//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Party Time // Story: Kingdom Hearts: Friendship's Turmoil // by Superdale33 //------------------------------// Kingdom Hearts: Friendship’s Turmoil Chapter 15: Party Time The trip down the sidewalk to the club gave the group plenty of time to converse. However, Sora found the sights to be quite inviting, having never left the school since arriving. His eyes wandered all over the place, never straying on one point for too long. Roxas wasn’t as attentive, since he had made a hasty run through with Twilight yesterday. Even still, he found himself gazing over to a few things that caught his eye. “You guys look a bit out of it,” Rainbow noted, nudging an elbow at Sora’s arm as she walked in between him and Roxas at the front. Sora tore his eyes away from his sight seeing to face Rainbow, giving a small smile. “Well, it isn’t everyday I get to explore another world,” he explained, putting both of his hands behind his head. “Yes, it is,” Rainbow argued playfully, “You have a spaceship for crying out loud!” “Maybe,” Sora agreed with a nod before giving a sly look, “But I’m not supposed to be meddling in other worlds in the first place.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah, because of the world order.” “Never stopped me,” Roxas said with an idle shrug. “You used Corridors of Darkness to get around, right?” Sora asked, lowering his arms with a raised brow. Roxas nodded with a smirk, “It wasn’t so bad using them. Made traveling a lot faster, that’s for sure.” “Can you make them still?” Sora asked, honestly curious whether it is still possible. Roxas frowned a little, shaking his head, “Even if I could, I don’t think it would be a good idea. Xemnas told me those who used it were at a great risk in being corrupted or destroyed by the Darkness. At the time, everyone thought we were without hearts, so we didn’t care.” Looking between the two, Rainbow gave a slightly frantic expression as she exclaimed, “Hey, don’t leave me in the dark here! What are you talking about?” Sora and Roxas blinked, forgetting she was still part of their conversation. That simply made them laugh at her, making her pout. Meanwhile, Applejack and Pinkie were walking behind them, having their own conversation. “So can ya remind me how ya were able ta get us into this fancy club?” Applejack asked, having never heard the details. In fact, she wasn’t sure anyone really knew. “Easy,” Pinkie said with dismissive wave, “Vinyl needed help with a certain party at the club, so she called me in because it’s me! And you know me! Then she said she owed me a favor.” “Oh, I see,” Applejack nodded in understanding, “So you just called in on your favor then?” “Nope!” Pinkie said with a shake of her head and a bounce in her step, making Applejack’s eyes shoot open, “I did something completely different.” Applejack pointed at her weakly, absolutely confused. “But then why bring up-?” she stopped herself, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath, “Ya know what, never mind. Probably for the best I don’t know.” “Probably,” Pinkie said with a quick nod, her smile intensifying. Trailing behind those two were Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rarity, with the latter narrowing her eyes in thought at the other two. Fluttershy and Twilight tried not to be too inconspicuous, though they had no idea what they could be hiding in the first place. Rubbing her chin, Rarity looked up at the sky for a moment before snapping her fingers, causing the other two to jump a little. “Okay, girls,” Rarity said in determination, putting a fist into her palm, “At the club, you’re both going to dance with Sora and Roxas.” “W-What?!” Fluttershy whispered, lowering her head as she glanced over to Sora, making sure he wasn’t listening. “But-But I don’t know if…” “It’ll be fine,” Rarity reassured, patting Fluttershy’s back, “You like him, right? I’m sure he likes you too.” Fluttershy mumbled inaudibly, swallowing anxiously. She was just so nervous that something could go terribly wrong. If that was the case, Fluttershy wasn’t sure if she could bare the embarrassment. Just thinking of what could happen made Fluttershy shiver, rubbing her arm for a bit of comfort. Seeing Fluttershy behave like that made Rarity a bit guilty. She really wanted her friend to find some love, but she had to be careful not to force it too much. She couldn’t ruin this for her. Turning to Twilight, since she hadn’t spoken yet, Rarity noticed she was just as apprehensive. However, she wasn’t nearly as on edge. Glancing over to Rarity, Twilight knew she was waiting for her own reply to Rarity’s solution. “Well,” Twilight said, rubbing the top of her head, “I can’t really… dance.” Rarity sighed, remembering how the Pony Twilight acted at the Fall Formal, and it wouldn’t surprise her if this Twilight was the same. Goodness, was it bad. Then again, it didn’t stop Flash Sentry from dancing alongside her. It’s a shame she left, they looked like a nice couple. Of course, after the Pony Twilight left, Flash transferred to a new school. She had heard it was only temporary, for whatever reason, but it was obvious it was because of the Pony Twilight. “Uh, Rarity?” Twilight asked, knocking Rarity back into reality. “Are you alright?” “Yes, I’m fine, darling,” Rarity quickly replied, clearing her throat afterwards, “Now, you can’t dance, correct?” “R-Right…” Twilight agreed, grasping her hands in front of her, “It, uh, runs in the family.” Humming to herself, Rarity wondered how she could make it work. If Twilight couldn’t dance, then there must be some other way she could spend some quality time with Roxas. Unfortunately, Rarity didn’t know much about the club they were going to, having never been there herself. Once she arrived, she would be able to give a better assessment. “Oh, looky, looky! We made it!” Pinkie Pie shouted excitedly, pulling everyone out of their conversations. Everyone saw she was pointing to a certain building coming up from down the street. The walls were somewhat mundane, but the blue neon sign that hung above advertised its name: ‘Club Moonlight’. The sun was heading towards the horizon, showing they still had plenty of time before it became too late. “Let’s get going then!” Rainbow said as she took off for the building, leaving everyone behind. Everyone was quick to follow, their own eagerness growing as they neared the front door. Rainbow burst through the door when she got to it, but was quickly stopped by someone raising their palm in the way. Screeching to a halt, Rainbow gave a saddened and confused look at the hand, just as everyone stopped behind her. The room was a typical hallway, leading to the main part of the club. The sound of thumping music could be heard only a few yards away, muffled by the walls. The only thing stopping the group was a muscular, bald, suit-wearing man with a blue goatee and dark sunglasses. What set him apart from everyone else was his gray skin. Realizing that the figure was a bouncer, Rainbow growled as she shoved his hand away. “What’s the big deal?” she questioned angrily. “No visitors without an invitation,” the bouncer growled, crossing his arms in finality. “Invitations?” Sora repeated. “Yes, spiky,” the bouncer spat, making Sora jump back a bit from the insult. As Sora scratched the back of his head, Spike popped out from Twilight’s backpack, looking over to the bouncer with his head tilted. Noticing this, Twilight reached over her shoulder and patted him a bit with a smile. “Pinkie,” Rarity said, facing her with a bit of worry slipping into her expression. “You do have the invitations, right?” “Don’t worry your heads, everybody!” Pinkie said, pushing past everyone to stand at the front. “I got this!” The bouncer was not swayed by these words, standing as still as a statue as Pinkie dramatically cleared her throat. Narrowing her eyes, Pinkie gave a confident smirk. “Simple and clean.” The simultaneous groan of everyone present was heard, and a few people even facepalmed. However, the bouncer simply gasped, quickly stepping to the side and gesturing to the door. “Vinyl is waiting for you, Pinkamena Diane Pie,” he said with a nod, standing a little straighter. The group’s annoyance swiftly changed to utter shock as they all stared at Pinkie, who turned to them with a large, innocent smile. “I told you I got this!” she said with a shrug, walking past the bouncer and over to the door. The group was frozen for a few seconds before Rainbow shook out of her stupor, throwing her hands into the air. “Alright, party time!” Rainbow cheered, rushing forward past Pinkie. As soon as she made it to the door, she practically threw it open, allowing the loud, obnoxious music to come through, reminding everyone they could start their fun. Smiling, Sora hurried after Pinkie and Rainbow entering the main part of the building. He was instantly at awe at his surroundings, having never been to a place like it before. The whole interior was dark, but had colorful lights dancing around the floor and walls to give just enough illumination to the area. The sides of the room held tables and chairs, and a small vendor sat in the far right corner for refreshments. What really stole his gaze was the elevated platform that had large speakers to the sides and a turntable between them. At the head of it was a white-skinned girl with wild, electric blue hair. Her purple glasses hid her eyes completely, but her bouncing head and smile showed she was really into the music she was playing. Even the large crowd was enjoying it as they danced wildly, especially Rainbow. Pinkie was strangely no where to be seen. As for Sora, the music was certainly… unique, but maybe he just wasn’t used to hearing it. “Whoa,” Sora said, giving the room one last sweep before pumping a fist, “Alright, this is what I call a party.” Roxas grimaced at hearing the music, rubbing one of his ears with his hand as he and the rest of the group stepped beside Sora. “What kind of music is this?” he questioned, “Sounds worse then when Demyx goes freestyle with his sitar.” “The music isn’t that bad,” Twilight said, wincing a bit from the noise, and not even knowing who Demyx was. Roxas gave her an incredulous look, an eyebrow raising. Twilight simply stared at him with a blank face as Roxas crossed his arms. “It’s bad,” Roxas deadpanned, glancing over to the side to see Applejack silently chuckling at his quip. Twilight didn’t say anything, not sure what to do after that. Luckily, Rarity pulled her off to the side, though her temper was barely contained as she fumed silently. Rarity brought Twilight over to a table off to the side, and once she got her into a seat, Rarity took one across from her, having a mild glare. “Twilight,” she said sternly, putting both of her hands on the table as she leaned forward, “Don’t argue with your crush, it leads to bad things.” Twilight didn’t understand the logic of that as she gave a frightened look, “But I was just-” “Baaaaad things,” Rarity stressed, leaning forward more until she was just inches away from Twilight. The look Rarity was giving Twilight was enough to make her cower a little under the table, terrified she had ruined everything. “Wha-What do I do then?” Twilight whimpered out, looking over to Roxas, who was still standing around and looking at everything with furrowed brows. Rarity put on her thinking face, sitting back in her chair as she drummed her fingers for a few seconds. Another look at Roxas made Rarity suddenly get an idea, but it wasn’t one she was completely happy with. “You’ll sit here and watch him until the time is right,” Rarity said sliding off her seat and standing on her feet, “I will assist Fluttershy in the mean time.” Twilight made to protest, but remembered she had zero knowledge regarding relationships. If she was going to get with Roxas, she needed to listen to Rarity. So instead of arguing, she nodded her head sorrowfully, facing Roxas as Rarity left. *** “Woo-wee,” Applejack said, putting a hand on her hat as she watched Rainbow on the dance floor. Fluttershy was just beside her, staring over at Sora, who was simply walking around, examining the room. It was sort of childish for him to do so, but that was just the way he was. “I may not like the music, but everybody sure is having a swell time.” “Yeah,” Fluttershy said monotonically, never tearing her eyes off of Sora. Applejack quickly took notice of this as she gave a sideways glance over to her. Seeing her in a trance-like state, Applejack gave a small smirk as she looked away from Fluttershy “It’s a good thing I pick oranges all the time, right?” she asked, hiding her laughter the best she could. “Yeah,” Fluttershy said instantly, before blinking and turning back to Applejack, “Wait, when did you start picking oranges?” “Never,” Applejack answered, still smirking. Realizing what she was doing, Fluttershy sagged her shoulders, causing Applejack to somewhat regret her little fun. With a sigh, Applejack put a hand on her shoulder, “You really like that Sora fella, don’tcha?” Fluttershy’s nod was so small Applejack was lucky to see it, especially in the dark environment they were in. “Well,” Applejack started, quickly racking her brain for something wise to say, “Just be yourself. I should know a little something about that.” Fluttershy didn’t respond, her mind drawing a blank on what warranted as ‘herself’. Was being kind enough? Was her affection towards him enough? Too many questions buzzing around in her head, and not a single answer in sight. Her breathing increased as anxiety filled her twisted stomach, and she was shivering a little bit too. She just wanted to be with him. Why did it have to be so hard? “Fluttershy, darling,” Rarity called as she made her way over, a sincere smile on her lips, “I have some time to help you before-” She was suddenly cut off as Fluttershy ran over to her throwing her arms around her waist. She tightened her grip as Rarity flung her arms in the air, surprised by the sudden hug. “Rarity!” Fluttershy whispered as loudly as she could, “Please, help! What should I do?!” Rarity looked down at Fluttershy blankly a moment before turning to Twilight, still sitting in her chair in distraught. Finally, she faced Applejack, who was looking a bit uncomfortable about the topic. “Maybe I’ll let y’all have a moment to yourselves,” Applejack announced, quickly heading over to Rainbow Dash, who was still dancing like there was no tomorrow. Giving a tired sigh, Rarity put her hands on Fluttershy’s shoulders and carefully pushed her back. Thankfully, Fluttershy released her and backed away a few steps. Her arms were clutching each other tightly, and her ragged breathing softened Rarity’s heart even more. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Fluttershy was trying to stop herself from sobbing. “Darling,” Rarity said tenderly, stopping for a moment to find the right words, “Don’t worry too much. Sora is too kind to hurt your feelings. Just get to know him.” Fluttershy nodded a little bit, giving a shaky sigh as she tried to clear her thoughts a little bit. She was somewhat ashamed of that little break down. “Now listen closely,” Rarity said with a determined smile on her lips, “This is what you’re going to do.” *** “Say, RD,” Applejack said loudly after arriving over to Rainbow. It instantly got her attention as she turned towards Applejack, still dancing, though not as recklessly as before. “How do ya feel ‘bout all this lovey-dovey stuff that’s been goin’ ‘round?” “Seriously, AJ,” Rainbow said through her teeth, shaking her head as she stopped her dancing altogether. With a sigh, she gave Applejack a furrowed brow. “Why bring that up at a party? We’re supposed to relax and have fun. Not get into the mushy stuff.” “I know,” Applejack snapped back, feeling slightly ashamed for bringing up the topic. “But after seein’ Fluttershy act so… unusual ‘round Sora, it got me thinkin’.” “Well, stop thinking,” Rainbow ordered, a smile erupting as she jumped back into the crowd of dancers. “This is a party!” “Yeah,” Applejack muttered somberly, straightening out her denim skirt, “A party.” *** The bad music was really starting to grind on Roxas’ nerves. He was able to tolerate it before, but after only a few minutes, he was ready to leave. If this was what a party was like, he was seriously questioning whether to go to another one. He probably would still go to another one regardless, since he’d rather not deal with a depressed Pinkie Pie. With another long groan, he gazed around the room, still finding Sora examine his surroundings. It made Roxas wonder what was going through his head. Surely he would be hanging with his friends instead of walking around like he was lost. So what exactly was he doing? He planned to intercept Sora and ask himself, but Roxas caught something pink in the corner of his vision. Quickly looking over, he saw Pinkie disappear around the back, behind the DJ’s stage. Curious, Roxas made his way over, slipping by other people as he did. Edging up to the side of the stage, Roxas remained hidden as he peered around the corner. Pinkie stood alongside the DJ, with Pinkie facing away from Roxas, and both seemed to simply be talking. There wasn’t much going on, but Roxas was compelled to listen in. The DJ scratched the back of her head, looking slightly guilty. “Are you sure you don’t want to call in that favor I owe you?” she asked, sounding like she was forcing Pinkie. “Nope,” Pinkie shook her head, closing her eyes simultaneously, “I want to use it when I really really need to use it. I’ll just pay for my friends invitations.” “I dunno,” the DJ replied with a shake of her head, “It’s kinda spendy. The manager knocked up the price too.” “I understand completely,” Pinkie said with a shrug, still holding that same smile, “I’ll be able to pay for it.” The DJ was obviously conflicted, but in the end, she gave a single nod. “If you say so,” she said, walking back up the steps to her stage, “I’ll bill you later.” “Right!” Pinkie exclaimed as she watched the DJ leave, but with each second, Pinkie’s smile fell until she was frowning deeply. “Right…” Roxas took a deep breath, piecing the puzzle together in his head as he stepped out into the open. “Are you really going to work off all our expenses?” he asked, making Pinkie whip around in surprise. “R-Roxas!” she said before seeing his stern expression, which she responded to be facing away, unable to look at him. “How much did you hear?” “Everything,” Roxas said casually, putting a hand on his hip, “And I think it’s very kind of you to pay.” “That’s what friends are for, isn’t it?” Pinkie said, her gloom disappearing in a flash, “Help any way they can.” “That’s what I used to think too,” Roxas answered, walking over to Pinkie as he looked over to Sora, who stood in the center of the room with his hands behind his head, “But someone taught me it’s okay to let others help.” Pinkie looked where Roxas was facing, “Sora did?” Roxas smiled fondly before giving a light chuckle, “No, someone else. Someone really important to me.” “Oh,” Pinkie said, allowing silence to hang over the two. But only the two of them, since the club was still pumping out the music and chatter. Pinkie turned to each of her friends, wanting only their best interests in mind. She had always tried to do just that ever since the Fall Formal incident, but what Roxas said had stirred something up. Having her friends help her was something she had never considered before. “Um, Roxas?” Pinkie inquired, making Roxas turn to her with a raised brow, seeing her slightly pouty face, “Could you hang out with me for a little while? I could use the company.” “Sure,” Roxas answered with a nod, making Pinkie smile appreciatively. She had to admit, it was the most honest smile she had in a while. Not to say any of her other smiles weren’t as honest. *** Another walk around the club still didn’t drive Sora’s thoughts away. He was in a club to have fun, and yet, from what he’s seen, Rainbow Dash was the only one partying. And Sora wasn’t sure who to cheer up first. His friends all had something on their minds, yet none of them wanted to share them. It put Sora in a predicament where he just couldn’t have fun. It wasn’t like with Donald or Goofy where everything was pretty much thrown in the air, sometimes literally. Releasing a long sigh, Sora stood with his arms up behind his head in the center of the club, amongst all the other dancers. They maneuvered around him miraculously, staying in sync with their dance all the while. Sora was unfazed by any of it, his friends taking up the forefront of his mind. Why couldn’t things just work out for everyone? “S-Sora,” the soft voice of Fluttershy said, knocking Sora out of his reverie. Turning around while lowering his arms, he saw her standing there, her face set in determination along with a noticeable blush. “I… I have something to s-say.” “Can I ask you something first?” Sora requested, gesturing towards her. Fluttershy was taken aback by his question, making her fidget and fret, her earlier confidence dissolving on the spot. “I didn’t mean to force you!” Fluttershy stated quickly, shaking her head around frantically. Sora didn’t know what she meant by that, but could tell something was definitely distressing her. “It’s… fine, Fluttershy,” Sora said, his frown deepening. “It’s just no one is really having fun. I feel like it has to do with what has been going on lately. Maybe it’s my fault somehow, and-” “No, of course not,” Fluttershy argued, making Sora pull his head back a bit. She was frowning as well, but her eyes were stuck onto Sora’s. He had to admit, her eyes were very pretty. But it discouraged Sora so much to have to see them with her grief. She had acted strangely around him for a while, and if Sora was going to get anywhere, he had to be upfront about it. “Fluttershy,” he stated firmly, keeping eye contact with her as she blinked from his sudden robust attitude. Even his eyes had become somewhat hard, yet still held a tender feeling to them. “What’s happening with you? You can tell me anything. You know that, right?” Fluttershy’s breath hitched in her throat, her arms visibly shaking as her nervousness grew once more. The courage Rarity had supplied had completely depleted as her emotions were laid out for Sora to see. There was only one other option that Rarity had given her. Tell Sora the truth. “It… it’s about you,” she admitted, unable to tear her eyes away from his own. They were so blue, it felt like she was gazing at an open ocean. A great sight to behold, and getting lost in them would be adventurous even for Fluttershy. Sora held his rigid body, but the subtle sorrow in his eyes spoke volumes to her. “Not in the bad way though. You’re very kind and considerate, Sora. You’ve always had the best interest in everyone, and even… saved me too. And it, w-well, I just…” Something gripped her hand at that point, something soft and reassuring, and with a glance down Fluttershy saw that it was Sora’s. Facing him, she saw a smile that warmed her heart tremendously. “Whatever you have to say, if it’s good or bad,” Sora said, lifting the hand up and putting it on his chest, between his jacket “You’ll always be my friend.” Fluttershy gave her own smile, something that was instinctual as she spoke. “Sora,” she whispered, almost unheard in the loud club, “You’re so wonderful. And what I have to say is that I…” She hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. She had to say it. It was at that moment or never at all. “I lo-” “Sora!” *** Twilight fidgeted in her seat, leaning left and right but still not getting a good enough angle. It wasn’t from her position where she sat, but her interpretation of Roxas. He was bored, so did he want to leave? But then why come here at all? Then he was talking to Pinkie, so did that mean he wanted to mingle with others? Twilight groaned, putting her forehead against the table she sat at; it was all too confusing. Rarity said to watch him, but she didn’t say for how long or what to look for. Although Twilight was a scientist, this wasn’t another experiment, this was about Roxas! She rolled her head around on the table in a form of shaking her head. She needed more help. “Having troubles?” a boy’s voice asked behind her from another nearby table, but Twilight was hardly interested in him as she pulled her head up to face Roxas again. “That obvious?” she questioned, feeling embarrassed a complete stranger could understand her struggle. “I wouldn’t know,” the boy mused, sounding both interested and bored at the same time. “I don’t have much experience myself. I don’t know what it is you’re nervous about. Your friends perhaps?” Twilight chuckled, a weak smile on her lips, “Not in the least. My friends and I couldn’t be closer. Nothing could break us apart.” The boy chuckled as well, but it was cold compared to Twilight’s, “Let’s just see how unbreakable it is then.” In a blink of an eye, Twilight’s left arm was grabbed, making her gasp in shock before she was physically pulled out of her seat. Her legs scrambled to stand back up, but the pain in her forearm made her cringe, gripping it with her other hand. She halted her efforts, her knees on the floor with her trapped arm held above her. Lifting her head, she faced the person responsible, feeling helpless. “How pathetic,” the boy said, wearing the familiar black coat of Organization XIII. His gray hair was short, but was done up in a strange style. What really got to Twilight, however, was his eyes. They were yellow, and somehow portrayed an evil presence to her. “And to think, you hold something of great value.” He gripped her arm harder, and Twilight opened her mouth to call for help, but his voice halted her before she could utter a word. “If you call your friends, you’ll never see them again,” he said ominously, forcing her to hold her tongue. He may have been lying, but Twilight wasn’t going to risk it. Why did she have to get into this situation? Why did she have to feel so helpless? “W-What do you want?” she questioned quietly, hoping she didn’t break the rule the boy had set. The boy narrowed his eyes ever so slowly, remaining almost motionless. “It isn’t something I desire,” he explained plainly, “But rather, something you can provide. Because in the end, all I seek is knowledge. You are at the center of the magic of friendship, something my master wants eradicated. And what better way to learn about this power, then from the source itself.” A strange dark fog covered the boy’s hand, and suddenly Twilight caught flashes of her life fly by her eyes. They went so fast she hardly had time to even give a single thought to them, but there was a group of memories she had never experienced. Glimpses of ponies, a magical land, an evil she-demon, and friendship… The process came to an abrupt end, and Twilight felt drained, like all of her energy had been focused on whatever the boy had done. She dropped to the floor a bit, the only thing holding her up was the boy still clutching her forearm. With her droopy eyes, she turned to the boy with what little strength she had left, seeing him give a small smirk as he grunted. “I see,” he said, “So that’s what this power is truly capable of. I can see why my master put his full attention into this matter.” He chuckled again, “How little you know. You put far too much trust in your friends, so much so that you are blinded by it. They’ve been lying to you since the very beginning.” “No,” Twilight said desperately and weakly, not wanting to believe a word the boy said, especially after what he had done to her, “You don’t know… anything about me or my friends.” The boy closed his eyes, “One who knows nothing can understand nothing.” He reopened his eyes, their intensity becoming sharper than before, “And right now, Princess Twilight Sparkle, I understand much more than you do.”