I’ve had these questions bugging at my mind ever since I discovered a mysterious book in a secret compartment in one of the shelves in my library, like the book on the Legend of the Mirror Pond. What is the Keyblade? What are the Heartless? And more importantly, what is the “heart of all worlds,” Kingdom Hearts? The more I thought about these questions, the less I seem to know about these legends. But I swore I would figure this out one page at a time, no matter how long it takes.
Prologue-The Keyblade
This was an interesting thought coming from Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle is the most studious and most talented unicorn hailing from Canterlot, the capital of her home country of Equestria. As a filly growing up, she has become fascinated by magic and seeing the kind and just co-ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, raise the sun during the Summer Sun Celebration, so she made it in her best interest to studying the art. After months and months of studying, her parents enrolled her in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She couldn’t have been more excited in her life. But there was a catch: she had to pass an entrance exam, which was to hatch a dragon out of an egg. After many unsuccessful attempts, she thought about giving up. But all of a sudden, a mysterious explosion far in the distance caused a sudden jolt in her horn and hatched the dragon out of the egg. But, she soon lost control of this ability, being a young one inexperienced with such power. With her eyes now glowing white with a magenta aura surrounding her, she began firing a flurry of spells, which the Princess took notice of and reversed at once. Celestia was amazed at Twilight, saying she’s never seen a unicorn with such raw powers and that she needs to tame these abilities through focused study. To that end, Twilight took up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by accepting to be the Princess’ personal protégée at the school. At that very moment, her cutie mark, a magenta star with five smaller stars surrounding it, appeared on her flank, and she has been Celestia’s most faithful student ever since.
While investigating a legend involving a wicked mare of darkness known only as Nightmare Moon, her mentor said there’s more to life than studying, so she sent Twilight and her faithful baby dragon assistant Spike (the dragon Twilight hatched during her entry test) to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in that year’s location, Ponyville, while having an additional assignment: make some friends. While there, she looked over the needed items for the celebration while making close friends with five local residents of the town: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. When the Nightmare Moon returned, Twilight and her new friends embarked on a perilous quest to find the Elements of Harmony, the only relics that can stop Nightmare Moon’s evil. While confronting the Mare from the Moon, Twilight revealed that her friends are the very Elements of Harmony, with Twilight herself being the final Element: Magic. With these new powers, they defeated the Nightmare Moon by returning her to her original form: Celestia’s long-lost sister, Princess Luna. After both sisters have been reunited, the Princess of the Day gives her student a new mission: to study the magic of friendship in her new home of Ponyville alongside her friends. Following this, they have had several adventures together, while learning lessons on friendship.
Now, after a long day of studying Kingdom Hearts and its respective legends, she was sleeping and was having a bizarre dream. First, it looked as though she was falling in a deep and dark abyss, but then, she found herself on a mysterious island with seashells and star-shaped fruit. As she was looking around, she was run past by two boys and a girl having a race. After this, her dream took a turn for the weird. She was now looking at memories of different people representing their friendship. And then, the woman with blue hair gave four of her new friends some lucky charms. They then flew up in the air and manifested into the physical amulets of the Elements of Harmony she and her friends represented, which then formed a chain with a sun with a silhouette of Celestia and another with the symbol of Nightmare Night, the holiday of Nightmare Night. They were connected to two oversized keys which are used as weapons, both of them being respectively wielded by Princess’ Celestia and Luna.
Then, she was in a new world with rainfall, where in front of a building with large screens, she saw the screens play her most dramatic memories. When she saw the silhouettes of those who caused this drama she charged out at them, while running through a hallway of screens now showing past and future events. When she got close to them, she thought she would defeat them right then and there, but they dissolved and fell off a ledge. As she was falling, she could see her friends, family, and the boy with brown hair on the ledge. Then, she fell into an ocean where she thought she would drown, but she didn’t. She found this most confusing, because you’re supposed to cast spells to help you breathe underwater. Before she could figure this out, she landed on flat land and looked around the dark and barren landscape. And as soon as she took her first step the ground erupted with doves flying away, with the image they left behind is a stained-glass picture of the boy with brown hair.
"So much to do, so little time…" said a mysterious voice. "Take your time. Don’t be afraid. The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?" Indeed she did. As she was walking forward, three pedestals with different weapons rose out of the ground.
"Power sleeps within you," said the voice. "If you give it form… it will give you strength. Choose well." Twilight looked around. One pedestal contained a sword, another one contained a shield, and the last contained a rod. Of course, owing to her reputation with magic, she got on the pedestal with the rod.
"The power of the mystic," the voice explained. "Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?" She accepted.
"Your path is set," said the voice. "Now, what will you give up in exchange?" Twilight then jumped on to the pedestal with the sword.
"The power of the warrior," said the voice. "Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. You give up this power?" She agreed.
“You’ve chosen the power of the mystic," the voice said. You’ve given up the power of the warrior. Is this the form you choose?” That was her final decision.
Then, the pedestals and the platform overall shattered beneath her hooves and plummeted into the darkness again, but this time she landed on a platform with a stained-glass picture of the girl with brown hair, the boy with silver hair, and the man with red hair wearing a black coat. Suddenly, her rod appeared before her and was floating in mid-air, despite the fact that her magic wasn’t causing it.
"You’ve gained the power to fight." She tested it out by swishing it back and forth. She noticed that her thoughts cause her weapon to respond to the simplest of commands.
"All right!" the voice shouted. "You’ve got it. Use this power to protect yourself and others." Suddenly, an unknown creature with a black body and yellow glowing eyes emerged.
Is this one of the Heartless creatures I read about? Twilight thought to herself.
“There will be times you have to fight," said the voice. "Keep your light burning strong." As it said this, more creatures of the same species came out and were coming at her. Luckily, she was hacking and slashing at them until one of them was defeated and the others were forced to retreat. But, one of them was determined to finish off the unicorn and sneaked up behind her tail.
"Behind you!" shouted the voice. She then turned and destroyed the creature and the others who returned.
But one lone creature started covering the platform with darkness and she was being sucked into the murky blackness. But, as if by luck, she was now on a platform with the stained-glass image of the boy with blonde hair, the woman with blue hair, and the man with brown hair. She then noticed a door at the end of this platform. But, it won’t open. So, after opening a treasure chest and moving and smashing a crate and a barrel, the door opened and as soon as she stepped through, she found herself in the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse along with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
"Hold on," said the voice. "The door won’t open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself." That was what made Twilight realize that she’s still in this dreamscape. But she complied with the voice and approached Scootaloo.
"What do you want outta life?" asked Scootaloo.
"To see rare sights," Twilight said.
"To see rare sights, huh?" Scootaloo repeated. Twilight then went to Apple Bloom.
"What are you so afraid of?" she asked.
"Getting old," Twilight admitted.
"Gettin’ old?" Apple Bloom repeated. "Is that really so scary?" Twilight then got up to Sweetie Belle.
"What’s most important to you?" she asked.
"Friendship," Twilight answered.
"Friendship is the most magical thing in the entire world," Sweetie Belle commented.
"You want to see rare sights," said the voice. "You’re afraid of getting old. Friendship is important to you. Your adventure begins at dawn. As long as the sun is shining, your journey should be a pleasant one.”" Twilight thought that sounded good enough.
"The day you will open the door is both far off and very near," the voice announced.
Then the world was bathed in light again and Twilight found herself on a new platform with a stained-glass picture of the same boy with blonde hair but wearing a black coat, the same man with red hair wearing a black coat but with purple tear markings on his face, and the girl with black hair wearing the same black coat. As she walked forward, the dark creatures rose up again and she destroyed every single one of them. Then she saw a mysterious light create stairs leading up to a new platform. She walked up the stairs to the platform to find a new stained-glass picture of a man who looks much like a teacher.
"The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes." the voice warned.
Indeed, the shadow has become a gigantic dark monster. This nearly freaked out Twilight, but she held her ground.
"But don’t be afraid," said the voice. "And don’t forget…" She knew she would fall if she stepped off the platform. So she fought off the monster with everything she had. But the beast wasn’t slain. And it was about to swallow her up in the darkness when a mysterious light destroyed the creature and the darkness holding her captive. That light was from Princess Luna.
"Wow, am I glad to see you again,” said Twilight, relieved that someone other than herself would be in this dreamscape. “But shouldn’t you be in Canterlot at this time?”
"I am a Princess of the Night, Twilight Sparkle," said Luna. "As such, I have the ability to travel into somepony’s dreams and help them out of their nightmares."
"Well, it sure feels real," Twilight commented. "Well, now that you’re in my dreamscape, maybe you can tell me what those creatures were."
"Those are Heartless,” Luna explained. "When a being, whether good or evil, gives in to the darkness in their heart, they lose that heart and transform into a Heartless. They then travel throughout various worlds in the Realm of Light and find other beings to turn into Heartless, while finding the heart of the world, thus plunging the world into darkness."
"Well, that sounds horrible," Twilight spoke. "But is this an omen of what’s to come?"
"Sadly, yes," Luna admitted. But, wind was starting to blow onto the platform and the Princess was being sucked away. But that didn’t stop her from telling her sister’s most faithful student what she had to do, "----------But don’t be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don’t forget: you are the one who will open the door." Suddenly, the platform was engulfed in a white light…