//------------------------------// // Last of Their Kind // Story: My Little Kingdom : Hearts is Magic // by Iateacrayon //------------------------------// He slowly floated, enveloped in total darkness. He felt nothing, heard nothing, smelled nothing. After failing to remember how he had ended up here, he was slowly lulled back to sleep by the soundless expanse, drifting aimlessly. Time passed slowly here, but he no longer felt the urgency he once had. He didn't even remember why he had felt so rushed anymore. "With all my love, ______" He felt the vast emptiness shake apart as a loud voiced boomed out towards him, pushing against him with the force of its shout. His will to live fought its way to the forefront of his mind upon remembering those few words. Something was lightly shaking him. "Hey! Wake up!" His body was on fire. His own skin felt alien to him as it prickled uncomfortably, his nerves tingling as he moved. He raised a hoof to ward off his attackers, feeling them back away as he finally moved by his own volition. "All you all right?" He looked up towards the questioner, before slamming his eyes shut with a groan as he felt light enter his eyes for what seemed to be the first time. Carefully cracking his eyes open, he let them adjust as the fellow in front of him continued his questioning. "What's your name?" Searching his memories, he only remembered the darkness that had once surrounded him. His eyes darted around, before alighting on his deep purple flank, where he saw a mark in the shape of a thorny rose. He latched onto the familiar name before opening his mouth, his dry throat cracking as he finally answered. "T-Thorn," he croaked, as he took in the appearances of the three who had found him. "Who are you?" He asked, inspecting the group who had woken him. There was an angry duck in a blue and hat to one side of him. A slightly confused person in a green shirt and yellow pants was on the other. He reminded him of a dog for some reason. The person who had woken him had bright red clothes and seemed to be in charge. He smiled at Thorn's response. "I'm Sora, and this is Donald and Goofy," the boy replied, pointing to each one as they were introduced. "What happened?" Thorn slowly looked around, only seeing makeshift walls that were connected together from smaller pieces. He felt his wings pushing on the cold wall behind him, and turned to examine the foreign appendages. They were light on his hooves, the same vibrant purple as Thorn's skin, and longer than his legs could stretch. He felt his mane shift after he turned, and was mystified by its bright green color. His examinations stopped as he realized the wall he was leaning against was in reality a giant window. The sight beyond left him speechless. Beyond the window were ships unlike any sort he had seen before. They were all floating freely in the sky, and Thorn slowly began to comprehend he was no longer in Equestria. As he leaned closer towards the view, his long horn bumped into the glass with a soft clink. "Where am I?" Nothing was familiar here. Hundreds of different kinds of creatures made their way back and forth before him on the lower decks. "Take it easy," Sora said. "You're not on your world anymore." He gestured towards the ships outside. "This is all that remains of hundreds of different worlds that have been destroyed by the darkness, just like your world. Bits and pieces can sometimes escape the destruction, and show up here out of nowhere. Luckily for you, we saw you while we were landing." "Ya know, you just can't travel to other worlds without a ship," Goofy added knowingly. Thorn slid down the wall as the new information sank in. Something they had said didn't sound right to him. He turned them and asked the question he'd been afraid to ask. "Did any other ponies survive? And what's this darkness?" Sora glanced at his friends sadly, before Donald pulled Goofy away, heading towards the nearby shop. "Come on, Goofy," he squawked. "I need help carrying the supplies we need." As he waddled away with Goofy in tow, Sora slid down beside Thorn. Thorn only stared blankly at Donald and Goofy's retreating forms. "I'm sure some other... ponies made it here," he slowly reassured Thorn. Thorn looked away from him, staring towards the other ships floating beside theirs. After a short period of silence had passed, he abruptly turned to Sora. "Tell me about this darkness." Sora stretched an arm behind his head and rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from Thorn awkwardly. "Well... It's sorta complicated. It'd be safer for if you stayed here anyway." Sora looked up a as he saw Thorn move in the corner of his eye. "No!" Thorn shouted, smashing his hoof into the glass wall of the ship, much to Sora's alarm. "My friends are out there! And I won't rest until I find them." Thorn's chest was on fire. His heart ached from the pain of what he thought he had lost. Worst of all, he couldn't even remember what it was. His thoughts were interrupted by a strange glow. Thorn looked down to see a necklace hanging around his chest. He examined it as it pulsed with red light, confused by how he had come by such a beautiful jewel. When he touched it with his hoof, a spark was ignited deep within the center of the ruby. Light washed over Thorn, and Sora had to shield his eyes from its brightness. When Sora dared to look again, Thorn was holding a Keyblade. His hoof covered most of the deep blue color of the grip. The white hilt helped Thorn hold it safely without getting too close to the razor sharp violet blade. Three green spikes jutted out from the tip of the Keyblade in the shape that reminded Sora of his own weapon. Thorn looked at the sword in awe, confused by how it had appeared. "Where... did you get that?" Sora asked, before taking out his Keyblade to compare the two. His Keyblade had a simple yellow hilt in the shape of a crown, and a grey blade shaped like a key. Thorn was silent while he compared the two. "...I don't know. But it's still important to me," Thorn said. He held it closely, feeling that it was the only reminder of who he was looking for. Sora looked intensely at the new Keyblade, as if he were deciding whether it was real or not. His eyes darted between the two Keyblades, carefully considering the possibilities. After satisfying himself that it was indeed a real Keyblade, he nodded to Thorn. "Well... this changes everything. I guess you'll find out sooner or later with that thing," he sighed, pointing towards the object of his careful inspection. "The darkness is just a sign of the Heartless. They're made of it. Their sole purpose of existence is to find and devour hearts. Using that thing," he gestured to Thorn's weapon, "attracts the Heartless. It's called a Keyblade. I don't know how, but they can track you through it." Thorn felt lightheaded for a moment, then had a vision of hundreds of small black creatures. His Keyblade had protected him, but for every creature he struck down, four more took its place. When he focused again on the present, he noticed Sora, looking at him with concerned frown. "Are you okay? You zoned out for a bit there." "I'm fine. I just remembered something that happened. But why would they want the Keyblade?" Sora considered his question, before coming up with the simplest explanation. "The Keyblade isn't the only reason they look for you. The Heartless swarm every world they find, taking the hearts of anyone they meet. The stronger the heart, the more they want it. And only the strongest of hearts can use the Keyblade." "Every world has its own heart, and if the Heartless get to it... you've seen what happens. The Keyblades can lock away the hearts and keep the world safe from the Heartless. It's the only way to stop them." Any further questions Thorn had were cut short as the lights above them flickered and dimmed. The hubbub of all the visitors died down as everyone wondered what was going on, before some began screaming in panic. Donald and Goofy were seen running towards them in the faint light as the shadows grew behind them. "Sora! I think we might have a problem," Goofy exclaimed as he detached a large circular shield hanging from his back. Donald pulled out an impressive staff decorated with runes. Sora and Thorn readied their weapons as the shadows solidified into the creatures Thorn remembered fighting before. Thorn held his Keyblade tightly as the Heartless closed in on the four heroes. The deformed mass of monsters pulsed with an unseen need to feed, writhing and crawling around them, before rushing in for the kill. Thorn swung his weapon at the nearest Heartless, and saw the Keyblade cut deeply into anything its razor edge came into contact with. The monster was sliced in two from its bug-like head down to its feet, and disappeared in a puff of intangible smoke, fading away into the air. Thorn heard his new friends hold their ground as a large part of the group focused its attention on him. Five of the small twisted creatures rushed him all at once, hoping to overwhelm him. Time seemed to pass slowly for him as they neared, and the Keyblade came alive in his hands. He moved without thought, reacting only on instinct as they closed in on him. The monster to his left lost its head and the creature beside it was chopped in two as the blade passed through it. He avoided the sharp claws of the three remaining creatures as they lunged towards him. He managed to slip between them and, in their confusion, cut again, leaving one critter on either side of him. Now there were two. Seizing the initiative, Thorn whirled to his right, slicing the beast as it jumped towards him. He blocked a weak swipe from his left, using his momentum to turn his sword around and hack off the offender's arms. He watched the final Heartless staring silently at the cut on its arm. The injury quickly spread like an infection until the creature vanished in a puff of smoke like the others. As the final monster disappeared, Thorn felt his surroundings come back to him in a heady rush. Sora and the others were busy with a pack of Heartless by the ship's windows. His actions had cleared the immediate threat before him, but now more Heartless were spilling out onto the street from a dark passage. In a few minutes they'd swarm the others until, exhausted from fighting, they'd be too tired to put up a fight. Thorn ran towards the group, trying to catch their attention as he moved. "Hey! I'm over here," he yelled, as the group turned away from their unsuspecting prey. He ducked into the nearby alley, and the Heartless quickly followed. The corridor twisted this way and that, getting more and more narrow as he led the creatures away from the street. His Keyblade stopped the first one to catch up to him, and as he backed away from the mass of creatures, he felt his tail bump into the wall behind. He looked away from the danger in front of him to see his foolish mistake. The alley was a dead end. During his momentary distraction, the horde of angry monsters had caught up to him. There were too many for him to count this time. As they closed in, Thorn flapped his wings, trying to fly above. His hopes died when he realized the alley was too narrow for his wings to extend. He gripped the Keyblade tightly, and hoped the others had been luckier than him. As the Heartless closed in around him, a bright purple light emanated from around his body as he closed his eyes. Moments before the black monsters enveloped him, he felt a light tug on his body. When his eyes opened, he was staring at a wide-eyed purple pony. Her flank had a mark shaped like a trio of beautiful purple mystical stars. "H-how..." "It's alright, you're safe now," the pony reassured him. "I happened to see you being chased by those despicable creatures, and teleported you out of there." Thorn looked around and saw they were indeed safe. He was lying above the alleyway he had been cornered in, overlooking an empty street. "My name is Twilight. It is an honor to meet you," she continued with a respectful deference to him, for some unknown reason. He'd never seen her before. "Are you working with Princess Celestia? I didn't know she had an apprentice apart from myself. I suppose I wasn't that special the last time she saw me." Thorn looked at her in confusion as he pulled himself upright. Twilight missed his questioning gaze, opting instead to walk down the nearby steps to the wide paved street. Why did she think he was working with this Celestia? "Why do you think I know this Princess?" He wondered aloud, as he followed Twilight. She rounded on him quickly, pushing her hoof towards his wings and horn. "Because you're an Alicorn, of course! She must have hidden you from everypony so she could prepare you to rule Equestria in her stead." Twilight angrily turned away, pacing before him as she went on with whatever she was talking about. "And if you were going to rule after she got bored of listening to everypony's problems, then I would never get to be in charge of anything! Even worse, I can only conclude that she would send me away through the door as an ambassador of some sort to other worlds!" a small, noticeable aura of darkness began growing around her body as she continued her talking. "How dare she think that I am weaker than you, or anypony! I only ever wanted to help her, and she decides that she doesn't even need me! Well guess what? I'll prove just how powerful I am when I save Equestria without her!" Twilight shouted as she stared down at her hooves. Darkness was slowly gathering around them, and it scared Thorn more than the creatures that had attacked him. He grabbed her before she could continue, hoping to deny her insane conjectures. "Twilight! I don't know her. I don't even remember how I got here to begin with! Calm down," he pleaded as Twilight huffed in a rage beside him. As his words slowly calmed her, he heard a loud stomp behind him. He was afraid of what he would see as he heard the sound again. It was slowly getting closer and louder. He chanced a peek over his shoulder as the noise stopped. An enormous monster was standing by the steps they had walked down only moments before. It stood tall on its hind legs, towering above the unfortunate ponies standing before it. More and more Heartless spilled from the shadows to gather around the creature, until the shadows themselves seemed empty. The new monster had steadily grown to the size of a street building. Only two bright yellow eyes could be seen below the protective helm it wore. Its body rippled in waves as an opal cannon formed around the alien's right arm. A black light gathered around the end as it was pointed at them. "Watch out!" Thorn exclaimed, jumping in front of Twilight as the cannon went off. It arced towards them, before colliding with Thorn's Keyblade. Thorn felt the sheer power of it blast him back into Twilight, who pushed him off her quickly. Her horn shone a deep purple, and shot a pale beam of light towards the monster. It smashed into the creature's face, only to create a small crack from the forehead down towards its neck. "I'm too far away to do any damage," Twilight warned as the alien cannon went off again, narrowly missing both of them. "Distract it so I can teleport closer!" "All right," Thorn agreed. He braced himself in front of Twilight as the monster roared in anger, and the cannon charged even longer this time. As it fired, Twilight saw her chance. Teleporting above her target, she aimed her horn at the crack created before, and sent out a deep black wave of light that resonated with her Element. The creature's head crumbled under her dark magical attack, and toppled over, defeated. It was silent for a short time, until the body began to hum. The crippled head slumped forward, revealing a shining heart hiding underneath. The heart slowly floated free, escaping the confines of its original host. After losing the source of its power, the body began to fade. She lost sight of it when she looked back towards Thorn, expecting to see him admiring her undeniable power. He was lying face down on the ground, completely still. He was having another vision just like before. "Here," he looked down through a blue haze, and saw the sparkling ruby in his hoof. "This jewel belongs to you now." "Where... did you get that?" Thorn opened his eyes. Twilight was staring at his chest. He moved a hoof towards it, and felt the reassuring weight of his keepsake. "That's the second time somepony's asked me that today," he mused aloud as Twilight stared dangerously at him, waiting for an answer. "I think it's mine. A... friend gave it to me before the Heartless appeared. I don't remember what happened before I ended up here, or even who I am," he quietly explained. He looked around for the monster while Twilight stood there solemnly. "I'm glad that's over," Thorn said as he caught his breath. He saw Sora, Donald and Goofy making their way over to them from the end of the street. They quickly ran over to him when they saw the rapidly decaying body. It had almost been completely reduced to shadow. "Remember who you are," Twilight finally spoke, surprising Thorn. She walked down the street in the opposite direction of the new spectators, before turning the corner without another word. He got up to follow her, but was stopped by the arrival of Sora and his friends. "Hey, Thorn! You're okay!" Goofy happily exclaimed as he passed what was left of the giant Heartless. "That looked like a tough fight," Sora added approvingly. "You should totally come along with us. We've got this awesome rocket!" Donald nodded along, before actually hearing what Sora had said. "No! He can't come with us," Donald spluttered. "We have to find the King!" "But Donald, you saw that thing," Sora argued as he rounded on the duck. "We could use another fighter like that. I thought I saw two ponies though..." "It's fine," Thorn reassured him. He glanced over towards where Twilight had disappeared. "I think I found someone who can help me." Sora looked over to where Thorn was looking, and remembered the pony he had seen with him before. "Well... good luck then," Sora finally answered, smiling as he did so. "Maybe we'll see each other out there." "Come on, Sora!" Donald shouted. Sora nodded one more time to Thorn, before running to catch up with Donald and Goofy. As soon as they had left, Thorn moved towards the corner Twilight had vanished around. The soft clack of his hooves echoing off the barren walls was the only thing staving off the silence. As he reached the corner, he poked his head around, hoping to see where the pony had gone. He only found a mystery. The street ended abruptly, tapering towards a mysterious white door. Thorn looked around, hoping to see Twilight standing on one of the roofs above him. He found nothing. He quietly trotted over to the only option left to him. He pushed open the door with his hoof, hopeful that more connections to his past were on the other side. The two ponies hovered above the magical stone table, their triumph over the Heartless on display for the malevolent watchers. "There's two of 'em! Twice the fun!" A shadow cackled with mad glee. "The Keyblade is indeed powerful," a smug voice came from a man with a green eye. "But I believe I know a dog more powerful than both of them combined." "Who shall we send after him, then? Kronk would not fail," an old woman's voice replied. "Methinks the boy will be more than a nuisance," an eight-legged creature spoke from above them. "Enough! Our leader has already said she will handle the purple one," the first voice chuckled. "Let's just let the witch deal with them." "Fine. And remind her to watch out for flying houses too."