//------------------------------// // Chapter 27: Tarantara! // Story: KINGDOM HEARTS: Fractured Friendship // by KHXhero //------------------------------// Chapter 27: Tarantara! Meanwhile, at the Training Grounds outside the castle, Shining Armor and Cadance were in front of a squad of Crystal Ponies wearing soldiers. These are definitely the Crystal Soldiers who protect the Crystal Empire. But unfortunately, the guards were a bit confused, having no idea what was going on, probably because they were gone for a thousand years. On the sidelines were Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and King Mickey, who has made a moderate recovery following yesterday when he cast the shield around the city. Shining was doing his best to keep the troops in line, but they were all chattering and chattering, though it was more of a mumbling, because no one could understand a word they were saying. "Ok, everypony." Shining said. "Can I have your attention, please?" The crystal soldiers still mumbled, all of them confused, and not hearing a single word coming out of his mouth. "Um... Hello?" Shining asked, but the guards didn't respond. "They're confused." Aqua said. "Very confused." Terra said. Cadance only sighed and stepped forward. "SHUT IT!" She shouted, all of the soldiers stopping in place hearing the pony's voice. It was actually impressive. "Thanks." Shining said. "Don't mention it." Cadance said. The stallion gave a nod and glanced back at the soldiers. "Ok, listen up." He said. "I know you're all a bit confused by what is going on. But I want you all to know that we have to protect the Crystal Empire. So, I want you to go collect your weapons and we're going to do some training exercises. Hopefully that will help you get back into routine." Despite the confusion, the guards nodded and made their way to collect their equipment. The stallion gave a sigh and lowered his head. "I just hope things will be ok." Shining said. "Don't worry, Shining." Cadance said. "I'm sure the guards will come to their senses." "It's not them I'm worried about." Shining said. The pink alicorn knew who he was worried about. "Oh, Twilight." She said. The stallion gave nodded. Cadance then gave him a hug, giving him some peace and comfort. "So, we're just gonna stand here?" Ventus asked the others. "Your Majesty!" Two voices got the mouse's attention. Mickey turned to see Donald and Goofy rush up to him. "Donald, Goofy!" Mickey said. "Good morning." "Good morning to you too, your majesty!" Donald said. "You look like you're feeling better." Goofy said. "Sure am." Mickey said. "Sorry I worried you all back there yesterday." "It's ok." Goofy said. "We're just glad you're doing ok." Pretty soon, Twilight approached the king. "Good morning, your majesty." Twilight said as she gave a bow. "It's such an honor to meet you." "Thank you, Miss Twilight." Mickey said. "It's great to see you're ok as well. Princess Celestia was pretty worried sick when she told me that you went missing." Twilight was actually surprised to hear that. "She... she was?" Twilight asked. Oh, that's right. Princess Celestia! Twilight turned her head and began to think. She remembered full well how Celestia had left her in the rehearsal hall when she accused Cadance, or the imposter at the time, of being evil. But what was really on her mind was of how she, when she had fallen to darkness, wiped the floor with her teacher when she destroyed the Elements. "Oh, did I say something wrong?" Mickey asked, seeing the lavender unicorn lost in thought. "Twilight?" Applejack asked. "You still mad at Princess Celestia?" Spike asked. "No, it's fine." Twilight said as she turned away. "It's just that, I've done some terrible things while you all were looking for me. I was blinded by my own anger, and I let the darkness consume me. And what's worse, I... I attacked Princess Celestia and nearly plunged Equestria into madness. She may have ignored my warnings, but she had good reason to. And I've done worse. She's probably never going to forgive me." The girls looked with concern. "It'll be ok, Twilight." Mickey said with an assuring smile. "We all lose our way, but you realized your errors and came through. You found your light again and you've managed to correct your wrongs. Don't let your sins get to you, ok? Just remember you still have your friends to support you." Seeing the mouse's kind nature brought a smile to the lavender unicorn. "Thank you, your majesty." Twilight sad. "And you're right. I have good friends who never gave up on me." She turned her head, glancing back at Sora and the girls. "What about us?!" Donald asked. "We helped too!" Sora then shifted his attention to the guards, who were mumbling in confusion as they checked through their things to retrieve their gear. "Ummm… what's up with the guards?" Sora asked. "They're not quite in their right minds, unfortunately." Aqua said. "Meaning?" Sora asked. "They don't know what's going on." Aqua said. "They've don't remember anything at all." "They seemed to forgotten what's happened." Terra said. "They don't even know what day it is." "Well, they did lose a thousand years to an evil king." Ventus said. "I was just thinking the same thing." Rainbow Dash said. "Maybe Sombra must've done something to them when he caused the kingdom to disappear." Riku said. "Maybe some kind of amnesia spell." "It must be the work of his dark magic." Twilight said. "He may have erased their memory of him taking over the Crystal Empire before causing it to disappear." "I hope it's only temporary." Fluttershy said. "I wouldn't count on that, Flutters." Applejack said. As the group were chatting, Shining Armor looked around, seeing that someone was missing. "Where's Sentry?" Shining asked. "Right here, sir!" The gamboge Pegasus with the blue mane and tail said approaching the captain, wearing his yellow armor. Shining was surprised of how fast the Pegasus got here. "Wow, that was fast." Shining said. "You have everything for training?" "Yes sir." Flash said with a salute. But then suddenly, his attention was drawn back to Twilight, who was speaking with the others. The rookie guard couldn't take her eyes off of her, much to his captain's notice. "Uh, Sentry?" Shining asked. "One second, sir." Flash said as he moved past the stallion to speak with the lavender unicorn. "Good morning, Twilight." Hearing her name, Twilight turned her head to see the rookie guard. Seeing him made her smile. "Oh, hello Flash Sentry." Twilight said. "Morning, Twilight." The guard said, but he stood there, glancing at her face. "Wow..." "What?" Twilight asked. "You look lovely today." Flash answered, though he gave a blush realizing that. Twilight found herself blushing. "Oh, thank you, Flash." Twilight said. "Your welcome, Twilight." Flash said as he gave a nod. She then gave a little peck on the cheek, making him blush once more. As she walked away to speak with Cadance, the guard stood there staring at Twilight, unaware of Spike looking at him suspiciously. "She's... amazing." He said, suddenly finding himself sweating. His eyes were still fixated on Twilight, but it seems there was something going on inside him. Like some kind of... conflict? "Good morning, Twilight." Cadance said. "Did you sleep well?" "Yes, I did." Twilight said, but then her attention was drawn to Shining, who glanced at her back. Both were silent. "Hello, Shining." She said, her head glancing away. "Hello, Twily." Shining said, feeling nervous. The lavender unicorn didn't say anything. The hurtful words of her brother still rang in her ears, but her heart was feeling guilt, now that she knows that he wanted to apologize during the whole mess and everything. Shining too was feeling guilt, but a lot of it. Luckily, before the moment got even more awkward, Sora stepped forward. "So, Captain Armor!" Sora said. "How's everything... that's happening... right now?" "Huh?" Shining asked. "I'm not helping, am I?" Sora whispered to Riku, who only shook his head, but gave a smile. "I take it you're working on getting the guards back on track?" Riku asked. "I'm trying to." Shining said. "The crystal guards seem to be confused. They don't seem to remember how to fight or anything." "Do they at least know how to use a weapon?" Applejack asked. "I'm afraid they don't." Cadance said. "One of them accidently stuck one up their spears in... um... I won't say it." "I think we already have a pretty good idea." Rarity said. "I don't." Ventus said. "But hopefully these training exercises we're about to do will help jog their senses back." Shining said. "Training exercises?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Sounds like my kind of thing." The rainbow maned Pegasus approached the Royal Guard Captain. "Say Cap." She said. "If you need somepony who can give some good coaching lessons, I may be able to give you a few pointers." "Really?" Shining asked, sounding a little unconvinced. "Do you know much of the historical events and the basic tactics of the EUP Guard?" Rainbow Dash then froze, and started to make a dead stare face. That basically means she has no idea. "Uhhhh... maybe?" She said. "You do know what EUP means, right?" Shining asked. "It means... Equestria... United... Patrol?" Rainbow Dash asked. That's not exactly what it means. It means Earth Pony, Unicorn and Pegasus. "Yeah, definitely not for you." Shining said, with the girls, even Twilight began to giggle, with Rainbow Dash glanced back at them unamused. Pretty soon, the guards were making their way towards the field, but to everyone's surprise, they were wearing not armor, but strange black uniforms, making them look like the British Police back in the day. They were all wielding short thick stick-like bats with their magic and wings. As they all lined up, they stood in place. "Those are the guards?" Sora asked. "More like policeman." Donald said. Confused at what they were wearing, Shining stepped forward and shook his head. "Ok, what are you guys wearing?" He asked. "Uniforms." One of the guards said. "Why aren't you wearing armor?!" Shining asked. "We don't know." The other guard said. Shining only sighed with stress. "Guys, listen to me." Shining said. "You guys are suppose to be the Crystal Guards of the Crystal Empire! The protectors of your kingdom, the soldiers who defend the weak, and fight the forces of darkness, even if it means die fighting!" The guards gasped. "Die Fighting?" They all asked, as their bats began to tilt to the sides all deflated. Shining only stood there in deep shock, seeing that the guards are... incompetent. They were not like what he read about in the books. The girls couldn't help but giggle at this silly sort. "Hey Goofy, you're a Captain of the Royal Knights." Sora said. "Can you talk to them?" "Me?" Goofy asked. "Well, why not?" Sora asked. "Um... ok." Goofy said as he stepped forward, making his way to the guards. "Excuse me, gentlemen." Goofy said, getting their attention. "I know you all seem a bit nervous and not knowing what's going on right now. But you all are royal guards. Royal Guards, like Knights, follow a code, a Code of Chivalry - the qualities of bravery, honor, courtesy, and gallantry towards many. It's your job to protect this place just as all knights are sworn to protect their kingdom. That's what you are, protectors of your kingdom." As Goofy finished his speech, Donald couldn't help but shed a tear, while Sora gave a clap. "Beautiful, man." Ventus said as he gave a salute. The guards looked at each other. "But… we don't know how to fight." One of the guards said. "Really?" Goofy asked, while everyone only sighed. "Is there anything you can do?" Shining asked. "Yes, now that you mention it." Another guard said. "We do happen to be quite gifted with one good skill." "And what's that?" Goofy asked. "We can dance." The guard answered. "Hit It!" Suddenly, the Crystal Guards suddenly broke routine and began to tap their hooves to a sudden rhythm with the horns, surprising everyone. As Shining stepped back, Goofy watched with excitement. "What's going on?" Riku asked. "I think they're dancing." Mickey said. The guards began to do all sorts of dancing techniques, which were a bit silly, but pretty impressive, as Goofy began to join them. "Goofy, what are you doing?" Sora asked. "I think I'm in the middle of their dance routine." Goofy said as the guards began to march around him and behind. "But garsh, I kinda like this song." He then moved left, and then right, then back as the guards stood behind him. Then, he began to move to the marching beat, while the guards marched in synch. When the foeman bares his steel (Tarantara, Tarantara!) We uncomfortable feel (Tarantara!) And we find the wisest thing (Tarantara, Tarantara!) Is to slap our chests and sing, Tarantara! (Tarantara!) For when threatened with emeutes (Tarantara, Tarantara!) And your heart is in your boots (Tarantara!) There is nothing brings it round, like the trumpet's martial sound Like the trumpet's martial sound As the guards began to march, chant, and dance at the same time, Goofy found himself dancing and skipping to the song. Suddenly, he pulled Sora into the dance, and the boy was happy to join, while Donald rushed up with them. Pretty soon, Ventus joined them as well, while everyone was a bit amazed, but enjoying their dancing. Pretty soon, Cadance came down to sing, as the guards, and the boys, gave a bow to her. Go, ye heroes, go to glory Though you die in combat gory The soldiers lifted their heads up hearing the words die in combat gory, though Goofy lifted his own head up to hear the Princess sing. Ye shall live in song and story Go to immortality! Go to death, and go to slaughter; The Soldiers gulped with surprise. Die, and every pony daughter They gulped again. With her tears your grave shall water. Go, ye heroes, go and die! Go, ye heroes, go and die! Go ye heroes, go and die! The girls singing the last part, made the Crystal Guards a bit scared. Going to Die? Where did that come from. Luckily, they kept in synch to the rhythm, while Goofy continued to sing. Though to us it's evident (Tarantara, Tarantara!) These attentions are well meant (Tarantara!) Such expressions don't appear (Tarantara, Tarantara!) Calculated men to cheer (Tarantara!) "What is happening?" Terra asked. "I'm not even surprised anymore." Aqua said. "Ok, this is silly." Twilight said a bit confused, but at the same time, she was enjoying it a bit, just as Sora pulled her in to join the dance. Who are going to meet their fate In a highly nervous state Tarantara, Tarantara, Tarantara! Still to them it's evident These attentions are well meant Tarantara, Tarantara, Tarantara! As the soldiers sang the previous part, Rarity stepped in front to sing along with the tune. Go and do your best endeavour, And before all links we sever, We will say farewell for ever. Go to glory and the grave! Pretty soon, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack joined the singing. Go to glory and the grave! For your foes are fierce and ruthless, False, unmerciful, and truthless; Young and tender, old and toothless, "All in vain their mercy crave!!!" Pinkie Pie screamed out. Hearing how they were going to glory and the grave, and how they will face fierce, ruthless, false, unmerciful, truthless, young and tender, old and toothless foes, made the Crystal Guards shiver with fear. One of them actually fainted while the others caught him. Despite this, everyone else was enjoying this happy moment. While it was silly, it was very enjoyable, even Twilight began to enjoy it as well. Spike however, noticed Flash Sentry, giving a bit of sweat. "Are you ok?" Spike asked, almost startling the stallion. "Uh... yeah, I'm good." Flash said. While Spike glanced at him cautiously, Flash turned away, giving a bit of worry. "Too... much.... love..." The Pegasus said silently. Pretty soon, the guards quickly got themselves in position, while Goofy approached the rest of the girls, while Sora, Donald, and Ventus snapped their fingers to the beat. We observe too great a stress, On the risks that on us press, And of reference a lack To our chance of coming back. As Goofy sang towards the girls, The Crystal Guards noticed nobody was paying attention. One of them whispered to them, pointing away, urging them that this was their chance to sneak away while they didn't notice. The guards began to make their quiet escape, until Shining Armor noticed. Still, perhaps it would be wise Not to carp or criticise, For it's very evident These attentions are well meant. "HEY!" Shining shouted as he moved towards the Crystal Guards, all of them yelping as he stood in their way. "What are you doing?!" He asked. "Get back in line! Get! Get!" The Crystal Guards only got back in line, while everyone watching began to sing along. Yes, it's very evident These attentions are well meant, Evident, yes well meant, evident Ah yes well meant! And then, the guards, the girls, Sora, Ventus, Donald, and Goofy marched in tempo, while everyone also did arm movements left, right, up, down, expressing what the soldiers and the girls were singing. The only exception was Shining Armor, who was confused by the soliders. But he did his best to keep his cool. Go, ye heroes, go to glory / When the foeman bares his steel Though you die in combat gory / We uncomfortable feel And we find the wisest thing / Ye shall live in song and story Is to slap our chests and sing / Go to immortality Go to death, and go to slaughter; / For when threatened with emeutes Die, and every Cornish daughter / And your heart is in your boots There is nothing brings it round, like the trumpet's martial sound / With her tears your grave shall water Like the trumpet's martial sound / Go, ye heroes, go and die Go ye, heroes, go to immortality! / Tarantara-ra-ra-ra-rah, Tarantara! Tarantara-ra-ra-ra-rah, Tarantara! / Go ye, heroes, go to immortality! Go, ye heroes, go you heroes! / Tarantara-ra-ra-rah, Ra-ra-ra-rah! Tarantara-ra-ra, Tarantara! / Go to immortality! "Away, Away." Shining sang. "Yes, yes, we go!" The Crystal Guards sang. "These scandrels slay." Shining sang. "Tarantara!" The Crystal Guards chanted. "Then do not stay." Shining sang. "Tarantara!" The Crystal Guards chanted. "Then Why This Delay?!" Shining asked. All right, we go! / At last, they go! Yes forward on the foe Yes forward on the foe "Yes but you're still here!" Shining said. We go, we go! / At last, they go! Yes forward on the foe Yes forward on the foe "Yes, but you don't go!" Shining called out. We go, we go! / At last, they go! Yes forward on the foe Yes forward on the foe "Oh Celestia, they don't go." Shining said with stress and exhaust. "No they don't." Leon said as he patted his head. We go, we go! / At last, they go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! At last, they go! They go, they go, they go, we go, they go, they go, they go, we go, they go, they go, they go, they go! We Go! We Gooooooo! / They Go! They Gooooooo! Then, after the singing stopped, the guards began to panic, realizing that they were going to glory and the grave. They began to gallop all over, leaving everyone confused. "Wait, come back!" Ventus called out as he and Mickey went after some of them. "Aww, c'mon!" Rainbow Dash said. "The Wonderbolts can do better than these guys!" "Well, so much for getting them back into routine." Riku said, shaking his head, just as a stallion guard ran past them, bumping straight into one of the fences. "Riku, Sora, you guys go check the locals!" Terra said. "Meet with Leon and the others, and see if you can learn anything about Sombra." "Ok, but what about you guys?" Riku asked. "We'll take care of the guards." Aqua said. "We'll see if they'll get their senses right... somehow." "Whoahoahoahoahoa!" Ventus and Mickey shouted as they found themselves riding one of the Crystal Guards. "The King!" Donald and Goofy said. "Don't worry about me!" Mickey said. "You guys go find Leon and the others, and ask around town if they know anything!" "Ok!" Sora said. Pretty soon, they took off towards the square. "We better ask around too." Twilight said. "Right!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash said. "Yep!" Pinkie Pie said as Rarity nodded. "Got it!" Fluttershy said as they quickly galloped and followed Sora and company, though Spike was falling too far behind. "Twilight, wait!" Spike called out. "You stay with Shining and Cadance!" Twilight called out. "I'll be back soon!" "But I don't wanna leave you... alone again." Spike said, feeling a bit down. But then he shook his head. "Don't worry, Spike." He said to himself. "She's with the girls, and Sora and his friends. She'll be ok." Suddenly, he heard a strange scuffling sound. Turning his head, he saw Flash Sentry galloping away, looking like he was sweating and worried. The baby dragon had more suspicion in his eyes. "Where's he going?" Spike asked. Wondering what that Pegasus is up to, he followed after him. The town itself, as said before, indeed breathtaking. As the group strolled along the streets of the Empire, they saw all kinds of sights, such as the Market Square, where the ponies have been making all kinds a food that had crystals with it, such as crystal berries, and crystal corn. Crystal corn? How do you make that? Besides, there was also a massive stadium nearby just on the West of the city. It was actually much bigger than the one in Canterlot. For a city that lost a thousand years, the whole kingdom seemed to be a bit more advanced. Probably because almost everything is made of crystal. That could be it. Pretty soon, Sora and the gang were speaking with a Crystal Pony named Sapphire Joy, hoping to learn more what they can about the Crystal Empire. But Sapphire Joy didn't look to joyful, however, and unfortunately... "Are you sure you don't know anything?" Twilight asked the Crystal Pony. "No, I don't remember anything." Sapphire Joy said, looking dull and glum. "I don't know anything about what happened when this King Sombra ruled our home, and I really don't remember anything at all." She looked around, her attention was towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who were thinking. "She doesn't look too sparkly." Goofy said. "Maybe Sombra must've had something to do with it." Donald said. "Has it really been a thousand years?" Sapphire Joy asked. "Yeah, it's been that long." Sora said. "It feels like it was just yesterday." Sapphire Joy said as she glanced at the floor all sad. "Well, if you remember anything, let us know, ok?" Sora asked. "Of course." Sapphire Joy said as she retreated back into her house. "What a bust!" Donald said. "Hopefully Leon and the others having more luck than we are." Goofy said. "Alright little horsy, start talking!" Barret said as he stared down at the other crystal pony, Fleur De Verre, who was a bit surprised and a bit scared as she saw the big muscular guy. "Do you know anything about this Empire?" "I wish I could help you. Really." Fleur De Verre said as she left glumly, with Barret stopping her in her hoofsteps. "Aww, c'mon now!" Barret shouted. "You gotta at least know something!" "But... I don't have any information." Fleur De Verre said as she just walked away, though she started running away from the big guy as she got far enough. The big guy only sighed. "I thought ponies were suppose to be happy and cheerful." Barret said. "Maybe you should lower your voice when you talk." Red XIII said as he popped his head in, with Barret giving a defeated growl. Yuffie began to jump from building to building, looking down at the streets. She decided to use her ninja skills to gather information from the locals to learn about the Empire. "Alright, let's gather some info!" She said as she hopped down from the building, sneaking across the ground towards two Crystal Ponies talking to each other, both of them looking glumly and sad at the castle. "It just feels like something's missing." Elbow Grease said as Yuffie hid in a bush and slowly crept towards the two. "Yes, it looks the same." Night Knight said as Yuffie lifted her head up. "But it doesn't feel the same." "Wait, what doesn't feel the same?" Yuffie asked, getting both their attention. "GAH!" They both shouted. "A SPY!" They screamed as they took off running, while Yuffie lost her footing before she could explain. "WAIT!" Yuffie called out, but the two were already gone. The Great Ninja only sighed. "Why does everyone think I'm a spy?" Yuffie asked. "I'm a ninja for goodness sake." "It's probably the goggles you're wearing on your forehead." Tifa said as she came to the scene, pointing to the particular Night Vision Goggles on the ninja's forehead. "Where did you even get those? Don't tell me you stole them." "Nah, I just found them lying around." Yuffie said as she placed them on. "Oooooo… so night like!" She gave a giggle having them on, until she crashed into a crystal structure and fell to the floor all dizzy, while Tifa only shook her head. Cid was taking a moment to look around the town around him, amazed by this beautiful place, but also fascinated by the little gizmos that were made of crystals. "Dang, this place is one hell of a beautiful city." Cid said. "If these ponies use crystals for a power source, maybe I can apply that to the Highwind and see if it will power up again." As he began to think, a crystal pony approached him. "Excuse me, do you need anything?" She asked, causing Cid to be pulled out of his train of thought. "Be Quiet!" He shouted back at her. "Can't you see I'm having a good daydream?!" "S...Sorry..." The Crystal Pony said as she backed away and galloped real scared. Cid then realized that he was suppose to be asking them about the Empire, not thinking about how crystals could be used as a power source. He sighed. "Me and my damn mouth." He muttered as he face palmed. Cloud looked around, seeing some of the crystal ponies passing by, wondering if they could know anything about the Crystal Empire. But, none of them seem to be up for talking, so... he let out a sigh. "Not interested." Cloud said as he walked away. "So you don't know anything?" Aerith asked, as she and Leon were talking to another Crystal Pony. "No, I'm sorry." She said. "I don't know anything." She then glanced at Stitch, who was on Aerith's shoulder. The little furball couldn't help but open his mouth, showing his slightly sharp teeth, which made the pony nervous. "What... is that thing?" She asked. "His name is Stitch." Aerith said as she petted the blue creature, making him sigh calmly. "Don't worry, he's cute when you get to know him." "Anyway." Leon said. "Let us know if you remember anything." "Ok." The crystal pony said as she took off, while the three remained there. "Well, back to square one." Leon said. As the three turned around, they saw Sora and the rest approaching them. "Hey." Sora said. "Any luck?" "No." Leon said. "We couldn't find anything. What about you guys?" "Nothing yet." Riku said. Looking to his left, Sora saw Cid and Cloud making their way towards them. "Did you guys have any luck?" Sora asked. "No." Cloud said. "Nothing on our part." "You didn't make an effort, did you." Aerith asked. "They didn't look interested to ask." Cloud said. "Plus, this guy was yelling his mouth off." Cid only looked away with a bit of embarrassment. Pretty soon, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, and a still dizzy Yuffie making their way towards the group. "You guys?" Sora asked, hoping they know anything. "Nope." Tifa said. "We couldn't get anything either." "We would've if someone wasn't shouting." Red XIII said, his head looking right at Barret. "Hey!" Barret said. "At least I wasn't sneaking up behind folks and easedropping." "Hey, a Ninja gets information better when she hides in the shadows and listen to others." Yuffie said, finally out of her dizzy state. "That's still eavesdropping." Cid said. Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Umm... ok?" Twilight said before whispering to Sora. "Quite an interesting bunch, Sora." Sora couldn't help but chuckle hearing that. "HEY, TWILIGHT!" A voice called out, getting Twilight's attention. Looking behind, she saw Rainbow Dash flying towards her, with Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie following behind. "Girls." Twilight said as Rainbow Dash floated to the ground, and the others finally caught up. "Rainbow, don't go so fast." Applejack said. "Did you girls learn anything?" Twilight asked. "No, I got nothing so far." Rainbow Dash said. "Me neither." Rarity said. "Nothing." Fluttershy said as she shook her head. "Nope, nuttin' either." Pinkie Pie said. "I couldn't even cheer them up." "Sorry, Twilight, but the crystal ponies seem to have some collective amnesia." Applejack said. "But I did ask them if they had a library, and they said that there was one nearby." Hearing that made Twilight gasp and smile. "A library?!" Twilight asked excitedly as she zoomed close to Applejack's snout. "Why didn't you say so?" "I just did." Applejack said, with Twilight realizing that too. "Oh... right." She said with a blush, and the girls gave a cute giggle. "Nerd..." Yuffie whispered to Aerith. "I like her." She answered back. "Ok then, let's check out the Library." Sora said. "We can probably look for something there." "Of course!" Goofy said. "Anything can be found in a book!" "Then let's get going!" Donald said. And just like that, everyone went off to the Library, hoping to find the info they need on the Crystal Kingdom. Pretty soon, the very large group made their way to the Library that Applejack spoke of, which was the big crystal building that had two crystal Griffon statues standing at the entrance. As the doors finally opened up, they saw a huge room where there were at least three floors, all of them connected by crystal-like stairs. And there were books. Lots and Lots of books. Not to mention the bookshelves that were made of crystals that reached all the way to the ceiling. There was a window above the ceiling, and there windows at the end to the very top floor. But nothing was more astonishing than the books and the shelves they rested on. There were so many books, as stated before. And for Twilight, it was a dream come true! "I just... I don't even know what to say..." Twilight said, her eyes sparkling with joy and her smile growing bigger than Pinkie Pie's. "It's so beautiful... SO... MANY... BOOKS...!!!!" Her happy expression was both creepy and funny. "Garsh, she must really like books." Goofy said. "Geek." Donald whispered. That earned the duck a swat behind the head by Sora. "Ow!" "Ahem..." A voice said from the side. Turning their heads, they saw an older crystal earth pony that wore yellow glasses that were held up by strings. Her mane was held up by what seemed to be a gold-colored headband, and tied in the back, just like her tail. Her eyes were a light red-pink color, and her cutie mark was of a opened scroll. She must be the librarian. "May I help you?" The mare, Amethyst Maresbury asked. "Yes, you can." Twilight said as she approached her. "We're looking for a book." "We have plenty of those." Amethyst said. "You do." Twilight said with awe. "You really do." The lavender unicorn began to twirl a bit as she continued to look with awe at the books around them. "We're looking for a history book." Sora said. "A book that could tell us much about the Crystal Empire." "Yes, of course." Amethyst said. "It should be in the History section." "Great!" Sora said, as everyone else smiled. A long pause took hold as the elderly librarian didn't say anything else, or where the History section was. "And where is the History section?" Sora asked. "I.... I don't know." Amethyst said. "I can't seem to remember. I'm not sure I actually work here." Sora tilted his head, surprised that she doesn't remember if she's the librarian. "Well, you dress like a librarian." Sora said. "I do?" Amethyst asked. "Wait... what's a librarian?" That was met with sighs and ughs from the group. "Can I please shoot the ceiling." Barret said. "No." Leon said. "We'll just take a look around." Twilight said. "I'm sure we'll find it on our own." "We better split up then." Riku said. "We can save time and have a better chance finding it if we do so." "Yeah." Sora said. "C'mon, let's go." Twilight said as she and the others went up the stairs to the upper floors. "I wonder if I can find a book about materials we can use to fix the Highwind." Cid said. "The Highwind?" Donald asked. "My new ship." Cid said. "What happened to it?" Goofy asked. "Someone made me crash it." Cid said, looking at Yuffie. "I said I was sorry!" Yuffie said as they went up the stairs. "Well, looks like we're splitting up again." Applejack said, seeing the others go up. "Great... do we really have to look at all these books?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, I know I like reading, but all of these books, not my thing." "I agree on that one." Cloud said. "C'mon, Rainbow." Applejack said. "We have to. If we're gonna figure out how to protect this place, we gotta look in the books. For Twilight, ok?" Rainbow Dash looked back at Twilight, and knew that Applejack was right. They have to do this. For Twilight. "Ok." Rainbow Dash said. "For Twilight." "For Twilight!" Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy said. With a nod, the group followed the others, to look for the History section, and the book that could help them know about the Crystal Empire. Now if this was a small library, the search could be quick with a big group. Unfortunately, the library was big, and it was taking a little while. Everyone was searching the shelves for the right book they needed, the book that can give them all the information about the Crystal Empire. But right now, the search was coming up with nothing. The only thing they learned from the books is that the Crystal Ponies like jousting, flew a flag of many hues, made sweets of crystal berries, and have a petting zoo with tiny ewes... Tiny Ewes?! On the middle floor, Sora was looking through the book that he found from the shelf. But so far he hasn't found anything about it. The only thing that he got from the book was info on magic doors. And unfortunately, his mind was also else where. He kept thinking about the dream he had, spending time with Kairi. It was still on his mind, and he couldn't get it out. But honestly, he didn't want to get it out of his mind. He let out a defeated sigh. "Find anything?" Riku asked, bringing Sora out of his thoughts. "Huh?" Sora asked. "Did you find anything?" Riku asked. "Oh, no." Sora said. "My mind was actually somewhere else." "I guess looking through books got you bored, hasn't it." Riku said. "Maybe..." Sora said, leaning against the table. "I just got a lot on my mind." "About what?" Riku asked. "Just... stuff." Sora said. The boy looked at his friend, and knew exactly what was going on. "You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Riku asked. "About Kairi." "How'd you know?" Sora asked. "C'mon, Sora." Riku said. "You're my best friend. I know from your expressions what you think about." The spikey haired boy couldn't help but smile. Riku knows what Sora thinks about. It's kinda creepy if you think about it. "I guess, I just miss her." Sora said. "It's ok if you miss her." Riku said. "She probably misses you too." "Yeah." Sora said. He didn't want to admit, but Riku's right. Sora did miss Kairi. That dream he had, just the two of them together was still on his mind. And that moment before it ended where he almost kissed her. He never had the chance to tell her how much she mattered to him. Maybe because he was scared... Was he? "Do you think she sees anything in me?" Sora asked. "Why would you think that?" Riku asked. "You're her best friend." "I know, but do you think she sees something more in me?" Sora asked. His silver haired friend realized what he was talking about. "Oh." Riku said, having a bit of trouble answering his question. "Well, I... I suppose she probably does. You both really got a special connection." "We do." Sora said, looking down at the open book in front of him. "Well, what do you see in her?" Riku asked. Sora then began to think about it. What was it that he saw in Kairi that made him like her so much. Actually, there was a lot of things that he liked about her. "Everything." Sora said. "I just see... everything." "Like what?" Riku asked. "Well, I dunno." Sora said. "Kairi is just... amazing, you know. She's smart, funny, kind, caring, so supportive, outgoing... and majestic." "Majestic?" Riku asked. "Well, you know, she's got nice skin." Sora said. Riku raised an eyebrow. "Nice skin?" He asked. "So wait, you're starting to like her because she's got nice skin." "N-No!" Sora said. "It's just a factor that contributes to it! It's not the looks that really matters, it what's on the inside that matters." "Ok." Riku said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it into a big deal." "It's fine." Sora said. "I'm the one who brought it up. It's just... I haven't really thought about it." The boy only lowered his head, lost in his thoughts. For the first time, he felt completely lost, trying to figure out why he feels that way towards Kairi. Was it instinct? Was it a connection? Was it... Love? "It's just hard." Sora said. "It's hard for all of us." Riku said. "I sometimes wonder that too. Love can be so hard to understand." "It's funny, actually." Sora said. "All the places I've been do, I've seen others experience it. I've seen it happen before me." "It's completely normal to feel that way, Sora." Riku said. "It's all part of growing up." Sora smiled. Donald and Goofy had said the same thing to him before. It's all part of growing up and accepting it. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Sora said. Turning back to his book, he then noticed two people looking at him. Yuffie and Leon were on the other side of the table, looking at him, and from the smile on Yuffie's face, they were listening to the whole conversation. "Please tell me you weren't standing there the whole time." He said. "Oh we have, mister." Yuffie said. "Too long." Leon said. "Well..?" Yuffie asked as she leaned in. "Well what?" Sora asked. "C'mon, tell us more!" Yuffie asked, interested in hearing Sora talking more about Kairi. The spikey-haired boy gave a blush. He then picked up the book and moved to the other table. "Awww..." Yuffie pouted. Sora only shook his head and sat at the other table, and tried focusing on the book he was reading. He turned a page, and saw something that actually looked interesting. He saw a picture of a medieval like door with a crystal above it, and he began to read the text. The Door was found beneath the castle. A soldier opened it to see what was inside, only for him to stand frozen stiff and stare on in pure horror. As I looked in, I saw giant serpents and large scary spiders coming after us. But I was able to come to my senses and close the door. The soldier explained he feared spiders, and I, who feared snakes, came to the conclusion about the door. The door seems to house a very dark magic that brings one's worst fear to life. And for that reason, it is known as the Door of Fear. A Door of Fear? Fear. Fear... Face your fear.... Sora turned his head for a moment, hearing someone say those words. He only saw the others looking at and looking for books. Where did that voice come from? It didn't sound like Xehanort's voice. "It's over, Pinkie Pie!" A voice called out, getting his attention. They saw Rainbow Dash on the top floor, and Pinkie Pie at the bottom floor. "I have the high ground!" Rainbow Dash called out. "You underestimate my party power!" Pinkie Pie said. "Don't try it!" Rainbow Dash said with a grin. With a big smile, Pinkie Pie made a big mighty hop, and bounced right into Rainbow Dash, causing the two to tumble forward and back, causing the ground to shake, and a door to a nearby room to open up, causing an orb to roll out. Both of them began to laugh playfully. "What are you guys doing?" Applejack asked. "We're suppose to be looking for a book, remember?" Rarity asked. "Sorry, we're trying to make the best out of a boring situation." Rainbow Dash said. "And I just wanted to hop around a bit." Pinkie Pie said. "Guys, come over here, quick!" Twilight's voice called out. Looking from where they were, they saw Twilight on the top floor, and it sounded like she found something. Instantly, everyone rushed up the stairs and gathered around her. She then showed them what she had found. Before her was an opened book, and while the next page shared details, the one before it displayed a drawing of a heart-shaped crystal. "It's... it's cool!" Rainbow Dash said. "What is it?" "What we need." Twilight said, showing the page with the heart-shaped crystal. "The Crystal Heart." And so, Twilight read the page about the Crystal Heart. According to legend, the First Queen of the Crystal Empire created a powerful artifact known as the Crystal Heart. Powered by the love and unity of the crystal ponies, the Crystal Heart wards off even the darkest of magic. Years ago, the Crystal Heart was used to banish a dangerous race of monsters known as the Umbrum, creatures of dark magic that want nothing but to burn the world to the ground. Since that day, the Crystal Heart was displayed for all the kingdom to adore, to remind the ponies that love and unity with each other can prevail. Only the heir of the Amore Family can wield it. "Guys, this is it!" Twilight said. "This is what the Crystal Empire used to protect it's kingdom! The Crystal Heart!" "A Crystal Heart?" Donald asked. "That's all it takes?!" "Well, let's carve a crystal into a heart and display it for everyone to see!" Barret said. "I don't think it'll be that easy, big guy." Applejack said. "She's right." Aerith said. "The book says that the Crystal Heart is powered by the love and unity of the ponies. We can't just make one out of thin air." "But wait." Sora said. "If the Crystal Heart is able to repel dark magic from the kingdom, how did King Sombra managed to take it over?" "Maybe he stole it." Riku said, answering the question. "He must've learned that the Crystal Heart is used to protect the kingdom, so he must've stolen it from under their hooves to weaken them and take over." "So he must've hidden it somewhere!" Rainbow Dash said. "But where?" "Maybe somewhere in the castle." Twilight said. "I bet he probably hid it somewhere underneath it, or above it, or at least anywhere inside it!" "Then we better find it, quick!" Goofy said. "But how?!" Donald asked. "Hey Sora!" Applejack said. "Any chance your keyblade thingy can show us where it is?" "Oh, sorry." Sora said. "I don't think I'm able to do that. The keyblade only detects certain kinds of aura related to it." "But you were able to track Twilight with it." Rainbow Dash said. "Only because we had the Element of Magic with us." Sora said. "And I don't know if Ven and the others can do the same." "I Got It!" Cid said, getting everyone's attention. "What?" They all asked. "I have a device that could help us find it!" Cid said. "You mean your Synthesis Material tracker?" Yuffie asked. "Yeah, but it can track all kinds of magical items too!" Cid said. "I asked the Old Loon to add a magical tracking upgrade on it to track all kinds of magical artifacts, and I've had loads of luck finding magic stuff high and low." Old Loon. Yeah, he was talking about Merlin. "You still have it, right?" Cloud asked with a raised eyebrow. "Of course I do!" Cid said. "Well, where is it?" Leon asked. "I kept it safe back in Radiant Garden in my desk." Cid said, who then realized that he didn't have it on him. "Oh... I don't have with me." Everyone sighed with defeat and irritation. "Oh that's just great!" Barret shouted. "Just when you finally can help, you're useless!" "Well at least I don't scare everyone carrying an arm that turns into a big blaster!" Cid said. "Say that again, punk!" Barret said as he and Cid started arguing, that is until Tifa grabbed them both by the ear, making them wince with pain as they felt their ears being tugged hard. "Both of you... play nice." Tifa said. "Don't make me throw you both down the stairs." "Ok, sorry!" Barret said. "I'm sorry!" Cid shouted. "Good." Tifa said as she released them both, and the two rubbed their poor ears. Everyone was a bit surprised, except for Fluttershy, who was very impressed. "Oooh, I like her." Fluttershy said. "Me too." Discord whispered from under the scarf. "May I make a suggestion." Red XIII asked. "Yes?" Sora asked. "The book says the Crystal Heart is powered by the love and unity of the residents of this kingdom, correct?" Red XIII asked. "Yes, it does." Twilight said. "Perhaps if we lift their spirits up, and remind them of love and unity, then their renewed hope can power up the Crystal Heart and help us find it." Red XIII explained. Everyone took a moment to get all that in, and then Riku spoke. "That's genius!" Riku said. "If we unite the citizens and give them hope, they can lead us the way." "That's perfect!" Sora said. "Excellent!" Twilight said with a smile as the girls cheered. "It's definitely worth a shot." Leon said as the others agreed. "But... how are we gonna lift their spirits up?" Yuffie asked. "Maybe we can host a celebration, like the one we did after learning the real name of our home." Aerith said. Taking that into account. Twilight then glanced back at the book, and then turned the page, and the content in the pages made her smile. "That's an excellent idea!" Twilight said as she took the book. "And I know how we can do it." "How?" Sora asked. "I'll explain when we get back to the castle." Twilight said. "C'mon, everyone!" She and the girls began to head down the stairs, while the Restoration Committee, and Riku followed them. "Let's report back to the king." Goofy said. "Ok!" Donald said. "Yeah." Sora said. But then suddenly, he felt something tough the side of his foot. Looking down, he saw a glass orb, about the size of a basketball on the ground. "Hey, where did this come from?" Sora asked as he picked it up, and examined it. Looking around, he saw at the end of the hall was an slightly open door. It must've opened up when Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were fooling around a bit, and the orb must've rolled onto the ground from inside the room. "You guys go on ahead." Sora said. "I'm gonna go put this back." "Just leave it." Donald said. "Nobody would notice." "Nopony, Donald." Goofy said, which made the duck roll his eyes. "We can't just leave it rolling around." Sora said. "Someone could trip and fall." "Ok, fine." Donald said. "We'll wait by the entrance for ya." Goofy said. "Ok." Sora said. "I'll be back." The boy then made his way towards the open door while Donald and Goofy headed down the stairs. The spikey haired boy then went into the room, and to his surprise, he saw a lot of old stuff lying around. Some old curtains, some old books on a bookshelf, and a table, where a small pillar was tipped over on top. Seeing the pillar's hole was the size as the orb, the pillar must've been holding the orb. Well, now he knew where the orb should be. Sora approached the table and tilted the pillar right side up again, but then it tipped over. Luckily, Sora caught it in time. But how will the pillar stand up. Maybe he should put something under it to keep it from tilting over. Looking around, he saw a book nearby. He picked it up, not knowing the cover of the book had a strange sigil, which displayed a circle that pointed in four directions, and underneath it was a skull with an angel wing in the back of it's head. The title was a bit worn out, with it only saying this, _ISTORY OF L___S. Seeing the book as a good object to keep the pillar standing, he placed the book on the center of the table and placed the pillar on top, and it stood still! Great! Sora then placed the orb into the pillar, and it stood tall without falling. Excellent! "There we go." Sora said. Seeing his work done, he made his way back to the door, ready to join his friends at the castle, and hopefully learn how to find the Crystal Heart.... "I've been having these weird thoughts lately..." Sora stopped... hearing that voice that echoed quickly. Turning his head, he wondered who said that. "Hello?" Sora asked. "Riku?" No wait, that wasn't Riku's voice. It sounded more... a teeny bit lower and a bit rougher. And come to think of it. No one was in here. It was just him. He shook his head. "It's probably nothing." He said to himself and went to open the door. "Like... is any of this for real? Or not?" Sora froze again, hearing that voice. He looked around, wondering what was going on. Then he noticed something. The orb he placed back on the table. It was... glowing! The boy made his way towards the table, and approached the orb. "I've been having these weird thoughts lately..." The voice said again. Sora glanced into the orb which was giving a misty scene. But then he noticed something in there. Someone inside it. Someone's head. Taking a look, Sora wondered what was in there. And there was something in there... or someone. He saw a face. A face that of someone at the age of twenty. And he had spikey hair and blue eyes, just like Sora. But it was black, and the top and upper back shot upwards, while the sides and lower half of his hair shot downwards. "Like... is any of this for real? Or not?" The man said. Sora only stared at the orb for a while, confused at the man he was looking at. Placing his hand on the orb, he stared at it a little longer. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering those words the man was saying. Sora knew those words... because he said them before! "I've been having these weird thoughts lately... Like, is any of this for real? Or not?" He opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he saw that he was not in the room. He was somewhere... in the middle of nowhere. In a strange place, where the sky was black as the night, but the stars and the moon was shining down upon him. He looked around, wondering where he was. Looking down, he saw that there was water underneath his feet, but yet, the surface was solid. Hang on a moment. He's been here before... "Wait... this is..." Sora said. "The Final World?" The boy stopped, hearing that someone also said those words. Turning around, he saw a man, a little bit taller than him, with the same black spikey hair and blue eyes that man had... Wait, that was the man! Turning around, he saw him, and the man turned around slowly, looking surprised to see him too. What's interesting is that the man was wearing a black turtleneck zipped up jacket, black gloves, black trousers, and black boots too! A strange symbol was on the man's jacket shoulder. Sora stood surprised, seeing the man, who was just as confused as he was. Wait? Who was this man? And what is going on? Come to think of it, this man, almost looks exactly like a familiar guy he saw on the cover of a video game case. Is that... him? "What the..?" Sora asked. "Yozora?" The man just looked at him. "Yozora?" He asked. Sora tilted his head. "Oh, not Yozora?" Sora said. "Noctis..." The man said. "Huh?" Sora asked. "My name... is Noctis." The man said. "Noctis Lucis Caelum." "Noctis Lucis Caleum?" Sora asked. "Cool name." The man, Noctis looked at Sora again. "Who are you?" He asked. "I'm Sora." The boy answered back. "Sora who?" He asked. Sora was about to answer, but he stopped. That... was a good question. He... he didn't have a last name. "I..." He said, looking down at the ground, trying to figure out his last name. "W.. What is my last name?" But he didn't have one. He just stood there, trying to figure it out. But he couldn't, as everything began to fade away to pitch black as he tried to figure out what his last name was. "I'm.... I'm...." "あなたは選ばれました!!" "Huh?!" Sora asked, lifting his head up with widened eyes, hearing those voices speaking in unison. But then... he found himself back in the room, standing in front of the table. He glanced down at the orb, seeing no one inside it, and no longer glowing. He began to think. Who was that man? And what were those voices? "I have been chosen?" Sora asked. -TAP- "AH!" Sora spoke as he felt something tap his shoulder, making him jump. Turning to his left, he saw Amethyst Maresbury, her hoof on his shoulder. "Oh, it's just you!" Sora said. "Oh, you almost scared me-" But then he noticed something. Something was wrong. The old mare had her eyes closed, and she sounded like she was struggling to breathe, or choking! "Ma'am, are you ok?" Sora asked. Suddenly, Amethyst Maresburry let in a long inhale, gasping as if she was about to collapse. Suddenly, she froze, and opened her eyes, showing a strange crystal blue coloring covering her sclera. "戦争は始まったばかりだった…!" She spoke, her voice distorted with different voices. "W...Huh?" Sora asked. At that moment, he realized... that wasn't the librarian speaking to him. "彼は影から戻ってきました!" Amethyst spoke loudly. "彼は復讐が彼のものになるまで止まりません、そして彼の道のすべてのものは破壊されます! 空に導かれた真の王のみが、私たちの星から最も暗い災いを打ち負かします!" She then let in another gasp, as if she was going crazy. And then suddenly, she shook her head, and took a deep breath, finally catching it. She coughed into her arm, clearing her voice. She opened her eyes, which were back to their red-pink color, as if nothing happened. Lifting her head up, she turned to see Sora. "Oh, so sorry young man." She said. "I didn't know you were still here. Is there anything that you need?" The boy just stood there, staring right at her. With confusion and... fear. Whatever he just saw startled him. Greatly. Realizing that she was talking to him, he did his best to keep his cool. "Uh... No." Sora said. "I was just... I came into the wrong room, that's all." He gave a nervous smile. The crystal pony however, looked at him with concern. She could tell something was bothering him from the look of his face. "Are you ok, dear?" Amethyst asked, taking a step closer to him, making him back a bit. "You look like you've seen a ghost." "Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said with a smile. "You just startled me, that's all. I'll just be on my way now. Thanks." He then made his way to the door, but he took one last look at the librarian, who was giving a wave as if nothing happened. He too gave a wave and left the room. As he left, he let out a gasp, showing his terrified face. What just happened back in that room? That wasn't normal. The man he saw in the orb, him asking that question, and all those voices calling out to him. And just now, the old mare saying those things in that language. What the hell was all that? Seeing that he needed some fresh air, he hastly made his way down the stairs, only thinking of those... weird thoughts. "I've been having these weird thoughts lately... Like, is any of this for real? or not?" "Just... what the hell is going on?" He slowly began to wake up from his nap, hearing the sounds of a car driving, and feeling the slight movement of going forward. The boy with the black spikey hair was dressed in a black formalwear, consisting of a coat, pants, and a buttoned up shirt with a tie. Noctis Lucis Caelum finally opened his eyes, and saw that he was in the backseat of the car. He looked forward and saw someone driving in front of him. "You awake, your highness?" The driver asked. "Yeah... fell asleep in the car... again." Noctis said, laying back in his seat, trying to figure out what he was just dreaming about. Meeting that boy with brown spikey hair and blue eyes. He only turned his head to the right, seeing the city buildings nearby. "None of this... makes sense to me."