He had a choice to make. Either he’d continue sleeping shrouded by the Darkness, or he could begin taking the path of truth.”
“So wait-” Twilight Sparkle interrupted. “Is ‘Truth’ a magical force like Light and Darkness too? Or is it just symbolic of Riku growing as a person?”
“It’s symbolic. Riku had a lot to learn, and this is where he began.”
***
She sat there, in a corner deep in the confines of Repliku’s mind. This was exactly what she wanted. She was barely even mist at this point, almost nothing left, but that didn’t matter. Repliku was aware of her existence, and that meant they would meet again.
The lone remnants of this enchanting mistress waited patiently for her powers to replenish. “I will see you again, but not yet... Not yet.”
***
The sun would meet the horizon soon. I had told the ponies all that happened, from Namine altering of both mine and Sora’s minds, to Riku’s accepting of the Darkness in his heart. All that’s left was to answer a question.
“Hey-” Rainbow Dash started. “About Namine, do you hate her for what she did?”
I looked at them. All the ponies in the room had watery eyes, even if not all of them noticed it. They felt bad for me, but I didn’t want their pity. I was better off moping on my own about all of this. Zexion gave me some more advice.
“You may as well tell them.” He said.
I sighed, pulling out my wayfinder. I held it out and let the ponies take a good look at it. They saw this golden star charm several times in my story, as the fake charm given to both me and Sora by Namine. “I love her for what she did.” I said, catching the ponies off guard.
“You... Love her for it!?” Rainbow Dash responded.
Applejack followed spoke next. “Sugar cube, that little romance between you and her was cute an’ all, but she filled yer head with lies.”
“I have to agree.” Twilight said. “When all is said and done, didn’t she end up giving you your existential crisis to begin with? Before your memories were replaced, you couldn’t care less wether you were real or not.”
“You don’t understand.” I started. “She gave me a life I could never hope to have. She gave me a childhood where I had friends, and a home. And when she shattered my heart, destroying all of Riku’s memories in my mind and showing me who I was again, all that was left was the memories she gave me. And I loved thinking about them. Lies or not, she gave me childhood memories, and that is the most amazing gift you could ever give to a worthless clone like me.”
I made Namine’s face appear in the crystal ball. “She may never accept my love because of the guilt she feels, but that doesn’t mean I won’t still give it.”
To my surprise, Rarity hugged me. She was crying as she spoke. “I must have read hundreds of romance novels, but yours is the greatest love story I’ve ever heard. I’m so sorry you had to be separated from her.”
That had finally pushed me over the edge. I had never cried before, but here I was, fighting to keep my self from doing just that. “N-no. I don’t... Stop making me cry damn it!”
Zexion sat next to me. “You’ve been holding it in long enough. You’re among friends, so just let it go.”
I gave up, and hugged Rarity, not even holding back the tears at this point. “Promise you wont tell anypony about this.”
Everypony else in the room joined in a group hug around me. And for the first time in my life, I felt truly content.
***
The tears had stopped being shed, and the ponies were ready to go about their business. Twilight said goodbye to all of her friends as they went home. They all seemed hesitant to leave, but I reminded them it was getting late, and that they could meet me again tomorrow.
After Twilight closed the door, I asked her something. “So what happens now?”
Twilight turned her attention to me. “Well, you can consider tomorrow a free day, because I will be at a town meeting tomorrow explaining to the denizens of Ponyville who and what you are. The rest of my friends won’t be attending for obvious reasons, so you have 5 potential friends to spend time with!” She finished that last part with a bit of enthusiasm.
I hummed in thought, thinking of who I would like to spend time with first.
Namine
I felt a tingling in my mind, and asked something else. “Where’s Spike anyway?”
Twilight put up the crystal ball she’d put on the coffee table. “He’s away in Canterlot on official business. Meeting with a few friends in fact! He seemed so excited to leave the house on his own for one-” She stopped what she was doing and turned to me sharply. “How did you know anything about Spike!”
I winced, surprised by her reaction. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I knew. One moment I was unaware of his existence, then a shiver up my spine later I question why he isn’t here. How does that make any sense?
Zexion jumped between us. “You make a very good point Twilight. You hadn’t mentioned to him your pet dragon once since we met, and yet here he is asking where he may be.” He looked at me sharply. “Just like how he knew Lyra’s name despite never asking her what it was. Have you any idea why this is Riku?”
I stepped back further, freaking out over the sudden accusations. “What about you Zexion!? How do you know any of this!?”
His expression darkened. “I’m your conscience, I know nearly all that you do. What I don’t know is this; Do you know why you know these things?”
I was sweating now. How did I know any of this? “I don’t know!” I responded.
He stroked his chin in thought. “It is as I suspected.” He looked at Twilight. “Do you remember what I said before? I don’t know what has invaded Riku’s mind, but I think I know how it got there.”
We both relaxed a bit at this. Twilight was less suspicious at this point and more concerned. Zexion spoke again.
“Repliku didn’t end up in this world without reason. He did indeed die when he faced his other, but something put him back together. That something was powerful in terms of magic, but didn’t have a body of its own and sought to remedy the problem by bringing one to its self.” He looked at me. “You, Riku, have a powerful parasite inside of you, and no doubt it has something to do with your new abilities.”
A parasite. There was a parasite inside of me. And that same parasite was the reason for me living again. One does not simply take that news well. I sat down on the couch Twilight set up earlier. I had a lot to think about.
Twilight seemed even more confused than me. It was as though she'd just seen a pony defy the law of conservation of mass by turning into a cat. (Like that would ever happen.) “There's an incorporeal parasite with powerful magic, who managed to bring the dead back to life, and is now trying to gather strength to take physical form... Words do not even begin to describe just how dangerous this is! We could have another calamity on our hands if this thing gets strong enough!”
This got me back to reality. “Wait, another? You mean this has happened before?”
Twilight looked a little embarrassed. “This world may seem like it's all sunshine and rainbows, but we've had a few doomsdays. It's why me and the others are necessary to keep things in order.”
I looked at her sternly. “What kind of doomsdays?”
She looked away from me with an awkward expression. “Well... First there was the return of Nightmare Moon after 1000 years of peace. Then Discord, spirit of disharmony, escaped his prison a year later to turn Ponyville into the Chaos Capital of the World. And a year after that My brother was getting married to Princess Cadence only to find out she was a Changeling in disguise with an army waiting to take over Equestria-”
“In other words there's an annual disaster every year, and we can expect another one soon.” I interrupted.
She tapped her hoof to her chin in thought. “Well, I never thought of it like that. But now that you mention it, this does seem to be an annual thing now that the Elements of Harmony have been restored. But I'm sure it's just a coincidence!” She said with an unusual amount of confidence.
Great, I live in a world that annually gets itself in trouble. This can only end well for me, I thought to myself.
Zexion interjected. “Let's get back on track. There's a parasite that has made Repliku her host. What magical creatures do we know that could be responsible for this?”
I rested my head on the cushions of the couch. “Well, Heartless can manipulate the hearts of others, but they have to do it directly. So unless I surround myself with a bunch of heart eating monsters, there's no way they'd effect me. Plus I haven't seen any since I got here.”
Twilight paced the section of the library floor that had a noticeable groove worn into it. I presume she does this often. “Changelings are capable of mind control through love magic, but I've never heard of one resurrecting the dead or becoming a part of said undead's mind. Discord was reformed recently, and even if he did defect to the dark side this isn't how he manipulates others.”
“Nobodies can manipulate Darkness in the hearts of others, but there aren't any here.” I said.
Twilight continued. “Nopony's reported about any monsters escaping Tartarus while Cerberus was gone. And with all the creatures that have not been researched in Equestria, this could be a parasitic life form nopony has ever heard of!”
Zexion interrupted “We're only assuming that this creature is parasitic in nature. She could be a dead sorceress who is biding time until she no longer needs a host. Are there any Female enchantresses in Equestria that've died and might want revenge?”
Twilight continued pacing. “The only pony I know who fits that description is Nightmare Moon, and she's a special case. She's dead, sure, but she wouldn't leave behind a ghost.” She stopped pacing and looked at me and Zexion. “And for that matter ghosts don't exist!”
“Halloween Town.” Zexion and I responded. I decided to let him explain for me. “Halloween Town is part of a world that is split into several sections, each representing a human holiday. There are ghosts in Halloween town, so let's assume ghosts can exist in other worlds as well, including this one.”
Twilight looked confused. “But what's Halloween?”
I looked angrily at Twilight. “That is off topic, and there is a parasite living in MY BODY!!”
Zexion sat next to me. “Calm down.” He looked to Twilight. “You said that Nightmare Moon was a special case. How so?”
Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. “Where to start... A long time ago, after the founding of Equestria-”
I was growing impatient. “Short version please?”
Twilight looked frustrated. “Fine. There's a princess who raises the moon each night named Princess Luna.”
“We've met.” Zexion pointed out, which surprised Twilight. “And we're familiar with the royal sisters. Zecora explained that to us when we first met. What does Luna have to do with this?”
Twilight grabbed a book from the nearby shelf with her magic. “Maybe this will help.”
The book was brown, with a unicorn's head on the cover made of what seemed to be bronze. The unicorn had a long, sharp horn, a long mane, and a spiral shaped mark beneath it's eye. Around the head were four shapes in each corner of the cover. They all resembled fleur-de-lis, but with three circles on the bottom instead of three petals, and a curved line between the circles and petals. The spine of the book had two bronze segments that had two bronze nails on each, holding them in place. The book looked old, yet well maintained.
If you're wondering why I just described what the book looked like for an entire paragraph, blame my photographic memory. I remember every detail of every moment I've lived in Equestria. Besides, Zexion says it's the job of the author to describe events as accurately as possible.
Looking inside, it was a picture book describing a story about the royal sisters. They kept the land of Equestria in harmony by holding its Light and Darkness in equal shares.
Over time though, Princess Luna (who was left nameless along with her sister in this story for some reason,) grew jealous of her sister getting all the recognition when she put hours of dedication making her night as beautiful as she could. Over time, Darkness festered in her heart, and changed her into the villainous and tyrannical Nightmare Moon, who refused to lower her moon to make way for the dawn. She wanted Equestria to live in eternal Darkness so that her subjects would finally give her the recognition she deserved.
Princess Celestia was given no choice but to use the Elements of Harmony, whose origin is left out in this story, to banish her own sister to the moon. After this, she claimed the responsibility of maintaining both light and Darkness in Equestria for all eternity.
I put down the book. “This story leaves a lot left out. It reads that Celestia tried to reason with her sister, but gave no details as to how. It never explains how she felt about banishing her own sister, something any normal creature would hate themselves for. It leaves out the origin of the Elements of Harmony, be sure to give me more details about those by the way. And to top it all off, this is a picture book! Is this a history lesson, or a child's bedtime story. If it's the ladder, why is such an important event reduced to a legend that ponies would shrug off as fake? This only leaves me more confused.”
Twilight was left standing there, mouth agape. She had clearly never even thought about most of the points I had just made, making her seem much less smart than I originally thought she was (and that says a lot considering what I thought of her beforehand.)
I kept going. “Also, do I even need to point out that Celestia made sure neither her nor her sister were named in this story? I assume that means she felt guilty about it, but you'd think writers of the story would know about this important historical event and include that information. Or did Celestia brainwash the populous into thinking she never had a sister? If that's the case, I'm not so sure I'm willing to trust her as much as you do.”
This got Twilight significantly more flustered. Her expression went from angry, to confused, to heart broken. She seemed to have a psychological warfare with herself. “You just... You can't just... You're insulting the...” She was having a difficult time putting anything into words.
Namine
“What's the matter Twilie? Losing faith in your goddess? Must be hard finding that your family was so willing to lie to you all this time. I wonder what else she's done.” I say with bitterness in my voice. I didn't know what I was saying, but I knew it couldn't end well.
Meanwhile, Zexion was silently screaming. Looking at him, you'd see he was writhing in pain. But the problem was, neither of us could see it. My memory is perfect, so I don't know how I could possibly miss what was right in front of me. But it no doubt had to do with the parasite.
Twilight's horn sparked and crackled with what seemed to be black electricity. Spheres of purple energy with traces of green surrounded her horn. While this was happening, purple energy flowed from her eyes like tears, as actual tears dripped from her eyes. This was not looking good for me.
Namine
“Seems you failed yet again Twilie. Only this time you failed to realize what was right in front of you.” Make it stop, I thought to myself. These weren't my words, I wasn't doing this. But I couldn't stop myself, and Twilight's condition was only getting worse.
“You...” She started. “Selfish, arrogant, sadistic, blasphemous, untrusting-” She was now floating just a few inches off of the ground, and the Darkness that emerged from her horn crackled and sizzled some more. “foolish, wretched, spineless, worthless-” I could actually feel the Darkness from her pushing through my being, and looking into my mind. “pitiful, ungrateful, not even worthy of existing, MONSTER!!”
A beam of dark magic bursted from her horn and into my chest. It nocked me into the farthest end of the library, nocking over several books in the nearby shelves.
I felt dizzy, like all my energy was just ripped from me by force. My Dark Mode initiated without me even trying, and I was once again wearing my organic suit of Darkness. An aura of Darkness surrounded my body as I slowly fell to the ground. I felt so cold, like I was in the snowy forest again, except there is no fire to keep me warm, no trees to walk passed, no friend to keep me company, and no sights for me to take in. Maybe I was blind at the moment, or maybe my eyes had been forced closed. I couldn't tell. All I knew was that I was cold, and I was falling asleep.
…
I was on my hands and knees, with a liquid form of Darkness beneath me. It was cold like ice, but didn't feel like it would freeze. It must have had a freezing point lower than water. It was forming in ripples several feet away from me. I lift my head to take a look, and I see an Organization XIII coat slowly taking shape. It was as though it was willed up from the water and was being filled with a newly formed body. I could hear faint laughter coming from it. A woman's laughter.
It continued laughing, though I couldn't place who's laugh it was. It was as though it was trying to choose who the laugh should belong to, changing every second. I could hear the voices of Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttersy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Zecora, Lyra, Zexion, Axel, Vexen, Larxene, all these different voices and I could still tell it was a woman. I can't explain how, I just knew.
She looked my way, her body still taking shape. “At last.” Her changing voice said. “For too long I've been lurking in the shadows. Waiting for this day. It isn't enough to make me physical, but at least my spirit is whole again.”
Her body finished forming. She finally brought her feet to the ground, and looked at me from beneath her hood. “A heart filled with Darkness, and the doubt of the Element of Magic. These two powers made one, when joined with the shadow that haunts history itself, restores the Dark One. Just as the prophesy foretold.”
Just looking at her instilled fear in my heart. I could feel her eyes piercing my soul to its core. Her voice of many names made my mind ache with a pain only caused by uncertainty. It was an uncertainty my mind had never had. Her voice was so impossible to place it actually hurt to listen to.
“Oh, you poor thing. Is my voice hurting you? Then I guess its time I take shape.”
Namine
She and her attire shrunk down to about my height. “How's this?” She said in Namine's voice.
I gasped in shock and anger. I felt weak, but I forced myself to get up, struggling to keep my balance as I stood in the liquid Darkness. I looked at her with fury in my eyes. “That voice *pant**pant* and that form *heave* don't belong to you!”
The water level around us rose by a few inches, and it rose above the toes of my feet. I could feel it through my shoes like a second skin. I was still wearing my suit of Darkness.
She laughed some more, and pulled down her hood to reveal Namine's face. “What power this name has over you. It fills your heart with Darkness. It was through this name that I became strong enough to fulfill my goal.”
I was still breathing heavily. “And what goal was that? To make me your vessel?”
“You? No. Not you. You are just my next step towards the body I seek. If anything, I want your heart and mind to stay exactly where they are now. In this copy of a body you occupy.”
I looked at her with even more rage. “And just what are you talking about!? Namine is the best thing that ever happened to me! You're the one filling my heart with Darkness for your own gain!” I felt the Darkness rise further up my legs. I ignored it, not letting my sights off of this horrid beast of a parasite.
She laughed some more. “You are so naive. So was I once. But Darkness makes everything so much more clear. It is the heart's true essence after all. Perhaps in time you will understand-”
I pulled out my sword. “UNDERSTAND THIS!!!” I coated my sword with the liquid Darkness beneath me, making it freeze with my hatred, and threw it at a speed that would no doubt slice through her.
She reached out a hand and blocked it with her palm. It spun in the air and landed by its handle into her glove covered hand. And all the while the liquid Darkness beneath me rose higher. “Funny. Only one other was able to make this darkness freeze before you.” The Darkness around the blade melted and dripped back to where it came from. “She hated me just as much as you do.” She said as she walked closer to me. “And that is why you are the perfect host. The one who has so much to lose and doesn't even realize it. The one with a thirst for vengeance and a dream that cannot come true.”
I tried to back away, but the liquid Darkness around my legs stuck my feet to the ground like magnets. Out of desperation I tried splashing some of it towards her only to have it pull my hand in. I tried and I tried to pull it out, using my other arm to help pull it it out, but the water level kept rising and rising, until it was up to my chest. With my arms now held down on either side, I tried to move.
She stood right next to me, not at all effected by the liquid that surrounded us. She held my own sword to my neck. “You will learn soon enough who's side you are on. But for now, I just need you to sleep.
With her right hand she held the sword to my neck, and with her left she pushed my chest. She forced me down into the waters of Darkness beneath us. The cold was so intense, my mind filled with an unfamiliar haze, and I drifted into a second slumber.
Deep in the Darkness I had gone. Life, it seemed, had been taken from me all over again. Here I was, floating in the Darkness like I was when this story began.
I was drowsy and numb. My head was spinning. I was so cold. I almost expected to wake up in the Everfree Forest, or maybe back at Castle Oblivion to find that it was all a dream.
But when I opened my eyes all I could see was a vast expanse of Darkness. The only light in this vast emptiness was my own, illuminating only a few inches of space around me. I was surprised I had any light to begin with, but I suppose even a puppet born to use the Darkness had to have light somewhere in his fake little heart.
I couldn't feel a thing, so I tried to look down and see if I was being restrained. Surely enough, there were chains wrapped around me. That damned Namine Impostor had tied me up in my own mind. Or perhaps my heart? Wherever I was, it was cold.
I could hear That Faker's laughter in the distance. She knew I was thinking about her, that there was still hatred in my heart for her. And rightfully so. If your worst enemy took on the form of someone you love most, you'd be pretty pissed off at them too. Still, I could see another lecture happening in the near future.
“What's happening right now?” I asked. “In the real world I mean. Am I asleep? And what's Twilight doing?”
I knew she would answer. Of course, she would. She had nothing better to do than to pester me. “What's happening to Twilight is beyond my knowing.” She answered in the dark depths of this place. “But you are correct in saying that you are asleep. Comatose actually. No doubt you'll be sent to the hospital and leave pony doctors baffled as to what they should do. Meanwhile the Darkness in Twilight's heart will fester as she feels guilt for what she did.”
I saw her walking up to me slowly, as though she were moving through water. I looked at her with frustration in my eyes, feeling too tired to show fury or hatred. “Is that what you want? To make Twilight fall into the Darkness?”
“Well, turning the Element of Magic into a heartless would make my goals of freedom be more easily achieved-” She walked up close enough to reach a hand out and grab the chains that restrained me. “but that is not my current objective. You see-” She pulled me closer to her and whispered into my ear. “I want you to join me. ~”
I attempted to bite off part of her face, but she moved away too quickly. “You expect me to join you!? Over my dead body!”
She giggled. It was equal parts cute and terrible. Cute because it looked like Namine giggling, terrible because it wasn't. “If corpses were all I needed, I wouldn't have brought you back, now would I? Mind control isn't favorable either. I don't just want an empty husk to make into a new body, I want a follower. Someone to worship the ground I walk on and know that everything I say is true.”
I glare at her some more. “Then find someone else! I don't trust some low-life that wants to use me. Whether it's as a vessel or a follower, I'm no puppet.”
She gently stroked her finger across my chest and circled around where my heart would be. “Do you have any idea where you are? First you are knocked unconscious by Twilight's Darkness, and then you fall asleep a second time when I push you in deeper. A dream within a dream. Darkness within Darkness.” She pulled me closer by my chains, her face nearer to mine. “You are in my domain. And that means I choose what happens next.”
“You think I care?” I can’t do much else but keep talking. Maybe I can think of something while I do. “Even if I’m stuck here for eternity I won’t serve you. I’d rather be locked away than be a puppet again. I’m done serving others!”
“Hahahahahahahahahaha!” Hearing a laugh like that come from Namine’s mouth left me feeling sick. I’d give anything to break out of these chains and punch her lights out. “You think you know eternity? I’ve been locked up for 1000 years. I know isolation. It’s like an old friend of mine.”
She looked angrier now. “You spent all your time asleep in Darkness. While I was very much aware of my prison. I watched from afar as the kingdom that was once mine grew and prospered without me. I know firsthand that life goes on regardless of whether you are there to live it. I know true pain. YOU don’t.”
I hold back the urge to laugh, suppress the urge to smile. She gave me all the knowledge I need. “Nightmare Moon I presume? I’ve read about you.” I give up holding back and wear a sly grin as I continue. “You’re the same old story, one I’ve heard plenty. A selfish person with a heart full of Darkness. Full of power lust and jealousy. I’m amazed you aren’t a heartless already. But I’m sure that’ll happen soon enough.”
She slaps me across the face. “Insolent worm! Hold your tongue before the might of a Goddess!” She paused. She thought for a moment, likely considering tying my mouth shut, but flashed a grin and chose not to. “Actually, speak freely. If I intend to have you as a servant, I should allow such freedom of speech. Let out all your frustrations now. In fact- “
With a snap of her fingers she broke my restraints. “Hit me as hard as you can. Let out your innermost rage and fury. I want to see your hatred.”
It was obviously a trap. She’d probably use this moment to control my body, using my rage to give her control. But I didn’t care. I was sick and tired of seeing her face. Namine’s face. I hate seeing someone else use it. I call fourth my blade, Soul Eater, and get ready to fight.
The ground beneath us rises. All around me dirt and rock form, and a stage for our fight is made of elegantly carved stone. Hills and valleys set all around me, a sky full of stars above, the moon in view. This is her domain she said, and this is how she chooses to make it? Typical. Royalty always prefers style over substance.
Without a second thought, I take my first strike. I take my sword, hold it behind me, swing it over my head, and as it reaches the height of my swing- “BURN!!” I cast Firaga, sending a giant ball of fire in her direction. I could’ve used Dark Fire, but I need something that will hurt, and I don’t know any light magic aside from Cure spells. Fire should be enough, even if she isn’t weak to it.
Not even flinching, the Fake Namine (Nightmare Moon) stands there and lets the attack hit. She is visibly in pain as the flames dance across her body, seemingly not damaging the skin in any way, but still causing pain. Through gritted teeth and harsh breaths, she spits a venomous tone. “I’ve felt the fires of the sun from my accursed sister.” She holds her hands to her heart. “This pain is the last feeling she gave me before locking me away.” She looks at me with hate in her eyes. “These flames only fuel my RAGE!” She throws her arms forwards, and the flames jump off of her body, dancing through the air towards me, seemingly alive with a desire to kill.
With regret for my choice of spells, I cast Reflaga as fast as I can, though the heat I felt was proof of just how close a call it was. The fire wraps around the protective shield, coming ever so close to breaking it before the spell dissipates, and the hexagonal panels break off, releasing magical energy outward on all sides. If she were right next to me it would’ve made a decent counter attack. Knowing her, she’d never make it that easy.
She starts walking closer, a weapon forming in her right hand. A long staff with a crescent moon shaped blade at the end. The staff was made of ornate silver, with a razor-sharp blade. Style over substance, though clearly deadly. Now holding it in both hands, she runs forwards, towards me, blade aimed my direction.
To her surprise, I run towards her weapon, and before it has the chance to graze me, I cast Dark Roll and melt my form into that of pure shadow for just a moment, rushing past her in a beam of dark, reassembling my body just behind hers. I coat my blade with ice, using Blizzard Edge to slam down my magically enhanced weapon against her body. Better ice than fire against her it seems.
Now knocked to the ground, weapon no longer in her hands, the Fake looks back in surprise. “I’ll say it. I’m impressed.” She vanishes from sight, only to reappear several feet away, now standing. “But you can’t even begin to know the cold I’ve felt.” With a smile, she kneels to the ground, pressing a hand to the floor, watching as the land around her reshapes to white stone covered in craters.
The air gets sucked from my lungs, and the cold around me numbs my body to the core in seconds, and the moon above us is now gone. No, we’re standing on it. This really was a dream world, though I didn’t have time to think about that as I panicked, hoping to think of a way to breath.
And it takes no time at all for me to think of one. I mouth out the word wind as the spell Aeroga is cast. In no time at all wind swirls around my body, and I gasp for breath in this ice-cold landscape of stone and desolation.
“Clever boy!” She says. “That’s some old magic. Tell you what, since you’ve done well so far, I’ll ease up on the cold.” And with a snap of her fingers, the world around me becomes much warmer. Still cold, like the winter air of the Everfree, but warm enough to function. “You’re such a weakling. But I guess it’s not fair to compare you to a goddess.”
I’m still gasping for air, but I talk back anyway. “If you’re so powerful, then why do you need me?”
“Hahahahahahahaha!” God I both love and hate that laugh. “Right you are boy. I shouldn’t need you. In this world you see the fullest extent of my power. But out there I’m barely a ghost. The Pony of Shadows they called me. And shadow was all I was. Until you came along.”
She sits down, a throne of white stone instantly there. “I always find it puzzling how quickly people shun the Darkness. So quick to avoid corruption. Yet they fail to see the benefits. Many times in your world, the followers of Darkness would resurrect their fallen allies with almost no consequence. A few amnesiacs here and there, but otherwise perfectly fine. And look at you, you turned out just fine! It astounds me, the ignorance my kind possess.”
She had a point. Based on Zexion’s memories from the Organization, several instances of resurrection were easily performed through the power of Darkness. But most users of Darkness are too abrasive and too quick to lash out to form any lasting bonds. Without outside help, you can’t resurrect yourself using that kind of power. You either come back as a Heartless, a Nobody, or both. But both can be avoided so long as SOMEONE cares enough to try. But empathy isn’t a feeling bred by Darkness.
“Is that it?” I ask “Do you want me to bring you back? Because so far, I’m not sure why I would. You aren’t exactly a friend.”
“You’re not entirely wrong.” She replied. “I’m looking to come back, that much is true. But I need you stronger for that. I need you to use ALL of the Darkness in your heart. I can help keep it from consuming you. With your help, I can become even STRONGER than I was.”
She snaps her fingers, and suddenly we’re sitting at a small table, a tea set in front of us. “Mind if we take a break from fighting? I want to admire the view.”
I half expected she was joking, but she immediately turned to the horizon, watching the planet below, the sun shining just behind it, raised only just so much above the planet’s horizon that light shines across the land.
Ignoring the lack of air, save for my spell, it was truly breath taking. I turn to face her. “I’d expect you would hate a view like this. Given that you were banished here.”
To my surprise, she lets out a gentle laugh, a tear rolling down the face she was wearing. It moved my fake heart to see Namine shed a tear. “Stars on all sides, an endless expanse of Night. Glittering light across all horizons, and a view of my kingdom, lit up so well by my sister’s Sun. Probably the only thing I can appreciate about her Sun in fact, and only because I love the land so much.”
She takes a sip of tea, never for a moment looking away. “Do you know why I was banished? Not because I was power hungry, or because I hated my sister, but because I wanted my kingdom to see the wonders of my stars. They probably think I’d be a cruel Princess. Do you know what I would do if given that power?”
She turned to face me, an evil grin on her face. Or Namine’s face rather. “I’d be the most kind-hearted monarch in history just to spite her. I’d earn my empire’s affection. Because love is all I’ve ever wanted. I’d fight for it, die for it, live for it.”
In that moment I realized… she and I weren’t so different. Love was what drove us, and kept us going in Darkness. My love of Namine is what keeps me going, and her love of Equestria keeps her going through the throws of death.
I take a sip from my cup. Hm… Royal Milk Tea, if Zexion’s memories are right. Figures she’d conjure a quality drink. “If… If I do bring you back. What exactly can you do for me?” I take a look at the horizon, not nearly as impressed by it as she is. “Equestria doesn’t mean anything to me, so ruling it with you isn’t something I’d want. And I doubt you can make me any different from my other.”
“Riku you mean?” She turned to face me. “The only one who can make you any different is you. Change is a natural state of living, and if you don’t change over time on your own, how can you consider yourself real?”
She takes another sip. “As for what I can give you… I can offer you a choice. I felt Namine’s heart when I found yours.”
I immediately put down my drink. “Where is she!?” I probably should have tried to act less desperate, but I didn’t care.
“Outside of your reach.” She said, her honesty being clear. “She’s outside this world, obviously. But that presents a problem. See, this world has a barrier that my accursed sister put in place. One that keeps most of the darkness from getting in. I was able to pull you from the cracks, but I can’t easily get you out. Not without drawing attention.”
“I don’t care!” I said. “Whatever it takes to see her again. Just tell me what to do.”
She gave a smile like she was winning a game. “As you wish.”
