The Return of Sombra-The Strike (Edited)
Kingdom Hearts of Harmony
By Steel Soul
Return of Sombra Part one - The Strike
Green to start music and red to stop music
Sora slowly made his way through the grand halls of the Crystal Castle, on the lookout for any signs of trouble. Despite wanting to help the girls with figuring out what was in the pages of the history book they found, he figured that his talents lied in picking up where Shining left off, helping the crystal city itself.
Besides, that little heartless scare made him wary of any other surprises that the Dark King may have up his sleeve. He took it upon himself to make sure that no other Heartless were able to make it within the dome. Despite Applejack insisting, and Rainbow asking in a roundabout way to come with him, he decided to decline their offer to help, convincing them, which was no small feat in itself, that Twilight and the others needed their help more, and that he could take care of himself if need be. Not that he wasn’t grateful for their help either; he just needed time to think about a few things on his own.
He needed to figure out what he was going to do next more than anything. The book was a good start and he was sure they could find some good information, but then what? Saving the kingdom is one thing but finding Shining Armor and Defeating Sombra was another.
“What do we do now…”
Only do what you can...What more can anyone ask of you?
The voice rung in his ears as he made his way down a particularly long hallway; its tone was very familiar…
But you can’t do everything alone. Even I know that.
Sora shook his head before answering the internal voice within him. “I just...Don’t want to put anyone in danger again. I was barely able to save Applejack and her family. I was lucky with Twilight. Then there is Shining Armor. I couldn’t save him at all. And then...there's....”
You can’t solve everything on your own. I've seen what happens when someone does that.
Sora lowered his head. “I know that...I know., but-”
But you don’t want to fail in protecting them, right? That’s why you want to keep them from fighting if you can.
Sora nodded begrudgingly.
Sora, they’re your friends. Even if you just met them, the fact that you were able to connect with them, like you do everyone you meet, just proves more and more how they will take it if you told them. If anyone would understand it’s them. Fluttershy more than anyone.
“Huh?”
Never mind. Besides, the point is that they wouldn’t abandon you because of something stupid like that. It’s not like either Kairi or Riku abandon you, or anyone else either Sora. You know them better than that.
“Yeah, but if I hadn't failed the Keyblade exam then I would be right there alongside them. It really sucks.” Sora said with slight annoyance.
The keyblade exam eh? You like to use that excuse a lot too.
Sora frowned at the response from his inner self.
Come on…for someone who always has an open heart for others you really like to put up barriers when you don’t want others to know about what’s wrong with you. Sora, I can see inside your heart right now, and tell that’s not what you’re really mad about. Though you keep saying that’s what’s wrong so I can see why you’ve been thinking that way.
Sora looked away. “That’s not the… wait, what?” The stallion stopped moving and looked from side to side.
Do I have to spell it out for you? You-
“W-who are you!?” Sora suddenly yelled out loud, looking around frantically. “Where are you!? How are you speaking to me!?”
What do you mean?! I…I…I’m speaking to you? I’m speaking to you. I’m speaking to you!
“Yeah! That's what I sad!”
I…I don’t know…I…Sora…Its me…Its me…Ventus…
Sora paused. "Ventus...Ventus...why have I heard that name before?
Before the stallion could respond or comprehend what in in the world was going on, a sudden noise coming from just down the hall caused the stallion’s ears to perk up. “What the? That sounded like…” Wasting no time, the stallion galloped at full speed towards the source of the noise, gearing himself up for a possible attack.
~
Twilight awoke, rubbing the grogginess from her tired eyes. A sharp twinge of pain erupted from her head and she groaned inwardly. She knew what such an agonizing headache entailed.
“Gah…must have overused my magic again.”
The lavender mare slowly blinked a few times before yawning and stretching her hind and forelegs. “Huh? Where am I?” Looking about, the mare noticed the crystal like décor, ranging from the furniture to the wall itself. Never in her life had she seen such a remarkable sight before. She stared in awe for only a few moments before reality came crashing down upon her. Her memories of that morning came flooding into her like a parasprite to food. Out of all of her memories though, three facts pushed to the forefront of her mind.
Number one; she was in the Crystal Empire.
Number two; she and the others had come here to defeat Sombra.
Number three; Shining was…
“Oh no! Shining!” She leapt out of bed and ran for the door, opening it with her magic. Forehead met forehead as Twilight crashed straight into another pony. The two of them tumbled into a roll for just a moment before landing in a pile on the floor, the mare ended up lying on top of the stallion. Stars danced within the confines of her vision for only a few seconds before she shook the dizziness from her mind, looking down towards the one she had collided with, that being a familiar caramel colored stallion. Sora was rubbing the top of his head gingerly, rubbing the sore spot to soothe the pain. When he finally looked up, he find a pair of purple eyes staring down upon him.
“Twilight!? You’re awake!”
Twilight felt her cheeks redden as the stallion hugged her without warning. It instantly faded though when she remembered why she was running. “Forget about me!” The mare said as she moved to let the stallion up. “Shining Armor! Where is he? The last thing I remember was…was…” She clasped a hoof over her mouth. “T-the heartless and King Sombra. They… What happened? What happened to Shining?”
Sora shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry Twilight, I don’t know. We got you and the others to safety before I turned back for him, but by the time I made it outside no one was there. Not the Heartless. Not King Sombra. Or Shining Armor.” he looked away from the mare. “I...I'm sorry I couldn’t do anything to save him.” Upon seeing Twilight’s ears begin to fold back he tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Hey, don’t worry. Cadence is confident that he's okay.” He pounded his chest. “And since that's the case I promise to do everything I can to save your brother, no matter what.”
“Sora…” Twilight nodded slowly, giving the stallion a light smile, “Thank you. I know you did your best. I remember telling you to go so if it's anyone’s fault it's mine.” She stood up on four hooves before reaching out to the stallion to help him up, which he gladly accepted. “If Cadence says he's okay then I believe both her and you. What are you doing here anyway Sora? What’s going on with the Crystal Empire?”
“You won't believe it but-” He began to weave the tale that he and the others had just been a part of earlier that day. He could see her brighten up considerably at the mention of the Crystal Library and the part Spike had played in finding out about it. Her happy mood soon turned to shock and then anger at the mention of the heartless that had attacked Spike in hopes of destroying the book the group had found before.
“How did they even get past the barrier? I thought Shining said this place was protected.”
“It is…and it isn’t. Cadence said that she is using her magic to spread love and happiness all over the empire, but it’s costing her a great deal. If we don’t find a solution soon then…”
Twilight looked away in contemplation. If what he says is true then they didn’t have long. Cadence was powerful, but even an alicorn’s magic could not last forever. If those heartless were after that book then…
“Sora, where is that book?”
~
“Twilight!”
Every mare and filly (and one drake) hugged the purple unicorn as she made her way into the main chamber of the throne room, said mare doing the same as she wrapped her hooves around her friends as best she could.
“Its good to see you guys too.” Twilight mused. “Sorry for worrying everypony.”
“Aww shucks Twi. Long as ya okay it's all fine and dandy.”
“Applejack is right darling.” Rarity agreed. “Besides if it wasn’t for you and Sora we wouldn’t have made it here to even do anything. You deserved at least a little rest.”
Twilight shook her head though, not at all convinced. “Not if it means that Cadance and Shining Armor is suffering. My lack of strength means doom for the whole empire and I’ve already wasted enough time. It’s time to do my part.”
Despite many of the girls not agreeing, they all decided that now wasn’t the time to banter. They had a kingdom to save and a king to defeat.
“So,” Sora began as he handed the book over to the lavender mare, “where do we start Twilight.”
Twilight was quick to flip the pages of the book, smiling brightly as she did so.
Princess Cadance needs our help,
Her magic will not last forever.
I think we can do it,
But we need to work together.
We have to get this right.
Yes, we have to make them see.
We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history.
Rainbow slammed the table, gaining everyone’s attention, pointing towards the opened page.
It says that they liked jousting,
Rarity nodded before adding.
They flew a flag of many hues.
Applejack motioned towards the opened window that overlooked the many bushes outside.
Made sweets of crystal berries,
Gently grasping the book, Fluttershy turned towards a particular page with many colorful sheep prancing in a field.
They had a petting zoo with tiny ewes
Oh, we have to get this right
Yes, we have to make them see
We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history
Pinkie Pie pulled out a weird looking horn tossing it in the air upon doing so.
There was a crystal flugelhorn
That every pony liked to play
Sora saluted as he too added to the song, his voice ringing loud and clear.
And the Crystal Kingdom anthem
Can you learn it in a day?
Oh, we have to get this right
Yes, we have to make them see
We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history
Twilight smiled as she closed the book, the sound of their last notes still hanging in the air. “It’s obvious that it’s the crystal ponies’ love and friendship that was able to fend off evil beings before Sombra came to power. If we can recreate that with the crystal festival, then we might be able to deal with Sombra a little easier.”
Sora nodded as he slid the book towards himself and opening it once again. “Looks like we have a lot of work to do then.” Flipping through it, he stopped at the last page as a particular passage caught his eye. “What's this? Crystal…Heart?” He couldn’t help but notice that It looked rather familiar.
Twilight used her magic to pull the book back towards her. “Hmmm, good catch Sora. It says here that the Crystal Heart is the centerpiece of the festival. I think I can cut one out of some crystals using my magic.”
Sora nodded and smiled. “Right! Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get this fair on the road!”
“I’m ready to get this rodeo started! Yee-haa!”
I’ll bring the flugel horn~!”
“Y-yes. Let’s all do our best… for everypony.”
“Quite right darling, I shall give it no less than my all.”
“What are we standing here for! Come on everypony, let’s roll out!”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders: Empire Savers! YAY!”
Twilight looked upon every pony before dipping her head in a nod. “Let’s save the Crystal Empire!”
~
So…having a fair to save the day. Never seen that before, gotta be honest.
Sora looked around to find the voice that had spoken to him, only to remember that the only one it could belong to was the one that was inside him. “Ventus?
Yeah...It me. And don’t talk too loudly. You might sound crazy if you do.
Sora looked around at the growing crowd of ponies entering the newly erected Crystal fair. Speaking in a whisper, “You were silent for a while. What happened?”
Didn’t think I should interrupt. It was a nice song.
“Eh haha...yeah.” Sora watched a pair of foals pass by, their coats shining like crystals in the heat of Celestia’s sun. “I can’t believe it's working though. Just look at everyone. They seem a lot more lively.”
Tell me about it. If it works it works. I won’t question it. I’m more worried about you and me though.
“You and me? Oh! You mean our ability to talk to each other?” Sora observed.
Yeah. I know that I’m in your heart, but lots of things are a blur for me. I don’t remember how I got here. Heck, I don’t know if I'll still be able to talk to you like this forever.
Sora nodded as he closed his eyes and folded his hooves about this chest. “It is weird. But...I think I remember you helping me. You protected me back when my heart was falling into darkness at the Keyblade Exam.”
I...Did? I don’t remember doing that.
“I’m sure of it. At least I think I am. I was knocked out for a while so everything is kinda...wonky.”
Before either of the boys could think more on the subject, Sora felt himself yanked into the sky by a pair of cyan hooves. The poor boy yelped, waving his limbs wildly in panic before he looked to find who had snatched him away the way they did. “Rainbow!? What the heck is going on!?” He paused. “And what’s with that cloth in your mouth.”
The rainbow maned pony looked down once before veering off towards the castle where Twilight was just putting the finishing touches on the crystal heart she had just erected out of pure crystals.
Letting the stallion drop onto the ground, she quickly covered the monument with the purple flag she had snagged earlier, much to her lavender friend’s annoyance. Before Twilight could even give her a piece of her mind Rainbow cut her off.
“Guys! We have a problem!”
Both Twilight and Sora looked towards each other before voicing the same question that had popped into both of their heads. “What?”
~
To say Twilight was distraught was an understatement. Not only had she missed the fact that there was a torn page in the Crystal Kingdom History book, but it seemed to be the very page that told them exactly what they needed to keep the crystal empire safe. She paced the balcony, somehow wearing a ditch into the floor as she did so, her usually straight mane now out of place in several places.
“How could I have been so inattentive? I should have known that the Crystal Heart was an actual relic! I should have noticed that a page was missing. Did the heartless tear it out when they had gotten ahold of it before. Dear Celestia, we need that crystal heart! Without it, all our work would have been for nothing! Oh no, oh dear, oh no, oh dear-”
Sensing her troubled mind, Cadence placed a shaky hoof upon her shoulder, stopping the mare in her tracks. “It’s ok Twilight. We will…We...” She began to falter and fell to her side. Before she could hit the ground however, Sora was as quick to catch her within his hooves. Her horn began to spark dimly, causing everypony present to gasp.
“That can't be good…” The young stallion said softly.
Sora looked off towards the barrier that was surrounding the empire and found it slowly flutter in and out of existence. With each blink, he could see the dark shadow edging closer and closer until it began to slowly engulf the green land the barrier had surrounded. Sora’s eyes widened as he watched. “Double not good! It’s Sombra!”
He looked down to see the alicorn recover from her fainting spell. She closed her eyes and began to once again concentrate on her magic, forcing the barrier back into existence. Sora could see the shadow rear back before quickening its pace, only to be stopped by the once again erected barrier. Despite this, Sora spied something dark falling into the opened plain before slowly growing into a black crystal. Sora’s eyes squinted as he watched as Shadow Colts began to emerge from the crystal itself one after another.
“Oh no! Heartless!”
Twilight ran to the side of the balcony beside him, her eyes widening at the sight of the monsters slowly coming into being. “What?! We have to stop them! If they get near the fair…!”
Sora unfolded his wings before placing his forelegs upon the balcony railing. “Leave it to me! I’ll take care of them!”
Rainbow flew upwards into the sky rearing herself to go as well. “Me too!”
Before Sora could say anything Twilight gripped the mare with her magic. “Sorry Rainbow! I need you to tell the others to keep the fair going!”
“What?! Why!?” The cyan mare complained. “I wanna kick heartless flank too!”
Twilight shook her head. “If the crystal ponies get wind of the attack, then they would want to use the crystal heart right away. And we still have to find it! We need to keep them calm for as long as we can, which is what you and the girls will do. Sora will stop the heartless before they can cause an uproar and I’ll find the heart.” She turned to Sora. “Right, Sora?”
The stallion nodded before turning to face the ground. "Yeah! Leave it to me! I’ll keep everyone safe!” Without a second thought, Sora launched himself from the balcony, using his wings to guide himself down to the rooftops below. From there he proceeded to jump from rooftop to rooftop towards his destination.
When he was gone, Twilight turned to her cyan friend who didn’t look happy in the slightest. “Sorry Rainbow. I want to help him too, but we have to think about the crystal ponies as well.” She released the mare, allowing her to be suspended by her own wings.
“Yeah, you’re right Twi.” And Rainbow knew it, as much as it bothered her to think it. She turned to face the way the stallion went. “Stupid hero, getting all the action.” When she had flown into the sky, out of earshot of everyone else, she growled softly to herself. “You better be careful.”
~
Sora landed with a skid on the grassy plain. He flapped once, ignoring the pain of disuse as he righted himself. “Ok…wings…They’re more trouble than I expected.” His gaze fell on the black crystal that loomed over him, heartless slowly pouring out of the shadow that it casts.
He looked back towards the crystal castle one last time before turning towards his long time enemies. Summoning his Keyblade he caused every heartless to look his way.
“Okay Heartless. I won’t let you or Sombra have you way!” With a swing of his weapon he dove into the first batch of Shadow Colts, his keyblade shimmering in the light of the son.
“I’ll show you the power of the Keyblade!”
~
“What!?”
Fluttershy Spike and the Crusaders all stared at the cyan mare in disbelief, reeling at what they were told. Rainbow dash had informed Rarity and Applejack before she had managed to find Fluttershy and the kids. After pushing them to a secluded area, she informed them of their current development and was met with the reaction she had expected of them. Despite the joyful sounds of the fair not too far away from them, the small gathering was quiet for a few seconds, the silence only being broken by Spike as he spoke up with a shaky tone.
“S-So let me get this straight...The heartless are here in the dome attacking Sora and Twilight has to find the Crystal Heart thing to even stand a chance against Sombra?”
Rainbow nodded with a grim expression as her gaze focused on the way Sora had flown before she left Twilight. “Yeah. The hero is dealing with the heartless while Twi is trying to find a clue to where the Crystal Heart could be hidden. She told us to-H-Hey! Spike?! Where are you going?!”
The little drake had dashed past Rainbow, making his way to the crystal castle. He took a quick look back over his shoulder as he yelled, “No time! Helping Twi!”
Rainbow blinked before looking back towards Fluttershy who had just as much of a dumbfounded expression as herself. “I guess that makes me feel a little better if Spike is helping out Twi. But Hero is out there alone.”
Fluttershy looked away. “I-I’m worried about him too. But...We have to trust that Sora can handle it. He has fought Heartless before after all.”
“Yeah...well...In any case I already got Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity on up to date on the plan, so we should be good for a bit. But if everything goes south because of that jerk Sombra...”
Fluttershy nodded slowly. “I know what you mean...but...I think it won’t come to that. We just have to have faith that Sora and Twilight will win.”
“Yeah, I know.” Rainbow paused before looking around herself. “Hey, where’s the squirt and AJ’s and Rarity’s sisters.”
Fluttershy blinked before she too began to look around, albeit more franticly. “What? But they were right here!”
Rainbow looked towards the castle and then towards where Sora was, her eyes widening as well. “You don’t think?”
Fluttershy’s worry was starting to go into full blown panic. “T-They wouldn’t.”
Rainbow deadpanned as her wings twitched agitatedly. “You kidding? We are talking about those three.”
Without another word both mares began a mad sprint towards the origins of the black crystal, praying to Celestia that they were wrong.
~
Sora's blade sliced the body of yet another heartless, the Keyblade Wielder jumping high soon after to dodge the swipe of another's claw, twisting his body to so that his blade cut that one down as well. Landing on his hooves, the stallion would dash towards another, his blade swinging with precision as it battered one monster after. He was like a machine, his body acting and reacting to near everything around him.
Not too far away, a few of the heartless were gearing up for a spell, their magic combining to into a slowing glowing ball. Sora would notice it however, and without hesitation, jumping off the head of another heartless and into the sky. He spun around before tossing his keyblade towards the glowing magic orb and, upon contact, causing the magic to explode, destroying all Heartless withing rage of the blast. Falling back down to the ground, Sora would recall his keyblade, striking the tip of it into the body of a waiting Shadow Pony. As he regained his bearings, he geared up for another round, noticing more heartless were slipping out from the ground.
He smirked, despite himself, "Heh...Come on! I can do this all day!"
~
Applebloom's popped her head from around the purple crystal that she and her friends hid behind, the yellow filly taking in the sight with all the admiration she could muster. She and her friends had wordlessly slipped away from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and, despite Sweetie Bell’s uncertain glares, had quickly covered the distance on Scootaloo’s scooter to the place where the heartless were appearing. It didn't take long for the fillies to find the spot, especially with the way Sora was going about things.
The three fillies watched in awe at what was playing out in front of them. Even from the far distance that the three fillies were at, they could clearly see Sora in action as he fought against countless heartless. Every swipe of his keyblade, every movement he made and every Heartless laid low; it all seemed like it came second nature to him. It honestly made what he did back at the library seem like a simple work out.
“Jeeze...Look at him go.” Scootaloo said with amazement deep in her tone as she watched on from behind a fallen pillar of Crystal. “How can he...let alone anypony for that matter fight like-Oh! Did you see that?! He just destroyed three at once!”
Sweetie Bell was also in awe, despite her look of apprehension at being so close to the action. “Wow, he really is a hero. I mean, I know he saved Ponyville and all, but I never got a chance to see him actually fight.”
Applebloom swelled with pride as she watched the stallion of her dreams, a hot blush dancing on her cheeks. “Yeah, he really is amazing.”
“Okay...I...I think I've seen enough girls.” Sweetie Belle spoke up after awhile of waiting, the filly's apprehension winning her over more and more as time went by. “We should get back before anypony notices we are missing. I don’t want to get into any more trouble than we already are in with our sisters.”
“Come on just a little bit longer Sweetie.” the orange pegasus begged as she pulled herself up over the fallen crystal to get a better view. “I bet Sora can take care of these jerks easily. Besides, it's not like they can see us from all the way over here anyway.”
“Yeah.” Applebloom agreeing wholeheartedly with her orange furred friend. “Besides, we can't just leave Sora now. What if he gets into trouble?”
“I’m sure he can take care of himself, Applebloom,” Sweetie grabbed Scootaloo’s tail in her mouth and began to pull at the filly from her perch. “Now...Get down from there or else they really will spot us from all the way over here.”
“H-Hey! Let go!” Sootaloo squealed as she began to try and pull her tail out of her friend's mouth. “Let go Sweetie! That hurts!”
But Sweetie was not to be denied, her teeth clamping down harder on the purple tail that they held. “Not until you get down so we can get back to Fluttershy and the others.”
“H-Hey. Girls stop it.” Apple Bloom began to plea, looking betwen her two friends in a panic, "Can’t we just-”
“I said LET GO!”
Scootaloo pulled her tail sharply causing Sweetie to release her friend...only for said friend to fall back onto the ground on the other side of the crystal they were behind. Though the fall did not hurt the filly too much the sight of every heartless looking her way was enough to send a chill down her spine.
“Oh...Oh pony feathers…”
~
“Ha! Take this!” Sora’s keyblade slammed onto the head of a heartless, causing it to dissipate just like all the others that fell before the hero. Jumping back to catch his breath, the keyblade wielder smirked between clenched teeth that held his keyblade. “You guys don’t hold a candle to any of the heartless I fought before.”
It was then that something curious happened.
“I said LET GO!
*THWMB*
All the heartless that had been focusing on Sora would focus as one towards the new voice.
“Huh? H-Hey! Where are you-” Sora’s jaw dropped hard as he saw who the heartless’s new target was. “Scootaloo?! What are you-” It was then that Sora finally caught on to what was happening. Something most dreadful. The heartless wanted easier prey. And what could be easier than a defenseless filly.
“S-Scootaloo...Run...RUN!” Sora made to rush towards her aid but was soon stopped by more then a few heartless, blocking his path to the pegasus filly. “Get out of the way! Stop!”
Scootaloo tried her best to get back onto her hooves to do just that, but would crumble due to the pain of a sprained foreleg, the filly hissing as soon as she flopped to the ground. A dire situation soon became deadly as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle made themselves known, hopping over the crystal to help their friend.
“D-Darnit! Stop!” Sora, forgetting to even defend himself now as he began to take blows from all side, tried his best to brute force his way through the heartless, only to be held in place by their sure numbers. “Let go! Darn it! LET GO!”
The Heartless paid the boy’s cry no heed, each one laser focused on the filly who in turn were trying to get their injured friend back on their hooves.
Sora reached out with his hoof, willing himself to reach the girls in time. “I won’t…I WON’T LET YOU! LET GO!”
Sora! Focus!
“Huh?”
It almost seemed like time stopped for the boy as his mind went into overdrive. The sudden clear voice of the one within him ringing in his ears.
You can save them. I know you can.
He could...save them? He could save them.
Just focus. Remember the first time you used it.
“The first time. I used it. The first time...”
Sora’s eyes opened as he remembered.
The feeling.
The flow.
The motions.
It was almost like lightning when Sora finally acted, time once again in motion. The boy swung his keyblade in one fell motion, destroying the heartless that had been holding him down, before his body began to glow in a blue light. The Keyblade Wielder focused on the heartless closest to the girls. With wings spread wide he gave them one hard flap and disappeared. A stream of blue light being the only indication of his movements.
The hapless heartless had no time to react as Sora's keyblade found its mark between its eyes, the hero’ glow disappearing as soon as it had appeared. Sora blinked slowly before looking down at his hoof, the last tint of the familiarly weird energy slowly vanishing into the ether.
“T-That was…”
“Sora, look out!”
At Sweetie Belle’s warning, the stallion was quick to jump out of the way just as the heartless came crashing down where he had once been. He flipped once in the air before landing on his hind hooves, back on his hooves, standing right between heartless and the filly’s behind him.
“You three okay?” Sora asked, keeping his eyes focused on the enemy as he spoke to the girls behind him.
“Y-Yeah…” Apple Bloom spoke up for the rest. “B-But Scootaloo. She fell and I think she hurt herself.”
“Yeah...Okay.” The boy said resolutely as he knew what it was he had to do. “Just stay behind me. I’ll protect you.”
The fillies pulled themselves into a huddle as Sora prepared for the heartless, ready to defend them. No matter the cost. The dark creatures gathered together as if it were a wave ready to engulf the four into its maw. Sora yelled a battle cry as he raised his keyblade to strike back against them in retaliation. He would protect these girls...Even if it...
Sora’s thoughts were thrown away as a cyan, blur slammed into them, pushing both himself and the fillies out of harm's way in the nick of time. The whole party flew quite a ways before bouncing into a pony pile.
The stallion was the first to regain his senses just as yellow fur covered his vision, his gaze wandering up to the worried gaze of the shy pegasus mare they belonged to. “Sora! Dash! Girls! Are you okay?!”
“Ah…” The Rainbow mare off to Sora’s side groaned as she lifted herself up from on top of the three fillies, the mare having grabbed the trio as she rammed into the stallion. She stretched her wings, flinching as she felt a kink. “Could be better.”
Sora chuckled as he shook his head, the stallion getting back on his hooves. “Are you kidding? Could have been way worse.”
“Gonna agree with Rainbow Dash one.” Scootaloo groaned as she touched the ground with a sprained hoof, causing the little filly to flinch.
“Ah’m gonna stay positive on this one ya’ll.” Apple Bloom countered.
“Well of course ya gonna agree with Sora.” Her orange friend said with a roll of her eyes.
“Ah could say the same thing ta you and Dash.”
“Girls! It doesn’t matter who's right if we aren't out of the woods yet.” Sweetie squeaked.
The little unicorn was right. The heartless were beginning to reform back into their shadow pony selves, their menacing yellow eyes homing in on the ponies before them. Fluttershy was the first to act, grabbing Scootaloo in her hooves. “I-I’ll get the girls to safety.”
The fillies in question did anything but protest at Fluttershy’s words, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle instantly following after the shy mare as flow to cover. Leaving Sora to face off against the heartless alone.
Or...So he thought.
Rainbow Dash stood beside the stallion, her hoof digging into the ground. “You won’t catch me standing on the sidelines waiting for a hero to save me!” Equestira’s fastest pegasus gave Sora a pointed look before smirking. “Besides, I still gotta show ya what I can do. Who knows, maybe that Keyblade of yours might want to be with somepony more awesomer than you after it sees my skills.”
Sora could only blink at the statement before a slow smile appeared on his lips. Ventus’s words to him back at the castle echoing through his mind. “Ha...As if I’ll let you show me up after saving me like that. Can't you girls saving my butt two times in a row.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“If it was, I think we already know who the winner is.”
Rainbow’s wings twitched.
Sora summoned his keyblade.
The heartless stuck.
~
Applejack released a deep sigh as she successfully deterred yet another pair of ponies away from the sheet that covered the fake Crystal Heart. While she did her best to never lie to them, keeping those curious ponies away was much harder than she thought it was going to be. Shooing them away with promises of a grand unveiling or directing them to other stands that they may have not gone to over and over again was quite taxing for the mare, though it was working for now. She felt in her heart, however, that it was not going to last.
“Geeze...These Crystal Ponies are more curious than a mouse in a cheese barn. ”The farm mare huffed with an annoyed sigh as she took the time to catch her breath. It would not last however due to a cloaked pony making their way towards her and the crystal. With yet another heavy sigh the country mare moved to greet the newcomer. “Kinda sunny out for a cape like that ain't it? Why don’t ya go take a load off and have some crystal nectar over yonder.”
The pony in response tilted their head at the mare.
“Um, well if the nectar isn’t your thing you can try the crystal pie.” Applejack pointed to another stand. “It’s hoof licking good.”
The strange pony chuckled softly before responding. “Thanks but I’m actually looking for someone. So I’ll have to pass.” His voice, for it was definitely male, sounded rather young for such a tall pony. “Kinda goofy looking. Always getting themselves into trouble.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow before she narrowed her eyes. “What do ya need Pinkie Pie for?” Her tone held a hint of suspicion.
The stallion shook his head. “Not who I’m looking for. He's a male. Wears a jacket and-!”
He cut himself off as the ears under his hood stood up straight, as if honing in on some kind of noise, one that the farm mare couldn’t quite understand due to the many voices of the crystal ponies around them.
“Sorry, gotta go.” He ran off, leaving a befuddled orange mare in his wake.
“Boy howdy, he was a strange pony. Now, who was he looking for?” Applejack tapped a hoof to her chin. Her eyes widened slightly. “Wait did he mean….” Before she could even finish that thought, her gaze drifted towards the fake Crystal Heart and the pair of ponies making their way towards it. “Hey! We’re not ready for the grand unveiling yet!”
~
Fluttershy could only stare in amazement as she watched one of her closest friends and one of her newest from her hidden perch. Despite any confrontations they may have had with each other before, more so Rainbow then Sora, the two were in sync with each other like none other.
The cyan mare dipped in and out, to and from the Shadow Colts, tossing one after another into the air where they were helpless to the barrage of strikes she would land upon them, her hooves landing true with each blow.
Sora, on the other hoof, was himself upon the ground, the swing of his keyblade destroying hordes of heartless without missing a beat. Despite their vastly different fighting styles, the two acted as if they were both keenly aware of each other's position, almost as if it was second nature.
The keyblade wielder struck at one heartless, sending it sprawling it into the air just as Rainbow was about to pass over him. The mare, without missing a beat stuck at the airborne heartless before circling back and striking again, and again, and again. Over and over her hooves would fly into the dark creature, keeping it aloft before ending her assault with one well placed drop kick, sending it sprawling to the ground where Sora had just finished clearing out a herd of the shadow ponies.
“Look alive hero!”
The warning from her was all he needed to hear, the hero spinning his keyblade within his maw, and dashed forward at blazing speeds, striking the heartless before it hit the ground and dissipating it with one strike.
Rainbow couldn’t help but actually be impressed with the stallion, Though she would catch herself before allowing her fangirl side to actually show. She quickly shook her head before dashing back into the fray. “Keep your head in the game girl. Can't have the Hero showing me up.”
Back with Fluttershy and the fillies the Shy mare’s gaze shifted towards that of her charges, all three girls looking on with just as much awe as she was, watching the battle intently.
Apple Bloom’s gaze was upon that of Sora, the little filly holding her breath each time a Shadow Colt got within striking distance of the stallion.
Scootaloo on the other hoof was torn between watching the flank kicking that her inspiration was delivering to the bad guys, and that of the new hero who was just as wickedly awesome as her idol. The filly was almost bouncing with excitement, despite the pain in her leg.
Sweetie Belle on the other hoof watched the battle between covered eyes, hiding behind her hooves each time she thought the two were in deep trouble but never looking away long enough to miss when she would have to do so again.
To be sure, all three fillies watch with bated breath.
Fluttershy’s gaze returned to that of Sora, her ears lowering. I wish I could do more for you Sora, instead of just being in the way. I know I should take care of the girls but I…I want to be out there with you. I don’t care if I’m even scared.
All the shy mare could do was hope...and pray to Celestia that they would make it through this.
~
Sora landed on his hooves a short ways away from the heartless, digging into the ground to slow his momentum into a stop. Right beside him he would find Rainbow Dash doing the same, finding the mare slightly out of breath just like himself.
“Hey, you okay Rainbow?” Sora asked between deep pants
“I’m fine, Hero.” She said with a wave of her hoof, though her sweating brow told him otherwise. “I just need to catch my breath, and then I’ll destroy the rest of them.”
Sora chuckled softly before placing his gaze upon the crystal the heartless were pouring from. It almost seemed like it was way smaller than what it had been before when he had first arrived. Putting two and two together he turned to look back towards his fighting companion. “I think we’re almost out of the woods either way. Still, if only could use my magnet spell so we could gather them all together so I can destroy them all at once.”
“Gathering?” The mare placed a hoof on her chest profoundly. “If it's something like that then I can do that no problem with my tornados.”
“You can summon a tornado?” The stallion asked in disbelief.
“Summon one? Pftt! I am the tornado!” the mare boasted before she lashed out with a hind kick sending an over eager heartless away.
Sora thought about it for only a moment before nodding with a wide smile. “Okay then, make one around me!”
The fast mare gaped at suggestion. “What? Are you crazy!?”
Sora just kept his smile, a look of determination upon his face. “Trust me.”
Rainbow could only look at the stallion, mulling over his words for only a few seconds before giving a resolute nod and taking off into the sky. Starting low, the mare began to fly circles around the stallion, kicking up dust and rocks as she did so at first before picking up speed. It wasn't long before the heartless began to follow suit, each one being sucked into the growing tornado. Sora for his part, held his ground as the heartless began to frail widely within the air pool they were entrapped within. When the Cyan mare had built up enough speed, she began to rise higher and fly faster, the heartless suspended by the g-force of the wind Dash had kicked up with her speed. It wasn’t long before Sora too felt the full effects of the gathering wind, though unlike the heartless he was well prepared for such a thing.
As more and more heatless began to gather towards the apex of the vortex, the keyblade wielder began to make his move, his body twirling as he flew alone the outer edge of the pony produced tornado. His keyblade striking one, then three, then ten heartless, his strike finding its mark upon the helpless creatures of darkness.
Rainbow, despite her putting all her energy into keeping the tornado alive, couldn’t help but not be able to turn her head away from the stallion as he worked, a hint of a smile slowly forming on her face. “Haha...No way...You crazy madpony.” The mare couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped from her at the sight of the hero destroying hordes of the Shadow Ponies with ease.
Before anypony knew it, the stallion had made it all the way to the tip of Rainbow’s tornado, his wings flaring out to catch himself upon the updraft of the wind.
“Rainbow, up here!”
The blue and fast mare looked up as Sora called out to her, seeing that he had held his hoof out for her to grab. Not needing to be told twice she stopped the flow of the tornado and found, as vortex began to dissipate, many of the heartless near the center, all lined up in a nice row. She smirked before rushing towards the stallion grasping his hoof within her own. With one mighty swing she launched the hero downwards with all of her strength. The keyblade wielder, not at all missing a beat of his own, began to spin his body like a corkscrew, his keyblade tearing through the heartless as if it was a knife through butter, hundreds of crystal hearts being released from the Shadow Colts as he obliterated them. He ended his descent, twisting on his forehooves at first before digging his hind hooves into the ground, stopping his momentum and cockily striking a pose as he did so, as if he was pleased with the work he had accomplished.
The hero looked around himself, showing off his cheesy smile. “Done and done! Too easy.”
Before he could say anything else however, Rainbow landed right in front of him, beaming brightly. “That was so awes- I mean,” She coughed into her hoof. “So yeah,” She fidgeted. “That was pretty cool.”
Sora chuckled before beaming right back at her. “You were pretty awesome too Dash.”
Before the cyan mare could even respond back to him, Fluttershy and the fillies came dashing towards the pair, the yellow mare stopping in front of Sora, both tears and happiness emanating from the mare. “I’m so glad that the two of you are alright! I was so worried...and scared...But you both are safe, right? You’re not injured are you?” The shy mare’s gaze kept towards the caramel stallion’s own, a simple blush forming on his cheeks as she fussed over him.
“Naw. I’m fine. It looks a lot worse then it is.”
Fluttershy sighed softly, placing a hoof over her heart. “Thank goodness. I was worried about you and not being able to help...I...I don’t know what I would have done if you got hurt.”
The rainbow maned mare huffed as she glared at her yellow friend. "Yeah...no...I'm fine. Don't worry about me or anything Flutters...”
“That. Was. So. Wicked!” Scootaloo bounced as best she could from upon Fluttershy’s back. “You two are like…like…Superheroes!”
“Yeah! You two are amazing!” Sweetie Bell agreed. “From...ya know... What I saw between my hooves at least.”
“Ya saved us again Sora.” Applebloom attached herself to Sora’s leg, nuzzling him gently, much to his embarrassment.
With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow gave a good natured huff. “Yeah well…Whatevs. Let's just get back to the Castle. We need to help Twilight find the heart thingie!”
“Oh yeah! The Crystal Heart.” Sora nodded. “Let's go see if Twilight found anything out about-”
Before Sora could even get another word an an explosion caused everyone present to look towards the Castle just as the very top of it was blown off to kingdom come.
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....Riku?
Why do I get the feeling that pony AJ talked to is Riku?
Yep that is Riku.
GOD DAMNIT RIKU!
WHY YOU GOTTA BE EVERYWHERE?!
othar then thet kaap ot guong!
i swear if it's Riku i just might have to scream.
Is that Riku?
How the devil did he get there. {Or it might be someone else. Maybe one of the Final Fantasy characters.}
And awesome chapter. {Rainbow's tsundere acts are so cute.}
Let's not jump to conclusions who that strange pony is, but it's probably is riku.
lol
Everyone should use that for referring to mlp songs. You save so much time that way.
Uh when are sora's drive forms comming into play again? If he's wearing his drive cloths then he must still have the drive ability. Also can you please have sora learn from even the command styles and d-link. To add to his arsenal for when he takes the exam again. Just because he's not a master doesn't mean he can't find ways to improve himself. Plus what about summons? Those were a big part of sora's magic I mean he still has the summon charms and keychains from his journeys right?
Riku lol?
Great chapter as always. I liked the Riku tidbit, nice little tease. The action was pretty solid as well. Keep it up!
Not to be a spoil sport, but I think changing the episode of the Crystal Empire even slightly means it is considered an Alternative Universe *HINT HINT*
I could also feel your heart when I was with the Dream Eaters back in the Realm of Sleep’s Traverse Town
I still have not played that game all the way through... something about switching characters randomly put me off ><
I finally got a 3ds and KH: DDD and I was hoping to finish the game before reading any more, but I caved after 2~ weeks and here I am again; loving this chapter.
Can Sora still summon?!
Plese tell me he can still summon Stitch or Genie!
Finally caught up with this.
So I have formulated a bit of a review/critique of the story and your writing. Pretty short too.
It's good. The whole plot is very good, very creative. Although, in some sense, this other jealous side of Sora chafes a bit with his characterization in the games. I can't whole-heartedly believe that he finds his biggest fault is how jealous he is of Riku and the Mark of Mastery Exam. And the fact that he spent two years in isolation over it. That didn't seem right.
But the story is good where it is. The way it progressed to where it is now felt nice and even-paced. And I like how easily you tied it into canon events. Having Sombra and Sunset Shimmer command Heartless fit seamlessly into the MLP-verse. I love it.
As for Sora's abilities, I find it a bit strange that you didn't include anything in terms of drives or "forms" like they did in Birth By Sleep. And the whole thing about him not using magic. It would have been nice to see him casting fireballs and shards of ice everywhere. As for forms, I would recommend not doing those. Too complicated to handle, the story is fine without them.
Something I had a larger problem with happened a few chapters back. When the Heartless got introduced to the world at Sweet Apple Acres. The scene itself and the setting behind it was fine, no issues there. It was the fight itself that bugged me. Sora had been defeating Heartless for years by that point. A few common Shadows, albeit in an altered form, shouldn't have given him so much trouble. That fight should have been short and sweet, one or two attacks to vanquish each of them; the way it plays out during cutscenes in the games.
Now, for your writing. Your vocabulary is sophisticated. I might be so bold as to say highly sophisticated. You've definitely established control over a vast arsenal of words, and it shows. But then it strikes me as odd when I see so many errors in grammar or spelling. They're all over the place in earlier chapters. Perhaps you should review and edit, or find someone else who will, because those chapters need work. Some people might get turned off of this story due to the frequency of them.
And, on a similar note, the names of characters in the series. That's the most frequent mistake. If you are to spell anything right in this story, it has to be the names. Like, seriously. Those need to be fixed. And I get that you have fixed some of them, the evidence lies in the comments, but there are more, I assure you.
So that's about it for me. I give your story here a 3.5/5 for its current progress. Those errors are dragging it down in my book, a lot. Those get fixed, it's at least a 4/5. Keep up the good work.
P.S.
And if that is Riku, you better play your cards right, because that is playing with fire.
3754126 The editing would be done by me, as it says in the summary. And yeah, I didn't show up for editing til much later. I help a little with the vocabulary, but that's like, barely a fraction. 99.75% of all that vocab goes to Steel, he's an awesome writer.
As for Sora's feelings... eh, not gonna defend that too much. I know canon Sora is almost always happy, but a lot of times, happiness is just a mask. You know Sora's gotta be feeling some dejection from what happened. And maybe that two years isolation was to give him some time to put his thoughts in order.
Magic, while a key component in Kingdom Hearts, would make Sora overpowered. Sure, a main part of fighting involved using magic (personally, I almost never did unless it was Cure/Cura/Curaga), but now Sora has very competent allies. And more than just two this time. I'm not bagging on Donald/Goofy, they were great characters, but their AI... ended up derping a bit sometimes. Now Sora has all six Elements of Harmony, plus the princesses should the need arise. And I know that not all the EoH (namely Fluttershy and possibly Rarity) would be help in a fight, but that's not an every-single-time factor.
On to having trouble with the Shadow heartlesses. You must remember two important things about this:
One: Sora has yet to try fighting in his new body. Sora fought Shadows before in a body he had for years, one where he knew a lot about its limits and flexibility.
Two: The Shadows in this story are now pony shaped. They are bound to be different than your average Shadow, which were small in comparison to Sora. Now he's fighting enemies that are around his own size, if not a little smaller. Again, different enemies means different ways of dispatching them.
I actually sorta am hoping that it is Riku. It's kinda obvious, but then again I've only seen the same amount of story as you have. Plus it could be a total plot twist where it turns out to be Xemnas or something... Now that would be weird.
I'd just like to say one thing.
3755028
yeah?
3755037
What do you mean yeah?
3755037
BTWYPMMS
By The Way Your Pic Made Me Squee.
3759677
Glad you like
3759660
You said one more thing...I asumed there was something after that.
3759417
Thats a good story. Didn't notice the green marks until you pointed them out though.
3754126
Working on them as of right now
3754381
Yeah, I retract the part of my statement where I said things about magic. Looking at it now, that magic would have been a killer. I also take back the part with the drives and forms; Sora couldn't do that in II on Simba's world.
But about the Shadows, I did say that I would understand a bit because of the different form they're taking. It's just that in the games, the fights (for me at least) are over in just a few brief, bloody seconds. And when he was turned into a lion cub he was quadruped, just like he is in this story, so it would stand to reason that he would have a pretty good idea of how it works.
That's another thing, actually. He could just fly abruptly. Didn't see much of a build-up behind that one.
And for his personality, I wasn't trying to slam on the masked happiness as much as the two years. It just struck me as odd that nobody would search for him, and that nobody would even look at Destiny Islands. Maybe we'll get answers to that when we meet Riku next chapter. (It is a tad obvious at this point)
3764046 *shrugs* Eh, not every story is perfect. There's bound to be a few plot holes in there somewhere, even if I couldn't personally find them.
The quadrupedal battle style argument was not something I had thought of either. That is true. However, I still think fighting as a pony would be a little more difficult than fighting as a lion cub. Just my own opinion.
As for flying, I don't exactly remember how he started flying in this story, but let me take a crack at that. One of two hypotheses I have. Either adrenaline, where everything was just on pure, natural instinct, which Sora seems to have in spades, or the fact that he could fly before without wings. Surely that could give him a little experience when it comes to flying, if not enough to maybe have him alter his approach a little bit to fit his new body.
As for nobody searching for him, maybe his friends all knew what he was feeling, and they wanted to give him some space to figure it out on his own, like he may have seemed like he wanted to do.
3759417 Funny you should mention his story. I'm the editor for both this story and Superdale's.
3764070
Yeah, I get that. Having paws and everything, the traction. And as a cub he'd be lower to the ground, I guess. I dunno, the two just seem similar.
Though I can't validate him flying beforehand as an argument. There's a difference between "faith, trust, and pixie dust" and actually using effort with wings to fly. Sure, the feeling might be the same, but the actual motion would be a lot harder.
I'd like to see Sora shock everyone by flying without using his wings by gathering Parasprite dust.
3764089 There's still my hypothesis about it being natural instinct, which again, Sora seems to have plenty of.
And the two different forms of lion cub vs. pony, I actually just realized something. Lions, and by extension their cubs, evolved for hunting. Meaning they were born to be more agile, sleeker, and more muscled in order to hunt and survive. Ponies on the other hand, were never meant to be hunters. They are herbivores, prey for the carnivores and hunters. They were built for running, escaping hunters, not fighting. Sure they could fight to defend themselves, but that was always a last resort behind fleeing. I know I'm rambling here, but my basic summary is this: lion cubs are carnivores, they were built for fight, rather than flight. Ponies are herbivores, and were built for flight, rather than fight.
And yes, I would like to see that too.
3764111
Yeah, the natural instinct is the most likely at this point. And I do see where you're coming from with the predator/prey thing. It just would make sense that he would be pretty proficient in a pony body due to it being quadruped as well. Walking on all fours and using his mouth to hold his Keyblade is something that he should be used to at that point.
3764124 Not gonna argue any further. We've both established what we wanted to say. And yes, I do see where you're coming from. I just have my own opinion that it might be a bit harder. *shrugs* Again, it's just my opinion. It's not a fact, it's an assumption.
3760190
No, I just said I wanted to say one thing. So I said one thing.
3764124
Um...
Well...Sora is not so much flying as he is jumping really good. The reason he fell the first time he tired to take flight was because he was trying to do so without knowing what to do. He was always use to just doing it without thinking and he paid the price.
Before the battle with the heartless in the Crystal kingdom when he was making his way over there, his battle instincs took over and he was able to, not fly, but glide to the rooftops and from there he was able to use his jumping abilities to hop from rooftop to rooftop, which is very could be done due to the fact that many of the ponies did it back in Ponyville during the Smile Song.
Also take into accout that it was Celestia that made his change into a pony with a Spell never before tested so there might have been a bit of a blacklash, just like when he awoke after his one year nap. sure he was faster and more agile but quite a few enemies still gave him trouble, despite the fact that he took on a near godlike being.
Also on the accout of his apparence, he knew most of the termanoligy for a pony like hunches and what not without knowing how he knew. Most likely another side effect of being turned into a pony.
All and all for the most part Sora still has most of his strength and is more agile then most ponies, even giveing Rainbow time to pause. What he lacks is his Magic which is understandable.
Sorry...I suck at talking so sorry if you feel im all over the place with this little thing here
3764998
Actually that hit everything. Nice response, cleared things up a bit.
But I'm pretty sure it's "haunches," not "hunches."
3767347
Thanks
And thanks for the input.
i really enjoy this story even with the spelling errors here and there but its still a great story keep it up, practice makes perfect!
3820052
Note: This is a nitpick, but it's just Keyblade Wielder, not Keyblader. And what about Roxas? He's part of Sora too (as is Xion) so if Ventus can talk to him, why not Roxas? Also, what about Lea? He wouldn't abandon Sora because or Roxas. Also, look at the ending scene of Dream Drop Distance, what was Lea doing? (do not want to spoil it) And what of King Mickey, Yen Sid, Aqua, and Xehanort? Anyways, this story is amazing, and those are pretty much my only nitpicks. Write on, as this story is amazing.
(I won't nitpick on the different Keyblades. I feel that Oathkeeper and Oblivion belong with Roxas and that Sora has the Kingdom Key. Though I'm curious on why Twilight didn't mention the keychain.)
New cover art, nice
Have you been drawing all this time?
3852569 didn't do it sorry
3853198 so what have you been doing might I ask?
3853521 Haveing writers block big time...but now ims inspired!
3867082 Hmm...thanks buddy
3730669
To be honest, if it is riku I will join you!
You made sora fail the exam. Congrats u sir have my attention
3928361
Uh, he didn't pass in the games, either.
but they needed plan
Some of their coats are even crystal
thenmmaybe I’m awakening
heartless slowly pouring out of the shadow that it casts
So your saying that the Heartless
Sora came out of flip
1. But they needed a plan.
2. In this instance, I believe you meant something along the lines of shining/shimmering/glimmering and etc.
3. Forgot your spacing.
4. Cast.
5. You're.
6. Sora came out of a flip.
I just got the ship in my head. Shining Armor and Sunset Shimmer. ShiningShimmer. Oh the oxymoron
I get the feeling that it's Riku in the cloak now...