Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Sora POV
"I have to leave Canterlot."
The dining hall was silent in the wake of my announcement. Everypony stared at me with confusion, Luna seeming slightly hurt as well. "What do you mean, 'leave Canterlot'?" asked Sol calmly.
"Just that," I replied, stabbing another bite of pancake. "I need to leave. You aren't safe as long as I'm here."
"Now wait just one minute!" exclaimed Applejack. "You're the one who saved us yesterday. Well, you, the princesses and that other human."
Elusive nodded. "I quite agree. How is Canterlot supposed to weather another such attack if you're gone? I hardly think that Fancy Pants can handle a threat of that magnitude."
"He won't have to," I explained. "Most of the heartless will follow me once I leave. I'm the one they want, the one who's a real threat to them. Some may stay behind, but Fancy should be able to handle them, especially if he can get the other keybladers trained up a bit. Failing that, I'm sure there are enough unicorns who know light-based magic to keep the city from falling into darkness. But if I stay here, more darksides and behemoths will follow. And those aren't even the worst heartless out there. I need to keep moving, keep them from getting a good enough bead on me to attack in mass again."
"But, where will you go then?" asked Twilight. "If you can't stay in Canterlot, then where in Equestria is safe for you?"
"Nowhere." Sol sighed as he shook his head. "That is the unfortunate truth of it. Even thousands of years ago, heartless would swarm wherever Sora went, attacking him at every turn. The only place that heartless didn't seem to manifest was the badlands, and there's no way for anyone to survive out there for long."
"Which is why I need to go," I finished. "I need to keep moving from city to city, training new keybladers a bit and moving on before the heartless can track me down."
"All by yourself?"
I made the mistake of looking Fluttershy in the eye. Seriously, a face that sad and cute should come with a warning label! If she isn't Pansy's descendant, I'll eat my clown shoes. I had to look away. "I'm afraid so. I used to have a team with me, some friends who had keyblades of their own, but..."
Luna draped a wing across my shoulders. "The consequences of immortality."
"And imprisonment," added Sol. "If we'd only known-"
"Stop!" He started as I glared at him. "Don't blame yourselves. Either of you. I'm the one who should have told you about my shadow form. You had no way to know that that was me. You did what you thought was right for Equestria."
"Equestria be damned," muttered Luna. "I was just seeking to punish the heartless who took you from me." Everypony laughed, even Solaris managing to crack a smile. "In any case," Luna continued, "you shall not travel alone. It is far too dangerous, especially as you know not the current maps of Equestria. Knowing your sense of direction, you'd get lost traveling to Ponyville."
I glared at Luna, shrugging her wing off. "I would not. My sense of direction is perfect, thank you. Besides, who would come with me? Fancy Pants has to stay here to keep Canterlot safe, at least until he can train the other keybladers. I don't want to take anypony who can use light magic away from Canterlot either, and it's not like you and Sol can just go touring across Equestria with me."
"Actually," said Luna, smirking at her brother, "that's not entirely true, is it?"
Sol chuckled heartily, a smirk mirrored upon his face. "I suppose we can move plans ahead by a few weeks." He turned to address the group at large. "It just so happens that Luna was about to begin a tour of Equestria. It's been a year since she returned, and she hasn't yet left Canterlot. She's been so busy learning about everything that's changed in her absence."
"As such, I was planning to take a few months to meet with the ponies of Equestria. Familiarize myself with the various cities and towns, meet with the sheriffs and mayors, things of that nature. I would have begun weeks ago, but security has proven to be... difficult." Luna blushed and turned away. "A number of guards seem to recall the shock I gave them in Ponyville upon my return, and they have been... less than helpful."
"Be frank, Luna," said Sol, scowling. "They've been spreading wild rumors that you are still Nightmare Moon and will 'reveal your true colors' any day now. If I could prove that they were the source-"
"You would severely reprimand them and warn them against all future slander lest they lose their desert privileges?" Twilight blushed as everypony turned to look at her. "Um, I may have gone around telling everypony that Prince Solaris had a cake addiction once when I was a filly."
Both Luna and I burst out laughing. "And he lectured you against slander?" I asked. "Twilight, the point of slander is that it isn't true. I can guarantee that I know exactly what happened to your deserts during your punishment."
"Verily," added Luna. "The fact of our brother's addiction is no falsehood. Thou shouldst see how he doth shovel cake down his throat ere he thinks none are watching!"
Solaris glared at us, focusing particularly on Luna. "At least I do not revert to more archaic speech when I lose my composure."
Luna glared back as I continued laughing, glad neither one had any good dirt on me. "Touché, brother. In any case, security is all that is lacking in the arrangements. Oh, if only there were some champion of old who would stand by my side as I traveled throughout the land. Would that such a hero would make himself known."
Luna had always been one for theatrics. "Fear not, fair Lady Luna. I, Sora, the Warrior of Light, shall escort thee 'cross Equestria, keeping the forces of darkness at bay that they may not touch thee." Okay, so I'm a bit theatrical too. Sue me.
"Oh, mighty warrior! I shall be honored to have thee to protect me."
"Nay. 'Tis I who am honored to guard such stunning beauty."
"Just kiss already!" shouted Blitz. He'd obviously forgotten that we were a couple as he flushed bright red when we began to do just that. "S-stupid sappy lovebirds."
"How do you think I feel?" asked Sol.
I kind of stopped paying attention to what they said after that. It's not my fault Luna's such a good kisser. It must have been five minutes at least before we finally pulled apart and turned back to the rest of them. Six massive blushes, two giant wingboners, and one glowering prince. With his horn glowing. "Oh, buy some ap-"
3rd-pony POV
"Brother, don't you think that that was a little uncalled for?"
Solaris smirked at the Sora sized hole in the wall. "If he's going to make out with my sister in front of me, he should be prepared for the consequences."
"Dude, medic," called Sora pathetically.
"Oh, I realize this," said Luna, waving him off. "However, I think that destruction of the castle is most inappropriate. What did that wall ever do to you?"
"A little help? I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding."
"To be fair," defended Solaris, "we've been meaning to add another door to the dining hall for twenty years. A much easier task now that we have the incentive to do something with the wall."
"I think one of my ribs is broken."
"Just use a cure spell, love. You'll be fine. And I thought you wanted the door on the east side of the dining hall, not the west."
"I did," Solaris confirmed, "but if the construction crews are here anyway, they might as well get started on the door."
"You two are cruel!"
"Um, shouldn't we make sure he's alright?" asked Fluttershy worriedly.
Applejack snorted and rolled her eyes. "If he's fine enough to whine and complain, he's fine enough to heal himself. He just wants the attention. Apple Buck does the same thing when he gets a scrape."
Elusive nodded, taking a sip of tea. "Indeed, Silver Bell does the same thing. Why just the other day he pricked himself with a pin while trying to help me around the boutique. He went on for hours about infections and what have you. It was most childish."
"Ah, a word that describes Sora rather well," said Solaris.
"You have no heart! And since I fight heartless, I should know!"
"Hush dear, the big ponies are talking." Luna placed a hoof to her chin as she pondered the next several weeks. "I suppose it would make sense to visit Ponyville first. I'd hoped to time my arrival with their Nightmare Night festivities, but I suppose that will have to wait for another time."
"We'd be honored to have you in Ponyville, Princess," said Twilight. "I'll send a letter to Spike so he can get let Mayor Mare know."
"And I'll send word to the other towns and cities," said Solaris. "With any luck, the tour will take at most a few months, more than enough time to figure out a more permanent solution for Sora."
----------
Raven was having a very busy day. First there was the usual mountain of paperwork. Then there were the three more mountains that came from the previous day's damages. Raven had been on a break to get some coffee when that human Sora had come flying through a wall. She'd then overheard the royal siblings talking about a new door for the dining hall, so that was another small pile of paperwork to add to the list. Finally, Princess Luna had announced that she would finally be leaving on that tour throughout the nation, with Prince Solaris promising to let the various mayors and sheriffs know. Which meant of course that Raven would be the one to actually prepare and send the missives. Yes, this day was very, very busy.
Which is why it may seem strange that Raven had wandered into the recently deserted Nobel wing of the castle. Looking around to make sure that nopony was around, she ducked into the late Prince Blueblood's quarters. She sneered at the opulent furnishings and ostentatious decorations. "Hmph, fitting rooms for a self-indulgent peacock. Good riddance." She looked around, drawing the drapes over the windows and locking the doors she had entered by. "You can come out now."
A dark shape fell from the ceiling, landing softly before Raven. It met her eyes with its own blue orbs. "What news of the keyblade master?" it hissed.
"He departs for Ponyville tomorrow, along with Luna," said Raven. "They will be touring around Equestria for the next two months or so." She smirked. "More if they happen to run into trouble. The keyblade master has an insatiable hero complex. If there are ponies in trouble, he'll go to the ends of the world to help them."
The dark figure hissed several times in a disturbing mockery of laughter. "An idiot then? Good. His Majesty will be pleased. What of the other human?"
"No need to worry," replied Raven. "He has gone back to where he came from. I doubt we'll see him again any time soon."
"Good. Continue to gather information here. The time for the foalnapping is fast approaching, and it must go perfectly."
Raven nodded, smiling darkly as her eyes flashed blue momentarily. "Don't worry. By the time his Majesty is ready, I will know Prince Bolero's patterns and habits better than he knows them himself. Capture and impersonation will be a breeze."
"Excellent," hissed the creature. "It will please his Majesty that his most trusted lieutenant has retained himself even as the darkness has taken him." It scowled, looking down in disgust. "Too many of our kind have forgotten themselves and been reduced to mindless shadows hungering after whatever hearts they can find."
Raven's smile fell at the news. "The hive is weakened then?"
"Quite the opposite." The creature grinned evilly, revealing sharp fangs. "His Majesty has discovered a certain talent for controlling lesser heartless since our fall into darkness. Although we have fewer drones to work with, the forces under hive control are greater than ever."
"Good to know," said Raven. "I should leave. Solaris will wonder where I've gone. I'll send further reports through the usual channels."
The creature nodded and a flash of green fire filled the room. Raven opened the door, peaking out to make sure nopony was around. Seeing that the coast was clear, she trotted out, a buck-toothed earth pony right behind her. "I suppose I'll see you around Canterlot, Hayseed."
"Hyuck hyuck. I guess so, Miz Raven. See ya later!"
Raven wrinkled her nose as 'Hayseed Turniptruck' walked off. "Ugh. Thank goodness he wasn't stationed here in the palace. He's a fine spy, but his disguise is just, ew." She shuddered as she turned the other way, making her way towards her office. She sighed at the thought of the mountains of paperwork waiting for her.
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Common misspell: 'loose' is as in a loose piece of clothing. 'lose' is as in 'win or lose'.
6470519 Thanks for catching that. "Lose" is one of those words that just doesn't look right to me. My brain sees it and says, "No, wait. That can't be how it's really spelled!" Gah, stupid brain.
I sincerely hope that the real Raven is somewhere in the hive in a coccoon to be rescued at some point. But really, nice plot twist, I've got to say.
6470547 I know the feeling. Doesn't help that 'loosing' is also a word, meant as a verb for making something 'loose'. Due to this, spellcheck thinks it's correct due to not checking for the context of the sentence.:\
6470566 Stupid English.
Oh, and no. Raven's doomed. So sad.
6470662 Damn. She's one of my favorite backgrounds, so I was hoping that the real Raven is one of the coccooned ponies whom they're feeding on in the hive.
Just wondering, wasn't Solaris lecturing Twilight?
Liked this chapter. Especially the 'ignore the wounded hero' part!
Sneaky number six....
Extra letter.
Think ya meant "Incentive."
...always thought Hayseed was evil.
6470799
6478679
Thanks for the edits!
Omg poor Sora xD
MY lungs hurt xD
6547561 One of my more genius moments, if I do say so myself.