//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 - The Key to Origins: My R // Story: Embrace your Destiny // by Ocelot the Devil //------------------------------// *The opening intro begins as a shadowy figure watches the sunrise over the horizon with a key-shaped weapon in her hands.* *Boom goes the dynamite, Feels like I'm taking flight…* *The sun rises high in the air as it dissolves the shadow surrounding the mysterious figure.* *Alright, alright, alright…* *The shadowy figure is revealed to be Kairi who stands on a cliff and awaits for the day to begin. As the sun rises, she flicks her hair a bit and smiles before jumping down to start the day as the current scene ends.* *Everything is magical, Anything is possible…* *A new scene shows Kairi and her pony friends fighting against the unknown black creatures known as the Heartless.* *Alright, alright, alright…* *A couple of Heartless appear behind Fluttershy before jumping in the air to attack them only for Twilight Sparkle to use her horn to blast them away.* *Oooh! Feels so electric, Oooh! I'm gonna get it…* *Rainbow Dash and Applejack both combine their skills and powers to take down as few Heartless – mainly Rainbow using her wings while Applejack her lasso.* *Oooh! Feels so electric, Alright, alright, alright…* *Rarity uses her horn on some of the creatures while Pinkie Pie pulls out her cannon to shoot some Heartless.* *I am who I wanna be! Who, I wanna be! Who, I wanna be!* *In the end, Kairi struck down the last of the creatures before staring at the moon at the night sky as the scene ended.* *I am moving to the beat! Moving to the beat! Moving to the beat!* *The next scene shows Midnight-Vanitas in her temporary hideout as she spies on Kairi and the ponies via a special kind of mirror projector.* *I'm a strong individual, feelin' that power! I'm so original, you sing it louder!* *Midnight-Vanitas turns off the projection before taking off her masked helmet just as the scene is completely shadowed and only her evil light purple eyes are shown before closing.* *I am… Who, I wanna be! Who, I wanna be! Who, I wanna be… I am!* *A new scene shows Kairi in casual clothes and Twilight Sparkle exploring the city of Manehatten while Midnight-Vanitas spies on them via a rooftop.* *I'm a, I'm a go-getter, I'm on that trendsetter… Alright, alright, alright!* *Smiling underneath her masked helmet, she looked away from them before staring at the big building in the far distance – The Public Mall. A trap was set for them over there as the scene ended.* *See me in the headlines! I am one of a kind! Making' everything shine… Alright, alright!* *The next scene shows Kairi and Twilight taking on the Heartless inside the Public Mall while Midnight-Vanitas awaits in the shadows to make her move.* *I am who I wanna be, Who, I wanna be, Who, I wanna be!* *Once the Heartless are all gone, Midnight comes out of the shadows to challenge Kairi and Twilight.* *I am moving to the beat… Moving to the beat… Moving to the beat (oooh)!* *Kairi and Midnight’s Keyblades clash together while Twilight charges her horn to attack the masked female from behind. As the intro song nears to an end, the scene dissolves.* *I'm a strong individual, feelin' that power! I'm so original, you sing it louder!* *The final scene shows Kairi and her pony friends getting ready to take a picture together with smiles on their faces. Photo Finish tells them to get into position before snapping the photo.* *I am… Who, I wanna be… Who, I wanna be… Who, I wanna be…* *The song reaches its end as the words: Embrace your Destiny! – appear in yellowish-white. Leaning on them is a confident and smiling Kairi with her Keyblade at the ready!* *I AM!* (TRIGGER WARNING! TRIGGER WARNING! MENTIONS OF RAPE AND SUICIDE! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!) Chapter 15: The Key to Origins: My R “You know,” I mused as we stepped out of the Stargate. “Now that we’re back from the party, I’m gonna have to step up our training.” “Why’s that?” Haley asked. “Because you declined having your magic tested at the exam,” I retorted with a roll of my eyes. “Because you still haven’t figured out how to switch forms quickly, because your magic is still unstable. Take your pick.” “Well that’s not my fault,” the girl pouted. “Yes it is!” everyone in the room shouted. I would have gone on, but Melissa’s phone rang. “Excuse me for a moment,” the techie turned around, pulling out the phone. “Melissa here… Uh-huh… sure… Alright, go ahead and dial it up, we’ll see you in a minute.” After hanging up, she turned back to us. “Mina wants to come by to hang out, and maybe train a little more, so, let’s not stand in front of the Gate.” “Good call,” I nodded as the inner ring of the Gate began to turn. Stepping to the side, we watched as the portal opened, and Mina stepped through. “Kairi!” Mina yelled in joy. I smiled at the greeting. “Hey Mina, I take it you’re ready to continue up Tartarus? Or are you here to hang out?” “Continue up Tartarus and then hang out. Maybe both at the same time.” She joked. I nodded with an impish grin. “Alright then, I hope you’re ready to tell Twilight about the Heartless you encounter when you get back.” “Oh, definitely… in fact we planned to start an investigation soon.” “Vanitas wannabe?” I asked. She nodded. “Yep. The sooner we learn where she is, the better we can stop her. Also if I might inquire…?” I raised an eyebrow. “Go on,” She grinned. “How’s lovely Melissa doing? I sure hope she hasn’t been too upset about me returning back to my own Equestria.” “You know, you could always ask me directly,” a grinning techie stood behind my younger doppelganger. “Much more polite that way.” Mina’s grin didn’t fade. “Well, it's true. I can always ask the source… also, here’s a little gift from me.” She walked over to Melissa and kissed her cheek. The girl’s grin faded a bit, but didn’t disappear. “Heh, I guess you did miss me.” “Nope. Never. I can’t leave a cutie like you alone.” With a suspiciously sad smile, Melissa just shook her head. “Well, I probably shouldn’t keep you from your training, I’ll go get the sim set up.” Mina noticed the smile straight away. “Melissa… what’s wrong?” The techie shook her head. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” I frowned. “Melissa, this isn’t nothing, that much is obvious. Is this something to do with your past?” “No, really, it’s noth-” “Melissa, we’re your friends,” I cut her off. “Whatever it is, it’s hurting you, and we want to be there for you.” Melissa sighed. “Alright, follow me, but Haley, I want you to go set up the sim. I don’t know you as well as Kairi and Luna. Mina, you’re welcome to come along as well.” She then turned and led us deeper into the tower. We followed the techie to an elevator, where she pressed a button marked “TC”. We rode up to the very top of the tower and stepped out into a smaller version of the Simulator. “This is my Trauma Cell,” Melissa explained softly. “Trauma Cell?” Mina asked worriedly. She nodded. “Yes. That’s what I call it anyway. It contains memories… Painful memories…” She sighed, pressing one of the buttons on one of the consoles. Immediately, the room transformed into the rooftop of a Japanese style building. “I guess the best way to explain is to start here,” the techie sighed from where she stood, but it wasn’t the same girl. She stood a full head shorter, wearing a yellow cardigan, with her bright red hair up in twin braids. Her glasses, however, remained the same. “My old name was Hikari Kagami, a regular, Japanese, schoolgirl.” I nodded. “OK, two things. Actually, make it three things. Why have you gone to so much trouble hiding your past when I never met you before? Why are we on a roof, and most importantly, how are we on a roof?” With another sigh, Melissa turned away from us. “Believe it or not, I do actually have a tie to you. This is all a hologram, much like the Simulator, and as for why here…” She took in a deep, shuddering breath as another girl roughly the same height, with black, braided hair appeared by the railing as Melissa began to sing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX7kvYrL6lQ “Just as I was about to take my shoes, Off on the rooftop, there I see A girl with braided hair here before me, Despite myself, I go and scream ‘Hey, don’t do it please!’” The girl at the railing stiffened, then turned to face Melissa as the music picked up. Luna turned away from the scene, a tear trailing down her cheek as she remembered this same presentation from a thousand years ago. “Whoa, wait a minute what did I just say? I couldn’t care less either way To be honest, I was somewhat pissed This was an opportunity missed The girl with braided hair told me her woes You’ve probably heard it all before ‘I really thought that he might be the one But then he told me he was done.’” Melissa grit her teeth as she walked up to the girl and gripped her arms. “For God’s sake, please! Are you serious I just can’t believe That for some stupid reason you got here before me Are you upset ‘cause you can’t have what you wanted? You’re lucky that you’ve never gotten robbed of anything!” The girl smiled, before turning to the stairs. “’I’m feeling better thank you for listening’ The girl with braided hair then disappeared.” Time seemed to rapidly progress as Mina and I just stared in shock. Please don’t be going where I think its going was the thought running through both our heads. “’Alright, today’s the day!’ or so I thought Just as I took both of my shoes off There was but a girl short as can be Despite myself, I go and scream The petite girl told me her woes You’ve probably heard it all before ‘Everyone ignores me, everyone steals I don’t fit in with anyone here’” Melissa pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before glaring at the petite girl. “For God’s sake, please! Are you serious I just can’t believe That for some stupid reason you got here before me ‘Cause even so, you’re still loved by everyone at home There’s always dinner waiting on the table, you know!” The girl looked down in shame as she turned to the stairs. “’I’m hungry’ said the girl as she shed a tear The girl short as can be then disappeared.” Melissa closed her eyes, bowing her head. “And like that, there was someone every day I listened to their tale I made them turn away And yet there was no one who would do this for me No way I could let out all this pain.” Mina and I were openly crying now, as we watched a series of images where Melissa, or rather, Hikari, managed to stop multiple suicides. But as we watched, she seemed to become more and more depressed. “For the very first time, there I see Someone with the same pains as me Having done this time and time again She wore a yellow cardigan ‘I just wanna stop the scars that grow Every time that I go home That’s why I came up here instead’ That’s what the girl in the cardigan said Whoa, wait a minute what did I just say? I couldn’t care less either way But in the moment I just screamed Something that I could not believe ‘Hey, don’t do it please!’” Melissa fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she screamed. “Agh what to do? I can’t stop this girl, oh this is new For once I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew But even so please just go away so I can’t see Your pitiful expression is just too much for me!” The girl in the yellow cardigan seemed to sigh as she turned to the stairs. “’I guess today is just not my day’ She looked away from me and then she disappeared.” My eyes widened as another day dawned on the roof, this time no one there. “There’s no one here today, I guess it’s time It’s just me, myself, and I There’s no one who can interfere No one to get in my way here.” Melissa stepped to the edge of the roof, shoes discarded behind her, as it clicked in my mind “Taking off my yellow cardigan.” Every girl she talked down, “Watching my braids all come undone.” Was a version, “This petite girl, short as can be.” Of her. “Is gonna jump now and be free.” I stared in shock for a few seconds as the hologram faded away. Something was nagging me though. “Melissa…” I hesitated, before forging ahead. “When you said earlier that ‘you’re lucky that you’ve never gotten robbed of anything,’ you weren’t… well…” “Raped?” Melissa finished quietly. “Yes, I was.” Mina gasped and walked slowly towards her before letting her hand touch Melissa’s. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Melissa snorted, turning back to the console on the wall. “Why do you think? It was one of the things that led to my suicide. I didn’t plan to explain ANY of this!” I sighed as I walked up to her. “I don’t blame you for not telling us, but why did you decide to tell us? You didn’t have to after all.” The techie blushed. “Well, it's that time of the month. I’m not really thinking rationally right now.” Mina raised a brow. “Not thinking rationally?” Melissa’s blush deepened. “I’m being impulsive and moody, OK?” “Oh…” Now it was Mina’s turn to blush. I gave a light chuckle. “That explains your little ‘cello-off’ earlier.” “Hey! That was fun, and you know it!” Melissa retorted. Mina just whistled innocently. Melissa glanced over, before sighing. “I’m gonna need a bit of time to get my equilibrium back. Go do your training for a bit. I’ll come back down when I’m calm again.” “You sure?” I asked skeptically. “I personally find it very therapeutic to kill monsters when I need to calm down.” “Why do you think this room has holographic projectors?” Melissa replied with a snort. “I happen to agree with you. Now get!” Before leaving, Mina stopped for a moment and kissed Melissa’s cheek yet again. “For good luck.” Melissa gave a slight, yet sincere smile, before turning back to the console, prompting us to get back on the elevator, though not before Luna darted over and gave her a big hug. “We’ll talk about your comment about us having a link later,” I called out as the door closed. “She’s dreamy…” Mina commented. I raised an eyebrow. “Not the description I’d personally give, but whatever floats your boat I guess.” Mina pouted at me. “Hey!” [If you’re wondering, the way I do author’s notes sometimes, is by having a conversation with whoever I’m writing with at the time] Aaand, done. Whew, that was a tough chapter to write, wouldn’t you say Ocelot? Definitely! The best parts were Mina comforting Melissa as best she could… Hopefully there’s more romance between them soon! Well, we’ll see. I don’t know about you, but I SUCK at writing romance. In any case, more story coming soon! Thank you all for sticking with it, even when it takes almost a year to update. Hope you have fun reading, ya lot! This is Ocelot wishing you all a happy reading day! Indeed! See you all next chapter! *The outro sequence opens with Kairi watching the night sky from her bedroom window while the song ‘Rurou no Zakuro’ plays in the background.* *Migite ni ai no muchi wo, Hidarite niwa hanataba wo…* *Yet another day has passed for the wielder here in Equestria – she spent the day fighting against another group of Heartless but she was tired completely soon afterwards.* *Kodama ni mimi wo tatete, Hayate no gotoku tondeku…* *With a sigh released, Kairi continues to stare at the night sky while wondering what other adventures she would be having in Equestria as this scene comes to an end.* *Kanashiki senjou de, Nani wo omoi nani wo omou…* *A new scene begins with Midnight-Vanitas inside her temporary hideout as she practices her skills on some training dummies that she conjured.* *Yamunaku hitoribocchi, Samui yoru ni kogoeru…* *Using her Keyblade, she slashed and destroyed a couple of them before channeling her inner darkness and growing stronger and stronger.* *Yami wo sasu Hikari, Yodomi ni ukabu ano hitomi…* *Midnight used a couple of spells to destroy the rest of the dummies in addition to using her Keyblade as a weapon as well. Once done, she dismissed the key-shaped item away before plotting her next move.* *Aa hito to yure no sadame wo iku, Rurou no Zakuro!* *With her mind made up, she snapped her fingers and disappeared into the darkness as the entire scene became black.* *Nanimo shiranu furi shite, Damasareta furi wo shite…* *The final scene shows Kairi and her pony friends having fun in the local park – playing and having a picnic. Soon, a local photographer asks for them to get into position as he prepares to take a picture.* *Kuroi eikou nowa nakatta, Nani wo au no wo kirashite…* *The photographer snaps the picture which depicts Kairi, Twilight and the rest of their friends making silly faces and posing for the camera. The song comes to a conclusion.* *Sono kage wo yurashite, Sorera yukusue wo monogataru!* *Everything goes black as the title ‘Embrace your Destiny!’ appears once again while a pair of evil eyes are watching before blinking. ‘Rurou no Zakuro’ ends completely as the episode comes to a close.*