Kingdom Hearts: A New Order; A New War

Chapters

Prologue - That Stormy Night
Cause and Effect
Beasts of Light
Preparations for The Family
Preparations for The Night

Prologue - That Stormy Night

The darkness was plentiful as thunder was the only source of light to the forest below. Rain, despite constant pounding and with the strength to wound skin, could not penetrate the leaves shielding whoever walked in this fateful night.

Then a flash underneath the canopy cut through the leaves before a column of fire overtook it. The eruption was quick, small, and the fire put out faster than it could consume.

Near the explosion, part of the rain began spinning in the whirlpool by some unseen force. It increased in velocity, becoming a spire as it curved towards a specific place. The place was a part of the branches that stirred, as something underneath pushed them while chasing for something.

Leaves and branches were torn apart before the spear penetrated through the tree, but that was it.

Amidst the darkness the trees provided, an aqua blue light is emitted from an orb attached to a staff. The wielder is covered by a cloak, but even that can’t hide how their head moves up.

Standing next to the new gape and heavy downpour, is the silhouette of a large humanoid figure, but lightning from the sky revealed its dark-brown skin, red veins on its thighs, shoulder and head; it’s crocked antennas that nearly reach the ground behind it. But what truly caught the staff wielder’s attention, are the claws it possesses that flex like fingers would, and the unnerving yellow orbs that hold no trace of emotion.

However, when the lightning’s roar ended and rain overtook all sound, even the orbs vanished.

The staff wielder got adjusted to such darkness, but the pureblood is nowhere in sight. It’s presence, however, is difficult to miss.

The mage turned, and there close behind are two cloaked individual with weapons of their own: a sword and a bow respectively.

“RUN!” They shook; her voice - gentle as a young girl’s - knocked them of their stupor from seeing a Novashadow.

With weapons ready, all three sprinted away. Eyes forward and ears on alert as they tried to pick noises other than their footsteps and the rain.

All of them are panting lightly; they been running for some time now. For how long? HOURS! If only there’s something other than rain or an endless forest in that world, then maybe they could have a better sense of time.

The wielder of the sword turned their gaze to the right. This individual can perfectly see the trees, the grass, branches and leaves with a yellow vision.

There, more than a dozen meters away, a dark pool moving faster than the eyes could follow. It curves around the trees if there was one, other times slowing just to be by their side, but always moving closer to its prey.

The swordsman clasps the other hand onto the handle, and focuses his magic, “Thundaga!”

Multiple thunders roared at once, cutting through the branches in near succession and exploding on the dark pool with a speed even it could not outmatch.

All three stopped in time to watch domes of electricity spark to life. Yellow illuminated the environment as the surrounding trees are splintered into pieces as collateral damage.

They watched as the electricity faded away, leaving behind a scorched soil and smoke that was extinguished by the rain.

“Did-Did that get it?” The sword wielder - a kid’s voice with a soft tone - asked with worry.

The bow wielder lifts the weapon slightly, and pulls the string in the same manner. His voice also belongs to a kid, but slightly deeper than the swordsman’s, “That worked better on the Neoshadows. You had to get lucky to wound that thing.”

With the danger too high to ignore, they turned their backs to each other and closed the distance. In their triangle formation, each kept a keen eye on their assigned spot.

Thunder broke through the rain’s pounding once more, and even the light through the new hole in the canopy didn’t reveal the location of the Novashadow.

So none, however, noticed a small pool of black growing beneath them.

Then a second thunder covered them in a white flash, thwarting the purple wave lights, and surprising the wielders as pain coursed rapidly through their bodies.

Shot in opposite directions, the sword wielder is the first to come to a stop by an unyielding tree; the impact cracked the bark in an irregular shape and fissures formed around it.

The fire user recovered fast enough to stab an end of his bow to the ground. It slowed him, but not the enough as the momentum still pushed towards a tree of enormous size.

“Plumage!” a gold light shimmered on the tree’s bark, and when he collided with it, he felt the thick soft layer of a golden wing’s feathers lighten the blow. He bounced of it and landed on the ground catching his breath.

The most fortunate is the staff wielder; who fell over but crossed to protect her face. She skidded near painlessly over the grass until she stopped.

“Cura.” The orb on her staff glowed again, followed by a calming green around her body. The pain crippling her back diminished to nearly nothing. Her arms began shaking as she pushed herself up.

With their attention diverted at the moment, the Novashadow examined his prey before setting his gaze on the sword wielder. His back is on the floor as well, but he’s the only one showing the least signs of getting up soon.

Seeing an easy feast, it crouched down and dashed, claws up and ready to penetrate the boy’s chest.

He gasps, the temperature dropped too sudden as the heartless drew nearer.

“Teleport!” He fades in a flash. Claws’ digging deep in the ground before the heartless pulls it out in a forceful manner.

A moment passes till its food reappears again; it turns right and witnesses him fade into existence in the air.

He falls face down; his body twitches as he struggles to exert some strength to his arms. But he feels the heartless drawing nearer; its hunger making a sickening knot in his stomach.

“T-Teleport.” Like last time, he didn’t have time to think of a proper location, but right now anywhere would do for him. The problem is, he’s still there. What? W-Why? He gauged the magic he has left, and reached the morbid conclusion he’s nearly empty.

He could only struggle against himself as the Novashadow stood above him; its claw poised to strike his heart. It descended in a fast blur, penetrating ice and halting the claws inches above his back. It studies the strange anomalies, seeing how the ice has encased his prey in a dome structure.

That’s when he notices the light somewhere to the right. It inspects; the blue light is coming from the wielder’s staff. Her two hands clutching her weapon so it doesn’t fall from her weak grasp.

It tilts its head slightly to the sight, wondering why a meal is protecting another instead of running.

Before it could pull its hand free, a white glow shines brightly behind him.

The same one penetrates its chest and the force launches it off its feet. Practically breaking its hand free in the process.

It eventually stopped after a few seconds, landing on the ground with a loud thud with a whole block of city distance flown. The heartless remained there as if dead. The white glow hasn’t left him, being emitted from a shaft – of equal color – protruding from its back.

The caster of the arrow keeps a keen eye on the fallen heartless. Even his steps are small and cautious as he approaches the thawing dome.

Other footsteps hurry at a worried pace. By now the ice melted entirely, allowing her to kneel next to the swordsman that has yet to move.

She puts a tentative hand on his shoulder, scared to inflict more damage on his battered, tired body.

Rain continued pounding against the leaves with the same ferocity, but her ears still picked up footsteps stopping next to her.

“Sele, heal us.” His tone is even, almost as if he’s unaffected by his injured friend, but Sele knows better.

There’s a heartless, a strong one, that’s threatening them, concern can come later.

“Cura,” their bodies are covered in a bright green. Once faded, the archer’s posture is more upright, and the swordsman finally pushes himself to his feet without trouble.

He turns towards the healer, and he smiles at her, but it drops at seeing her half lidded eyes, “Sis, are you okay?”

Selena forces a weak smile, “Yes, only tired.”

“Don’t relax,” the archer curled his fingers - thumb, index and middle finger - closer to the string, “I don’t know why he took so long, but he’s about to get up.”

They are surprised at first, but when they see it for themselves, fear is mixed in as the Novashadow has gotten to its knees.

It rises at full height before turning around, and right there on its chest, the arrowhead continues emitting a soft white glow.

With the arrow still penetrated through him, it hardly looks bothered by it. Its expressionless yellow orbs study the three once more, and notices the vulnerable is now the one who shielded the first.

Sele shudders, for the Novashadow turns its head in her direction.

This doesn’t go unnoticed by the archer; he steps forward until he’s in front of Selena, blocking the heartless’s view of her. She’s about to ask what he’s doing, but a hot flame ignites from his fingertips and travels to the space above his grip. Once he clasps the end, the fire snuffs out, leaving behind an arrow glowing bright red.

He glares at the heartless; his brown eyes, flickering under the light of his arrow, carry out an un-verbal challenge, “Heartless are not supposed to be fearless, right? So how about it. Come at me! Unless my heart is too big for you to even take!”

It crouched down, slams its palm on the grass and digs the claws deep. Then it hisses with an abnormal echo that darkens the shadows around it.

It continues till dozens of dozens of dark arms shot out from the shadows, each sporting four finger-like claws.

The wielders watch in a mixture of fear and astonishment, how Neoshadows break themselves free from the darkness.

They are similar to the Novashadow in shape, but they’re in size to a normal adult, more than twice as tall as the wielders.

The heartless quickly gathered around the giant, awaiting its command.

And he wondered if feelings could be incited, he doesn’t hold back in his smirk. Too bad. He can figure the answer himself. His expression turns somber as a set of footsteps stop next to him. He doesn’t need to turn to know who it is, “Sul, what do you think you are doing?”

He swings his blade to the side, resting the point on the ground while his right hand is positioned horizontally across his chest. Blue sparks flicker between his fingertips as well as his hand on the handle, “The same as you, Ken,” his grip tightens while the sparks surge to both wrists, “fighting for my life!”

Convincing Sul to run would be a problem, he knows that much, “And leave Sele alone? She can hardly fight in her condition. Listen, I got the Novashadow pissed at me, but not the others.” He waits for a reply but gets nothing, “Sul, I know this is hard for you but-”

He stops as a second set of footsteps stops on his right, “No! I *Pant* am not leaving. It’s true *Pant* I’m tired,” she takes a moment to collect her breath, and straightens her posture the best she can while leaning away from her make-shift cane, “but,” the orb glowed again. Its light bright enough to surround the three in a shimmering aqua blue. The fire in her sky blue eyes returns as she raises the staff above her, “we promised we be a family. A real one! I’m not giving that up!”

Taking that stance as a spell casting, all heartless dashed to strike. The Novashadow was faster, and didn’t care if he crushed one or two under its feet as he became the head of the pack. Also the first claim as many hearts possible before the rest could get a chance.

“Libra!” The light around them shrunk until it enclosed each of them. They began feeling the magic inside of them shift. Ken felt how his decreased, but what remained is enough for one or two big spells. Sul didn’t find his magic change that much, perhaps he has more now but not much difference. Sele’s magic, much like Ken’s, fluctuated greatly, but the only difference is, she doesn’t feel as tired anymore.

By now, the Novashadow is nearly over them, “Monsoon!” She brought her staff down with an audible tap, and a flood burst from the ground and onto the heartless, destroying a few.

The water halted the giant even if it only reached up to its abdomen; the ones it summoned were pushed back when the current hit them.

However, the Novashadow raised a claw up, but Ken already noticed they’re within striking distance, “Magnet.”

His fingers parted from the plummet ever so slightly, but the arrow – changing from bright red to a dark violet – raced through the air with precision as the bow stayed still in his trained hand.

The arrow pierced the heartless between the eyes, flinging its head back as the rest of its body, and the monsoon was pulled upwards by the arrow’s strong gravity, slamming torrents of water that throw it to where all the heartless were carried.

The last wielder raises his sword high and holds it tight with both hands, “Limit Break!” His body became encompassed by an ethereal, flaming white aura . He didn’t waste a second as he cast his finisher, “Magnum Bolt!”

Yellow sparks course around the blade as it glows a bright blue. The glow becomes stronger, but the power its charging is shaking the sword even in his firm grasp, sending random bolts in the air that die only a feet of distance. He clenches his teeth and fights to regain control of his own attack.

Ken has summoned another arrow and pulled the string, “Any time now!” He becomes alarmed as the white glow from his previous arrow begins to fade, but not as much as watching the Novashadow, an arrowhead through its chest and the back of another poking between its eyes, rise to a sitting position.

You got to be kidding me! He kept most of his composure despite the impossible still existing with an arrow pierced a vital point. I hate to admit it, a corner of his lips bend down into a scowl, but he keeps being right even now.

“Iron Shot,” like before, he releases the arrow with a marksman’s skill, but it flashes from red to a solid silver.

It penetrates the heartless’s foot and through the ground as it tried to jump back up, making it collapse to a knee. The light began to dim out, and Gravity Arrow is a small candle in comparison, but before its body faded in the shadows, its unholy hiss echoes throughout the darkness.

Ken did catch a glimpse of the remaining Neoshadows getting up, “SUL!” He pulls the string with another arrow ready, and Sele can only lean on her staff for support, simply struggling to remain on her feet.

Sul struggled for a brief longer until the electricity focused solely around the blade; its glow matching the ethereal aura around his body. NOW! He swings the blade down and unleashes a beam, electricity coursing most of its surface, that expands until trees on ten meters in each side are shattered to dust.

The heartless are no fools, but they only got one step away on the grass soaked deeply with water.

Pain, the feeling they most react to, stuns them in place as the electricity only intensifies.

They writhe in place as light quickly surrounds them; the Novashadow, steel arrow casted aside, is capable to bend its head down to witness its end.

Spikes of lightning escape from Sul’s attack, striking random places far and near within the forest. Magnum Bolt’s destruction reached out an extra city block before stopping. Having reached its limit, its random destruction increased as the beam began to die out.

Its light and the electricity faded completely, and rain dominated sound once more. A long, wide trench, with the absence of the many similar trees that inhabit the forest, is the only proof that something of immense destruction passed through.

The caster hold his sword with trembling hands; his feet gave up on him, so he fell on his rump with his head hanging low. Weapon dissolving under a web of electricity spreading from the hilt of the weapon; its center shining yellow from an orb, revealing the color of the hilt, handle and blade as dark as a Shadow’s skin.

“This time *Pant* that had to get it. *Pant* This time *Pant* this time…” Sul’s voice trailed down into a whisper. Fatigue was winning a war against his stubbornness to remain awake, until his eyes shot open, and his hand clutched his chest, right above the heart.

Ken kept his eyes and ears on alert. Could never be too careful when death can hide in the shadows, but then he heard a ragged breathing from his left.

He took a short glance and wasn’t surprised to see Sul sitting, but he took a second one because he thought he saw something. The sight is more terrifying than the Novashadow surviving with an arrow between the eyes.

His bow and arrow dissipated in a wisp of flame, concentration lost at seeing a dark aura pulsing to life around Sul. His short, quick breaths are only consequential of the main problem.

He rushed over, dropping himself to a knee and grabbed his brother’s shoulder, “Sul! Don’t go to sleep!” No response, other than his eyelids lowering. Ken shook him lightly, not wanting to speed the process by accident, “Listen! Hey listen! LISTEN! You can’t lose control now!” Still no response, “Sele come!”

But she stood there, unable to move in her condition, and forced to watch how the first stages of the metamorphosis. She saw when it started, but her voice gave it out before she could tell Ken. Move. Sul needs you. My little brother needs me. So move. ...Move!

Her muscles send a wave of pain every time she tried to move them. The strain of hours of fighting and running finally becoming too much for her. Regardless, she kept her staff from disappearing, and focused the last of her magic into it.

One more spell…before I also fall asleep. Ken, I’m sorry, but please take care of us, especially Sul. He’s a heavy sleeper, and he doesn’t know it.

The orb lit sea blue once more. It’s a small kindle though, but it brightens as she prepares to cast the spell. Her eyes fluttered between closed and mid-open, until they opted for the former; her head begins to tip down and the light flickering out-

“Sele!” Ken’s sharp voice jolts her awake, drawing some unintended pain as her back straightened.

She winced, but Ken didn’t see that. He hadn’t even turned to see her groggy eyes, but could tell she was falling to sleep as her spell faded.

It rekindled with her now semi-conscious state, but her eyes, still uncooperative, swayed around lazily until something from the branch above caught her attention. She wonders if her mind is playing tricks on her, but the shadow under the branch looks darker than the rest for some reason. Her gaze drifts lower, but at the very corner of her vision, two yellow orbs appear from nothing.

It’s odd for her. She ganders at it for a bit longer out of curiosity; the haze in her tired mind only drawing sense that yellow shouldn’t be seen clearly in the shadows. They aren’t shining or its any type of faint light.

I…have to focus. I…is that moving? The two orbs moved in a set. Part of Sele’s mind warn her its staring at something; the rest is trying to understand how an inanimate object can stare.

She wanted to rub her eyes, but pain shot all throughout her arm, refusing to move the fingers curled around the staff. The pain is what she needs to snap into full awareness, and her world slowed as her instincts kicked in.

She could see the Neoshadow as it dropped over her brothers with claws extended. The spell she worked on isn’t for attack, but with a quick thought it turned into a big chunk of solid energy.

The heartless has its claws ready to sink into both of their heads, but it ignored the water mage on the side, having confirmed the spell is not harmful.

So it didn’t see her eyes wide and focused, nor the magic shot from her staff.

It – a white orb composed of light with flickering gold dust – collides where the heartless’s ribs should be, flinging it against the tree and shattering the bark into its rough image.

Ken, stopping his attempts to keep Sul awake, looks up to the sound of shattered wood, surprised to find a Neoshadow still existing and pressed against the tree by Sele’s magic.

Worry crossed his feature. Before he turned his head, the sphere flickered out first, then the heartless dissipated in a dark mist.

Sele fell to her knees; her staff glowing light blue as the last of her concentration crumbled, but the glow shredded the shadows around her, including the ones surrounding the Neoshadow.

The sight froze him for a second, but the Heartless took the chance to leap forward.

It has a clear path; its prey with no magic to retaliate, and the fire archer is in no position to attack.

DAMMIT! Cursing is all he could do. The fire in his hand wouldn’t expand into his bow in time, and even though she’s next to him, he isn’t fast enough to do anything.

Then a bright light blinded him. He closed his eyes and grunted in irritation, What now?! Another heartless?!

Strangely enough, he hears a puff of smoke in front. He shifts an arm over his eyes dares a small peek. Wherever the light is coming from has almost died down, I didn’t know shadows could use light magic.

When the light faded completely, his vision darkened to the point he could no longer see his arm in front of him. He could wait around half a minute for his eyes to get readjusted, but that would waste valuable time.

“Blue Flare,” true to the name, a blue flame burst in his hand. Illuminating fifty feet all around and casting long thin shadows from the trees before he tossed it up; it stayed hovering in the air. He could have used this before, but they were running from an enemy that normal or heavy attacks hardly had an effect on, and everything outside the light is a wall of impenetrable darkness. At least the thunderstorm provides occasional lighting through the destroyed canopy, a small side Ken doesn’t have to worry about for hiding enemies.

“That was the last of them.”

That’s something Ken would hope, problem is, that wasn’t Ken who said it.

He got up, turned towards the source of the noise and extended his left arm out with his hand in flames.

Once he faced the source, the fire arcs up and down, shaping into the bow and pulling the string when it sparked into existing. The arrow materialized before his fingers made contact, and is producing a small red glow as the fires die out.

The arrowhead is aiming at the center of…the thing’s face. The heartless is unlike anything he’s ever seen before, making him guess it came out of his lab.

Its head is round; ears as well but cartoonishly big. Not to mention those oval eyes that for reasons he can’t comprehend, show concern instead of an empty gaze. Its even got a muzzle of a mouse, including a round nose. Unlike a heartless, its dressed like a sentient being would. A jacket with short sleeves with a reversed zipper and a strap hanging on each side from his shoulders, and pants with a pouch on each leg. The last are those shoes which for Ken, look like they can hide big toes underneath. What a weird fashion, he thinks.

But he isn’t about to let appearances deceive him. “Stay back,” he spat with as much ferocity as possible. With Sul and Sele being easy targets, he will not be able to protect them if the heartless is as strong, or more, than the Novashadow.

That got a reaction from it, which is strange for Ken. It looked surprised for a moment, but brings both hands up as if surrendering-the right he’s holding an odd weapon. A sword with a square hilt around the handle, and the blade in shape of a long cylinder except for the end, resembling that to a crown.

It’s a bizarre shape alright, and that’s saying something from him. Regardless, that still has the aspects of a sword. Ken focused his magic on the arrow; the creature must have sensed it, because it something he didn’t expect. It talked.

“Wait. I’m here to help.” Its voice is a tad acute, yet soft. It almost made Ken lower his bow, almost.

“Very convenient you showed up on the last moment to safe us,” he countered. “When did he hire you, yesterday? I don’t care if you are some elite nanny, but you are not taking them back there.”

To say that the stranger is surprised might be an understatement, shocked is more fitting, but something caught his attention. It turned the mouse’s expression serious, prompting him to lower his hands. “For how long has he been fighting the darkness?”

Ken knows what the creature is talking about. It was a much needed reminder too.

He turns his gaze at Sul, arrow still in aim, but falters at seeing the dark aura grown to a five-inch thick mass. Small wasps of flame start coming off as Sul breathing slowed to a relaxed pace.

He nearly curls a fist on the fletchings of his arrow, and his teeth grind, DAMMIT! Why did I let my guard down!? Those things have been following us for hours! Of course a few had to escape!
That’s a disturbing thought. His head jerked up in realization before turning it left and right for heartless.

“There are no more heartless here. I made sure of it.” His gaze drew back to that mouse – or perhaps rat – thing. The creature spoke in a tranquil tone, as if trying to ease the tension in Ken’s mind.

His hands quivered; the bow is held midway up, but he can’t bring himself to take aim. Said he could help us. He takes a long glance at Sele. She’s still on her knees. Head hanging limply. Her hands firmly in front and supporting her.

He guesses she’s still awake, but being conscious is the best she can do in her state.

“Can you help him?”

He responds with a softer expression, “I will. I promise.”

Promise huh. …I will see.

He keeps a keen an eye on the mouse, especially for that strange weapon. He reaffirms his grip on the bow and the nock of the arrow.

The temptation to pull the string and take aim at the back of the mouse’s head is big. Had the stranger showed the least sign of hostility or resistance, he might have.

When the mouse gets behind Sul, with two feet of distance between them, he lifts his weapon with both hands and aims the end at the boy’s back.

He didn’t flinch when Ken took aim with killing intent in his eyes. “What are you doing?” Anger barely contained in his voice.

“If I don’t do something soon, the darkness will consume him entirely.”

“And you think I don’t know that. But how are you going to help him, by stabbing him on the back?”

This struck the stranger silent for a moment, Once he found his voice, his eyes met the archer’s “Y-You don’t know what a keyblade is?”

Now its Ken’s turn to ponder, “…So that’s how it looks like. I always thought the name was symbolic-”

The air became thicker to breathe as violet sparks surged around the dark aura.

They both turned at the same time to see electrical webs forming around it as a second shell.

Ken helplessly watched the completion of the first stage, knowing what comes next is Sele’s personal nightmare.

A bright light brings a flash of pain to his eyes. He dissipates the arrow and uses the hand for cover.

He can no longer see the mouse because of the light, even though he has a good idea of what he’s doing. As for Sul, the aura shrunk considerably and the sparks ceased instantly.

“What are you doing to him?” His rage abated, unless Sul shows any kind of pain.

“For now, I will lock the darkness inside-”

“Can’t you get rid of it?” He hastily interrupted.

The keyblade wielder didn’t avert his eyes from Sul as the caressing light is emitted from his weapon, “I don’t know how in tune he is with the darkness, but,” his expression turns somber, “that’s his decision to make.”

Behind the shade of his hand, he looks down on the grass, considering what the stranger just said. Then another question comes up, “Hey, what’s your name?”

At this, the mouse smiled; he even directed his gaze at Ken despite an arm being in the way, “I’m Mickey Mouse. A friend.”

Author's Note

My very first crossover. I gotta say, I'm very excited for how things turned out in this chapter. And what comes next (Edit: After the next chapter actually) is something I'm very comfortable in writing: a fight scene. The one you just read is a fight scene, but not one of the long ones I like to write so much.

With that said, I did try to get out of my comfort zone by adding Zecora and Lightning Dust into the story. It's true that, despite having major confrontations, ideas and scenes already in my head, I haven't planned the beginning to end in exact detail. So the direction I can take this story is still up in the air to be honest. ...And I like that. It's a challenge to myself so I can think of new ideas.

So, if you enjoyed how the prologue started, push that thumbs button, it helps out alot. And if the story interested you, keep an eye on the story then.

Until next time, have a good morning/afternoon/night.

Cause and Effect

~Five Years Ago~

A beautiful silence reigns over the private chambers of the Solar Princess. Who’s sleeping soundly on her bed, covers tucked up to her neck. Her serene smile is accompanied by a mumble of a single word, “Luna…”

Today’s events are still fresh in her mind; the enough to draw her into a dream she dare not wake up from.

Luna – her alicorn body weakened after the Elements were used on her – is wrapped securely in her sister’s hooves and then by her wings.

Both have their cheeks stained by tears and smiles adorn their faces. Luna snuggles Tia’s neck, then lays her head on her shoulder, “We’re grateful thou has allowed us a second chance.”

“No, Luna. For you, I’ve given my crown if it meant we could be sisters again.”

They stayed quiet once more. Enjoying each other’s company-

*KnockKnockKnockKnockKnockKnockKnock*

The alicorn’s earn twitches; the cacophony breaking the walls of her sweet dream and stirring something that nobody in their right mind would dare invoke.

*SmackSmackSmackSmackSmackSmackSmack*

The rhythm increased to full blown punches. Her eyes snapped open, and within them, an unadulterated fury no one has seen. That’s because no one has lived to tell the tale. It might be an exaggeration, but the point is clear: no one interrupts the Solar Princess’s sleep, much less a dream she prayed to her mother it turn real one day.

In a golden flash, she stood in front of the double set door; her regalia on and the best scorn her eyes could muster.

The doorknob is encased in her golden aura, and with a quick turn, the door is swung open so fast that the focus of her writhe kept ‘knocking’ into thin air.

Her lips were partly opened and ready to speak the word Yes? Laced with a cold anger and covered by a mock neutrality even her toughest guards would sweat under. But it never came.
Celestia’s smile quickly replaces all forms of anger, and her eyes show the love she has for the intruder.

“Lulu,” the cause of her happiness, “what brings you here?” Though, her smile falters at seeing the nervous-no, nervous can’t begin to describe it.

Luna’s eyes dart from side to side; her baby blue mane displaying locks out of place, and she’s biting her lower lip. It doesn’t take a keen eye to see something is weighing her mind. Celestia could only dread that it might ruin the happiness she sought for over a thousand years.

“Lulu, what’s wrong?”

“May we come in?” Not waiting for a reply, she walked past her older sister and stopped in the middle of the bedroom.

For Luna to act this way, only confirms Celestia’s suspicion, and that signifies the end of her pleasant dreams. So does the rest of the week for that matter.

She closes the door with a push of her magic, then turns to her sister. Who has yet to move with gaze focused on the marble floor. Her mind is distracted by her own thoughts.

“When was the last time thine has felt the stars at work, or the properties they induced on us?”

“Lulu, what-”

“We were a fool during our banishment.” She began pacing and her mind delved deeper into her thoughts, “We saw the signs but my rage made me an ignorant. Had we given it thought, Nightmare Moon would never have existed. We fear of what it may entail, and now it transpired once more.”

Celestia can recall the times she seen Luna stressed to the point she would discuss with herself, but this, this is Twilight’s level of anxiety. A problem she hasn’t found the right remedy to, and something she doesn’t wish to see her sister in.

After a golden flash and a pop, she reappears in front of her sister, startling her, “Tia! What madness driven thee to this?! Or has thou forgotten when we both first took our roles, Puddinghead’s prank caused the moon to succumb to Equus’ gravity!”

The elder sister places a comforting hoof on her shoulder, “Lulu, this should be your special night; a night of relaxation and the many more to come until you recover. What could be so grave that neither of us can have a much needed rest?”

What pops into existence, draws Celestia’s eyes wide, and a penetrating chill through her heart.

The handle is a lucid onyx. The cross-guard, surface of a glimmering sapphire, is thin in appearance, but strong as the alicorn’s will, and has the shape of a waning moon – starting from the cross-guard to end a few inches after the pummel. The blade, at a simple glance, is shaped as a long, thin cylinder – silver in color. But it is connected by four rings, dividing the blade into four sections. Starting from the cross-guard and ending before the luminous, midnight blue star, half encased by a pair of dark blue wings attached to the end of the blade.

But if the key-like aspect of the weapon wasn’t enough, the onyx string attached to the pummel ends with a star half encased by a pair of wings – matching colors as the first.

“Tia, the last we seen the keybl-”

A gold horseshoe cuts her off, much to Luna’s bewilderment. Celestia, on her part, has stricken eyes with the gaze focused to the wall. Much is running through her mind at this moment, but one thing is clear: It’s starting again.

Her golden aura covers the entire room momentarily, preventing all sound from getting out. Then pulls the curtains over the balcony doors, preventing anyone from the outside to see. True, one had to be crazy to be even staring through the balcony as is, but she had to make sure word wouldn’t get out.

When everything seems in order, Celestia lowers her hoof down. Her features relax before meeting her sister’s gaze, “When?”

“It occurred after we stargazed, but unlike before…” Luna could no longer look at her sister in the eye, shame crosses her features at remembering that tragic night. She’s been too absorbed in thought that a wing draped around her barrel snapped her out. When she looks up, Celestia is by her side with a gentle, sisterly smile. It helps Luna smile, but only for a moment, “Tia, stars were not just vanishing, but regaining their light as well.”

This is what she dreaded, causing her smile to drop, “How are you feeling?”

“We are alright, but that’s not the reason why we came.” Her eyes fall back to her keyblade, and her sister’s follow, “What will happen now?”

A long silence fills the air as the future looks uncertain, reminding Celestia of the first few decades after her sister’s banishment, “…I’m not sure.”

~Present~

The World That Never Was still maintains its eerie atmosphere; the streets and alleyways of the Dark City are lit by the soft glows emanating from parts of the buildings. The atmosphere is unnaturally placid, despite a violet thunder breaking the silence, nothing will occur again. Much, is the nature of the world.

Though the sound of footsteps through an alley threatens the stillness; it also wakes up some inhabitants of the world.

Dark pools emerged from the walls high up, and a humanoid head poked out of each one. Pairs of yellow orbs stare down at an individual running in a ragged brown cloak.

The Neoshadows swiftly jump out in direction to their target. Claws ready to stab as the distance closed to inches, but a small gust brushes past them, and their claws furrow the ground the next moment.

They yank themselves free and turn towards the sound of footsteps.

The cloaked figure is already out of the alley, and walked into one of the few open spaces of the city. When the person reached the center, in front of the largest skyscraper with a massive television screen - currently flashing images of a dense forest covered in an eternal storm, then of long, white hallways -, a different Neoshadow dashed the last twenty meters and became airborne.

It takes a swing, claws slicing through air where its target’s head was.

A moment later, a black, double-edge blade penetrates its chest all the way to the cross-guard – a simple rectangular form with a yellow orb in the center. The heartless now hangs limply, but manages to take a glance at the stranger crouched under him. Up close, the shadows covering his face could no longer hide those eyes, carrying the same shade as the darkness were it came from. But there’s something off about them; the pureblood had a difficult time understanding what is. Then it grasped the emotion, not felt it, but understood it: it’s pity.

The Neoshadow evaporated in a puff of black smoke. Allowing Sul to stand and take in his surroundings.

Dark pools emerged one after another all around him. Dozens of them already have a Neoshadow standing on top as he completed a turn.

There’s no path for him to run without a pureblood in the way, and more joined from the alleys. Their numbers reaching over a hundred before silence takes over. They shuffle in place, and all get at least a glance at the presence that stirred them awake.

He knows the small space he has is shrinking the further he waits, but he doesn’t lift his sword or does anything other than stare forward.

A thunder’s roar commences the rush attack on the wielder. Leap, dashes, most disorganized, and a few synchronized. One in particular got close to the boy’s back; a simple sidestep and the attack is avoided, but the swing of his blade came faster. Reducing the Neoshadow to smoke.

Sul makes a complete turn, snatching the pureblood’s wrist – halting its attempt of attack – and swinging it into collision to another one. He let go, and lets the momentum carry them to three others. Turning them into smoke with the impact.

The dance continued a few more seconds. Sul sidestepping the last moment then swings the first and final blow. Occasionally grabbing a Neoshadow’s long antenna or part of their arm, and throwing it to the ones that got nearest to him.

He also takes more notice of his surroundings. Almost every spot of the area is infested, and Neoshadows are now crawling from the walls of the alleyways, for running out has become a hassle as the influx of Pureblood increased into something similar to a black stream.

Puffs of smoke took the air as dozen more joined afterwards. Sul’s legs danced to a silent melody, and his hands acted on instinct, taking out those who tried to attack from behind and the sides. He even created a small clearing for himself; his eyes scanning left and right for a clearing.
He finds one. But Neoshadows jump from all angles, and the rest rush in from all sides. No longer containing themselves from the presence of his heart.

Arms arced back and about to strike the next second, but as they came closer, Sul jumped high and through the only gap available, leaving the heartless to furrow the ground and – the waves who came later - onto their brethren.

The center is covered by layers of smoke; it grows as claws swipe indiscriminately in search for Sul. But as no heart came out, the assault began to end. The heartless in the clear have their heads perked up. Gazes scanning hungrily until they find him.

One foot landing over a Neoshadow’s head before jumping to the next and the next. Some jumped and took a swipe, but always fell behind.

Then he puts more force in his next jump, getting airborne and out of their reach. He lands on the only place not infested with Neoshadows: the entrance of Memory’s Skyscraper - advantageous since its higher elevation. He turns and walks over to the edge of the ramp.

The cloud of smoke dispersed at last, so those who didn’t see where their prey escaped to, soon rushed behind the heartless that already gathered in front of the building.

They all shifted in place, but never stepped on the stairwell or the ramp. Their feet inches closer at times, but when it seems they’re about to touch either of those, they retreat back.

Sul looks wearily as he tries to meet everyone’s gazes, there’s so many of them. He closes his eyes for a moment, ignoring the thunder overhead and focusing on the heavy pressure his sword - Ersatz Shadow - puts him in.

It only weighs on him mentally. Physically, it drives him to the limit, never letting him at ease even when he sleeps, but it serves as a reminder of why it was given to him.

Suddenly, it doesn’t feel right to hide himself. Especially if he’s going to help them.

He tosses his ragged cloak to the side.

The silver trimmings on his black vest – halfway closed at the moment – gives a small shine under the light. On the back is the emblem of a heartless – missing the x in the center, and the thick lines are a dark blue. The shirt underneath is a softer blue, and his black pants are adorned with dark blue stripes on opposite sides along with silver trimmings. Yellow pouches are strapped in a similar fashion on his thighs. His shoes are a sky blue on the top and silver on the bottom.

His black hair – side fringes reaching over his ears and bangs just above his eyebrows – is combed down into thin strands, and his eyes and face appear younger than his actual age.

He speaks in a confident, honest manner.

“I’m sorry this won’t return you whole, but I can put your heartless side to rest.”

Sul gets into his battle stance he learned several years ago. Ready to fight all of them if necessary.

Author's Note

Fun Fact: (a close enough one according to wikis, official websites and forums) a person can become whole again after its emblem heartless and respective nobody have been destroyed. Pureblood Heartless apparently don't count since they been consumed entirely by darkness.

As for the Super Human abilities Sul displayed...does everyone remember how Roxas run up on that skyscraper like it was nothing. Or how Roxas kept beating up heartless with a stick (in a mission in 358/2 days). Need I remind the fight between Sephirot (the one-winged angel that can destroy buildings for fun) and Sora.

The characters in KH are either super human/magically enhanced by their weapons. On second thought, magically enhanced seems more logical in their universe.

Beasts of Light

Why are they waiting? Sul hasn’t moved from the entrance of Memory’s Skyscraper, but neither have the Neoshadows. Even more disturbing, is that they’re shifting around less, almost standing still with their gazes fixed on him. Is there a heartless commanding them?

His eyes scanned over the black sea for a Novashadow or any other higher ranking heartless, but when the heartless began to sink back into their dark pools, he felt something that put his mind to the edge: fear. The heartless are scared? But why would-

Suddenly, he didn’t feel safe anymore. As if his life would end the more he waited and ignore what his instincts are telling him. He broke into a sweat before jumping as far as he could.

He does a half-flip in midair, and is more than glad he listened to his gut feeling.

Barely a foot from where he stood, stands a metallic humanoid figure. Its surface is a smooth silver, and nowhere does he see the borderlines of the pieces that were connected together. Even the joints look like they were made from one piece. Its face is that of a curved mask with a (currently) black V-visor for eyes.

The black pools, along with the Neoshadows disappear in time for Sul to land on solid ground, but a small part of him wishes one of the pools stayed open long enough for him to dive in.

He landed almost in the same place where he stood his ground, but took a few more steps back, knowing that the extra milliseconds can make a difference between life and death. Another factor to his caution is the appearance of the android, Did-Did they already complete the new model? But I thought Sora destroyed their prototype.

Two white orbs with a dark spiritual haze appear on his left and right. This put Sul back into his battle stance, and if that didn’t, the black visor lighting yellow would have.

When the four orbs disappeared, they dropped a small puppy – dull golden hair with a white underside, and cheery emerald eyes with their tongues poking out of their muzzles.

No…his jaw went slack and his eyes wide…is this why they all ran? The Heartless knew Holy Beasts were coming. I knew some Malshines could exist here, but not this powerful.

Once free of his thoughts, he noticed one of them already slid down the ramp, and is making its way as fast as those tiny legs will take it.

Sul clasps the handle with both hands and pulls it back for a mighty swing. Holy Beast licks its lips; too excited to wait, it jumps.

Patiently waiting until it’s right above him, Sul swings. But it’s intercepted by three black claws. The appendage its attached to is bulky with a sick yellow color, and strips of golden fur attached in random places. The rest of the body of the four-legged Malshine is in a similar state. Barrel stretched out and lanky. Its mane is a bunch of cotton pressed together by the puppy costume it wore, poking out from the ridges and the torn sections of the mask. The fake, fabric eyes are stretched out to impossible lengths, losing its friendly appearance and gaining a madness that would terrify the weak-hearted. Its round eyes are a white dusk, and matching the bottomless, unfeeling vibe Heartless’ eyes give off. It bares its long, sharp fangs with its abnormally long muzzle, veins pop out on it and throb as if it has actual blood.

Holy Beast rears its other claws, but Sul jumps back and avoids the attack. Its claws tearing through the concrete with ease and causing small cracks.

By the time his feet reconnect with the ground, he narrows his eyes and turns to the right.
Running to him at an adorable pace is another puppy. It leaps into the air like other one, then its form bulges all around; the fabric tearing by its real body and already swung its claws.

He hops, manages to place a hand on his head and pushes himself higher. The attack passing under him as he front-flipped and returned to the ground unscathed.

He hears the first Malshine approaching from the left. “Sonic Blade,” he moves as a blur, magic coating his blade and sharpening it even further so-

Sparks fly as blade grinds against claws. Sul’s eyes slightly widen in surprise, and Holy Beast, surrounded by a splendorous, white aura, growls at the dark user in front of it. They’re both pushed back by the collision of their magic, and they both launch forward a moment after.

They move as a near blur before their attacks collide again. Clashes between the two go off as seconds tick by. Holy Beast mostly stays supported by its hind legs to swing rapidly with both claws, occasionally going down to three and throwing a strong swing. Sul has no choice but to block those ones, fearing that if backing away means giving the Beast an opening, but he’s pushed back every time he does. It is during the blade against claw that he’s able to take an extra swipe before its second attack comes.

By the time Sul is pushed back two more times, Beast’s front body is tattered with multiple gashes, pieces of shred cotton seeping out every time it moves.

Sul is pushed back again, but in that split second, he notices the Beast’s halt as cotton spurts from its wounds. His hand moves faster than the Beast could recover, gripping the blade with both hands, rearing it back, and swinging it with a step forward.

The cotton stopped spurting, but the blade is about to reach its head until it jerks forward. Capturing the blade in its maw and bearing its fangs with a low growl.

It’s aura and Sonic Blade end as they tug-o-war with the sword. Sul, for the most part, is not overwhelmed by the Beast’s strength, only sliding forward ever so slightly. It shakes its head to jerk the sword from his grasp, but Sul holds onto it successfully.

He feels a presence coming behind him, no doubt the second Malshine taking advantage of his predicament. With little option, he realizes he needs to force his blade out.

“Zante-” the presence is now looming over him, “-tsuken.” The front and side of its teeth shatter, and before it could react, the other Holy Beast is sliced in half horizontally.

The two halves burst in a wide glow, not strong enough to damage his eyes. It fades seconds after, but another white glow overpowers it from behind him.

Sul had to turn to attack, giving the Holy Beast that trapped his blade, a clear shot at his back.
He turned his head in time to witness the Beast, maw open and emitting a bright white light, and most of all, grinning.

A heavy mass of magic is shot diagonally in the form of a pillar, absorbing his image under the light, and reaching to the building in its direction. Holy incinerates everything it touches, passing through the structure as if it isn’t there, and almost reaching the skies before fading out.

Holy Beast closes its maw and visibly relishes in what it did. The dark user is gone, and its magic was strong enough to burn through a building and beyond, leaving the areas it was close to burning red from the heat.

Something penetrates its head and through its jaw, along with a sudden pressure on its back pushing it down. The new gash made grows bigger as it’s pressed onto the black blade.

It pops into a veil of white light as well, allowing Sul to land on even ground. He frees his blade from the ground. Panting lightly, he holds onto the sword with his left hand, I *Pant* have to be more careful. *Pant* Teleport will only work two more times, and if I reach my limit-

His dazed mind only picks up a thin, long tail swinging its way until it’s too late.

Despite appearances, the Beast’s tail strikes with the strength to make him gasp for air. He’s flung back, and before he reaches the building, the fourth Beast intercepts him with a powerful headbutt. The air is forced out of him, and his strength fades enough for the sword to fall from his grasp as he flown back to the third.

He clenches his teeth, and notices the Beast is preparing Holy.

I-I need to use Teleport- he clenches his left fist with nothing in it –my sword! When- he realizes what he can use. The light soon surrounding his features, Splice-Link.

He was only a few feet away when the Beast fired, and like the previous Holy Shot, it burned diagonally through the building and nearly reached the sky.

As the attack faded, the fourth Beast looked to the side because of a familiar presence. Only to find the end of the black sword aiming between its eyes.

It swipes without warning, nearly hitting Sul who took the air for safety.

It locks eyes with him, and even though Sul jumped a long distance, the Beast doesn’t hesitate to do the same. It opens its maw and its mandibles thicken while emitting a white glow.

“Spark Raid!” Lightning surges every inch of the sword; he spins and with the momentum he obtained, flings it with the sharp end aiming at his open maw.

Holy Beast doesn’t flinch at the incoming attack, instead, readies its jaws to catch the blade.
Sul waits a second longer till his attack is about to reach, “Splice-Link.”

To the Beast’s genuine surprise, the dark user reappears behind the electrified sword, both hands already holding the handle before thrusting it in its maw, and stopping till the tip penetrates its
back.

Thunder courses over its body as both are hurled downwards by attack’s force.

It didn’t take long for the Holy Beast to burst into a veil of light as well. Leaving Sul to land and prepare for the fourth Malshine, and if the growl far behind is any indication, he already knows where to turn to.

By the time he faces it, Beast’s upper body is crouched down, and legs spread to dash at a moment’s notice.

Sul goes into his own battle pose. Eyes on the Beast until a heavy presence appears behind him.

The an-a solid force strikes all over his right side. It pushes him off his feet and sends him skidding on his other side. It’s only a few seconds until he stops; the burning pain on his arm is there, but not enough to prevent him from getting up.

Before he stands on two feet, he’s able to see what kind of attack the android used on him.

A mirror wall stands where he was, and the silver android right next to it, hand raised to chest level with a finger pointing at the mirror.

It slowly turns its head towards him, then the mirror fades off.

Sul brushes the pain away, and goes back to his battle stance with the android and the Holy Beast in mind. With the latter currently walking towards the metallic enemy, now standing upright as still as a statue.

It’s hands pulsed a blue sapphire before summoning two identical swords – coated in the same color, double-edged blade, and the crossguard ends as a spike on both sides – right above them. The moment they fall into its grasp, it breaks into a dash, and creates a gust strong enough loosen off some of the Beast’s cottons.

It moves its arms to the side, and turns its wrist so the points aim directly at Sul’s chest.

The gap closes in nearly a second, but for Sul it takes over five. His mind slowing the world around him is something he’s been honing for the last five years.

He positioned his blade, the end of his blade aimed for its chest, long before he saw his opportunity. He launches forward.

The android realizes this, and he thrusts the same time as the swordsman.

Lightning Blade, faster than the milliseconds they’re moving on, the blade glows yellow and is surrounded by lighting coursing all over, lengthening the blade by acting as a second layer.

Both are only inches from hitting their both. Both are moving at the same speed, but Sul makes the first contact with his magic.

Lightning melts through the metal once they connect. The real blade moving closer to the perforation, and the android’s blades are only centimeters away.

He lets go of the sword and leaves the momentum to do the rest. Teleport, he blinks out of existence and reappears behind the android.

In normal time, the electrified blade pierces the android’s metal skin, layered hardware and through its back, only to stop when the crossguard hits its chest. Its swords cross in an X-shape where his chest was.

As this happened, Sul has already ran most of the distance between himself and the last Beast.

Both his hands glow and eerie violet with a dark mist around them. If I can destroy the Malshine first, he leaps, right hand pulled back and ready for a swing, and the Holy Beast has its fangs bare and crouched to attack, maybe I can take down the android on my own.

He hears the noise of chains rattling, and faster than he can react, a cold binding wraps around his leg. His body is swung downwards with the force to knock part of his consciousness away.

The magic in his hands dissolves as he lays facedown on the ground. Ersatz Shadow, still impaled on the android that’s facing the dark user with three golden chains manifesting through its palm, fades in a dark cloud covered in sparks.

Sul tightens his hands into fist as the searing pain slowly subsides, but the Beast licks its lips, thrilled to see the elusive swordsman immobile for once.

It gathers its magic for Holy; the light only flickered before shutting off by a fireball – bigger than the Beast – exploding on its side.

With a cry, its engulfed in flames while hurled away by the force. The android snaps its head to the right to see the same fire attack only feet away. It uses its free hand and extends a silver finger.

Mirror Wall intercepts the explosion, but fire stretched past the edges and even past the android who stayed at the center of the shield.

With its view blocked, it didn’t see three arrows – glowing red – cut through the chains successfully.

It did, however, feel Ethereal Chains dissolve without its intention, so its visor glows brighter.

Its vision, naturally coated a yellow hue is shrouded in a white light.

The image for anything magic based is filtered as white, and there are reasons for keeping it so. One: light based magic emits (ironically) too much light that serves as a camouflage for the attack, but the android can only see the center point of the magic with nothing hiding it. Two: distinction between reality and illusion; since even the strongest of illusions are just a faint white in comparison. And third: finding living beings with any semblance of magic through thick foliage or structures…but if the said foliage or structure is enchanted in any manner…glitches in the system are still being solved.

Target: Sullivan

Auras Detected: Two

Error. Searching Files.

…1752 Hours, an unfamiliar force was sensed entering the domains of The World That Never Was before separating into two.

The fire soon extinguished, revealing an unknown foe under cloak that’s similar to the one Sullivan used.

The stranger’s appearance, due to the visor, is surrounded in a white aura resembling a bonfire. The cloak is a pale white rather than a yellow with dark shades for contrast and depth, signaling a spell to hide his magic, but the bow in his right hand is coated in a soft red, signaling a wielder. The other object on his left, a shard with a glow he can pick up even through his fist, has a similar energy reading to the one detected at 1752 Hours.

“Had you lit a flare, none of this would have happened.”

The boy, and given by tone, a teenager, undoubtedly spoke to Sullivan. The choice of words suggest a slight reprimand of some kind.

Sullivan managed to stand on a shaky leg, the other one will soon follow, after he regains the feel for it. The usage of two Teleports putting a long strain on his body, but one he can work around the pain.

“S-Sorry, Ken.” he pushes himself up, but was about to collapse as his legs nearly gave out. His eyes are half-lidded as a sluggish look soon takes over. “I…there were just so many of them.” His own voice starts slowing, “I…never had the time-”

“Forget it. It happened.” Ken takes a moment to glance back; his little brother looks like he can walk, but not much else. “Can you use the Star Shard?”

“Yes, but the android-”

“I will deal with it.” Without turning around, he hands over a crystallized star, with a piece missing and in its place is a frozen lightning of green and yellow.

Now Ken can focus on the android. The Holy Beast is still giving a dog-like cry far on the side. Most likely finished rolling around and is suffering from the burn, and if it isn’t, that’s one less enemy to worry about.

He pulls the string of his bow and takes aim.

A sword manifests in the android’s hands, but it’s bigger than the previous ones. Its hands barely fit around the handle; the blade and the crossguard are four times its normal size. Yet, he has no problem lifting it to its side, and turns it so the sharp end is aimed at its new target.

It breaks into a dash, slower than the previous one but cleared half the distance in a second.

“Blaze Link,” his bow – Pseudo Fire; the handle is covered in a rough letter, and the bow is a simple-curved design, red in color, with square metal plates on each end – ignites in a moment before he takes the shot.

Fire swirls around the arrow as it leaves its caster’s side, soars through the air and strikes the android’s face before erupting into a gale of fire.

The robotic humanoid is stopped in place. Its feet breaking through the cobblestone as it fights the force that’s pushing it back. It’s pushed back a few centimeters before the fire dies down.

Another arrow of the same kind hits its chest, igniting the second fire gale but with an onslaught of red arrow striking its body.

Ken only fires the arrow before the gale exhausts itself, and the barrage of arrows are shot from the blazing surface of his bow.

After four more shots, he holds the next and pulls back the farthest possible. This also stops the waves Flame Arrows, and the fire surrounding the bow flies off and compresses as a fireball around the arrowhead. He sprints.

The flames dissipated once more, and the robot only has the marking of a sword stabbing its chest and through its back. Plus the concentrated blaze at point blank range at its face.

It ignites into a pillar of fire the next instance.

The ripples of gust throw his hood off and the rest of the cloak – that isn’t clasped around the collar – fluttering back as a cape, revealing his short red hair and a long yellow bang curved above his eyebrow with sharp brown eyes, gray jacket hanging behind him by a silver chain attached to its neck, and running under his collarbone. He’s wearing a plain black shirt with khaki trousers and silver shoes.

His attack rips the android from the ground and throws it back as a ragged doll.

The pillar reaches the building, breaking the mirrors with the initial shockwave and melting the remaining ones. The wall soon crumbles by a heavy strike, making a mountain of debris as more joined.

The wall of the fourth floor came down, and so ended the column of fire.

Ken, bow and arrow ready, watches the fire burn out as magic is no longer fueling it.

“Sul, is it ready?”

He watched what is big brother did, and even though he’s seen him do it countless time in the field, that’s no reason to be unimpressed. “Y-Yeah, but isn’t it-”

“No,” he interrupts in a calm tone, “it’s not.”

As if to further explain, the debris are shot in random directions by a powerful gust from within.

Standing at the center, the mechanoid is sporting a new scar across its forehead down to its chin. Circuits and a few motherboards are revealed from the opening with sparks surging around.

“Sul, whenever you are ready!” The urgency is noticed in his raised voice.

The Star Shard shines white after channeling the magic he recovered, “Now!” Its light noticeably diminishes as Sul’s magic is nearly empty.

Ken leaps back and enters the teleport radius, but the mechanoid had already summoned two swords. It dashes, breaking the rocks it stomps on and closes the distance to a few yards.

It pulls the swords to the sides and swings, leaving a trail of light in the form of an X in thin air. It desummons its weapons before it jerks its head up.

A ball of light is flying upwards, shrinking almost to a small dot as its about to go higher than Memory’s Skyscraper.

The mechanoid extends its open palm at it. It fires Holy in an instant. Almost hitting the runaway targets until the sphere veered to the right.

Holy fades shortly after, and Sul and Ken pass through the dark clouds and out of the world.

The android continues watching where its targets escaped; it only moves its hand down but that’s it.

Whimpers come at its side as Holy Beast walks up to it. Its surface is mostly burned and limps as it walks. The fake face its wearing is about to tear off as the cotton, that didn’t turn to ash, is scorched black and crumbling to the ground.

The Beast is surrounded by a blanket of light; it dies down leaving the scorched cotton that fell.

With the Malshine gone, its visor flickers black. It straightens its head and stands firm, that’s when the android shuts off completely.

Returning the world to its natural, downcast silence.

Author's Note

I just want to go on record, that I did not watch the new trailer for final fantasy XV while creating this chapter.

Edit: The idea for the Malshines is something I got after watching a video from HMK. Its where I also got the name Malshines from.

Preparations for The Family

Author's Note

This took me days to properly proofread, and the next chapter only took me one. :ajsleepy: I'm just glad to finally have it published.
:pinkiehappy: So enjoy!

Preparations for The Family

“…Now what?” A young girl asked.

It has been seconds since Ken and Sul escaped the world to who knows where. Actually, that’s not true; the little girl has a pretty good guess of where, but if felt polite to ask anyhow.

The rooftop of Memory’s Skyscraper is host to seven individuals. All wearing a white cloak with gold trimmings, and a gold clip that holds it together around the collar.

The voice came from the smallest member of The Order. Just second to the last from the right.

“Well,” to her left, a member of average adult size with an aged, but jovial voice starts while scratching the back of his head “I, for one, am tired after watching the younglings fight with such spirit. A long night’s sleep would do some good to this old heart of mine.”

“Hmm?” The deep voice comes from the member of big figure, broad shoulders, and muscles that his garment can’t hide. He turns and stares at the mane one member away from him, “But the night is when the real action shows its ugly face.” He gives out a hearty laugh, “You haven’t lived till you faced wave after wave of endless heartless. Believe me, earning death’s embrace puts a whole new perspective in life.” Unseen by anyone, the little girl clenches her fist. He crosses his arms, revealing his bulky, defined muscles. “Someone as old as you has to experience it as least once.”

The old man’s response is a soft chuckle, “You insult me, youngling. You make it sound as if I had a peaceful lifestyle.”

“Before we digress,” The female’s voice comes from the member second to last on the left. She’s holding a tablet while searching the contents on screen, “I’m proud to announce Luminous Suit Mechanoid is 72.69% operational.”

“Hmph,” the gruff comes from her right side. The member sitting on top of the giant screen, a leg hanging from the edge, the other bend so the foot is on screen with his arm across the knee, “three weeks ago you said it was at 71.something. Give it up, Eris. These things are only good for two things.” He moves the arm from his knee and slowly straightens it, thumb up and index finger aiming at the inert mechanoid below, “Getting shred apart and being practice dummies.” His thumb folds like the hammer of a gun.

Eris only keeps moving the content of information that appears on her screen, taking a glance at some and moving the rest after a few seconds of inspection, “Are you implying they’re useless?”

He rests the arms above his knee again, “No, not at all. All I’m saying, is that they’re as useful as Neoshadows are annoying, many in number but lack in quality.”

“…I intend to correct that.”

The little girl that started the conversation looks around, feeling rather ignored at the moment with a small pressure building on her forehead, “But what about my question?”

“Starla, I don’t remember impatience part of your training.” The member one Eris’s stepped to the side so she could hear the firm, and even tone of his voice.

She also steps to the side, but the pressure accumulated into a painful headache, “But I was patient!” She stomps her way towards him, but her outburst caused him to flinch back, “All I asked was one question, but Elden said something else, then Kane began saying mumbo-jumbo stuff again,” she starts poking his chest roughly with a finger when in distance, “and Eris and William wanted a go at each other and I-” her entire body twitches as a jolt of pain invades all around, “and I-” she holds her head in both hands as headache turned into an unbearable migraine.

He takes two steps back for his own safety, “I-I am sure the minor dispute didn’t harbor any ill intent.”

“Starla is right.” He turns Eris, who is still analyzing the contents, “William’s indifference towards my mechanoids is something I can ignore, but outright comparing them to shadows,” her finger stops on the screen as she ponders for the right words, “…is an insult to my person.”

From the corner of his eye, William can see the youngest member of the Order covering her ears the best she can while shaking her head lightly, “No fighting. No more fighting.” Her murmurs are surely heard by everyone because of the silence.

“You could had at least feigned.” He tried to reason

“…” her fingers move around the screen again, “had I lied, her Empathy would have told her otherwise.”

“The more reason for you to at least apologize.”

“Why would I do that? I don’t regret my hostility towards William, and I’m sure he thinks the same about his actions.”

The mentioned member doesn’t reply nor gives any sign he’s listening.

Starla can feel the front of her head beginning to throb as she murmurs to herself “Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay.”

A pat on her head brings her out of her thoughts; she slowly removes her hands from her ears and looks up to see Elden next to her.

His hand caressing the locks of hair under the cloak, “Oh Starla, you’re still too young to understand how love works.”

“Love?” she tilts her head in confusion.

“Yes, love. You see, when two people love each other very much, but don’t know how to express it, they resort to acts that will get the other’s attention. Like name-calling, pranking, and the worst of all, animosity.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. Even I have trouble understanding why this phenomenon occurs, but it does.”

“S-So you’re saying,” her mind began connecting the dots, “Eris and William like each other very much, but they don’t know how to tell each other, so they have to use insults to express their feelings?”

He nods, “Little, Starla, it won’t take long for you to understand the underlying meaning of emotions.”

The two members of the main topic of the conversation, decided to mind their own business and led Elden handle everything.

As for the member that tried, and failed, to reason with Elden, he smiles underneath the cloak, I doubt there’s any truth of what he spoke, but it at least Starla’s mind is at ease. He turns somber as he recalls the meaning of that pain, Even now she has a difficult time restraining herself. I need to be vigilant of her during our missions, for her sake, and the civilians around her.

After some mumbling over, the youngest member almost jumped as a thought came to mind, “But if people who love each other act like they hate each other, does that mean Eris and Douglass are madly in love?”

Before the elder could respond, she’s grabbed from behind by a giant hand that wraps around most of her body. She doesn’t seem surprised, only confused as she’s raised high.

After Kane places the girl behind his neck, he holds her legs gently – careful so he doesn’t hurt her with his strength, “Heh, those two are head over heels for each other, hickies are like a peck on the cheek for them.”

“Hickies?” She asks with a genuine confusion, “What are hickies?”

Kane’s grin only grew wider, but a root covered his lips before he could explain. He shots a glare to the member responsible to this.

The rose – root growing from inside the bud – he’s holding belongs to no other than Elden, “Ha ha ha ha,” his nervous laugh only angers the giant more, “What about we leave those questions unanswered for when she’s at the right age.” That displeases him even further. The root retreats back, and the rose dissipates in a flutter of rainbow dust, “Say, how about I go answering your question, Starla.”

That’s enough to lit a smile on her face. Even under the shadow of her hoodie, that kind of smile would never go unnoticed, and at the angle where she turned her head, light from the monitors behind him illuminate part of her face.

The sight brings a smile to the elder, “As I said before, I would like nothing more than a nice rest at the castle, but knowing our undisputed leader, she would want us to vacate it once Douglass comes with some good news.” He rubs the back of his head, “Knowing my karma, he will come with excellent news.”

“YAY!” She throws her hands up and her exuberant cheer that spawned a few Neoshadows on nearby rooftops. Their instincts, however, told them to keep their distance. Specifically, the member seated between the six with the legs crossed, gaze focused on the horizon.

It’s uncommon-unheard of actually, for Shadows to hide from what is called their prey, but that member is giving them a bad vibe. Even with the long distance dividing them, they can feel the heavy aura the person emanates.
But what does grab the attention of six of them is a Dark Corridor appearing on the very left.

A few of them raise an eyebrow as the rest watch it with some interest, in Starla’s case, she leans forward from her spot, intrigued for what news he’s going to bring.

A black booth steps out first, followed by a white cloak with gold trimmings covering the rest of the body, “Hi,” he greets with a wave of his hand, “did ya all miss me?” His jovial tone only seems to affect Starla, who nods vigorously and then waits for him to continue.

“Oh, little Starla” the dark corridor behind him closes, “of course I missed you too.”

After he finished, he leans over and sets his elbow against the giant’s side; who blinks, then looks at his right to find Douglass there, “Hey, big guy, how you doing?”

He snorts, steam flaring out of his nostrils, “Fine until an annoying pest arrived.”

“Really! I didn’t know Mr. Nibbles came back. I guess he really does love you.”

“Why you-”

“No more fighting!” Starla’s voice came on top of them, but it doesn’t stop Kane from looming dangerously over the smaller member.

“You heard the girl,” Elden places a hand on Douglass’s and Kane’s shoulder, pushing them – with the latter staying still because of his size – apart in a gentle manner. “How are we supposed to bring new order if we can’t keep it amongst ourselves?”

“Perhaps it’s for the best,” Eris’ comment caught them off guard, causing them focus on her instead. But her attention is focused on the screen: it’s displaying a 2-D model of the mechanoid with the top layer off, showing numerous circuits, metallic cylinders of various sizes for bones, and other stranger components found throughout the body. Currently, red marking appeared on its mask and chest in the shape of its wounds, although they’re nowhere to be severe, the rectangular box near its head is alarming.

Photon Charge: 4%

Photon Charge: 0%

She managed to contain a sigh, then places the tablet in a pocket inside her cloak, This will create troubles in the future.

She turns around, and finds that they’re still waiting for her to continue. She shakes her head, preferring to drop the subject rather than repeat herself again, “Douglass, how did the investigation go?”

He perks at the question, one could tell the way he straightened his slouchy posture, “Ooooh, well, what can I say?”

She blocks a black gloved hand that was about to touch her shoulder. Slowly, she exhales; her patience is not running thin, but his antics are annoying.

Right next to her is Douglass; his shoulders shaking as he stifles his laughter, “What’s the matter, Eris, are you cranky~y? Did you skip dinner?” She closes her eyes, hoping that when she opens them, he will be somewhere else instead. So when she opens them, seeing a sandwich in front of her is confusing, “Brought you some food of that world, its called a Hay Sandwich. Now guess what’s in it.”

She gives him a deadpan expression only he can see.

“Jeez, where did your sense of humor die?”

With a twitch of her finger, the ‘sandwich’ is set aflame, then shortly crumbles into a pile of ash, “With my family!”

“Enough!” They flinch back. Their leader hasn’t moved from her spot, but the weight in her voice is enough to have effect. “Douglass, mission report.”

He recovers, and makes an exaggerated bow, “Your wish is my command.” The act earns a sharp turn of Eris’s head, no doubt glaring at him.

She, as the rest of The Order that aren’t sitting down, fix their gaze to the collage of monitors further back the rooftop, so they can see Douglass after he teleported in front of them.

“The residents of the world were…fun to watch.” He raises a hand and snaps his fingers. The monitor on his left shows a street view of a town. Simple, yet diverse structures that range from small to two floor houses, but all seem to be made of the same material. What came as the real interest are the strange four-legged creatures that trot on the street. All in various sizes and color.

“What are they?” The awe in Starla’s voice would be contagious if this weren’t a serious matter.

“Ponies. You know, like horses. Only a little smaller and more cartoonish.” He takes a glance at the screen, “At least these ones are.”

The member who tried to reason with Eris shakes his head in disapproval, “Does the world hold any use?”

“Oh, Lancelot, you just love getting to the point don’t ya?” Before the other could reply, Douglass snaps his fingers again. All the screens have something to show this time. An empire made of crystals with a castle shrouded in a white glow during the night. A castle/city protruding from the side of a mountain. A large pony, long legs, snow-colored fur, golden necklace with a diamond amethyst in the center and a crown of the same design, and rainbow mane and tail flowing in an invisible wind is standing over a balcony and looking over her kingdom. The last is some sort of cavern, and at the very center is a crystalline tree with five branches holding a large gemstone each; it has the carved shape of a six-point star and of a sun and of a waning moon below it.

The images, despite beautiful or strange to some, doesn’t provide a clear answer. Douglass can see that in the way Lancelot crossed his arms.

“Aside from being one of the largest worlds I had the honor of seeing first. This world baffles even my understanding of magic, and when I say magic, it’s the kind we don’t know anything about.”

“Care to explain why this magic is so rare?” Eris’ skepticism draw a chuckle from him.

“How about this. Can you name a being that can move the sun at will?” He moves a pointy finger in her direction and wiggles it a bit, “Well, can ya?”

She stays silent.

“What I thought.” He throws his arms up high as the thrill of this is too much to contain, “Believe me when I say this world has everything what we ask for, and as an added bonus, we can learn from the magic it offers.” He removes the cloak from his head, revealing his short, dark, spiky hair, and silver mask adorned with black tendrils moving about. “I think this deserves some praise. Dontcha think so too, Sigil?”

Despite six sets of eyes falling on her, she remains still, “…” Her head hangs lower; the implications of starting and finishing their goal are too many for her to count, and that’s not suggesting the possibility of failure, “We will begin by locating a new base in…did you find the name of the world?”

“Yes. If I heard it right, the residents of Ponyville – and no, I didn’t make that name up – call it Equestria.”

“Where are they?” Donald is pacing back and forth in Yen Sid’s Study Room.

Goofy is watching on the side, waiting for his best friend to cool off – which will take a while- and the other inhabitant - wearing a black coat - is in front of the star shaped window, looking at the endless dawn with a carefree smile.

“They shoulda been here by now.”

It might be Goofy’s imagination playing tricks on him, but he saw a bit of steam coming from the magician’s ears, “Don’t worry, Donald. Knowing them, they are probably running late as usual.”

This stops his pacing, but turns his hardened gaze at his taller friend, “Those two are an hour late.”

“Almost an hour,” Goofy points out cheerfully.

“And they stole The King’s Star Shard!”

He holds a finger up, signaling Donald to stop for a moment as he searches a pocket of his vest. Goofy pulls out a crumbled piece of paper. He opens it and reads it out loud, “‘Hi guys, it’s me, Sul. I – well we – leave this note so you guys won’t worry about us. We will be back soon.

P.S. If you see his Majesty, tell him we burrowed his Star Shard for a while.”

This brought a chuckle from the other occupant, but only made Donald cross his arms, “They could have asked us if they wanted to go somewhere.”

After a shake of his head, Goofy replies, “I think that’s just it.” To which Donald raises an eyebrow, “We hardly let them do anything on their own, so they still think we’re treating them like kids.”

His eyes retreat to the floor as he tries to come with an argument, but soon relents as his face softens, “I know, but…”

Seeing his best friend like this brings out a smile on him, because after years of fighting and spending time together, Goofy knows exactly what he’s trying to say, “But it’s just like when we first met Sora.”

It didn’t take long for a smile to set on the magician’s features. A mischievous glean on his eyes as he meets Goofy’s gaze, “Hey, remember when Ken had to smile?”

“Gawrsh, how can anybody forget?” His smile only got wider.

“But do you remember how he smiled?” He adds while leaning forward.

Goofy had to cover his mouth to avoid bursting into laughter, but then, without warning, he reveals a cheeky grin, upper lips pulled up revealing his teeth, cheeks shaking as if using those muscles for the first time while his eyes are turned to the upper corner.

“BWA HAHAH!” Donald fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. His laughter along with Goofy’s – although more restraint – echo throughout the study room, inciting a small chuckle from the other occupant.

Ken’s smile was as monumental as Sora’s first time, so it didn’t come as a surprise when everybody present broke into an uncontrollable laughter. This made the eleven-year-old archer red with embarrassment, and made him bow to never show a smile ever again. After much convincing from Sora, – who said that a smile would make someone else happy – Roxas, – suggested that a simple smile would do it – Aqua, – she actually wanted him to do it again because it’s been ages since she laughed that much (on second thought, that turned his face into a dark shade of red. Strengthening his resolve) – but it took a puppy-eyed Sul and a couple of “Please” (he really wanted to ride the Gummi Ship) to finish the job.

However, before he got aboard the ship, he still wasn’t smiling, to which he responded “I’m smiling on the inside.” To everyone’s surprise, it actually worked.

“Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!” Donald’s laughing shows no sign of letting up, until the room is illuminated by a white light from the outside.

(One Minute Ago)

Ken, if you are getting Sul into danger, I will freeze you again. …So come back safe.

Sele is sitting in front of the Tower’s entrance, elbows on her knees and chin perched on her hands.

Her sky blue eyes watch the stars above, waiting for a sign that they will return soon. She moves a strand of her shoulder length, sea blue hair off her eyes. She’s wearing her usual ragged cloak, clipped around the collar and draped behind her. Revealing her light blue dress that reaches above her knees combined with black, loose fit jeans, along with running shoes – blue on top with white around the sole.

She closes her eyes, What kind of mission will Master Yen Sid have for us?

It was a few days ago she overheard a conversation between the old Keyblade Master, Sora and Riku, talking about a new world unlike any other. Where there’s magic that the ex-witch could not begin to comprehend, creatures far stranger than the ones in Halloween Town, and a light so bright, that it’s unclear what other secrets it may hold.

Maybe they will take us with them. …I wouldn’t mind. A smile crosses her lips, A new world sounds…exotic.

A strong flash passes through her eyelids, prompting her eyes open.

She gasps. The once empty field now hosts Sul lying on his back, holding the Star Shard in his hand, and Ken lying facedown with his cloak on top.

A simple glance tells her they’re both death tired, but she knows for certain that her little brother is the most wounded – as always.

“Sul!” She gets up and hurries over to his side. Her staff – Mirror Drop; a dark blue rod reaching from her shoulder to her legs with a clear, crystal ball at the top end – manifesting under a cluster of bubbles that pop later.

He grumbles while trying to use any part of his body, but the grass beneath him feels more comfortable by the moment.

A green light washes over his body. His injuries heal a moment later, but exhaustion still remains. Albeit, more bearable on its own.

Sul opens his eyes, and thanks to the never-ending dawn, the sunlight was pleasant to the eyes.

“Trouble waking up?”

The teasing tone draws a smile from him. Standing next to him with a soft smile, Sele’s presence is always a welcoming comfort for him, “Just tired.” He responds in a slouchy voice.

“And I know who to blame for that,” she extends a hand to which he accepts.

He’s unsteady on his feet, but can stand on his own.

Seles’ smile widens, but when she turns to her other brother – AKA the one responsible. (Double) AKA the man standing and brushing dust off his shoulder like nothing in the world is wrong –, her face becomes barren of emotion.

Cleaning his cloak is rather useless. Ken knows that, but the grass on his shoulder is bothering him more than it should. Cuts, dirt and worn out spots mean years of use, something he can be proud of, but grass over him means he took a lazy nap on the ground. He won’t let anybody think of him as such.

He stops in mid-brush as the air turns cold. His skin feels littered with ice starting from his feet. What I give to face that mechanoid right now.

He cautiously turns his head, so when his brown eyes meet with a pair of sky blue, he fully turns and straightens up as if in the presence of His Highness…and his sister when she wears eyes that can cut through steel.

Those eyes have a stronger effect for she’s standing a few inches away. The staff on her right hand looks like a dangerous weapon of torture right now.

“Look at me in the eyes,” he obeys her command. “Ken, I will be fair, and let you tell me what happened before I do you know what.”

A foreboding chill ran through his spine, “We-” her eyes narrowed, warning him not to lie, “I wanted to see what the The Order was planning. Yesterday, Chip and Dale intercepted a message, regarding of testing a new type of weapon-”

He flinches when she moves the orb in front of his face. The center glowing a dangerous faint light, “So you thought it was a good idea to explore with just you and Sul?”

“No, he found me grabbing the Star Shard, so I had to take him or he would have told His Majesty...or you,” he then adds, “and then you would have told His Majesty.”

“What else would I have done? By the way, King Mickey already knows.”

He blinks twice, but “But how-”

“Sul left a note.”

He’s left speechless while Sul replies for him, “I thought I should’ve let His Majesty know, so he wouldn’t worry.”

“We’re fortunate His Majesty is merciful.”

He managed to break eye contact without repercussion, “The worst he’s done is scold us, and even then, he just reminds we shouldn’t do things on our own.”

“Because we don’t have to.” *Sigh* With much trepidation, Ken meets her gaze again, relieved that the orb is not on his face, but it turns to guilt at seeing her saddened eyes, “Reckless is not living. It’s asking to get injured. At least you were there with Sul.”

“Actually, we were separated when we entered the world.” Sul corrected without any intention of mischief towards his brother. For him, this is a typical moment between his family.

*Gulp* Her stoic expression puts him at edge again. He feels a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead, “I-I can explain.”

She raises an eyebrow.

He lowers his head in defeat, “I’m…not good at using the Star Shard.”

“So why did you use it?”

“I…”

Sul fills it in for him, “He wanted to see if he could finally use the Star Shard right.”

Silence hangs in the air. Its not unbearable; its not foreboding. Its a calm quiet that has no room left for discussion or questions to be answered.

The orb in Mirrored Drop glows faintly.

The double doors to the tower burst open with Donald and Goofy running through the threshold.

They are both sporting wide smiles as the Mage is about to greet the trio.

“Hey, guys-” he stops short at seeing a giant ice cube with Ken in it. “…Not again,” he grumbles, summoning his staff while his friend goes to Sul and Sele – the latter using her magic to replenish the former’s, whose now standing on steady feet.

The Royal Captain moves his hand to the side of his mouth and whispers, “Where did ya go this time?”

Donald raised his wand high, “Firaga!” A volley of fire is unleashed from the top of the hat, and turns into steam after it makes contact with Ken’s icy cage. The three feel the heat rise as they’re close to the human size sauna, but they really don’t pay that much mind to it.

“We went to The Order’s world to see what they were doing.” The captain was about to gasp ‘What?!’, but Sul placed a finger on lips to signal Goofy to stop. He then removes it and pleads “Please don’t tell Donald yet, or he will get angry at us.”

He quickly looks behind him. Said-duck is walking towards them with a fixed glare.

“What did ya see?”

He replies with a somber tone “They already made that new model.”

Goofy nods, but it doesn’t go unnoticed.

With eyes narrowed and arms crossed, he asks Goofy directly, “What did they tell ya?”

“Umm,” For his part, he looks to the side and scratches his chin.

Sul does the same minus the scratching. Sele closes her eyes, pretending to be concentration on her spell rather than facing Donald’s gaze if it comes her way. The steam finally runs out, revealing, wet from head to toe. For him, one good thing came out of this, Now Sele can’t bother me to wash my cloak.

Donald taps the ground with his foot, looking at all the suspects until *Sigh*. He unfolds his arms and drops his angry demeanor, “Let’s all go inside, so we can give you your mission.”

This brought different levels of excitement to the three siblings. The youngest brother smiled widely. The eldest grinned in anticipation, and the sister has a knowing smile.

The doors to Yen Sid’s study opened, and the first one to enter running is Sul, “Hey, Yen Sid, what kind of mission are we-Huh?”

The person - hands behind his back – is watching the dawn through the star-shaped window. He’s significantly taller than all of them, except for Goofy, and wearing the Organization’s black coat as a memento, but Sul knows he’s wearing blue pants – a little change doesn’t hurt he said once. His most recognizable feature is his long, spiky red hair.

“About time you guys show up,” by now, everyone’s entered the room. Ken and Sele share their brother’s confusion. He looks behind him, showing the tear-like tattoo under his eye along with his signature, easy-going smile. “Any longer and I would have left as well.”

This drew their attention around the room. Donald and Goofy, already aware the Old Wizard has left, walk towards the side of the main desk, and there they wait with eager smiles.

“I didn’t see him leave,” Sele’s gaze falls back on Lea.

“Really?” he relaxes his arms and walks towards Yen Sid’s personal chair, now gaining the brother’s gazes as well. “I’m surprised you didn’t see any of that outside. The light show he put almost left me blind.” Once in front of it, he sits…uncomfortably. His discomfort is clearly shown as he shifts around.

Lea shifts to the front of the chair, legs up on the table, head on the stony recliner with hands behind for comfort. …It makes it worse. He moves his hands to the armchairs and pushes himself up, “How can he still walk after sitting in something like this?” He muses out loud while feeling an uncomfortable ache on his rear.

Sele holds back a giggle, and Donald facepalms without anybody noticing.

“Um, Lea,” Sul points at him with a finger, “Didn’t you used to sit in something like that?”

He rubs the back of his head, looks off to the side and says “Had Saix gotten the weekly meetings approved, I wouldn’t have lasted a month.”

“Was it really that bad?” He asks while studying the stone, but well-carved chair.

“Bad? It felt like I was sitting on glass, only less slippery.” Out of the corner of his eyes, Lea notices Sele suppressing her giggles. He lets out a playful smile and arched an eyebrow, “Is there a joke I missed out on?”

“Well-Hehe-maybe,” it took a few seconds for her to compose herself, “Master Yen Sid uses an alignment spell to increase the humidity around the base, and heats the surface so its above room temperature.”

“Let me guess, I need water affinity for it to work.” After she nods, he lets out a noncommittal shrug, “Go figure.”

*Ahem* Donald is giving Lea an impatient gaze. Then signals towards the teens with a jerk of his eyes.

“Oh, right.” He walks around the desk, “So, why do you think you’re here?” And finishes as he sits on the desk – just as hard as the chair, but noticeably warmer, which he will take.

“A mission, and its very important,” Sul answered. He knows meetings in the Mysterious Tower are never for light matters, more so with the Order lurking around the worlds like the Organization he heard about.

While the older brother ponders if it will be exiting or not, Sele smiles, Because she has an idea of what it could be.

“Important is pretty close, but I think you’re gonna love what comes next.” His lips curve into a small grin at seeing their confusion, “Pack your things. You three alone will take a field trip to a new world.”

The responses are a mixture of thrill from Sul, a gasp from Sele, and suspicion from Ken.

“When are we going?”

“Only us?”

“What kind of world is it?”

The three glance at each other before looking back at Lea. Who is slightly amused.

He points at finger at the sword user, “You first.”

Sul is more than happy to, “When can we go?”

“Just a matter when you are ready.”

Lea turns his head to Sele, “You said ‘you three alone’. Does that mean it will only be Ken, Sul and me?”

“That’s right, so no pressure.”

As he shifts his attention to the last brother, her confusion deepens, Is this the mission Yen Sid talked about?

“…What type of mission will this be?”

“Your favorite: exploration.” He taps the side of his head with a finger, “Got it memorized?”

The answer does draw an irritated glare from the archer.

“Come on, Ken,” Sul looks at his brother with an eager smile, “it sounds like fun.”

“Sure,” he moves his gaze to the wall on his side, “if all you like to do is ask questions all day.”

The younger brother tilts his head in confusion, “What’s wrong with that?”

Ken let’s out a sigh while massaging his temples with a thumb and an index finger, I thought I didn’t have to do these kind of missions when I became lieutenant.

*Hmph* Sele turns her head to the right - opposite to Ken - with her eyes closed “Sul, if he wants to be difficult, it doesn’t mean you have to be the same.”

The air grew dense as Ken didn’t respond, or even turn to see Sele is not giving him the indifferent stare.

This is nothing new of course, but still, Goofy can’t stand to see two friends, especially brother and sister, wordlessly dispute like this.

He chirps in with a wide smile, “Aren’t you all excited to explore a new world?”

Sul snaps out of his musings. A wide smile of his own adorns his face, “Excited?” He extends an arm to the side, curling it around Ken’s neck and bring him closer. Then does the same to Sele, “We can’t wait to go!”

The brother and sister look at each other from their position. Their looks of surprise quickly turn into a glare before turning their head in the opposite direction.

Preparations for The Night

*Sniff-Sniff, Sniff-Sniff* The dried leaves of the bush are pleasant to smell. It’s not like the scent is new or anything, but tonight is better for a different reason.

Flashlights hovered near the area. Panicked replaces serenity, and the bush becomes a good hiding spot. Unfortunately, the leaves rustled as they’re pushed to the side.

“Did everypony hear that?”

Only the sound of hoofsteps are made, “Screwyyy! Come here, Screwyyyyy! I got your favorite chewing ball!”

Screw Loose nearly dashed through the bush towards her caretaker, but she’s not a dumb dog. Going back to her caretaker means going back to the ponies in white suit, and that means that bed with straps to hold her down, or the puffy white room so she – as they said – ‘doesn’t hurt herself’.

A light passing above her eyes makes her blink, snapping her out of her thoughts. She’s fortunate part of the leaves parted, leaving a good view of her pursuers, and the present flashlights provided enough illumination.

Her caretaker – a mare with a soft-yellow coat, curly, light-blue and baby-blue toned mane, a long bun that reaches down her neck with a cap on her head, and a cutie mark of a white cross with four hearts surrounding it – makes squeaky noises with a rubber ball she’s stomping. Her eyes dart around with a smile that can’t hide her worry.

Screw is still some ways from Ponyville, at least to the main section where houses and stores surround you.

The plain she’s in is very close to that, but with a few bushes here and there with even fewer trees. She has to wait for her chance to-

“Screw! SCREW! SCREEEEW!!!” Her ears perk up at the voice of her sister. The urge of running and licking her face is too great, but Screw knows better. So she-“Screw, stop hiding! It’s me! Your sister.”

She comes into view – a lighter shade of blue as a coat, blue-green mane that ends in a bun, a similar cap and cuties mark, except the cross is red and the hearts are a darker pink. Her own panic is mixed with fear as she repeats “pleasebeokaypleasebeokaypleasebeokay”

“Relax, Tender,” Coldheart places a comforting hoof on her friend/colleague’s shoulder, “Screw knows better than to get hurt. She’s a smart dog after all.”

Tenderheart narrows her eyes, accompanied with a scowl. She jerks her shoulder, removing the hoof and causing a mournful look on her friend, “Tender, I’m sorry. I-”

“That,” she spat, “that right there is the reason why she is still sick, because you keep reinforcing her Clinical lycanthropy. How is she supposed to be herself again if you keep playing catch the ball with her?”

Now it’s Coldheart’s turn to narrow her eyes, “Excuse me for giving her something to smile. Do you know how much she whines when we treat her? Do you know how many tears she holds back every time somepony looks at her like she has the flu - and I’m not talking about the stomach flu? And one last thing, do you know how badly she wants to live her life?”

Tenderheart bares her teeth in a scowl, “I. Know. She’s my sister for Celestia’s sake, but this is for her own good.”

“You mean making her life miserable?” Coldheart counters in a steel voice.

“I WANT HER TO HAVE A NORMAL LIFE!” Her voice cracks at the end. Tears held back, but one escapes and rolls down her cheek. The demeanor of the other nurse crumbles, but Tenderheart still goes to the offensive, “Do you know what ponies called her when she was on the street acting like…” her nostrils flare as she breathes in heavily, “acting like that? The things the other ponies told her; I didn’t forget that, and I don’t want her to go through that again. I want to support her,” tears flow freely, and Coldheart’s ears flop down to her head, “but I want my sister back. I want to talk to her and hear her voice again. I-*Sob*-I want her to call me Tender again.”

She tries to hold onto her anger, but it crumbles apart with streams of tears and strained sobbing. There’s no sign it will stop, not even as Coldheart wraps her in a tight hug. Tender buries her face on her neck and returns the embrace.

From the side, another pony comes into view. This one – a plumb physique, three light-pink freckles on each cheek, pink coat, light violet mane with white stripes, white cross and four light-pink hearts surrounding it – is holding a flashlight in her muzzle. She grasps it with her hoof, “Girls, I hate to be the one who says this, but all this commotion might have scared Screw away. Tenderheart, we know this isn’t easy for you, but now is not the time for you to lose your temper. Not when Screw is Celestia knows where.”

The sobbings came out more chocked. Tender steps away from the hug first, wipes a trench of tears away and manages to say “I*Hic*I’m okay. I’m okay.” She repeats forcefully. “Sorry for…my behavior. It was out of character.” She gasps in surprise when Sweetheart tackles her into a hug.

“It’s all right, honey. You’re under a lot of stress. It’s a wonder why you haven’t snapped sooner.”

Tenderheart blinks a few times, trying to register the sign of affection. When she moves again, she returns the embrace half-heartedly before breaking it.

“Thanks.” She takes a deep breath, calming the last of her nerves. The sound of a bush rustling snaps her full attention to it, “Screw?!” She rushes towards it, followed by the two other nurses and stallions, holding a flashlight in their muzzle, in white scrubs that wisely stayed out of the touchy moment.

Her shout soon echoes through the field, “STUPID SQUIRREL!”

But Screw barely registered it. She bit her lower lip, holding back her tears and resisting her instincts to run to her sister, tackle her to the ground and cuddle her till she feels better.

She managed to repress a *whine*, but currently the back of her head is yelling at her to comfort her sister, and it’s quickly gaining ground over the voice that warns her of what awaits if she does.

She has to get away. She had to, before she decides against it. She moves a hoof to turn around. *Snap* Her eyes widen in fear.

“Screw?” The entire bush shakes, and Screw – in a white hospital garment – comes out galloping towards Ponyville as if her life depends on it. “SCREEEW!”

She won’t look back. She will block the shouts and pleas of her sister. She’s ready to start a new life somewhere. …Even - as much as it pains her to do - if it causes grief for her sister.

A wooden spoon swirls inside the cauldron. The brew turning from a pinkish color to a light green as bubbles rise to the surface.

Zecora is brewing an easy (uncommon for her) solution for when the time comes. Her lips curve into a smile as she remembered the wonder in those kids’ eyes as she came out of the green haze.

She inwardly chuckles, This time around, a hydra, Ursa Minor and changelings will do, and perhaps some treats for them to droll. She can already see some of the colts jumping and taking a bite of the green sweets, only to realize it’s all lights and smoke. But she frowns from a thought, I fear a repeat might be dull, but adding a few more hues might be the way to go.

She stops mixing and walks over to a stand with vials ready for use. She inches her muzzle closer, but stops when she notices the bottle is vibrating. Zecora inspects it briefly before looking at the one next to it. It’s in the same condition, and soon rattles as more join. All around her, vials, masks, even the cauldron are shaking as she watches with a baffled expression. She snaps out of stupor as realization hits her.

The floor is shaking, and in hindsight, it’s not a good idea to have unsecured vials that contain chemicals that should never be mixed to together, and the rest that serve for…self-defense purposes.

She gallops towards the door, managing to maintain her footing long enough to reach it before the first vial fell off. She passes the threshold and Tartarus is let loose.

Pops and cracks are overtaken by spontaneous flamethrowers shooting out the window, rainbow-hued smokes bursting out from time to time, colorful fireballs that dissolves into flares of its color.

And Zecora is witness to this from her position on the ground. Mere inches below the danger as her hooves are crossed over her head.

Just as fast as it began, it stops. Zecora dares take a peek behind. Seeing (potentially deathly) smoke of various colors seeping through cracks on her home is not a good sign, but if anything, its still standing. With any more luck, somethings might have survived.

She gets up to get a better look at the damage.

The door has been torn off its hinges, and whatever hasn’t been scorched to ashes, is burned beyond recognition. The only reason she knows it was once a door, is that all the black lumps are piled a few feet away from the entrance. The frames of the windows are in the same condition as the door, even more smoke coming out from them. There are splinters forming webs around the branches, the roots, and only one vial and the tiki mask to that leaned on a branch survived.
She takes a moment of silence, not for the potions that she can replace in a matter of days, but for her hut she called a home, the masks and personal items which served as memento to her friends in her homeland. All gone by a short earthquake.

The silence helps her go through the stage of grief. …The Everfree, silent? Cryptids roam these woods day and night. Finally registering the oddity in the silence, she turns around and scans surroundings with a critical eye.

No bird cries, hardly the traces of wind. She knows what this means, if something keeps the creatures of the Everfree silent, then it can only be a bad omen.

Her eyes widen as they stop, “This can’t be. You all should be a myth forgotten in time.”

Three dark, small, bipedal creatures with two antennas each approach her on shaky steps, but the rustle of leaves above her turns her attention in time to see similar creatures – with long hind legs, slick and long appendages like a monkey’s arms, combined with hollow yellow beads for eyes – descend directly for her.

The solace of silence is nothing new to the pony. The moon’s soft light is still there, although it pours through a new window. Maybe that’s the reason why the night sucks so much. Because nothing good came from moving in. To make things ‘better’, many boxes are still sealed because of...reasons, and that’s not mentioning the document showing her loans. That’s if it wasn’t crumbled into a ball and had been tossed to a random corner.

However, being able to see parts the floor at all was a miracle on its own. Her last residence could be considered a dump even in low and depredated household standards. She’s lucky to have gotten out of that place and start a new life…at the very least put the effort to start one.

“This is sad,” the last thing she needs is to go down the memory lane of self-arrogance and self- destruction. She’s lying on her couch with a hoof draped over her eyes, so the light coming from the window next to her wouldn’t bother her. In truth, she can walk to her bedroom and sleep there instead in the living room, but that would mean she has to get up and that right now is not doable for her.

The other thing she could do is get up for a seconds to spread the curtains, but that would require moving too much.

So with a soft sigh, she resigns herself to sleep on the couch without a warm blanket over her.

*Bark-Bark*

She sits up with a jolt; her amber eyes opened wide in surprise. She snaps her head to the left, and right on the table – lucky enough to be included with the house – is a slim puppy with the most adorable face she ever seen, and eyes that seem to captivate her into almost saying ‘Aaaww. Whose that cutie little doggy?’

She shook her head, ‘W-What was I doing?’ Her eyes fell back on the puppy, and a scowl spreads her features, “How did you get in?”

The answer doesn’t matter as much when the cute creature rolls on his back, and opens its mouth while its tongue hangs on one side. *Bark-Bark*

She be lying if she said she isn’t feeling unease by the doggy that may need a belly rub. She smiles though as the cute creature *whines* for her touch.

Combined with the puppy eyes, she relents, “Alright, alright, but only one belly rub.”

She gets up with a wide smile plastered on her face; her light, turquoise coat has a dull surface from the harsh times she had to go through.

But none of it matters right now, only being close to the doggy and running her hoof in circles on its belly, “Why did nopony tell me dogs are this cute. I would have bought one ages ago. …Maybe not, a dog on Cloudsdale sound like a bad idea.”

The dog rolls to its feet, and waggles its tail in an excited manner. The pegasus looks at it with a confused gaze, unsure of what it wants from her now, and now she isn’t sure of what she’s seeing, because its eyes glow amber, the color of her eyes. They turn pale until becoming yellow with a tint of orange; its pupils shrinking into dots.

But her mind doesn’t put much thought to it, even passing it off as natural, and something about it makes a fuzzy feeling grow inside her. It’s not warm nor cold, but its…nice. The last time she felt something this good, was when she about to break the sound barrier.

Her! Doing an amazing feat like that would have given her a spot in the Wonderbolts. Would have…? Her smile falters, I…I joined the academy. I’m sure I did, but… A small voice is yelling at her, but its muffled by the fuzzy feeling that’s nearly overtaken her entire body.

She doesn’t know the answer, but she knows its bad, even painful to remember. So why remember?

She doesn’t want to remember, it would be a mistake to, but it would also be a mistake not to. She caused something, that much she knows, and forgetting that mistake is worse than causing it.

What was it…what…was… Her thoughts become heavy, and the dog’s, pale amber eyes are slowly filling her vision.

The moment feels surreal. Nothing matter right now. Not the past, not the future, but only the present alongside the cute doggy.

She blinks, but it’s enough to break eye contact and let her gaze wander somewhere else. She spots an open box, and hanged on its side is the reason why she left it for tomorrow.

A full body jumpsuit with a lightning bolt running from the neck to the stomach. Although there are thousands like it, and replicas sold in store for costumes, this one is unique. For that torn fabric on the chest area is prove of the tragedy she almost caused.

Lightning Dust closes her eyes and puts pressure on her forehead with a hoof. It does little to alleviate the migraine threatening to split her head.

The next second she’s blinking in bewilderment as her eyes search left and right, How did I get here? She recalls leaving unpacking for later for…reasons she rather not deal with right now. Then about the couch and how annoying the cold was getting. Did I sleep walk? ‘Great’. I do have to see that psychiatrist after all.

*Whine* It snaps her attention back at the table. On top is a strange puppy that sitting with its tail waggling and tongue hanging on its side.

“How did you get here?” Her brows furrow, Did I…even ‘better’. Now my head is playing tricks on me.

*Whine* During her musing, the dog jumped from the table, and is now cuddling her foreleg.

To anyone looking, the doggy’s head looks like the softest and most adorable thing to be cuddled with! On Lightning’s end, however, its as if a bag of ice is rubbing her leg, making her body feel as if its been splashed by a bucket of cold water.

“Get off!” With a quick swipe, the dog is roughly pushed under the table. “*Pant* Stupid dog,” her heart’s beating faster. Lightheadedness comes next. She wipes a bead of sweat before muttering through clenched teeth, “I swear, if I’m allergic to that mud, I will-”

*Creek* Her ears perk up. The table has a crack going from one end to the next.
The pegasus narrows her gaze at it.

An entire web of cracks forms the next moment before they’re send to the sides by a big figure.

“What” her gaze moves up from the long, but bony legs of the creature “the…” her ears fold against her head as her gaze passes its chest, covered with random-sized spikes as baby-blue sparks surge around them, to its eyes filled completely by a pale blue color.

It growls at her with its long, narrow muzzle with veins popping all around.

“hay?” She ends weakly before the beast pounces at her with its razor fangs.

“Last check for the night, Spike.” The Princess of Friendship is pacing around, head held high and with a content smile.

The drake is holding a quill in a claw and a scroll in the other. He’s near one of the dozens of crystal bookshelves that came with the castle, packed to the brim with books from libraries around Equestria. It was petition Twilight made to Princess Celestia some days ago, and Her Highness was more than happy to see it done in the fastest manner possible.

“Already ahead of you, Twilight. I already stacked every book Cloudsdale send us by category, author, year published and title.” He finishes with a proud grin while checking off an item from the list.

“You did?” Twilight is giving him her best puzzled look. She glances at a single bookshelf, a notably large bookshelf with sixteen spacious shelves, then back at spike. A short baby dragon that barely reaches her shoulders without his spikes. “How?”

“Ladder, duh.” He points to a wall far behind him. Twilight follows it with her gaze and sees a step ladder.

“Spike, that’s a step ladder.” She deadpans.

Now its his turn to give her a puzzled look, “Isn’t that the same thing as a ladder?”

“No. A ladder is a vertical set of steps or rugs composed of metal, wood or rope with the purpose to reach objects or areas above your reach. A step ladder serves the same function, but is composed of two ladders combined by a hinge on both top ends, sometimes attached with-”

“So it’s a ladder?” Spike interrupts Twilight before she got into the ‘zone’.

“For basic function, yes, but-”

“Then it’s a ladder!” He beams.

She releases an exasperated sigh, “What’s next on the list.”

His lips curl into a toothy grin, “That was the last of it.”

“What?” Her eyes widen. She teleports the scroll in front of her, finding out that every item is indeed checked off. “But when did you have the time to cross-check the list we sent to Canterlot’s library to the books they sent us?”

Once she floats the scroll down, Spike’s worried expression comes into view, “Um, Twilight, what time is it?”

Her eyes narrow in thought, “8:23.”

“It’s…10:49.”

“WHAT!” Her eyes give the impression they’re bugging out, “But how? I took Advanced Incantations and Charms to my bedroom for a quick read.”

With a cross of his arms and a deadpan expression, Spike says “You planned on reading the table of contents and the first ten pages, right?”

Her cheeks grow warm as her lips curl into a sheepish smile, “I...see what happened now. Sorry for making you do all the work Spike.”

He smile proudly with a nonchalant air around him, “Naaah,” he waves off the apology with a claw, “why do you think I’m your number one assistant?”

“My only assistant,” she said it as a matter-of-fact with a sisterly tone.

*Who* Looking over her shoulder, Owlicious is perched on her barrel. Her second assistant is giving her his best accusatory glare with his wingtips on his hips.

“Oh, right,” she looks back at Spike, “number one-morning-assistant.”

“Hey!” It’s his turn to form his own glare, but directed at the number one-nighttime-assistant, “Twilight has one, one, number one assistant,” he points at his chest with his thumb/claw, “and his name is-”

*Who*

“Who? I mean m-”

*Who*

Irritation crawls into his voice, “I mean m-”

*Who*

Claws meeting face echo throughout the silence, making Twilight hold back a chuckle so her two number one assistants don’t focus on her. Last thing she wants to answer is who is her number one assistant, for there’s going to be a heart broken and a disappointed alicorn for not handling the situation better.

If only Spike would work like this without incentives. I guess some things will be the same no matter what. The drake and the owl continue their heated debated as Twilight turns her gaze to a window.

Luna’s skies are as beautiful as the day she gained her full powers, and Twilight has only seen wonders after the night has been returned to her – not that Celestia hasn’t done a good job maintaining the night(though it pales in comparison), but Luna has been revolving the constellations around Equus again, something Celestia wasn’t able to do. So constellations that were only visible one side of the world are now seen in other continents in cycles. Even the spectrum of the night appears livelier than before, like applying retouch varnish to a worn out painting.

I wonder what surprises this night will bring.

*Sniff-Sniff* *Sniff-Sniff* Screw moves around with her nose on the ground. Sniffing the side of a house, the middle of the street, and occasionally a random pony who, upon sniffing, backs away very slowly, indecisive between an expression of confusion or disturbed, and moves on to the other side of the street.

She scrunches up her face in concentration as the scent is strong enough to follow. She paces forward, nose on the ground and on the side of the street where the scent is the strongest. It didn’t take long for her to stop and look at an empty alleyway, but her nose tells her there’s something hiding beneath the shadows. And it kicks her primal instincts on.

She enters it with a searching eye, gazing at the walls, up in the air, the ground, anywhere were something can jump on her. As to why she’s so vigilant of everything, even Screw doesn’t know the answer...it just feels safer doing so.

A dark pool – noticeable under the House’s pale shadow – grows a few feet away. Screw stops with a curious gaze as three set of black claws emerge. A round head with two ant-like antennas and hollow, beady eyes follows, then the rest of its equally small, bipedal body.

The Shadow stands with a swaying motion, but just its presence draws a *Growl* from the Earth Pony.

Neither move, but Screw’s nose scrunches again. The smell she’s been following got stronger all of a sudden.

The creature that appeared on her search takes a step forward, but it’s crushed into dust by a giant broadsword.

*Whine* Screw’s blood runs cold; her ears fold against her head as she takes in the appearance of the newcomer.

It’s a bipedal being with full body armor, gleaming white like the moon itself, and thicker gear around its chest and rectangular shoulder plates. It’s helm’s visor are two narrow slits, with a pattern of holes where its mouth should be.

The sight alone would make anyone take a step back from fear. Its height, however, twice from a regular pony – passing the roofline of the houses next to it – is what gives her pause from doing any sudden movement. Only now she realizes, or dazed out of the fear long enough, to see its standing outside the alleyway, and that broadsword - dull on appearance - is close to the stranger’s height.

It’s clear Screw doesn’t know what that thing is, but it’s kept its head bowed to where the ant was standing. If she’s careful about it, maybe she can get away without-it shifts its head up, fixing its empty gaze on her.

Screw wanted to turn around and scream for her sister to save her. Her legs remained in place against her wishes, and the cold slowly dulls her senses.

Her eyelids grow heavy as the floor looks more inviting by the second. Her world darkens; the giant knight retreats its sword back to its side, gaze still in place and the pony’s eyes are about to close.

A jolt runs through her body, snapping her eyes open and giving her the chance to bolt from the scene. She’s galloping down the street fast enough that houses zoom past her. Failing to notice how desolate the street is. How the only sounds are her own clopping. That despite several homes having the lights on, no noise is made or shadows seen from the curtains draped over. How back on the alley she escaped from, the knight walks away on a casual pace.

A pony – a two toned mane of blue and pink curled into buns, creamed coat, and a cutie mark of wrapped candies – trots in its direction with her eyes closed. She takes notice of the knight after she collides muzzle first onto its armored leg.

“Oow! Oh Celestia, I’m so sorry. I should have been paying more attention-” She opens her pale blue eyes, pupils contracted into tiny dots. She quickly bows down, “Forgive me, I didn’t know it was you. I promise it won’t happen again.”

The knight regards the pony for a moment, then walks around her and continues on its way. The mare sighs in relief, brushes a drop of sweat from her forehead and resumes her trotting with a tuneful *Hum*.

Author's Note

If I have to admit anything, is that I'm going into unknown territory by including Screw into the story. There are reasons why I added her though, but I rather not spoil the fun.

On another note, I think this is a good spot to pause the story and work in the other ones I have. This is not a hiatus since I will come back after a certain time, like after two months I'm guessing. ...So yeah.

:pinkiecrazy: Until Next Time!