A gentle nudge to her side woke her. She smiled seeing it was the sleeping form of Big Macintosh.
"He must have stayed here all night..." she thought aloud. She moved to sit up, the motion waking the sleeping stallion.
"Flutter, ya'll don't need t' be movin around. Ya'll need yer rest."
"Oh...well thank you Mackie but you need to sleep too. You can't worry yourself about me like this." She scooted back on her bed a bit and smiled at him, a light blush on her face. The stallion climbed into the bed with her, wrapping his hooves around her.
She sighed and rested her head against his chest. Not many ponies knew it, but Big Macintosh was one of the most gentle ponies in Ponyville, probably in Equestria. All anypony ever saw of him was the quiet workhorse, the powerhouse, the strong bull-headed stallion who had nothing to say. But Fluttershy saw more than those ponies saw. He was quite the talker once a pony got through to him.
"Flutter, ah've been thinkin...Ah wouldn't feel right jus' bringin a foal into the world..." She looked up at him, her heart sinking. He saw the fear in her eyes and chuckled, kissing her forehead.
"Without ya marryin me first." he finished, she blushed bright red, covering her mouth with her hooves. Squeaking an answer.
"Ya'll are gonna have t' speak up Flutter. Ah'm a might bit hard o' hearin" he joked. She giggled and threw her hooves around him, pushing her muzzle to his.
"Is that a yes?" He asked.
"Oh...um...yes. Yes it is."
------
"whoa!" Rainbow gasped as Applejack tackled her to the ground, holding her tightly and crying into her chest.
"AJ..." Rainbow wrapped her hooves around the mare, trying to calm her.
"Yes..." Applejack mumbled into her coat.
"Huh?"
"Yes, ah'll marry ya." She said through her tears. Rainbow smiled and held the farm pony close to her as she cried her heart out. Finally she calmed herself and helped Dash to her hooves, only to throw her hooves around the pegasus and cling to her. Dash smiled and held her close.
"AJ, why don't we go see Granny and tell her the news?"
------
Applebloom sat beside her grandmothers' bed, watching as the mare slept peacefully. A few times Applebloom had feared she had stopped breathing but it had been her imagination. She wished Pip was here to help keep her calm, but he was starting his Guard training today. Granny smith slowly opened her eyes and smiled.
"Well hello there." Granny Smith said with a lighthearted smile. Applebloom grabbed hold of her hoof and returned the smile.
"Hey Granny...how are ya feelin?"
"Ah'm feelin a might bit tired lil bloom. But ah can't sleep jus' yet. Tell me Bloom, do ya'll remember everythin ah taught ya about th' zap apples?"
"Every last word Granny." Applebloom smiled. She prided herself in being the best Zap Apple Jammer of her family, besides Granny Smith of course.
"Good, ah'm gonna need ya t' teach th' others Bloom. Yer a big pony now and ah know ah can't hide nuthin from ya anymore. Ol' Granny needs her rest. But not before ya'll two come out of hidin and tell me th' good news." Granny called out to the hall. Two ponies poked their heads inside and slowly walked into the room. Applejack blushed heavily as she caught eyes with her grandmother, lowering her hat. Rainbow smiled and nudged Applejack.
"Do you want me to tell her?"
"No...Ah can tell her Dashie." Applejack took a slow breath, the pegasi's wing over her back helping to calm her nerves.
"Granny...Ah'm gettin married!"
"Well it's 'bout time ya'll asked her Dash. Ah was worried ya'll were gonna wait til ah was gone to get up the courage t'do it. Ah'm so very happy for both o' ya'll. Now if only Mac can do th' same." the mare broke into a coughing fit, the three ponies sitting around her, worry and dread filling them. Granny eventually broke out of the coughing fit and looked around.
"Well hello there" she said, making them laugh.
"Ah'm so proud of all of ya. 'specially you Applebloom. Ya'll were such a cute lil foal, ah'm glad ah was able t' watch ya'll grow into a strong and proud mare. Shame ah couldn't stay for a great grandfoal."
"Now what kind o' talk is that Granny? Ya'll can stay for a bit longer can't ya?" Macintosh asked from the doorway.
"huh? who? oh Macintosh. What are ya'll doin here?"
"Ah wanted t' bring Flutter here for this, but she's restin up. Yer gonna be a great grandmother Granny Smith." he said proudly.
"And?" Granny asked expectantly.
"Ah proposed and she accepted." Granny smith smiled and laid back in her bed, looking around at them. They were her pride and joy. Everything that had kept her going through the hard times.
"Good...good...ah think ah can count on Fluttershy t' keep ya'll from doin anythin stupid. Applejack...Applebloom, ah'm countin on both of ya'll and ah'll be watchin..." the old mare closed her eyes, the gentle rising of her chest slowing.
"Granny...wait...Granny? GRANNY!?" Applebloom shook the mare, tears streaming down her face. Applejack broke down and clung to Rainbow, the pegasus fought back her own tears and held her close, running a hoof through her mane as she sobbed into her coat. Macintosh quickly scooped Applebloom into a hug, the young mares' crying filling the room and echoing down the hall.
Granny smith had been more than just a grandmother. She had been a teacher, their caretaker, everything that they had ever needed in this world had always come from the old mare and now she was gone. But they had one another now. Granny Smith wore a small smile as she passed on, knowing that her family would be able to care for themselves now.
------
Celestia sat outside of the bedroom, waiting for the Apple Family to make their way outside. She felt it would be wrong of her to walk into the room. Applejack was the first out of the room, her eyes red from crying. She looked up at Celestia as if begging. The Alicorn only shook her head. Her powers were great but there was nothing she could do for Granny Smith.
Even if she could, she would most likely do nothing. The old mare had done much in her life and was ready to move on, keeping her here would only have caused her pain. Rainbow pulled Applejack into a hug, the pegasus calmly looked up at the Alicorn.
"Could we have a small service for her Princess? She meant a lot to all of us." a shudder in her voice betrayed her emotions. Though Rainbow Dash was calm on the outside she was truly shaken on the inside.
"Of course Rainbow Dash. I have something I wish to speak with both of you about, but it can wait until tomorrow. I'm sure you already have much to think about." Rainbow nodded and Celestia left them, the quiet sobbing that echoed through the halls drawing up painful memories in the back of her mind.
------
Twilight noticed a tear making its way down Luna's cheek.
"Luna...are you ok?" Luna blinked, putting a hoof against her cheek. She stared at it for a moment and stood quickly.
"Something is wrong..." Luna made her way for the door, gasping in pain as her head throbbed. Twilight gently pushed the Alicorn back to bed.
"You're in no condition to handle anything right now Luna. Tell me whats wrong."
"It's my sister...I know it sounds strange but...I can feel it. Whether she is in pain or her emotions get the better of her I can always tell. It's rare she loses control of them like this. Something must have happened to upset her." Twilight sat down beside Luna.
"If it were something dangerous somepony would've warned us by now. Or we would at least hear the sounds of fighting."
"Maybe it's just a bad memory sneaking up on her..." Luna hung her head.
"Luna..." Twilight pressed her muzzle to the Alicorns' neck.
"Sorry Twilight...I was just thinking..." Twilight bit her lip. She had an idea of what the Alicorn was thinking of.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Twilight gasped in surprise as Luna suddenly pulled her into a hug. Twilight wrapped her hooves around her as the Alicorn began to cry.
------
Nyx blinked as tears stung her eyes. Why was she crying? She had been reading one of her favorite books when a sudden feeling of dread and despair came over her. She looked around the room, fearing it might be some kind of instinct telling her she was in danger. But she saw nothing. Slowly she wiped away the tears but they were quickly replaced with more.
A small sob built up in her throat as the feeling continued to wash over her. She buried her eyes in her hooves trying to calm down, surprised when she felt arms around her. Looking up she found Sweetie Belle holding her.
"You ok Nyx?"
"I...I'm fine...b...Belle..." Sweetie Belle wiped away one of her tears.
"You don't look it Nyx. Whats wrong?" Nyx laughed and shook her head
"I don't know. I just started crying for some reason. Like something terrible just happened."
"Somethin terrible did happen..." Applebloom said from the door. Her head was hung low and her ears were tucked back. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.
"Applebloom..."
"Granny is gone..." Applebloom sobbed, falling to the ground in tears. Nyx winced, her wings rustling about in their bandages as she pulled herself from her bed and walked over to her friend. She sat down beside her, gently wrapping a bandaged wing around her. Applebloom sniffed and looked up at her. Nyx smiled, tears still making their way down her cheeks.
"Remember what we talked about Bloom? No matter what, no matter how many ponies leave, you'll always have them with you. I bet Granny Smith is watching you right now. How would she feel if she saw you crying like this? She needs you to be strong Applebloom.
Your family needs you to be strong, we need you to be strong. You're important to all of us Applebloom and it hurts seeing you like this. I understand how you feel. Granny Smith was special to all of us, but to you she was practically your mother. Maybe that's why she taught you everything she knew. Are you gonna just let all that hard work go to waste?" Nyx asked gently.
Applebloom wiped away her tears and took a shaky breath, hiccupping as she spoke.
"N...HIC...No! Ah'm g-HIC-gonna make Granny proud!" Nyx smiled. Scootaloo walked into the room and raised an eyebrow.
"Nyx, you're not tryin to steal Bloom from Pip are you?" she joked. Nyx shook her head, wincing as she pulled her wing away from her.
"Scootaloo you're supposed to be resting, and same goes for You Nyx. Your wings were pretty badly burned." Sweetie Belle said, trying to move her back to her bed.
"We don't have time for me to rest up. The Princess probably doesn't know it but I overheard her talking to Sora and the Doctor. We've only got a few more days until they break the seal. We've got to be ready."
"A few days?!" Applebloom asked shocked. Scootaloo grinned and stood beside Sweetie Belle, her Keyblade appearing.
"We'll be fine Bloom, me and Belle got these things. Nyx should heal up in a few days anyway and then Sora and his pals are still training. We'll be ready." Applebloom stared at the Keyblade. Around the handle was half a heart, Sweetie Belle's Keyblade holding the other half. The blade was a mix of colors, swirling between orange and white. After a moment it vanished.
"Well you two might be ready but Ah've still got a lot o' work t' do. Nyx, ya'll think yer up to a lil spar?" Applebloom turned to the Alicorn who flexed her wings a little. She ignored Sweetie Belle's attempts to put her back to bed and nodded, following after Applebloom.
"Geez, those two..." Scootaloo started, Sweetie Belle raising an eyebrow at her.
"Uh...good point Belle..." The unicorn nodded and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
------
A large black Alicorn stood in the center of the training grounds, visibly shaking. Slowly it widened its stance and opened its mouth, smoke billowing out and forming a cloud around its head. Applejack felt genuine fear take hold of her as she stared at it.
"Alright guys, let's see if you can keep up. Ready, set, GO!" Rainbow and the Alicorn took off into the sky, swirling around one another as they made their way through the cloud ring race track. To Rainbow's surprise the Alicorn kept pace with her and flew past her.
"Impressive, but we're just getting started!" Rainbow winced as she flapped her wings harder. They hadn't really had a chance to recover and her Sonic Rainboom Tornado hadn't really helped. But she wasn't one to just sit and relax, except for the occasional nap. She was needed. She needed to be stronger, for her friends, for Applejack. And she would need Sora's help. Fluttershy couldn't train Sora and his friends this way, for more than one reason. She had a foal on the way and she wasn't exactly the strongest flier.
Rainbow easily caught up with the Alicorn but again he pushed past her. She grinned and pushed herself a bit harder, ignoring the pain in her wings. The two were neck and neck now and the finish line was close. It was now or never. But just as Rainbow felt herself pulling ahead The Alicorn heartless began to glow, turning back into the three ponies who formed it. Rainbow reacted quickly, snatching up Donald in her teeth and flying under Goofy, catching him on her back. A dazed Sora plummeted to the ground, his wings useless.
"SORA!" Donald and Goofy screamed as they saw their friend fall. Dash struggled to stay in the air, lowering herself to the ground as she held the weight of the two ponies. She couldn't do anything for Sora, she was barely able to keep her grasp on the two ponies she held. Rainbow spotted a black flash out of the corner of her eye, dirt and dust flying into the air as Sora hit the ground. Applejack rushed into the dust.
"SORA! Are ya alright!?" Applejack called through the smoke. Rainbow touched down with Donald and Goofy, quickly rising back into the air and flapping her wings hard to clear the dust. To their surprise a cloaked figure stood in the center, having caught Sora before he hit the ground. The figure set Sora down, looking at them and nodding before vanishing through a black hole in the air.
"Was that...Riku?" Goofy asked. Donald nodded, their attention drawn back to Sora as the Alicorn groaned. Donald helped him up, Goofy on his other side to keep him steady.
"Why did the form break?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know, I guess we're just pushing too hard." Sora lowered his head.
"Riku had to come and save me..." he said quietly, walking away from them.
------
A black blur ran across the corner of Nyx's vision, distracting her from a kick from Applebloom. The kick landed, smashing into her jaw and throwing her back.
"NYX! Ah'm so sorry, Ah thought ya'll were gonna block it!" Nyx shook herself and stood.
"It's alright Applebloom. Why don't we take a break, I need to check on something and my wings are starting to sting."
"Alright Nyx...ah'll keep practicin though." Applebloom said with a smile.
Nyx nodded and turned to chase after the blur. She found it zipping down a hallway and continued following after it. She gently pushed off the ground, flapping her wings to keep up with it as it made its way through the castle. She didn't know where it was going but she felt she had to follow. She was careful to stay out of its line of sight, ducking behind corners as it stopped and turned. She followed it out into the garden and it vanished. She landed and looked around, trying to figure out where it could have gone.
"You don't have to follow me around." She spun, finding it leaning against a tree, an apple in its hand.
"Riku, you came back" she smiled a bit and felt a chill run through her as he returned the smile.
"To be honest Nyx I never left. I was thinking about what you said and you're right. I can't just leave Sora like this. If he keeps up this idiotic training he is going to hurt himself and possibly his friends. But right now it's our only course of action. There just isn't enough time to do anything else." Nyx sighed and sat down beside him. Riku took a seat, still leaning against the tree.
"What do you think we should do? What could we do besides this?" She asked him. He shrugged after a moment of thinking.
"Well, I saw those friends of yours with Keyblades. Sora could train them to use them properly, then there is that one you were training with just a minute ago. She seems pretty tough. Maybe you could all help somehow."
"You were watching m...us?" she stammered for a moment.
"I wanted to keep an eye on Sora and try to handle things my way." A black hole opened in the air near Riku and Nyx feared he was leaving again. She placed her hoof on his arm to keep him there and he grinned for a moment, sending another chill through her.
"I'm not leaving Nyx. This is a Corridor of Darkness. With it I can travel anywhere, even between worlds. With it I could travel to home and back in a few minutes. Sora wanted to be able to use this, but I couldn't allow it." it vanished and he turned toward her, laughing at the confused face she had.
"To use it Nyx, you have to give your heart to the darkness. Sora is still a kid at heart...I've always felt like his protective older brother. I couldn't let Sora give his heart to darkness, I had to protect him from it..."
"So you threw yourself back into it, after everything it took to bring you back." Nyx wrapped a wing around his shoulder to comfort him. Riku only nodded, his face never betraying the emotions boiling inside of him.
"It was the only way, but then I ran into you and that Nightmare Moon you were talking about. I had planned to stay in the shadows, act only when I needed to, and hunt down the Organization." He chuckled at himself, staring at his hand.
"I don't even know where they are hiding, Or how many members they have. But I need to find them"
"Riku, your friends need you. What if you found this organization? what then? Would you just fight them all alone? How many do you think you can fight? What if you lost that fight, who would be that older brother that Sora needs?" Riku clenched his fist and sighed.
"I don't know Nyx...I don't know..."
"Then stay and help us, please." He looked into her eyes for a moment and nodded.
"I'll do what I can Nyx." together they stood, both feeling a bit better about their current situation. Nyx stumbled as the ground began to shake and turned, staring in horror as her worst fear descended upon them.
------
Up...down...up...down. The rhythm continued as Twilight watched the sleeping form of Luna. She had recognized the look Luna had. It was a look she had seen from Nyx. It brought up memories and thoughts Twilight didn't want. Knowledge that someday she would leave this world and leave Nyx behind. It pained her inside to think that Nyx would be all alone without her.
She tried to convince herself that Nyx would always have the cutie mark crusaders, but eventually they would all pass as well. The thought of her daughter...all alone in the world, watching as her friends and family passed away, had been buried deep within her mind.
She had been avoiding such thoughts and only when Luna had begun to cry had they resurfaced. Luna had suffered so much. She had been trapped within Nightmare Moon though she completely blamed herself for what Nightmare had done.
She had been alone for so long, even before her banishment Luna had never been able to put herself into a relationship with anypony else. It would always end the same, Luna was ageless and eventually everypony had to leave this world. She felt so useless for the mare she loved.
She gently placed her head next to Luna's, trying to calm herself by just enjoying being near her, but the thoughts wouldn't leave her mind. Tears found their way into her vision, blurring her view of Luna. Her body shook with silent sobs, waking the Alicorn beside her. Luna pulled her into a gentle hug, wrapping her wings around her.
"Twilight, are you alright?" She asked softly. Twilight nodded and wiped away her tears. She couldn't tell Luna what had made her cry, it was already painful enough for Luna without her throwing it in her face.
"I...I'm fine Luna. You need to be resti..." they gasped as the room began to shake, the sky outside turning pitch black.
"It can't be..." Luna stared in horror through a nearby window. Heartless began pouring out of the sky and in the center of them was Nightmare Moon.
------
Flames danced around the dragon as he leapt into the heartless, roaring as he spun, slamming his claws into the ones closest to him. The flames surrounded his claws which dug themselves into the bodies of the heartless. Spikes eyes began to glow, mumbled words setting the heartless around him ablaze.
He leapt backwards as a massive blade of darkness slammed into the ground. Spike grinned a little and held out his claws as a massive heartless rushed towards him with the blade. Spike threw up an arm to catch the blade, stopping it in its tracks and slamming his other claw into the creatures gut. He gasped as his hand went inside of the heartless, slowly pulling him inside of it.
"SPIKE!" Rarity screamed and out of the corner of his eye he saw a pegasi heartless snatch her up.
"NO YOU DON'T!" he took a deep breath, his eyes beginning to glow once more. Runes spread across the ground underneath him, forming a circle around him and the golem heartless that was swallowing him. Flames rose from the circle, swallowing Spike and the heartless.
Spike rushed out of the flames as the heartless was devoured by them, rushing towards Rarity. He had to reach her somehow, the pegasi was already getting too high in the air for him. He noticed a wall and ran faster, leaping onto the wall and digging his claws into it as he ran up it at an angle. He bent his knees, pushing off the wall and leaping towards Rarity, he reached out his claws for her hooves, the mare reaching for his claws. He grabbed her hoof and a heartless slammed into his side, pulling him from Rarity.
Spike plummeted towards the ground, the heartless digging its claws into his soft belly. Spike grabbed hold of the heartless and spun in the air, using the heartless to break his fall. They slammed into the ground, the heartless pinned beneath Spikes bruised body.
Spike painfully pushed himself onto all fours, slashing his claws across the Pegasi's face. Spike stumbled his way out of the crater his impact had made, a figure standing before him.
"Hello Dragon." Nightmare said with a sly grin.
"Nightmare Moon...That's impossible..."
"And yet here I am. I wonder, why are you fighting for Celestia? or should I say Rarity? She is but a unicorn and you are a dragon. You two cannot possible be together. out of pity perhaps? Unicorns have always been like that. Maybe there is something she wants from you, you are a dragon after all. A 'rare' gem. She must be quite popular dragging you around." Spike growled low in his throat as the Alicorn walked around him slowly.
"She is using you my dear Dragon, they all are. You do not belong with these ponies. You should be fighting for me." she placed a hoof underneath his chin.
"Never"
"Then I suppose I'll just have to keep your precious Rarity, it would be awful if something happened to her." Nightmare said with a grin, turning her back to him. Spike roared and leapt at her; Nightmare moon spread her wings and slammed one into him, flinging him back into a wall. He forced himself to stand again, his eyes wide as Nightmare appeared in front of him.
"You cannot stand against me Dragon."
"But I can!" Nightmare grunted in pain as Nyx slammed into her side. The two Alicorns glared at each other, slowly walking circles around the other.
"I defeated you once Nightmare Moon and I'll do it again!" Nightmare began to laugh as two blades appeared, floating around Nyx.
"No my dear, you only crushed my essence. You'll find that I'm not as weak as it was." a large blade appeared beside her as her horn glowed. Spike tried to run over to help, Nightmare was too powerful for them to face. He stopped as something rested on his shoulder, looking up he saw a cloaked figure that shook its head.
"Go after the unicorn, we'll handle this." The figure said, rushing to Nyx's side. Spike nodded and ran in the direction the pegasi had taken Rarity.
hold on Rarity...I'm coming
------
"Scoots! You're still hurt! You can't fight!" Sweetie Belle yelled at her. Scootaloo shook her head, pulling off her bandages.
"So I'm suppose to sit here while you and Bloom go fight those heartless?! I'm not letting that happen Belle. I'm going to help." Sweetie Belle sighed.
"Just...please be careful..." she asked. Scootaloo nodded and together they ran outside, finding Applebloom already beating up several heartless.
The mare spun on her front left hoof, throwing her right hind hoof into the air to kick away a pegasi heartless. As her hoof hit the ground she spun on it, throwing her front hooves outward, slamming them into two heartless on either side of her and throwing them into a nearby pillar.
Scootaloo threw her Keyblade as one reached to grab hold of Applebloom, the blade pinning the heartless to the wall. Sweetie Belle called out to her own Keyblade, holding it in her magic as she rushed to her friends side.
"Where's Nyx?" she asked. Applebloom shook her head, too exhausted to speak. Scootaloo and Sweetie belle nodded, standing beside their friend and protecting her as she recovered.
"Belle! Magic!" the unicorn nodded and began to sing, Scootaloo knocking away heartless with her Keyblade as they reached for her. Musical notes began to appear around Sweetie Belle, forming a barrier around her and Applebloom. Sweetie Belle stopped and sang a different song, the sound of if drifted around them, a feeling of dread overwhelming them from the sad tune.
The notes that appeared outside the barrier were dull and gray, driving themselves into the heartless like daggers. Each one that hit a heartless would quickly pull away and slam into another, eventually becoming a blur as the Unicorn continued to sing, the song bringing tears to her eyes.
------
BAM!BAM!BAM! The heartless continued to pound away at the door, a nurses' barrier keeping them from bashing their way inside. She could only hold it up for so long though. Big Macintosh lowered his head, dragging his hoof across the ground a few times.
"Nurse, can ah trust ya t' get Flutter t' safety?" the nurse nodded and turned to the others who took hold of the mares bed.
"There is a path to a safe room in the back, we can hide there. There is an enchantment cast on it, it'll protect us a lot better than my barrier."
"Good. Ah want ya to take Flutter and git there. Ah'll hold em off." Macintosh said, turning his back to them and facing the door
"Macintosh no!" Fluttershy called out to him, the fear in her voice almost convincing him to go with her, but somepony had to stay to keep the heartless from following them.
"GO!" he yelled to the nurse. She nodded and they ran off with Fluttershy in tow. The barrier fell and the door burst open, heartless pouring into the room. Macintosh charged forward, ready to protect that which was dear to him.
------
Again and again their blades crossed, neither able to strike a hit on the other. Nightmare moon grinned as her blade held back both of Nyx's
"I'm surprised Nyx, you can actually hold your own against me, for now." Riku had tried to help in the fight, but each time he got close a wall of dark flame would block his path, or nightmare would summon heartless to distract him.
He tried dismissing them as he had before but they refused to leave. It could only mean that this Nightmare was stronger than when he had first faced her. The heartless would only obey who was strongest.
Riku roared as he sliced through them, throwing his arm forward and summoning a massive ball of dark energy that descended on top of the heartless, crushing them. He leapt into the air over the ones in front of him and rolled to the side as another wall of dark flame rose up, cutting through yet another with his Keyblade. He threw the blade forward, managing to clip Nightmare's wing. The Alicorn gasped in pain giving Nyx an opening, her blades slamming into the Alicorns side.
The blades vanished as Nightmare stumbled backwards. Nyx panted a little and smiled, gasping as Nightmares blade flew towards her. She blinked and found Riku standing in front of her, the blade having gone through his body and stopped merely an inch from her face. His hands held onto the hilt of the blade as it continued to force itself toward Nyx.
Riku grunted in pain, blood soaking his cloak. He pulled on the hilt and slowly it slid out of him. He roared and crushed it in his hands, Nightmare screaming in pain as the backlash of the blades destruction hit her. Riku fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. Blood dripped down his chin and he grinned.
"Nyx...you've got to...finish her...before she gets away..." Nightmare was slowly recovering from the backlash. She stood, shaking her head and unfurled her wings, preparing to fly off. Nyx bit her lip. She could go after Nightmare and in the Alicorns weakened state she could defeat her once and for all. But if she left Riku here he would surely bleed to death.
Because of her. If not for her he wouldn't have thrown himself in front of the blade. Again Nightmares blade appeared, though it had lost most of its luster and barely held itself together.
The blade flew towards Riku; Nyx reacted quickly, her own blades appearing and knocking back the sword. She flung one blade forward, nightmare vanishing in her mane and disappearing from view. Nyx looked all around but the Alicorn was nowhere to be found. She turned back to Riku, tears in her eyes.
"You didn't have to do that Riku..." her horn began to glow as she tried to heal him. It was slow going and she found there was more than just the wound. The blade had its own darkness and that darkness had found its way into Riku's body. The thought of such darkness brought up the memory of Spell Nexus, how Nightmare Moons' essence had taken over his body and mind as well as the children of nightmare.
Maybe I can heal him like I healed Spell Nexus.Her mane began to glow, dimly at first and growing brighter until it matched that of nightmare moon. A portion of her mane reached for Riku, going inside his body. She gasped and screamed, her head thrown back as her eyes began to glow. When Nyx could see again she was standing alone, all around her was darkness.
"RIKU?!" She called out. She spotted him close by, laying on his side and curled up in a ball. He was without his cloak, instead he wore a strange jacket, yellow covered the shoulders while the inside was black, the rest filled in by white. He wore long blue pants and held his knees, a blindfold over his eyes.
"Riku?" she asked softly, walking up to his side. Riku said nothing to her. She reached out to place a hoof against him, finding a dark barrier in the way.
"A barrier...this must be his light...whats' left of it..." She looked around, hearing the sounds of growling and found that the darkness was moving towards them. Nyx stood her ground, determined to find some way to help Riku. She summoned her blades of magic.
"No...you need to leave Nyx..." Riku said from inside the barrier.
"I can't Riku. If I leave now you'll die. Sora still needs you..." a heartless leapt for the barrier only to be cut in half by Nyx's blade. One fell from above, landing on top of her and grabbing hold of her wings.
She screamed in agony as it began to pull and bucked her hips, throwing the creature off of her, though it was quickly replaced by another, more and more jumping on her. She roared in anger, an explosion of magic sending the heartless flying in all directions.
She tucked her wings against her sides, ignoring the pain and focused on the task at hand. She needed to remove the darkness from Riku. She had thought it would've been as simple as when she freed the children of nightmare, but this darkness was something more than that.
She panted a little as the heartless continued their assault. No matter how many she managed to knock back or destroy there was always plenty more to replace them. A few slammed into the barrier around Riku, cracks forming in it. Nyx gasped as the barrier burst open, the heartless leaping away from her and pouncing on Riku.
"NO!" she screamed, cutting a path to Riku. She threw herself over him, holding him tightly as the heartless dug their claws into her. She tried to think, to come up with a plan, some way to free herself and Riku from this darkness, but every time she managed a clear thought it was torn away by the pain that racked her entire body.
"I'm sorry Riku" she managed to say, gasping in pain as the heartless tried to pry her off of Riku. Slowly the blindfold fell from his face. His eyes opened and he turned to Nyx.
"It's not your fault...its mine...I did this..."
"NO! You did what you had to for your friends." Nyx bit her lip, trying to ignore the pain. She gasped as she was flung away from Riku and into the darkness. She tried to stand but her body wouldn't listen.
She felt something warm and wet moving underneath her and realized it was her blood. She kept her eyes on Riku, willing her body to move, anything to help. But all she could do was lay there. The heartless lunged for Riku, the only light within the darkness slowly fading away.
"RIKU!" Nyx screamed, her body surrounded in the glow of her magic. She lifted herself up with it, spreading her wings wide and let her magic drop. She dived towards Riku and the heartless, slamming into the pile, she scooped up Riku in her hooves, snapping her wings up to fling herself into the air, out of reach of the heartless. The darkness began to close in on them. Riku stared at Nyx for a moment and placed a hand around her horn.
"Riku...what are you doing?" She asked him. He threw himself over her, landing on her back, his hand still around her horn. Slowly his hand began to glow and she could hear the sound of bells. As the sound faded so did her pain. Instead of the expected pain of each flap of her wings there was just the air moving around her. Something began to glow behind her and out of the corner of her eye she saw Riku's Keyblade.
"Thank you Nyx." He said softly. His Keyblade began to glow as the darkness swallowed them. Nyx realized Riku was casting a spell and poured her magic into his Keyblade, rolling through the air to avoid massive claws reaching for them. A small hole opened in the air, a tiny light.
"There it is!" Riku called out, pointing his Keyblade toward the hole. Nyx nodded, keeping her mind on the task at hand, up-down, up-down, faster and faster her wings beat against the air. The darkness reached for them one last time before they burst through the light.
------
A pink blur zipped through the air, any heartless it touched dying instantly. The blur landed for just a moment on the ground, bounding into the air once more. Below a stallion slammed his hooves into the nearest heartless, flinging it into another. He reared up on his hind legs, slamming his forehooves into the face of another heartless, the blur bouncing behind him and slicing through a group of them.
The blur finally came to a stop beside him as he stomped on the last heartless. The pink pony beside him panted a little, her Keyblade vanishing. She leaned against him and he smiled.
"Ah'm glad ya'll were around t' handle these things Pinks, Ah dunno if ah coulda done it alone." Pinkie giggled, kissing his cheek.
"But you were amazing down here Braesy." she started bouncing around
"First you were like WHAM and then POW and then SMACK and..." she continued and he laughed, kissing her to make her stop. She blushed a little and nuzzled him, stopping as a scream reached their ears. Her Keyblade appeared between her teeth.
"Come on!" she mumbled around the blade, Braeburn nodded, tucking his hat down onto his head and chasing after her. Pinkie caught sight of Nightmare Moon flying above them and threw her Keyblade toward the Alicorn. Braeburn noticed the movement and looked up, gasping as he caught sight of nightmare. Pinkies Keyblade just barely missed, vanishing and reappearing between her teeth.
"Braesy, I need you to do something for me."
"Um...sure Pinks, what is it?" Pinkie reached behind her, pulling out her party cannon seemingly out of thin air and climbed into it, using her forehooves to position the cannon.
"I need you to push that button on the back."
"Pinks this is crazy, ah can't shoot ya outta this thing!"
"We're running out of time Braeburn, we can't argue about this!" Braeburn swore and slammed his hoof on the button, sending Pinkie flying through the air.
"Buckin crazy mare..." he grinned a little to himself, watching as Pinkie soared through the air, tackling a surprised Nightmare. Pinkie placed her Keyblade against the Alicorns throat, wrapping her hooves around her and squeezing. Nightmare tried to shake Pinkie from her back but the mare wouldn't be thrown so easily.
Pinkie squeezed harder, holding Nightmares wings so she couldn't flap them, the two dropping like a rock from the air. Braeburn rushed toward them, hoping to catch Pinkie, but they were falling too fast. Nightmare Moon slammed into the ground, the collision knocking her out cold. Pinkie emerged from the kicked up dirt unscathed and wearing a grin as she stood above the Alicorn.
"I don't know how you got here you big meany but you're not going to hurt my friends. Come on Braesy, we gotta get this monster to the Princess" Braeburn hefted the Alicorn onto his back, following Pinkie as she made her way toward Celestia's throne room.
------
The three stood with their backs toward one another, facing down the endless heartless, a scream ringing out through the fog of black.
"That was Nyx!" Sweetie Belle realized, gasping as a heartless grabbed her. Scootaloo slammed her Keyblade into it and Applebloom smashed her hooves across its face.
"We're kinda in our own pot of trouble Belle. Nyx is tough, she can handle herself. We've gotta find a way out of this mess." Sweetie Belle nodded and called out to her Keyblade but it wouldn't come. She tried calling out to her magic but it refused to come to her.
"S...Sorry Scoots...I'm too exhausted..." Sweetie belle sank to the ground, Applebloom leaping over the unicorn and smashing her forehooves into a heartless.
"Come on Belle, ya'll can't jus' quit on us now! Jus catch yer breath alright?" Scootaloo nodded.
"Bloom is right, we need you Belle. Rest up a minute and get a hold of your magic." The two friends did their best to defend the weakened Unicorn, but they were running low on steam themselves. Scootaloo panted, her Keyblade vanishing.
"BUCK!" she screamed, knocked onto her back by a passing pegasi heartless. Applebloom collapsed beside her friends, resting her hoof near them.
"Well...it seems like we're done for..." Sweetie belle said quietly, reaching her hoof out, resting it near Appleblooms'. Scootaloo reached a hoof out, resting it near her friends' hooves and smiled.
"We can't give up...we can figure something out..." Scootaloo argued weakly. The heartless, knowing the three stood no chance against them, began to make a game out of finishing them. Circling around them and diving toward them as if they intended to destroy them before pulling back at the last minute. Scootaloo pushed herself up onto her hooves, her friends doing the same.
"Well...on th' bright side, we'll all meet up on th' other side...ah hope..." Applebloom sighed, lowering her head. Scootaloo felt her own spirits falter as she realized they couldn't escape. Sweetie Belle lowered her head, her horn glowing dimly, making Applebloom and Scootaloo stare at her.
"...Through good and bad, we fight the fight..." Sweetie Belle said softly, making her friends smile.
"Day and night, we realize our dreams..." Scootaloo continued, lowering her head as memories rushed through her mind.
"Defeating our nightmares, though the journey may end;" Applebloom added, placing her head in their small circle, the heartless closing in on them.
"I will never stop being your friend." the three said together, the glow around Sweetie bell's horn surrounded the three of them. Her eyes snapped wide open, filled with white, a bright flash blinding the heartless around them for a moment. As the light flashed a single Alicorn stood on a patch of burnt ground. Scootaloo's grin, Apple bloom's determination, and Sweetie bell's love for her friends burned within the Alicorns eyes.
The Alicorn was about half Celestia's size, her wings long and pure white, tinged with orange and yellow near the tips, her mane a swirling mix of red, purple and pink. A dim glow surrounded her horn as a large Keyblade hovered by her side, its hilt matching her mane, forming a circle around the main part of the hilt itself.
The blade was long and silver, the teeth of the key each a different color, one yellow, one white, one orange. Scootaloo's smirk appeared on the Alicorns face as she prepared to face down the heartless.