Chapter 1: The Promised Beginning
“—For there can be no light without darkness.”
That was the very last line on the page.
An adolescent unicorn pony lay in the shade of a short, willowy tree that beheld a wide field of grass. Her coat was a lustrous grayish mulberry; her mane a silky sapphire, with violet and fuchsia highlights. As the soft grass beneath her lightly tickled her barrel and hooves, she closely regarded the book of Equestrian myths and legends opened up in front of her. That particular entry in the book had struck a nerve, awakening a great curiosity.
Her hoof crept across the page as if underlining that one passage.
“‘Elements of Harmony’,” the purple unicorn murmured in her state of deep thought. She cast her indigo eyes up to the bright midday sky. “Where’ve I heard that term before?”
Before the horned pony could ponder on the subject further, however, she heard a rustle in the bushes nearby and reflexively sprang to her hooves.
“H-Hello?” she called out into the silence. “Is somepony there?”
Another rustle (and a twig snapping underhoof) later, the entity stepped out from behind its cover of darkness and made its presence known:
A small creature with an all-black coat and bright yellow eyes that juxtaposed its dark coat tone. Seemingly equine in nature, it walked on all fours; its hooves were large and clawed, and its ears were like antennae. The creature bore its big, yellow eyes into the purple unicorn, almost hungrily.
The unicorn pony let out a sigh of relief, having expected a greater threat. “Just a Nightfoal…” she said to herself, allowing herself to lower her guard a little. “Either the Keyblade Guard’s getting sloppy, or the Heartless are getting sneakier…” She assumed a stance and focused power to her horn. Not much power, as she didn’t require a lot to do what she needed. There was a sudden shift in the air, and tiny sparks of magic flickered to life around her. They briefly swirled about in the unicorn’s vicinity before coalescing upon a solitary point in space. And in a flash of condensed blue light…
The strange, almost key-shaped weapon with a book keychain hovered in front of the unicorn, suspended in midair by her telekinesis. She swung at the air a couple of times with it, as if she were wielding it by hoof, before looking back to the black-coated creature.
The creature’s eyes appeared to widen just slightly at the sight of the oddly-shaped weapon, its apparent hunger guiding its every movement from then on. It pushed itself forward and off the ground, pouncing on the unicorn and baring its fangs (if it had fangs to speak of).
In a fluid right-to-left motion, the unicorn pony swung the floating blade through the air and through the aggressive creature’s midsection. From the clean cut in its body outward, the creature had disintegrated and vanished in a puff of black mist. The Nightfoal was no more.
The job complete, the purple unicorn held her weapon out in front of her, smiling thinly. “Now, Twilight,” she chided herself, “nopony likes a show-off.” The azure-shafted weapon had become glints of light, which proceeded to fly over and disappear within the star-shaped mark adorning the pony’s flank.
The unicorn’s name was Twilight Sparkle.
And she was a Keyblade wielder.
My Little Pony: The Key to Friendship
~ Chapter 1: The Promised Beginning ~
The streets of Canterlot were as peaceful as they always had been. The sounds of whistling breezes, swaying tree branches, twittering birds, and happily conversing ponies ran rampant. Truly, Canterlot was considered the closest that all of Equestria had to a utopia. Perhaps this was due to the warm presence of Celestia, princess of the sun and moon. Perhaps it was because Canterlot was nearest to the Keyblade Guard’s protection than anywhere else in Equestria. The reason didn’t matter much.
In fact, to one Twilight Sparkle, the reason was the farthest thing from her mind. Even now, the unicorn pony was muzzle-deep in a book that she held up in front of her telekinetically. To those who knew her and passed her by, this was no unusual sight.
Thoughts of what the Elements of Harmony were mentally tormented Twilight throughout her walk across Canterlot. What were they? Where did they come from? How were they utilized? What kinds of magic, besides that of banishment, did they contain? How long had they been in existence? Were they created by a Keyblade Master? Or did they, in fact, create the first ever Keyblade? Twilight had so many questions, and—
“H-Hey, watch where you’re—! Oof!”
Twilight’s muzzle rams into the book in front of her, and it drops out of her telekinetic grip and onto the ground at her hooves. Likewise, Twilight stumbled backward onto her rump upon so suddenly bumping into another pony. She was an enthusiast of literature and studying, to be sure, but her peripheral awareness during such times left something to be desired. Briefly seeing stars, Twilight shook off the dizziness and glanced ahead to see what (or who) she’d collided with. “Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry!” she blurted out. “Are you al—? …Oh! Lyra, it’s you!”
Sitting up on the ground opposite Twilight was another unicorn, deep aquamarine in coat color and a mane that gleamed turquoise and white. She rubbed at the sore spot on her head where she’d knocked into her fellow unicorn. “Yeah, it’s me,” the mint-green unicorn named Lyra snarked. “If that’s how you greet your friends, I’d hate to see how you greet your enemies.”
“I’m really sorry about that,” Twilight whimpered, jumping up to offer Lyra a helping hoof up. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Heh. I noticed,” Lyra continued, now standing upright. She went easy on Twilight; all things considered, she was perfectly fine. “But I’m glad I ran into you actually. The girls and I are all heading over to Moondancer’s pre-Solstice party. Wanna come with?”
Twilight recoiled. While she wasn’t at all on bad terms with Lyra Heartstrings, the two hadn’t really spent enough time together to be called ‘friends’. The same could be said for practically every stallion and mare Twilight knew and knew her back; none of them were anything more than acquaintances. She was always the bookworm, the loner. On top of that, being one of the few Keyblade wielders in Canterlot who wasn’t in the royal guard, she was more alone than she would’ve been otherwise. “Uh…” Twilight hesitated. “Sorry, Lyra. I’d like to, but…something important came up, and I have a lot of research to do.”
“Aw.” Lyra made no attempt at hiding her disappointment. “Whatever it is, it can’t be more important than my last party in Canterlot. I’m moving to Ponyville tomorrow.”
“And I feel just awful about it, really.” Yes, Twilight said that and somewhat meant it, but the shuffling of her hooves and skirting around to Lyra’s backside told a different story. She was anxious to end the conversation and get away. “But you know how it is with us bookish ponies: gotta get our studying in whenever we can. Hehehe…hah… Bye!” She spun around and took off down the road.
“Wait! You forgot your…book.” It was too late. Twilight was long gone and out of earshot. Lyra exhaled a sigh and shook her head, “Must be nice being Princess Celestia’s personal student and a Keyblade wielder,” she mused.
Twilight galloped down the road at near full speed, paying no mind whatsoever to those she passed by; she didn’t want to be delayed more than she already had been. She’d already forgotten what her conversation with Lyra was about. As her thoughts shifted to the Elements of Harmony once more, she raced up a flight of steps to an ivory tower that she called her home.
“Spike!” Twilight cried out as she burst in through the tower’s double doors. “Spike, where are you?” The tower’s lower level was rather quiet, so she moved to the upper level, where she was greeted by a large mess of papers and books on the floor. She groaned audibly at this. “This place looks worse than when I left it hours ago! SPIKE!” As she spread the pile of papers and books out, her eyes fell upon a small purple mass with green scales.
There lay Twilight’s dragon assistant Spike, snoozing the day away.
Twilight felt her frustrations melt away when she saw how cute and peaceful the baby dragon looked while sleeping. “Oh, poor little guy,” she cooed softly, taking care not to wake him. “Must’ve tuckered himself out cleaning up all day.” With her magic, Twilight lifted the tiny dragon out of the mess and carried him over to a basket downstairs, where he’d sleep more comfortably. “Sleep tight, ‘number one assistant’.” the unicorn offered before setting out to work.
She may not have had her assistant to help, but Twilight would not be discouraged. It only now occurred to her that she’d left her book of myths and legends behind with Lyra, but she already knew what she needed to research; the book could be retrieved at a later time. For now, Twilight settled for throwing herself at the bookshelves.
…Some time later, the slumbering Spike had awoken to a muffled racket coming from upstairs. Every few seconds, something had thudded onto the floor. “Twilight?” mutters the dragon in his state of half-sleep. He climbed up to the library and found a clutter of books at Twilight’s feet – an even bigger mess than before he’d passed out.
“No… No…! That’s not it either…! Argh, where is it?!”
“Hey, Twilight,” Spike greeted. “Didn’t know you were home.”
“Oh! Spike!” Twilight turned her head to see her assistant in the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“Nah,” the little reptile politely said. “What ‘cha lookin’ for?”
“My old copy of ‘Predictions & Prophecies’. I can’t find it anywhere!”
Glancing about, Spike picked up a book at random. “…Uh, is this it?” he asked, holding the front cover out in Twilight’s direction.
“…Oh.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “What would you do without me, Twilight?”
“Let’s hope I never find out,” said Twilight, snatching the sought-after book from Spike’s claw with her magic. She immediately opened it up to a certain section. “‘Elements’, ‘Elements’…”
Without a word, Spike moved to clean up the mess Twilight had made.
“…Ah! Here we go! ‘Elements of Harmony’: …See ‘Mare in the Moon’?”
“‘Mare in the Moon’?” Spike echoed from the ladder. “That old ponies’ tale? What ‘cha lookin’ that up for?”
Twilight ignored Spike’s inquiry and pressed on. “Let’s see… ‘The Mare in the Moon: Myth from olden pony times. A powerful mare of darkness who sought to rule Equestria, defeated by the Keyblade and the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.’ …Nighttime eternal! It’s Nightmare Moon!”
Spike nearly fell back off the ladder at the mention of Nightmare Moon’s name. He caught and corrected himself just in time. “N-Nightmare Moon?! What’s she got to do with any of this?!”
“Don’t you see, Spike?! The Mare in the Moon is Nightmare Moon! She’s about to return to Equestria and bring with her eternal night! If we don’t do something, everything’s gonna go straight to Tartarus in a handbasket!”
“Uh… You’re sure you’re not—?” Spike would’ve finished his question, but the sight of Twilight darting up and down the room and taking things into a saddlebag derailed his train of thought. “Now what are you doing?”
“I have to let Princess Celestia know about this! She’s the only one in Equestria who can stop Nightmare Moon’s return!”
“You sure that’s a good idea, Twilight? Princess Celestia’s probably pretty busy getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration. Which is…you know…the day after tomorrow?”
“That’s just it, Spike. The day after tomorrow is the thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration! The sooner I let the Princess know, the better!”
“Um, speaking of the princess, you do know what time it is, don’t you?”
“It’s almost 5:00. So?”
Spike outstretched a clawed hand and pointed toward a wall calendar. Twilight squinted her eyes to just barely make something out written on today’s date:
A large circle with the words ‘M.O.M. EXAM TODAY!!!’ written in red marker.
Twilight’s heart stopped beating in her chest for a moment. “…Oh, no! That’s today?!?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Once it had remembered to continue beating, Twilight’s heart was beating at three times its normal rate. She started trotting in place, unable to contain her anxiety. “Oh-no-oh-no-oh-no-oh-no-oh-NO! How could I have been so inattentive?! I’m usually so much more focused than this! So diligent in my schedule-keeping!”
“Right… In that case, shouldn’t you be heading over to the castle? Like, right now?”
Twilight didn’t say another word and bolted down the stairs and out the front door.
“Wait! You could’ve just…teleported.” It was too late. Twilight was long gone and out of earshot. Spike exhaled a sigh and shook his head. “Never been happier to not be a Keyblade wielder,” he mused before getting back to tidying up.
…The throne room of the Canterlot royal castle was solemnly quiet this afternoon; Celestia, princess of all Equestria and herald of its sun and moon sat silent to the side of the room, her mane and tail of multiple colors flowing in a nonexistent wind. The throne room’s walls were lined with numerous decorative tapestries and intricate stained-glass windows, but Celestia’s attentions were focused solely on one window in particular; it was a piece that nearly everyone in Equestria was familiar with:
The image of the two pony sisters of legend encircling the sun and moon.
To everypony else, the picture brought feelings of hope and warmth, of balance and harmony between the light and darkness. To Celestia, however, the picture brought anything but hope. Failure seemed a more accurate descriptor. As well as profound unease over what was to come. “Two days…”, Celestia muttered in her solitude. “Just two more days…”
Just then, a knock at the throne room doors brought the forlorn princess out of her ruminations. A deep voice on the other side, slightly muffled by the thick walls, called out to her. “Begging your Majesty’s pardon. A Twilight Sparkle is here to see you.”
“Thank you,” Celestia called back. “Send her in please.”
The giant doors of blue-gray marble swung open with a muted creak, allowing entry for a visibly winded Twilight Sparkle. She cantered up to meet the princess, nearly tripping over her own hooves on the way in, as the doors she entered through close again. “Hello…Princess Celestia,” Twilight hailed her princess with a weak bow. “I’m not…late…am I…?”
Celestia took a moment to regard her student’s condition, surprised by her gasping for air. “My goodness, Twilight, you look exhausted. Did you run all the way here? You do know you could’ve just teleported, right?”
Twilight’s mouth hung open for several moments before she caught herself and face-hoofed…
…to which Celestia could only smile. Somehow, her beloved student was always able to put her in a good mood. “Don’t worry, you aren’t late,” the benevolent princess assured, “but if you’re too tired that you wish to postpone—”
“No!” cried the unicorn in sharp protest. “I mean…it’s okay. I’m ready.”
“…Then come over here.” Celestia beckoned Twilight to the very center of the room, where the two stood several feet across from each other. “Stand up straight,” Celestia then instructed.
Not needing to be told twice, Twilight stood tall and proud before her teacher, the sternest of expressions on her muzzle.
“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia began in a serious tone of voice, “for years now, you’ve been a most faithful and accomplished student. You’ve come very far in your studies, and have learned so much about magic. And for almost half the time you’ve spent under my tutelage, you’ve also become a well-versed and proficient wielder of the Keyblade. I can think of very few ponies who could say the same; in fact, only one other comes to mind. …You’ve made me very proud to be your teacher, Twilight.”
She didn’t let it show, but Twilight was beaming with pride at Celestia’s words of praise. The faintest blush tinged her cheeks as her teacher spoke.
“The Mark of Mastery,” Celestia continued, “is bestowed upon Keyblade wielders who have proven to be incredibly strong of heart – proven that they were not chosen by the Keyblade merely by chance and are worthy to bear the mantle of ‘Keyblade Master’. And today, you will be examined for it. Are you prepared for this undertaking, my dear student?”
“I am,” Twilight simply replied.
Celestia nodded. “Very well. Your exam shall be a simple one: test your strength against another Keyblade Master in pitched combat.”
Twilight’s determination faltered, but only a little. She’d expected a more complex exam, preferably one with a written portion. “Is that all?” she asked. “I thought the Mark of Mastery exam was intended to see if I was strong of heart.”
“‘There are no winners,” Celestia philosophized, “only truths – for when equal powers clash, their true nature is revealed.’”
“So…I can lose the fight and still pass the exam?”
“Correct. …But you should try and win anyway.”
“Hehehe. So will I be fighting you in this exam, Princess?”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Twilight, but I’m afraid not.”
Disappointed? Twilight was relieved. Celestia would’ve flattened her. “Then who—?”
Another knock at the door cut the purple unicorn off, and the two turn toward it. “Ah, good. That must be him. You can come in! She’s ready for you!”
The giant marble doors swung open again, and in stepped a tall, well-built stallion with a pearly-white coat. He walked in wearing a helmet and breastplate of purple-and-gold armor, befitting a soldier of his rank and station.
Celestia regarded the soldier respectfully as he entered. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Captain.”
The soldier reached up and removed his helmet, revealing a scraggly mane of multiple shades of blue. “My pleasure, your Majesty,” said he to his princess. Turning to Twilight, he gave a smile and said, “Hey there, ‘Twily’.”
Twilight’s heart stopped beating in her chest for the second time that day. “S-Shining Armor?!”
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Lyra's here, but don't expect her to be a central character (sorry).
Also, upcoming chapters will go into greater detail about the nature of the Elements of Harmony.
Finally, while the overall plot will, at its core, be "Friendship is Magic Parts 1 and 2", there will be deviations here and there once the ball gets rolling to try and keep it fresh. Dunno if I'll succeed, but I'll damn sure try.
Thank god for that.
1768245 Oh you.
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You most certainly are wrong, I'm afraid. "Destati" is Italian for "awaken", and is the name of one of the Kingdom Hearts series' heavily featured songs. You can listen to it here:
Well darn... I was hoping for Lyra to also kick flank but of course
Oh Twilight... you say you value a clean workplace and acknowledge that you make messes for him to clean up? That is beyond evil
1768300 Please note that the author has indeed said in the description (further in) that the original Kingdom Hearts cast will not be included, just the characters that we all know and love.
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If you refer to the rule that says it can't be in "chat or script format", I assure you it's not. It's all one big flashback, the colors denote who's speaking, and worry not: it's a one-time thing.
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LOL At earliest convenience, I'll go back and rewrite that so Twilight doesn't come off as much of a troll.
A Kingdom Hearts with no lame sexual tension?!
FINALLY!
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I gave you the troll award and you say it in that manner?
Nobody appreciates trolling anymore...
1768335 Err... sorry? If I do come off as trolling (or sarcastic as my lecturer tends to berate me on about) i'm sorry about that. I actually thought you were being serious... You were being serious... right?
As for the story, I find it hard to believe Twilight could wield a keyblade with her hooves. *super nerd time* In KH2, the lion version of Sora wielded his keyblade in his mouth. Since a pony hoof has less opposable digits than a paw, it should only make sense she should handle her keyblade with her mouth. Also, does everyone here wield a keyblade, like in Birth by Sleep?
On a good note, that keyblade looks damn cool. Custom for Twilight or a mash up? Secondly, does Celestia know Yen Sid?
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No, I most definitely was not serious. I did read that part.
-Kiryu
1768335
This. This so much.
DUN-DUN-DAAAAAAAH
You must continues, yous musts
THANK YOU..... OH THANKS YOU SO MUCH. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I WAS WAITING FOR THIS.
In my to read list.
Oh! Nice! A fusion crossover of MLP and KH!
*See Tags* Hahaha! Same as my story. Those three must be the must have tags for these kinds of stories.
Please! Pretty please! Do more!
Well I'll be a cricket namd Jiminy, I'm so glad to find someone else writing KH fics. Great job btw!
1768366
Haha, thanks for the positive feedback, guys. I'll try not to disappoint.
1) Twilight wields the Keyblade through her magic (but may occasionally wield it in her mouth if the situation calls for it).
2) Most central characters (except the rest of the Mane 6) will have a Keyblade. Princess Celestia and Shining Armor both have one, and a character to be introduced later on will also have one.
3) Twilight's Keyblade is based on the "Spellbinder" from the first Kingdom Hearts game for the PS2.
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You most really hate me by now, don't you?
P.S. I did read your story and I thought it was very good. I had an idea to mash KH with MLP, but I never went through with it.
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Not at all; I was just addressing the points you made in the order you made them in. If I gave you that impression, I apologize.
And thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it. And please, don't let me stop you from doing your own crossover.
Nah, I've got my Fantasia crossover.
Believe it or not, Kingdom Hearts helped me make that.
I am a Huge Kingdom Hearts fan and I love this story. I played dearly beloved in the background whill listening to this and it was awsome. well done.
Shiny vs Twily. Place your bets.
1768191 tis a great story and kingdom hearts is our favorite game we look forward to more
Spellbinder is an excellent compliment to Twilight. Good choice!
I don't understand. The story is made of pure excellence, but it's under fifty likes...
I should start fixing that.
Ooo, I'm liking this. Best I've read already.