The only sign that they had done something extraordinary was the tingling sensation they felt as Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy walked through the mysterious doors leading to another world.
"It doesn't seem so bad here," Rainbow Dash added as she looked around, seeing where the door had deposited them.
The door was located in a large crater, surrounded on all sides by brown walls. The only way out of the crater was a grey stone path cut into the ground under their feet, worn down by the ponies who had traveled here before them.
"Ah wonder where we are. Let's see what's up there," Applejack thought aloud as she pointed to the ridge of the deep gulch. The four set off up the sloped pathway, while Fluttershy looked around nervously for signs of life, fighting the sensation that they weren't alone.
"Do you feel like somepony is watching us," she whispered as they carefully walked up the narrow path. The edges of the path were becoming more broken, and the ground no longer rose with it. Pinkie Pie and Appledash were forced to walk in single file, with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flying beside them.
"Oooh, I can't wait to meet more ponies! They better have birthdays here too," Pinkie Pie added as she bounced up and down in anticipation. Pieces of the walkway crumbled and broke away, falling down the steep cliffs beside them.
"Pinkie Pie! cut that out," Applejack worriedly warned her as more and more of the path fell away.
"I'm sorry but the anticipation is killing me-eeeeeeeee," Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted as the ground gave way beneath her, falling towards her death.
Rainbow Dash flew down at a breakneck speed, trying to reach Pinkie Pie before she turned into a big messy splat, catching her only a few feet above the ground. Rainbow Dash pulled her up with some effort, settling her on the top of the canyon wall.
Fluttershy took the hint and did the same with Applejack, placing her next to Pinkie Pie. She looked over to make sure she hadn't sustained any injuries on the way down.
"All you alright, sugarcube?"
"That was AWESOME," Pinkine giggled in delight. "Let's do that again!"
"Quiet, guys," Rainbow Dash whispered as she heard the sounds of fighting ahead of them.
The four edged their way closer to the loud shouts of battle and occasional clang of steel. They looked down a long sloped hill to the canyon lying in front of them as the noise reached a crescendo. Applejack let out a gasp in amazement as they saw what was unfolding before them.
"Now what in the hay are those things?"
Hundreds of small shadowy creatures were arrayed in a large circle around a solitary figure, killing everything that came within his reach. The hero stood on his two back legs and was garbed in a white robe, with short black hair. He held a powerful large sword in his two hands that looked as if it could slice through anything it touched. While he fought on, the ponies thought he would soon be overwhelmed by the mass of enemies, as a big laughing demon watched safely from afar.
"This is the end for you, Samurai Jack! Demongo shall present your heart to the great Aku himself, " the black demon gloated, happy to finally accomplish his mission. His face was formed by a black mask, covering a blue flame that flashed as he continued to laugh.
"We have to help him!" Rainbow Dash yelled above the tumultuous fighting, before flying towards the hero. Fluttershy flew a short ways behind her as Pinkie Pie and Applejack quickly ran along with them.
"We're here to help," Rainbow Dash told the swordsman as she landed beside him. The other ponies quickly joined the two in the center of the circle of dark creatures with Fluttershy's assistance. Rainbow Dash smashed her hooves into the nearest monster, but was surprised to see them pass right through their intended target. She felt a weathered hand grasp her tail as she realized her mistake.
"Get back!" The grizzled fighter shouted as the entire mass of creatures rushed forwards, sensing weakness.
The robed warrior pulled her away towards the center of the circle, throwing her to safety as a monster's claw tore into his back while he was distracted.
As the enemies closed in, a large flash was heard in between the huddled heroes, and an oddly clothed pony appeared out of nowhere, blue light coming out from underneath its hood.
The creatures were flung back by a powerful wall of blue light, and Demongo screamed in anger as his chance to finally kill the intrepid heroes passed before his eyes.
"How dare you interfere," he raged, before summoning more creatures with a snap of his fingers.
"You look strong as well, I must add you to my collection." Demongo laughed before the cloaked pony's horn glowed again, and destroyed the small army without a second thought.
"Go back to your master and tell him he will have to try a little harder," the cloaked pony roared, as Demongo backed away from his magical attack.
"This isn't the last you'll see of the great Demongo!" he screamed as he ran towards a mountain looming in the distance.
As the threat passed, the mysterious pony pulled down his hood to reveal the wizardly hat sitting atop his head. It had pictures of the moon and stars, and small bells were attached to the tip and bottom. His cloak had the same pattern and was clasped around his neck by a sizable blue jewel, but what was most prominent about him was the giant flowing beard running down his face.
"I believe our stay here is overdue," he added. His horn glowed blue once more, teleporting them to a small wooden house. Fluttershy looked behind her and saw they were high up a mountain, overlooking most of the area around them, including the crater with the door they had traveled through.
"Get inside, we can talk there," he ordered them inside, inspecting the wound on the samurai. They filed in, looking around their rescuer's home. rainbow Dash found it... spartan, to say the least. There were only the essentials one needed to live in this room. A bed large enough to fit this pony who was almost as tall as them, and a well worn wooden table with shaky looking chairs in the middle of the room were all that was inside the house.
"Sit down, I'm sure you all have questions," their host said, removing his robes and and placing them on the wall, to reveal the wings hidden beneath. The other ponies gasped as they saw them while he helped the injured samurai onto the bed. He turned back towards his guests, coming face to face with Pinkie Pie.
"Yes, we do! But first, I'm Pinkie Pie!" She exclaimed. "These are my friends, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash," she rapidly pointed to each one as she named them. "Do you want to be my friend?"
"I am honored to be your friend. As for who I am..." he continued on, ignoring their stares as he sat beside Jack.
"Oh, that's easy, you're Star Swirl the Bearded," Pinkie Pie announced excitedly as she mentally added him to her enormous list. of friends "Twilight gave me all the books she had about him," she answered after seeing the questioning looks on Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack's faces.
"Then who in tarnation is he?" Applejack pointed a hoof over the person they had found.
"He is a resident of this world called Jack, as you found out before. Ponies do not live in every world, for your information," Star Swirl patiently explained.
"Then what is this world like, and how did you know we were here?" Fluttershy quietly asked, the first to sit at the table.
"I have magic that informs me when any door to this world is activated. And about this world, I will explain that later. But first, I need to know why you have come through the door," Star Swirl gravely spoke.
"Well, Princess Celestia asked us to go through it," Rainbow Dash answered, grabbing a seat.
"Princess Celestia? Of course," Their host muttered, glancing briefly towards the door as he stood up, pacing back and forth.
"Go on."
"She sent us a letter saying she was leaving Equestria! She told something us about the stars disappearing, some kind of darkness coming, and sent us to find somepony with a key! It's an adventure," Pinkie Pie rapidly said, bouncing up and down until Applejack pulled her into a chair beside her.
Star Swirl's features turned pale at her explanation. "Have the Heartless already invaded Equestria?" he questioned them, collapsing into the nearest chair.
"We-ell, we did hear someponies fighting while we went through the door, but ah think they're fine," Applejack thoughtfully added. "So what are these here Heartless?" Star Swirl bowed his head, collecting his thoughts.
"Those without hearts. They are mindless creatures who feed on the strong hearts of others. I'll get to that later." He cleared his throat before continuing.
"Thousands of years ago, when Canterlot Castle was only just finished being built, we discovered the very same cavern as you did, and those unusual doors. We ignored them, thinking they were simply pieces of art, until I realized their true purpose. I was the already the most accomplished head conjurer of Canterlot in our entire history by that point, but I was as reckless as I was young."
"I suggested we discover what wonders awaited beyond them, and was quickly appointed leader of the first ponies through the doors."
"In the beginning, we found beautiful worlds waiting for us in every door we traveled through, discovering artifacts of unimaginable power that we called Elements. I soon became complacent, and ignoring the warnings of many ponies, sent somepony through every door we could find in the hopes of discovering more power."
"Soon, ponies returned with news of a worlds that had suffered an unknown disaster. The unlucky ponies spoke of worlds falling into darkness, and creatures who preyed on the darkness in their hearts. Eventually, my entire team turned into creatures identical to the ones you fought today. I had only been able to save one other pony before I went myself to find this darkness."
Star Swirl paused, uncomfortably remembering the next part of his story.
"The darkness was unlike anything I had ever seen before. In my arrogance, I believed it would never corrupt me as it had the others, but there is darkness in every heart. I returned to Equestria, leading them right to our doorstep when I forgot the horrors I had seen, thinking it was possible to control them for the powers of good."
"As I became more and more famous with my newly found powers, I was informed that the darkness had almost reached our world. I quickly went through the door, but was unable to stop it by myself. Two ponies named Luna and Celestia were sent to help me, using the Elements I had discovered but lost interest in shortly after finding them. With their help, I banished the darkness that had slowly taken over my heart."
"With the Elements, we drove the darkness back together. I realized after a time that using the Elements slowly turned us into what you know of as Alicorns. We became more powerful than even I could have imagined, and were gifted with everlasting life."
"We drove back the Heartless as well as we could, but we were only three ponies. We alone could not safeguard every world untouched by their evil. So we destroyed every door we could find in the hopes of severing the connection between worlds still infected, and thought ourselves safe forever.
"The two ponies went back to Equestria, and I stayed here, with the Element of Wisdom, to watch over the door to our world."
"So then what's this key Princess Celestia told us about?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Star Swirl traced a hoof into the table, thinking of what she could have possibly meant.
"Among those with the strongest of hearts, there is somepony with the ability to do what we never could. She meant the Elements, of course. I may call them that, but others prefer a more barbaric term: Keyblade. They have the ability to turn the Elements into a weapon should their user desire it."
He demonstrated this fact, tearing the sky blue necklace away with his magic and placing it upon the table. He laid his hoof on top concentrating on the jewel as if it were alive. Suddenly, there was a blinding light, and as everypony looked down they saw the gem had transformed.
The hilt was a brilliant golden yellow, looking as if the stars themselves had helped form it. The blade slowly tapered until it reached five deep blue teeth, gleaming with the color of a cloudless sky. It was a formidable weapon to even the untrained eye. The warrior watched the new weapon with slight interest, readying his sword if need be.
"That will not be necessary, friend," Star Swirl assuaged his guest. The weapon quickly disappeared, turning back into the same recognizable bauble as before.
"This Element is mine. It has been bound to me for millennia, and I have slowly learned its secrets. The true reason they have been called Keyblades is their ability to lock or unlock anything. But when Luna, Celestia and myself fought through worlds engulfed in darkness, we always found a keyhole that would never lock. I believe that it was the heart of the world itself.
"I thought we were simply too late to save the world from its cruel fate, but the others believed that we were simply not truly masters of the Elements. A real Keyblade master would have been able to seal any heart away from darkness, and Harmony was shattered when Luna and Celestia finally saved me from my darkness."
"Mine own Element is comparatively weak, but," he glanced at the other ponies' necklaces, "yours are part of something truly great. Harmony was the most powerful of all Elements we ever found. The pieces apart are strong, but the true power of Harmony would reveal itself if it were somehow fixed. Using the combined power of Harmony, and maybe two other Elements, you could accomplish wonders beyond thinking."
"Celestia must believe the Elements choose their master. If she is right, you should find this pony where the darkness is greatest, in the evil king Aku's stronghold."
"Then let's go there and find this pony!" Rainbow Dash said. Star Swirl shook his head no.
"Not so fast," he warned them. "You must first learn about your Keyblades." His horn slowed a deep blue, making each of their necklaces resonate with many different beautiful colors. Each turned into a Keyblade with a brilliant flash of light. Each pony inspected their new keepsake.
Fluttershy's Element was completely pink. Many kinds of little adorable creatures were painted onto the shaft. The hilt was in the shape of a butterfly flapping it's wings, and the tip of the blade closely resembled a pair of angry rabbit teeth. She cautiously prodded her new Keyblade, knowing she would have to use it if her friends ran into danger. The chain attached to the hilt was made of a soft metal, and had a small pink heart hanging on it.
Applejack stared at the brown weapon that lay before her, the hilt pointing towards her invitingly. The deep red metal formed an enormous apple she had once found as a child. Green leaves spanned the brown length of the sword, resembling the picture of a perfectly healthy tree. She pulled on the chain holding a bauble in the shape of three small apples, and found that the chain was very elastic. She could stretch it farther than she could pull the length apart with her hooves.
Pinkie Pie loved how scrumptious her necklace had suddenly become. It had a tiny cupcake attached to the chain, which was flowing out of the strawberry shaped guard. The long juicy blade was shaded orange just like a carrot. Little pieces in the shape of pink confetti and streamers were stuck to the edge in random spots, forming a complex pattern of cuts and grooves in the general shape of a key.
Rainbow Dash thought her new Keyblade was easily the best one of them all. It had the coolest pair of white wings she had ever seen placed in between the grip and the blade. The blade itself reflected all manner of colors as she inspected it, turning around in her hooves. Jagged yellow edges arced out from the tip in a pattern reminiscent of her lightning cutie mark.
"Even in this form, they have the ability to channel your very thoughts into magic. But! I don't know what your particular gifts will be," Star Swirl cautioned them as they gazed at their new weapons. "They will slowly manifest as you use them during your journey. It is up to you to discover them."
He walked over to the bewildered warrior, examining the deep cut he had sustained. The wound had stopped bleeding, but Jack still had a long road to recovery ahead of him. Fluttershy watched him struggle to sit up, and slowly edged her way towards him.
"I-I can help, if you'd like," she quietly said, thinking of the materials she'd need to repair his injury. Fluttershy's Keyblade shone brightly as she thought over the steps she would take to heal him. The ponies gasped in amazement as Jack's skin stretched, closing over the wound. His skin knitted together until a faint scar was the only proof that he had been injured in the first place. Jack experimentally flexed his back, delighted to feel no pain.
"I believe you have already begun your discovery, Fluttershy," he thanked his healer as he jumped off the bed, with a noticeable spring in his step. Star Swirl regarded his guests wearily.
"Now, you must follow Celestia's orders. Equestria could fall at any time, with or without your help. Only the pony who controls the Elements can accomplish the impossible." He motioned towards Jack.
"He can help you reach the doors inside the evil monster Aku's stronghold. If you are lucky, you will find the one you are looking for there."
As he finished, they heard a crash outside the house. The four newly instructed ponies and Jack rushed out, to meet the foe they had fought before. Demongo was back.
"Kneel before your new master!" Demongo roared, throwing his arms apart in a victorious pose. "Aku has given me the power of darkness! Cower in fear of my new power!" Demongo gloated, feeling the rush of energy through his blackened veins as he summoned more Heartless minions to do his bidding.
Jack unsheathed his magic blessed sword as the ponies gripped their Keyblades uncomfortably for the first time. The first Heartless to rush towards them vanished as their new weapons did their work. Jack saw his chance as Demongo ignored his friends new powers.
"If you can clear the way towards their leader, I can finish him with one swing of my sword," he told the others. Rainbow Dash and Applejack quickly took the lead, with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy swatting away any creatures trying to sneak up on them. The Keyblades made short work of the Heartless, and as Jack neared his target, Demongo felt the first sense of apprehension he had felt in years.
"I-Impossible! Y-you can't stop me, Samurai Jack," Demongo threw more and more Heartless at the group as they closed in, watching them easily beat back what had defeated them only a short time ago.
"Tell that to Aku," Jack said, preparing for a single powerful strike as nothing lay between him and Demongo.
"Your master will be seeing you soon!"
Demongo formed a ball with his hands and began pulling more Heartless from a black sphere of darkness that suddenly appeared there. It was too late, however, and Jack made his move, slicing his magical blade through his target as he slowly came to a stop behind Demongo.
"No! How could you," Demongo screamed as hundreds of shapeless spirits flew from between his fingers. As they escaped, he slowly shrank, dwindling away until he was the same size as the small creatures he had once commanded.
The Heartless host melted away as his powers lessened, allowing the ponies to stand beside Jack as they watched Demongo. His floating form quickly made its way towards Aku's stronghold, escaping any further punishment Jack might have given him.
"I will be back! Aku will not forgive you for this," Demongo's tiny form screeched, floating away out of their sight. Star Swirl made his way towards the group, applauding their efforts.
"Well done. There is nothing like a more practical exercise in my opinion," he sagely spoke, turning towards the direction Demongo had fled.
"But you must hurry to Aku's stronghold. The other door from Equestria is in his control, and I have sensed that it was used recently."
"Well, a friend of ours was supposed to go through the other door we found," Fluttershy informed him. Star Swirl turned to the group.
"Then it is imperative that you find this pony before they are captured by Aku or somepony worse. I wish you luck."
"Yeah! Let's go, everypony," Rainbow Dash announced, before the group went off to save the unfortunate pony.
A magical stone table projected the heroes into the air above the ground. Several figures shrouded in darkness were gathered around it, watching the group as they made their way towards Aku's stronghold lying deep in a dormant volcano. Demongo burst in as they watched, his petite form floating towards them.
"Master Aku! They were too strong! I need more power," Demongo whined towards the figures as they turned to observe his meager form. Aku let out an evil laugh at his subordinate's words.
"I already gave you the power of darkness, you fool. You have failed me for the last time," Aku bellowed, taking Demongo's body into his claws and snuffed him out with barely a thought. He turned to the others as Demongo vanished.
"Those stupid ponies and Samurai Jack managed to take down Demongo, even with the powers I gave him." One of the hidden figures let out an angry roar, before chuckling deeply. His giant protective shell rumbled as he spoke.
"Those Keyblades are powerful! But they won't get through all my castles! Should we turn them into more Heartless?"
"My mechanical creatures can take care of them in a jiffy," a high-pitched fat voice boomed out, and the rest quickly started arguing amongst themselves.
"Enough!"
The villains arguments quickly subsided as their leader stepped forward. She pointed towards Aku, ignoring the wary gazes of the rest assembled together.
"Aku. You will kill Samurai Jack, but capture the rest. Not one of them is the chosen one, but we still have some purpose for them. You will go to your world, and find the real Keyblade Master. Bring him here before he becomes more powerful than any of us. The Keyblade will choose him. Will he conquer the darkness, or will the darkness swallow him?"
Aku backed away fearfully from their dark leader, moving towards the world door leading to his stronghold.
"By your order, Queen Chrysalis."