//------------------------------//
// They Came, They Saw... 
// Story: Rise of Organization XIII 
// by tubafish 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight Sparkle was up to her usual scientific stuff, testing spells on objects outside. After hours of firing off rays of light at the line of materials she had placed on a bench. A flower pot containing a rose grew legs, a hammer levitated and started pounding holes in the side of her house, and a stone became a chunk of clay as effects of her work.

The scientist jotted down some notes and results on her clipboard. “Uh huh, uh huh, very interesting,” she mumbled to herself. The hammer hovered over and bonked her on the head. “Ow, hey!” Twilight zapped the hammer a second time and it fell to the ground, inanimate once again. She lifted the clay and formed it into a soothing spread that she applied to her bumped forehead.

The flower pot crawled off somewhere before she could do anything to it. “Whatever, how much trouble can one stupid pot cause?” she thought aloud. Twilight would later regret such a choice, of course. It is never a good idea to say things like “how much trouble could it possibly cause?”

The purple unicorn went inside to copy her notes into a notebook. Spike was busy organizing her library shelves, perched on top of a teetering ladder. “Do you want to take a break, Spike?” asked Twilight. Her faithful dragon assistant looked tired and a bit bored. 

“Nah, I’m almost done,” he answered. “Now let me ask you a question: have you ever read the book at the top of this shelf? It looks like it’s never been opened.”

“I’m sure I have, but I’ll take a look later.” Twilight went up to her room. “Hm, this book wasn’t here before, was it?” pondered Spike. “Let’s see, Organization XIII, that’s a strange title.” Intrigued, Spike flipped the cover and began to read from atop the ladder. 

“The Organization, comprised of thirteen ‘Nobodies’ was founded when Ansem’s six apprentices: Xehanort, Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo lost their hearts. They later enlisted seven more strong-willed individuals to their cause: to collect the hearts of people in the hopes that someday they could be whole again.”

A pad was attached to the next page, labeled “Place Hoof Here”. 

“If you desire to learn more about Organization XIII, place your hoof on the pad. Be warned; the Organization is not to be trifled with.”

Spike slid down the ladder, leaving the book open on top of the shelf. He ran upstairs to ask Twilight about the book, wondering why he had never seen it before while reorganizing. “Twilight, I’ve got something to show you,” he said quietly, not wanting to startle her. Being wrapped up in her studies, she was surprised anyways, flinching and dropping her quill.

“Oops, sorry. Is this a bad time? I mean, it can wait, I guess.” Twilight shut her notebook and placed the quill in its container. “It’s fine, Spike. What do you want to show me?”


“Hm, I don’t believe I have ever seen this book before,” murmured the unicorn. “I wonder how it got here, and why.” Twilight read the contents of Organization XIII, her curiosity growing after every page she read. The book was quite short. Essentially, it was like an oversized notebook with only the first section filled in. 

“Intriguing,” commented the reader. “Place hoof here? I wonder…”

“Wait, you’re not seriously going to try that, are you?” questioned the dragon. “These guys sound like trouble.”

“Maybe, but… I want to learn more. My thirst for knowledge is insatiable.” And with that, Twilight placed her hoof upon the pad. The book crackled and spurted out streams of dark energy. Twilight yelped and yanked her hoof back. She lifted the book and telekinetically placed it back atop her bookshelf. “Spike, don’t go up there anymore,” she commanded. “Don’t touch it. I’m going to ask Zecora about it.”

“Can I come with you?” he asked. “I, uh, don’t want to be near that thing.”

“Me neither, but… okay, you can summon Zecora, I will stay here and watch the book.”


Twilight sat in silence, deep in thought. She didn’t dare turn her back on the book after seeing what it could do. Twi had never met a book she didn’t like. Until today, that is. This thing was a monster made of paper and Twilight was afraid of it. 
Twilight Sparkle, the book-loving unicorn, was afraid of a book. Genuinely horrified by it. Something was very wrong with this particular product of paper and binding. The disturbing book sat on the shelf, a few wisps of shadow still seeping from the pages. After a few more minutes, it lay dormant and normal. Cautiously, the scholar approached it and looked it over, taking care not to disturb it. 

“Hm, I wonder if it actually is dangerous,” thought Twilight. “After all, I didn’t give it time to finish whatever process it had started. Don’t judge a book by its cover, of course.”

Determined to learn more, Twilight opened the book again and took a deep breath. She was still scared, but her desire to learn won out. She placed her hoof on the pad once again and stood in place. The book vibrated and more streams of darkness cascaded off the pages, joined by some streams of light as well. The resulting combination made a grey aura appear around the room. The streams covered every nook and cranny, making the whole room change from a colorful place to a dismal, gloomy scene. 

Out of nowhere, vortexes popped into the house. One by one they folded out until they numbered thirteen. Each was a dark purple color with swirling black spirals. Twilight stared in awe at the effects she had caused, not expecting this kind of outcome. The portals made a ring around Twilight and flashed brightly. One moment, the purple pony was alone in her home.

The next, she was joined by others. Thirteen ponies of varying colors, kinds, and sizes congregated in the tree house. They all gazed at their forms, seemingly stunned for some reason.

“Uh, why are we…ponies?” asked one of the strangers.

One stepped forward to greet Twilight. “I am Xemnas, leader of Organization XIII,” he said in a quiet, ominous voice. He was grey with a silver mane. “I demand you tell me where we are and how we got here. Speak.”

Twilight gulped. “Well, this place is known as Ponyville. As for how you got here, I believe it was this book that caused it.” She lifted the book and dropped it in front of Xemnas. “I kind of activated some sort of- well just look for yourself.”

“Hey, is that the book I lost?” asked another one. This guy was a dark blue unicorn with a jet black mane. “Oh, sorry. I’m Zexion. I believe this might be one of my books, though I’m not sure how it got here.” Zexion looked it over, but frowned. “This is my book, but how did it get here?”

“Likely the work of our esteemed scientist, right Vexen?” accused one with a wavy black mane. 

“I wager it was Demyx, that little prankster,” claimed another with a blonde mane.

“Enough,” grunted a serious earth pony with a light blue mane. “We will sort this out later.”

“Thank you, Saix,” replied Xemnas. He turned to Twilight again. “My apologies, my cohorts often get out of hand. You’ve met my second in command, Saix, as well as Zexion, Xaldin, and Luxord. The others are Axel, Demyx, Xigbar, Larxene, Lexeaus, Marluxia, Vexen, and Roxas.”

“Hello everypony,” responded the purple unicorn. Xemnas turned to his underlings. “Go, journey across this land and research the citizens. Report back with your findings.” Just like that, the other twelve newcomers departed. Xemnas said farewell to Twilight and left as well.

Later, Spike and Zecora came by. “Shall I take a look at this uncanny book?” asked Zecora. 

Twilight made a sheepish face. “Um, it’s not important, just -"

Zecora raised an eyebrow. “You’re hiding something Twilight. Please, shed some light.”

Twilight told them what she had done and described the thirteen new arrivals. “They weren’t very friendly, but they didn’t seem like bad people,” she described. “Still, Organization XIII is a bit shifty. I don’t trust them.”

“For now, let us just make them feel welcome, even if they are upset and glum,” rhymed Zecora.


XEMNAS AND CELESTIA
“Who goes there?” demanded a Royal Guard pony. Standing before him was a grey alicorn, glaring at the armored pony blocking his path. Casually, the intruder trotted right around him, setting an invisible barrier around the guard to keep him in place. The alicorn, named Xemnas, had seen an elegant castle embedded in the mountain and decided to set up shop in the area. Any guards he encountered were either slain swiftly in a dark alley or locked in place by see-through walls of nothingness. 

Seeing an open balcony jutting out from a castle tower, Xemnas took flight and silently trespassed. The place was considered beautiful by most ponies’ standards, but the Organization’s leader didn’t feel comfortable in such a colorful environment. He felt that the hues were too warm and bright, which would make him feel all kinds of emotions. Sadly, since Xemnas lacked a heart, he believed that the colors mocked him. As such, his own castle in his world was stark white, void of color almost everywhere.

In order to look like an ordinary pony, Xemnas donned his black cloak to conceal his wings. Normally, it would be typical to see a winged pony or a pony with a horn, but only princesses had both. Now Xemnas looked like a normal unicorn. If anyone asked why he was here, he could claim that he was lost and the guards had failed to stop him. It wouldn’t even be a lie, since he didn’t know where he was going precisely and none of the guards he came across had succeeded in subduing him. 

"Hello? Are you lost, friend?” 

Xemnas turned to see a tall, regal alicorn wearing a tiara. “Are you the princess everyone is talking about?” asked the intruder. 

“Indeed,” replied the princess. “I am Princess Celestia, goddess of the sun. Who are you?”

“I am Xemnas. I’m new here, and have nowhere to live. Do you know if there is a vacancy around?” It was true.  Xemnas had been to many worlds, but Equestria was unfamiliar to him. And he didn’t have a home; he had planned to work on that part after investigating Canterlot.

"Hm, I believe everywhere in Canterlot is booked up. You see, tourists have packed the area, attracted to the lovely weather. You’ll have difficulty finding a room. No matter, this castle is big enough to hold a visitor. You may stay here while you are in town.”

“Thank you, your Highness,” answered Xemnas. He took a knee and bowed his head. “Your Majesty, if it isn’t too much trouble, would you mind telling me more about Equestria?”

“Certainly. Equestria is a glorious land inhabited mainly by ponies. Ponies come in three major varieties: the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. The land is full of important landmarks like Cloudsdale and Everfree Forest. Yadda yadda yadda…”

Xemnas didn’t bother paying attention. His minions would tell him all he needed to know about this land. While the princess yammered on, the grey alicorn thought carefully about his plans. Xemnas took note of any weakness the princess displayed that he could use against her later.

“…and that’s just about everything,” finished the princess. “Any questions?”

“Err, no that should do it.”

“Okay, allow me to escort you to your room.” 


Once the princess had left, Xemnas proceeded to drain the color from his room. He felt comfortable in his now dismal white room. Satisfied, he sat and plotted the next missions. 

Hm, these people have strong hearts. They would make fine additions to Kingdom Hearts. But only a select few will do. Only those most pure of heart would suffice. After all, we won’t be staying long, just for a spell to make the trip worthwhile. The Organization was not meant to set foot here, and I intend to get back to work on preparing Xion. 
He summoned Saix, his right hand, to meet him at the castle.

"I’m here, Xemnas,” announced Saix.

"I am in the process of taking this castle for us. This princess believes I am a simple tourist.”

Saix nodded, approving the plan. 

“Saix, pass on this message to the others,” he commanded. “Each should find a strong hearted individual worthy of our cause. Capture them and bring them to this castle. There, they will be turned into Heartless for Roxas to defeat, and Nobodies to add to our ranks.”


XIGBAR AND RAINBOW DASH

Rainbow Dash, the cyan pegasus, was zooming across the sky, busting some clouds. Just as she was about to plow through a clump of clouds, something grazed her wing and she nearly got shot out of the sky. She accelerated away to avoid another collision, only to be met by a hail fire of shining red crystalline bolts. She zipped away, followed by the homing projectiles. None of them came into contact, they just guided her away.

“Hey, what gives!?” she shouted. “Where are these things coming from?”

She hid in a cloud to evade the attacks, allowing herself a moment to catch her breath. The pegasus pony wasn’t alone in the cloud. Joining her was a unicorn wearing an eye patch. His mane was black and grey and his body was dark green. Unlike normal unicorn horns, this unicorn had a horn that was like a long spike. Wrapped around his head was a ring shaped object connected to the horn with small spikes in a compass formation.The protrusion was the barrel of a gun.

“Kiddo, I think you should take a break from the flying,” he advised. “See those red arrows darting around the air? Yeah, they’re pretty deadly.”

“What?” said Rainbow Dash in confusion. “Hold up; how are you in the air if you aren’t a pegasus.”

“Simple; I can teleport. I have mastery over space, so I can go wherever I please. Your next question: what’s up with the red arrows being shot around you? I’m here to bring you in, and I don’t care if you get hurt in the process.”

This guy is creepy, thought Dash. I’d better get away before he ‘brings me in’. She turned tail and fled. If he had had a heart, Xigbar would have laughed. His form faded instantly as he twisted space. As Rainbow Dash flew away, the landscape kept changing and her direction switched every now and then. Dizzy, she stopped in midair.

Xigbar reappeared near the pegasus, aiming his arrowgun-horn. In a panic, Rainbow lashed out and kicked the Organization member in the chin. His shot missed entirely and he had to reload now, giving his prey plenty of time to escape.


“Rotten little brat, where are you?” shouted the sniper. 

“Hmph, looks like you could use some help, Xigbar.”

Xigbar turned to see a purple earth pony with a pink curly mane. “Is that you, Marluxia? I can’t really recognize anyone after the transformation.”

“Yes,” answered Marluxia. “I’ve also encountered an interesting individual that could prove to be worthy. She escaped just like your prey. Don’t blow a fuse now; Axel has tracked a bunch of targets to a large forest.”

“Good, let’s go join the others. Together, we can weed out those slippery little ponies.”



“Okay, I think we lost them,” said Twilight, relieved and exhausted. She had just been threatened by someone wearing a black cloak. The pegasus attempted to gore her with a set of lances.

“I was chased by a ruffian unicorn with daggers!” described Rarity.

“The feller chasing me was a bulky earth pony with a hammer thing,” added Applejack.

Fluttershy sat curled up and shivering. “She was chased by an earth pony with a scythe,” explained Spike. “I was with her when it happened.

“Oooh, me next!” shrieked Pinkie Pie. “A really creepy pegasus with these big spiky flaming circle things almost got me!”

“You mean chakrams?” suggested Twilight.

“Chakrams? That’s a funny name for a pony.”

“Err, never mind,” finished Twilight. “This is all my fault, everypony. I’m the one who brought those creeps to Equestria. Somehow, I’m going to get rid of them, and I’m going to need your help.”

“Here’s what we know about our adversaries: Xemnas is their leader, the alicorn. Xigbar is a unicorn sharpshooter. Xaldin is the pegasus with the lances. Lexeaus is the earth pony with the axe-sword. Axel is the pegasus with the flaming chakrams. Marluxia is the earth pony with the scythe. And Larxene is the unicorn with daggers.”

“There are thirteen of them, so there are six that we don’t know about,” concluded Twilight.



Saix joined his comrades via darkness portal. Around him were Xigbar, Axel, Marluxia, Vexen, and Zexion. “Where are the others?” he asked.

“Demyx and Luxord are taking a ‘break’, Lexeaus is scouting ahead, Xaldin and Larxene are searching for other sacrifices, and Roxas is with Xemnas,” explained Xigbar.

“Hmph. Xigbar, Axel, come with me. The rest of you, either stay put or make yourselves useful elsewhere.

The trio left. “I don’t know about you guys, but the one who calls herself Twilight Sparkle seems to have a lot in common with me,” said Zexion, out of the blue.

“Funny you should bring that up; I too have sensed a similarity with Fluttershy,” added Marluxia. “I hear there’s a zebra living here that does all kinds of strange voodoo and experimenting. She seems to be a perfect match for you, Vexen.”

Vexen snorted. “Are we seriously thinking about intimacy with the targets? I want no part of that.”

“Perhaps it is destined that we meet, not for intimacy, but for some other purpose,” brought up Zexion. “Maybe it was more than just an accidental mishap that brought us here.”

The three of them sat and pondered the meaning behind their predicament.


DEMYX AND VINYL SCRATCH

DJ-Pon3 had just finished setting up her DJ equipment for a party, when an early arrival showed up. The pony wore a black cloak with a hood covering his face. 

“Hey, are you here for the party?” asked Vinyl. “It doesn’t start for another half hour.”

The pony flipped back his hood. He was a sky blue unicorn with a blonde mane. “Sorry, I just came here to crash for a while,” he responded. “I need to take a load off, y’know?”

“I hear you loud and clear. You should stick around for the party, it’ll be fun.”

The pony, named Demyx, looked at the DJ’s setup. “You’re a musician?”

“Well, yeah,” she answered. “Best DJ around. Why?”

“I play, too,” said Demyx. With that, he held out a hoof and a blue sitar with three large spikes at the end. He gave it a strum, and large musical eighth notes made of water appeared, dancing around in circles. The liquids weren’t incased in a container, but still managed to keep their shape.

“I control water with my music, you see,” explained the slacker. “What can your music do?”

BOOM! Vinyl flipped some switches and her turntables started up. The volume was cranked way up, and when the needle dropped, it was almost too much to bear. Demyx’s water evaporated from the intense, epic sound. Demyx cringed from the intense wave of sound. His ears were ringing and he dropped his sitar. “Ouch!”

“Oh, what’s the matter? Can’t handle my beats?”

Demyx just hunched over. The musical notes returned and morphed into a healing splash that cascaded onto Demyx. Revived, he stood back up.

“Yeah, I did that on purpose,” said Vinyl smugly. “I heard a nasty rumor going ‘round about a bunch of jerks in black cloaks scaring everypony. You took your break at the wrong place, punk!”

Before Demyx could pick up his instrumental weapon, another boom erupted from the stereo. Then, a hoof kicked him in the back. The pathetic Nobody tried to squirm away. Large lances, similar to javelins but with bizarre clamp-shaped tips got embedded in the stage to block Demyx.

“You lazy little bum, Saix is furious,” said Xaldin through clenched teeth. 

“You mean…”

“I’m afraid so,” finished Xaldin, his tone changing from upset to worried, despite his lack of true emotion. “There’s a full moon, and you know what that means.”

Demyx couldn’t stand Saix, but he didn’t want to be on his bad side during a full moon.

“Soooo, I’m needed for recon?” he assumed, being an expert at spying.

“Both of you get out of here!” snapped Vinyl. “You’re not invited to this party.”

Xaldin glared at her. “Very well, pony. But we aren’t leaving without you.” He chucked a lance at the turntables, blowing them up. Vinyl Scratch galloped out the door, right before a hurricane annihilated the place. Xaldin and Demyx reappeared outside, but the DJ had left.


LEXEAUS AND BIG MCINTOSH

Lexeaus, the silent man with massive strength, scoured Sweet Apple Acres for more tributes. Demyx had arrived to take his place as scout, so Saix sent him away. The ponies had proven difficult to deal with, so Lexeaus questioned why Saix didn’t need his power for subduing the targets. True, Saix was powerful-as were the other members he had backing him up in the forest- Lexeaus still didn’t like the looks of things.

In the distance, he saw a stout stallion galloping at him. The bulky horse made a bee-line for Lexeaus, determined to confront the Organization member. Lexeaus tightened his firm grip on his Skysplitter and charged.

Larxene sat on a tree branch, watching Lexeaus brawl against some farmer stallion. As entertaining as it was, it was taking too long. Xemnas would not be pleased, having little patience for time-wasters. She electrocuted a knife and flung it into the fray.

Neither pony spoke during the fight, true to their natures. Both were on the quiet side, naturally. Big Mac managed to buck the Skysplitter from his enemy’s hand, but Lexeaus could still fight with bare hooves. They wrestled madly in the grass, trying to pin one another. 

Just when it looked like Big Mac might win, a knife came out of nowhere and plunged into his foreleg. He whinnied in pain as electricity surged through the wound. Lexeaus took advantage of the critical attack and tossed him aside. “Larxene, that knife could have hit me,” he grunted.

"Relax, you big lug,” she taunted. “I’m a deadeye with my knives.”

“Right, yet you couldn’t be bothered to warn me?”

“If I had shouted ‘Lexeaus, make sure you dodge this knife I’m about to chuck at the pony’, then that would have ruined the surprise.”

“Hmph,” snarled Lexeaus. He rearmed himself, picking up his hefty weapon with ease. As he turned to knock out Big Mac, he was startled to find that he was gone.

“Now see what your meddling has caused?” he cried. “My quarry has escaped.”

Larxene didn’t bother starting another heated argument. She just shrugged and left the scene through a portal of darkness.


“Thanks for the save, Vinyl,” said Big Mac, wincing from the pain in his leg.

“You’re hurt; let me take you to the forest,” commanded the DJ.

“Eeyup.”


LUXORD AND DISCORD

“My word, this is an interesting specimen,” marveled Luxord. Out of all the members of Organization XIII, the gambler seemed least fazed by his transformation into a pony. He interpreted it as a new perspective, rather than a curse.
In fact, being a unicorn seemed to heighten his strange abilities. His cards were now easier to use and more effective. 

Luxord’s abilities were often difficult to comprehend, being nearly as bizarre as Xemnas’s powers. But what did it matter, really, as long as Luxord understood his power.

“Truly marvelous species, yet I’m left to wonder if this figure would really suit me. He’s simply too bizarre and mad to be my tribute.”

Luxord shuffled his cards and threw them at various angles. Once in the air, they orbited around the stranger, who appeared to be sleeping. The cards grew to twelve times their standard size. They completely hid the tall being from view.

“Let’s turn back time, shall we?” Luxord asked rhetorically. 

Before the cards could work their magic, Discord blew the cards away from him. “Yaaawn! Tell me, why have you disturbed me, friend?” 

Friend? Either this grotesque creature was mad, or he was just quick to judge. It wasn’t wise to befriend oneself with the Organization. “My name is Luxord, the Gambler of Fate. I was… trying to make you more comfortable!”

“Oooh, a gambler! How fitting.”

“It was all a wager; I really didn’t know if you were a living creature or simply a piece of peculiar art.”

Discord laughed. “Thank you for the help. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d best be on my way to Canterlot. The princess requests an audience with me.”

Before he could escape, a wall of oversized cards blocked his way. Discord simply folded a card in half and crumpled it between his paw and claw. He marched right through the gap he had made, tossing the crushed card behind him.

Luxord saw the bent up card and glared. His cards were special and practically life-lasting, yet this creature had crippled it like it was just a piece of scrap paper. ‘Angered’, the gambler transfigured the draconequus into a card (remember: Nobodies don’t actually experience emotions, they just pretend to feel). Unfazed, Discord flipped around. The face of the card bore Discord’s likeness. The printed Discord snapped his fingers and Luxord lost his back end. The gambler was reduced to being a feeble upper half now.

“Perhaps I chose someone too strong to be my tribute,” thought Luxord aloud. 

Discord regained his original form, but rather than walk away, he decided to switch to offense. “Pitiful little unicorn, it seems you’ve lost your bet,” teased the lord of chaos. “You befriend me, then you try to stop me? Your plan makes no sense.”

Discord hunched over and whispered in Luxord’s ear, “I excel at not making sense.”


SAIX AND LUNA

Saix marched through a path in the forest, following a set of hoof prints. Accompanying him were Axel and Xigbar, eagerly toying with their armaments. They made a good team: Axel and Saix had always been good friends, and Xigbar got along fine with almost everyone in the Organization. With Saix’s melee attacks, Axel’s fire, and Xigbar’s sniping, the ponies would be in for the fight of their lives.
Upon entering Equestria, Saix had become an earth pony with a blue mane and pale body. Above his nose, two intersecting cuts formed an ‘X’ on his face. Oddly enough, the ‘X’ was fitting, as it was a prominent symbol of sorts among the Organization. Every member of Organization XIII had their name changed when they joined. Xemnas required that they all have an ‘X’ included in their name. It was a mark of brotherhood of sorts.

“They can’t be far,” informed Saix. “I doubt they will pose much of a threat, but I’m still going to post the others around the forest to seal off any escape.”

A portal of darkness opened up ahead. Zexion came forth. “All the others have returned, except for Luxord,” he reported. “I think he may have bitten off more than he can chew.”

“That’s our Luxord, always getting himself into trouble,” chuckled Axel.

“Indeed,” agreed Saix. “Tell Roxas to lend Luxord a hand. If we don’t have all thirteen tributes, Xemnas will be displeased.”


Zecora poured an oozing green concoction onto Big Mac’s paralyzed leg, the knife still pressed into his flesh. The medicine burned, but Big Mac couldn’t feel anything after being electrocuted. The medicinal sludgy substance numbed his leg further, just to be certain that the stallion couldn’t feel the excruciating sting from the knife.

Then, Zecora slowly pulled the knife out of Big Mac’s leg, holding a cloth below it to keep the wound covered. She dropped the weapon on a table and dressed the farmer’s leg. Once the blood clotted, the medic pulled out a vial of tan-colored liquid. 

“Hold still, dis is going to hurt,” she warned. The zebra pulled out the stopper and put a few drops on the injured area. The paralysis faded, but so did the numbing medicine. Big Mac felt a spiking level of agonizing pain and cried.

Applejack walked into the hut, trying her best not to surprise Zecora. “Is my brother gonna make it?” she asked, nervously. 

“But of course, he will have the strength of four men. But I can’t say for sure if he will ever walk again.”

Big Mac rested his head on a pillow. Applejack sweetly rubbed his back while he slept.


A small encampment had been established around Zecora’s home. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Vinyl Scratch were setting up defenses to ward off the Organization. Twilight wrote letter after letter to Princess Celestia, hoping against hope that she would bring help. Alas, no reply was sent.

“What do those marauders want from us, anyway?” whined Rarity. “We’ve done nothing to them.”

“They’re so scary!” shuddered Fluttershy. 

“Let me at ‘em!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “I’ll take on all of them!”

“As you wish, pegasus.”

Instantly, three ponies in black cloaks walked in from a clearing. They flipped back their hoods, revealing their faces. Axel pulled out his chakrams and Xigbar reloaded his arrowgun. The only thing separating the opposing forces was a magical barrier, preventing entry.

Saix unlimbered his giant claymore, gleaming in the moonlight. The second in command basked in the ominous light of the full moon, feeling his power escalating. When his energy reached its peak, he went berserk and slammed his staff against the field, penetrating it in numerous places. With a final swing of his claymore, the field shattered. 

The ponies ran for dear life, but from out of the canopy more Organization members stormed the group. Axel and Xigbar charged into the arena, but kept their distance from the berserk Saix. Twilight came under fire from Xigbar, but redirected his shots at Lexeaus up in the trees. Surprised and overwhelmed, he dropped his tool to the ground, making a shockwave. Vexen tried to freeze Fluttershy, but the shockwave threw off his aim. Fluttershy activated the Stare, forcing him to freeze Demyx’s sitar. A thin strand of ice kept Demyx attached to Vexen.

Zecora came out of her hut, holding the knife. It still crackled with electricity. She threw it straight at the ice bond, instantly frying both Nobodies touching the ice. Applejack bucked Zexion while he was letting his illusions fight Rarity, instantly disabling him with the brutal smash. Rainbow Dash dodged a handful of knives and launched Larxene against a tree, knocking the wind from her lungs. Pinkie fired herself out of the party cannon, tackling Xaldin in midair. His lances fell from his clutches, right above Marluxia. She avoided being speared by the first few, but the flat of the fourth lance bashed her on the head. 

“Have you had enough yet?” taunted RD.

Now, only Saix, Xigbar, and Axel remained conscious, the original tasks force. Unfortunately, they would not go so easily. Axel spun his chakrams and surrounded the ponies in an inferno. Xigbar ran around the ring, firing off tons of rounds above the ponies’ heads, forcing them to stay down.

Seizing the opportunity, Saix dove in, ready to obliterate his foes. He raised his claymore above Twilight’s head and swung it down.

But all of a sudden, he was hurled by a blast of lightning. The berserker was pinned by a tall alicorn.

“LEAVE OUR FRIENDS ALONE!”

The alicorn was Princess Luna, guardian of the night. She had seen the letter Twilight wrote and rushed in to save them. 

Xigbar and Axel tried to aid their comrade, but two more ponies came to subdue them. One was a white unicorn, the other a pink alicorn princess.

“Cadence! Shining Armor!” cried Twilight. 

Axel rocketed at Shining Armor, twirling a chakram in front of him. He plowed into the Royal Guard Captain with blazing ferocity. Shining Armor cringed, but managed to throw up a shield around himself. Axel roared and sliced at the shield, melting it instantly. Just as he was about to slam his chakram down on Shining Armor, somepony kicked him in the back. 

Big Mac helped Shining Armor up. “Thanks for the save,” grunted the Guard.


Cadence picked up Xigbar telekinetically and slammed him into the dirt. Before she could follow up the attack, Xigbar warped and shot her several times. Disoriented, she took evasive action. The ponies caught in the fire ring were starting to faint from the smoke. Cadence doused the flames, but too late. All the ponies trapped in the ring were too weak to be of any assistance. 

“Princess Cadence… behind you,” croaked RD as loudly as her hoarse voice would allow.

Cadence swiveled around to find Xigbar’s arrowgun leveled at her head. “Stand still,” commanded the sniper. Seeing no other option, Cadence halted. “Good girl.” Xigbar bashed her head with the gun, causing her to faint. Fighting unopposed, Xigbar went to join Saix.


Luna kept Saix pinned, despite his futile attempts to dislodge the princess. Believing she was victorious, Luna let her guard down. Xigbar took advantage and blasted her away. Free to move, Saix regained his footing and absorbed the moonlight again. Not wanting to get caught between the two, Xigbar warped away. Thinking that his work was done, the sniper relaxed. Just as he was getting comfortable, Shining Armor and Big Mac ganged up on him, beating him senseless.

Meanwhile, Saix had gone berserk once again. In the heat of the battle, Nightmare Moon had started to take over. Luna was now just as powerful in the moonlight as Saix. Her horn crackled with dark magic while Saix’s claymore popped out a set of spikes at the tip. Wielding the thing like a giant mallet, Saix clobbered Luna/Nightmare Moon. The princess retaliated with a dark aura, cutting off circulation to Saix’s hooves. He was forced to set the claymore down, unable to feel his hooves.

“Graaaw!” bellowed Saix. He writhed in agony, the loss of blood flow making it impossible for him to move. The twisted princess enjoyed seeing such torture and chose another spell. She launched another aura at the berserk pony, this time targeting his mind. Saix entered a nightmare, unable to wake up. He shriveled up and gave in.

Before Luna could harm him further, her sister arrived and soothed her mind. Luna slowly suppressed Nightmare Moon and relaxed. The battle had been won.

Together, the Princesses, Shining Armor, and Big Mac revived their friends and tied up the Organization members. The aftermath would be hard to recover from, with more than ten ponies in need of medical attention. 

“Sister, we need aid,” said Luna. “We cannot heal all of them by ourselves.”

Without warning, both were downed by a large scythe.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them. They will be in good hands.”

Marluxia stood over them, scythe in one hand, flower pot with legs in the other. He had been subdued, but thanks to the rose the pot had brought him, he had regained his senses and gotten back up. The floral lord cut his allies free from their bonds as they woke up. Then, each Organization member chose a pony and took a portal to where Xemnas waited.


FAILURE

Xemnas and Roxas lied in wait at Canterlot. One by one, more members joined them. 

“Lexeaus and Big McIntosh: the quiet muscles,” announced Xemnas.
“Demyx and Vinyl Scratch: the musicians.”
“Zexion and Twilight Sparkle: the book worms.”
“Vexen and Zecora: the odd experimenters.”
“Larxene and Rarity: the feminine ladies.”
“Saix and Luna: the masters of moonlight.”
“Xigbar and Rainbow Dash: the flighty speeders.”
“Marluxia and Fluttershy: the nature lovers.”
“Axel and Pinkie Pie: the unique talents.”
“Roxas and Shining Armor: the reliable troopers.”
“Xaldin and Applejack: the strong workers.”
“Myself and Celestia: the rulers.”

“Plus, we have this extra: Princess Cadence. She is also remarkably strong of heart. Once Xion is in action, she can have her as a tribute.”

“That makes twelve pairs, where is Luxord?” growled Saix. Right on cue, the gambler appeared, hefting a large box made of cards. He dropped the package and panted, exhausted from the effort. The cards fell away to reveal a huge stone statue of a draconequus.

“Luxord and Discord: the wild cards.”

“You wouldn’t believe how long it took to stop this charming fellow,” gasped Luxord. “You see, I found this strange person in the garden. After a long sparring, I managed to turn back time on him. It seems at one point he used to be a statue…”

“Enough, Luxord,” snapped Xaldin. “Just get over here.”

Xemnas snapped his wrists, summoning his red ethereal blades. He crossed the beams and walked over to Celestia. The captive pony princess shivered, frightened by the glowing swords. Xigbar readied his arrowgun, Xaldin wielded a lance, Vexen his frozen shield, and so on.

“Err, boss?” murmured Luxord. “I think there’s a problem here.”

“Throw the statue off a cliff if you must, just slay the beast so we can extract its heart,” retorted Xemnas.

“But… it’s not going to be a statue much longer!” Time caught up with Discord, and he resumed his freedom. Luxord’s spell had worn off.

Discord flicked the gambler on the snout, making him turn into a six-sided die. “It seems you’re in a dicey situation!” mocked Discord. “Bahahaha!” A lance, knife, and flurry of red arrowgun shots came his way, but Discord had already melted into the ground. “Can’t catch me! Can’t catch me!” he taunted.

“Stand still, vermin,” snapped Zexion. The chaos lord popped up behind the Cloaked Schemer. Discord popped a knuckle and Zexion’s lexicon grew to the height of a door. It opened and shut on the Nobody.

Xaldin whirled, twirled, and hurled his lances like javelins, aiming for the throat. Discord’s body became a gas, making the lances go right through him. Retaining the new form, Discord engulfed the dragoon master and suffocated him.

“Fools!” cried Discord. “You dare try to harm my friends?” He clapped his hands together, causing a thunderbolt to fry Larxene, who was about to slice the spirit. “Ha! Can’t you see? You’re elements are you’re weaknesses.”

The spirit of chaos moved so quickly, no one could get a lock on him. Only another minute into the battle, and Demyx was a puddle, Vexen became frozen solid, Axel caught fire, and Marluxia disintegrated into a pile of rose petals. None of the members were actually destroyed, as Discord was not a murderer. He just made sure they couldn’t move.

Sickened and frustrated, Xigbar, Saix, and Lexeaus worked as one. The sniper loosed endless rounds at Discord, forcing him to take cover in the ground. Lexeaus then slammed his weapon on the ground, temporarily stunning the draconequus. Saix followed that up with his claymore, stabbing it into the earth where Discord lay. 

“Ah ah ah, not so fast,” declared a voice from above. Saix tilted his head to see Discord, unscathed. “I see you’ve found my decoy. He’s great fun at parties.” Indeed, the form that had been attacked was a fake.

Discord stopped hovering and body slammed the three of them. Lexeaus became half buried, Xigbar’s head, hooves, and body all warped to different places, and Saix lost his strength while the Full Moon became a New Moon. 

Xemnas marveled at Discord’s sudden madness. The enemy was just so darn stubborn, refusing to be brought down. “Roxas, stop him!” he ordered. The Keyblade wielder galloped forth, but was tackled by Cadence, descending from above. Surprised, Roxas couldn’t get free. He tried to squirm away, but Twilight and Rainbow Dash subdued him and he gave.

The once-captive tributes came to their senses. Celestia and Luna joined Cadence and Discord, while Twilight snatched the mysterious book lying on the ground next to the trapped Zexion. Xemnas now stood alone, with his allies scattered across the desert floor. Magic beams blazed at him, but he raised an invisible barrier from thin air. 

“Why do you attack my Organization?” asked Xemnas.

“You all attacked us first,” snapped Rainbow Dash.

“Bah, we meant no harm. We wanted to get your attention, that’s all.”

One by one, the ponies displayed their battle scars and wounds. Every pony had been hurt in more than a few ways. Yet Xemnas just scoffed at the show of scars. He waved his arms, and his allies became ponies again. They pulled out their armaments, but Xemnas raised invisible walls to separate them from the enemies.

Then, Xemnas snapped his fingers and the pain was lifted from the injured ponies. “There, now you are on even ground with us. Perhaps now you will be willing to cooperate?”

“I thought you needed us for something,” recalled Princess Celestia. “You wanted our hearts for some creepy experiment or something.”

“Indeed. Now, let’s get this operation under way.” The invisible walls disappeared. Demyx, Axel, Xaldin, and Lexeaus activated their elemental powers. Pure energy flowed through the pony tributes. Then, Vexen, Xigbar, Zexion, and Luxord used their illusions, ice, and command over space-time to place the entire assemblage in a separate place, cut off from the rest of Equestria. Escape was now impossible. Finally, Saix, Larxene, and Marluxia used their unique attributes to make a proper setting, electrifying yet calming at the same time.

“Stop at once!” demanded Celestia. “What do you think you’re doing?” Discord tried to counter the combination of powers, but it was simply too much to deal with. “It’s no use, I need help princesses!” he pleaded. The three alicorn princesses added their magic to Discord’s. For a brief moment, the field of nothingness faded. In that moment, a chest was tossed into the place. 

“Use the Elements!” shouted a familiar voice.

“Spike, is that you?” called Twilight. No answer, the field was back in place. “C’mon everypony, let’s fight back with our own abilities!”

The Mane Six donned their Elements of Harmony. The royalties amassed as much magic as they could control. Discord unleashed all the chaotic power he contained in his body. Big Mac, Zecora, Shining Armor, and Vinyl ran in circles, smashing Organization members and cutting them off from the elements they controlled and weakening the field.

“Aaaaaah!” screamed the Organization collectively. The onslaught of Harmony, chaos, and royal magic left them down for the count. Only Xemnas still stood, but he was shaking at the knees. 

“It seems the strength of your united hearts have overtaken our lack thereof,” admitted the Nobody leader. “But I am not leaving here until your hearts belong to me.” He raised his ethereal blades once more. Discord snapped his fingers and the blades became stalks of lettuce. The legged flower pot crawled towards Marluxia to revive him once again, but Big Mac shattered it beneath his hoof.

“No dice,” snapped Shining Armor. “Here, take the book Twily.” He handed Zexion’s book over, the very same that had brought the Organization to Equestria. “It was in the chest with the Elements.”

“Spike really pulled through for us, didn’t he?” replied Twilight. She cracked open the book, looking for a way to undo her previous action. To her amazement, the page with the pad had shifted. It now read: place hoof here when you are done. 

“There is so much I could teach you, unicorn,” interrupted Xemnas. “You’re hungry for knowledge, but you’re afraid of what I am capable of. Why are you afraid of a teacher? Organization XIII can shed light on any subject you choose. All you have to do is give me that book.”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s the enemy!” called Princess Celestia. “Twilight, there are things that shouldn’t be uncovered. I am your teacher, not him. Place your hoof on the page and end this, my student! ”

Twilight stared at the book. Xemnas had his hand outstretched to claim the book. Celestia pleaded for her to ignore her thirst for knowledge for once. Shining Armor stepped forward. “I trust you, Twilight,” he added. “I know you’ll make the right decision.”

Twilight thought a moment, and then turned to the book. She sighed and made up her mind…