//------------------------------// // Chapter Five-The Secret Keyblade Warriors // Story: Hasbro/Square Enix Kingdom Hearts Rebirth by Awakening // by SonictheHedgepony //------------------------------// Chapter Five-The Secret Keyblade Warriors “…And now that you know what’s going on,” Celestia concluded. “We thought we might bestow you with another task for Equestria, nay, the entire Realm of Light.” “What is this task?” Twilight asked her teacher. Twilight was previously asked to help out Shining Armor and Princess Cadence in saving the Crystal Empire, but referred to it as a test. “Many new worlds, including this one, haven’t had their Keyholes sealed up yet,” the Princess explained. “As I told you before,” Luna continued for her. “The Keyhole contains the heart of a world. Should the Heartless find the Keyhole and corrupt that heart, the world will be completely cast into darkness.” “I want you, the Thirteen Warriors of Light and Harmony, as well as Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, to travel to these worlds and seal the Keyholes,” Celestia instructed. “Princess, we shall not fail you,” Twilight announced. “I know you won’t,” the Princess assured her. “I know that you, your friends, your new allies, as well as your respective weapons will cleanse the Realm of Light.” “Come on, everybody and pony,” Twilight told her friends and allies. “Let’s go save the Realm of Light!” With that, the Thirteen Warriors of Light and Harmony and the Crystal Rulers set off on their journey to save the Realm of Light, but not before running in the opposite direction. “…Right after we get on the train to Ponyville,” Twilight remarked underneath her breath. After departing, Master Eraqus turned to the Princesses. “Are you certain that the Bearers of Harmony have the Light within to stop the Darkness?” he asked. “We’ve never been certain of anything in our lives,” Luna responded. “Besides, all of this will make her ready for her legacy.” As soon as they arrived at the station, Twilight purchased a ticket for Ponyville, but remembered the Flowmotion ability the mysterious boy taught her and her friends. “Everybody and pony, we must twirl around these lampposts if we are to return to Ponyville,” said Twilight. “I just keep forgetting that the trains are so slow.” Indeed, she disposed of the ticket and her friends twirled on the lampposts and launched off for Ponyville. As soon as they arrived, Sora had a suprised look on his face. "Let me guess: you learned Flowmotion from Neku, didn't you?" he asked. "Wow, you're good at guessing," said Pinkie. "Wait, who's Neku?" asked Rainbow Dash. "He's a boy who has spiky blond hair and wears headphones," Sora explaned. Twilight immediately remembered that he was the one who taught her Flowmotion. "Yes, we saw him two times now and left without looking back," she mentioned. "He said that he was looking for his Game Partner, but we don't know who. Well, now that we’re back, let’s head to the library to gather the Elements of Harmony,” said Twilight. “I thought they were in the Canterlot Tower,” said a suddenly confused Applejack. “The Princess left the Elements with me in the event Discord would turn again, remember?” asked Twilight. “Oh, right,” Applejack realized. As soon as the group traveled into the town square, they saw an innocent girl under attack by Soldiers, Heartless creatures wearing the clothing of a knight. Sora then called forth his Keyblade and destroyed the troops with hearts coming out of their bodies and soaring into the sky. “What just happened?” asked Rarity. “That’s what happens when you destroy an Emblem Heartless,” replied Lea. “What’s an Emblem Heartless?” asked Spike. “Heartless are separated into two types: Pureblood and Emblem,” Sora explained. “Purebloods are Heartless who are born from the natural darkness within hearts and don’t release hearts upon their destruction. Emblems are Heartless who have captured a heart and will release it when they are destroyed.” “So,” Lea concluded. “Purebloods don’t release hearts, but Emblems do. Got it memorized?” “Got it,” Spike said, after writing down notes on the two breeds of Heartless. They then approached the girl and helped her up off the ground. "Are you alright, Shiki?" asked Riku. "Wait, who are you?" asked Twilight. She was confused by the name Riku just gave to the girl and wanted to clarify. "I'm Shiki Misaki," said the girl. "Well, why're you here gettin' chased by those doggone Heartless?" asked Applejack. "I'm trying to find my Game Partner, Neku Sakuraba," the girl explained, showing the Warriors the palm of her hand, displaying a time limit, similar to Neku's. "We saw him before, two times actually," Fluttershy said. "But he just left us without another word." "You should get used to him, unfortunately," Shiki said. "I'm trying to get him to open up." "Well, now that we found you, you should stick with us until we find Neku," said Princess Cadence. "Alright," said Shiki. And with that, they have a new ally in their team, though this would be temporary until they find Neku again. Upon arriving at the Golden Oaks Library, Twilight opened a special chest in her study to reveal the Elements of Harmony. “What’s so special about those artifacts?” asked Terra. “They have the power to rid chaos and evil from Equestria, remember?” Twilight said. “We’re also the ones who currently control them. You see, when we went into the Everfree Forest to find the Elements and stop Nightmare Moon from covering Equestria in eternal darkness, I discovered that my companions ARE the Elements of Harmony.” Twilight then levitated them and gave each Element to her friends while calling it out. "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the Element of HONESTY.” She then placed the Element of Honesty on Applejack, which is a gold necklace with an orange and green apple-shaped gem, which looks similar to her cutie mark. “Fluttershy, who tamed a manticore with her compassion, represents the Element of KINDNESS.” She then placed the Element of Kindness on Fluttershy, which is the same gold necklace, but its gem is of a pink butterfly, much like her cutie mark. “Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the Element of LAUGHTER.” She then placed the Element of Laughter on Pinkie, which is the same gold necklace, instead with a gem of a blue balloon, like her cutie mark. “Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful sea serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the Element of GENEROSITY.” She then placed the Element of Generosity on Rarity, which is the same gold necklace, yet has a purple diamond-shaped gem, also like her cutie mark. “And Rainbow Dash, who couldn’t abandon her friends for her own heart’s desire, represents the Element of LOYALTY.” She then placed the Element of Loyalty on Rainbow, which is the same gold necklace, except it has a red gem in the shape of a thunderbolt, which bears a similar resemblance to her cutie mark. “These five traits of friendship helped us overcome every challenge Nightmare Moon put us up against.” “But this book I just found while you were monologuing says that there were five Elements originally, and that the sixth was a mystery,” Shiki mentioned, looking up a book on the Elements. “How were you able to find the sixth?” “It was with a special spark that ignited within me when I realized that these five girls…are my friends,” Twilight explained. At that moment, Twilight then brought the sixth Element close to her head, which, unlike her friends’ other Elements, is in the form of a gold tiara with a magenta gem in the shape of a star, which is similar to her cutie mark. “You see, Shiki, when the Elements were ignited by the spark that resided in the heart of all of us, it created the sixth Element: the Element of…MAGIC!” She then placed the Element of Magic on top of her head, and just like that, the Bearers of Harmony revealed their purpose to the Guardians. “And with all the Elements together, we have the power to save Equestria from chaos and tyranny.” “Well, now that we have the artifacts you needed,” Sora said. Let’s go and save the Realm of Light!” “Wait!” Ventus said. Rainbow was visibly annoyed about their mission being delayed and kept in her annoyance. “What is it, Ven?” asked Riku. “They need their Keyblade Armor,” Ventus replied. “What is Keyblade Armor?” asked Rarity. Being a fasionista, she thought it might sound stylish and comfortable. “We’re going to travel to various world by using the Lanes Between,” Aqua explained. “And the presence of darkness in the Lanes is so strong; I just don’t want your hearts to be stained with darkness. The Keyblade Armor has special properties to protect you from such darkness.” “How do we get this fancy armor?” asked Applejack. “Summon your Keyblades,” Ven instructed. Indeed they did, and after they’ve been summoned, they saw pauldrons fall to the floor, similar to how Shining Armor and Cadence found their Keyblade Armor. After the Bearers put the pauldrons on their shoulders and pressed them, they were suddenly sealed in their Keyblade Armor. “Whoa!” Twilight was surprised by the Armor’s sudden appearance. “Wait, how am I going to chronicle everything that happens if I don’t have something that protects me from the Lanes Between?” asked Spike. “I read that a dragon’s scales are impenetrable to anything,” Twilight explained. “I think you’ll be fine.” “Alright, now that we have our Keyblade Armor, let’s get this show on the road!” said an anxious Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, they heard a scream. “It’s coming from Sweet Apple Acres,” said Applejack. “C’mon, let’s get this rodeo started.” After arriving at Sweet Apple Acres, they saw Big McIntosh and Granny Smith and their apple orchards under attack by creatures that looked nothing like a Heartless, Pureblood nor Emblem. “What are those things?” asked Cadence. “They’re unlike the Heartless we’ve fought earlier.” “Those are Floods,” Ven explained. “And sadly, you’re right. They’re neither Heartless nor Nobodies. They are part of a race known as Unversed. But, I don’t get it. I thought the Unversed were eradicated after Vanitas returned to my heart.” “Let’s talk about this later,” said Applejack. My family’s in danger.” As they were about to destroy the Floods, the creatures were suddenly struck down by a mysterious swordsman and four mysterious hooded ponies with Keyblades of their own, all of which looked the same. “Who are you?” asked Pinkie. “I’m Cloud,” said the swordsman. “And these are my secret Keyblade Warriors. And we shall meet again.” And with that, the four Secret Keyblade Warriors jumped away. “Those characters are just as mysterious as Neku,” Twilight pondered. “Okay, now we can save the various worlds from the Heartless.” With that, they created a portal to the Lanes Between, donned their Keyblade Armor, and transformed their Keyblades into Keyblade Gliders, and with that, they began the first chapter of their new adventure.