Blood flowing, blade swinging, fire and magic flying in every direction; this was Twilight's whole world right now. Shadow at six and seven a'clock: respond with a Fire spell and swipe of her sword. Red Nocturne charging its spell above: Hit it with a Magic Blast. Shadow sneaking up behind her: buck it and keep on fighting. Twilight had been fighting like this for who knows how long, hours, minutes, days, she couldn't tell. A Shadow raked its claws across her wings, pulling out feathers and leaving small scratches across the limb. A Red Nocturne's Fireball slammed into her flank right onto a open cut, cauterizing the wound. For every five of the monsters Twilight destroyed, they managed to leave a hit on her and with the shear amount of the creatures she couldn't keep up with her new Cure spell. Her friends were unconscious, the six of them trapped up against a buildings wall. When her new weapon appeared, more and more of the creatures seemed to swarm towards them, like an ocean of darkness and Twilight and friends were like a sinking ship.
Speaking of her new sword, it was an unique design Twilight hadn't seen before. She wasn't levitating it with her magic, yet it acted and responded as if she was levitating it. It had a gold square with a one side that angled up in a arrow look, with six gems embedded into it. A red, orange, pink, light blue, a light purple, and a vibrant violet; the colors of the Elements of Harmony. A gold arch similar to her old crown ran atop it, intersecting the white horn shaped blade. A thin black strip or the ran up from the guard to the opposite side of the 'blade' to a violet six pointed star that was attached to the blade and curled up in between one of the stars crevices. A chain hung from the bottom end and a small book hung from it with a golden unicorn head on it. It seemed to have some sort of affect on the creatures, as whenever she destroyed one, a glowing heart would float up into the sky, which hadn't happened earlier.
Twilight looked down at her friends collapsed behind her "I'm sorry girls, I wasn't strong enough..." She had reached the end of her strength, both physical and magical, and was seconds from collapsing. She closed her eyes in defeat, dropping her sword to the ground where it disappeared in a flash. She whispered, "I'm sorry..."
"BE VANQUISHED VILE BEASTS, MONSTROSITIES BORN OF DARKNESS!! RETURN TO OBLIVION!! the sky light up with holy flame as waves of light beamed down, obliterating the Shadows and Red Nocturnes. Landing with the grace of a majestic fucking eagle, Princess Celestia landed in front of Twilight, who gazed up at her mentor and fellow princess only to turn her head away from the solar diarch, whose coat and mane burned with all the glory of the sun. In a moment, the flames were quenched, and Twilight was pulled into a tight embrace. "Oh Twilight, are you okay? I was so worried..." Celestia's voice held both fear and relief, mostly the latter. "Oh dear, and your friends! Guards, assist us!"
All around Twilight, Royal Guards soared down to do battle with the shadowy creatures. Pegasi attacked Red Nocturnes with wingblades and claws, Unicorns rained down magic fire and ice, and Earth Ponies crushed the Shadows with hammers and hooves. Princess Luna circled above in battle armor, wielding a scythe and swinging arcs of magic down to the battle ground below. A pair of medics flew over with a large chariot, and began loading up the Embodiments of Harmony into it.
"We would have come sooner, but there where more dangerous Heartless in Manehatten, and we thought you all could take care of Ponyville. I never would have imagined that this many would come here, this close to the Tree of Harmony... I wonder why?" Celestia helped Twilight to her hooves and caught her as Twilight slumped over.
"Princess, I think I'm going to take a quick nap alright?' Twilight muttered sleepily.
"Twilight? Twilight! I have you Twilight..."
...
...
...
"Argh, my head..." Twilight groaned as she rose back from unconsciousness. She was lying under some comfortable sheets in a bed she recognized as hers in her castle. The noon sun shone down through the windows as Twilight rolled out of bed, her body sore and aching. Bandages wrapped around her in various spots where scratches were still healing, and bruises dotted her skin under her fur. "The girls! Where...!" Twilight bolted out through the doors only to run head onto her friends, knocking over Pinkie and Applejack as Rainbow Dash flew above and Rarity stood off to the side.
"Twilight! You okay! Now we can throw a 'super-duper saved the day from evil monsters' party! Unleash the streamers!!" Pinkie pulled her Party Cannon out from everywhere and anywhere and fired into the air which covered the hallway (and Rainbow Dash) in multicolored streamers.
"Um Pinkie darling? Maybe we should, wait to throw a party. Twilight did just wake up after all, and the Princesses want to talk to her," Rarity chuckled at Pinkies antics.
"Yah, I want to know. All I remember was getting swarmed by those Shadow thingies then waking up a couple days ago in here. If what we heard is true, then how'd you hold off so many of them on you own?" Rainbow asked as she landed on the crystal floor.
"We would like to know that as well Twilight," The five ponies turned to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna approaching with Spike. Everypony but Twilight bowed to the two, with Twilight going over and hugging them. She then turned to Spike who leaped up into her embrace.
"Twilight I was so worried! When I heard weird monsters were attacking Ponyville I wanted to get down there as fast as I could!" Spike exclaimed.
"Spike, if anyone should be worried out of us two, it should be me! I'm just glad you were safe in Canterlot," Twilight's face turned from happy to concerned. "Wait... Did Rainbow say DAYS!?"
All the ponies winced at the sudden burst of sound. "Yes fair Twilight, thou hath been unconscious for nearly two weeks due to a severe case of magic exhaustion as well as much physical damage," Luna replied.
"Two weeks!? I was out for two weeks! What happened to those monsters! Did they escape?" Twilight became more and more frantic as she looked to and from her friends and the other princesses.
"Its alright Sugarcube, the princesses and the Guards wiped out those creepy varmints far good!" Applejack nudged her Stetson up out of her eyes.
"Unfortunately Applejack, that is not true. The Heartless have only been beaten back for the time being, but they will return to destroy Equestria." Celestia and Luna began to walk off, the Embodiments of Harmony following them. The group walked through the castles twisting halls until they came to a long corridor with stained glass windows; but the entire room was dark and the windows only lead to rock walls. They were inside the mountain Canterlot was built upon, though lights did come from behind the windows.
"You see, Heartless are creatures made from the darkness within ponies hearts, their souls. The Darkness embodied steals ponies hearts and give them a physical form, the Heartless. Their like animals, their only goal to consume hearts and eventually, the hearts of the many worlds, and fill everything with Darkness." Celestia lit a series of glowing crystals above the ponies, revealing the images in the glass clearly. The first was a depiction of many ponies with faint outlines of hearts on them. The next one showed a Shadow attacking the ponies, and the next showed darkness surrounding the hearts of the hearts and turning them into the small Heartless. And finally it showed the Shadows pouring into a giant heart with a Keyhole on it.
"Wait, other worlds? What are you talking about Princess?" Twilight gazed up at the windows, if they could even be called that, memorizing their designs. "Do you mean worlds like the one through that mirror?"
"Yes, though that one is specially linked to this one. Our world, Twilight, is merely one of many worlds that dot the sky, each one different. From what little me and my sister know, all the worlds were once one, before all the ponies began to fight each other for control of a great power. It was because of this conflict that Darkness was born into the hearts of ponies before it consumed the world. But Light survived, in the hearts of children, who then created the new worlds that dot the sky as stars."
"So, Princess, when you said Fluttershy was lost to the Darkness you meant...' Rarity began only for Twilight to cut her off.
"Wait, what do you mean shes lost to the Darkness!? And where is Fluttershy?" Celestia sighed a sad sigh and spoke slowly as Twilight worried.
"I'm sorry girls, but Fluttershy... had her heart taken by the Heartless during the attack on Ponyville." The Mane Five gasped and each reacted differently to this news: Rarity fainted fabulously, Pinkie's mane deflated, Applejack looked shocked, Twilight became worried, and Rainbow Dash became unreadable. "I am so sorry, but it is impossibly difficult to return a heart that has fallen to the Heartless ."
"Well I think I speak for all of us when I say we'll do anything to help Fluttershy!" Twilight looked around at her friends, "How can we get her heart back!" Twilight announced determinedly, stepping forward. The other mares all agreed, except for Rainbow who stood quietly behind the others.
Luna stepped ahead of Celestia as they moved farther down the hallway. "There are few ways to destroy the Heartless, the first being the Power of Harmony, which could be used to bring her out of the Darkness. The next is a weapon called a Keyblade, but they are very powerful and only choose special bearers. Another way is to use pure light, but this is near impossible to come upon..." As they traveled further down the hall with more glass stained windows, one caught Twilight's eye. It was a window of a key shaped sword fighting off shadows, and while it looked different from the one she wielded earlier, she felt something deep inside her move at the sight of it.
"Is that..? I wonder if I just..." Twilight focused on the strange feeling inside of her.
"Twilight dear, are you coming?" Rarity gasped as a storm glowing purple little slips of paper flashed next to Twilight, from which her Keyblade appeared in the air next to her. The other mares turned back to Twilight and gasped at the sword floating next to Twilight.
"A Keyblade! But how?!" Celestia galloped over to Twilight and took the Keyblade in her magic, only for it to disappear and reappear next to Twilight. "When did you get this Twilight!"
"I think it appeared after we got covered in those Heartless, and I had this weird dream, then I just had this." The Keyblade swung lightly in the air. "But can't we use it to get back Fluttershy?"
"The Keyblade is capable of releasing hearts from the Darkness, but we would have to find Fluttershy's lost heart in order to return her," said Luna.
"So lets go find her!" The ponies turned to Rainbow Dash, who wore an expression of furious determination as she shouted out. "If we have something that can get her back, then lets get off our plots and go find her!"
"Yah, we oughta be out there lookin for Shy right now!" "I agree completely, Rainbow darling" "And then it shall end it all in fire."
All the ponies turned to Pinkie who was smiling innocently. "Um, what did you say Pinkie?" asked Rarity.
"Oh, um, just that we should throw a party when we find Fluttershy?" Pinkie giggled nervously.
"... Well anyway, I believe you are right Rainbow Dash." Celestia began to lead the ponies back down the hallway, where a heavily reinforced door stood. Through it, a tall rectangular mirror stood in the center of a circular white washed room. Meanwhile, Luna teleported away in a flash. "Beyond this mirror lies a different world, where an old friend of mine and my sister lives. He is more knowledgeable about the Keyblade and the Heartless, and can help you find Fluttershy. My little ponies, I must ask that you remain here while Twilight journeys off to find Fluttershy."
"But Princess-" Applejack started only to be cut off by Celestia.
"I know you wish to help Twilight in this endeavor, but we need as many of the Elements of Harmony we can spare to protect Equestria from the Heartless. Las Pegasus has already fallen to the Darkness; we need you four to power the Tree of Harmony to fight off the Darkness," explained Celestia. Luna reappeared carrying two boxes in her magic. Celestia looked at Luna with confusion, but Rainbow Dash spoke before Celestia could.
"Make that three Princess. I'm going with Twilight and you aren't going to stop me." The colorful pegasus flew over to Twilight, who stood in front of the mirror, and landed next to her. "I'm going to find Fluttershy, and that's final"
Luna smiled softly. "I had assumed Rainbow Dash would act along these lines, so I brought something for her as well. But first, Twilight, take this." Luna opened the first box, revealing a crystal bracelet with six gems embedded in it, one for each of the color of the Elements of Harmony. It floated over in an embrace of Luna's magic and slid onto her left forearm. "This device allows you to channel the attributes of your friends, through you connection to each other. It should also help you find Fluttershy, by turning pink when she is in your vicinity."
Luna turned to Rainbow, opening the second, significantly larger box. "And these are for you, Rainbow Dash. I hope they will serve you as a useful tool to destroy Heartless." Inside the box was a set of aqua-colored crystal boots, reaching up the height of a pony's forearm. They were studded with small spikes chaotically spaced along the whole thong, and were lined with a black comfy looking material. "They are made of a rare element called Orichalcum, and are near indestructible."
"All right, awesome weapons for an awesome pony! But, uh, why do I need these?" Rainbow slid into the boots.
"Because of the Keyblade." The other ponies turned to Celestia. "The Keyblade is the only physical means of destroying Heartless; the others are all total opposites of the Darkness. The Heartless fear the Keyblade, and will do everything in there power to destroy its wielder and the Keyblade. You will need to defend yourself from the Heartless, as they will swarm you whenever they are near."
"I'm coming to!" Spike, who had been quiet the whole time and sitting in the metaphorical corner, stepped forward.
"Spike..." Twilight began.
"No, I'm coming to and you won't stop me... either. My message spell can send messages across worlds, can't it?" Spike looked at Celesta questioningly, who nodded. "Yah, you can send messages through me. I'm tired of sitting around while you guys go on crazy adventures. And what kind of Number One Assistant would I be if I couldn't be there to keep a record or something like that?"
Twilight sighed. "Alright Spike, you can come, but if we get into a fight, I want you to stay out of it. Alright?"
"Alright!" Spike ran over and hoped onto Twilight's back.
"Twilight Sparkle, I give you my best wishes on this quest you are undertaking. Take this and use it at this new world's train station to travel to the home of our friend." As Celestia spoke Luna moved over to her side, and the other Embodiments of Harmony on the other. The Solar Diarch handed a ticket over to Twilight: it was the color of the night sky and dotted with stars, while a green translucent train came out of a golden border that surrounded the ticket.
"Good luck Twi, RD! Come back safe, yall hear!" Applejack waved her hat.
"Oh yes, I do hope you can find Fluttershy dear, it just wouldn't be the same without her around. Goodbye!" Rarity simply smiled at the trio.
"And when you come back, we can bake Cupcakes!" Pinkie bounced up and down.
And with these final goodbyes, Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike walked through the mirror, its surface rippling as they passed through.