Chapter Five
“I don’t care what Princess Celestia or Sora have to say about it we need to be put there helping them!” Rainbow Dash said angrily inside the living room of their suites.
“Ah don’t either, Equestria needs us and we can’t stay locked up in these stuffy rooms while Equestria is ravaged by these monsters!” Applejack said loudly agreement.
“Perhaps our attempts to escape would be helped by not shouting our wish to escape at the top of our lungs.” Rarity said dryly causing Applejack and Rainbow Dash to blush in embarrassment.
“Ya have a point.” AJ said with a nod.
“So Twilight how’re we getting out of here?” Pinkie asked turning to Twilight. “I mean I could get out pretty easily but I can’t take the rest of you, your minds aren’t ready for that.” Pinkie added with a grin.
“I’ll just teleport us out in an hour after they’ve let their guard down.” Twilight said simply.
“You mean you don’t have a long complicated plan doomed to failure unless we each play our parts perfectly that could fail even if we do play all of our parts right?” Dash asked, her face was the picture of disappointment.
“No of course not, did you think this was an action movie?” Twilight asked with a grin.
“I like this plan.” Fluttershy said; she’d feared that the plan would be something convoluted and scary.
“But Twi come on we have to do something exciting and possibly deadly!” Rainbow said.
“Rainbow why don’t you take a nap to pass the time, I know how much you like those?” Rarity asked with a sigh.
“Fine I think I will!” Dash said before she stormed away to her room.
“Aww but Twilight I could use my party cannon to blast a hole through the wall as a distraction while you fend off the guards with your magic and Rainbow and Applejack start digging an escape tunnel through the sky and Fluttershy can bring down a plague of hawks to scratch at the guards and I can get Harry to shoot blasts of fire and…” Pinkie continued like that for several minutes before she realized that her friends had stopped listening and left the room. “Well that was rude; at least you guys won’t ignore me.” Pinkie said giving the wall a wink.
***
“So the two of us, plus six women who’ll get here sooner or later, are going to fight our way through an army of heartless, nobodies, and the gods of good know what else along with an army of bug things that can shape shift in order to trick us, oh yeah and the mind of a chaos god is advising all of the above and an insane god level nobody. Did I miss anything?” Riku asked.
“No I think that about does it.” Sora replied with a grin.
“This’ll be fun. You know, you should’ve brought Kairi along I’m sure she’d love it here.” Riku said with a smirk.
“I thought she needed a brake after last time, I thought she was going to burst a blood vessel when we went to Atlantis and she appeared without a bra on.” Sora said with a shrug.
“Yeah that was great, lucky your mermaid friend’s sisters had something for her or else I think she would’ve killed you.” Riku agreed with a grin.
“I still don’t know why she holds me responsible for that; how was I to know that her bra was incompatible with the world?” Sora asked.
They were sitting in train car seats anticipating the wave of heartless that would surely swarm them the second that they left the station. Luna had told them that the cabin of the train was warded against heartless along with the connections that held the train cars together to prevent those from being destroyed but otherwise the train was defenseless. Sora stood back to back with Riku his keyblade in his mouth, Riku held his aloft in his magic. Sora had tried that but found it odd and unnatural, he was way too used to having his keyblade in his grip.
“So what did you think of Luna?” Sora asked casually.
“I’d say that she’d been through as much as I have, I’d also say that she’d very pretty, for a horse.” Riku said with a shrug.
“Riku and Luna sitting in a tree k i s s i n-” Sora began but was cut off when Riku’s keyblade hit him on the head.
“I said for a horse.” Riku said.
“Yeah but that’s the first time I’ve heard you say anything about a woman’s looks since before Kairi and I got together.” Sora said nudging his friend.
“Oh shut up.” Riku said conceding the point. The train started out of the station and then passed rapidly through the pink bubble.
Both Sora and Riku tensed ready for the assault. It came suddenly; the first indication of the heartless was the large pair of hooves that were heading directly at Sora’s face. Sora quickly swung his keyblade out to deflect the blow and was sent a few feet backwards by the power of the blow, he was lucky that the keyblade protected his teeth otherwise they’d all be broken along with his neck. As it is he didn’t want to have to block another strike like that.
Standing in front of him was a tall pony shaped heartless; it lacked wings or a horn so Sora assumed that it had been an earth pony in life. Its fur was black and in place of its eyes it possessed two glowing yellow patches filled with black that skirted around the edges of the yellow. A long spiky mane made of inky blackness flowed around its body casting it in murky blackness. Its hooves were oversized and looked to be around the size of cantaloupes and they were edged with whips of blackness. In place of a cutie mark it possessed one large heartless symbol.
“It’s always nice to meet the locals.” Riku snarked, Sora glanced over his shoulder and saw that Riku was dealing with one as well.
Before Sora could reply his dance partner charged again and Sora sidestepped allowing the heartless to storm past him into the wall of the train car. It crashed into the car’s side and Sora immediately felt a small amount of satisfaction at the confused look that came over its face as it looked at him.
“They’re like bulls; remember what Tulio and Miguel taught us.” Sora told Riku.
“Yeah strong and stupid, get them mad and then move.” Riku nodded as he dodged his own heartless which collided with the wall. Sora turned back just in time to see his heartless charging at him again, thinking quickly Sora dived underneath the beast and swung his keyblade in a deadly ark that ended when his keyblade had slashed open the heartless’s stomach as he rolled. However the heartless ignored the wound and turned on the keyblade master who had just regained his feet.
“Oh come on that should’ve worked perfectly, that always works!” Sora lamented the failure of his tactic as he jumped out of the way of another charge.
“Sora we should probably finish this, I don’t want any magic users helping them.” Riku said.
Sora nodded and readied himself for another charge, the heartless let out a dark roar and charged at Sora. At the last minute Sora swung his keyblade down in front of its face and the heartless just kept on charging pushing itself farther onto the keyblade closer and closer to Sora’s face.
“Oh come on!” Sora cried before slashing his keyblade sideways throwing the heartless off of the blade and opening a deep wound along its head from which darkness leaked like dark blood. The heartless charged again but Sora just jumped out of the way and created a deep slash running along its side, it fell to the ground and vanished into a pool of inky blackness that faded rapidly.
Riku’s fight went differently. The heartless charged him and instead of stepping aside at the last second Riku teleported behind the heartless and let out a stream of energy blasts that infuriated the heartless more than anything else. The heartless turned and charged again Riku simply held his black keyblade out in front of him in his magic grip certain that it could stop the heartless. This view was shattered when the heatless tore the keyblade out of his magic grip as it charged towards him.
“Shit.” Riku cursed quietly before he teleported behind the heartless and swung his keyblade down at its exposed flank. Black mist drifted out of the wound but the heartless ignored it and charged again. Gathering up a bit more of his magic Riku opened up a black portal in front of the heartless which charged into it thoughtlessly.
Riku then used a trick that he’d learned from a certain woman and popped open another portal on the roof of the car. The heartless came flying out of it and Riku stuck his keyblade out with the point pointing directly at its forehead. The heartless tried to turn away but it was too late. It was speared through the head and slid all the way down the length of the keyblade before vanishing into black mist.
“Well they sure know how to make heartless here.” Sora said panting a little.
“Yeah all say.” Riku nodded in agreement. “I hope that they’re all be that stupid.”
“Hopefully but I wouldn’t bet on it, I’m guessing that those will be the type that we’ll be fighting the most. Well along with shadows of course.” Sora said with a shrug.
“Definitely should’ve brought Kairi we need a healer.” Riku said.
“I think one of the girls is one.” Sora replied “So what do you want to do to pass the time till either they show up or we’re attacked again?” Sora asked.
“Sora we’re in enemy territory and could be attacked at any time!” Riku said.
“Yeah, and?” Sora asked with a grin.
“I think blackjack, or would you prefer war?” Riku asked with a shrug as a deck of cards materialized out of thin air in front of him.
***
“So Luna what did you think of our two guests?” Celestia asked her sister once she rejoined her in the meeting room.
“I like them.” Luna said simply with a smile.
“Anything else Lulu?” Celestia asked with a grin.
“Please Tia I just met them, besides Sora’s already taken.” Luna replied with a shrug.
“Yes I know, but I know how much you like stallions with a dark and troubled past. If I remember correctly your first love was Starswirl the Bearded and his back was as troubled as they come.” Celestia said with a tiny smirk.
“Tia I’m perfectly capable of selecting my own mates thank you very much.” Luna said with a dignified toss of her starry mane. They both felt the sudden burst of magic that signified Twilight’s teleportation spell and Celestia shook her head.
“That mare has been getting so predictable lately, you’d think that she would at least remember the fact that I can sense it every time she teleports any time that she’s within a mile of me.” Celestia said.
“She’s young give her time sister; we both know where she’s eventually headed.” Luna said with a chuckle.
“I suppose that you’re right, are we sure that this is the best thing for her, what if she’s killed or losses her heart?” Celestia asked both possibilities suddenly jumping into her mind.
“She’s with two of the most experienced fighters of darkness from this generation, she’d only be safer if Mickey was with her and we both know that he’s far too busy dealing with the darkness to be here.” Luna replied comfortingly.
“I know, I just worry, she’s like a daughter to me.” Celestia said with a sigh.
“She’ll be fine Tia; she’s in strong handsome hooves.” Luna said Celestia smirked causing Luna to blush. “Never said that.”
“Of course not.” Celestia said with a chuckle.
“I’ll just be going; I’ve got lots of sleeping to catch up on.” Luna told her sister hurriedly before hastily fleeing the room.
“Have fun in your bunk!” Celestia called after her sister and then chuckled, things could’ve been worse, Discord could’ve
been free.
***
Twilight opened her eyes expecting a fight, what she and the others found was slightly anticlimactic. Sora and some other unicorn were sprawled on the floor with a deck of playing cards spread out before them.
“Ha king beats queen.” Sora said with a grin, the other unicorn whose coat was gold rolled his eyes and passed over the queen. Sora looked up at the shocked faces of Twilight and her friends. “Oh, hey Twilight. You’re a little early I wasn’t expecting you for another hour, this is Sir Riku he’ll be helping us.” Sora told them offhandly before drawing another card and flipping it at the same time as Riku.
“Ace beats jack, Ace beats queen, Ace beats everything!” The golden unicorn said with a chuckle.
“I think ODST are going to kill you for stealing that line.” Sora said.
“Um Sora, what the hay?” Twilight asked.
“Draw?” Sora asked Riku who nodded.
“For now.” Riku replied with a grin before he gathered all of the cards up with magic before sending them back to hammerspace.
“Ok introduction time.” Sora said getting to his hooves. “Riku this is Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity.” Sora said gesturing at each of them in order. “Everyone this is Sir Riku my best friend and the third most powerful keyblade master.” Sora said.
“Third?” Riku asked puzzledly.
“Yeah, it goes Mickey, me, you, and then Kairi.” Sora replied with a grin.
“Sora I see a problem with that order, I’m below you.” Riku said.
“Well you are.” Sora replied with a wide grin Riku put him in a headlock.
“Well that escalated quickly.” Twilight said dryly as the two stallions wrestled.
“I wonder if he’s single.” Rarity said looking at Riku lustfully.
“Here we go again.” Applejack said with a sigh and a facehoof. The two stallions were on the floor of the train car at this point with Riku using his superior size to keep Sora’s face pressed into the floor while he sat on him.
“So who’s below who now?” Riku asked with a grin.
“You know Riku keep saying things like that and I’ll wonder if there’s a reason you don’t have a girlfriend!” Sora said as loudly as the floor would allow him.
“It’s because I haven’t found anyone who I like.” Riku said defensively. “Besides you took Kairi and she was the only attractive girl on the island.” He added as an afterthought.
“Um boys I know the solution to your problem.” Rarity said, both keyblade masters looked over at her. “Why don’t you have Riku kiss the first mare he saw when he got here, if he likes it then he’s straight, if not then he’s gay.” Rarity told them. Sora and Riku exchanged a look and burst into laughter.
“What?” Rarity asked; she’d been preparing to claim the honor.
“I guess Celestia’s going to be pissed at me.” Sora said with a chuckle.
“Well I’m going to be the one kissing her sister so I don’t know why you’re worried.” Riku said with a laugh, a look that was somewhere in between heartbroken and shocked played over Rarity’s face.
“This is the worst possible thing!” She cried before a red couch appeared behind her and she fainted into it.
“Hoist by her own petard, who would’ve bet.” Pinkie said with a giggle before she turned to Twilight and asked. “Twilight what’s a petard?” Twilight sighed and began to explain what a petard was.
“This is going to be a fun adventure.” Sora told Riku.
“Yeah, I get to lock lips with a god princess. I hope it goes better then that time at camp halfblood, I’m not sure if I’m ever
going to get the memories of siren out of my head.” Riku said shuddering.
“You know if you’d have just put the wax in your ears you wouldn’t have had to wake up from kissing a siren that you thought was a princess.” Sora told him.
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have been able to save you from-” Riku was cut off by a loud bang as a cake hit him in the face.
“That’s your welcome to Equestria cake!” Pinkie said excitedly.
“Hey why didn’t I get one?” Sora asked before a cake hit him in the face. “Thank you.” He said muffledly around a face full of cake.