"Forced to pass out because of a fake bear? Damn, and you called me a chickenshit."
I snapped my eyes open and found myself in a void similar to the one God had me in, but the world around was black instead of white. I look around to see where the voice came from, when I finally looked behind me, I saw a being wearing a familiar dark grey hoodie and loose green spandex shorts, but was barefooted.
Why did this person look familiar?
I didn't have time to ponder this as the person attacked with a twisted version of the Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda.
I summoned my Keyblade to block and when we clashed, we both tried to push the other aside, but we were equally matched in physical strength. I jump away and ran around to attack from the side, anticipating this, the person swung in a wide arc with their left hand holding the sword as my Keyblade collided with it. I jumped over his head to get behind the person as I swung in an arc of my own, but the being saw this coming and spun around to block my assault.
I redirected the person's blade away from their front and kicked them in the chest, knocking them down and knocking the wind out of them. I thought the being would stand up and they did, but very slowly and didn't make another attempt to fight. Naturally I was confused at this, why wouldn't they fight anymore?
"Child's play."
I spun around to see Core himself!
"Poor naive idiot. You really think you're a true Master? I've seen all of the known survivors' Mark of Mastery exams, and compared to yours, I'm not impressed with you."
"Why not?! I'm getting stronger every day!" I argue.
"Size of strength means nothing to a Keyblade Master, it's the strength of the heart that matters, and you have done nothing to face the darkness inside you."
"What?"
"You think I don't know what you're thinking, or what you've thought about?"
I was confused, I had no where he was going with this.
"You've had horrible thoughts about killing yourself and those close to you."
Suddenly the temperature dropped to a -30 degrees.
"...Core, that's not me anymore. I've overcome those thoughts. They were beyond my control, all I could do before was resist them."
"You have the power now, what's stopping you from going on a genocidal killing spree?"
I scowl, "My morals."
"And when those are gone, what then?"
"What?"
"There will come a time that you'll have to let go of your morals and realize the way to protect those you love is to become a monster."
I said nothing.
"On to another subject, have you met my newest minion? He's somebody you know all too well."
"He?" I turned around to see that the guy I was fighting was a foot away from me.
"C'mon, Devin, that's no way to greet your brother." He removed his hood to reveal his face; a mullet was his hairstyle with his dirty blonde hair, a beard and mustache combo on his face, along with acne and freckles, a normal green right eye and his left eye had a sickly light blue sclera and a dark purple pupil making him look menacing as he sneered at me.
"JD?!" I leap into a sitting position as I woke up from my nightmare.
I was panting heavily as I took in my surroundings, I was in my assigned room for my stay in Canterlot. How did I get here? It was then I remembered everything that happened so far.
A new world was opened up.
A scary being nearly killed me.
And I fainted from my anxiety attack.
...Stupid disability.
The door swiftly opened to reveal Celestia and Luna with worried looks, "DEVIN!!!" they both leaped at me, nuzzling me the hell out of me.
"Girls, girls, I'm okay, I just passed out." I reassure them.
"But I couldn't see into your dreams! I don't understand how I can't!" Luna said.
My eyes widened, could Core have gotten into my dream and blocked Luna out? And why was my brother there? Too many questions with no answers, so I chose to cuddle my future wives until they dried their tears.
After that little episode, The three of us got out of bed and went to eat late lunch, which we all enjoyed, me, Celestia, Luna, and my new students. Like the princesses, my students pony-piled me into a fit of nuzzles even after I told them I was fine. After we finished our lunch, my Keyblade summoned itself again and opened another portal, instantly, the girls were on me like flies to stink, we talked about it and agreed that one of them should go with me in case something goes wrong, and Luna nominated herself, which we all agreed since she was the most capable fighter right now, with no further hesitation, the two of us went in...
We found ourselves in an empty grass field with the wind lightly blowing through our hair. Just then, we heard explosions in the distance, we turned around to see a village being attacked and what looked to be...an alien mother holding a baby and her daughter running from giant robotic bugs? No, not just them, they're also being chased by...the Heartless! I could see several Armored Knights, Defenders, and Blitz Spears.
The mother and daughter began communicating through their antennas, projecting words and symbols.
I
<3
You!
That was what the mother said and the daughter said the same thing.
I
<3
You!
The bugs and Heartless circled them until they stopped and stared the small family down. In the distance, we all heard the sound of a motorcycle headed towards us, making the daughter's antennas say, "?", the driver pulled out a massive gun and blasted a pathway through the robots and Heartless with a missile and over to the small family. It was then that I got a good look at the guy; he was full body armor, a strange looking tall helmet that had horns, and a tiger's mask to conceal his face.
Before I knew it, he shot at the creatures again with a machine gun function from his blaster, firing multiple bullets and dropping the empty shells as Luna and I ducked for cover. He gave most of them holes that could easily rival Swiss cheese before he halted his assault, then he did a wheelie with his ride and spikes protruded out of the front wheel as he rode forward to shred an oncoming bug-bot, as I like to call them, and as he flew through the air, his rear tire had spikes of its own and began to tear apart more of the bug-bots. He was knocked off his ride by one of the bug-bots and immediately pulled out a hand gun that blasted off most of its head when fired at, once he landed on his feet, he shot a few more bug-bots before putting away his weapon and drawing a new one; a retractable staff that had two buttons he pressed, one for a bunch of claws and hooks, and the other for an electric tip.
Surrounded on all sides, the unknown warrior prepared to fight a melee battle as one of the bug-bots charged forward and he stabbed into it with the hook end while twisting the staff and ripping it out, along with most of its wiring. The mother and daughter held each other and watched in awe as the warrior continued to fight, tearing the bug-bots apart and even making them explode with little to no effort, until his mask was sliced in half and fell off his face as his helmet was knocked off his head. Luna and I were able to see his face; extremely long black hair, a merged beard and mustache which was also long, and a serious, determined look on his features, saying "don't mess with me".
It was then the daughter spoke again.
Jack
?
Jack?
Who's...wait.
Could this be...his world?
I couldn't think much on that as "Jack" shouted a battle cry while jumping into the air, plunging his staff into another bug-bot, piercing straight through and going after another, which was the last one, making its remain spew oil out of its hole and over to the daughter, who made a symbol of a face with X eyes and tongue sticking out. Before Jack could relax, the Heartless began to advance on him, making him grit his teeth in anticipation. They didn't get a chance to attack him though, as I used the skill Zantetsuken to destroy all of them in one fell swoop, making him look at me in slight surprise as he examined me and my own weapon, I disbanded my Keyblade and lowered my arm back to my side, showing that I mean no harm.
Seeing that the battle was over, he picked up his helmet, replaced it on his head, and got back on his motorcycle to leave, me and Luna gave chase on our Gliders to get some answers as the daughter ran in our direction, speaking with her antennas.
Thank
You!
She watched as we went after Jack, who rode off into the sunset.
If this world is what I think it is, then that warrior, Jack is gonna need our help and guidance.
Somewhere, in an unknown location, what appeared to be some kind of cult was bowing to a statue of a dark being. Not long, the screams of a mother giving birth, babies crying, and a gong ringing every time a child was born resounded through the cavern. After she finished, she gave birth to seven little girls, and the mother of the children was helped off the table and dressed by her followers, she then approached the statue the followers were worshipping.
"Seven daughters to do your bidding, master," she began, "They will succeed where so many others have failed, and we will find favor in your glory."
The statue said nothing back, of course.
But what they all didn't know was that they were being watched from afar by a figure hidden in the shadows...
"Soon, bro...soon I'll settle the score."
Luna and I followed Jack into the desert, where he was going, we didn't know, but we followed. After a whole night of following him, and Luna resting on my back after she got tired from flying her Glider all day, he stopped in the middle of a forest where he removed his helmet and took a deep breath as I woke up Luna and we hid in one of the trees, then proceeded to take a drink out of a nearby stream of water. Suddenly, he looked really freaked out by something in the stream, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Could he be hallucinating?
All of a sudden, he noticed us above him and called, "I know you are there. Show yourself."
We hopped down and began to introduce ourselves, "Sorry about stalking you. I'm Devin, and this is my...fiancé, Luna." Luna took note of my hesitation, but Jack didn't seem to notice.
"'Fiancé'? But you're so young, and she is...not human."
"I know, but it was...kinda spur of the moment, but never mind that." I began, "I, um...heard much about you, and noticed you lack a certain...weapon." Jack's eyes widened, which I noticed, "If it isn't too much to ask, could you...tell me what happened to it?"
He closed his eyes and cringed greatly.
"Uh, never mind, it's obvious that's a touchy subject for you."
Luna seemed rather confused; a certain weapon that Jack had lost? And they didn't even speak to anyone on the way here, how did he know him? Luna would have to wait for answers, Jack appears like he wants to speak.
"I did lose it...but I can't say how, or why." he answered vaguely.
"...I understand." I said, "When you're ready to tell us, we'll listen, okay?"
"Very well."
After a while, and Jack ignoring a nearby explosion, it soon got dark as we made a campfire and luckily Luna and I brought food for dinner, because Jack was about a cook a dead rat to eat...gross. As we continued to eat our food, Jack stared into the fire, fear and shock in his eyes, Luna noticed as well and we knew immediately that Jack was hallucinating again. We tried to snap him out of it, but he didn't respond until he yelled in absolute anger and burst through the campfire with his motorcycle, charging straight for the plume of smoke where the explosion from before came from.
"We gotta follow him! He's not well!" I said, Luna nodded.
We summoned our Keyblade Gliders and we rushed to Jack's aid. Whatever's going on with Jack...
...It MUST have something to do with his missing sword.
After a hard fought battle with some magic robot man that controls blade through music, especially scatting like a Scat Man, Jack took some of the weapons that were still intact from the fight and left, we followed him from a distance as to not freak him out too much. Poor guy was hallucinating again during the battle, and even the robot man was weirded out, but the message was clear: something happened with Jack and his missing sword that caused him to be this way.
And we're going to find out what.
Should've guessed this would happen; Jack was ambushed by some unknown assailants, who were, as my brother would put it, "fast as fuk boi!" Luna and I WERE watching from afar and getting ready to step in, if it wasn't for some freak in a hoodie knocking us out of the sky and separating us from Jack. But the moment I saw the sword he was wielding, I knew exactly who it was.
"Show yourself...bro-migo!"
He removed his hood and saw my brother exactly the way I saw him in the dream realm, freaky-ass eye and all.
"Heh, guess I should've known you'd figure me out...brother." he said.
"Hold on!" Luna interjected, "That is your brother?!"
"Yeah, but...something real bad happened to him, judging by that eye he's got." I answered.
"You mean 'something real AWESOME'!" JD said with smile that bled malice, "I'm finally ready to pay you back for making our parents favor you over me!" he then when on a monologuing spree with a spiteful frown, "I don't care if you're the one who listen or does everything our parents say, you're NOT better. We share the same blood and the same family. But..." his malicious smile returned with a vengeance, "...There IS something that sets us apart!"
I deadpanned, "...That we don't share the same brain?" This witty comeback seemed to shock Luna.
"Ha! Predictable response! But no." he pointed at me, "...Unlike you, I fear nothing."
"What?" I got confused, "Yeah, everybody has their own fears, but--"
"You're afraid of the darkness in your heart!"
THAT certainly shut me up.
"Your horrible visions of genocide and suicide still frighten you, no matter what façade you put on!"
I grit my teeth in frustration while Luna looked confused as to what was going on.
"But, I'm different: I wear my darkness on my sleeves, I can make it follow my every command." JD gripped his hoodie and with a firm yank, ripped it clean off his body, revealing an incomplete Heartless symbol branded on his chest, very similar to the mark from Riku's Dark Mode suit. He then prepared his battle stance with his twisted version of the Master Sword; his left hand open and his palm aimed towards us, his right hand holding the sword leveled even with his head, and his legs spread out, "On that note...I can paint the town red...with YOUR blood!!!"
That was all the incentive I needed to summon my Keyblade, but Luna summoned hers rather reluctantly. Why though? I couldn't think much on it as the battle began.
Meanwhile, Jack was hiding within a broken metal shell away from the lightning speed assassins as it started to rain, then Jack began hallucinating and saw...himself.
"I believe it's time to end it, don't you think?"
Jack was surprised, but regained his composure, "Never. They are just machines. I'll find a way. I always have."
"When you have the sword! But now it's gone! There's no hope."
"I have been doing fine without it." Jack said, but didn't feel entirely sure.
His words seemed to anger the apparition of himself, "Well listen to you. And what happens when Aku finds you and realizes that you have no sword?"
"Aku doesn't know. And he hasn't shown himself in years. He keeps thinking that one of his machines will defeat me."
"Maybe he's right. You have never faced anything so powerful! How much longer can you keep this up?!" The vision of Jack asked, noticeably getting angrier.
"It always seems bad at first, but then I find a way. They are just nuts and bolts. Just nuts and bolts..."
The Jack mirage got in the real Jack's face, "WHO CARES ANYMORE?! There's no way home, there's nothing to fight for! There is no more honor...come to think of it, the only honorable thing would be to--"
"Quiet."
"NO!! I WON'T SPEND ETERNITY IN THIS FORSAKEN TIME!!"
Jack was shocked by his anger and declaration, but then became somber, "...What do you want from me?"
The spirit became somber as well, "I want it to end. Aren't you tired? Wouldn't it be great to be free of all of this? Our ancestors are waiting for us...they want you to join them."
Jack took a peek out of the shell and saw an armored man with an antler horned helmet riding on horseback, staring into his soul, then he saw an ancient temple in the distance.
"There!"
"You'll never make it! They'll get you!"
"I'll make it."
Back to the fight, Luna and Devin were knocked back by JD's electrically charged Skyward Slash and were spasming from the electricity, paralyzing them.
"...That really all you got? Man, Core wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't impressed with you...not that I care. He's simply a means to an end. I'd be going against boss's orders, but who gives a shit? As far as I'm concerned, your jobs here are done."
Like before, JD raised the blade into the air as a lightning bolt struck it, making the sword crackle and spark with electric power. He readied another electrical Skyward Slash when a speeding blur rushed past him, knocking him off balance and losing the power within the sword.
JD growled, "Grrr...who dares?!"
Silence. JD could only roar in anger.
With a deep breath, he regain his composure, "...Fine. But the two of you? Consider yourselves and your little harem bitches on probation." JD then disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.
The person who tackled him was watching the two in the shadows as they barely stir after that beating they received, she was also the one who lead the assault on Jack, The samurai is the target. Not them.
She rushed back to her sisters to finish what they had started with Jack...
After finally coming to, Devin looked around and saw that he and the still unconscious Luna were still alive, much to his surprise, but there was no sign of Jack, JD, or the assassins. Utilizing a quick Cure spell on him and Luna, Devin picked her up and opened a portal back to Equestria.
"Sorry Jack, but we're pretty banged up, and we need to rest for a while. I promise, we'll be back for you soon..."
With that vow said, he limped into the portal with one of his beloved and left this world behind for now, not realizing that Jack was floating down a bloodstained river by now, struggling to staying alive...