Kingdom Heart next generation: Friendship is Omniversal

by Starry Eyed


Chapter 8: Moonlight and Firelight

Luna paced about in the palace court room. She had ordered everypony with consciousness to fan out and extend her orders to anypony else gaining consciousness. These orders were:

1. Spread these orders to anypony becoming conscious.
2. Have everypony come to the palace to have their magic restored.
3. Assure everypony that the thing that had done this was taken care of, and that they were not in any danger.

Only standardized magic could heal the binding on the Canterlot ponies (and any magical creatures they may have had), so Sol had ‘blessed’ Rarity and a few other good unicorns with his magic temporarily to help with the curing. Sol would normally have been enough to handle it himself, but a certain Princess was tasking him with something else.

Luna stopped pacing only to ask, “Are we ready yet?”

Sol healed a pony, motioned to another, and answered, “Not yet. We still need to get the healing stations set up properly. It’s an easy process but can’t be done without standardized magic. Your little project will take a while, so while I’m away, I need to know that the healing is running smoothly.”

Luna didn’t use the royal Canterlot voice, but spoke with the same commanding presence, “My so called little project is to go into the Enforcer’s dreams, learn all they know, and maybe even shut all of them down if they really are just puppets as you claim!

But as you said, they are puppets and do not dream, so I need you to use your mind control to make it dream, albeit unnaturally, so I can trace their ‘puppet strings’ as it were.”

Sol healed another pony, and motioned to the next, “It’s a waste of time. Their puppet strings can’t be cut that easily. My crew already knows any information you’re going to find out, and worst of all, if you really are successful you will be in grave danger. Their collective mind is strong enough to control all of them and you think you can outsmart it!”

Luna spoke very quietly, “It’s certainly worth a try.”

Sol healed another pony, “Well, I suppose everyone has to satisfy their curiosity. Rarity, can I leave you in charge here?”

Rarity had been standing right beside them both the whole time, resting up for her upcoming task and watching the process meticulously, “You can count on me dears.”

Sol gave Rarity standardized magic temporarily before heading into the next room. It was lined with guards and in the center was the head of the Knight Class Enforcers. Luna’s throne had been set on one side and a regular chair on the other for Sol.

Both sat.

Sol went over the plan again, “Alright, since you insist on this here’s what we’re going to do.
1. I’m going to mind control him, and make him ‘dream.’
2. I’m going to mind control you, so that if something goes wrong in there and you can’t get out, I can ‘pull’ you out.
3. You’re going to use your power to enter dreams to investigate to your heart’s content, but be careful.

Luna waved an impatient hoof in his direction, “Yes, yes we’ve be over this a hundred times already, now let’s get started.”

Sol corrected, “Five.”

Luna looked at him puzzled, “Pardon.”

Sol shrugged, “We’ve been over this five times now, not a hundred. I’m the scholar remember.”

If looks could kill Luna would have destroyed Sol so completely that no one would even have remembered him. Sol mentally brushed it off and started the controlling. Luna, safely “harnessed” with Sol’s mind control, could now dive into the Knight’s dreams.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Luna “awoke” in the dream.

She had been in thousands of dreams, but none like this.

The Enforcers “dream” was that it was a leaf on a tree. This tree was galaxy sized by the looks of it and it branched out farther than Luna could see in all directions. None of the leaves were in clusters. Each had its own little outcropped branch, all by itself. Each one also had something else; the tree equivalent of a vein and an artery. These were also unconnected to each other. The leaves had veins like a computer chip rather than leaves, but Luna knew there was an organic component to it somewhere.

Luna heard Sol talking, “What do you see in there?”

Luna relayed what she saw and added, “I was hoping that the strings controlling the Enforcers would all be tangled up in a ball or something. Each one of these leaves must be an Enforcer. I was kind of hoping I would be able to find a master control switch or something.”

Sol sounded annoyed, “If there was something that easy I think we would have found it by now.”

While busy studying the veins and arteries going to each leaf, Luna spoke to herself, “These veins and arteries may not be connected to each other, but they must eventually go to a heart somewhere. There must be a heart of all the Enforcers.”

Sol screamed, “Don’t even think about it! It’s way too dangerous! Get out of there now!”

Luna was already flying down the branch towards what she hoped would be the ‘roots’ of the tree. She flew faster and faster, and Sol’s voice got more and more distant. Eventually she couldn’t hear him at all.

Luna never was very good at listening to advice. Ask Celestia.

Luna came across what must have been the ‘Trunk’ of the tree. Billions of arteries and veins wrapping around each other all converged here and made their way straight down to the ‘roots’. Still none of these ever touched each other. They were all dependent on the same heart, but no Enforcer was ever dependent on anything else, not even another Enforcer.

Translation: nothing could shut down ALL the Enforcers except whatever was at the bottom of this ‘tree’.

Luna dove into the dark, not realizing she had wandered so far that Sol no longer had any connection to her at all.

Luna could fly, but for the first time ever she found herself blacking out from a fall.

The dream was changing.

When Luna “awoke” in this new dream she was flying over the ruins of a city. She then noticed a massive white fortress hovering in the distance.

What unsettled Luna was the time of day. It was neither day or night here, nor anything like either. There was no Sun, no moon, no stars, and no clouds, not really much of a sky.

But high above, hanging where the moon should be, there was a moon-sized, heavenly body. Luna knew the moon well and knew that this moon was receiving no Sunlight at all, a Sunless moon.

It was well lit though because lava was gushing all across its surface and its millions of volcanos never rested.

If you have ever been in the dark with only a roaring firelight to light your way, that is what the lighting of this whole world was like. Not Sunlight or moonlight, but firelight.

Luna didn’t like it at all, but the veins had led her here and she was going to check out that fort over there. Besides, she didn’t sense much of a population around here.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Luna investigated the fort. Everything was white but she couldn’t be sure what the building was made of. Investigating revealed that the place was deserted. She found no signs of anything.

She couldn’t have noticed the Emblems of the NOBODIES, torn down and made into gravel for the palace gardens. Only the hooks the emblems used to hang on were a reminder of the fort’s old masters. The fort had been built upon since that time and though it was no taller, it had widened and structures half the height of the main structure now made it seven times more massive.

Luna finally wandered into a large room with black and white marbled tiles. The back wall had racks designed for hanging swords on. There were thousands of them, each complete with its own display, plaque and everything. The strange part was, none of the swords in question were present.

What good was it to build such a nice place to hang all your swords if you didn’t put your swords on it?
The room had a glass wall that gave a perfect view of the horrible burning sphere in the sky but had its own good lighting otherwise and gave the room a nice, livable atmosphere.

If Luna had to be here, this was comparatively the nicest place to be.

But the most important thing that Luna noticed was that in the middle of the room, was a human. The man sat on a large throne-like couch and had a desk in front of him kind of like a coffee table.

The human himself wore black pants that were much too baggy for anyone and a white robe that was several sizes too big for someone so thin.

The human was all skin and bone, the most sickly and scrawny person imaginable. He was tall and slender, even more so being so bony. The human’s hair came down to the bottom of his shoulder blades and fell evenly all around his head, even over his face and eyes. The hair was thin, gray, and stringy, hanging like it was wet, but spiky.

Only his eyes were strong. They were as green as greed, shining like fire,

and looking at Luna.

The human held out his hand to welcome her in, revealing that his fingernails were naturally black claws, “Curious, I don’t get many visitors. Come in, sit down and enjoy some hospitality. You must have been through a lot to be here. My name is Senza. May I help you?”

Luna wasn’t about to trust this guy, “I am looking for the heart of the Enforcers. I won’t say more than that.”

Senza motioned for her to come closer, “Well then you’ve come to the right place. This is the Enforcer homeworld.”

Luna approached with no nonsense, “I will ask you what the Enforcers asked me. Where is the heart?”

Senza leaned back, “You don’t even know what the Enforcers are. You know that they are Logia right? That means that if they are hurt, they melt and reform. Like starfish or worms, if you cut them up they regenerate, so cutting one in two makes two of them.

But Enforcers need to consume life-force to split such. But understand, they are not breeding or dividing like cells, they are reforming the same way that a starfish or worm would.

In short, all Enforcers are just reformed parts broken off of other Enforcers.

There is no heart.

The only way to kill all the Enforcers is to kill the original Enforcer.”

Luna pondered, “You’re saying the original Enforcer controls them all?”

Senza corrected, “I’m saying that all the Enforcers ARE PARTS of the original. Pieces of it broke off and grew into little monsters of their own. But to answer your question; yes, killing the original Enforcer would destroy them all.”

Luna put her hoof down on the table, “Then tell me where the original is!”

Senza gestured to himself, “Here.”

Luna did a double take, “Wait, what?”

Senza picked up a knife off the table and cut himself. The wound gushed black blood and immediately repaired him.

Senza spoke, “My power is that I am a Logia, so I learned a way to make more of myself,”

Senza half laughed as he spoke, “and all it cost me was one heart per Enforcer!”

Luna went over that last part in her mind, “They are human. The Enforcers are humans, aren’t they?”

Senza corrected, “Not necessarily. Any sentient life will do. It doesn’t have to be human; ponies like you will work fine. The Enforcers are no more human than the Heartless were.”

Luna feared for the ponies back home, “If you’ve turned even one pony, into one of those things, I swear I’ll …”

“No, no, no,” interrupted Senza, “that’s not how it works. I have to get your world's heart first. Once I do, your world will dissolve. All the sentient life in it will give new life to my Enforcers and all the planet’s energy will help evolve them into higher class Enforcers. That’s how it works.”

Luna couldn’t believe what she was hearing, “No. Impossible. Sol said that you wanted to bring order to the universe, govern it, not … this.”

Senza laughed, “How can you rule people that won’t listen? Using them to create something that never breaks the rules is the best way to enforce the rules.

But that’s all just a farce of mine anyway. See that planet up there?

One hundred years ago, I was friends with Sora. Old Sora told me all about his adventures. I particularly liked the one about how on his first journey, he came to a place where the remnants of worlds destroyed by the Heartless gathered. I wondered, if all worlds were destroyed, would enough parts gather there to build a whole new world? I did the math and the answer is yes! Exactly enough.

I come from one of the worlds Sora didn’t discover until his adventures were over. You’ve never heard of it. It was the most awful place you can imagine. Pain, fear, and corruption were all that kept that world going. I was so happy when Sora rescued me and I got to see the omniverse.

But I soon learned that all worlds are full of pain, fear, and corruption.

So I devised a plan, to create one perfect world, where there will be no pain, fear, or corruption.

All I needed was someone to enforce my plans and to get all those that could stop me out of my way.”

Luna used the royal Canterlot voice, “It was you! You tricked the Alliance into ‘purging’ the omniverse of all those who could exceed level 100! You made the Enforcers! You’re responsible for all this!”

Senza smiled coolly, “That’s funny, I’m sure I’ve heard that before. Oh yes, I remember where I heard that!”

Senza looked Luna in the eyes,

“That’s what Sora said to me;

as I killed him.”

Luna froze, “You killed him?”

Senza looked at his wall of frames, “Not just him, all the Alliance. You didn’t really think that a group started by Sora would do such terrible things, did you?

On the bright side, the Alliance managed to collect every Keyblade and every keychain in existence before I betrayed them, so I managed to collect them all without working for them.

The Swordbearer Enforcers have them now. I can’t go personally to every world in the omniverse, so I lend out my Keyblades and let them handle it.

I still have all but one.

And just look, every second my perfect world flows with new lifeblood from new worlds they send in.” Senza was now gesturing to the burning planet in the sky.

Luna had had enough and was going to put this freak in his place. She tossed her strongest magic before diving horn first into him.

Senza didn’t dodge, block, or take notice. The assault left him no worse for wear and he chided her, “I am The Emperor Enforcer. Did you really think that would work?”

Senza revealed that he had a life support cord sticking out of his back, like an i.v. drip, which ran down beneath the tiles.

Senza tore the life support cord coming out of his back and grew stronger.

“I’m not getting life support from the Enforcers. I’m kind enough to give my life force to grow new generations of them.”

Senza’s body grew several times bulkier. Muscles now formed all over him, making him the fittest of men. With a sweep of his hand he combed his hair back and it grew jet black and spiky. His green eyes never changed at all.

The Emperor then did something Luna wouldn’t have believed; he ripped off one of his own arms! With his remaining arm he snapped his figures and several Gladiator Class Enforcers appeared. They all melted down and reformed his arm, giving up their lives to do so.

The Emperor now held Luna’s neck in his new arm’s grip. The Emperor teased her, “You can’t beat me, even with armament. My body is the original. As long as a single cell of my body remains, the Enforcers can rebuild me, and so long as I exist, the Enforcers will never stop.

I will become the Keeper of the perfect world.”

Luna howled at him, “You're just a traitor! Sora called you friend and you betrayed him. You don’t deserve to live, let alone rule!”

The Emperor starred into Luna’s eyes, “Well you’d know all about traitors and unrightful rule wouldn’t you Nightmare Moon.”

Even killing her wouldn’t have hurt like those words. Senza let Luna go, summoned the box containing the Elements of Harmony and spoke, “One of my Enforcers pillaged this recently. They’re always sending me nice things like this. Less than ten have ever made their way to my world. Even if you are just a dream, it would be rude not to reward you, so you can have these back.”

Senza shattered the Elements of Harmony and gave the box with their fragments to Luna.

Luna was puzzled. Why would the Emperor allow her to leave or to have back the elements? Even in pieces Luna knew firsthand they were dangerous.

The Emperor plugged his ‘life-support’ back in and shriveled up, “I have conquered 98% of the omniverse and each Keyblade I have sends back a new heart every 96 hours on average.
Everything will eventually be mine anyway. Letting you go, giving you your relics, letting that fool crew with my missing Keyblade run around; all of it is irrelevant. I will win. It’s just a matter of time.

This is my absolute confidence.

Maybe I’m overconfident, but it’s hard not to be when you’ve beaten the omniverse so effortlessly.

Run pony. Cling to your life, and tell that fool crew to just enjoy themselves while there is still time.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Sol was shaking Luna like a ragdoll. The guards would normally not have let him treat their Princess like that, but they were now all franticly trying to wake Luna up.

Sometime during Luna’s experiment, Celestia had returned to Canterlot, and was now being filled in on what had happened by Rarity.

Celestia blamed herself for what had happened. She had stepped out to handle Soran and all this had taken place. She had been gone for most of her day, but had come back when she didn’t get any messages, or responses to her own messages.

Rarity tried to calm her, “It’s alright Princess, there wasn’t anything you could have done. Sol said that the Enforcers were blocking all transmissions. There’s no way anypony has even heard about the Enforcers yet unless they met them personally. If you hadn’t been with Soran you would have met the same fate as Luna and Canterlot.”

Celestia maintained per perpetual calm, but Rarity could tell it was Celestia’s version of screaming, “Is that really supposed to make me feel better? Am I supposed to take comfort knowing that my whole world is at risk and that there isn’t anything I can do about it? Am I supposed to be relieved that the only thing that can save us from certain doom is a band of outsiders; a band that, even if they save us, will become our new masters?”

“They are not like that,” defended Rarity, but now she was worried also. If the humans got the keyhole first, then they would be safe, but the humans would be the new keepers of their world. In a way, Celestia was right.

Celestia stared through the open doors into the room where Luna was. She wanted to go in, but it would only prove how helpless she was when she got there.

Suddenly Luna sat up, gasping for air like she had just woken out of a nightmare.

Celestia and Rarity rushed into the room to check on her and all the guards seemed relieved as well.

Celestia nuzzled her sister, “Are you okay, dearest sister?”

Luna quivered a moment before lunging up and embracing her older sister as tightly as she could, “Oh sister, I was so frightened. And look.”

Luna conjured up the box that contained what was left of the Elements of Harmony. Luna herself was equally surprised to see it because it was proof that her dream was all too real.

Luna meekly turned to Sol, “Please, please help us. You can’t … you can’t let that man … anyone but him. The Emperor must never, never … you mustn’t let him get away with it. You’re the only ones who can.”

Everypony felt their heart sink in their chests. What could Luna have seen that would make her tremble so? Luna couldn’t even complete a proper sentence.

Sol spoke, “Don’t worry, we won’t. We really aren’t heroes you know. We told the truth when we said we were just adventurers, but we don’t take kindly to the Enforcers. We won’t let them win.”

Sol put one hand on Luna’s shoulder and the other on Celestia’s, “But even if we fail, you have nothing to worry about.”
Early in our travels we visited a wonderful world and the Keeper of that world told us not to be afraid, prophesying that we would win in the end and put everything back the way it’s supposed to be.

That world was Kingdom Hearts and its Keeper is light itself.

Even if we fail, light can never be defeated.

Someday Senza will have to try to destroy Kingdom Hearts if he wants to build his world and it is on that day that he will realize he was doomed to fail from the start. On that day we will have peace.”

Sol removed his hands from the Alicorns and punched a clinched fist into his palm, “But until that day, we might as well show them they can't mess with our friends!”

Celestia was in awe of the sheer faith these humans seemed to have. Soran was the same way and Celestia was willing to bet the other humans were too. She spoke, “I promised your friend Soran that I would reunite you all. I will keep that promise.”

Celestia now turned to Luna, “Luna, night should have fallen half an hour ago. Please raise the moon now and I will try to assemble the humans.”

Luna nodded and started to walk to where she could see the sky. It wasn’t necessary, but it felt proper. Just before she left, Sol spoke, “Luna, the Enforcers represent hopelessness. They derive their confidence from the fact that all who oppose them become helpless and lose hope.

Don’t lose hope, any of you.”

The Emperor may have the shadows of thousands of worlds on his side, but we have Kingdom Hearts on our side.

I predict a 100% chance that we’ll win!

You can’t be hopeless with odds like that!”

Helplessness is contagious, but so is hope. Sol had restored hope to all the royals and their guards and one particular dressmaker.

Sol stepped out of the room ahead of Luna, “While I’m at it, I also predict that my crew will assemble completely in one more hour.

Hold on tight, we’re about to go on the offensive.”