A Heart Eclipsed

by Show Stopper

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

3rd-Pony POV

Morning dawned on the streets of Manehattan, the city just as busy in the early hours as it was in the heat of the day. The rising sun had yet to warm the streets, causing Coco Pommel to shiver as she walked home after another long night. Autumn was in full swing, with temperatures dropping as Equestria prepared for Nightmare Night and the Running of the Leaves.

"I'll have to start wearing a scarf out before long," Coco said to herself. "It sure gets cold early here." She sighed as her ears folded back, head drooping to match her mood. "At least it'll be warmer in Phillydelphia. That's... good I guess."

She turned down an alley, counting the windows on the apartment building on her right. Reaching window number eight, she shrugged her keyblade off her back and into her right forehoof, pointing it straight up. "A bit of help, Dumbo?" she whispered, twisting the keyblade.

A beam of light shot up from her blade, summoning a ball of energy. A young elephant burst from the ball, ears flapping as it fluttered down beside Coco. She hopped on his back and they flew straight up the side of the building, quickly reaching the fifth floor. Coco tapped the window with her keyblade and, hearing a soft click, pulled it open before slipping inside.

"Thank you again, Dumbo," whispered Coco, waving back at the elephant before it vanished in a flash of light. Coco let out a sigh which turned into a yawn as she closed the window. Another long night of fighting heartless had left her exhausted once again, and she turned around to collapse on her bed, groaning softly.

"These all-nighters are going to be the death of me."

*****

"These all-nighters are going to be the death of me."

Luna opened a lazy eye as Sora collapsed onto the bed beside her. "This is why I suggested that you leave the heartless of this city to the native keybladers."

"I was hoping to run into our mysterious Master," Sora defended, his voice muffled by the pillow that he was face-down in.

"In a city of this size?" Luna chuckled, closing her eye again. "You knew that we were going to see miss Pommel this morning. Truly, you have no patience."

"But it's a summoner!" cried Sora, bolting upright in a spurt of renewed energy. "A summoner! You know how rarely they come along. And if she's got any natural talent at all, she could revolutionize the organization of the EKA. Imagine being able to summon a small army of keybladers wherever they were needed!"

"Assuming she's willing." Luna's rejoinder sapped Sora of his newfound energy as she rose to her hooves, stretching out her back. "After all, the Phillydelphia Master insisted on remaining in her city. Not every Master has the wanderlust that is typical of your kind."

Sora groaned, falling onto his face again. "I'm too tired to think about it not going our way. Wake me up when it's time to go."

"Why do you think I'm getting up?"

"...I hate life so much right now."

"Oh don't say that," Luna purred. Sora glanced up to see Luna giving his a smoldering look. "Now, I need to take a shower." She turned and sauntered over to the bathroom, tail swaying suggestively. "Care to join me?"

"...I love life so much right now."

*****

Half an hour later, Sora and Luna descended to the ground floor of the hotel. Jazz and Strongheart were chatting away over bowls of oatmeal while Fancy munched a slice of toast as he read the morning paper. "Everyone sleep well?" Luna asked, taking an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table.

"Thanks to you, Dream-Keeper," Strongheart replied. "I'd never been so far off the ground before." She shuddered, shooting a glance upwards. "Much less slept there. Your presence in my dreams helped a lot."

"My sleep was fine, once I cast a few privacy spells." Fancy shook his head as he turned the page. "I swear, the ponies who live here must be half deaf from the constant noise. I don't see how else they could manage to fall asleep, what with the constant racket on the streets."

"Really?" asked Sora, snatching a couple of bananas. "I didn't think it was that bad."

"You come from a city of millions, Sora," Luna reminded. "It may have been several millennia, but you haven't lost your immunity to the irritants of city life."

"Fair point." Sora peeled his first banana and took a bite before continuing. "So, are we all ready to head out?"

"Eeyup," Jazz replied, standing up and stretching. "Be good to be out an' movin' again. Don't know how you city folk can stand sleepin' and stayin' in so late."

"Give it a year."

The four ponies and single human stepped out onto the morning streets of Manehattan. Despite the early hour, the streets were already crowded with ponies going about their business. A few glanced curiously at their group, but they were for the most part ignored. A Canterlot nobel, a buffalo cow, a country gal, the Princess of the Night, and a strange biped walked through the streets, and nopony batted an eye. After all, it was Manehattan.

"It's a good thing Miss Pommel don't live too far away," Jazz muttered, glancing around nervously. "I still don't see how y'all can be so comfortable in these crowds. The sooner we're out of this city, the better."

"It's not as bad as all that," Sora said, waving her off. The rest of us seem to be doing just fine."

Little Strongheart chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Sora. "Fancy is a socialite who's been to Manehattan many times before, I'm used to running in a large herd where I'm the smallest in a massive stampede, and you and the Princess tower over everypony else."

Luna chuckled as Sora rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Good point."

*****

"COCO! GET UP!!!"

Coco started awake, jumping up and toppling out of bed as she lost her balance. "Oof!" She rubbed her head as she slowly stood again, glaring at her bedroom door. "One moment, Mother!" she called before sighing. "This is why we get noise complaints." She turned to check herself in the mirror, taking a moment to straighten out her mane and collar. Nodding in satisfaction, she opened her door and stepped out.

The Pommel family's apartment was small, even by Manehattan standards. Two bedrooms and a single bathroom opened up into a combined sitting area/kitchen. Coco's father, a portly tan earth pony who's black mane was beginning to show a few gray streaks, stood at the small stove, watching a pan of scrambled eggs sizzle away. Coco's Mother sat at the table, a mug of coffee held in the amber glow of her magic. She sipped it as she read the newspaper before her, her blond mane pulled back in a complex braid and her orange coat practically shining in the early morning sunlight. Though a few years older than her husband, no sign of age was allowed to mar her appearance. She glanced up at Coco as she walked in before turning her eyes back to the paper. "You were out late again."

Coco winced at the not-question. "Yes, Mother."

"You're going to destroy your looks doing that." She took another sip. "From now on, I want you home by 8. Since you are no longer working for Miss Polomare, you should have no excuse."

"...yes Mother."

"Good." She stood suddenly, folding her paper and placing it on the table, her coffee mug on top. "I'm off to work. Remember, 8 o'clock sharp." She was out the door before Coco could reply.

Mr. Pommel sighed as he tilted the pan of eggs onto a couple of plates. "Sorry, Coco," he said. "Your mother's been under a lot of stress lately." He placed the two plates on his back before walking to the table and sliding them off. "A couple more of her workers got keyblades the other day, and they ran off to Canterlot to 'enlist in the main branch.'"

Coco nodded as she took her seat. "So I guess telling her about Lightest Touch and your blade..."

He sighed, nodding. "Worse time than ever. I'm sure the right moment will pop up soon, but until then..."

"Not like it's going to matter in a few days," Coco muttered, digging into her breakfast. "Phillydelphia already has lots of keybladers, even another with a unique blade. We'll probably just be able to blend in and forget all about it."

Mr. Pommel stared at his daughter for a moment before sighing heavily. "I might be able to, true. But not you." When Coco didn't look up or reply, he continued. "You wouldn't be staying out 'till 5 in the morning every night if you didn't think it was important to fight those things."

"It doesn't matter," Coco muttered, still avoiding eye contact. "Mother's forbidden it, now. And once we get to Philly, I'll be too busy with my apprenticeship to fight them anyway."

Silence reigned for a few minutes as father and daughter ate. Just as Coco finished her breakfast and picked up her plate, her father cleared his throat. "Well, what if you didn't, well..."

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

Whatever Mr. Pommel had been about to say was interrupted by a knock on their front door. He sighed and stood from his own, mostly clean, plate and walked over to answer it. "Yes? Can I help... you?"

Coco looked over and nearly dropped her plate out of shock. A strange bipedal creature stood in the doorway, one that she recognized from the papers. And beside him stood a figure just as surprising: Princess Luna herself!

"Indeed," Luna replied to Coco's father. "Would this be the home of Coco Pommel?"

Mr. Pommel's eyes widened even further, and Coco almost fainted on the spot. "It... it is, Your Majesty. Would, um, there isn't much room, but would you like to come in?"

"We would, thank you." Luna and the biped ducked under the doorway, the latter keeping his head bowed to avoid hitting the ceiling once inside. Princess Luna turned to address someone behind her. "Sora and I will handle this. Please wait in the lobby." With that, she closed the door and turned to face Coco. "You must be Miss Pommel, then."

Coco instantly dropped into a bow, her father following an instant later. "Y-y-y-y-y-yes, Y-Your Majesty!" she squeaked.

Luna sighed, waving a hoof. "Please rise, both of you. It has been a breath of fresh air to walk down the streets of a city without every pony along the way bowing and scraping. I see no reason to ruin that now."

Warily, still unsure if it was appropriate, Coco rose from her bow. "Y-y-y-yes, Y-Your-"

"Princess," Luna interrupted. "Or Princess Luna, if you must. I would ask you to call me Luna, but I'm not sure your nerves could handle it."

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry P-Princess. I, I'll try harder to, to..." Coco trailed off as she saw Luna's smirk, blushing and looking down.

"Come on, Lu. Don't tease the poor mare." Coco saw the biped kneel down in front of her and looked up to meet his eyes. "Hey there," he said, holding out his hand. "Name's Sora. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"C-Coco," Coco replied, giving his hand a shake. "Oh, but you already knew that. Um, what, why did you want to meet me, exactly?"

A flash of light drew Coco's attention to her hoof and Sora's hand, and to the Kingdom Key that now rested between them. Sora drew his hand away, Coco catching the blade on reflex. "Because I heard that you were a Keyblade Master." Coco dropped the blade in shock, but it was too late. The blade flashed again, changing into an entirely different form. The shorter shaft was light blue, the same color as most of her mane. The heart-shaped guard was a light purple while a sweet red feather sprouted from the other end. Coco's feathered hat cutie mark was attached by a short chain to the hilt, identifying her as the owner beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Coco's father glared at Sora as he picked up the blade and stood again. "That was a dirty trick."

"A little," Sora admitted, "but it was the fastest way to see it." He examined the blade, forgoing his usual swinging considering the crowded space. "Hm. Very light and short. Good balance and an affinity for healing and wind magic, but not much else. Other than summoning, of course. And as far as that goes..." He held out his other hand, summoning another keyblade. This one was gold from teeth to chain, its guard resembling a lion's mane. The lion-head keychain was cracked. Sora crossed the blades, closing his eyes and concentrating.

"Well, Sora?" Luna asked after a moment.

Sora opened his eyes, smiling as he nodded. "No question," he said, dismissing the second keyblade and holding out the first to Coco. "Lightest Touch is the strongest Summoning blade I've ever encountered."

Coco took back the blade, blushing once again. "Um, thank you. I mean, I know I'm not very strong, a-and the little magic I have isn't very good for fighting..."

"Miss Pommel," Luna said, causing the mare to straighten at once. "Sora and I have seen much of strength and much of powerful magic. Both of us are, in fact, possessed of those two traits. Frankly, the Equestrian Keyblade Army more overpowered than anything." She smiled at Coco, a gleam in her eye that almost seemed hungry. "But you, Miss Pommel, possess a very rare gift. Summoning is no small thing. Sora himself is possibly the only other keyblade wielder in Equestria who can do it, and even then he isn't very good at it."

"Gee, thanks." Sora rolled his eyes before smiling down at Coco. "Point is, you have a gift, Coco, and I'd be honored to have you join my team of Keyblade Masters."

Silence reigned for a time before Mr. Pommel burst out laughing. Luna raised an unamused eyebrow while Sora and Coco looked at him in confusion.

"Well," he said, pulling himself together, "that's not what I had in mind, but I suppose it'll do."

"What do you mean, Dad?" Coco asked.

Mr. Pommel looked Coco in the eye, his own overflowing with love. "Coco, my beautiful, sweet, good-natured little girl. Don't you see? This is your chance to go. To avoid the path you so dread." Coco gasped and started to object, but her father held up his hoof. "I know, I know. You still love fashion, and you still want to be a seamstress, but Coco, you really don't want to move to Philly, do you?" Coco's mouth snapped shut, and she looked down, biting her bottom lip.

"Understand, Coco. I don't want you to leave your mother and me, but I do want you to be happy. And I can tell that you won't be until you've had your chance to make a difference against those monsters." He stepped forward, placing his hoof under Coco's chin and tilting her face up to meet his eyes again, his own brimming with tears. "Coco, moving to Phillydelphia and putting away your keyblade forever would tear your precious heart to pieces. Go. Be free and happy. Your old father will be alright knowing that you're out there making this darkened world a little brighter."

"B-but..." Coco's eyes began to water as well, "what about Mother?"

Mr. Pommel's ears flattened, his eyes going distant as he broke eye contact. "She... we'll be alright. I'll talk to her. Help her to see why you had to go."

"Daddy... we talked about this." Coco whimpered. "Mother hasn't always been the best of ponies. If I'm not here, and if you get in a fight with her, she might, she might..."

Sora shared a glance with Luna, an understanding passing between them. "You're afraid she'll turn into a heartless, aren't you?" Sora asked.

"...the thought had crossed our minds," Mr. Pommel admitted. "I don't claim to know how that works, but... she didn't keep very good company, and she's the only one who hasn't been changed. We'd hoped that meant that she was only playing the part to fit in with them but..."

"She didn't get better," Coco murmured. "If anything, she just got colder. And every time she hears or reads about keyblades," Coco shivered, "she gets this look in her eye. Like she's terrified and disgusted and angry all at once."

Sora sighed, sitting down and crossing his legs. "Yeah, that sounds familiar all right. I really don't know what to tell you. If she's right on the edge, you leaving and joining us might be enough to set her off. I can't check either because seeing me would definitely set her off. If you stay with her and keep her appeased, you might be able to put off her fall for a while. But," he looked up, meeting Coco's eyes, "what about you two? Do you think you could keep living like that, making yourselves miserable in the slim hope that maybe she'll make it another year or two?"

"Although, it may not be as bleak as you make it out to be," Luna interjected. "If she has not fallen as far as you fear, then we may be able to bring her around."

Coco and Mr. Pommel shared a look before sighing. "No," Coco said. "I... Mother is close. We've both been able to tell for a while. She's been glaring at both of us a lot lately, even though I don't think she knows why. The only thing I can think of is that she senses, well..." She shrugged and nodded down at Lightest Touch.

Sora and Luna's eyes turned to Mr. Pommel and he nodded. "Yup. Got one too. Nothing fancy like Coco's, but from what I hear, you don't need a fancy one for the monsters to hate you."

"Nothing for it, then." Sora sighed, standing again and cursing as his head hit the ceiling. "Yay, that smarts. If your mother's going to turn, then I guess we should be ready to-"

"No." Everyone looked to Mr. Pommel in shock. "You should take Coco and go. As soon as possible."

"W-what?" Coco stammered. "B-but Daddy, what about when Mother..."

Mr. Pommel gave Coco a sad smile, holding out his right hoof. A flash of light revealed a Kingdom Key, which he leaned against his shoulder. "I've got a buddy with a blade from work who owes me a huge favor. I'll bring him over tonight, have him wait in the hall while I talk with your mother. If we're overreacting, he'll just be a coworker dropping off something I forgot at the office. If not... I'm not good enough with this thing to go in without backup, but it should be me who lays her to rest."

*****

The moon was rising over Manehattan as Mr. Pommel made his way home from work. It had been another long day at the office, not the least of which was because of what he'd been dreading he'd have to do that night. Beside him walked Short Stack, a light tan pegasus with a bright red mane and a cutie mark of a stack of pancakes. Neither of them spoke, Mr. Pommel already having told his friend what they needed to do that night.

He looked up as he passed a watchmaker's store, the many clock-faces inside showing the same time. 8:30, huh? he thought. Coco should be half way to Hollow Shades by now. He shook his head as he continued on. The streets were strangely empty for Manehattan, but he welcomed the peace.

It wouldn't last long.

The two stallions soon arrived at the apartment complex where the Pommels lived. Mr. Pommel led them up four flights of stairs and over to apartment 508. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves before stepping inside.

"Coco's late."

He sighed. He hadn't even made it through the door before she'd started. That wasn't a good sign. "I know. She won't be coming home tonight." He looked up, resigned to what he'd have to do.

There she sat at the table, her face as beautiful as ever, even half shadowed by darkness. No lights were on, the light of the moon barely illuminating the room enough for him to see her eyes narrow dangerously. "I see. And where exactly is she? Did she forget that I ordered her home by 8?"

"She's gone, dear," Mr. Pommel said, stepping inside. Short Stack followed behind him, but neither he nor his wife noticed. "Gone with Sora and his Keybladers."

Mrs. Pommel hissed, standing from her chair. "I knew it. I knew she had one of those accursed blades! I could smell it on her, but I hesitated. I thought she'd never defy me. That I could snuff it out!" She was pacing frantically, not noticing the dark miasma swirling around her hooves, or her husband and his friend summoning Kingdom Keys. "But no! She's too stubborn for that! Too mud pony to realize that I'm right! That I've always been right! That the only way for a half-breed like her to make it in this world is if she has someone like me supporting her!"

She whirled on her husband, eyes glowing yellow and darkness flowing up her legs, not even noticing his keyblade. "Where did she go? TELL ME WHERE THE BUYSOMEAPPLES MY YAYING DAUGHTER WENT SO I CAN GO POUND SOME SENSE INTO HER!!! I'LL DRAG HER BACK BROCKEN AND BLEEDING IF I HAVE TO!!!"

Tears were flowing down Mr. Pommel's cheaks as he leveled his blade at her. He'd always suspected. "Goodbye, my dear."

Comments

[Show Stopper]

8139152 Yeah. It was always going to be Coco, but I didn't want to do that to her. I can emotionally torture and scar other characters easily enough, but I prefer to keep some of them intact. Mostly.

[RandomPerson65]

Damn

[Regreme]

Yikes. What a way to end that.

[Fluffy-Boi]

Shit... This didn't end well.

[Killerdeath]

8139211 how long do u think the next chapter will be up

[Show Stopper]

8189331 Should be less than a week.

[Killerdeath]

8189371 ok I really liked this are u gonna try and get a chapter a week or something like that or is it more of whenever u feel like it

[Show Stopper]

8189378 I wish I could. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at keeping to that sort of dedication. I try to update as often as possible, and once the tour finishes I'll be able to update a lot more often than I have been. Several future chapters are already written and I have a solid outline down through to the end.

Thanks for giving this story a chance, by the way. What do you like about it so far?

[Killerdeath]

8189422 I just like kingdom Hearts displaced and mlp and with all the story u have put in it I just like it but any way if u don't mind could u put my oc in ur story it's a pony silver fur black mane and is a male and uses a silver sword but if u can think of a way to make his own unique keyblade I would like him to join sora's group

[Killerdeath]

8189422 I just like kingdom Hearts displaced and mlp and with all the story u have put in it I just like it but any way if u don't mind could u put my oc in ur story it's a pony silver fur black mane and is a male and uses a silver sword but if u can think of a way to make his own unique keyblade I would like him to join sora's group if u don't mind

[Show Stopper]

8189478 Unfortunately, I've had Sora's party all planned out from the very beginning, and there's only one more pony to introduce for it. Any more than these six would make it hard to write and keep track of. I can give him a cameo as a keyblader, but probably not more than that.

[Killerdeath]

8189503 ok but could he still his his own unique keyblade?

[Show Stopper]

8189507 Probably not. Keyblade Masters are rather rare in my interpretation of this world, and each one plays a vital role. If I introduce another Master, it'll have to be with a full exploration of his character to show that his heart is strong enough to deserve it. I'm already going to have one OC Master to join Sora's group, and I'm iffy on how well she's going to be received. Introducing another OC Master just to leave him on the sidelines unexplored and unjustified wouldn't be good writing.

[Killerdeath]

8189532 ok