The Girl That Never Was

by Onomonopia

Chosen

"The Forest of the Forgotten. That is the location of the keyhole to the heart of Equis."

After speaking, Celestia glanced around at the group that was gathered around the crystal table at Twilight's castle. The princess of friendship was the only pony that was really paying attention to what Celestia was telling them, for all the other ponies were too busy either icing their injuries or watching as Xion stood off to the side, practicing with her new keyblade.

"Why is it that I'm only just hearing of this keyhole now, sister?" Luna asked Celestia. Celestia glanced over at Luna, who had shown up after the battle with Saix had ended, and gave her an exasperated sigh.

"Because sister, until recently I did not think it was anything of importance. Just one of many mysteries that would never be solved in Equestria," Celestia replied, before she turned her gaze towards Xion once more. "Not until I met the girl who wielded the key. The key that could unlock that mystery."

"Wow, I've seen your keyblade before, but that's the prettiest one that I think I've ever seen you wield!" Pinkie said excitedly as found her eyes couldn't be torn from the blade of stain glass. Xion swung the blade a few more times with both hands, with each slice leaving a trail of rainbow light.

"Not only is this keyblade the prettiest that I've wielded, but this is also the strongest blade that I've ever held," Xion added on before she held the blade with her other hand. "The stats for this thin are ridiculous. An insane boost to strength and magic would be amazing on its own, but its power doubles when I fight a foe with evil or negative intent. Not only that, but with each new friend that I make this blade get slightly stronger as well! This might just be the strongest blade I've ever heard of!"

"So what do you call this weapon, darling?" Rarity asked. "I mean, a blade that perfect must have a perfect name. It is only fitting."

"Hmm, how about Perfect Harmony?" Xion asked. The five ponies that were watching her all thought about it for a moment before they all nodded their heads in agreement. "But honestly, it's thanks to all of you that I managed to summon my real keyblade. You all gave me your strength and friendship, which strengthened my heart to the point that the keyblade deemed me worthy of wielding a real keyblade. I owe all of this to you."

"And we owe our lives and hearts to you sugarcube, so let's not get into any talk of debts," Applejack said, knowing what Xion was about to say.

"I have to agree with Applejack. We wouldn't even be here if not for you. You're a hero," Fluttershy added on and Xion blushed at the thought of her being a hero.

"But now for the real question? Can that blade strike down the other guy in the coat and the Maestro?" Rarity asked, turning all heads towards her. Even the princesses stopped their talks and listened in the conversation. "And, to ask the more important question, can you bring yourself to strike down the cloaked boy?"

"Why would you ask that?" Xion asked in reply, getting Rarity to smirk.

"Answering my question with a question? That confirms it. You know who's under that cloak and you care about him, don't you." Rarity said, not needing to ask it as a question. When Xion stared at her with disbelief, Rarity chuckled to herself. "Again darling, I am more than a pretty face. I notice things. Like how when we blasted the boy with the Rainbow Power you called out his name in a distraught tone. A tone which I have heard among only the closest of friends or couples. So who was this boy and what does he mean to you?"

Rarity's question and Xion's reddening face got everypony very interested in her answer. After a moment Xion closed her eyes and let out a sigh, suppressing her emotions and allowing her to think of the best way to answer their question. At first she considered giving them an evasive answer, but then she caught the light of her keyblade and she remembered that these were her friends who had saved her life. She owed them the truth.

"Roxas was...is my best friend. He was the first person to accept me when I worked for the Organization. For the longest time we did everything together. We talked, we hung out, we fought Heartless, but most of all we enjoyed being with one another...along with Axel, but he could be a downer," Xion began to explain. She glanced over at the ponies to see that some of them had sly smiles on their faces at the way Xion spoke of Roxas. But then Twilight's face became horrified.

"Wait a moment. You told us that you were slain by your best friend, who also wielded a keyblade," Twilight began and the other ponies face turned to those of horror as well, before they looked to Xion for an answer. "Does that mean..."

"Yes. Roxas was the one that killed me. I didn't give him much of a choice. Only one of us could have lived or both of us would have died," Xion revealed with a bitter smirk. "Though truth be told...I didn't go all out against him. I wanted to, but I couldn't. How could I? So in the end he struck me down and I died in his arms. And in those last moments I thought that I would finally have peace. But then the Maestro brought me back and brought me here. You all know the rest."

"Xion, I am so sorry to hear all of that," Celestia said with genuine sorrow in her voice. "But are you certain that the cloaked boys is Roxas? Perhaps it is-"

"There was only one other member in the Organization that could wield a keyblade. The cloaked being is the same height as me and uses an identical fighting style to how I used to fight. And each time I said his name, the cloaked being looked...confused, like he was trying to remember something," Xion said with certainty, stopping any further questions. "I know it is him. And something is wrong with him. Maestro did something to him. So I have to save him...just like he saved me."

"Alright, so now we know what is at stake. Mind if I tell the ponies what you told me?" Celestia asked Xion. Xion nodded and Celestia brought up the image of the keyhole, which rested in the center of a large tree in an even larger forest. "This is the keyhole to Equis, to the heart of our world, as I stated. But what I did not get the chance to say is that that the Heartless have been searching for this keyhole, for if they get into it they can claim the heart of our world."

"So wait, if the Heartless takes the heart of a pony, they turn into a Heartless," Rainbow began. "What happens if they take the heart to an entire world?" All eyes turned to Xion for that answer.

"The world is consumed by darkness, the inhabitants are lost to the nothingness and whoever is unlucky enough to survive is trapped within a fragment of what was once their home," Xion revealed, getting all of the ponies to look at her with horror. "I didn't say it would be anything nice. Hence why we have to stop them."

"Fortunately for us, now that Xion has a new keyblade we can prevent the Heartless from prevailing," Celestia continued on, gaining the attention of the group once more. "Just like an actual keyhole, the keyhole to our world can be locked and thus prevent the Heartless from getting in there."

"Okay, say Xion locks it. What's to stop that cloaked guy from unlocking it once more?" Again, all eyes went to Xion for the answer.

"Once a keyhole to a world is locked, it can never be opened again. This will also rid the world of a large chunk of Heartless, as they will go seeking other world's hearts," Xion explained.

"That's good for us. We can protect out world and get rid of its invaders in a single strike," Twilight clarified. "What I'm the mot worried about is the Maestro. His power, at least from what I saw, seems to be unlike anything that we've ever had to fight before. Xion, do you think this new blade and your powers over light and darkness will be enough to defeat him?"

"They will have to be."

None of the ponies seemed to take comfort in her answer, but Celestia took that moment to create an image in front of them with her magic. "So here is how this is going to work. We know that there is an army of Heartless around the keyhole. We also know that the Maestro is there along with Roxas. Our plan of attack is to get Xion to the keyhole before we deal with everything else. Once the keyhole is sealed, the Ambassadors will deal with the army of Heartless. Xion will deal with the Maestro. My sister and I will deal with Roxas."

"Wait a moment, why are the two of you dealing with Roxas?" Xion asked, getting the two princesses to share a look.

"Because we both know that you will not fight him with your full strength," Luna explained bluntly. "And with the hearts of our entire world on the line, we cannot afford to give him the chance to kill you. You would have no issues striking down the Heartless or Maestro, but you will most likely not harm Roxas too badly. Therefor, we cannot trust you to deal with him."

"I am sorry Xion, but it is how it must be. Perhaps if it was just you versus him, then we would allow you to try to reach him," Celestia said in a regretful tone. "But our world is at stake here, with all of the lives on it. We must prevail. My sister and I will do everything to imprison or capture Roxas, but if we must slay him..."

"I understand," Xion said in a near whisper, getting Luna and Celestia to look at the girl with surprise. "But the two of you can't beat him. I know this. So I ask of the both of you, let me be the one to fight Roxas."

"Xion..."

"Yes, I will try to reach him. I will try to break him free of whatever curse the Maestro has him under," Xion told them, before she looked down at her blade and tightened her grip on it. "But if he cannot be broken free...or if he is no longer the Roxas I knew, then I will be the one to strike him down. The Roxas I know would want that. I know, because that is the same thing I asked of him. And we're practically identical."

"...alright Xion, we will allow you to try to break through to Roxas, as long as you know what must happen if you cannot save him," Luna said in an emotionless voice. The other ponies gave Xion sympathetic looks and Pinkie placed a hoof on Xion's shoulder, but aside from a grateful smile Xion didn't reply. "If you will be facing Roxas, then my sister and I will have to combat the Maestro. I will admit I am not looking forward to this."

"Actually, I don't think you will have to," Xion cut in, getting Luna to give her a look. "The Maestro is all about wanting to learn what will happen if X is changed or Y is moved. If he gets drawn into my...interactions with Roxas, then perhaps he will turn a blind eye to the rest of you destroying his army of Heartless."

"We cannot keep the Heartless down, even with our magic," Twilight reminded Xion.

"No, but you can banish them for a long time, longer than perhaps any other magical weapon," Xion corrected. "But back to the Maestro. If he's drawn into our interactions long enough and if can get Roxas to join our side, then perhaps the both of us can fight him together."

"And if you can't reach him?"

"Then the eight of you will aid me in bringing an end to the Maestro," Xion said in a cold voice. "He may be strong, but with our powers combined even he must fall. And once he has, I am certain that your world will be safe from the Heartless, for the most part. You will have to be on guard, but there shouldn't be anywhere close to as many as you have had to deal with. The light of your world drives them away and makes them weak, so I'd be surprised if a lot stayed after we seal the world."

"I see Sombra has also teaching you about the workings of our land," Celestia said with a smirk, one that was matched by Xion. "Speaking of the dark king, as much as I hate to admit it we could use his magical firepower in this fight. Any chance that we will have him on our side during this battle?"

Xion reached inside her pockets to find them empty and she gave Celestia a shake of her head in response. "I see. That's a shame, but honestly I would be more surprised if Sombra did choose to do the right thing. Guess some things in the world remain constant. I recommend all of you get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow. We cannot wait any longer than that. Who knows how long the Maestro will wait for us?"

With that Celestia and Luna vanished in flashes of light, leaving Xion alone with the six. "I've got your room all set up, Xion," Twilight said to Xion before turning her head to her friends. "You guys all know where your guest rooms are, along with the kitchen. And don't worry. With the power of friendship on our side, along with Xion and her keyblade, there's no way we can lose."

'I hope you're right, Twilight,' Xion thought to herself as the ponies began to wander off. Xion then reached into a deep pocket and pulled out a small seashell, which she held gently in her hands. 'Because I have a feeling that it won't be so easy. I have a feeling that Maestro has one last surprise for us.'

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No. XIV
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The moon shined with a calming light far above Xion's head, while the girl stared off into the distance from the balcony that was connected to her room. Her thoughts were a whirlwind, unable to focus on a single problem that she faced. The idea of battling the Maestro was terrifying. The thought that she would have to strike Roxas down made her feel a fear that she couldn't put into thoughts. And then there was the idea if she failed. The thought that all of the innocent beings that lived in this land would be claimed by the darkness.

"Yeah, I can never sleep before a big battle either." Xion glanced up to see Twilight floating down towards her from an upper floor. Twilight joined Xion on the balcony, gazing across the land the same way Xion had been doing. "It's a lot of stress, isn't it? Knowing that all of this rests on your shoulders. All these lives, all of this happiness...trust me, you're not the only one awake right now. I'm fairly certain all of my friends are as well."

"Thanks for the pep talk. It totally got rid of my anxiety over tomorrow," Xion replied with a smirk, before she held a hand to her heart. "Ugh, whenever the Organization talked about the heart, they always told us about the god emotions like happiness or hope. They never said it could come with this gut wrenching feeling."

"Heh, I'm not surprise people like them hid things from you. Yeah, the heart is filled with all sorts of emotions and you won't like all of them," Twilight replied as she rubbed her own chest. "But the fact that you can feel all these emotions shows that you're alive. That you aren't a puppet or a fake like Saix said you were. You are your own person now. You're free of the shackles of the past."

"Not all of the shackles," Xion replied with a look of determination. "Roxas. He's the last like to my past. And he's a link that I need to save. I lost him once. I won't lose him again."

"I know you won't. The keyblade chose you for a reason. I know you will succeed," Twilight replied with nothing but confidence, before a thought came to her. "Hey Xion, say we do defeat the Maestro and free this land of the Heartless. What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, will you stay here with us? Because if you do we'd love to show you the world and all of the cool ponies within it. Perhaps we can strength the Perfect Harmony by helping you make a bunch of friends," Twilight suggested. "Or maybe you'll head off to a different world. I know if I could travel the worlds I would want to see as many of them as possible. I'm just asking."

"Y'know something Twilight, I haven't put any thought into what I might do if I win. I guess all I can think about right now is the battle tomorrow," Xion honestly replied. "But I know this. I won't let the Maestro mess with anyone else like he has me. I won't let him hurt anymore people or ruin anymore worlds. That I can promise you with certainty."

"And say he gets away?"

"Then I won't rest until I've hunted him down and made sure he will never hurt another again," Xion promised. Twilight smiled at Xion's response before she patted the girl on the shoulder and stretched her wings.

"Sounds like you already know what you're going to do when all this is over. Even if you strike down the Maestro, I bet there's a lot of worlds out there that need help like our world did. I bet they would be grateful to have somepony like you help them."

After saying this, Twilight flapped her wings and flew up to a balcony on the floor above Xion's. Xion returned to staring out at the moonlit land, before she gazed down at the seashell she held in her hands. The sensation of wind running through her hair and the taste of ice-cream filled her memories and she felt her fingers tighten around the seashell.

'No matter what happens tomorrow, I will not let these ponies be harmed any further. I will not allow the Maestro to win. And I will save you, Roxas. That's a promise."

Comments

[LARZER]

That means that at any moment we can expect to hear a Hadou ken! Entering the face of the Maestro?

[ShadowLight96]

Saw a few errors here and there. Like you messed up one of the "Link" when xion was talking about roxes being the last link to her past

[Reishin Amara]

Wonder if she will have to defeat Roxas...

If she does,I hope she gets a second keyblade from it..."Perfect Harmony" and "Two become One" would be epic duel wielding.

[the other sans]

Pinkie said excitedly as found her eyes couldn't be torn
The stats for this thin are ridiculous
We can protect out world and get rid of its invaders
What I'm the mot worried about is the Maestro
and if can get Roxas to join our side
He's the last like to my past
Perhaps we can strength the Perfect Harmony by helping

1. As she found her eyes.
2. Thing.
3. Our.
4. Most.
5. And if I can.
6. Link.
7. Strengthen.

[Lorddarkrai2000]

'No matter what happens tomorrow, I will not let these ponies be harmed any further. I will not allow the Maestro to win. And I will save you, Roxas. That's a promise."

It is a promise she will be fulfilling no matter the danger she faces

[Warrior Kitten]

Didn't she say she was going to leave because if she stayed the Heartless would too? Because she's a keyblade wielder?

Also, if the Heartless are at the Keyhole, why is it not over already? The Heartless are apparently right there, why aren't they clambering inside?

[Onomonopia]

8271744
Because that would be a boring ending. And the Maestro does not allow for boring endings