To unlock the secrets of Equestria, one must bear the key.
The heart. Such a mysterious source of power. Those with weak ones soon find their hearts lost to darkness. Those with strong ones have shown to unleash the most powerful of lights. But what makes a heart strong? What makes the darkness so attracted to it? I must know.
Twilight. Applejack. Rarity. Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. These six posses the strongest hearts in all of Equestria. They may show me the answer to my questions. But to unlock the secrets within them, I will need a key. A key that no one will miss if it vanishes...or perhaps, a key that no one knows to exist at all. I need a keyblade. I need her.
Xion will be based on her game and manga counterpart.
"Hmm, who could have predicted that outcome?" a figure asked as he watched a planet explode in a blinding flash of light within the palm of his hand, before, with a shrug, he closed his hand and ceased to view the experiment that had met its end. He then slowly turned in the never-ending darkness of space and, with a wave of his hand, opened up a new vision of a land of ponies, of friendship. Of Equestria.
With a flick of his wrist he conjured a far larger version of the land all around him, allowing him to completely view the ponies as the played, worked or simply interacted with one another. He knew not and cared not how long he watched them for, as time had long since lost it's meaning, but he was confused by the creatures: the ponies. It was only the cycling of day and night that allowed him to know that time was passing, so when he assumed a week had passed he pulled himself free from the vision and back into his starry darkness.
"How strange," he muttered into the unknown with a voice that had grown soft and quiet because of the lack of use, gently stroking his short beard that he did not remember growing. "Not a drop, not so much as a speck of the darkness in that land that has plagued all the other lands that I have viewed; that I have observed. These horses, ponies, beasts of burden...while they have the potential to be so much like the others, they do not act upon. Harmony and friendship is valued over money and war? Power? Stature? How strange."
With another flick of his wrist the images changed once again, this time to a purple alicorn who sat laughing with a number of other ponies as the pink one entertained them. He narrowed his eyes beneath a ragged and torn hood as he observed their actions, having to narrow his eyes even further as their light blinded him. "Such strong lights, hearts, emotions...far stronger than most I have seen. These six...they may hold the answers to the questions I seek. This land, for...time has continued to confuse, irritate, confound me, yet I know why. Because the darkness is not there. At least, it is not strong there. And these six are the key."
Then a light of his own exploded in his mind and if he could smile he would, but instead he settled for enjoying the idea as he reached out with a hand crafter of strange metal towards the stars. With one snip of his fingers he cut through the galaxy, knowing what he needed. "Key, unlock, discover...yes, in order to understand I must unlock the secret. And for that I need a key. A key to unlock hearts. Unlock light."
He spread his hands wide and a divine column of light appeared before him, showing him the spectral image of a boy with brown spikey hair. He observed the boy for a moment before shaking his head and whipping his hand to the side, bringing forth the image of another boy with blonde spikey hair.
"No, removing them would ruin the world, the place, the destiny," he muttered as he cycled through five more worthy beings with increasing frustration, an emotion that had been lost to him until now. And then came forth the image of a girl with black hair, a girl lost so deep in the darkness that she was all but forgotten. "Yes, she is perfect. No one mourns or remembers her, so no one shall miss her if gone. That way the world is not diverted yet I still get what I need."
Then he plunged his mechanical arm into the image, tearing through space and time before drawing his limb back with who he sought in tow. The girl with the black hair floated before him, her body covered in a blinding light that prevented him from seeing anything but her head. With a snap of his fingers her memories, which were surprisingly few of, coursed through his mind, getting a nod of understanding.
"I see. Quite the life, or lack of life this puppet had. Yet despite your wish for peace, my thirst for understanding comes first. So you will live again." As he said this a power flowed through him and into her, a power that he had summoned many a time before for this very task. He felt the concept of thought return to the puppet, the dreams filling her sleep and the memories of her life returning to her. With another snap of his fingers a black cloak and hood wrapped itself around her, returning her to how she was before she was slain.
"You were nothing to begin with, so bringing you back is nothing as well. It is ready. Live. Rise. Get up," he demanded as he placed his hand in the center of her chest, causing beams of light to burst forth from her eyes and mouth, filling her with life. "Time to awaken."
======= No. I =======
The embrace of nothingness began to fade as Xion felt her consciousness, her being...her very soul return to her. The sensation of feeling returned to her next and through the haze of her thoughts she was vaguely aware that she was wearing her cloak, yet she couldn't feel what she was laying upon.
'Am I...alive?' her mind thought as she began to breath, yet her eyes remained closed incase this was just a passing moment. But after a time, she began to realize that this was not right. That something was different. 'No, I can't be alive. I...the battle with Roxas! He...struck me down and I...became a part of Sora. How can I-'
"Awaken."
The ancient and soft voice cast away all doubts the girl had about whether she had returned or not, causing her to summon all of her courage to open her eyes. Her breath was stolen away when she gazed upon millions of lights that shone in a darkness that was far brighter than what she was familiar with. The need to know what was going on outweighed her desire to continue staring at the stars, so with a grunt she pushed herself up to a sitting position...where she finally saw the being with the voice.
"Who...are you?" she asked him as her eyes glanced over his form. His face was hidden under a brown hood that looked ragged and torn, yet despite the hood being apart of a cloak similar to hers the rest of his body was not as hidden. Age and multiple tears allowed her to see through the cloak at the metallic legs and arm that made up the beings body, yet one arm was hidden beneath the garment. "Did you...bring me back?"
"I have need of you. Your abilities. Your key," the being said in a soft tone, yet Xion glanced at the being carefully as she slowly pushed herself up until she was standing. Xion then extended her hand, summoning the keyblade. The key shaped, silver blade with the golden hilt appeared at her command and she gripped the handle tightly as she gazed at the being with uncertainty.
"Who are you?" she asked again before looking down at her weapon. "And why do you need my key?"
"I am the instigator. Master. Maestro," the being replied as he slowly began to walk towards her, yet in an instant she flipped the keyblade around and pointed it right at the center of his chest, halting his advance. "I need you, your key, to unlock the secret. The hearts. Of these beings." He waved his hand behind him as he said this and revealed to her Equestria, the land of ponies. Despite having no idea what was going on, Xion couldn't help but stare at the strange horses and their land, almost gasping out loud when she saw the unicorns and pegasi.
"Find why the darkness does not take hold. Seek why their hearts are filled with light. Why Harmony and friendship can overcome loathing and greed," the Maestro demanded as he turned towards her, motioning for her to enter through the portal.
"But...how did you bring me back? I became a part of Sora. I gave up my...everything," she whispered with confusion as she recalled why she had fought Roxas in the first place.
"What is death to a being like me? Souls can be retrieved, bodies can be reforged and life can shine once again. And you were not supposed to be. So returning you to the nothingness you were was no effort at all," the Maestro responded with annoyance for the second time since he could recall. "If one has the knowledge to do so. That is what I seek puppet. Nobody. Xion. I seek the answer to what. What would cause the ponies to have such pure hearts. What would happen if their hearts and their world was unlocked? What would happen...if darkness were to take hold of their world? That is your task, puppet. To discover what would happen." Xion looked down at her blade for a moment before she glared up at the cloaked being, shifting her position so that she was holding the keyblade with both hands and at her side.
"No...I made peace with myself! I chose to fade into nothingness, to be a part of Sora! I will not be anybody's puppet anymore!" she roared before charging at the Maestro, leaping into the air and swinging her keyblade down at him. The Maestro lifted his hand and caught the blade with his metal hand, holding both Xion and the keyblade in the air with one arm.
"Violence. An pathetic excuse for an answer," the Maestro snarled as his other arm shot forth from beneath his cloak and slammed into the gut of Xion, hurling her backwards. She landed on her back against the darkness, where she shook with pain as she pushed herself back up. She glared at the Maestro to find that his right arm was far larger and more armored than his left, which still held her keyblade within his grasp.
"I resurrected you. Saved you. Returned your life and all I am asking is that you discover, learn, unlock the secrets of this land...of their hearts," the Maestro growled with blue light starting to shine from beneath his hood. "I even tampered with your memories a bit to numb the pain. The hurt. The loneliness." Xion's eyes narrowed as she extended her hand once again, willing the keyblade back into her grasp. The key vanished from Maestro's grip in a flash of light before reappearing in hers, allowing her to lean on it as she rose once again.
"I don't know why you want to unleash darkness upon their land, but I know that anyone who wishes to do such a thing can be nothing but evil," Xion growled as she took up her fighting stance once again. "I may not have been able to stop Xemnas, but I can stop you!" she cried as she lunged at Maestro again.
"Good? Evil? I am beyond such childish ideals," Maestro responded as he dodged each of her strikes before lashing out with his foot, though this time Xion was fast enough to block the blow with her blade. Yet the mechanical leg hit with enough force to send her sliding backwards. "All I care is knowledge, to learn, to see how events will play out if nothing or something is changed. You are that change."
Xion narrowed her eyes before she spun her keyblade before her, causing fire to dance along it's blade before with a roar she pointed her blade towards Maestro and hurled a burst of fire towards him. Despite being her strongest spell, the Maestro simply held out his hand and caught the fire within his grasp.
"Are you still blind, nobody? How can you hope to fight a foe that is not on the same field as you?" Maestro asked Xion, who responded by spinning around once to build up momentum before hurling her keyblade towards Maestro, catching the metallic figure off guard when the spinning keyblade struck him between the eyes. Xion held out her hand to retrieve her blade, but in a heartbeat Maestro was beside her and grabbed hold of her face with his larger hand. "It matters not to me whether you wish to go or not. You will go. And you will fight their darkness."
"And...why would I...do that?" Xion grunted as she reached for her blade again.
"Because if you are anything like the one they created you to be like, you will have no choice." And then everything went dark for Xion.
======= No. I =======
The smell of springtime flowers was the first sensation that Xion awoke to, though it was quickly followed by a pounding pain that coursed through her skull. Her eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, but the darkness of the previous room had been replaced by a large field of flowers. Her eyes glanced in every direction, but there was no sign of the Maestro anywhere.
'What was all of that? And where am I?' Xion thought through the pounding headaches as she rose up, looking around to try and see where she was. A large forest with flowered trees rustled in the wind behind her, but when she looked to her right her breath was stolen away once again by a massive city made entirely of shimmering crystal. "Whoa, that looks like Beast's Castle except...a hundred times more expensive. Am I in a different world now?"
She wasn't sure if she was going to get an answer or not, but she eventually decided that she just couldn't stand around and do nothing. So after taking in a breath to steel her confidence, she flipped her hood up and began to walk towards the kingdom in the distance.
'I'm not apart of the Organization anymore. And I'm definitely not taking orders from that Maestro creep,' Xion decided as she walked. 'I'm going to find out where the heck I am and what's going on...and then I'll worry about the rest later,' she thought, putting all her other thoughts away for the time being.
"Ugh, I should have just used the dark pathway to get there," she groaned twenty minutes later when she finally reached the crystal gates, leaning up against them with one arm as she struggled to breath. "Black coat on such a hot day was a really bad idea. Man I hope these ponies have drinks or I'm going to find out if a nobody can die of thirst." After regaining her breath she pressed both arms against the gate and pushed against it with all of her might. Yet the massive gates remained strong and did not budge an inch before her might.
"Is it locked?" she grumbled after giving up, wiping her bangs out of her eyes as she looked up at the towering gates while pouting. "Well guys, I'll have to let myself in." The key to the city appeared in her hands and she pointed the key right at the center of the doors, where a keyhole made of light appeared on the crystal doors. A beam of light shot from the end of her blade and through the keyhole. The sounds of the doors unlocking could be heard across the whole kingdom, but a smile crossed the girl's face as the doors swung open and allowed her into the city.
"And I thought the outside looked cool," she said with a whistle as she walked into the shining city, stunned by the sheer number of crystals that surrounded her. She dispelled her keyblade as she began to walk through the streets, awing at the fact that everything in the kingdom, ranging from the benches to the fountains and even the light posts, were made of crystal.
'But what am I supposed to do now?' she pondered when the dark thoughts began to take hold. 'I gave my very existence so that Sora could wake up, but now I'm back. Did Maestro take me out of Sora? Or did he actually reforge a new body for me? Does that mean...I'm free? Or does that mean I need to get back? Why do I have trouble remembering?' She shook free of her thoughts when she found that she had wandered into a huge marketplace, where her eyes went wide as she saw hundreds of crystalized ponies walking around and talking to each other.
"Oh my gosh. They're all so adorable!" she squeed as she began to jog through the market place, a smile of awe on her face as she looked from pony to pony. 'And they all have cute little marks on them! Aw, that one's a doctor while that one's a...race car driver?' Because of her cloak and the fact that she walked on two legs, a large number of the ponies stared at her with interest as she skipped by. Yet none of them were able to see beneath her hood, so none of them had any reason for alarm and most decided to pay the stranger no mind.
"Excuse me cloaked one, but you seem like a somepony that appreciates the strange and bizarre," a vendor spoke from her side when she walked by, gaining Xion's interest enough so that she walked over to see what he was selling. The stand held a number of interesting items, from shattered crystals to a number of strange berries and even a red and black horn on the end.
"What are you selling?" Xion asked, getting a laugh from the pony as he smiled at her.
"Ah, well Mademoiselle, these are all actual items from the battle of the Crystal Empire, where King Sombra was finally defeated once and for all by the Elements of Harmony," the pony boasted as he lifted the horn with his magic and levitated it to her, allowing Xion to hold the horn in her gloves with a puzzled expression.
'Elements of Harmony? Didn't that wacko say something about Harmony and friendship being more powerful than...what was it again?' While she was thinking the pony behind the stand tried to peek under her hood, but the moment he did so his eyes went wide and he leapt back in fear.
"M-monster! A monster of darkness!" he screamed, turning all of the ponies eyes towards her. Xion backed away from the pony as she looked around in confusion, not feeling an invisible force grab hold of her hood until it was yanked off of her head. The moment she was exposed everypony in the area gasped with fear as they gazed upon her.
"Wait a moment, I'm not a monster, I'm...a nobody," she whispered to herself as the ponies around her began to panic and run for their lives. She turned towards a mirror on the stand with confusion, only seeing herself in it's reflection. 'Why are they so scared? Maybe...because they have no connection to Sora or Roxas they don't see me, they only see...the puppet of darkness.'
She yelped as a spear tore by her head and impaled itself in the ground, forcing her to spin around to see that dozen of armed ponies had arrived and were all pointing their weapons at her. The moment the guards laid eyes on her face they all began to murmur to one another with confusion and fear.
"It...looks just like the darkness Sombra used," one muttered.
"Does that mean it's just like him?" another asked.
"It doesn't matter! You're coming with us creature!" the largest pony called out to her and in the next moment the ponies had surrounded Xion, all of their weapons pointed at her. "Depending on your answer depends if you get hurt or not."
"Friendship and Harmony huh? That guy was crazy," Xion muttered as the ponies closed in.
Xion slowly backed away from the guard that was advancing towards her with his spear leveled at her chest, looking behind her as she did so to see if there was a way for her to escape if needed.
'If worse comes to worse I can try to fight my way out of this, put I'd rather not hurt such cute looking ponies,' she thought to herself as she held up both her hands and slowly backed away, not noticing that she was still holding the horn that the pony had given her. "I don't want to hurt any of you. If my...face bothers you so much, I can just leave and then everything will be fine, right?"
"Perhaps you are right..." the guard muttered before his horn began to glow and a light shined on Xion, but the moment it touched her it turned a smoky black color which caused ponies to yelp with fear. "No dice creature! You have the same magical energy as King Sombra! That means that you might be one of his creatures!"
"No! Wait!" she tried to reason, but the guard let out a roar and lunged at her with his spear aimed at her chest. With no other option left to her she extended her left hand to summon her keyblade, yet only then realized that she was still holding onto the broken horn. She quickly switched hands and summoned her weapon just in time to deflect the strike in a flash of light.
"What magic be this?" the guard asked before Xion pushed him back with a burst of strength. Figuring that she would have to fight her way out of this situation, she placed the horn in her pocket absentmindedly before taking up her fighting stance. "That's a bizarre weapon you wield there, being of darkness. But it won't help you. You're outnumbered a hundred to one!"
Xion looked around her to find that a large number of armored unicorns and Pegasus had just arrived to the battle, almost completely surrounding her from every angle. "Boys, time to put what you practiced to the test! Unicorn's! Barrage this creature with light spells!" All the unicorns took aim at her with their horns as light based spells appeared on the tips of them, all taking aim at Xion. "FIRE!"
"Reflect!" Xion yelled in retaliation as she slammed the tip of her keyblade into the ground before her, sending a barrier of magic around her that deflected the bombardment of light spells in every direction but back at the ponies. But upon realizing how bad her situation seemed, Xion figured she had no choice but to fight her way through the ponies, at least until she reached the main gates. That was her plan until a voice spoke in the back of her head.
'What a curious weapon you wield there. Very well, you have gained my interest. Turn and run, I shall lead you to an escape!' Xion didn't know where the voice came from, but as her barrier fell and guards were given the order to rush her, she figured she had no other options. As fast as she could the Nobody turned and sprinted into the streets, pushing her way past ponies as she ran while retracting her keyblade.
'Take a left at this upcoming turn. It should lead you into an alley!' the voice spoke once again and this time Xion was able to hear some of the power it held, as well as a hint of royalty. She followed the voice's instructions and found that indeed the turn lead her into an alley...and right into a crystal dead end.
"Great! I listen to a disembodied voice and it gets me trapped," she grumbled to herself as she turned around at the sound of hooves galloping towards her.
'Fool! It only seems like a dead end! Now hurry and push the top left brick before they see!' the voice demanded. Having no other better options, Xion turned and pressed the brick. A moment later all of the bricks faded away as of they were never there to begin with, revealing a small staircase that descended down into nothingness.
"Whoa. Secret passageway! That's so cool!" Xion smiled as she tried to find where the bricks had vanished to.
'Hurry you waste of my time! Before they see!' the voice ordered.
"Okay, okay! Jeez, you remind me of Saix," Xion grumbled as she slipped into the passageway. The wall reappeared a behind her the moment she entered and through the wall she he could hear the faint sounds of hooves coming to a stop.
"It vanished!" she faintly heard a voice say.
"It she's one of Sombra's then she must be loose somewhere in the empire! Search every nook and cranny until you find it!" another voice bellowed before the hooves took off, leaving everything quiet a moment later.
'Hah, the Crystal Guard for you. Check everywhere except the last place the pony vanished,' the regal and dark voice spoke out with a laugh. 'Completely useless.'
"Uh, thanks for the help back there," Xion said to the darkness, looking around for whoever had spoken. "Where are you and why did you help me, if you don't mind me asking?"
'Don't thank me, you're not out of this yet,' the voice spoke again with a interested air. 'If you manage to make it through this place alive not only will I tell you why I saved you, I will grace you with the honor of knowing my name. Now chop chop, time is wasting.'
"Argh, why do I always get the bossy types?" Xion asked as she placed a hand on the wall and slowly began to descend into the darkness. About halfway down she found a torch glowing with a blue fire mounted on the wall, so she decided to take it to light her way. "Well, at least I can see now, though that really didn't change anything," she muttered as all the light did was allow her to see the brick that made the stairs and walls.
Nothing change the farther down she went except that things seemed to get darker, but when her boots finally touched down at the bottom of the stairs the faint light from the torch revealed a large, crystalized door that held a strange symbol in the center of it. She tried pushing against it with her shoulder, but it never so much as budged from her efforts.
"Hey voice, that door of yours is locked!" Xion called out into the darkness to no avail. "Fine then, I'll open it myself," she grumbled while holding out her hand, summoning her weapon forth once again. She spun it around so that the tip was facing the door before firing a beam of light from the end, piercing through the door and unlocking it in one motion. The ancient hinges finally yielded and swung back before her, allowing Xion to pass into the next room.
"Wow...this is...wow," Xion couldn't help but mutter as her eyes took in the massive cavern, where thousands of tiny crystals that shone with a multitude of different colors all hanging in suspended animation all across the cavern. She looked down to find herself standing on a very large, flat topped, green crystal that floated along with the others hundreds of feet above the ground. "I've never been to a world like this before! So many different colors and crystals! It's so...amazing!"
'No doll, what's amazing is that weapon of yours. That key sword,' the voice spoke again, though at the mention of the word "doll" Xion's temper flared. 'Able to open to door that I magically sealed shut...it seems to have quite the power.'
"Don't call me doll!" she yelled into the unknown, but all she got in return was a chuckle.
'Then would you prefer the mannequin? Or how about No Face? Because that is all I see when I look at you doll, I see a blank, faceless mask, much like the ones on a mannequin,' the voice darkly laughed, infuriating Xion all the further. 'It seems that the guards weren't entirely mistaken when they thought of you as a monster, but they guessed the wrong one.'
"I'm not a monster," Xion growled back as she took in a deep breath and ran to the edge of the platform, leaping off with all her might and propelling herself across the gap and onto the next floating crystal. "And I'm not a doll. Not anymore."
'Ah, but you are not sure of that, are you?' the voice asked the moment it heard doubt enter her voice. 'It would seem that you were a puppet or a doll before you came here, and you are not from around here or I would already know of you, and you're trying to piece together just what you are? How very curious.'
"Shut up," Xion growled as she leapt to another crystal, flipping up her hood so that the voice would have a harder time looking at her face. Another door greeted her at the end of that crystal, but this time a flash of darkness went off beside her and the door slowly creaked open, allowing her to enter.
"What is this place anyway?" Xion asked the voice when she found herself in a massive, underground library that went on until only darkness was all that she could see. Row after row of bookshelves that towered up towards the ceiling surrounded her and as she started to walk further in she started to feel claustrophobic. "Why is all of this underneath of a giant crystal city? Actually...where is this city anyway? What world is this?"
'I built all of this, incase I ever needed a quick escape or a place to hide out,' the voice spoke once again but this time with some pride. 'And even after a thousand years have passed it seems that no pony was smart enough to find it's location. Ah, it's grand being so brilliant.'
"Wait, you've been alive for a thousand years?! How is that possible?" Xion asked as she came to a dead end filled with a large pile of books.
'Lot's of ice on my joints. How about you doll? What's a creature like you doing in a world like this?' the voice asked with almost a devious tone, one that silenced anything that Xion was going to say in reply. 'Aw don't be like that, I'm just trying to find out more about my new best friend.'
"Best friend? Sorry, but I've already got two best friends and they..." Xion quickly stopped there as a wave of sorrow over took her, realizing that neither Roxas nor Axel remembered her anymore. "Besides, I don't even know your name and here you are calling us best friends? Don't be ridiculous."
'Hmm, you may have a point there. Very well, I shall grace you with my name and then you can tell me yours so I may promptly forget it,' the voice bargained with another laugh. 'I am Sombra. King Sombra. King Sombra the Ruler of the Crystal Empire and soon to be Ruler of the World. King Sombra the-'
"You add anything else to your name and I'm ignoring you," Xion threatened and Sombra laughed in reply. "...I'm Xion."
'Well hello there Xion, it is a pleasure to meet you...or rather, it is a pleasure to observe that weapon of yours,' Sombra replied with another laugh. 'If you don't mind me asking, just what are you exactly?'
"I'm a Nobody," Xion eventually replied, figuring that she didn't trust Sombra enough to tell him the truth.
'Well, you can't be a Nobody dear if you have a name. You are Xion, therefor you are a somebody.'
"No, I'm a Nobody. A shell of a former life," Xion tried to explain as she ran into another dead end, this time where a bookshelf had collapsed entirely.
'So am I my dear and yet I know I'm a somebody. Turn right here. Just because you are a shell of who you used to be does not mean you are a nobody,' Sombra explained, getting a growl from the girl as she turned the way he instructed and found the exit.
"No! I'm a Nobody! The shell that is left behind when a person loses their heart!"
'Ah, I remember when I first lost my heart. It was a warm afternoon and the sun was reflecting off her mane just right...'
"You're doing this on purpose," Xion sighed as she caught on.
'Not at all. Oh look, we're almost at the end. Now all that's left it to exit through this door and see just how good a fighter you actually are.' Xion was just about to ask what that meant when the door she had just walked through slammed shut behind her, causing her to turn in surprise. She spun around as torches began to ignite all along the walls, giving her more than enough light to see the giant mass of crystal that was curled up in a ball in the center of the room.
A loud groan shook the room and the mass of crystal began to move, uncurling itself to reveal a massive, almost armadillo looking beast made of crystal. It turned it's armored head towards Xion, glaring at her with emerald eyes as it uncurled it's equally armored arms and legs. It roared with fury at her as she slowly backed away from it, getting another snarl from it as it swung it's tail to reveal a large drill on the end of it.
"W-what is that thing?! That doesn't look like any Heartless I've ever seen!" she stammered as she tried to back away, only to realize that with the door shut she had nowhere to go.
'A Nobody who fights beings that are Heartless? You're world sounds really bleak,' Sombra commented.
"Not helping!" Xion yelled as she summoned her blade and took up a fighting stance as the creature got closer.
'Ah yes, the Armadrillo...what was it's weakness again?' Sombra muttered to himself as the creature rolled into a ball and barreled right at Xion, who rolled out of the way just in time. The Armadrillo kept going and slammed into the door, causing it to bounce out of it's ball and lay on the ground with stars circling it's head.
'Now's my chance!' she thought as she leapt into the air and slammed the keyblade down on the creature's skull, scoring a hit as she landed and followed up with an up slash to the jaw that snapped the creature's head back. She then grabbed hold of the hilt of her weapon with both hands and swung the blade over her shoulder, building up momentum so that when she struck down once again it would hurt.
"Take this!" she yelled as she swung, catching the Armadrillo right between the eyes with a loud crack. The creature roared with pain as it backed away from her, clutching at it's face with a crystal paw. With pain flashing in it's eyes it turned and roared at Xion once again, cracks spreading across it's face and revealing a red gem. Before she had a chance to take in what the gem was, the creature started up the drill on it's tail and used it to burrow into the ground, vanishing in an instant.
"Where did it go?" she asked Sombra as she started to look around the room for any place it would pop up, making sure to watch her feet carefully. Before Sombra could answer the Armadrillo busted through the ceiling above Xion, giving her just enough time to look up before one of the creature's paws swatted her across the room. Xion slammed against the crystal wall back first, causing her to cry out in pain as she collapsed to the ground.
'Ooooo, that looked like it hurt,' Sombra winced from the sidelines.
Xion growled with pain as she leaned against her keyblade, using it for support as she pushed herself back to her feet. The Armadrillo, sensing her weakness, curled back up into it's ball again and barreled for Xion, preparing to finish the girl off once and for all.
For a brief moment Xion pondered whether or not she should just let the creature finish her off. As far as she was concerned, she was already gone and the only reason she lived now was because of a psycho who just wanted to use her in a twisted experiment.
'Hey, the next time we have a day off...let's go to the beach.'
Xion's eyes widened as the words echoed across her mind. She didn't know where they came from or why they chose then to appear, but upon hearing Roxas's voice again and the mention of the promise made her realize something. 'We...never did get to go to the beach together,' she thought for a brief moment. 'And I...really wanted to...but it didn't happen...but...maybe now...I actually can.' She didn't know why, but that thought, the idea of going to the beach, filled her muscles with strength.
"Alright then...maybe I can go on a little longer!" she grunted as lifted her keyblade and took up her fighting stance once again. "At least until I get there! Reflect!" The Armadrillo slammed into the barrier she created head on, causing it to bounce off of her shield and slam to the ground. The creature uncurled once again as star's circled it's head, giving her the opening she needed.
"Gotcha! Strike Raid!" she yelled as she swung her arm and hurled the keyblade right between the Armadrillo's eyes, stunning the creature even further as the keyblade went straight up. Xion bolted forward so she could run up it's chest and leapt into the air over it's head, grabbing the keyblade out of the air. "This will end it!" she yelled as she pointed the keyblade straight down and drove it right into the skull of the Armadrillo, striking the gem on it's forehead dead center.
The creature didn't roar or make any sound as the gem shattered; all it did was lean back as it's body began to fall apart a piece at a time. Xion backed away as the Armadrillo fell apart before her, splintering into thousands of tiny shards that gleamed with light as they scattered across the room. Xion let out a sigh of relief as a door opened up on the other side of the room, giving her a way out.
'Oh yes now I remember, the gem on it's forehead was it's weakness,' Sombra realized at last, getting a grunt from Xion as she started to climb out. 'Well I feel like I contributed to this battle. Not bad by the way. I honestly thought you were going to die up until the end. So what changed?'
"Nothing," she quickly said as she started to ascend, getting a laugh out of Sombra.
'Oh you are an interesting one alright,' Sombra silently thought to himself as she climbed the final staircase. 'I look forward to finding out more about you...and that peculiar weapon that you wield, Xion.'
"Ugh, never thought I would be so happy to see the sun," Xion sighed with relief as beams of light shone through the tunnel that she climbed out of, walking out from a hole in a rock face into a sunny field where a large number of flowers bloomed. A smile crossed her face and Xion stretched her arms as the sun warmed her aching body, sighing as she lowered her hood.
'Still see a doll by the way,' Sombra interjected, ruining Xion's enjoyment of the sunny weather. 'Or a faceless mannequin. Is that why you call yourself a Nobody? Because you don't have a face?'
"I do have a face, you just can't see it," Xion grumbled as she looked around, finding that the rock she had walked out of was far away from the crystal city that she could see off in the distance. "Wow, I didn't think we walked that far but we're miles away from the city!"
'Of course. All of my escape routes out of the city emerge at different locations that make me hard to track,' Sombra bragged with pride in his voice that got a frown out of Xion.
"Okay, since I made it through your death trap are you going to honor your promise and tell me just who are you and why you bothered to save someone like me?" Xion asked the voice of Sombra, who went silent for a minute before sighing with acceptance.
'The reason I saved you back in that marketplace was because I had no other option but to get you out of there, since you were my only chance to escape,' Sombra explained, confusing Xion clearly enough for Sombra to tell. 'Ugh, just reach into your pocket.' Xion did so and grabbed hold of the horn, drawing it out while remembering that she never gave it back to the vendor.
"Wait a moment. This is you?" Xion asked with confusion.
'In the flesh. See, that fool at the stall didn't know that the horn that he passed off as a cheap imitation was actually the real deal,' Sombra explained with a chuckle. 'Now there was no way that I could convince that idiot to work for me as all of those crystal ponies panic at the first sign of darkness, much like they did you. But when you grabbed hold of me, I felt a connection to you. To your darkness. Your a creature of the dark, like me.'
"That's...not entirely true," Xion muttered while turning her gaze from the horn, yet only gaining Sombra's interest further.
'Hmm, I sense that there is a great deal of emotional baggage behind this tale. Well sit down and tell all your woes to Doctor Sombra, PhD not withstanding.'
"I'm not telling you anything," Xion growled as she spotted a small pond, causing her to grip the horn tighter. "In fact, I'm considering chucking you into that pond and taking off."
'Whoa, before you do anything both of us will regret...ugh, how can I earn your trust?' Sombra said with distaste at his words. Xion walked over to the pond and sat down in front of it, staring at her own reflection as she thought.
"How about you tell me how your still alive and trapped inside of a horn?" she asked, getting a groan from the dark voice.
'Very well, that is...fair. It starts like this. Two ponies who didn't like how I ran things as a king decided that they wanted me gone, so they trapped me in ice for a thousand years,' Sombra began, getting a frown out of Xion as he clearly skipped over important details. 'And once I manage to thaw myself out, what happens? The student of one of the ponies who trapped me in the ice has the nerve to steal my crystal heart and blow me up. My horn was the only bit of me to survive and thus I trapped most of my being and my charming personality within. And then that greedy dealer found me and has been trying to pawn me off ever since. The end.'
"I haven't heard a story so devoid of details since I read one of Demyx's reports," Xion grumbled, not happy with Sombra's "explanation".
'Well doll, how about you? What's the tragic tale of this human Nobody?' Xion sighed with hesitation, knowing that she shouldn't trust Sombra. But she still had no idea where she was, if she was even alive or if her being resurrected had effected Sora. She needed an ally, at least for a while.
"I'm a replica. A...doll that was created to mimic the abilities of another," Xion began, ignoring Sombra's smug chuckle at her calling herself a doll. "The Nobodies that created me wanted me to mirror the power of another, so that they could use that power to further their plans while keeping him trapped. For a while I had no idea of this and just blissfully went along with it while having fun with my friends."
'And then it all went wrong, didn't it?'
"The only way for the boy to wake up was if both me and another Nobody were returned to him, made a part of him," Xion continued, getting a "huh?" from Sombra. "And the stronger I got, the weaker my friend got. Eventually, it came down to a battle to the death. If I won, I would absorb him and then become apart of the boy. But when he won...I was destroyed and nobody even remembered that I existed. I was supposed to just fade away...until this strange being calling himself the Maestro somehow returned my existence."
'Wow. That has to be the most convoluted and confusing story that I have ever heard. Congratulations,' Sombra said with applause, making Xion wonder how he was clapping without hands. 'So after your boyfriend killed you, this Maestro guy brought you back to life and shipped you off here. And you're...upset by being brought back to life? Wow, you must be impossible to please.'
"It's not that simple!" Xion yelled at him before feeling hints of sorrow creeping in, causing her to pull her legs up and wrap her arms around her knees. "My whole purpose, the only reason I existed, was to trap the memories of another and become a weapon. I chose not to be a weapon, I chose to return to the person I stole the powers from...but now I'm alive again...and I have no idea why."
'Stop lying to me,' Sombra growled, snapping Xion's head up as she looked at the horn in her hand. 'I'm a master of lying and I know when somepony is lying to me. The Maestro wouldn't have brought you back for fun. He wanted something, something that only you could achieve for him, didn't he?'
"Yeah...he wanted me to unlock the secrets of these ponies hearts...and to discover why the darkness doesn't take hold in this land," Xion muttered with confusion, still not understanding what he meant. "But he just wants to use me as a personal weapon or toy. And I'm done with all of that. All I want is to fade away once again, return to the nothing I emerged from."
'This Maestro, did he tell you the ponies names?' Sombra asked after a minute of pondering.
"Yeah...Twilight, Apple something and a bunch of others," Xion recalled with some difficulty, not catching onto the fact that Sombra went very quiet at her words.
'Well, from the way I see it you can look at this whole second life thing two ways,' Sombra began suddenly with enthusiasm and interest. 'You can do the whole woe is me, I'm just a puppet on strings song and dance and feel terrible about yourself. Or, like me, you can embrace that fact that even though you had a tragic and painful death, you managed to score enough brownie points with the afterlife, or in your case some kind of deity, and get a second chance at life.'
"What are you trying to say?" the girl asked the voice with some hesitation.
'I'm saying live your new life up! Do what you were unable to with your old one! Travel the world, meet some ponies and have a grand old time!' Sombra laughed with excitement as his horn began to bounce around. 'You're in Equestria baby, the land of magic, enchantment and danger around every door. And with a weapon like your keyblade, none of those locked doors can get in your way! Whaddya say?'
"But..." Xion began as she looked back down in the water and saw the her black hair gently blowing in the breeze. "I'm not even supposed to exist. What is the purpose for a purposeless being like me?" Sombra let out a wail of frustration as his horn stopped moving and seemed to fume with a dark color.
'Alright, clearly you have some self esteem issues. I can help,' Sombra began with a laugh. 'First things first, it's clear that you have a strange appearance. I see you as a faceless puppet, yet other ponies saw you as a being of darkness with red eyes. So what's the story behind that?'
"Depending on how a heart is connected to me, or rather to the memories of the boy, depends on what others see," Xion explained while confusing the heck out of Sombra at the same time. "Most just see me as a hooded being consumed with darkness. One or two saw me as nothing more than a puppet, much like you did. And only my closest friends...saw the real me."
'Okay, I don't really see how hearts...being connected to another causes you to change appearance, but I've worked with weirder,' Sombra quickly said with a hidden smirk. 'But if memories are the key to unlocking your true form, then I've got an idea. I want you to look at yourself in the water while thinking of what you really look like. Go on, try it out.'
Xion wasn't sure what Sombra was planning, but with a sigh she looked down at the water and into her own blue eyes while picturing herself in her mind the best she could. A moment later her eyes began to fog over and she felt lightheaded as darkness swirled before her eyes. She shook her head and the darkness cleared, yet she still felt slightly cold.
'Interesting,' Sombra's voice said a moment later as Xion held a hand to her head. 'You're true form is that you have black hair, blue eyes and look somewhat like a younger human female. All in all not much like what I was expecting, but it fits you none the less.'
"Wait...how can you suddenly see me?" Xion asked confused.
'Because my dear doll, I entered into your mind a moment ago,' Sombra explained lightheartedly, but the thought terrified Xion more than Sombra could realize. 'And while I was in there I saw your reflection through your eyes and saw how you envisioned yourself. And let me just say that your thoughts do not give you justice.'
"You...have some strange powers," Xion muttered as she slowly stood up, brushing the grass off the back of her cloak as she began to look around.
'So. What now?'
"What do you mean?"
'I mean what are you going to do now, puppet without a puppeteer?' Sombra asked with a chuckle as Xion's face turned a crimson red with anger. 'Here you are in a strange land with a stranger voice in your head and everypony in the place you come from doesn't even remember you exist. Sounds like the start of a brand new adventure to me.'
"I...don't know. The only time I ever thought of not being apart of the Organization was when my friend considered running away," Xion muttered as she scratched her head. "But...I guess that I always did want to go to the beach? I mean, to relax and have fun."
'Alrighty then, if it's the beach you want it's the beach you'll get,' Sombra agreed with a laugh that put Xion on guard. 'I'll lead you to it myself. All that I ask though is that we go to a couple of places that I need to stop at first. The deity that restored you was nice enough to repair your body, but as you can see mine gave me the short end of the stick.'
"You know how to fix a body that's been blown up?" Xion asked with surprise and hints of respect.
'I know a lot of things. Now how about it partner? Care to help me out?' Xion pondered her answer for a long time, not sure of her decision. She had a sneaking suspicion that Sombra was trouble, that much was obvious to her. But on the other hand, she was at her wits end of what to do. Sombra was right in saying that she was in a strange world with no idea how she got there and even less idea of how she was alive. She needed all the help she could get and at the moment Sombra was the only being she had met that hadn't screamed at the sight of her.
"Fine, but I'm in charge," Xion demanded as part of the bargain. "You might seem innocent enough right now, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there's more to you than you're letting on. So no making decisions for me, got it?"
'Of course puppet, you're in charge. Now start to head east, there should be a small town with a train that can help get us to our next destination.' Xion was nearly certain that Sombra was mocking her with that last bit of dialogue, but with a sigh she let it go as she held out her hand. Birds chirped, the wind blew across the grass and Xion stood there wondering why the heck nothing was happening. 'Alright miss in charge, what in the blazing inferno are you trying to do?'
"I'm...trying to summon...the Corridor of Darkness to get us out of here!" Xion grunted as she continued to stick out her hand and only stopped when she heard Sombra laughing at her from her pocket. "Care to tell me what's so funny, Sombra?"
'Trying to summon darkness? Here? It's like I told you puppet, you're in Equestria now. A land of friendship, harmony and so much light that if you stare at it for too long you'll barf rainbows. True story. Any beings like us that have connections to the darkness are at our worst here,' Sombra explained to the girl with a sigh. 'I can barely turn into my dark cloud, much less unleash my full power. Same for you doll. You got any attacks or abilities that work with darkness you might as well just leave them at the door, because they no good here.'
"Okay, but then how am I supposed to get to the town?" Xion asked and for a moment she was certain that Sombra was smiling from within the darkness.
'The old fashioned way puppet. You gotta walk.'
========= XIV =========
"No...no," an old and powerful voice grumbled from the center of his star struck darkness as he watched the events unfold from within a small cosmos in his hand, frustrated at how the puppet refused to dance to it's strings. "I give her. It. Xion one simple task, a task that a brainless toy should be able to follow and instead she gets herself placed under the influence of a selfish being that only seeks power and darkness."
"And if this Sombra is anything like the other ones then he'll keep the misguided fool away from those with the pure hearts as long as possible," Maestro muttered as he swung open his other hand and created hundreds of bubbles showing all the different versions of Sombra, with nearly all of them having a vendetta against the ponies Xion needed to meet. "No, he'll slow down any progress that she'll make and try to prevent the puppet from meeting the hearts. I need a way to motivate her to move faster, to act...faster..."
Maestro spun around and threw a bubble into the darkness, creating a large hole of darkness that spread into the blackness. He then thrust his right hand into the darkness and willed the beings within into his grasp. When he wrenched his right arm free, the faintest memory of delight crossed his mind when he found that he was holding the catalyst.
"Yes, you and your comrades with do nicely," Maestro muttered as he gazed down at the slight humanoid creature with a large, bulbous head that housed two yellow eyes. the creature swung at him with it's three fingered claws, but the weapons never even scratched the Maestro as he snapped his fingers with his other hand and created another bubble to Equestria. "Now go. Force Xion to seek out those pure hearts," the Maestro said as he chucked the being into the portal to Equestria.
"And where one Heartless goes, the rest are sure to follow. Guard yourself well Xion, because you will attain what I seek."
The sky was the purest of blues, with no sign of a white cloud to ruin the perfect coloring of the sky. Birds sung a song that sounded like a spell and the slight breeze carried the song to all who wished to hear it. And the wind rustled the grass in such a way that if one looked upon it for too long, they might make the mistake of thinking that they were looking at a green sea. It was a truly a perfect day for all in the land of Equestria...except for a girl who was wearing all black and had been hiking for miles.
"So hot...coat's so heavy...sun...so bright," Xion groaned as she practically dragged herself up the side of a large hill, sweat falling from her black bangs. "Why did...such a large hill... have to be climbed on such a hot day? Argh, what I wouldn't give for the realm of darkness right now!"
'Wow, what a whiner. Were you always like this back on your world or are you being extra whiney just for me?' Sombra asked from the darkness, his lack of a physical body making him immune to any of the issues Xion was experiencing. 'Because I was trapped in ice for a thousand years and then blown up, but you don't hear me complaining about it.'
"Yes I do. All you did for the past six miles was complain about...Celestia and Luna? Was that their names?" Xion asked before having to stop and wipe her forehead with the back of her sleeve.
'Yes, those are the names of the two fools that cast me into the ice and thought that they were sealing away a monster, when I reality they were sealing away the only one that could save the world!' Sombra declared and made his horn bounce around inside of Xion's pocket.
"Really? Because from what little I've managed to get out of you, it seems like you were quite the tyrant," Xion told him.
'The winners write the history books. Whatever Celestia and Luna would say about me is entirely false, unless they talk about my devilishly handsome looks,' Sombra replied with a laugh. Xion wanted to reply, but at that moment her legs nearly gave out and she had to lean her hands on her knees to keep from falling over. 'Good lord girl, when was the last time you got any exercise? You look pathetic.'
"I'm...not really sure what's wrong with me. Ugh, this heat is unbearable. Don't know if I can keep going," Xion wheezed.
'And this is the lost soul that I placed all my chips on. Woe is me. Alright puppet, listen and listen good. You can't go down here. You need to keep going. Not just for me, though that should be your main reason, but also for you. The beach! Remember that! Remember that you need to go to it, to fulfill the promise that you and your friends never got to keep! Push onwards!'
"You're right. I can't go down here! I may be a being of darkness, but I can't let a little bit of sunlight get to me!" Xion said with confidence as she forced herself to stand up and take a step, before she collapsed face first onto the ground. "Nope. Too hot. Too tired. Can't go on."
'By the heavens you are pathetic. How the keyblade ever decided to choose you as its wielder is a mystery to me,' Sombra said in a disappointed tone. His horn began to glow in Xion's pocket and a moment later a cloud of pure darkness formed over her, blocking out the rays of the sun. Xion shook her head and forced herself to stand up, feeling better with the cloud.
"Thanks. I feel better already," she said.
'Good, because it's taking what little power I have left to muster this cloud for you. Had I known you were this weak I would have let the guards kill you and then taken the key off of your body. But now I'm stuck babysitting a talking puppet. How the mighty have fallen. Now keep moving or I may just leave you here to be consumed by the sun. Chop chop.'
"Thanks. I feel so much better," Xion grunted as she walked up the hill once more. But even with the cloud, she was aware that something was wrong, something at the edge of her mind that she couldn't figure out. Every once in a while she would glance down at her hand, trying to figure out what was ailing her.
'It's Equestria.' Xion looked down and pulled Sombra's horn out of her pocket. 'Ever wonder how the princesses managed to defeat me, despite me clearly being a superior foe?'
"No."
'It's because this land is poisonous to being likes us. Beings of the dark,' Sombra continued on, but his voice sounded far more dangerous. 'This land is naturally inclined towards the light, towards peace and harmony and all that crap. But beings like us, beings of the dark, of pain, of nothingness, well...we're never at our best here. No matter how much power we may will, the natural magic of this land will always handicap us. That is why Equestria, in its thousands of years of being, has never once fallen to darkness. Because the land itself cripples the darkness. And in turn, us.'
"So...the land itself is trying to kill us?" Xion asked, glancing up at the sun once more and suddenly not feeling as warm as she had before.
'Not exactly. See, the light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. Can't have one without the other. However, Equestria itself has been filled with so much light and "good" magic over the millennia, that it just natural drags down anything of darkness. Now that's not to say beings of darkness can't live or actually win here, but we're always at a disadvantage.'
"So maybe that was why I was feeling so weak when I was at the city of crystals," Xion pieced together.
'The Crystal Empire. That is its official name,' Sombra corrected for her. 'An empire that once belonged to yours truly. And actually, I had turned it into a place of darkness in Equestria. With my power and the power of the crystal heart, I had actually managed to bend the land to my will. I created a place where the darkness could flourish.'
"How'd you manage that?"
'While I may look like nothing more than a simple horn to you puppet, back when I had a body I was one of the most gifted and brilliant unicorns in the land. Some would even say that in terms of sheer skill and intelligence, I was greater than Star-Swirl the Bearded himself!'
Sombra emphasized his last words like they were supposed to be important, but when Xion gave him a blank stare he let out a small sigh. 'Star-Swirl? One of the greatest unicorns of all time? Respected and adored by many, despite the fact that he stole the works of others and claimed them as his own? Don't know him?'
"How would I? I literally just got here," Xion reminded Sombra. "But anyway, you were saying something about creating a place of darkness or something like that?"
'Ah yes my Crystal Empire. A place I created of darkness,' Sombra recalled with a sigh of longing before the horn seemed to grow darker in Xion's hands. 'But during my research I found something that...unsettled me. See, I found out that not just Equestria has too much light, but the rest of the world is starting to fill up with too much light. Darkness is struggling to find any footing here. And if there is a world without darkness...then we're all doomed.'
"How? Isn't less darkness a better thing?" Xion asked, so engrossed in the story that she barely noticed that she had not only reached the top of the hill but now was practically at the bottom of it. "I mean, isn't darkness evil and all that?"
'My god girl, how dumb can you be? At your age you should know better...how old are you again?'
"Well, technically I have the body of a fourteen year old, but in reality I've only been "alive" a year or so."
'Does anything you say make sense?' Sombra asked before his horn shook. 'Whatever. No, darkness is not evil just like light is not good. Both sides are neutral, but most of the time evil uses darkness as it is an easier power to access. Good, in turn, uses light as it is the natural opposite of darkness and thus can defeat it. And no, less darkness is not a better thing. Again, the coin. If one side was the vanish from the coin, what would happen?'
"I...don't know? How could you even destroy one side of a coin? I mean, as long as another side exists, there will be two sides. So if you were to destroy tails, then you'd also have to destroy..."
'Ah, now you're getting it,' Sombra said with a small chuckle. 'That is what I realized, doll. If light completely fills up this world, then the world will cease to be. Therefor, I made it my solemn duty to balance the scales and fill this world with enough darkness until it matches the light! And I tried to begin that with the Crystal Empire, until the sisters stopped me. Why they would impede my work, I will never know.'
"Because you were a lunatic and tried to wipe them off the face of the planet."
'Bah, enslave an entire nation and try to systematically exterminate another and for the rest of history your labeled as the bad guy. This is why history books are useless.'
Xion shook her head at Sombra, having long since given up ever trying to figure him out, before a sound reached her eyes that made her eyes light up. It was a whistle. A whistle that was long, clear and reminded her of something that she had always wanted to try. With a smile on her face and a new sense of energy filling up her body, she took off across the grassy fields towards the sound. She ignored Sombra's attempts to figure out what she was doing and didn't stop running until she reached the top of another hill, where she finally found the source of the sound.
At the bottom of the hill was a small train statin, at the edge of an even smaller town. From the top of the hill she could see a few ponies that gathered around the station, but at that moment all Xion could see was the train. The large, pink and gold train with seven cars that rested dead center in the tracks, with a bit of smoke coming out the stack. And in the light of the sun, it shined like a star that seemed to make Xion feel small.
'It's a train. So what?' Sombra asked. Xion's response was to let out a small squee before she started to race towards the train at full speeds and she would have run right up to it had Sombra not used what "little" power he had left to yank her hood and make her fall flat on her rear.
"OW! What the heck was that for?!" Xion yelled at Sombra while rubbing her butt.
'If it is possible for you to have a cognitive thought, I ask that you do so here! You are about to run into a town filled with ponies, beings of light! Not only that, but they won't see Xion, little innocent girl that has the intelligence of a goldfish. They'd see what the ponies in the Empire saw. A being of darkness with red eyes. Something that they should be afraid of. Something that would draw the attention of beings we do not want to tangle with right now.'
"But...I want to ride the train," Xion said in a sad voice as she gazed at the train with longing. "I've heard them back when I worked for Organization Thirteen, but I never got the chance to ride one. And it looks so cool!"
'The answer is no! Going anywhere near these ponies will not only draw unwanted attention, but dealing with their stupidity will make me want to test if I could die while stuck as a horn! We are not going!'
"But...but..." Xion whimpered as she stared down at Sombra's horn, her blue eyes watering while her frown made Sombra feel like he was looking into a pool of tears. For the longest time he stared up at her without uttering a sound, before eventually he let out a growl of surrender.
'FINE! You want to ride the train so freaking badly, then we can ride the train! But if we get caught, it's your damn fault!' Sombra roared.
"Yay!" Xion cried out in happiness before she pocketed Sombra and raced down towards the tracks.
'But you're not going to be seen. Listen to me and listen well! The caboose on these trains are never guarded. If you must sneak on, and I know you must, you'll want to go in through there,' Sombra instructed, irritated that now Xion was listening to him. 'Also, as this is a small town. I doubt that there will be any ponies in the last car. But make sure you look before you-HEY!'
Sombra's cry was ignored as Xion reached the caboose of the train, glancing around quickly to make sure that she wasn't seen before she hopped onto the back. She reached the door on the back and tried to pull it open, but to her annoyance she found that it was locked.
"Please, it will take more than that to stop me," Xion grumbled as she summoned her keyblade, glancing around to make sure no ponies were looking before using her key to unlock the door. She slipped inside of the train and closed the door behind her, locking it once more before turning towards the car with a massive smile on her face.
'Wow, in the two days that I've known you I have never seen you this happy. And you've had me for company the entire time,' Sombra noticed but if Xion heard him she didn't show it. She practically skipped to the next car, opening the door a crack so she could look inside.
"The cost is clear," she whispered to Sombra before she ran inside, throwing herself onto one of the seats and laughing happily as she bounced up and down.
'Keep the noise down! Alright, you've had your fun. You've ridden the train and now we should-'
A loud whistle cut Sombra off and a few moments later all the doors slammed shut. Xion's smile managed to grow even wider as the conductor let out a shout and a minute later the train started to move.
'Xion, we need to get off this train! Do you have any idea where it's going?!' Sombra asked Xion, who replied with a huge smile.
"Nope! But I can't wait to find out!" Xion laughed before looking out the window. The moment the two was gone from her view she lowered her window and stuck her head out of it, the laugh that escaped her lips being caught by the wind. Her hair whipped around her hair while her hood flapped in the breeze, but the smile that Xion wore on her face could not be moved.
'Ugh. She's more trouble than she's worth,' Sombra said with a shake of his horn.
====== XIII ======
Sombra sat in the seat across from the puppet, who was fast asleep and leaning her head against the window. Sombra looked up at the down the girl, not sure what to make of her. He had spent most of his time with her in her pocket, so it was his first chance to see who, or what, she really was.
Thanks to him invading her mind he could now see her black hair and blue eyes, but if he didn't concentrate very hard her face would return to that of a mannequin, devoid of all features. He still couldn't figure out how the heart was supposed to change how she looked, but at the moment he couldn't think of anything else that could explain it, aside from magic.
'But it's not magic, that much I can tell,' Sombra thought to himself, staring at Xion's face, who was now drooling slightly in her sleep. 'Nothing about her, aside from the few spells she cast, is magic. But then what is she? Even my magic, which is the best in the land, can't even sense her. It's like...she doesn't exist. And according to her story, she's not supposed to. Yet here she is, sleeping right in front of me. So what the hell is going on?'
'Who are you, Xion?' Sombra asked Xion, knowing that she wouldn't answer him. 'And why do you carry a weapon that I cannot fathom?'
Any further questions Sombra had were silenced when the trains brakes let out a loud screech and the train came to a sudden stop. Sombra was instantly on alert, whereas Xion let out a mumble before going back to slumberland. Sombra kept his senses on high alert (and how he had senses as a horn he had stopped asking a long time ago), wondering what would cause the train to stop. And then he heard it. The screaming.
'Xion! Something's going on! You need to wake up!' Sombra roared at Xion, but her only response was to grumble something that sounded like "Roxas" before she turned over and smiled. 'Alright, puppet, you forced me to do this. Don't blame me later.'
A blast of dark magic erupted from Sombra's horn and caught Xion right above the eye. The girl let out a yelp and sat up in her seat, eyes wide with confusion as she looked around.
"Sombra? What happened?" she asked while stifling a yawn, looking out the window at the setting sun.
'We're in danger and I don't know from what,' Sombra explained quickly before the both of them heard screaming. In an instant Xion scooped up Sombra and ran to the car door, kicking it off of its hinges with strength Sombra didn't know she had before leaping out. She hit the ground and raise her head, only for her eyes to go wide at what she was.
Sombra had done many terrible things in his life. What he was witnessing at that moment scared ever him. Swarming all around them and the passengers from the train were dozens of little, black creatures that weren't much smaller than the ponies. The only discernible feature that they had was their bright yellow eyes, eyes devoid of any and all emotion. But that wasn't what scared Sombra. It was what they were doing.
A mare screamed off to their side before she was cut down by the claws of one of the creatures. As she fell though, her body seemed to vanish into darkness and a moment later a heart, or her heart, as Sombra assumed, floated in place. Then the heart was swallowed by darkness and a moment later another one of the black creatures took its place among its brethren. And it was only the first of many, as more and more passengers fell to the overwhelming numbers.
'Xion? What in the twelve circles of Tartarus are those things?' Sombra asked with fear in his voice.
"Those Sombra, are the Heartless," Xion replied grimly before she summoned her keyblade. The moment the blade appeared, every one of the shadow creatures turned to face her, their blank eyes all glued to her. She slipped Sombra into her pocket before grabbing the blade with both hands and taking up a stance, right before all the heartless lunged for her.
The heartless were on the both of them in an instant. Faster than Sombra believed to be possible the monster of darkness attacked, swarming the two and surrounding them within seconds. The first of the heartless leapt into the air with claw raised, only to be slashed from existence from a single swing of Xion's keyblade. Another being, one that was wearing armor and stood on two legs, was cut in half next. The blade banished the dark being, leaving only a heart that floated away into the sky.
Xion spun and blocked a strike from one of the heartless that had attacked from behind, kicking it off of her before retaliating with a swing. The heartless leapt back to avoid the blow while two others leapt forward to keep the pressure on. Xion gritted her teeth before flipping back onto the top of the train, which the heartless quickly swarmed up the side of to reach the key wielder.
"Where did all of these Shadows and Soldiers come from?" Xion asked. She stabbed one heartless clean through the head before rolling away from three that had attacked all at once. She hopped to her feet and spun her blade, pointing at a large cluster of them and yelling, "Fire!"
A ball of fire erupted from the end of the key and struck in the center of the group. The fireball turned into an explosion, one that was powerful enough to decimate the three heartless that had been close to the blast. But even as Sombra was about to praise her on her magic, more Shadows and Soldiers oozed out of the train around them.
'How many of these infernal things are there?!' Sombra roared as the next wave attacked, forcing Xion to go on the defensive. She slammed the tip of her blade into the roof of the train and created a barrier around them, one that deflected the attacking heartless with ease. The barrier then shattered and the shards ripped apart any heartless that had been close to the shield.
"These are Shadows. They're the most common of the heartless and the most plentiful," Xion explained as she sliced through a pair of heartless before driving the edge of her heel into the face of another of the dark beings. Sombra noticed that while that heartless was slain, it did not release a heart upon its death. Xion's blade flashed three more times and three more Shadows fell, but even she was starting to see that there were a lot more than she had originally thought.
"And these are Soldiers. They're a little tougher than Shadows!" Xion growled as she cut one of the armored heartless with the strange symbol on its chest in half, causing it to vanish into darkness and release a heart, which floated into the sky.
"Normally there aren't this many, though. Where are all of them coming from?" Xion muttered to herself before she was forced to leap off the roof of the train to avoid being hit. She landed and sprinted away from the train, slicing through the heartless that tried to block her path. Xion spied a small group of passengers that hadn't yet been claimed by the advancing darkness, making her change her course to meet them.
"All of you need to get out of here now!" she ordered to them before spinning around to slash a Shadow out of the air. She size up three heartless running towards her and brought her keyblade back. "Strike Raid!" she cried while hurling the blade forward, sending the spinning weapon clean through the three heartless. She then extended her hand and the keyblade vanished in a flash of light, only to appear again in her hand a moment later.
'Good job. By running over here, you've reminded these heartless that there are still ponies that they haven't killed,' Sombra mocked Xion as the bulk of the heartless all convened on her position. Xion bit back a retort as she took up her fighting stance once more, planning her next attack. Then an idea came to her.
"Sombra, you said that this land is naturally filled with light, right?" Xion asked.
'Yeah, so what?'
"Well, call it a stupid idea, but..."
Xion then extended her blade and concentrated with all of her might, pushing her strength to its absolute limit. Then she snapped her eyes open, just as a blade of divine light covered her keyblade. Her eyes snapped open, eyes that were now filled with light.
In a blur she was upon the heartless, hacking through them with a speed and precision that would have made Sombra's jaw drop had he still had a jaw. What was once an army of heartless was quickly whittled down as Xion's light infused blade cleaved through the heartless like they were paper.
"This will finish it!" she cried as she crossed her arms, before hurling them to the side with such force that thirteen pillars of light erupted from her. The pillars shot away from her and tore through the rest of the heartless, returning them back to the shadows from which they were created. Xion then let out a sigh as the light vanished from both her and the keyblade. She opened her eyes with a smile and looked up to see all of the freed hearts ascending into the sky, finding a place to be at peace.
"Everyone alright?" she asked as she turned around to look at the ponies, but to her surprise she found that all of them were looking at her with terrified expressions on their faces. "You guys don't need to be afraid, I'm not-" She stopped talking when she took a step towards them and they recoiled, with some of the foals starting to cry at her approach.
'Save it, puppet. Despite your actions, despite saving them...your a creature of the darkness. Something that they've been taught to fear since they day they popped out. You're nothing more than a red eyed monster in their eyes. Come on, let's go,' Sombra instructed her. Xion looked back at the ponies once more before banishing her keyblade, trying to ignore the yelp of surprise the ponies gave. She then flipped up her hood and walked away from the passengers and the stopped train, just as the sun finally set over the land.
===== XIII =====
"Nothing like feeling like a total monster to finish off another day in this land," Xion grumbled to herself as she poked at the small fire in front of her with a stick, breathing a little more life into it. "First the train gets derailed and then all of the ponies that I save hate me. But worst of all, the heartless somehow managed to find a way to come to Equestria as well. That's just what I needed."
'The heartless. Just what sort of monsters are they?' Sombra asked from within Xion's coat pocket, getting her to reach in and pull the former king out. 'I've done some terrible things in my life, but...ripping the heart out of a pony and consuming it in darkness...even I'd never go that far.'
"The heartless are the darkness. Monsters created by the darkness in peoples hearts. At least, that's what I remember," Xion muttered. "As their names imply, they have no hearts of their own and seek those who have them. Each heart they claim is another heartless that is added to their army. They have no will. They only seek two things: to claim hearts and to destroy those that wield the keyblade."
'Dear heavens...why do they seek the keyblade?' Sombra asked. 'I mean, you don't have a heart, right? So then why are they after you?'
"Because only the keyblade can truly defeat a heartless," Xion said, but when Sombra remained silent Xion figured he hadn't understood. "See, regular weapons can't hurt a heartless. They're completely immune. Magic can destroy the body of a heartless, but eventually they'll be back. Only a keyblade can permanently destroy a heartless by releasing the heart that they have trapped."
'So why did some heartless, the Soldiers, release a heart while the Shadows didn't?'
"Um...I think it's because the Soldiers are heartless that were created, thus need a heart to function. The Shadows are pure heartless, made of pure darkness, so they don't have hearts within them to release. They simply consume them. At least I think so. I was never good at this stuff back when I was..."
'Alive?'
"Well, technically I was never alive. In fact...I didn't really exist. Or wasn't supposed to," Xion whispered to herself as she placed her hands on her knees.
'Oh enough of that pile of princess crap!' Sombra roared with such intensity that Xion let out a yelp and fell over. 'You are here right now, sitting with me. You are not some figment of my imagination. You are a real being, no matter what anypony says to you. So enough of this nobody, woe is me nonsense. If you don't, then I'm going to hop off and find somepony else to carry me to victory.'
"Yeah that ain't happening. No other pony would be able to put up with you like I would," Xion said with a small smile as she watched Sombra's horn bounce around, trying not to laugh aloud. "But now things have gotten worse. It was bad enough with me being here, but if the heartless are here as well, then I'll have to lock the heart of this world."
'And there you go again saying things that don't make sense. This world has no heart! It is a ball of rock, air and water that happens to have to the most insufferable beings living on it. How about we talk about something that actually matters. Such as, rebuilding my body!' Sombra said with a laugh as his horn glowed once more and created a map for Xion. 'This is where we need to go next. By Stalliongrad. Now it's been a while since I've been there, but I'm certain that my lair hasn't been touched.'
"Hold on a second, I'm still stuck on that you know how to rebuild a body that's been blown up," Xion added.
'Don't change the subject puppet, you're listening to me now! There are three places in all that I need to go to, each of them a secret lair, in order to rebuild my previous form. If you can do all of this for me, then I will take you to beach.'
"So, why don't I just ask where the beach is and go there myself, before you have the chance to rebuild yourself and have a chance to screw me over?" Xion put forward. A massive smile crossed her face after nearly a minute passed and Sombra had no answer aside from a slight gagging sound. "Don't worry, I'll help you out. You did save me from those guards after all and I still need someone that knows this world and unfortunately, all I've got is you, since you can see the real me."
'Well, I'm glad that I didn't have to force you to do my bidding. For some reason captive henchmen are less cooperative than those who aid me by their own volition,' Sombra said in an arrogant tone, but Xion could hear the relief in his voice as he talked. 'Especially now that there are heartless patrolling this world. Any idea on how they got here?'
"It could be a number of things. I could have led them there when I was thrust into this world. Maestro might have sent them here to kill me. Or maybe they found this world by themselves and want to drag it into darkness like they do every world."
'...the Maestro. I think it was him,' Sombra said, getting Xion to look down at the horn. 'If I know an evil villain, and I should, then he's doing this to punish you for not doing what he wants. He said that he wanted you to meet Twilight and her friends, right? So my guess is every time you pass up the chance to meet with them to do something else, he's going to make your life hell.'
"That does sound like something he would do," Xion agreed. "But what do we do, then? I couldn't so much as scratch him when we fought and you're a horn. We wouldn't exactly inspire terror in him if he decided to attack us."
'Puppet, when you can't overpower your foe, use your brain to figure out a way to make them beat themselves,' Sombra said. 'Trust me, if the princesses hadn't overpowered me then they never would have gotten rid of me. So this Maestro is powerful. He's unstoppable. He's probably some kind of god. I would bet your life that all those factors together makes him arrogant beyond belief. Out smarting him shouldn't be a problem.'
"You sure sound confident about that," Xion said with a small chuckle as she summoned her keyblade, staring down at it while turning it over. 'But you weren't there. You didn't fight against him like I did. His power, his skill...the way he dealt with me like I was a pest...it's just like Riku all over again. And I hate it. Only this time this guy is way more powerful.'
'Did you hear a word I just said?' Sombra snarled at Xion, who shook her head and looked down at Sombra with an innocent smile. 'Ugh, I asked about the keyblade. A weapon that you can summon whenever you want seems incredibly handy, especially when it can open any lock. Care to give me a reason why I just don't take it from you in your sleep?'
"Well for starters, the keyblade chooses whoever wields it, so good luck getting it away from me. Second, this blade is more of a curse than a gift. It attracts heartless, like I said, but it also seems to attract pain and despair for whoever wields it. I have yet to hear of a wielder that didn't suffer incredibly in some way," Xion said in a sad tone. Her reasoning gave Sombra pause for stealing the blade, but his curiosity for the weapon was too strong.
'You said something along the lines of sealing the heart of this world. While that's a steaming pile, you also talk a lot about the heart and how you can free them from the heartless. So does that mean your blade has the power to remove hearts from beings? And is that why the Maestro wanted you to meet with Twilight? So you could remove her heart?'
Xion slowly gazed down at Sombra with disbelief on her face, unable to comprehend how Sombra had managed to make that connection so quickly. When Sombra saw the confusion and hints of fear on Xion's face, he let out a small chuckle that, for the first time, made Xion aware of how very evil Sombra could be.
'I'm more than just a pretty face, my dear. Like I said, I was and still am one of the most brilliant minds in all of Equestria,' Sombra reminded her and for a moment she was certain that he was smiling at her. 'So don't think that because I lack a physical body means that I am less of a threat. For if I wanted to I could easily-'
Whatever Sombra was going to say was cut off when Xion tossed the horn into the air, getting a cry of confusion from Sombra. Xion caught him as he came back down before tossing him up once more, turning the confusion into roars of rage.
'What in the blazing hell are you doing?! Put me down this instance or I swear I'll...I'll...oh heavens.'
Xion laughed aloud to herself as Sombra began to make retching sounds, but she still couldn't shake the fact of how much danger she was in. It was bad enough that the Maestro had put her in the strange land and asked her to harvest the heart of some pony she didn't even know, but now she had the heartless to deal with along with a horn that thought itself a god. Not to mention she had no idea if she could ever get back to her world and see her friends again...if they even remembered her.
"Hey Sombra," Xion began as she caught the horn and didn't toss it up, getting a weak groan out of Sombra as his horn still spun in her hand. "If I do this for you, help repair your body and balance out the light and darkness in this world, can you do something else for me? Something important?"
'...sure puppet, as long as it is within my power and I want to do it,' Sombra replied with what sounded like a chuckle, before the horn turned towards her slightly. 'But how did you know that I had plans to make you, I mean ask you, I mean demand that you help me set the balance?'
"You're not the only one that's more clever than they look," Xion replied with a small smile before placing the horn on the ground, before summoning her keyblade and pointing it towards the fire. "Freeze." A blast of ice erupted from the end of her blade and doused the fire, casting the both of them in darkness. "It's getting late and I'm tired. If you can't sleep, and I don't know how you could since you're a horn, mind keeping watch? The heartless can appear at literally any time."
'Sure. But if you snore, I'm going to let the heartless take your heart.'
"Don't need to worry about that. I don't have a heart, remember?" Xion said before she flipped up her hood and laid on her side, breathing heavily a moment later and telling Sombra she was asleep.
'Don't have a heart. Bull. I saw the joy on your face when you rode that train and I saw the hurt in your eyes when the ponies scorned you. You have a heart, puppet. More so than I do.'
Xion hummed a tune to herself as she walked through a forest filled with whimsy and enchantment, eyes filled with wonder as she looked up at the treetops and the beams of light pouring through the leaves. All around her animals scampered in the underbrush, occasionally stopping to look at her before vanishing back into the forest once more. She took in a deep breath, taking in the scent of the forest before letting out a sigh that echoed in the silence of the woods.
"This place is so...calm," Xion said to the horn in her pocket while extended her arm, almost as if she was trying to embrace the forest. "All these animals, all these trees...I've never been to a world like this before! I can't believe that someplace so beautiful can exist in a world! Especially a world with heartless in it now."
'The heartless are a new addition. Trust me, I would notice if those things were running around my world,' Sombra said, while Xion smiled at how he said that it was his world. 'Second: been to a world like this. There it is, something else confusing that you've said. Why is it that everything that comes out of your mouth that isn't bad is impossible to understand?'
"Believe me, I don't like it anymore than you. As for the worlds thing, yeah, I've traveled to a ton of different worlds," Xion revealed to Sombra before hopping onto a large log, swinging her arms as she strutted across it. "One was a world filled with sand, another was a world where I fought the undead and even one of them had a huge castle in it! I've seen my fair share of different places, but none of them had a forest as pretty as this one. Not even Twilight Town."
'Bah, stop talking crazy or I'll lose what little sanity I have left,' Sombra growled to himself as he turned over in her pocket, getting Xion to giggle before she reached into her pocket and pulled out the horn. She held it in a beam of sunlight, getting a roar out of Sombra as the horn struggled to escape Xion's grasp. 'Curse you puppet, place me back into the darkness! The sun is burning me!'
"So were you a vampire pony or do you just not tan well?" Xion asked before letting out another laugh, accidentally startling some birds overhead. Xion did place Sombra back into her pocket, however, and continued on the faded path that was beneath her feet. "So you still haven't told me why we came into this forest anyway. Are you leading me to something you need or into a trap?"
'Please, as if I would tell you if I was leading you into a trap. What kind of villain do you think I am? But yes, I am leading you to something that I need,' Sombra clarified while darkness began to seep out of Xion's pocket, creating a map of the area before her with a bloody red X in the center of it. 'At the center of this forest is a single pool of water that is filled with the magic of the forest. It is rumored that the water is so pure that it has the power to return the dead to life. And while I am not dead, I'm pretty much the next best thing.'
"Huh, think it would grant life to me?" Xion asked, smiling slightly when Sombra let out a frustrated roar at her words.
'For the last time you are a living being! You speak! You breath! You have a will and mind! You freaking have to drink and eat to survive! How long will it take for you to realize that all of those things make you a living being?!'
"When I figure out how the horn I'm talking to is also alive," Xion replied with a smirk.
A large chasm was the next obstacle for Xion to overcome, but luckily for her she spied an overturned tree that spanned across the entire chasm. Without a second thought she hopped onto the trunk and extended her arms, balancing herself before slowly walking across the tree. She started to hum to herself once more, keeping her eyes ahead towards the other side. Sombra couldn't take his gaze off of the darkness below them and for a moment Xion felt the darkness in her pocket seem to become stronger.
'You know, I've never been afraid of the shadows before,' Sombra said to Xion when they were about halfway across, getting Xion to stop as she looked down into the chasm. 'I felt right at home in it. But now, after seeing those heartless, there will always be that thought in the back of my mind. What if they're in there? What if they are in there and waiting for me to lower my guard? What if they get my heart?'
"Then you've got nothing to worry about, because I'm fairly certain that even when you were alive, you didn't have a heart," Xion said with a laugh before continuing on her way, her smile growing wider when Sombra made a sound that indicated that she wasn't that far off. "And even if you did, you're a horn now. If anything the worse thing that you've got to worry about is me dropping you into this hole. Don't know if anyone would ever find you down there."
'Do me a favor and keep a very tight grip on my horn,' Sombra replied in a timid voice. Xion rolled her eyes at his words, but she did as he asked and kept a tight grip on his horn until the both of them reached the other side. 'Oh merciful heavens, I have never been so happy to be on solid ground. Good job on not dropping me, maybe you're worth keeping after all.'
"Thanks, you're approval means so much to me," Xion said as she began to toss Sombra's horn from one hand to the other, while continuing along the path. "So why isn't this miraculous, life giving water being used by every pony in this world? You would think that ponies would be coming from all over the world to raise the dead. Unlesssssss..."
'Already figured it out, huh? Not bad puppet. Yes, there is something big and nasty waiting for you at the center of this forest.' Xion was certain that Sombra was smiling as he said this, but without a mouth she had to imagine it. 'The creature is the stuff of nightmares for ponies. Completely immune to magic, over three stories tall and sees the pool as part of its territory. You'll have to get past that before we can get the water for me.'
"I'm starting to notice that I'm getting very little from this deal of ours," Xion pointed out.
'What are you talking about? You get to travel the land with me! There is no greater honor!' Sombra then laughed aloud, before going deadly quiet.
"What's the matter?"
'Don't you hear it?' Sombra asked. Xion looked around with every sense on alert, waiting for the sound that had put Sombra on alert. But no matter how hard she listened, she couldn't hear anything that sounded dangerous. Actually, she just then noticed that she couldn't hear any sound at all aside from the rustling of the trees.
"I don't hear anything."
'That's exactly it. There's nothing. No birds, no animals...nothing,' Sombra pointed out in a near whisper. 'Even when we were walking around laughing in a merry way, the birds and animals could still be heard. But now...'
Xion caught on to what Sombra was saying and summoned her keyblade in her free hand. Sombra then instructed Xion to keep moving and she did so, but she kept her eyes peeled on the environment, starting to become aware that something was watching them.
'I can feel it as well. Keep alert, but not too alert. If it doesn't know we are aware of it, it will have its guard lowered,' Sombra instructed Xion, who made the tiniest of nods to show that she understood. The two began to advance along the path once more, but this time Xion took far more tentative steps as she moved along.
"Any idea what it is?" Xion muttered as the area around them seemed to get darker, the light that had been shining through the trees now choked out by the vines and tangled branches that slithered overhead. To Sombra's interest he discovered that Xion could make the keyblade slightly glow, providing a good source of light for the two.
'Funny, isn't it? Us beings of the darkness understanding that we need light to live. Yet the ponies try to destroy the darkness, assuming that with it gone their lives would be perfect. Would it be? Or would it be even more terrifying?'
"Why are you talking about this now? Xion grumbled before she looked around, realizing that the branches and foliage of the area had created a sort of tunnel that she had walked into. Another light aside from her keyblade was shining at the end of the forest tunnel, getting Xion to narrow her eyes in anticipation. She glanced down at Sombra one last time before walking out into the light, preparing herself for a fight.
There was no fight awaiting her, but there was plenty else to take her attention. A massive waterfall took up the center of the opening that they walked into, a pounding force of water that emptied into a massive lake that could hardly be called a pool. The lake was filled with the purest water that Xion had ever seen, making her eyes sparkle as she gazed into the water.
She then turned her gaze to the rest of the opening in the forest, finally taking in the rest of the area. The clearing was filled with sunlight, making the lake blaze with light. The waterfall was pouring down from a strange chunk of rock that jutted over the opening in a strange way. The water flowed from the peak of that, making Xion wonder how the water was traveling up a rock, unless there was a second pool at the top.
"This place is amazing," Xion whispered aloud, taken in by the beauty of the area as she walked into the center of it. Then her brain kicked in again and she lifted her keyblade in a defensive manner. "But where's the monster? You said that there should be a monster around here guarding the place, right?"
'Yes. There should be. But there isn't. That can't be good,' Sombra muttered in reply. 'But maybe it's just a stroke of good fortune. What do you think, puppet?'
"I think that no good fortune ever comes to beings like us," Xion replied.
'You know what, you're right. Grab some of the water and let's get out of here before the monster decides to come back.'
Xion did as instructed, using a glass bottle that Sombra conjured with his magic to scoop up some of the water. As she was filling up the glass Xion looked around for any sign of the monster that was supposed to be guarding the place, but nothing showed up. Once the glass was full she placed a cap on it and slipped it into her pocket (which she noticed vanished a moment later) before she turned to leave the clearing, to see a being standing at the exit.
'Xion...who is that?' Sombra asked. Xion couldn't respond at the moment, as her brain was in a war between telling her to run for her new life or telling her to strike the being down before it could do anything. The being wore a worn out cloak and had metal limbs. But instead of a small beard and eyes that could pierce her like an arrow, the cloaked being had a face and head of metal, one that held no emotion upon its features.
"Here you are. Ignoring my simple instructions," the being said in a voice that made the grass beneath him age thousands of years in a few seconds, turning to dust. "I told you to find Twilight and her friends. To unlock the secrets of their hearts. It was simple. Easy. A task for you. But you couldn't even do that. And even worse, you have fallen under the influence of a C level villain from this land."
'C LEVEL VILLAIN?! Let me tell you something, metal man, I am nothing less than an A++ villain!' Sombra roared from within the horn, but before he could say anything else Xion pocketed him and placed both hands upon her keyblade. 'The princesses of Equestria feared me! And once I find away past this pockets zipper, so will you!'
"Maestro. Why are you here?" Xion asked the metal man, who tilted his hooded head slightly at Xion's words, as if she had said something confusing and he was trying to piece her words together. "Okay, let's make this simpler for you. What do you want?"
"What I want? I want many things puppet, but I suppose that most of all I want to see what would happen."
'Oh hey, you call her that as well.'
"What would happen if I unleashed the king of the monsters upon an unsuspecting world. What would happen if I tore apart the world of reploids to atone for what that fool did to me. But most of all, I want to learn more about Equestria. Why is practically every version of this world so full of light and peace? Why is the magic of friendship and harmony stronger than the vices that plague every other world that I visit? What makes this place so different? But most of all, I want you to do what I instructed you to do."
'Preaching to the choir on that one, I've been trying to solve this mystery for most of my soon to be eternal life.'
"Sombra, shut it. As I told you, I'm done listening to orders! I'm done being a...a puppet and not being able to make my own choices! I am done being a slave!"
'You tell him, puppet. Now go kick his ass so we can get back to me telling you where to go next!'
"Not a puppet. Interesting. You want to be more than you were created to be, even though you constantly are tricked to be the servant to some else. You're naivety is so pathetic. You have almost ruined this world by falling into Sombra's hooves, for he would turn you away from those that you are here to seek out. But fortunately for you, I can fix your transgressions. Now hurry puppet, to the edge of this forest. There is one who needs your assistance."
"Why would I listen to you? For all I know you're leading me into a trap and there's a monster there that will kill me," Xion spat back.
"Why would you listen to me? Because you are a failed copy of the key master. And if you are anything like him, you will help those who are in need. You cannot fight against it, just like you cannot fight those that command you. That is the fate of a puppet such as yourself. Now go and hope that I do not feel the need to return again. For if I do, I will return you body to the nothingness that I pulled it out of."
Xion blinked and the Maestro was gone, leaving a ring of dust that had once been grass to show that he had been there to begin with. Xion didn't realize how nervous she had been until she felt drops of sweat run down her face, getting her to finally move so that she could wipe the sweat out of her eyes. She banished her keyblade and let out a sigh, exhaling the tension that she had been holding in.
'So, that was the Maestro that you told me so little about,' Sombra said to break the silence, snapping Xion out of her thoughts. 'First impressions? Wow. Just...wow. I could feel his power from in here and I don't even have nerves any more. That's scary.'
"They why did you try so hard to tick him off?" Xion asked.
'First rule of meeting or fighting somepony stronger than you, never show them how afraid of them you actually are. Make it look like you're the one in control of the situation. A snappy one liner or a funny joke can help with that,' Sombra said.
"Do you think he was telling the truth? That there's someone here in danger and we need to go help them?" Xion asked.
'Don't know. If it were me in control and you trapped in my pocket, which is impossible to get out of by the way, then I would leave and make sure that Maestro doesn't get anything out of me. But since it's you,' Sombra began, getting Xion to smile slightly as she realized he knew what she was about to do. 'I guess we're going to go see which pour soul is in trouble this time. Let's go.'
Xion took off towards the edge of the forest, smirking when she found a trail of Maestro's shattered magic leading her to where she needed to go. But while she ran she was also lost in thought, thought was very close to what Sombra was thinking at the exact same time.
'I've never felt anything like his power before. Even the first time I've faced him I never sensed that much power. But right then...he can't be a living being. He can't be anything less than a god or something along those lines. But whatever he is...if he ever decides to come after us, then it would be the end of us. I need to help Sombra get his body back then figure out what to do next. After I see what Maestro has in store for me now.'
Edge of the forest wasn't exactly the best of directions. Xion reached the edge of the forest at least six different times before she found what Maestro had instructed her to find. Or at least, she believed it to be what the Maestro wanted, because when she saw a small Pegasus at this clearings edge, Sombra let out a sound that she had come to associate with disdain.
The Pegasus was yellow, with a pink mane and tail. As Xion walked out of the woods and got closer to her, Xion could see a set of butterflies on her flank, which were all pink as well. The sun was just beginning to lower across the sky as Xion approached, the sound of her heels on the grass gaining the attention of the pony. The pony's eyes went wide at the sight of the being in the cloak, while Sombra let out a small cackle at the pony's face.
'Oh boy, it's Fluttershy. Wonder what she's doing so far from home?' Sombra muttered to himself with a snicker, before Xion drove him deeper into her pocket.
"Anything you can tell me about her so I know what not to do?" Xion whispered as she came to a stop, the look on Fluttershy's face telling the puppet that the pony was on the verge of panic.
'Sure. Roar as loud as you can and swing your keyblade at her. Maybe she'll drop over dead from the sight.'
"As usual, you're useless," Xion sighed before taking another small step towards the pony, who took a step back in reply. "Hi there. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise you that."
Xion had hoped that her words would calm the pony down, but instead her eyes went even wider and her face turned white.
'Don't bother, puppet. She doesn't see your cute little face or your annoyingly sweet voice. She sees the same thing everypony else sees. Red eyes. Face hidden in darkness. Voice as blank and emotionless as a mannequin. She ain't trust you anytime soon,' Sombra revealed to Xion, who crossed her arms with a sigh. 'All she sees is a monster of darkness.'
"Well, you know her, maybe you can get her to trust me?" Xion asked, getting Sombra to let out a laugh so loud that Fluttershy fell over from fear.
'Yeah, and maybe if you plant me in the ground I'll grow into a brand new pony, complete with a heart and conscious,' Sombra mocked before Xion heard him scoff. 'She's one of the seven that helped to kill me. We're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment. But if you slay her now, Maestro will never get what he wants...'
Ignoring Sombra's less than stellar advice, Xion walked right up to Fluttershy and knelt down in front of the pony. Fluttershy's pupils were barely visible they had shrunken so far, but at the mention of the Maestro Xion figured that she needed to act and soon.
"Look, I get that you're afraid of me and you see me as a monster, but I bet we have other things to worry about right now," Xion said in a serious tone, one that made Fluttershy blink once as the fear began to ebb away. "Someone sent you to this location, same with me. And if I had to wager, we're both in danger right now. So you can sit here and be terrified of me, or you can tell me why you're here and what I can do to help."
Xion's words seemed to have an effect on Fluttershy, who blinked a few times before she swallowed her fear. "I was told that there was an endangered animal in this forest that is being hunted," Fluttershy revealed as she hid behind her mane, her voice softer than a cloud. "He told me that if I wanted to save it, I would need to work with somepony that is nothing more than a fake. Um, would that happen to be...um..."
"Yeah, he was probably talking about me. And what he said to you was most likely to get you out here by yourself," Xion said before turning to glance into the forest, making sure that they weren't being watched. "If you want my advice, go back home and forget the being that talked to you. Anything he says can only end in pain."
"But what if there actually is an endangered creature in need of my help?!" Fluttershy said with a conviction and strength that both Sombra and Xion thought was impossible for her. "I can't just turn away and leave it to die! Even if I have to work with somepony super scary, I still have to help it!"
'Haha, stubborn idiot. How easy it is to take advantage of these Element bearers,' Sombra cackled from within Xion's pocket.
"And yet they beat you...fine, if you're going to go in there, I'm coming with you," Xion told the Pegasus, who looked at the cloaked being with surprise. "Do you have any idea where this injured animal might be?"
"Um, not really, but I can...sense it," Fluttershy muttered as she started to walk towards the forest, as if pulled by an invisible force. "But something is really wrong with it. I can feel that too. There's a darkness in this forest. A darkness the likes of which I've never felt before. A cold, merciless darkness."
'Like Sombra?' Sombra asked before Xion swatted at her pocket.
"No, Sombra was more confused and annoying, not like this," Fluttershy replied. Xion had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing as Sombra made a gagging sound. Fluttershy looked back to Xion, the conviction shining through once more. "And then there's the darkness coming off of you. It's...strange. It's almost like you're just there, nothing more than a shadow. Not cold, not evil...but strange."
"That's a pretty accurate description of me, I guess," Xion said before extending her hand, summoning forth her keyblade in a flash of light. Fluttershy looked at the blade with a shocked expression on her face, but before she could say anything Xion motioned to the forest.
"You can sense this thing. Lead the way."
==== XIII ====
The first wave of heartless caught the both of them completely off guard. Fluttershy had been leading Xion through a small ravine when the heartless poured out of holes of darkness in the rocks, surrounding the both of them instantly. Upon seeing the monsters of darkness that were there to claim her heart, Fluttershy let out a scream and ran straight into a dead end, where she turned around to see the heartless charging towards her.
'Straight into a dead end. So many places for her to go, and she picked there,' Sombra said with a disgusted sigh as Xion drove the keyblade into the back of one of the Shadows head, banishing it back into the darkness. 'For the love of Faust, she's a pegasi. She could just fly straight up and avoid these things. Sweet mercy, she is cowering under her hooves.'
"Trying to focus here, Sombra," Xion snapped while lifting her blade to deflect a strike, before thrusting her arms to the side and generating a burst of magic that pushed the heartless back. She dashed forward and uppercutted one of the Shadows, launching it into the air. She leapt up after it and slammed the blade of her key onto its head, driving it into the ground and turning it back into darkness.
"Fluttershy, this way!" Xion yelled while waving a hand into the air. Fluttershy let out a whimper before racing in-between the opening that Xion had made for her. Fluttershy took cover behind Xion right as the heartless began their next attack, with a Soldier whipping around behind Xion and winding up a kick. Xion caught the movement and rolled out of the way of the kick, before leaping back towards it and cleaving it in two with a single strike.
"Is that a...heart?" Fluttershy asked as the heart trapped within the Soldier was released, ascending into the sky.
"No time for questions, we need to keep moving," Xion instructed as she deflected a lunge from a Shadow. She drove the tip of her blade into the head of the creature and destroyed it, only for three more Soldiers to show up behind Fluttershy. "Argh, they're all going after her. Don't know if I can keep protecting her forever."
'They're most likely after her heart,' Sombra revealed, getting Xion to spare a momentary glance of confusion at where he was stashed. 'Think about it. The heartless go after hearts, the stronger the better, right? Even if you didn't have a heart, she's one of the six champions of this land. If I were them, I bet she would make one heck of a heartless if her heart was taken.'
"The stronger the heart, the more powerful shadow it casts," Xion muttered under her breath before rolling over to Fluttershy's side, cleaving through a pair of Shadows as she did so. She spun around to face the last three heartless before pointing her blade at them. "Fire."
The fireball struck dead center between the heartless, blasting them apart in a massive burst of fire. Xion let out a sigh of relief as she lowered her weapon, before glancing down at her hand. 'I'm still feeling the effects of this land. I had hoped that with time at least some of my full power would return, but...'
"We're almost there," Fluttershy said, snapping Xion out of her thoughts and getting her to look down at the pony. "I can feel it. Whatever I'm here to help, it's just up ahead."
Xion nodded and continued after Fluttershy, resting the keyblade upon her shoulder as she did so. For a few minutes the two of them walked along in silence, but Xion was aware that every few feet Fluttershy would cast a glance Xion's way.
"Go ahead, ask me what you want."
"Oh, I um...what's you're name?"
"Pardon?"
"I was just...you've been...you...do have a name, right?" Fluttershy asked from behind her mane once more. Xion glanced down at the forest floor, not sure that she felt ready to reveal her name to a total stranger. Someone Xion knew practically nothing about. The thing that she knew they had in common was that they were both being used by the Maestro.
'You could always just lie,' said the devil in her pocket.
"Xion..." she said after a few moments of silence.
"Oh...that's a pretty name," Fluttershy said as she peeked out from behind her mane, only to hide behind it once more as Xion's red eyes turned towards her.
"Thanks...is this the place?" Xion asked as the two of them walked into a large clearing, one that was devoid of both tree and grass life.
"Yes, I can feel that there's something wrong here," Fluttershy muttered as she stepped into the clearing, looking around with a confused look upon her face. "But I can't sense the creature that was in need of my help. But what could have happened...?"
Fluttershy's answer came as a colossal beast of darkness leapt through the trees on the edge of the clearing, landing in the middle with enough force to knock both the puppet and the pony off of their legs. The creature looked like a mix between a T-Rex and a bird, with a large, black beak and eyes that were a deep yellow. It had muscular legs and wings that were tucked against its body, while it whipped a feathered tail back and forth. The rest of it was made up of darkness, a darkness that looked familiar to Xion and Sombra. As well as the red symbol that it wore upon its chest.
"Is that what I think it is?" Xion asked with some fear as she took up her fighting stance once more.
'Yep. That is what was supposed to be guarding the water that we totally didn't steal. Only different is I don't remember the thing looking so much like a heartless,' Sombra confirmed for Xion, before his dark aura seemed to grow stronger. 'So the heartless, or Maestro, got to it before it got to us. And you just had to come back in this forest, didn't you?'
The massive heartless let out a roar and charged the three, the ground shaking beneath each of its footsteps. Xion dived out of the way, but when she glanced back over she found that Fluttershy was frozen in place with fear. Realizing that she had to act, Xion raced back over to Fluttershy and tackled her out of the way just as the heartless came charging past. The two rolled across the ground as the monster skidded to a stop, turning on the both of them.
"You need to get out of here," Xion said to Fluttershy as she pulled the pony to her hooves.
'Focus, puppet. The giant heartless is our biggest concern right now!' Sombra reminded her.
Xion pushed Fluttershy to the side before she charged towards the heartless, which let out a roar as it charged towards her. Right when the two were about to collide, Xion leapt up and wrapped her arm around the bottom of the monsters jaw, flipping herself onto its head. The moment she landed she drove her keyblade into the center of the heartless symbol, getting the beast to roar in rage.
"Time for a rodeo!" Xion yelled as she yanked her keyblade to the side, turning the head of the heartless and got to turn in the direction she was pulling. She made the heartless run right into the side of a tree, where she flipped off as the creature collapsed to the ground. The moment she landed she ran up to the head and slashed at it with her blade, managing to get off a string of strikes before the creature pushed itself back up to its feet.
"That thing can take a beating," Xion muttered as she backflipped to gain some distance, taking up a defensive stance as the heartless turned on her once more.
'We should retreat. It's clear that it's stronger than we originally thought. We'll let it eat Fluttershy while we make our escape.'
"Yeah, no."
The heartless lowered its head and opened its beak wide, making Xion raise an eyebrow in confusion. A massive blast of darkness erupted from the creatures maw a moment later, catching Xion completely off guard. She had enough time for her eyes to go wide before the wave of darkness consumed her, throwing her backwards and slamming her into a the side of a cliff face.
'Xion! Get up!' Sombra roared, but all Xion could do was let out a weak groan in reply. Sensing that the key bearer was almost defeated, the heartless let out a bellow before it lunged towards her, shaking the ground with each step as it barreled at Xion.
"STOP!"
Despite being a heartless, the creature came to a stop as the yellow Pegasus flew right in front of its face. "You will not lay a feather on them," Fluttershy told the heartless with a look upon her face that made Sombra shake slightly within Xion's pocket. The heartless did not fear her, but the look upon Fluttershy's face stunned it for just a moment. And a moment was all that Xion needed.
"Time to go down!" she roared as she lunged at the heartless, her keyblade consumed in light magic that formed a blade. Faster than Fluttershy could register Xion slashed through the heartless in a flurry of strikes, getting the beast to roar as light erupted from its eyes and cuts. The heartless then exploded into a spray of darkness, allowing the massive heart that had been trapped within the darkness to finally be freed.
Both Fluttershy and Xion watched as the heart rose into the heavens, radiating a light that caused grass to grown beneath the feet and hooves of the two. Xion then let out a sigh as the light faded from her keyblade, returning it to normal.
'Ugh. I don't feel so good,' Sombra said queasily from within Xion's pocket. Xion opened her pocket and pulled the horn out, while keeping it hidden from Fluttershy.
"You're a horn. You can't feel anything," Xion reminded him.
'Tell that to my stomach. Think I'm going to hurl!'
Xion rolled her eyes before she placed Sombra back into her pocket. She then turned towards Fluttershy, who was looking at where the heartless had vanished with a sad expression on her face.
"What happened to that animal?" she asked Xion when the puppet walked over. "I've heard of those creatures before. They can be territorial, but what it was like was...nothing I've ever seen before. None of those...monsters were like anything I'd ever seen before."
'You shouldn't tell her about the heartless. If they know, they'll get involved. And if they get involved, it will be tougher for us,' Sombra told Xion, but there was none of his usual arrogance in his voice.
"Fluttershy...I can't tell you what they are. All I can tell you is that they're bad news and that I will do everything I can to defeat them," Xion revealed before turning to leave. "You should go back to where you're safe. Stay away from these things and any other voices that tell you to go anywhere. Or else you might end up like that animal."
"Are you sure? Because maybe I could-"
"I work better alone. Trust me," Xion whispered. Fluttershy's gaze softened at Xion's words before she remembered something. She tapped Xion on the back of the coat, getting the puppet to turn to look down at Fluttershy.
"I found this when I was exploring the edge of the forest. I want you to have it," Fluttershy said as she extended a keychain, one that looked like a blue butterfly. Xion reached down at took it from the pony, glancing over it before putting it in the same pocket as Sombra.
"Thanks. See you later."
"Thank you for helping me, Xion. At first I thought you were evil or a monster. But I guess...you're not as scary as I thought," Fluttershy said with a kind smile, one that wasn't hidden behind her mane. Xion flashed her a smile, and for a brief moment Fluttershy saw a smiling face beneath the hood. Then the pony blinked and all that was beneath the hood was darkness. Xion then turned and walked off, leaving Fluttershy to watch the hooded figure go.
"Heartless...that's what Sombra's voice called them," Fluttershy muttered to herself once Xion was gone. "I need to tell Twilight about them...and maybe about Xion."
A burst of fire from the end of Xion's keyblade ignited the small amount of sticks that she had placed into a pile, giving birth to a small campfire. Xion took the gloves off of her hands and extended them towards the fire, while she felt Sombra's horn pull away from the fire in her pocket. The light of the fire made the trees within the forest look ghastly, but as a fellow creature of the dark she wasn't afraid.
"So can you not be around light at all?" she asked him.
'I have an aversion to fire, considering the princess of the sun set me ablaze during our battle,' Sombra clarified for Xion, who took the horn out of her pocket and placed it next to her on the grass. 'And yet despite all of my warnings, you do not have that same aversion for that same princesses little cronies. We shouldn't have saved Fluttershy. Now it's only a matter of time before the princesses come down upon us and try to eradicate us as well.'
"Why? I helped save Fluttershy and unlike the other ponies, Fluttershy is fully aware of that fact."
'You think old tank flank cares about what you did or didn't do? You not apart of the light, the side of good, and she wants you gone,' Sombra informed Xion, but when she raised an eyebrow in response he figured that she was going to need some convincing. 'Alright, here. Discord, lord of chaos, little erratic, was created to be an agent of disharmony. So that's what he did. He messed with ponies, changed the day to night or whatever fun little things he could think of.'
"That sounds like someone I've met before," Xion muttered, vaguely able to recall a blue being with similar powers.
'Well anyway, he rubbed Celestia the wrong way. So you know what she and her sister did? Sealed him in stone. For over a thousand years.' Sombra watched with delight as Xion's eyes went wide and a question started to form on her lips. 'That's right. And yes, he was aware of each painful year that passed. He couldn't move, talk, breath...all he could do was watch. Now luckily for him he was already insane, so the experience didn't drive him mad, but what boils my nonexistent blood is that he was sealed in stone...all for being himself. Does that sound fair?'
"No...no that's horrible," Xion whispered as she clenched her own fists, flashing back to all the pain she had to endure because she had been created a copy. "How could Celestia do that to him? How could any of them live with themselves after inflicting that kind of suffering on another being?!"
'Quite easily, because it wasn't too long after that they did the same to me. Except I was imprisoned in ice and not stone, but little difference. Now I'll grant you that I'm no saint, but I was given the same treatment. And all because I wasn't apart of the light. Because my darkness just didn't fit in with Celestia's little "Utopia" of a world. Like I said puppet, the darkness is fading in this land. And Celestia's helping to drive it into it's grave.'
'That is why I need so badly to reform my body, so I can reverse what she is doing,' Sombra continued on, the darkness that was radiating from his horn slowly extinguishing the light of the fire. 'Darkness needs to be in Equestria, but Celestia and her cronies won't let it. So we must all suffer for their beliefs.'
"But Fluttershy didn't seem like someone that would destroy the darkness. In fact, she seemed fairly nice to me despite seeing me as a monster," Xion pointed out.
'Fluttershy is kind to everything. It is literally her Element. And you're right, I can't put the blame on Fluttershy and her friends for their crimes against the darkness. After all, all their lives they've been fed the crap that Celestia has given them. But of course, the princess of the sun only wants eternal light. And we can't let her have that.'
"I'm going to have to fight her, aren't I?" Xion asked Sombra. When he didn't answer she glanced down at the horn, swearing for just a moment that she heard laughter.
'No, fighting Celestia is the last thing we want to do right now. Being of light in a land of light; that will end badly for beings of darkness like us. What we need to do is restore the balance, then the fight will be on fairer footing. And with your skills, I have no doubt you could defeat her in an even fight. At least, physically. Your magical prowess leaves a lot to be desired.'
"What's wrong with my magical skills?" Xion asked defensively as she crossed her arms. The pouting look on her face got a chuckle out of Sombra, who then used his dark powers to summon a black ball of darkness, which he then hurled into the air. The blast exploded above them, raining down a darkness that blocked out all light and chilled the warmth of the fire.
'You are not using them to their full potential. You still fight like those you are...inspired by, but in reality you are more of a mage than a warrior,' Sombra said to her as the spell faded and the fire returned to its normal strength, but Xion was now looking at the horn with a wary expression. 'Make no mistake, puppet. I still posses every single spell and ability I have learned. I just lake the physical form to draw strength from. But...'
"I hate it when you say but," Xion grumbled, but was far too invested at this point.
'But if you drew upon my knowledge with your strength and keyblade, you might be able to reach a level of magic that was sealed off even to me,' Sombra tempted. 'Also, there is the threat of the Maestro. If you do not have the power to best him, then it doesn't matter what you want. He'll simply end you again.' His words got Xion thinking and she summoned her keyblade, looking at it for a long time before she sighed.
"You're right. Against someone as powerful and evil as the Maestro, I need to become stronger. At least until I can reach the beach," Xion said in a whisper as she held her keyblade aloft, the light from the fire reflecting off of its silver blade. Then she flashed a glance at the horn. "But I'll say this now. I am only learning your dark arts for him. Not for Celestia or any of those that follow her. You're an amazing liar, Sombra. So forgive me if I don't trust everything you say."
'I'd be insulted if you trusted me so easily,' Sombra cackled, before raising an eyebrow as Xion pulled out the blue butterfly that Fluttershy had given her. 'So what do you want to do with that? We can pawn it at the next town to make some cash, but other than that...'
"This is actually more important than you realize," Xion said as she reached towards the hilt of her weapon and unclipped the keychain at the end of it, which Sombra noticed for the first time had a shape with three circles attached. She placed that keychain in her pocket before reaching for the butterfly, pulling on it and revealing that it had a keychain as well. She then clipped that keychain to the end of her weapon.
The keyblade erupted into a flash of light, one that momentarily blinded the horn. When he could see again he was struck dumb by what had become of Xion's weapon. The silver blade looked now like a log decorated with flowers. Where the teeth of the key had been near the top now rested a blue butterfly. The guard of the weapon had gone from a golden handle to the roots of a plant, one that made Xion's guard more circular in design. And where the blade met the hilt was a pink butterfly, the same kind as the one's on Fluttershy's flank.
'What happened to the keyblade?' Sombra asked as Xion gave the keyblade a few swings, smiling down at the horn now that she had confused him.
"Whenever I change the keychain, the keyblade changes in form," Xion explained before closing her eyes for a moment, only to open them with a large smile. "Okay, so I lose a bit of striking power, but gain a bit of a buff in magic. That will be useful for our lessons. And I get cure boost? Nice."
'So...this new form...makes your magic stronger, but somehow weakens you physically?' Sombra tried to piece together.
"Not really, it just makes it so hitting with this thing doesn't do as much. All different versions of the keyblade have different powers and abilities," Xion said before she made the keyblade disappear and she sat back down. Sombra pondered over what he had just learned for a long minute before he let out a chuckle that drew Xion's attention.
'And of course, you got this power up after you helped Fluttershy, one of the six ponies that the Maestro wanted you to meet. That's quite the coincidence.' Sombra was happy to see Xion's eyes narrow, telling him that she had caught onto what he was saying. 'That's right, puppet. A keychain, something specific to your weapon, was found here on our world. After the Maestro brought you here. Along with the heartless.'
"So either he brought the keychains here or he's changing this world for a reason," Xion pieced together, growling to herself before she stood up and kicked some dirt over the fire to extinguish it. "We need to get practicing. And moving. As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Maestro's going to keep messing with this world whether I want to be apart of this or not."
'Oh ho ho, haven't heard that kind of conviction in your voice since the last time we saved all those little, innocent ponies from having their hearts ripped out. Maestro got you that riled up, huh?'
"Are you going to teach me or not?"
'...very well, I always wanted my own pupil, considering every other pupil I took on was consumed by the dark magic. But that's a good thing for you, puppet, because that means there's a vacancy and you're the only one around to fill it. Come on puppet, time to lead down the path to the dark side.'
====== XIII ======
Xion had thought that in order to learn they would have headed to a library or perhaps a school to learn more about magic. To her surprise, Sombra brought them to a cave in the middle of nowhere, one that Xion never would have found had Sombra not shown where it was. He then demanded that she head deeper into the cave and she begrudgingly did so, only to find herself amazed beyond her dreams.
'Incredible, isn't it?' Sombra asked as Xion gazed around at the cavern within, a cavern filled to the brim with crystals of all shapes and colors. All of the crystals glowed with a power and light that illuminated the cavern and the tunnels, but Xion could also feel that the crystals were more attuned to her than they were the light. This was a place of darkness. And she had a feeling Sombra knew that.
"This one of your secret hidden lair that you liked to brag about so much?" Xion asked Sombra as she moved further into the cavern, amazed by how the crystals seemed to be leading her down a path.
'Heh, I considered turning this place into a lair of mine a while back, but then I got attacked and those plans, along with me, were put on ice,' Sombra corrected, his horn drawing tiny bits of magic from the crystals as Xion passed by them. 'But this place has always been a bit of a comfort zone to me, a place where I can come to submerge myself in darkness. You've felt it, haven't you?'
"Yeah, this place feels...right," Xion agreed before she was stopped by a large door. It was formed out of crystals, but she could all see the wooden frame and iron hinges behind the crystals as well. She summoned her keyblade once more and unlocked the door, stepping back as the door slowly creaked open.
'This is one of the last places in Equestria where both light and darkness are in perfect balance,' Sombra stated for Xion, who stepped through the door once it was finished opening. She entered into a large, circular chamber that housed very little within it, aside from a large circle in the middle of the room that held no crystal or rock. Only a circle of solid glass in the center.
"I feel at peace here," Xion said as she closed her eyes and walked onto the glass circle, able to physically feel the weight that had been upon her slowly begin to melt away. "Especially here. It's like...there's nothing. There's no Maestro, no ponies needing help from the heartless...nothing."
'How observant of you. This is a circle of nothing,' Sombra informed Xion, who knelt down and placed her hands over her knees. 'It's an anomaly. Here I tried to erase both light and darkness and this was the end result. A circle where there is no light and darkness. Nothing.'
"I guess that's why I feel so content here. As I am a being of nothingness."
'I'm not going down this path with you again. Now summon your keyblade once more and stand up.' Xion did as she was instructed, rising to her feet and summoning her butterfly keyblade to her side. As she did so crystals of the darkest black emerged from the ceiling, all of them resembling different ponies. Xion assumed that they were ponies that had ticked Sombra off at some point in his life.
'Now then puppet, do you know the trick to summoning the power of dark magic?' Sombra asked.
"I think so. You need to focus on negative emotions, such as hatred and sorrow, to-"
'Wrong! Gah, you're eating the same kind of crap that Celestia feeds the rest of her nation,' Sombra cut her off before she could continue, getting Xion to make a pouting face. 'Darkness is not based on evil, just like light is not based on good. Only the cheapest of dark magic users base their power on those emotions. The way to truly use the darkest and purest of dark magic...is to embrace it.'
"Pardon?"
'You must embrace the darkness the same way almost every living being embraces the light. Do not be try to control it completely, but do not let it swallow you. The darkness is a part of you. It is your ally, just like the light. Now embrace that darkness and channel it into your blade.'
Xion pointed her blade towards the targets after Sombra instructed her, closing her eyes and focusing on the darkness within her. For a long time she felt nothing at all, but then she slowly began to become aware of a feeling within her. A feeling that was not good nor evil, but...strange.
'So you are what my darkness feels like, huh?' she asked, but got no answer. She then let out a sigh before concentrating with all of her focus. 'Do not try to command it, but do not let it swallow me. Just accept that it is a part of me and call upon its power. Call upon the other half of the coin.'
She held that thought for what felt like hours, trying to focus all of those feelings and will into her weapon. But she slowly began to grow more and more frustrated as she felt nothing happen. No wave of power washing over her, no blast to tell her that she had launched a spell. She was just about to give up when she heard Sombra speak.
'Xion...open your eyes.'
Xion did so and to her amazement she found that her keyblade was covered in a blade as black as the cloak that she wore. But unlike the cloak the blade was see through, allowing her to see the keyblade that it was now covering. She moved her blade and looked over it, before gingerly reaching out with her finger and poking the blade of darkness.
It vanished the moment she touched it, but for the brief second that she could feet it she felt...strange. Just like the darkness inside of her. "What happened?" she asked Sombra a minute after the blade had vanished, but to her surprise Sombra waited a long time before he finally answered her.
'It was strange, to say the least. First you summoned that blade of light, just like when you fought the heartless. Then you summoned the blade of darkness and I wanted to tell you to open your eyes. But then it changed once more. The light and the darkness became one for a brief moment. Your blade then felt empty, like it was lacking something important. I used my magic to help you a bit and managed to return the blade back to the one of darkness you just saw.'
"So what happened?"
'The best I can figure...the way I taught you to draw out the darkness was to draw upon the darkness within you,' Sombra began, before he had to stop for another few minutes to think. 'But you drew out something else along with that darkness. Something that wasn't quite light, wasn't quite dark...and wasn't nothing. And I don't know what it is.'
"Does this mean I can't use the power of dark magic then?"
'Actually, it seems that this has confirmed my suspicions. You are more suited to magic than you are close quarters, though you're not bad at that either,' Sombra corrected, though his voice told Xion that he was still very much lost in his own thoughts. 'But as with all skills, it will take time to learn. This time I'm going to teach you how to use bolts of darkness, a personal favorite next to smoke. Now pay close attention, for this is where it gets difficult.'
"I don't know about this, Sombra," Xion said with some hesitation as she looked towards the entrance of the small village, hood covering her face as best it could. "The last time I was in a populated area, it ended with the both of us running for our lives while a bunch of ponies with spears chased us. And I have a bad feeling that this will end similarly."
'And if it does, you can use those impressive keyblade skills to fend them off. Or kill them all. Whichever you prefer,' Sombra replied with a small laugh. Xion braced herself for the chaos that was sure to follow before she walked into the village, doing her best to breath calmly as she entered.
The village was smaller than the Crystal Empire, which was to be expected, but what Xion hadn't been expecting was for every pony to be on high alert. Guards ran past her with rusty armor and weapons that hadn't seen use in a long time. Ponies walked in groups with at least one unicorn in them, with all of them watching the shadows with close eyes. And the moment she came into view, everypony in the town turned and glared at her, giving Xion a moment to realize that she would most likely have to fight her way out of the town.
"Remind me again why I have to do this?" Xion whispered to the horn in her pocket, who chuckled slightly at the sight of all of the ponies trying to look tough.
'Because an old friend of mine lives here, an immortal being that has aided me in the past...for a price,' Sombra replied in a whisper as well, knowing full well that the ponies were watching closely. 'Their house is that one over there with the red roof. Hasn't changed it in a thousand years. That's where we're heading. She has what I seek.'
"Problem. These ponies look like their going to trying and attack at any moment," Xion replied as some of the ponies began to close in on her, making her decide whether or not she pulled out the keyblade then and there. "And I would prefer not to attack them. I'm already on shaky ground with them already."
'Then this is the perfect time for another lesson,' Sombra replied before a stream of darkness poured from Xion's coat pocket. The ponies in the area only had a moment to cry out before the smoky darkness overwhelmed them. Xion was about to yell at Sombra, but then the darkness pulled away and the ponies were left with little clouds of darkness floating around their eyes. They blinked in confusion and began to walk away from where Xion stood, muttering to themselves.
"What did you do?" Xion asked Sombra, only for her not to receive an answer. Angling her back so that it faced the ponies, Xion reached into her pocket and pulled out Sombra's horn, which was a dull orange and seemed to be cracked slightly. "Sombra, are you alright? You're never silent for this long."
'Go...to...house...' Sombra replied in a weak tone, one that made Xion concerned for the horn. But with little other choice, Xion placed the horn in her pocket and walked towards the house. She eyed the ponies of the village the entire time she walked towards the house, but to her amazement she found that none of the ponies so much as gave her a second glance. Even the ones that she walked towards moved out of her way at the last second, the darkness still floating around their eyes.
Xion reached the house with the red roof, but when she did she found it was so much more than that. Plants grew along the side of the house, but each of them was a different plant that seemed to be older than the house. Different brick work made up the house, with different styles built into it. Then there was the air around the house, air that was ancient and powerful, getting Xion to instantly be on guard as she reached up and knocked against a green door.
"Come in," a voice said from within as the door creaked open, getting Xion to stare into the darkness for a moment before she entered within. If she had thought that the house was odd on the outside, the inside of the house made Xion's eyes widen with shock.
What she noticed first was the jars. There were hundreds of them, each of them holding different things within them. Heads, claws, goo: almost anything she could think of was within the jars. But what truly drew Xion's eye, aside from the ugly green curtains and rugs, was the being sitting in one of the chairs, a being that had a serpents lower half and the upper half of a pony, one with a long, black mane and a crimson coat.
"What do we have here? Another creature of the night?" the serpent mare asked as she slithered close to Xion, who summoned her keyblade and pointed it at the serpent, who stopped her advance and looked at the blade with interest. "And a creature that wields a strange weapon, one that holds both light and darkness within it. How curioussssss."
"I'm here because I need something from you. Or rather, he does," Xion began as she took out Sombra's horn and placed it on a table made of glass to her side, getting the mare's eyebrows to raise before she began to laugh to herself. Faster than Xion thought possible the serpent lady swiped the horn from the table and held it close to her slit like eyes.
"Oh the might king of the Crystal Empire, reduced to such a state as this," the serpent laughed with joy, before tossing the horn back to Xion before she turned towards her jar and began to shift through the numerous glasses. "But now that I have seen him, I know what he is here for. Heaven's tears."
"What's that?" Xion asked, keeping her blade pointed at the serpent at all times. The serpent lady paid the weapon no mind as she pulled a jar from the shelf, one that was filled with a bluish black liquid that had specks of white within it, mirroring the stars at night.
"Heaven's tears," the serpent lady replied as she placed the jar on the table, getting Xion to stare at it as the contents within circle inside of the glass and made it look like a swirling cosmos. "An item that can be used to infuse the strongest of items together flawlessly. And if Sombra is planning what I think he is planning, then he will be in desperate need of this."
"Um, thanks. We'll just take that and be on our way," Xion muttered as she reached out for the jar, but the serpent lady chuckled as she pulled the jar closer to her. "Let me guess, there's something that you want in return and you want me to go get it for you, don't you?"
"How clever of you. That's exactly what I want," the serpent lady said with a toothy smile, one that made Xion shiver slightly. The serpent pulled out a map and placed it on the table in front of Xion, who noticed that it was a map of the area, with a large, red X on a certain point of it. "Here lies a mountain where I gathered my minerals for my potions and other items. But recently there have been...creatures there that have made it impossible to obtain my minerals. I would like you to be rid of them."
"How do you know that I can get rid of them?" Xion asked, even though she had already figured out what the creatures were and that she was already going to have to take care of them.
"Sombra would not choose you unless there was something special about you. And from the weapon you wield, I can see that you are indeed special," the mare replied with a chuckle as she stared at the forest styled keyblade. "So yes, I believe that you are the perfect one for the job. Even more so than that pink pony that offered to help me a day ago."
"Another pony was willing to fight those monsters?" Xion asked with some moderate surprise.
"Yes. And I will promise you the same thing I promised her, just to sweeten the deal," the mare said as she reached behind her and pulled out a keychain, one that had a bright blue balloon making up most of the chain. Xion's eyes narrowed as she realized what the serpent lady held, getting the serpent to chuckle. "Ah, I see this is far more valuable to you than it is her. Well, if you wish to get it, then you must slay those monsters. Off you go."
The lady let out another laugh as she coiled around a column and ascended to the second floor of her house, leaving Xion to watch her go before she turned and exited the house, shivering once she was outside of the house. "Okay, that was super creepy. Sombra, you awake yet?"
'Give me another five minutes,' Sombra grunted, only to be shaken awake when Xion shook Sombra quickly in her hand. 'Fine, I'm up I'm up. Ugh, so did you manage to work out a deal with my dear Gorgana?'
"That her name? She never said it," Xion muttered.
'Of course not, nopony in this town knows that she's a gorgon. All any of them see is her upper half and even then she's often cloaked in darkness,' Sombra explained in a tired tone.
"What about her eyes?"
'Contacts. Speaking of things in the darkness, I take it my blinding spell worked to perfection?' Sombra asked, getting Xion to look around at all of the ponies that were walking right past her without so much as a look.
"Is that what you did? I wondered why everypony stopped looking at me with murder in their eyes," Xion muttered to herself, banishing the keyblade as she quickly moved towards the edge of town. "But that spell of yours seems to have taken a lot out of you. You were quiet for a full ten minutes before you spoke again. I've never heard you quiet that long."
'Hahaha, sometimes I wonder why I keep you around,' Sombra replied in a grumbling tone. Xion was about to reply before a newspaper floated in front of her, getting Xion to look down at the horn with confusion. 'I snatched this from Gorgana's house when she wasn't looking. Take a look at the front page and see what your "good deeds" have done for us.'
"You stole from one of your oldest friends?" Xion asked in disbelief as she grabbed the newspaper and looked at the front of it.
'She knew full well what she was letting into her home. Her fault for not nailing it down,' Sombra replied with a laugh, but at that point Xion wasn't listening. She was far too busy reading the headline with both rage and amazement filling up her thoughts.
"Monsters of darkness have been popping up all over Equestria, attacking any and all with a merciless wrath, while doing everything in their power to take the hearts of ponies," Xion read, ignoring the king of darkness. "Regular weapons cannot hurt the creatures, but magic has been found to repel the creatures if a strong enough spell is used. All ponies are advised to stay around at least one unicorn, preferably more. Well, at least they've figured out that the Heartless don't like magic."
'Yeah, and if you keep reading you'll find that Twilight was the one that found out that the Heartless don't like magic, not Celestia or Luna. Another reason to trap those two far away from anypony with brains and let me take control of the world once again,' Sombra said, getting Xion to scroll down to the part he was talking about. 'Did you read the part that they mentioned about you?'
"Yeah, I read it. A being in a black cloak has also been spotted along with the creatures of darkness and it seems to be far more powerful than them. Extreme caution should be used in dealing with the creature. Do not engage unless an Ambassador of Harmony or a princess is nearby," Xion read with some heat in her voice, before she crumpled the paper and kicked it away from her. "I can't believe it. Help some ponies out and get labeled as a monster. No good deed, am I right?"
'Hey, I wanted to read the funnies.'
"Ugh, come on, let's go destroy these Heartless and hope that nothing else dangerous shows up to mess up my day. Especially the Maestro," Xion grumbled to herself as she shoved her hands into her pockets and stalked towards the mountains near the town. Once she had been walking for a few minutes and had a chance to calm down, another question crossed her mind.
"So, you know this pink pony, don't you?" Xion asked Sombra.
'Yeah, I do. Pinkie Pie is another of the Ambassadors and one of the more annoying ones at that,' Sombra grumbled in an annoyed tone. 'She's a party animal and has a smile so bright it can kill a being of darkness who looks at her. She's also got...strange abilities that makes her a hassle to deal with.'
"Think I'll have to fight her?"
'Highly unlikely. Pinkie is the friendliest of the Ambassador's by a wide margin, to the point where she comes across as a stalker. She will try to make friends with you, no matter what you do,' Sombra warned Xion, who was having issues seeing how making friends was a bad thing. 'Honestly, if you want to cut her head off before she can say anything along the lines of parties, I'll be your best friend for eternity.'
"Yeah, I'm not going to do that," Xion replied as she looked up to see that they had reached the mountains, getting a sigh to escape her lips as she saw that she was in for a heck of a climb. With nothing else to do but climb, Xion began to scale the cliff before her. For a long time she scaled in silence, amazed that Sombra hadn't said anything yet.
'So do you have any family?' Sombra eventually asked. The question was so sudden and out of left field that Xion had to stop climbing to look down at the horn.
"What?"
'Family? You got any?'
"Where did this come from?"
'Well, just seeing my old friend again reminded me of families and connections and...' Sombra began, before he saw the look Xion was giving him and he let out a laugh. 'Alright, you caught me. I'm just trying to find out more about you, puppet. Since we're going to be stuck together for a while, figure I might as well find out who my buddy is.'
"So if I have any weakness you can exploit them later."
'See, you get me. So come on. Mom? Dad? Brothers or sisters?'
"No...I'm a creation, remember?" Xion said before she started to walk along a small ledge on the side of the mountain. "A science experiment that went horribly wrong. Or horribly right, depending on who you asked."
'See, isn't that better than that whole I'm made of nothing crap you were spewing?'
"For the love of...better. Yeah, that's the word I would use," Xion grumbled as she grabbed hold of a branch and used it to pull herself up to another ledge. "Being used unknowingly to try and kill my best friend while being manipulated to become the ultimate weapon for an organization that wanted to steal the hearts of the worlds. That's better than being made of nothing."
'Whoo, touched a nerve there, did I?' Sombra asked. 'But you mentioned an organization? Care to talk about them?'
"Here's all you need to know. Eleven jerks decided to form a group to get back their hearts and take over the worlds and all of that evil organization crap," Xion muttered while taking a rest on another ledge, staring out across the land as she did so.
'But you said one of them was your best friend. Is this the Roxas I heard you saying in your sleep?' Sombra asked coyly, getting Xion's face to soften as she glanced down at her hands. 'Ah, there's some feelings for this one, eh? Well tell me all about him, then.'
"We were just close friends, nothing else. But...yeah, he was my first friend in the organization," Xion said with a small smile recalling some of the few good memories that she still had. "He helped me...become me, in a way. Then I met Axel and the three of us became a group. We'd do our missions, hang out and eat ice cream together. Those were...the best days I've ever had. And I haven't had that many."
"And then I found out I was created to steal Roxas's power and then be used as a weapon. That's what I was created to be," Xion said with venom, getting Sombra to be slightly surprised by the sudden change in attitude. "And so Roxas and I fought. And he killed me. End of my story. Or it was supposed to be."
'Okay, I've heard that bit at the end before. I still don't care. The organization sounds much more interesting, but you clearly don't want to talk about them. Fine,' Sombra said in a tone Xion couldn't figure out. 'But you've just given me an idea on how to help you with your magic training. See, there's another great emotion that can draw our your inner power. Vengeance.'
"Vengeance?" Xion asked. "I thought you said that negative emotions were a cheap way to access the power of darkness?"
'They are, but vengeance, especially justified vengeance, can be a very powerful force,' Sombra cackled in a menacing tone. 'And you seem to fit that bill perfectly.'
Xion wanted to answer, but before she could an explosion rocked the mountain tops, followed by a stream of confetti that rained down upon the both of them. 'Hold that thought. Seems that Pinkie has found those Heartless that we're here to deal with. Onward, my noble puppet!'
"How am I supposed to find her?" Xion asked as she rose to her feet and took off running.
The confetti lead the two beings of the darkness to the pink party pony, who was fending off a swarm of heartless with cakes, cookies and a giant cannon that fired giant blasts of confetti into the faces of the heartless. Xion came skidding to a stop at the top of a ridge that looked down over where the battle was taking place, allowing Xion a moment to gather her breath while surveying the situation.
'Pinkie seems to be handling the situation pretty well,' Sombra muttered from Xion's left hand as the two of them watched Pinkie flip over two of the Shadows and drop a party bomb onto them, which then exploded into candy and streamers while the Heartless flew into the air.
"She's fending them off, but she's failing to actually hurt any of them," Xion replied to Sombra as she pointed at the Heartless that had been sent flying. They both crashed into the ground, but a moment later were back up and battling with the pink horse again with no injuries. "Just like I said, the Heartless can't be hurt with everyday weaponry. Either the keyblade or some form of magic is needed to hurt them. This is a loosing battling for Pinkie."
'Well are we going to sit up here and watch her be consumed by the darkness? Or are you going to be a hero and get down in there to save her? Because I know where my vote goes.'
Xion summoned her keyblade and leapt down into the fray, hurling the blade of light into the horde of Heartless. it cleaved them into shreds and caused three of them to vanish, while the others were knocked back from the pink pony. Xion landed next to Pinkie and extended her hand, summoning the keyblade back into her grasp before she took up a fighting stance.
"You alright?" Xion asked Pinkie, who nodded her head with a smile as she gazed up at Xion. Pinkie's face filled with confusion as she looked at Xion, before she rubbed her eyes and turned her attention back to the Heartless. "Your cannon and weapons can't harm them. But they can keep the Heartless distracted. If you can keep them busy I can finish them off."
"Sounds like a plan, mysterious person! Let's send these beings of darkness crying home to their mommy's!" Pinkie laughed before throwing numerous pies that she had been concealing somewhere. Each of her pies caught one of the Heartless in the face, making it so the entire swarm was covered in an assortment of flavors and cream. Xion was upon the Heartless in a second, slashing through the Shadows with a merciless precision. In one swift motion she disappeared from Pinkie's side and appeared on the other side of the Heartless, twirling her blade once before driving the tip into the ground. When she did so, all of the Heartless exploded into darkness, leaving only toppings and fruity filling behind.
'Well that takes care of that. Think that was all of them?' Sombra asked Xion as the puppet banished her keyblade, before she lifted her hood and covered her head with it.
"Doubtful. Where there is one Heartless there is generally hundreds more," Xion replied as she turned to leave, only to take a step back in surprise when she found the pink pony with the poofy mane standing in front of her. "Um, can I help you?"
"Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet you!" Pinkie said with a smile as she extended a hoof to Xion. Xion stared at it for a moment before she gently reached out and shook Pinkie's hoof. The pink pony then started to bounce around Xion, who had to constantly turn so that her eyes weren't off Pinkie for even a moment. "I've never seen anypony like you before! But you don't look like a pony. Are you new to these lands? And are you that cloaked being that Twilight told us all about?"
"Slow down and one question at a time, please," Xion replied as she tried to process all of the questions at once, but Pinkie was too busy asking more questions to hear Xion's request.
'What did I tell you? She has two settings. Intense and get her off of me,' Sombra cackled from within Xion's pocket and Xion understood perfectly why Sombra had warned her. After another minute of asking questions, Pinkie finally paused for a breath and allowed Xion a chance to cut in.
"Look, Pinkie, I appreciate you being so...talkative, but you need to get away from this place. This is no place for a being of light like yourself," Xion told Pinkie while surveying the area, finding the entrance to a cave in the stone walls.
"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked Xion as Xion was walking away from Pinkie. When Xion didn't answer, Pinkie zipped over to her side and walked alongside the puppet, much to Xion's annoyance. "What were those things? You called them Heartless, but a being can't have a heart? But what if they don't? Does that mean they can laugh? They can't enjoy parties?! What kind of life is that?!"
"Pinkie," Xion said in a far more serious tone, getting Pinkie to look up at Xion once more. Yet this time Xion noticed that Pinkie was squinting her eyes at Xion's face, almost like she was trying to see something. "You can't be here. These Heartless will tear out your heart and turn you into one of them. Not only would that make someone I hate very happy, but it would also mean that your friends would lose you. And I won't let any other friendships be ruined."
"Thanks for thinking of me, but I'm a protector of Equestria. And these Heartless have been real big meanies and somepony needs to teach them some manners. And I'm the only pony around here that seems to be able to. At least, until I met you," Pinkie replied, getting Xion to sigh in exasperation. "So I need to help these ponies fight the darkness. Because it seems this darkness is way, way worse than any other we've faced. And one time Flim and Flam tried to outlaw smiles! Which was terrible!"
'I warned you,' Sombra added in.
Xion wanted to argue, but at that moment the three of them reached the entrance to the cave. Xion narrowed her eyes and stared into the darkness, gritting her teeth as she felt something both dark and powerful within the depths. But knowing that she needed to get rid of all of the Heartless to get what Sombra needed, Xion summoned her keyblade once more and marched into the depths.
"Fire," she muttered and caught the end of her blade alight, allowing some light to fill the depths of darkness. The cave entrance hadn't done the cavern within any favors, as the space that Xion, Sombra and Pinkie found themselves in was massive, with numerous branching paths. In the middle of the giant cavern was a massive gate, one that was held tight with chains. "Why do I have a feeling that whatever we're here to fight is behind that gate?"
'Can't you just open it with your keyblade? Like you've done every other lock we've come across?' Sombra asked, only for Xion to shake her head.
"You see a lock on that thing? No, looks like the only way to open it is to go down these side paths and destroy whatever is within them that's holding up that gate," Xion said with an experts opinion, remembering times that she had to do similar tasks in the past.
"Okay then, what do you need me to do, stranger?" Pinkie asked Xion, who looked down to see that Pinkie had followed her into the cavern. "Fight more of the Heartless? Use my Pinkie sense to figure out which paths we need to go down? Cupcake?" Pinkie finished as she offered a cupcake to the puppet.
"No, what and sure," Xion replied as she took the cupcake from Pinkie, placing it in her inventory for later. "Pinkie, what I want you to do is go back to the surface and stay out of this. I will not risk losing your heart to the Heartless. Let me deal with this."
"Alright then, miss bossy, I'll leave you alone if you can answer me a simple question. Which of these paths contain whatever it is you're looking for?" Pinkie asked Xion. Xion wanted to answer right away, but as she looked at the numerous paths, some of which branched off even further, she realized that she had no idea how to proceed any further. "See, you have no idea where to go. But with my Pinkie sense, I can figure out which of these paths you need to go down! I can help!"
"And I'm really supposed to believe that you have a special ability that would allow you to find your way in all of this?" Xion asked in a disbelieving tone.
'You mock her, but she's the weirdest out of her friends and I don't just mean her personality. Remember those strange powers I told you about?' Sombra reminded Xion. 'Yeah, one of them seems to be this strange sense of hers that allows her to do practically whatever she wants. Annoying, but useful.'
"But it's too dangerous. She could lose her heart," Xion replied to Sombra while Pinkie watched the being in the cloak argue with herself, not at all bothered by it. She'd lost a few arguments to herself before as well.
'Again, you underestimate the Ambassadors of Harmony. I thought that they were just six idiots with a power they didn't know how to use and then they blew me up. Just because they don't have the keyblade doesn't mean they can't be useful. Not to mention I don't care in the slightest if Pinkie loses her heart or gets ripped apart, but time is of the essence and right now you don't know jack about this cave. We need her help and if I can admit that, so can you.'
"I hate it when you're right. Good thing that's not often," Xion grumbled to herself before glancing over at Pinkie, who still wore a smile on her face. "Alright then, Pinkie, I guess you can show us-ME to where we need to go. But after that I need you to promise that you'll leave this cave and the Heartless to me. Alright?"
"Okay, I promise," Pinkie replied in a deadpan tone.
'Make her Pinkie promise,' Sombra added on, but Xion chose to ignore him and motioned for Pinkie to lead the way. Without a seconds delay Pinkie bounced into one of the tunnels and motioned for Xion to follow her, which the puppet did so with a sigh.
Xion had been expecting traps or Heartless or numerous other things, but the tunnel was surprisingly empty aside from the occasional strange rock or glowing mushrooms growing out of the walls. The pair reached the end of the tunnel to find a strange sphere floating in the air, one that was filled with the power of darkness. Xion narrowed her eyes before a single swing of her blade cleaved the sphere in two, causing it to burst apart in a shower of light.
"One down," Xion muttered to herself as she heard what sounded like a chain breaking, figuring that the sphere had been connected to the door. Xion then glanced down at Pinkie, who was smiling up at Xion with a happy look on her face. "Thanks. Think you can lead me to the other ones?"
"No problem! There's only four left anyway!" Pinkie pointed out as she started to hop along at a much faster pace, making Xion wonder how Pinkie knew all of the things she did.
'Don't question it or you may end up driving yourself insane, which would be bad for me,' Sombra muttered to Xion, who decided this time to take his advice.
Pinkie lead Xion down another tunnel, one that was hardly different than the one they had just been down. But this time Pinkie warned Xion in advance to crouch as they walked through the tunnel. Xion did so, though she saw nothing in the dark tunnel that gave her a reason to crouch down. At the end of the tunnel was another sphere of darkness, same as the first.
"Alright, let's deal with you," Xion muttered before her blade flashed in the darkness, cleaving the sphere in half and causing the sound of a chain breaking to echo throughout the cavern. As she turned and started to walk back down the tunnel Xion said, "Two more to go and then we can figure out what-"
"GET DOWN!"
With a speed Xion couldn't begin to fathom she was tackled to the ground by a pink blur, landing on her back just in time to see two blades of shattered magic slash through the air where she had been standing a moment ago. Xion blinked twice as the recognition began to sink in, while Pinkie rose to her hooves and glared at where the blades had come from. She then offered a hoof to Xion, who took it and was pulled back up to her feet.
"Um, thanks," Xion weakly said, still trying to process what had just happened. "How did you know that the blades were there? I didn't see any indication that told me."
"Pinkie sense. It has a warning for all sorts of dangers. But I will admit, that was a new feeling," Pinkie admitted as she shivered slightly in place. "I've never had such a cold, loathsome feeling course through my body before. Whoever made those traps has no ounce of remorse or kindness in their body. Scary...oh well, let's keep moving! Just two to go!"
Pinkie bounded ahead happily, humming her tune to herself as she did so. Xion didn't follow after her right away and instead pulled out Sombra's horn and looked down at it with a nervous expression on her face. "That power...that was the Maestro's power, wasn't it?"
'Yeah. And had Pinkie not stepped in, you'd be missing your pretty little head,' Sombra said in a low voice, one that made Xion shiver slightly. 'So this entire area has been his doing. Which means there's probably a reason for the door and all of the spheres. But what gets me is why would he use chains on the door and what could possibly be behind it?'
"It couldn't be a Heartless, could it?" Xion asked Sombra, who gave no reply. "I mean, the Heartless can travel anywhere through the dark corridor, so it's impossible to actually trap one of them. But then again, I thought it would be impossible to bring me back to life and somehow he managed to do it."
'Well we won't know what's in there until we open the door, won't we?' Sombra asked with one of his cackles, but when Xion didn't respond he ceased laughing. 'Look, whatever it is I know you can handle it. You were picked to be my student after all, so if you lose to whatever abomination that freak thought up, I will be very disappointed. So if you can't win for you, do it for me.'
"And that's supposed to motivate me?" Xion asked with a small chuckle before she saw Pinkie bound back into view. "You're right Sombra. I've got to face whatever it is that Maestro has in store for me. After all, if I can't beat his henchmen, how in the worlds am I supposed to defeat him?"
'Now you're thinking like my student. Onward!'
Xion followed Pinkie into the next tunnel, this time listening to her advice and doing everything she told her to do. At the end of that tunnel was another sphere of darkness and like the other two it went down in a single strike. The two moved carefully back to the front of the tunnel, before Xion tossed her blade inside to trigger the traps so that no curious pony would get caught in there in the future. One that was done, she and Pinkie returned to the main room, where to their surprise they found the final sphere floating in the middle of the room.
"Well, that makes this easy. There are no traps, right?" Xion asked Pinkie, having learned her lesson.
"No, I don't think so..." Pinkie replied with a confused expression before she shook her head and glanced up at Xion, who was starting to move towards the sphere with her blade drawn back. "You know, you never did tell me your name."
"What?" Xion asked as she stopped her approach to the sphere and looked back at Pinkie, who was looking at Xion with a curious expression on her face.
"I mean, I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything, but we've been helping each other through all of this and I don't even know your name," Pinkie told Xion with a curious glance.
"Why do you care so much about the name of a nobody like me?" Xion asked Pinkie, before spinning around and slashing through the final sphere. As it exploded into light, the final chain snapped around the door and the metal door fell over with a loud boom. Xion took up a fighting stance while Pinkie pulled out her party cannon, but after a tense moment nothing came out. "I don't get it, was something supposed to-"
'XION!' Sombra roared right before a wall of darkness appeared before the puppet. The moment it did so three pieces of ice embedded themselves in the dark wall, puncturing it and leaving their tips just inches away from Xion's face. As the wall of darkness fell Xion and Pinkie could both see that know someone else was in the room with them.
They wore a cloak identical to Xion's, except that the hood completely covered their face. They were taller than Xion and had more of a build, but other than that there was no features for the two to discern. But what drew Xion's eyes, and made her body go cold, was the weapon it held in its left hand. A bright, blue shield with spikes at the top.
"There's...no way..." Xion whispered to herself as the being took up a stance and began to walk towards her. "You shouldn't be here! You were destroyed!"
'You dared to defy me, your creator,' the being replied before it pointed its right hand at Xion, a hand that became filled with ice. 'And for that you will freeze for eternity!'
Xion had never summoned her keyblade faster than she did when the being in the cloak spoke to her. And it was a good thing she did, for a moment later shards of ice erupted from the beings right hand and hurled themselves across the air to get to her. She deflected the ice with her key, but instead of taking the opening to close the ground against her foe she backed away with terror in her eyes.
"This...isn't possible. You can't be here," Xion whispered to herself as the being slowly began to advance towards you. "You were erased. I saw the reports! And even if you somehow managed to survive, how could you possibly know that I'm here?! Answer me, Vexen!"
'Puppet, get a grip. It's clear that this is nothing more than an illusion created to mess with your head,' Sombra's voice said from within Xion's pocket, getting the puppet to take a moment to realize that he was right. 'If what you said is true, then the real one is dead. Meaning this guy here is a fake. So calm down, or get even more worked up, and put an end to him once more.'
"Yeah...that I can do," Xion growled as she lifted the woodland keyblade and took up her fighting stance, before roaring with rage as she lunged towards the cloaked being. She leapt into the air and slashed her blade at the head of Vexen, who lifted his shield to block the attack. Vexen skidded back under Xion's strength, but even as the keyblade wielder pushed against the icy shield she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"You are not apart of my life anymore," Xion said through gritted teeth as she continued to overpower the Academic, who gave her no response. "You may have originally created me, but I have become a...person that you can no longer control! Do you hear me, you fake?!"
"Fake? I am insulted, no. I. Unlike you, I...am no fake!" Vexen yelled as he flipped his hood back to reveal a narrow face with long, icy blonde hair. A mad smile crossed his face as his eyes locked with Xion's, which only grew wider when he saw the fear in her eyes. Vexen let out a cackle before he kneed Xion in the gut, sending her skidding backwards before collapsing. "I am the genuine article. I am the one that made you. And I am pleased to see just how far my creation has come."
"But...that's not possible. You were erased. Axel personally erased you!" Xion roared as she pushed herself back to her feet. Vexen placed a finger in the center of his forehead before leaning back and letting out a laugh that was as cold as the ice that hung from his shield.
"Foolish, idiotic puppet. Have you learned nothing from your brief time in this world? I am not the Vexen you know. I am from a different reality," Vexen informed Xion, who glared at him in confusion for a moment before her eyes went wide with realization. "That's right. Axel would have slain me in my reality, had the Maestro not stepped in and put an end to him and the keyblade wielder. Thanks to him, Organization Thirteen finally took control of the worlds!...but why do I tell you this? For soon, you will belong to me once more?"
"So you're here on the Maestro's orders? Are you here to kill me?" Xion asked, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Pinkie was moving to a position behind the Nobody.
"Kill you? What good would that do any of us? Unfortuantely in my world, an unexpected consequence of the keyblade wielder being slain is that Roxas vanished as well. We do not know how that happened, but that means we are lacking a keyblade wielder that can be...controlled," Vexen said with a large smile as he took in Xion once more. "And without him means that our puppet would never work like you. But as I made the Xion in my world, I can...reprogram you to serve both mine and the Maestro's purposes. Now be a good puppet and don't resist. Because if you do...things will get painful."
"Maestro...killed Roxas? And Axel?" Xion asked in a near whisper as she looked down at her hands, her words getting Vexen to look at her with confusion. Then his face hardened like ice and he slammed his palm into the ground, conjuring icicles that spiked across the ground towards Xion.
'Move, puppet!' Sombra roared in her mind before using his power to yank her to the side
"Oh yes, he ripped the very nothingness out of Axel. Didn't know that was actually possible until I saw him do it," Vexen stated with a small chuckle before he aimed at Xion with his hand once more. "But that is enough questions. After all, once you are under my command, you will no longer need to ask-!"
"Hey, do you like ice cream?"
"My shield is modeled like a snowflake. Of course I like ice-" Vexen answered before he realized the question he was answering. He spun around just in time for Pinkie to slam a tub of ice cream over his head. Vexen let out a muffled roar as the sugary goodness stuck to his hair, getting him to stagger around as he tried to pull the tub off of his head. "Cloaked girl, that's not going to last for long! Do you have a plan?"
'Puppet?' Sombra asked Xion, who had yet to move after hearing what had become of her two best friends.
"Maestro...killed them."
'That he did. Not the ones you know, but ones just like them,' Sombra stated, but as he glanced into Xion's eyes he wished he could smile. 'And he's going to do it again. And again. And again. And Vexen is going to control them or you to his heart's content. Unless somepony stops him. Somepony that has the key...to his defeat.'
Xion threw her head back and let out a howl that shook the ground, before an aura of darkness erupted around her. With hate filled eyes she glared at Vexen, who had just managed to free himself from the imprisonment of Rocky Road. His eyes went wide as he saw what was happening to Xion. Xion extended her keyblade and a blade of darkness encased the key, which Xion slowly then lifted as she took up a fighting stance.
Vexen then let out a roar as he fired blasts of ice towards the key master, but in a flicker of darkness Xion moved past the ice and appeared in front of Vexen. Vexen's eyes went wide as he stared down into her eyes, eyes that were filled with the power of darkness. Her body flickered and a moment later she appeared behind Vexen, standing in a pose with the keyblade held high. Vexen turned slowly to look at her, before a slash tore through his body and nearly cleaved him in two.
'What...is happening to him?' Sombra asked in disbelief as he and Pinkie watched as Vexen began to come apart, pieces of him fading away into the darkness.
"We are made from nothing. Thus, we return to nothing," Xion whispered as she turned around to stare at Vexen, who was staring at himself with wide eyes. Then he slowly lifted his eyes to Xion, locking eyes with her for a moment before he let out a cackle, the most menacing, but also joyous, laughter that she had ever heard.
"Truly you are my greatest creation. I created you to copy the powers of the key bearer. But to think that you would be able to learn genuine emotion and humanity...truly it shows what an incredible genius that I am," Vexen laughed to himself as his legs vanished into nothing and all that was left was his upper torso. "But the trials will only get harder from here, my creation. I will not be the only being from your past Maestro will bring to deal with you. And after you see what else he has up his sleeve, perhaps you will wish that you had been reprogrammed by me."
"I will never be the slave of someone like you again," Xion promised in a rage filled whisper, but all that did was make Vexen smile once more.
"Actual rage. From a puppet like you. How incredible you turned out. I have nothing...but...pride..."
The rest of the Nobody vanished into nothingness, leaving the group of three to stare at the spot where he had vanished. Xion was the first to look away and turned her gaze towards the door that they had opened. To her surprise she found that the entire area within had been frozen in ice, except for a book that floated off of the ground.
"There it is!" Pinkie sang as she skated across the ice and to the book, grabbing hold of it and placing it in her mane. "Thanks for helping me find that! Twilight sent me to find it, but I've been looking for days with no idea where it could be. To think it would be in here..."
"Yeah...no problem," Xion replied as she banished her key and started to walk towards the exit, only for Pinkie to hop alongside her. The two left the darkness of the cavern and stepped back out into the light. Pinkie reveled in the light, but Xion flipped up her hood to shield her from the star. "Thanks for your help back in there. Guess I shouldn't have underestimated you. Bye."
"Hey, wait," Pinkie said, getting Xion to stop and turn her hooded head to look at the pony. "I still didn't get your name."
"...Xion. My name is Xion," Xion replied before she walked away from Pinkie, leaving the pink pony to watch her go until Xion vanished from her sight.
"Xion, huh? What an interesting friend," Pinkie said to herself before she started to head off in the opposite direction. "Wonder how she got her hair to look so nice?"
======= No. I =======
"Alright, as we promise the land is now free of the Heartless," Xion told Gorgana, who hissed happily at the news. She slithered over to one of her shelves and removed the Heaven's Tear from the shelf, which she then placed on the table in front of Xion along with a balloon keychain. "But I'll warn you now, Heartless almost never stay gone long. Be careful if you go back out to the mountains, just to be safe."
"I will keep that in mind, key bearer," Gorgana replied before she took a look at Sombra's horn, which was resting on the table. "So I must ask you this, king of the darkness: do you actually know the rest of the ingredients to reform your body? Or are you hoping to stumble across the answer to that like you have most other things in your life?"
'Well thank you for making me look bad in front of the help. The next time the villagers form an angry mob when they find out what you are, don't ask me to warp their minds,' Sombra spat in reply. 'But in all seriousness though, what are the remaining two ingredients? I'm asking for a friend.'
"You don't have any friends," both Xion and Gorgana said at the same time, before Gorgana cleared her throat. "The other two items to reform a body destroyed by the heart. You will need the Dragons Fire and the Golem's Core. One of those you will find to the East. The other will be in the South. But be warned, I have heard rumors that the lands are not as safe as they once were. There are dangers out there, along with the Heartless. Be careful."
"We will. And thank you for your help," Xion said with a small bow before she took the Heaven's Tears off of the table as well as the chain, placing them both in her coat before nodding to Gorgana. The serpent pony slithered into the back of her house, telling Xion that it was time to leave. She stepped out of the house to see that the spell Sombra has placed on the ponies had worn off, meaning that all of them gave her the same glares that they had when she first showed up.
"Time to go."
======= No. I =======
From the confines of his horn Sombra looked over Xion, who was resting her head on her arms while she stared into the fire that crackled before her. She hadn't said anything to him since the cavern where she fought the other hooded being, which was something that had interested Sombra.
'So that Vexen being was the one that created her, huh? Guess she wasn't joking when she said she was a creation,' Sombra thought to himself. 'But if she was right about that, does that mean she was telling the truth about everything else? Like how she is a being with no emotion made of nothingness? That can't be true, Vexen himself said that she had developed emotions on her own. But the less I know, the more interested I become. Seems that she's not just some powerful kid from the darkness, but a science experiment gone horribly right.'
'So why are you still moping?' Sombra asked Xion, getting her to lazily look over at the horn resting beside her. 'We stopped the Heartless, killed your creator while also tapping into your inner darkness, got the Heaven's Tears and best of all got away from Pinkie without becoming friends with her. I'd consider today a win. Yet you look like you're about to attend a funeral.'
"Sorry, it's just that...I didn't come here expecting to see anyone I knew, let alone the Nobody that...created me," Xion said as her body shivered, getting her to pull her limbs closer around her. "Actually, I've had to face y creator twice now. First it was the Maestro, and now it's Vexen. I almost can't believe it."
'So this Vexen, he's a member of Organization Thirteen, right?' Sombra asked, chuckling when Xion nodded. 'Thought so. Not only is he a member, but one from a different reality than what you know. Things just keep getting more and more interesting, doesn't it?'
"Interesting? How can you call this interesting?" Xion said with a rage as hot as the fire that blazed before her. "We're beings of shadow in a world of light while being hunted by a mechanical madman that seeks to undo the very fabric of this world! Now we have to deal with Maestro bringing in members of Organization Thirteen from a world where they've won!...Maestro killed my friends..."
'I call it interesting because, not only did you and Maestro pretty much confirm that multiverse theory is real, but now all these beings of shadow are showing up in the land of light. That will have to help balance the scales,' Sombra told Xion, but as she rested her head onto her arms Sombra knew he wasn't going to be able to get her to do anything until she was cheered up.
'And speaking of darkness, that was quite the darkness you pulled out there during your fight with Vexen,' Sombra continued on, waiting to see if she would react before he continued. 'Not only did you call upon the power of darkness, you called upon enough darkness to put even me to shame. And all of that without much training by me. Just like I said, puppet. You're a natural. You've got quite a bit of darkness in your heart.'
"I don't have a heart, remember?" Xion reminded Sombra, but all Sombra did was respond with a gargling sound of annoyance.
'You can feel hate. You can feel love. You can feel sad. You cannot feel any of those emotions without a heart. Therefor, you have a heart,' Sombra stated for her in such an annoyed tone she decided not to argue. 'But, as I was saying, you used that darkness and channeled it perfectly. Not only did you channel it around your keyblade, but you also channeled it around yourself, increasing your physical attributes. Makes you quite the warrior. Next time let us see what that can do for your magical side.'
"I thought that I wasn't supposed to use my emotions for darkness?"
'You didn't. You didn't rely on the emotions to draw out the power. You didn't let your emotions control you. You felt the negative emotions and channeled them into power. Just like I taught you,' Sombra said with a small sniffle. 'I almost brings a tear to my eye to see how well you're following my orders. Maybe we'll make a proper puppet out of you yet.'
Xion grunted in reply, but instead of answering Sombra she summoned her blade, flashing light across the area. She removed Fluttershy's keychain from the key, returning it to the Kingdom Key, before pulling out Pinkie's balloon and attaching it to the base of the key. The keyblade vanished in a flash of light and was replaced a moment later with a different design.
The base of the keyblade changed to the outline of a cupcake, with the top of the guard colored like frosting while the bottom was the color of chocolate. The blade itself was a single, long candle that had a metal flame where the tip of the blade was supposed to be. And the part sticking out from the blade was the roman numeral for fourteen, both Xion's "age" and the number she wore back in the Organization. She wondered if it was on purpose. And from the bottom the blue balloon keychain swung back and forth, with little bits of confetti falling off.
'Ugh, that is one ugly blade. So what's this one do?' Sombra asked Xion as the girl extended the blade, swinging it a few times to get a feel for it before she held it with both hands.
"This one has huge reach, meaning that I can strike foes from farther away," Xion noted as she swung the blade, allowing Sombra to see that it had a large arch. "It's also balanced in magic and strength, which is fine, I guess. Oh, but I get Lucky Lucky with it. That'll be handy for gathering items."
'See, something good happened to you today. In fact, a lot of good things happened to you,' Sombra added on quickly before Xion's sadness returned. 'You got a new blade on top of everything else. So why wallow in your misery. It doesn't do you any good. So why not use those emotions for something useful, like channeling your magic?'
"What do you mean?"
'Well, how do feel when you're angry?'
"Well, like I could tear apart any that stand before me. I'm like a wildfire."
'Good. How about when you're sad, like right now?'
"I feel...alone, distance...cold."
'Excellent. Now then, I recall earlier you showed me that you could shoot a fireball with your magic. Am I wrong to guess that you could also do the same with ice?'
"Are you saying...to use these negative emotions to further strengthen my magic?" Xion asked. "But I thought you said-"
'Again, using emotion to further your magic is fine. What you want to avoid is depending on the emotion to cast your magic,' Sombra clarified again for her. 'You must embrace the pain, embrace the rage and make it work for you. And stop calling them negative emotions. There are no good or bad. There are only emotions. And what emotion you're making me feel is incredibly ticked off.'
Xion thought about what Sombra said for a while, before another thought crossed her mind. "Why are you teaching me, anyway? If you plan to take the keyblade from me eventually, why are you helping me to become stronger? It just doesn't seem right from someone like you?"
'Because puppet, if you were the only problem I had to deal with I wouldn't bother so much with training you. But we've got the Heartless to deal with. We've got the Maestro to deal with. And in order to deal with all of these threats, you're going to need to be stronger than you ever thought possible,' Sombra revealed to Xion in a concerned tone and when Sombra was worried about something, it made Xion worry as well. 'Now get some rest. First thing in the morning, we're going to hunt some Heartless so you can try out something.'
Xion nodded at the horn before she looked down at her own hand, remembering the battle with Vexen and the things he had told her. 'He was just the first brought here by Maestro. That means that Maestro can bring others, others from my past who will try to kill me. Sombra's right. I have to be strong. I can't fall to them yet. Not until...I reach the beach and fulfill our promise.'
With a twirl and a yell Xion spun in the air and fired a blast of fire from the end of her keyblade, before she hit the ground in a role and shot up to her feet. She took aim at a target to her left and unleashed a blizzard upon the target, freezing it solid a moment later. She had no time to look at her handiwork, as when she looked up she saw aerial targets circling in on her.
"Thunder," she whispered to herself before hoisting her keyblade into the air, summoning down numerous bolts of lightning down on the aerial targets. The moment those targets were down spikes made of darkness erupted from the ground, forcing her to slam the tip of her keyblade into the ground and create a barrier of magic around her to halt their attack.
"Limit break," Xion said before she thrust her arms to the side, shattering the barrier in a flash of light. The shards of the barrier flew around her and tore through the darkness, but even as those spikes of darkness fell more shot out of the ground to take their place. Xion swung her light covered keyblade, cleaving through each of the spikes as they got close to her. Which each swing their was a flash of light, and some confetti, until all of the spikes had been destroyed by her blade. She then twirled the blade around in her hand before lowering it in front of her face, letting out a small sigh before it vanished from her grasp.
"How was that?" she asked before turning to look at the horn that rested alone on a rock, smiling proudly at her work. The horn moved around to look at her work (and once again made the puppet wonder how he was able to do anything in his state) before he let out a disappointed sigh. "What?! What did I do wrong? I destroyed all of the targets and didn't take a single hit?! You're blind, you no eyes horn!"
'The point of the exercise wasn't to see how accurate you are or test your ability to avoid being hit. I don't doubt your abilities there. What we were testing was how well you could resonate with the darkness within in order to strengthen your magical attacks. There is where you failed miserably,' Sombra informed the teenager, who growled slightly before sitting down on a rock.
"So I'm no good at using the darkness when I'm not fighting in battle, cut me some slack," Xion grumbled, only to hear the sound of Sombra sighing in frustration.
'Puppet, you finished the trial by using a light based attack. Light, for the love of all that is holy! Never before have I ever dealt with somepony who can do so poorly with directions! Are you sure you don't have a flaw in your programming?' Sombra nagged Xion. Xion let out a snarl before she rose to her feet and stomped over to where Sombra's horn rested. 'Wait a moment Xion, I was just messing around I didn't mean to-'
Xion grabbed the horn and chucked it as hard as she could off into the forest, her rage allowing her to ignore the screams of Sombra until he had sailed out of view. For another minute she seethed in place before she let out a sigh, following after where she had chucked the horn of the unicorn.
'Maybe Sombra's right. Maybe I do have emotions now. I've definitely got a temper,' Xion thought to herself as she summoned her keyblade and used the blade to cut through the underbrush, trying to ignore the confetti that came flying out of her keyblade with each swing. 'But if I have rage in me now, is that because I've finally got emotions of my own...or did the Maestro do something else to me when he reformed my body? There's a scary thought.'
Even though the trees and bushes did their best to obstruct her path, Xion made it through the forest with little effort. She had expected at some point to hear the sounds of Sombra screaming either for her or at her, but to her surprise, and rising concern, the forest remained eerily silent.
'No sounds of birds, no hisses or snarls...something isn't right,' she thought to herself as she held her keyblade in a defensive position, waiting for the first sign of a Heartless to attack her. 'I hope it's not another member of Organization Thirteen. I really don't want to mess with Xaldin or Luxord. I will, however, not pass up the chance for a crack at Saix. There's one I wouldn't mind-'
'Ow.'
Xion looked down at her foot to see that she had stepped on Sombra's horn, which was now imbedded in the mud and sunk about halfway down. Xion let out a small laugh as she reached down and pulled Sombra out of the mud, turning him over in her hand to see that he was covered in filth.
'I am the king of an empire. I should not be treated this way,' Sombra grumbled in an angry tone.
"Well hello there your highness, you're looking awfully muddy today," Xion said with a laugh to Sombra, who let out a string of curses in response to Xion's words. "Now now, that's no way for a king to talk. You should be better behaved than that."
'I swear if I didn't need your help...'
"Well you do, so just suck it up and learn not to be so mean," Xion replied in a stern tone as she wiped Sombra off with a leaf, before pocketing the king of darkness once more. "Now come on, we're still a day away from the next city. Are you sure that this...what did you call it again, is there?"
'The Dragon's Fire. And no, this is not the kind of fire that dragons breath. It is a different fire and I know it is there,' Sombra barked in reply. 'But I must say, I'm surprised at this new attitude of yours. You're normally so withdrawn and feeling sorry for yourself that I'm not used to seeing you with a spine. Vexen really mess you up that badly?'
"Of course he did. How would you feel if the very being who created you, who you thought was dead, showed up in a reality completely different from your own and tried to place you under their control once more?" Xion asked Sombra, who said nothing in reply. "I thought I had left all of that stuff behind me. I thought that when I surrendered to Roxas that I would finally find peace. But there is no peace for one who wields the keyblade. There is only suffering."
Xion sat down on the ground after she said her peace and placed her head in her hands, sighing occasionally through her fingers. Sombra watched her mope for a few minutes, trying to think of an insult or remark that would snap her out of her funk. But when none of those ideas bore fruit, he decided to take a different approach.
'So, Vexen was a member of Organization Thirteen, huh?' Sombra asked, getting Xion to lift her head from her hands and pull Sombra out of her pocket. 'And you were one of them as well, yet the number on your key is for fourteen. Either the organization doesn't know how to count or you were never considered a part of their ranks. Care to fill me in?'
"Yeah, Vexen is...was a member of the organization. And I guess, technically, I was too," Xion began. "I was the fourteenth member, but I was never really...accepted by the other members of the organization. Saix treated me like the puppet I was, the other members treated me like I was a ghost and Xigbar...well, he saw more than he would ever let on. Only Roxas and Axel were ever nice to me. And Demyx too, I guess."
'Do all of the fools in the organization have X's in their names?' Sombra asked, scoffing when Xion nodded. 'Even you, huh? Always assumed your name was spelled with a Z, but whatever. So you had some you like and some you don't. Care to tell me which of the organization you're not looking forward to meeting on our little journey?'
"What are you implying?"
'Think about it. You ticked off the Maestro. In return, he brings Vexen, the very being that created you, to this world to fight you. If he did it once, he'll definitely do it again,' Sombra pointed out. 'He's already brought the Heartless and now a member of the organization. At this point I'm just beginning to wonder what other surprises he'll have in store for you.'
"It doesn't matter what he sends after me. We'll get your body reforged and then we'll get me to the beach," Xion said with determination, clenching her hands together and squeezing Sombra's horn.
'Alright. Then what?' Sombra asked. Xion blinked a few times before she looked down at the horn, which was still waiting for a response. 'After we get you to the beach, then what are we going to do? The Heartless will still be here along with the Maestro. We'll have to deal with the both of them eventually.'
"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead," Xion replied.
'Fine. I get it. Just like all the other times Sombra will have to figure out what to do. Lucky for you that you found me when you first came to Equestria. Can you imagine if you had been found by Luna and Celestia? Either your brain would have stopped working due to how stupid they are or they would have obliterated you on the spot. For somepony with such a...confusion backstory, you've got a decent amount of luck on your side.'
"Yeah. But is it good or bad luck?"
'Some intelligence shines through. Yes, what kind of luck do you have? There is only one way to find out, isn't there?' Sombra chuckled before his horn glowed and created a map of the land for Xion to look at. 'Alright puppet, if you're done talking with me, then we best get moving. This path will be the fastest to the city, so-'
In a blur of motion Xion summoned her keyblade and swung the weapon around behind her, just in time to block the attack of a being that had tried to take them from behind. Xion's eyes narrowed as she recognized what she was trying to prevent from killing her, a silverfish dragon like creature wielding a spear made of the wind. She pushed the creature back before swinging her blade low, catching the creature between the legs.
'Ooh, that hurt to watch,' Sombra muttered before Xion went for a horizontal slash, cleaving the being clean in two. The creature let out a shriek before it vanished into nothingness, leaving Xion to glare at where it had been standing with narrowed eyes before she turned and began to walk away. 'Okay, clearly you knew what that was. Care to share?'
"That's a Nobody. That's what it's called, so no smart remarks," Xion snapped at Sombra before he could say anything in retort. "Nobodies are the shells left behind when a being loses their heart. There are different variations, ranging from Dusks to the ones that made up the Organization. I believe that one is called a Dragoon and it is loyal to Xaldin. Great."
'That was an info dump. Is it related to the Heartless at all?'
"Didn't you hear a word I said? They are what's left behind when a being loses their heart, most likely to the Heartless," Xion snarled. "But unlike the Heartless they are not mindless. They can follow orders and think for themselves."
'And you mentioned Xaldin, who, since he has an X in his name, is another member of the organization,' Sombra deduced, getting Xion to look down at him with some surprise. 'If these creatures only follow his commands, that means he must be here as well. Was he was of your friends on the organization and what was his number?'
"3. And pretty sure he hated me."
'Excellent, well now I don't have to worry about saving him. Let's find your former teammate and send him back into oblivion!' Sombra ordered and for the first time in a while, Xion felt inclined to agree with Sombra. 'And if I were a betting pony, I'd wager that he'll be exactly where we're heading. The universe is funny like that. Are you prepared to fight him if we do find him?'
"Of course I am."
'Okay, let me rephrase that? What I mean is are you able to defeat him if we run into him?' Sombra asked as Xion ran. 'Because if he's number three, that mean's he should be pretty powerful. Can you take him in a fight?'
"I guess I'll have to. I'm not going to let my second chance at life end with him," Xion replied with confidence, but internally she felt doubt creeping at her very being. 'But Sombra's right. I don't have a good track record against the other members. Both Axel and Roxas have defeated me. My only real win is over Demyx and that was training. Can I beat him at my current state?'
Xion wasn't able to continue her train of thought, for as she and Sombra ran over the edge of a hill she found herself face to face with a familiar sight. A group of Heartless were battling with numerous Nobodies, most of which were of the Dusk variety. But the moment the two groups sensed the keyblade wielder, they ceased their fighting and turn their attention to her.
"Alright, let's do this," Xion growled as she summoned her cupcake keyblade. The moment the blade was within her grasp, the Shadows leapt forward with murder in their eyes. Xion slashed vertically at the approaching Heartless, cleaving through the both of them in a single strike. The two vanished back into the darkness, but three Soldiers appeared behind Xion and spun towards her with legs outstretched.
"ARGH!" Xion yelled as she was struck in the back with a series of kicks, sending her sprawling into the dirt. She gritted her teeth and rose back to her feet, just in time to see the Dusks walking towards her on thin air. "Fire!" she roared as a ball of fire erupted from the end of her keyblade, blasting through one of the Dusks and returning it back to nothingness. The other two were on her a moment later, forcing her to slam the tip of her blade into the ground to create a barrier around her.
'Xion, what's going on?' Sombra asked Xion as the Dusks attacked the barrier, causing cracks to form in the barrier. 'These guys are nothing to you! You should be able to cleave through them with no effort!'
"These ones are stronger than the ones that we fought previously," Xion snarled right before her barrier shattered, forcing the girl to leap back to avoid being struck. As she landed two Soldiers appeared out of the darkness, slashing at her with their claws. Xion ducked underneath of the attack and slashed the both of them, but instead of vanishing all they did was stagger back from the blow.
The Dusks resumed their attack on Xion from behind and to avoid being struck Xion leapt into the air. Once she was airborne, a bolt of lightning burst of out of the blue and struck her in the back. Xion let out a scream of pain as she was sent crashing into the ground, where she pushed herself up far slower than before.
"Curse it all...these guys are way stronger than I remember," Xion panted heavily as she watched the Heartless and Nobodies advanced towards her, each of them wanting the pair of hearts that stood before them. "Sombra, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I don't know if I can fend these guys off."
'What's the matter with you? I've seen you fight bigger and badder creatures and cut them down like they were nothing! You slayed Vexen, for the love of Faust!' Sombra roared at Xion, who pushed herself back to her feet and took up her fighting stance once more.
"These aren't like the Heartless that we've fought before. Even Vexen felt...different. But these guys are way stronger," Xion replied before she was forced to lift her blade to deflect an attack, before she rolled out of the way to avoid being hit from a Dusk. She rolled to her feet and hurled the keyblade at the Dusk, cleaving it in two and causing it to vanish in a flash of confetti.
Another bolt of lightning struck right next to her, getting her to glance to her side to see a floating, yellow Heartless dancing around near the back of the group of darkness. Xion narrowed her eyes at the Heartless before one of the Shadows leapt on her from behind, slashing at her back. Xion grabbed the Heartless's arm and flung it off of her, slamming it onto the ground before she drove the keyblade through the head of the Heartless. But when she looked up, she found that she was still horribly outnumbered.
"Sombra, if you've got any tricks up your proverbial sleeve, then I could really use it right about now," Xion panted in a weak voice, shaking her head as the exhaustion started to take over.
'Unfortunately I have no tricks left. Used all of my dark powers on the targets you were slaying earlier,' Sombra replied with a bitter laugh, before the weight of what was about to happen sunk in on him. 'This isn't good. These creatures are going to slay Xion and I can't let that happen. I need to somehow get her to fight, but how? Negative emotions don't work with her...but maybe...'
'Well, looks like our journey ends here,' Sombra said to Xion, who looked down at him as if he was crazy, which he was. For he was betting on a crazy plan. 'It's been a nice ride. My only regret is that I couldn't balance the light and darkness of this land. Oh, and I guess all of the Organization members that will be running around this land.'
Xion narrowed her eyes as she thought about what Sombra was saying, slowly realizing that the ponies would be in trouble against the Organization.
'I mean, they'll probably make a base here and steal all of the hearts of the ponies. All those innocent will lose their hearts and the ones that get to keep them will be enslaved,' Sombra said in as pitiful a voice as he could muster. 'Who knows, maybe they'll try to make a puppet version of a pony, only this one has no will of its own. It just lives to serve them.
Xion gritted her teeth at those words, thinking about the likes of Pinkie or Fluttershy being forced to serve the Orgnaization.
'Or maybe they'll finally get Roxas to obey them? That would be their end game most likely. Maybe this time they'll erase his memories to keep him under their control. That's what I would do.'
Xion's eyes widened as she thought of Roxas as a slave to the Organization, without his laugh, his smile...anything that made him...him.
'Maybe he'll even forget his promise. The promise of the beach.'
"NO!" Xion roared with a fury that caused the Heartless and Nobodies to back away from the key wielder, who was shaking with rage as a black aura surrounded her. Her mind was raging with all of the terrible things the Organization had done to her, how they had tried to use her as a weapon to kill her closest friend. The Maestro's seal broke and all of her painful memories came flooding back to her. All of her darkest memories.
"Dark Firaga!" Xion bellowed as she pointed her blade at the center of the Heartless and Nobodies, unleashing a ball of fire made of darkness into the center of the group. The ball detonated in the center in an eruption of darkness and flame consumed the beings within. The Heartless and Nobodies let out a silent scream as their essence was burned away, leaving only a circle of scorched earth to show where they once stood. Xion glared at the spot while breathing heavily for a few moments, before she blinked her eyes and stared down at her key.
"Did...did I do that?" she asked with amazement.
'It seems you did. You finally combined your magic with the darkness within,' Sombra said, laughing in a way that sounded an awful lot like Vexen's. 'I made an error with you, puppet. I thought your darkness was tied to your emotions. But it turns out your darkness comes from your memories, all the pain and darkness you had to go through. That is where your power lies.'
Xion looked down at her key, able to feel the darkness in the back of her mind. And along with that feeling was the memories she had of the Organization, but only the painful ones. When she closed her eyes and thought of Axel and Roxas, she felt the darkness fade away. She opened her eyes once more and gripped her weapon tight.
'That's good to know. Now I know how to both channel and avoid the darkness,' Xion thought to herself before she looked up to see that the Yellow Opera was floating at the edge of the circle. The Heartless looked from the circle to Xion, before it vanished in a ball of darkness. Xion smirked at the action, before she turned and continued her run towards her next destination, feeling stronger than she had in a long time.
Xion hadn't had been sure what to expect from a city made by ponies. She had been expecting floating buildings maybe, or perhaps a lot of hay everywhere. Deep inside she had hoped that she could ride some of the larger ones, as she liked the idea of her on the back of a unicorn riding into battle. But what she hadn't been expecting was an entire city of ponies with white eyes wandering around like zombies.
'Oh Faust, they caught Celestia's stupidity. Curse you princess, why must you ruin everything you rule?!' Sombra cried into the sky, while Xion tuned him out and walked through the streets of the city. To her surprise the pony city looked an awful lot like the World that Never Was, except during the day and without an eternal moon hanging over the city. But she didn't have much of a chance to look around, as the ponies that wandered around garnered her full attention.
"What happened to them?" Xion asked Sombra as she walked over to one of the ponies, kneeling down next to them and placing her hand against their chest. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, shaking her head. "They still have their hearts, so I don't think the Heartless did this. But if not them, who did this? The Organization?"
'Perhaps. Until we've learned more, we'll go with that as our working theory,' Sombra replied and his tone of voice told Xion he too was concerned. 'Proceed with caution, puppet. We don't know what to expect in this city and while I doubt I can be made brain dead, genius mastermind that I am, if you were to lose your mind it would be troublesome for me. I'd have to plant my horn on your head and take control of your body myself.'
"Can you do that?" Xion asked with some disbelief, only to get Sombra to laugh.
'Keep on moving and hope that neither of us need to find that out. Come on, let's move.'
Xion summoned her Happiest Day keyblade, walking through the streets with the blade on her shoulder. She held Sombra in her free hand, wanting him able to act on the fly if something were to happen. She was on alert, but with the thousands of ponies all around her, she found it hard to concentrate on any danger she couldn't see.
'It's like they've lost their wills,' Xion thought to herself, looking away from a family that stood mindlessly in place. 'I know that hearts and bodies can be stolen, but can wills be taken as well? Perhaps this is not the Organization, but the Maestro. He would do something like this.'
'It's not the Maestro,' Sombra told Xion, who was visibly startled by the way Sombra seemed to read her mind. 'Whenever you think about that metal menace you get a strange fire in your eyes. I can't read your mind, at least not yet.'
"That's comforting. But why don't you think it's him?"
'Maestro, at least so far, has not been a being for subtlety,' Sombra explained. 'After he made you, did he just dump you off in Equestria with a note telling you what to do? No, he told you in person. Then he fought you so that you could see how pointless it was to resist him. That's all the signs of a villain that likes to grandstand. There is no way he wouldn't let you know that he was here.'
"I thought you couldn't read my mind. How'd you know so much about my first encounter with the Maestro?" Xion asked in a whisper. Sombra chose to chuckle as his response, leaving Xion mildly terrified of the small horn that she clutched tighter in her grasp. But her follow up question was cut off when three portals of darkness appeared in front of the girl and out of the darkness fell three Heartless that Sombra hadn't seen before.
The Heartless were giant, dark balls with sickeningly thin limbs that twisted from their bodies. Their teeth were black and sharp and their yellow eyes glared at Xion with both hatred and desire. Xion pocketed Sombra and took up her fighting stance, narrowing her eyes and waiting for the first move.
The first Darkball lunged towards Xion, gnashing its teeth as it approached the girl. Xion rolled out of the way and avoided the attack, letting the Darkball sail by her before she turned her attention to the other Darkballs. With a kick Xion was in the air over the Darkballs, giving them just enough time to look up at her before she struck down at them with the keyblade. One of the Darkballs let out a roar as the blade slashed across its face, sending it crashing into the ground as Xion landed.
"Freeze," Xion said to the Darkball on the ground before pointing her blade at it, firing an ice crystal from the end of her blade and right into the face of the Darkball. Icy spikes erupted from the crystal, impaling the Darkball and finishing it off. With the first Heartless out of the way, Xion turned her attention to the remaining two.
'These ones don't seem as hard as the ones that we fought earlier,' Sombra pointed out as Xion cracked one of the Darkballs over the head with her blade, stunning it long enough for her to follow-up with a thrust to its face. She drove the flame on the end of the candle clean through the Heartless's body, finishing it off and returning it to the darkness from whence it came. She turned on her heels and threw her blade towards the final Darkball, sending the spinning blade clean through the body of the Heartless. It vanished into darkness without another sound, ending the battle.
"No, they don't," Xion agreed as she summoned the blade to her hands once more before she turned and continued on her way. She kept an eye out for more Heartless attacks, but the more she walked the less and less she became interested in the Heartless and more about the ponies that wandered around. 'While they seem to have no clear goal in mind, there's no less than five in a group. I thought that I saw a family earlier, but it's possible that it was just a bunch of random ponies. But why are they gathered together?'
'It doesn't seem right,' Sombra agreed once Xion voiced her concerns to the horn. 'If they were mindless, they would just be wandering. But you're right in saying that their are standing in groups. No more than seven, no less than five. How curious...'
"Well, if you don't have then answer then it can't be good news," Xion muttered aloud as the two of them reached an intersection. Xion glanced to her left and right, before her eyes went wide as she laid eyes on a certain store. Without thinking she raced over to the store, pressing her face against the glass while a huge smile crossed her face.
'What the hell are we doing here?' Sombra snarled at Xion. 'An ice cream store? Seriously, puppet? We're in the middle of trying to find out why all these ponies went stupid and you're here seeing what the flavor of the day is. Oh don't tell me you've caught the stupid as well?'
"No, it's just...seeing the ice-cream here brought back some memories," Xion said in a soft tone as a gentle smile crossed her face, her mind lost amongst memories of her and her best friends sitting on top of a clock tower, eating ice cream and talking with each other. Despite the altitude of the clock tower and the cold of the ice cream, a feeling of warmth washed over her as she recalled the past. "Memories of hanging out with Roxas and Axel. In a time before things became so...painful. They're some of my most precious memories."
'I can tell. You're radiating more light from you than I've ever seen from a creature of the darkness,' Sombra muttered to Xion, before he let out a gasp and used his power to yank Xion away from the window.
"OW! What the hell, Sombra? That really..."
Xion stopped talking as she lifted her eyes to see that all of the ponies were now shambling towards her, all of their white eyes locked onto the girl. Xion slowly backed herself up to the window of the ice-cream shop, looking around with confusion as the crowd of ponies swarmed in.
"What's going on? Why are they attacking us?" Xion asked Sombra as she pointed her keyblade at the crowd, hoping that the weapon would scare them off. It didn't.
'I don't know, but until I can think of a reason why you'd better start slashing!' Sombra instructed to Xion, who looked down at where his horn was with horror.
"I'm not slashing my way through a bunch of innocent ponies!" she roared in an outraged voice.
'First, no pony is truly innocent. We all have our demons. Second, if you don't this crowd is going to rip us apart piece by piece. And as a talking horn let me tell you it's not as fun as it sounds. Now start fighting!'
Xion gritted her teeth, but she didn't have time to argue as the first pony threw themselves at Xion. Xion blocked their hooves with her key before planting her heel into the ponies chest. She kicked the pony off of her and sent them tumbling back into the crowd, knocking over three other ponies in the process. Xion looked around at the advancing swarm while trying to figure out what to do, before she saw something off in the distance that caught her eye.
It was a being that looked like some kind of humanoid, but its head looked like its brain had swollen five times larger than it should be able to. Its red eyes stared at Xion with interest, while a blue ring floated around its head. But what drew Xion's eyes, and her rage, was the red and black heart symbol on its chest.
"Sombra! Do you see that?!" Xion yelled to Sombra before she dashed into the crowd of ponies, summoning a barrier around herself and using it to push her way through the ponies while not hurting them. "That Heartless has to be the cause of what's going on with the ponies! It's mind controlling them!"
The moment she started chasing after the Heartless the being of darkness took off through the streets, floating over the ponies as it did so. The blue ring around its head turned to red, which in turn resulted in getting all of the ponies to swarm towards Xion. Xion narrowed her eyes as her barrier gave out in the middle of a hoard of ponies, getting her to look around for a way out.
'Okay, so that thing is controlling all of the ponies. That means we take it down, we free all of these ponies and you don't have to worry about a guilty conscious for whacking a few of them,' Sombra recapped with a grunt. 'I take it you do want to avoid hurting them, right?'
"Of course. Wait, I mean, I don't want to hurt any of them," Xion said clearly for Sombra, who chuckled to himself before his horn began to glow within her pocket.
'I thought as much. Very well then, my dear puppet, I shall assist you.'
Xion was about to ask what Sombra meant, but then three beings shot out of puddles of darkness that had appeared at Xion's feet. Xion looked around with amazement as three more Xion's made of darkness took form in front of her, each of them matching how she looked perfectly. The three of them then let out a battle cry before they took off in different directions, each of them getting a good number of ponies to follow after them.
'Alright puppet, I've bought you some breathing room, but it's only a matter of time before the mindless fools realize which ones are fake,' Sombra said to Xion, who ran around the ponies that had stayed behind to capture her. 'We need to get to that Heartless and take it down before it takes control of any more ponies or, heaven forbid, us. I will not be a mindless follower like the rest of these sheep!'
Xion nodded before she sprinted after the floating Heartless as fast as she could, slowly gaining ground on the floating being of darkness. The Heartless turned around to see that Xion was chasing after it, getting it to narrow its eyes at the approaching puppet. It's ring turned yellow, which resulted in blasts of lightning striking down towards Xion.
"Yikes!" Xion exclaimed as she leapt out of the way of one of the lightning bolts, only to throw herself in the path of another strike of lightning. The blast caught her in the chest and flung her backwards, where she fell into the streets while her body twitched. "Ugh, pain. Pain hurts. Heal," she grunted as she lifted her blade and cast a green energy around herself.
'It's going to be tough to get close to this thing with how slow you run. We've got to think of something else,' Sombra instructed Xion as the Heartless came to a stop a block away from Xion, watching to see what she would do next. 'Can your keyblade lock that thing in place or is it only good for unlocking things?'
"I...think it can lock things, but I've never seen it lock down a...hold on a moment, I have an idea," Xion replied as a smile crossed her face, before she started to look around. "But I'm going to need a place to do it. Think you can get this thing to follow me?"
'Please, if you could see me as a stallion, you would know why everypony wanted to follow me,' Sombra replied with a laugh as Xion pointed the horn at the Heartless. The Heartless titled its head to the side before Sombra fired a blast of darkness from the end of his horn, sending out a thin stream of darkness that struck the Heartless right in the chest. The beast let out a roar before it began to float towards Xion, who spun on her heels and began to run.
"So what did you do to it?" Xion asked as she ran, glancing around for a place to trap the Heartless.
'Made it...so that...it wanted to kill me,' Sombra said in-between pained grunts, his horn flickering as it tried to keep the darkness intact. 'Hurry. Can't keep...it up...for long.'
Xion nodded as she picked up her pace, looking for the perfect spot to unleash a trap. Her eyes rested upon a park in the center of the city, one which had an amphitheater in the center of it. A devious smile crossed her face before she turned and took off down the road towards the theater, glancing over her shoulder to see that the Heartless was closing in.
"Almost there, Sombra. Stay strong," Xion whispered to the horn as she approached the gate to the park. Without slowing down she pointed her keyblade at the gate and fired out a beam of light, one that unlocked the padlock that held the gate shut. The second the gate was unlocked Xion drove her shoulder into it, knocking it open while simultaneously ceasing her moment. She stumbled for a moment as she tried to regain her footing, giving the Heartless enough time to catch up to her.
'Puppet, look-'
A blast of energy caught Xion in the back and sent her flying into the air. She had just enough time to register where she was falling before she crashed onto concrete, getting pain to lance through her body while her vision went blurry. Through the pain she could hear Sombra yelling at her, but it wasn't until the Heartless was floating over her that she regained her senses completely. For a brief moment she stared up at the Heartless, before a smile crossed her face and she pointed her blade at it.
"Got you."
A blast of light erupted from the end of her blade and shot past the Heartless into the sky, where it exploded and rained light down around the battlefield. The Heartless looked around as a barrier of light encircled the battlefield, trapping it within the amphitheater with Xion and Sombra. While it was busy looking around, Xion pushed herself back up to her feet and summoned her keyblade, which gained her the full attention of the Heartless.
'What did you do?' Sombra asked Xion as he glanced at the barrier of light, getting a smile to cross Xion's face.
"Before I was struck down by Roxas, I learned how to create these barriers. They're useful for when I want to keep my foe in or my enemies out," Xion said with some pride, before the painful memories came back and her face fell. "I just wish that I didn't have to learn how to do it by almost trying to kill Roxas."
'No time for sadness, we've got ourselves a Heartless to kill,' Sombra reminded Xion, who shook her head and took up her fighting stance, getting the Heartless to narrow its eyes at her.
"Sounds like a plan. Come on, Mastermind, let's put an end to-"
An eruption of light filled the center of the amphitheater, blinding Xion and Sombra with its intensity. Xion lifted her hands to shield her eyes from the light, but from what little she could see through her fingers she found that the light had a rainbow coloring to it, a color that filled her with both hope and dread.
'No...no, you've got to be screwing with me,' Sombra snarled in a voice that was filled with worry. 'There's no way he managed to get one of them under its control! The freakin rainbow power is supposed to be able to resist this kind of crap! Damn it all!'
"Sombra, what's the matter?" Xion asked, but before he could answer the light died down and allowed Xion to see again. But when she lowered her hands, she found that she wasn't sure what she was looking at.
Standing before her was a pony, a pony who radiated a light the likes of which she had only felt when she had sensed Sora for the first time. Her coat was as white as the snow and her mane was primarily purple, but had numerous other colors in it as well. Three, blue diamonds were upon her flank, but then when Xion glanced at her eyes she found that they were as white and mindless as the rest of the ponies in the city. But she could fell the pony's power and it made her grip her keyblade even tighter.
"Sombra, I take it you know who this is?" Xion asked as she took up a fighting stance, not liking how the Heartless and pony stood side by side.
'That, my dear puppet, is Rarity. She's annoying, a drama queen and one of the six ponies in possession of a light that can destroy any darkness, present company exclude,' Sombra explained to Xion in a very annoyed tone. 'And it seems that she's fallen under the control of the Heartless, meaning that we will have to fight her along with the Heartless. Man, what a bitch.'
"So Rarity is like Pinkie and Fluttershy, huh?" Xion asked as she leveled her blade and prepared for the fight to begin, not liking the amount of light that the mind controlled Rarity was giving off. She felt her body screaming at her to back away with Rarity just standing in front of them. She didn't want to know what being hit by the light would feel like. "One of the six that the Maestro wants me to unlock."
'Yeah, but this one is all rainbowed up. Stay mobile and don't get hit,' Sombra instructed Xion, who nodded her head and turned her attention back to the opponents before her.
Not wanting to allow either the Heartless or the pony to make the first move, Xion kicked off the ground and launched herself towards the Heartless. With a scream she lifted her blade over her head and prepared to bring it down on the Heartless's ringed head, yet with a flash of movement Rarity placed herself between the key and the Heartless. A burst of magic erupted from Rarity's horn, which struck Xion in the chest and knocked her out of the sky.
"GRAH!" Xion yelled as she crashed into the amphitheaters seats, slamming her body into solid concrete. The girl fought through the pain and pushed herself back up to her feet, just in time to watch Rarity fire more divine looking magic towards Xion. "Barrier!"
A sphere of light constructed itself around the girl just in time to deflect the blast of magic, yet Xion still had to dig her keyblade into the ground to avoid being pushed back by the force of the multicolored magic. Xion canceled the barrier and aimed her keyblade at the Heartless, firing a blast of ice past the pony and towards the being of darkness. Yet to her annoyance Rarity appeared at its side once more, using her rainbow power to destroy Xion's magic.
'You're not going to beat a unicorn like Rarity in a magic battle,' Sombra advised from Xion's coat pocket as Xion rolled out of the way of a pillar of rainbow that erupted where she had been standing. 'If it was her regular self, maybe. But this is the rainbow power, the second strongest source of magical power in all of the world. Behind mine, of course.'
"I'm amazed that even in a situation like this, against a source of light like this, your ego is so big that you still can compliment yourself," Xion said to Sombra as she lifted her keyblade and sliced giant gemstones out of the air. "Hoe about you give me some advice that would help us both make it out of this alive?"
'If your opponent is a mage, that means that they have crap physical stamina. Get up close and cave Rarity's head in. That'll put a stop to her real fast.'
"I'm not going to kill her! She's being mind controlled!" Xion roared at Sombra before the ground underneath of her feet exploded and she was tossed into the air. Xion rolled in the air and landed hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her sails and leaving her vulnerable. The Mastermind Heartless pointed a finger at Xion and Rarity channeled all of her magic into her horn, aiming it where Xion was laying.
"Not today"! Xion roared as she rolled to the side and leapt to her feet, thinking of her most horrible moments in the organization. With a roar of fury her body channeled a dark aura around her, including the keyblade that she pointed at the rainbow pony. "Dark Blizzaga!"
A giant chunk of dark ice erupted from the end of Xion's keyblade and sailed through the air towards the mare, who unleashed her rainbow light in a concentrated blast into the advancing ice. The two powerful magics struck each other and resulted in the dark ice being shattered into thousands of pieces. But instead of being upset, Xion smirked before she slammed her blade into the ground and summoned a barrier to deflect the shards of ice that flew everywhere.
The Mastermind let out a shriek of pain as icicle shards tore into its form, while Rarity's rainbow power prevented her from being struck by any of the shards. Rarity looked towards the Heartless with worried eyes, while Xion lowered her barrier and smiled at her handiwork.
'Clever. You knew that Rarity would destroy your magic, so you used a spell that would just as dangerous if not more if shattered,' Sombra complimented from the side. Rarity then toward her head back to the puppet, who brought up her blade in response. Rarity's horn flashed and she summoned dozens of gems that were bigger than her, all of which were pointed at Xion. 'So, have any idea on how to stop this from killing us?'
"Yeah. Dodge," Xion muttered right before the gemstones were sent hurtling towards her, forcing Xion to hurl herself out of the way to avoid being crushed. She rolled to her right to avoid one gem that imbedded itself into the ground, before flipping into the air to avoid another one. She landed on the gem and kicked off of it, leaping from gem to gem as they flew by her in an attempt to close the distance between Rarity and her.
Rarity let out a roar and slammed the two gemstones that Xion was between together, but to her horror she found that Xion had been expecting the move. Xion grabbed the edge of the gemstone she was on and vaulted herself over the side of the gem right before it collided with the other, before she slammed the blade of her key into the end of the gemstone and sent it hurtling towards Rarity. Rarity's eyes went wide right before the gem slammed her out of the air, sending the mare and the giant gem crashing into the edge of the amphitheater.
'Most impressive,' Sombra praised as Xion hit the ground and turned her momentum into a roll. 'Her magic was too strong for your magic and you didn't want to strike her with your weapon, so you use her own magic to stun her for the moment. Clever, puppet, I must be rubbing off on you.'
"Or maybe you haven't been giving me enough credit," Xion replied before she narrowed her eyes at the Mastermind, which was floating above her with menacing eyes. The creature lifted both of its arms and fired twin beams of energy towards Xion, who rolled in-between the blasts before she hoped back up to her feet, hurling her keyblade at the Heartless and smacking it dead in the face.
"Crazy ponies with magical, rainbow powers are new to me. But striking down Heartless? That's something I can do with ease," Xion smirked as she summoned her blade back to her as she approached the Heartless, which had fallen to the ground. She pointed the blade at the Mastermind, which looked up at her with blazing red eyes. "Time to put an end to you."
Xion lifted her blade to strike the Heartless down, before she caught a flash of light go off in the corner of her eye. She spun around and lifted her blade to deflect whatever was coming towards her, only for a raging pain to course through her body as a beam of rainbow light tore through her left shoulder. Xion screamed in pain as she was thrown to the ground, gritting her teeth as she clutched at her shoulder, which was now a whispy, shadowy smoke.
'XION!' Sombra roared before he used his darkness to yank Xion out of the way of a second blast, hurling her body behind the cover of some of the stone seats and erecting a barrier of darkness around the both of them. Rarity unloaded with rainbow light upon the barrier of darkness, which nearly buckled under the first onslaught of light. 'Puppet, speak to me. Are you alright?'
"Do I...look alright?" Xion spat in reply as she glanced down at her shoulder, which was only just beginning to retake the form of her shoulder, though her coat was completely gone near her shoulder. "T-that blast of light...tore right through me. If that had hit me anywhere else, I'd be gone. How...could that hurt me so badly?"
'Damn Celestia and her ponies to hell, it's because you're a being of darkness,' Sombra revealed to Xion before another salvo of darkness bombarded the barrier, causing cracks of rainbow light to form along the barrier. 'The rainbow power is specifically designed to deal with beings that get their power from the darkness. Normally it's just negative emotions, but whatever Maestro did to re-create you means that the rainbow power will tear you apart. A direct shot from the rainbow power will kill you, and by extension me.'
"So...what do we do?" Xion asked. For longer than he was used to Sombra was silent, racking the intelligence he had brought with him into the horn for a plan. But as another round of rainbow power decimated his barrier and shattered the darkness once more, he found that his unmatchable brain was unable to think of a way out of their predicament.
Xion forced herself back to her feet as she turned to look up at the rainbow pony, her right hand clutching at her shoulder while her left hand weakly held onto her keyblade. Rarity glared down at Xion, horn glowing with so much rainbow power that Xion was certain she would disintegrate on the spot if she took a direct hit. Xion let out a small sigh and banished her blade, figuring she was finished. She pulled Sombra's horn out of her pocket and held it tight, taking comfort in the fact that she wouldn't die alone. Then she stared a little longer at Sombra's horn and an idea came to her.
"Hey Sombra, remember when you joked earlier about planting yourself on my head and taking control of me?" Xion asked Sombra, who glowed his horn in reply. "Think you could do it to a pony that's being controlled?"
Xion swore that after she voiced her idea that Sombra was smiling, but whether he was or not she would never know as Rarity took that moment to unleash her rainbow power down upon Xion. With some hope left alive within her, Xion hurled herself out of the way of the rainbow power and rolled to her feet. She took aim with her good arm at Rarity's forehead before she threw Sombra's horn with all her might.
The horn sailed through the air and latched right onto the side of Rarity's head, getting the mare to roar with fury as she started to use her magic to pry off the horn of darkness. 'None of that now dear, we've gotten too close for you to push me away!' Sombra's voice echoed throughout the theater as he used his darkness to break into her mind. For a brief moment Rarity's eyes flickered white and black, before she closed them and ceased to glow. 'Puppet! I've got her locked down for the moment, but I won't be able to hold back the rainbow power for long! You've got to beat that Heartless and do it quick!'
"Don't worry, Sombra," Xion began as she turned herself towards the Heartless, who slammed his hands into the ground and summoned two wand looking weapons. Xion reached out and summoned her blade once more, casting cure upon herself before she took up a fighting stance she shared with two others. "Slaying Heartless is what I was trained to do."
Xion threw herself at the Heartless, who swung one of his wands towards the key bearer as she approached. Xion dug her heels into the ground and blocked the strike from the wand, gritting her teeth as she used her might to push back against the Heartless's strength. With one last push she bounced the wand off of her key and caused the creature of darkness to stagger, giving her an opening to attack.
"Right there!" Xion called out as she struck downwards at the Heartless in a one handed strike, before gripping the handle with both hands and swinging the blade horizontally across the Heartless. She then rotated to swing the blade over her head, before bringing the blade crashing down onto the head of the Heartless. The Mastermind staggered backwards under the combo, causing its ring that had been floating around its head to fall off of its body.
"You better hope that's not a weak point that fell off of you," Xion told the Heartless before she lunged towards the ring and brought the keyblade down onto ring, shattering the ring into thousands of little pieces. The Heartless reeled back from the destruction of its ring and collapsed to the ground, where it held a hand out to where the ring had been. A blue and red light erupted from the rings pieces, lights that ascended into the sky while circling each other before they collided in a ray of light.
Xion lifted her head to the sky to see the white light raining down upon the city, bathing it in color and light. She smiled to herself as she pieced together what had happened, before she turned her gaze back down towards the fallen Heartless.
"Seems that your days of controlling ponies are done. Now all that's left is to banish you back into the darkness from whence you came," Xion told the Heartless, which rose back up to its feet with the two wands in hand and its full attention of Xion.
It hurled a wand towards Xion and, as she wasn't expecting the Heartless to throw its weapon, barely managed to move out of the way of the projectile. The want tore through the side of her cloak, which suffered a large gash in the side of it as the wand tore through it and then embedded itself in the ground behind Xion. Xion glanced from the wand that had almost impaled her to her torn cloak, before she glare at the Heartless with rage filled eyes.
"That was my favorite slash only coat. And you went and ruined it," Xion growled as a dark aura flooded around her body, causing her eyes to glow with an eerie light as a dark orb appeared in her left hand. "Oh yeah. You're in for it now."
Xion hurled the ball towards the Heartless and struck it clean in the face, getting the Heartless to stagger. Xion ripped open a corridor to the darkness behind her and dove into it, appearing above the Heartless from a portal of darkness. With a roar she drove the tip of her keyblade into the head of the Heartless, getting the being to writhe back and forth as Xion pushed the blade deeper and deeper into its skull.
The Mastermind lashed out at her with its other wand, but Xion was within the darkness once more before the wand could strike her. She appeared at the ankles of the Heartless and slashed through its feet in a single strike, getting the creature of darkness to collapse to the ground once more. As the beast fell to its knees in front of Xion, Xion clutched her left hand with her right, summoning the darkness into her left hand and giving it form.
"I can take a lot of punishment. I've had my mind messed with, I've been beaten by friends and foes alike and even had my memories ripped apart and pieced back together," Xion snarled at the Heartless while her eyes flashed with a feral fury, while a black claw formed around her hand. "But that light that you made Rarity shoot at me, that light that has the power to banish the darkness...that REALLY hurt!"
Xion bellowed with rage as she drove the claw into the chest of the Heartless, driving it clean through to the other side. She then lifted the Heartless with the clawed hand, before channeling her dark power into her keyblade and pointing the tip of it at the side of the Heartless's head. "Dark Firaga."
The blast of fire detonated on the side of the Masterminds head, sending the Heartless crashing into the ground where it didn't move again. Xion glared down at it with a dark gaze, before she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Slowly, as if it was hesitant to go, the darkness faded from the girl, returning her emotions to a normal state. Xion then opened her eyes and looked down at her hands, smiling when she saw that she wasn't covered in darkness anymore.
"Okay, may have gone a bit too far there," Xion said, before she shrugged her shoulders with a smile, only to regret her decision a moment later as pain arced through her left shoulder. Xion bit back a curse as she held her hand to her shoulder, glancing over at it to find that a small chunk of her shoulder was missing and darkness was seeping out of it. "Crap, that's not good. Whatever that rainbow power did to my shoulder isn't going to heal easily. I need to find Sombra and-"
An explosion of energy went off behind Xion and she spun around to see the Heartless lunging towards her, wand aimed right at her head. Xion's eyes went wide as the watched the weapon approaching her, trying to summon her keyblade but her body was too slow to react. The Heartless was right in top of her, only to be struck down as a blast of rainbow light tore a hole through the Heartless.
Seeing the rainbow light snapped Xion back to reality and she summoned her keyblade in a flash of light, gripping the handle with both hands and slashing through the head of the Mastermind in a single stroke. The Heartless ceased to move and slowly faded away into darkness, before a large, glowing heart emerged from within the Heartless and slowly floated into the sky.
Xion watched the heart ascend into the sky until it disappeared, before she turned around to see Rarity, still in her rainbow form standing behind her. The two stared each other down for a moment, Xion looking at her rainbow mane and Rarity looking at Xion's missing shoulder, before Rarity held up a hoof. A hoof with a red horn that was covered in darkness clutched within her grasp.
"So tell me darling, does this belong to you?" Rarity asked Xion as she shook the horn, whose eyes flashed from the horn to the look Rarity was giving her.
'Yeah, so fun fact: Rarity's got a far stronger mind than I thought,' Sombra admitted weakly. 'Who knew?'
Xion wasn't sure what her next move should be. Rarity stood on the stage of the amphitheater with her, clutching Sombra's horn in her hooves. Xion wasn't that worried about Sombra being a hostage, figuring that he had gotten out of way worse, but what she was worried about was the rainbow light that Rarity emitted from her body. Xion moved her hand to where her shoulder was still damaged, feeling the pain course through her body and reminding her of what the light of Rarity's could do.
"See darling, I've been having a very rotten day," Rarity said to Xion as she looked down at the hoof that held Sombra. "First that creature attacks the city and makes all of us do it's bidding. Then I find myself in a fight with some kind of mannequin in a black coat that wields a weapon that can combat my rainbow power. Finally, Sombra plants his horn onto my head and tries to take control of my body. I did not appreciate that. I am in the mood to break something. But, as I am a lady, I shall ask once more. Does this belong to you?"
Xion was tempted to summon her keyblade on the spot, but she didn't know how Rarity would respond. And in the shape she was in, Xion figured that a fight with a Rarity that had not only full control over herself, but also Sombra as a hostage, wouldn't end well for her. All she could do was answer the pony's question.
"Yes, that horn does belong to me. And I'd like it back," Xion said in a calm voice as she extended her hand to Rarity. Rarity raised an eyebrow at how Xion answered her question, before she once more looked down at the horn that was being covered in her rainbow magic.
"See, I would give it back to you if I didn't already know who resided within this horn. King Sombra," Rarity said in an annoyed tone, one that made Xion tense slightly as she prepared for an attack. Then Rarity shook her head and gazed back at Xion. "You are a smart being, darling. I am sure you already know that Sombra is one of the most vial and evil beings in our land. He tried to cast the land into eternal darkness and snow. He is not a good pony. One that doesn't deserve to be in your care."
"Maybe not. But right now he's the only one who can help me get what I want," Xion revealed to Rarity, who raised an eyebrow at Xion's words. Xion extended her hand once again, this time with a sterner look in her eyes. "Now if you don't mind, I would like him back. Now."
"You know that I cannot allow that. As a protector of my land it is my duty to defeat any evil that would dare threaten it," Rarity informed Xion, who narrowed her eyes in reply. "And Sombra has been a very difficult pony in the past to deal with. Not to mention he tried to break into my mind. Sorry, darling, but I am afraid I must defeat this foe here and now."
"You say that you defeat evil. But in truth you mean any being of darkness," Xion clarified for Rarity, who shrug in admittance. Xion then summoned her keyblade and pointed it at Rarity, whose rainbow light grew brighter at the appearance of Xion's weapon. "Well I'm a being of darkness as well. And if you're going to try to hurt him, you're going to have to go through me to do it. And I'll warn you now, I'm not somebody you want to mess with."
'Heck yeah! That's my loyal puppet! Now bash her head in!'
Rarity thought about Xion's words for a moment, before she lowered her rainbow aura slightly and smiled at Xion. "Well darling, you said that you are only with Sombra because he can get you what you want. Well, how about you tell me what you want and if I can help you, I can."
Now it was Xion's turn to think about what Rarity was saying, before Xion sighed and lowered her weapon slightly. "I want to go to the beach. I made a promise with two of my friends...a life ago that we would all go to the beach. I'd like to fulfill that promise. That's why I'm traveling with Sombra. I help him out, he shows me where the beach is in this world."
"Well, nothing simpler, darling. I can take you to any number of beaches with ease," Rarity said with a smile before she glanced down at the horn of Sombra. "I take it Sombra somehow managed to trick you into working for him, but now that I'm hear you no longer need to listen to him. I promise you that I will take you to the beach, in exchange for helping me catch Sombra. So I take it you will not mind if I take him off of your hooves, er, hands?"
'Puppet...don't listen to her...remember our deal? Our training?' Sombra begged from his horn in a scared tone, not liking how the rainbow power was slowly consuming his horn. Xion lowered her head for a moment and thought about Rarity's words once more, before she raised her head to reveal eyes filled with fire.
"Sorry, but I'm going to have to pass," Xion said to Rarity, pointing her keyblade at the pony once more. "I made a promise to that pathetic excuse of a villain and whether or not I agree with him, I keep my promises. Now return my friend to me."
"You'd be willing to decline my offer for this piece of evil filth?"
"I will fight you for that piece of evil filth."
Rarity's eyes narrowed for a moment as she glanced from the horn to Xion, before Rarity's eyes rested on Xion's wounded shoulder, which was still seeping darkness from the wound. Rarity then let out a sigh before she tossed the horn to Xion, who caught it in her left hand.
"You okay?" Xion asked Sombra, who said nothing in reply. Xion pocketed the dark king before turning her attention back to Rarity, who was no longer covered in rainbows and her mane had shrunken considerably. "Didn't think you'd actually give him back to me without a fight. Didn't seem like that kind of pony."
"If this was my first encounter with you Xion, then I wouldn't have given him back," Rarity said to Xion, who was surprised that Rarity knew her name. "But I've heard about you from Fluttershy and Pinkie, two friends of mine that you helped out. And according to them, you aided them in their hour of need to defeat the beings of darkness that have been recently plaguing our land. And that includes your name."
"Pinkie. Knew I shouldn't have talked to her," Xion grumbled to herself.
"Oh don't blame Pinkie, we've heard of your deeds back in Ponyville. Now granted, most of them paint you as a monster of darkness with red eyes, but I can see that's not the case," Rarity revealed to Xion, who glanced over at Rarity with interested eyes. "Our magic has been all we can use to fight back against the Heartless, that is what you called them, yes? But that weapon of yours...it has slain them and kept them slain. And if you're slaying them, then it is clear that you are not with them."
"You're a pretty good detective," Xion muttered, but she kept her blade leveled at Rarity. "But you said it yourself. I'm a red eyed, creature of darkness. Why would you, a being of light, trust something of darkness would trust me?"
"Well, first off is that I don't see it. I see more of a...mannequin in a cloak, not a red eyed monster," Rarity said with some slight confusion. "Interestingly enough, Fluttershy saw the red eyed monster. But you still helped her. And Pinkie saw a red-headed human girl, who helped her. What do all of these have in common? You've helped us, so I see no reason why you should deserve my wrath."
"The second reason is that..." Rarity began, before she looked once more at the wounded shoulder with a guilty look in her eyes. "That Heartless made me do things that I would never do. It made me try to kill you, which was against my will. So I feel that I owe you one, for nearly trying to kill you."
"Oh, you owe me one. That's why you're not trying to kill me," Xion replied in an annoyed tone, one that made Rarity glance at the ground with sad eyes.
"Look darling...I understand if you cannot forgive me for my actions. I am sorry for my actions and that is all I can do," Rarity sighed and Xion actually found herself feeling bad for the pony.
"Look...I've had a rough day too, alright?" Xion agreed as she banished her keyblade, getting Rarity's eyes to go wide as the weapon vanished. "All I was planning to do today was go shopping and that's it. I didn't plan on having to free a whole city from the Heartless or nearly lose my shoulder in a blast of rainbow light that can destroy any being of darkness. But here we are."
Rarity placed a hoof under her chin and thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up with a smile. "Idea! How about this, Xion? Since I...contributed to your bad day, how about I take you to where you needed to go and pay for it myself tomorrow? Consider it my way of paying you back for helping us? I'm sorry that's all I can do for now."
"No...no that might work," Xion agreed with a small nod, knowing that she was strapped for bits. "What I'm getting isn't a traditional item, though. Figure I should warn you in advance."
"It's no problem at all darling. And how about after we get this item for you, we go and get you a new outfit made?" Rarity asked Xion.
"What's wrong with my coat?" Xion asked as she looked down at her coat, only to realize that it was torn apart in numerous places and was covered in dirt and grime. Rarity giggled to herself as the realization dawned on Xion's face before she turned and motioned for Xion to follow her with her hoof. Xion did so, but as the two walked she reached into her pocket and pulled out Sombra's horn.
"You've been awfully quiet," Xion said to Sombra, who said nothing in reply. "Normally you would never pass up on the opportunity to get in some shots against one of the Ambassadors of Harmony, let alone one that kicked you out of her mind. You feeling okay?"
'I'm...just thinking, puppet. And I require not to be bothered until I am finished.'
"Alright, geez. Sorry for worrying," Xion grumbled as she placed Sombra back into her pocket as she continued after Rarity, wondering what could possibly get Sombra to silence his tongue.
======= No. I =======
"Yeesh, I know that I promised to buy whatever it was you were after, but I wish you had warned me how much of a dent it would out in my purse," Rarity said to Xion as the two of them left an odd shop, while Xion pocketed the Dragon's Fire within her coat. Xion had spent the night at the hotel Rarity had been staying at, yet Rarity hadn't slept that night. She had spent all night dealing with the confused citizens and had only showed up around ten to take Xion shopping.
"You were the one that so nobly offered to pay for my woes. I figured that it would be better if I didn't say anything to sway you from your noble path," Xion said with a wry smile to Rarity, who sighed in defeat before shaking her head with a smirk of her own. The two walked in silence, with Rarity occasionally offering to talk to Xion yet Xion chose to remain silent. "Sorry if I'm not that talkative, I've got a lot on my mind right now. I'm dealing with more than just the Heartless, so I've got to plan in advance."
"Perfectly understandable darling. We've all got a lot on our minds with these Heartless in the land. Terrifying beasts," Rarity muttered to herself. The two continued on in silence, with Xion glance down at where Sombra rested silently in her horn with growing concern. That was until the both of them came to a stop outside of a clothing store, one with a huge sigh that looked like it was made with magical lace.
"Ah, here we are! Do not worry, Xion, I am friends with the ponies inside. And the owner owes me a favor," Rarity said to Xion as she pushed open the door. Rarity entered the store, leaving Xion to glance around at the city streets around her. The ponies walked the streets like nothing had happened, making Xion wonder how much they remembered about being mind controlled.
'Just ignore them. If they want to live in their blissful fantasy land, who are we to stop them?' Sombra asked Xion, who shrugged her shoulders before she entered into the store after Rarity. The store was nothing special, with numerous outfits on display while different sections held different styles. It only occurred to Xion after she entered the store that she was a Nobody and that clothing designed for horses wouldn't work for her.
"Yes, I figured as much as well darling," Rarity agreed when Xion voice her fears to the mare, who had been standing by the counter. "But do not worry, there is a reason I chose this shop. The ponies here specialize in making clothing for any sort of being, be it a griffon or a yak. If anypony is able to make a new suit for you, it will be them."
As soon as Rarity said this, two ponies in strange clothing zipped out of the back and appeared next to Xion, taking her measurements quickly before they vanished back into the backrooms from whence they came. Rarity motioned for Xion to sit down in a waiting chair while Rarity browsed the shelves, leaving Xion to sit down and pull Sombra from her pocket.
"So two down, one to go and then you'll be fixed, right?" Xion asked Sombra.
'Yeah...that's how it should work,' Sombra said to Xion in a tone that Xion couldn't read. Xion didn't like it when she couldn't tell what Sombra was planning. The more she talked to him, the more she felt there was plenty that he wasn't telling her.
"The Golem's Core. That's the last item. Any idea where we'll find it?" Xion asked Sombra, who said nothing for a few minutes.
'Last I heard, it was rumored to be in a wasteland to the south of here. A place where even the princesses don't like to tread, thanks to the beasts that live there. And that was before the Heartless showed up,' Sombra revealed with a bit more of his old self in his voice, which relieved Xion slightly. Before Xion could say any more, the two ponies zipped out of the bag and dumped a pile of clothes into Xion's lap. Xion had only a moment to register that clothing had been dumped into her lap before the ponies yanked her off her feet and rushed her to the changing rooms in the back.
Getting the hint that they wanted her to try on her clothing, Xion tossed Sombra's horn out of the changing room and to the floor next to the outfit making ponies, who glanced at the horn with interest. A few moments passed before Xion walked out of the changing room, her new outfit replacing her coat.
She wore a white T-shirt with a black, sleeveless jacket over the top of it, black hood hanging off the back. Her pants were also black and went to Xion's knees. The way the pants felt reminded Xion of jeans and she assumed that's what they were. A pair of black boots with white highlights on the sides. A chain wrapped around her waist and looked kinda like a belt, but other than aesthetics Xion couldn't place it's purpose. Finally, there was a pair of gloves that she wore, gloves that felt...magical to her.
"Oh you look wonderful, darling!" Rarity exclaimed as she raced over to Xion, who looked down at herself before shrugging. "See, I told you that this place would have the clothing that you need! Now what do you want to do with you old coat? Do you wish to dispose of it or do you wish for me to?"
Xion glanced down at her old and torn coat, one that was given to her by Xemnas himself, and felt conflicted. On one hand, the coat was a reminded to her that she was a puppet, a being created to be a tool in the plans of a being that held no care or love for her. But on the other, it was also a reminder that she was connected to Roxas and Axel, that just because she was a puppet didn't mean she didn't belong. A small smile crossed her face, before she folded up the cloak before placing it in her inventory. She then picked up Sombra and put him in one of the jacket's pockets.
"I think I'll hang onto it," Xion replied as she zipped up her jacket, moving around in her outfit to get a feeling for her outfit before she nodded to Rarity. "Thank you for doing this. I didn't think that changing my outfit could make such a difference, but for the first time in so long I feel like I..."
"Can breath? Don't worry darling, I know exactly how you feel," Rarity replied with a nod to Xion, who believe that Rarity knew what she was talking about. Rarity paid for the outfit and the two left the store, leaving Xion to look around while trying to decide where to go next. "Need some directions?"
"Yeah, I'm heading to a wasteland in the south next. A place where the princesses dare not to tread," Xion told Rarity, who narrowed her eyes before she pulled out a map and circled a spot on it.
"Here you go, this is where you are probably going to be heading," Rarity said to Xion, who took the map and looked at the spot that Rarity had circle. "That is the only wasteland I know of in Equestria. It is also a spot where plenty of Heartless are heading. I doubt it is coincidence."
"Me either. Thank you again Rarity, but I need to get going," Xion said as she rolled up the map, only for Rarity to extend something else to Xion.
"Here, this is something I found while patrolling the streets when I was being controlled," Rarity said as she handed a keychain to Xion, one that had a diamond on the end of it. "I didn't know what it was, but then I saw the keychain on the end of your blade and it made sense. This is for you."
"Thank you again, Rarity," Xion replied as she took the keychain.
"It is no problem. And good luck with wherever it is you are heading," Rarity replied as she started to walk away, before she stopped and smiled back at Xion. "And if you ever feel that you are tired of only having Sombra for company, come seek me and my friends out. We'd all love to get to know you a little better. Au revoir."
With a wave Rarity vanished into the crowd of ponies, leaving Xion to look down at the diamond keychain, wondering what this one would do for her blade. She then pocketed the keychain and headed off towards where Rarity had circled on the map, feeling that things were only going to get harder.
With all of Xion's experience of Equestria being mostly beautiful lands filled with wonder and majesty, she was a little surprised to find a section of Equestria that was devoid of life such as the wasteland she found herself in. The sun was blocked overhead by black clouds that seemed to follow the pair no matter where they went in the lands, but the clouds did not block the heat that radiated from the ground. Xion found herself grateful not to be stuck in her stuff coat, but what she wasn't so grateful for was that Sombra hadn't said a word since the two of them left Rarity.
"So...once we get this Golem's Core, we'll have everything you need to reform your body, right?" Xion asked Sombra, who was hanging out in one of Xion's pockets. Once again Sombra did not answer the girl, leaving Xion to sigh before she summoned her blade. While she had gotten used to the Happiest Day, she figured it was time for her to try a new style.
She detached Pinkie's keychain and replaced it with Rarity's, smiling as her blade flashed a brilliant light as it took on it's new form. The guard of the keyblade was a long strand of ribbon, one which encircled the handle and met together at a tied bow where the blade extended. The blade was a long, slender sewing needle, giving her keyblade far longer reach than any of her previous blades. And the teeth of her keyblade was a spool of thread, one which shined like the moon.
"Extended reach, that's always appreciated," Xion muttered to herself as she took up the blade in both hands, swinging it a few times to get a feel for her new weapon. "Good increase to my strength, so I want to hit things with this more. Draw? Ugh, what kind of useless ability is that? None of these Heartless drop any munny or treasure, so what's the point in it?"
'Only you could find something to complain about when you are gifted a new weapon from the heavens,' Sombra muttered from Xion's pocket, getting the girl to raise an eyebrow at the fact that Sombra had finally spoke. 'If anything, at least having a needle for a blade means that you'll be able to stab things. Or sew me a sweater, whichever suits your tastes.'
"So you finally decide to grace me with your voice. You know for a while I was actually hoping that you had permanently lost your voice and that I would be able to spend the rest of this journey is blissful silence. Glad to see that my bad luck hasn't changed," Xion joked to Sombra, but once again Sombra returned to his silence. "Geez, I was just joking, don't take it so personally."
'Please, your words cannot harm me. I have a far thicker skin than any pony despite not having skin...or any form of body at the moment,' Sombra replied with a sigh before he sensed that the sky was getting darker. 'We should probably stop here for the night. We're still a ways away from the location of the Core, so we'll need to rest. Don't want you getting too tired now.'
"It's weird hearing you being so considerate for my well being," Xion noted, but she took Sombra's advice to stop. She gathered up what few sticks she could find and clumped them into a pile, before blasting a burst of fire from the end of her keyblade to ignite the wood. "So do you want me to practice more of my training tonight? I've gotten pretty good at summoning the darkness, but I bet that it's not good enough for you. Alright, bring it on."
As she said this, she closed her eyes and summoned the darkness within, creating an aura of darkness around her that was darker than Sombra had recalled. Xion placed Sombra's horn upon a rock before she began to practice her spells, shooting dark versions of all of her magic. Sombra watched the entire time, noticing how far she had improved in such a short time.
'Yes, her grip on the darkness within has truly become stronger. At the rate she's going, she should become completely consumed by the darkness soon,' Sombra thought silently to himself, amazed at Xion's progress and also the amount of darkness that was radiating off of her. 'Perhaps, if I were to keep her going down this path into darkness, the darkness would eventually consume her heart and mind...leaving her a mindless puppet once more. One to command.'
"You know something Sombra, I actually feel that I can go farther with this darkness. Like there's a whole pool of power awaiting me within," Xion began as she closed her eyes and held a hand to her heart, beginning to summon the darkness within her once more.
"Perhaps with this power, I won't have to worry about the organization hurting us. With this power...I can protect us both-OW!" Xion yelled as a rock hit her in the back of her head, spinning around to glare at where the horn was resting. "The hell was that for?!"
'Because you are being an idiot! What did I tell you before?! You must have balance, you stupid puppet!' Sombra roared at Xion from his rock, falling off of it in the process. 'Yes, there is another well of power within your darkness, but if you were to tap into that power with how you are now, you would lose your heart and your mind, truly making you a puppet!'
"Oh...really? Thanks for the warning," Xion muttered as she canceled her dark aura, before glancing down at Sombra. "So is this as far I can go with the power of darkness?"
'For the moment. However, you will be able to tap into that pool later if you have forged your heart and soul to withstand it. And in order to do that, you must master the light within you,' Sombra explained to Xion, who tilted her head and looked and Sombra with confusion.
"The light? But I thought I was a creature of darkness?"
'You are. However, that is not the element that you are naturally inclined towards. You, Xion, are a being of darkness that has a natural connection with the light,' Sombra revealed to Xion, who looked down at her hands with amazement. 'A being of darkness that is naturally filled with light. The only being like that I've ever seen. I do not know if it is because you were created that way or if it just who you are, but that makes you both interesting...and potentially the most powerful being I have come across.'
"I think that is the closest you've come to complimenting me," Xion said with a smile, before a serious look crossed her face. "So, how do I train myself to become stronger with the light?"
'Unfortunately for you, I am not a being of the light nor have I ever cast a light based spell in my entire life,' Sombra revealed to Xion, who sighed as she slumped over slightly. 'However, just because I have never done it does not mean that I do not have a few ideas on how one would go about channeling the power of light. You remember how you channeled the darkness, correct?'
"Yeah, I just remember all of my painful memories and use them as a catalyst for...oh, I think I get what you're saying," Xion caught on with a smile, before she closed her eyes and started to remember. "In order to draw out the light within me, I just need to remember all of the good and happy...there we go," Xion finished as she opened her eyes and looked down at herself, finding an aura of light faintly surrounding her. "Huh, not as strong as my dark aura."
'Of course not, you have just started using it. It will take time and training to make your light as strong as your darkness,' Sombra said to Xion, who nodded as she summoned her blade once more. When the blade appeared in her hand, Xion found that her keyblade was covered in a second blade, one made of light. 'I see. Your darkness increases your magic while your light increases your strength. You truly are a cornucopia of surprises, aren't you puppet?'
"I aim to amaze," Xion said with a confident smile before she took up a fighting stance. Sombra felt himself smirk before his horn glowed with power, summoning creations of darkness to surround the girl. One of the beings snuffed out the light of the fire, but the light that radiated from Xion generated more than enough light to allow her to see. "But y'know, this light feels...familiar. Like an old friend I haven't seen in a while..."
'Interesting. Let us see if that aids you during this trial!' Sombra roared while signaling for his monsters of darkness to attack. The beasts did as he asked and lunged towards Xion, who let a smile cross her face as they approached. She slammed the tip of her keyblade into the ground and summoned a barrier of light, but when the beasts of darkness got close to the barrier beams of light erupted from within and decimated the dark creatures.
The ones that weren't destroyed by the rays of light charged Xion the moment her barrier lowered, but even though she was horribly outnumbered Xion's smile never faltered from her face. She charged towards the closest shadow being and cleaved him in half, causing his two halves to vanish into darkness. Xion the spun her blade around and drove the blade under her shoulder, driving the tip of her blade through the stomach of another shadow creature.
As that one vanished into darkness, Xion spun towards the final beast of darkness and hurled her keyblade towards it. The blade spun with a radiant light surrounding it, getting the beast to let out a roar before the blade pierced its body. Xion extended her hand and returned her keyblade to her, before she smiled over at Sombra with pride and gave him a thumbs up.
'By the heavens, that is some strong light,' Sombra found himself saying with a smirk of disbelief, unable to believe how quickly Xion was disposing of his minions. 'I may have said that she has a strong connection to the light, but I never thought would have believed how easily she could make its power hers. I'm almost a little jealous.'
Then Sombra watched as Xion laughed aloud as she spun her keyblade around in victory, before she hefted the keyblade onto her shoulder and gave a victory pose. Her moment of victory was ruined when the hand of one of the shadow beasts grabbed hold of her ankle, getting the girl to freak out before she started to swat at her ankle with her blade. And amidst all the chaos, Sombra found that he couldn't help but laugh.
'Able to learn both the power of darkness and light. Has met with three of the six guardians of this land and survived. Not to mention that even as a being of darkness she managed to befriend the three. She truly is one the most talented learners I have ever seen. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from my student.'
"Thanks for the tips, Sombra. That was fun."
'Well then, fun time's over, puppet!' Sombra roared at Xion, who had just managed to get the hand off of her. She glanced over at Sombra's horn with a look of interest on her face, before her eyes went wide as darkness began to spew out of the horn. The darkness that had emerged from Sombra's horn wrapped around itself and slowly began to form a body, one that was of a dark stallion that was almost up to Xion's height. Xion's eyes went wide as two white eyes opened on the face of the stallion, before a toothy grin crossed his face. "Now you face me!"
"What?! You can reforge your body?! You could do that the whole time?!" Xion yelled with disbelief as Sombra began to walk towards her, a confident grin upon his face. "If you could make a body out of the darkness, then why the heck are we even gathering up these items?! Or have you just been wasting my time?"
"Calm yourself, puppet, this is not a form I can hold for long. Thirty minutes at most and that's without strenuous activity," Sombra informed Xion, before he crouched down with a wicked smile. "Now come, puppet, allow me to truly test this light of yours. If it is not strong enough to defeat this form, then we might as well kill ourselves here to save our foes the trouble of striking us down."
"You really know how to motivate, don't you? But I won't pass up the chance to knock that annoying smile off of your face!" Xion said before she lunged towards Sombra, who cackled before he vanished into a pool of darkness. Xion's keyblade struck the ground where Sombra had vanished, before she started to look around for the dark king.
"Where are you looking?!" Sombra roared as he came flying down from above, firing blasts of darkness from his horn. Xion lifted her gaze towards Sombra and spun her blade on her fingers, using the whirling weapon to deflect the attacks before she kicked off the ground and lunged into the air towards Sombra. She slashed at Sombra, only to watch as he rolled out of the way and landed on the ground, smirking at Xion as she landed. "You're quicker on your feet than you used to be. Been practicing when I haven't been looking?"
"Guess you can say I've been leveling up," Xion replied with a smile. "You sure you want to keep fighting me? If I strike you with the blade of light, I guarantee it will hurt."
"Relax, puppet, this isn't my real form. It's just a body made of my dark magic. If you strike down this form, I'll just return to being a horn," Sombra assured Xion, but when he saw the look in her eyes he realized that she had been holding back for his sake. 'I am a king of darkness and evil and yet you still show concern for me. I will never figure you out.'
In a burst of light Xion was on the dark king, keyblade raised over her head and victory shinning in her eyes. Yet once more Sombra vanished into the darkness in time to avoid being struck down by the keyblade, but when he emerged from the darkness he found Xion's boot waiting for him. She kicked his dark form in the side of the head and sent him sprawling, forcing him to pick himself back up with a confused look on his face.
"You forget that I've used the dark passages in the past. I can feel you as you race through them," Xion informed Sombra with a wicked smile of her own, while Sombra chuckled to himself nervously. Sombra used his dark magic to conjure twin blades of darkness, which he spun around his body before taking up a fighting stance of his own. Xion dashed towards him and twirled her body, gaining momentum before she lashed out at Sombra with her keyblade.
Sombra lifted one of his dark blades to intercept, causing sparks of light and darkness to erupt when the two blades struck. For a brief moment the two forces pushed against each other, before Xion's blade cleaved through Sombra's and nearly slashed through his face. Xion then let out a cry as she prepared to stab at Sombra, before her light aura vanished in a flash and she collapsed to the ground.
"Xion?" Sombra asked as he walked over to her side, rolling her over to find that she was breathing heavily and had sweat running down her face. He let out a sigh and shook his head at the girl, who closed her eyes and began to calm her breathing. "Oh you fool. You pushed yourself too hard."
"What...do you...mean?"
"That new light form of yours is incredibly powerful, but it takes a huge chunk out of your stamina. And you're not as adept with it as you were the darkness, so when you took me on you pushed your power of light past what your body could handle," Sombra said with another sigh, before looking up at the darkening sky. "Perhaps it was for the best. We need to stop here for the night and you need to regain your strength."
"Sounds...good. Goodnight," Xion weakly muttered before she practically passed out, getting Sombra to look down at her with disbelief.
"And just like that she's out," Sombra said with a smirk at Xion, before he used his dark magic to ignite the fire once more. He then rolled Xion over next to the fire and drew forth her coat from her inventory, placing it over her. He then sat down on the rock across from her, dissipating his shadowy form and returning himself to his horn form. He sat in silence for a while, before he glanced over at the sleeping girl once more.
'Her progress is extraordinary. The other day she just learned how to channel the darkness and today she's able to use its power to increase her abilities,' Sombra thought to himself as he recalled what Xion had done. 'And then, with her strength already drained from using the power of darkness, she channels the light and manages to infuse it into her blade. Incredible.'
'She would make the perfect, mindless henchmen. With her power and my knowledge I would be able to reclaim what was stolen from me. Hell, perhaps I would be able to take over the entire world,' Sombra thought to himself before he glanced at Xion once more, remembering the city and what had happened within it. He then let out a small laugh before he turned his gaze towards the sky.
'You couldn't make it easy for me, could you? You couldn't send me some goody two shoes hero or some evil monster that I would have no issues turning to my will. No, you had to send me this train wreck.'
Xion couldn't help but stare in awe at the colossal statues of beings past as she and Sombra walked underneath a long row of statues. Each of the statues looked like a different being, with some of them looking like ponies while others looked like dragons. The structure that housed the statues was far larger than the statues themselves, with its outer walls weathered and ancient, yet the front door seemed as pristine as it would have been the day it was created.
While Xion was staring at the place with wide eyed wonder, Sombra rested within her coat pocket with concern coursing through what remained of him. It was not his first time having come to the place to claim the core of a golem. But it was the first time that he had come to the place knowing full well the power of what rested inside. He was concerned not just for him, but for the girl whose power seemed to get stronger by the day.
'Of course, now that I know she has a connection to the light, it is no surprise that she's getting stronger. The land just oozes the light,' Sombra thought to himself while Xion looked at some carvings on a pillar. 'And that, in turn, makes the light within her naturally stronger. What I can't understand is how her dark powers are getting stronger as well. The lands light should be subduing them like it is mine, yet she seems completely unaffected. Is it simply because she is not from this world? Or is there another, far more sinister reason?'
"Hey Sombra, can you read these?" Xion asked Sombra, who snapped out of his thoughts right before Xion pulled him out of her pocket and held him in front of the symbols. Sombra glanced over them for a second before he let out a sigh.
'Sorry puppet, but these are older than even me,' Sombra replied with disinterest.
"Wow, older than you? So these were around at the beginning of creation?" Xion mocked with a smile and Sombra chose not to reply. Instead he rolled his horn so that it was facing the entrance to the temple and Xion followed his gaze towards the entrance.
'Now would be the best time for jesting. For I promise you once we're inside the last thing you'll be doing is laughing,' Sombra informed Xion. 'Within those walls is a never ending maze of traps and tricks, which will constantly change and morph itself so that you never escape or find the center. And even if you do find the center, the golem within will make you regret finding it.'
"Geez, that sounds like a fun time," Xion said as she started to walk towards the entrance of the temple. "Are we just going to wing it like usual or do you actually have a plan this time?"
'Fortunately for you, I have been within these walls and have learned how to navigate the maze,' Sombra said with some pride, before his horn glowed darkly. 'However, I have yet to best the creature whose core we are here to take. And if I couldn't do it, then I severely doubt your ability to do so. But go ahead, prove me wrong.'
"I intend to," Xion replied as the two reached the shining door. Xion summoned her keyblade and pointed the tip of the needle at the center of the door, yet before she could open it beings of darkness and nothingness shot out of the ground around her.
"Heartless!" Xion roared as she spun around and lashed out with her blade, the longer reach allowing her to slice through one of the closer Shadows. She backed up to the door so that the Heartless couldn't get behind her and glanced around at what she was facing.
The regular Shadows and Soldiers littered the battlefield, but to Xion's annoyance there were Heartless in the group wearing turbans and carrying scimitars. But then there were the creatures that were as thin as sticks and wore white outfits, with the tops opened up on the face to reveal pointed teeth.
'Xion, are those more Nobodies?' Sombra asked.
"Yeah, but fortunately for us, these are just Dusks. They're not that much of a threat," Xion replied before the creatures attacked. Xion deflected a strike from a Dusk before she rolled out of the way of a sword swipe from a Bandit. With a vertical slash she cleaved a Soldier in two, giving her some breathing room to spin around and fire a blast of ice from the end of her keyblade and into the chest of the Bandit, blasting it to darkness. She swung at one of the Dusks, but the creature leapt into the air and skidded to the edge of the battlefield.
'These Dusks are hard to hit, aren't they?' Sombra asked Xion, who cartwheeled out of the way of a stray Heartless strike before spinning around and knocking the Heartless back with her blade. Xion tried another swipe at a Dusk, but once more the being rolled out of the way.
"Yeah, but I know how to get around that," Xion replied before she thrust her keyblade into the air. "THUNDER!"
A blast of lightning came raining down from above the Dusk, striking it right on the center of the beings head. The Dusk writhed like it was in agony before it burst apart and faded away into nothingness. If Sombra's had eyes, they would have gone wide at the new spell that Xion had pulled out. Xion didn't waste any time before she lunged towards two more Bandits, blocking the blade of one of them before she ducked under the swing of another.
"Take this!" Xion yelled as she drove the keyblade through the center of the Bandits chest, before ripping the blade from his fading body to slash through the Bandit standing beside her. Both of them faded into the darkness, but as Xion looked behind her she found more Heartless appearing out of the ground. "You guys like to hide in the dark? Then time to face the light."
Xion closed her eyes as she held her keyblade in front of her, channeling the good memories and drawing forth the light within. An aura of light surrounded her and formed a blade of light around her keyblade. Xion's eyes snapped open once more and she pointed her blade at the Heartless, which slowly backed away from the glowing blade.
In a flash of light Xion was on the Heartless, swinging her blade through the head of the Heartless and driving it all the way to the ground in front of the door. The energy coming off of her blade left burn marks on the ground, but Xion didn't notice as she swung her blade of light around and slashed through another of the Heartless. She locked her eyes onto the final Heartless and channeled the light into her keyblade, before she let out a bellow as she thrust the blade towards the Heartless.
A massive chain made entirely of light erupted from the end of her keyblade and impaled itself through the Heartless, causing cracks filled with light to appear in the Heartless before it exploded into a shower of light. Xion stood back up before she glanced over her shoulder at the remaining two Dusks, who stood behind her without moving. For a long time Xion stared at the two Dusks, who stared back at her. Then the Dusks leapt into the air and vanished into nothingness, leaving Xion alone once again.
Xion closed her eyes and dispelled the light from her body, before she let out a tired sigh and fell to her knees once it was gone. She took in a few deep breaths, before she pushed herself back up to her feet and gritted her teeth. Xion then pushed herself towards the door, pointing her keyblade at it.
'Why'd you let them go?' Sombra asked Xion once the light was gone, stopping Xion from unlocking the door.
"Why'd I do what?"
'Let the Dusks go. You could have struck them down before they could have reacted, but you chose to let them get away. I want to know why,' Sombra asked Xion. Xion said nothing for a moment, before she sighed and looked down at the ground.
"Look, when I worked for the organization...the Dusks were nice to me. They helped with chores, attended to our needs and one even gave me flowers," Xion said with a pained expression. "They're the lowest of the Nobodies to serve the organization, but they're still Nobodies...meaning that they still remember what it means to be alive. At least, some do. They're just following orders."
'Hmm, if they follow orders, does that mean that you could control them?' Sombra asked, though he took careful note of what else Xion had said. 'I mean, you were once a numbered member of the organization.'
"I could, if any other organization members that didn't outrank me decided to give them orders. And I was number fourteen, so you can guess how that would work," Xion said with a bitter smirk before she shot a beam of light out of the end of her keyblade, one that pierced through the door before her. An unlocking sound could be heard before the massive door swung back, allowing Xion and Sombra access to the temple. "Come on, let's focus on the mission at hand. What do I need to do?"
'First things first, move to your left,' Sombra said before he used his power to yank Xion out of the way, right before a giant boulder struck where she had been standing. 'Yeah, don't worry about that. One of the ponies I brought with me the first time got crushed by that boulder when I first came here.'
"You let a pony die?!"
'Hey, I didn't know it was there the first time, alright? But there's a lesson for you, puppet. Never go into an ancient temple first, unless you want your friends to clean you off the wall,' Sombra continued on, barely registering Xion's outburst. 'Now you'll want to go to the left. Trust me, right is a dead end. Emphasis on dead.'
Xion followed Sombra's instructions and went to the left, keeping her keyblade in front of her while she walked. Whenever a sound would go off around her, she would turn her full body to face it, holding her key the way a samurai would his blade.
'So why'd you change your stance?' Sombra asked Xion, having picked up on the change in stance. Xion blinked a few times before she looked down at her stance, noticing that there was faint traces of light radiating off of her. 'Yeah, you've been doing that too, even though you thought you sealed away the light. I would have said something, but I wanted to see how long it took till you noticed.'
"I...don't know," Xion muttered to herself as she fixed her stance, before she closed her eyes and sealed away the rest of the light. "But when I used the power of the light and shot that...chain out of my keyblade, holding the keyblade like that afterwards felt...like the correct way to hold it. Like I had seen someone before hold the blade the same way."
'And have you seen somepony...one, hold the blade that way?'
"To the best of my knowledge, no. But Maestro did mess with my memories. He told me that he lessened some of the more painful ones, so it's possible he completely got rid of others," Xion grumbled as she walked. "I'm really tired of being a puppet for people to try and control."
'Well that's a shame, because you give off an aura that makes you look really controllable,' Sombra added on, on for Xion to chuck his horn into the all. 'All joking aside, we'll need to concentrate for this next part. Once you walk through this door, prepare to lose what little mind you have.'
Xion wondered what Sombra meant as she pushed open the very doors Sombra had mentioned, only for her eyes to go wide with shock with what she saw on the other side. Before her was a very long corridor, one that seemed to stretch on for eternity. She squinted her eyes as she tried to see an end or a turn in the road, but all she saw was the same corridor.
'Yeah, I had the same reaction when I first saw it. And yes, it is an illusion. But is also real, if that makes any sense,' Sombra informed Xion, before he floated in front of her and cast a dark light from his horn. The dark light doused the torches that hung from the walls, covering the area in darkness except for the eerie light that Sombra's horn generated.
"What are you doing?" Xion asked Sombra as he rested his horn upon her shoulder.
'The light in this temple lies. Only in the shadows can you see the true path,' Sombra replied. 'Now go. Walk forward until you come to your third left. That is where you will turn.'
Xion did as Sombra requested, walking down the corridor until she came to her third left and turned there. After that Sombra gave her some more directions, each of which turned her down a path that she was certain wasn't there before. At one point she had the good idea to look behind her, only to find a solid wall twenty feet behind her.
'Like I said puppet, this place is an illusion made real. Try not to think too hard about it,' Sombra advised Xion, who decided to take his advice. The two walked on for a while, with Xion losing track of how long they had been in the maze. Aside from Sombra telling her which way to go, the two moved along in silence. Xion eventually began to lose herself in thought, only responded to Sombra's words when he told her to turn.
'Xion.'
Xion snapped her head up and looked around the maze, finding herself standing in a circular room with paths all heading off into the darkness. But what had gotten her attention wasn't the room she was standing in or the way that Sombra didn't seem to know where to go next. It was who had spoken to her. For they had a familiar voice. The voice of a boy.
Xion glanced around in a frenzy, ignoring Sombra's inquires as he noticed that she had started to act strange. She glanced down each of the corridors until her eyes locked onto a figure practically invisible in the darkness. It was a being around her height wearing an organization cloak. But even though he was hidden in the darkness and his face was covered, Xion recognized him instantly.
"It can't be," Xion whispered to herself as she started to walk towards the figure, who turned and ran down the corridor into the darkness. "Wait! Come back!" she yelled as she chased off after him. Xion sprinted down the corridor, barely able to keep the cloaked figure within her sight. She barely paid any attention to where she ran or how many twists and turns she took, only caring if she could keep the figure in her sight.
The figure rounded a corner and a moment later Xion rounded the corner as well, only to find herself face to face with a solid wall. Xion blinked twice before she started to search the wall, trying each brick and crack to see if there was a secret exit or a switch that would cause the wall to spring back. She tried at the wall for a few minutes, before she gave up and sat back while gathering her breath.
'Ya done chasing ghosts?' Sombra asked Xion, who suddenly remembered that she had a horn resting on her shoulder. She reached up and took the horn off of her hand, gazing down at it with confusions.
"Ghosts? No, I was chasing the boy in the cloak. The boy that...I think I know," Xion replied, but her words only caused Sombra to sigh in disbelief.
'Xion, there was nopony there. You were running through corridor after corridor like a girl possessed. And trust me, if there was another being in this place with you, I would have either seen or sensed them. But there wasn't.'
"Okay, so if I wasn't chasing a boy in a black coat, then what was I chasing?" Xion asked in a temper, getting Sombra to chuckle bitterly.
'This place is a trap, remember puppet? It is designed to trick you and lead you astray, so that you get lost and never come back,' Sombra reminded Xion, whose heart fell as she realized that Sombra was right. But then came the pain of her realizing that who she had been chasing after hadn't even been there.
"So...there was no one there? He wasn't there?"
Sombra saw the disappointment and pain on Xion's face and he felt his own snarky side subside slightly. 'Look puppet, the reason I know that you were being tricked by the temple is because I was tricked by it too all those years ago. Even a brilliant mind such as myself was tricked by this temple, so what chance did you have? That's one of two reasons that I'm not mad at you.'
"Wait, then what's the other reason?"
'Well, the other reason would be that the temple didn't lead you to just a dead end. It lead you to your soon to be death. Brace yourself.'
As soon as the words escaped Sombra's horn the floor opened up underneath of Xion and she was plunged into the darkness. Xion barely had time to register what was happening before she slammed hard onto her back, knocking all of the wind out of her. She spent a moment or two trying to get her breath back, before she realized that the floor she had fallen through was no more. She rolled over and felt pain lance up her back, getting a weak groan out of her.
'That looked like it hurt,' Sombra's horn said from a pile of sand next to Xion, who grunted in reply. 'Well, shake it off and get that keyblade of yours out. You've got an audience with the being we're here to see.'
Xion pushed herself up to her feet in time to notice that the ground was shaking around her. Her keyblade appeared in her hands right before a massive, stone sculpted foot slammed down in front of her. Xion slowly lifted her eyes to see a massive beast of stone gazing down at her, a being so tall that she could barely see the top of its head. But her eyes only rested on its head for a moment, before she glued her eyes to the symbol upon its chest. A symbol of the Heartless.
'So the stone golem that I couldn't defeat all those years ago is now a Heartless and seems to be even more powerful than the last time I fought it. Man, do you have the worst luck or what?' Sombra asked Xion as she took up her fighting stance, one that mirrored the one her best friend had taught her.
"Or what," Xion agreed before she lunged towards the golem.
A frontal attacked proved not to be a winning strategy, despite Xion's best efforts. She had lunged towards the golem with keyblade held high, only for the monster of stone and magic to drive a fist into the ground right in her path. The shockwave knocked Xion off of her feet and hurled her across the large chamber, where she slammed into the side of a stone wall and collapsed to the ground.
'That looked painful,' Sombra told Xion as the girl picked herself out of the sand, breathing heavily as she glared through her bangs at the golem, which was standing in the center of the room. She then glanced down at its lower body and found that it had no legs, so it's lower base was attached to the floor of the room. Realizing that it couldn't get to her and that she was, at the moment, out of its range, Xion took her time rising back up to her feet.
"Yeah, it was. Good thing that wasn't a direct attack or else I'd probably be a stain on the wall," Xion noted before she pointed her keyblade at the golems head, smirking to herself before she muttered," Fire."
A ball of fire shot out of the end of her keyblade and soared right into the face of the golem, exploding with a roar. Smoke and flames consumed the head of the golem, allowing Xion to smile as she watched it rock back and forth.
'What are you smiling about?' Sombra asked Xion, who lifted Sombra's horn so that she could look at him.
"See how the golem's stuck to the floor? That means he can't come to get me," Xion said with a smile as she pointed her blade at the golem's base. "All I need to do is stay out of his range and keep using long range spells to wear him down. Eventually the damage will add up and we'll be able to proceed with little to no effort."
'Puppet, I'll give you credit for being clever. Against any other opponent, that would be a brilliant idea,' Sombra praised while a clapping sound emerged from his horn. 'But I fought the golem before when I was at the peak of my power and yet I didn't manage to beat him. Do you know what my primary weapon against him was?'
"Magic," Xion said through gritted teeth, before she looked up at the golem to find that aside from some soot, the face of the golem was perfectly fine. "So he's immune to magical attacks?"
'Seems like it. Golems were created originally to combat powerful magic users like moi,' Sombra revealed to Xion, who bit back a curse as she predicted what he was going to say next. 'No, the only way to defeat a golem was either to destroy it with physical force, not my forte, or find a way to imprison it. Which this one seems to be. So puppet, looks like we've got only one option available to us. You think that toothpick can take down a monster of stone like that?'
"It'll have to."
Xion resumed her attack by dashing across the ground towards the golem, using quick movements to the left and right to make sure that the stone sentinel had trouble tracking her. She watched it wind up its fist and quickly leapt into the air, right as the fist came crashing down where she had been standing a moment ago. She landed on the back of the golem's fist and used its arm as a bridge, one that lead her right to its head.
"TAKE THIS!" she roared once she reached the head, swinging the keyblade down for all she was worth into the side of the monsters head. The force of her blow knocked the golem's head to the side, but to her disbelief the keyblade failed to scratch the brick that made up the head of the golem. The golem then slowly turned its head towards Xion, glaring at her with its yellow eyes. A blast of light erupted from its eyes, a blast that hurled Xion off of the golem's shoulder and to the sand below.
"Well that didn't work!" Xion yelled at Sombra as she landed in a roll, allowing her to spring back up to her feet in time to turn around to see another punch coming her way. Xion slammed her keyblade into the ground and summoned a barrier around herself, but when the fist struck the barrier the barrier shattered, once again hurling Xion across the room. Her side clipped the edge of a pillar and she fell to the ground, pain lancing in the side that caught the pillar.
'No, I didn't. Wow this is quite the golem. I've never seen one be so fundamentally sound,' Sombra said in an impressed tone while Xion cast Cure on herself to recover from the impact. 'Not only is it completely magic resistant, but it also is built incredibly tough. We may not actually manage to defeat this foe.'
"You've got to be kidding me. I didn't come this far just to lose to a giant chunk of rock!" Xion roared as she returned to the fray once more. She closed her eyes and focused on her fondest memories, memories which summoned an aura of light around her. Xion's eyes snapped open as a blade of light formed around her keyblade, while the power of the light coursed through her veins.
Xion shot towards the golem in a burst of light, arriving at the base of the creature in a heartbeat. She used the enhanced power of her blade to slice into the base of the golem, gaining its attention. The golem brought back an arm and slammed it where Xion had been standing, but by the time the fist struck at where she had been, the girl was already in the air over the golem's head.
"Time to fall!" Xion roared as she thrust the keyblade towards the golem, firing four chains made of light out of the end of her keyblade. The chains of light drove themselves through the golems head, getting it to roar as the light coursed through it. Xion then yanked back on the chains to pull herself towards the golem's head, where she aimed her blade right between its eyes.
With one last yell she thrust the keyblade through the head of the golem, driving the blade of light clean through the other side of the creature. She then roared as she ripped the blade out of the head of the golem, causing brick and magic to fly around her. Xion then back flipped off of the golem and landed on the ground, spinning her keyblade in victory as the golem collapsed to the ground behind her.
'That...was impressive,' Sombra said with actual amazement in his voice.
"Like I said Sombra, I'm not going down until I make it to the beach," Xion said with determination in her voice. "And there's no way I would lose to a giant pile of bricks. Now come on, let's grab the core and get out of this dusty-"
The next thing Xion knew she felt something large and solid strike her in the back, ripping her feet from the ground and hurling her into one of the temple walls. Her back cracked hard against the wall and she slumped to the ground, barely able to feel what was going on in her body.
'Xion! Are you alright?!' Sombra's horn asked Xion, who struggled to get out an answer.
She and Sombra turned to see what had struck her, only for the both of them to be shocked by the fact that the golem was getting back up. A crack filled with light was still in the center of the creatures skull, yet despite that would the golem was moving around like nothing had happened.
'That can't be right. You stabbed it through the head! It shouldn't be able to move anymore!' Sombra roared as Xion tried to push herself back up to her feet, yet the damage done was making it hard for her to do so.
"Then I guess I have to cut it's head clean off," Xion snarled as she pushed herself back up, closing her eyes and starting to channel the light once more.
'Puppet, cease that at once,' Sombra said to Xion, who cracked open her eyes to look down at the horn. 'Stop channeling the light. It's doing more harm than good at the moment.'
"What do you mean? It increases my power, speed and magical abilities. Why wouldn't I use it?" Xion asked Sombra, before pain washed over her and she nearly collapsed to one knee.
'It's draining your stamina too quickly. Remember, you still haven't adapted to the power yet and using it too much could knock you out cold,' Sombra reminded to girl, before the two of them looked towards the golem once more. The golem slammed both of its fist into the ground and sent out a shockwave that tore towards the pair. Sombra's horn flashed and a barrier of darkness constructed itself around the both of them, just in time to protect the both of them from the wave.
"So what should I do, tap into the power of the darkness?" Xion asked Sombra, who wracked his brain in an effort to think of an answer.
'It doesn't make sense, the golem should have gone down. Even if they seem invincible on the outside, they are not...puppet, toss me at the golem's joints!' Sombra roared as Xion as he lowered the barrier, getting Xion to look at him like he was crazy. 'Just do it!'
Figuring that she had nothing left to lose, Xion picked up the horn and chucked it at the golem. While her aim was a little off, Sombra used his dark magic to adjust his flight path so that his horn fell through a joint area around the golem's neck. The golem looked down at where the horn vanished, before it turned its attention back to Xion.
"Alright, I've fought Heartless, I've fought Nobodies and I've fought the biggest threats the worlds have had to offer. I will not allow myself to lose to you!" Xion roared as she took a few steps forward, only for pain to lance up her side and force her down to one knee. Xion grit her teeth as she leaned against her keyblade for support, before looking up at the golem which was cocking back another fist.
Then the golem's fist stopped in mid swing, getting Xion to tilt her head with some confusion. The golem then let out a roar as its body began to spasm back and forth, while it's hands clawed at its chest. Just as Xion was wondering whether or not the golem's actions had anything to do with Sombra, a blast of darkness erupted from the center of the golem's chest, spitting out a small black ball of darkness with yellow eyes and sharp teeth.
'Haha! So that's what was keeping the golem moving!' Sombra yelled with excitement as his horn came tumbling out of the golem's chest and onto the ground. 'Puppet, your strike to the golem's head did finish it off. The problem was this little bugger was inside controlling the actual thing like a...well, puppet. Finish it off and we can finally leave this Faust forsaken place!'
"So you're what was causing the golem to keep going," Xion said with a small growl as she glared down the Heartless, which slowly backed away from her key. The creature turned around and tried to flee, but a single slash from Xion cleaved the ball of darkness into two. It let out a weak cry before it vanished into darkness, finally finishing off the golem.
'Well I'll be damned, puppet. You actually managed to do what I could not. You slayed the golem,' Sombra said with praise in his voice as he looked at the giant pile of stone that had once been a foe he couldn't overcome. 'Of course, the keyblade played a huge roll in slaying this beast. What an incredible weapon. What I wouldn't give to have one of those for my own. Too bad they have to chose their wielders and you just can't steal them.'
"No, you can't. And with you being around, I'm very grateful for that fact," Xion said with a tired smile as she limped over to the horn, scooping it up and placing it into her pocket. She then looked around at the stones that had burst out of the golem's chest, eventually finding one that was spherical in nature and glowed with a warm, orange light. "So this must be the Golem's Core, eh? Smaller than I thought it would be."
'Good eye, puppet. That is what we came here for,' Sombra said as Xion picked up the core, holding it in her hands for a moment before she placed it into her inventory. 'With that I finally have all the components needed to fix what was once the greatest and most sought after body in all of Equestria. I cannot wait to return to my godly form once more.'
"Yeah...sounds good," Xion muttered weakly before she sat down hanging her head and breathing heavily as she felt exhaustion and pain wash over her. "You think, now that we've got everything, we'll be able to take a break? I'm not feeling so hot."
'Yeah, let's get out of here. There's a good amount of darkness in this place, so I should be able to...' Sombra muttered before a portal of darkness appeared in front of the both of them. Xion pushed herself back up to her feet and walked over to Sombra slowly, gathering him up before the two of them walked into the darkness. 'Something's wrong with her. She shouldn't be that damaged from simply taking a punch. I wonder...does it have anything to do with her constant use of the light?'
======= No. I =======
Xion enjoyed watching the stars. She especially enjoyed watching them in Equestria, where there were so many in the sky that she felt like they could cast away the darkness of the night. Every once in a while a comet would fly by or the moon would do something weird, but Sombra told her that it was just the princesses being stupid.
What she wasn't enjoying was the pain that refused to leave her body. Even as she laid on her back under the starry sky, simply relaxing, the pain was still there. She could still feeling her skin burning or her muscles hurting and she had no idea why. She winced in pain after she moved her head slightly to the left, resulting in some grumbling of hers that gained the attention of Sombra.
'Body still hurting?' Sombra asked Xion, who let out another moan of pain as her answer.
"I don't get it. I've recovered from the fight and even cast Cure myself a few times incase my body wasn't healing, but I still feel...like I'm hurting," Xion grunted as another wave of pain washed over her. She then cast a glanced at Sombra, who was resting on an open book with the three items they had fought for around him. "You have any idea what could be wrong with me?"
'There are plenty of things wrong with you, puppet. But if you are asking what is wrong with you at the moment, I may be able to offer a few ideas,' Sombra put forward, but his tone left Xion hesitant to ask. 'Yeah, I don't think you'll like any of my theories, but fortunately for you they're just theories.'
"Lay them on me."
'The first is that you are a being of darkness using an incredible amount of light. Even if you have a connection to the light, it still can't be good for your body,' Sombra began and Xion realized he had a point. 'The second is far darker, however. The second possibility is that Maestro created your body to function for a certain period of time, just long enough to get him the information he needed. Perhaps we are getting close to your time limit and soon your body will start to fall apart.'
"So...I'm falling apart? Again?" Xion asked, her voice sounding like a person who was crushed. She lifted her hands and looked up at them, finding that they were starting to shake with fear. "No...no this can't be happening again! Why?! Why is it every time I feel like I'm start to get a hold of things, it all just comes crumbling down?! What did I do to deserve this kind of existence?! Where I'm just...a puppet?!"
Her last question was screamed up at the sky, but there was no answer from the uncountable number of stars in the heavens. Xion then choked back a sob as she rested her arms and head back down on the ground, closing her eyes and breathing shakily. All the while Sombra watched from his book, unable to answer any of the questions that she had asked. But while he didn't have any answers, Sombra was never without something to say.
'Look...Xion. I know things seem terrible right now. And trust me, I know what it's like to have a body that doesn't work the way you want it to. I've gone through it before. Right now, as a matter of fact,' Sombra said to Xion, but the girl didn't answer. 'Also, don't take what I've said too seriously. Remember, they're just ideas. I have no idea whether they're true or not. I could be wrong.'
"I thought you were never wrong?" Xion spat back in a sad voice.
'Well, you've got me there,' Sombra admitted with a chuckle, before he let out a sigh and thought back once again to the city. He then glanced over at Xion once again, finding her staring at her keyblade. 'Alright puppet, I'm going to make you a promise,' Sombra began before he used his dark magic to take on a shadowy form.
"A promise?" Xion asked as Sombra walked over to her, getting the girl to sit up and give Sombra a suspicious look.
'Yes, and despite what you may think of me, I do keep my promises,' Sombra said with a smile of confidence, but all that made Xion do was point the tip of her keyblade at him. 'Still don't trust me?'
"Of course not."
'Smart girl. I see I'm rubbing off on you,' Sombra said with a laugh before his face took on a more serious expression. 'But look, you've been an invaluable...assistant to me these past couple of weeks. More so than any other assistant I've had in the past. Not to mention you've been an endless source of entertainment and intrigue. Your keyblade alone is enough to thank you for.'
"Get on with it."
"Fine, fine. What I will promise you is that I will find a way to fix whatever the Maestro or the darkness did to you," Sombra said with conviction, more conviction that Xion had ever heard in his voice before. "I can respect the Maestro for creating a puppet that he would use for his own, evil ambition, heck, I might do it myself. But where he made a mistake was when he messed with MY puppet, the one that has been helping me. And I cannot allow that to stand."
"Wow, really making me feel good here," Xion said with a smirk.
"But that is my promise. I will not let one of the best and strongest beings of darkness be lost to this land of endless light like so many others. I will find a way to fix you, and if I cannot do that, I will change this world so that you do not need to be fixed. This is my promise to you pu...Xion."
Xion's eyes widened slightly at Sombra's words, amazed that a creep like himself could be saying them. She then lowered her head and thought about what he had said, never noticing that Sombra had his eyes closed as well. She then lifted her head with a smile and extended her hand to him, one that still held the keyblade in it.
"Are you sure you're not saying all of this stuff just to get the keyblade?" Xion asked, getting Sombra to chuckle before he placed a hoof on the keyblade to push it to the side.
'No, if I want your keyblade I would have taken it already. But getting you repaired is my...first priority,' Sombra promised before he held out his hoof to Xion. "Not like I can repair my body at the moment. Even with all the materials, I still have to preform the ceremony "When the moon blocks out the light of the sun" or some crap like that. There's always a catch with these kind of spells. Stupid, rule making wizards."
Xion shook her head at Sombra's words with a small smile, before she reached out and grabbed hold of his hoof to shake it.
"Alright Sombra, it's a promise. Just stay away from my keyblade."
'Life water, or fountain of youth of you're an old crone that's desperate, is exactly what it sounds like. Water that can restore life,' Sombra said from one of Xion's shoulders, as that was the last place the girl had left Sombra. The two of them had spent half a week traveling, with once again only Sombra knowing where they were heading. At the moment their journey lead them to a small, grassy plain, with little of interest to look at aside from the calming green hills. 'But it does not restore youth, so if you get old and ugly you'll just have to suck it up like the rest of us.'
"So, life giving water? That's what we're gathering up next?" Xion asked with a bit of exhaustion in his voice, still having issues with her body. "And you didn't feel the need to tell me this until right this very moment?"
'Gods work in mysterious ways, Xion,' Sombra replied with a laugh.
"You're not a god."
'Huh, I'm not? Damn, I'm so powerful and mighty that I thought that I was,' Sombra cackled before his horn leaned back on Xion's shoulder and he looked up at the sky.
"Something the matter?"
'Yeah, as a matter of fact. See, the last time I heard of this place it was supposed to be guarded by over a dozen of Celestia's best soldiers. So cannon fodder to us, but you get the picture. Yet we're not that far out and I have yet to see anything to tell me that there are guards in the area.'
"And that's a bad thing?" Xion asked. "Less guards means less problems for us. Rarity heard about us from Pinkie and Fluttershy, but I'm fairly certain that the rest of Equestria is still under the wrong assumption that I'm the same kind of monster the Heartless are."
'Well, let me put it to you this way, puppet. If the guards aren't here, that can only mean a hoofful of things. The first is that they're bad at their job and left their posts. This is the most likely reason,' Sombra said with a snicker, before his aura grew darker. 'But the second reason is the reason they are not here fighting us is because they are off somewhere fighting something else. And if that's the case, how long until their problem becomes our problem?'
"So you think that they're currently dealing with the Heartless?"
'Heartless, Nobodies or maybe one of your old friends from the Organization. Who knows. Of course, I think that right now they've all, at the same time, managed to get their heads stuck in the ground and now can't tell which way is up,' Sombra said with contempt in his voice, something Xion hadn't heard in a long time.
"You know, I never did ask you about that. I, kinda, understand your hatred from the princesses, but what did the rest of the world do to you that was so bad? I mean, you are the villain, so you've got to expect that everypony that isn't evil will hate you," Xion pointed out, to which Sombra chuckled in reply.
'What they did, puppet, is that they failed to learn. I ruled the Crystal Empire for years, taught them magic and science the likes of which the world has never seen, and they rejected it. They rejected it for the old ways, the ways of the princesses. The two ponies that say light is good and darkness bad and friendship is key and blah blah blah...' Sombra snarled before taking in a calming sigh.
'My issue with the ponies of this world is that they refuse to grow, refuse to learn. They, like the guards that we can't find, keep their heads buried in the ground each time something bad happens and just hope it all goes away or somepony else deals with it. Hell, just look at the Heartless problem they currently have. Who thought of the magic solution? Twilight, the only pony among them with half of a brain. Everypony else just ran around flailing their limbs uselessly.'
"That's not entirely true. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity have all been out here dealing with the Heartless the best that they can," Xion said, trying to stand up for the ponies.
'Hah, on Twilight's orders no doubt. And look how well that's gone for them. If not for you, all three of them would most likely be Heartless now and Twilight would have to strike down her closest friends...actually, now that I think about it we may have made a mistake in keeping her friends alive. Point being, I'm mad at the ponies because they refuse to learn, to change. And because they tried to refuse the darkness for too long. Look what that got them. Heartless.'
"The Heartless didn't come here because of too much light, the Maestro brought them here," Xion reminded him.
'Maybe he brought them here, but all he did was get them here ahead of time. Puppet, you can't tell me that the Heartless, beings that hunt strong hearts filled with light, wouldn't have eventually found this place, can you?' Sombra asked Xion. Xion tried to think of a way he was wrong, but once again his logic was too sound for her to fight against. 'My point exactly.'
"But Twilight isn't the only one battling the Heartless. I am too."
'Yes, you're cleaning up their mess. You're dealing with the problem because the ponies won't do it themselves.'
"More like can't. Only the keyblade can keep a Heartless down for the count, remember?"
'Puppet, you're very intelligent for...how old did you say you were?'
"Technically I'm less than a year old, but mentally I'm about fifteen," Xion replied.
'Faust I forgot how confusion your backstory is. Fine, whatever. You're very intelligent for someone who is fifteen, but you've a lot to learn about the world. And speaking about learning, I think we need to learn about what happened to the good ponies here.'
Xion looked forward after Sombra said this and her eyes went wide. A fortress stood before her, but instead of looking like a building that could withstand any attack there were flames that billowed smoke into the air with the walls. The doors to the fortress had been blasted open and spears along with other weaponry lined the ground.
"What happened?" Xion asked as she summoned her key, before racing towards the fortress.
'If I had to wager a guess, I'd say trouble,' Sombra replied. 'Those fires aren't that old, you can tell because they haven't spread that far yet. But what's really bad is that these are the ponies that were supposed to be guarding the life water. And if they're down for the count...'
"Then we need to get in there."
Xion rolled through the open doors and shot up to her feet, ready for an attack from any side. Yet when the attack didn't come right away, she took a moment to glance around the inside of the fort. The walls and buildings were made of the same stone material that made up the front, but in the center of a massive courtyard was a fountain that was as dry as a desert. Xion ran over to the edge of the fountain, looking in it for any sign of water.
'This is bad. Whoever did all of this also took the water,' Sombra snarled as his horn began to glow. 'And I can't sense any other trace of the water that this fountain once held. That makes this way more complicated than it was.'
"Why's that?"
'The Heartless and Nobodies would have little interest in water. Only a sentient being would. Like a member of the organization,' Sombra said quickly. Xion caught the tone in his voice and prepared herself for a sneak attack, but a moment later Sombra's horn began to glow with a violet light. 'Hang on, I'm picking up some life forms. They're not that far from here! Hurry, before something else has the pleasure of striking them down!'
Xion heeded Sombra's words and sprinted through the fortress, following his directions of where to turn or go. Despite wanting to get to whoever was in danger as quickly as possible, when she rounded one of the corners she met a sight that brought her to a screeching halt.
A suit of pony armor lay in the center of the street, with a sword and shield laying near the armor. But what drew Xion's full attention wasn't the armor, it was the weapon sticking out of the armor. A long lance stuck out of the armor, with the head of the weapons, which was shaped like a dragon's head, impaled through the armor and imbedded in the ground. On the other end that stuck in the air was a symbol, a symbol that Xion knew all too well.
"Xaldin is here," Xion said to Sombra with a voice filled with disdain. "That's his spear. I'd recognize it anywhere."
'And that solves our who would take the water problem. Question now becomes what would he want with the water when he isn't a being to begin with,' Sombra muttered, before catching Xion's expression. 'What? I pieced together that all of the organization are Nobodies. That or you told me. It's hard to remember without an actual brain.'
"Fine, whatever. Just keep your eyes on the sky," Xion instructed Sombra while she glanced up at the heavens, noticing for the first time the fact that there were gray clouds rumbling overhead. "Xaldin commanded the winds and is very skilled at ranged attack. I wouldn't put it past him to try and strike us down from above."
'So in comparison to the other members of your little group, how close would you say you and Xaldin are?' Sombra asked.
"Let's just say that he and I didn't like each other. At all," Xion replied.
'Good to know. But those life forms are still in danger. In fact, I sense less of them now. Hurry, puppet, if you want to save them.'
With one last, cautious look at the sky Xion raced off towards where the living beings were in danger, vaulting over a fallen barricade to find the exit to the back of the fortress. The doors at the back of the fort were missing as well, which allowed Xion to easily see the three guard ponies that were surrounded by a combination of Heartless and Nobodies.
"Freeze Raid!" Xion roared as she hurled her keyblade towards the group of Heartless, striking one of the Shadows that had been leaping at a guard mid air. As the keyblade passed through the Heartless it froze it in a block of ice, one that shattered when it fell to the ground. The Heartless and Nobodies all turned to face Xion, who was racing towards them as the keyblade reappeared in her hands.
One of the Dragoons vanished in a burst of air, leaving the Soldier behind it to be cleaved in half by Xion's weapon. A Blue Rhapsody began to charge a magical spell around itself to fire at Xion, yet Xion spun on her toes and launched herself at the Heartless, slashing through it in a single strike. Xion landed in a roll and came up next to the guards, who were looking at her with fear in their eyes.
"Are all of you alright?" Xion asked them, but from the way they flinched they could tell that they didn't see her how she saw her. "If you can move, get up and get away from here. Things are only going to get worse from here on out."
"W-what are you?" one of the guards asked.
"The only one that can stop these beings."
Xion then rose back to her feet and turned around to see that the Dragoon was now staring at her, with two more Dragoons standing behind it. Xion narrowed her eyes as she lifted her blade over her shoulder and summoning a dark aura around herself, which was concentrated around her left arms.
'Heh, seems that your skill with the darkness had the chance to grow stronger since you posses the light now to keep it balanced,' Sombra informed Xion in an impressed tone, but Xion said nothing in reply. The guards let out gasps at the dark being that stood in front of them, before the two that could move grabbed their comrade and dragged him away from the battle.
The first Dragoon lashed out at Xion with its lance, yet faster than even Sombra could keep up with Xion lifted her left hand and grabbed the lance. The Dragoon looked from its weapon to the puppet, before a dark cloaked blade sliced down the center of its skull. Xion then ripped her keyblade from the head of the Dragoon, only to its own lance around and impale it through the chest of the Nobody.
As that Dragoon fell the second one disappeared in a flash of light, vanishing from their sight. Xion stopped moving the moment it vanished, before she started to keep an eye on the sky. A burst of nothingness appeared above her, getting her to react a moment later by swinging the keyblade over her back. The Dragoon came hurtling down with its lance aimed at Xion, yet she had positioned her blade perfectly and the attack from the Nobody bounced off of her keyblade.
"Say goodbye," Xion snarled before she arched her keyblade in an upward swing, one that sliced one of the arms off of the Dragoon. The Nobody stumbled to the side before a horizontal slash of Xion's keyblade took the head off of the Nobody. As it faded away into nothingness, Xion spun and turned to face the final Dragoon, which had kept its distance the entire time. "One left. Let's make this quick."
The Dragoon lunged towards Xion, faking a low attack before switching its stance and changing to an overhead attack. Xion paid no attention to the Nobodies fancy moves and simply lunged towards it with her left hand, which became cloaked in darkness. She let out a roar as she thrust her left hand forward, creating a giant fist of darkness that slammed into the body of the Dragoon and pushed it back. Xion twirled and slashed through the Nobody in a diagonal motion, cleaving the being of nothingness in two and making it vanish from her sight.
With all of her foes out of the way, Xion closed her eyes and banished the darkness. She looked around at the area to make sure that she hadn't missed any of the Heartless or Nobodies, before she turned her gaze towards the sky and narrowed her eyes.
'I see you sense that too. Yeah, there's two beings up there, neither of which look to be anything good for us,' Sombra agreed with Xion, confirming her silent suspicions. 'The good thing for us is that the two of them seem to be battling it out right now. Any member of the organization that would want to take out Xaldin?'
"I can name a few," Xion muttered before two beings burst through the cloud cover, two beings locked in a rainbow light that was plummeting towards the ground. The two beings impacted not too far from where Xion was standing, allowing her to race over to the newly created crater before either being could resume the fight again. As the puppet reached the top of the crater, she narrowed her eyes at who she found inside.
One of the beings wore a black coat and was much taller than her, with long, black hair that shot out of his head. Around him danced six lances, lances that seemed to move with a mind of their own as they sought out any attack that would harm their master. And all Sombra needed to do was look at Xion's face to know who the cloaked figure was.
But then Xion glanced over at the other figure and Sombra could tell that it would be his turn to explain. The other foe was a sky blue pegasi with a rainbow mane that shown in the single ray of sunlight that shown down through the hole in the clouds the two had created. On her flank was a rainbow lightning bolt under a cloud and her body was covered in cuts and bruises. Even if Xion didn't know who she was, she could tell that the battle had not been going well for her.
'That's Rainbow Dash. She's one of Twilight's merry band of idiots,' Sombra informed Xion, who nodded to show she understood before she drew her keyblade and lunged towards Xaldin, aiming right for the back of his head before lashing out with her blade. A lance moved between her and the key and deflected the strike, knocking Xion back and forcing her to roll back up to her feet. Xaldin spun around to face Xion, but when he saw her his eyes went wide with shock.
'Attacking a foe from behind with the intent to kill. I knew you were secretly evil! My prayers have been answered!' Sombra exclaimed before he let out a cackle. Xion said nothing in reply, choosing to lift her keyblade and glare at Xaldin.
"So are you with the Maestro or did you come here by accident?" Xion asked Xaldin, before taking up a fighting stance. "Because either way, you're going to regret that decision."
"I am here because the Maestro told me that there was something in this world that did not have the right to exist. I thought it would be something interest, but now is see it is just another one of Vexen's failed puppets," Xaldin replied before the air darkened around him and he started to float, his six lances whirling around him. "Well, just like all the others, it seems I must break this toy as well."
In a burst of wind Xaldin hurled himself towards Xion, his lances whirling around his body with the speed of a twister. Xion narrowed her eyes at the advancing Nobody before she swung her keyblade into the center of the storm of metal, stopping all six of the lances with her strike. Xion pushed against the might of Xaldin, but then a burst of wind erupted from the Nobody, hurling Xion backwards. She flipped in the air and landed on her feet, taking up a battle stance and narrowing her eyes once more.
"I am surprised to see that the Maestro had so much trouble with you," Xaldin smirked as he floated around Xion, who slowly moved to make sure that her eyes were on him at all times. "After all, he managed to kill all of the other keyblade wielders with relative ease, so I would have believed that he could dealt with you. Not that I am complaining. You keyblade wielders have always irritated me."
"Oh, if you think I'm irritating now, just wait till I drive my keyblade through the center of your chest," Xion growled in reply. Xaldin smirked in reply before he slammed his lances together and created a whirling vortex, one that sucked in all of the air around the girl and pony. Xion's eyes went wide as the vortex spat out a blast of air, which tore across the ground towards Xion with a speed she couldn't keep up with.
"MOVE!" a voice said before Xion was tackled out of the way in a blur of rainbow, moving her out of the way of the blast of wind. Xion felt herself slam to the ground just as the wind ripped by her, lifting her head just in time to see the blast of wind decimate a boulder that had been behind Xion. Xion then looked up to see Rainbow Dash standing over her, with the pony being crouched down in a battle stance.
"You saved me?" Xion asked in confusion as she used her blade to push herself up to her feet.
"Yeah, and don't ask me why I would save a monster of darkness like you. What's up with your look anyway?" Rainbow Dash spat at Xion as the puppet stood beside Rainbow, both of them glaring down Xaldin. "Fluttershy sees a monster of darkness, like me. Pinkie saw a red headed human. And Rarity saw a doll. Do you change your looks on purpose or just to annoy us?"
"Trust me, it would take way too long to explain it all to you," Xion replied before she slammed her blade into the ground, creating a barrier around both her and Rainbow to deflect a storm of lances. "But considering you're friends with those three, I take it that means you're on my side like they were?"
"Don't kid yourself, I'm against him. I'm not with you," Rainbow Dash replied before she kicked off the ground and rocketed herself towards Xaldin with a hoof extended. Her speed was almost unmatchable, but in a flash of movement Xaldin vanished and left Rainbow Dash striking at open air. "What the...how does he keep-?"
"Above you!"
Rainbow Dash reacted in time to Xion's words and hurled herself to the side, just in time to avoid six lances that came raining down where she had been flying. Xaldin landed atop his lances a moment later, smirking at the pony before he combined his lances into his wind cannon once again. Rainbow Dash prepared to get out of the way, but before Xaldin could fire Xion hurled her keyblade right into his face. He let out a roar of pain as he staggered backwards, with the blow having the added effect of breaking up his cannon.
"That's a weird weapon you've got," Rainbow muttered under her breath as Xion summoned the keyblade back into her hands.
"So what do you have against Xaldin? He's a piece of crap, don't get me wrong, but I'm surprised to find you fighting him," Xion asked Rainbow Dash before the both of them had to move out of the way of a storm of lances that did their best to impale or slash the two. Xion opted for deflecting most of the strikes with her keyblade, while Rainbow Dash took to the skies to avoid being hit.
"This jerk here attacked the ponies that lived here and...stole their hearts," Rainbow seethed through gritted teeth as she glared down at Xaldin. "Then he stole the life water that they were guarding before sending his minions to execute the rest. If you think I'm going to let him walk away from something like that, you don't know who you're dealing with, shadow monster."
"It's Xion."
"I believe that puppet or doll is the proper term for you," Xaldin coldly cut in before he made a movement with his hands, summoning his lances back to his side. Xion glared daggers at him, but her look of rage did little to affect the Whirlwind Lancer. "Do not trick yourself into believing that you are anything more than another tool for the organization to use. Whatever personality you believe you have, it is nothing more than an illusion that Vexen programmed into you."
"That's interesting. Say, do you think you could talk to Vexen about maybe fixing that? Oh wait, you can't," Xion said in a dark voice as she gripped her keyblade tighter. "Because I struck him down."
"Hmm, so you are the one that disposed of that annoying busybody. Perhaps there is still some use in you after all," Xaldin remarked before he lunged towards Xion once more, whirling his lances around him in an intricate formation. Xion backed away from the attack while doing her best to deflect all of the strikes, but she was quickly being overwhelmed by the onslaught of lances. "It is a pity that you will not live long enough to obtain that usefulness. Not that is matters. We are all better off without you."
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you!" Xion roared as she deflected one of the lances at the proper time, bouncing that lance back into the others and knocking them all out of place. The deflection left Xaldin open for attack and Xion took full advantage of that opening. She started by driving the tip of her keyblade into the chest of Xaldin, knocking him back. She then twirled to slash across the chest of Xaldin, before she leapt into the air and brought the keyblade down right on top of Xaldin's head.
"GRAH...stupid, worthless puppet," Xaldin growled as he staggered backwards, spinning his lances around him in a defensive pattern to keep himself from further attack. Xion shot a blast of fire into the center of the lances to try and disrupt them, but to her annoyance she found that the defense was too strong.
"If I'm stupid and worthless, what would that make the guy losing to me?" Xion spat back with a smirk, her words getting a laugh out of Rainbow Dash. "I would say nothing, but you're already that. So does that make you less than nothing?"
"Less than nothing...that is fitting, considering in a moment that is all you will be!" Xaldin roared before he leapt onto the back of his lances, making them whirl around him in a way that made them resemble a dragon. Xion's eyes went wide as the dragon began to create a typhoon in its mouth, one that it was aiming at her. "Let us see how you avoid this!"
Winds stronger than any storm that Equestria had ever face erupted from the "mouth" of the dragon, sending a hurricane of winds towards Xion. She lifted her key in a feeble attempt to protect herself, but from the strength of the winds she knew it was a foolish attempt. Yet right before the winds could strike her down, something wrapped around her arms and yanked her into the sky.
"What the...how did I?" Xion asked before she looked behind her to see that Rainbow Dash had grabbed a hold of her, using her wings to fly the both of them over the hurricane that raged below. "Rainbow Dash? Why are you..."
"Look, as much as I don't trust you, I trust that guy even less. And also...I can't beat him," Rainbow admitted, even thought she had to do it through gritted teeth. Xion glanced at Rainbow's arms and body to find that she was covered in wounds, ones that looked like she had been sliced up. "His weapons and way of fighting are too strange for me to deal with. But I take it you and that weapon of yours can deal with him?"
"I can finish him, but first we need to get past his defenses," Xion instructed as Rainbow Dash came to a halt, flying in place as the two glared down at Xaldin. The Nobody stopped his ultimate attack and recalled his lances to his side, before he smiled up at the two that flew above him. He then snapped his fingers and sent his lances flying towards the both of them, forcing Rainbow to start weaving through the sky to avoid being hit.
"Careful! Don't drop me!" Xion roared at Rainbow over the sounds of the winds, while using her blade to deflect the lances that got too close.
"I'm doing my best," Dash snarled in reply as she dove towards the ground, just narrowly missing a blast of wind that would have knocked the both of them out of the air. She had been so busy dodging the blast of air that she didn't see the lance until it struck Rainbow in the wing, getting the Pegasus to cry out with pain before the both of them crashed into the ground.
"Return to your nothingness!" Xaldin exclaimed as he jumped into the air, spinning his lances around him before he hurled all six of them down at where Rainbow and Xion lay. Xion rolled in front of the attacks and blocked five of the lances, only for the sixth one to slip past her defenses and strike her in the side. With a cry of pain Xion staggered backwards, clutching a hand to her side.
'Puppet, you can't let him keep moving like this. You need to keep him chained down. Emphasis on chained!' Sombra roared from Xion's pocket. Xion shook her head to try to clear the pain, before she closed her eyes and forced all of her pain down.
"I don't know what you're doing...but it shall not work!" Xaldin promised as he thrust at Xion with all six of his lances, only for them to be knocked to the side by a blur of rainbow. "You infernal horse, when will you learn you cannot defeat me?!"
"Sorry, I'm a slow learner. Ask my friends," Rainbow Dash taunted while motioning for Xaldin to bring it. The Whirlwind Lancer snarled before he began to slash at the Pegasus with his lances, forcing her to move fast to avoid being struck. "Xion! I don't know what you have planned, but you'd better do it soon!"
"Planned...what?!" Xaldin roared as he spun around to find Xion standing in the center of a symbol of light, one that made the girl glow with the light of the heavens. She held out her keyblade with one hand and pointed it towards the ground, summoning a sphere of light at the tip of the blade, before she slowly lifted it and aimed it at Xaldin. "If you think I'll just stay still and allow you to-GRAH!" Xaldin snarled as a rainbow blur struck him in the side and knocked him to the ground. "You infernal horse!"
"Sorry, still learning," Rainbow said with a smile before she cast a glance towards Xion. "Yo, you're up!"
Xion grasped her keyblade with both hands and fired four chains of light from the end of her blade, with spikes of energy at the tips of the chains. Each of the chains embedded themselves into one of Xaldins limbs, getting the Nobody to roar with pain as the light sealed his movements. The chains then wrapped around his entire body, pinning his limbs to the side while a column of light surrounded him. Xion then extended her blade once more, creating a second blade of light that consumed her keyblade.
"Xion, wait..." Xaldin began to beg.
"No. This is over," Xion replied before she dashed forward, moving her keyblade faster than the eye could track as she passed by Xaldin. Xion dispelled the light around her weapon before she turned to look back at Xaldin, who had a dozen slashes across his body that spilled out light. Xaldin shakily glanced down at his body as his form began to fade away, before he looked back at the stern face of Xion.
"You think...you've won?" Xaldin snarled at Xion, before a cracked smile crossed the Lancers face. "No...this is not over. You will not win. The Maestro...is beyond any of us. The only reason...he allows you to live...is because you still amuse him. He still finds...a reason to keep you around. The moment you outlive your usefulness...you will be gone. Heh, I wish I could be around to see it."
Xaldin then closed his eyes and fully faded away, leaving behind a vial of water that clinked to the ground. Xion let out a tired sigh before she collapsed to the ground, seething with pain as she held a hand to her side. She glanced down at the wound to find that a small piece of her was missing, revealing the darkness that had been used to make her.
'So it's true. This body is falling apart,' Xion thought to herself before she closed her eyes. 'No, I can't le the fear take me here. I need to keep moving. I need to get to the beach.'
Rainbow Dash landed next to the vial and picked it up, glancing down at it for a moment before she cast a glance over at Xion. All Dash could see was a being of darkness with red eyes that sat on the ground, but then Dash cast a glance to the being's side and saw the wound, which to her was pouring light. Rainbow thought about her next move for a moment, before she let out a sigh.
"Hey Xion," Rainbow said, waiting until Xion lifted her head towards the pony before she chucked the vial to her. "Take this. It's all that's left of the Life Water or whatever you want to call it."
"Um, thanks. But why-?"
"You ask a lot of questions, y'know that?" Rainbow cut Xion off, before she closed her eyes and sighed. "Look, that Xaldin guy attacked a lot of innocent ponies and summoned those creatures that have been attacking Equestria. And I couldn't beat him on my own. But thanks to you, he won't be bothering ponies anymore. Not to mention Rarity and Pinkie both put in a good word for you, so there's that. Finally...look, just take the water and stopping asking questions, alright?"
"Alright, I guess," Xion replied before she opened the top of the vial, waiting until Sombra gave her the go ahead before she drank the water. The moment the water touched her lips she felt her body get stronger and the feeling only grew stronger as she drank the water. When she was done drinking, Xion cast a glance down at her side to see that her wound was completely healed. "Wow, this stuff really works."
'Oh course it does. Do you think Sombra would go after anything that didn't have use to him?' Sombra asked with a chuckle, but Xion didn't hear his words as she glanced over at Rainbow Dash. Xion then rose to her feet and walked over to Dash, who gave the puppet a glance as she approached.
"Rainbow Dash...it was a team effort," Xion told Rainbow Dash, who raised an eyebrow in response. "I don't think I could have beaten Xaldin without your help. So don't feel like you didn't do anything. You were a great help and a good teammate. Honestly, I wouldn't mind teaming up again in the future. It was fun to fly."
Xion then extended a hand towards Rainbow Dash, who looked at the hand like it might bite her. Rainbow glanced from the hand to the red eyes of Xion, before she shrugged her shoulders and grasped Xion's hand. "Yeah, I guess we made a pretty good team. You take all the hits and I swoop in to save the day. I could get used to that."
"Hey, if I recall I'm the one that finished off Xaldin with my Event Horizon."
"Yeah, after I kicked him in the side of the head and prevented him from stopping your from doing that. Now that I think about it, I did most of the work."
"In your dreams."
Rainbow Dash and Xion then both began to laugh as they broke their handshake. Xion was laughing at good she felt for the first time in a long time and Rainbow was laughing at the fact that the being of darkness that the ponies had feared was a bit of a dork. But then Rainbow cast a glance at Xion's face and had to do a double take. For a brief moment the red eyes were replaced with bright blue ones and the visage of darkness was gone. In it's place was the smiling face of a human who had black hair that fell into her eyes. Then Rainbow Dash shook her head and blinked to find that the darkness had returned.
"I'd better get going. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done," Xion said to Rainbow Dash as she turned to leave, waving at Rainbow one last time. "That was fun, though. I hope our paths cross again in the future."
"Hey Xion." Xion turned around and was nearly hit in the head with the item Rainbow threw at her. Xion's reflexes kicked in and she snatched the item out of the air, before she glanced down at her hand to see a rainbow colored lightning bolt that was at the end of a keychain. "Found that laying on the ground before I got into that scrap with Xaldin. Doesn't do me any good, so I'll give it to you."
"Wow, thanks. I feel so loved."
"I know, I'm the best. Catch you around, whoever you are."
Rainbow Dash then took off into the sky, creating a sonicboom that was the color of the rainbows before she vanished out of Xion's sight. Xion shook her head as she watched Rainbow go, before she moved her shoulder a few times and smiled when no pain surfaced.
'It won't last forever.' Sombra's voice snapped Xion out of her thoughts and got her to pull out Sombra's horn, which seemed darker than usual. 'Eventually the Life Water will run out and then you'll be in bad shape. Come on, we need to keep moving. I've got a lair not far from here that we can use to rest and resupply. But we need to move.'
"Why's that?"
'Because, as an evil villain myself, I have a terrible feeling that the Maestro's patience will be wearing thin. And we're not ready to take him on. Nowhere close.'
"We there yet?" Xion asked Sombra for the tenth time in an hour, getting a snarl out of the dark king. Seeing that he was in no mood to talk, Xion summoned her keyblade and detached the keychain at the end of it, returning the key to its original Kingdom Key form. She then drew forth the keychain that Rainbow Dash had given to her, staring at it for a long time. Long enough to draw the ire of the dark king.
'Why are you just staring at the stupid thing? Put it on and let's see what new abilities you get,' Sombra snarled, snapping Xion free from her thoughts. Her response was to sigh in a way that made Sombra even more irritated. 'Let me guess, the reason for this mopey attitude is because you've got some moral dilemma? Well out with it, we don't have all day.'
"Those guards lost their hearts because of me," Xion said in a quiet voice.
'What?'
"If I wasn't in this world, or if I had moved faster to find Xaldin, maybe those guards would still be around. Hell, how many ponies here have lost their hearts to the darkness because I was brought to this world?" Xion asked as she held a hand to her head, feeling the weight of all that she had "done" coming down on her. "What if my actions here have only hurt these ponies more than help them? What if-"
'Oh Faust, you're one of those heroes aren't you? The ones that blame themselves for every little thing that goes wrong,' Sombra said in a voice that sounded like he was trying to resist the urge to throw up, which was impressive considering he was a horn. 'You have no reason to blame yourself. You didn't take the hearts of those ponies, you didn't bring Xaldin to this world and you sure as hell have done far more for these idiots than they deserve.'
"But-"
'Don't sass me and listen. Everything...ninety percent of what is going wrong with this world is the Maestro's fault. He's the one that brought the Heartless and your old buddies to this land. We're doing the right thing and trying to get rid of them. Normally I love the idea of darkness taking over the land, but as these Heartless can't be controlled by me, it's best to be rid of them.'
"Yet they're all here because of me. Because of my actions. I finally realized it when we saw that guard post," Xion replied in a sad tone, one that ticked off Sombra even further. "Maybe if I had listened to the Maestro, or been more clever about pretending to follow his instructions, then maybe-"
"Stop that. Stop it now. Stop trying to take the credit for the evils committed by a true villain. It makes the rest of us look bad," Sombra snarled at Xion as he erupted from her pocket and took on his dark pony form, glaring into her eyes with his bright crimson ones. "Puppet, one day you're going to have to get over yourself. Not everything bad that happens is your fault."
"You've got a terrible past. You've been used and discarded by the wayside. You had to fight your best friend in a battle to the death in order to, I think at least, ensure the survival of your world. You've had it rough, but guess what? None of that was your fault either."
"How can you say that? I fought Roxas. I-"
"Fought him because you were left no other choice. Did ya kill him, even though I know you were strong enough to do so? No," Sombra told the girl, before he looked around at the rocky field they were in.
"Maybe I just lost. Maybe he just beat me."
"Please puppet, I've seen your skills up close. You've beaten almost every foe you've come across in convincing fashion. If you really wanted to beat him, you would have," Sombra said with certainty as he began to search around, occasionally grumbling to himself on how things had changed. "But you didn't want to. Because you're a nice person. Honestly, you're the nicest person I've met."
"I'm the only person you've met, unless you've met another human before me," Xion corrected Sombra, who smirked at her response before firing a blast of magic into the ground. Nothing happened and Sombra let out a grunt before he moved on.
"My point still stands. You're nice, maybe too nice for you're own good," Sombra continued on. "But you've got that darkness in you, that pain and suffering that separates you from the ponies of this world. You've got a good chunk of light and darkness in you. That's what makes you so interesting, to me at least."
"I thought what made me interesting was that I actually listen to you, instead of acting like a sane being and chucking you into an internal abyss," Xion shot back at Sombra with a smile, getting a laugh out of the dark king. "But still, shouldn't I be doing more to help this world? Shouldn't we be taking down the Heartless and trying to stop the organization?"
"We don't...well, rather you don't have the time. Remember, your body isn't going to last forever. We need to find a way to get you fixed before we focus on the rest of the crap going on in this world," Sombra finished his thoughts, before he let out a laugh and fired a burst of magic into the ground. The ground began to shake before a massive spike made of crystal shot out of the ground, filling up the area that the two were standing in. "Finally, I thought we were never going to find it. Geez, go on the ice for a thousand years and everything moves around. Come on puppet, let's head on in."
Sombra took a few steps towards the spike before he turned around to see Xion standing in place, eyes closed and hands on her hips. As she was clearly in thought, Sombra didn't say anything until Xion opened her eyes once more. She then summoned her keyblade and pulled out Rainbow's keychain, before attaching it to her weapon.
A flash of rainbow light went off around the keyblade and when it faded away both Xion and Sombra looked at the new blade with interest. The guard of the blade resembled a building made of clouds, with two cloud pillars residing on the left and right of the handle, while the rooftop made up the upper part of the guard. The blade of the keyblade was a massive, rainbow lightning bolt, one that radiated power and crackled with electricity that struck down on the guard of the keyblade. The teeth of the keyblade was a black cloud, the source of where the rainbow lightning bolt came from.
"Wow, huge strength boots. Barely does anything for my magic, though. Thunder boost, not surprised there. And shorter than my previous blade, but not by much," Xion muttered as she swung her blade a few times to get accustomed to it, before she banished the blade and walked over towards Sombra. "Come on. We're going to fix what was done to us and then we're going to fix what was done to this world."
"You have an idea?"
"I have an idea," Xion confirmed before she and Sombra walked into the spike. Xion's eyes went wide as she looked around the room, amazed by what she was looking at. The crystals that made up the walls and floor of the spike were constantly changing colors and shifting around the room, making the place constantly change how it looked. In the center of the room was the only place where none of those colors touched the crystals, as the center of the room was a solid black circle, one that seemed to call to Xion.
"Yep, circle of darkness. Just like the circle of nothingness at the other secret base we were at, except this one is darker," Sombra said for Xion before he tapped his hoof against the ground, summoning a pair of crystal chairs out of the ground for the two to sit on. "So, what's this grand plan of yours that's going to stop the Heartless, beat the organization and put an end to the Maestro?"
"Well, I can't promise that it will do all of that, but I can stop or at the very least stem the tide of Heartless for the time being," Xion informed Sombra, who leaned forward on his hooves with interest. "And in order to do that, I've got to find the lock to this worlds heart."
"Oh, it's one of your crazy ideas, isn't it? Well, go ahead and tell me and I'll humor you to the best of my ability," Sombra promised Xion, who frowned at him.
"I'll make it simple. Every world has a heart that is found through a keyhole, which the Heartless travel through to get to the heart of a world. If I can lock that keyhole, I can prevent the Heartless from taking that world and weaken them considerably. And eventually, with enough time and effort, we should be able to get rid of the Heartless that have come to this world," Xion explained for Sombra.
"What kind of wacked out reality did you live in?" Sombra simply asked her with a shake of his head, getting Xion to frown at him. "Hearts of worlds? Nobodies? Key swords that can open any locks? Now I've had talks with Discord and I know crazy, but seriously puppet, what the hell?"
"You don't have to believe me. All you have to do is help my find the keyhole and I'll do the rest," Xion replied in a serious tone, one that made Sombra smirk. "Once our bodies are fixed, we'll have an easier time dealing with the organization and the Maestro. In fact, I've thought up a way to help us deal with the both of them."
"A second idea in a single day? My word it's a miracle," Sombra remarked.
"Oh yes and you're going to love it. We're going to find Applejack and Twilight," Xion told Sombra, an evil smile spreading across her face when she saw Sombra's face fall. "Think about it. They're the six heroes of light in this world, are they not? We'll need their help if we want to be rid of the Maestro once and for all."
"Okay, I was right. You've gone mad. I can't say I blame you, as any being stuck being next to my genius would inevitably become insane, but I thought that you would have lasted a little longer. I blame myself for being so smart. Curse me and my incredible brain and looks."
"Just shut up and listen. Not only are the six of them heroes of the light, but they're also the only ones that I've met that have keychains. Meaning that they're the ones that can help us become stronger," Xion reasoned with Sombra, who perked up an ear at her newest information. "And you've said it yourself. Twilight is the only one among them who you consider to be a threat, so she's definitely someone we'd want on our side. Besides, it's more than likely that eventually the Maestro will be after them and we'll be helping them anyway. So might as well do it now. Any flaws in my argument, oh wise ass?"
"...just this. Twilight and Applejack are more than likely to be alright with you, if our interactions with Rarity and Rainbow are to go off of, but I guarantee Celestia and Luna will try to dispose of you. Those two couldn't think their way out of a wet paper bag, let alone figure out that this girl of darkness is not their enemy. There is also the thought of the Maestro attacking us before we can get to them. For if he does, I'm afraid out little adventure will end here."
"It's a risk that we'll have to take. If he wants to I guess he could end us at any time. We'll have to move quickly," Xion decided. "You know more about them than me, so I guess you'll be leading. If you had to guess where the Applejack and Twilight would be, what would that guess be?"
"That hick Applejack is either on her farm or doing something related to her farm. She shouldn't be too hard to find. Twilight is trickery. As a princess of this land, she could be out anywhere on a mission of peace and harmony and...sorry, almost threw up there. Point being, Applejack would be the easiest to track down and then we can ask her about Twilight."
"Alright, sounds good. How far away from Applejack are we?" Xion asked, but immediately regretted doing so when Sombra let out a cackle.
"We are quiet a ways away. Three weeks if we go on foot. A week if we take a train. Either way, it will take a considerable amount of time to get there," Sombra informed Xion, who crossed her arms and waited for him to continue. "Unless, you manage to open that dark corridor that you tried to use when we first met up and then we can be there in no time flat. What do you say, puppet? Think you can manage."
"The corridor to darkness? But you told me when I first tried it that there was far too much light in this world to manage the corridor. What could have changed?" Xion asked.
"Haven't you been paying attention, puppet? There is far more darkness in this land now, thanks to the Maestro being a colossal pain in our flanks. The Heartless, the Nobodies and the organization are just some of the darkness that has arrived in this land. The rest is you."
"Me?"
"You've used more dark power than any other being in this land. Wherever you've gone, a trail of darkness has followed you. I didn't tell you at first because you would have flipped and assumed you were doing something terrible, but your mere presence here has slowly added just a little more darkness to this land of light. Another reason to keep you away from Celestia."
"I'm starting to think you have a problem with her."
"My point being is that there should be more than enough darkness in this land. Especially with the Heartless making the darkness within ponies much stronger through fear and anger," Sombra cackled as he rubbed his shadow hooves together. "The fear of the darkness increases their own darkness, thus increasing the overall darkness in this land. So the Heartless have done some good."
"So the Heartless's mere presence is filling ponies hearts with darkness. This is worse than I thought."
"No, it's not their hearts, it's the ponies themselves. That is what is filling with darkness."
"That is literally one word away from what I'm saying and makes just as much sense."
"Nope, they're totally different. And mine is the correct reasoning, of course."
"God you can be insufferable."
"Anyway, the corridor of darkness. Think you can manage summoning it now?" Sombra asked Xion, trying to change the topic. Xion gave Sombra a look telling him that they weren't done before she rose to her feet, staring into the center of the darkness that circled in the center of the room. She extended her hand and closed her eyes, focusing on both the negative memories while also drawing power from the darkness in the center. She then snapped her eyes opened and channeled the darkness into the space before her, tearing open a hole in the light and summoning a vortex of darkness.
"Wow, you actually did it," Sombra said with a whistle, before Xion let out a gasp and collapsed to her knees, beads of sweat dripping down her face as she stared at the floor. "And it seems that the doing so nearly killed you. Good to know, next time we'll wait till you're stronger. Where did you open it to?"
"I have no idea," Xion wheezed before she pushed herself back up to her feet and held a hand out towards the corridor, feeling a sense of comfort and familiarity with the corridor. "But wherever it leads is a place that is calling to me. I can feel it. On the other side of this corridor is somewhere we need to go."
"Well, if you have so much confidence in it, then you can lead the way," Sombra said as he turned and used his magic to start to gather supplies off of the shelves. "Once I've gathered up some supplies and other items that we will need, then we can go on through. Also, good job on the corridor. That's some grade A darkness right there."
"Why is it every time you praise me I just wait for the insult to come after it?"
"Because you're smart and have learned how I respond," Sombra responded before he tossed a bag to Xion and then returned to his horn form. Xion caught the bag then caught the horn, slipping it into her pocket once more. 'And Xion, remember, no matter what awaits us on the other side of this corridor, you can handle it. You are the strongest being of darkness that I've ever worked with.'
"Wow, kind words from you. Now I'm really worried."
And without another word, the two walked into the corridor of darkness and left the room empty once more. That was until another being in a black coat entered into the room, glancing around before he turned his hooded head towards the still open corridor. He stared at it for a moment before he too entered within, closing the door behind them.
'So this is what it looks like inside one of your corridors of darkness,' Sombra said with a whistle. All around the horn and the girl was a swirling void of blue, with a vortex of darkness at the far end of the corridor. Xion walked towards the exit with Sombra's horn clutched in her hands, giving the dark king a chance to look out at the void. 'Who knew that a whole reality of darkness existed in a place like this? I might have to ask you to bring me back here just so that I can study it.'
"Well if you do want to come back here it will have to be after I've gotten stronger," Xion replied. Her breath sounded heavy and she had sweat falling from her face. "It took a good chunk of my strength to simply open one portal. I'd hate to think what state I'd be in if I had to open multiple ones for you. Probably use up what I have left of my form."
'Which is why, for the time being, we will be avoiding multiple uses of this dark dimension,' Sombra clarified. The horn then slowly turned in Xion's hand, taking in all of the void with interest. 'But there is so much dark power here. enough to balance out...no, to tip the scales in the favor of darkness. If only I could think of a way to channel the power of darkness that is in here and turn it loose upon Equestria.'
"Okay, first, that sounds like a villainous thing to do. Second, letting anything out of this place would most likely end up in the destruction of Equestria," Xion informed Sombra as she summoned her keyblade into her hand. "This is the corridor of darkness, remember? That means this is the place that Heartless use to travel between worlds and places. Meaning..."
'That there are plenty of those Heartless roaming this place. Good to know,' Sombra muttered, but an idea struck him a few moments later. 'But if this is what you and the other Organization members used to travel between worlds, how come you were never attacked by the Heartless here?'
"The Nobodies that we had under our command would generally keep the corridors that we used clean of any and all Heartless. And seeing how clean this corridor is right now, I have a feeling that we'll be running into said Nobodies sooner rather than later," Xion pointed out before she hefted Rumbling Storm onto her shoulder. "So keep your...horn peeled and on the look out for anything that wears silver. Last thing I want is to be ambushed in this place."
The pair walked on in silence for a while after that, with Xion often glancing around for any signs of a threat while Sombra studied the changing symbols that floated around them and would sometimes gaze off into the darkness. Yet after a while of studying the darkness, the dark king glanced up at Xion to see that there was still sweat running down her brow and she was still panting heavily.
'How are you holding up?' he asked her, breaking the eerie silence that surrounded them.
"I'm holding up. I feel tired and a little woozy, but other than that I think I'm fine," Xion replied, but Sombra didn't hear any of her usual fire in her voice. "Besides, we don't have time to worry about me. We've got to find Applejack and Twilight and get the keychains that they have. Then we'll get them to help us against the Heartless."
'And the Maestro?'
"No...the Maestro is my problem to deal with," Xion admitted with a sigh, before she wiped her head with the back of her hand. "He's far too powerful for any of them to deal with. He's probably too powerful for me to deal with. But with the keyblade and my far more powerful magic I should be able to stand up to him now."
'I wonder about that,' Sombra muttered to himself, but loud enough so that Xion could hear.
"If you've got something to say, say it."
'You still can't beat him in the state you're in,' Sombra revealed, getting a sigh out of Xion. 'He made the body you're currently occupying, remember? That means that even if you had all the power in the worlds, he has the upper hand on you. And that's something we cannot afford to let him have.'
"Then what should we do to make sure that he doesn't have that advantage over us?" Xion asked. Before Sombra could answer, eight pillars of nothingness erupted from the ground. Xion let out a curse as she took up her fighting stance, watching as eight samurai Nobodies emerged from within the circles of nothingness.
'I'll tell you after you're done dealing with these guys.'
Xion braced herself and prepared for the samurai to unleash the first attack, but to her surprise all of the Nobodies simply stared at her from a distance. Then all of them lowered on to their two knees and drove their twin swords into the ground beside them. Xion looked around with confusion at the passive positions all of the Nobodies took up, but then her focus was completely grabbed when she turned around to see a figure that stood behind her.
The figure was as tall as her and wore a black Organization cloak, with the hood up so that she couldn't see their face. But she knew that the Organization meant trouble, so she took up a samurai stance of her own and glared down the cloaked being.
"So which member are you?" Xion asked the cloak being, who gave her no reply. "You're way to tall to be any of the higher ups. Zexion, perhaps? Or maybe you're a new member, one that I haven't had the "pleasure" of fighting yet. If you are one that I've never met, then I will warn you only this once. I am not somebody that you want to mess with."
The cloaked beings response was to lift its right hand and open it, filling it a moment later with a fireball a moment later. Xion let out a curse before she rolled out of the way of the ball of fire that was hurled at her a moment later. "Alright, you've made your choice!"
In three dashes Xion closed the distance between her and the cloaked being, allowing her to thrust at the beings chest with rapid succession. Yet to her amazement the cloaked being managed to leap out of the way of each of her attacks, before it leapt over the final strike and landed on the edge of her keyblade. Xion glared up at the cloaked being, who stared down at her.
"Thunder!" Xion roared, calling down a bolt of lightning onto her keyblade. Right as the bolt was about to strike the blade, the cloaked being backflipped off of the end of the keyblade to avoid the bolt of lightning. Xion didn't hesitate to keep up the pressure, for with a cry of "FREEZE!" she hurled a giant chunk of spiky ice towards the airborne foe.
The cloak being thrust its hand forward and fired a ball of ice equal in size to that of Xion's. Her eyes widened as the two ice balls collided and destroyed each other in a shower of snow. The cloaked being touched down and slowly turned to look at Xion, who narrowed her eyes as she took up her fighting stance once more.
"Any idea what this thing is?" Xion asked Sombra.
'I'm not sure. They move similarly to you, but I can't sense any kind of...intent behind its actions,' Sombra replied in an unsure tone. 'Normally I can tell if a beings intent is malevolent or noble, but from this thing...nothing. Be careful and don't give it the chance to get the upper hand. Also, watch out for the Nobodies.'
"But they're not doing anything," Xion said.
'Not yet. But once you start winning, watch out.'
The cloaked being then lunged forward at the both of them, cutting short their time to plan. She dug her heels in and brought up her guard just in time to stop a kick hurled by the being. The blow was powerful, but not enough to knock Xion off balance or to get through her defense. After delivering its kick the cloaked being kicked off of Xion's keyblade and leapt into the air, but Xion had been expecting it to do that.
"Got you!" Xion declared with a smile before she hurled her keyblade into the air after the cloaked being. The blade spun towards the being and in a moment was right on top of it. Yet with a twirl of its body the cloaked being spun out of the way of the strike, just barely missing the blade of the key by inches. The cloaked being then flipped and started to fall behind Xion, but once again the girl only smiled in response. "Saw that coming!"
Xion then summoned the keyblade into her hand and threw it behind her, aiming it right at the spot where the cloaked being would land. The being landed and spun around just in time to see the keyblade cleaving through the air right towards it. Unable to leap out of the way, the cloak being thrust out its hand once more...and caught Xion's keyblade by the handle.
"Okay, good reflexes. Now give that back," Xion growled before she extended her hand to summon back her keyblade...only for nothing to happen. Her eyes went wide with shock before she tried to summon it again, only for the key to remain in the grasp of her foe. Very slowly Xion began to back away, watching as the cloaked being looked down at her rainbow blade with an unseen expression.
'Xion, what's going on? How is that thing able to hold your blade?' Sombra whispered to Xion.
"It shouldn't be able to! The only beings that can wield keyblades are...other keyblade wielders," Xion realized, her eyes going wide as a look of terror crossed her face. "No...it can't be."
The cloaked being then looked over at Xion, tightening its grip around the keyblade before it slowly began to move towards the girl. Xion raised her hands and began to fire spells out of them, but each of her spells was swatted to the side by her own keyblade. Then the cloaked being lunged into the air with Xion's blade held high, aiming right for the center of Xion's head. Despite having faced numerous dangerous beings, upon seeing her own key coming down towards her Xion froze.
Fortunately for her, Sombra didn't.
'BAD MOVE!' the dark king roared before an explosion of dark energy erupted from his horn, lancing up towards the cloaked being and striking them dead in the chest. The dark being cried out in pain as it was knocked from the sky, dropping Xion's blade before it came crashing to the ground in front of Xion. 'Xion, now's your chance! Strike this thing down before it has the chance to get back up!'
Sombra's words snapped Xion out of her trance and she raced forward towards the stunned being, summoning her keyblade back to her grasp before she slashed down at the being for all she was worthy. A bolt of darkness appeared in the hands of the cloaked being and a moment later it raised something to intercept Xion's blade. Rainbow light clashed with a surge of darkness, but the collision was nothing compare to the terror that Xion held within her.
The being held a keyblade in its hand, a keyblade the likes of which Xion had never seen before. The keyblade was a pitch black blade, with bat wings making up the handle. The teeth were some kind of dark symbol and a chain ran up the center of the blade, a single, long, black chain. A blue diamond rested upon the top of the guard and the keychain held a black crown at the end of it.
'Is that...?' Sombra asked with horror in his voice.
The cloaked being then shoved Xion back with a push and she staggered back, only to regain her balance a moment later. The cloaked being rose to their feet and stared down Xion, who extended her blade and prepared for the fight of her life. For the longest minute the two stared each other down, before the cloaked being banished their keyblade and turned around. A moment later they vanished in a flicker of darkness, only to be followed by the samurai Nobodies a moment later. Only when she was completely alone did Xion banish her own blade and collapse to her knees.
'Xion, what was that? What happened?' Sombra asked Xion, who had to take a few minutes to calm down so that she could speak.
"Sombra. There were only two members in the Organization that could wield keyblades," Xion said in a terrified whisper, unable to believe what she was saying. "And I'm kneeling right here."
======= No. XIII =======
The sounds of laughter filled the air. The sun was high in the sky and a cool breeze swept across the land, providing both warmth and relief from the heat at the same time. And from where the two beings of darkness emerged from the corridor of darkness, they could both see the giant Ferris Wheel that towered over the rest of the carnival. But Xion and Sombra felt no warmth or joy at the sight of the fair. For the both of them had the same thoughts crossing their minds.
'We are not that far from Ponyville, if I remember anything about the lay of the land,' Sombra said to Xion, who gave no indication that she had heard him. 'If we start moving now, we may be able to reach it in a few days. Come on, let's head out.'
"It had to be him," Xion replied in a whisper.
'You don't know that.'
"But I do! He's the same height as me! The figure had the same moves and magic as me! For the love of god, Sombra, they wielded a keyblade! What more proof do I need?!" Xion yelled at Sombra, who chose to remain silent. "But if it was him, why didn't he recognize me? Why did he attack me? We're supposed to be friends?"
'It attacked you because it wasn't him. It's not him for all the reasons you just gave. This is most likely a trick by the Maestro to try and get you to doubt yourself. Don't let him do that to you,' Sombra said in a stern tone.
"But...if it really is him...how can I fight him?" Xion asked with tears practically in her eyes. Sombra didn't have an answer.
'I had hoped that the Maestro would have waited to play this card, wait until I had gotten Xion into a more stable state, where she would have been able to face this...being, if it is who we think it is. But the way she is now...' Sombra thought, before he felt something not too far from the pair that completely derailed his train of thought. 'We can't worry about that right now, Xion, because we just had a good stroke of luck. Or maybe it's just a stroke of luck, we'll find out.'
"What do you mean?"
'I mean that I just felt the power of one of those cursed Rainbow ponies, so that means that either Twilight or Applejack is close. And since this is a state fair and Applejack, like I said, is a hick, I think you can figure the rest out.'
"So wait...Applejack is down at that fair?" Xion asked, squinting her eyes to se if she could make out the pony Sombra was talking about in the sea of ponies that was at the fair. "But I don't see any Heartless or Nobodies. Every single one of the Ambassadors that we've come across has been battling with either the Nobodies or the Heartless. Shouldn't she be as well?"
'I can't say. Maybe since we're so close to Ponyville that means that the princesses and the Ambassadors are fighting harder to keep this place safe. Figures that the princesses would play favorites. This is why I simply let all the cities and towns burn, so that way the ponies know that I don't think any of them mean less than the others.'
"Think we should go down there?" Xion asked nervously. "I mean, the Ambassadors might be fine with me, but every crowd of ponies that I've come across have either fled from me in terror or whipped out their torches and pitchforks at the sight of me. And a fair full of them is likely to have mixed results between the two."
'We don't have a choice at this point. We need to get into contact with all of the Ambassadors and gather the keychains they have. And since fate was so nice to deal us this hand, we would be foolish not to take what we were given,' Sombra instructed Xion. 'But just to be safe, we should probably either make this quick or have you keep your keyblade out at all times. I wouldn't put it past one of the dumber ponies to try and act like a hero.'
"I'm not striking down an innocent pony."
'Then smack them with the flat side of your blade, I don't care. But we're going to go in there, that's no question. The only question I have is how much opposition will we meet once we get down there?' Sombra asked himself with what sounded like a bit of a chuckle. 'But I can sense Applejack in the center of that mess. So let's go on down an introduce ourselves.'
"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Xion asked.
'Nay, choice is something that beings of darkness rarely have,' Sombra said with a laugh. Xion shook her head before she started to move towards the fair, but while she walked Sombra lost himself in thought. 'I am still not certain about that foe we faced. Yes, their moves were similar to Xion's and they also wielded a keyblade, but I have been an evil villain practically all of my life and something feels wrong to me. If the Maestro had brought in Roxas, why hide his face? It would be far more emotionally scaring to have her look into his eyes as they fought, not mask them in darkness.'
'What is your game, Maestro? And why, for the first time in my long and meaningful life, can I not figure out my opponents next move? What their next move against Xion will be?' Sombra asked. 'And why does that bother me far more than it should that Xion is so upset?'
The crowd wasn't as bad as Sombra had made it out to be. Upon entering the fair, Sombra had spied a stand with numerous masks and outfits on them. With his dark powers he snatched up one of the masks and told Xion to wear it, which she did so without hesitation. Now that she had the face of a chicken, Xion found that aside from a few strange looks none of the ponies in the fair paid her so much as a second glance.
'And once again my unfathomable brilliance has saved us from future danger. Truly my genius is a gift from the gods,' Sombra bragged loudly, forcing Xion to clamp her hands around his horn to stifle his voice.
"Are you serious?"
'You're right, even the gods couldn't bestow such brilliance. Perhaps I myself am a god?'
"No, I mean you're talking out loud while we're surrounded by hundreds of ponies, none of who like you," Xion harshly whispered to Sombra, who let out a scoff but heeded her words and lowered his voice.
'Applejack should be close by. Unfortunately, you're most likely going to have to take off your mask in order to be recognized by her. Her friends have most likely told her about you, so perhaps we'll get lucky and she won't freak out at the sight of whatever she sees in your face.'
"Well, we'll just have to take that risk when we meet her," Xion stated.
The two walked through the fair, keeping their eyes out for any sign that the ponies might be catching onto them or that some of the security that they had seen had become interested in them. But surprisingly to the pair they weren't stopped once by any guards or any of the ponies, so with little incident they made their way to where Applejack was using Sombra's ability to track her.
They found the orange mare with the apple mark sitting on a bench, looking tired as she munched on a snack. As Xion approached Applejack turned her head to look at them, an eyebrow going up as she saw the mask Xion wore. Applejack then patted the seat next to her twice, inviting Xion to sit down with her. Xion looked down at Sombra, who told her to do as Applejack asked.
"So yer the mysterious dark being Xion, are ya?" Applejack asked as Xion sat down next to the orange pony. "Gotta admit, when ah heard you were coming ah didn't expect ya to show up wearing a chicken mask."
"Well, my normal face tends to scare ponies and incite riots, so I figured it was best that I kept my face covered up to keep things nice and calm," Xion replied.
"That's some smart thinking. Did ya come up with that idea or was it Sombra?" Applejack asked, smirking when Xion chose not to answer. "Yeah, I heard from Rarity that yer carrying the horn and consciousness of Sombra around with ya, and that ya were willing to fight with her to keep him safe. Ah take it I don't have to tell ya how dangerous or evil Sombra can be?"
"Believe me, he's more hot air than he is evil," Xion replied with a smirk, getting Sombra to seethe in her pocket. "But I didn't cross all of Equestria just to talk about what I've got in my pocket. If you've heard about me from your friends, then you know what I'm here for."
It was Applejack's turn to choose silence as her answer, but then she reached under her hat and pulled out a keychain a moment later. The keychain looked similar to the ones that all of the other Ambassadors had held, only that this one had an apple at the end of it. Applejack then cast a glance towards Xion, who nodded to show that indeed that was what she sought. Xion reached out for it, but before the girl could grab it AJ pulled it back.
"Applejack, if you've heard about me from your friends, then you know that I need those keychains so I can fight back against the swarm of Heartless that are invading your lands," Xion said to Applejack.
"Ah get that, but ya had to earn all the other ones, didn't ya?" Applejack asked with a smirk, getting Xion to narrow her eyes beneath her mask. "Don't you worry none, ah'm not going to ask ya to do some impossible task or anything like that. Something nice and easy. Just a small trial."
"And what kind of trial would that be?"
"Mah sister and her friends are somewhere at this fair playing hide and seek with me. But I'm too tuckered out from the constant battles with the Heartless to see straight, let alone chase three fillies with enough energy to power a city," Applejack said before she stifled a yawn with her hoof. "Ya find all three of them and bring them back to me, the keychain is yers."
"Alright, I guess I can do that. Sounds far easier than anything I've done since I've gotten here," Xion replied with a shrug. "Any hints as to where your sister and her friends will be hiding? And how will I even know its them when I find them? I've never met them before."
'Allow me to answer that,' Sombra cut in before Applejack could speak. 'As they are closely connected to the Ambassadors, I can faintly sense where they are hiding. I will also be able to identify them for you should you happen to find them.'
"Ah didn't know you could track our power," Applejack muttered through narrow eyes, before she took her cowboy hat off of her head and handed it to Xion. "Wear this and the girls should know that you're a friend of mine. That way they won't run away from ya screaming at the top of their lungs."
"Yeah, trying to avoid that honestly," Xion said as she placed the cowboy hat on top of her head. "A chicken mask and a cowboy hat. Bet I look amazing. Come on Sombra, let's go find those foals."
"Good luck, they can be hard to catch," Applejack warned the pair after Xion rose and walked towards the massive crowd of ponies.
======= No. XIV =======
'The nerve of that country bumpkin, thinking that she can make us do her chores while the fate of this world is on the line!' Sombra roared with fury from within Xion's coat pocket. 'We could be doing far more important things like trying to balance the light and the darkness or maybe beating our heads against a tree, but no. Here we are foalsitting.'
"I don't like it any more than you, but I'm going to need that keychain if I want to hope to stand a chance against the Maestro," Xion replied before looking up at the massive Ferris wheel that towered overhead. "So quiet your whining and help me. You said that you sensed one of them around here, right?"
'Yeah, and considering how much this ones energy feels like Applejack's I'm going to guess that it's her sister,' Sombra replied. 'Look out for a red bow and a red mane on a yellow filly. I think her name is Applebloom.'
"And you know all of this because...?"
'I keep careful track of my enemies and those close to them. You don't get to be a good evil villain by overlooking tiny details,' Sombra said with some pride in his voice.
"Okay, that's creepy...and I think I see who you were talking about," Xion muttered to herself as she spied a red bow sticking out from behind a cluster of barrels.
'Yep, I can feel the Rainbow energy faintly coming from her. That's one of them,' Sombra confirmed. 'So how do you want to do this? We just going to walk over and talk to her or do you want to grab that giant net I saw at a tent a few yards back. Because I know what I would pick.'
Choosing once again to ignore Sombra, which Xion noticed she was starting to do more and more, she slowly walked over to the barrels and peeked around behind them. Just as Sombra had said, a yellow filly with a red mane and ribbon was crouched down behind the barrels, glancing out from a gap in the barrels at the ponies that passed by.
"So you're Applebloom?" Xion asked. The moment she spoke the filly leapt into the air and spun around to face the masked being. Her eyes widened with fear for a moment, before she looked up and spied the cowboy hat that Xion wore.
"Awe, are ya kidding me?" Applebloom asked in an annoyed tone, getting Xion to raise an eyebrow underneath of her mask. "Applejack was supposed to come and find us, but instead she sends somepony else to come and do it? What's the point of taking yer sister and her friends out fer some fun if all ya do is sit around?!"
"Um, look, whatever issues you have with your sister you can work them out with her," Xion cut the foal off, not wanting to have to waste time listening to her complain. Applebloom sighed sadly before she started to head off towards where Applejack was sitting, leaving Xion to shake her head before she glanced down at her pocket. "Alright wayfinder, tell me where to go next."
======= No. XIV =======
The next location that Sombra lead the both of them to was the games part of the fair, where dozens of tents were set up and each of them held a different challenge within them for a chance to win a prize. Standing in front of one of those tents they found an orange mare with a purple mane, who was shooting at numerous things that moved by on a belt, yet was unable to hit any of them.
'Scootaloo. More or less Rainbow's sister,' Sombra informed Xion, who nodded before she walked over to the filly. 'Seems that she isn't playing the same game as her friends.'
When she got close enough to the filly, Scootaloo glanced up at Xion. For a brief second confusion crossed Scootaloo's face, then she laid eyes on the hat and a smirk spread across her lips. "So Applejack sent you to gather us all up, did she? I knew she was tired, but to think that she was trust a total stranger like you with the task..."
"Yeah, she sent me. And I'm in a bit of a rush, so if you wouldn't mind coming along nice and easily," Xion tried to say, but Scootaloo then held up a hand to silence the girl. Scootaloo then pointed her hoof to a giant, stuffed pony in an outfit.
"I'm not leaving this spot until I get that Wonderbolt," Scootaloo stated before she slammed a handful of gold coins onto the counter, getting the stallion behind the counter to shake his head with a sigh before he started up his game once more. Targets began to move across a belt and Scootaloo began to shoot at them once more, yet she missed every shot.
'With that filly's accuracy we're going to be here until the end of time,' Sombra said quietly, but just loud enough so that Scootaloo began to look around for whoever had insulted her.
"You have an idea?"
'Win it for her.'
Scootaloo let out a frustrated growl as the game came to an end, yet she had been unable to strike any of the targets. But this time when she placed more bits on the counter, Xion snatched the gun from her hooves and took aim. Scootaloo began to complain, but a look from Xion, even with the mask on, silenced any arguments. The stallion started the game once more with interest in his eyes, while Xion took aim at all of the targets moving.
Twenty total targets moved across the belt and twenty times Xion pulled the trigger, striking each target with a deadly precision. When the game came to an end and none of the targets were left standing, Xion placed the gun on the counter and pointed to the stuffed Wonderbolt that hung overhead.
"I'll be taking that."
======= No. XIV =======
'Sweetie Belle should be the final pony that we're looking for,' Sombra informed Xion as the three of them headed into the house of mirrors, where Sombra had felt the Rainbow power of Rarity radiating from. Xion cast a glance up at the wacky clown face whose mouth they would be entering into to get to the mirrors, smirking at how it was supposed to be terrifying.
"So what should I be on the lookout for?" Xion asked as she stepped into the hall of mirrors.
'Think of Rarity, but smaller and less annoying,' Sombra stated. 'Also I believe she has some pink in her mane, but that may have been dye. I don't know.'
As Sombra said this, Xion walked by her first mirror and came to a dead stop at what she saw. The reflection of her was her in her same clothes with the mask and hat still on, but something was different. Underneath the mask and hat she could make out red hair. Slowly, Xion reached up and removed her mask and hat, revealing to her a face that she recognized along with the blazing red hair that the girl had.
'Woah, Xion. You look different,' Sombra muttered as he gazed into the mirror as well, able to see what Xion was seeing.
"Yeah, that happens," Xion muttered as she kept on walking, each of the mirrors she passed by showing her the same red headed girl. Xion then turned a corner and walked down a new hallway of mirrors, only to find that instead of the red headed girl, this time a blonde girl with worried eyes and a white dress was now looking back at her. For a long time Xion gazed into her reflection, until Sombra broke the silence.
'Eh, I don't know. The red hair might have worked, but blonde definitely isn't your thing,' Sombra said with a cackle, one that broke Xion out of her thoughts. 'Xion, these are just mirrors, designed to mess with you and show you how you would look in different ways. Don't take any of these personally.'
Xion decided to listen to what Sombra had to say and continued moving on, not paying attention to what the mirrors showed her. That was until she came to a single mirror in a sea of the red headed and blonde reflections of herself. Inside the mirror was a boy with dirty blonde hair and a black cloak like hers.
'Okay, how does that one work?' Sombra asked, but instead of answering Xion walked closer and closer to the mirror, staring into it with longing eyes. She then raised her hand and gently pressed it against the glass, with the reflection doing the same. For a moment nothing happened, then the reflection smiled at Xion before the boy vanished and change to a perfect reflection of her.
Xion then slowly fell to her knees, hand still on the mirror while tears softly fell from her eyes. Sombra, having no tact or any idea how to be comforting, opted for silence instead of opening his mouth. For a long time Xion knelt there with tears streaming from her eyes, until a white hoof tapped her on the shoulder. Xion looked over her shoulder to see a white filly standing behind her with concern on her face.
"Um, excuse me miss. Are you lost?"
======= No. XIV =======
"Welp, that's all of them. Thanks for helping me out," Applejack said to Xion once all three of the foals were seated at the table with her. Applebloom didn't look happy, Scootaloo was holding onto the stuffed Wonderbolt happily and Sweetie Belle occasionally glanced over at Xion with worry. "So what did ya think, not too hard a trial, right? Certainly couldn't be harder than dealing with all of those Heartless?"
"Yeah, this wasn't that bad," Xion said in a deadpan voice, one that made Applejack chuckle nervously. Xion then took her hat off of her head and handed it to Applejack, who took it and placed it upon her head.
"And ah believe that ah owe ya this," Applejack continued on as she pulled out the keychain with the red apple on the end, which she then handed to Xion. Xion nodded in reply before she turned and started to walk away from the group, only to stop when she heard Applejack clear her through. "Ah know that yer probably going to go to Ponyville next to look for Twilight, but she won't be there."
"What do you mean?" Xion asked Applejack.
"See, with all of the attacks going on all of us have been traveling all over the land fighting back against the Heartless as best we can," Applejack revealed to Xion. "Heck, that's why we had the fair today, to try and brighten the mood of the ponies here. But Twilight's been working herself harder than all of us. Wherever an attack takes place, she's instantly there fighting back as hard as she can. She hasn't been home in weeks."
"So do you know where she is or is my journey here going to get even longer?" Xion asked in a dry tone, one that caught the apple pony off guard. Xion saw the face that Applejack made and Xion sighed. "Sorry, I'm just going through a lot right now. If you know were Twilight is, I'd appreciate it. She's the last one I need to find."
"Yeah, ah kind of figured that. Now ah don't know this for certain as it has been a day and a half since she last wrote to us, but last ah heard from her she was fighting in the city of Mareami, which is east from here. Maybe a days journey by train," Applejack told Xion, who nodded.
"Thanks. Anything else you can tell me about this city?"
"Um, it's had the most Heartless attacks, the most causalities until Twilight arrived and the Heartless seem to want to take it more than any other city. Not to mention the cloaked beings that have been rumored to be running around there," Applejack stated, getting Xion's eyes to widen with shock.
"Thanks. Let's hope I don't get lost getting there," Xion said with a smirk as she started to walk away.
"Oh don't worry sugar cube, there's no way you can miss it. It's along the beach!"
Sombra hated trains. Not in a way that he hate to ride along them or that they terrified him or anything like that. Sombra feared very few things. His hatred for trains popped up right around the time that he had met Xion and her experience with trains. For that was the first time he had run into Heartless. And Sombra was afraid of the Heartless. Yet there was Xion and Sombra, sitting on the cushions of another train, heading towards another destination that would probably have another fight waiting for them.
Getting Xion onto the train had been no trouble for Sombra. The moment that the conductor's eyes started to wide at the red eyes of Xion, Sombra had used his magic to control the pony's mind, making him a slave to Sombra's will. Sombra had wanted to make the conductor do some hilarious things, but a cold remark by Xion put an end to that. So Xion had boarded the train with no issues, but she still took up a car in the back just to avoid attracting attention to herself.
'And so here we are, sitting in another train and heading off to fight more Heartless,' Sombra thought to himself. Xion had been gracious enough to take Sombra out of her pocket and she had rested him on the cushions next to her seat. And then she clasped her hands together and stared at the floor for hours on end.
'None of my attempts to get through to her have been for nothing. Whatever is eating at her will take more than a few snide remarks to snap her out of,' Sombra thought to himself. He then watched as Xion pulled out her old Organization coat and reached inside of it, pulling out a small seashell from within its pockets. She placed the coat on the seat across from her before she began to move her fingers over the shell, her eyes a million miles away.
'She's thinking about the being in the cloak. Who she believes to be Roxas,' Sombra thought. He didn't have to ask Xion if his line of thinking was correct, he knew that it was. What he didn't know was why she was so dead set on the cloaked being's identity being Roxas. 'The Maestro is a being that travels realities. It could have been any keyblade wielder for all we know. Xion's just letting her past get to her again. Got to try and break her out of it.'
'That's a nice seashell you've got there,' Sombra pointed out, but Xion didn't respond. 'It's especially nice considering that you told me that you've never been to the beach before. Yet you've got a shell. What, did you buy it from some shell shop because you were too afraid to actually step foot on the beach?'
It took Xion a minute before she responded to Sombra's words. "I wasn't completely honest with you when we first met," Xion revealed to Sombra, who wasn't surprised in the least. "I have been to the beach before. Actually, I've been there a few times. But I never went there with Axel and Roxas. And we promised that we'd all go together. That's the promise that I'm trying to fulfill...and why I want to get there so badly."
'You think Roxas and Axel will be there,' Sombra said, not needing an answer to know that he was right. 'Xion, we are in an entirely different reality than the one that you've come from. There is very little chance that those two could make it to this reality, and even if they could, the Maestro would have most likely gotten to them.'
"I know that."
'But more importantly, you told me that, somehow, everyone in your world forgot all about you, forgot that you even existed,' Sombra continued on, not seeing Xion clench her fists around her seashell. 'So even if they managed to cross the reality barrier and even if they managed to avoid the wrath of the Maestro, how would they know to go to the beach? And how would they know to meet you there?'
"I KNOW!" Xion roared with fury, silencing Sombra instantly. For a few minutes Xion sat and seethed with rage, before she hung her head and placed it into her hands. "What do you want me to say, Sombra? That I have no real reason for pushing on? That I'm being used by a dark king to further his goals while I hold onto a small sliver of hope that my friends will be waiting for me?"
Sombra, for the first time in his life, didn't have a response.
"I know that it's foolish of me to think that they'll be there waiting for me. Hell, if things went according to Namine's plan Roxas will be apart of Sora again," Xion said, her words confusing Sombra but he stayed silent. "And Axel has most likely faded at this point. But I was torn from my peaceful resting place and forced to live again. And then I've been fighting against new and old foes alike in a world I know nothing of with beings I know nothing about. It has taken all I have and that last shred of hope to keep me from just giving in and letting the Heartless tear me apart. And now the Maestro is after me with far more vengeance."
"I'm tired Sombra. I'm so tired of being a pawn in somebody else's game," Xion revealed. She paused for a moment so that Sombra could make his witty comment, but when silenced reigned she continued on. "Ever action, every decision and ever road I've gone down has either been according to somebody else's plan or going against their plan. Nothing I have ever done has been...according to my plan. I just move along, hoping that today isn't the day that their plan comes true. And yet here I am, following your plan. I truly am a puppet, aren't I?"
Xion stayed silent for a long time after that, leaving Sombra to think hard about what he was going to say to her. Yet Sombra found that there was nothing he could say. He then cast a glance towards Xion's face, noticing that small cracks were starting to form along her face and neck.
'Her body won't hold up much longer,' Sombra noted and he would have frowned if he was able to. 'Her body should be lasting longer, but the constant battles and stress has torn down her body even faster. She's got maybe...a few more days at most. I've got to think of a way to fix. And I've also got to think of a way to take her minds off of these stressful thoughts. They aren't doing her any favors.'
'So, Namine. She was one of those reflections of yours in the mirrors, wasn't she?' Sombra asked point blank, getting Xion to snap out of her thoughts and she glanced down at Sombra. 'Ah, no need to answer now, your face tells me all I need to know. So who is this Namine and why does she have such power over you?'
"She doesn't really, but...you remember how I said when a person becomes a Heartless, if they have a strong enough will they leave behind a Nobody?" Xion asked.
'Yep. Why, does this get even more complicated?'
"Afraid so. See, Roxas is Sora's Nobody. But Namine is kinda Sora's Nobody as well. At least, that's how she put it when she told me her story," Xion stated, while Sombra was doing his best not to have his brain implode. "Sora had a girl named Kairi's heart inside of him when he became a Nobody, so when Sora lost his heart so kinda did Kairi, forming Namine. But then there was-"
'Kairi, the red headed girl?' Sombra cut her off, looking for any excuse to change the conversation away from confusing. 'Yeah, I saw her reflection in the mirrors as well. She Sora's special somebody?'
"Um, I think so? I don't know, the memories are all confusing. Whatever Maestro did to me has made it hard to recall memories that aren't mine," Xion replied. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment, only to shake her head as she opened her eyes. "Sorry, but Sora's memories just are just too confusing for me to decode. All I can understand is what I remember from my time in the Organization."
'Ugh, your story is so damn confusing,' Sombra said with a shake of his horn. The sound of a voice echoed throughout the train, telling all of the passengers that the train was coming to a halt. 'Wait a moment, that can't be right. We're still a good twenty minutes out from the city. Why in the infernal hell are we stopping here?'
Xion threw up the window and stuck her head through it, her eyes going wide when she saw the city in the distance. She brought her head back inside so that she snatch Sombra off of the seat, only to stick him through the window so that he could see the reason for the unexpected halt.
Off in the distance was Mareami, covered in a dome of darkness that was a sea of black against a beautiful blue sky. Even though they were miles from the city, Sombra and Xion could both see winged Heartless flying around on the outside of the dome. And off to the side of the domed city was a stretch of white sand that seemed to go on forever, catching Xion's eyes and making a thin smile crossing her face.
'I'm almost there. I'm almost to the beach,' she thought to herself before she brought her head back into the train, picking up her Organization cloak and stashing it in her inventory. She then raced down the train car and kicked the door off of the train open, before she leapt out and started to race towards the city in full sprint.
'Xion, what in the blazes are you doing? Slow down, we need to form a plan of attack before we just run in there!' Sombra roared at Xion, but the girl couldn't hear Sombra's voice anymore. 'Xion, will you listen to me? I can't feel Twilight's Rainbow Power, meaning if she is in there she won't be on our side! For the love of Faust, listen to me!'
'I'm almost there, Roxas. Axel. I've almost fulfilled our promise,' Xion thought to herself silently, the smile fading from her face as she ran. 'And I know that I'll see at least one of you there. I just wish that it would be as friends, not as enemies.'
======= No. I =======
The army of Heartless that swarmed on the outside of the dome looked far more dangerous up close than it had from the safety of the train that was a good ways away. Xion had taken shelter behind a boulder in hopes that she wouldn't be spotted right away, but she knew that it was only a matter of time until the Heartless sensed the presence of a keyblade wielder.
"Do you think that your dark magic can get us through that barrier?" Xion asked Sombra, who took a moment to think before he sighed.
'I should be able to, but the down side is that we'll have to be point blank in order for my magic to do anything to that amount of dark power,' Sombra stated. 'If you could open another corridor of darkness, we could skip past all of this and get into the city. But then you'd be in no shape for the fight that will come on the other side.'
"So you've also realized what awaits us on the other side of that dark dome," Xion muttered, a smirk crossing her face. "Well glad to see that both of us know better than to think that it would be easy. So all I have to do is get you to that dome, right?"
'Yeah, that's all you have to do. Simple, except for the army of Heartless that stand between us and that dome,' Sombra pointed out as he stared at the numerous Heartless, some of which were versions that he had never seen before. Numerous ones looked like wyverns, which patrolled the skies to keep out any airborne foes. Giant, armored ones with dog faces on their shields stood rooted in place like a defensive wall, while the small Soldiers patrolled the area around the dome.
"Look on the bright side. I've only got to get past them. I don't actually have to beat them all," Xion pointed out before she summoned her keyblade, glancing down at the rainbow thunderbolt that made up her blade. She took a moment to take in a few deep breaths, before she rose to her feet.
'Don't want to try out the new blade you got?'
"I don't know what that one can do and this is the strongest blade I currently have," Xion replied with a grimace. "And with my light and dark forms limited I'm going to need all the raw power I can get. Come on Sombra, let's do this."
Xion then leapt on top of the boulder and kicked off of it, launching herself into the air above the Heartless. The monsters of darkness had just enough time to look up at the being of darkness before bolts of lightning came crashing down upon them, blasting the Soldiers to darkness while the giant, armored Heartless tanked the blasts. The Defenders then pointed their shields at the girl, before firing blasts of fire from the mouths on the dog heads.
'Incoming!' Sombra roared as the fireballs came blazing towards them. Xion narrowed her eyes before she lashed out with the keyblade, swatting the blasts of fire out of the air. She landed with a roll so that she could be up on her feet a moment later, sprinting full speed towards the Defenders. 'Careful, those things look like they're hell to get through!'
"Noted," Xion replied as she reached the first Defender. The Heartless roared before it lashed out with its shield, driving the full shield towards the girl. She leapt into the air and kicked off the shield once it reached her legs, propelling herself over the head of the Heartless. She came crashing down with the keyblade aimed at the back of the Heartless's head, slashing through it and turning the creature to darkness a moment later.
'Behind you!'
Xion spun around just in time to take two clawed feet to the face, knocking her off of her feet and sending her crashing across the ground. Xion bit back a curse as she sat up in time to see her assailant sailing back into the sky, with three more Wyvern's heading in her direction.
'Those things are fast. Might want to catch them with some magic before they get too close,' Sombra advised Xion. Xion nodded before she thrust her keyblade into the sky, summoning bolts of lightning from the clouds above. Lightning came raining down from above with a murderous intent, striking all of the Wyvern out of the sky and bringing the Heartless tumbling into the dirt with Xion.
The Wyvern got back up a few moments later, but it was a moment too slow as Xion was already upon them. In a flash of rainbow lightning Xion cleaved through the three Wyverns, blasting them into darkness before she sprinted back in the direction of the Defenders.
The Defenders had seen what Xion could do and they had taken measures to make sure that she couldn't do it again. The Defenders linked up their shields together and began to fire a wave of fireballs towards the keyblade wielder. Xion swatted at every fireball that came her way, but as more and more fire came blazing towards her she had to stop her advance and cast a barrier around herself to get a reprieve from the onslaught of fire.
'Well they've pinned us down. Any ideas that can get us out of this one?' Sombra mocked Xion. The keyblade wielder narrowed her eyes in reply before she started to channel the dark power within her, changing her left arm to that of a demons arm with three clawed fingers at the end. She then shattered her barrier before she plunged into the ground, vanishing into the shadows and surging towards the Defenders.
The Heartless looked around for her for a moment, yet they never saw her emerge from the darkness behind them until it was already too late. Xion roared with rage as she slashed through the back of one of the Defenders, cleaving it clean in two. She was on the next couple in a heartbeat, roaring with fury as she plunged her darkness arm through the shield and then the chest of the Heartless. With another bellow she flung the Heartless into another Defender with such force that they both burst into darkness.
Xion then turned her gaze towards the final pair of Defenders, glaring at the pair of them from under he bangs. The pair of Defenders slammed their shields into the ground before they started to march towards the girl, hardly phased by the dark arm that was pulsing with darkness or the fact that she had just torn through over ten Heartless with ease.
'Finish them off and make it quick. You shouldn't spend much longer in that form,' Sombra advised Xion, who nodded in understanding before she plunged into the darkness at her feet once more. This time the Defenders knew what was coming and they placed their shields on the ground to try and stop her oncoming attack.
Yet her darkness was far too powerful for the Defenders to deal with, so when she burst from the darkness claw arm first the Defenders were hurled into the air. "You're done," Xion said before she thrust her clawed hand into the air after them, summoning an orb of darkness within the hand that ripped apart the two Defenders with ease. Xion then let out a bellow of fury as she roared at the sky, the darkness moving up her arm and starting to consume her neck.
'Xion, put a lid on it. We need to get to the dome before more Heartless show up,' Sombra advised Xion. Xion closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, chaining up her darkness once more and allowing her to think clearly once more. Once she was in control once again, Xion ran over towards the dome, doing her best to keep the pain that was burning in her body from showing on her face.
When she reached the barrier she pulled out Sombra's horn and pressed it against the dome. Sombra channeled his dark magic and sent a pulse of magic out through the barrier, causing a ripple to form across the darkness for a brief moment. Sombra roared as his magic began to tear away at the barrier, tearing open a small hole that was just large enough for Xion to enter.
'Alright, let's head on in and put a stop to this madness,' Sombra said to Xion, who nodded in reply. 'And be careful in here. Not only are there a ton of Heartless in here, but I have a feeling that something is wrong with princess Sparkle Butt.'
"Got it. Fight the Heartless, save the princess, try not to die. Sounds like every other day here."
The streets were abandoned, devoid of any life within them. There was also a darkness in the city, a darkness created by the dome of darkness that covered the sky, blocking out the sun. Yet as Xion walked through the streets she felt slightly better than she had in a long time. At least she physically felt better. The fact that there were only buildings covered in darkness and all of the ponies that should have been there were missing made her nervous.
Since the two of them weren't being attacked at the moment, Xion summoned her keyblade and removed the keychain from it, returning its form to the Kingdom Key. The key returned to its regular form for only a minute, as Xion pulled out Applejack's keychain from within in coat and attached it to the key. In a flash of light the key changed shape and form, before the light died down and Xion was allowed to look over her weapon.
It was pretty much what she had been expecting. The main blade was a tree trunk and the teeth was a large, red apple. The guard of the blade was a wagon wheel, with a few spokes attached to the handle. And the keychain was another red apple. What Xion hadn't been expecting was the massive boost of strength she got from the blade, making it her most powerful weapon to date.
'This will come in handy,' Xion thought to herself as she took a few test swings, getting a handle on her weapons before she started to slink through the streets. "So we come across one city where all the ponies have been mind controlled and now we come across one where all the ponies are missing. What are the odds the next city we come across will have something weird going on with it?"
'This isn't the time for jokes, Xion,' Sombra said in a serious tone. 'This isn't like the other city we went to. Dark things happened in these streets and I can feel the horror and panic that went on here like it happened the other day. The Heartless took this town, Xion. And they didn't leave any ponies behind.'
"That's not good. That's...I don't know, how many ponies make up a city?"
'Back in my day the biggest city would hold over fifty thousand ponies. And they've only gotten bigger in the thousand years I've been sealed away,' Sombra revealed in a nervous tone.
"Which means all of those ponies have most likely been turned into Heartless," Xion growled before she lifted her blade. "Can you feel Twilight at all in this city? Or am I going to be fighting her Heartless and most likely her Nobody?"
'...no, I can feel her Rainbow Power. It's faint but it's still hear,' Sombra clarified for Xion. 'But it's at the center of the city and we can guess how easy it will be to get to her. Not to mention I feel a lot of Heartless moving around here. We're going to have to be on our guard.'
Xion nodded to Sombra before she started to move through the city, racing through the abandoned streets with her eyes open. She had made it a few city blocks before a couple of Shadows spotted her. Instead of running off to gather more forces, the Shadows lunged towards the keyblade wielder with reckless abandon.
Xion didn't spend much time on the Shadows. With her new keyblades added strength she cleaved through them with no issues, leaving the streets empty except for her a short time later. Yet the moment the Heartless were cut down, she then snapped her head in the direction that they were heading. Xion narrowed her eyes for a moment, gaining Sombra's attention.
'What's up, Xion?' Sombra asked.
"I think that the cloaked being is here," Xion muttered as she started to walk towards the center of the city. A cry of pain escaped her lips and she fell to one knee, seething with pain as she clutched at her left shoulder. "Dammit all, that hurts. What is happening?"
'Your body is breaking down faster than I thought,' Sombra said once he had managed to worm his way out of Xion's pockets. 'You using your dark powers to defeat the Heartless outside of the dome has advanced the rate at which you're falling apart. I don't know how much longer you have, but I do know that it is not long.'
"All the more reason to find Twilight quickly," Xion snarled as she pushed herself back up to her feet, still clutching at her shoulder with pain.
'Xion, you do not need to be pushing yourself right now. What you need is to take a moment and rest, recover from what your dark form did to your body,' Sombra advised in a concerned voice. Xion ignored him and pushed on through the pain. 'Xion, listen to me. If you push yourself too hard now your body will break down and you won't be able to get to the beach.'
"We'll get to the beach after we make sure that Twilight is safe," Xion snarled in reply, before she closed her eyes and staggered from the pain.
'Xion, I am telling you to stop and recover!' Sombra snarled.
"Why do you care so much?" Xion asked Sombra, who was grateful to see that her question had gotten her to stop moving. "Why do you care so much about me? I'm a puppet to you, remember? A pawn in your game that you're using to return you to your former power and then to take over Equestria."
'And restore the balance of light and darkness,' Sombra added on.
"Really? I thought you made that up to try and trick me into thinking you were on a noble mission," Xion added, before she glared down at the horn in her hand. "Why, Sombra? Why do you care?"
'...look Xion, I may be an evil king, but I'm not a heartless, pardon the irony,' Sombra said with a chuckle. 'I have had numerous apprentices over the years, but none of them have ever had the skill, talent or patience as you. In fact, it's safe to say that your magical skills may already match mine, if not surpass them.'
"Excuse me?"
'I may be evil, but I am no fool. In just a few weeks you have brought your magic and skills with both darkness and light to a level that I cannot reach. I know. I tried,' Sombra bitterly admitted. 'Yet you have far more potential than me. You could reach a whole new level of magic and surpass me in every way. I'm including being evil on that list, but I doubt you'll do that.'
"Too bad that my dark and light powers are killing me," Xion said with a dry chuckle.
'We'll get to fixing that eventually. But the reason I care so much Xion, if you must know, is that I want to see how far you can go. I want to see what new limits you'll get to or if you even have limits at all,' Sombra said with what sounded like genuine joy in his voice. 'Would I love to have my body back? Sure. Would I love to rule the Crystal Empire again? Of course. Would I desire to see Celestia and Luna cast into Tartarus where they burn for eternity? I'd sell my soul for that if I hadn't sold it already.'
'But above all of that I want to see you grow. I want to see you become the magical master that you can be. You see Xion, you've done what no other apprentice of mine has done. You've impressed me, to the point that I actually care about you. And no other being has managed to get that out of me,' Sombra revealed.
"Sombra..." Xion muttered with a small smile at Sombra, before a bolt of lightning cracked across the sky. The earth heaved under Xion's feet and she was flung to the ground, grunting with pain as she landed back first onto the concrete. "Ugh, that hurt. And now my shoulder's hurting again. Freaking great."
'Xion, stop complaining about the pain in your shoulder and look up. Because I guarantee that you'll have something else to complain about,' Sombra advised Xion. Xion shook the pain from her eyes and looked up as Sombra advised, only to feel the color drain from her face as she realized what she was looking at.
A colossal Heartless made of pure darkness was towering over them. The Heartless had a heart shape hole missing in its chest, allowing the two to see right through it. The Heartless had strands of black hair that shot out in every direction and a scarf of darkness covered the face of the Heartless. Yet what drew the eyes of Xion was the twin yellow eyes of the Heartless, eyes which stared down at her.
Before either Sombra or Xion could speak the Darkside brought back a massive fist and hurled it at where Xion was standing. The girl had just enough time to through herself out of the way before the fist collided with the concrete, shattering it to pieces and generating a shockwave powerful enough to send her flying across the city street. She rolled to a stop next to a fire hydrant, where she pushed herself up to her feet.
Her keyblade was back in her hands a moment later, filling her with confidence as she glared up at the Darkside. The Heartless brought back another fist and hurled it towards Xion once more, yet this time Xion was ready for the Heartless this time. She kicked off the ground and landed on the wrist of the Heartless, before she started to race up the arm of the Heartless and headed towards its face.
'Xion, you aren't at full strength! You need to retreat and heal!' Sombra roared, but Xion couldn't hear him at that point. With a roar she hurled herself off of the shoulder of the Heartless, sailing towards its head with her keyblade held over her head. The Heartless turned its head just in time to take a keyblade to the face, snapping the Heartless head to the side as her blade slashed across its face.
The Heartless began to fall to the ground, yet Xion didn't give the Heartless a moment to breath. She landed on the side of its head and drove the end of her keyblade into the side of its head, firing multiple burst of firaga into the Heartless head. She hurled herself off the side of the head and aimed at the Heartless's eyes as she fell, unleashing chunks of ice into the eyes of the Heartless. The Heartless crashed into the ground as the ice struck its eyes, finishing the Heartless off and causing it to vanish into the darkness once more. Xion stared at the spot where it had vanished for a moment before she turned and continued on her path.
'That right there is what I'm talking about,' Sombra said to Xion, who lifted the horn so that she could see it. 'When I first met you we fought a Heartless that was nowhere near as big as that one, yet you barely managed to take it down. Yet this time you walked through that giant like he was nothing. All in a matter of weeks. Your progress is like nothing I have ever seen in any of my apprentices. Or me in fact.'
"Heh, it's weird hearing somebody be so proud of me, let alone you being proud of me," Xion replied with a small smile.
'You're someone who's worth being proud of. Now come on, we're getting close to Twilight.'
======= No. XIV =======
Neither Sombra nor Xion had been expecting a dome within a dome, yet as the two reached the center of the city that was what they found. A giant, violet barrier blocked their path and through the barrier Xion could see ponies on the other side of it. There was only a few of them and they all looked terrified, but Xion was just relieved to see that some of them had managed to survive.
What she didn't like seeing was a violet alicorn in the center of the barrier, who sat with her horn glowing and darkness blazing in her eyes. 'That can't be good. Twilight's tried to tap into dark powers in the past, including my power once or twice, but if she's like this then something is wrong.'
"Is this her barrier?" Xion asked Sombra as she approached the barrier, getting the ponies behind the barrier to back away from her.
'Yep. This is one hundred percent alicorn magic. Meaning it should take all of ten seconds for me to deal with this and let us in,' Sombra said as his horn started to glow, but before he could do anything Xion covered his horn with her hand.
"Hang on, it looks like Twilight has been using this barrier to keep out the Heartless," Xion noticed as she pressed a hand against the barrier, feeling a bit of pain lance through her hand. "That's impressive, actually. The Heartless are normally impossible to keep out, unless you lock a world, but she's managed to construct a barrier that would keep out all darkness, including mine. She really is as good as you said she is."
'Feh, she's alright, but I've seen what real talent looks like and Twilight's a five in the talent department at best,' Sombra said with a sigh of disgust. 'But her magic lacks imagination and the ability to be flexible. See this barrier you're so proud of?' Sombra asked, before he fired a bolt of darkness from his horn and tore a hole open in the barrier.
The ponies let out a gasp of horror as Xion stepped through the barrier and backed away from her in terror. Xion ignored their reactions and walked over to where Twilight was, only to be stopped when a small dragon stepped in front of her path and glared up at her. Xion raised an eyebrow at the small dragon, before Sombra let out a cackle that turned the dragon's attention towards her hand.
'Well look who it is, the little dragon that thinks himself a hero,' Sombra mocked with delight, while the dragon narrowed his eyes at Sombra's horn. 'I had wondered what Twilight was doing here without her pet, but it seems she brought you along with her. What's the matter, was she afraid you'd pee on the floor with her gone?'
The dragon narrowed his eyes at Sombra's words, but then he turned his full attention to Xion. "Yep, it's you alright. Twilight told me that a strange being with a changing face might be coming this way, so I've been on the lookout. Btu she also told me if I had any doubts that they were also carrying Sombra's horn. And since you've got the annoying blowhard, I guess that makes you the being."
"You and Twilight heard about me from one of your friends, didn't you?" Xion asked the dragon, who nodded his head. "Yeah, we came here to find Twilight. We've met with the other five members of the Ambassadors and gotten the keychains from them, which leaves Twilight as the only one left. But I can tell that something has happened here."
"We were here dealing with a small amount of Heartless. They were tough, but with what Twilight had learned about them she was able to deal with them without too much trouble," the dragon admitted before he hung his head. "But then another being showed up, one that turned the tide of the battle. He wore a black cloak and had a strange weapon the likes of which we'd never seen before. And he commanded the Heartless to fight us like a general would."
'The cloaked being,' Sombra whispered to Xion, who nodded her head.
"Twilight found that the Heartless are generally mindless beings, but under the cloaked beings control they fought far more organized. It was all Twilight could do to keep the small amount of ponies you see here safe. She cast this barrier to defend us, but not before she was struck by the beings key like weapon," the dragon revealed before looking back at Twilight. "And now she's in the state you see her in. We can't snap her out of it. I don't know what else to do to help her."
'That's because you are an idiot pupil of an idiot pony who is another idiot student of the biggest idiot in all of the land,' Sombra replied with a laugh, gaining him a glare from the dragon. 'Step aside Spike and allow two professionals to deal with this.'
'So what are we looking at here?' Sombra asked Xion once the two had walked over to where Twilight sat. Xion looked directly into Twilight's eyes for a long moment, snapping her fingers once or twice before a sigh escaped her lips. Xion then summoned her keyblade and pointed the tip of it towards Twilight, getting cries of shock from the ponies that were watching.
"Her hearts been locked," Xion revealed, getting Sombra to sigh in reply. "The only way she can snap out of the state she's in is if someone unlocks her heart from within her heart. This isn't going to be easy."
'It's something convoluted. Why am I not surprised?' Sombra snarked in reply. 'I don't want to know any of the details or anything like that. All I want to know is can you undo it?'
"I don't know. I've never-"
'...dive...'
"Actually, I have an idea. If I can dive into her heart, I should be able to," Xion muttered as she stood up and walked a bit away from Twilight, before turning around and pointing her key towards Twilight.
'Can you do that?'
"Only one way to find out."
"Only one way to find out what?" Spike asked, getting Xion to glance down at the dragon. "What are you going to do?"
"Hopefully I'm going to be able to save Twilight from what has been done to her," Xion replied as a sphere of light emerged around the tip of her blade. When the sphere appeared, a small orb of light appeared just above Twilight, with a sea of darkness inside of it.
'Do you know what you're doing?' Sombra asked.
"For the first time since I've gotten here, I do. This is what Maestro wanted me to do originally, so I know exactly what I'm about to do," Xion replied with a sigh, gripping her key slightly tighter. "How ironic that to save Twilight I have to do what that monster wanted. I bet if he was watching now he'd laugh at me."
'I can laugh at you if it makes you feel any better.'
"Thanks Sombra. Always got my back." And then Xion fired a beam of light from her keyblade right into the sphere over Twilight's body. An unlocking sound could be heard and a moment later Xion vanished from the view of the ponies and the dragon. She had dived into Twilight's heart.
Xion knew about diving into a heart thanks to the Maestro and what little information about it he had planted in her mind. But other than how to begin one, Xion had no idea what to do after that. So when she opened her eyes and found herself floating in the middle of a black void, she began to panic slightly.
'Keep a hold of your senses, Xion. We're not dead and we're not in danger. At least, not in any immediate danger.' Xion had never been so relived to hear Sombra's voice, so when she looked down at her hand to see his horn there she felt a small bit of comfort wash over her.
"So managed to follow me even in here? What do I have to do to get away from you?" Xion asked with a smile, before she began to look around. Utter blackness and dark clouds rumbled around where she floated, preventing her from seeing anything for miles. Then something within her pocket began to glow and she reached inside, pulling out the four keychains that she had gathered from the Ambassadors of Harmony.
The moment she pulled out the keychains, a radiant beam of light emerged where she was facing and Xion's eyes widened as she saw herself staring down at a giant circle with stained glass making up the surface of the circle. The glass was formed into images, images that Xion recognized.
In the center of the circle was an image of princess Twilight, with her eyes closed and wings spread in a way that almost made her look divine. Around Twilight were smaller glass circles with images of the other Ambassadors within them, each of them with their eyes closed as well and a smile upon their faces. Below Twilight and her friends were six radiant beams of rainbow energy, five of which were glowing in unison with the keychains that Xion wielded. She summoned her keyblade and found that Applejack's keychain was glowing as well. She unclipped it from the key and held it in her hand, returning the keyblade to the Kingdom Key.
"If I had to wager a guess, these five keychains will be important to unlocking Twilight's heart," Xion said to Sombra, before a smile crossed her face. "In fact, you might say that they will be...key."
'Ugh.'
Xion then pocketed the keychains once more and returned her gaze to the stained glass circle, the center of Twilight's heart. She then placed her feet behind, able to feel herself standing on something that wasn't there. With a kick Xion propelled herself towards the glass circle, yet to her surprise she didn't find herself getting any closer. The surprises continued for as Xion felt herself continue to move, Twilight's made out of stained glass began to appear around Xion.
'Fly into the Twilight's. I have a feeling that's what we need to do,' Sombra advised Xion, who glanced at the horn with surprise. 'I don't know how I know that, but it feels like there's a voice in the back of my head telling me what to do. And the voice says to fly into them to unlock the way.'
"Alright, if you're sure that's what we should do," Xion said. She pointed the Kingdom Key forward and dove towards the glass, weaving through the air so that it put her on course with the glass Twilights. She braced herself as she dove right into one of them, but instead of slamming into the Twilight it simply vanished in a cloud of purple. Yet when Xion looked towards the glass, she believed that it had gotten a little closer.
Now realizing that Sombra's plan was actually going to work, Xion began to spin, dive wand soar through the darkness into as many of the Twilight's as she could. With each Twilight she flew into, the glass circle grew closer and closer, until, after flying into at least twenty of the Twilight's, Xion extended her feet and felt herself land on solid ground.
"So this is the center of Twilight's heart," Xion whispered to herself as she began to look around.
'This can't be the center of her heart. Where's the blood and the veins and all the stuff that a normal heart has?' Sombra asked Xion, but instead of answering Xion glanced at the five glowing images of the Ambassadors. She reached into her pockets and pulled out the five keychains once more, looking between the keychains and the images.
Xion walked towards the first glowing image, the one of Fluttershy, and placed the butterfly keychain upon the image. A beam of light erupted from the image and the keychain floated up in the beam of light, until it was eye level with Xion. Then a circle of light appeared behind Xion, who spun around to see a being in a yellow cloak appear behind her, a cloak that was like the light version of her Organization cloak with pink highlights. The being then lifted their hooded face before extending their hand, summoning the Forest Melody into their grasp.
Xion narrowed her eyes before she took up her fighting stance, holding the Kingdom Key in front of her before the two began to circle each other. The cloaked being mirrored her stance perfectly, before they lunged forward towards Xion. Xion parried the first strike before lashing out with her own attack, which was blocked by the cloak being before they backed away.
Xion pressed the attack, swinging with precise attacks that the cloaked being managed to parry and block each time. The being thrust at Xion, who spun to the side to avoid being struck, before the being of light went low and tried to sweep out Xion's feet. Xion hopped over the attack before she threw out a kick, catching the being of light in the chest and staggering them for a moment. With one quick slash of her blade Xion cleaved through the cloaked being, who stood still for a moment before they vanished. Fluttershy's keychain floated back over to where her image was, before the light died down some and the chain simply floated in place.
Pinkie's keychain was the next to begin glowing and a moment later a cloaked being in pink appeared beside Xion, who had to duck underneath of a strike from the Happiest Days. Xion parried the next blow before she summoned a ball of fire at the end of her blade, which she launched towards the being in pink. The being flipped out of the way and let out a laugh, one that mirrored Pinkie's perfectly.
The cloaked being resumed the attack, springing around Xion who had to constantly move to keep up with the cloaked being. Xion threw out a few attacks, but each time she found that the cloaked being was able to easily bounce around her. Xion then glanced down at the ground before an idea came to her and she pointed her blade towards the glass around her. A blast of ice emerged from the end of her keyblade and froze the floor solid, right before the cloaked being landed upon the ice.
The cloaked being slipped the moment they touched down, resulting in them flipping a few times before they crashed to the floor. Xion was on them in a second, slashing through them and creating a slash of light through their body. The cloaked being seemed to sag its shoulders and sigh, before it vanished in a bunch of confetti and Pinkie's keychain retuned to its image.
Rarity's was the next to form a being, a being in a white cloak with purple highlights. The being reached out its hand and summoned the Eye of the Needle, before it slammed the tip of the blade into the glass and summoned numerous gemstones that floated around it. The being then pointed its key towards Xion and a moment later the gemstones came flying towards the girl.
Xion responded to the gemstone attack by creating a barrier around herself, gritting her teeth as each impact by the gemstones cracked the barrier further and further. The cloaked being then twirled its key over its head and returned the gemstones to its side, before circling them in preparation of another attack. Knowing that her barrier wouldn't be able to survive another attack, Xion shattered her barrier and sent shards of it flying towards the cloaked being. The gemstones circled around the being and protected it from the shattered shards, but the gemstones also cut off its vision from Xion.
Xion saw that the cloaked being couldn't see her and took that chance to move. She kicked off the ground with all of the might in her legs, propelling herself into the air and over where the cloaked being was standing. The gems moved from the cloaked beings path and allowed it to see that Xion was no longer where she had been standing. The cloaked being looked to its left and right, before realization dawned on it and it snapped its head skyward just in time to see Xion hurtling towards it.
The gems had started to move to try to protect the being, but Xion had been falling too fast and she slipped by the gemstones with ease. Xion landed right in front of the cloaked being and slashed down with her keyblade, cleaving through the center of the being. The moment she had struck the gemstones shattered into pebbles and the cloaked being fell apart into a pile of thread, with the keychain returning to the light emitting from Rarity's image.
An explosion of rainbow light erupted from Rainbow Dash's image and a moment later a cloaked being with all of the colors of the rainbow making up its cloak came rocketing towards Xion, with the Rumbling Storm clutched in its grasp. Xion barely manage to throw herself out of the way of the attacking being before it rocketed by her, sailing into the air with a rainbow trail behind it.
Xion snapped her head to the sky to see that the rainbow being was descending towards her once more, thunder crackling around its body and key. Xion parried the strike to the side, only to feel lightning lance up her body after she deflected the strike. The rainbow being came to a stop in the air and hoisted the keyblade over their head, bringing down barrages of lightning strikes around Xion. Xion had to dodge roll out of the way of each lightning strike, with each roll moving her closer and closer to the being.
The moment she was close enough Xion filled her keyblade with the power of wind before she hurled it towards the flying being, who didn't realize what was about to happen before the keyblade struck it in the chest. The extra effect of the wind blew the being off balance and they came crashing to the ground, where it struggled to push itself back up to its feet.
Xion was upon it a moment later and she slashed through the beings chest, getting a crackle of lightning to echo throughout the darkness. The rainbow being rose to its feet and hurled its keyblade to the ground in a fit of frustration, before the being vanished in a flash of thunder and Rainbow's keychain returned itself to where her image lay. Xion sighed before she turned her head towards the image of Applejack, waiting for the next combatant.
Just as she had expected, a moment later a burst of red light emerged from Applejack's image and an orange being with yellow highlights stepped out, wielding the Red Delicious. The cloaked being then raced right up towards Xion and struck down at her with the keyblade, forcing Xion to raise her blade to try to block the strike. The impact created from the Red Delicious striking the Kingdom Key nearly made Xion's knees buckle, with her unable to believe the amount of force that she had barely withstood.
The moment the cloaked being drew their keyblade back once more, Xion hurled herself backwards and rolled away from the orange being. The being chased after Xion, but Xion managed to stay ahead of it using her speed and acrobatic abilities. Xion dashed, rolled and leapt over each and every strike, knowing better than to get into a physical fight with the cloaked being.
Realizing that she couldn't evade forever, Xion came to a screeching halt and narrowed her eyes, watching as the cloaked being rushed towards her once more. The being hoisted its key over its head and slashed down at Xion with all of its might, preparing to cleave the girl clean in half. Yet the moment the being struck, Xion leapt back slightly to avoid the strike, watching as the being crashed through the glass at where she had been standing. The keyblade was buried halfway into the glass and the cloaked being began to struggle to pull it out.
With her opponent open to attack Xion lunged forward and formed a circle of lightning around her body, before dashing forward and slashing through the cloaked being. The being let out a moan before it let go of its key, before falling to its knee. The being then looked back at Xion before it nodded its head, vanishing into a flurry of leaves a moment later. Applejack's keychain returned to Applejack's image and floated in place, joining the other four in the light.
'Think that's all of them?' Sombra asked, finally breaking the silence between the two.
"Doubt it," Xion replied before she turned her head towards the image of Twilight, which had just started to glow. Xion then lifted her head towards the sky to see a single keychain floating down from above, a keychain with a violet, six sided star on the end of it. The keychain was then swallowed up in a light that emerged from Twilight's image, before another being in a violet cloak appeared before Xion. The cloaked being then did as the other did and extended its hand, summoning forth its keyblade.
The keyblade had a guard that looked like two alicorn wings, with them coming together at the guard with a crown. The blade was a violet horn that held magic within it and the teeth of the blade was the same violet star that resided on the end of the keychain. The cloaked being then took up a fighting stance and Xion did the same.
The being pointed their key towards Xion and unleashed a giant beam of magic towards Xion, who spun to the side to avoid the giant beam of energy. Xion returned fire with a blast of fire, but to her amazement the cloaked being swatted the blast of fire to the side. It then twirled its key and slammed the tip of it into the ground, sending out waves of earth that came crashing towards Xion.
'Seems that this one has all of Twilight's magical power!' Sombra roared as Xion hurled herself to the side to avoid being crushed under tones of stones. 'And from the looks of things, you can't match her spirit in a magical battle without tapping into the darkness or light within you. And since you can't do that...'
"Got it. Get in close and finish this off. I can handle that," Xion said before she raced forward, ducking and weaving past a dozen fireballs to try and close the distance. With a yell Xion spun and slashed out at the cloaked being with all of her might, yet a barrier of light constructed itself around the cloaked being to deflect Xion's strike. The barrier then detonated and sent dozens of shards flying towards Xion, who wasn't fast enough to avoid all of them.
Xion cried out in pain as the shards cut through her body and the pain forced Xion to drop to one knee and clutch at some of her wounds. The cloaked being sensed the moment of weakness and lunged towards Xion, but as it got close Xion snickered before she grabbed Sombra's horn and chucked it at the being. Sombra's horn bounced off of the hood of the cloaked being and got it to snap its head to see what had struck it, which resulted in it lowering its guard for a moment.
Xion roared before she drove her keyblade forward, driving the tip of it through the chest of the cloaked being and through to the other side. The cloaked being then slowly moved its head and looked down at the blade that was sticking out of its chest, before it looked up at the panting face of Xion. Xion then gave the cloaked being a smile, which made the cloaked being nod its head in response.
The being then reached down and unclipped its keychain from the end of its blade, before it held it out to Xion. Xion reached up at took the keychain with the violet star on the end, before watching the cloaked being vanish into a flurry of book pages. Xion rose back up to her feet and cast cure upon herself, soothing the wounds. She then looked towards the image of Twilight, which now how a keyhole in the chest of the images chest.
Xion walked over to the keyhole and pointed the end of the Kingdom Key towards the keyhole, creating a sphere of light at the end of her key. She then fired a single beam of light into the keyhole and the sounds of something being unlocked could be heard, getting Xion to sigh in relief as she heard the sound.
"I think we're done here. Time to go," Xion said to Sombra, before she extended her hand towards the five other keychains that floated around her. The keychains flew to her hand and she placed all of them within her pockets, before glancing down at the keychain that Twilight's spirit had given her.
'I think this means that she trusts you,' Sombra said to Xion, who nodded in agreement. She then pocketed Twilight's keyblade as well, before turning around to see a pair of crystal doors standing behind her. Xion walked towards the doors and grasped each handle, before using her might to pull open the doors. A wall of light greeted her and she could feel the real world calling to her. So with one last look at the glass images behind her, Xion stepped through the doorway and left the heart.
======= No. I =======
'XION!'
Xion groaned weakly as she slowly felt her consciousness return to her, blinking her eyes as a blinding light greeted her sight. She raised a hand to shield her sight as she slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position. Her vision was a little bit blurry and she couldn't see what was going on around her that well, but she was vaguely aware of the fact that there was a numerous amount of ponies all crowded together in the corner.
'XION! Turn around!'
Xion heard the fear and desperation in Sombra's voice and by the time she had risen to her feet her keyblade was already in her hands. She spun around to see what had caused Sombra to be so terrified, only for a metal fist to strike her in the side of her head. Xion let out a cry of pain as she staggered backwards, clutching at the side of her head with one hand while pointing her keyblade at her attacker with the other. But as her vision settled and she could see straight, her eyes widened with terror as she saw who stood across from her.
One of the beings was the cloaked boy that was her height, who glared at her from beneath his hood with the keyblade Oblivion clutched in his grasp. The other being was the Maestro, who seemed to be smiling from his metal face as he stood in the center of the three beings that stood across from her. Yet it was the final of the three that truly made Xion's eyes go wide and she felt herself begin to burn with rage.
The final being wore a black Organization cloak like many of the others that Xion had fought, but in his grasp he carried a large claymore in a reverse grip. His hair was blue and long, going all the way down to his shoulders and on his face was an X that was in-between his eyes. But it was those eyes that Xion found herself glaring at with all of her hate, eyes that looked upon her the way somebody looked at a piece of trash.
If Xion still held any doubt that she didn't have a heart, those thoughts were banished from her mind when she found herself face to face with the three beings that stood before her and fear clutched at her heart. Saix smirked at the girl while the Maestro and the cloaked boy stared at Xion with hidden faces, yet she could feel the danger radiating from all of them. Xion held her keyblade in front of her, yet she felt the blade shaking in her grasp as the fear began to take hold.
"So this is what it took to finally get you to do what I asked," the Maestro said to Xion, who gritted her teeth as she turned her full attention to the metal being. "I had to annihilate this city, which I did not wish to do, and have Saix tell his little minion to lock away Twilight's heart. You have forced me to change a great number of things in this world in order to get the results I desired. I am not happy about that."
"Well you happy is the last thing I want, so..." Xion spat back, but there was no confidence in her voice. Only fear and anticipation for what was to come. The cloaked boy took a step forward towards Xion and she instantly spun to face him, but Saix held up a hand and the boy stopped his approach.
"There will be time for that soon enough, but for now I have a few...questions to ask this puppet," Saix told the boy with an emotionless face, before turning his gaze upon Xion. For a brief moment he studied her, before a scowl crossed his face and he shook his head. "So this is the final result of all of Vexen's hard work? A half formed puppet that can barely follow any task it is given? If there is any need for further proof of Vexen's failure-"
Xion lunged towards Saix and slashed at the Nobody with her keyblade, catching Saix off guard and getting his eyes to widen with shock as he realized she was upon him. Yet instead of cleaving through Saix's skull, Xion's keyblade clashed against a keyblade as dark as the knight. Xion snarled as she turned to look at the cloaked figure, who stood to the side with his keyblade extended. Saix growled before he lifted his claymore to strike at Xion, but before he could strike Xion backflipped away from the two and raised her guard once more.
"Well aren't you just quick to fight?" Saix asked with an angry scowl as he and the cloaked boy began to approach Xion. The Maestro held up his hand and the pair stopped, allowing Maestro to walk towards the girl.
"Seems that your body is falling apart faster than I predicted. You've been tapping into powers that aren't entirely yours, haven't you?" Maestro asked. When Xion didn't answer, he continued on anyway. "See, this is why I was so angry when you fell into Sombra's clutches. Had you done as I asked and unlocked the secret of the Ambassadors hearts, then you would still be in relative alright condition. In fact, you may have lived another year. But after doing as Sombra taught you, you have cut the life force I so graciously gave you into shreds."
When the Maestro mentioned the dark king, Xion glanced down at her pocket hoping to hear some words of encouragement or at least some confirmation that Sombra was there. But the silence that resonated from her garments made her already shaky nerves even worse.
"Are you surprised that he is gone?" the Maestro asked Xion, who snapped her attention back to the Maestro. "He is a coward pretending to be a villain. The moment he realized what you were up against and saw how hopeless it was he fled for his life, leaving you to fend all for yourself."
"Well, that would be the smart thing to do. And he always did say how much of a genius he was," Xion replied with a smirk, trying not to let the Maestro see how betrayed she felt at the moment. "Besides, him leaving saved him the mental scares of seeing what I'm about to do to you. I'm not the same, scared little weakling you brought to this world, Maestro. I've gotten far stronger since the last time we've met."
"Oh, I have no doubt about that. All heroes or villains I bring to different realities get stronger in some way, provided they don't die instantly," Maestro agreed with a shrug. "And yet all of them eventually end up fighting me. And I am still here, whereas they are not. So how well do you think you are going to do against me, puppet?"
Xion gritted her teeth and tried to look angry, but deep down she knew that the Maestro's words were true. She had felt his real power first hand and knew that she was no match for him. What made the matter worse was that even if she could tap into her full powers of light and darkness, she wasn't sure if her body could hold up under the strain.
'So either the Maestro kills me or I kill myself try to kill him. I never get to win, do I?' Xion asked herself bitterly. Maestro read the expression on her face and his own metal face seemed to darken for a moment.
"You believe that I came here to kill you, puppet? No, I have no such interest of dirtying my hands doing such an action. It is far beneath me to waste my time on nothing," Maestro told Xion before he turned and walked away from the girl, getting her to look at him with surprise. Then Saix and the cloaked being began to walk towards and Maestro looked over his shoulder. "So I promise the two of them that they could kill you instead. It seems that in nearly every reality Saix sees you as a useless waste of time. This one just wanted to kill you more than the others."
Saix lifted his claymore into the sky and changed the heavens from a beautiful blue day to a pitchblack midnight, complete with a white moon in the center of the sky. His body began to glow as a white aura surrounded him, before his snapped his eyes open and glared at Xion with a feral intensity. In a flash of moment he lunged towards Xion, who kicked off of the ground and leapt into the air to avoid being struck.
Yet the moment she had taken to the skies the cloaked boy followed after her, lashing at her with his keyblade. Xion was forced to construct an aerial barrier to protect herself from the onslaught of attacks by the cloaked boy, before she shattered the barrier and used the shards to push him back.
Xion landed on the ground and turned her gaze towards Saix, who leapt into the air and came crashing back down claymore first. Xion thought she had gotten out of the way of the attack at first, but as the claymore struck cement and massive shockwave was sent out from the impact and struck Xion head on. She cried with pain as she was sent tumbling across the ground.
"Come, puppet, you were created to replace the keyblade wielders! Do not tell me this is all you can do?!" Saix sneered at Xion before he hurled his claymore at her, forcing her to dodge to the side to avoid being hit. As she rolled to her feet the cloaked boy met her there, driving a boot into her gut that doubled her over. He twirled around and slashed at her in a diagonal arc and Xion barely got the Kingdom Key up in time to deflect the blow. The impact was still strong enough to send her flying backwards, where she slammed onto her back and felt pain course through her body.
"Be gone!" Saix roared as he lunged towards the fallen girl, swinging down at her with his claymore. Xion rolled to the side to avoid being impaled by the weapon, yet the shockwave it generated hurled her across the road and into the side of a building, where she felt pain burn through her once more. She managed to push herself up to one knee, just in time to see Saix lunge towards her once more.
"Fire!" Xion roared as Saix closed in on her, catching the lunar Nobody of guard and then catching him in the chest with the fireball. Saix staggered backwards as the flames grabbed hold of his cloak and licked at his body, leaving him open to an attack from Xion. Xion dashed forward and slammed the hilt of her blade into the skull of Saix, snapping his head back and getting him to drop his weapon.
Xion snatched the hilt of the claymore and, with a roar, used all of her might to swing it around and crack it against the side of Saix's head. She followed up the attack by swinging the hilt of the claymore into the gut of Saix, before bringing the claymore up in a vertical strike to slash across Saix's body. Saix was sent tumbling across the ground, leaving him vulnerable to another flurry from Xion.
A boot to the side of her head stopped her offense before it could begin and a moment later Xion found herself face down in the mud, with pain burning in her skull. She pulled herself up to see the tip of Oblivion being pointed towards her, getting her to look past the blade to see its wielder looking down at her underneath his cloaked features. Xion snapped her blade up and knocked Oblivion to the side, but by the time she was back on her feet the cloaked being had already recovered.
"Look, I know who you are," Xion said in an exasperated voice to the cloaked being. "You may not know me. Heck, I may not have ever been created in your world, but I do know you. And I know that you are a kind and fun loving person that would never fall under the influence of someone as evil as Saix or Maestro! You can't let them have their way!"
The cloaked being lunged towards her once more, firing ice out of his hand and forcing Xion to raise her blade to defend herself. She slashed through the ice before knocking a strike from the cloaked being to the side. The being followed up by ramming its shoulder into her chest, knocking her off balance for a moment. He then raised his keyblade and went to impale Xion, but this time Xion weaved to the side before smacking the blunt side of her keyblade against the cloaked beings head. The being staggered back, yet brought up his keyblade once more and began to walk towards her.
He lunged towards her once more and slashed down at her. Xion brought up her key and blocked his vertical strike with her horizontal one. The two strained against the other, with neither able to get the upper hand. "This isn't you! You're better than this!" Xion pleaded, yet her words fell on deaf ears. "Listen to my voice! Roxas!"
For a brief moment, upon hearing the name, the cloaked being seemed to be confused for a second. Then an explosion of lunar energy erupted from besides the two and they both turned their heads to see Saix bathed in lunar light and power. He slowly lifted his head to glare at Xion, before he hoisted he claymore into the sky.
"ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU!"
Lunar light consumed Saix and with a scream of madness he hurled himself towards Xion. The cloaked being leapt away from her and left Xion as the lone target for Saix's wrath. She raised her blade to defend herself, only to be knocked off her feet as Saix slammed his claymore into her keyblade. Her guard was broken and she was sent hurtling backwards.
Saix bellowed like a madman as he hurled his claymore at Xion, who constructed a barrier around herself to deflect the attack. Yet to her horror the claymore bounced off of her barrier and went flying towards the ponies, who screamed with terror as the weapon impaled itself into a wall mere inches from where one of them had been standing. Xion glanced at the ponies and realized that Twilight was getting to her hooves, looking at the battle that was going one with confusion upon her face.
"Twilight! Get the ponies out of here! I'll hold them off!" Xion screamed at Twilight, hoping that the alicorn understood. Xion then forced herself back to her feet, glaring down Saix as he floated into the air and charged himself with lunar light once more. She then looked up at the blackening sky, narrowing her eyes and preparing herself for what she was about to do.
"This is over, Saix. I won't let you hurt any more innocent for your won selfish desires!" Xion bellowed before she was consumed by a tidal wave of darkness. The force of the darkness was so great that it swallowed the land and eclipsed the moon. Saix and the cloaked boy backed away from Xion slightly, before Xion ripped herself free of the darkness and lunged towards the pair.
With an unholy roar she slammed her now dark infused keyblade into Saix's claymore, cleaving through the weapon and splitting it in two. She then slammed her right arm, which was also consumed by darkness, into Saix's stomach and set him rocketing back with an explosion of dark energy. She then lifted that same arm into the sky and fired a dozen dark blasts, all of which rocketed towards Saix as they locked onto him.
Yet Saix was saved from the same fate as the other Organization members that Xion had fought when the cloaked being intercepted the dark attacks, slicing through them with Oblivion. The cloaked being then turned towards Xion, who seethed with anger and glared at the cloaked being with black eyes. She kicked off the ground and appeared before the cloaked being in an instant, slashing down at him with the kingdom key. This time it was the cloaked being that constructed a barrier around itself to deflect Xion's strike and the barrier shattered to hurl dozens of barrier shards her way.
Xion dove down into the darkness to avoid being hit, slithering past the cloaked being and appearing before Saix. Saix's eyes went wide as he found himself face to face with Dark Xion, who snarled at him before she swung her dark arm around and slammed it into the back of the cloaked boys head, sending him flying across the ground.
"You still think I'm a failure of a being? That I'm nothing more than a cheap imitation?" Xion asked Saix, before she channeled all of her dark power into her left hand and cocked it back. "Well this cheap imitation is doing being a puppet! Is done being a fake! I am going to be my own person!"
Xion let out a roar as she swung her fist towards Saix, planning on punching clean through his body. Then a metal fist slammed itself into the side of her head and the next thing Xion new she was upside down in the air. A metal leg then rammed itself into her back, getting her to scream with pain as she heard bones break. Three more strikes knocked nearly all of the sense out of her, before a final fist to the face sent her crashing down into the dirt.
Xion weakly coughed in pain as the dark form around her faded, leaving her a broken wreck that could barely move. She shakily lifted her head up to see the Maestro standing over her, glaring down at her with an emotionless expression. Xion gritted her teeth as she started to lift her blade, but before she could the Maestro stomped his foot down onto her hand. She screamed with pain once more, releasing the keyblade and clutching at her hand.
"Done with being a fake? That is what you believe you are capable of doing?" the Maestro asked Xion, who glared up at him. The Maestro then reached down and picked up the Kingdom Key, glancing it over before turning his gaze back down to Xion. "Everything about you is fake, girl. That body. Those memories. And especially...this key!"
The Maestro then grasped the keyblade with both of his hands, flooding his shattered power into it. Cracks formed along the blade and handle of the weapon as the power overwhelmed it, before in a flash of light the keyblade shattered into thousands of pieces. No emotion could be found in Xion's eyes as she watched the pieces of her weapon fall to the ground in front of her, before the keychain with a silver mouse head landed in front of her. She slowly reached out for it, only for the Maestro to slam his boot onto it and destroy the keychain.
"How is this so hard for you to understand? Every about you has and always will be fake. False. A copy," Maestro told Xion, who stared up at Maestro with a broken look in her eyes. "Remember that you were never chosen by the keyblade. You were given a fake one to mirror the one that the true wielder has. It was as fake as you."
A roar of rage then exploded from Xion's lips and she pointed her hands at the Maestro, fire crackling along them as she prepared to unload every last ounce of magic she had into his face. "Fake as me?! I may be a fake, but at least I won't be the one who's fried to a-"
Xion's words died in her throat as the tip and teeth of a black blade erupted from her chest. A small gurgle escaped Xion's lips as she slowly looked down to see the upper half of Oblivion sticking out of her body. Xion then slowly looked over her shoulder to see that the cloaked being was standing behind her, having driven Oblivion clean through Xion's body. Xion then turned her head to look back at the Maestro, before a small light began to glow in her chest.
A moment later a small heart within an orb of light emerged from her chest and slowly started to ascend into the sky. Xion and the Maestro watched it ascend until darkness began to circle around it, swallowing the heart whole and dragging it into the darkness. Xion's body then began to fall apart, with cracks forming along her limbs and parts of her beginning to deteriorate.
"So you did create a heart for yourself after all. Who would have guessed Expected? Known?" the Maestro asked Xion, who gave him an emotionless stare in reply. Maestro then shook his head before he lifted his hand and fired a beam of shattered magic that consumed Xion. The rest of her body burned away until there was nothing left but the Oblivion keyblade and Xion cloak. The keybalde vanished and returned to the grasp of the cloaked boy while the cloak vanished into darkness a moment later. "And that is the end of that."
"You told me that I would be the one to kill her," Saix said in a weak and angry voice as he picked himself up off the ground.
"Your fight with her made it clear you were incapable of finishing her off," Maestro snapped back before he turned his head towards where the ponies had been, only to find that all of them had vanished. "Twilight. No matter. The time is almost at hand to change the fate of this world. To see what happens when darkness consumes it. And then your Organization will have its armies of Heartless and Nobodies...and I will finally get to see what the Ambassadors Heartless shall look like. I am quite excited."
'So, I guess I'm back here?' Xion thought as all she felt around her was darkness, a darkness that was very familiar to her as well as comforting. The last time she had been wrapped in this darkness was after she had been slain by Roxas, a memory she didn't enjoy. 'Though to be fair, last time I was here I wasn't aware of anything. What makes this time different?'
Her thoughts then drifted back to the battle against the Maestro and Saix, with the memories fading in and out as she found it harder and harder to recall them. Yet even as she felt her grasp on her memories starting to slowly fade from her grasp once more, there was one part of that battle that she could see clear as day. It was the image of a pink heart floating out of her body, a heart that she wasn't even aware that she had.
'Heh, so all this time I did have a heart. Makes sense, I guess. How else would I feel all those emotions without one?' she asked herself with a small smile, before an unpleasant though crossed her face. 'Oh great, that means if I did have a heart that means Sombra was right. Ugh, good thing he can't rub it in my face.'
Xion then allowed her mind to wander for a bit, thinking back to her journey through Equestria and how it had been one of the more enjoyable things should could remember doing. She also realized had it not been or the Maestro or the other members of her Organization popping up with her, it would have been quite the pleasant journey.
'The Organization. Maestro. They're still out there, hurting the ponies,' Xion remembered and for a brief moment an old fire burned within Xion, a fire telling her that it was not time for her to fade away. But then a blanket of darkness smothered the flames and Xion felt her consciousness begin to seep into the darkness once more. 'I'm just so tired. Tired of being used. Tired of being seen as nothing more than a puppet, a tool for everyone else. I want rest. And here, I finally can. Here in this darkness.'
And it was then that a single thought raced across Xion's mind, a thought so strong and powerful that it ripped her from her dark comfort and made her realize that she couldn't fade just yet. 'Roxas is still under Saix's control,' she realized, the flames within her erupting into a wildfire at the thought. 'And he's making Roxas do all sorts of terrible things! I can't let Saix have his way! I can't let the Maestro have his way! I need to get out of here and save him!'
As she thought this a single ray of light broke through the darkness and shined down from the heavens, giving Xion a destination. She began to struggle towards the like, but moving her body felt like she was pulling against the weight of all the worlds. Yet with her fear for Roxas fueling what she knew to be her heart, she sluggishly pulled herself towards the beam of light. It may have taken an eternity reaching the light or it may have taken seconds, Xion would never know. All she knew that was eventually the beam of light was within her grasp and she reached out towards it with all of her might, just barely able to get her fingers to brush against the beam.
And then her world was filled with light.
========= No. XIV =========
Xion could hear voices talking around her. She could feel the presence of familiar beings in the room with her. She could feel that she was laying against something cool and hard, yet she couldn't' identify it. Yet what she noticed the most above every other sense was that she could feel the steady beat of her heart, something that she had never felt in her entire life.
She had enough strength to open her eyes and discover what had become of her, yet she chose to keep her eyes closed and simply enjoy the sensation of feeling her heart beat for the first time. It was an odd sensation, but it also made her happy. Then Xion began to wonder how she was able to feel her heart beating or feel anything at all, as the last thing she remembered she had been impaled on the end of Oblivion and her heart had been consumed by darkness.
Figuring that she had waited long enough, Xion opened her eyes to find herself laying on her back and staring up at a ceiling. The ceiling was made of crystal, yet there was also a massive tree trunk with the roots still attached hanging over her head. She then moved her head around slightly to look at the rest of the room, finding that she was not alone.
She was laying on a large, crystal table that had seven crystal chairs around it, each with a symbol she knew well. Those same symbols were on the flanks of six ponies that were also in the room, along with two other alicorns that Xion didn't recognize. Yet when she saw the sun mark on one and the lunar mark on the other, she pieced together who they were.
'Celestia and Luna, huh? Amazed that I don't hear Sombra cursing their names,' Xion thought to herself. Figuring that she had put off asking what happened long enough, the girl pushed herself up to a sitting position. Her clothes were the same as they were before, except with a few extra touches added onto them. Pinkie heard the movement and looked over to see Xion sitting up, getting a cry out of her before she and the other ponies raced over to the side of the table.
"Xion! You're awake!" Pinkie exclaimed happily as she tried to get up onto the table to give Xion a hug, but Twilight held her back.
"Give her some breathing room, she's probably disoriented," Twilight told the others. They did as she asked, but all of the ponies wore huge smiles of relief on their faces, save for Celestia and Luna who were looking upon Xion with interest. "Hi, Xion. I guess this is our first official meeting. I'm Twilight, the princess of Friendship."
"Yeah, I know who you are. What I don't know is what I'm doing here," Xion asked as she looked down at her hands, confusion written on her face.
"Give yourself a few moments to compose yourself. You were all but dead before we managed to reform your body," Celestia said, her regal and powerful tone informing Xion of why Sombra despised her so much. She could just feel the air of royalty and light radiating off of her. Xion didn't like it.
"All I remember is being impaled and then been disintegrated...and then nothing else," Xion said with some confusion, looking to the six ponies she somewhat knew for answer. "What happened to me? And how did you manage to fix what happened to me?"
"How did we manage to do it? Xion, we did it with the same materials that you've gathered," Twilight told Xion, who gave Twilight a confused look. "A few days ago, my friends and I were discussing how we were going to defeat the metal being and the cloaked being with the blue hair, the same ones you told me to run from, when all of a sudden your black cloak appeared here, along with three items. The Heaven's Tears, the Dragons Fire and the Golems Core."
"Those are three legendary items, which, when brought together under the eclipse of the sun, can create a body of any shape or size for any being," Luna added in with a smile. "And as my sister and I can control the sun and moon, creating such an eclipse was a small effort for us. But it was Twilight and her friends that were responsible for creating your new body. The six of them spent days working together to form your body."
"Yes, but interestingly enough, your features constantly shifted. At one point you had red hair then at another point you looked like a mannequin. It was...bizarre to say the least," Celestia informed Xion, who wasn't surprised in the least. "But then a darkness fell over you, cloaking your body from our view. When it faded we found that your features had settled on the ones you have right now."
Xion glanced down at the crystal table she was laying on to see her black hair and her blue eyes, the face she remember seeing whenever she used to look in the mirror. She then placed a hand over her heart, amazed to feel the beating of the organ that she had never had before.
"This is real," she whispered to herself, a small laugh escaping her lips as she looked at her body. She then rose off the table and landed feet first on the floor, staggering slightly before she steadied herself. "This is incredible! I feel amazing, like I can do anything! Hell, I feel...alive."
Xion let out a laugh as she twirled around, getting used to the feeling of her new body. The six Ambassadors danced around with her as well, each of them laughing along with the girl and occasionally holding her up when she lost her balance and started to fall.
"I can't believe that you guys would do this for me. A creature of the darkness," Xion said to them with disbelief in her voice.
"You may be a creature of the darkness, but you still helped us out. I'd like to think of you as a friend," Fluttershy said with a smile to Xion, who smiled in reply.
"So this is what you really look like, isn't it?" Rainbow asked, getting Xion to turn her head towards the rainbow mare. "Because all of us saw something different when we first met you, but after we forged your body we all saw the same face and hair. So this is who Xion really is?"
"Yeah...yeah, I think this is really me," Xion said happily. "This is what I would be if I had a real body and heart."
Then the full weight of what the princesses had said sank in, making her realize that there was something she was missing. Her hands snapped to her pockets, yet there was no horn within. "Twilight, where did you guys say that you got those three items?"
"We found them in your cloak, along with a scroll on how to properly use them," Twilight said. Her words pierced Xion's heart and pain flooded through Xion's heart.
'Sombra,' she thought to herself. She reached with her pockets in a desperate hope that her friend would be there, yet when she pulled her hands out all she had was the six keychains that she had gathered.
"Oh, I wondered where that had gone to," Twilight said when she saw the purple start keychain. "I had found it nearly Mareami and picked it up. Yet I couldn't find it when I arrived back here. Thought I'd lost it. How'd you get ahold of it?"
"You gave it to me when I went inside of your heart," Xion answered, getting Twilight to give Xion a baffled stare.
"You may not believe Twilight, but what she says happened."
All sets of eyes in the room turned towards the door, where Spike had entered from. "I was there and watched the whole thing happen. When you were all zonked out, Xion went inside of your being and found a way to wake you up. Of course, I wasn't able to ask her how she did it because we were then attacked by the two guys wearing the same cloak she wore and the metal guy. Want to fill us in on them? Heck, how about you tell us all about yourself as well?"
"Yeah, you and I fought another one of those cloaked beings together. Baldin? I think that was his name," Rainbow reminded Xion. "Not to mention there's all of those Heartless and silver creatures that have been popping up around here. What are all of those things?"
Xion felt all sets of eyes rest upon her. Under the pressure she sat down upon the table, looking to each of them before she finally worked up the courage to speak. "I'll keep this as simple as I can. There are Heartless and there are Nobodies. The Heartless are the black creatures that try to steal the hearts of others. The Nobodies are the shells left behind when a heart is stolen. Don't ask me how all of this works, it just does."
"Yeah, we've seen the Heartless taking hearts first hoof," Twilight admitted in a pained voice.
"The cloaked beings you saw are the most powerful forms of Nobodies. Those that have retained their skills, minds and powers from when they were alive. A Nobody technically isn't alive, as it doesn't have a heart. It just...exists," Xion continued on. "The most powerful formed an Organization and ruled over the lesser Nobodies, using them for their dirty work. And I can promise you that what the Organization planned to do was nothing short of evil."
"Yet you didn't agree with them and so you left?" Rarity asked, getting Xion to stare at the pony with a shocked expression. "Darling, when a being appears before me wearing the same cloak as my enemy, yet is fighting that same enemy to the bitter end, it is clear that they used to work together, but there was a falling out. So did I guess the truth?"
"You're not that far off. But I didn't leave. I was...killed," Xion revealed, getting horrified gasps from the ponies. "But I guess it's more accurate to say that I never lived at all. I was originally a puppet created to mirror the powers of another, somebody who wielded an extraordinary weapon that could not only slay the Heartless, but keep them slain."
"Your key sword," Applejack said, getting Xion to nod. "So that weapon can really keep a Heartless down fer good?"
"Yes, as well as free the heart that's trapped within," Xion said. "They tied to turn me into their puppet, someone that they could use as they pleased. I fought back. They didn't like that. So eventually I was left with a choice. Kill my best friend, who was also a keyblade wielder, and take his power...or fall to him and hope that he could bring down the Organization. He survived...at the cost of my non-existence."
"Xion..." Pinkie said with sad eyes, but Celestia stepped forward before the Ambassadors could comfort Xion.
"So if you were slain, how did you end up here?" Celestia asked. "How did a dead being end up in our land, just before the Heartless and the Nobodies?"
"You think that I brought them here?" Xion asked Celestia, who nodded in reply. "Well, you're not entirely wrong. Because the same being that brought me back from the dead also brought the Heartless and the Nobodies. The Maestro."
When she said his name a cold chill fell over the ponies, as if Xion had just said an unspeakable name. "I don't know much about him. All I know is that he brought me here and he wants your six hearts. That's why he brought me back, so that I could free your hearts and unleash what lays within you."
"But once again you refused," Rainbow said.
"I did. And so he made it his mission to kill me. Which he did," Xion said somberly. "Seems I've been dying a lot in my life."
"And that's why there was the other being with the second keyblade. That's who he brought here to do what he wanted you to do," Twilight realized, putting some of the pieces together. "He was the being with the metal limbs, wasn't he?"
"Yep."
"So he's the one behind all of the pain and suffering in our land...as well as the pain you've had to go through," Fluttershy said in a tone none of her friends had heard her use in a long time. "How could anybody do what he has done?"
"While he may have brought the Heartless here, I'm fairly certain the Maestro is nothing but absolute evil," Xion said. "He won't rest until he has taken the hearts of every being in this world and then the very heart that makes up this world."
"But his plan won't work! Not now that we've got you on our side," Luna said, getting Xion to turn her head towards the princess. "You said that the Heartless can only be permanently defeated with a keyblade. Well now that you are on our side, you can use your keyblade to strike them down. We will assist you and help you in fighting back against them. While the Maestro and this Organization may be powerful, we have an entire nation to fight with. They cannot win!"
"They already have."
All eyes turned to Xion, who sat with her shoulders hung and her head lowered. She then raised her hand and summoned her keyblade to her, but instead of appearing in a flash of brilliant light, it appeared with the sound of glass shattering. Instead of a weapon with a silver blade and a golden guard, the keyblade that Xion held was missing the blade completely and the guard was shattered and missing pieces of it. The light that had shined from it was gone and the keychain was shattered beyond repair. For a brief moment the ponies looked upon the weapon, before another shattering sound could be heard and what was left of the blade fell apart in Xion's hand.
"The Maestro destroyed my keyblade. Not that it was ever a true keyblade, it was a replica...just like me," Xion revealed as she stared down at the remains of her weapon which glistened on the floor. "He's taken my weapon from me. He's taken my friend from me. I can't do anything against Saix and the other one, let alone the Maestro. I'm sorry, but I'll be no help against them."
Xion then rose to her feet and walked past the ponies, placing her hands on the doors to the room and pushing them open. She then glanced back at the ponies with a bitter smile on her face. "But I am in your debt for fixing my body and giving me another chance at life. I just wish that I could be of more use to you. I'm sorry."
"Xion, where are you going?" Pinkie asked.
"I have somebody I need to go look for," Xion replied before she walked through the doors. "Maybe they will have the answers."
In hindsight, Xion realized that running through the streets of Ponyville calling out for Sombra was a bad idea. The moment she had started to call out the dark king's name the ponies in the streets began to panic, running around while screaming about his return and how they were all doomed. Xion had tried to calm them down, but her efforts were for naught. Eventually she gave up and left the ponies to their panic, choosing to search for her friend instead.
She checked all of the places that she was certain Sombra would have hung out around. She checked back alleys, locations filled with some amount of dark powers and any place that no self respecting person or pony would be caught at. Yet none of those locations revealed the dark pony she was looking for and Xion only became aware of how long she had searched when she looked up at the sky to see that the sun was setting on the horizon.
She decided to take a rest on a small bridge that had been built over a river, leaning her arms against the side of the bridge and looking down at her reflection in the water. 'Sombra, where are you? Don't tell me that what they said about you is true and that you abandoned me when I fought the Maestro,' Xion thought to herself, before looking down at her newly formed body. 'No, that can't be right. If you were truly just in it for yourself you wouldn't have given the ponies the materials needed to make a body along with the instructions. You're up to something. I just wish you would let me in on it.'
"You cannot find Sombra, can you?"
Xion looked over her shoulder to see the princess of the night walking over beside her on the bridge. Luna flashed Xion and unsure smile, but Xion gave the princess a less than friendly gaze in reply before Xion went back to looking down at the water. Luna walked up beside Xion and rested her own forearms on the edge of the bridge, staring up at the darkening sky.
"Well, I'm not surprised. Sombra has a nasty habit of vanishing before anypony can get any answers out of him. Back when we originally fought him, it took us three weeks just to track him down. And honestly it looks like this time it will take even longer," Luna said to Xion, who narrowed her eyes. "You shouldn't take it so personally. He's done this to many others plenty of times."
"He hasn't abandoned me. I know him too well. He's up to something," Xion replied in a cold voice, one that made Luna sigh and shake her head.
"It shows what kind of character you are that you wish to see the best in him, but you must face the truth. Sombra is evil. He always has been and always will be. He puts himself before everypony else," Luna repeated. "And the sooner that you accept this, the sooner you can-"
An explosion of darkness erupted next to Luna, who leapt back away from the girl with wide eyes. Xions body was swarmed with darkness, which wrapped around her like a dark aura. Her left arm held the most dark power and it looked like something out of a nightmare. Her eyes glowed with a dark power and despite having fought many dark beings in her time, Luna could tell that Xion was far beyond any of them.
"I am not saying this to infuriate you. I am just telling you what I know about Sombra based on my experiences with him," Luna replied calmly. "But I can now see why Sombra took such an interest in you. You truly are one of the most powerful creatures of darkness I've ever seen."
Xion smirked at Luna's words as the darkness around her died down. Then a blinding flash of light erupted from her body that blinded Luna. When the pony could see again, she was stunned to see the change that Xion had gone through. A radiant light surrounded her body and all of her clothes had gone from black to white. Her eyes held a pure light in them and a blade of light flickered in her hand.
"You...can use the light as well?" Luna asked in a near whisper, getting Xion's smirk to widen. "Now I know why for certain Sombra was so interested in you. You truly are full of surprise, aren't you? I'm just glad that you use all of that power to fight with us."
"If I'm going to be honest, I was ready to fight you and your sister when I finally met the both of you," Xion revealed. Luna tilted her head in response. "See, Sombra told me that the two of you weren't exactly fond of dark beings and how you wanted to whole world to be filled with light. So that would mean when you met a being with as much darkness as me you would do everything your power to bring me down."
"Heh, leave it to Sombra to say that. Of course he would tell you that, because he probably wanted you to get rid of my sister and I," Luna said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't be surprised if meeting you accelerated whatever harebrained plan he had for us. Glad to see that whatever it was it didn't work you."
"You're still wrong about him," Xion told Luna, who raised an eyebrow. "Sombra did care about me. And I know this, because we were gathering those items to restore his body, not mine. He was holding onto them, not me. Yet somehow they ended up with me instead of with him."
"Perhaps-"
"And then there's something else that's been bothering me. My heart was swallowed by darkness when I fought with Saix and the Maestro, yet it ended up with my cloak and the three items. How could that happen?" Xion asked Luna. Luna didn't have an answer. "And then it hit me. Aside from the Heartless, who's the only other being in this land with a darkness like that? Sombra. He grabbed my heart and brought it to the one place it would be safe until I was repaired. He brought it to all of you."
Luna stood in silence for some time after that, while Xion went back to looking at her reflection in the water. "Perhaps you are right, Xion. Maybe Sombra has changed. Or maybe he's playing the long game, waiting until the proper moment to unleash his plan. Since he is not here to ask, I guess neither of us know the right answer," Luna said as she turned to leave. "But I will say this. Light or dark, you have been an invaluable ally in the fight with the Heartless and the Nobodies. And when the day comes that you fight Maestro and Saix again, know that we will be there to help you."
"Thanks. I actually do feel a little better now," Xion replied with a small smile. Luna nodded before she ascended into the night sky, leaving Xion alone once more. Xion then reached into her pockets and pulled out the six keychains, dangling them from her fingers and moving them in the moonlight. "I guess none of you will do me any good now. Now that my keyblade's been broken."
That was the wound that hurt Xion worse than anything else she had been forced to endure since arriving in Equestria. The battles had been painful and being destroyed had hurt like crazy, but the loss of her weapon, something that she had had with her since should could remember, was the biggest blow.
She remembered how happy she had been when she first summoned her keyblade, as it was followed by her feeling for the first time in her existence that she was worth something. That she could do something for others. She then recalled the time when she and Roxas had to share a keyblade because she had lost the ability to summon hers and how silly Roxas had looked taking on the giant Heartless with nothing more than a stick. That memory got a giggle out of her.
But what she remembered the most fondly was how she had used her weapon to save so many innocent from the Heartless, both back when she was apart of the Organization and even when she had gotten to Equestria. And now she had lost that weapon, a weapon that had brought her so much pain and joy. Xion gazed down at her hand and tried to summon her blade, only for a few crackles of light to appear in her hand before they fizzled out.
"I guess it really was just a fake," Xion whispered to herself before gazing at the keychain she had gotten from Twilight's spirit. "It's sad. I never got the chance to see what kind of keyblade you would have made for me. Maybe I should just return you guys to Twilight and the others. You might do them some good."
"Sorry, but I don't want it." Xion turned her head to see Twilight was heading towards her. "I don't actually own any keys, so I don't know what good it would do me to have a keychain. Especially considering they seem to be way more useful for you than for me."
"They're not that useful to me anymore," Xion revealed as Twilight walked up beside her. "Not since the Maestro destroyed my keyblade. Without a weapon to attach these to, they're of no use to me. Just trinkets of my travels across the lands, I guess."
"Well there you go, that's one use for them," Twilight said with a smile, one that Xion didn't return. For a long time the two stood in silence, with Xion glancing over the six keychains while Twilight watched. "Thank you," Twilight eventually said at last, breaking the silence and getting Xion to look over at her.
"For what?"
"For all that you've done. Saving me. Saving Spike. Helping out all of my friends and the ponies of this nation. Just to name a few," Twilight answered. "Not to mention that you've been helping us despite our...less than nice ideas about you. I've read the papers, about how everypony seems to think that you're the cause for everything that's been going on."
"I already told you-"
"That's on the Maestro. If he hadn't brought you, he would have brought somepony else. Maybe somepony that's not as nice or wouldn't care if the world was lost to darkness," Twilight cut off Xion, before a look of fear crossed Twilight's face. "But if I'm going to be perfectly honest...you're braver than I ever could be."
"What do you mean?"
"When I awoke from...whatever that guy in the black cloak did to me, I saw you preparing to face the Maestro and...Saix? I watched you prepare to fight them, but I also sensed their power. Especially the Maestro's. And...it's beyond anything I could ever fathom. It's beyond any magic that I ever could have believed existed. And it terrified me," Twilight revealed in a whisper, shivering slightly. "How can you go up against somepony like that and not be afraid?"
"Easily. I've been fighting beings like that all my life," Xion replied. "Beings that only want to use others to further their own goals. Beings who step on the lives of others so that they can get to where they want to be. And those are the kind of people I can't stand."
"Wow, that's really brave of you."
"Of course, I still had my keyblade with me when I fought against him. But without it, I don't feel like I could do anything against him," Xion revealed as she looked down at her hand once more. "Even against the strongest of foes, knowing that I had been chosen by the keyblade gave me the strength to overcome. But now, with both the knowledge that I wasn't chosen and the fact that my key is gone, I don't know what I can do against them. I'm sorry, Twilight, but I don't think I can protect you guys from the darkness any longer."
Twilight looked at Xion for a moment, able to tell that she had gone through a great deal of pain and suffering her in life, despite looking so young. Twilight then glance down at the keychains that apparently she and the other Ambassadors had give Xion. Keychains that they had given her to make her stronger. Make it so Xion would have an easier time fighting their battles. Protecting them, even though she had no reason to. And it was then Twilight made up her mind.
"Then you won't need to," Twilight told Xion. Xion turned her head towards Twilight with a look of surprise on her face. "You've done more than enough. You've not only helped fight the Heartless, but you've given me a few ideas on how to beat them for good. The fact that you've been fighting the Maestro and this Organization for so long by yourself shows me that my friends and I haven't been doing enough. But now that we're all together, we're at our full power."
"And what does that mean?"
"It means that you no longer have to fight, Xion," Twilight said with confidence as she spoke. "The next time a Heartless swarm attacks or one of the Organization shows up at our doorstep, my friends and I will deal with it. Because while you've only seen us by ourselves, you have yet to see us together. And when we're together is when we can tap into a magic far greater than any you've ever seen."
"Are you sure about that? I've seen some pretty impressive magic in my life. Ever hear of the Genie?" Xion asked Twilight.
"I'm sure that if we work together we can defeat all of them and then eventually the Maestro," Twilight continued on. Xion thought about it for a moment, before she shook her head and smiled gratefully at Twilight.
"I appreciate the offer, but I can't risk letting any of you guys getting hurt for my sake. I'll fight against the Maestro and whatever else he throws at me and I'll find a way to beat him...somehow," Xion replied, but there was no confidence in her voice. Twilight picked up on that and gave Xion an understanding smile.
"Xion...you don't want us there because you don't want us getting hurt. I understand that and I think that's noble of you," Twilight said before she gave Xion a knowing look. "But I also think that you don't want us there because you are afraid that we'll be killed along with you, fighting a battle that we shouldn't be apart of. In fact, I think you have issues fighting with others."
"It's not that, it's just...I used to be apart of a group back in the Organization, alright. We were good friends who enjoyed hanging out with each other. Yet because of me and what I was, our friendship was torn apart," Xion revealed as she hung her head. "And now I've seen you guys and how close you all are...and I'm afraid that if I get involved with you I'm going to end up being responsible for tearing this friendship apart as well. And I don't know if I can handle going through that again."
Twilight walked over to Xion and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Again Xion, that's a noble reason, wanting to keep all of us safe. But even if you keep us physically safe, it would still break our hearts if you were killed fighting the Maestro by yourself because we weren't there to help our friend."
"Your friend? You guess think I'm your friend?" Xion asked with disbelief, shaking her head when Twilight nodded. "Twilight, you don't want me as a friend. All I do is bring pain and misery to anyone that's unfortunate to be friends with me. Just ask the previous two people I was friends with."
"I'm sure you do more than bring pain and misery to others, but how are we supposed to learn what else if you won't give us the chance to?" Twilight asked Xion, who didn't answer. "Besides, according to Pinkie you're already our super bestest friend in the whole world, and since Pinkie is the expert on friends, I guess that already makes you our friend."
"Why are you trying so hard to help me?" Xion asked Twilight, unable to figure out the pony's desire for helping somebody she barely knew. "You don't know much about me and until earlier today most of thought I was some sort of monster of the darkness, which nopony in your land liked. Why try so hard for me?"
"Because you tried so hard to help us, even when we all saw you as a monster," Twilight replied in a no-nonsense voice. "You risked so much for us and fought all of these creatures by yourself so that none of us would be hurt. You risked everything to save those who I'm fairly certain wouldn't do the same for you. So yes Xion, I may not know much about what you like to eat or what your favorite songs are, like friends actually would. But I do know what's in your heart and that kind of person is somepony I would want as my friend. I've already seen who you are. It's just the smaller details my friends and I would like to learn more about. And we can't do that if you're gone."
"So keep the keychain," Twilight finished up, looking down at the violet star on the end of a chain. "And don't just think of it as a trinket that you can't use. Think of it, think of all of them, as signs of our trust and friendship. And know that you aren't alone here, that you've got six of the most powerful ponies in the land willing to watch your back and fight your battles. Think of them as gifts from your friends."
Twilight then gave Xion another pat on the shoulder before she turned and walked off, leaving Xion alone with her thoughts. She gazed down at the keychains once more, noticing that the one Twilight had given her was glowing brighter than it had before. Xion wasn't sure if it was because of the light of the moon or some other reason, but she then placed the keychains in her pockets and went back to her solitude.
'Friends, huh?' Xion thought to herself, a bitter smirk crossing her face.
All of the ponies had offered to take Xion on a tour of their town, but after losing her keyblade and then her life, even though it was a short time, Xion decided that she could do with some alone time. It had been a long time since she had been truly alone, so the silence that accompanied her as she walked around the town early in the morning, devoid of any life aside from the birds in the air.
'This is a nice place. Perfectly peaceful. Devoid completely of darkness. I'm amazed that a place like this can exist, especially with the Heartless around,' Xion thought. She had her hands in her pockets and a thin smile on her face, tasting the clean air and enjoying the rays of the rising sun. But despite her pleasant mood, there was a dark thought in the back of Xion's mind. One that she had been trying to avoid since the previous night.
'It was nice of Twilight to let me stay at her castle. Actually had a peaceful nights sleep for the first time in forever,' Xion thought, stretching out her limbs. 'But that doesn't make these thoughts any harder to think about. Maestro, Saix and Roxas are still out there, planning something. I don't know what they could be planning, but I know it can't be good. It never is with Maestro or Saix.'
'But what can I do?' Xion asked herself as she came to the town square, where a large statue of a pony she didn't know dominated the center of it. She lifted her hand and gazed down at it, watching as light magic coursed through her fingers. 'I still have access to my magic, which is something. But I can't beat Saix with just magic. I definitely can't beat Roxas. Maestro would be suicide.'
The sounds of ponies starting to awaken reached Xion's ears and she quickly moved to the shadows where she couldn't be seen. She watched as the doors to the houses all around her began to open and the ponies that lived their began their days. Yet her heart filled with sadness when she saw the parents of foals walking out with their children, glancing at every shadow with fear filled eyes.
'That's right. The Heartless may not have attacked this town, but they affect they have had on this land is still present. Even if they never show up here, the ponies will always fear the shadows,' Xion realized. Her thoughts were confirmed when a pony glanced into the darkness and saw her, his eyes filling with terror before he raced away from her. 'If they were scared of beings like me before, then they'll be terrified of us now.'
She left her hiding place in the darkness and continued to move through the town, doing her best to stay out of sight. The previous night Twilight had told her that she would tell the ponies of the town about Xion the following day, but Xion had left the castle before Twilight had risen. She didn't feel like staying in such a large castle. it brought back memories.
An empty field on the outskirts of the town fitted her needs perfectly and the girl sat down amongst the flowers, sighing before she closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze that blew over her. Her eyes cracked open and she looked down at her hands once more.
'I once told Riku that I wasn't just a fake, that I was real. And at the time, I thought I was. I thought my keyblade was too. But both of us were fakes, fakes created to do their jobs. And I never realized how true that was until now,' Xion thought as she extended her hand, willing her keyblade back to her once more. But while before she had at least been able to summon bits and pieces of her weapon, this time there wasn't so much as a flicker of light. A sigh escaped Xion's lips and she crossed her arms, turning her gaze towards the flowers.
"I'm not a fake. Not anymore. Thanks to Twilight and her friends...along with Sombra, I finally have my own real body. My own heart and emotions which are all mine. Heh, I got what everyone else in the Organization wanted so badly. All I had to do was be blasted apart by the Maestro. Guess that's one good thing to come out of this mess."
She then looked down at her hand once more and a frown crossed her face. "Chosen wielder of the keyblade. Only one that the keyblade has chosen can wield it. But I was never chosen by the keyblade. Roxas and Sora were. The only reason I could use it was because I was a copy of them. But now that I'm not a copy, now that I'm my own person, a true keyblade won't come to me. Only the remains of this fake one...the remains of the fake me."
"Guess it makes sense. A keyblade wielder needs to have a strong heart and needs to have held a true keyblade before. Fairly certain I don't have either of those," Xion said with another sigh, resting her head on her arms. She heard the sound of voices and glanced over to her side to see three fillies running off towards heaven knew where. She recognized the three of them from the fair, but they didn't see her sitting by herself.
What did slightly improve Xion's mood was that Applebloom had a small dog with her, one that had brown fur with white patches on its face, tail, chest and paws. The dog was barking excitedly and raced around the fillies with a speed that made the three fall off balance. They got up laughing and took off to wherever it was they were going, but the dog stopped in its tracks and tilted its ears around.
Against her better judgment Xion pursed her lips together and let out a small whistle, one that wouldn't have been heard by any but the dog. The dog spun its head to look to where the whistle had come from and immediately its eyes rested on Xion. It cocked its head to the side with curiosity before it came walking over to Xion, who giggled at the curious face of the dog.
Xion held out a hand for the dog to sniff and she did so, inching closer and closer to Xion with a hesitant approach. The dog sniffed her hand and instantly perked up, letting out few happy barks before she moved closer to Xion. Xion let out another giggle as the dog sat down next to her, looking up at Xion with expectant eyes.
"Aw how nice, you want to keep me company," Xion said happily. She had only taken care of one other dog before, and that was when she worked with the Organization, but she found that she couldn't help but love the adorable animals. She scratched the brown dog under her ears and instantly a dreamy expression crossed the dog's face. "Nice to see that some things are the same no matter what world or reality I go to. And you smell like apples! Do you belong to Applebloom?"
The dog let out a bark to show that Xion was correct, before her ears perked up at the sound of another being whistling for her. Xion looked up to see Applebloom looking around for her dog, whistling for her to come over. Xion removed her hand from the top of the dog's head and motioned for her to go to her owner, which the dog did so without a moments hesitation. Xion smiled as the dog tore towards Applebloom, tackling her in the side and licking the filly's face while Applebloom laughed.
"Look at them. Not a care in the world. Must be nice," Xion muttered aloud as Applebloom and her dog took off, vanishing from Xion's sight a moment later. Xion then looked down at her hands once more before she clenched them into fists, coming to a decisions. "It doesn't matter if I have the keyblade or not. I'm going to fight as best I can. I won't sit on the sidelines and let the others fight this battle. This is my fight. I'll be the one to fight it."
"Sounds good. But what will your magic do that ours can't?"
Xion looked behind her to see the princess of the sun walking towards her, a look upon her face that was both questioning what Xion had said and doubting it at the same time. "You told us that the only way to truly keep these Heartless defeated was to strike them down with a keyblade. Yet you seem to be lacking that weapon at the moment. Can your magic do what your keyblade did? Or are we going to have to find another way to defeat this dark threat?"
Xion chose not to answer. "Forgive me if I'm seeming blunt, but we have been fighting the Heartless since they arrived in this land and I have lost many of my subjects to their clutches," Celestia added on, her tone telling Xion that she was not happy about this. "And at the same time I was having to deal with this new crisis, I also hear word that Sombra has a new dark creature with a weapon the likes of which I had never seen before. A creature of the dark far more powerful than any I have fought."
"Well glad that word about me got something right," Xion replied in a cold tone, feeling the emotion disgust for the first time. "You have something to say to me, all knowing princess, then say it now."
"Hmph, I see some of Sombra has worn off on you. What I am saying...no, asking, is can you help us stop the Heartless for good without your keyblade?" Celestia asked in a no-nonsense tone. Xion looked at her hands once more as she thought about it, able to feel a wave of helplessness start to wash over her. But before it could take hold Xion gritted her teeth and shook her head, banishing the emotions from messing with her.
"I am willing and ready to do whatever it takes to bring down the Heartless, the Organization and anyone else who wants to harm this world. Or any other world for that matter," Xion snarled to Celestia. "I may not have the keyblade anymore, but I still know more about Heartless than anyone else in this land. I can help."
Celestia stared down at Xion with cold eyes for a long time, while Xion glared back up at Celestia with unflinching resolve. Then Celestia's eyes softened and a smile crossed her face. "Very good, Xion. I am glad that you feel that way," Celestia said with an approving nod, one that changed Xion's expression from one of determination to confusion. "Twilight and her friends told me what you have done for them and how you could be a valuable ally in the battle with the Heartless. But I was afraid that after losing your keyblade you would have lost the will or courage to fight. And if you had lost either, then I could not bring you to battle them in good conscious. That is why I had to make sure you were willing to continue the fight."
"And I passed your test?"
"You are every bit as courageous and strong as my ponies have said you are. I would be honored to have you fight with us," Celestia said with a small bow to Xion.
"So you're fine with telling me what to do and trusting that I'll actually work with you guys? Because from what I've heard about you, you normally shoot to destroy anything made of darkness the first chance you get," Xion stated, getting a smirk from the princess.
"I can see that you have been hanging around Sombra for far too long. Yes, generally whenever I have come into contact with a dark being I try to either destroy them or imprison them. But that is because up until I met you, every being of darkness that I have faced has been evil and tried to destroy my home. You can forgive me if I met their actions with a less than friendly approach."
"As for whether or not I can trust you...you have been attacked since the moment you've come to this land. You've been shunned by a good number of the ponies and have had no reason to aid us against the Heartless. Yet time and time again you risk your very being trying to protect us from a foe we cannot fight by ourselves. I would say that you have earned my trust, but that would be an understatement. The only doubt I had against you was that you are friends with Sombra, but seeing as he vanished my one doubt is gone."
"So all that is left to do is ask you, Xion. Would you be willing to fight alongside my ponies against the darkness that plagues this land? Will you help us try to find a way to stop this threat?" Celestia asked Xion.
"Of course."
"Excellent. Now I can trust you with this," Celestia began as her horn began to glow. Xion raised an eyebrow at the glowing horn, half expecting to be teleported, but instead of her being teleported a book was teleported right in front of her. Xion reached out and grabbed the book, instantly able to tell that it was ancient simply be feeling the cover. "Turn it to page three hundred and twenty four, please. It's marked for your convenience."
Xion flicked through the book, raising her eyebrows at some of the images that she glance by, before she came to a page that instantly caught her full attention. She couldn't read any of the ancient dialogue, but the image in the center of the page was more than enough to fill her in on what Celestia wanted her to look at. The image was of an ancient tree, one that seemed even older than the book itself, with a single keyhole in the center of it.
"I see you understand what this keyhole is for," Celestia said with a smile when she saw the look on Xion's face. "Yes, that is a book of strange and odd occurrences around the world. That is the locked keyhole. It has been around as long as Equestria itself and, despite hundreds of unicorns, geniuses and locksmiths trying, no pony has ever been able to open it. We figured that it was just going to remain locked all of our lives. Until you came along. You know what this is, don't you?"
"Yeah, at least I think I do. This is the keyhole to the heart of your world," Xion explained, yet just like with Sombra her "explanation" only drew a look of confusion from the princess. "Look, I'll keep it as simple as I can. Worlds, like the beings that live on them, have hearts. Don't question it, they just do. And each world has a keyhole that can be locked. Heartless travel from world to world trying to find these keyholes, as it allows them to get to the heart of each world."
"But a locked keyhole would keep them out for good? How about the Nobodies?" Celestia asked.
"I assume it would keep them out for good as well."
"I see. What happens if the Heartless get to the heart of a world?"
"Then that's it. The world is taken by darkness and destroyed. Very few survive this."
"That's...terrifying. We cannot let that happen," Celestia said.
"No. We can't.
"Last question. Will locking the keyhole get rid of the Heartless?" Celestia asked.
"Sadly, no. But it will remove one of the reasons for them being here. Heartless are drawn to Hearts, keyblade wielders and darkness. There is little darkness here and once we lock the keyhole to this world, they won't have that either. And once I leave..."
"You are planning to leave?" Celestia asked in disbelief, getting Xion to nod slowly. "Ah, I see...that is sad, but I understand why you are doing it. So there will always be Heartless here, huh?"
"Well...maybe not," Xion muttered, getting Celestia to glance at her with confusion. "See, the Heartless didn't come here like they normally did. Normally they take a corridor to get here, but Equestria's light is so bright that the corridor barely works here. I could barely get mine open and that was with Sombra's help. Maestro brought most of them here."
"So if we rid this world of Maestro and the Heartless, then perhaps we can get rid of them once and for all," Celestia muttered, a smile crossing her face. "Thank you Xion, your words have brought comfort to me for the first time in weeks. There is only one last problem. You do not have your keyblade, so how will we seal the keyhole?"
"It is simple. She will not."
Xion and Celestia spun their heads to see a vortex of darkness in the field across from them. Two beings stepped out of the dark corridor and both of them made Celestia and Xion narrow their eyes. One of them was Saix and he had his claymore gripped tight in his hands. The other was the cloaked boy, who stood behind Saix and glared at the both of them from beneath his hood.
"How did you find me, Saix?!" Xion snarled at Saix.
"The Maestro may have believed you to be dead, puppet, but I knew better. I felt that horns dark magic whisk your heart away from our battle. It took me a while, but I finally followed it here. And here you are, still a torn in my side," Saix said in a cold tone to Xion. Before Xion could respond Celestia thrust her horn into the air and fired a blast of light into the sky, one that detonated like a firework. "And pray tell, what was the point of that?"
"It was a call. A call to my friends that there is somepony here who shouldn't be," Celestia replied. A moment later six rays of rainbow slammed into the ground between the Nobodies and Xion, which slowly faded away to reveal Twilight and her friends all in their rainbow forms. "And they are here to remove you from the town limits. Hopefully, by force."
Darkness covered the skies above the ponies heads, blotting out the sun while a moon in the shape of a heart formed above them. The moon seemed to drain the light more than it did shine with light, while Saix floated into the air. He absorbed the lunar power into his body, before swinging his claymore out and causing spikes to erupt along its end. His eyes filled with a feral power and a nasty snarl crossed his face. He landed next to the cloaked boy, who drew forth his Oblivion and held it at his side.
"You jerk. Only my sister and I get to control the moon around here!" Celestia roared before she fired a blast of solar magic towards Saix. Yet to her amazement Saix took the beam right in the chest, before he started to walk through the beam towards the princess of the sun. "Okay Xion, an explanation for what the hell just happened would be nice!"
"He's in his berserker form! We won't be able to harm him until he calms down!" Xion informed the others. "Stay out of his range and stay off the ground if you can! Saix has trouble dealing with airborne foes!"
The Ambassadors and the princess nodded, with those of them that could taking to the skies. Twilight used her magic to construct a platform for the others to stand on before creating one for Xion as well, but right as Xion was about to hop on a claymore ripped past her head and shattered the rainbow platform.
"You will not escape me this time!" Saix roared as he came charging towards Xion. He slashed the claymore to his left and right as he ran, creating shockwaves of lunar power across the ground. Xion backflipped into a handstand to avoid being hit, before she rolled to the side as Saix hurled his claymore at her. He summoned the claymore back to him, yet when Xion turned around to grab the copy that was supposed to be behind her, she realized that there was no copy.
"Did you think I would not learn?" Saix asked, getting Xion to face the berserker with narrowed eyes. "Maestro informed me of how Sora was able to beat me in the other realities, by using my own weapon against me. So now I have prevented any chance of you laying hands on my weapon!"
As he said this he hurled himself into the air and came crashing down, striking the Claymore into the earth for all he was worth. The shockwave generated by the impact was far too large for Xion to roll out of the way of, so all she could do was watch with terror filled eyes as the wall of lunar power came crashing towards her.
That was until a rainbow blur wrapped its arms around her arms and yanked her into the sky, getting her over the shockwave before it could crush her. Xion glanced over her shoulder to see a rainbow Pegasus holding her up, smirking down at Xion while Saix howled with fury.
"I seem to be saving you a lot, don't I?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Hey, I'm not complaining," Xion replied before she summoned twin balls of fire into her hands, which she then aimed at Saix. The fireballs came crashing down on him from the sky, forcing him to take shelter behind his claymore. "Alright, we've got him on the ropes! See if you can get behind is weapon and I'll-"
Xion was cut off as a chill went down her spine, a chill that told her to look behind her. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the boy in the black cloak appear behind Rainbow Dash, with the Oblivion keyblade held over his head.
"Dash!" Xion roared before she thrust her hands towards the boy, creating a barrier around the two of them. The cloaked boy struck the barrier with his keyblade and shattered it, sending the pony and the girl crashing into the ground. Xion was the first to get back to her feet, just in time to see the cloaked boy land and come racing towards her.
"Hang on Xion, I've got your back," Rainbow told Xion as she rose to her hooves, but at that moment Xion glanced over at Saix to see that his lunar aura had faded from his body and he was breathing heavily.
"No!" Xion roared at Rainbow Dash, stopping her in her tracks. "Saix is out of lunar power right now! This might be the only chance you have to take him down! I'll deal with this guy, you all just focus your efforts on Saix!"
Rainbow Dash didn't look happy with Xion's words, but when she glanced over to see the other Ambassadors battling with Saix she realized Xion was right. Rainbow took off and engaged Saix as well, while Xion stared down the boy in the cloak that was slowly walking towards her.
"Roxas, I know that you're still in there," Xion said in a pleading voice. Once again the name Roxas seemed to stop the boy in his tracks and he tilted his head to the side, as if confused. "I don't know what Saix or Maestro did to you, but I promise you that we'll fight it together. I left your side once. I'm never going to do it again. Please, let me help you."
For a brief moment the cloaked being considered her offer. Then he lunged forward and slashed at Xion diagonally. Xion rolled to the side to avoid being hit and came up with a word of fire on her lips, sending a fireball flying from her hand and towards the being. He twirled to the left and the fireball went over his shoulder, before he thrust the keyblade at Xion's chest. Xion took the strike in the center of her gut and felt pain flash through her body.
"Barrier!" she cried out, trying to get some space between her and the cloaked being as a sphere of magic surrounded her. The cloak being was upon the sphere in a moment, hammering on it with the keyblade. Cracks began to form around the barrier with each strike and Xion knew that it would only be a few more moments until the barrier gave out.
She spent that moment looking over at how the other ponies were doing. Saix was roaring with fury and slashing at the rainbow ponies with reckless abandon, but with their speed and magic the ponies were able to avoid his strikes. And every time Saix would swing and miss, one of the Ambassadors would blast him with a ray of rainbow magic. The same rainbow magic that had nearly slain Xion and, from the way Saix's body smoked after each it, the same magic that would slay him.
The sound of her barrier shattering brought Xion's attention back to the being in front of her and she turned her gaze forward in time to see the Oblivion being thrust at her chest once more, this time with the full intent to kill. And it would have, had its wielder not taken a blast of solar magic to the chest with such force that he was hurled across the field and out of sight from Xion. Xion glanced up to see Celestia landing next to her, a smirk upon her face.
"Well, I'm glad to see that my solar magic still affects some of my foes," Celestia said as she used her magic to help Xion to her feet. Xion flashed Celestia a grateful look before the sky above them somehow seemed to go ever darker. Both Celestia and Xion turned their gaze towards Saix, who was consumed with lunar magic, so much so that his eyes were completely white. With a roar he lifted his claymore aloft, channeling all of the lunar magic into it.
"ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU!" he roared with enough power to shake the ground.
Yet that lunar power was then overshadowed by a light that cleared away the dark skies, a light filled with all of the colors of the rainbow. Xion turned her gaze to see Twilight and her friends all floating next to one another, with a rainbow magic wrapped around them the likes of which Xion had never seen. Saix let out a howl of madness as he lunged towards the six with enough power to shatter the earth beneath him, but then the six retaliated by firing a blast of rainbow light that instantly consumed Saix, whose howls were lost within the light.
The light the went crashing into the ground, where it then shot into the sky and returned the day to the sky. The six ponies cancelled the rainbow light and allowed it to vanish, revealing that Saix had managed to survive the attack. His body was smoldering and he could barely stand, yet there was still the look of madness in his eyes.
"One more shot shall put an end to you," Twilight spoke with certainty as she and the other five channeled their magic once more. Saix shakily lifted his weapon to defend himself, but all parties knew it would be useless against the rainbow light. With another explosion of color the rainbow magic came cascading down upon Saix, but before it could strike him the cloak boy landed in front of the magical onslaught.
The cloaked boy slammed the end of his keyblade into the ground and created a barrier around himself, one that he used to block the rainbow magic. The barrier barely lasted for more than a few seconds under such powerful magic, but those few seconds were all that Saix needed to get out of the way of the blast. The moment he was clear, the barrier shattered and the boy was consumed by the rainbow light.
"ROXAS!" Xion cried out in terror as she tried to run to his side, but Celestia grabbed her and held her back. For a moment the rainbow light consumed the spot where he had been standing, only to vanish when the six Ambassadors cut the power. Yet when the light died down, to the horror of all, they found the cloak boy still standing there...without a scratch on him.
"That...isn't possible," Celestia whispered with disbelief. The Ambassadors shared the same loo of utter bafflement that Celestia wore and even the cloaked boy himself glanced down at his hands, seemingly surprised that he had suffered no wounds. Yet an instant later he was on the attack once more, thrusting the keyblade over his head once more.
A ball of darkness and energy appeared over the six, who were suddenly yanked to the ground as if gravity had increased a hundred fold for them. There they were pinned, leaving them completely open to attack. The boy then lifted his keyblade once more, before he leapt into the air and drove his keyblade into the ground in the center of the circle that the pinned Ambassadors made. A keyhole appeared where he drove in his blade and all around the six formed a circle of light and power.
The keyblade wielder then turned his keyblade to the left, causing the circle to erupt with a light the likes of which Equestria had never seen. The Ambassadors were consumed by the light and sent hurtling away from each other, where they all crashed to the ground and their rainbow light went out.
"W-what just happened?" Twilight asked as she shakily got to her hooves, the only one of the six able to stand. "What was that light? It...it was stronger than our Rainbow Power!"
The cloaked boy noticed that Twilight was the first to her hooves, so he turned towards her and slowly began to approach the pony. Twilight shot a blast of magic out of her horn in desperation, only for it to be swatted to the side by the keyblade. Celestia let out a war cry before she threw herself at the cloaked boy, who turned and slashed at her as she approached. Celestia moved out of the way of the strike, but in doing so left herself open to be struck in the side by a claymore. With a cry of pain Celestia went crashing into the ground, where she didn't get up.
"You six are indeed powerful. In fact, had you been fighting me alone perhaps you may have actually managed to beat me. But fortunately for me, I brought our most powerful weapon," Saix said in a tired, but victorious, tone as he gazed around and the fallen ponies, save for Twilight. Then he turned his gaze towards Xion. "And you, Xion, I want you to watch this. Watch as those you fought so hard to protect and formed a friendship with fall one at a time...starting with her."
The cloaked boy resumed his walk towards Twilight, who started to hobble backwards to try and get as much distance between her and the cloaked boy as she could. Yet she found out quickly that Saix had created a barrier around the battlefield, one that prevented the purple pony from leaving. All Twilight could do was watch as the cloaked boy came closer and closer, pointing Twilight's oblivion at her.
'What should I do? What can I do?' Xion asked herself, knowing that she only had a few seconds left to act. 'I can't fight either of them, yet if I don't do something they'll all be slain and their hearts taken! I'm...afraid...so this is what fear truly feels like. Fear and helplessness...no, I promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to them! I won't let Maestro win!'
With a roar of fury Xion lunged towards the cloaked boy, who turned to face the oncoming threat. Twilight tried to use the opening as a chance to shoot the cloaked boy in the back, but a claymore to her side put that idea and the pony down for the count. Xion summoned all of the light power that she had within her before firing radiant crystals of ice towards the cloak boy, who cleaved through them with his keyblade. She fired a massive one with all of her power towards the cloaked boy, but this time he lunged forward and sliced clean through it before landing right in front of Xion...before he drove the tip of his blade into her chest.
"This must be so painful for you," Saix taunted from the side as a circle of light appeared on Xion's chest. "Losing your heart twice in the same week. But do not worry Xion. This time, when you are reborn as a proper Nobody, I promise that I will take excellent care of you...as one of my servants."
'Is this...really it this time?' Xion asked herself as everything seemed to slow down around her. She could feel her heart being pulled from her body, only this time she knew that she was truly losing it for good. 'No Sombra to save me. No keyblade to fight back with. And...no friends to aid me. This really is it.'
Then Xion looked around at the fallen ponies and each one made a memory come back to her. How Fluttershy had been the first pony to be kind to her. How Pinkie had tried her hardest to be her friend. How Rarity had bought new clothes for Xion and how Rainbow had fought Xaldin alongside her. Applejack had given her a chance to relax and Twilight had given her shelter. And even at that moment they had done everything in their power to fight Xion's past and her foes, despite not owing her anything.
'No. My friends are here with me! They've never left my side!' she realized and her eyes blazed with a will and passion that could not be quelled. 'They welcomed me here! They didn't see me as a puppet or monster, but as a friend! They believed in me and wished to lend me their strength. I was too blind to see it! But this time...I will accept your friendship! I will borrow your strength!'
A blinding flash of light erupted from Xion, a light that was so powerful that it sent the cloaked boy staggering backwards away from her. The six keychains that Xion had been given emerged from her pockets and began to circle around her, healing her wounds before they came to a stop in front of her. The floated in position in front of her the same way Twilight and her friends had floated, in the same hexagon style pattern. Xion knew what she had to do and she thrust her hand into the center of the keychains.
The moment she did so she felt her hand strike what felt like a handle and on instinct her fingers wrapped around it. Another radiant flash of rainbow light erupted around her hand, but this light did not blind Xion. What it did was fill her with strength and determination, along with the knowledge that she was not alone anymore. Then, forged from the very light itself, a new keyblade appeared in her grasp.
The handle of the keyblade was made of strong oak, while the guard around it was a hexagon with six different colored spheres in each of the angles, each of the spheres representing a different element. The blade of the keyblade was a sword made up of stain glass that was the color of the rainbow and from that glass shone a brilliant light. The teeth of the keyblade was the silver outline of a heart, one that looked familiar to Xion. And finally at the end of the keychain that swung from the bottom of the keyblade was the roman numerals for fourteen. Xion's number.
"That...cannot be possible!" Saix seethed as he looked upon the new keyblade. "Your keyblade was destroyed! I saw it happen! And even a keyblade wielder cannot re-forge a broken keyblade!"
"Correction. Maestro destroyed my fake keyblade, the one that was created for the fake me," Xion corrected for Saix as she began to swing her true keyblade, feeling out how it worked. "But I'm real now. My heart is finally real...or rather, it's finally awoken. And with this awoken heart, it seems that the keyblade has deemed me worthy of wielding it. A true keyblade. Allow me to show you what this one can do."
Xion dashed towards Saix, only for the cloaked boy to get in her way. The new keyblade collided with Oblivion and for a brief moment the darkness of Oblivion clashed with the light of the rainbow blade. Then Xion channeled the light into her body and blasted the cloaked boy back in a radiant beam of light, one that sent him flying over the head of Saix and to the ground behind the Luna Diviner. Saix looked from Xion to the fallen boy, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
In a flash of motion that Saix couldn't keep up with Xion was upon him, slicing down at him with her new blade. Saix brought up his claymore to defend himself, but when the two blades met Xion's cleaved clean through Saix's weapon. Shock and horror crossed Saix's face as the weapon went through his claymore and then sliced through his chest, getting him to howl with pain as rainbow light began to emerge from his wound. He clutched at his chest as he staggered backwards, glaring at Xion with more hate than should have been possible for a Nobody.
"You believe that simply because you have found a real keyblade that you have won? No puppet, I promise you that this battle is far from over," Saix seethed before his body started to glow with lunar light once more. "And I will not stop until I have ripped your heart from your body and-"
Whatever other threats Saix had planned to say were silenced when Oblivion ripped through his body and came bursting out the front. Saix let out a gagging sound before he slowly looked over his shoulder to see the cloaked boy standing behind him, having driven his keyblade up to the hilt through Saix's body.
"But...why...?" Saix asked before he body disintegrated and he faded away into nothingness. The boy glanced down at where Saix had vanished before he looked up at Xion, who gazed uncertainly at him.
"Roxas? Did you finally snap out of it?" Xion asked with hope in her voice.
"No, puppet. He is still under control. It is just that Saix thought that he was the one holding the strings, when in reality it was truly me," the voice of the Maestro spoke from nowhere. Xion looked around to try to find her foe, but a cold laugh filled the air as she did so. "I am not here, puppet. I am at the keyhole to this worlds heart. A place that you know by now I am certain."
"Why are you hiding? Afraid to face me?" Xion roared back at the sky.
"Not in the slightest. Sadly, I am on a timetable and the sooner this world is consumed by darkness, the sooner I can see whether or not I wasted my time coming to this reality," Maestro replied. "If you wish to face me, then come to where the keyhole is. There you will find me, an army of Heartless completely under my control and perhaps the answers to what happen to the boy you are so desperately trying to save. Of course you will die here, but still. It is your choice...but I think we both know what your answer will be."
The boy in the cloak then vanished from Xion's sight, getting Xion to narrow her eyes before she banished her keyblade. She then glanced around at her friends to see that they were getting back up, before the Maestro's voice echoed through the air one last time.
"Come to the keyhole, puppet. Come and finally have your strings cut."
"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.'
========= No. XIV =========
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."
Even though she was racing off at full speed towards what might be her final battle, perhaps against a person she considered to be her best friend, Xion couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of the wind on her face and the gorgeous view of the land from the edge of the airship.
Celestia, Luna and the Ambassadors were on the airship deck with her, with Luna at the helm while Celestia provided lookout. The Ambassadors talked amongst themselves, with occasional glances over at Xion that they didn't know she was aware of. All of them were thinking about the upcoming battle, except for Pinkie, who was thinking of what kind of party she would throw for their victory.
Yet their thoughts of battle and victory were interrupted when they looked overhead to notice that the sky had turned black. A chill filled the air, one that seemed to be created by evil intentions instead of cold air. And when Xion looked over the side of the ship she could see that they were flying over a wasteland filled with thousands of stumps, informing her that what they flew over was once a forest.
"Heads up, ponies! We've just entered the Forest of the Forgotten. And from the looks of things, we're not the first ones here," Luna called out from the helm.
"Indeed, it's look like an army cleared out the forest to make the land more like a battlefield," Celestia confirmed for Luna and the other ponies. "And unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, I believe I can see the army of Heartless that the Maestro mentioned to Xion. It's larger than he said."
"Perhaps your eyes are playing tricks on you, sister. After all, the are millions of years old, just like you!" Luna teased from the helm, getting Celestia to give her sister a look.
"Xion, it seems that a Heartless managed to stow away on the ship. Would you please throw it overboard?"
The Ambassadors laughed at Celestia and Luna's words and the two sisters smiled at each other before they went back to their tasks. Even Xion, who felt the weight of what was about to happen far more than any of them, managed to crack a smile. She then glanced down to notice that there seemed to be a darkness coming onto the ship. A darkness akin to that of the Heartless.
'This is it, Xion. Time to see if you've really cut the strings that originally bound you,' Xion thought to herself before she extended her hand, summoning forth the Perfect Harmony to her hand. The light generated from the keyblade pushed back the darkness that had been seeping into the ship. Yet another darkness filled Xion's heart and on instinct she reached into her pockets in a vain hope that Sombra's horn would be there.
"Why the long face? You should be the happiest out of all of us!" Xion turned her head to see that Pinkie had hopped over to her and was now looking up at Xion with excited eyes.
"I don't see any reason why I should be all that happy," Xion replied.
"Don't see the reason?! Today's going to be a great day for you!" Pinkie exclaimed, getting Xion to raise an eyebrow. "Think about it. Today you'll drive the Heartless from this land, finally stop the no good meany that's been messing with your life and save your best friend and finally reunite with him! That sounds like a pretty good day to me!"
"If I can do all of that," Xion muttered.
"No negative talk. You're going to do this and then we're going to throw an amazing party to celebrate. And I'll make sure to invite everypony that you've ever helped just so that they can thank you for what you did for them in pony," Pinkie replied with an excited look on her face.
"But if we pull this off, we'll have saved the entire world," Xion pointed out.
"Then it's going to be one massive party. I'm looking forward to it."
Xion felt herself smile at Pinkie's overwhelming confidence despite her less than positive outlook on how the battle would go. Pinkie began to mutter to herself before she pulled out what looked to be the beginning of a very long list from her mane and walked off, occasionally smiling to herself. Rarity and Rainbow walked over after Pinkie walked off, watching the pink pony go while shaking their heads slightly.
"Come on, don't look so down. It's not like the fate of everything depends on this battle," Rainbow Dash pointed out, her words getting her a look from Rarity.
"What Rainbow is so poorly trying to say is that there is no reason to doubt yourself, darling. You have dealt with everything that has been thrown at you and you have prevailed each time," Rarity said with confidence. "And this time you have us with you and we will make sure that you do not face your demons alone. That is what friends do."
"Yeah, because you've shown us that you're completely helpless without us there to bail your flank out," Rainbow said with a smirk. She got another glare from Rarity for saying this, but to both ponies surprise Xion smirked at Rainbow's words.
"You're not wrong, Rainbow. I have need your guys help. I probably wouldn't have made it this far without the aid of the ponies of this world, actually. So I do feel more comfortable hearing that you're there to...bail my flank out," Xion said to Rainbow. Rainbow Dash then gave Rarity a "I was right" smirk while Rarity did her best to avoid looking at the rainbow mare.
Fluttershy and Applejack were the next to join Xion once Rainbow and Rarity left. The two didn't say anything to Xion, then just rested their hooves on the railing and joined Xion in looking out at the oncoming darkness. Fluttershy looked up at Xion, opened her mouth to say something, and then though better of it and simply went back to enjoying the silence with her friends. Yet despite neither of the ponies saying anything to Xion, she felt a sense of comfort wash over her, knowing that she had friends beside her.
"We are here," Celestia said. All eyes turned towards her, with Xion, AJ and Fluttershy walking over from the edge to join the princess and the other ponies at the front of the airship. All sets of eyes went wide at the sight that greeted them, except for Xion who narrowed her eyes in response to what she saw.
The Heartless below them were uncountable and instead of an army they looked like a swirling sea of darkness. Amongst the swirling darkness Xion could make out a few flashes of silver, telling her that there were a few Nobodies in the army as well. But at the edge of the army, next to the one tree that was still standing despite the army's best effort, stood the Maestro and the cloaked boy, both of who were looking up at Xion. And she glared back down at them.
"You all remember the plan, correct?" Celestia asked the group, who all nodded in response. None of them wanted to speak at the moment, as they weren't certain if a scream would come out if they opened their mouths. "Very well. Ambassadors, time to Rainbow up. Luna, Xion, you two are with me. We will escort you to the Maestro and Roxas. Ambassadors...clear a way."
Six explosions of rainbow went off behind Xion and a moment later six streaks of rainbow soared across the sky, clearing away the dark sky with their light. The six then came to a stop over the heads of the Heartless, who all began to back away from the blinding light. Twilight gave the order and a moment later an onslaught of rainbow light bombarded the army of Heartless, decimating their ranks and banishing hundreds of them back to the shadows.
"And that's our entrance," Celestia said before she used her magic to place Xion onto her back. She then nodded to Luna and the two princesses took to the skies, flying as fast as they could straight for the Maestro and Roxas. Some of the aerial Heartless that hadn't been decimated by the rainbow light, upon feeling a keyblade wielder getting close, soared towards Celestia and Luna with every intent to rip their hearts from their chests. But before they Heartless could eve get close to the princesses, orbs of light flew from Celestia's back and blasted apart the Heartless in seconds, leaving the path clear once more.
"I didn't come this far to be stopped by the grunts. I'm here for their leader," Xion told the princess in a powerful tone as her body glowed with light. Celestia and Luna shared an amused look before they propelled themselves towards Maestro, landing in front of him on the only area of land for miles that wasn't covered in Heartless. Xion flipped off of Celestia's back and landed in her fighting stance, her actions getting the cloaked boy to summon Oblivion before he began to walk towards Xion.
"None of that now, it is not yet time to fight," Maestro told the boy, who glanced over his shoulder at the Maestro before he stopped in place. "Xion. I am so glad that you decided to make it. I thought you might run away from this like you tend to do most of your problems."
"Sticks and stones, Maestro. You know why I'm here and what I'm about to do to you," Xion promised as she pointed her keyblade at the Maestro, who chuckled at her action. "You've messed with my life for long enough and I'm not going to let you try to harm these ponies any longer. I won't let you have your way!"
"My way? Fool, have you not been paying attention. I have had my way ever since I brought you to this land," Maestro reminded Xion, who narrowed her eyes at him. "I brought you here because I wanted to see something different. Now originally I had hoped that you would unlock the Ambassador's hearts and show me what made them so immune to the darkness, but that plan didn't last long."
"However, in your desperation to deny me what I wanted you to do, you have given me a completely new avenue that, I will admit, intrigued me far more than the other path," Maestro revealed. "You have achieved a living form. You have been chosen by a true keyblade, one made up of the power of the Ambassadors and their friendship. And you have overcome most of your past and struck down the Organization members that affected you the most...aside from a few."
"I'm not going to kill Roxas, if that's what you're implying," Xion spat back. In response to her words Maestro shrugged his shoulders.
"I doubt you would. But I honestly don't know at this point. And that gets me...excited," Maestro said in an ominous voice. Before Xion could reply Celestia and Luna stepped forward, getting a sigh of frustration out of the Maestro. "You two. Let me guess, you are going to say something noble, then something about how you're going to stop me and then we will "fight". How about I skip all of that and just get to the part where I kill you both?"
A blast of shattered magic erupted from the Maestro's hands and tore across the air to Celestia and Luna, but before it could strike them Xion placed herself between it and them. With a roar she slashed at the magic with her keyblade, yet to her amazement the key didn't destroy the magic. She tilted her blade to the side and angled the magic away from the ponies, where it flew off into the sky. Xion then turned her gaze to the Maestro, glaring at him while shaking out her hands.
"Celestia. Luna. I want the two of you to assist Twilight and the others in fighting the Heartless," Xion instructed, getting Celestia and Luna to look at the girl like she was crazy.
"Xion, you cannot be serious! You cannot fight the both of them without help!" Luna told her.
"I can't fight either of them if I have to protect the both of you while fighting them," Xion snapped back. "And it won't be two on one. Maestro has made it clear how easily he could kill you two, yet he hasn't tried to kill me yet. I think he wants me to fight Roxas first, just so he can see what happens."
"Ah, some of Sombra's feeble brains have worn off on you. Yes, I am far more curious to see the outcome of your battle with the one you call Roxas than I am with watching the princesses die again," Maestro confirmed for Xion. Xion took a risk and glanced back over at the princess, whose eyes made it clear that they had no intention of leaving Xion alone.
"I know it's a lot to ask, but I need you guys to trust me," Xion said to the both of them in a far more pleading voice. "I need to do this by myself. I need to show him...and everyone else that called me a puppet, that I am not their toy for amusement. That I am my own person."
"Hmph, so you say," Maestro replied. Celestia and Luna shared a look, neither one of them liking what Xion was saying. But then the two spread their wings and ascended to the sky, giving Xion one last look to let her know that they weren't happy with her plan.
"We do not like this plan of yours, Xion. But after what you have done for us and the ponies of this land, you have earned our trust. We shall allow you to go through with this," Celestia said.
"But the moment things start to go wrong or that monster tries to cheat, then we shall descend upon him like a storm of fire and pain," Luna promised as she glared at the Maestro.
"Leave my sight before I decide to kill the both of you," Maestro snarled in reply. Xion nodded to the princesses, who flew off a few moments later. Once she was alone, Xion turned her full attention to the boy in the black cloak, knowing that he would be the first obstacle to defeating the Maestro. She also knew that he would be the hardest to overcome.
"You hero types are always the most interesting," Maestro said once the princesses were gone, yet Xion didn't dare take her eyes off of the cloaked figure that stood before her. "It is always interesting seeing how you react to certain situations. Will you have to do something you would normally never do in order to save the day? Will you damn a nation to the fire just so that you can save a single soul? Or will you stand against me in an unwavering way that I find annoying, just like that damned silver being tried to do?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Xion replied in an emotionless tone.
"I suppose you don't. That is not your fault. You didn't ask to be created. You didn't ask to be stuck in such a confusing story as you did. And you didn't ask to be brought back. But that is your flaw, Xion. You never had ambition. And that made you so easy to take advantage of. A puppet with no soul is the easiest puppet to control."
"Then that makes you a crappy puppeteer, because I didn't do anything that you wanted me to do," Xion spat back, but all her words did was get a chuckle out of the Maestro.
"I brought you back to life so that you would entertain me. And you have been a constant source of amusement this entire time. You went beyond my expectations, my dear. The only question now is how will you end this enjoyable tale? Will you become the warrior of the light, just like all of the other keyblade wielders? Will you surrender to the darkness in a vain attempt to defeat me? Or will you do something different?"
"I'm going to beat you. I'm going to save Roxas. And then I'm going to take a permanent vacation at the beach," Xion replied. Once again Maestro smirked.
"Fool. You have the heart of a hero. You will never rest. Not until you finally die. And speaking of dying, I believe that we have put this off long enough. Boy, kill her."
In a flash of movement the cloaked boy was upon Xion, who deflected his strike and retaliate with a punch to the side of the boy's head. The boy staggered back before he backflipped away from Xion. He rubbed the side of his head before taking up a fighting stance, holding his keyblade to the side while gripping it with both hands. Xion crouched down and mirrored the stance, getting the being to tilt his head at her.
"That's right. We both have the same stance. We have the same moves and we have the same style. That's because I was based off of you. That's because you and I are best friends," Xion said to the cloaked being, who gave no visible response.
"Your words will not reach him. Even if he understood what you were saying, he is far too gone," Maestro told Xion. "He has done countless terrible things under mine and the Organizations order. Struck down his friends, damned worlds to the darkness and even brought down other keyblade wielders. What makes you think you can get through to him, when nobody else could?"
"Because I'm a part of him. A piece of his heart, if you will," Xion replied, getting a chuckle out of Maestro.
"Well, you're not wrong. But you are dead. It's just a question of how long it will take you to die."
Xion and the cloaked boy both let out a bellow as they charged towards each other, slamming their keys into each other and locking the blades in a battle of light and darkness. Despite the Oblivion being one of the stronger regular keyblades, Xion's Perfect Harmony far outclassed it. Even without her foe being filled with evil intent, she still wielded the superior weapon. And the cloaked being knew that.
He kicked off of her keyblade and propelled himself into the air, where he started firing blasts of fire towards Xion. Xion rolled out of the way of the first volley before she spun her keyblade around on a single finger and used the whirling blade to deflect the rest of the fireballs that had come near her. The boy landed and lifted his blade towards the heavens, calling down dozens of bolts of lightning that tore apart the ground.
Xion slammed the tip of her keyblade into the ground and summoned a rainbow barrier around herself, one that not only protected her from the bolts of lightning that came crashing down on top of her, but also turned the magical lightning into energy that restored her. She broke the barrier and rushed towards the cloaked figure, swinging at his leg with her blade.
He blocked the strike and knocked Xion off guard, giving him an opening. He thrust his arms forward and created an explosion of light that sent Xion tumbling backwards. He lunged towards her and thrust at her with his blade, yet by the time he had attacked Xion was already on her feet. She reversed the attack and slid behind the cloaked boy, who glanced around to see where she had gone.
He soon found out as Xion slashed across his back with a diagonal strike from her keyblade, before following up with a horizontal strike. The cloaked boy staggered under the onslaught, before he rolled out of the way of Xion's final strike. Instead of pressing the attack however, Xion let the boy get up to his feet and cast cure on himself.
"You really can't see anything in those hoods, can you?" Xion asked with a smile. "I remember back before I knew who I was I had my hood up all the time. Couldn't see anything in it. Saix always asked me how I always managed to do so badly on missions and he just assumed that I sucked. But nope. It was because I couldn't see anything in those hoods of theirs. Bad design flaw in my opinion."
The cloaked boy said nothing in reply. Instead he channeled ice around his blade before hurling it towards Xion. Xion hadn't expected a raid and was slow in getting her blade up to defend herself. She managed to deflect the strike, but the action caused her to stagger backwards and she had to throw her arms out to keep from falling over.
The cloaked boy seized his opening and teleported to his blade, snatching it out of the air before he dove towards the girl. Xion kicked to the side to avoid being struck, but she wasn't fast enough and the edge of Oblivion caught her in the side of the leg. Pain lanced up Xion's side, but she couldn't cast cure on herself as the cloaked boy pressed the attack.
"You should focus more on fighting than you do talking," the Maestro advised Xion, who had been put completely on the defensive by the attacking boy. "I have already told you that you cannot reach him. He is not the being that you thought you knew. All you are doing is wasting your breath and my time."
"I won't give up on him!" Xion roared before she lashed out with her own attack, catching the Oblivion in the hilt and ripping it free of the boy's grasp. The keyblade went sailing off to the side where it impaled itself into the ground, leaving the boy defenseless. Xion pointed the tip of her keyblade at him, but once more she didn't press the attack.
"Remember that time when I finally beat you in a fight? You were so happy with me that you agreed to buy all three of us ice cream," Xion told the cloaked boy, who turned his cloaked head slightly towards his keyblade. "And then you realized that you didn't have any munny and Axel ended up buying for all of us. For a being with no emotions, he sure seemed upset by that. But we all had fun in the end."
The cloaked boy leapt up and kicked Xion's blade to the side before he extended his hand towards his blade. Oblivion vanished in a flash of darkness and materialized in his hand a moment later. He attacked with an overhead slash, forcing Xion to block high to avoid being struck. She pushed back his blade before she went low, attempting to sweep the boy's legs out from under him.
The cloaked boy leapt backwards to avoid being hit before he lunged forward once more and stabbed at Xion's head. Xion moved her head to the side to avoid being struck, before she let out a roar and slashed at the cloaked boy with her keyblade. The boy had overextended and thus was caught in the chest by Xion's strike, sending him tumbling backwards across the ground.
"Hmm, it seems that you are a far better fighter than when I brought you back," Maestro noted, before glancing over at the boy that was getting back up. "Stop holding back. I give you permission to go all out."
The boy nodded his head before he crouched down, getting Xion to hold her blade before her like a samurai, in the stance that felt familiar to her. Then the boy rocketed forward with the keyblade extended with such speeds that Xion didn't realize that he had moved until he was right on top of her. She threw herself to the side and just managed to avoid being hit, but then the boy spun on a dime and came rocketing back towards her even faster.
"Enough of this!" Xion roared as she drove her keyblade into the ground, summoning six pillars of light which she then sent flying outwards with a roar. The boy swerved to avoid being hit, before closed the gap between him and Xion. Xion didn't have time to block and thus took a deep slash across her chest, one that nearly got her to collapse to her knees.
Yet the cloaked boy wasn't done. He came rocketing back around and slashed across her back, getting Xion to cry out in pain as she fell to her knees. She looked up just in time to see the boy circle around once more, but this time the tip of his blade was glowing with power and light. Xion knew if she took a hit from that she might not be able to get back up. So she closed her eyes and apologized.
"Roxas...I'm sorry." Xion then ripped her blade from the ground and pointed it towards the boy, a blinding light covering her body and blade as she did so. Eight chains of light then burst forth from the edge of her blade, chains that snaked towards the boy who was hurtling towards her. With the speed he was moving at, he couldn't get out of the way of the chains. The chains impaled themselves into his limbs, stopping his advance before they began to wrap around him.
The cloaked boy struggled to break himself free of the chains, yet his bonds would not be so easily broken. Now that she had a moment to breath Xion lifted her blade over her head and cast cure on herself, healing her wounds and getting her back into fighting strength. Before she could press the advantage the chains were shattered and the boy was free once more.
"This isn't the first time that we've been forced to fight like this either," Xion said in a small voice. "Remember when Xemnas messed with me? Remember when you were losing your power? That was the first time we truly fought. They said that only one of us could survive, because as long as we both lived I'd be slowly killing you. And I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you, Roxas. But I knew that you would never hurt me either. So I had to fight you, to get you to strike me down. So that we could free Sora."
This time her words got the cloaked boy to stop and consider Xion for a moment, almost as if something she had said was getting through to him. "But I know how much it hurt you, even if you don't remember it. Even if your memory of me was erased, I know how much it had to have hurt you to have to do that to me. So I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I hurt you. I hope...you can forgive me."
The cloaked boy responded by casting cure on himself, before he lunged towards Xion with another overhead strike. Xion lifted the Perfect Harmony and deflected the first strike, only for the boy to leap into the air with a second strike. Xion deflected the second strike as well, but to her bafflement the second strike was far stronger than the first. The boy then leapt into the air for a third and final strike, but as Xion lifted her keyblade to deflect the strike something in the back of her mind screamed at her to get out of the way.
Xion listened to instinct and rolled out of the way, just in time to avoid the final strike. And she was glad she did, for when she looked behind her to see why she had rolled out of the way she found that the third strike had created a massive gash in the ground, right where she had been standing. The boy then pointed his keyblade towards her and summoned a black ball of gravity that came crashing down towards Xion. Xion counter this by summoning a barrier of wind around herself, one that clashed with the gravity and cancelled both of the spells out.
"It seems that the two of you are equally matched," Maestro mentioned offhandedly to Xion, who cast a glare over at him. "Why don't you take on that giant form that you used the last time you fought Roxas? Because I am certain that will work out in your favor this time."
"Will I now? Because from what I have seen it seems like you are not willing to finish my pawn here off," Maestro pointed out.
"Do not call Roxas your pawn."
"Would you prefer puppet? Or do you prefer if people call you that instead?" Maestro replied with a smirk, one that made Xion seethe. "But back to my point. You are not fighting to win. You are fighting to stall. But you cannot stall forever. Even with that superior blade, eventually you will run out of magic. And then you will start to suffer more and more injuries, until you reach a point that you can no longer fight. And then my pawn will strike you down."
"No, I'll break through to Roxas before that happens," Xion promised as she pointed her blade towards the Maestro. "And then the both of us will work together to make sure that you never-"
In a blur of motion the cloaked boy was upon Xion, who snapped her head to the side to see him coming. She tried to get her blade up in time to deflect the first strike, but this time the boy kicked her blade out of the way. He then unloaded with a flurry of blows upon Xion, each more devastating than the last. The final blow from the boy knocked Xion up and away from him, before he leapt into the air after her. In her stunned state all Xion could do was watch as the boy spun the blade over his head before he pointed his keyblade at her, summoning untold amount of power into the tip of his blade.
He then fired all of the light held within the weapon towards her, unleashing ragnarok itself upon the girl in a storm of light missiles. Xion couldn't move her keyblade up to deflect all of the strikes nor could she summon any of her magic to stop the onslaught. That left her with only one choice.
An explosion of darkness consumed Xion, an explosion powerful enough to destroy the missiles that had been heading for her. The darkness wrapped around her like a blanket, before a moment later she burst forth from the sphere and lunged towards the boy. Her left arm grabbed around his head and slammed it into the ground, before she grabbed hold of his leg and hurled him into the sky.
"This ends now!" she roared as she pointed her dark infused left arm towards the boy, unleashing a beam of concentrated darkness towards him. The boy brought back his keyblade and let it fly towards Xion, cleaving her dark beam before the blade impaled itself into her arm. Xion roared with pain as her left arm went limp, glaring up at the boy only to find him flying towards her with blade extended. She slipped into the shadows right before the boy reached her, impaling the ground where she had been standing.
"You choose darkness to fight against him?" Maestro mocked once Xion emerged from the darkness. "You are in the land of Equestria. Your darkness has no power here. Not to mention that you are also fighting against a boy who has slain more darkness in a year than most have in their entire lives. If you wished to die so badly, you should have just asked. Demanded. Begged."
"Lesson learned," Xion replied before she closed her eyes and locked the darkness away once more, returning her to her regular form. She swung her blade around her side before holding it before her once more, in a stance that felt familiar to her. Her eyes then softened as she gazed at the cloaked boy, but then she looked behind her to see how the battle with the Heartless was going.
Her heart fell when she realized what she was looking at. The Ambassadors light seemed dull in comparison to how brightly they had been shining earlier and despite them continuing to blast apart the Heartless with their Rainbow Power, more and more swarms of Heartless lashed out at them from the ground and tried to consume them with darkness.
The sisters weren't fairing much better, with the two of them back to back and trapped behind a barrier of their combined magi. The Heartless were forming together to create a giant tornado of Heartless, which would them ram itself against the barrier again and again.
"Do you see now, puppet?" the Maestro asked Xion, turning her gaze back to the battle in front of her. "The ponies can stem the tide of the Heartless, but they cannot keep them down for good. Only your keyblade can dispel the threat for good, but instead of ending this fight and going to help your friends, you are trying to save someone who is not here. So when they die and their hearts are taken, along with this entire world, know that it is your fault."
Xion gritted her teeth as she tried to think of some kind of reply, but the truth that rung in the Maestro's words was too great to ignore. She cast another glance at her friends, who were still struggling to fight back against the horde of darkness with little success. She then lowered her head and remembered what she had promised the princesses. Should she fail to save Roxas, she would strike him down herself to save the world.
Xion then opened her eyes and glared across the clearing at the boy in the cloak, tears forming in her eyes as she made peace with what she was about to do. She tightened her grip and channeled the best memories of Roxas she could think of, creating an aura of light around her. She then put her feelings into her memories and the light around her wrapped itself around her body, forming what looked to be a suit of armor made of light except for around her face. A sword of rainbow light wrapped itself around her keyblade, while pillars of light erupted from the ground around the edge of the battlefield, sealing the two in.
"Roxas...please, give me some signal to let me know that you're still in there," Xion begged with the cloaked boy one last time, praying that her words would get through to him. "Because if you don't...I will do what I must to save this world and protect my friends, no matter how badly it will tear me up inside. Because I promised them. I owe it to them...and I owe it to you, to free you from the Maestro. Please, just say something."
The boy's response was to plant his boots into the ground and point his keyblade at Xion, summoning hundreds of beams of light into a sphere of purple light that appeared at the end of his keyblade. Xion shook her head bitterly before she closed her eyes and held her keyblade to the side. The boy then let out a roar as he fired the hundreds of ray of light towards Xion, bringing down ragnarok upon her.
Yet the moment that the beams were about to be upon her, Xion dashed forward in a flash of light so fast that neither the cloaked boy nor Maestro could keep up with her. When she was visible to them again she was standing behind the cloaked boy with her back towards him, keyblade held out like she had just sliced through the world. The cloaked boy turned around to see Xion there, before a massive slash erupted across his body. Light poured from the wound on his chest and he slowly looked down at his injury, before he collapsed to his knees. Xion lowered her blade and turned around to face him.
Dozens of other slashes them emerged across his body, all of them bearing the same light that was shining from Xion's keyblade. Xion then walked forward towards the boy, who tried to lift his keyblade to stop Xion, yet he didn't have the strength. When she reached where he knelt she placed the Perfect Harmony on the ground beside her, before gently lifting her hands and grabbing the edge of the boy's hood.
"I am sorry, Roxas. I wish there had been another way," she said before she pulled the hood down. The moment the hood was down, however, Xion's eyes widened with disbelief and she stepped back away from the boy like he had tried to bite her. The moment the boy saw Xion's reaction a pink flower appeared over his head and cured his wounds. Xion realized what was about to happen and she reached out for her blade, which barely appeared in her hands in time to block the next strike. As the two keyblade locked up, Xion was able to look fully into the face of her foe.
He had blue eyes the same color as the sea, the same eyes that Xion had remembered staring into on the top of the tower. But there was something wrong with them. Instead of bright and full of life, they were dull and devoid. The face was also one she remembered well, yet it was different all the same. But what was truly different was the hair. The hair was spikey just like Roxas's had been, but instead of a dirty blonde this boy's hair was straight brown. And there was only one person she knew like that.
"It...it can't be," Xion said in disbelief while she struggled to push him back, before the sound of Maestro laughing reached her ears.
"Oh yes. Let me tell you, it took a lot of effort to get him under my control. But now does it make sense why your words couldn't reach him? After all, you were calling him by his Nobody's name."
Xion couldn't believe what she was seeing was true. But despite her hoping that it was a nightmare or some illusion being cast by the Maestro, there was no questioning the identity of the brown haired boy that stared at her with blank eyes. He lifted the Oblivion and slowly began to walk towards Xion once again, who lifted her keyblade and took up a fighting stance.
"What did you do to him?!" Xion roared over at Maestro.
"What those in Castle Oblivion wanted to do. Create a perfect puppet, one that could bring down the Organization and help them to rule over all the worlds," Maestro revealed before he shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, once we succeeded in creating the perfect puppet I killed those traitors myself. I despise those that cannot follow simple instructions or think themselves better as their superiors."
Sora lunged towards Xion and stabbed at her head. Xion blocked the blow to the side and retaliated with a kick to the gut that staggered Sora for a moment. Xion slashed down at the boy, but with his hood down his speed seemed to have increased and a moment later he was behind her. Xion had just enough time to register that he had moved before she felt Oblivioon slash across her back.
She rolled forward to get out of his striking distance before whirling around to deflect another strike from Sora. The power of light flowed through her body once more and she fired eight chains of light towards Sora. Sora backflipped out of the way of the chains before leaping into the air, channeling light on the end of his keyblade. Beams of light came flying from the end of his keyblade, breaking through Xion's chains and nearly striking her down. It was only by creating a barrier of light around herself at the last second that she was able to avoid being killed.
"This...this isn't the Sora from my memories," Xion said to herself as she cancelled her barrier, still feeling the pain of being slashed racing across her back.
"Of course it is not. This is one of mine. What would happen if Sora did become the Organizations perfect puppet instead of you?" Maestro asked as he turned his head towards Sora. "Numerous things, actually. You should have seen how hard Riku and Kairi fought to free him. Especially Kairi. Never before have I had a princess fight me with such strength and ferocity. She, on her own, nearly succeeded in freeing him. Nearly."
"You monster. What did you do to him?"
"Stripped him of his memories. Tore away that infuriating naivety that made up his core personality. And removed all traces of morals that he may have once had," Maestro replied in a joyous tone. "And thanks to the strength of his heart, he is even immune to the Rainbow Power, as he does not comprehend good or evil anymore. I was delighted when I found that out."
"But why here? Why bring him to this world?"
"Because you are on it." Xion gave Maestro a confused look and accidentally left herself open, but before Sora could attack Maestro held up a hand to pause the battle. "I told you that you would have to face your past. And who better as your final challenge than the very being you were supposed to replace. But not only is he the original, now he is a mindless puppet, much like you were supposed to be if you had never met Roxas and the other one I am curious to see...which of you is the superior puppet."
"You sick bastard."
"But there are a few equations that I did not account for. Your new keyblade," Maestro continued on, pointing at the Perfect Harmony. "I did not expect you to be able to befriend the ponies and I never thought you would achieve a real form. Unleashing you upon this land has been quite the learning experience. You have my gratitude, Xion. For that, I shall make your demise swift. But not at my hand. I have something far more important to do. If you will excuse me, my pawn will keep you company."
As he said this, Maestro floated into the air and turned towards the keyhole. The keyhole began to glow with light, a light that Maestro mimicked a moment later. He then transformed into a ray of light and was sucked into the keyhole. The moment he vanished into the keyhole darkness formed overhead. The ground began to shake with a force that shook the entire planet, while lightning cracked across the sky.
The Heartless that were battling the ponies all ceased the fighting and turned their heads towards the keyhole. For a brief moment they didn't do anything, before all at once the Heartless entered into the shadows and vanished from the battlefield. The ponies who had been battling the Heartless all looked around in confusion, before they turned their gaze over to Xion and Sora.
Xion leapt over a strike from Sora before firing a blast of fire into his back, knocking him to the ground and sending him tumbling through the dirt. Sora got back up to his feet with a blank expression on his face, despite the fact that he had taken a ball of fire to his back.
"Stay down, Sora! Don't make me hurt you!" Xion called out to Sora, but instead of staying down Sora charged towards Xion once more. Xion shook her head with sadness before she channeled the light into her blade once more, forming a sword of rainbow light around her keyblade. Sora saw this and hurled his keyblade at Xion, hoping to catch her off guard before she could strike. Xion hurled herself to the ground to avoid being struck by the keyblade, which impaled itself in the tree behind her.
Xion snapped to her feet and lunged towards Sora, slashing at him with the rainbow blade. Sora managed to dodge a few of the strikes, but with the intensity and speed of Xion's strikes eventually one of the strikes managed to catch Sora in the side of the head. Once he was stunned by the one strike, Xion began to unload with all of her might and fury, hammering Sora with a flurry of strikes and slashes. With a bellow of both rage and pain Xion slashed across Sora's chest, sending him flying into the air.
Xion cancelled out her light power right as Sora hit the ground, where he remained motionless on the ground. She shook her head at the broken boy before she turned back towards the keyhole, which had dark cracks forming in the tree around it.
"Maestro, what have you done?" Xion asked before she pointed her blade at the keyhole. Her eyes then widened as she realized that she was looking at the tree, but Oblivion was nowhere to be found on it.
The realization dawned too late and a moment later Xion felt the edge of a blade rip through her side. She screamed with pain as she fell to one knee, before she glared over her shoulder at Sora. Despite having been beaten relentlessly with her keyblade, somehow Sora had managed to get back up and summon his weapon back to him. He was covered in bloody cuts and horrible bruises, but his face remained as emotionless as ever.
"You really...never give up, do you?" Xion spat in pain. Sora didn't say anything, but he raised Oblivion over her head before striking down with a force that would have cleaved her head from her body. Xion's pain tolerance was nothing to laugh at either, so she was able to force herself to spin and lift the Perfect Harmony to deflect the Oblivion strike.
The force of the impact knocked the two keyblades out of both keyblade wielders hands, leaving the both of them without their weapons. Not wanting to allow Sora access to his weapon, Xion wound back a fist before she hurled it forward. Sora took the punch right to the side of his face, snapping his head to the side and staggering him backwards. Xion hurled another punch that nearly dropped Sora, before she finished her combo by grabbing Sora by the face and channeling the power of lightning through her hand. Sora silently screamed before he collapsed to his knees, where he began to struggle to get back up.
"No. This is over," Xion said as she reached out and summoned her keyblade, which she then pointed at Sora's head.
"Xion!"
Xion glanced over to see the ponies racing over towards him, most of them looking like they had come from the fight of their lives. Xion figured that she didn't look much better, but at the moment she was too busy ignoring the pain to care how she appeared.
"Xion, is this Roxas?" Rarity asked Xion, who shook her head.
"No, this is Sora. He's...closely related to Roxas," Xion revealed, getting her confused looks from the ponies. "All you need to know is that he's a keyblade wielder as well and he's the one that's been under the Maestro's control."
"Then what are you waiting for? Knock him out and leave him to us. You saw what the Maestro did, he went into the keyhole!" Rainbow Dash reminded everypony. "How could he even go in there? I thought that it was only a place Heartless could go?"
"I don't know, but whatever the reason, it can't be good," Xion replied as she glanced back at the keyhole. When she took her eyes off of Sora, he tried to get up to strike her. But the damage was too great and he ended up falling onto his face instead. Xion turned her gaze back to him and her eyes softened, feeling nothing but pity for the boy.
"Xion, our world is starting to fall apart. Whatever Maestro is doing it cannot be good," Celestia pointed out to Xion. "Leave him with us. We shall restrain him. You have to seal the keyhole."
"Alright Celestia, but first let me try something," Xion asked. She then knelt down next to Sora and pointed her keyblade at his head once more. "Maestro said that he made you a mindless puppet. That he stripped away your memories and personality, so that you would be nothing but a puppet. He cast you down so far into nothingness that not even your friends could help you. I know how that feels."
"But he made one mistake. He put you up against me. The very being that was created to steal your memories and copy you," Xion said with a smile before she placed the tip of her keyblade against the side of Sora's head. "And I've still got a few of those memories rattling around inside my own head. The ones that Maestro didn't bother to take out. It's not enough to restore you...but it may be enough to give you an idea of who you were."
Xion then closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing all of her memories that belonged to Sora into her blade. She could feel them slowly seeping from her mind into his, telling Xion that her plan was working. Memories of chasing around a white haired boy and red headed girl on the beach. Battling Heartless in a castle. Gazing at the sunset. There were only a few of them, but Xion gave them all to him without a second thought.
After a few moments she felt the last of the memories that weren't hers fade completely. She opened her eyes and gazed down at Sora, who let out a small groan before he lifted his head up and looked at Xion with the first emotion she had seen on his face. Confusion.
He then fell over and passed out on the ground, allowing Xion to let out a sigh of relief. She then glanced up at the ponies, none of who were certain of what had just happened. "Celestia, can you guys take care of him until I get back? If I leave him alone as he is now the Heartless will probably get him."
"We can, Xion. But are you sure he won't attack us?" Celestia asked.
"I'm not a hundred percent, but I think that he'll be too confused to want to attack you any longer," Xion said sadly as she gazed down at Sora. "He's been through a lot and he's going to need your guys help if he hopes to break free of what Maestro did to him. Please keep him safe."
"That we can do, Xion. We owe it to you," Twilight said and her friends nodded in agreement. Xion smiled at all of them before she pushed herself up to her feet, wincing in pain as she remembered all of the damage that was done to her. She cast cure over herself once more and felt all of her injuries heal, but it was a grim feeling as she knew that she had used up her last cure. She shook the thought out of her mind before she started to walk towards the keyhole, gripping her keyblade tightly.
"Alright Maestro, let's do this. You and me. One on one." Xion then raised her blade and pointed it at the keyhole, summoning a sphere of light around the end of her blade. The sphere of light then fired a beam of light into the keyhole and the sound of something being locked could be heard. But then a moment later darkness erupted from the keyhole and the sound of it being unlocked echoed across the world.
"Xion, what happened?" Luna asked Xion.
"It's like I feared. As long as the Maestro is messing with the keyhole, I can't lock it from the outside. And if I can't lock it from out here..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up at the sky, which was becoming darker and darker.
"How can you get to the keyhole, then?" Fluttershy asked.
"The same way he got in there. I have to go in there and lock the keyhole from within," Xion said in a less than thrilled tone.
"Can you even do that?"
"Guess we'll find out." Xion pointed her keyblade at the keyhole once more, but this time she changed her stance and moved the keyblade onto its side. A sensation in the back of her mind told her that what she was doing was right, a sensation that felt slightly like the Maestro. That was when she knew what she was doing was correct. She then fired a beam of darkness from the end of her blade into the keyhole. A moment later her body began to glow with a strange light, one that the keyhole matched. Then a flash of light went off and Xion was gone.
========= No. XIV =========
Xion had no idea where she was. What she did know was that she felt a surge of darkness and emptiness wash over her, almost as if she was in a sea of darkness. When she finally summoned enough courage to open her eyes, she found that she was in a place similar to where she had dove into Twilight's heart.
But where she was now had one key difference. Twilight's heart had only one stained glass circle, which had her closest friends on it. This place was filled with an uncountable number of stained glass images, all of them with a different pony, dragon or other creature upon them. Yet Xion's heart sunk when she saw that there was one circle that stood above all others. That one was an image of the Maestro, which had an ever shifting number of worlds around him. And in the center of that stained circle was the Maestro himself.
Xion glanced down to find herself standing on a single piece of stained glass, in a sea of endless darkness. Xion knew where she had to go, so she summoned as much courage as she could before she kicked off of the stain glass and hurled herself towards where the Maestro was. She glided through the darkness before she came to the edge of the circle, immediately falling to the edge of the circle. When she touched down she summoned her blade and fully expected Maestro to attack her, but instead he continued to stare up at the countless images.
"Isn't it amazing?" Maestro asked Xion, who gave him no reply. "All of these...stories...just waiting to be changed, written or ended. What would happen if Scorcher was raised by a zebra instead of another dragon? What if the sun and moon fell to the earth and it was the alicorn Gaea that ruled over this land? And those are just two of a seemingly infinite number of possibilities...and that's for this world alone."
"So that's the reason for you messing with people's lives? Because you just want to see what happens?" Xion asked with disbelief, the anger in her voice getting the Maestro to look over his shoulder at Xion and he finally registered the fact that she was really there. "That's...beyond twisted! How many lives have you ruined just because you were bored?!"
"Do not speak of my actions as if you understand them. In your terms, I have done just as much "good" as I have "evil". Take you, for example. In the world the Sora you defeated came from, you never even came to be thanks to my existence. But in another reality, I interfered on your behalf, aiding you and Roxas in bringing down the Organization and freeing you from your destinies. It is interesting, seeing how much you hate me when that version of you thanked me with genuine gratitude. And again, that was two of an infinite number."
"So what? Do you think that you're some kind of hero? That because you help others in some places you're allowed to ruin the lives of others?!" Xion roared at the Maestro, who shook his head at her words.
"So you actually managed to defeat Sora? Interesting. He is one of the strongest keyblade wielders in the worlds, yet severe his ties to his friends and loved ones and he becomes weak. How curious," Maestro said with a laugh. "I will have to remember that the next time I place him under my control."
"Are you deaf?! You're done hurting others for your evil reasons!" Xion roared.
"You are the one that is not listening, puppet. I am beyond the idea of good and evil. I seek to learn. I do not act out of malevolence or benevolence. All I do, I do to learn. To change. To...fix. I do not care how many lives I ruin or save to achieve my knowledge. There are infinite versions of those I ruin or save. What difference does changing the fate of one world make in the infinite universe?"
"To you, maybe nothing. But to those you hurt, it makes all the difference," Xion replied in a cold voice before she took up her fighting stance once more, channeling the power of light into her body. "And then there's me. You say that changing a reality doesn't matter to you? Well today it will matter. Because I'm going to end you. I'm going to strike you down once and for all and rid the infinite universes of your cruelty. You're right. You're not good. You're not evil. You're dead."
"Fool. So many beings, some which are beyond your understanding, said the same thing to me. Yet here I stand," the Maestro replied before he ripped off his brown cloak and tossed it to the side, revealing his full, metal body. "But just like them, you are welcome to fail. So come, Xion. Let us see if you can amuse me one last time before I strike you from existence."
Xion wasn't going to waste any time. Without access to anymore of her cures and knowing what the Maestro could do if given the chance, she planned to go all out right from the beginning. With a roar her body erupted with a brilliance that brought light to the infinite darkness around her. The light solidified over her body and formed armor similar to that of a knight, while her keyblade was wrapped in a blade of rainbow light.
"Interesting," Maestro muttered before he took a light infused keyblade to the side of the head. The blow staggered the metal being, while the blade managed to leave a slash mark in his armor. Xion followed up with a flurry of strikes, each one hitting harder than the last. The sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the abyss of darkness, before her roar joined the sounds of violence as she thrust her keyblade clean through the chest of the Maestro. The end of her keyblade erupted through the other end of his body, sending sparks showering from his wound.
"Make no mistake Maestro, I'm not the same weak little girl that you met the first time we fought," Xion promised Maestro before she ripped the keyblade from his chest, before twirling it in her grasp and placing the blade right at his throat. "I've reached a new level of power since coming to Equestria, one that even you can't stop. Goodbye."
As she said this she slashed her blade upwards, cleaving through the metal that made up the Maestro's neck and severing his head from his shoulders. His metal head with the animal design carved into it clattered to the ground and Xion's feet. She glared down at it before glancing at his body, which fell to the ground with a metal clang. Xion then let out a sigh of relief before she turned and started to head for the exit.
"Did you really think it would be that easy?"
Fear consumed her heart as Xion spun around just in time to take a metal fist to the face, one that sent her sprawling across the stained glass image of the Maestro. Pain flooded her senses, but her fear and disbelief allowed her to fight through it and rise back up to her feet. Her eyes widened with shock when she saw the Maestro standing before her, but his body was different than the one that she had slain.
This body had armor that looked similar to a knight's, while the metal head had an animal designed carved into it that looked like an owl. A blade made of a deep blue material was clutched in his left hand and he held his right hand behind his back, as if he didn't need it. A second brown cloaked draped itself over his shoulder, while empty eye slits gazed down at the girl.
Xion then looked behind the knight version of the Maestro to see the body that she had slain a moment ago, now just a pile of scrap upon the ground. She summoned her keyblade back into her hand and took up her fighting stance once more, but now her confidence was far shakier than it had previously been.
"I will give you credit for that light form, I have yet to meet a version of you that was able to access such a considerable amount of power," Maestro admitted before he swung his blade at Xion. Xion lifted her Perfect Harmony to deflect the strike, but the moment the two blades collided Xion felt some of the light within her being sapped from her body. She pushed the Maestro's blade off of hers, only to find that the rainbow blade that covered her keyblade was missing a chunk from it. "Yet if that is all you have, than this battle will be over shortly."
"I've survived far too much to be brought down here. I will tear through as many of your suits as I have to so that you don't win!" Xion promised before she lunged forward, aiming for the Maestro's head. He brought up his blade to deflect her strike, but when she saw his blade move she spun in the air and aimed her strike low, knowing that she couldn't let their blades clash.
Her blade clashed against the armored thigh of the Maestro, yet to her horror she found that the blade that had sliced through his previous suit with little issue was stopped cold by the armor of the new suit. She had just a moment to contemplate what that meant for her before a metal fist caught her right under the jaw, ripping her from the ground and sending her flying backwards through the air. She crashed head first onto the ground, where she lay as she tried to regain control of her senses.
"As many of my...ah my foolish puppet, you mistakes these "suits" for just pieces of armor? No, each one of them is me. Each one of them is an extension of my will. They are here so that I can be everywhere," Maestro corrected for Xion, who rose to her feet and leaned against her keyblade for support.
"What are you...?"
"Did you really think that I only go to one place at a time? No, that would be far to inefficient to learn what I wish to learn. There are as many of these "suits" as there are stars in the sky," Maestro told Xion, whose eyes widened at the news. "And my will flows through all of them, allowing me to be in an uncountable number of places at the same time, learning how a world would be if something was changed. You are not the only one who I am dealing with right now. Do not think that you are so special that I would meet you twice in person."
"Of course you wouldn't. Too afraid I bet."
"Too busy, actually. And you should be grateful that I chose to meet you inside one of my forms," the Maestro told her before he lashed out with his blade, forcing the still dizzy Xion to block with her keyblade. Yet again when the two blades met, Xion felt more of her light being drained from her. "Because these forms hold only a small percentage of the power I truly wield. If I were here in person...this would have ended long ago."
Xion broke the blades connection and rolled backwards, flipping to her feet and unleashing numerous balls of fire from the end of her keyblade. The Maestro responded by raising his right hand and allowing the fireballs to strike his extended hand, where they fizzled out without leaving so much as a mark.
Xion switched up her tactics and raised her keyblade over her head, summoning clouds of thunder and lightning over the Maestro's head. "Well I bet those suits of yours conduct electricity really well!" Xion roared before her roar was drowned out by the roar of the bolts of lightning that came crashing down on top of the Maestro. The Maestro remained rooted in place as the lightning struck him down, yet once more Xion was left dumbstruck when her most powerful spells failed to leave a mark on the metal man.
"I have designed each of my forms to be able to hold their own against any foe. If this body was able to take a strike from your light infused keyblade without so much as a scratch, what makes you think your magic would get a different result?" Maestro asked Xion.
He dashed forward again and thrust his blade towards the girl, who rolled out of the way to avoid being struck. The Maestro caught her movement this time and lashed out with a foot to catch the rolling Xion right in the side of the head. She was sent tumbling away from the Maestro and her keyblade skid across the ground towards the edge of the circle, where it fell over the side a moment later.
"NO!" Xion cried out. Movement to her side made her focus and she just barely managed to move her body to avoid being impaled on the end of the Maestro's weapon. She threw a kick at his leg to try to knock him off balance, but when her flesh struck metal she knew that she had made a mistake. Maestro then lifted a boot and slammed it onto Xion's chest, getting her to cry out with pain as she was pinned to the floor.
"Do not act like the loss of your weapon will be of a detriment to you. I know that no matter where you are you can summon your blade to your side," Maestro scolded her before he drove the tip of his blade through Xion's shoulder. Xion screamed with agony as the blade began to drain all of the light within her from her body. "Not that it will do you any good here. Within moments, you will be stripped of that power you fought so hard to obtain. And then you will lose your life."
"Y-you...think that this is the only power I can wield?" Xion asked the Maestro. He tilted his head to the side in response, clearly curious to see what Xion had meant. Xion allowed a smile to cross her face before an eruption of darkness consumed her form. The darkness hurled the Maestro off of the girl, allowing Xion to get back up to her feet.
She extended her right hand and summoned the Perfect Harmony back to her, channeling her dark power around the keyblade. Instead of forming a sword around her blade like her light powers did, the power of darkness formed an ax like weapon around the key, with an eyeball in the middle of the ax's head. She flipped the weapon around in her hand, glaring down the Maestro with red eyes.
"Your power over darkness. Equally as interesting as your power over the light," Maestro noted before he banished his blue blade from his hand. He then placed his left hand behind his back and extended his right hand forward, creating a blade made from a crimson material out of the air. "And equally as easy to deal with."
Xion was upon the Maestro in a moment, swinging her clawed, left hand towards the face of her foe. Maestro reached up and blocked the strike with the back of his right hand, but in doing so left himself open to Xion's keyblade, which came in from his left. Instead of lifting his left hand to block the blow, Maestro simply allowed the keyblade to strike him in the side of the head. Despite having put all of her power behind the swing, once again Xion found that the metal that made up the Maestro was too strong to pierce.
Maestro's blade flashed through the air and Xion felt the sting of its bite a moment later. A piercing pain ran up her chest as she fell to the ground and when she looked down at her chest she found a slash mark running down the front of it that both leaked blood and darkness. A metal boot slammed into the side of her head and made her forget all about the wound on her chest. Her vision blurred into one big color for a brief moment, before her eyes slowly gave her a blurred image of where she lay on the ground.
"I will give you this much credit, Xion. You did provide to be far more entertaining than most," Maestro told Xion as she pushed herself to her side, unable to find the strength to get back up to a horizontal base. "It is actually impressive how quickly you managed to master light and darkness, especially which such a pathetic excuse of a teacher. You truly do have some talent. Too bad that neither the light or the darkness can save you here."
"Neither the light nor the..." Xion repeated in a daze, her mind starting to work despite all of the pain she was in.
"And even if you somehow managed to destroy this body, I would simply have another one. And then another. And then another," Maestro continued on. As he said this, Xion glanced over her shoulder at the body she had already beaten, wondering why he wasn't using that one as well.
"You were doomed from the moment you stood against me. You sealed your fate," Maestro told Xion as he lifted his blade over her, aiming right for her heart. Xion glared up at the Maestro with a look of defiance on her face, but she wasn't looking just at him. She was looking at the stained image that floated vertically next to one they were on, an image of the planet, with a keyhole in the center of it. "Farewell...puppet."
The second Xion saw the blade start to come down she summoned whatever strength she had left in her body to roll out of the way, causing the Maestro to drive his blade down right into the center of the platform they were on. She moved to her right a little before she summoned her keyblade to her side and aimed it right at center of the Maestro's chest. A circle of light formed around the end of the blade, before she shot a light ray into the Maestro. The ray went clean through him and out the other side.
'That's...all I have,' Xion thought before she collapsed to her knees, the pain and exhaustion finally catching up with her. Maestro glanced down at himself to see that his metal body hadn't suffered any damage from the attack. He ripped his blade from the ground and pointed it at Xion, who didn't react to the motion.
"And what, pray tell, was the point of that?" Maestro asked. His answer came when the sound of something being locked echoed throughout the area and the Maestro spun his head around to see that the keyhole behind him was glowing with light. A moment later the light, along with the keyhole, vanished and an even louder locking sound could be heard. "No...no...no."
"Good thing...you don't like...to dodge," Xion said weakly as a smirk crossed her face. Maestro was upon her in an instant, wrapping his fingers around her throat and hoisting her into the air.
"What have you done?"
"I locked the keyhole. From the inside," Xion replied, smiling as she did so. "And once a keyhole is locked, it can't be unlocked. Which means that you can't hurt the ponies anymore...because you're trapped in here with me."
"Do you truly believe that just because the way I entered is sealed means that I am trapped?" the Maestro asked her with a chuckle. "I can be wherever I wish to be. My will is what makes this body move, not my true form. All you have done is cause me to waste a body."
"Then go ahead. Leave. If you can."
The Maestro's form flickered for a moment, only to cease a moment later. Slowly, the Maestro lowered his head to look down at his metal form. His form flickered once again, but just like before nothing happened. Then the Maestro lifted his head to Xion, who smiled at him knowingly.
"What have you done to me?" he asked her.
"I used my keyblade to lock the keyhole...and anything else that was in it's path," she replied with a smirk. "That's what the keyblade does when you fire it at a keyhole. It will lock it. But I also fired it through you, meaning that you were locked as well."
"I am not a keyhole. This is not even my real form. It is nothing more..."
"Catching on? It may not be your real form, but it is you in a way. See, I was wondering why you didn't just swarm me with bodies if you wanted me dead so badly. Surely it wouldn't be that hard for you. But then, after remembering what you said, it dawned on me. You're everywhere. You're in a bunch of different bodies in an infinite number of realities. Which means that even your incredible will is stretched to its absolute limit, isn't it?" Xion asked. When the Maestro didn't respond, Xion allowed herself to laugh.
"Thought so. And with your will stretched so thin, that means you can only manage to possess one of your bodies at a time in each reality. That's why you had to jump from the damaged one to the one you're in now. That's why you always use one at a time. You're at your limit," Xion explained while the Maestro seethed.
"And now I've found a way to lock you, in a way that keeps you trapped in that body. You can't escape from that body. And now you can't escape from here either. I've locked the only way out. This is where you'll stay...for the rest of this world's eternity."
"This will not stop me."
"No, it won't. There are still an uncountable number of you out there. But it will stop you here. In this reality. On this Equestria. Because as long as you try to be here...this place shall be your prison," Xion told him in a quiet voice, before she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "This battle is over."
"Yes, it is. You, as much as I hate to admit, have bested me," the Maestro replied, before he brought his sword back. "And in doing so, you have damned yourself to a fate worse than death. I wonder how long it will take to break you this time, puppet!"
The Maestro thrust his blade forward, yet before the blade struck an eruption of darkness caught the Maestro square in the chest. The blast was so strong that it sent the Maestro flying backwards while also forcing him to release his grip on Xion, who collapsed to the ground. She weakly lifted her head to try to see what had happened, only for her eyes to go wide when she realized that there was a pony standing in front of her. A pony with a black coat and a horn with a red tip at the end.
"Sombra?" she asked in disbelief. The dark king looked over his shoulder at her and smiled, before he turned his gaze back towards the Maestro.
"So this is what the heart of a world looks like? Honestly, I thought it would be bigger," Sombra muttered aloud as the Maestro got back up to his feet. "And I thought you would be more intimidating, but to be outsmarted completely by Xion? Whoo, that has to hurt."
"It will not hurt nearly as badly as what I shall do to the both of you," Maestro promised before glaring at Sombra. "How did you even get here? The keyhole was sealed! No one should be able to enter or exit!"
"Ah Maestro, despite thinking you know so much about the worlds it's clear that you know nothing," Sombra replied, infuriating the Maestro. "Xion thought she sealed the keyhole. And she did. But not entirely. For some asinine reason, somepony thought it would be a good idea to keep a small connection between this place and the outside world, just incase they needed to get somepony out of there."
"Then I am not trapped. I shall be free!" Maestro roared as he lunged forward, slashing at Sombra. Yet to the Maestro's bafflement, Sombra deflected the Maestro's strike with a blade of his own. A blade that had a circular guard made of chains, chains that wrapped around two pony heads that formed the guard. A black blade shaped like a tower made up the blade and at the top of the blade, making up the teeth, was a crystal heart wrapped in darkness.
"You...wield a keyblade?" Xion asked. "How?"
"Like I told you, Xion. I won't steal your blade. I don't need to!" Sombra cackled before his horn glowed with power, blasting the Maestro in the chest with his dark magic and pushing the metal man back. He turned his gaze towards Xion as he continued to pin down the Maestro, a warm smile crossing his face as he did so. A cure spell then descended onto Xion, who felt her wounds heal themselves.
"You need to get out of here," Sombra told her.
"No! I'm not going to leave you!" Xion roared at him, but then her roar was drowned out by the sound of the Maestro ripping through Sombra's magic to get to him.
"There's no time to argue. And no more time to talk. I wish I could spend hours telling you how much you impressed me or how you're the greatest student I've ever taken on, but all I can say now is...thank you." Sombra's horn then glowed once more and a sphere of darkness wrapped around her. Xion called out to Sombra within the sphere before she was hurled into the sky, vanishing in a flash of light. Sombra watched her go before he turned his gaze towards the Maestro, who seethed with hatred.
"How did you come to wield a keyblade? You do not have a strong enough heart nor have you held the keyblade of a master before!"
"Quite contraire. My heart is incredibly strong, perhaps one of the strongest in the world. As for holding a keyblade...let's just say that Xion allowed me to unintentionally grab hers, even if she didn't realize it. Of course, even I didn't know I needed to do that until I figured it out. That's the reason I "left" Xion alone. I was figuring out how to work this thing. I figured she was safe enough with the Ambassadors until I made my grand return. And I was right."
"I shall slay you Sombra and then I shall follow that path you created to my freedom. And then I will make sure that I kill Xion slowly and painfully, just to thank you," Maestro promised.
"See, there's a problem with your line of thinking. That pathway that I created? You need a keyblade to open it," Sombra said to the Maestro.
"That is of no matter to me. I will force you to use yours to open the path!" Maestro roared.
"Uh-huh. I see where you're coming from and it's honestly not a bad plan, but there's only one problem regarding the keyblade in question," Sombra said as he looked down at his keyblade, the weapon that he had strived so long to make his.
"And what would that be?"
Sombra's horn glowed with a power that eclipsed the two princesses and a beam of light shot from his horn, right into the center of his keyblade. Cracks formed all along the blade before it shattered into thousands of pieces, all of which were consumed by the darkness. Maestro stared in disbelief at where the keyblade had shattered while Sombra gave him an innocent smile.
"It's broken."
The floodgates opened within the Maestro and a flood of rage and hatred washed over him. He slowly lifted his head to glare at Sombra, who smiled back up at him with no regret on his face.
"Think we should try looking under the mat? Might be a spare key there?"
Maestro grabbed Sombra and lifted him into the air, driving his sword through his chest all the way to the hilt. "You have just damned yourself to eternal torment, Sombra. You will suffer for as long as I remain trapped within this place!"
"Still not as bad...as having to be ruled be...the princesses," Sombra spat back.
"Why do all of this?! Why sacrifice yourself for Xion?! You are Sombra and Sombra never helps anyone but himself!"
"True. But Xion is my prized pupil. She's smarter than me, more adept at magic than me...and honestly a far better pony...person than me. Still have her beat in the looks department though," Sombra coughed out. "So if it was for anypony else, I would have said screw em. But you chose to mess with my pupil. And I couldn't forgive that."
"Very well, you shall suffer in her place," the Maestro promised. "And throughout all this suffering, you will know that it is all because of your choices. You chose to oppose me. You chose to aid that puppet. Know that your suffering is on you."
"You're in here. She's out there. And she outsmarted you. That's all I need to know," Sombra replied with a smile. Maestro then tightened his grip before he dropped his blade to the ground. He channeled all of his power into his left hand and took aim at Sombra's face, preparing to unleash a pain upon him the lies of which Sombra would have never felt. But then Sombra's entire body began to glow with light, a light that caused cracks to form all along his form.
And now I'm going to blow myself up and take everything in this realm with me, including that little pathway I made to get here. So you can't out, but more importantly, she can't get back in," Sombra replied as his body reached critical mass, allowing him to smile one last time at the Maestro. "There's nothing you can do. The great, omnipotent, travel of realities will be defeated by me."
Xion knew that he deserved better. A single, unmarked grave in the middle of a barren wasteland that no pony would ever visit was not where Sombra, the pony that took Xion under his wing, taught her everything he knew and then saved her life, should have been buried. But Xion also knew that the ponies would not accept her story. Even the princesses had trouble believing that Sombra had been the one to save her. So his grave would be a lonely one. But Xion knew what he had done for her. And she would never forget his sacrifice.
She knelt next to his grave by herself, with the Ambassador and the princesses having left hours ago. Sorrow was all that she felt in her heart, a sorrow of having lost another person close to her. She had tried to go back in after him, tried to go back and save him from the Maestro's wrath. But before she could the keyhole on the tree vanished. Or, according to Celestia, was destroyed. From within. By a dark pony's magic that felt all to familiar to her. It didn't take a Sombra to piece together what he had done.
'Why?' Xion found herself asking once more as she stared at the gravestone, tears pouring from her eyes. 'Why did you have to pick that moment to grow a conscious? Why did you have to return at the last possible moment like a hero and then sacrifice yourself to save me?'
The grave did not answer her, causing Xion's heart to sink even further. She could almost hear Sombra laughing at her, calling her weak and a fraudulent excuse for a puppet, before he would tell her to get her crap together and figure out a way to do something. But she knew that the words were just echoes and that Sombra was truly dead. Because if he wasn't, he would have made sure to rub it in the princesses faces, never letting them forget what he did to help save the world.
A light breeze blew over the wasteland, catching Xion's hair and causing it to get in her eyes. She growled with frustration as she reached up to move the hair from her eyes, as it temporarily blinded her. When she cleared her hair from her eyes, she looked back down at the grave to see that something had changed. Her eyes widened with shock when she found that there was now a keychain resting upon the grave, a keychain with a black crown at the base of it.
Xion picked up the keyblade with disbelief, knowing that she was holding the keychain that had been on the end of Sombra's keyblade. The moment after she picked up the keychain, a letter appeared next to her, a letter written by a pony that was long gone.
'Hello Xion. If you can read this it means I am dead. Which isn't that surprising, given what I'm about to do, but I still kinda hope I'll survive this encounter. I mean, I'm me, so if anypony could survive it would be me. But nope. Dead. Like a doornail. Stupid expression, but get's my point across. And with me dead, you're probably thinking about how terrible things are and how badly you failed and you're wondering how you can go on without your super cool and amazing teacher? Am I right?'
"You arrogant, egotistically..." Xion whispered with tears in her eyes, but Sombra's words did bring a small smile to her face.
'Well sadly, you will have to go on without me. Because of the whole dead thing. But honestly...you don't need me anymore. You're already far better with dark magic than I will ever be. You can use light magic, whereas I don't touch the stuff. And you've got a good head on your shoulders. Should keep you out of most trouble. Who am I kidding, this is you we're talking about. That head will get you into trouble, but it should also get you through that trouble. Yeah, that's better.'
'Also, if you're getting this message, then you're probably holding the keychain to my blade, which I have dubbed the Dark Kingdom. You're also probably wondering how is it there when I brought the keyblade with me into the keyhole, right? Well if everything went according to plan, then the keyblade I brought with me was a fake. Just like the one you first wielded when you came here. That's right, I got both a real keyblade and then built a fake copy, which I brought with me to fight Maestro. How's that for smart?'
"You clever bastard," Xion whispered with a chuckle.
'Which brings me to the keyblade I'm giving to you. The Dark Kingdom. It will give you an insane magic boost and allow you to draw out your dark powers even further. However, I would recommend keeping the Perfect Harmony as your primary weapon. Overall it's better than mine, but not by much, and it's a better weapon for you. But if you ever feel like the light isn't working for you or you want to unleash the darkness within, give this bad boy a try. I promise you won't be disappointed. And whenever you use it, feel free to think of me.'
"I will. I promise."
'Okay, think that's about everything and this death message is running out of paper...ugh, guess I'll finally say it. I'm proud of you, kid. Despite having me, the Maestro and so many others try to get you to give in, to either accept that you are nothing more than a puppet or a mistake, you chose to be someone better. Someone who your friends would be proud of. Hell, I'm proud of you and I nearly vomited the last time you gave me your hero speech. You're an amazing mage, an incredible warrior and a master of learning. But most importantly, you're a good kid. Never let anypony else tell ya otherwise.'
'So I won't be that worried about you. Not just because I know you'll be safe and that you have friends to rely on, as well as two awesome keyblades. I won't be worried because I'll be dead. And that I know you're safe. But mostly because I'm dead. All that's left for you now is to decide what you're going to do next. Are you going to enjoy life in Equestria, now that you can finally stop doing what others were telling you to do. Or, if I know you, will you try to do more? Will you be the hero we both know you are? I look forward to find out, Xion. Because you always do what everypony least expects.'
'P.S. If you were wondering where I was the entire time, I was in your back pocket. Didn't think to look there, did you? Haha, truly I am an evil genius!'
The letter than burned away into darkness, leaving Xion alone with the keychain in her hands. Yet she didn't feel as sad as she did before. The sadness was still there, but she knew that Sombra would be with her in spirit. In the form of the keychain that he had given her. She was tempted to attach it then and there, but she recalled his words and decided to save it for a special occasion, when she really needed it.
Xion rose to her feet and placed the keychain in her back pocket, just to honor Sombra's memory, before she looked at the grave one last time. The gravestone had been blank, so that nopony would be able to figure out whose it was, but a smile crossed Xion's face as an idea came to her. She summoned her keyblade and used a beam of light to carve some words onto the front. Words that would make Sombra happy.
'An A+ villain.'
========== No. XIV ==========
Being surrounded by her friends made Xion feel better slightly, but as she and the ponies looked through the glass at Sora, who lay upon a table in the middle of an operating room, she couldn't help but feel pangs of regret beat through her. Pinkie placed a hoof on Xion's shoulder to try and comfort her, while Twilight told her what she had been told by the princesses.
"Luna told me that she's doing everything she can to help fix his memories to the best of her abilities. She can go into the dreams of others and use her powers to help fix anything that is wrong with them," Twilight explained, pointing to the alicorn of the night that sat in a chair at the end of the room. Luna's eyes were glazed over and her horn was glowing slightly, telling Xion that she was working.
"Will she be able to help Sora repair his memories?" Xion asked.
"Sadly, no. All she really has to work with are the memories that you gave to him, along with which few terrible ones that he still has left," Twilight said with a shake of her head. "In time we may be able to get his old personality to surface and he might be able to start living again, but he will never be who he used to be. At most, he'll be...a blank slate."
"Heh, just like me, huh?" Xion asked, the irony not lost on her. Then she tightened her grip on the railing she was leaning on and she felt rage course through her body. "And he's suffering because of Maestro. Because of somebody that treats the lives of others like their just...toys to play with. To use as he sees fit."
"Xion, you stopped Maestro. You and Sombra both. You trapped him within the keyhole, where he'll never be able to escape. It's over...isn't it?" Fluttershy asked.
"For this reality, yes. But there are countless others out there, all of whom are faced with a Maestro just like the one I fought," Xion muttered to herself. "He's out there harming others, ruining their lives like he tried to ruin ours. And I'm here."
"You've done all you can," Rainbow said to Xion, but she shook her head and resumed watching Sora through the glass.
"Guys...can you promise me something?" Xion asked the ponies around her, turning all of their eyes towards the girl. "If I'm not here when Sora regains his personality, can you guys help him? Give him friends and good memories for him to have, not the terrible memories that he currently has."
"Xion, the way you're talking makes it sound like that you will not be with us much longer," Rarity said to Xion, who avoided eye contact.
"I've made up my mind," Xion said after a few moments of silence, lifting her had with confidence in her eyes. "All my life I've been doing what others want me to do, be it in the Organization, with the Maestro or even with Sombra, even though he eventually became my friend. I've been thinking about what I want to do and who I want to be. And who I want to be...is someone who helps others. A protector. A protector like Sombra was."
Xion then glanced around at her friends, waiting for one of them to try to talk her out of it. But to her surprise, all of the ponies smiled at her and nodded their heads. "Yeah, that's about what we expected you to say," Applejack said.
"Are you kidding? You want to be a protector? You're already a protector. Heck, you're a hero, Xion," Pinkie said. "You've fought the Heartless and beat the Maestro! What about that doesn't already make you a hero?"
"You guys don't get it. The kind of hero I want to be...might be the hero that won't be on this world much longer," Xion admitted. "There are so many other worlds that need help out there, worlds that are suffering under cruelty and darkness like the Maestro. I can't just sit by and do nothing. That's not what Roxas, or Sora...or Sombra would do. They'd do something about it. And so will I."
"We understand, Xion. While we love nothing more than to have you on our world...you have the heart of a hero. Which means you've got to go out there and fight," Rainbow agreed. "I admire that."
"As do I. But we just want you to know that no matter where you go or what you run into, you'll always have a place here with us," Twilight said. "And we'll always be out there with you as well. Your keyblade shows that you'll always have a little piece of us with you. So I hope you know that you're not alone."
"I won't. I will always have my friends with me. Both you guys and my old friends," Xion said with a nod of her head. A blinding flash of light then went off behind them and the group turned to see Princess Celestia standing behind them, a look on her face telling them that there was trouble.
"There is an attack by a small band of Heartless near the edge of a small town not far from here," Celestia told the group. All eyes turned towards Xion, who gave the princess a smirk before she extended her hand and summoned her keyblade into her hand. "Alright, Princess. Lead the way."
Celestia's horn glowed once more and Xion vanished in a flash of light.
========= No. XIV =========
As the last of the Heartless fell to Xion's keyblade, Xion allowed herself a moment to look around. The ponies of the town had come out to watch her fight the Heartless and when Xion had finished off the last one, the ponies began to applaud her, with genuine smiles on their faces. Xion couldn't help but smile at the praise, amazed on how quickly the ponies perception of her had turned around.
'Of course, it doesn't hurt that Twilight and the other princesses are telling everyone about what I did to save the world,' Xion thought to herself. She gave a small wave to the ponies before she turned and walked away from the village, sighing in relief to be away from all the applause. 'As nice as it is, though, I'm still not used to it. But it is nice to not be feared anymore. Twilight was right. The ponies here really are good deep down.'
"Alright Celestia, I'm done," Xion said to the sky, waiting to be teleported back. She waited a few minutes, her face falling when the teleportation never came. "Celestia, come on. As much as I like it out here, I need to get back to work. There's a lot to be done."
"Indeed there is, Xion."
Xion spun on her heels and lashed out at her keyblade at whoever had snuck up behind her. Her keyblade strike collided with a silver bracelet, one that didn't budge under the power of the keyblade. Yet while the bracelets themselves were impressive, it was who was wearing them that made Xion's eyes widen.
A woman stood before Xion, a woman with jet back hair and muscles that made her look like a Greek warrior. Her face was strong, but caring and her expression was one of interest, yet unlike Maestro there was no evil in her expression. She wore a shield and sword that hung from her back and she had a strange, star spangle coloring to her outfit. But Xion could sense the power that she had, a power that Xion had never felt in her life.
"That is you. You are Xion, correct?" the woman asked.
"Yeah, who wants to know?" Xion asked as she back up, still waiting to see whether or not she would have to fight her way out of this.
"I am called Diana. I am a hero from another world, a world that was attacked by a being that perhaps you know well. The Maestro," Diana said, her words making Xion narrow her eyes. "Ah, so you have met him."
"I did more than meet him. I fought him. I fought him, got broken and beaten by him and lost someone I cared about deeply to him," Xion clarified. Diana's expression softened upon hearing Xion's words, an action that wasn't lost on Xion. "So why are you here? If you're here for him, you're in the wrong place. There's only a fragment of him here. I don't know where the real one is."
"That's fine. We do," Diana told Xion, whose eyes widened at her words. "The problem is, the world that the coward is hiding on is locked up tight. And we don't have a key to get in. But, from what I heard, you do."
Xion glanced down at her keyblade, knowing what Diana was asking her. For a brief moment she thought about staying on Equestria, staying with her friends and finally living a peaceful, semi-normal life. And then she remembered what Maestro had done to her and Sombra. And the choice was an easy one.
"You need me to unlock his front door?" Xion asked as she spun her blade around, placing it on her shoulder. "You've come to the right person for the job."
