Embrace your Destiny

by Ocelot the Devil

Chapter 11 - We're gonna have to tough you up a bit, Kairi!

“There you go… not exactly a 5-star kitchen but Spike definitely knows how to whip up something tasty. I hope you enjoy it!” Twilight wished me before levitating the kitchen board with my meal gently onto my sheet-covered lap. It featured an omelet, some French toast and a glass of water.

“That’s fine… should be enough for my stomach to handle. Say, besides Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy – what about the rest of the girls? How did they react to ‘you-know-what’?” I questioned while picking up my fork and beginning to eat my omelet.

In response to that question, Twilight sighed heavily. “Very worried as well… you have no idea how lucky you were that I found you in the nick of time. Wounds everywhere, a couple of broken bones… you were on the verge of death. Luckily, my friends and I managed to nurse you back to health… well, mostly me but you get the idea.” She answered.

I nodded and swallowed some of the chewed-up pieces before continuing to speak. “That bad huh… guess those Heartless and that bodysuited girl with the mask really did a good one on me and my body.” I answered while chewing on some toast.

“A bodysuited girl with a mask?” Twilight questioned with me nodding. After swallowing the small toast pieces, I spoke once more. “Yeah… seems like she’s the one controlling the Heartless. I know you said we’d talk about that later but I feel like we should discuss it right now… it’s important.”

“You sure you don’t want to wait? You need the extra energy right now, Kairi.” She told me but I shook my head.

Twilight sighed before powering up her horn and levitating a notepad along with a pencil from out of nowhere. “Alright, Kairi… if you are certain, we’ll proceed. Start with from the beginning.” She told me.

I nodded, ate another omelet piece and then began to retell my tale. “Alright… now after my little ‘accident’ I found myself in a dark void or realm… not really where. In any case, I started searching for a way out (even attempted to call either you or Rainbow) but sadly nothing… I was alone or at least I thought I was. At that exact moment, another human girl appeared dressed in the strange garb I’ve ever seen – a darkish purple-red bodysuit with her face covered by a biker-like helmet with a black visor.” I explained as Twilight’s eyes spelled ‘Amazing! Just amazing!’ before writing down what I told her.

“Seems like you aren’t the only human in Equestria, Kairi. And that outfit she wore – a weird attire if you ask me.” Twilight answered and I agreed with her in the form of a nod.

“Tell me about… Wait, your voice…” I spoke as Twilight looked at me with a confused look. “What about my voice?” She asked.

Thinking back about the girl in the bodysuit… her voice pattern… I might be going crazy with this one but…

“Twilight… if I say something, will you consider me crazy?” I asked only to gain a confused look from the unicorn. “No… I mean, lots of crazy things have happened during my stay in Ponyville but nothing fazes me anymore. Why would I think that you are crazy?” She asked.

I placed a hand on my chin to think. “Well… it’s about her voice – the bodysuited girl.” I told her.

“What about it, Kairi? Is there something wrong with it?” Twilight asked in a concerned tone.

“Twilight… it was like – I was talking with you… it was your voice.” I answered truthfully as Twilight went into a shocked state.

“W-what!? That’s… that’s impossible! The girl in the bodysuit had my voice!? That’s impossible!” She told me but I just shrugged worriedly.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Twilight… also, get this – she claims to know who I am. The Keyblade, who I really am… everything.” I answered as Twilight went silent for a little bit and levitated the notepad and pencil down onto the bed.

“I… I think I need a minute.” She told me before leaving the room and walking downstairs to get some clear room.

At this moment, I couldn’t help but sympathize with my unicorn friend… it’s clear that’s she is going through a rough time right now. Especially after hearing more about the bodysuited girl with the mask. It’s best to just wait and give her some privacy until she comes back so we can resume our conversation.

In the meantime, I plan to enjoy my meal in peace so as to gain some energy when answering Twilight’s questions… not that I’ve already recovered most of it.

I took another bite of my omelet and drank some water while thinking of how else to be discreet in our conversation. No mention of Princess Luna whatsoever since she asked me to keep it a secret… I’m sure I can figure something out.

Though what does that bodysuited girl want with me exactly? I’m the key to all of this but I don’t have a clue how. Next time when I see her, I’ll get my answers and what my past is and who I really am. With a little luck, I must take off the mask and see who the mystery figure really is and why she sounds like Twilight.

Continuing to eat, I also thought about my conversation with Luna. Why shouldn’t I mention her appearance and assistance to Twilight? Maybe she wanted to keep the existence of the Keyblade a secret from the librarian and her friends? I don’t think they were aware of its existence at all prior to me arriving in Equestria along with the masked figure. It kinda of makes sense, I guess…

Actually, the less they know about the Keyblade and such, the better since it avoids awkward questions that may or may not have answers. I can see why Luna wanted her involvement to be kept a secret. I’m sure that I’ll have no trouble of figuring out how not to mention her.

After taking another sip of water, Twilight had returned – her face was… unreadable sadly. I couldn’t tell if she was still thinking about the revelation that I told her or if she is on something else. Either way, best not to pressure her and wait.

“…Can we continue please? I apologize for that… I… I just needed a minute.” Twilight told me and I nodded while continuing to eat.

Levitating her notebook and pencil, we resumed our conversation. “Tell me what happened after she appeared.”

Swallowing the pieces of omelet, I continued. “After her appearance, she revealed that she was also a Keyblade Wielder as well.” Needless to say, Twilight was surprised yet again.

“Another Keyblade Wielder? Wow… this just keeps getting better and better. So, what happened next?” She asked though I couldn’t help but wonder if the sentence beforehand was a sarcastic one or not.

In any event, I continued to retell my story. “A fight had broken out between me and the mystery wielder. During our clash, I learned a couple of things about my opponent: 1. She’s very agile and fast; 2. She has a set of mysterious ability – transportation, darkness, a very powerful burst of magic and also conjuring copies of herself; 3. She’s prone to anger and easily provoked.”

That explanation really amazed and somewhat scared Twilight. “Whoa! Just… just whoa. I don’t believe it… I just have to wonder who she is exactly and where did she gain such impressive strength and abilities. It’s certainly a good mystery to solve… provided we can track her down and ask her a couple of questions.” She explained to me.

I nodded somewhat slowly. “Just… don’t get careless, alright? We still don’t have a clue on who she is or her motivation.” I replied and Twilight sighed while writing down.

“I know, I know. Shouldn’t get careless since it could end being my end but if we could find out where the figure is maybe our questions could be answered.” Twilight told me.

She had a point with that one… but we still shouldn’t be reckless. The mysterious figure definitely is a powerful one and she could be our end if we aren’t careful.

“True to that… but we shouldn’t be reckless. Anyways, continuing on – the fight was a hard one… I won’t lie that it wasn’t easy. She was tough (both in strength and magic) but luckily, I held my ground for as long as I could. Unfortunately, she had beaten me.” I told her.

Twilight gasped and immediately checked up on me. “Are you okay? No inside injuries involved?” She asked in a slightly worried tone.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Twilight, it was all happening in the dream state… I’m fine.” Twilight backed off a bit after I assured her yet there was still a worried expression on her face.

“Are you sure? Not feeling any pain or anything like that?” She asked and I nodded to make her calm down a bit.

“Alright… if you are sure. So, you lost the fight?” She asked me while writing down the information.

I nodded before continuing to speak. “Yes… I thought that I would have been destroyed from the inside in my dreams… The figure was approaching me and her plan was to eliminate me. I was inches away from death and just as the masked wielder was about to strike me down… I felt… a pure light. It had come to protect me and heal me along with my wounds. After that, the fight resumed and this time I had won the battle which really enraged the masked girl. She retreated soon afterwards and the rest is history.” My explanation had finished as I took another sip of water.

Twilight wrote down the last bits of information in her notebook before placing it down gently on her bed. “Sounds like the battle was truly an interesting one indeed… you stood your ground well.” She told me.

“You believe me – the masked figure and all of this?” I asked and she nodded slowly. “Under normal circumstances, I would think that you are really ‘crazy’ but after what you just told me, there’s no room for doubt. I believe that you fought against a masked figure who sounds like me and that she also has a Keyblade to assist her.” Twilight replied.

“Good to know you believe me… so, what do we do now?” I asked her while finishing up the rest of my meal.

Twilight placed a hoof on her chin to think of an idea. “Hmmm… if this masked figure is definitely the one who is ordering the Heartless to attack Equestria then she may return along with a new breed of those little monsters by her side. We need to prepare for that time when it comes.” She explained.

Not a bad idea… preparation is the key.

“Plus we have to make sure they don’t steal anyone’s hearts.” I told her.

“Yeah, that as we- Wait… steal hearts?” She asked me in a confused tone as I slapped my forehead – nearly forgot about that. “I just remembered… before awakening, the pure light explained that the Heartless are attracted to the darkness in people’s hearts. Their main meal is basically a person or in your case a pony’s heart.” Twilight was horrified upon hearing that.

“That’s… that’s amoral! What kind of creatures are these!? It’s sickening… wait, what happens if the Heartless steal a pony’s heart?” She questioned even though she didn’t really want to know the truth.

In response to that, I sighed heavily and explained. “If a pony’s heart gets stolen by the Heartless, my guess is that another will be formed.” Twilight was horrified once more.

Her horror soon turned into determination. “No… No! Absolutely not! We can’t let these creatures overrun Ponyville or for that matter Equestria! Kairi, you have to help us! My friends and I can try our best to handle some of them but your ‘Keyblade’ might be the only thing that can really help us… Please, Kairi.” She pleaded with me.

I couldn’t help but let a smile form on my lips. “Twilight, I’m not going anywhere – not until the Heartless and masked figure are stopped. Just calm down, will you?” I told her.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel relieved upon hearing my words and she embraced me in a hug. “Thanks, Kairi… we owe you a deep gratitude. Me and my friends.” She replied before removing her hooves.

“So… what happens next – besides defending Equestria from the creatures which is our top priority?” I asked while Twilight levitated the kitchen board away from my lap to a nightstand nearby.

“Besides that… I’m gonna help you get into shape a little bit and toughen you up in case the masked figure reappears and challenges you to another fight.” She explained.

Training, huh? Not a bad idea… it could help with learning some new moves and abilities along the way. Though where are we going to have lessons?

“Not that I don’t mind that since it sounds like a good idea but where are we going to train my body and mind exactly?” I questioned with a curious expression.

“Leave that to me… my magic is powerful enough to conjure a simulation arena or teleport us to a place where we won’t be disturbed. If the situation demands it, I’ll bring some of my friends along to help us out. Fret not, Kairi… I’ll handle everything. The only thing you have to do is prepare and train in case our opponent shows up.” Twilight explained and I nodded.

“Alright… seems like you’ve got everything worked out. When do I begin the first training session?” I questioned and Twilight’s lips twisted into an amused grin. “Tomorrow morning at the earliest.”

Oh, fuck… wasn’t expecting that.

(The next morning…)

“Ready for your first training session, Kairi?” Twilight questioned me as we stood in the library section of her home. My expression right now was one of tiredness due to me getting up way too early… at 7:00 in the morning if you can believe it.

Placing my hand on my mouth to stop an incoming yawn was my response to her question. Twilight frowned a bit. “Oh, come on… you can’t be that tired.” She told me while I rubbed my eyes.

I made an unamused face. “Twilight… when you told me ‘at the earliest’ I was thinking that it would be at 8:30 or 9:00 at the least… not freaking 7:30. Ugh…” I told her in a frustrated tone.

“I know, I know… its too early but the sooner we get started, the better. How do you like the outfit I gave you by the way?” She asked me as I stared at the temporary outfit I was issued or as Twilight put it ‘training clothes’.

My upper attire consisted of a white top underneath a black t-shirt while my lower attire was a pair of black khaki Capri pants with a purple belt to hold them. As for footwear, there were purple sneakers with light purple and black accents. My necklace with the silver bead was still around my neck along with the bracelets on my left arm as well.

“It’s… well, I’m not a fashion consultant but it’s a nice look – it’s like I’m in a gym glass or running for a marathon.” I replied with the tired look still on my face.

Letting out another yawn, I blocked it with my hand before looking at Twilight. “When do we start on our first training session?” I asked her.

Twilight was about to answer when we both felt our stomach growl. Oh, yeah… we didn’t have any breakfast yet. Twilight smiled sheepishly at that. “Well, I guess the session could wait… first things first, let’s get some energy into our bodies.” She told me.

That made me grin a bit while replying. “Now you’re speaking my language!”