Kingdom Hearts: The Fragorian

As time went on, we asked anyone and everyone if they had seen ‘anypony’ like Twilight. We always received ‘No, sorry.’, as an answer. The search continued for hours, with the sun in the sky marking our passage through time. Twilight never got rid of that determined expression on her face, though. It practically defied the world around her.

The answer never seemed to change, yet we pressed on. Four hours of walking, talking, and questioning. During that time, I realized that, after the first hour or so, our non-success was affecting her. Her walk changed, then her grin. Eventually, even her eyes seemed to lose the spark they’d gained when she met Applejack. It was at this point, with the sun a small ways away from our neighboring mountain peak that I decided to stop her.

“No, we can keep going, I’ll just-”

“Twilight, I’m sorry. If we keep going, we’ll be jumped.” I gave her a pleading look. My smaller green eyes into her larger amethyst ones.

“O-okay. Alright.” She finally relented, sagging much more than before.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We can try again in the morning.”

In related news, I sucked at being reassuring. At least she wasn’t crying.

***

The market’s stalls and shops were closing up when we returned. The sunset’s tinted light was reflecting off of the store windows, splashing the cobbled road with waves of orange. Applejack was closing up, too. She was busy dismantling the wooden structure and waved us over with a hoof.

“Well, howdy there!” She greeted us. “How was yer search?”

“Not so good,” I sighed.

Twilight just hung her head.

“Aww, come on now, sugarcube. Lighten up a bit!” Applejack walked up to her and lifted her chin with a hoof. “That’s no way to be. Hey, at least you found me, right?”

Something told me that was a question Twilight wasn’t up to answering. I quickly stepped in.

“Well, there’s always tomorrow. Speaking of which, if you two want to live to see tomorrow, we need to get home.” I looked up at the skyline. Not too dark yet, but... “Right now.”

“And why is that?” Applejack asked, eyebrow raised.

“The creatures that took your world are the same ones that roam these streets at night. You’re gonna want a roof over your head as soon as possible.”

She let out a low whistle. “Don’t need to tell me twice. Let’s boogity.”

I set the pace, it was a light jog for me, but it seemed to be a Sunday walk for them. They didn’t need to put any extra energy into it! Certainly did not help my ego any.

‘Alright’, I thought to myself. ‘I cannot let myself get careless this time. I’m responsible for two other lives now, and I’ll be damned if that number decreases.’

“Does anyone else hear that... noise?” Twilight murmured.

I stopped thinking and focused on my ears. No sound- what was that?

Bwooom

It sounded like a giant ball, bouncing on the ground.

Bwooom

Was it getting closer?

Bwooom

“Okay, now that’s just starting to get obno-”

I was cut off by one of the strangest sights of my life. A Large Body (hopefully not the one I angered yesterday) was bouncing on its belly with something very, very pink on its back.

Bwooom ”Wheeeeee!”

What the hell.

What are you doing, Large Body. Don’t make that noise. You are not a little girl, you are a Large Body.

Oh, wait, that wasn’t the Large Body. That was the pink thing. A vaguely pony-shaped pink thing. Wait a second....

“Pinkie!” called Twilight, smiling again.

“Hiya, guys!” Bwooom.

A pink pony with the world’s most obvious name was using a Large Body as her own personal hippity hop. I could swear I hadn’t had anything hard to drink that afternoon. But here we were.

“Pinkie, what in tarnation d’you think you’re doing?”

“I thought it was obvious!” Bwooom. “I’m using this giant blue thing as a bouncy ball!” Bwooom. “I mean, duh, what else would I be doing with it?”

“Not antagonizing it?” I offered with a cringe.

“Antaga-what now?”

“Don’t you think...” I stopped to duck and let the jiggly bounding mass fly over our heads. “...that he’s going to be mad when you finally get off of him?”

“Why would he be mad?”

“Because he’s a member of a fierce, demonic race born of negative feelings, who not twenty-four hours ago were eating your world alive!”

This gave her, and by extension her ride, pause. The Large Body didn’t look mad, actually. Just really dizzy.

“Maaaybe you’re right.” She bounced off the heartless and continued bouncing toward us, with apparently no elasticity lost. “Bye, mister Giant Blue Bouncy Man!” she called, waving. “It was fun!”

The Large Body waved back distractedly, stumbling back down the alleyway from whence it came.

I have been living in this city for nineteen years, and that is by far the weirdest thing involving a Heartless that I have ever seen.

She joined our group, and immediately started peppering me with questions.

“What’s your name?”

“Rendynn Spire.”

“What are you?”

“Human.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue- I mean, red?”

“Do you like cupcakes?”

“What!?”

“How about parties? Do you like parties?”

“Wait, hold on a sec-”

“Ooh! Ooh! Do you like games? I like games, and we can have them at your party and-”

“HOLD YOUR FREAKIN’ HORSES, GIRL!”

The conversation was taking place while we walked to my house, with this sudden outburst of mine halting our progress once again.

“Pardon my French. Just... slow... down.” I spoke in a hushed voice.

“Why are you being quiet?”

“My head hurts. Is that okay? My head is hurting. Please, ask your questions, but do it slowly.”

“Okie dokie Lokie!” She chirped.

“And quietly, too.”

“Okie dokie lokie.”

I sighed. Close enough.

“So...” She seemed to levitate off the ground for just a second as she looked eye-level to me. “...do you like cupcakes?”

“I’d imagine so.”

She smiled sweetly. “How about parties?”

“Ditto.”

“Can we have a party at your house? It’ll be so much fun!”

“No.”

“Aww. Why not?” She changed her expression to puppy dog eyes. I did not concede.

“I don’t have the time or munny for that.”

That led to Applejack’s comment:

“Well, work some more, boy!”

ALRIGHT, BACK THE HELL UP.

I had three ponies as well as myself to take care of. The supplies we were bringing back would last a few days, if that. This ‘Pinkie’ had, against all reason, tamed a Large Body, one of the Heartless, into a bouncing mount. Add all that to the fact that whatever time I had to myself was now gone, sworn to helping Twilight out in the first place...

If this were a cartoon, there would be steam coming out of my ears. You don’t mock a Spire for his work ethic.

I turned to Applejack and fixed her with a glare I usually reserved for Keng.

“I’ll have you know, Miss, that I have been job-hunting for quite some time. I won’t be getting a long-term job for another month, at least. Please excuse me if my current inability to secure a good job and stable pay affects my mood just a little bit.”

She blinked. “Struck a nerve, did I?”

“Ohohoho, you have no idea.”

After that short but satisfying tirade, my mental training kicked in. I took a few deep breaths, closing my eyes and locking up my frustrations. I needed good judgment and a clear head for the issues at hand.

“I’m sorry,” I said, turning around and walking as close to pony-speed as I could. “Let’s just get home.”

The silence that followed was more uncomfortable than a barbwire jacket.

***

After returning home, I placed the food into its proper spots in the kitchen, then walked to my room. I stopped at the door, realizing for a moment that I had two new guests. I turned right the heck back around and told them my room was now theirs, and I would sleep on the couch. There was no argument, probably because of the almost expressionless look on my face.

Once I got some sleep, I would be fine. Then I could seize the day. Carpe the ever-living crap out of that diem. No problems.

I’d get a job, or jobs, and support these poor girls. When that test rolled around, I’d kick Keng’s ass at whatever his twisted, depraved mind concocted, and enjoy a better life. After that, I’d pursue the career of an Electroknight, protecting citizens from the creatures that haunt the night, and other worlds. Like I should have been doing this whole time.

I sighed miserably when I lay on the couch, and set my sword on the floor near it. I stared up at the ceiling for a moment, contemplating the exact events that would have to take place tomorrow. I’d more than certainly have to buy a little more food. I was glad they were herbivorous, because meat was hella expensive.

I then thought about the looks and wordless expressions I had received from my equine guests. After I had snapped at Applejack over the job thing, I’d most likely stopped being the “honorable host.” My parents would kill me if word got out that I was particularly hostile - in any amount - towards them.

“...Well, shit.”

Guilt. The very last thing on my growing list of things I don’t need. A fitful sleep took hold after I worked out a rough apology for the next day.

***

Rendynn awoke in a standing position, a stark contrast to laying on his back only a few minutes previous. He blinked, then looked around.

Darkness reigned, for he could see nothing but the floor, which turned out to be a gorgeously decorated stained-glass, circular platform. It depicted the familiar overhead view of his hometown, Praetor, which he recalled seeing in a few books and magazines.

Now, the question remained - Where was he?

He started patrolling the space, attempting to glean some sort of information as to why he was in this odd, beautiful area. His shoes, he noticed, made a muffled clinking noise as he stepped across the glass surface. Upon inspection, he found that he was also not wearing his regular padded clothing, but his travelling gear, which he had kept in his closet had the need presented itself. It was lightly armored, with padding to allow free mobility. He reached over his back and smiled when he found his favorite custom short sword.

He approached the opposite edge of the platform and peered over the side. Only black, save for the soft glow of what appeared to be windows adorning the side of the column. Well, that proved he wasn’t on a floating glass platform, but an ornate tower instead. Still, what could he do? He was stranded above the ground at an unidentifiable height.

A wondrous sound reverberated through the space, shaking the ground and nearly causing Rend to lose his balance and fall off. He spun around to find that an ornate set of doors had appeared, light red in color and inscribed with writing of unknown origin.

He cautiously crept up to the entryway, then, deeming it safe, peered around it. By all appearances, the doors were useless, as opening them on one side would only grant access to the empty space right behind it.

He decided to humor whatever placed the door there. Rendynn grasped the handles and opened the doors with a grunt. To his (partial) surprise, instead of the empty space that had previously resided behind it, there was now another platform, with a different design.

Choices.

The voice came from nowhere. It sounded out, echoed once, and faded into the distance.

Every action is a choice.

A choice to carry on.

A choice to aid, or to abandon.

A choice between light and darkness.

The floor beneath him was similar to the previous “room.” The outer edge of the picture was ringed with buildings, with a half-sun and half-moon in the center. The sunlit buildings shone a bright silver. The moonlit half of the city was decayed, and yellow eyes peeked out from behind missing windows.

Two towers rose in the distance, one shining white, one glowing a malevolent blue. Platforms made of more stained glass rose from the shadow below, leading to each.

Many have chosen the dark path. It is easy to take, and the powers it grants are great and terrible. Others choose the light path — one of hardship and suffering, and often thankless in the duties it entails.

He had already made this choice, long ago. Why was it being presented to him again now?

Without a second thought, he strode over the light half of the platform and began to ascend.

Some choose light because it is merely “the right thing.” Ideals are lovely things, but they die very easily. The “right thing” is never as easy to do as we assume it to be.

The next stair he stepped on lurched to the side. He slid, but kept his footing.

In our dreams, righteousness is a flawless thing, to uphold at all costs.

Images of a lonely purple mare and her friends - one insulting, one infuriatingly hyper - flashed into his head.

In the harsh light of day, its blemishes are uncovered. And many lose the way afterward.

He shook his head and kept climbing. It didn’t matter what he thought of the ponies. They needed his help, right? So he would help them, consequences be damned. He had no money. So what? He’d find money. He always did. Regardless of what minor annoyances these three had cost him, he’d sworn an oath. What kind of knight would he be if he broke his word like that?

To those who strive for good, difficulty is a constant companion.

The next stair cracked and buckled under his weight. He threw himself to the one after before it shattered completely.

Would you brave hardship, thankless toil, and even death to uphold a mere promise?

He was almost at the top. The tower’s top floor shone even brighter now.

Why?

For some reason, this stopped him in his tracks.

Can you think of an answer?

He thought, contemplating the ivory-colored floor before him. All it would take to finish this climb was a single step. But he had to have an answer first.

Is it because you’ve been told to? Or because you want to?

Well, of course he wanted to.

But why?

His thoughts wandered. He saw a pastoral landscape turn brown and shrivel like burning paper. He saw a moon shatter into thousands of pieces, and a sun flicker and die like a doused candle.

He saw a small purple unicorn cast a spell in desperation, as the ground opened beneath her feet.

She appeared on a balcony in a strange land, alone and frightened.

The door opened.

“Hello?”

I should have been there.

I had my answer.

I thought of a tragedy played out on a hundred worlds, that might one day visit my own if I was not vigilant enough. I thought of innocent lives lost. I thought of the hordes of vile creatures that existed only to destroy.

I thought of three lonely, scared girls, orphaned from everything they knew because of something I could have prevented. Something I would never allow to happen again.

The rest was easy.

I stepped forward.

***

The light was bright, yet it did not blind me. The image on this pillar depicted rolling green hills, a settlement or two, and many familiar beings. I recognized this picture, too. It was based off of the old beliefs, where there was only one world, a world so large and filled with light. When men fought for the light, darkness was born, and the world shattered into many fragments.

The steps behind me fell away. I was resigned to my choice. In the middle of the floor, a pedestal of ornate white stone arose, seemingly without friction. I stepped towards the thing, reaching out for the light the structure held.

To my surprise, the light burst forth from the pedestal and wrapped around my body. Amazing feats of agility and strength flowed into my mind and settled into my muscle memory. I felt the natural magic reserves in my body to increase exponentially, and the sword on my back shook violently.

I was startled, yet warmed from the light. The pedestal sank into the ground. After that, I stole a glance towards the tower of darkness. For the briefest of moments, I thought I saw a figure standing there, looking directly at me. When I blinked, it was gone, along with the tower itself.

Deciding to not worry about what I potentially saw, I gripped the hilt of my sword to find that it was shaped different. Pulling it out, I found that I no longer held my favorite short sword.

The hilt had been replaced with a wraparound guard, made of silvery metal. The blade had lengthened a good foot or two. At the very end was a head in the shape of a lightning bolt. On a whim, I ficked my wrist. The head split lengthwise, segmenting into three separate teeth that sparked and flickered with lightning magic.

My sword was now a Keyblade, and I was just a little giddy.

My good humor turned out to be short-lived. The ground shook, and the platform glowed a brilliant white. When I opened my eyes again, I found that there was no longer one platform, but many across a my entire field of vision.

It wouldn’t have worried me, except that the darkness surrounding the place had suddenly gained a hostile feel to it. That wasn’t the only problem, either. The usually calming, serene designs of the stained glass platforms had changed for the worse. I tried not to stare too much, but... it felt as if the yellow eyes were watching me. I could be right, I guess, as Shadows began to rise from the ground.

I started to work, cleaving the dark creatures into tiny bits and smoke. The longer reach on the weapon I now held was helping greatly, and its weight was well-balanced, despite the teeth on the end. I ensured that no Shadow got any closer than I wanted it to be.

Time passed, and the flow of Shadows never stemmed. I wasn’t anywhere near fatigued, but it felt like I was wasting my energy. I turned and ran, jumping the gaps between platforms. I needed a way out.

In the distance, I could see a blue light, as I got closer, I noticed that the light was lightly threaded to the ground and the... ceiling?

The place had a ceiling. And it was writhing like a snake and spouting darkened mist. I was no longer where I once was, but trapped by Darkness. As if to confirm this, an enormous Heartless the size of a building formed from the ceiling and dropped down to greet me.

I recognized it immediately. A Darkside.

It was one of the stronger breeds of Heartless, one rarely encountered on any world, save for those about to be doomed to oblivion. The creature was bipedal, with a gaping heart-shaped cavity in its chest, large, muscular limbs and a head obscured by hair-like tendrils. Its eyes showed nothing but hunger.

And yet I knew this wasn’t the worst of it. This was the guardian of that blue light.

I reacted first. I boosted off of the ground with my newly granted speed and agility. The Darkside swiped an arm at my advances, prompting me to roll to the side. Its hand was buried into the glass. I rewarded its efforts with heavy swings from the Keyblade. It reared back and its heart-hole-thing began to glow. My eyes widened, and I turned tail.

SCHOOM

I looked back and realized that the beam was... very freaking slow. It was underwhelming, to say the least. And the thing could track my movement, too. Time to enact what had been a proud tradition of Keyblade Wielders for generations...

Laser Tennis. I knocked the beam back with as much effort as swatting a fly. A glowing, volatile, deadly fly. Of evil.

What was even more surprising was that the Darkside had failed to even acknowledge the slow-moving gnat of a beam that had a direct course set for its own head. The moment the small blast was heard, I decided then and there that this battle was ending. This is supposed to be a fight for my life, for God’s sakes.

As I ran towards the gigantic, sluggish monster, I raised my Keyblade in preparation of a quick kill. The Darkside had the same idea, as its depressingly inferior battle tactics took a turn for the better. For itself. Not necessarily me. Between its two claws, a large orange pulsing ball of fire magic appeared, and launched towards me. It was much too big to deflect, and suitably faster.

Did I mention those amazing feats earlier? The next moment was a proud one. I boosted off the ground and over the projectile, and straight towards the Darkside’s face. It was not prepared for that. Or the blade between its eyes. I’m pretty sure that’s something no one could be prepared for.

I twisted the Keyblade. It fell onto its back, and began breaking down into its more basic dark elements. I removed my weapon and leaped off of the rapidly fading pool of darkness. Ahead was the blue light. It looked partially organic in nature, pulsing to a rhythm I could not follow. What I could figure, however, was that its continued existence would only hinder my own, so a quick horizontal slash made short work of it.

Just my luck. The blue light thing was also holding that section of the floor together. It goes without saying that I found myself running for dear life with each step cracking the morbid images of stained glass.

Looking around, there were two similar lights to the one I had just ended. One was red, and was off to my right. The other was an acidic green, to my left. The red light was closer, so I headed off for my new target.

Going over the mental footage in my head, I figured that dousing those lights would make my day much, much better. After all, I still had some candy-colored ponies to assist.

As I went along, I was constantly barraged with growing numbers of pureblood Heartless. Most of them were shadows, but at one point I had the bad luck to run into a rather annoying member of the Heartless species aptly named the ‘Darkball’. It was black, purple, had weird hair-tentacle things, gave you a mean face, and was hyper as hell. And could bite you. Yeah, you’d be pretty annoyed. And they could phase into a cloud of purple mist and float away, only to come back and bite you again.

You get the point, and so did the next Darkball that crossed my path. I flicked the switch right as it opened its maw, and the unexpected happened.

Its chin-growth got stuck in the Keyblade’s mechanism. We stared at each other for a few seconds, both blinking at this new turn of events. I think a little bit of Keng wormed its way into my soul, because the next idea was too good to pass up.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... the Darkpaddleball. I lifted the Keyblade high above my head... and started shaking the thing violently, smacking the Darkball repeatedly.

Pong Pong Pong Pong Pong Pong Pong Pong Pong

I’ll admit, this was actually a very comedic and entertaining way to relieve stress. I even started counting. I was around 170-something when I noticed that its brethren had finally stepped up to the plate. I whirled around, and promptly introduced a new use for my sadistic toy. It was now a Darkflail, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Sadly, my acquainted Darkball didn’t have the endurance necessary to survive being a weapon, and faded alongside its brothers as I made wide, sweeping strikes with my Keyblade. Now that my distraction was gone, I remembered the reasons behind my proximity to the red light, and set off once again for it.

As I neared, I realized that no boss was in sight. I looked around warily, squinting in the dark to see if I could make out any kind of hostile movement (save the wriggling yuck-inducing darkness above).

When I had incorrectly assumed that all was well, I stepped up to the light and prepared for its end.

Note to self: ‘Assume’ is a dangerous word, right on up there with ‘oops’ and the phrase, ‘What could possibly go wrong.’ It's like there are evil, vindictive beings just waiting for people to say these words, because that’s some unspoken cue to heap ironic misfortune on the unwary.

My ears were assaulted with a loud screech. My eyes were assaulted by the dark form of a gigantic, flying serpent. Its eyes glowed a malevolent reddish-orange. Its fangs were as long as my own Keyblade, and its wings were that of a well-done movie back home.

Scare factor? Oh hell yes. Reality? Debatable, but I’d rather not find out whether or not it would hurt to get hit by it. Speaking of which, it was getting closer rather quick-

I yelped and rolled to the side, feeling almost like a pinball. The serpent’s scales shone even in the dim lighting. It used the spaces between the circular platforms as cover, and I had absolutely no idea where it would strike next. Fortunately for me, it unleashed a screech each time it tried to tear me a new one, allowing me ample time to step out of range and swing in retaliation.

Without warning, its tail was brought into the equation, sweeping across the platform I was on and tripping me up, to land flat on my back. Pain aside, I was a sitting duck if I remained on this disturbingly morbid image of a town being torn apart. I struggled to get up, and I heard the telltale screech of the beast again. I saw its eyes, and raised my keyblade in defense.

KRA-THOOM

Oho! Lookie here! Before me was a bright blue shield barrier, which was currently preventing me from becoming this beast’s next meal. It looked confused. ‘How dare a barrier of unidentified origin obstruct my aim!’ it probably would think, had it the necessary mental faculties to do so. What it lacked in brain power, it more than made up for in anger and frustration, and focused all its power into breaking the shield (which it could have flown around, mind you).

Despite the euphoria of using a new spell, I paid more attention to looking at the creature. It had armored scales everywhere on its body, and a simple facestab might not do the job this time, as immensely satisfying as that might be.

Don’t look at me like that. I only enjoy causing physical pain to Heartless. And Keng. You’d be thinking the same thing in my position.

It finally raged itself through the barrier, and hilarious mental commentary had to be put on hold. It anticipated my dodges by now, so I decided to put my newfound gymnastic abilities to use, once again. Once its fangs were closer than I would have liked, I hopped above the serpent’s head and ran along its spines, dragging the Keyblade as I went along. Judging from pained screeching and splashes of purple liquid, I was doing some sort of damage to the thing.

The tail was coming up quickly, and I hopped off of the being to land on another platform. This one depicted a world split in half. I wouldn’t have been so bothered by it if the pictures weren’t so damn detailed.

I turned around to find that the serpent had given up on flying, and was now coiled around the platform’s tower. It hissed menacingly, and I flared the electricity of my blade in response. It broke its standard horrible screech with a roar, and dove for me. I focused power into the tip of my blade, and jammed it into the creature’s throat. It gagged, and I fired. Most pureblood Heartless were simple in design. Anything more complicated usually had that stitched red heart somewhere on their bodies. If anything surprised me, it was the location of this one’s emblem.

Its eyes.

The creature was fading from existence, and a large, colorful heart floated into the sky, purified and free from the hold the darkness had on it. It was strangely calming.

An emblem Heartless signifies that it was created unnaturally, and within it resides a captured heart. When destroyed through conventional means, the heart was still captive, and reformed elsewhere. When a weapon of light, like the Keyblade, for instance, destroys the Heartless, the darkness is erased and the heart is set free.

My target was now unguarded. I shot a gout of lightning from the tip of the Keyblade, and the light ceased to exist. Due to my range, I had a bit of a head-start on the running exercise the light’s destruction ultimately resulted in.

It was worth noting that I never grew tired or fatigued during the course of... whatever the hell was happening. Besides that, there appeared to be no resistance as I got closer to the final light, which was pulsing faster than the others, appearing appropriately as the last artery in this dying cage.

Naturally, I was wary. I had been attacked by a hulking beast, a flying snake, and bombarded with cannon fodder, all up until now, where the only sounds I could hear were my own breaths and the soft clinking of my boots on stained glass. The ‘calm before the storm’ was so fitting a descriptor that I almost mused it aloud. I jumped over the last gap separating me from the platform with the light. Any moment now. Any moment...

Yyyyep, there it was.

The light vanished. From above me, a thick black spike stabbed downward and embedded itself in the stained glass I had been standing on a second ago. Above the circular platform I was walking on was another, the exact same shape and size. Its floor “window” was pure black, with only a massive Heartless symbol shining down on me like a single cycloptic eye.

Another spike stabbed at me.

I was being attacked by an upside-down tower with spider legs. Stranger things have happened.

Let the onslaught begin.

I kept moving at all times, as those legs were unbelievably quick. The most obvious thing to do would be to attack the legs, right? Wrong. As I moved to different platforms, the tower followed shortly afterwards. The attacks did not let up, and I had to constantly block or weave to prevent myself from getting shish-kabobbed. It then did the unthinkable. The next platform I landed on was its target. As soon as my feet made contact with its surface, all eight legs clamped into the side of the tower, creating a makeshift cage. Its face raised in preparation...

Oh, lord.

I hurled myself off of the platform and grabbed onto the ledge right as it slammed itself into the floor. I had to grudge Keng some respect, though. It was he who taught me how to think and act quickly. That bastard kept me from becoming a Rend-flavored pancake. Son of a-

I leapt as another leg tried to skewer me.

-bitch.

I found myself running once again, possibly exceeding the distance covered by the rigorous mountain trail exercises Keng put me through in my second year of training.

The tower Heartless attempted the same trick again, this time with me grabbing onto one of the legs. Looking up, I realized that not only did the thing aesthetically mimic the towers’ appearance, but it also sported the windows dotting the sides. Time to satiate my curiosity.

Using my Keyblade as a makeshift piton, I clambered up to and through one of the windows, and gasped at what I saw.

The interior had a structure inside. It was a bit hard to describe, but... you know those inflatable arm-waving tube men stores put outside for their grand openings? It looked like one of those, painted black, made out of play dough, twenty feet tall and with dozens of spider-web-like extensions connecting to the wall instead of arms.

That, and the two angry yellow eyes on the bulbous growth on top of it. Not something I’d use to advertise, personally.

I set to work quickly, bounding off of the walls and using certain webs for support whilst cutting down others. The tower did not give me the impression that I was welcome, and was attempting to shake me out. I held on for dear life as the momentum picked up. I grunted as I pulled myself farther up the column, slashing webs when the movement settled enough for me to aim properly.

I was slowly but surely climbing up to the ‘brain’, and its eyes were staring holes into me as I worked. The Heartless made no sound but the rumbling of bricks, mortar, and broken glass at high velocity. It was at the last web cut that the Heartless decided to do something other than stare. It stared harder. I almost laughed, had it not actually forced me down the structure at speeds comparable to an airship. I jabbed the Keyblade into the wall, halting my sudden descent and nearly pulling my arm out of its socket. I grunted from the pain and aimed my hand at the ‘brain’. I didn’t need a weapon for magic.

The mental command went through, and the thaumatic lightning pierced the air between me and the Heartless. The structure began to lose its hold on reality as I jumped down to the waiting platform below. I looked up and observed the tower crumbling, its core fading from existence and sending another multi-colored heart to the ether.

I finally felt tired.

The final light was close by, and all of the threats had been taken care of. Now that adrenaline wasn’t on a 1:1 ratio with my blood, I began to feel the scratches, scrapes, cuts, and bruises from my previous battles. I dragged myself towards the green light, and muttered a bit before crushing it, too.

Hardship is familiar to those who follow the light.

The voice came back. How nice. I was beginning to miss it.

But those who brave it, do so valiantly.

So tired...

And every so often, those who fight for the light receive their just reward...