Running…
That was all that was keeping those monsters...Those Shadows...away from the both of them.
They didn't quite know what would happen if they was caught by those things, but they knew enough that if they were indeed captured, they would be done for. They had to keep them away. They had just had to...
The older colt could feel the pair of tiny hooves around his neck tighten just a bit more, effectively securing their position upon him. Bright green eyes met determined blue ones, the little gray colt riding upon the older one's green furred back.
The colt dashed into a nearby alleyway, dashing behind nearby box. As soon as he did so, the smaller colt slipped from off of the larger one, allowing him to rest his back against the wall.
"Zidane…"
The older colt, Zidane, looked down at the smaller gray furred one, a hoof reaching up to pet the silvery mane. "Just…Need to rest for a little while Kuja...I'll be right as rain after that. Then we can escape the city and find the resistance…" He spoke up in between pants of exhaustion.
Kuja gave a slow nod, his mouth open as if he was about to say something. Before he could do so however, his body went ridged. Kuja's gaze fell to where the entrance of the alleyway lay before he moved to huddle closer to Zidane, a worried frown appearing on his face. "I can feel them...They are getting closer..."
Zidane's eyes widened as he drew his bother closer still, a hoof reaching into his side pouch and pulling out a small dagger. Normally he would only use such an item in his acts, but now…He had to protect his brother.
Both colts froze as they heard shifting coming from the other side of their cover, the sound of something scratching clop against the rocky streets of the alleyway, ever so slowly getting closer and closer to them before stopping abruptly in front of them. Zidane pressed the smaller colts face into his chest as he opened his eyes to see some kind of pony like figure standing before the two. Gather up the rest of his courage, the older colt held out the dagger in a way that he hoped seemed threatening.
"S-Stay back…I'm warning you!" He said with as much vigor as he could muster.
Zidane waited for it to respond in some way..
And Waited…
And waited some more…
Then he heard a soft smirk form into slow amused chuckles. "Back in my home town and this is how you treat your old performance Partners?"
That voice…He knew that voice. The colt slowly let the dagger down as recognition soon came upon him.
"I…Wait…You…You're…"
"Yes little Zidane. You are right." The figure said, stepping out into proper light. Now that she was in plain view, his eyes widened by degrees. "It is I. The great…The powerful…" A smirked formed as the mare tipped her hat up, her lavender eyes shimmering even in the little light they had. "The one and only…Trixie Lulamoon."
Kingdom Hearts of Harmony
Welcome to My Town Part 1
PonyVille
Sweet Apple Acers
Apple Bloom sighed softly as she laid upon the billowing grass below her. "Ah can't believe that we missed seeing Sora and the others off back at the train station." She raised up a hoof as she looked at the star like object she held within. "Ah didn't even get a chance to give him this here paopu charm thingy."
Sweetie Belle frowned, her head turning to face her earth pony friend. "I don't think that's what it's called Apple Bloom."
"Living dictionary strikes again…" Scootaloo mumbled softly with a growl as she rolled her eyes.
"Hey!" Sweetie Belle sat up to look towards the orange Pegasus lying beside her. "Don't take your anger out on me because Sora and Dash left ya."
Scootaloo sat up as well, her scowl deepening. "But we could have got on the train again! We could have seen Dash and Sora in action like last time."
"As 'Fun' as that part was during our trip, I think I can deal with not nearly dying at the hooves of a deadly dark king and completely crazy mare." Sweetie said with a scowl of her own. "Besides, I don't think I want to do anything back braking anytime soon. How do you even carry all of those baskets on your head any way Apple Bloom."
"Years of practice ah guess." Apple Bloom responded with another long sigh.
"Come one AB." Scootloo said with a roll of her eyes. "It's not the first time they left us behind. Besides, we may not get front row seats to the action, but I can't way till Rainbow Dash comes back and tells us how bad-flank she was at dealing with those nasty shadow creatures!"
"Yeah! And Rarity is going to!" Sweetie Belle quipped.
"Yeah…Not to burst your bubble Sweets, but Rarity doesn't seem the most…ah…Physical."
A livid and red cheeked Sweetie Belle turned to face her friend. "Hey! My sister is just a cool as Rainbow Dash." The white unicorn filly flipped her mane as she turned away from Scootaloo. "And she does it with style to match her ferocity."
"Since when is fashion considered cool?" Scootaloo scoffed with a wave of her hoof.
"Since always!" Sweetie Belle said with narrowed eyes. "Just look at the Wonder Bolts! They have those cute outfits they ware to their shows. Especially Soarin'." The mare said, just a little bit too dreamily.
"They are not cute!" the orange Pegasus said with a growl. "They are uniforms. They are cool!"
"Well I think they are cute." Sweetie huffed.
"Cool!" Scootaloo countered as she pressed her face close to her friend's own.
"Cute!" Sweetie yelled back, not at all backing down.
"COOL!
"CUTE!"
"COOOOLLLL!"
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes as she turned away from her friends with a bit of annoyance. The yellow filly raised the good luck charm she had made for the stallion that had caught her eye, a sad smile forming on her muzzle. "Please be alright Sora…I'm missing you already…"
From the shadows, not too far away from the trio of fillies, a shadowy figure shifted back behind a tree, a smirk upon his muzzle.
"Interesting…Hehe…I actually might have fun on this dust ball of a world after all."
The dark pony opened a core door to darkness before making his way inside
The Friendship Express
On Route to Trottingham
"Well…Gotta say Rarity. You just made me twenty percent cooler."
Rainbow smirked at herself as she looked into the mirror provided for her. The one standing within her reflection made the mare smile happily. The bluish gray hoodie she had been made was more than a little stylish, complementing her fur color quite well. The jacket itself was adorned with zippered sleeves, the little handle stopping part way to where her shoulder was. She gave a wide smirk as she stood on her hind hooves, allowing herself to see just where the jacket ended for her, the cloth stopping just above her midriff. The mare turned to show herself her wings, two holes having been made for the mare's wings were. She gave them an exploratory flap, making sure that she would not be hindered in any way when she started to actually fly. She was not disappointed.
Rainbow turned, catching sight of her flank as she did so. A pair of shorts the same color as her hoodie covered her rump, hugging her flank in all the right places. She was more than sure that her movement wasn't going to be restricted at al. Dangling off the cloud white belt she had around her waist was a keychain of her cutie mark. While usually she wouldn't care for such coverings, she couldn't help but admire how awesome she looked with it on. Adding the pair of blue goggles to the mix that sat upon the top of her head and even Rainbow Dash had to admit…Rarity really did outdo herself this time.
"Heh…" The cyan mare struck a regal pose as she faced herself once again, lifting one of her forehooves off the ground as she did so. "Rainbow 'Danger' Dash, at your service."
Rarity smiled as she used her magic to adjust a bit of fabric here and there upon her friend's new clothes. "It does make you look quite 'Dashing' if you forgive the pun, Darling." The white unicorn mare giggled. "Are you sure it fits perfectly? Not too tight is it?"
"You kidding?" Rainbow asked with a wide grin. "This is awesome!"
"Well, as with the Gala dresses, I did have all of us in mind after all." Rarity quipped. "And I must say that I am more than a little pleased with the results. Not quite like Sora's outfit, but I doubt you would be out of place when we all go adventuring together in the future. And on that note…" Rarity turned to look behind herself, looking towards a moderately sized folding screen. "And how are you fairing Fluttershy? Are you able to…Oh…what's the word that those guards' ponies use when they put on armor…Um…Oh! Are you able to 'Equip' your own attire?"
The sight of a familiar pink maned mare would slowly pop her head from behind the folding object. "I…Um…I think I have it on right…Its just…"
"Just what darling? Does it not fit right?"
"N-No! It's not that." Flutttershy squeaked. "I…I mean…Its just…I don't know if…"
"For the love of…" Rainbow Dash, with all of the wisdom of a speeding train, decided to take a more direct approach to the situation. The speedster mare flew to where her longtime friend hid, and proceeded to kick away the object that was obscuring their view of her. She gave a solemn nod to the offending folding piece of whatever it was that Rarity had called it before hearing a very Rarity sounding –Squee- of delight. The rainbow maned mare gaze fell to Rarity, who held a hoof to her mouth as her eyes shimmered with praise, before turning to face Fluttershy.
If it wasn't for her long time practiced art in the ways of cool, she was sure that she would be joining Rarity whole heartedly within the –Squeeing- Department.
Fluttershy was dressed in a hoodie just as Rainbow was, but this one was of the purest whites Rainbow had ever seen. The sleeves of her outfit seemed to stop just before reaching her hooves. What really, really set her hoodie apart from Dash's own was how long the back end of it seemed to go, making it seem like more of a cape like look. At the edges of the cloth was red like triangles, zippers adorning each one of them, unzipped of course.
The shy mare squeaked as she came out of the sudden stupor she had found herself in, quickly reach back and pulling up the hood of her clothes on instinct. An action that only allowed Dash to see the full cuteness of the Cat ears that were adorned upon it. Much smaller red triangles seemed to adorn the rim of her hood just like the end of the cape, minus the zippers this time.
Rainbow landed next to Rarity to get a better look at her friend, smile of her own adorning her lips. "Look at you Shy. Gotta say, you look pretty good."
Fluttershy slightly lifted the hood that covered her face. "R-Really?"
"Oh I must concur darling." Rarity agreed, as she moved closer to the mare. She lifted the bit of the cloth that covered Fluttershy's flank, revealing a brown colored pouch that was around the mare's waist. "And quite functional too, since this pouch is enhanced with space expanding magic, meaning that not only is it bigger on the inside, but you will be able to carry anything within the pouch within reason, mind you." She released the cloth. "And…" She said in a whispered tone, one that only the butter yellow mare could hear. "I'm sure that Sora will love to see you in such a cute ensemble."
The shy mare's blushed heightened be degrees, though she had cast her gaze upon the white mare. "Y-You really think so?"
"The poor boy is a little dense Fluttershy, but he is not stupid. I'm sure that he will more than appreciate what you look like."
Fluttershy looked down at her shifting forehooves, a muttered. "I guess so…" Escaping her as her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. Her embarrassment didn't stop the smile from encroaching upon her lips though.
Then a thought crossed her mind.
"Rarity…Um…Not to be a bother but…What about your outfit?"
Rarity gave the shy mare a wave of her hoof. "I still have to make a few minor adjustments to it sadly, but I promise, that I will be sure to-!"
The sound of screeching metal wheels as well the jostling motion of stopped caused near every mare within the train cart to nearly tip over. Rainbow, being the first to recover, flew towards a nearby window, looking out of it to the world on the other side. "Woah…I think…I think you two are gonna wanna see this."
The cyan mare flew from the window, opening a nearby door to allow herself to outside of the train. Rarity and Fluttershy gave each other an apprehensive look before following after their Pegasus friend. It wasn't long before the pair saw exactly what Rainbow had been talking about. Not too far away from the trio was something that had looked all too familiar with them. A large dome of dark red stood tall, the height of which could only be matched with how far it stretched.
"This…This looks like…" Rainbow began, both anger and fear slipping into her tone of voice.
"Yes…It does…It's the same that Sunset had around us in that…"Rarity answered, though she knew that there was no question. "Exactly the same…"
"Girls!"
The three elements of harmony turned to see Sora making his way towards them, a look of worry upon his own features. He stood in front of the mares, looking between all three with more than a bit surprise, his eyes scanning over Rainbow's and Fluttershy's attire. Though he seemed to linger on the shy mare for a little longer then necessary, a bit of a blush forming on his face. He quickly shook his head however before turning to face the dome of darkness in front of them.
"I…Ah…Guess this is the place we need to be, huh?" Sora asked with a frown.
"Heh…And it seems our good old friend, Sunset Shimmer is out to play." Rainbow mused with a dark smile as she hovered above the ground, cracking both her fetlocks. "Been wanting to meet that girl for a bit and…Repay her for our last encounter. And boy, do I plan to repay her in spades." She struck home her point as she jabbed at the air a few times.
"Well, seems the guests or honors has arrived at last. And already ready to party. Nice."
Sora and the girls all turned to find a very familiar amber eyed armored mare making her way towards them. "Fancy seeing you four here. Been awhile." The mare giggled.
"You're…Dream Drop." Sora said as he finally recognized the silver armored mare. "It really has been a while hasn't it?" He gave the mare a bright smile, much to her enjoyment.
"Awww!" The mare squeaked as she moved to wrap a hoof around the stallion's shoulders, pulling him close for a very blush inducing nuzzle to his cheek. "You remember me! You know how to make a mare feel so special don't ya?"
Rarity glowered at the unicorn guard mare as she began to 'marehandle' Sora just as she did last time. She was about to tell the mare a piece of her mind when something else caught her attention. Something that nearly made her heart skip a beat. Beside her a very familiar yellow and pink Pegasus mare was staring a hole straight though Dream Drop, her brow creased in a furrow and her…Her cheeks puffed out in the most cuties of pouts she had ever seen any pony make in all of her lived life
And then, somehow, a shiver of fear went up her spine.
H-How can something be so cute…and so terrifying…all at the same time?
Rarity's inner thoughts were interrupted by the sound of another's voice behind them, this one, however, was very unfamiliar to her.
"Is that any way to act in the line of duty Corporal Dream Drop?" Her voice, for it was in fact a females, caused Dream Drop to "epp" before quickly letting go of the stallion and standing at attention.
"No Ma'am Lightning Ma'am!" She said in a rather stoic tone, her hoof raising up to her forehead in a gesture Sora knew from his world as a salute.
Fluttershy's eyes widened by degrees, silently mouthing the name Dream Drop had just given. Slowly the butter yellow mare turned around, her eyes locking on to the figure before them.
The approaching pony was slightly taller then Fluttershy, her body, leaner and yet quite muscular, even more so then Rainbow Dash. Her fur seemed to be a dirty yellow, while her mane almost seemed the same color as Fluttershy's own. Her eyes also seemed to be quite a darker shade of blue from the shy mare's own.
Sora was sure something was…familiar about her. He just couldn't catch it
While she did look like a pony of authority, what she wore told something different. Unlike the other guard ponies that had been waring traditional Equestrian Guard armor, she was in a more form fitting outfit, a tannish jacket with a dark brown turtleneck like shirt underneath it. One of her sides was a metal shoulder piece. With each step she took, the long flowing scarf would follow behind her. Dark blue bands covered her front hooves, while dark brown leg coverings took up the majority of her lower hind hooves. Just barely visible was a cutie mark dark clouds shooting off an array of lightning from them. Hang just on the side of her was a small brown bag that held some sort of metal object within its casing.
Lightning, as she was called, opened her mouth to speak, only to find herself falling onto her rump as Fluttershy tackled her in a bone crushing hug, much to everypony's surprise.
"Lightning!" The mare cheered. "It's been so long!"
Lightning sat stunned for a few moments before a gentle smile crossed her lips, her own hoof move to pet the top of Fluttershy's head. "It's good to see you too...Cus."
Sora's hoof hit his fetlock in reconition. "You two are related."