//------------------------------// // A Door Opens, A World Collapses // Story: My Little Kingdom : Hearts is Magic // by Iateacrayon //------------------------------// Twilight, Rarity, and Spike quickly set off back to Ponyville to prepare for the adventures ahead. Before they reached the village, Twilight realized she needed to talk to Rarity alone. She slowly thought up an acceptable reason to send Spike away. "Spike, I need you pack enough supplies for the two of us," she ordered. "I can carry enough for myself, so please split the supplies into two equal packs. Rarity and I will prepare Ponyville for whatever is coming in the meantime." "Of course, Twilight!" Spike answered, running off towards Twilight's tree. As her residence came into sight, Spike noticed the unmistakable mane of Princess Celestia stealthily slip into the tree. What is she doing here, Spike thought to himself. He crept up to the window, and watched the princess push a hoof into the side of an ordinary wooden bookcase standing along the wall. To his surprise, her action caused the entire bookcase to swivel outwards, revealing a dark foreboding passage. As Princess Celestia slipped inside the corridor, the bookcase slowly began closing by itself. Spike saw his chance and ran into the house, slipping into the opening just before the bookcase slid completely shut behind him, leaving him in utter darkness. Spike waited for his eyes to adjust, before he felt way down the heavily used grey stone path. As he followed the fading sounds of Princess Celestia, he felt the air become cooler on his scales. Minutes after he entered the tunnel, the walls gradually widened into a small oval room. He watched as Princess Celestia stopped before a glowing door that was lit up as if it were daylight inside the small cave, even though there was no source for light down here. Princess Celestia pushed the door open and walked through, closing it quickly behind her. Spike snuck towards the door, peering around it in the hopes of finding Princess Celestia. She was nowhere to be seen. The only remarkable thing on the other side of the closed door was a keyhole that looked as if it were cut into the stone. Spike peered into it, tracing a claw around the cavity, expecting to see the other end of it only a few inches into the hole. Instead, he saw it flash a dangerous blood red as he laid a claw upon the top edge of the opening. He jumped back, bumping into the freezing cold texture of the door he had circled on his way to the carving. He let out a sigh of relief, before he heard light footsteps in the tunnel. "Who's there!" He demanded, whirling around to encounter a hooded pony. The hooded figure stood motionless, watching Spike. Spike felt as if the robed stranger was staring deep into his eyes, and knew exactly what he was thinking. The pony cloaked in darkness eventually answered. "I've come to see the next lucky world." "What?" Spike questioned, not trusting the mysterious apparition before him. It chuckled at his question before continuing. "This world has finally been connected. Tied to the darkness, soon to be completely eclipsed by it. It is too late to be stopped." Spike didn't believe that. He couldn't. "Well whatever you're planning, I'll stop you!" The specter was unworried by Spike's outburst, shrugging the words off as if the being had heard a thousand different ponies all proclaim their determination and fail. "How did you get into this place?" "You do not yet know what lies beyond the door. I have seen, and I have learned. There is so very much for you to learn. You understand so little. How could you possibly stop what is coming? Only darkness itself can halt its progress." "I'll go out there and find another way! Without the darkness, too! You'll see," Spike argued. The figure gestured towards the door behind Spike with their leg shrouded in darkness. "A meaningless effort. one who knows nothing can understand nothing. How will you save something you do not understand?" Spike glanced toward the door, thinking about exactly how little he understood what the pony was telling him. By the time his eyes shifted back to where the cloaked pony stood, the pony had vanished. Forgetting all caution, he quickly ran back up the corridor, intent on informing Twilight and Rarity about his discovery. "Rarity, I need to ask you something," Twilight carefully spoke, watching her friend as they walked toward Rarity's house among the many other ponies returning from stargazing. Everypony else was oblivious to what had occurred above them, ignorantly talking and enjoying the Summer Sun Celebration. "Of course, dear. Ask away," Rarity answered, watching the large crowd slowly shrink as ponies went back into their houses to sleep. "I can't take Spike with me on a mission like this. Can you make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble while I'm absent?" Rarity stopped, surprised by Twilight's request. "You know I would! But more importantly, why aren't you taking Spike?" Rarity demanded, angered by the very idea. "I know how powerful you have gotten in these past few years, but Spike is no pushover! He is caring and wouldn't hesitate to save you from somepony! Why, he's the most dependable thing I know! I wouldn't trade him for all the diamonds in the world!" Twilight stared at her wide-eyed as she went, and Rarity realized what she had said. Embarrassed, she tried to make up for her lapse in judgement. "Well I know that's not as impressive as before we knew about all the other worlds out there, but I believe I made my point!" She sputtered, her anger winding down as Twilight continued to stare at her. "I know all that. But he's still a dragon, and I need to be discrete while I go looking for the somepony who can save us. If anypony saw Spike they would know we're from a different world. We know he's gentle as Fluttershy, but somepony who's never met him could jump to a bad conclusion," Twilight explained. "Oh. that's why?" Rarity slowly spoke, comprehending the reason behind Twilight's actions. "That's alright then." She quickly began walking again, and Twilight ran to catch up with her. "Then he should stay. I'll take care of him while you're away, of course. He can stay at my boutique." "That's not necessary," Twilight replied, thankful Rarity understood her reasoning. "He will continue to stay at the library. There will be plenty of room while I'm gone." "All by himself? I don't think so," Rarity argued, thinking of how lonely he would be living in the enormous tree, all alone. "Why Rarity, I think you're in love," Twilight joked, laughing softly. Rarity's face quickly turned a light shade of pink, leaving Twilight flabbergasted. "O Celestia! You're in love with Spike!" Rarity put a hoof to her face, trying to hide the worst of her blush from her friend. Twilight's mouth formed incoherent words as she unsuccessfully attempted to stop gaping at Rarity. "Yes, I am," Rarity mumbled around the hoof hiding her face, her blush intensifying at seeing Twilight's stare. Twilight slowly processed her answer, before reaching a conclusion. "Well, it's about damn time," Twilight smiled, giggling as Rarity turned the deepest shade of red she had ever seen on her. "I guess I won't have to worry about Spike while I'm gone then," Twilight told herself, smiling. She looked away from Rarity, seeing all the other ponies had turned in for the night, leaving the two alone in the middle of an eerily quiet Ponyville. She turned back to Rarity as she came up with an idea to keep Spike busy while she left without him in the morning. "Go to your boutique. I'll send Spike to your place to pick up some extra supplies. You can tell him when he gets there why I can't take him with me." Rarity nodded her head, happy with the arrangement. "O-Of course. Will you leave right away? I wanted to say goodbye before you left," Rarity asked, wondering if Spike would respect Twilight's decision. "No need," Twilight answered. "I was planning to leave tomorrow morning anyway. I don't even know where this magic door in Ponyville could be. You can come by in the morning to see me off, and Spike can too, if he decides to stay." "Then I will see you tomorrow." Rarity said. They parted ways there, with Rarity going home to make room for Spike, and Twilight heading towards the library tree. As Twilight crossed the threshold of her home, she saw one of the bookcases on the wall suddenly slide open, revealing Spike. "Twilight! I found the door Princess Celestia was talking about! It's bright and I swear I could hear stuff on the other side of it," Spike proudly announced to Twilight's slack-jawed amazement. He saw her staring at the passage behind him, understanding her surprise. "Yeah, I didn't know this was here either," he chuckled and stood aside, letting Twilight peer down the long passage. She slowly walked towards the tunnel before remembering Spike. "There are a few things I need you to get at Rarity's place, Spike. She knows you're on your way right now," Twilight recited, never taking her eyes off the hole in the wall. She felt Spike talking beside her, but all she heard were whispers coming from the opening. "I better get going, then. I'll be back as soon as I can, Twilight!" With his announcement, Spike strolled out the door, leaving Twilight alone in the study. She slowly walked down the passage, mesmerized by the sounds ahead of her. As she turned the final corner, she found the door Spike had described. One of its doors was ajar, and as Twilight watched, darkness flowed out of it towards her. She used her magic and the Element of Magic around her neck to try to push it back, but all her efforts barely slowed the darkness reaching out to her. As it closed in around her, all she could think of was a single question racing through her mind. Why should I fight it? Spike slowly made his way to Rarity's house. He had traveled there so many times now he could walk the entire way blindfolded if he wanted. As he stopped in front of the main door, he rapped on the wooden finish with a claw, waiting for permission to enter. "Come in, Spi-ike," Rarity sang, in a much happier mood than he had seen her in months. He pushed open the door, and slipped inside, closing it behind him as he surveyed the room. Rarity was lounging on her favorite couch in the designing room, admiring the new fashions they had started together. "Twilight said you had supplies we would need for the trip," Spike stepped closer, admiring the red ruby necklace Rarity had around her throat. With a gasp, he realized it was the very present he had given her on his own birthday almost six years ago. Rarity gazed at him with an expression he'd never seen on her before. She sat up, and motioned for him to take the vacant space beside her. He took the offered seat, hypnotized by her smile. "The truth is," she stalled for time, stroking his arm lightly with a hoof. "Twilight decided a dragon would draw too much attention, and thinks you would both be safer if you stayed in Ponyville..." As she continued, she placed a hoof on his chest. "Here," she emphasized the next two words, "with me." Realization dawned on Spike as he considered how much trouble he could potentially cause in other worlds the moment Rarity said it. He was a dragon after all, and others wouldn't understand how nice he was, but he still knew she would need somepony to watch Twilight's back. He'd lost count of how many times Twilight had been distracted by something unimportant while in the middle of trouble. Without him there beside her, he didn't think she could survive. "She's right," he admitted, watching Rarity's smile widen before he moved. He pushed himself off the couch and stood up, worried Twilight may have already left. Rarity held onto him as he stood, her forelegs reaching around the back of his neck as she stared up at him, waiting for his response. "But I still need to go with her. She's going to get hurt if somepony isn't there to watch out for her. Ponyville is safe for me, but Twilight won't be safe out there, will she?" To Rarity's dismay, he disentangled himself from her, pulling farther away as he moved, intending to find Twilight before she left without him. "Wait, Spike!" Rarity pleaded, worried he would leave to never return to Ponyville, and her. She ran up to Spike as he turned, crashing into him, and they fell to the plush carpet lying below them. Seeing her chance, she pushed her head closer to his own as he lay beneath her. Spike's reasons for leaving died on his lips as they met Rarity's own. He laid there in shock as his crush continued her assault on his mouth, before wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. As they broke apart for air, Spike fought to regain his senses. "You don't actually believe you were the only choice I had for my assistant, did you?" Rarity let out a coy smile as she felt his pulse race. She used her magic to pull Spike's gift from long ago off her neck, before wrapping it around his throat. "Here. This jewel belongs to you, just like my heart." Spike smiled as he heard those words he'd only dared to dream of, before holding her tightly as he sadly spoke. "I still need to go after Twilight, Rarity. I told her I found the door under the library! She might leave soon, and she's always been there for me. I would never forgive myself if she got hurt because I wasn't there." Rarity listened to his ramblings, watching his unhappy expression, and knew she couldn't change his mind. "I understand, Spike. It will be dangerous out there. I can't shake the feeling I will never see you again, if you leave me here." Rarity grabbed his claw, wrapping it around her hoof. "So that's why I'm going with you. We'll leave with Twilight in the morning." "But that's hours away! And I only packed the bags with enough supplies for the two of us," Spike complained. "I'm sure we can think of something to do in the meantime," Rarity whispered, watching Spike blush as her tail brushed against his chest. As Rarity pulled him upstairs towards her bedroom, Spike hoped this wasn't the best dream he had ever imagined. Spike's dreams were clear and vivid. Looking around, he found himself in a pitch black abyss, standing on a beautiful large mosaic of Rarity surrounded by their friends. In front of him several small creatures appeared, twisted by hate and anger into dark shells of what they once were, fighting amongst themselves. As Spike watched them from afar, they felt his presence, banding together as they turned to him. Before they could harm him, they disappeared as a long shining blade of light in the shape of a key swooped in from above. slicing through the grotesque monsters as if they were simple shadows. A quiet voice whispered to him in the back of his skull, soothing to the senses. Power sleeps within you. If you give it form... it will give you strength. As the last of the of creatures were defeated, Spike let out a small sigh of relief. The sword of light slowly floated towards him, beckoning to him as if... it wanted him to take it. As his claws closed around around the hilt, the voice echoed louder this time. The closer you are to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. Spike felt the back of his neck tingle with fear, and turned his head to check behind himself. Its shadow was monstrous in size. It stretched the entire length of the floor, and as he looked onwards, a gigantic shadowy hand reached out of it, and slammed into the ground. The hand pushed downwards, lifting the rest of its hulking body from the shadowy depths. Spike tactfully stepped backwards, hoping to escape its notice, but his movement only drew the monsters attention. There was no indication of intentions, until Spike felt himself thrown from the tower by a hand that had moved faster than the eye could see. He plummeted downwards, unable to do anything but wait. For the end, or something else, he didn't know. But he didn't want it to end, not like this. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he felt his descent slow. A gentle flapping sound buffeted his ears from behind, and Spike curiously looked over his shoulder. Two wings of beautiful pure light were slowly propelling him upwards. The voice calmly spoke once more as Spike raised his head and saw the monster looking down at him as he flew closer. Don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. Spike held the sword to one side as he flew past the monster, slicing at what he assumed was the creature's neck. He felt no resistance before him as the blade cut into the shadow. The very skin of the abomination seemed to retreat from his glowing weapon as its neck was severed in one clean stroke. As Spike landed on the platform once again, he turned, ready for another attack. His opponent slowly toppled over into the abyss, motionless. One cut from his weapon had only been necessary to fell the beast. The floor turned to shadowy quicksand beneath his feet as he wondered what would happen next. Fighting to stay above the dark substance, he slowly sunk into it, wondering what would happen to him as his head plunged below the surface. Don't forget. You are the one who will open the door. Spike woke suddenly, feeling the soft covers of Rarity's bed around him once again. He reached for his new sweetheart, only to grasp the warm silk covers of the side she had slept on. His claw grazed a folded piece of parchment, and as he opened his eyes, he wondered why Rarity had left him a note. He slowly dragged the letter closer, being careful not to tear anything with his sharp claws. Unfolding the paper, he read the words Rarity had left for him. My dearest Spike, You looked so tired after last night, so I went ahead and packed the supplies I would need to go with you and Twilight today. I'm bringing them to the door underneath her tree. Meet me there once you're ready to go. With all my love, Rarity Spike grinned at her words, imagining the adventure awaiting them. He couldn't wait to see the new worlds waiting for them beyond the mysterious door below Twilight's library. Spike paused, trying to think about how he could have overlooked the secret passage in all the time he'd spent working there. Replacing the letter on the pillow beside him, he rolled out of bed, noticing the damage they had caused overnight to Rarity's bedroom. He walked downstairs, stretching his tired muscles while letting out a loud yawn of contentment, looking forward to the new day. As he exited Rarity's house, he knew something had gone terribly wrong. Instead of a bright sunny day, it was still dark, and nopony was to be seen in the middle of Ponyville. He looked up, wondering why the sun wasn't shining brightly today, and gasped in terror at the sight above him. Above him the dark sky was broken into many pieces. Bright red cracks spanned the entire skyline, shedding some light for him to see what had to be the source of all this destruction. A giant floating orb of darkness was slowly falling towards them, sucking up clouds and debris that strayed too close. As he watched the spectacle above him, many comparatively tiny black spheres ejected themselves from their host, and descended towards the ground. As they touched down, the creatures from Spike's dream sprang up from them. They had four limbs like a pony, but walked upright as Spike did when he was smaller. Their front limbs ended in a hand with three fingers, and they crouched low to the ground as they slunk towards him. Two feelers grew out top the of their heads as closed in on their prey. Spike swiped at the nearest one, only to see his claw pass right through the shadowy creature. He backed away from them, moving in the direction of Twilight's house as two more joined the first monster in its pursuit of seemingly easy prey. He spat a ball of fire as it got closer, relieved to see it recoil away from him in obvious pain. He turned around to see several more of them slowly surround him. He readied his wings to escape, but decided not to as he felt the light tug of the giant sphere above him, worried he would get sucked in if he flew any closer to it. Spike ran. Spitting fire, he cleared a meager path through the angry beasts as he made his way to where Twilight and Rarity should have been. I hope they're alright, He thought as Twilight's house came into view. His fire attacks were becoming more and more feeble, almost to the point of not even fazing the creatures anymore. Just as he felt he couldn't shoot another fireball, they quickly backed away from him, vanishing into the ground. He sat down in relief, catching his breath, before looking around. He had reached Twilight's house! Twilight was standing beside him, looking up in awe of what was happening. "Twilight," Spike panted, "Where's Rarity? I thought she was with you!" Twilight ignored him, still looking up at the roaring skies. "The door.. has opened." "What are you talking about, Twilight," Spike questioned, worried something had happened to her. "The door has opened, Spike!" Twilight yelled, turning to face him. "A door to another world! Think of the knowledge waiting for me other side!" "I know that. We can go through together," Spike assured her. "But first we need to find Rarity. She could be in trouble." Spike looked around, hoping to see her familiar figure safe and sound. "If she embraces the darkness, she will be safe forever," Twilight mysteriously replied, examining the great big ball of destruction above them. Spike remembered the warnings in Princess Celestia's letter. "Are you kidding me? Princess Celestia said it was dangerous!" "Then she is a fool," Twilight announced to Spike's shock. "I remember a story of these monsters from a book I read in the library." She recited the story she knew by heart. "The Heartless Invasion: In the beginning, when ponies were happy and peaceful, they found two magic doors connected to another world. Some brave ponies went through it, and allowed darkness to spread into everypony's heart. They lost all their love for others, letting the darkness in their hearts grow until they slowly turned into the first of the Heartless. Harmony in Equestria was shattered, and two ponies went through the door again, looking for something to drive away the darkness. They returned, bringing back peace, order, and love to Equestria. They used their newly discovered powers to drive away the darkness in everypony, and hid the doors from anypony foolish enough to look for them. They watch over them, making sure nopony ever tries to bring the darkness to Equestria once again." "There is darkness in every heart. But the darkness can be used to fight these monsters, maybe even control them." She emphasized her words, pointing a hoof toward their doom in the sky as she looked at him. "Star Swirl the Bearded wielded magic other ponies were afraid to use when he had no choice. Is this any different?" She asked Spike. Spike didn't know what to think. Twilight seemed... different. He couldn't place a claw on what it was. "I thought so," Twilight announced triumphantly, taking Spike's silence as validation of her reasoning. "Join me, Spike. We can learn how to use this power and save Equestria together!" Twilight held out a hoof towards him as darkness suddenly pooled around her feet, prompting Spike to act. He reached out towards her with a claw, yelling, "Twilight, look out!" As his claw approached her offered hoof, he realized he had stepped into in the same large black pit as Twilight. His claw passed within inches of Twilight's hoof, but by then it was too late. He plunged into dark liquid, and saw Twilight smile as they were covered in darkness. Everything went dark, and as Spike felt his lungs run out of air, a bright light emanated from around his neck. When Spike came to, the darkness, along with Twilight, had disappeared. He moved a claw to his neck, wondering what had created such a wonderful bright light. Looking down, he was terrified to see Rarity's gift had disappeared from his neck. Looking around, he found a long slender sword lying beside him. He inspected it as he picked it up in his claws, realizing the hilt had an identical, smaller replica of Rarity's gift. It was attached by a chain to the pommel of the sword. A disembodied voice whispered in the back of his head as he examined it. Keyblade... The grip molded itself around his claws as he held it carefully, and it was painted a deep blue, reminding him of somepony's eyes. The milky white guard formed a protective barrier between his claw and the purple blade. The blade slowly tapered towards the tip, where three lime green, sharp triangles protruded from the end, forming the same shape as a key. Spike swung the blade a few times experimentally, enjoying how swiftly it cut through the air. The weight was negligible, and the entire weapon felt like an extension of his arm as he waved it back and forth. Feeling like he was being watched, he looked up from his inspection. The strange creatures had returned in greater numbers than before, and were all staring at him. He slowly edged away, until his tail collided with the wooden wall behind. The voice whispered with greater urgency as his limbs froze in fear. Keyblade... Knowing he had no choice, he sprang into action, remembering his dream. He thrust his weapon into the nearest monster, watching in fascination as it disappeared in a cloud of smoke the moment it came into contact with the blade. Cutting his way through the others in his way with ease, he made a beeline for the door to Twilight's house. As he shut it behind him, the critters lost interest and crawled away as he watched through the window, until there were none to be seen. The voice spoke one last time, fading away as the danger passed. Keyblade... Spike walked towards the entrance to the tunnel, and made his way down to the door, wondering if Rarity was hiding down there. Each step downwards brought him closer to the door, and each step raised his hopes that she was alive and unharmed. As he entered the alcove, he found Rarity silently staring towards the ominous door. He broke the fragile silence around them, hoping for an answer. "Rarity, are you okay?" Rarity turned to him, wearing a dazed expression as she slowly spoke his name, extending a hoof towards him. "Sp...Spii...iike..." He lunged forward as the door opened, releasing a wave of darkness that pushed against him ever harder as got closer. He now fought to stand his ground, watching helplessly as a shadow whipped out and lashed itself around Rarity's leg, dragging her screaming into the closing door. Spike flapped his wings in a useless gesture as the wind pushed him out of the chamber, and out into Twilight's library. Spike pulled himself up with the help of a fallen chair, before he felt the entirety of the tree shudder and groan beneath him. He raced outside to discover the cause, checking to see how much closer the orb of darkness had come. The pitch-black ball was frightfully close now. He looked around, and saw he was on a large section of earth that had actually been ripped from the ground, and was flying in the middle of a tornado. As he made his way down the front steps, Twilight's tree was pulled from the ground, roots snapping into splinters. Spike shielded his face from pieces the size of his arm, as the tree flew into the center of the cyclone. Looking for an avenue of escape from his current predicament, he watched as a large patch of darkness violently slammed itself into what was left of the earth. The shadow rose up, forming the enormous monster from his dreams. It let out an incoherent roar as it brought its head close towards the ground, giving Spike a golden opportunity. He ran towards it, dodging a flailing arm as he gripped his sword tightly in his two claws. Closing in on the creature's head, he smashed his weapon as hard as he could into it, feeling the impact jar his arms. His attack made a noticeable scar on the shadowy thing, and Spike repeated his actions, emboldened by the thunderous bellow of pain his attacker let out. As the monster pulled away for a brief respite, several smaller versions detached themselves from its legs. While Spike was distracted by them, the beast plunged its hand into the ground, gathering more darkness to replenish itself and heal its wounds. Spike had seen enough. He finally risked using his wings, flying towards the head barely out of his reach. Burying his claws in its shadowy skin, he buried the blade up to the hilt in shadow, where he guessed the brain would be. The monster let out a roar, and toppled over, felled by Spike's magical weapon. He jumped off the decaying shadow as it rose into the air, and watched it get sucked into raging inferno above. Spike felt the tugging sensation from the orb intensify, and he scrambled to find something to hold onto. Too late, he thought as he felt his body become weightless. Flapping his wings, he unsuccessfully pushed himself away from the source of Equestria's demise. As his body was pulled into the sphere, Spike's senses slowly faded, until he could feel nothing at all.