The Hearts Melody

by Saro0fdemonz

Awakening

"The X-blade...so it is real." Piper mumbled, his eyes blank as he floated through the abyss.

"Yes its real you idiot and if we don't get out of here then that slimy bastard Xayir is going to get his hands on it and we are all going to be in very big trouble!" Xipper yelled, shaking him by his shoulders.

"Why does it matter...Nobodies like him can't even use Keyblade's..." the pegasus continued to mumble, his heart and mind being swallowed by the darkness.

"You idiot. If he gets his hands on the X-blade it won't matter. He won't be a Nobody anymore. He'll have complete control over Kingdom Hearts, over both Light and Darkness! You've seen what he can do from my memories, you've heard the stories and you know what he'll do once he has the X-blade." Xipper sighed.

"He'll revive Xehanort and bring about another war, but this time the Darkness will win."

---

"Finally, I'm sick of seeing you like this Applebloom. Its about time we fix this." Scootaloo said with a smile.

"N-Not that anythings wrong with you! We just want you to feel better is all!" Sweetie Belle added quickly, worried they might hurt her feelings. Applebloom chuckled weakly and nodded.

"Its alright Belle, ah'm sick o' bein like this anyway. Ah'm ready when ya'll are." she said, her Keyblade resting at her side. Scootaloo nodded, holding her Keyblade in her teeth, Sweetie Belle doing the same. She gasped in pain, focusing a few weak sparks through her stub of a horn, though not having anything to keep them on a focused point, flew in every direction, a few falling upon her Keyblade and giving her the spark she needed.

"Here we go!" she cheered, each Keyblade glowing brightly, the glow surrounding each mare and in a flash of brilliant white the three became one. A powerful Alicorn with a smirk standing where they had once been. In an instant the form broke, three healthy mares falling atop one another and groaning in pain.

"Mah hooves! Mah eyes! Ah can see!" Applebloom cheered, bouncing around her friends in a circle, almost as if she was a little filly again. Scootaloo smiled and stood, wincing as she felt Sweetie Belle's hoof brush against her wing.

"Wait a minute...my wings! Oh man I missed you guys!" she grinned, flaring them open. Sweetie Belle stood, slowly reaching up with her hoof, her eyes wide as she felt her horn, totally unharmed and smooth against her hoof. Tears stung the unicorns eyes, her legs giving out from under her in disbelief.

"Belle! Are you alright?!" Scootaloo panicked, rushing to her marefriend. Sweetie Belle nodded, throwing her hooves around the pegasus, sobbing into her chest.

"I...I never thought..." she managed to squeak out before her words were lost to tears, though Scootaloo understood, nuzzling the unicorn.

"Yea...me either..." she whispered, holding Sweetie Belle close. Applebloom smiled, watching her friends.

"Its almost like things are normal again, ain't it..." she said quietly. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo smiled, pointing behind the earth pony.

"Not yet Bloom. There's one thing missing." Scootaloo said, watching as Applebloom turned around to find a bruised and scarred Pip standing behind her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed to him, tackling him to the ground.

"Woah! Guess my legs aren't as strong as they use to be..." he joked, earning a glare from the pony on top of him.

"Don't joke like that...ah heard...that ya'll were in some terrible prison...ah can't imagine what they did t' ya..." she whispered against his chest. The pinto stallion ran his hoof through her mane, holding her close as he smiled.

"They couldn't do anything to me Bloom. They locked me away and thought they could break my spirit, but they made the mistake of leaving me alone in the dark and left Amethyst above me. All that was left was for us to wait." he nuzzled her lovingly, barely noticing as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo made themselves scarce, giving the two some much needed privacy.

"You aren't going back out there t' fight are ya?" she asked softly. Pip sighed and nodded, laying his head against the ground.

"I have to." he said simply. Applebloom bit her lip.

"Then..ah'm goin with ya." she said with a determined look in her eye. Pip tried to argue, silenced by a simple kiss from the mare who had him pinned.

"Percival Ignacious Peregrine Squeek, ya'll know ya can't argue with me an if'n ya try t' ya know what'll happen. Ah'm comin with ya an that's that." Applebloom declared, jabbing her hoof into his chest. The earth pony stallion chuckled, wrapping his hooves around her.

"Alright Applebloom."

---

"w...what in th' hay are ya talkin about?! Why would ya need t' do a thing like that?!" Applejack demanded.

"Because...because if I don't she'll...she'll lead everypony to their deaths." Strawberry said softly as she stood.

"Please...watch Sugarcane for me..." the zebra said quietly, moving to walk past her, though Applejack blocked her path.

"Now look here missy, ya'll ain't thinkin straight an ah ain't lettin ya..." Applejack gasped, feeling her eyes roll back into her head as the zebra's hoof met the back of her neck. She had barely even seen the movement, catching sight of her out of the corner of her eye as she fell to the ground. The young zebra's mane had flattened itself against her body, a horrible look in her eye causing the workpony to shudder as she hit the ground.

"I'm sorry Applejack, but this has to be done." she said softly, leaving the tent as Applejack lost consciousness.

The zebra slowly made her way through Rainbow's camp, snatching up a weapon harness and slipping several blades into it, strapping one to her tail and gripping another between her teeth.

Memories of long ago filling her mind, back when she trained with Chrome Mist, when she taught the others how to balance on their hind hooves, when she tore through explosive cotton candy clouds, when Piper saved her from murdering another living being. She paused as thoughts of her beloved filled her mind.

"I have to...I have to!" she yelled, roaring as she charged into Rainbow's tent, the pegasus rolling out of the way of one of the oncoming blades, kicking a table in Strawberry's direction, the zebra slipping her hooves into the blades along her midsection, drawing them and slicing through the table as she rushed the pegasus once more, Rainbow deftly dodging her attacks and landing a hoof to her cheek, causing the zebra to slide backwards.

"HOLD STILL!" she screamed, rushing forward once more, Rainbow remaining calm as she leapt backwards, fluttering her wings slightly to keep just out of reach of the enraged zebra. Strawberry roared, flinging the two blades off of her hooves, grinning as they sliced clean through the pegasi's wings, the zebra quickly drawing two more and dashing forward, her blade finding Rainbow's hoof and pinning it to the ground, she raised the other, poised to strike her throat.

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM!" she screamed, her eyes rolling back into her head as a hoof struck the back of her neck. Pinkie Pie watched as her daughter slumped to the ground and sighed, quickly removing the blade from Rainbow Dash's hoof, the pegasus wincing slightly

"Sweet Celestia that hurt...geez Pinkie..." Rainbow muttered under her breath, the earth pony picking up her daughter.

"Sorry Dashie...I should've warned you faster. I didn't think she would actually try it." Pinkie Pie admitted.

"Its alright I guess...I'm not gonna be doin much flyin though. But do you think its true? Am I really gonna lead us to our deaths?" Rainbow asked.

"I dunno Dashie. All I know is..." Pinkie Pie paused as a loud whistle reached them, the entire camp falling silent as the whistle rang out. It was a whistle many of them knew, having been residents of Ponyville and nearby towns. A sound that filled the air whenever a ragtag group of heroes was needed. The Whistle of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

---

The Beast paused as the sound rang out around them. A sound it knew well, but not where from. It was a sound that made it feel safe, protected, watched over, loved. The Beast threw its head back and howled in answer to the sound before leaning down to scoop up its prey, the limp form of the pegasus sinking into the darkness of its body.

"Damn...this is bad..." Riku swore under his breath, gripping the hilt of his keyblade.

"What do we do?" Twilight asked weakly, Riku glanced around quickly and swore again.

"We can't do anything yet. Princess Luna, do you still intend to save Piper?" Riku asked softly.

"Without a doubt. He has done too much for Equestria to simply die so easily." She said, determined to save the pegasus. Riku nodded.

"ok...we won't have much time to act. That sound is drawing the Beast and its slowly absorbing Piper. It'll revive him, but after he's alive it will start to devour his heart now that he has it back. We'll need to strike then, but if we aren't careful we'll risk killing Piper, everyone understand?" he asked looking around, they nodded, smiling at him. Sora patted him on the back.

"I can see why the Keyblade meant to pick you." he said softly before chasing after the Beast. Riku stood in place, stunned by his friends comment before shaking out of his daze and chasing alongside him, Luna and Twilight keeping pace. Though Twilight wore a worried expression.

"whats wrong Twilight?" Luna asked softly, watching Riku out of the corner of her eye.

"Something feels...off. Don't you feel it?" Twilight asked, glancing over at her wife. Luna paused to think.

"You are right...my sister, she has grown weak and weary..."

---

"May I enter?" a voice called out from beyond two massive doors.

"Yes..." she replied softly, staring out her window. She felt...something, tugging at her. Something she hadn't felt for seven years. She knew the feeling well, she had felt it long ago when she had sealed her sister away and then the creature, Nightmare Moon, had returned. Four figures entered the room, though she only saw them out of the corner of her eye.

"I knew you would come eventually..."she whispered

"I had to." one of the figures replied.

"I'm sorry I left you there...But I had to save Nova...I..." she began

"Its fine. Its what I wanted you to do and I'm happy you did it Princess. She would've died in there." the figure spoke up, sitting at the edge of the bed.

"We haven't much time left Emerald. Surely you feel that I am fading...but my sister and Twilight have returned...I hope they will have the power to return Equestria to its natural state." Celestia said softly.

"Momma...why is she crying?" Aqua asked, quickly shushed by Nova.

"Its nothing to worry about Aqua." Nova assured her daughter. Celestia smiled, turning to her niece.

"Nova, don't hide her from the world, let her know the truth. She deserves that much, don't you think?" She asked. Nova sighed, lowering her head.

"She doesn't deserve to live in a world like this, nopony does!" Nova yelled angrily, tears stinging her eyes.

"That's why we are going to fix it." Emerald smiled as the room lit up, a ghostly figure of a small pegasus filly sitting on the bed.

"You know what to do Cherry." Emerald smirked as the filly pegasus saluted and vanished. The kirin chuckled, turning to Nova.

"Now..."

---

"MOMMA!" a scared filly screamed, whistling as loud as she could and attempting to awaken the unconscious Applejack. The poor pegasus had awoken to find her mother missing and their friend knocked out and did the one thing she had always been told to do in a bad situation.

The Cutiemark Crusader whistle. She had been told that someday her father would hear her whistle and come to her rescue. She desperately hoped today was that day. But as she continued to whistle it seemed no one was coming and the poor filly collapsed against Applejack, shaking and sobbing.

"Anypony...papa..."

"WHAT IS THAT?!" a pony screamed outside, the sounds of thudding hooves echoing around the area along with a loud THUD followed by a terrifying roar. Sugarcane gasped and stumbled backwards as a massive black monster walked into the tent she sat in. Again the frightened filly bit her lip and whistled, the eyes of the monster widening as it stepped closer.

"NOW!"

---

Riku watched as the Beast stepped into a tent, the whistle echoing throughout the camp.

"That whistle...its the old crusader whistle..." he mumbled under his breath, stalking the Beast. He waited until it had calmed and turned to Sora.

"NOW!" He yelled, both Keyblade wielders snagging the Beast in the power of their blades.

"Luna! Go!" Riku yelled as he strained and struggled to hold the Beast in place. The alicorn gave a nod, diving into the Darkness that was the Beast. Meanwhile, Twilight rushed into the tent, spotting Applejack and Sugarcane.

"Don't worry little one, everything is going to be okay," She said softly to calm the pegasus. To be honest she was shocked by the fact that the pegasus was in fact a zebra. She hadn't been aware such a thing could even happen. Though she wasn't sure how it was possible, she didn't question it, having only one answer. She pushed the thought aside, nudging Applejack.

"hm...huh...ah'll get up in a minute Dashie..." the earth pony muttered. Twilight shook her head, turning to the filly.

"Whats your name?" she asked softly.

"S-Sugarcane..." she stuttered, shrinking away from her.

"Sugarcane...that's a wonderful name. Listen, I'm here to help." Twilight continued softly, spinning in surprise as the Beast roared and slashed with its claws.

"LOOK OUT!" the filly screamed, tackling Twilight out of the way, the claws catching the young pegasus and sending her through the back of the tent. The Beast seemed to freeze as its eyes latched onto the wounded form of the pegasus filly, its eyes growing wide. It threw its head back, howling in rage.

---

Luna grit her teeth as she sunk deeper and deeper into the Darkness of the Beast. Somewhere within the Darkness was a friend who had made her a promise, she too had shared that promise with him and now it was time she deliver.

"I promised...I Promised I would drag you from the darkness! As you once did me!" Luna screamed into the void, a light appearing out of the corner of her eye. She spun, finding two pegasi floating along through the emptiness. She quickly made her way over to them.

"Oh great, it got you too. Well now we're all royally bucked." the first pegasus grumbled. The second turned soulless eyes towards her, a look of complete depression taking hold of his features.

"Luna...why are you here?" he asked sadly.

"A promise, my friend. A promise we once shared before my banishment, when you allowed me those precious seconds to speak with my sister...a promise to pull you free of the Darkness that holds you. I plan to keep my promise friend. Whether you like it or not!" she declared, throwing her hooves around him and throwing her wings out wide, her eyes searching for the light of the Keyblade's.

She smiled as she saw it in the distance, struggling against the Darkness to break free. She blinked in surprise as the other pegasus spun around her, a keyblade twirling around him.

"I will keep the path clear. You have to get him out of here." the pegasus said quickly.

"What of you?" she asked. The pegasus gave her a sad smile, his body fading slightly.

"I was never here to begin with. I never truly existed and I never will. But now, while I hold a form I will do what I should have done. Its too bad really...I really thought I might be able to have my own life...heh." He shook his head.

"That doesn't matter anymore, its already too late for me to change whats been done. You need to move, now!" he yelled, slicing through the Darkness. Luna continued to climb through the emptiness towards the Light, throwing herself through it as it closed. Xipper smiled as he watched the two vanish.

"Good luck..." he said, fading away moments later, devoured by the Beast.

---

"Whats happening?!" Sora yelled over the roaring of the Beast

"I don't know!" Riku yelled back, gasping as he lost hold of the Heartless, allowing it to roam free, though it held itself over the body of a pegasus filly, nudging her gently.

"Oh no..." Twilight shook her head, rushing toward Sugarcane, only to have the Beast roar and glare at her. The Alicorn took a step back, watching as the Beast calmed down, returning to weakly nudging the pegasus.

"Its...worried for her?" Twilight realized. They watched as the Darkness slowly began to fade away, yellow orbs shifting into light blue eyes, black turning to orange until moments later the wounded form of Piper was the only thing left, falling to the ground with Luna appearing above him in a flash of white.

"Luna!" Twilight cried, rushing to the alicorns side. Luna gave her a weak smile before turning to Piper and Sugarcane. She gently nudged the pegasus.

"Piper my friend...it is time to awaken." She whispered softly. Piper groaned and rolled onto his side, blinking as he caught sight of Sugarcane.

"Cherry?" he mumbled to himself, pushing to his hooves slowly. He stumbled over to the pegasus, realizing it wasn't his friend and then realizing she was hurt.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" he screamed, looking around at them.

"Piper..." Twilight began.

"NO! Tell me what happened!" he yelled, panting and glaring at them.

"You attacked her Piper." Riku spat at him. "You did this. You let the Darkness win."

"No...NO! NOT AGAIN!" he screamed, shaking his head. He stood over the filly, pressing his ear to her chest and smiling.

"Her heart...her heart is still beating, she's still breathing." he sighed in relief.

"Papa..." the filly said weakly, opening her eyes.

"Papa?" she asked, Piper smiled.

"Its gonna be okay, I promise. Just stay awake okay?" he said quickly, the filly nodding slowly. Piper winced as he pushed himself under her, lifting her to his back.

"Don't just stare! Get help!" he yelled at them as they watched him. The pegasus swore under his breath and spun, blinking as Luna stood before him.

"Piper, my friend. The Darkness.." she began.

"Worry about it later for suns sake!" he yelled, pushing past her and stopping as he realized where he was. Before him stood Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Draped across the bakers back was one Strawberry Swirl.

"Berry..i-is she..." he choked.

"She's fine Piper. I'm surprised to see you." Rainbow said quietly. Guards surrounded him, spears pressed against his throat. The pegasus gritted his teeth.

"Don't do this..." he whispered.

"I don't have any choice. If you change into that thing again we'll all die. I'm sorry Piper." Rainbow Dash nodded to the guards and Piper roared, flaring out his wings, the guards caught in ice and frozen in place. The pegasus stepped forward slowly, death in his gaze.

"This is what its come to...AFTER ALL I'VE DONE?! AFTER ALL THAT I SACRIFICED AND LOST?! Betrayed by my own family..." his voice softened at the end as tears stung his eyes.

"Pi...per..." Strawberry groaned. The pegasus cast his gaze on her, the Zebra gasping as she spotted him.

"PIPER RUN!" she screamed, throwing herself at Rainbow Dash. Piper swore under his breath, kicking off the ground and vanishing into the clouds. Rainbow roared, kicking Strawberry off of her and rolling.

"FIND HIM!" she ordered her soldiers who took off into the clouds.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight yelled, the pegasus pausing to see her old friend glaring at her.

"T-Twilight? Bu...But...you were.."

"Dead? Yes in a manner of speaking. Just what are you doing?! We finally drag him free of the Darkness and you seem bent on throwing him back into it!" she fumed.

"Twilight you don't understand. Its not safe having him around anymore. He could change at any minute! Then what?! We all become Heartless." she argued. Above them hell raged on as the clouds began to roar with the sounds of thunder and lightning. They watched as Rainbow's soldiers fell from the sky one by one, burnt to a crisp with ice clinging to their bodies.

"You may have just doomed us all. The greatest warrior Equestria has ever known now believes us to have betrayed him. What are we to do now?" Luna asked of Rainbow Dash. She had no answer.

---

Piper roared as he rolled through the air, flinging shards of ice through the soldiers his own grandmother had sent after him. He twisted the cloud around him, flicking his wings and letting the charge roll throughout it, sending the bolt through the rest along with his magic. he watched as they fell from the sky, blinking as he felt something around his neck. The hooves of a young scared filly.

"Papa...I'm scared..." she cried into his neck.

"Don't worry, the bad ponies are gone. I need to get you somewhere safe. Is your mother in that camp?" he asked her. She nodded, clinging to him.

"She told me you'd come Papa...that you'd fly with me..." she sniffed.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not you're dad." he said softly. "Listen...I'm gonna let you fly down there. I can't go back."

"B-But!"

"Trust me on this. You're a pegasus, you were born to fly." he smiled and rolled, watching as the filly fell into instinct, throwing out her wings and gliding downwards, though she struggled to climb back up to him.

"PAPA! DON'T LEAVE!" she cried. Piper shook his head, hiding within the cloud. He didn't have a choice now.

---

"PAPA! DON'T LEAVE!" a voice called out. The ponies gathered there looked up, seeing a young filly gliding down and struggling to climb into the air.

"SUGARCANE!" Strawberry screamed in terror, rushing to catch her daughter. The pegasus landed in her mothers hooves.

"He left momma...Papa left..." she cried.

"Shhh, its okay. He'll come back, I promise..." Strawberry said softly, holding the filly close.

"Well this is quite the mess we have." Riku said as he took a seat.

"What are we going to do? Knowing Piper he is going to gather his strength and attack with full force. That little pegasus took on an entire army of Gryphons for my sister, he took on MY entire army for her, over a simple promise to our mother. Now he thinks us his enemy..." Luna lowered her head.

"This is what you meant...isn't it Berry? When you said I'd lead us to our deaths..." Rainbow asked.

"I didn't know it would happen like this..." she admitted softly.

"That's not the worst of our problems." Twilight said, pointing over the horizon. There, rushing toward their camp, was an army of Gryphons, ready for battle.

"They are moving now?! We aren't ready for this!" Rainbow swore and grabbed a horn, blowing into it as hard as she could to alert everyone of the coming battle. Whoever could do so took up weapons and stood ready.

"Too bad we don't have Piper to help us huh?" Riku remarked as he stood, brandishing his Keyblade.

"Me and Riku will hold off as many as we can. You should start trying to get everyone out of here." Sora said. Luna simply nodded, turning to Twilight.

"We'll have to move fast."

"Whoa whoa whoa wait, I'm in charge here!" Rainbow yelled, the four giving her a blank look.

"FINE! I busted my flank keeping us alive for so long and this is how I'm repaid!?" she asked desperately. A massive boom drove them all into silence, a figure crashing into the horde of Gryphons. They watched in awe and terror as it tore through their ranks. For they knew that it could very well be them that were next.

---

"That filly...she almost looked like...No, she couldn't be..." Piper peeked through the clouds, watching as Strawberry caught the pegasus, realization hitting him hard. The strange pegasus...was his daughter. His ear twitched as the sounds of metal and wings reached him. he turned, knowing full well what he would see. An army of Gryphons rushing into Rainbow Dash's camp. And he had killed all of her soldiers.

"Buck today," he mumbled, running along the cloud and roaring as he took off, smashing the sound barrier and diving into the crowd of Gryphons, ice blades spinning around him as he weaved and rolled through the Gryphon ranks. He had to protect the camp, he had to protect Strawberry.

He had to save his daughter.