Equestrian Hearts: The Guiding Key

World: Twilight Town

Orange Wonder awoke in the streets of a town, a town she was unfamiliar with. She looked at her flank, Still a Nobody... I thought Black Heart would have made it easy for me... she thought to herself as she raised herself up off the ground. She looked at her weapon, a rapier she had grown used to... and never once used for its intended purpose.

She trotted around and no one seemed to care or notice her but at least she was around all these creatures that she saw with that white-coated alicorn filly. Albeit, none of them looked like the exact creatures she saw but it was close enough.

She decided that for now, getting to know these creatures was the best course of action.

World: The world that never was

A group of five cloaked characters stepped onto the ground, "So, what's the plan now Ruination?" One of them said, her white horn visible from under her hood. "We make a base of operations here while we find a way to summon Corruption from their banishment," the tall bipedial one, Ruination, said. "Ah bet we could do that easily, ain't that right Malice?" A small quadipedal one with stitched up hooves speaks to the one with her horn visible, presumedly Malice. That wasn't before one with orange wings and a white horn spoke up, "We mustn't let our guard down, remember our defeat billions of eons ago?" She spoke in an overlayering voice.

"Desperation, Insensarity, calm the hell down. We have no need of in-fighting." A calm voice spoke out, eagel wings visible despite the quadiped stance.

"Oh shut it Revenge, don't act like you've never gotten mad over something petty, in fact wasn't that what caused us to lose the first time? You being petty!" Desperation said before finding the barrel of a gun right in front of her face, "Oh, sorry Revenge... please don't shoot the gun..." Desperation added afterwards.

Revenge lowered his gun and nodded as Malice started speaking up, "So we need to get to work on making a base of operations, but we also need a way to ensure nothing stops us in our tracks... how about we make our own enemies that way no heroes can stay in our way?" Which did cause the others to look at each other, even Ruination... but Ruination was the first to agree, "I agree, that only makes sense given our... situation... each of us will end up having an enemy type we directly command and a lower teir that all of us command. Let's call these conceptualized enemies 'Chaos Fragments' given we are the Chaotic Elements of Evil," the biped one spoke as he summoned his sword causing the others to nod in agreence.

World: Twilight Town

Orange Wonder was sitting outside an ice cream shop because she tried to buy some ice cream with her bits which didn't help her. Bits just... didn't seem useful for the first time in ever.

She trotted to the exit of town and found an enemy with an odd appearence for the creatures of this world... a creature she has never seen before. It wasn't a Heartless as it didn't have any darkness, it wasn't a Nobody as it had a heart. It charged at Orange Wonder with unparalleled speed when a creature with a massive weapon hit it. The weapon had a strange look to it and yet it felt... familiar to her. "Are you okay?" The creature with the strange weapon asked Orange Wonder as she was brought out of her wondering state, "Oh, sorry, I... guess I started wondering about things, I do that a lot. The name's Orange Wonder and, thank you for defeating that thing," she said as the creature smiled, "I'm glad, the name's Roxas."

World: none
Within a Gummi ship

Orange Wonder was lightly trotting around the space ship as it brought her around space. "So, you said you were looking for something as you were attacked by that... whatever it was," Roxas said to Orange Wonder who was still exploring as every turn showed something new to wonder about. "Huh? Oh, yeah... my heart. I'm looking for my heart, I'm a Nobody," Orange Wonder told Roxas who simply nodded, "Alright, we'll need to go see a friend of mine but I promise... we'll find your heart," he said.

Orange Wonder wondered who Roxas' friend was.

World: Radiant Garden

As Orange Wonder stepped onto the world and saw the castle, she immediately started wonder about it... shame life had to get in the way. More of those strange creatures appeared as well as a new type that had similiarities to a doll of sorts while having a massive emblem on it. "Ugh, dang it, I'm gone to Twilight Town for 15 minutes and more of these things," Roxas said as he made his weapons appear from thin air and got to fighting.

Orange Wonder watched as Roxas fought and still couldn't resolve herself to fight... even as Roxas got hurt by the doll-like monster, even as more showed up, even as Roxas asked for her to help... she couldn't resolve herself to fight...

Soon a mouse arrived and started fighting the monsters with Roxas before Orange Wonder sighed... Who was I kidding... I can't even bring myself to fight these things... I couldn't help that alicorn filly I saw even if I wanted to... she thought to herself.

Are you going to give up?

She perked up at hearing that voice as she looked around for the source of it but she found nothing.

Are you going to give up, Orange Wonder?

She heard it again, that voice. Well... I was considering it...

So you want Black Heart to win?

... no...

She passed out...

World: Dive to the Heart

When Orange Wonder awoke, she looked at the ground and saw a stained glass panel of herself surrounded by portraits of all her favorite things on one half but the other half was Black Heart and his desires.

Welcome, Orange Wonder.

That voice again, even more pronounced here. "Hello? Where am I?" Orange Wonder said aloud.

I am unable to answer that question. But I do ask you to step forward.

Orange Wonder, being the ever passive filly, stepped forward.

Your lack of heart means this should be impossible, one cannot dive to a non-existent heart but you do anyways.

Three objects appeared around Orange Wonder, a sword, a shield, and a staff.

Pick a gift, choose wisely.

Orange Wonder approached the shield.

The defender.
The power to shield others.
Is this the gift you seek?

Orange Wonder thought about it... before nodding, "Yes, I choose the power of the defender."

The shield vanished when the voice spoke again.

Choose a gift to reject.

Orange Wonder had no issues with which one to throw away, she approached the sword and gripped it.

The warrior.
Do you wish to reject this strength?

Yet again, Orange Wonder nodded and tossed the sword away, "Yes, I reject the power of the warrior."

As the staff vanished as well as the sword, Orange Wonder heard noises as she looked behind herself. From the darkness, monsters that she knew were Heartless arrived, they were specifically Shadows and yet... Orange Wonder was unable to bring herself to fight.

Defeat the darkness, if you wish to proceed.

Oh great so not only did she come face to face with Heartless that she had never seen before but she also had to defeat them without a choice in it. Did the voice had a hatred on her?

Well... she'd have to fight Black Heart anyways...

Orange Wonder gripped her rapier and attacked the Shadows turning them to their shadowy dust forms. When she finished, she realized she was standing on her back hooves perfectly fine, not an uncommon trait among those of her world but it was prefered to trot around instead of walk.

Good job Orange Wonder, now proceed.

A door appeared and when Orange Wonder stepped through it, she found herself on a different stained glass panel, this one of her, once-idol now fear, Blue Fast. As she stepped forward she found that the platform shook slightly as two orbs appeared.

Pick an orb, pick carefully.

One orb was white and the other was grey. Orange Wonder knew she could only pick one so she needed to be certain she heard both out. She stepped towards the white one first.

Nobody Guard.
When an enemy attacks you, occusionally a Nobody will defend you.
Is this the power you want?

She didn't reply, instead moving to the grey one.

Vital Guard.
If attacked with more than one health remaining, block damage from the whole combo while being moved to one health.
Is this the power you want?

Orange Wonder thought about it... before grabbing the orb of Vital Guard which caused the other one to vanish. And then she woke up from the trip.

World: Radiant Garden

Orange Wonder awoke to both Roxas and the Mouse worn out with a doll-like creature standing tall. Orange Wonder stood up, and drew her rapier. She felt a spike of resolve she has never felt before. The doll-like creature stepped forward as Orange Wonder attacked the doll creature... she'd have to make a name for those things soon but for now... she attacked it again and again until it vanished.

"Phew... oh my goodness I'm so glad the fighting's over... I'm sorry both of you... I couldn't resolve myself to fight until it was too late..." Orange Wondee said but Roxas just chuckled, "It's fine Orange Wonder, I understand what you mean, you don't like fighting," Roxas said understandingly.

Orange Wonder nodded as she turned to the mouse, "It's nice to meet you Orange Wonder, I'm Mickey Mouse," Mickey said with a single laugh at the end. Orange Wonder smiled as she stepped into the fortress.

World: The world that never was

Insinsarity watched as the world and base were recontructed, it was then that Malice entered the room, "My recon squad just returned after being defeated," she said, "The Nightmare Dolls and the Chargers were all defeated by people holding some form of weapons and a filly who seemed to be missing a heart. My bets are that we could have threats to our mission of rewriting everything to our praise," she explained, as Ruination and the others nodded.

"Good work then Malice, your recon squad did what it was supposed to," Ruination said as he finished the touches on the final enemy type, which was his, and was being called "Blademaster".

The group was on the path to make their own boss-level entities to send on missions but the reality that they'll have opposition means... they'll need to make them, even if it means it'll have to be faster than before. "Well, I'll get to work on my boss-level monster before the filly leaves that world. As for what I'll call it... Vengeful Hunter." Revenge said as he took his hood down and reveiled himself as the gun slinging Griffin of Equestria 4375, Gracefell... incarnate of Revenge.

World: Darkworld

Riku walked through the darkworld, it'd become a common training routine for him, and when he finished, he returned to the world of light.