Kingdom Hearts of Harmony

by steel soul

Glimmer

Celestia's sun was slowly beginning to dip over the horizon when Apple Bloom made her way back to her home. Despite cheering up a little bit after playing with her friends a bit more that day, she was still forlorn about not being able to see Sora at all for a while. She had taken her mind off it for a long while when her granny and Applejack had pulled her for her help in sorting through a few boxes they needed for the Apple Family Reunion, even sharing a laugh or two as they looked upon the old photo album Granny had pulled out. Still, when night finally fell, and the little filly was back in her room, her thoughts would be her own again...and they would always stray back to the Keyblade Wielder.

"Stupid Heartless..." She growled softly. "Keeping Sora busy...Can't even show him a good time at the reunion. Ah wanted Babs to meet him and everything." She groaned softly before turning over in her bed, deciding that getting some sleep was the best thing she could do for now. Maybe her dream world will make her a little happier. The sound of hoofsteps coming from the room next store would not allow her to do so however. She had tried to cover up the noise with a pillow, but when that didn't help, the little filly decided that confrontation was the better part of valor. Besides, she needed a distraction anyway

Following the noise to Applejack's room, the little filly would open the door to find her big sister up and about, pacing the floor back and forth.

"Apple Bloom...what are you doing up?" The orange mare asked, making her way towards her tired sister.

"Ah should be asking you the same question, sis," She said quietly, watching as Applejack closed the distance between them. "All your shuffling was keeping me up...so...ah decided ta make sure everything was okay."

"Oh...then...Sorry Apple Bloom. Couldn't sleep. My gears were turning in my head about this reunion and what not." The older mare sighed before setting herself on the bed.

"Oh...that..." Apple Bloom sighed softly as she hopped onto the bed with her sister. "Ah was looking forward to it...ya know...to hang out with my cousin Babs..."

The older mare looked at her sister, raising an eyebrow. "Was?"

"Oh...no ah mean...I am looking forward to it..." Apple Bloom corrected herself. "It's just...Ah was hoping Sora would have been there. He never been to an Apple Family Reunion and...Ah was thinking of...showing him around. Introducing him to the family..."

Getting their approval. The little mare added, though only within her mind.

Applejack nodded slowly in understanding. "Well...Ah do wish he was here too. Ah also wish that we weren't dealing with those Heartless things..." The older sibling looked down at her dejected little sister. "Maybe when this is all over, the whole family can get together and show Sora some good ol Apple Family Hospitality. Heck, he is already like part of the family already...Though we are gonna have ta kick that lazy side out of him. Bet he got it from the Oranges. Just as sly with the words as he wants to be like em."

Apple Bloom giggled. "Yeah...He was always able to talk you into letting me and the girls take a break when we were working hard. Even allowed us to ride on his back whenever we asked." Her smile would falter a bit. "Ah hope he's okay...He...isn't the most...well...I'm just worried about him."

"Me too sugarcube." Applejack would wrap a hoof around her sister. "But don't you worry none. Rainbow, Rarity and Fluttershy will make sure that he keeps out of trouble. They gave me their word."

Apple Bloom nodded before laying her head down on Applejacks's lap, pressing herself against her sister for warmth. "They better...Ah don't want to see Sora...I don't want to see him hurt like that again..."

The older mare's eyes softened at the little filly's words, knowing exactly what she was talking about. Gently, she would let her hoof run against Apple Bloom’s hair. "Do...you wanna talk about it?"

Apple Bloom flinched at her sister's words. "No…Ah…Ah mean…I don’t know…maybe…I just…"

"You don't have to if you are not ready yet AB." her sister reassured her. "Just letting ya know I'm here for ya. It...no filly should have had to see what any of you girls saw. Just ain't right."

"Ah understand..." Apple Bloom whispered. "Ah just...Ah just wanna make sure he's alright...ta make sure he doesn't go through that again..."

Applejacks chuckled a bit at her younger sister's soft words. "Ah know what ya mean Sugrecube. Ah would like nothing better than to make sure Sora never gets hurt again. But that's just wishful thinking. Sora is...he's a Hero, Apple Bloom. In every sense of the word. Sure, when he told us about his adventures, he said he was just out there to look for his friends. But Sora is and ah think always will be one to put himself in front of others if they are in trouble. And that's because he..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "Because his heart is just too dang big for his own good. That's just who he is...hehe...maybe that's why his cutie mark is a crown. Cause anyone who would wear it should always put ponies before himself."

Apple Bloom was so quiet for, the older mare thought that she had fallen asleep. It wasn't until her soft voice gently whispered out that she knew that her sister was nearly halfway there to dream land. "Will he...be okay?"

“Hehe…you really care for Sora, don’t ya?” The orange farm mare was quiet for a long time before answering her sister proper. "Ah think he will be...because me, you and the girls. We will keep him safe, okay?"

She felt her sister nod slowly before soft snores began to fill the room proper, marking the little filly as fast asleep. Applejack smiled softly before gently slipping her sister under her clovers, the mare gently kissing the little filly’s cheek. "Sleep tight little sis."

She smiled as the little filly snuggled in for the night, the mare sighing softly before making her way out the room. She paused as she passed by Sora's bedroom door, the mare touching it softly with a hoof. "You better come home safe Sora...If not for us...then..." She shook her head. "Just come home okay." She sighed softly before making her way to settle in for the night downstairs.

Trottingham woods

"Darling, are you sure?"

"I...I think I am. I...I think I want to tell Sora how I feel."

Rarity had been surprised when Fluttershy had pulled her away from the rest of the group that trecked though the woods, making sure that no one else could hear the two of them talking. She was surprised further by what the mare had to tell her. Though, she knew that it was only a matter of time before the yellow mare cracked.

"Why Fluttershy, I think that's wonderful. You can't believe how proud I am to hear you are following your heart." Rarity praised, the mare pulling her friend into a hug. "Oooooh look at my little Fluttershy. To think that she would be bold enough to ask a stallion to be her coltfriend. If I didn't know you any better I would say it was Scandalous."

The butter yellow mare blushed brightly at her friends words, genlty pushing the mare. "We...we won't be like that, Rarity. At least...I don't think for a while. I, um, I'm just going to ask him out...for...some lunch, maybe. I mean...I am going to tell him how I feel about him and everything, but I, um, want to take it slow. And I definitely don't want to overburden him."

Rarity smiled as she gently wrapped a hoof around her shy hearted friend. "Why, I understand completely, Fluttershy. Taking it nice and slow is always a good step when it comes to the matter of the heart." The mare paused before looking over towards her friend. "Though I must warn you, you must not go too slow, dear. Playing hard to get with a stallion isn't the best idea either. But still, I'm proud of you Fluttershy. Sora is a wonderful stallion" She paused again, tapping a hoof to her chin. "Even if he really isn't a stallion stallion."

The shy mare nodded. "You're right, Rarity. He isn't a stallion like we know...But, um, I think that, in some ways...it makes it a little bit easier? He doesn't have to judge me by pony standards and I don't have to judge him by his. I just...I just hope he doesn't mind that I am a pony."

"Why wouldn't he, Darling! I've seen the way you two act with each other. You have nothing to worry about" The white mare reassured her friend. "Trust me, Fluttershy! Plus, I'll be there to help you every step of the way. You and I are friends after all, and I would never leave my friends in their time of need."

Fluttershy smiled at the white unicorn. "T-Thank you, Rarity, I appreciate that."

The shy mare was startled by her unicorn friend as the white mare pulled her close, cheek to cheek, as her eyes glimmered with inspiration. "Oh....Ideeeeeeal! You just have to let me design an ensemble for you. Something Simple and enchanting. Not too flashy, mind you. I do know your taste after all. Still, it has to be something that will no doubt catch his eye, of course."

"Oh...Rarity you don't have to do that." The shy mare said, embarrassed.

"Oh but I must darling! And it's no big deal at all, if that was what you were worried about. Just think of it as a small gift from me to the two of you." Rarity gave Fluttershy another squeeze.

"Then...ah...I guess...think you Rarity." Fluttershy blushed even brighter than before, her mind running wild as she thought of what Sora might say to such a gift. What ever that gift was.

Their talk was soon interrupted by Dream Drop, the guard smiling at the two of them as she approached. "Sorry to interrupt your little girl talk over here mares, but Lightning is asking for the two of you up front. Seems that we are nearing the camp where those who escaped the city are supposed to be." She smirked. "If I see Sora coming back this way, I'll be sure to keep him company while you two are busy. later." She left just as quick as she came, her canter as if she didn't have a care in the world as she barked out what was no doubt orders from Lightning to the rest of the guards.

Rarity huffed as she watched the guardsmare walk away. While the white mare was still miffed at how Dream always treated Sora like a toy to have. She would have said something to her but Fluttershy was the voice for the two, pulled her friend away, leading her towards where the Captain of the unit was

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I can’t see how you can be so nice to a mare that just clings to the stallion you like, like there wasn’t a care in the world, Fluttershy.”

“I…well…It's not like I like her to do so…but…it doesn’t hurt to be nice to ponies." She looked away. "Besides, I, um, I think she just likes teasing him more than anything. I’m not worried about them if that's the case.”

“Oh my…well you are a better pony than me in that regard.” The white mare committed. “Still, it's something you might need to talk to her about in any case. Sora is going to be your cute little coltfriend after all.”

Fluttershy blushed deeply, pushing her friend lightly once again. “Oh Rarity…”

Their little talk ended as they neared the captain. Upon seeing the two Elements of Harmony, Lightning would give them a nod before turning back to face Zidane. "Right...now that everypony is here, gonna catch all of you up to speed on what the plan is" She pointed from herself to the two elements of harmony. "For now, It's just going to me and these two that will be going into the refugee camp."

"We...we are going with you?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head as she spoke.

"Thats right," The captain answered, "The last thing we need to cause panic within their camp if we can help it. The fewer ponies they see, the more likely we can get them to cooperate fully with us."

Zidane nodded. "Now that sounds like a pretty good idea. Not that I can complain about it. Having three lovely mares by my side is something out of my wildest dreams after all." He looked Lightning up and down. "And I do mean lovely. Gotta say, didn't get a good look at you before but you really do have it going on Captain. Might just have to take you out for coffee after all of this is over.”

Fluttershy saw Lightning raise an eyebrow at the teen stallion. It was subtle, but even after being away from her for so long, the shy mare knew all of Lightning's emotional tells, And it was though that, the shy mare knew that Zidane's safety was slowly dwindling by the second the longer he was within hooves reach of Lightning's blade.

"Then...Then shall we go?" Fluttershy suggested, strategically putting herself the older brother and the mare for the little one's safety. "I...um...I do want to make sure those ponies are safe. I can't imagine how scared they must be after everything they went through."

"Right..." The Captain's gaze fell to the teen behind Fluttershy, her expression completely neutral. "Lead the way colt."

"With pleasure ma'am." He said with a bow before calling out over his shoulder. "Kuja! Let's go!" With a blink, the younger brother would pop into existence, landing on his older brother's back with practiced ease. With the brothers now leading the way, Lightning and the two elements of harmony followed after him, the colt guiding the trio down the dark dirt path.

Fluttershy, despite her earlier bravery before, kept herself close to Rarity as they walked, the fashionista doing her best to keep the butter yellow mare from shaking like a leaf as they made their way though the dark forest alone. Without the guards at their back now Fluttershy could not help but fell just a little more helpless then before. Her gaze fell to her cousin, Lightning who was the perfect opposite of the shy mare, The Guard Captain taking each step she made as if she was a mare on a mission. Her gaze shifted from left to right, but her head barely moved an inch as she kept a close eye on her guide.

Needing some kind of distraction, the shy mare spoke up, whispering to her friends beside her. “I…Do hope they are doing okay…”

“Are you talking about Sora and Rainbow” Rarity asked, tilting her head at the mare.

“I…well…I am worried about Sora, but…I have to believe he can take care of himself. And Rainbow is there, I trust her to keep him safe and him to keep her safe, but the ponies we are going to, I can’t imagine what they must have went through in here, all alone, cut off from the rest of the world with those Heartless...I...” She shook her head. "I hope they all made it out..."

“I-I’m sure they are fine, Fluttershy” The white unicorn assured her her friend. “Ponies are much tougher than they look, after all. While I will admit that we do tend to run around and scream when trouble hits, when we need to we can stop up to the plate, as the saying go's. You are living proof of that after all, Fluttershy.”

“I…well…I mean…I’m not doing anything special.” The pegasus tried to disagree, shaking her head. “I just…I mean…I’m still scared. So scared I can barely stand it…And I want to run away and hide and leave all this to somepony else.”

“But you are here anyway, worried more about others than you are yourself.” Rarity giggled softly. “I have to admit…You and Sora have so much in common in that aspect. Maybe you two really are made for each other.”

"I...I mean..." they shy mare tried to deny Rarity's words but she couldn't find any will to do so. She knew that her friend was right. The old her would not have done something as foolish as this. She would have tried everything in her power to run away. But...Ever since she met Sora...Had she become a little...braver?

Fluttershy could only blush brightly at that, mumbling something incoherent under her breath as she kept her gaze down.

The white unicorn would only giggle again as she watched as her yellow friend became a little embarrassed. She is just too cute when she is in love.

All talking stopped as Zidane raised a hoof in front of them, a sign for everyone to be quite. His ears perked as the gentle murmur of talking could be heard not too far away. The colt smirked. "Oh! We are getting close. Gotta be right past the bush." He told them before speeding up his trot.

"Slow down, down colt." Lightning commanded, though her plea was answered by deaf ears as the colt pretty much did the opposite of what she told him. With a roll of her eyes, she would pick up the pace, though only after signaling for Rarity and Fluttershy to do the same.

As they gave chase to the brothers, the trio of mares would see Kuja and Zidane disappear though a pile of bushes, his voice clearly being heard as he yelled. "Guess whos baaaaa-ACK"

"Zidane!" Fluttershy would call out, though it was Lightning that moved as quick as her namesake, the mare clearing the bush in a single bound as she pulled her weapon out, ready to face whoever it was that had the audacity to attack somepony on her watch. The sight of quite a few shocked ponies greeted the mare, but what really stood out was the griffin that had the colt pinned to the ground with a raised claw. The captain wasted no time as she practically flew towards the eagle-lion, tackling her off the colt.

Lightning was on top of the creature for only a brief moment before the griffin kicked her hind legs into her stomach, causing the pegasus to fall onto her back a ways away. She grunted in pain but soon forewent any discomfort she felt as she rolled to the side, barely missing a strike from the sharp eagle claw that was aiming for her chest. The captain kicked out with her own hind leg, the strike being blocked by the griffin, pushing her a ways away with just once stroke. Before either of the combatants could strike back at each other, a shield was put in their way, stopping either pony or griffin from coming to blows again.

"Enough!" Commanded a light purple unicorn mare, her horn glowing bright as the source of the sudden shield between the two fighters. “What are you two doing! What's going on here!?”

"She struck me first!" The griffin yelled, turning her attention towards the unicorn , her glare looking as if it could cut diamonds. "I was about to knock her block off after she struck me for no reason!"

"As if." The captain responded coolly. Her gaze switched from the griffin towards the unicorn as she began to access the situation.

The griffin growled, "You were the one to attack me first dweeb!"

"Only because you were about to strike down a defenseless colt griffin."

"He's the one who came out of nowhere and scared me half to death!"

Lightning raised an eyebrow at that admission, "And that is how you respond? Attacking a child?"

"Shut up! I was just about to let him up when your sorry butt came out of nowhere tackling me to the ground!"

"That is not how it looks to me." Lightning responded without missing a beat, glaring at the female unicorn with eyes that could burn through steel.

The new unicorn sighed, her voice both soothing and kind, she tried to play the voice of reason between the two of them. "Look. I think we all got off on the wrong hoof here. Listen, This griffin here is named-"

"Gilda!"

All eyes turned towards Rarity and Fluttershy just as they appeared from the bush, both mare's instantly recognizing the hybrid eagle-lion.

The griffin for her part was just as flabbergasted as the duo. "Huh? Who..."

"You...know each other?" The unicorn asked, looking between the two mares and Gilda.

Rarity clicked her teeth at the question before looking away. "You can...say that. We made her acquaintance back in Ponyville. She...was...Rainbow's 'Friend' if you can say that."

"I see...I do not know who this Rainbow Dash is but..." The light purple unicorn released her magic, dispelling the barrier between Lightning and Gilda. "Forgive me if I am a bit...confused but, where did all of you come from? I think I would remember ponies as distinctly dressed as you within our camp."

"Thats is because we didn't come from your camp." Lightning responded. "We came from outside the barrier."

"You...Outside of the black dome..." The purple mare's eyes widened. "But...how...?"

Lightning nodded before walking past the mare, addressing the ponies that had gathered around them. "All of you, my name is Lightning Ferron. Captain of the Twelfth Division Unit within Celestia military. We were personally sent here to rescue every pony we can as per the Princess's order!"

The new unicorn gasped. "The Princess? I see." She smiled as she brushed past Lightning. "Then that means we are saved everypony. Isn't that wonderful news?" The ponies all began to cheer as the light purple unicorn turned to address the griffin, raising an eyebrow at the her. "Gilda?"

The griffin scowled at the mare before speaking up. "Yeah. It's good..." She turned away from the unicorn, her gaze falling on Fluttershy and Rarity stareing at the duo for a while, watching as the former of the pair cowered behind the latter. She looked like she was about to say something but would flinch slightly, grabbing her head as she did so.

"Gilda? Are you okay?" Rarity ask, moving a little closer to the griffin.

The griffin shook her head before glaring at the pair once again as she brandished her claws. "What's it to ya, huh!?"

"Now Gilda." The light purple unicorn spoke up, standing between her and the two ponies. "Ponies are just naturally good hearted. You did take a bit of a hit and they just wanted to make sure you were okay." The griffin nodded slowly. "Good. How about you go and start gathering my things so we can move. It seems that we will be moving every soon after all."

The griffin would stare long and hard at the unicorn before nodding again, turning away from the three ponies to head deeper into the encampment.

The unicorn turned to Zidane and Kuja, smiling at the two colts. “And you two. Running off without telling anypony was a really bad thing to do. I was ever so worried about you.”

Zidane, for his part, looked away from her, not quite caring what she had to say, which Rarity did find somewhat odd, the mare tilting her head at the young one's behaver. It was the younger of the two brothers that spoke up for the both of them.

“It is our bad Madam. Some of the kids were saying they were hungry, so Zidane and I went looking for food. To our surprise however, I guess we found something much better.”

“I see…well…Since it was for a noble cause then I guess I can let it slide once. Still, Ill have to give the both of you a bigger lecture later when everything is done. Now. Go and help Gilda. She might need some help gathering my things after all.”

When the colts had nodded left to follow after the griffin, The shyer of the two mares released a breath she did not know that she was holding, placing a hoof over her still rapidly beating heart. "Oh...my...I...Oh my."

"Now, now, it's okay Fluttershy." Rarity soothed her trembling friend.

"Is your friend...okay?" The light purple unicorn had asked as she made her way towards the two proper. "She seemed to be really scared of that griffin for some reason."

"She will be fine, darling." Rarity answered, smiling at the mare. "She...just had a rather tough time with Gilda the last time the two of them let. Lets just say that...she wasn't so pleasant to be around as she is now."

"I see...Well you don't have to worry about her if that's the case." The unicorn said with a smile. "She is a little rough around the edges but she is a wonderful friend to have especially with all that we have gone though. I know it was for a short time but you can't believe what we went through here. Having her here really made everything easier for me and the other ponies. Still allow me to say sorry on her behalf."

"Well...I can Understand that darling, and thank you." Rarity shook her head. "Still...I'm sorry you had such a bad time. Those Heartless really are dreadful beast."

"Heartless?" The light purple unicorn raised an eyebrow at the new word, "Is that what those things are called? Heartless?"

Rarity nodded. "Indeed. Like I said before, dreadful beast one and all. It's lucky that we got to you when we did. With us and Lightning's Division here, you are in good hooves, miss...oh...I don't think I ever caught your name, darling."

"Oh my!" The unicorn gasped. "Where are my manors?" She smiled as she held out of hoof to the two mares. "My name is Starlight Glimmer. It's a pleasure to meet the both of you."