//------------------------------//
// 5: We're Not In Equestria Anymore 
// Story: Kingdom Hearts: Twilight's Awakening 
// by Equestrian Defender 
//------------------------------//

Spike groaned as he started to get feeling back in his body. "Ow," he grumbled. "What happened?"

He managed to push himself upright, opening his eyes to take stock of his surroundings.

He was in what looked like a cave, illuminated both by glowing crystals and by the large opening to his right that seemed to lead to the outside. To his left was a waterfall that fell into and formed a small pond, which flowed down a side tunnel. "This definitely isn't the cave where that tree was." He put a hand to his head, fighting off the slight headache. "Ugh. How did I get here?"

He racked his brains. He was with the rest of Twilight's friends trying to get to Canterlot, but then there were multiple earthquakes and a bright flash. Then he blacked out and... woke up in this cave. 

It was then that he noticed something else.

His hands looked different. Instead of having four fingers on each hand (well, three fingers and a thumb if you want to be specific) he now had five. Along with that he was missing a grand majority of the scales on his hands, and his arms now that he got a good look at it. All of it had been replaced with flesh save for a patch on the backs and his palms. His claws were a bit shorter too, but they still looked usable. He still had his tail, though it looked a bit longer and thinner, with the tip of his tail looking more like a spearhead or a dagger, with a bit of green in the center of it on both sides.

Moving over to the pond he had seen earlier he looked at his reflection, seeing that his face got the same treatment. No scales, just flesh. The spines on his head had changed to be more like a mane, though both it and his eyes were still the same emerald green they'd always been. He smiled and saw that his teeth were only marginally changed, all of them still ending in sharp points.

To add onto the weirdness, he suddenly had clothes on. Nothing extravagant like what Rarity would make; just a pair of purple cargo shorts (complete with underwear) with a hole in the back for his tail, green and purple shoes, and a green sleeveless shirt. As he got to his feet he looked behind him and saw that he still had his tail, though compared to how it was before it was actually a little longer.

Actually now that he noticed it, he had apparently grown a good bit, coming in at roughly five foot one inches tall. Tall enough that if Twilight were here he'd probably be eye level with her. "This just gets weirder and weirder," he muttered. 

On impulse he took a breath and breathed out a stream of green fire. Once it was finished he grinned. "Glad I still got that at least." Looking around he saw the opening and said "Maybe if I look outside I'll see something familiar."

Carefully digging his claws into the rock he climbed up to the opening, before finally peeking out into the surrounding area.

And...

"You've gotta be kidding me."

The majority of the land outside of the cave appeared to be a barren wasteland, with large chasms and craters as far as he could see until he got to the mountains rising up in the distance. The only things that stood out to him in this mostly barren wastelands were two castles. The castle on the left was dark, foreboding and decrepit-looking; with twisted looking towers and broken windows among the dark masonry. On the largest tower in the center was a strange symbol emblazoned upon it; a black heart outlined in red, with a jagged 'X' over top it. Spike snorted. "Jeez, you mind's well put a gigantic sign above it that says 'Someone Evil Lives Here! They're not even trying to be subtle."

To the right, what Spike guessed was probably a few miles away, was another castle. Unlike the other castle which mostly stood alone, this one set in the center of what looked like a large, walled-in town. The castle also looked to be in far better condition than the other one, and looked a lot nicer too with the much lighter tones on the masonry and the immaculate towers and windows. Compared to the Dark Castle (which was what Spike was calling it for now) this castle and the village around it actually looked inhabited, with beautiful gardens and trees inside the walls. Compared to the rest of the barren wasteland and the other castle, the town looked like a paradise.

But this sight, while wonderful for him, also made something very clear to him. "That's not Canterlot. Or the Crystal Empire, for that matter. In fact, this doesn't look like anyplace in Equestria I've been to. Which brings me back to the question; where the heck am I?" Looking around the landscape and finding nothing else he added "Looks like that's the only place I'm gonna get some answers, though. Now, how do I get there?" 

He peered down over the edge, and then drew his head back when he saw the sheer drop of at least fifty feet to the bottom. While he was confident in his rock climbing abilities (these claws weren't just for show) he wasn't going to risk slipping and falling fifty feet to his death. "Yeah, let's not." 

Once he was back on the cave floor he saw the side tunnel the stream was flowing down, and saw that it was the only way out of the cave. "Well, let's hope there's not a cave-in." 

Just before he made it to the tunnel entrance, he saw something glittering on the floor. He bent down to examine it, and his eyes widened. "No way."

It was Twilight's Element of Magic, though without the tiara it used to be set in. Instead it hung from a length of gold chain, like a jewelry necklace as opposed to the armored collar looking ones the other Elements were attached to.[1]

Gingerly picking it up like it would turn to dust if he gripped it too hard, Spike stared at it sadly. "Twilight. I hope that you're okay."

Pushing down his negative thoughts, he slipped the necklace over his head and let it settle around his neck. He then smiled and said "Nah, she's fine. She's survived Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and her army of Changelings, and King Sombra. She's probably fine." Walking into the tunnel he muttered "Now let's see where this goes..."





Twilight was alone.

She was standing in what looked like Ponyville, but everything was shrouded in shadows. The buildings that managed to escape the shroud all lacked the vibrant colors they usually did, looking dreary and depressing. The grass, flowers and trees all shared that aspect, and not a single bird call could be heard. The overwhelming silence was the worse part, giving the whole place a haunting, abandoned vibe. 

Even though she knew it was futile, Twilight called out "Hello? Is anypony there?"

Silence was her only reply.

Undeterred, she called out "Spike?"

Silence.

"Rainbow Dash?"

Silence.

"Rarity? Fluttershy? Applejack? Pinkie Pie?"

She rattled off the list of every pony she knew in Ponyville, but all she got was silence. Frustrated, she stamped her hoof on the ground. "Where is everypony?!"

"Not here."

Almost jumping out of her skin, she whirled around to face the speaker...

...only to see there was nobody behind her. She groaned. "And now I'm hearing voices."

There was a giggle, before someone said "No you're not. Down here."

Confused, she looked down and came face to face with a pair of turquoise blue-green eyes. "AH!" 

She stumbled backwards and fell on her haunches, finally getting a good look at the speaker.

It was a unicorn filly, roughly the same age as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Along with her turquoise eyes she had a bright amber coat, and a mane the color of the sunset; scarlet red and shining gold. On her flanks were her cutie mark; an eight point startburst that was half red and half gold, with the center resembling a Yin-Yang Symbol. She smiled and said "Hello!"

Getting back on her hooves Twilight smiled, albeit awkwardly, and replied "Uh, hi. My name's Twilight. What's your name?"

The filly frowned sadly. "You mean you don't remember me?"

That confused Twilight. "Remember you? I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure I'd remember a filly with a mane like yours." She smiled and reach out to touch it. "Seriously, it's really-"

Her hoof touched the filly's mane, only to pass right through it like it was a mirage. Or a hologram. "What the-?"

The filly giggled. "Silly Twilight. I'm not here. Physically, anyway."

"Wait, so you're a ghost?"

"More like a memory. The fact that I'm standing here means you do remember me, if vaguely."

Realization came over Twilight, and she asked "So, this is a dream?"

The filly shrugged. "That's up for you to decide. But we should probably get moving."

"Huh?"

The filly smiled, before turning towards the Everfree Forest, beckoning her with her tail. "I have something to show you."

Twilight rolled her eyes. When did my dreams get so weird?

"Probably after you had that dream with the stained glass platforms," the filly replied. Seeing Twilight's shock, she smirked and added "We're in your mind, remember?"

"Right. My bad." Finally she smiled and said "Lead the way."

And with that, they trotted off to the Everfree Forest.





After Spike had walked down the tunnel, finding crude stone steps on the sides away from the stream so he wouldn't slip and fall, he was faced with a slight problem.

Or rather, a "sight problem."

The... room he guessed, at the bottom of the tunnel had no openings to the outside and very few glowing crystals, leaving the whole place so dark that Spike could barely see more than a few feet in front of him. "Man, it's times like this I wish dragons like me had night vision."

He looked around for a torch or something he could use to light the way, but sadly came up short. And he didn't want to constantly spam his fire breath because if he ran into someone in these caves, he didn't want to set them on fire. But he definitely didn't want to stumble through the cave in the dark, possibly falling into a pit or running into a monster. 

As he looked around for something to help, he caught sight of something glinting in the dim light a few feet away. Approaching it, he saw what looked like a colorless gemstone partially encased in stone. His stomach grumbled and he said "Guess I could use a snack."

He reached for it, only for the gem to suddenly start glowing with light, illuminating the cave. He withdrew his hand, and the glowing stopped. "Huh. That's weird." He smiled before reaching for it again ignoring the glow as he said "But handy. Just found myself a flashlight."

The moment his finger touched the gemstone, the glow intensified to the point that he had to shield his eyes. 

Once it died down he looked at the gemstone...

...only to find that there was a lot more to it than he thought. 

The gem was actually part of a large wooden staff, roughly six feet tall and decorated with several runes and symbols. The top of the staff was shaped like a serpentine dragon with short wings, the gemstone held with its open mouth. The gemstone itself had changed color, now looking more like a shining green emerald. Spike gingerly picked up the staff, looking at it in pure awe. "Wow. This is 100 times cooler than any of the staffs pictured in Ogres and Oubliettes." He twirled it experimentally, finding that it was almost feather-light. "And light too."

The gem still shone a light to illuminate the cave, not bright enough to blind him but bright enough that he wouldn't have to worry about running into any unpleasant surprises. "Awesome."

Now that he could see around the cave he was in, he saw that there were three exits not counting the tunnel he just came down. The exit furthest to the left was fairly small, just enough for someone his size to squeeze through. But as he got closer he could hear air flowing through it, so he knew it didn't lead to a dead end. But that tight of a squeeze, especially in his new body, plus the chance of it being much more narrow further in and him getting stuck... He didn't feel like taking his chances. "Let's save that for a last resort. Next."

The exit in the center was fairly unassuming, but something about it made the scales on his hands tingle. And the reason became clear as carved onto the side of the wall next to it was the X-ed out heart symbol he saw on the evil-looking castle. "Yeah, nope. Not going this way."

The last exit, the one farthest to the right, was the best looking one out of the bunch. Not only did it not give him any bad feelings, but he could also see a faint light coming from further in. "Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner." 

As he walked down the tunnel, illuminated by his new staff, he couldn't help but feel worried about Twilight and their friends. I seriously hope Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are okay. And Cadance, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna... Wow, there's a lot of ponies I'm worried about. Maybe when I get to that town I'll find some paper and see if I can get in touch with them. Assuming my mail fire still works in this form. 

His thoughts stopped when he exited the tunnel, coming into a small chamber. The light he had noticed was coming from a large metal brazier that looked like a cage, a roaring fire contained within. Getting a closer look Spike observed "This fire's either magic, or it's just been lit. Either way, someone might be down here." 

Looking around and only seeing one other exit, he added "If there is someone here, I hope whoever they are they're friendly. At the very least I might have someone to talk to, and I won't be stuck here talking to myself."

He was about halfway down the tunnel when he heard a noise; like small stones rapidly striking stone. It was coming from the tunnel behind him, and it sounded way too close for comfort.

Then he heard a faint growl, and against all better judgement he turned around to see what was coming.

And severely wished he hadn't.

He couldn't see the whole creature from where he was standing, even with the insta-flashlight from his staff. What the light did show, he could make out that this new creature looked like a slug-like insect, roughly a good two heads taller than he was, and staring at him with hateful clusters of red and gold eyes that glowed in the low light of the cave. The impacting sound was coming from its very long, bent forelegs the ended in curved, sharp claws that it used to pull itself along the rocky floor. Once it seemed it realized that Spike had seen it, it opened up its horrifying mouth to reveal sharp serrated teeth dripping with translucent green slime.

And that was all he needed to see. "Yeah, I'M OUT OF HERE!"

Spike took off running, tightening his grip on his staff in fear as he booked it. Whatever was causing the sound apparently noticed, because it started to move faster after him.

Fortunately, Spike saw a literal light at the end of the tunnel.

Unfortunately that light at the end of the tunnel was because the exit led outside, to only a few feet of solid rock before a sheer drop to the bottom of a ravine. The only way across to the other side was a stone bridge a few feet to his left. But from the numerous cracks and quite a few chunks missing from it, it didn't look like it was safe to cross.

Hearing the scraping sound behind him, he decided that crossing that bridge and potentially falling to his death sounded a lot better than being eaten by... whatever the Tartarus that thing was.

So he continued running to the bridge, and he noticed it looked even worse up close. As it stood even the better looking parts looked like they might crumble if too much weight was added. As he crossed the bridge he whispered to himself "Alright Spike. Watch your footing, don't step on any cracks, and hopefully this won't end up like the rope bridge."

He was about halfway across when he heard a familiar growl. "Oh, come on!"

He could see it fully now, and it was even uglier out in the light. The thing looked like a mix between a slug and a tick, with metallic gray armored plating along its body. It's long armored forelegs were one of eight, with six shorter additional legs helping it walk along. It definitely didn't look like the things that attacked Equestria, but if it were possible it looked even more dangerous. And evil. The slimy green froth it was drooling did not help matters.

Spike backed away and felt his foot on the edge of the bridge, just a few inches shy of ending up over the open air. He then heard a low cracking sound, and saw cracks splintering where the bug-thing was walking. "Oh no."

He took off running, weaving around any missing chunks and jumping over any particularly large gaps, his only thought being to get to the other side before that giant bug-thing either got him or collapsed the bridge. Or both.

He had just made it to the three-quarter mark when he heard a CRACK!! like a gunshot, followed by a low rumble. "Yeah, definitely need to get to the other side!"

He continued running, ignoring the rumbling and the clacking sound of the beast behind him. The way the bridge was shaking he figured it was only a matter of time before the biggest majority collapsed. And if he wasn't clear of that section when it fell, he could guess that it was at least a fifty-sixty foot drop to certain death. 

Amidst the sound of his own heavy breathing he could hear more cracking sounds, and then he felt something sticky attach itself to his foot and trip him. He flipped over to see the slime from the bug thing's mouth was now stuck on his foot, part of a large strand that was still attached to it. 

And the giant bug was slowly using its mandible to pull it in, like a fisherman reeling in his catch.

Only, Spike was the fish.

"Oh, HELL NO!"

He struggled, he thrashed, he clawed at the slime but nothing he did could remove it. He was being pulled in, closer and closer to its ravenous jaws. In desperation he dug his claws into the stone, but even then it only slowed his descent. 

It was only then that he saw the staff near his hand, the emerald crystal shining like a star. On instinct he grabbed it with his right hand, and his eyes glowed as he felt something in the back of his mind; a voice that was showing him a way out of this situation. He flung his arm around, aiming the tip of the staff at the insectoid-beast, and yelled a single word: "EXPLODE!"

A sphere of what looked like condensed fire shot out, striking the beast in the face and kicking its head up while severing the strand of slime-

-and then with a loud BOOM! the sphere exploded, enveloping the bridge in a tremendous fireball while the shockwave sent Spike and the beast flying. The beast flew back to the middle of the bridge, landing on its side on the part riddled with cracks and holes.

Spike, luckily or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, ended up hanging off the side of a stable part of the bridge, with most of his body save for the top of his chest, head, and arms hanging over the open air. Digging his already sore claws into anything he could use for purchase, he turned back to the bug that had tried to eat him.

The explosion had torched most of the front of its body. While most of the damage was minor thanks to the armored plating, the head was now covered in burns and its left eye cluster was pretty much destroyed. It glared hatefully at Spike with its remaining cluster on its right, a look that promised painful retribution.

Fortunately he didn't have to look at it long as with one last long RUMBLE! the center of the bridge collapsed, sending the insect monster screaming to the bottome of the ravine in a shower of large boulders and dust until it was completely out of sight. Its screams died out not long after.

Spike would've celebrated, but his sore claws were starting to give out and his feet couldn't find any purchase. Fear clawing at his chest and seeing no other way out, he did the only thing he could think of. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

Deep down he figured it was probably futile. After all, what was the chances that somebody would actually hear him when he was for all intents and purposes in the middle of nowhere?

Apparently pretty high, as he felt something warm and fury grab his hands; and a kind, almost motherly voice say "Don't worry. I've got you."

Spike felt himself being pulled up, helping it along when his feet finally found purchase, before finally he felt his feet reach solid ground. Taking a few deep breathes, he said "I never... wanna do that... again." Once his breathing normalized and his heart rate slowed, he looked at his savior and said "Thank you."

His savior was an anthropomorphic goat, clearly a female judging by her voice and body type. She had white fur and short horns, with red-tinted eyes and droopy ears. She wasn't wearing shoes, though she was wearing a long purple robe with loose white sleeves, though surprisingly no shoes which revealed that her feet were paws instead of hooves like traditional goats. She smiled, showing a pair of small fangs, and replied "You're welcome." Looking at where the giant bug fell she remarked "What a terrible creature."[2]

"Don't need to tell me twice. That thing almost had me for lunch." Looking back at the goat lady he asked "So, are you from around here?"

She nodded. "I come here everyday to see if someone else has arrived here. But I actually live in Radiant Garden."

"Is that the shiny castle with the town? Not to be confused with that other evil-looking castle."

She smiled. "Yes, that castle. No one lives in Maleficent's castle, to my knowledge."

Spike sighed in relief and a bit of exhaustion, but managed to smile. "Awesome. Can you please show me how to get there?"

"Even better. I will guide you."

"That is even better. Thank you again, Miss-"

"Toriel,[2]" she immediately replied. Looking at the sky as the sun started to dip down she added "We should leave now then. The more aggressive Heartless tend to come out when night falls."

Spike was about to ask what a Heartless was when he saw something shifting in the shadows by the cave mouth, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Immediately picking his staff up from the ground, he shined the light from it into the cave. 

It was another one of the creatures that attacked Equestria, but this one was different. It had a helmet and small bits of armor, walking upright and having more developed hands that ended in five red claws on each. On its chest was the same X-ed out heart symbol that he saw on the tower of Maleficent's castle. It scraped its claws against the stone wall and started walking towards the two.[3]

Spike aimed his staff, about to try and use that spell again, when Toriel stepped in front of him. Before he could ask what she was doing she held up her paw, and to his surprise a ball of fire appeared. The creature lunged, but before it could even get close Toriel launched the fireball at it, striking it in the chest. It stopped in midair before exploding in a puff of purple-black smoke, and a crystalline glowing heart appeared, briefly floating before flying away into the sky.

Awestruck, Spike asked "Did you just use magic?"

Toriel nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the cave. "Yes. I am very well-trained in Fire Magic." After a few minutes and no other creatures showing up, she said "It should be safe for now." Seeing how dark it was inside she sighed. "If only I thought to bring a torch."

Spike smirked before shining the light from his staff forward. "Who needs a torch?"

Giggling, Toriel replied "Very well." Taking Spike's free hand she said "Come. I'll lead you through the tunnels, child."

Spike rolled his eyes, but let her lead him regardless. As he did, a thought occurred to him.

That attack I used on that bug monster... Was that also magic? Did I use magic?



Twilight had followed the filly over a river and through the woods to the Castle of the Two Sisters, down the hidden stair case and the elevator, right back to the crystal tree she and her friends had seen before the world was destroyed. Nothing had attacked them during the entirety of the trip. Frankly nothing had appeared at all, which didn't surprise Twilight that much. 

During the journey she talked to the filly, trying to get some idea of who she was. So far she managed to work out a few facts. The filly liked reading and learning magic (especially fire magic), her favorite food was strawberry cheesecake, and she got her Cutie Mark the same day that Twilight did. [4]

But despite those facts and the strange feeling of nostalgia she got, Twilight still couldn't remember her name. Equal parts of frustration and guilt made her want to slam her head against a tree, but she refrained because all that would do was give her a headache.

Eventually they reached the crystal tree they were at now, and Twilight asked "So, why did you bring me here? To remind me of my failure?"

The filly shook her head, and smiled. "Nope. I'm here to show you the way forward.

'To show you how to bring Equestria back..."



To Be Continued...