//------------------------------// // Old Friends // Story: Kingdom Hearts of Harmony // by steel soul //------------------------------// Kingdom Hearts of Harmony By Steel Soul Old Friends The Ruins of Trottingham Rainbow Dash and Gilda traveled through the empty cobblestone streets of Trottingham. Surprisingly, not even a Heartless made an appearance. Rainbow was glad for this reprieve, though she'd never admit it. Being chased by those creatures wasn't something she wanted to repeat anytime soon. The two walked in silence, taking in the deserted city. The buildings - tall and stately - were mostly intact. Windows were broken and doors hung open. The cobblestones were stained with soot and ash, and the faint smell of smoke still lingered in the air. It was both strange and sad to see the city this way, and Rainbow couldn't help but feel a strong sense of melancholy. She wanted to worry about the Heartless and the threat they posed if they could do this kind of damage to a city, but she had more pressing issues to worry about. Like her friend coming out of nowhere to save her plot back when she was being chased by the heartless. She was aware it could be a bit challenging to start talking again, after how things ended between the two of them in the past. Still, she determinedly began the conversation by breaking the silence and speaking first. "Gil," she said, "what made you choose this spot for a little getaway? Not the most inviting place for a holiday right now, right?" the female griffon scowled at the mare, looking back at her with a critical eye, "It's not like I chose to be here, Dash. I was simply passing through when that dark sky engulfed the entire forest I was in." She kicked a loose cobblestone in frustration. "And those stupid monsters didn't help matters either." "The Heartless. Yeah. They've been a thorn in our sides ever since they showed up in Ponyville too." Rainbow puffed out her chest as she adjusted her goggles on her head. "Yeah...Can't count how many times I had to kick their butts now." The mare smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I would think I'm an expert by now." “Ah, so you’re the expert now?” The griffon snickered, completely facing her companion. “If I remember correctly, it was me who saved you from those monsters a few moments ago, Miss Expert.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and exhaled audibly. “Alright, you got me there, not gonna lie." She sighed before looking at the griffon. "Still, gotta repeat, why are you here Gilda? And I mean the city. This place isn't safe right now.” The griffon looked away, her feathers ruffling slightly. "I'm looking for someone," she muttered. "What's it to you?" "Looking for someone?" the mare repeated, tilting her head. "Is it a friend?" "Like I said before, what's it to you, Dash?" The griffon turned to face the mare fully. "I may have saved your life but don't forget, the two of us aren't exactly friends anymore." The griffon huffed. "What was it you said again? Maybe I should find some cool friends someplace else?" Rainbow flinched at the memory. She regretted the words she had said to Gilda back then...but... "I only said that because you were being lame to my new friends, Gilda!" the mare shot back. "I wanted all of us to get along back then!" Gilda scoffed again. "Yeah, and I ruined it all, didn't I? Is that what you are gonna say?" The griffon pressed her head against the mare's own, feeling Rainbow push back in defiance. After a moment she turned away. "I guess it doesn't matter now. That's all in the past. I just need to find this person and get out of here as soon as possible." The rainbow maned mare shot in front of her. "Well, I'm not leaving you to fend for yourself," she said, determination in her voice. "We'll find your friend together, and then we'll get out of here. That way I at least don't owe you anymore." The griffon raised an eyebrow. "I don't need or want your help, Dash. Why don't you worry about your new friends back at that camp huh?" "Back at the camp...you mean...oh!" Rainbow's ears perked. "Rarity and Fluttershy. You saw them too?" "Heck if I know. I didn't stick around to find out after all. Too many chatty ponies for my liking." The griffon scoffed. "I'm just out here to find that stupid pony and then I'm outta here. Don't have to deal with you ponies and your magic ever again." Rainbow frowned. She wasn't about to let Gilda go alone. "Well, like I said, I owe you one and Rainbow Dash never back out of a debt. And besides, I can't just leave you here. What if you run into more Heartless?" "I can take care of myself, Dash. I don't need yours or anyone's help!" the griffon emphasized the point by poking the pegasus's chest. "So why don't you just butt out." The rainbow maned mare wasn't deterred by Gilda's attitude however "Look, Gilda," Rainbow began, taking a step closer to her, pushing her claw away. "I know what I said wasn't cool but neither was you hurting my friends back at Ponyville." She poked the griffon's chest. "I'm willing to let bygones be bygones for now since searching for the ponies lost in this town is more important anyway. Sides, I'm missing a few friends in town too so two pairs of eyes are better then one right?" Gilda rolled her eyes, her patience wearing thin. "Fine, whatever. If it will get you off my back then we can work together...for now. But I don't take orders, got that?!" Rainbow smirked. "Deal. Now let's get moving." The rainbow maned mare flew into the air with a kick of her wings. "Didn't I tell you I don't take orders from anyone?!" Gilda repeated as she followed Rainbow's lead. Flying alongside her, Gilda yelled out, "Do you even know where we are going?" She ignored the griffon, and began to scan the horizon. Even in the night-like darkness that surrounded them, the rainbow-maned mare could make out several buildings in the distance. However, one structure in particular held her interest the most. "That one!" she pointed towards the tallest buildings. "The tall tower in the middle of town—that has to be Town Hall!" Gilda's eyebrows knitted together as she looked to where Rainbow was peering. "Town Hall? What makes you believe your nerdy friends are there?" she queried doubtfully. "And what about the one I'm looking for?" Rainbow grinned confidently. "It's simple, Gilda. If a bad guy wanted to do something nefarious, it'd be right in the center of town or inside the most significant construction they could find. And looky here: Town Hall is both of those." She winked. "Don't mention it." Gilda scowled but didn't argue. She knew Rainbow had a point, even if it was still a shot in the dark. Least it was better than blindly going from building to building. "Fine, let's go check it out," she said begrudgingly. "But if we meet any trouble, we are taking them down...my way." "Doesn't your way usually mean smashing stuff?" the rainbow maned mare asked with a raised eyebrow, her hooves folding about her chest. "Would you look at that?" The griffon cracked a smile. "You still remember. Almost like we were friends or something." With that, Gilda took off towards the looming Town Hall building, Rainbow, after releasing a frustrated sigh flanking her close behind. As the pair got closer, both the mare and griffon could see that quite a bit of the building was in ruins. Its once grand architecture was now nothing but rubble and broken windows, the top of the roof caved. A statue that seemed to have been the cornerstone of the town, now ruins of what it was. Neither Rainbow or Gilda knew the significance of it, the latter caring in the least more so. The Griffon was first to land on the ground, her talons clinking on the rocks. The blue pegasus landed beside her, scanning the area. Finding no signs of life outside, the rainbow maned mare turned towards the griffon. "Sora and Trixie entered from underground." the rainbow mare committed. "And since the top crashed, pretty sure the only way they could go was down...unless there really is nothing here and I nearly got my heart taken by the Heartless for nothing." "Well I didn't come all this way for nothing, did you?" Rainbow frowned and shook her head at Gilda's question. "Then lets go in, find those stupid ponies and get out. The faster the better." Not waiting for the mare, she would make her way up the stairs towards the broken doors of town hall. Rainbow Dash followed the griffon reluctantly, a nagging feeling of unease in her gut. She looked back, a frown forming on her face. After a moment the mare would follow the griffon into the broken building. As they made their way through the destroyed lobby, the mare couldn't help but notice just how much destruction there was within. The mare sighed heavily, a little joke about how someone had clearly gone out of their way to wreck the system on the tip of her tongue. Deciding it would be in poor taste she went with something else. "It's hard to believe one of those Heartless monsters could cause such destruction," the mare paused, "Okay I say that but...I, like, fought a gigantic crystal Heartless at the Crystal Empire so..." Gilda raised an eyebrow, the conversation catching her attention. "A giant what now?" "Giant Crystal Heartless. Think Pinkie called it Nega Crystal or something stupid." Rainbow answered. "Name aside. It was kinda wicked looking." "You expect me to believe that?" The griffon asked. Rainbow shrugged. "Hey, believe what you want, Gilda. But since when have I ever lied to you?" Gilda scoffed but didn't say anything else. Turning her head back to the task at hand, only to stop when something slowly began to seep from the darkness of the ground in front of her, causing her to stop Rainbow in her tracks with a quick tail flick. Beady yellow eyes were the first thing that the girls could make out, before the body of a pony soon made itself known. It wasn't just one though. Two, and then three and then more and more slowly began to follow until the mares were surrounded on all sides. Gilda gawked at the throng of ponies encircling them. "What in Equestira are those things?" She asked in shock as she eyed the ponies around them. Their bodies moved slow, almost with a mechanical precision, like they were puppets. "Shadow Ponies." Rainbow answered by getting into a defensive stance herself. "Another type of Heartless. Pretty sure Pinkie also named them." Gilda gritted her teeth, unsheathing her talons. "Just how many of these beasts are there?" "Trust me Gil. Heartless can come in all shapes and sizes. Even saw a pony-eating plant one." Gilda facepalmed. "Pony-eating plant? Geeze! Just what kind of trouble did you pull me into?" "Hey! Don't blame me! Not my fault that Heartless are running around Equestira!" "Wasn't talking about you Dash!" The griffon growled Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Then, who were you talking about?" "Forget about it! We need to-WOAH!" Gilda was cut off as she jumped over a nasty swipe from one of the creatures. quick as a flash, the griffon took to the air, using her wings to evade another one of their attacks. The rainbow maned mare followed suit after her, using her quick reflexes to dodge the shadowy chomp from yet another of the creatures. Before either griffon or pony could get too comfortable while being out of reach of the Heartless, a beam of darkness shot past the pair, hitting the wall behind. They both looked towards where it came from to discover several Shadow Ponies with horns glowing menacingly with dark energy. Already a barrage of bolts would take aim towards them. Realizing that remaining stationary would leave them vulnerable, the griffon and mare split apart, decreasing the amount of beams being directed at each of them. Rainbow groaned in annoyance as she flew around the room, narrowly dodging a barrage of dark magic. Her acrobatic maneuvers gave them little chance to hit her with their spells. "We need to get rid of those ones with the horns first!" She shouted. "No kidding, dweeb! That'll be easier said than done," Gilda replied, barely managing to evade an oncoming blast. "If you think so then you don't know me!" Rainbow Dash dashed off before Gilda could stop her, dodging beam fire as she advanced on the Heartless with the horns. Now that she was close though, they all focused their energy on her, sending twice as many deadly beams her way. Rainbow Dash dodged and darted through a shower of shadows, her wings flapping rapidly to keep her in the air. It was becoming too much for even her remarkable agility, so she decided it was time to retreat. "Okay! That was a bad idea!" "Could have told you that myself dweeb. "Gilda's voice was laced with irritation as she dodged another bolt of darkness coming at her. “I could've told you that before we left, nerd. We need to come up with something and fast.” "Or...maybe we don't need to..." Rainbow smirked. "You remember the time back in flight school? When we were playing hoofball? How were the two of us able to get that ball away from those jockhead?" Despite the chaos around them, the griffon couldn't stop the smile playing on her face. "You mean the old Crash and Dash maneuver?" "That's the one!" Rainbow shouted back. "Think you can keep up still? I have gotten pretty fast since you last saw me." Gilda chuckled. "Please, I could keep up with you in my sleep!" she boasted. "Good! Then let's do it!" Rainbow shot off towards the Heartless with the horns, drawing their attention once again. Gilda watched as the rainbow maned mare weaved in and out of the Heartless’ beams of darkness, quickly drawing all fire towards herself. Realizing that Rainbow Das was now their focus, the griffin sprang into action, soaring out of the creature's line of sight. It took little time for the griffon to close the distance between herself and the monsters, and as she did, she released a fierce screech, her talons outstretched. The horned heartless had little time to react as her claws ripped though their black bodies, each swipe destroying one after another. As she worked, the clawed pony heartless would try and make their move on her, only to be stopped by Rainbow as she smashed though more then a few of them. Soon enough, the two began to work together, Gilda tearing apart the Heartless with her sharp talons while Rainbow Dash used her agility to keep them from getting too close. Like a well oiled machine, both mare and griffon matched each others movements as if they had been doing so all their lives. Their coordinated attack was a sight to behold. The Heartless, being no match for the duo, disposed of the rest with ease. As the last of the creatures dissipated into nothingness, Rainbow Dash and Gilda shared a victorious grin before turning to each other. "You still got it," Rainbow said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Just like old times, huh?" she replied, holding out her hoof for a bump. Gilda looked between the hoof and the mare before sighing softly, a smile playing across her beak. "Yeah...whatever...Least you weren't too shabby. Anyway we should...ah!" She clutched her side. "Geeze...one of them must have nicked me back there when I wasn't looking..." She withdrew her claw, seeing a bit of blood on it. "Gah...Pony Feathers..." "Woah! Gil!" Rainbow ran towards the mare. "Geeze...And I thought I was the careless one. Looks pretty bad." Gilda flexed her wing, testing the pain before she shook her head. "It'll heal. It's just a scratch. Let's just get out of here before more of these things show up." "No way. Who knows what kinds of things those monsters carry. We gotta take care of it now." Rainbow reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a strange vial with a liquefied star within it. "And I got just the right kind of medicine." Tossing the vial towards the griffon she smirked. "Take a swig of that." Gilda looked between the mare and the bottle before looking away. "Geeze...If it was anyone else I would have clobbered them. Least I know you won't give me anything weird..." She reasoned with herself before doing as the mare asked. The effects were almost instant, the griffon feeling as if she had just woken up. Shaking her feathers, she looked back down at her side, finding nothing but a faint scar where her wound had been. "Gah! Dash! Where the heck did you get that stuff?!" "Lets just call it a perk of having friends in the right places." The mare mused with a wink. "Anyway. We should get going. Whatever they were trying to keep us from must be down below. Might just be the one you are looking for!" She ticked. "And knowing Sora, he's more then likely knee deep in trouble." "How, Dash, the way you say that almost sounds like you have a crush on this Sora dork," The griffon smirked. Rainbow Dash shot her friend a look and waved her hoof, although the mare's cheeks were tainted with pink. "You know me better than that, Gil; I'm only concerned about him." She glanced back at the griffon. "Just like how I watch over you." She held a hoof out to help her rise to her feet. Gilda cast a suspicious glance at the hoof that Rainbow had held out to help her up. Taking it in her talon, she allowed herself to be pulled up. "Geez... Every time we have an argument, I'm always the one who has to apologize, huh Dash?" "Well...I mean mostly half the time its because you were being a bit of a do-." Rainbow blinked before turning back towards the griffon. "Wait...you mean..." Gilda gently slammed her fist into the mare's side. "Don't make me say it again." "Haha...Then...Apology accepted, Gil." Rainbow grinned slyly. "Just...don't think I'm ready to sing friendship with the rest of those dweebs." The griffon told her, looking away. "Don't worry, we're take it nice and slow Gil." She clapped the griffon on the back as she passed her. "Alright, let's get moving then. I'll take the lead as always." She smirked as she looked back. "And after we're done, I can introduce you to Sora; he's a little strange, but any stallion Fluttershy takes an interest in can't be too bad. Besides, if you can't make friends with him then you can't make friends with anypony." Disappearing into the darkness of the hole, the rainbow-maned mare left the griffon to follow in her wake. Before she did, however, the griffon pulled the dagger out of the pack she carried, holding it within a shaking talon. "Right...And then I can find that stupid pony wielding the light...And then I'll be free...from that crazy mare. From all of this." Something tickled in the back of her mind as she spoke, a deep sense of...sadness? Regret? She did not know and she did not care. With a deep breath, she put the weapon back in her bag and followed behind the mare with the rainbow-colored mane.