My Little Pony: Rise of the Heartless

by Flarinite

Ursine Royalty

Fortune stared across the field at his mentor, who levitated a rock in front of her. He blocked out the sounds of the birds, the gentle touch of the wind.

“Ready?” Twilight called out. He nodded.

The rock shot toward him like a bullet. He closed his eyes, and released the shot of magic stored in his horn. He opened his eyes again, and the rock was floating in the air in front of him, encased in a glowing orb of light.

“Ha! I did it!” Fortune exclaimed, standing straight.

“I can’t believe this!” Twilight trotted up to him. “Just last week, you could barely pull off Gravity, and now, you’ve mastered Zero Graviga!”

“Yeah, that was awesome!” Spike said, hopping down from Twilight’s back.

“Are you feeling tired?”

“Not at all!”

Twilight looked over Fortune’s shoulder. Lucky was lying in the grass, batting a rock around between her front hooves.

“Lucky, are you sure you don’t want to try Gravity again?”

“What’s the point?” she grumbled, not taking her eyes off of her rock. “I can’t do squat. Unless I have my ‘Awakening,’ or whatever it’s called, I’m not getting anywhere.”

“Lucky, you’ll get it,” Fortune said. Lucky just huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Why don’t we try going back to that door in the woods?”

“I tried that already,” Lucky said. “I stood there with Zecora for like an hour. Nothing.”

She stood up suddenly. “I’m going back to the library. I’ll see you guys later.” The other three stared after her.

“Talk about jealous,” Spike said. Twilight gently smacked him on the back of the head.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“It is weird though, isn’t it?” Fortune asked Twilight.

“I think so. Up until last week, you two were progressing at nearly identical paces. I don’t know what could be causing this.”

“Maybe she’s not trying hard enough,” Spike said, earning himself another slap from Twilight.

“Hey, what’s that?” Fortune pointed up at the sky. Twilight squinted as the silhouette grew nearer.

“Looks like the Princess sent a chariot.”

The chariot landed on the ground in front of them, pulled by two pegasi. Lucky was already sitting inside, arms crossed.

“Hello,” Twilight said. “Is everything all right?”

“Admiral Sunbeam sent us to escort you to the castle immediately,” one of the pegasi said.

Twilight looked around. “I don’t suppose it could wait? We’re in the middle of practice, and–”

“He instructed us, in no uncertain terms, to escort you to the castle immediately, Miss Sparkle.”

“O-of course,” Twilight said, as she, Fortune and Spike stepped into the chariot. “Is everything all right?”

The pegasi ignored her question, taking to the sky. The three ponies and Spike sat in silence as they zoomed over the clouds and toward the capital.

The chariot touched down on a balcony of the castle, where Admiral Sunbeam was waiting.

“Hello, Sunbeam,” Twilight said as she stepped out of the chariot. “What exactly is going on?”

“Just follow me, Miss Sparkle,” he said, as he led them wordlessly to the throne room.

The large double doors swung open, and Twilight stared in shock. The Princess sat in her throne. Next to her, in a more hastily-erected seat, sat a large bear. He tapped five sharp claws rhythmically against his armrest.

“Is that… a panda?” Twilight exclaimed in surprise.

“Show some respect, lavender one,” the panda said in deep, even tones.

“What’s a panda?” Fortune whispered to Twilight, not taking his eyes off of the large furry creature.

“They’re a species of bear,” Twilight said. “I don’t know a whole lot about them, except that they haven’t been seen in Equestria in over a thousand years.”

“Emperor, these are three of my students, and the ‘lavender one’s’ assistant.”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hi, I’m Fortune Flicker.”

“…Lucky.”

“And I’m Spike!”

The panda bowed his head in recognition. “I am Emperor Swiftpaw, ruler of Ursaxia.”

“Twilight may know this from her studies,” Celestia began. “Ursaxia is the second largest kingdom in the world, second to Equestria. It lies to the east of us.”

“But we haven’t had contact with them in centuries!” She looked to the Emperor. “With all due respect, Your Highness, what are you doing here now?”

“My people come as refugees, and as bearers of ill tidings.” The Emperor hung his head. Twilight felt a knot in her stomach, and then felt a pang of annoyance as she glared at Spike, who seemed to be stifling laughter.

“Sorry,” he whispered giddily. “He said ‘bearer.’ Get it? ‘Bear?’”

“It seems the Heartless have begun to appear in Ursaxia,” Celestia said. The room was absolutely silent; even Spike could only stare in shock.

“I suppose you are the Key Bearer?” Swiftpaw said, pointing at Fortune.

“Uh… yes, Your Highness… but my sister Lucky, she’s also–”

Lucky wordlessly summoned her Keyblade, glaring at the Emperor, who looked at her in confusion.

“Two Key Bearers? But only you exude the powerful aura of the Keyblade,” Swiftpaw said, turning back to Fortune.

“Well, sorry we all can’t master the Keyblade overnight,” Lucky snapped.

“You would be wise to watch your tone, Key Bearer. This may not be my kingdom, but I am still a king.” Lucky mumbled something that vaguely sounded like an apology, and Swiftpaw turned back to Fortune.

“So?”

Fortune stared blankly back at him. “…so?”

“What do we do to defeat the Heartless?”

Fortune looked back and forth between the Princess and Twilight, then shrugged. “I dunno. I guess, we’ll hit ‘em with the Keyblades?”

The Emperor groaned, burying his face in his paws. “With all due respect, Celestia, I imagined the heroes of the Keyblade would be more… insightful, shall I say?”

“They may be the Key Bearers, Swiftpaw, but they’re still children. They’re not soldiers.”

The Emperor huffed. “That much is apparent. In my kingdom, our people are taught the ways of the warrior from a young age. Not only the martial arts, but the strategic arts as well. We have a standing army of well over a thousand, many of whom are teenagers like these ponies before me. I have to say, I am the smallest bit disappointed that the Keyblade did not choose someone more qualified for the job.”

“A panda, you mean,” Lucky said acidly.

“Lucky, you’re going to get us in trouble,” Fortune whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

“And what if I do, pony?”

“That’s enough!” Celestia said. “Swiftpaw, I know you’re under a lot of stress right now, but making jabs at the Key Bearers isn’t going to help the situation. And Lucky, you should really try not to antagonize everypo – I’m sorry, everyone – so much.” Lucky huffed, looking pointedly away from the Emperor.

“If you don’t mind my asking, Your Highness, why do you have a standing army? From what I’ve read, your closest neighbor is Equestria, and we’re hardly a warmongering nation.”

“It seems your texts betray you, Miss Sparkle. Our eastern borders lie near the Changeling Badlands. They have tried countless times to wreak havoc in my kingdom. Our saving grace has been the stalwart courage of our warriors.”

“So that’s where they all came from,” Spike said. The Emperor raised an eyebrow, turning to the Princess.

“We had an… ah… episode with the changelings a while back,” she said, looking slightly embarrassed. “It seems that the abundance of love in Equestria made it an ideal feeding ground for them.”

“Hmph. Your soft pony hearts betrayed you again, I see.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Again?”

Celestia shot Swiftpaw a silencing glare.

“Anyway,” the Princess began. “I summoned you here to make sure that you were up to speed with our current state of affairs. We currently have approximately five hundred panda refugees being housed in the lower levels of Canterlot and in temporary housing just outside the city.”

“Thousands more of my people remain in Ursaxia, along with the bulk of the Imperial Army. They are currently able to keep the Heartless from harming civilians, but it is only a matter of time before the Heartless grow to numbers large enough to overcome even my army.”

“You’re going to have to accelerate your training,” Celestia said. “One or both of you may be needed in Ursaxia before long.”

Fortune nodded his head, staring at the Princess, trying to process all of the new information.

“Not to spoil the fun,” Lucky said. “But Princess, didn’t you tell us that the next time you saw us, you’d have something for us?”

“I did say that,” Celestia said. “But unfortunately, it’s not ready.”

“Is there anything else?” Twilight asked.

“There is one more thing,” Celestia said. Her horn glowed briefly, and a scroll appeared in a puff of light. She levitated it over to Spike, who grabbed it out of the air.

“That’s for your friend Rainbow Dash.”

“Uh… okay?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. Swiftpaw cleared his throat.

“Oh, yes, there is one more thing,” Celestia said. Her horn glowed once again, and a vortex of swirling energy appeared in the air in front of her.

“What?” Twilight exclaimed in shock, as she and Spike were pulled in toward it.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Fortune yelled. Neither he nor Lucky felt the pull of the Magnega spell, but Twilight and Spike flew through the air. The vortex disappeared as they drew near, and they dropped to the ground. The Princess cast an enormous Reflega spell, and a translucent geodesic dome of light appeared around herself, Twilight, Spike, and the Emperor. The Emperor smiled.

“Princess Celestia, what are you doing?” Lucky exclaimed.

The twins heard the doors slam shut behind them. They spun around, only to see a young panda standing before them. He had drawn himself up on his hind legs, and wore a black robe. He stood in an offensive stance, wielding a long, thin steel blade. Fortune and Lucky summoned their Keyblades, facing off against him.

“Princess, what’s going on?” Twilight asked in frightened confusion, looking up at her.

“Shh,” she said. “Just watch.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lucky demanded. The panda stared at her impassively before rushing at her, swinging his sword expertly. She barely managed to parry his attack with her Keyblade, the force knocking her weapon to the ground.

Fortune shot a Firaga spell at the panda, who quickly spun around and blocked it with his sword. The fireball ricocheted back at Fortune, colliding with him and sending him tumbling back into a wall.

Lucky readied herself again, before swinging at the panda with her Keyblade. Her opponent easily ducked beneath it, before rapping her shins with the flat of the blade. She collapsed.

The panda straightened, looking at the two groaning unicorns. He swung his sword in a quick figure eight before sliding it into the sheath at his waist.

The Reflega dome dissipated, and Twilight rushed to the twins.

“Are you guys all right?”

Lucky groaned as she sat upright. “What the hay was that for?”

“It’s worse than I feared,” Swiftpaw said. “Your students have no idea how to conduct themselves in combat, do they, Celestia?”

“Well…”

“Remember your promise.”

“Of course, Swiftpaw.” Celestia and Swiftpaw both left their seats and walked over to the group.

“This is my son, Prince Swiftblade.” Swiftblade clasped his right fist in his left hand and held it up to his face, bowing his head to the ponies. “He will go with you to Ponyville and teach you to fight.”

“What?” Fortune exclaimed. “How to fight?”

“You don’t expect to win a war without fighting, do you?” Swiftpaw asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it’s just… Can’t we just shoot the Heartless with magic?”

“Only a coward fights his enemy from afar,” Swiftblade said, speaking for the first time. His tone was identical to his father’s, but his voice was higher in pitch.

“What?” Twilight said incredulously. “Are you saying magic is cowardly?”

“Magic in itself is not cowardly. True cowardice is throwing rocks when a sword lies before you.”

“Can you talk normally?” Lucky said, sounding annoyed.

Swiftblade sighed. “If you have a blade, you should learn to use it as such. There are times when fighting from afar is the answer, and times when engaging an enemy face-to-face is the answer.”

“I hate to say it, but it’s necessary for you two to learn to fight,” Celestia said. “That’s just what you have to do, if you want to save this world.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Lucky said. “Just another thing for me to fail at.”

“You’ll get the hang of the magic eventually,” Celestia said. “I promise. Just don’t give up.”

“Okay, Princess,” she said, her voice softening slightly.

“I think it’s time you returned home,” Celestia said. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Twilight said, bowing to the Princess and the Emperor in turn. She turned to leave, and the twins, Spike and Swiftblade followed.

Comments

[lolz anonymous]

lol ponies cant fight.

[HungryPony]

Maybe Lucky will be more "lucky" in fighting.

[Riku006]

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mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2604-Luna_saw_what_you_did_there.jpg

[Lord Nopony]

Good luck Lucky.