//------------------------------// // Chapter Two-The Wayfinder // Story: Hasbro/Square Enix Kingdom Hearts Rebirth by Awakening // by SonictheHedgepony //------------------------------// Chapter Two-The Wayfinder "Twilight, are you alright?" asked a concerned Applejack. "And what is that thing floating in midair?" "Is your magic causing it?" Twilight then got up off the ground and her Keyblade then disappeared. "The Heartless are starting to invade Equestria sooner than we thought," said Twilight in a worried tone. "Let’s get Rainbow Dash and hurry to Canterlot." But, before they could lift a hoof, a teal speck started falling from the sky. "Look out below!" it said. As soon as it slowed down, it was revealed to be Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash is a brash and competitive Pegasus who is in charge of Ponyville’s weather. Despite her insensitivity, she is always loyal to her friends until the bitter end. When she was a filly in flight camp, she was competing in a race to protect Fluttershy’s honor. And upon takeoff, she was already beating the other colts while also building up extreme speed. Near the end of the race, she performed her first-ever Sonic Rainboom, an event where a Pegasus breaks the sound barrier, creating a rainbow-colored shockwave. Rainbow thought the Rainboom was just a mare’s tale, but she performed the impossible. Upon doing this act and winning the race, her cutie mark, a rainbow-colored lightning bolt, appeared on her flank. When she told this story to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, her friends discovered that her Rainboom was responsible for helping them discover their special talents and earn their cutie marks, realizing that they had a special connection before they even met. Because of this revelation, they have been closer than they ever knew ever since. "Now, Twilight, before you say anything, I just want to say that I want to go along with you to Canterlot," said Rainbow Dash right away. "I mean, you destroying that Heartless creature with an oversized key? That was so AWESOME!" "How did you know about that!?" asked a surprised Twilight. "Being a Pegasus doesn’t keep me from seeing and hearing everything from a bird’s-eye view," said Rainbow, flapping her wings while talking. Twilight and her friends looked at each other awkwardly again. "Well, forget that," Twilight said. "Let’s hurry to the station!" Now that they’re together, they galloped toward the train station so they can get to Canterlot and meet with Master Eraqus and the Seven Guardians of Light. After they left, Scootaloo, always following and idolizing Rainbow Dash, overheard and was approached by her fellow Crusaders and followed the Six Bearers of Harmony to the station… After arriving at the station, Twilight purchased a ticket for Canterlot. "But we don’t have time to wait for a train," said Applejack. "You said it yourself, Twi. We need to get to Canterlot now." "Shut it," said a mysterious person right next to them. "Talk about complaining..." They turned and became startled by the sudden appearance of a boy who didn't look at all like a pony. "Twilight Sparkle, right?" asked the boy. "Y-yeah, but how do you know my name?" asked a surprised and confused Twilight. "I thought I’d need your help in the Game," the boy said, while holding out Twilight’s hoof. "But, I can see you’re not a Player." "A…what?" asked Twilight. "Come on, in the Game," the boy groaned, while holding out his own hand, which is marked with a time limit. "Players get marked with a certain amount of time for the Game. And I can’t afford to lose this Game. I need my Game Partner." "Well, I may not know about this 'Game', but maybe I can help," said Rainbow Dash, her competitive spirit aroused. "Maybe I can be your Partner." "Whoa, time out. Do you trust every complete stranger you meet?" asked the boy. "Sorry, but you're not good for this. You’re not a Player. Besides, my pact's with someone else." "Alright, so we can’t be your Partners," said Applejack. "But, we’ll help you out as friends, alright, sugarcube?" "Now we're friends?" asked the boy. "It's not as simple as that." "Well, Twilight didn't care about friendship before," said Spike. "And look at her now: she has five friends who care and support her. You should at least give us some slack." "Yeah, sounds great," said the boy, obviously uncaring. "Whatever." "Okey-dokey-lokey!" said Pinkie. "Lead the way." The boy then ran off for Canterlot, swirling off lampposts and flying a great distance after flying off of them. Twilight became amazed and interested at this type of magic, wondering if she could try it out herself. "Spike, hold on tight," she said. "W-what are gonna do?" asked Spike. "I’m gonna see if I can do what that boy just did," Twilight replied. "Do you think it’ll work?" asked Rarity. "It worked for that boy and it’ll work for me too," said Twilight. "Besides, AJ’s right. The train will take too long to get here and the Heartless are beginning to invade." Twilight disposed of her ticket and galloped toward the lamppost. When she got close enough, she stuck out her hoof and started to twirl around it, with a magenta aura surrounding her. When she swirled around enough, she let go and took flight. The boy's trick worked. "She actually did it!" said a proud Pinkie. "C’mon! Twirl around on a lamppost and let’s get this party started!" With the exception of the pegasi, the ponies twirled around and caught up with Twilight and together, they set off for Canterlot. After they were gone, Apple Bloom picked up the ticket Twilight abandoned and she and her fellow Crusaders discovered their friend's pets trailing behind them. "Winona, what are you and the others doing here?" asked Apple Bloom to her and her sister's pet dog. "Well, while we catch up with them, we can try to get our cutie marks in pet-sitting again." The next train bound for Canterlot arrived at the station and before they could board it, they were soon approached by a mysterious person with a wrapped up sword already on board the train... After flying all the way to Canterlot, Spike got off Twilight, feeling a bit woozy. He gagged a little, but swallowed, shaking a little. "Are you alright, Spikey-wikey?" asked Rarity. Ever since Spike did the kind act of giving a Fire Ruby to Rarity, she has been calling him “Spikey-wikey” ever since. "Yeah," said Spike, dizzily and queasy. "I just threw up a little in my mouth. This ability may take some getting used to." "It’s called Flowmotion," said a mysterious voice right next to them. They turned and saw the boy again and Fluttershy gave a surprised shriek. "Alright, whoever you are," said an annoyed Applejack. "You’ve got to stop sneaking up on everypony." "Right," said Neku. "Anyway, Flowmotion allows you move faster than you usually do and you can use it on anything, not just the lampposts you used to get here. Now, if you’ll mind, I must find my Partner." "Wait!" shouted Twilight. But Neku was already wall-jumping away from them. "He moves fast," said Rainbow. "Maybe even faster than me..." "Well, now that we’re in Canterlot, let’s find Master Eraqus and the Seven Guardians of Light," announced Twilight. "Pfft," scoffed Pinkie. "We won’t have to do that." "And why do you say that, Pinkie?" asked Twilight. "Because, they’re right over there," Pinkie answered. Indeed, Master Eraqus and the Guardians were sitting on a table waiting for the Bearers of Harmony to show up. "Nice to finally meet you," said Eraqus, graciously shaking Twilight’s hoof. "I would like to introduce you to the Seven Guardians of Light and my students: Sora, Kairi, Riku, Lea, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus." Twilight remembered these people from the stained-glass platforms from her Dive to the Heart. "Well, it looks like meeting the heroes of Equestria deserves a little icing on the cake," Lea said, while fetching out a teal bar on a stick. "Here you go." "What is that?" asked Twilight. "This is sea-salt ice cream," Ventus answered. "SHUT UP!" said an excited Pinkie. She took one of the bars and took a bite. She then froze up. She was gripped by the flavor. "Girls, you’ve got to try this!" "I got it covered," said Lea, fetching out six more bars of sea-salt ice cream. "Here you go." Twilight and her friends took a bite out of their bars and were gripped by the flavor as well. "It’s sweet and salty, like a caramel apple!" said Applejack. "That’s what Roxas said on his first day in Organization XIII," said Lea. "Who’s Roxas?" asked Fluttershy. "He was a Nobody," Sora answered. "Well, that’s not nice," said Pinkie. "Calling someone a nobody is like calling somepony a 'blank flank,' a pony who lacks a cutie mark." Her friends then glared at her, knowing that their friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, don’t have their cutie marks yet. "With a capital N," Lea explained. "Nobodies are what remains after a strong heart turns into a Heartless. The body then acts on its own will, due to the strong will it has, becoming a Nobody. So, if you’re turned into Heartless, then your strong will shall create a Nobody. Got it memorized?" Lea, as well as his Nobody, Axel, often ends his explanations with the phrase “got it memorized?” "Got it," said Spike, having just written down what a Nobody is. "Well, now that we’ve enjoyed the greatest treat we’ve ever had, let’s meet with the princesses," said Twilight. "Wait!" said Kairi. "Aqua has something to give you." Indeed, what she has for Twilight and her friends were star-shaped lucky charms, created to correspond with the pony of its holder. "These are Wayfinders," Aqua explained. "On the Destiny Islands, there’s a tree with star-shaped known as the Paopu Fruit. And the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So, as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You will always find your way back to each other. An unbreakable connection." "We love them," said Twilight. "I think these truly do symbolize our neverending friendship. Now let’s go meet up with Celestia and Luna." And with that, the Thirteen Warriors of Light and Harmony set off for the castle. Upon arriving at the castle, they entered the throne room where they witnessed the Princesses being under attack by Neoshadows, humanoid versions of the Shadows. In retaliation, the Guardians and Eraqus called forth their Keyblades and took on the Neoshadows head-on, with Twilight and her friends watching from the sidelines. While fighting off the creatures, six of them dissolved into the ground and slithered onto the ceiling, creeping on top of the Bearers. When they were in perfect trajectory, they rose out and began to drop down on them. Luckily, Pinkie felt a twitch in her tail and knew what it meant. "Above you!" she told her friends. Just as the Neoshadows were about to land on them, they were destroyed by Twilight’s Keyblade and her friend’s other Keyblades that have features that reflect solely on their wielders qualities, like Twilight’s. After all the Neoshadows were destroyed, the Warriors and Princesses thought it was over, but all of a sudden, a new creature known as a Darkside appeared from the ground, the same one from Twilight’s Dive to the Heart. The Warriors started attacking the gargantuan creature with their Keyblades, but like Twilight, it wasn’t enough. And before it was about to deliver the final blow, it was suddenly struck down by two Keyblades belonging to two armor-clad ponies. "Is everybody and pony alright?" asked Riku. Everyone announced that everybody and pony was present and accounted for. Then they turned and looked at the armored ponies. In a flash of light, the armor disappeared and the identities were revealed: Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Shining Armor is the B.B.B.F.F., Big Brother Best Friend Forever, to Twilight. He is captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and is the husband to Princess Cadence. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Princess Cadence, as she prefers to be called, was the former foal-sitter to Twilight and after a famous royal wedding in Canterlot became the wife to Shining Armor and sister-in-law to Twilight. Most notably, upon rescuing the Crystal Empire from King Sombra’s wrath, they have become the co-rulers of the Empire. "Shining Armor!" Twilight said immediately, hugging his big brother. "Hey, Twily," said Shining Armor in response. "Looks like I saved your tail this time around." "Well…" Twilight said awkwardly, then she turned to Cadence and started doing a dance together while reciting a song together. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” They performed this song-and-dance ever since Cadence foal-sat for Twilight and even perform it years later whenever they greet each other. "What are you guys doing here?" asked Twilight. "I thought you were in the Crystal Empire." "Actually, we’re here to help you out with the Heartless situation, as well," said Shining Armor. "How did you know about the invasion?" asked Rarity. Cadence's face fell out of concern. "This morning, we saw a dark creature invade the throne room similar to the ones you guys just fought," she explained. "We thought it was a remnant of King Sombra’s dark magic, but when we used our magic against it, we realized that it was immune to our effects. When it was about to attack us, it was suddenly destroyed by two key-shaped weapons that respond to our every command, without our magic causing it. Before we took off to tell Celestia and Luna about our discovery, we saw some pauldrons on the ground. When we put them on our shoulders and pressed them, we were suddenly clasped in shining armor." Pinkie tried to hold in her laughter, knowing the irony between the stallion’s name and their Keyblade Armor. "When we got to Canterlot, we saw you guys fighting alongside those people wielding similar weapons destroying those creatures. When it came to the giant creature, we decided to step in and use our newfound weapons to kill the beast." "Well, that was quite the story, Cadence, well done," said Rainbow Dash. "But how were we able to obtain these key-like weapons?" "I think we’ll explain everything," said Princess Celestia. And with that, the Guardians story began…