Equestrian Hearts: The Guiding Key
Chapter 1: A World Away From Home
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.
Equestrian Hearts: The Guiding Key
World: Radiant Garden
Orange Wonder spent the last five-ish minutes sitting there as Roxas and Mickey spoke about whatever those things were. But Orange Wonder looked to the side and saw... a cloaked figure holding an object... That's a chaos shard, why do they have one as they only exist in Chaos Castle? Orange Wonder thought as the figure started moving towards the outdoors area, Orange Wonder followed them as Roxas and Mickey followed Orange Wonder.
The figure stood in the center of the town the chaos shard glowing, "Let my revenge be known. Arise Vengeful Hunter!" The figure said when the chaos shard started floating, Roxas and Mickey had caught up but it was to late. The figure vanished in a portal as the chaos shard transformed into a massive hunter like creature that, if it had a face, would have a face of pure vengefulness on it.
"What the heck?! What is that?!" Roxas said as the Vengeful Hunter aimed it's shotgun towards Orange Wonder who dodged to the side. Orange Wonder shakily grabbed her rapier as the Vengeful Hunter did three shots into the air summoning three smaller gunmen... all equipped with Chaos Shards, "No way... Chaos Shards... how did..." Orange Wonder said to herself as Roxas got into battle before immediately being shot down.
Orange Wonder drew her rapier and started to attack the Chaos Shooters, as she's calling the gunmen enemies. Each one killed dropped a Chaos Shard which she grabbed before anyone else could be ruined by them. She then moved to attack the Vengeful Hunter, she hit multiple points and made sure to avoid being up close when the gun was about to fire. Mickey was about to go when the Vengeful Hunter dropped to the ground and poofed, leaving just the Chaos Shard which Orange Wonder grabbed.
It didn't take long to see a man with silver hair and a mostly grey attire holding a blade himself, "Seems I missed a lot of action," the man said approaching the Nobody filly and stuck a hand out, "Name's Riku, you are?" As Orange Wonder reached out carefully to touch Riku's hand, she gulped, "O-Orange Wonder, a Nobody in search of her heart," Orange Wonder said as Riku nodded.
Riku, Roxas, and Mickey had spent lots of time with Orange Wonder. Of course they had questions.
"I just wanna know... what the heck is a Chaos Shard?" Roxas asked.
"Tough to describe. Hmm... basically they're a rare material from my world as they come from a place that only appears every once in a while called Chaos Castle," Orange Wonder responded.
"And what might these be used for?" Riku asked.
"Lots of things. Enhancing equipment, enhancing one's self, taking over entire towns. One thing is common about all of those cases, usually the user is corrupted by using or even touching such power. I'm immune due to having no heart," Orange Wonder explained like Purple Smart would have.
Purple Smart...
"Who was that cloaked figure?" Mickey asked.
"I don't know... never met them nor heard their voice. All I can say is that we might encounter... them... again..." Orange Wonder started trailing off at the end.
"I could take you to other worlds to search for your heart, if you want me to," Roxas said catching Orange Wonder off guard.
Not that she objected.
World: None
Inside Roxas' Gummi Ship
Orange Wonder just waited, Roxas said it'd take a while to get to a world with raising amounts of Heartless, so while she waited, she studied the Chaos Shards she acquired from the battle.
How did that figure get hold of you? And more importantly... how were they not corrupted? Were they also a Nobody but that doesn't seem likely as they had a heart... did they have a spell on to be immune to the corruptive effect of the Chaos Shard? That doesn't seem likely either since there isn't a spell to fit that description, in fact the only spell in relation to Chaos Shards is a curse that speeds up the process... so what is the explanation? I wonder if... no, don't mention her again. She's an enemy of my home as Chaos Castle's librarian just as Blue Fast guards the Castle Drop. I miss better days before Chaos Castle started appearing and changing ponies...
Orange Wonder kept deep in thought as she studied the Chaos Shards. Despite it not making sense, Orange Wonder shown no signs of disbelief, just wonder. When Orange Wonder placed her Rapier near the Chaos Shard, the two merged turning her Rapier into the rare quality Vengeful Rapier. "Interesting... the Vengeful Rapier and it's counterparts were long thought myths of an era long gone, why did fusing with a random Chaos Shard cause my uncommon quality Rapier to turn into the rare quality Vengeful Rapier?" She asked herself before remembering what the monster that Chaos Shard came from was called... Vengeful Hunter. The Chaos Shard was especially tuned to vengence as an emotion so it carried that into its merge properties.
And just in time, Roxas found a world for the two to enter. Orange Wonder looked at the fragment of world visible and grew curious. The world didn't feel familiar nor unfamiliar. It was somewhere inbetween. A large castle was visible from her point of view with signs of being pony-like but not the signs she's used to. Reminds her a bit of White Solar and Navy Lunar's castle, if she's honest.
World: Equestria
Location: Ponyville Train Station.
Orange Wonder found herself standing in a green point of swirling light with a... interesting form. Her coat, normally an orange, was now a vivid green with her mane turning from purple to dull yellow. Her flank still has the Nobody emblem though... Roxas joined her not long afterwards, showing him as a caramel colored pony which his outfit properly resized and his hair perfectly translating to his mane. He had the cutie mark of a key.
It wasn't long before Heartless showed their ugly mugs, Shadows and Soldiers raising and giving passerbies a scare. Meanwhile, some more of the charging enemies, Chargers as they were called by Orange Wonder, also appeared. Roxas agreed he should focus on the Heartless while Orange Wonder focused on the Chargers.
To say the battle took long would be a lie. It didn't and Orange Wonder realized that Chargers don't leave Chaos Shards behind, "Does that mean that not every type of these enemies will be important to defeat to save everyone since defeating Chargers don't leave behind Chaos Shards?" Orange Wonder said in wonder to which Roxas shrugged. "No idea, Chargers don't seem intentionally hostile but it's still better to be safe than sorry," Roxas said.
As the two stepped out into the town proper, they realized just how... innocent it seems. The town didn't look that advanced and yet, asode from the ambush in the train station, there were no signs of Heartless or Chargers in the town.
There were Chaos Shard signals though. Orange Wonder started dashing towards a castle that seemed like a crystal tree if anything and wouldn't you know it? Chargers and a new type were seen blocking the entrance as the castle was stormed. The new type seemed more tank-y so Orange Wonder called the tank-y one Tanker. Roxas amd Orange Wonder defeated the Chargers and Tankers with ease.
In the castle, it took time but piece by piece they climbed up and found a cloaked filly with claws made of shadow visible, "Now hand meh that gem," she spoke in a country accent before the alicorn who reminded Orange Wonder of Purple Smart rejected the order. "No, I will not, I have more experiments to run and I don't want a filly to ruin my research," She said in an air of knowledge. That was before the cloaked filly pulled out a Chaos Shard, "Shame. Ah was hopin' ta not have ta force ya ta hand it ova," the filly said as she threw the Chaos Shard at Twilight and she was hit by it, causing her to compliently hand the filly the red Ruby, "Now, ah hope ya don't mind fightin' and defeatin' our little watchas," the filly said as she vanished in a bright light.
The pony's horn lit and she fired a beam of magic... and that was it. She didn't do anything more. "I don't know what that filly did but I am not going to fight you two, that goes against the very principals of friendship," she said.
Tell that to Purple Smart and Blue Fast who wouldn't hesitate to fight you if you refuse to comply to their wishes. Orange Wonder thought to herself as the pony and Roxas got to know each other. Orange Wonder just listened to their conversation.
Equestrian Hearts: The Guiding Key
Chapter 3: Black Heart's dark plans
World: Equestria
Location: Twilight Sparkle's castle
Orange Wonder listened as Twilight and Roxas explained their parts of the situation then Twilight asked what that shard thing was. "A Chaos Shard. A usually corruptive mineral only found in a specific location, think of it as something that can have a specific trait tied to it and whoever picks it up becomes filled with that trait," Orange Wonder explained causing Twilight to nod her head, "I see, so those aren't exactly good to have around, right?" the princess asked as Orange Wonder nodded.
Then Heartless showed up. Orange Wonder let Roxas deal with them but she felt a familiar presence. Orange Wonder looked out and saw the one and only Black Heart, "So you've shown your face, Orange Wonder. I knew we'd find each other eventually but not in these conditions, I see you've upgraded that weakling of a Rapier to the Vengeful Rapier, not that it matters one bit. You know full well that you can't defeat me with that dinky weapon you refuse to use," Black Heart said as he laughed out loud as he opened a Dark Corridor, "Goodbye, pathetic Nobody."
Black Heart went through the Dark Corridor leaving Orange Wonder and Roxas confused, especially Orange Wonder who thought that Black Heart wanted her to find him. "Was that who I think it was?" Roxas asked but Orange Wonder didn't say anything... Orange Wonder... you just let your heart get away... Orange Wonder couldn't believe herself... "Black Heart... why?" She mumbled to herself as she rushed out to the town proper. Finding more of the Chargers and Tankers as well as a new one that had a Chaos Shard attached that she called a Demon Claw cause it looked like a severed claw.
Orange Wonder defeated the enemies and took the Chaos Shard from the Demon Claw. A young filly, who looked similiar to Orange Wonder as she normally looks, had seen the battle, she dashed off, exicted to tell her friends of the pony who could beat those monsters. Orange Wonder just smiled as she was just... doing... the right... thing...
Is what I'm doing the right thing? I'm... hurting sentinent beings... aren't I? Orange Wonder thought to herself as she got out a journal and looked through it, finding it having filled itself with new information.
Charger
Number killed: 24
An entity without a Chaos Shard enhancement, no representive trait.
Tanker
Number killed: 12
An entity without a Chaos Shard enhancement, no representive trait. Defeating one takes a long time with its defenses.
Chaos Shooter
Number killed: 8
An entity representing hatefulness. It has amazing aim with its gun, keeping distance won't help much.
Demon Claw
Number killed: 1
An entity representing clinginess. If it grabs you, be certain that it dies soon or you might never be let go.
Vengeful Hunter
Number killed: 1
And entity representing vengefulness. Its shotgun is always loaded so even if it misses, it can fire again without reloading. When it fires into the air, it'll summon Chaos Shooters so be careful.
As Orange Wonder closed the journal, she ran farther as she sensed lots of Chaos Shard energy near a famrland, as she got closer, more and more Demon Claws, Tankers, and Chargers appeared to slow her. She killed them fast as she kept rushing, finding Roxas and Twilight standing outside a treehouse as the orange pegasus filly was tossed out... she knew... a yellow filly, with her eyes now a insincere grey, trotted out and gave Orange Wonder a stare. "Well well, looks like a little filly wants ta play hero? Ah'll show ya what happens in that situation... Orange Wonder."
Orange Wonder knew that voical pattern, she knew it well. Orange Fool. "What are you doing here, Orange Fool?!" Orange Wonder asked causing the possessed filly to laugh. "Ain't it obvious? Doin' mah job like the mare ah'm s'posed ta be. Like a mare of Chaos Castle. And if it wasn't thanks ta that cloaked filly fer clonin' my thoughts and personality ta a Chaos Shard, ah'd neva have gotten ta chance ta kill ya like we should 'ave when ya declined the castle." The two looked at each other like mortal enemies. When the filly jumped down, Orange Wonder drew her Vengeful Rapier as Demon Claws rose from the ground, buy Scootaloo had no issue defeating them as Roxas used his magic to attack Orange Fool.
"Ya'll really think ya'll have a single chance ta win? Ah'm Orange Fool fer a reason because ah show others the folly of their actions!" Orange Fool said but Orange Wonder had words to say...
"Carelessness. Carelessness is the greatest folly of anyone. No matter who you are, if you're careless then you're most probably going to lose."
Orange Fool looked at Orange Wonder in curiousity, as if that reaction was... unexpected. Which it was. But also as if she knew that the Nobody pony wasn't saying everything she needed. This distraction allowed Orange Wonder to get close and extract the Chaos Shard from the filly. And that was the Chaos battle out of the way. Orange Wonder stared at the Chaos Shard as she held her Vengeful Rapier to it creating the Fool's Rapier.