Kingdom Hearts of Harmony

by steel soul

Trio

Canterlot
Celesita’s Study

The gentle bubble of tea being brew reverberated around the room as Twilight sat with Luna and Celestia withing the latter princess's study, the sun princess herself setting the scroll down now that she had finished reading the whole of the report to the other two. There was a heavy silence as the weight of the words settled in on the ponies within the room, only broken by that of the small unicorn, her magic pulling the scroll towards herself as she looked over it once again.

"I knew it was a high possibility," Twilight began as she broke the silence between them, her eyes scanning the entirety of the scroll in a single instant. "...That...That other creatures might be having the same troubles too. Maybe I thought that...Maybe...I..." she trailed off as she set the scroll back on the table, her ears pinning to the back of her head. "Honestly, I don't know what I wanted if I was being truthful."

The little mare couldn't help but feel like dirt the longer she tried to process the information. Many Diamond Dogs had slowly been going missing over the past few months all across Equestria, the creatures being picked off here and there. Never in the same place mind you, but enough for creatures to notice after a while. And this was even before Sora had arrived himself, which meant that whoever it was that was targeting Equestria had been doing it for a long while now. If she had just known, she could have prepared better...faster...smarter...but now...

"The news is disheartening." Luna quipped, pulling the mare from her dark inner thoughts. "But do not think of taking any of the blame yourself Twilight. Blame the evil ones who had brought such creatures into our world for their own selfish gains."

"I...I understand princess.." Twilight answered after cringing a bit. Seems that she and Sora both ware their emotions on thier sleeves. Gently nodding towards the princess of the moon, she continued. "But still...For it to be going on this long. Didn't any pony say something?" Twilight asked.

"It is a sad fact Twilight, but ponies and other creatures go missing all the time, whether we like it or not." Celesita answered with a heavy sigh. "Sometimes because they want to...and sometimes...because they are forced to."

"But...can't you...I mean...Isn't there anything you can do about it?" The lavender mare asked the two princesses. "There has to be a spell...magic... something...Anything..."

"Twilight, we are not gods as you well know." Luna responded curtly. "We may live a little longer than that of a normal pony, this is true, but we eat, sleep and die just like you. We don't have an all powerful seeing spell or such. Being omniscient like that comes at a terrible price, one most are never willing to give up if they had the choice."

"And besides Twilight," Celestia continued, her tone a bit more motherly. "As much as I would love to help the creatures of Equestria, I can only do so through legal channels. That means that while I can request that we aid them, offer a hoof of support in their time of need, it is ultimately up to them to accept our help or not. I won't force my will upon others if I can help it, no matter how much it would break my heart if they refused."

Twilight nodded. Though she understood why, she hated the reasons all the same. "Still...they did reach out to us. Asking for our help. So we have to help them. Right?"

"Indeed Twilight. An official answer to the summons by both of the Queens of their respective regions it seems." Celestia held up two different scrolls in the air, both marked with a different colored paw print. "One from Queen Katherina Proudpaws."

"And the other is from Queen Jennino Lanternlight." Luna continued for her sister. "Both are regents of their respective areas of Caninia. Sisters if you are wondering about their relationship. I have yet to meet with them myself but Celesita had been on missions of diplomacy to Caninia when it was still whole."

"Still whole...did...something happen to it?" The unicorn asked, tilting her head.

"I do not know the full story, only bits and pieces here. Not enough to tell you if its true or not however." The sun princess admitted. "But I'm sure that everything will come to light during our meeting proper with the two monarchs."

"The first of many we hope." Luna confirmed. "We are sure the others will follow at the nip of their paws, seeking an explanation from the letters we sent them if nothing else."

"Wait...So...You sent out letters to the other nations?" The unicorn asked, her ears perking up slightly.

"Of course Twilight...Though...I guess we have not told you are anyone else proper yet." Celesita mused softly. She smiled as she turned towards her former student. "We sent out word to the other countries about the dangers the Heartless present, of course. To warn them is my civic duty as one of many rulers of Equestia. I am hoping that they respond quickly, just as the Diamond Dogs have done...but...time will only tell."

"I...see." Twilight exclaimed, nodding to herself. Though, another thought came to mind. "But...would most of them even want our help. The griffins are a solitary and stubborn race after all, and no pony knows what's going on with the Dragons. I hate to say it but...talking to them might prove difficult" She gasped. "And then there's Sora...What will he have to say about this? Others finding out about his keyblade and how he is the only one capable of stopping the Heartless, I'm sure he wouldn't care about that but...I...I'm worried about what the others would do. Do you think they would use him?"

"Hopefully no more so then we are using him and his power." Luna committed off handedly.

Twilight's ears folded back against her head. "W...we aren't using Sora! He...Sora is our friend." The mare tried to argue but flinched back when both Celestia and Luna looked her way. "I-If you don't mind me saying...princess...I just mean..."

"Of course I don't mind you defending him, Twilight," Celesita told her former student. "I am happy that you too see Sora as a friend and not as a means to an end, but you have to look at it from their point of view. Sora befriended 6 of the most important mares in all of Equestria. Having access to what he needs to complete said mission. Anyone outside of our circle would think that we are trying to keep him all to ourselves."

"Well...they would be wrong..." Twilight argued "You and I both know that Sora would help them no matter what. In fact, they don't even have to ask."

The princess of the sun nodded, smiling at her former student. "Indeed you are right, Twilight. Sora would spare no effort in helping those in need. In that regard, he is a kind soul. His want to help others is one of his most amazing qualities about him. If he had been born a pony and not a human, then I'm sure that he would have been a candidate for an Element of Harmony."

"That is right dear sister." The Princess of the Moon added. "Besides, even if they do not ask for help, Sora's inherited obligation to destroy the heartless should be his one and only concern."

"That's...true...but knowing Sora, I think he would want to help them anyway, even if it had nothing to do with the Heartless." Twilight surmised.

"Of that we are in agreement, Twilight." Luna mused, leaning forward in her chair. "As mine sister said, he is a kind soul." She paused, closing her eyes. "Some would say almost to a fault. Still, If it is him then we already know the answer before the question is asked. And it is that reason that I am also worried. He can go where he wants...but the kingdom can also refuse to let him in under penalty of death...or worse. And we would not be able to stop them."

"What!" Twilight gasped, "They can't do that! That's...that's..."

"I'm afraid they can if they wish to." Celestia replied sadly. "That is why I sent out the invitations in the first place. To curtail such actions from happening, to show just how dangerous the Heartless are and to make sure Sora never has to deal with these types of politics...at least for as long as I can. I know that some creature...even one of our own ponies, might want to use the Keyblade Wielder in some way for their own ends. While I hope it is for the good of pony and creature kind...I can't help but worry it won't be."

"That won’t happen! Not if me and the girls have anything to say about it." Twilight said, looking between both sisters.

"Of that we have no doubt," The princess of the moon smiled at the unicorn, giving her a nod. "In any case, that is for the future. Right now, we deal with the present. And at the present, we must prepare for the Diamond Dog's arrival."

"That's right Luna, even without Sora here to present his case personally, we still have a job to do." Celestia declared. "And it will help if we have somepony working closely with the Keyblade Wielder." The mare looked towards her former student.

"M-Me?" The lavender unicorn asked, pointing to herself. She looked down for only a bit before looking between the two princesses, addressing both of them. "If...If you need my help then...You have it princess."

Celesita smiled at that. "Good. Right now though, we must get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us and I'm sure that Luna needs to get to seeing to the nights."

"Indeed we do sister." Luna mused as she picked herself up. "We shall reconvene later tomorrow evening. After I have a good mornings rest from tonight's duty's." She nodded towards her sister and Twilight, bidding them goodnight before disappearing with a pop of magic, leaving the student and teacher alone again.

Celestia shook her head before looking towards her former apprentices. "We should get some rest if that's the case. I've already prepared a room for you at the castle."

"Thank you princess." Twilight stood up, only slightly swaying a bit. The mare didn't realize just how tired her body was. Making her way towards the door way, she would pause before looking back at her teacher. "Princess...about that...About what I wanted to speak to you about before? About Sunset..."

Celesita would pause as she picked up scroll. "What about her, Twilight?"

Twilight shook her head. "No...later." She smiled at her teacher. "Good night Princess." With that, the lavender mare closed the door, leaving the princess of the sun alone once again.

The princess sighed, looking though her window as the evening sun made way for the Luna's night. "Good night...Twilight."

Under Trottingham City

Sora was the first to make his way through the hole in the wall, his hooves landing on the cobblestone floor below him as he slipped out of the well hidden opening. He brandished his keyblade, looking for any signs of trouble. Determining that he was alone, the Keyblade Wielder turned to the opening and called out in a whisper. "Rainbow! Trixie! The coast is clear. No Heartless in sight."

Trixie was the first to slip out of the tunnel with a yelp, sliding onto her rump ungracefully onto the floor below. She glared behind herself as Rainbow followed after her, the rainbow maned pegasus smirking down at her. "You did that on purpose you cretin!"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Rainbow denied. "Though a bit of advice. You really should watch your step when stepping through holes in the wall."

"Just you wait! Trixie will-"

"Hey guys, quite down!" The stallion interrupted, turning towards the mares. "Just because I don't see the Heartless doesn't mean they aren't here. They like to sneak up on you at the worst possible times so stay on alert, both of you." Seeing that his words were being listened to, the stallion would soon take stock of his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the gentle flow of water down a pony made ravine. Making his way to the edge, he would gaze at it quizzically. "Where are we anyway? Is this some kind of underground sewer, Trixie?"

"Eww! No!" Trixie responded with a bit of indignation. "Trixie wouldn't be so crass as to allow herself to wallow in filth. Besides, would a sewer have storefronts where decent ponies shop."

The stallion raised an eyebrow at the unicorn's words before taking an active look around the area now that his eyes were adjusting to the low light. Indeed, there were many empty openings within the walls where a pony really could set up a shop. From Bakeries to clothing stores, it looked like a proper underground city. Honestly, a lot of it reminded him of Twilight Town with the way the structures were. "Woah...this is pretty cool."

"And kinda creepy; what with no pony being here and all." Rainbow added, landing next to the stallion. "Almost kinda like a ghost town."

Trixie nodded at that sentiment. "Trixie hates to agree with the pegasus but...It really is. It gave Trixie the creeps when she was here before...and Trixie feels the same way now..."

Sora frowned as he made his way to a small little pony shaped doll, picking it up. It was properly a toy for some kind of foal, that much he at least knew. So if the toy was here…where was the foal. His frown would deepen. His thoughts running all the way back then when he first came to Traverse Town. Seeing that man disappeared right in front of his face after the Heartless attacked him. Did the same happen here? To a foal no less. Was he too late? His hoof gripped the stuff town a little tighter at the thought.

It wasn't until Rainbow's hoof pressed against his that held the doll that he snapped out of his inner thoughts, his gaze looking towards the mare in front of him.

"You okay, Hero?" She asked, her voice low so as not to be heard by Trixie. There was a look of concern in her eyes as she looked into Sora’s.

"Huh? Y-Yeah...I'm fine." Sora told her before stuffing the little doll into his pocket. Snapping out of whatever melancholy he had almost put himself in, he walked forward, standing in front of the two mares. "Okay you two. There's no time to waste. We gotta find the one responsible for all of this and put an end to whatever they are planning, above all, save any ponies within the city."

Trixie frowned at that. "Where would you even start? Trottingham isn't as big as Manehattan but it is still a big city. It will take forever for just the three of us to search. Trust Trixie. She knows."

"Well, why don’t we just start at the center of the city, duh." The pegasus answered as if it was the most obvious statement in the world. "I mean it's where I would set up shop if I was a supervillain on a warpath to take over the world. I say we head straight there and teach that pony, whoever it is, a piece of our mind."

"Wouldn't that be the most obvious thing in the world to do?" Trixie replied with a bit of snark in her tone. "That's like asking for anyone to come up and stop them."

"See, that's the thing. Bad Guys like to flaunt their power." The pegasus told her. "Daring Do and the Battle for Sea City says that when you are the biggest and baddest, you gotta show off. How else are you gonna put fear into the masses?"

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "And you rag on Trixie about listening to her mother. Better somepony real than a fictional book."

Before Rainbow could give the showmare a piece of her mind, The Keyblade Wielder placed himself between the two of them.

"Listen, with no real leads on where to go, the center of the city is just as good of a place as any." Sora stated before turning towards the unicorn. "Trixie, I do wanna thank you for taking us this far, but," He paused, looking away from the mare. "What are you gonna do now, though? I'm sure if you return back the way you came-"

"Go back the way Trixie came. Do you honestly plan on leaving Trixie here all alone?" She asked, a bit of panic in her tone of voice.

"Oh...uh...no I wasn't thinking that at all..." Sora tried to explain himself as she continued to look at him with worry. "It's just... It's gonna be kinda dangerous from here on out. I didn’t want to put you in any kind of situation where you would be in danger. We were lucky that we didn't see any Heartless on the way here but that could very well change now that we are in the city proper. I just...didn't know if you wanted to continue with us or not."

"And you are kind of annoying..." Rainbow muttered under her breath. She felt the stallion nudge her side a little roughly.

"As I was saying." Sora continued, smiling softly at the mare. "I just wanna let you know that if you go with us we will be dealing with the Heartless. I might not be able to protect you all the time. If you don't want to go, maybe there's a place you can hide out until we come find you...but..."

"If that is what you were worried about then don't bother. Trixie can take care of herself if the chips are down." The showmare huffed. "Trixie's art of prestidigitation is unparalleled in all the realm of Equestia. Why one would say she is the best at what she does, hooves down. So I’m going with the two of you, no matter how much the showboat annoys Trixie. It is the best option after all. Besides, Trixie does not want to be alone again, especially within the heart of a city with monsters."

"You can't be serious about taking her to the heart of the Heartless den, right?" Rainbow asked, gazing at the stallion in front of her. "Trixie has got no chance against those creatures. In the first place, can she even fight?"

"Trixie as survived on her own through her cunning and wiles. She can do so in a team if need be." The mare responded. "Sometimes a performer must share the stage, even if she doesn't want to. I'm sure you know that tall too well."

Rainbow Rolled her eyes. "Ugh..."

"Well if you can handle yourself then staying with us would be the safest place for ya Trixie." The stallion held out a hoof. "Welcome to the team, Trixie."

The showmare looked down at the hoof questioningly before raising her own, bumping hers with his in a gentle hoofbump. Sora nodded before turning down the long stretch of the cobblestone path. "Right. So which way to the center of the city, Trixie?"

She squeaked as she placed her hoof back on the ground, the mare having been looking at it for a while after the hoofbump. "Oh…ah…Follow Trixie. She knows this place like the back of her hoof. She has travelled these streets al the time in her youth after all." She cantered towards the front, her confident stride evidenent her in gait. She smirked as she looked behind herself at the blue pegasus that seemed to be being left behind. "Come along, Rainbow Dash! Don't lag behind or we will leave you behind!"

The rainbow maned mare would roll her eyes again, following behind the pair with an annoyed grumble.

Unbeknownst to the trio, a pair of yellow eyes would watch them from within one of the darkened stores.

Unknown building

Deep within the confines of a darkened room, a figure could be seen. A young stallion, trapped within a bubble, just like the one that had entrapped Twilight, but the main difference is that there was no heart above him. Looking upon the floating pony was a cloaked figure dressed in all black, his gaze never leaving the entrapped stallion before him.

"Such pitiful things these creatures are...but...it seems that even the weakest of hearts here have the strongest of wills. Hmm...this does prove further study." He placed a hoof upon the bubble, receiving a shock. "Hmm...further study indeed..."

The sound of hoofsteps would cause the figure to call out behind him, addressing the orange furred mare that had come into the room. "Wonderful is it not?"

The mare would pause, thinking over what she was going to say before speaking. "What is sir?"

"The heart of course." The figure said matter-of-factly. "Despite it being so weak it can cause the most trouble out of anything alive. Though...I guess I don't have to tell you that now do I?"

The mare closed her eyes. "Of course sir."

"Humph..." He turned to face her. "Do you have something to report, unicorn?"

The mare bowed deeply, "I do, sir. It seems that the Keyblade Wielder has made his way into the inner depths of the city though a previously unknown passageway. I'm sure that he will find his way here eventually. Also, our business partner has told me that two of the elements of harmony had found their encampment not too long ago, along with a platoon from Celesita's personal army. They tell us it will just be a minor annoyance at best and she can continue as planned so long as you do what you are supposed to."

"Is that so?" The figure asked, turning back to face the one within the bubble. "If that is the case...then we are moving out. The creatures we have back in the world of Darkness will surface as test subjects for now."

Sunset Shimmer tilted her head. "What about...him?" She motioned towards the figure within the dome. "She won't be happy too find out we are backing out of our word."

"Since when do you care about such trifling things?" The figure asked as he raised a hoof, calling forth a corridor of darkness. "If she does win against them then she has nothing to worry about. If she doesn't then that is on her. She did say she could...handle it, was that right?"

It was a while before the unicorn answered. "She did."

"Good...then gather our research. There are many great things we need to do to set our plans into motion." The figure turned his head towards the mare. "And make sure to have a little prize for our guests when they come here...I would not want to say that I am a bad host after all. And I don’t want them coming all the way here for nothing."

"Yes sir."

"And Sunset?"

"Yes sir?"

"The other outworlder, the one with the Keyblade, what is he doing?"

Sunset shook her head. "All he said...was that he was looking for a new sibling...since the other one is broken."

The figure stood her ground for a while, as if he was contemplating what she had just told him. He gave her a curt nod before making his way into the corridor, the portal closing behind him.