Seven Princesses of Light

Chapters

Warrior, Guardian, or Sorceress
A Scattered Dream
Trial of Departure
A Darkness Approaches
A Radiant Garden
Hollow Bastion
Traverse Town
The Lanes Between and Disney Town
Xulan
Capsule Monsters

Warrior, Guardian, or Sorceress

Chapter 1: Warrior, Guardian, or Sorceress

She felt like she was drifting through a current.

Lacking sight, she could only feel herself sinking to the depths of whatever ocean she had found herself in. But she wasn't drowning. In fact, she could easily breathe deeply without a struggle. Thoughts were heavy and difficult here. She just wanted to resume her slumber.

Celestia was startled awake. Despite having sunk with her head down, all four of her hooves had managed to land on a solid stone floor. Her eyes glanced around at the platform she was standing on. Surprisingly accurate pictures of her closest subjects and family were depicted around a sleeping image of herself. Most prominent were pictures of her sister Luna and Twilight Sparkle her faithful student. The entire floor looked like it had a bit of fluorescence.

She heard a shimmering noise from behind her. When she turned around she noticed a rectangular, stone podium with a sword levitating above it. A second podium appeared to the right with a sun-design shield levitating above it. A third podium manifested with a unique staff floating over it. Each item spoke volumes about its own purpose without uttering a single word.

Celestia felt compelled to walk towards the podiums and their items. Standing in front of each, she heard a voice that lacked pitch but still held gravity.

Will you take the path of the sorceress and higher wisdom? Celestia shook her head and moved on.

Will you take the path of the guardian and greater endurance? She paused but she didn't say yes to that path either. Only the blade remained.

The path of the warrior leads to a stronger heart. Is this your choice? She nodded as she raised her left hoof to the hilt.

So be it.

The sword vanished. In its place, a new item flashed into existence. It resembled a giant key and it looked like it was forged from the very core of the sun. However, its temperature was much cooler to the touch as its handle rested in Celestia's mouth.

Princess of Light... wielder of the Keyblade... at times you will need to fight.

Suddenly, several small shadows bulged from the ground in front of Celestia. The creatures looked menacing with their soulless yellow eyes and dark unidentifiable appendages. They hissed and charged after the new Keyblade's chosen one. Briefly, Celestia felt an age-old fear of the dark.

The Heartless attack from the shadows.

Don't be afraid.

Her fear left almost instantly as a surging confidence filled her whole being. She charged at the Heartless, perfectly timing her swings to slice them in half. Upon doing so, the monsters disappeared. Her Keyblade disappeared just a few seconds afterward.

Take this door and begin your journey. A wooden double-door appeared in front of Celestia. She felt compelled once again to walk forward without question. As she nudged the door open with her magic, a light began to shine through. She was engulfed by it as she whited out.

Luna heard a shimmering noise behind her. Upon turning around to see the source, she saw three stone podiums. Each of which had a specific item hovering over it. She slowly walked over, wings folded. A voiceless message could be heard as she approached each podium.

The path of strength is the way of the warrior.

The path of wisdom is the way of the sorceress.

The guardian takes the path of endurance and defense. Is this your choice? Luna nodded as she touched the shield with her left hoof.

So be it.

The shield vanished. A strange weapon that resembled a rather large key took its place. The weapon's design reminded Luna of a night sky when the moon is full. Its handle rested comfortably in her mouth.

Wielder of the Keyblade and Princess of Light... sometimes you will be required to fight.

With just that warning, several small black creatures appeared as if from within the ground. Their menacing yellow eyes were searching only for destruction. One of them jumped as if to attack. Flinching, Luna shut her eyes.

Heartless attack from the darkness.

Fear not.

A sudden surge of confidence urged Luna to counter-charge. She positioned her Keyblade to block every single one of the enemies' scratches. She then timed counterattacks of her own until all of the Heartless evaporated. She stood still for a few more seconds. Once she felt sure that the attacks had ceased, her Keyblade vanished.

Begin your journey through this door. Luna witnessed a double-door appear in front of her. She did not object to her urge to open it and walk through. As she did, a white light engulfed her.

The path of the sorceress leads to higher wisdom. Are you sure this is your choice? Cadence nodded as she reached out to the staff with her left hoof.

So be it then.

The staff vanished and a new weapon appeared in its place. This weapon looked like a huge key made from harp strings and garden lilies. In her mouth, Cadence grasped the handle of the foreign yet familiar weapon.

Princess of Light and Keyblade wielder... there are times when fighting is unavoidable.

Out of the very floor, shadows bulged and morphed into the forms of dark monsters. All Cadence could see in the yellow eyes of the creatures was a thirst for destruction. One of the creatures charged in for a kill. Cadence would have screamed if her mouth wasn't occupied holding her new weapon.

The Heartless attack from darkness.

Do not worry.

Cadence no longer felt worried. Confidence possessed her whole body in that moment. She quickly spun around, her acceleration slicing through the Heartless like butter. She practically cartwheeled around the field as she quickly swung her Keyblade through each of her attackers. After the creatures were heavily damaged, they vanished without a trace. A few seconds later, Cadence's Keyblade followed suit.

Open the door and begin your journey. A double-door crafted from wood appeared in front of her. Confidently, she walked up to the door and nudged it open. As she did, a bright light engulfed her. Cadence whited out.

Two more warriors, one more guardian, and one more sorceress followed their paths. The road to Light was going to be a long one.

(A/N: I'm guessing the KH crossover idea has been done to death. Feel free to read it anyway... or not.)

A Scattered Dream

I've been having these weird thoughts lately.

Is any of this real or not?

I want to line the pieces up...

...yours and mine.

Chapter 2: A Scattered Dream

Princess Celestia of Equestria slowly opened her eyes. Grogginess grudgingly gripped her mind as she rose from her royal rest. Even though she was tired, she never forgot to raise the sun in the morning hours. As she reached out her magical grip on the sun, her mind wandered back to the strangely lucid dream she had.

Keyblade... Heartless... what did it all mean? she thought. This wasn't like the millions of dreams she had in the past. Those dreams had faded from her conscious thought almost seconds after she woke up. This dream on the other hoof, was persistent like a memory some pony had made her promise not to forget.

With the sun magically aligned to its daily course, Celestia was free to attend to other matters. One of the largest was where her newly wedded niece Cadence was going to reside. Sure, the castle had its perks, but that sort of distracted from the lifestyle of lovers. She was going to need an open land with many possibilities. After all, Cadence was a free spirit. Celestia had learned that the hard way on multiple occasions. Celestia's pondering was interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door.

"Your Majesty, Lady Cadence has requested your presence in her quarters," said the voice of a presumed guard.

"I'll be there momentarily," Celestia replied professionally.

The fading sound of hoof beats could be heard from behind the door. Celestia donned her royal, golden attire as she looked toward the cage beside her bed. Her phoenix Philomena was still snoring elegantly. A herd of elephants couldn't wake up that sky bird. Celestia held a small smile on her face before exiting her bedroom via the door.

Lowering her moon to make way for her older sister's sun, Princess Luna of the Night let out a yawn. It was the first time in a while that she had decided to sleep through the later half of the night. Some strange force had decided that she needed a good night's rest. That same force had given her rather vivid images in her dreams. She could not will herself to forget those images.

A Keyblade... Heartless... just what are they? she pondered. She had never heard those terms before the dream. The event was engraved in her mind like an everlasting promise. Why was this dream so different?

Maybe it's not good if I dwell on this, she decided. After all, her niece had recently married. She had to at least offer verbal congratulations in place of her missed attendance of the full ceremony.

Frankly, Luna wasn't sure why Celestia had forgotten to put her name on the guest list. It's not like she dumped the preparations for Cadence's wedding on Celestia without telling her. Oh, wait. Luna mentally sweat dropped as she realized that's exactly what she did.

I suppose we're even, she thought with a sigh. With petty revenge settled, she decided to make a little visit to Cadence's quarters. A message felt stronger when it was relayed one-to-one. She intended to make this message as strong as the Royal Canterlot tone. It would be even stronger with the appropriate wedding gift she had made from scratch.

"She will be here momentarily," said the guard.

"Thank you, sir," answered Princess Cadence of the Dawn as the guard left. Her mind was full of the events that had taken place over the past two days. Having married the love of her life Shining Armor was exciting in itself. Who knew that the changeling faction was in such a position to launch a full invasion? Who could have predicted that they would usurp the entire proceedings? Dealing with that mess had been stressful on all parties involved.

Then, there was last night. The dream was so realistic that she couldn't be sure if it was just a dream. Cadence remembered using several acrobatic maneuvers even though she was fairly certain she had never practiced gymnastics in her whole life. The unusual words that she had heard in the dream also puzzled her.

"Just what is a Keyblade?" she asked no pony in particular, "And what are the Heartless?"

Hopefully, Auntie Celestia could help her figure things out. She knew everything. Even when she didn't know something, she knew something. Auntie was just that clever.

Cadence was interrupted from her internal pondering by a gentle knock.

"Yes?" she called.

The door gently opened inward.

"You wanted to see me?" inquired Celestia as she slowly entered the bedroom.

"Oh! Yes, of course. Come on in," said a rushed answer from inside. Every pony was so on edge when she made and appearance, even her family. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought they were all afraid that she was going to banish them to the Everfree Forest at the slightest displeasure. Mentally, Celestia shook her head. That was silly. No pony could possibly that presumptuous and paranoid.

Besides, she had been summoned. If any pony should have been worried it should have been her. She worried that she would disappoint her summoner if she ignored the call.

"How's my favorite niece doing?" she charmed.

"Oh, Auntie," chuckled Cadence. Immediately, however, she cleared her throat and gave a deadly serious stare. This caught Celestia off guard. Sure, she knew Cadence was a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point pony but never had the Dawn alicorn looked so... grave.

"Auntie, I clearly remember a dream I had last night," began Cadence. She started describing all of the details of a scenario that sounded all too familiar. Aside from certain details, the dream sounded exactly like what Celestia had experienced that night. Could her niece have had the same dream? It was too distinct to be a coincidence.

"What are your thoughts, Auntie?" queried Cadence.

"Cadence," replied Celestia, "had you told this to me any other day, I would have struck it up to an imaginative conscience. However, the events you've mentioned sound fairly similar if not exactly similar to the dream I had last night."

"What?" Apparently, her niece was not expecting that. Celestia began to describe her own detailed dream involving a new weapon and creatures from the shadows.

"What does this mean?" inquired her niece. Before she could answer, though, the bedroom door was shoved open by an intruder.

"Oh... is this a bad time?" asked the Princess of the Night. She had only meant to surprise one pony. But upon her entrance, she had successfully startled her niece, her sister, and herself. What was her sister doing on this side of the castle?

"N-no, of course not," rushed Cadence, "Please, come on in, Aunt Luna." Cadence always showed Luna a greater respect than the rest of the monarchy for some reason. Luna had noticed this trend long before her years of jealousy. What was it about her that invoked more authority than her sister? Surely, the rest of the family respected the Princesses of Day and Night equally. She still couldn't wrap her head around the concept.

The fact that Tia was in the room distracted Luna.

"What's going on?" she asked with the gentlest tone she could muster. Thankfully, Fluttershy's vocal lessons had not been a complete waste and it seemed the gentle voice calmed down the other two ponies.

"We were talking about dreams," her sister answered.

"Oh?" piqued Luna's curiosity, "What kind of dreams?"

"Well," interjected her niece, "the kind of dreams that can be remembered long after waking up."

"You know," started Luna, "that sounds a lot like the dream I had last night." She recounted her dream about podiums, a faceless voice, and a key that doubled as a sword. When she finished reminiscing, Celestia and Cadence both held their jaws wide.

"That... that's exactly what our dreams were about," said Celestia. Luna stood stupefied.

"What... really?" she said barely above a whisper. Celestia and Cadence proceeded to give specific details regarding their individual experiences in the dream.

"What can this mean?" asked the concerned niece.

"I don't know," replied Tia, "But this can't be a coincidence."

Some awkward minutes of silence passed between Cadence and her two Aunts.

"By the way, Luna," said Auntie Celestia at last, "Why did you come here today?"

"Why did I... Oh! That's right!" recovered Aunt Luna, "I wanted to give my prized niece a congratulatory gift for her successful marriage." As she said this, she pulled out three star-shaped objects. Each of which could be held up by a chain-like string.

"I believe the commoners of today called these 'Thalassa' charms," Luna continued, "They are a way of connecting destinies and sharing wishes of good fortune."

"Wow," whispered Cadence. Her eyes marveled at the unique magenta and white pattern that the charm had.
"Thank you."

"You are most welcome," beamed Luna, "And since we've all shared a unique experience, I figure it's a good idea if all of us have one." She said this while levitating the second toward Celestia while holding the third in front of herself.

"Are you sure that's alright?" asked Celestia while holding up a orange and red star charm with her magical touch.

"But of course," confirmed Luna while holding up a navy blue and purple star charm, "We'll figure this ordeal out together."

"Yeah!" affirmed Cadence. This bond of friendship was only the beginning of their journey.

Four other destinies were intertwined that day: the warrior of Fire, the warrior of Earth, the guardian of Wind, and the sorceress of Water.

(A/N: Hm... this is starting to sound more like a comedy than what I intended it to be. Oh, well. Sad moments are usually more effective later in the story when the reader's in a good mood.
In an unrelated note, updates may be sporadic. Just thought I'd warn you all.)

Trial of Departure

The heart is a mysterious thing.

What makes it shine?

Deep down there is a little light

that never goes out.

Hearts are unpredictable.

Chapter 3: Trial of Departure

The elemental Key bearers have already been through here. It is this world in which the last three shall begin their trials.
Are they ready to take up the Mark of Mastery?

Sleep that night came easily to the sun Princess of Equestria. Rest, however, proved to be more elusive. Her somewhat lucid dream led her to fly through a fairly vibrant mountain range. Within them rested a castle that held similar magnificence as Canterlot's, yet relied more heavily on structural chains rather than external beauty.

Her landing led her into a slowing gallop before stopping her motion entirely. She was somewhere in the valley regions behind the castle she had seen earlier. Strange hanging balances were suspended from various mechanical contraptions. Something in Celestia urged her to take a swing at them.

She focused her energy and her sun-filled Keyblade appeared in her grasp. She took a wide sweep and hit the first of several balances. The carousel-like balance swung around in a rotational fashion. Celestia felt a hidden instinct focus in on the balance she just struck. With a small jump and another swing of her Keyblade, she managed to hit it again.

Princess Luna didn't stay at that station for long. She took flight, while staying relatively close to the ground. As she continued on her way, a box that resembled a treasure chest appeared some yards away. She flew over toward the box and tapped it with her night sky Keyblade. It opened upon the touch of the Keyblade, granting her a health potion to be carried in a safe-dimension inventory that she could call on at any time.

With this new item in possession, Luna carried on along her path of flight. The day seemed to pass by rather quickly in this foreign land. A starry night had already taken over the view of the sky. Arriving near the top of a cliff's edge, Luna landed on her hooves and tucked her wings. Looking up she saw a shooting star. It was quickly followed by another and another. It was clear that it was a meteor shower. The freely flying stars looked beautiful to the Princess of the Night.

She observed the shower in a silent bliss for a few more moments. She then yawned having exhausted herself from a exciting day. For the first time in a while, Luna took a short nap during the night.

Princess Cadance slowly crept up on her snoozing aunt. Though her flight was still limited, her light hoof steps were practically impossible to hear. She hovered her face just a few inches above Aunt Luna's. The night alicorn opened her eyes slightly before jumping and standing up in surprise. Cadance laughed at her auntie's reaction.

"Canst thou give us a break, Mi Amore Cadenza?" inquired Luna. The slight slip into the Royal "We" made the dawn alicorn laugh even more. The sight of her niece so delighted made Luna sheepishly chuckle as well. They shared a laugh before returning their gaze to the meteor shower in the night sky. They both sat down to watch this masterpiece in motion.

"Hey, Aunt Luna," asked Cadance out of the blue, "What are stars made out of?"

"There's a legend that says that each of the stars is another world," said a voice that was not Luna's. The two sitting alicorns turned around to face the newcomer. Auntie Celestia continued to speak as she walked toward them.

"And each of those worlds sheds light as they watch over us. In other words, they're just like you."

"I don't understand," said Cadance with an eyebrow raised.

"You will eventually."

"Why can't you tell me now."

"You're still young, Cadance."

"I'm not a child anymore."

The night alicorn giggled at the sight before her.

"What are you laughing at?" queried Celestia.

"It's just," paused Luna, "You two would make a perfect mother and daughter." She giggled even more. The sun and dawn alicorns looked at her with blushes on their faces. Then they joined in the fits of laughter. The meteor shower had finished and now the only sights were the stationary stars.

Her laughter came to an abrupt halt. Celestia sensed a strange presence just behind her. Her instincts told her to be prepared for battle. The feeling summoned her Keyblade for her as she turned around to face the unknown threat. Her instinct was well placed, as her blade swiped through a fiery orb that was just inches from her head.

More orbs of flame and spherical levitating rocks hung suspended in mid air. They were dancing around like a viper before striking its prey. Celestia swung at a few of them, but then more appeared to take their place.

Luna quickly stopped laughing and her expression changed to shocked and then defensive. Strange spheres appeared around her that seemed to hold the four winds of Anemoi themselves. The spheres threatened to sting her with wind that could pierce flesh. The night princess would have none of that. She summoned her Keyblade and began counter-attacking the spheres of gales and breezes.

However noble her intentions were, new spheres were quickly replacing the ones Luna had just broken. It seemed this mysterious threat was not yet out of breath.

The joke was instantly forgotten. Orbs that seemed to be made from Poseidon's water circled above and around the young princess. Cadance may not have known what they were, but she knew that they were not friendly. She released her Keyblade on instinct and began performing sweeping motions against the liquid orbs.

The water seemed to hesitate after the backlash, but then it resumed closing in on its target. Cadance couldn't keep up this dance forever as the orbs of ocean kept circling and swinging.

Princess...
Focus.

Celestia heard the voiceless phrase and immediately obliged. As the orbs of fire and earth continued shaking, she could feel some of her energy 'lock on' to each of them. The group of orbs never saw it coming.

The sun alicorn felt her body accelerate at supersonic speeds. She struck through all of her attackers within a couple seconds, not even experiencing whiplash from all of her sudden turns during the attack. Her threat had dissipated.

Luna didn't understand the message she had just heard, but her instincts seemed to get the gist of it. She stood stock still and let her energy 'tag' each of the windy spheres that were coming closer. They did not stand a chance.

The night alicorn felt a clenching around her Keyblade as it seemed to charge up momentarily. In the next instant, the blade fired several darts made of moonlight. They crashed into the spheres, calming the gales into stilled air. Luna took deep, easy breaths.

Cadance reacted to the foreign advice within a split second. Her sudden impulse of energy allowed her to 'see' all of the watery orbs around her. What the orbs did not know would cost them their existence.

The dawn alicorn started spinning around in place, causing a spiral of wind and light to encircle her. The liquid orbs got caught in the spiral and evaporated on touch. Within seconds, Cadance was free from her trouble. She did not feel dizziness, only fatigue.

Well done. You three performed commendably and you have shown signs of the Mark. You are ready.

After hearing that voiceless praise, the Princesses started waking up and left this plane of departure.

A/N: Looks like I tried using Birth By Sleep components in this chapter. I'm not sure how often that will happen.
Thanks for reading so far.

A Darkness Approaches

You know so little

And you understand nothing.

Ahead lies something you need,

But to claim it you must lose something dear.

Chapter 4: A Darkness Approaches

The darkness is a resonance of refracted light waves. It tries to swallow the light. For darkness and light cannot coexist in exactly the same place for long. They realize this. Will you, Princess?

Another morning, another sunrise. It was a brand new day. Maybe a sense of normalcy in life would help revive her mind from the valley of dreams. Princess Celestia reached out her routine magic and as usual the sun rose. Like every morning there was a cover of black clouds that prevented view of the blue sky from-

The sun princess did a double-take outside to her balcony. There were black clouds being whisked around as if their very essence was attacking the whole of Canterlot. Some of which even ripped open holes in the ceilings of buildings. These were not normal storm clouds. Neigh, even the Everfree's strange weather could not compare to the vast, black typhoon circling the castle and everything around it. Guards and noble ponies were in panic and running around in every direction. That was the case except for the ponies captured by the winds and being thrown around in ovals of aerial motion.

Celestia attempted a divine fail-safe spell with a golden light from her horn. Yet, something was blocking her magic off of her intended target. She slightly grinded her teeth in frustration. There had to be something she could do. There just had to be. She quickly ran through her bedroom door into the long hallways of the castle. Her galloping hoof steps echoed as she ran.

These storm clouds are unlike anything I have ever seen, thought Princess Luna. She attempted to use one of her own storm spells to fight the foreign storm. However, all that succeeded in doing was creating a small dark cloud before it disappeared like a poof of dust. The winds were piercing various tents and structures within view of her window. No pony would be safe from this terrible twister for long.

"I must get Tia," Luna stated firmly to herself. She hurriedly opened her bedroom door and galloped down the halls. Why were these halls so long? It made emergency communication terribly slow. Regardless, the night princess had to hurry. Surely, her sister would know what needed to be done.

"Don't let go!" yelled the princess of dawn as she held her lover's hoof by a mere wrap-around. Neither of their magic was made for a bizarrely gigantic storm like this. Love and defense were made for warding off changelings, not for calming clouds of catastrophe.

"Dear, remember!" shouted the Royal Guard Captain over the howling winds, "I'll always love you!"

"I love you too!" replied Cadance with equal volume, "You can't leave me!"

"I'm sorry!" his final shout sounded as his hoof finally lost the fight against the storm. His helpless form flies up toward an unknown atmospheric frontier.

"Shining Armor! NOOOOOO!" cried the young alicorn. The tears that weren't caught in the gales dripped down her face as she hanged on for dear life on the building top that somehow didn't get ripped off yet. Her husband was gone. What was she to do now? Everything burned inside. She could only cry, but the winds wouldn't let any pony but herself hear.

An uncomfortably familiar feeling pricked under Celestia's skin as her gallop began to slow. She turned to look and identify the source of eyes. The shadows from her dreams... Heartless they were called... had somehow clawed their way into reality and now they were after her. A few golden glows from her horn cast magic missiles at the dark creatures. But they didn't have any effect on these Shadows.

There was only one thing that would work. She let the familiar energy flow through her entire being. Light flashed and became the solid form of her Keyblade. While the feeling of confidence was absent, the sun princess did feel determination. She was not going to let these Heartless take her home.

Her slicing motions were a bit more exaggerated than they had been in her dreams. Fortunately, her attacks seemed to be working as the Shadows' numbers were dwindling. Each slain being of darkness evaporated upon its defeat. The hissing noises of the invaders eventually silenced. The immediate threat had been eliminated. Princess Celestia had a feeling that she still needed her Keyblade. She continued galloping down the hallway with her weapon still held in her mouth.

Not again, thought the Princess of the Night, I let darkness take me once. I will not let it have Equestria as well. She felt the surge that she had experienced in her dreams. Her stellar sky Keyblade manifested itself and she managed to activate its more defensive magic. As several Shadows tried tackling her, she summoned a white reflective shield of magic. Upon impact, the Heartless bounced off the shield in recoil. When the shield disappeared, multiple blasts of light surrounded Luna, destroying all the Shadows in her immediate area.

Although her enemies were currently gone, Luna did not feel that the danger was over. She held on to her weapon as she traversed the hall at a quick pace. Regrouping and team efforts would solve this unnatural crisis. That was her gut instinct at the time.

Without explanation, the black winds began to subside. Cadance no longer had to struggle to stay on the building's rooftop. The relief was bittersweet. She didn't have to give any effort to fight the storm, but she also had no will to give such effort if it were needed. Her husband was gone. With him, a piece of her heart felt like it had been ripped away. What divine deities would allow such tragedy to pass?

Apparently, fate had a wry sense of humor and gave her a vision of worse possibilities things to come. In the center of the city, a shadow creature much larger than the ones in her dreams rose from the ground and crawled its way out of the ground. Its form resembled a minotaur without a face, save for the sinister yellow eyes. It was like a Triton mentioned in old legend but much darker.

The dawn princess looked at the monstrosity for what felt like eternity to her. Then, she made up her mind.

"I may have lost him," said Cadance to herself, "but that doesn't mean every pony else has to suffer loss today." With new determination, she opened her wings and flew toward Canterlot center. She called upon her inner driving force and acquired her garden, harp Keyblade in a flash of light. This dark creature would not take her home without a fight.

A giant hand of darkness crashed just in front of the section of hallway that she was running down. The co-ruler princess looked at the hand and traced it back to its source. While they were at opposite sides of the castle, the sun and moon alicorns somehow shared the same thought.

Holy Tartarus in a tail feather. That is a huge Heartless.

They then shared the crazy idea of running up the arm and galloping to where a weak spot might be. Implementing this crazy idea was instinctual and imminent.

Cadance saw both of her aunts running up the arms of the black giant. She flapped her wings to maintain a pace that would match their approach. They needn't a word to understand their improvised plan of a headstrong attack. The giant Heartless attempted to raise its arms to prepare some action, but it was already too late.

Sun, moon, and dawn Keyblades hit their marks and slashed the Darkside's head. A sickly purple smoke began to rise from various sections of the giant. It seemed to fall into the ground as its form faded from existence. The resulting aftershocks rumbled everything between earth and sky.

An unrelenting updraft suddenly blew against all three Princesses of Light. They tried to fight against it, but it was too strong to fly through. Their helpless forms were thrown upward beyond the sky as Canterlot crumbled into the pits of darkness.

They couldn't even hear themselves scream.

A Radiant Garden

You are the key that connects everything.

When you search for your light, don't lose sight of it.

The darkness will be there,

but in a place they cannot reach.

Chapter 5: A Radiant Garden

Living for thousands of years didn't reduce the grogginess she felt from getting up in the mornings. Princess Celestia picked her head up with her eyes still closed. As always, she reached her magical hold towards the sun...

...only to find that the magical connection was not there. She opened her eyes in confusion and then blinked them in surprise at her surroundings. She was not in her bedroom like usual. Instead, she was on some metallic table in the middle of what appeared to be a laboratory. The scenery reminded her of the experimental chambers Twilight Sparkle had in the library basement.

Contrary to the circumstances described in a science fiction novel she once read, she was not strapped to the table. In fact, nothing tried to restrict the sun princess as she slowly moved off the table and assumed a standing position. She opened her wings slightly to relieve a few cramps before folding them back up.

How did I get here? she thought, The last time I checked, I was at... the castle! She immediately remembered the strange black tornado and the giant Heartless she had to contest against.

Oh no... She vaguely remembered seeing the crumbling state that Canterlot was in as she was sucked up by the unnatural winds. A small light flashed in the corner of her eye. She aimed her magic at the point and levitated the red and orange star charm in her possession. It floated in front of her vision in her golden magic aura.

"Luna, Cadance," said Celestia gently, "I'll find a way back to you. Then we'll find a way to restore our home." She nodded firmly to herself as she stowed the charm back on herself, specially attached to the area of her left wing closest to her body.

"Oh, you're up! That's good."

The Princess of Equestria was slightly startled by the foreign voice. She turned to face the source and was unsure how to react. The creature that stood before her looked very much like Starswirl the Bearded, but there were obvious differences. For one, the being stood as a bipedal and his muzzle was clearly too small to belong to a stallion. Still, she could recognize the being as a wizard of sorts. There was an essence of magic in him that she could sense.

"Forgive me," said the not-Starswirl, "I haven't even introduced myself yet. My name is Merlin, and you are?"

"I am Celestia," said the princess with a bit of caution in her voice, "Am I in another world?"

"I'd surmise that is the case," Merlin answered, "considering I've never seen a being like you around here."

An explosion rattling the building interrupted their exchange of words.

"Oh, fiddlesticks!" exclaimed the wizard, "Come along! They're just outside!" He ran to a door and opened it before heading through.

"Wait! What's outside?" asked Celestia but Merlin had already left the room. Deciding to follow, she galloped through the same doorway. What she saw outside the door made her tense. They were small, bipedal creatures clad in armor that only revealed their evil, yellow eyes. Heartless.

"Hurry! We haven't a moment to waste," called Merlin. Celestia turned to see but the wizard was busy using magic to sweep the Heartless away with a broom. She wasn't exactly sure what he meant by hurry, but she had an idea of how to handle the situation.

Sending an emotional current through herself, she called forth her Keyblade in all its bright, sunny glory. Weapon in mouth, she restricted her speech capabilities in favor of combat potential. This choice proved to be wise as her large swinging motions quickly tore through the ranks of Heartless soldiers. Curiously, when each of these Heartless was slain, a valentine-shaped light floated up to the sky before vanishing. Celestia didn't have time to wonder why because another wave of Heartless had just appeared.

Instant of charging in brashly this time, she let her mind's eye focus on each of the Heartless in view. As soon as each 'lock' had been applied, Celestia felt a familiar rush as her body moved at supersonic speeds. Quick dashes left the score of Heartless down and defeated. They all disappeared in small explosions as more valentines soared above.

Princess Celestia, feeling at ease, allowed her Keyblade to disappear in a flash of white light. She then turned with a calm expression toward the wizard Merlin. Perhaps she could get some answers now that the immediate threat had been removed.

"You said you've never seen a being like me before," she repeated his earlier statement to him.

"Well," he clarified, "Only in a few stories of myth. You are a winged unicorn, correct?"

"I am an alicorn, yes."

"Well, why don't we get inside to a more comfortable setting? It'll be easier to talk."

A spot of tea later, the sun alicorn and the human wizard had exchanged bits and pieces of intriguing information. To him, she had told about her memories of her earlier life and the basics about how her world worked. To her, he had explained how the Heartless behave, where they came from, and the goal that they strived for: mainly the engulfment of Kingdom Hearts. This was followed by a suggestion by Merlin for Celestia to practice using magic.

"But, I can already use magic," she pointed out.

"Yes, but has it worked against the Heartless?" he asked.

"Well... no."

"That is why I ask that you practice using magic of a different variety. It stems from within you as a wielder of the Keyblade."

"The Keyblade. Just what is it?"

"It is a unique weapon and tool that chooses its wielder to maintain balance. It allows the bearer to make connections that are otherwise impossible."

"A tool... that connects."

"Yes."

Celestia looked at her empty teacup in thought before saying, "Where do we begin practice?"

She was getting the hang of this. It was fortunate that the wizard had infinitely repairing furniture pieces. Celestia's aim with fire, blizzard, and lightning magic had improved greatly since she had started. Her cure magic had taken away any sign of the singe marks she had on her from her earlier misfired flames. She had surprised herself when she found out that the Keyblade could be used in a boomerang sort of attack. Though, the kickback from the returning 'strike raid' caused her to flinch a little and made her question the sensible use of the technique in the middle of battle.

After she let her weapon leave the physical plane of existence, Merlin said, "I have one last thing to give you." He waved a wooden wand. In a burst of gentle white light, Celestia had an armored plate of sorts over her right shoulder.

"What's this?" she asked genuinely curious.

"It's a little piece of insurance," stated the wizard, "If you ever enter a place where darkness is in close proximity, just touch that plate." The sun princess lifted her left hoof and tapped the plate. A bright light engulfed her and within two seconds, she could barely be recognized.

Her entire body had been covered by brass-colored armor. It was form-fitting to her wings and a black visor covered her eyes. Interestingly, her golden tiara and chest plate were the only things that still looked the same. The princess looked over herself in awe.

"Woah," she breathed.

"That armor will protect you from the darkness," said Merlin, "but don't forget your own strength as you begin your journey."

"I won't," she declared. She knew what she had to do next. Celestia summoned her Keyblade and shot a stream of magical light. It opened a multicolored gateway that she turned to face.

Thank you for everything, she directed a thought towards her host. The wizard seemed to get it and nodded in understanding. The princess then ran toward the gateway and opened her wings wide as she disappeared through it.

The Lanes Between had a new traveler.

Hollow Bastion

Chasing the light will not distance you from the dark.

But don't be afraid.

If you can stare into that dark abyss unflinchingly,

Then you'll never know fear again.

Chapter 6: Hollow Bastion

Another all-dayer was followed by another full night of sleeping. This repetitive sleeping pattern would eventually have repercussions, she was sure. Princess Luna slowly pulled herself up into a standing position. Had she fallen asleep on the floor? It was certainly too stone-cold to be her bed. She popped several joints as she tiredly stretched her limbs.

She was confused when she opened her eyes to, not her bedroom, but a huge hallway complex. It was covered with brown ledges, high walls, stained glass windows, and the most peculiar contraptions. Every so often, they released loud hisses of white steam.

With her awareness on full alert, the Princess of the Night slowly trotted through the corridors of the complex. Her muscles twitched every time steam was released behind her. The images depicted in the stained glass windows were quite disheartening. Even her own hoof steps started to haunt her as her mind wandered.

Where am I? What is this place? What happened to the others?

She stopped walking for a moment to recall events prior to her wakening.

That monster Heartless. It destroyed our home. Oh, Tia...

A small glimmer of light seemed to answer Luna in her time of loneliness. With a faded blue aura, she reached her magic toward the glow. As she pulled the object into view, she recognized it as her navy blue and purple Thalassa charm. It represented her unbreakable bond.

"Tia, Cadance," she said in a hushed tone, "We'll be together again soon." She levitated the charm behind her head and attached the chain to her left wing bone closest to her body. With a small smile and a look of determination, she resumed her trot through the foreign halls.

What is this device? she thought as she approached a strange, red pulsating orb planted in the ground. Next to it was a small hanging platform that somehow remained stationary. It vaguely resembled something familiar to the night princess.

Perhaps if I... Luna approached the orb and tapped it twice with her hoof. The light within gradually changed from red to green. Subsequently, the platform shook in place and began to rise. Thinking quickly, the night alicorn jumped from her position onto the platform before it rose too high. It was now apparent that the device was an elevator of sorts.

Was this meant for the commoners who worked in this castle? Luna wondered. After a few seconds, the platform was in jumping distance of the high wall's plateau. The princess quickly jumped onto the elevated ground before the loose platform started its descent.

It was then that she saw what was up here. Large creatures that resembled wyverns were hovering in place. Each one had a black and red heart symbol emblazoned on its chest area. They turned their heads to stare at the newcomer with their soulless yellow eyes. New prey was uncommon to their starving forms.

Luna's skin crawled as she tensed up. Somehow, she knew that these creatures were similar to the Heartless she had encountered before. She reached her inner soul and summoned the emotion. Her night sky Keyblade appeared in its flash of light. The master guardian stood ready for battle.

The wyverns screeched before diving into an attack. They kicked and scratched at the wielder of the Keyblade. She managed to hold them off, blocking their stronger scrapes while enduring the lesser blows. The night alicorn managed to swing her Keyblade into the underbelly of some of her enemies. After enough damage had been dealt to them, the wyverns seemed to explode into sparks of darkness and valentine-shaped lights rose from the bodies before also disappearing in dark smoke.

There was no rest for the Princess of the Night. A new creature of the grounded variety appeared. It resembled a large faceless knight and it wore a dark beast's face for a shield. Luna attempted to strike the face, but it immediately knocked her back. The beast shield bit her leg as she stumbled back in pain.

You are nothing without me.

The sudden voice seemed to speak from nowhere yet everywhere. It sounded way too familiar to Princess Luna. But, she tried to ignore it and aimed her focus on the defender Heartless in front of her. Once her mind's eye had enough 'locks', her Keyblade unleashed a flurry of light-based darts. The shield, however, was resilient and was not ready to leave its Heartless master open to attacks. It didn't even seem fazed by the light darts.

Pathetic foal. Let me remind you what real power is.

Luna lost control of her body and couldn't move. A disturbingly familiar power started surging through her limbs. Dark, purple smoke surrounded her entire being. Within five seconds, the smoke cleared. Luna was gone. In her place, a black alicorn wearing a midnight blue helmet and chest plate was standing. She opened her slitted, turquoise eyes.

The light in the entire room seemed to darken a bit as Nightmare Moon turned her head slightly. One second, there were unnatural flower petals floating through the room. The next, she was behind the defender Heartless. The Heartless vanished as a valentine-shaped light floated above it. Then the valentine disappeared too.

Luna picked herself up and looked around. She was in an empty, dark abyss.

"You're a long way from home, aren't you?" chuckled a voice.

"No. You're not here," Luna argued, "You can't be here. Twilight Sparkle's Harmony took you away."

"Oh, Luna. You and I both know that isn't true."

The dark, malicious form of Nightmare Moon appeared in front of Luna.

"You can't escape the darkness," the helmeted alicorn reasoned.

"You're not me!" shouted the princess.

"I've always been you. I will always be a part of you."

Something in those words shook Luna. The atmosphere began to lose tension as she contemplated that last phrase.

A part of you... a part, she thought, Wait a minute. That's it!

"You're right," she slowly told her darker counterpart, "You'll always be a part of me. But that's just it. You are a part of me, not the other way around." As she spoke, spirals of faded light began to swirl around Luna.

"It is I who shall take control, not you!" the real Princess of the Night shouted. Her form had altered slightly to resemble a mirror image of Nightmare Moon. But it was slightly different. Luna now had a midnight blue body with a black helmet and chest plate.

"YOU WILL OVERSHADOW ME NO MORE!" declared her majesty's Royal Canterlot tone. A bright light surrounded her before spreading out in all directions.

"Nooooooo!" cried Nightmare Moon as she was swallowed by the light. The dark abyss soon followed suit.

Princess Luna woke in a startled jump. She looked herself over to find her body returned to its properly colored, dark purple shade. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She then looked casually down to her right. The sight made her raise an eyebrow in confusion.

On her right shoulder was a piece of metal, not unlike the shoulder brace armor she had seen on some of her guards. But from where had this particular brace come? Luna was not sure and reached her left hoof to it in curiosity. Her curiosity was rewarded with a comforting light covering her entire being. In less than three seconds, she found out the purpose of the brace.

The night alicorn was now covered head-to-hoof in a full body armor. The plates were blue like lake water and a black vizor covered her eyes. It felt foreign to her but at the same time familiar. She found she could still walk easily enough and her wings could still open on command.

I know what I have to do, thought Luna. She summoned forth her Keyblade once again. Channeling energy toward the end point, she activated a beam of light that revealed a gateway made from distorted light and darkness waves.

Hold on, dear sister and niece. I'm coming, she thought. She opened her wings wide open and galloped toward the gateway at full speed. As she disappeared through it, the gateway shrank before vanishing completely. A new traveler wandered the Lanes Between.

Traverse Town

You don't always need to let go of your past.

You just need someone to surround yourself with light.

...

You can have my light.

Chapter 7: Traverse Town

How could this have happened? Was she destined to have her heart broken every time she tried to form ties of friendship and love? Princess Cadance asked herself these questions but to her disappointment, she did not know the answers to them. She even tried pulling out the magenta and white star charm she had. Perhaps she thought her aunts could answer her questions just by willing them to even though she couldn't see them. Sadly, the charm remained silent, unable to provide understanding in her time of sorrow.

A surge of rage blinded her in tears at that moment. Using her blue magic, she flung the charm with as hard a swinging motion as possible. The sudden release of magical contact with the charm seemed to wake her up from her jiffy of anger.

"Oh no," said the dawn alicorn, "What have I done?" Immediately, she began to gallop around the house she had tossed the trinket. The lights flickered a bit as she turned around a corner. She was not expecting the sight that met her eyes.

The creature had a spiky, blond mane but it stood much taller than any pony she had ever seen before. It stood on two legs and was dressed almost entirely in black leather apparel. It seemed to be picking something up before resuming to stand at its full height.

"I think you dropped this, Miss," it said with a masculine voice. Cadance could now see its unsharpened claw appendage reaching in a sort of offering pose. She recognized the object it held as her Thalassa charm.

"Uh... thank you," she said nearly dumbfounded. She used her magical hold to retrieve her charm from its... no, his possession. He was definitely a man, whatever his species was. Before she placed the white, magenta star back on her left wing, a thought of guilt crossed her mind.

Sorry, Aunt Luna. It was wrong of me to take out my frustration on you. She reattached the trinket as the man began to walk away. Cadance wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to follow him. Her attempt to trot softly and quietly was destroyed by the loud, stone pavement. The man, however, took no notice as he continued to mosey on his way.

The two unlikely companions continued walking until the man stopped at a more open area. Dim lamps and street lights revealed the laid out benches and a wide stairway. It wasn't exactly the cheerful looking Ponyville park. Despite that, there was a sense of peace that met the young princess's mind. It almost made her forget her earlier fit of anger.

Unfortunately, all good things had to have an end. Shadows bulged out of the ground as blue, floating masses appeared out of nowhere. These masses looked kind of like dwarf wizards. Except, their yellow eyes were reminiscent of the hungry stares of the Shadows. They were most likely Heartless as well. What was once a peaceful quadrant was now a tense battle field.

The stranger and the princess stood back to back. They pulled out their respective weapons. The man drew a large sword from his back and held it in both of his hands. Cadance called forth her energy from within and summoned her melodious garden Keyblade. Neither of them had to say anything to confirm that they were ready to fight.

As if a dam had burst, they rushed toward the waves of enemies that surrounded them. The Shadows stood no chance against the powerful charging stabs made by the swordsman. The blue floating Heartless released blasts that took ice form upon impact. Contrarily, the dawn alicorn felt a burning heat rise up within her. It released itself from the end of her Keyblade in the form of fiery blasts, easily taking down the icy Heartless.

Quick as the battle had started, it was over. All of the dark creatures had been slain. The companions shared a slow breath before sheathing their weapons. At this moment, the princess thought she could at least introduce herself properly to the man that had helped her.

"I'm Cadance," she said as she turned to look at the man.

"Cloud," he replied abruptly, not even bothering to turn around.

"So... uh," started the young princess unsure of what to make of this man's body language, "What brings you around these parts?"

"Partly because I'm searching for someone," he said, "to end my struggles with a certain darkness once and for all."

"Searching...," she repeated, "I... guess I'm searching too."

"For your light?" he asked quietly, "Don't lose sight of it."

"I won't," she vowed. Though, something still plagued her mind, "You said it was only 'partly'. What was the other 'partly'?"

"A friend of mine told me to come here," he answered, "and to give this to the new Keyblade master." Cloud reached into one of his pockets. When he pulled out his hand, he was holding a dark, rounded pad.

"For me?" Cadance wondered as she reached out to the object with her magic, "What is it?"

"Something to protect you from the darkness on the roads you will travel." It was kind of creepy, Cadance thought, how he could talk so monotonously yet so deeply at the same time. As the rounded object drew closer to her, it suddenly jumped out of her grasp and connected with her right shoulder. It was clear now that it was some sort of pad.

"Good luck with your search," said the blond as he started to walk away.

"You too!" called the princess. She idly started scratching her shoulder pad with her left hoof. What she didn't realize was that she activated its mechanism. Light surrounded her entire being. After a few seconds, the light cleared leaving a fully armored Cadance. The armor plates were colored bright red and a black vizor now covered her eyes. She looked herself over and confirmed that she could still walk by moving her legs.

She summoned her Keyblade and charged up a beam of light. The light revealed a hidden gateway made of light that rested in space. Princess Cadance started galloping to the gateway. Just as she was about to cross through, she opened her wings as wide as they could spread. She disappeared into the path as the gateway shut. Another wanderer had trekked the Lanes Between.

Cloud sighed as he kept walking along the pavement.

"You owe me for this, Leon."

Celestia

D-Links Established:
Luna
Cadance
Merlin

Luna

D-Links Established:
Celestia
Cadance
Nightmare Moon

Cadance

D-Links Established:
Celestia
Luna
Cloud

A/N: Ever since Kingdom Hearts 1, Squall Leonheart insisted on being called "Leon". To this day, I still have no idea why.

The Lanes Between and Disney Town

You may use these forbidden pathways

To travel between this world and countless others.

But, remember that order must be kept.

Now go, and fulfill your duty.

Chapter 8: The Lanes Between and Disney Town

The Princess thought she knew the joy of flight. But nothing quite excited her so much as the fast pace she was feeling now.

Is this how Rainbow Dash feels when she flies so fast? she asked her own mind, I feel so alive!

For a brief moment, all her dark troubles seemed to melt away. She almost forgot about the Heartless and what they had done to her home. Sadly, this moment didn't last. Reality decided to interrupt her laughing adrenaline rush with a squad of fast, flying enemies. They resembled strange, metal boxes that had ship cannons attached to their sides.

Those cannons weren't for show. They started released blasts of red energy that threatened the Princess's flight trajectory. One blast nicked her armored side as she flew above the dark ships. She wasn't going to give the space bugs another chance.

Taking an aileron roll motion, she swung her Keyblade down and across the tops of one of the ships. The dark ship exploded just two seconds after contact. After a few more gyro swings, there were no more enemy crafts in her immediate vicinity. A small, rectangular object floated toward the Princess as a light flashed at the end of the 'tunnel'. A new world awaited her arrival.

Obtained!
Disney Town Pass:

Allows entry to one guest.

Princess Celestia landed soundlessly on an orange pavement. Her brass-colored armor seemed to disintegrate in small threads of light, leaving only her royal garments and shoulder pad to cover her. She took in the surroundings with a curious eye as she walked slowly. The buildings around her seemed to have unusual designs that made each one stand out as its own theme.

Is this a town center? thought the sun princess as she came to an circular area with an open-ended roofed structure in the middle of it all. Strung to the center and its surroundings were several multicolored banners that resembled pennants. It kind of reminded Celestia of the set up for the old Coltosseum during ancient sporting events.

She didn't have long to wander her memories. Another presence came running toward the town center. The princess was taken aback by the sight of a bipedal bull with gloved appendages like a minotaur. At the same time, however, she felt concern for the guy. Why was he in such a hurry that he needed to catch his breath?

"Someone... anyone," he panted, "Please help."

The day alicorn walked closer to him before asking, "What's wrong?"

The bull looked up and replied, "There are some troublesome creatures making a mess of the Fruit Ball court!"

"Maybe I could help," offered the sun princess.

"That'd be much appreciated," he said after he caught his breath, "It's over here. I can explain the rules of Fruit Ball along the way."

From what Celestia gathered, Fruit Ball was just a higher stakes, complex version of volleyball. There were really only two differences: the sport was not a hands only sport and scores could be made even with the fruit that was on the ground for less than ten seconds. It was just the princess and her Keyblade against a threesome of Heartless soldiers. A bell rang, nets started swinging back and forth, and giant pieces of fruit started flying from several directions.

Needless to say, Celestia felt she was in a bit over her head. A couple set-spike combos let her smack a couple honeydew melons into the air and clear to the opponents' goal. The soldier Heartless even looked stunned. However, this didn't account for the four loose grapes that whizzed past her head into the net behind her. Her current strategy needed a slight change.

The sun alicorn felt a new focus forge within herself. She felt like she was full of the love energy that her niece shone in. The brief, blue link through her heart allowed her a temporary agility of her younger years. As apples and pineapples started being served through the air, Celestia began to spin in place. This motion created a huge tornado made from pure light energy.

The results were explosive. Not only did the spin wipe out the Heartless, but it also scored three more points for Celestia. So when the bell signaling the end of the event rang, the final score was five to four in favor of the alicorn. She had beaten the darkness that plagued this area.

"Well, I'll be ground!" said the bull in overalls, "That was some fine Fruit Ball playing!"

"First time I've played too," chuckled Celestia.

"It was a beautiful display nonetheless," chimed in a new voice. The alicorn and bull turned to face this newcomer. She was dressed up in red and pink linens and a small crown adorned her head. She had large round ears and the relative appearance of a mouse.

"It sure was, Queen Minnie," agreed the bull, "I haven't seen moves like that for years."

"Oh!" exclaimed Celestia in the presence of fellow royalty, "Where are my manners, your majesty?" She quickly assumed an open-wing bowing motion.

"There's no need to be so formal," said the appreciative queen, "Just call me Minnie please."

The sun princess lifted herself back into a normal standing position before saying, "My name is Celestia." Minnie nodded her head in acknowledgement before a look of shame took over her face.

"It's been difficult looking after the kingdom after King Mickey left," she said, "Sometimes I worry that I haven't done enough."

"I know the feeling," empathized Celestia. Minnie and the bull looked at Celestia in confusion.

"I'm in charge of a monarchy as well," the princess explained, "Every pony depends on me and all I want is the best for them, but there are times when I second guess myself. There are times when I ask, 'Have I done the right thing? Am I making the right choice?' But, no matter what, I'll keep trying my best."

"That's a very moving statement," commented the bull, "In fact, after your performance today, I might just give you my vote for the Million Dreams Award."

"Looks like Horace has grown rather fond of you," giggled Minnie.

"Million Dreams Award?" echoed Celestia.

"Every year, the people of Disney Town votes for the citizen they thinks exemplifies the spirit of helping one other and supporting each other," explained the queen.

"Well then," the sun princess rubbed her neck with a hoof before saying, "I'll do my best."

Everyone had gathered at the town center, near the large stage.

"Well, this is an exciting result in a long time!" announced Queen Minnie, "This year we have multiple winners." The crowd hushed in anticipation.

"The Million Dreams Award goes to..." The suspense was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

"...Cadance, Celestia, and Luna. All three of you." The crowd turned to face Celestia and cheered, clapped, and hollered in congratulations.

"Luna and Cadance? They were here too?" asked the sun princess in delight. She made her way on stage next to the queen. She looked around in hope for a few seconds. Sadly, the other two princesses were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh dear," said Minnie, "It looks like the other winners couldn't make it."

"They must have already come and gone," sighed Celestia in disappointment.

"Perhaps you'd like to accept the reward on their behalf," offered the queen. To this, Celestia made a polite nod of acceptance.

"To commemorate your success today, we have an additional prize," continued Minnie "An ice cream flavor just for you."

At this cue, the anthro duck that was called Princess Daisy held up a glass cup filled with a scoop that looked like a partly cloudy sky.

"Sunburst Sweetcake!" declared Minnie. With the queen's permission, Celestia accepted the cup with her golden magical glow and gave the ice cream a small nibble.

"What do you think?" asked the queen.

The sun alicorn swallowed before saying, "This is delicious. I daresay this is the best thing I've ever tasted."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," smiled Minnie, "And with that, this year's award ceremony is concluded." The crowd cheered again with slightly more gusto.

I want this cake. I want it, thought Celestia as she battled inside to avoid gobbling the entire dessert in a giant gulp. To her fortune, no one was watching that closely as she quickly devoured her treat.

Time and space do not always matter...

...only truths.

Princess Luna appeared on a grassy hillside. Her blue armor seemed to shatter into energy particles. This left her with nothing to wear but her royal garments and the new plate on her shoulder. Though in retrospect, she didn't take much notice to this. What she did notice was the long fencing that was downhill from her. The fence itself spread out for yards, as did the dirt road behind it.

What is that path? the night princess pondered. She walked downhill with her gaze not faltering from the wooden construction before her. She did, however, look up in time to see some very sinister looking vehicles with a slightly familiar insignia on their front bumpers.

"Heartless!" cried Luna as the horseless carriages zoomed by her. She hopped over the fence with ease, summoning her Keyblade in the process. She took a few galloping steps in the fleeing Heartless' direction before she realized that she wouldn't be able to catch them on hoof. She sighed in disappointment as she let her Keyblade disappear again.

"Watch out!" shouted a voice from behind her. She turned around to see three winged carriages in the primary colors of light: red, green, and blue. But she didn't have time to make sense of the situation as she quickly leaped over the fence to avoid being run over. Her day was just getting more and more sporadic.

"What were you thinking running onto the race track like that?" squeaked a slightly irritated chipmunk.

"Yeah, that was just crazy!" agreed the chipmunk next to him.

"But, the Heartless,..." started Luna.

"I'm afraid Chip and Dale are right," interrupted a gentle yet firm voice, "There are rules that must be followed." The conversationalists turned to the newcomer. Luna took note that it was a bipedal mouse of sorts wearing a fancy, pink and red dress and what looked like a small crown on its head. She had a pretty good idea that this being was female.

"Queen Minnie!" acknowledged the two chipmunks, whom Luna guessed were Chip and Dale based on the newcomer's earlier statement.

"And who might you be?" asked the implied queen.

"My name is Luna," said the night alicorn, "I shall respect the established rules, but I must defeat the Heartless."

"Hm...," thought the queen out loud, "Well, why don't you sign up as a racer?"

"What?" said the princess out of surprise, "Me in a race?"

"Uh-huh," affirmed Minnie.

Luna rubbed a hoof against her chin before saying, "Very well, then. I shall sign up." A strange vision entered Luna's mind for a split-second. It resembled an armored bipedal man. He tossed his Keyblade in a diagonally vertical direction. It then spun around before transforming into a large flying mechanical platform that could support his weight. As quickly as it came, the vision vanished. Luna knew what she had to do.

Seeing the vision and actually riding her Keyblade were two very different experiences as the Princess of the Night soon discovered. She was a bit shaky at first edging toward the starting line, but managed to find an appropriate stationary balance. It seemed the vehicle was respondent to her thoughts. So when she calmed herself, the balance was easier. With a silent count to three, a high-pitched foghorn sounded and the race had begun.

Luna willed her Keyblade glider forward and the racers were off. She staggered in last place for a while. She really had to focus her thoughts in order to gain acceleration on the straightaway. Soon, she had passed the red, green, and blue 'planes' as she had heard them called. Her true targets, however, were still ahead.

Braking was slightly less demanding of her focus. Though, the first time she tried it, Luna narrowly avoided hitting the boundary fence line. This was a much different hovering than her natural flight with her wings. But she didn't have time to waste. The Heartless carriages were getting away.

On the next straightaway, she resumed her focus on accelerating. As she gained on the Heartless in the third place position, she tried summoning her Keyblade... only to remember that she was currently riding her weapon.

How do I attack? the night alicorn asked herself. To her surprise, the glider seemed to respond to her thoughts and swung in a lashing motion at the nearest carriage. That Heartless reacted in a flinching manner.

This might work, thought Luna. The Heartless that she was closest too decided to hit its gas pedal and sped away. Another one, however, started slowing down and was now within Luna's range. Her glider resumed its pattern of lashing motions. This was either a pitiful strategy of attack or these Heartless were quite formidable. It took Luna twenty strikes before one Heartless disintegrated releasing its captive valentine to the sky.

At this rate, the race will be over before I can even slightly puncture them, worried the princess. After the next turn, the finish line was just a few yards away.

If only I were stronger, she thought. This time, her prayers were answered from an internal blue light. The alicorn wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but she was willing to try anything at this point. In that moment, Luna felt like her entire being was filled with the power of a thousand suns. Her body and blade started zigzagging in a pattern at speeds nearing light itself. The motions cut through the Heartless carriages and before she knew it, her glider leaped into the sky and slammed straight to the ground. The impact destroyed both of the remaining Heartless.

Didst that just happen? Luna asked herself. A few buzzing noises behind her quickly reminded her of the fact that she was in a race. Immediately, she returned her attention to accelerating. Her glider was the first vehicle to cross the finish line.

"Wowie!" exclaimed Dale, "Now that was some great racing."

"Yeah, what he said!" agreed Chip.

"That was an excellent performance," stated Minnie in a more hushed voice.

"And I didn't have to break any rules to accomplish my goal," commented Luna.

"Indeed," agreed the queen.

"You've got Dale's and my vote, Luna," piped in Chip.

"Vote?" echoed the night alicorn.

"They're talking about the Million Dreams Award," explained Minnie, "Each year, everyone in town votes for who they believe is the most exemplary citizen. At the end, we count up the votes and the one who gets the most, wins the award."

"Well in that case," said Luna with a smile, "I'm flattered to receive nomination."

Everybody gathered at town center near the large stage. Their full attention was on Queen Minnie who was just about to announce the winner... or winners.

"Cadance, Celestia, and Luna. All three of you." The crowd looked at Luna and cheered in congratulations and applause of approval.

"Celestia and Cadance?" asked the night alicorn in awe, "They were here?"

"Would our three winners step forward to claim their prize?" asked the queen politely. Luna trotted on stage in a combination of anxiousness and hope. But as she looked around, it was apparent that neither her sister nor her niece were in the vicinity.

"Oh dear," said Minnie, "It looks like the other winners couldn't make it."

"Hast thou already moved on, dear sister and niece?" asked the Princess of the Night in rhetorical quietness.

"Perhaps you'd like to accept the award on their behalf," offered the queen. Turning to face her, Luna nodded her head half accepting, half solemn.

"In recognition of your success today, we have an additional prize," Minnie added, "An ice cream flavor just for you."

As if on cue, the anthro duck known as Princess Daisy lifted a waffle cone filled with what looked like a scoop of essence of a night sky.

"Midnight Swizzleberry!" declared Minnie. With the queen's permission, Luna accepted the cone and its contents in her blue magical aura. She took a delicate nibble as if biting the thing would ruin it.

"What do you think?" inquired the queen.

"Mmm," sighed the princess, "This is fantastic! We take great delight in this customized sweet." She slipped into her royal 'we' briefly.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," smiled Queen Minnie as she turned back to the crowd, "And with that, this year's award ceremony is complete." The crowd cheered one more time.

It's too bad I forgot my royal napkin, thought Luna as she continued to slowly consume her ice cream.

Time is an illusion...

...as it is relative.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza stepped forth from her landing zone. The red armor flashed in a burst of small lights practically disappearing. What it left behind was her tiara, her golden shoes, and her shoulder pad. Though, this wasn't what struck her fancy at the time.

What did catch her attention was the peculiar device in front of a stage. It looked like a bizarre cross between a piano and a dance mat. Next to it were three creatures that looked like they were puzzled about something. The creatures resembled anthro ducks clothed in T-shirts and baseball caps. Red, green, and blue were the colors worn by each duckling. While Cadance wasn't one to make interruptions, she did feel a curiosity toward the scene in front of her.

"What's going on?" she asked. The duckling trio turned to face her.

"We're trying to use the use the new musical ice cream maker," said the duckling in red.

"We wanted to make a special flavor for Queen Minnie," said the duckling in green.

"Problem is this machine is difficult to use," added the duckling in blue, "You gotta dance to the music you play just right or all you end up with is a giant mess."

Hmm, dance and music huh? thought the dawn princess.

"Maybe I could get it to work," she commented, "I'm pretty good with rhythms. My name is Cadance after all."

"All right," said the red dressed, "You can give it a shot." He then turned to the other two, "Dewey, Louie, get in position! We've got some ice cream to make."

Princess Cadance stood on the dance mat which was suspiciously shaped for a quadruped. Keyblade in muzzle, she stood ready to play music and dance to it too. An example melody started playing for her to follow. The foot motions were basic enough. She just had to step one hoof after the other in a clockwise fashion.

The real challenge came in aiming the device. In order to 'play' the piano, Cadance had to adjust her pattern of swings to match melody one second and harmony the next. Sometimes it felt more like she was trying to be a drummer with one drumstick. Luckily for her, the machine didn't have an expert mode for it to switch.

As she played the music and danced the beat, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were shaking their bodies to the music as well. They held cones that caught ice cream shots as they were launched from the musical ice cream maker. It seemed they needed to clap to the rhythms as well. Cadance wasn't sure why, but now was not the time to think about that. She had to keep her motions in sync with the melody and beats.

By some illogical coincidence, the ice cream scoops were stacking up by the meters. They stacked up even more when a loud whistling noise cued Cadance to beat her hooves and fire the machine rapidly for the finale. By the time the song ended, she and the ducklings were exhausted.

Something welled up inside of the princess. It was as if the moon and stars were focusing on her all at once. She lifted her Keyblade toward the heavens and fired a volley of light darts. They created a display of improvised fireworks. It was a sight to behold.

"What a wonderful treat," commented a pleased Queen Minnie, "Thank you... uh... oh... oh dear."

"Oh," realized the dawn alicorn, "I'm Mi Amore Cadenza. Cadance is fine, though."

"Well, thank you, Cadance," finished the queen.

"I see what we were doing wrong," commented Louie, "We had to point that thingamajig in time with the other whatchamacallit."

"New machines are tough to figure out," said Dewey, "But it became fun in the end."

"Way to go, Cadance!" complimented Huey, "Hey, keep this up and you might win the Million Dreams Award."

"What's the Million Dreams award?" asked Cadance.

"That's one of the Dream Festival events," answered Minnie, "Everyone votes for the person they think is the most exemplary citizen."

"And if you win the award," exclaimed Huey, "You get a really cool prize!"

"It's just a small token of appreciation, really," insisted the queen, "The spirit of the award is in how we all look out for each other every day."

"Hm," hummed Cadance while rubbing her chin with a hoof, "That sounds nice."

"Cadance, Celestia, and Luna. All three of you." All the crowd cheered and hollered as they looked at Cadance with favor.

"Celestia and Luna were here too?" asked the dawn alicorn as she looked back and forth expectantly.

"Would our three winners please step forward to claim their prize?" pushed the queen gently. Cadance quickly trotted on stage next to her. After scanning the crowd for a few seconds, she realized that she couldn't find either of her aunts.

"Oh dear," said Minnie, "It looks like the other winners couldn't make it."

"I must have just missed them," sighed Cadance in disappointment.

"Perhaps you'd like to accept the award on their behalf," offered the queen. Without hesitation, Cadance nodded in her affirmation.

"Additionally, we'd like to present to you an additional prize," said Minnie, "An ice cream flavor just for you."

At this statement, the anthro duck known as Princess Daisy lifted up a small bowl that held a scoop of what looked like the swirls of sunrise.

"Melody Mulberry!" declared Minnie. With the queen's permission, Cadance accepted the ice cream creation in her light blue magical aura. She took a small bite that barely disturbed the dessert's viscosity.

"What do you think?" inquired Minnie.

"This is a terrific flavor," replied Cadance, "I love, love, love it!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," smiled the queen. She turned to the crowd before saying, "And that concludes this year's Dream Festival award ceremony." The crowd whooped and cheered some more.

Oh, Shining Armor, thought the dawn princess, I wish I could share this with you. Her thoughts were both sad and happy simultaneously.

Time is a resource that must be used to its fullest.

It can be shared just as easily as it can be lost.

Xulan

In your grasp, take this blade

And so long as you have the makings,

Then through this simple act of taking,

Its wielder you shall one day be made.

Chapter 9: Xulan

A castle in the middle of oblivion. There was no other way Princess Luna could describe what she was seeing right now. It was a large building with teal spikes in an irregular pattern all over it. There was a small, round stained-glass window near the top. In any direction away from the structure, there was nothing but empty space. A gray winding path led away from the entrance, but that wasn't exactly a landmark. Shedding her armor to the particles of light, the Princess of the Night trotted toward the wooden, double door.

Opening the large door took less effort than she expected. She barely touched it with her magic and it opened right up for her. As she walked inside, Luna took notice of the white, marble appearance of the otherwise narrow hallway. The very blank appearance of the white walls and floor made the corridor seem very empty. Statuettes of bulbous flowers marked either side of the door Luna had just entered.

At the opposite end of the hallway was a small staircase. The six steps led to another double door, but this one was relatively smaller than the entrance. Feeling a little curious, the night alicorn opened her wings and flew forward. She covered the distance between doors in a matter of seconds. Landing gently on the slightly elevated floor, she folded her wings. She then reached out her magic to open the door. What was she going to find behind it?

Entering the next room revealed two marble-white cubes on either side of the doorway. Haphazard white lights were hung on the walls to provide sight. On the opposite end of the hallway was a taller staircase than the first hall's. But these were not the details on which Luna had her eyes focused. Her attention was caught by the lone figure right in the middle of the room.

It appeared to be a pony-shaped being. Though, it was difficult to discern beyond that, since said pony was wearing a black cloak. The garment hid all but the pony's hooves. Luna couldn't even see their face. Slowly and cautiously, the princess trotted closer to the other occupant of the hallway.

Her caution was well placed, as the cloaked figure acted in haste. A dark aura burned in front of the pony's face before it solidified as a weapon. The weapon, though black and empty, was uncannily familiar to the alicorn.

"A Keyblade?" asked Luna with widened eyes. She didn't have time to wonder as the cloaked pony quickly galloped forward and swung the Keyblade in question. On instinct, the Princess of the Night summoned her own Keyblade. Just in time too, because the galloping figure swung theirs against hers.

Who are you? thought Luna with her mouth occupied by the Keyblade she was wielding.

Someone from the dark, replied thoughts that weren't her own. Blades clashed for a few swings before both wielders jumped back away from the fray.

Is this... telepathy? asked Luna in her mind.

Yes, affirmed the foreign thoughts. The cloaked pony charged in for another diagonal swing. The princess managed to parry the attack. She proceeded to fly over her opponent.

What do you mean 'someone from the dark'? Luna directed her thoughts to her attacker.

I have to make you a part of me, said the other mind, I must take your heart as my own.

What? Princess Luna scrunched her eyebrows. This pony was insane. They wanted her heart? That was absurd.

When the cloaked figure galloped toward her again, Luna charged in headstrong as well. Keyblades clashed and slashed at each other and they sang the song of conflicting intentions. A sudden, forceful blow sent the princess flying through the air. She quickly straightened herself out with a flap of her wings. The pony in the cloak jumped as if to perform an airborne chase. Another exchange of Keyblades clanging sent Luna back to the floor while her attacker remained near the ceiling.

The darkness cannot have me, thought the night alicorn, I must master it. A split-second of blue light encased her body before disappearing instantly. A surge of righteous fury flowed from her heart to the tip of her blade. Another second passed as a volley of dark darts left her Keyblade and flew at the currently airborne pony.

Whoever was under that garment grunted and yelped in pain as the darts passed through their being and to the ceiling above them. They collapsed to the ground below with another pained sound. The black Keyblade soon followed suit before disappearing in the aura that had summoned it. The Princess of the Night walked over, still clearly miffed at the being that would even think that she'd be all right with losing her heart.

The damage from the battle had severed the hood of the pony's cloak. Luna could see that it... she was a sky blue mare with blue eyes and a gray mane. She didn't really look like the type to pick a fight. Then again, looks could deceive as well as kill.

The cloaked mare sighed and smiled sadly before saying, "You make a good other." Her body began to fade into black and white particles. Within a few seconds, the mare was gone completely. With the enemy gone, Luna felt safe enough to allow her Keyblade to vanish into its light.

After passing through another set of double doors, Princess Luna found herself outside of what appeared to be a brick mansion of old. Hadn't she been in a castle in the middle of nowhere? But now she was in a private section of a forest. This piece of land was gated off, but this was no problem for her to fly over.

"'You make a good other'," she echoed the words of the pony she had clashed with, "What did she mean by that?"

A distant rumbling interrupted her thoughts. She had to investigate. Using the trick she learned in Disney Town, she boarded her Keyblade glider and rushed to find the disturbance.

Capsule Monsters

Those that deserve the power to rule worlds

Can do so without it.

But those who do not deserve the power,

Even what they have shall be taken away.

Chapter 10: Capsule Monsters

The surrounding trees did not feel void of magic like those of the Everfree. But neither could Princess Celestia feel any familiar radiance from the forest that she now found herself in. In any case, it was a clear, sunny day on the path. Hardly a breeze was blowing. She couldn't have found a more peaceful place to land. She allowed her brass armor to fade from the physical realm and began to trot.

Idly, she pulled out her way finder charm in her magic aura. Looking at it gave her a bit of sad peace. She was separated from her loved ones, but she knew they would be together soon. For now, she just had to follow the path her life had given her. She set the charm back into its place before resuming her forward gaze.

It was kind of ironic that the princess then tripped over a large rock in the path. She had it in her power to observe almost all of her kingdom but she couldn't see the forest for the trees. In her case, she hadn't seen the road for the dirt. Righting herself in a standing position, she managed to shake off most of the dust that had attached to her coat. It was then that she heard a cracking noise behind her.

As Celestia turned to find the source of the noise, she noticed that the rock she had tripped over was not exactly a rock. It resembled a sort of dome-shaped stone. The breaking noise was actually coming from a growing fracture that was spreading throughout the entire surface of the stone. As the fracture grew larger, white light seemed to pour out of the stone from the inside. The sun alicorn had to shield her eyes with a wing as the light became intensely bright.

Before she knew it, the light had already faded and the princess could see again. She looked to where the stone had been and was promptly in awe at what had taken its place. It was a creature that had large wings like a Pegasus, but the rest of its body more resembled the human she had encountered in the Radiant Garden world. It had a long, orange mane and wore garments that could only be described as heavenly.

The winged humanoid held Celestia in a solemn gaze. While she had never seen this creature before, she immediately felt a comforting sensation. She just knew that she could trust the being.

"Hello," she quietly said, "My name is Celestia. Who might you be?"

In a deep baritone voice, the humanoid replied, "I am called Honest, Master."

"Master?" asked the princess holding up a hoof to her chest in surprise. Honest simply nodded to the question. The alicorn was about to correct him saying that she was no one's master. She was interrupted, however, by several shuffling noises from behind her. She turned around to see a group of shadows with yellow eyes that were prepared to strike.

"Heartless!" cried the sun princess as she summoned forth her Keyblade.

"Wait, Master," said Honest, "Allow me." Before Celestia knew what was happening, the winged man had flown in front of her and was facing the Heartless. He moved his left wing in front of himself. As he did this, several fast-paced feathers seemed to release themselves from his wing and struck the Shadows. The group of Heartless vanished in smoke.

Princess Celestia let her Keyblade leave the physical realm and simply said, "Wow."

"I am here to serve, Master," said Honest sincerely.

"Thank you," nodded the princess in gratitude. She was happy to have the company in this new world.

She was not, however, happy to have twenty other companies that threatened her and Honest. Although the newly found enemies had barely anything in common with each other, they all seemed to have a fondness with fire. Specifically, they took pleasure in throwing fire at Celestia and her companion. They did their best to dodge the flames as they approached.

Honest launched some of his feathers in retort, but the fiery shadow beasts were just as tricky with their dodging. His timing couldn't have been worse as a clown threw one of its juggled fireballs right in his direction. He tried to lean out of the way, but the heat caught the upper tip of his left wing. He let out a discomforted yell.

Before Celestia could react, her own left wing also burned in pain. She ground her teeth both from the burning sensation and the confusion. She was quite certain that the fiends hadn't struck her. A light went off in her mind and her eyes snapped open.

Did Honest's pain transfer to me as well? In the blink of an eye, she conjured her Keyblade and flung it on a distraction 'Strike Raid'. It knocked a few of the enemies on the head, but there were still several conscious enough to contend with.

"Get behind me, Honest!" she yelled a second before her weapon returned to her. Her companion obeyed, though with a limping wing.

The princess held tightly to her blade and concentrated. A bluish-white aura surrounded its tip.

Go! She was launched forth and ricocheted among the enemies. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. She returned to stand in front of Honest. The laughing enemies, however, were not in the same situation.

On the contrary, giant blocks of transparent blue encased the once ferocious fire Heartless. None of them were prepared for Celestia's frozen 'Sonic Blade'.

Celestia managed to give a muffled order around her held weapon, "Now, Honest!"

The angel rose and waved his wings this way and that way. His feathery darts scattered across the battlefield, crashing against all of the ice blocks. The impact proved to be too much, shattering the enemies within along with the ice. Several valentine-shaped lights were lifted into the sky before vanishing.

The Keyblade glowed in its vanishing light. Celestia took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

"Are you well, Master?" inquired Honest.

Celestia kept her face steady. "I've had worse. How are you doing?"

"I'll be fine," he insisted.

Celestia half-smiled. "Well, try not to be the hero, okay?"

"Is it wrong for a servant to be willing to give his life for his master?" Honest wondered.

"As noble a goal as that is, the pain of losing an ally would be far greater than any shared physical strain."

Honest closed his eyes and sighed. "Very well, Master. How about this? From now on, we shall stand an equal distance away from the dangers that we face so that one shan't have to shield the other."

Celestia tapped her chin, as if thinking it over. "Tell you what. You can do that if you stop calling me 'Master' all the time."

The angel smiled and nodded. "Fair enough, Princess."

Celestia's raised an eyebrow, but her open, smiling mouth ruined her disbelieving look quite comically. You little stinker, she thought in amusement.

Obtained!
Honest "Charm"
This card summons Honest to your aid for a short time. While around, he adds a little damage to your light-based attacks.

Author's Note

I'm repealing my cancellation of this story.
However, the updating schedule is going to be so slow that I sincerely advise against holding your breath.
...
I'm serious. People can actually die from oxygen shortage.