Equestrian Hearts

Chapters

The Crusader
The World That Will Not Be
First Steps
Radiant Garden
Reunited
From Dreams to Nightmares

The Crusader

The Crusader

Scootaloo shook herself slightly, pushing herself to her hooves. As she opened her eyes, she noticed that she was standing on what looked like a large stained glass window... one she recognized. It was the relief from the hall in Canterlot Castle where the Elements had once been stored, showing Rainbow Dash and the others defeating Nightmare Moon. Shaking herself a bit, she fluttered her little wings and glanced around her.

The stained glass was actually a platform, and was surrounded by darkness. She couldn't see anything else. Suddenly, a voice echoed in her mind.

'A great power has chosen you... but that power must be given form...'

Scootaloo spun around. "Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?"

'... Your questions will be answered in time. But first, there are questions YOU must answer...'

Three pedestals arose surrounding the platform, each with something on them.

'You must choose the path you will take...'

Scootaloo sat down on her rump. "Nuh-uh. I'm not answering any questions until I know what's going on." Remembering something Sweetie Belle had once mentioned, she continued, "or without consulting a lawyer."

There was silence for a time. '... just go to the pedestals...'

Scootaloo glared pugnaciously up at nothing. She continued to wait, but being just a filly, patience was not her strong suit. "Fine!" she said petulantly, and walked up to the first pillar.

On the pillar was a sword. The voice spoke. 'The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?'

"Damn, that sword looks bitchin!" Scootaloo said excitedly, grabbing it in her mouth and swinging it around. "Bet I look totally awesome with this!"

'... Is that a yes?'

"Wha? Oh, sure, I want the sword!"

'... Very well.' The sword vanished from Scootaloo's mouth.

"Hey! I said I wanted it!"

'And so you have it. But what will you give up in exchange?'

"... am I going to have to sign a contract or something?"

'... no.'

"So what am I giving up, then?"

'You had a choice of three forms for your power. You have chosen one to keep. Now choose another to relinquish.'

Scootaloo walked towards the other pedestals. She saw a shield and a staff. She walked towards the staff.

'The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?'

Scootaloo blinks. "Magic? Do I LOOK like a unicorn to you?" Turning she bucked the staff off the pillar, sending it flying into the darkness.

'... a simple yes would have sufficced.'

"No it wouldn't! Now where's my sword?"

There was silence. Then the platform Scootaloo was standing on shattered and she began to fall. However, she spread her wings and managed a controlled glide down to the platform below, this one showing a relief of Rainbow and the others defeating Discord. As she landed gently, shadows seemed to congeal and rise from the platform.

"What are those?" Scootaloo demanded in disgust.

'Throughout your journey, you may find foes who seek to do you harm. You must know how to fight.'

"And how am I supposed to do that without my sword?" The sword appeared in her mouth. "Bitchin!"

'Demonstrate your skill by destroying the creatures before you.'

Scootaloo blinked. "Destroy? But... aren't they, like, living creatures? Fluttershy would get really upset if I destroyed a living creature."

'They are not exactly... alive.'

"If they're dead, why do I need to destroy them?"

'They aren't dead either...'

Scootaloo gasped. "They're zombies?" she asked excitedly.

'... yes. Yes, they're zombies. They want to eat your brain. Make sure they don't.'

"Sweet!" Scootaloo leapt into the fray, swinging the sword at the shadow creatures. At first, she only did normal jerks of her head and neck to cut through them, and sweeping the sword from side to side in her mouth, but as more came she began to get creative. Driving the swordpoint into the platform, she swung herself around on the hilt, kicking the creatures as she passed by, dazing them. When they were all dazed, she planted all four hooves and used her momentum to yank the sword free of the platform, slashing through the circle of creatures in one stroke. She then leapt into the air, somursaulting to create a buzzsaw effect that sliced through several other creatures as they leaped at her. When she landed, she hurled her sword, impaling the last creature as it rose from the ground.

With all the creatures dispersed, she walked forward to retrieve her sword, only for it to disappear in light and reappear in her mouth. "Sweetness! This sword is totally awesome!" Looking down, she saw that the platform now displayed Rainbow Dash posing in a Wonderbolts flight suit. "... almost as awesome as her," she whispered. Seeming to think of something, she glanced towards her flank. "Aw man! A zombie slaying Cutie Mark would have been totally awesome!"

'It seems you know how to fight. That will help. But not all the foes will fall so easily. And the darkness within will be the hardest to slay.'

Suddenly, Scootaloo's shadow stretched out, expanding to immense size and taking a shape similar to the creatures she had fought before, but much larger. It glared down at her with blood red eyes and slammed its massive fist into the platform, shattering it.

She screamed as she fell amongst the broken glass, afraid to spread her wings for fear of being cut. Down below, another creature - twin to the massive shadow but silve - awaited her, gathering a massive sphere of light with which to attack, probably to destroy her.

As her sword vanished, she screamed as she fell into the light.

"Scoot! Scoot, wake up!"

Scootaloo rolled out of the cloud bed, falling onto her rump. She opened her eyes. "Huh? What? Shadow zombies?"

A warm chuckle distracted her. "That must have been some nightmare, squirt." Magenta eyes looked down at her lovingly from beneath a rainbow mane.

Scootaloo grinned. "Eh, it wasn't that bad. I had this bitchin sword and I carved them up in 10 seconds flat!" Rainbow laughed at that. "But then the giant one appeared and double teamed me, and my sword vanished, so I kinda got bucked over..."

Rainbow ruffled Scootaloo's mane. "Don't worry about it. Though you're right, that does sound pretty awesome. Now come on, you're going to be late for school, and I'm gonna be late for work."

"Okay!" Scootaloo hopped to her hooves and started to run out, but paused. She remembered what was so special about today, why she was so eager for the day for the first time in a long time. Turning back, she hugged Rainbow Dash. "I love you, big sis," she said happily.

Rainbow chuckled, wrapping a wing around the small filly. "Love you too, squirt. Now get a move on already."

"Okay!" Scootaloo raced out, grabbing her scooter as she ran. It was her first day as Rainbow Dash's official little sister, and already she knew she would love every minute of it.

As she zoomed along towards school, she swerved to avoid a strange pony standing in front of the library. Remembering how many significant events happened recently that started at the library, she slowed down to examine the stranger. "Umm...excuse me," she said calmly.

The strange pony was covered from head to hoof in a cloak of deepest black. He - if it was a he - turned to face her, and no eyes were visible from beneath the hood. "This world has been connected..." a deep voice echoed from the depths of the hood. "Tied to the darkness."

Scootaloo scrunched her face up in confusion. "Uh... come again? I don't get what you mean."

"One who knows nothing can understand nothing," the voice echoed again before walking off. The figure rested a hoof against the walls of the library before turning away. For a brief moment, Scootaloo thought she saw something there, but it passed.

"... wierdo," Scootaloo affirmed before turning towards school.

At school, Scootaloo quickly approached the other two CMC. "Hey girls!" she said happily. "What's on the schedule for today? We doing more crusading?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "I dunno, Scoots. I'm kinda out of ideas. We've tried EVERYTHING!"

Sweetie Belle hung her head. "We're never going to get our Cutie Marks..."

The three sighed together. Then Scootaloo perked up. "Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out. Oh, that reminds me! I had the craziest dream last night I have GOT to tell you about!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at her, their eyes wide. "Dream?" they asked simultaneously.

"Come along everypony!" Cheerilee called. "Time for class!"

"Talk to you later!" Scootaloo said happily as they each headed to their seperate classes.

School passed quite slowly for Scootaloo, and for some reason she felt incredibly antsy... more so than usual. As the day wore on to past noon, however, her teacher made an announcement. "Students, I have good news. The entire school will be making a surprise field trip today!"

The entire class cheered. Scootaloo bounced excitedly. She'd get to spend some time with her friends during class. This was going to be awesome.

"An unusual discovery has been made, and is currently being stored in the Golden Oaks Library. We have all been invited for a chance to view it," the teacher continued happily, ignoring the moans of dissapointment from most of the class. "Miss Cheerilee will be overseeing the field trip."

Scootaloo sighed. The library. Talk about boring. However, she did remember that - for some reason - Rainbow Dash had been spending a lot of time at the library lately, so maybe she'd bump into her there as well. This brightened her outlook.

Admittedly, Scootaloo had greatly overestimated the size of the Ponyville school. It was only three classes in total, and each numbered only ten pupils. As such, Cheerilee was quite able to keep all thirty fillies and colts under control with ease, although there was the usual bickering amongst some of them, especially with Diamond Tiara.

"Well if it isn't Little Orphan Scootie and her Blank Flank friends!" Diamond Tiara said snidely. "So how does it feel to know you're only just now average?"

The news about Scootaloo's... legal status had only gotten out the month prior, when Daimond Tiara and Silver Spoon - intent on pranking the CMC - had found Scootaloo in a sleeping bag in the clubhouse early one morning. Once Diamond Tiara had dug out all the details, she had teased Scootaloo about it mericlessly. Oddly enough, however, Silver Spoon had not participated in any teasing regarding Scootaloo's foster status, although she continued to back Diamond Tiara in regard to blank flank teasing.

Scootaloo just shrugged. "Buzz off, Diamond Tiara. Go bug some other pony, why don't you?"

Diamond Tiara smirked. "What's the matter, Scootie? No mommy to cry to?"

"Why don'tcha just back off, Diamond Tiara?" Apple Bloom flared. "Can't ya tell when yer goin too far?"

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle added. "How would you feel if you were in her horseshoes?"

Diamond's smirk grew wider. "I wouldn't know. My parents kept me."

"This is boring, Diamond." Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. "Can't we do something else?"

Diamond Tiara blinked at Silver Spoon in surprise for a bit, then shrugged her shoulders. "Why not? I wouldn't want to hang aroun these Blank Flanks any longer than I had to, anyway!" She turned and strutted off towards the front of the group.

After Diamond Tiara's back was turned, Silver Spoon locked eyes with Scootaloo. 'Sorry,' she mouthed, before turning to follow Diamond Tiara.

Scootaloo managed to unclench her body and flatten her wings, grumbling under her breath. "Someday, Diamond Tiara's going to regret all the greif she's given us, mark my words."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, then paused to glance at Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie, what are you doing with that marker?"

Sweetie smiled. "It's part of my cooking lessons from Pinkie Pie. I'm trying to mark her words... but I can't find them."

The three friends giggled together. Apple Bloom then turned to Scootaloo. "So, what were ya saying earlier about a dream?"

Scootaloo grinned. "Oh yeah! You see, I started out in this-"

"Alright class!" Cheerilee's voice interrupted. "We have arrived at the library. Now everypony, please be on your best behavior for Twilight Sparkle, alright?"

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee!" the class chorused.

Smiling, Cheerily knocked on the library door, only for it to slowly creak open. She pushed it forward. "Hello? Twilight Sparkle, are you here?"

The ponies slowly entered, confused at the fact that all the lights were out. However, once everypony was inside, the doors slammed shut and all the lights came on.

"SURPRISE!" Pinkie Pie shouted out, bouncing around from behind the banner that read, 'Happy Homecoming Scootaloo'. She then bounced up to Cheerilee. "Miss Cheerilee, I know this was supposed to be a field trip for the fillies and colts to see Twilight's big super duper important crazy artifact of unknowable plot significance, but the paperwork for Rainbow Dash adopting Scootaloo didn't get fully finished and finalized until way way late last night much too late for a party for a schoolfilly who needs to go to school in the morning to stay up for so I was going to hold the party today but when I heard that the whole school was coming here for Twilight's big find I thought it was the perfect opportunity to have Scootaloo and all her friends and classmates together for a super duper special surprise party and I know I should have cleared it ahead of time with you but if I did that then it would ahve spoiled the surprise and please don't be mad at me for doing this but it's such a big thing for Scootaloo and I wanted it to be super duper spentacularly specialest special for her and-"

Pinkie took a deep breath. "-and tl;dr, I'm sorry party now please?" She proceeded to give Cheerilee a very cute begging pout face.

Cheerilee couldn't help but laugh at Pinkie's antics - much like most of Ponyville - and could only smile as she saw Pinkie's expression mirrored on her students faces. "Well, I suppose a little party couldn't hurt..."

"YAY!" With that, the little ponies charged into the library, heading for games, treats, and fun.

After a time of partying, Scootaloo found herself wandering the library. In the process, she bumped into Twilight, who looked torn between being aggravated and resigned. "Hey Twilight. What's wrong?"

Twilight glanced down at Scootaloo and chuckled. "I suppose it was too much to hope for to be able to educate some ponies for once."

Scootaloo frowned. "I'm sorry the party got in the way of your leacture." She tried to sound sincere, but it was difficult.

Twilight laughed. "You don't need to apologize for Pinkie Pie." She sighed, somewhat sadly. "I guess my discovery wasn't that important anyway..."

Scootaloo actually did feel a little guilty. It seemed this had ruined Twilight's day. "I'd like to see it."

Twilight perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo said, managing to feign believable enthusiasm. She thought it was the least she could do for Twilight, especially for her part in Scootaloo's adoption. "With the way Pinkie talked about it, I bet it's totally awesome!"

Twilight managed a chuckle. "Well, it's certainly unique, that's for sure." Twilight led Scootaloo to a less crowded part of the library, where something was covered.

Scootaloo glanced at the wall next to the covered object. "Hey, where does that door go to?" she asked. "I don't think I've noticed it before."

"Door?" Twilight glanced where Scootaloo was looking. "What door?"

"That-" Scootaloo paused, then shook her head. "I could have sworn I saw a door there..."

Twilight put her hoof to Scootaloo's forehead. "Are you okay? You dont have a fever... Did you sleep well last night?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "I'm not a baby. Now where's this discovery you mentioned?"

"Right!" Twilight went over to the covered object. "Oddly enough, it just appeared her in the library one day." She pulled the cover off.

The object was pure white from tip to tip, of strange design. Scootaloo blinked for a bit. "It looks like some sort of giant key..."

"I know," Twilight said in wonder, "but you see the part with the grooves where it would fit into the lock? A very high level of magic is focused there down to a razor point, almost like a blade. I'm thinking until I know more about it, I'll call it a Keyblade."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "How original. Hey! It looks like you could grip it in your mouth!" She begins to reach forward to bite down on what is an obvious hilt.

"Scootaloo!" Twilight pulled the eager filly back. "Didn't you hear what I said? It's full of incredibly powerful magic I can't even begin to identify! It could turn you into a mutant monstrosity from the ninth dimension of agony!"

"That sounds awesome!" Scootaloo cried excitedly. "Would it get me a Cutie Mark?"

"Probably not."

"Oh, less awesome."

Twilight shook her head. "And here I was hoping Rainbow would be a better influence on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow asked, walking up behind them.

As Scootaloo hugged her new big sister, Twilight rolled her eyes. "I told her the worst case scenario regarding picking the dangerous magical artifact up in her mouth, and she thought it would be awesome."

As Rainbow hugged Scootaloo, she smirked at Twilight. "So what was the worst case scenario?"

"Horrible transformation into unimaginable horror."

"Doesn't seem so bad." Rainbow shrugged. "Besides, if it was something like that, you'd fix it eventually."

"How can you know that, Rainbow?"

"Because you could never leave my little sis horribly mutated. You'd never let me down like that." Rainbow smiled at Twilight. "I've got too much faith in you for that, Twi."

Twilight looked away for a moment to hide her blush. Then she turned back. "Alright, Rainbow. What would you say is the worst case scenario for picking up the artifact in your mouth?"

"That's easy!" Rainbow said with a laugh. "It tastes like Applejack's baked bads!"

"Oh sweet Celestia, EWW!" Scootaloo said loudly, to the accompaniement of Rainbow and Twilight's laughter. As the laughter died down, she looked closer at the Keyblade. "I wonder what kind of door this key thing opens, anyway?"

"A door to darkness," a voice said from nearby.

The three ponies turned. Scootaloo spoke up. "Hey! You're the wierdo who was hanging around here earlier!"

Twilight, however, braced herself. "What do you mean, a door to darkness?"

"This world has been connected... tied to the darkness. And when the door opens, this world will be consumed." The cloaked stranger approached the key. "I shall open the door." He began to reach for the key.

"I don't think so!" Twilight cried, powering up her magic and launching it at the stranger.

A red hand reached out from under the cloak and caught her magic blast. After holding it for a moment, the wrist flicked, and the spell backlashed against Twilight, sending her careening backward through most of the party.

"TWILIGHT!" five voices shouted in shock.

Scootaloo, however, reacted in rage. She lunged towards the figure.

"Scoot, no!" Rainbow shouted out.

The figure easily sidestepped Scootaloo's lunge, bucking her onto the key. Without thinking, she grabbed the hilt in her mouth. As soon as she picked it up, bright light cascaded over the artifact, and it changed.

The hilt was now colorless, while the hilt guard remained white. The central pole extending outward from the key changed to red, and the head of the key became golden. Hanging on a chain from the base of the hilt was a small charm in the shape of the symbol Sweeite Belle had sown onto the Cutie Mark Crusader capes.

Not noticing the change, Scootaloo swung the blade towards the cloaked figure, who stepped aside. The key clanged against the wall Scootaloo had been staring at earlier... and a door appeared.

The figure laughed. "Thank you, little foal. This could not have been easier for me." The red hand once more extended from the folds of the cloak to seize the door... and yanked it open.

"Scoots! Watch out!" Rainbow threw herself protectivel in front of Scootaloo, shielding her with her body.

There was a soundless explosion from beyond the door as light and darkness erupted. Scootaloo caught a few brief images in the light - Apple Bloom and Sweeite Belle similarly shielded by their sisters, the Elements flashing in the light, the walls cracking - before a shockwave sent her flying backward.

As she slowly lost conciousness, the last sound she heard was the cloaked figure's unpitying laughter.

The World That Will Not Be

The World That WIll Not Be

Scootaloo groaned quietly as consciousness slowly returned to her. At first, all she could tell was that she was on a hard, flat surface. She opened her eyes slowly. She saw she was on some sort of white surface, completely featureless.

A male voice spoke behind her. "Never seen something like this before." She felt something sharp poke her between her wings.

She reacted. "Buck off!" she shouted, shooting her hind legs up and back like pistons.

There was a gasping grunt behind her, and she turned to see a strange figure collapsed on the ground, clutching at his nether regions. His body shape appeared similar to primates, and his garb and stance indicated he was bipedal. He had blue eyes, pale skin, and his hair was platinum colored. He also seemed to be in a great deal of pain.Clattering to the ground beside him was a sword that seemed to be shaped like a large bat wing.

He sat up, glaring at Scootaloo. "Why'd you kick me?" he demanded angrily.

Scootaloo glared at him. "Why'd you poke me in the back with a sword?"

The creature glared at her for a time, then sighed. "Admittedly not the best of first impressions..." He gets to his feet, leaning on the sword. "I'm Riku. What's your name?"

She shook herself as she settled herself on her hooves. "Scootaloo."

Riku blinked. "Unusual name."

She smirked. "From where I'm standing, you're the one with the strange name."

Riku nodded. "Fair enough. Now, what are you doing here?"

Scootaloo shrugged, resettling her wings. "How should I know? One moment I'm at a party, some crazy party crasher babbles about darkness, a door opens and BOOM! Next thing I know, you're poking me in the back with a sword."

"You said a door opened?" Riku said, his eyes focusing. "Tell me more about that."

Scootaloo tilted her head. "What's that got to do with anything? It was just a door."

"Maybe, maybe not." RIku leaned against a wall that took shape out of empty air. "Describe the door as best you can, and how it opened."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Fine. The door looked perfectly ordinary..." Scootaloo thought for a bit. "Which is kinda odd, now that I think about it, considering that it was kinda invisible and was only on one side of a wall. Not to mention it didn't look like any of the other doors in Ponyville. You know, it may have looked perfectly ordinary, but it also looked really out of place."

Riku nodded knowingly, pushing off from the wall. "That actually explains more than you would think. That was the door to your world's heart."

Scootaloo blinked. "Then what the hay was it doing in the library?"

Riku shrugged. "Generally the doors are located somewhere either well protected or easily overlooked. That way it's harder to find unless you have something related to the doors."

Scootaloo nodded. "So a library in the middle of nowhere and under the nose of the Element of Magic gets you both."

Riku nodded. "Exactly." He seemed to be confused about something she said, but continued on. "So, what happened before the door opened?"

"Well, there was this party-"

"In a library?"

"It was Pinkie Pie's idea. My school was heading there anyway to see this new find that Twilight Sparkle had uncovered, so Pinkie decided to hold my homecoming party there."

"Homecoming party?"

Scootaloo sighed. "Rainbow Dash officially adopted me as her little sister the night before. With the paperwork finalized, I officially had a home and family again." When Riku said nothing, she continued. "Anyway, Twilight showed me the thing she'd found, and this this figure in a dark cloak shows up and talks about a door to darkness. He tries to take it, and Twilight tried to zap him with her magic, but he turned it against her. Then-"

"Stop!" Riku said suddenly. "Get behind me."

Scootaloo blinked at him. "Why?"

"So I can protect you from them," he says, pointing over her shoulder.

She turns in time to see pools of darkness appear, releasing swarms of shadowy creatures. "Zombies!" she screamed.

"Heartless, actually," Riku said calmly, readying his blade.

"But the freaky voice in my dream said they were zombies, and not to let them eat my brain!"

"... explain that later. But for right now, if you don't have a weapon, then stay behind me."

Scootaloo flared her wings. "Weapon or not, I'm not gonna hide!" She clenched her teeth to tense herself up...

...and in a flash of light the keyblade appeared. "Wah!" she screamed, letting it go and causing it to vanish.

RIku turned to her. "What was that?"

"It was the thing Twilight found! Where did it come from?"

Riku turned towards the Heartless. "Well, whatever you did to summon it, do it again. I won't be able to protect you from this many!"

Scootaloo glowered at him. "I don't need protection!" she snapped, clenching her teeth. The keyblade appeared again, chain dangling. "Huh, how'd I do that?"

As Riku dispatched the forerunners of the Shadows, he turned towards her. "That... that's a Keyblade!"

Scootaloo flattened her eyes. "Wow, and I thought Twilight was just being unoriginal when she called it that. You're telling me that's it's actual name?" One of the Shadows leapt at her. "Wah!" She spun rapidly, swinging the blade through the Shadow, making it disperse and release a strange, glowing pink sphere. "...huh?"

"The Keyblade is a weapon designed for killing Heartless," Riku said quickly, defending against another wave. "If it comes at your summons, then you are it's master and it will always come at your call."

Scootaloo's eyes widened, and she grinned. "You mean even if I do this?" Spinning rapidly, she hurled the Keyblade forward with all her might.

It spun rapidly through the air, carving a path through the swarm of Heartless. When she clenched her teeth again, it reappeared in her mouth, vanishing from where it had flown to. "That was totally wicked!" she screamed in joy.

"Less looking cool, more getting the job done," Riku said, going on the offensive now that he saw Scootaloo could handle the Keyblade well.

"RIght!" Scootaloo braced herself before lunging into the fray.

After a time, the pools of shadow faded and the Heartless stopped coming. With the last one destroyed, Scootaloo turned to RIku, grinning. "That was so totally awesome! Did you see the way I flipped into a spinning slice on that one group? Or the way I impaled that one and used it to knock a bunch of others back? Or the way I turned a cartwheel into a wheel of death? Or-"

"Sorry," Riku said, grinning. "But I was too busy fighting to watch you. Guess I missed it."

Scootaloo blinked for a time. "Oh. ... so what were those things?"

"Heartless. Shadows, to be specific. The weakest kind of Heartless."

"Okay." Scootaloo sat down. "And what are Heartless?"

"... basically, when someone's heart is consumed by darkness, a Heartless is born, with only the desire to hunt down other hearts and drag them into darkness. Some Heartless are more powerful than others, and there are a few exceptions to the rule, but you probably don't need to worry about them unless they come up. Also, you'll need to watch out for Nobodies."

"... Nobodies?"

"When a heart is consumed by darkness, sometimes the empty shell left behind begins to move under its own will. Nobodies seek hearts to take the place of the one they lost, but it doesn't work."

"What if a Nobody finds it's original Heart? Can they come back to themselves?"

"... it doesn't work that way, Scootaloo. If you come across a Heartless or a Nobody, all you can do is destroy them to protect others. As the wielder of a Keyblade, that's your job."

"Oh." Scootaloo felt herself on the verge of an unpleasant realization, so she decided to change the subject. "So where are we? And how do we get out of here?"

"This is the World That Will Not Be. It's... sort of a waypoint between Light and Darkness. It's always trying to exist, but never quite manages it. Bits of other worlds sometimes find their way here, as well as bits of matter from between dimensions, like Gummi Blocks."

"Gummi Blocks?"

RIku stroked his chin. "I don't really know what they are either, but if you find enough you can build a Gummi Ship to travel between worlds with." He shrugged his shoulders. "We don't need to worry about that, though. I have an easier way to travel." He held out his hand.

A pool of shadow suddenly appeared, and a circular portal of swirling darkness rose out of it. Scootaloo scooted away from it. "W-what is that?"

"A dark corridor," Riku said calmly. "When I first started journeying between worlds, I took the dark path. It nearly destroyed me, but my friends refused to give up on me, and they managed to save me. I still have the ability to travel this way, but it doesn't affect me the way it used to." He took a step into the portal. "Come on."

Scootaloo walked nervously towards the dark corridor... but as soon as she took a step into the pool of shadow, she began to cough violently. Then she began to gag, her body shook, and blood began to leak through her nose.

Riku immediately pushed her out of the pool and closed the portal. "Are you alright?"

Scootaloo's shakes slowed and her coughing slowly eased. "H... how can you stand that?" she demanded in shock.

"It doesn't effect me that way. I didn't realize it would effect you like that." Riku shook his head. "Guess getting out of here won't be as easy as I thought."

Scootaloo continued to cough. "No... kidding..." She felt the world begin to fade around her as she collapsed into unconciousness.

First Steps

First Steps

Scootaloo came to slowly. Rolling over a bit, she was rather surprised to discover that the pain she expected from what the pool of shadow did to her wasn't there. Opening her eyes, she saw she was surrounded by a floating green light that swirled in the air. Putting her hoof to it, she discovered she could pass through it easily, but the air beyond the light felt subtly different from the air inside. Since she didn't quite feel up to full strength, she sat down in the light, looking around for Riku.

It wasn't long before he returned, looking somewhat battered. "What happened to you?" she asked, shocked.

He shrugged. "I was out searching for Gummy Blocks. Ran into some of the larger Heartless. No biggie." He stepped into the light.

Scootaloo stared, fascinated, as the light seemed to focus on his injuries, healing them within moments. "What the hay?" she said, shocked.

Riku smiled. "This is a Safe Point. I never got an understandable explanation for why they work the way they do, but anyone who stands within one is fully reenergized and has all their wounds healed. Also, neither Heartless nor Nobodies can approach a Safe Point. They also act as launch points for Gummy Ships."

Scootaloo stared at the light, wide eyed. "Wow. That's...pretty cool. Sounds kinda like a save point from a video game."

"Video game?" Riku asked, confused.

Scootaloo was quiet for a bit. "...never mind." She looked back up at him. "So...did you find Gummy Blocks?"

Smiling, Riku spilled out a bag of brightly colored blocks of various shapes and size, looking not unlike the pieces of a model kit.

Scootaloo stared at them. "It's going to take forever for us to find enough to build a ship..."

"Not really," Riku replied, picking one of them up. "This is the cockpit."

Scootaloo stared at him like he was crazy. "How the hay are we supposed to fit in there?"

"When a completed Gummy Ship is placed inside a Safe Point and activated, it expands into a full sized ship."

"Really?" Scootaloo looked down at the blocks. "So...we put together a model ship, and then it expands into a full sized one? Neat." Her voice was completely flat, indicating she didn't really believe it.

Riku smiled. "You'll see." He reached amongst the pile. "Now, there are a few things to know about working with these-"

"Done."

Riku looked up, blinking. In Scootaloo's outstretched hooves was what looked like a small pony made of blocks. The cockpit was in the head, the raised dome covered with rainbow colored spoiler blocks. There were wings extended out to the sides, which on closer examination turned out to be three different kinds of Weapon Gummies. The main body and legs seemed to be made of Draw and Shield Gummies, while the engine was at the tail, also colored rainbow colors. The entire body had been colored cyan, except for two laser gummies in the face colored magenta.

"I wanted to make it bigger," Scootaloo admitted, "but it felt like it was getting too heavy."

Riku picked up the ship carefully, examining it. "How did you know what different types of blocks to use?"

"The blocks have different types?" Scootaloo asked, confused. "I just used whatever was the right shape for the look. Wanted to make her as awesome as she really is...was..." Scootaloo looked down, sighing.

Riku noticed the change and took a closer look at the construction. "Rainbow Dash, I presume?"

Scootaloo looked up, shocked. "How'd you know? I never described what she looked like!"

Riku stared at the rainbow colors on the head and tail of the ship, wondering if Scootaloo could really be that dense. "Lucky guess," he said at last. "So, now that we've built a ship, we can use it to leave here."

Scootaloo stared at the ship for a time, then turned away sadly. "What's the point?" she asked. "Everypony I knew and loved is dead. My whole world is gone. Maybe...maybe I should just stay here..."

Riku looked down at Scootaloo. Obviously, she hadn't been looking for adventure as he and Sora had when this had happened to them. She also had no reason to believe anyone from her own world had survived its destruction. And, from what he'd interpreted of what she'd told him so far, this had all happened just as she'd found a home, family, and place to belong, when she'd been lacking in all three for a very long time. It wasn't really surprising she didn't have the motivation to follow the Keyblade and try and save all of reality. She'd already lost the part of reality that mattered to her. And unlike Sora, she didn't have Donald and Goofy there to cheer her up and egg her on. She had him, and he was lost with human kids, let alone...whatever she was.

A thought occurred to him. "You know, the darkness claimed my world, too."

Scootaloo looked up. "It did? But...how come you can be so calm about it?"

Riku smiled. "Because when my friends and I defeated the darkness, our world came back. There's a good chance that, when you defeat the darkness, your world will come back, too. Along with everyone in it."

"R-really?" Scootaloo asked, hope daring to shine in her eyes.

Riku nodded. "Really. I'd be willing to bet that's why the Keyblade came to you."

"But..." Scootaloo hung her head. "It didn't come to me. It came to Twilight..."

Riku shook his head. "It's not about who finds the Keyblade, it's about who the Keyblade obeys. They only respond to those with the strongest hearts. ...King Mickey once speculated that that was the Keyblade's true nature, the power of the heart given form."

Scootaloo perked up. "Like my dream? The voice said that a great power had chosen me, but that the power had to be given form!"

Riku nodded. "Could be. So, if you use the Keyblade, you can save your world...and many others."

Grinning, Scootaloo got to her hooves. About to call the Keyblade, she hesitated. "But...but I don't know if I can..." She sat down. "I mean, I've failed at everything I've tried to do in the past. My friends and I have been trying to earn our Cutie Marks for over a year, and we're still Blank Flanks. This is too important, I can't risk failing...what do I do..." Scootaloo hung her head, tears starting to form. "Rainbow..." she whispered.

Riku looked down at her for a time, sighing. Then he brightened as an idea struck him. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a piece of yarn and some letter blocks, stringing five of them onto it. He then tied it around Scootaloo's front right hoof. "There."

Scootaloo read the letters. "WWRDD?"

"What would Rainbow Dash Do," Riku said calmly. "If you feel lost or doubt yourself, just look at that and ask yourself. In your place, what would your big sister do?"

Scootaloo stared at it for a time, then nodded. "She'd fight. She wouldn't hesitate, or doubt herself. It wouldn't matter if she would succeed, or even if she could. If she was the only one who could save her friends, she would charge in without thought and get the job done."

Scootaloo got 'Inspiration Bangle'.
Atk + 1

Skills: Second Chance, survive lethal hit on one HP

Riku smiled. "Well, there you have it."

Scootaloo nodded firmly. "Yeah!" Gritting her teeth, she brought out her Keyblade and knocked the gummy ship into the Safe Point.

"Umm...that's not how you're supposed to-"

With a flash of light, the ship expanded to full size and the cockpit opened. "AWESOME!" Scootaloo leaped into the cockpit.

Riku blinked. "Okay...I guess she plays by a slightly different rule set." He climbed in after her.

As the cockpit shut, Scootaloo was examining the controls. "So, how do I make this thing fly?"

"Well," Riku began, "there are a few things you need to do first-"

"Oh, here it is!" Scootaloo slammed her hoof down on the button labeled 'Launch.' The ship took off into the sky.

The force of the launch flattened Riku against the back of the cockpit. "Wait! You forgot to turn on the inertial dampeners!"

"But I don't need a bath!" Scootaloo cried from the pilot's seat, grabbing the controls. "So this is how I steer, right?" She twisted the controls into a hard right.

Riku put a hand to his stomach as he was slammed against the side of the cockpit. "I think I'm going to be sick..." he mumbled.

"WAH!" Scootaloo called out. "There's a giant Heartless ahead! What do I-" There was the sound of weapons fire, followed by loud explosions. "Sweet! This things got guns!"

From then on, Riku clung to one of the seats - which was apparently designed for ponies like Scootaloo - while keeping his eyes shut, his ears assailed by the sounds of gunfire even as his insides were constantly twisted into knots by the g-forces of the sudden turns and other maneuvers the Gummy Ship underwent at hyper-sonic velocities through the void between dimensions.

"Say Riku," Scootaloo asked after a while, "looks like there's a world coming up. How do I land this thing?"

"Ughh..." Riku groaned in response.

"Okay, guess I'll wing it." Scootaloo looked around at the controls. "Hmm, let's see...'Landing Tu...tutu rail?' Why would I want to do ballet on a train? Hmm...lasers, bombs, rapid fire...maybe it's this one?" She pushed a button labeled 'Do not press.'

With a jolting lurch, the ship sped for the surface of the world.

Radiant Garden

Radiant Garden

Scootaloo bounced happily out of the safe point, having successfully disembarked the Gummy Ship 'Rainbow'. "That was totally awesome! Let's do that again!"

Riku staggered out of the safe point and raced for a nearby trash can. He leaned over it for a time, quietly retching.

Scootaloo walked up to him. "Riku? Are...are you okay?"

Riku lifted his head, glaring at the filly. "You're insane, you know that?"

Scootaloo blinked, backing up. "W-what do you mean?"

"You hop right into a ship you don't know how to control, fly recklessly through an unfamiliar region of space, all without engaging the proper safety measures, putting yourself and others in life threatening danger...and you think it was fun?"

Scootaloo blinked her eyes a bit. "Umm...Yes?"

Riku glowered at her for a time, then turned away to examine his surroundings. "Well, all expectations to the contrary, we seem to have made it to familiar ground safely." He gestured around at the glittering town. "Welcome to Radiant Garden."

Scootaloo looked around. "Huh...pretty..."

Riku glanced towards the filly, slamming the palm of his hand against his face after a moment. Idiot, he thought to himself. You saw how emotionally fragile she is right now, and you heard what she's been through, and the first thing you do when she makes a mistake is snap at her? He sighed in frustration. I'm not cut out for this. I'm not good with kids. What am I supposed to do? Looking up, he noticed something, and smiled. Maybe I can cheer her up. He turned to Scootaloo. "Come on, Squirt. I'll get you some ice cream."

To Riku's shock, the intended cheer up put the filly on the verge of tears. Turning, she ran off into town.

"Scootaloo, wait!" Riku tried to run after her, but quickly lost sight of her. "Great," he mumbled under his breath. "What did I say, anyway?" Shrugging his shoulders, he walked towards the ice cream shop. "Well, it shouldn't be that hard to find her. People will have noticed a brightly colored pony running around." Walking up to the ice cream shop, he was surprised to find it closed. "What?" He read the sign. "'License acquired by new shop, visit the Moogle Shop for all your ice cream needs'? Why would the Moogle Shop want to sell ice cream?" Shaking his head, he headed over to the Moogle Shop. "Two ice creams, please," he said to the Moogle.

"Sorry, kupo," the moogle running the shop replied. "We don't sell ice cream at this stand. Don't make potions any more, either. Just weapons and equipment."

Riku blinked. "So...where should I go to get ice cream or potions?"

"Over there, kupo!" the moogle said happily, pointing to another nearby shop. "We've gone into partnership with a potions specialist."

Riku nodded. "Alright." He walked over to the new shop. "Two ice creams ple-" he started to say before freezing.

A zebra wearing several gold rings around neck and ankles walked up to the counter. "Welcome customer, how do you do? What is there today I can do for you?"

Riku stared at her before blurting out, "You're a zebra!"

She looked somewhat offended. "And you are a bipedal, furless ape; but you don't hear me giving jape."

Riku blinked, then smiled softly. "Valid point. I didn't mean to offend you. Who are you?"

She smiled. "Zecora is my given name. But you, Riku, I have heard of your fame."

Riku chuckled. "I see." He decided to focus on the business at hand. "Two sea salt ice cream bars, please."

Zecora smiled. "For you on this day so sunny, your ice cream will cost you 20 munny."

Smiling, Riku exchanged the munny for the ice cream, keeping them in the wrappers. "Now I just need to find her," he mumbled under his breath.

Zecora smiled at Riku. "If a child you were to mind, perhaps with others you will find."

Blinking, Riku nodded. "Right. Heuy, Dewey, and Louie will probably know where to find her. Thanks." Turning, Riku walked through the town square, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of the three duck brothers or the small winged filly.

He paused momentarily as that thought went through his mind. Winged... He looked up towards the roofs, catching a flash of purple and orange above the weapon shop. Smiling, he leaped up onto the roof, landing lightly beside her. "You alright?"

Scootaloo quickly wiped her eyes, obviously not wanting him to see she was crying. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Riku sat down beside her. "Look, whatever I said that upset you-"

"She used to call me that."

Riku stopped. "What?"

"Squirt. That was Rainbow's nickname for me. When you said that, you sounded so like her for a moment...I..." She shook her head, obviously trying to shake off the emotion. She looked up at him. "So where's my ice cream?"

Chuckling, Riku unwrapped one of the bars and handed it to her. "Sea salt ice cream. Nothing like it anywhere." He hesitated, wondering how she would hold onto it without fingers.

Scootaloo took the ice cream bar in her hooves, taking a lick. "It's salty!" she said in surprise. Then she took another lick. "But sweet!"

Riku chuckled. That was how everyone reacted the first time they had the ice cream. Opening his, he ate as well.

After a time of enjoying the ice cream in silence, Scootaloo spoke up. "You said your world was consumed by darkness once, right?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah."

"How did you manage to move on, when everyone you cared about was gone?"

Riku sighed. He'd been dreading this conversation. "Well, it wasn't exactly difficult. See...that first adventure...I was kind of the bad guy." He closed his eyes, waiting for her reaction, expecting shock, horror, or anger.

"Oh. But you're not now, right?"

Riku looked at her seriously. "No, not anymore. I was rescued from the darkness before that adventure had even ended."

Scootaloo shrugged her shoulders. "Alright. Guess you can't help me deal with this very well then, huh?"

Riku closed his eyes, thinking, wondering what he was supposed to say. Thinking for a bit, he decided for a shot in the dark. "Does the name Zecora mean anything to you?"

Scootaloo choked briefly on her last bite of ice cream. "Where did you hear that name?"

Riku smiled. "From the zebra running the potions shop. She's the one who sold me the ice-" Riku found he was talking to empty air and a rapidly spinning ice cream stick. Turning, he saw Scootaloo in a slow glide towards the potions shop, her small wings buzzing rapidly to keep her in the air.

Leaping off the roof after her, he saw her leap over the counter, calling, "Zecora! Zecora, it's you!"

Turning, the zebra embraced the filly warmly. "Well isn't this a pleasant to-do; if it's not my good friend, little Scootaloo."

Scootaloo had her face buried against Zecora's side, struggling to hold back her tears. "You're here...you're here..." Her small frame shook slightly in silent sobs.

Nuzzling Scootaloo's mane, Zecora blew gently on her forehead. "Silly filly, do not be so blue; here, drink this, and tell me your troubles true." She handed Scootaloo a cup filled from a nearby pot.

Scootaloo drank slowly from the cup, her shaking slowing. "I...I thought I was the only one. I thought everypony else was...well, gone."

"Ah," Zecora said, understanding. "Here, listen to my comforting rhyme; rest here for a while, you've plenty of time." Zecora then began to sing quietly. Although the language was one neither Scootaloo or Riku knew, the cadence and tones made it clear it was a lullaby.

Scootaloo swayed a bit, listening to the comforting sounds. Eventually, she slumped over, her empty cup clattering to the side. Zecora turned to Riku as her song ended. "Riku, come where you are led; help me get this little filly to bed."

Walking forward, Riku picked Scootaloo up and carried her to the bed Zecora pointed out. "What was in that tea?"

Zecora smiled sadly as she tucked the filly in. "Although she's struggled to try her best, she has had little true rest. Since nightmares of memories would make her weep, I gave her a potion for dreamless sleep."

Riku nodded. "I see. I don't think you should have done that without telling her, but-"

Zecora held up a hoof. "This young one is a stubborn whelp, knows not how to ask for or accept help. She feels she must be endlessly strong, that to show any weakness would be a great wrong. "She placed a hoof against Scootaloo's cheek, and the Keyblade briefly appeared. "But with how much upon her small shoulders do rest, I must do what I can to keep her at her best."

Riku sighed. "I know the type," he mumbled under his breath.

"Of that I am quite sure," Zecora replied, a sly smile on her lips. "For you, 'tis not like gazing into a mirror?"

Riku held up his hands. "I get it, I get it." He leaned back against the wall. "...she's going to try and face the darkness that swallowed your world, you know."

Zecora nodded. "Long has she sought to prove herself; but little concern does she have for her health."

"Don't worry," Riku replied. "I'll keep an eye on her."

Zecora raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She turned and went back to minding the store.

Riku watched over Scootaloo as she slept, thinking deep thoughts.

Scootaloo woke up slowly, shaking herself as she rose to her hooves. She slept well and deeply, though she didn't know for how long. Seeing Riku leaned against the wall, chin to his chest, she smiled. Hopping out of bed, she followed her nose to the front of the shop, where Zecora was setting up a deliciously familiar breakfast. Smiling, she sat down and chowed down.

Zecora smiled at her, but waited to say anything until Riku also came out and ate. Once they were all fed, Zecora spoke up. "Scootaloo, though you feel alone, you are not the only survivor from home. If more familiar faces you seek to find, then head down to the Burrow, but danger you should mind. From out of shadows in that place, numerous Heartless you'll have to face."

Scootaloo smirked. "I'm not afraid. If I can find more friends, I won't hesitate to go. Come on, Riku, let's check out this Burrow!"

Riku rolled his eyes at Scootaloo's enthusiasm, but raced after her as she charged out.

Reaching the Burrow, Scootaloo looked around at the buildings and alleys. "Plenty of shadows for Heartless to crawl out of."

Riku nodded. "So we'd better be on our guard."

Scootaloo flinched back as several Heartless appeared in flashes of shadowy light. "Wah! I thought Zecora said they came out of shadows!"

Riku grunted as he drew his sword. "Well, there's plenty of Shadows to fight, and a few Red Nocturnes as well." He pointed to the floating red creatures.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she clenched her teeth, summoning the Keyblade. "Real original name," she muttered under her breath. She yelped as she dodged a fireball flung by one. "You could have mentioned they threw fire!"

Riku held his sword side on to block more incoming flame. "I was getting to that."

It didn't take long for them to dispatch the first wave of Heartless. However, when the second wave arrived, they were accompanied by three that resembled walking beach balls from their shape. "What are the fat ones?" Scootaloo asked.

"Large Bodies," Riku replied.

Scootaloo blinked. "That's a polite way of saying it." Without thought, she hurled her Keyblade in the spinning disc technique she'd found effective previously, only to see it bounce of the Large Bodies large bellies. "The heck?"

"Their greater girth deflects most damage from the front," Riku replied, gathering a black fireball in his hand. "Either a magic hit or an attack from behind is needed to damage them."

"Do I look like a unicorn to you?" Scootaloo cried in frustration. "How am I supposed to fight these things?"

"CHARGE!!!" a strident voice called out.

Turning, Scootaloo saw something smash into one of the Large Bodies from behind, shoving it into another one and crushing both against a nearby wall, causing them to disperse into darkness, releasing hearts. The figure turned, somehow holding a shield out in front of it. "CHARGE!!!" it called out again, slamming into another group of Heartless and dispersing them.

As the figure approached her, Scootaloo held up the Keyblade and braced herself. The shield impacted against the Keyblade, pushing her back, but she held her ground. After a time, she ground to a halt.

The one behind the shield continued to try and press forward. "That's funny," a familiar voice said with a southern accent. "Ah don't remember there being a wall here..."

Scootaloo's eyes went wide. "Apple Bloom?"

The figure behind the shield took a step backward. Apple Bloom threw her head back, causing the hinged device braced on her head and shoulders to flip the shield up to over her head. "Scootaloo?" she cried in shock and joy, before racing to embrace her friend.

Reunited

Reunited

"APPLE BLOOM!" Scootaloo shouted happily, embracing her friend. The two fillies stood there for a time, holding onto each other.

Eventually, however, their reunion was interrupted as Riku called out, "A little help with these Heartless, if you don't mind?"

"Right!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom said together, turning to face the Heartless. Scootaloo summoned the Keyblade as Apple Bloom threw her head forward to shift the shield into combat position in front of her face.

"Say, Scoot," Apple Bloom asked, "who's the human?"

"Human?" Scootaloo asked confused. "Oh, you mean Riku? So that's a human. Where'd you learn that term?"

"Tell ya after we squash some Heartless. CHARGE!" Apple Bloom once more charged forward, slamming the shield into the Heartless, kicking out to her side whenever a Heartless tried to attack from the side.

Grinning, Scootaloo leapt into the fray, swinging the Keyblade to destroy the Heartless.

After a time, the Heartless stopped coming. Riku looked to be out of breath, and Scootaloo had several bad cuts. Apple Bloom led them to a house. "In here!" she called. They followed her in.

Once inside, Apple Bloom gestured them to a Safe point in the corner, walking up to a man typing madly away at a computer. "Hi Uncle Cid!" she called happily.

"Yo, AB!" the man replied. "How many did you get this time?"

"30 Shadows, 2 Large Bodies, 7 Red Nocturnes...and I found an old friend!" Apple Bloom replied happily.

Cid looked up from the computer. "Huh? Oh, hey Riku. ...well, another filly, huh?"

"Oh great," a familiar voice called from the other section of the house, "another one of you."

"Stuff it, Trixie!" Apple Bloom replied, walking back to check on Scootaloo.

Scootaloo had stepped out of the safe point, fully healed, and now stared at the powder blue unicorn mare. "Looks like you made it, too, Trixie," Scootaloo said, happy that another from her world had made it, even if it was somepony she wasn't particularly fond of.

"But of course," Trixie replied. "What else could you possibly expect of the Great and Powerful Trixie?"

"Some manners and humility certainly wouldn't go amiss, my good mare," an old man in a robe the same color as Trixie's coat replied, shifting his hat as he examined some strange devices of mystical nature before him.

"I'll try, Master Merlin," Trixie replied, her voice surprisingly humble.

Scootaloo stared. "Who is that old man, and how the hay did he manage to tame Trixie?" she asked, shocked.

"With whips and a collar!" Cid replied with a gruff laugh.

Merlin glowered at Cid. Riku covered his face with one hand. Trixie turned bright red. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tilted their heads and said in stereo, "I don't get it."

"Thank the maker..." Riku muttered under his breath.

"Trixie," Merlin said as he turned back to his workings, "I'm close to isolating that magical wavelength I picked up. Be a dear and give the new filly the magic explanation, would you?"

Trixie sighed. "Very well." She looked at Scootaloo. "As you may or may not know, the wielder of the Keyblade can wield magic-"

"Not me," Scootaloo replied. "When the voice in my dreams had me pick powers, I gave up the staff."

"You, too?" Apple Bloom asked, shocked.

"Wait, you had a dream like that?" Scootaloo replied, just as shocked.

"Uh huh!" Apple Bloom confirmed. "It was the night before the field trip when all this happened. See, it went like this..."

Apple Bloom slowly pushed herself to her hooves. She found herself standing on a large stained glass window, showing the founding of Equestria, with the fire of friendship shining over all. "Where am I?" she asked, confused.

A strange voice echoed in her mind. 'A great power has chosen you...but that power must be given form...'

Three altars raised out of the ground, with items on them.

'You must choose the path you will take.'

Apple Bloom walked forward. "Well...whatever you say freaky dream voice." She looked at the three objects. A sword, a staff, and a shield. "So...what are these things?"

'Examine them, and you will see.'

"Alright." She walked up to the staff. "What's this?"

'The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?'

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Not really. I've already got inner strength, comes with being an Apple. I get strength from my friends and family. Sides, what would I do with magic? I ain't a unicorn, and I got no talent for potions like Zecora. It just ain't in me to be flinging magic around." She walked up to the sword. "And what's this?"

'The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?'

Apple Bloom shook her head. "I ain't really the warrior type. Besides, I get in enough trouble for breaking things, without wielding a sword of terrible destruction. Pass." She walked up to the shield. "Hey, it's got an Apple on it!"

'The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?'

Apple Bloom thought for a time, then nodded. "Yeah, I wanna protect my friends. That's who I am inside, a protector."

The shield vanished into her. 'You have chosen a power. But what will you give up in exchange?'

Apple Bloom backed up. "You didn't say I'd have to give anything up! This is entrapment! Cousin Apple Thesis is a lawyer, and he's gonna sue the pants off of ya! ...assuming you wear pants..."

The voice sighed in resignation. 'Unguided, the power flows equally down the three paths, never taking form. In order for the power to take form, you must choose one primary path, and block off a different one.'

"...oh. So, you're saying I have to give up either the sword or the staff?"

'Yes.'

"Okay. I'm gonna give up the staff. I'd say I'm probably gonna need courage most in the future."

'Very well.' The staff vanished into the light, and shadows began gathering. Slowly, they congealed into Heartless.

"What are those?" Apple Bloom asked, backing away.

'Throughout your journey, you may encounter those who seek to do you harm-'

"Why would they want to do that? I'm a nice pony!"

'...because they aren't nice. They're...they're evil. It's your job to stop them through any means necessary.'

Apple Bloom looked around nervously. "But, how am I supposed to-" The shield took shape, floating in front of her face. "Oh. Well, here goes. CHARGE!"

She charged forward, her simple tactic proving effective against the Heartless, as she knocked them over and trampled them into the ground.

'...well done. Now-'

"Can we finish this later?" Apple Bloom spoke up once the last of the Heartless were down. "I'm pretty sure I need to wake up now, or I'm gonna be late for school!"

'... ... ...'

Apple Bloom woke up.

"Wow," Scootaloo said. "That went a lot different from my dream. I chose the sword."

"So you got the Keyblade, then?" Apple Bloom asked. "Darn, it looks right cool!"

"Yeah, isn't it awesome!" Scootaloo grinned, fluttering her wings happily. "So, what was that Trixie was saying about magic?"

"Trixie already explained it," Trixie replied, having gone back to Merlin. "It is hardly Trixie's fault if you found your friend's dreams more fascinating than Trixie's lecture."

Apple Bloom looked sheepish. "I actually slept through it when she told me the first time. I guess that put her in a bad mood."

Scootaloo chuckled. "Well, I'm going to fight the darkness and save our world! Wanna come along?"

"DO I!" Apple Bloom cried happily. "Sign me up! I ain't letting you have all the fun!"

"Cool!" Scootaloo pulled the 'Rainbow' out of her saddlebag. "Let's take a flight and see where we wind up."

"Actually..." Merlin interrupted. "I think I have a suggestion on where you should go."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked, surprised.

Merlin nodded. "It seems those from your world have a unique magical signature. I've spent the past few months since Apple Bloom arrived here-"

"Months?" Scootaloo asked, shocked.

"What?" Cid asked, disgruntled. "Did you think the Moogles and I cobbled that shield harness together for Apple Bloom in a matter of hours?"

"Yes," Riku and Scootaloo replied simultaneously. "If that," Riku added.

Cid glowered. "Took us a while to figure out how to make it work right, and fit it to her frame."

"As I was saying," Merlin interrupted, "I've managed to analyze that wavelength, and I've crafted a special Navigation Gummy that will allow you to track down that frequency, enabling you to find anyone - or anything - that survived the destruction of your world. That would probably be a good place to start."

"Cool!" Scootaloo said, taking the Gummy. "So...how do I attach it?"

"You upload it to the flight controls inside the ship, and it plots a path for you," Cid replied.

"Alright." Scootaloo tossed the ship into the safe point with a whack of her Keyblade.

"Cool!" Apple Bloom said, seeing the ship at full size!

Apple Bloom has joined the party.
Initial Equipment:
Basic Shield - It's a shield, basically.

Attack - 1

Defense - 3

Ability - Basic Guard, projects a protective field that reduces damage taken by those within. Cost: 3 Mp, duration, 10 seconds.

Memento Ribbon - A mother's ribbon, offers protection.

Defense + 2

Magic + 1

Ability - Hyper Healing, quickly recover from KO and greatly restore health

Riku turned to Merlin. "Say, is there any way I can follow them through the dark corridor? I...don't really want to go through another flight with Scootaloo at the helm. That ship's not built for humans," he added quickly, hoping to forestall Scootaloo feeling down on herself from his words.

"I've got a way!" Cid said, shuffling around in his desk. "Here!" he said, pulling out another Gummy and another device. "This is a tracking Gummy. Hook this to that Gummy ship, and you'll be able to track it down to whatever world it's in. The tracker here will let you find your way there through the dark corridors, or communicate through it."

"Thanks," Riku said, taking the tracker. Scootaloo took the tracking Gummy.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom climbed into the Gummy Ship. "Here we go!" Scootaloo yelled out as she plugged in the Navigation Gummy and gunned the engine. The ship blasted off through the roof of Merlin's house.

Merlin stared sadly up at the roof. "And I'd just finished fixing it..." he muttered sadly.

The gummy ship came in for a landing on a strange green island. Scootaloo hopped easily out. Apple Bloom climbed out a little dizzy. "This place is weird," Scootaloo commented, walking to the edge of the island. "We're floating in space, it looks like."

Apple Bloom hook herself off. "Hey, look at that tower!" she said, pointing at a large structure nearby.

"Whoa," Scootaloo said, staring up at the structure.

Apple Bloom grinned. "We should climb to the top!" she said happily.

"Awesome!" Scootaloo stared up at the tower speculatively. "We need ropes, pitons, grapnels, safety harnesses-"

"Scoot!" Apple Bloom interrupted. "I meant from the inside." She pointed at the door.

Scootaloo stared at the door. "Oh," she said, hanging her head. "I knew that..."

Apple Bloom walked up to her friend. "Scootaloo, this isn't like you. You've never gotten discouraged this easily. What's going on?"

Scootaloo looked up at her. "You mean other than everyone we know and love being gone, possibly consumed by darkness or in torment unimaginable?"

"Scoot, I know that's bugging you. It bugs me, too. But after three months, ya need to get it together-"

"For you it's been three months," Scootaloo interrupted. "For me? First thing I remember after the explosion of light through the door is Riku poking me in the back with his sword...and that was three days ago at most. And I've only really been awake for maybe ten hours of that, about six of which were continuous combat." Her body shook a bit. "And to top it off...this is all my fault! I opened the door!" She began to sob.

Apple Bloom immediately wrapped her forelegs around Scootaloo, holding her tight. "It's okay, it's okay...let it out..." She held her for a time, letting Scootaloo cry herself out. "Scoot, it's not your fault. He'da gotten the door open one way or another. If you hadn't grabbed the Keyblade, he might have gotten that, too. At least this way we have a chance to save everyone." She held Scootaloo tighter.

After a time, Scootaloo calmed down. "Thanks, Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom smiled as she stepped back. "Any time."

"...nopony hears about this, ever."

Apple Bloom smiled as she did the motions. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She nodded. "Now you know I'll never tell. Cause losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend..."

They paused, looking around. However, despite expectations, there was no sign of the expected pink pony.

Scootaloo shuddered. "I don't know about you, but I want to get into that tower now. Outside here is suddenly giving me the creeps."

"Right." Apple Bloom followed Scootaloo into the tower.

Inside the tower, the two fillies slowly climbed up the stairs. "Weird place," Scootaloo commented. "The stairs lead into warps, and then twist around each other. It's making me kind of dizzy."

"Looks like a place Discord might have designed," Apple Bloom commented.

"Nah," Scootaloo replied as she walked up to the next door. "If he did, there'd be freaky monsters in here.

Stepping through the door, they were confronted by three large blue Heartless holding shield's with faces out in front of them. One of the mouths on the shields opened up, spewing fire at them.

Apple Bloom leapt in front of Scootaloo, slamming her shield into combat position, somehow generating a protective barrier around them both, deadening the effect of the flames. "Ya were sayin?" she asked, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

Scootaloo threw the Keyblade forward, hoping to cut through the Heartless. However, it bounced off the shields. "How the heck are we supposed to fight these...whatever they are?"

A calm voice spoke from the other side of the room. "More pests? Great." A barrage of ice blasts impacted the Heartless from behind, freezing them solid. Lightning struck from above, shattering them. A barrage of fireballs struck the pieces, dissolving them and releasing the captive hearts. "So who were they-" The voice stopped.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stared at the small white filly, wearing a strange choker and holding a wizard's staff in her emerald telekinetic grip. However, she dropped it as she ran forward, wrapping her forelegs around them both.

"I knew you'd come..." Sweetie Belle whispered. "I knew you'd come..."

From Dreams to Nightmares

From Dreams to Nightmares

Sweetie Belle clung tightly to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, shivering somewhat. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom eagerly wrapped their forelegs around her as well. While tears fell freely from Apple Bloom's eyes, Scootaloo would always deny any possibility that she was crying. That would have been so uncool.

"Ahem!" a stern voice said from the stairs upward.

The three fillies turned. A human stood there, dressed in blue and possessing a long white beard like Merlin, plainly a wizard. However, where Merlin had possessed an aura of playfulness and his expression had been friendly and somewhat absent minded, this wizard's face and expression conveyed unrelenting sternness, and he projected an aura of raw, unfettered power that nearly overwhelmed Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's minds. He held the staff Sweetie Belle had been wielding in one hand. "Miss Belle," he said firmly, "what have I told you about keeping hold of your weapon?"

Sweetie Belle blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry Master Yen Sid," she said quietly, seizing the staff in her telekinesis and floating it into her saddlebags. "I didn't mean to drop it. I just got so excited at seeing my friends again..."

Yen Sid's expression softened noticeably, and the aura of power seemed to withdraw, allowing Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to catch their breaths. "So these are the friends you spoke of, the ones who you knew would find you?"

Sweetie nodded happily. "Yes, Master."

Yen Sid examined both of the fillies carefully, his eyes locking onto the Keyblade Scootaloo still clutched. He then nodded. "In that case, your friends may assist you in cleaning up the mess in this room, during which time you may catch up. When you are finished, please report to me at the top of the tower. There is much I would speak to all three of you about." Turning, he went back up the stairs.

Scootaloo frowned after he left. "He really expects us to clean up this mess?"

Sweetie giggled as she seized three broomsticks in her magic. "Don't worry, it will be easy." Seizing her staff in her magic as well, she began swinging it in the air like a conductor's baton. The brooms began to sway in a rhythmic motion in response, sweeping on their own. Sweetie lay down on a clean spot on the floor. "This way we can talk," she said, letting her staff continue conducting.

As Apple Bloom and Scootaloo lay down nearby, Scootaloo spoke up. "So, how come you knew we were coming?" she asked.

"The dreams," Sweetie Belle said happily.

"Dreams?" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom replied simultaneously.

Sweetie nodded. "Yep. I'm pretty sure you two had similar dreams. Mine went like this..."

Sweetie Belle opened her eyes, blinking. "Where'd my blanket go?" she asked. "And why am I sleeping on glass?" She pushed herself to her hooves. "This isn't my bed." She stared down at the relief of Spike catching the Crystal Heart and saving the Crystal Kingdom. "Pretty picture though." She stared around. "But where am I?"

A voice echoed in her mind.

'A great power has-'

"AH!" she screamed. "Get out of my head get out of my head out out out OUT!"

There was silence for a time. This was followed by a spectral sigh and a very quiet muttering. 'Never working with preteens again...'

A sign dropped out of the sky to land quivering in the relief, landing right at the base of Spike's tail where his scales shifted over to his underbelly. The sign had writing on it.

"A great power has chosen you. But that power must be given form..."

Three pedestals rose out of the relief. The writing on the sign changed. "Choose the form of your power. Take your time and be sure...there's no rush..."

Sweetie walked around the alters, not sure what to pick. She stopped by the staff alter. The staff was pure white with a pink and purple top. Another sign dropped down.

"The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?"

Sweetie blinked. "Umm..." She tilted her head as she heard something whistling through the air. "What's that-" Something hard smacked into the back of her head. "OW!" She rubbed the back of her head and looked down. Another staff, this one orange with a purple top, was clattering to the ground in front of her. "Oh! Can I have this one?" she asked happily, picking it up and hugging it to herself.

The sign's writing changed. "Umm...you should really take this one."

"Please?" Sweetie begged, widening her eyes and going into a slight pout, letting her lower lip quiver ever so slightly.

The sign seemed to shiver. "...fine."

"Yay!" Sweetie Belle cheered happily as the staff vanished into her.

The sign contrived to look irritated. "You're lucky you're so cute."

Sweetie turned her back to the sign. "Works every time..." she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" was written on the sign in the center of the platform.

"Nothing!" Sweetie said happily, doing her best to appear as innocent as she could manage.

The sign seemed to be eyeing her. Then the writing changed. "You have chosen a path for your power. But what will you give up in exchange?"

Sweetie blinked. "I don't understand."

"You have chosen to focus your strength in the mystic arts. From where will you take strength away to do so?"

"Oh!" Sweetie said happily. "Like balancing stat points for a D&D character! I got it!" She looked around at the shield and sword. "I give up the shield."

The sign changed. "But...you don't even know what-"

"I've chosen to be a mage type. However, it will likely be a while before I gain enough strength to be throwing spells around like a fire sale. In the meantime, I need to fall back on my other strengths for defense, right? Since I don't like taking hits, I want to be sure I can still deal good physical blows, so I want to hold onto the sword." She then giggled. "And here I am talking like this isn't just some crazy dream."

The sign went blank for a time. Then the shield faded out and the sword vanished. The platform had changed, now showing Rarity posing in her Gala dress. Sweetie smiled at the image of her sister. "So, what's next?"

Shadows began to gather across the platform, forming into Heartless. The sign had words on it, but Sweetie didn't notice them.

"AAHH!" she screamed, grabbing her staff in her forehooves as she ran around on her hind hooves, whacking the Shadows like a strange game of Whack-a-Mole. "KILLITKILLITKILLITKILLIT!" As she proceeded to smack several of the Shadows into nothingness, she continued to scream that out. "KILL IT WITH FIRE!" she screamed as she approached the last one.

A fireball leapt from the tip of her staff, smacking into the last Shadow and dispersing it. Sweetie fell back on her rear, blinking. "Did I do that?" she asked, turning to the sign.

The writing had changed. "Your fighting style is...unusual, but effective. You will face many dangers in your quest, but you have nothing to fear. You will not have to face them alone." This was followed by an arrow pointing down.

Sweetie looked down. The relief now showed her posing on her hind legs, holding the staff in a magical grip. Opposite her was Apple Bloom, a shield seemingly clutched in her teeth. Between them was Scootaloo, braced on all fours in a fighting pose, the Keyblade clutched in her teeth. A triangle was formed in the negative space between their bodies.

Smiling, Sweetie Belle curled up to the sign, her staff clutched to her body in her legs, and began to doze off.

Until she awoke to Rarity shaking her awake for school.

Sweetie Belle smiled at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "So, when you both had a weird dream at the same time, I knew that they were real, and when I woke up here after crashing through the window I knew you'd find me eventually. So I waited here for you both to arrive, and in the meantime, Master Yen Sid taught me magic." She grimaced. "At first, he insisted that I begin my apprenticeship with cleaning and similar tasks before he taught me any magic. As my sister could attest, that didn't go well." She shuddered, remembering how her first attempt at cleaning up the shards of the window she'd broken on entering had resulted in breaking Yen Sid's desk, upsetting his cauldron, torching his papers, breaking three more windows, and bending his hat...and that was from trying to pick up the broom. "After that, he asked if I had some other way of grabbing things, and I mentioned I never mastered unicorn telekinesis. That's when he gave me this." She touched the green and yellow stone in the choker around her neck, which glittered with an eldritch light. "It's a magic amplifier, increasing my magic power tenfold. After that, I could handle telekinesis easily, and when I showed discipline with that, he began teaching me combat magic so that I could assist you both in our quest when you got here." She blinked. "That reminds me!" Her horn glowed, and green light surrounded Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, healing their injuries.

"Wow!" Apple Bloom said excitedly. "Yer a black mage AND a white mage! That's so cool!" She turned towards Scootaloo. "Scoots, why are ya lookin' guilty?"

Scootaloo winced. "I...kinda need to apologize to you, Sweetie. See, that staff that clocked you in the head in your dream...is the one I kicked off MY platform, when I gave it up to keep the sword."

Sweetie blinked, looking up at her staff still guiding the brooms, which was the same one from her dream. "You mean...that's your staff that's mine now?" Scootaloo nodded. Sweetie Belle squeed happily. "I knew there was a reason I liked it so much."

Scootaloo was somewhat confused. Apple Bloom, however, giggled.

Seeing that the room was clean, Sweetie Belle made her staff make a rather strong finishing gesture, conducting a full stop. The brooms immediately stopped moving, and lay back against the walls. She smiled at Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. "Master Yen Sid said his last apprentice never mastered that spell!" she said happily, pride in her voice. "He says I have real talent!"

"Ya certainly do!" Apple Bloom proclaimed.

"Yeah, you're really awesome!" Scootaloo assured her.

Sweetie blushed in pleasure. "Thanks. Come on, we need to go see what Master Yen Sid wants to tell us about." The three fillies walked together up the stairs.

Yen Sid watched the three fillies as they approached his desk. "I have much to tell all of you, and I am not sure how much you will be able to understand. However, I will do my best to explain everything." He waved his hand, and an image of several Shadows appeared. "Do you know what these are?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Heartless. They're the hearts of people who have fallen to darkness. Consumed by darkness, they wander in shadow, seeking to consume other hearts." She smirked. "We've fought several varieties."

Yen Sid nodded with a smile. "Indeed." He made another hand wave, and another image appeared, of several Dusks. "Have you encountered any of these?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "No, but I'm guessing those are Nobodies, formed when someone with a strong will becomes a Heartless. The empty shell left behind begins to move on its own." She paused. "Riku said I didn't need to worry about this, but...is there some way to reunite a Heartless with its Nobody to recreate the original person?"

Yen Sid smiled. "Your compassion does you credit, tempering the razor edge of the vengeful Keyblade. However, Riku is right, you need not worry about this. If a Heartless and its connected Nobody are destroyed by a Keyblade, when their world of origin is freed from the darkness, they will be reborn there, once more whole." Yen Sid frowned. "However, this is only the case with Heartless and Nobodies. There are...other varieties of these creatures that are bound by different rules."

He waved his hand. The Shadows and Dusks vanished. Two images appeared this time, one of a pony that seemed to be made of blood red flame, roaring in fury. The other looked like a pony, but stood like a human, her eyes dead. "These two beings were born of a pony whose heart was lost to darkness. The dark power bonds more firmly to body, heart, and soul with ponies due to your inherently magical nature, causing slightly different results. However, for whatever reason, only those ponies who have acquired their Cutie Marks are vulnerable to the corruptive process, which strips them of their Cutie Mark as part of the transformation. As such, I have dubbed the consumed hearts of this variety as...Markless." He gestured to the fire pony. "This one was dubbed Sunset Satan." He gestured to the dead eyed humanoid pony. "Her Nopony was called Shadow Shimmer. I must warn you, a Markless and Nopony are bonded utterly to the corruptive darkness, and cannot be freed from it. When they are destroyed, it is forever."

The three fillies gasped. "Ya mean..." Apple Bloom began, "if we encounter somepony we know as a Markless or Nopony, then...they're gone forever?"

Yen Sid nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so. Our forces fought and destroyed these two...and the heart shattered, instead of being freed from darkness."

Sweetie Belle gulped. "Well...we shouldn't focus too much on the negative. Just...just how many Markless and Noponies could there be?"

Yen Sid once more sighed sadly. "I would rather not have to tell you this, but you must know what you are up against." He waved his hand one last time. A new image appeared, that of eight ponies in black robes, two of which much larger than others. "When Nobodies first became a threat, an Organization of powerful Nobodies came to the fore with a specific mission. I'm afraid a similar group of Noponies has also arisen to command Heartless and Nobodies. They call themselves the Empty Melody. Nothing more is known about them...except that they are quite powerful, meaning the ponies they were born from had exceptionally strong will."

Scootaloo stared at the image, afraid. However, she then looked down at her bracelet. The letters 'WWRDD' stared back up at her, and she steeled herself. "Doesn't matter," she said firmly. "We still need to fight. If we don't, darkness will consume everything. We can't let fear like this stop us."

Yen Sid smiled proudly. "Indeed. You have proven ready to be the hero the worlds need you to be. As such, I have gifts for you." He waved both hands together, and the image vanished. Three familiar capes appeared in the air.

"Our Cutie Mark Crusader Capes!" Apple Bloom said happily as the capes floated down to drape across them.

"Indeed," Yen Sid replied. "Magically amplified. They will prove useful armor, and will grow with you. Wear it with pride, and show no fear to your foes."

Sweetie Belle joined the party
Initial Equipment:
Sunset Staff - A staff with the colors of the sunset

Attack - 1

Defense - 1

Magic - 2

Ability - Leaf Bracer, the casting of Cure cannot be interrupted

Student Choker - Amplifies magic ten-fold...according to Yen Sid

Magic + 1

Ability - Hyper Healing, quickly recover from KO and greatly restore health

Gained Equip Item:

Crusader Capes (AB), (SB), (SL)

Defense - 1 + (X/5)

Fire Resist - 5+X%

Bliz Resist - 5+X%

Thun Resist - 5+X%

Dark Resist - 5+X%

(X=number of levels gained while Crusader Cape is equipped)

Yen Sid smiled proudly at the young fillies, now young warriors. "Go forth, young heroes, and save all worlds from the encroaching darkness."

Scootaloo glanced around. "I wonder where Riku is. He was supposed to be following us."

"Is he travelling via the Corridors of Darkness?" Yen Sid asked. When Scootaloo nodded, he smiled. "That is why he has not arrived. My tower is shielded against all dark incursion."

Sweetie Belle blinked. "But...then where did the Heartless I was always fighting come from?"

"An artificial Heartless generator I borrowed from a friend of a friend named Tron," Yen Sid replied sagely. "I was training you in battle magic, and live targets would surely be more effective than bull's-eyes."

Sweetie Belle smiled. "Thank you for the training, Master Yen Sid."

The three fillies clambered out of the tower and back to the gummy ship. However, Sweetie Belle stopped before boarding. "Hey, girls?"

"Yeah?" Scootaloo asked. "What is it?"

"I feel like there's something we need to do. You know, to make this whole crusade feel right."

At the word 'crusade', Apple Bloom hoped off the ship. "Ah know just wut you mean, Sweetie. Come on, Scoot, let's give a big Cutie Mark Crusader Cheer for the road."

Smiling, Scootaloo walked up to them. "1...2...3!"

They leapt into the air, hoofbumping, and shouted together, "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS WORLD RESCUERS! YAY!"

Up in his tower, Yen Sid saw this and shuddered. "Why do I have the sudden sense of impending doom?"