Chapter 6 – A well-deserved explanation.
(Ponyville Hospital – Hours later…)
"I feel like hell right about now…" Mina admitted as she lay on the hospital bed with bandages covering the injured spots from the battle a couple of hours ago and wearing a gown.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Aw, quit your whining. I've been here plenty of times and I've learned to live with it." She noted while sitting on the edge of Mina's bed.
"That explains way too much, Rainbow," Mina snarked as Rainbow rolled her eyes once more.
"How do you feel so far?" Rainbow questioned in a concerned tone.
"I'll live. Don't worry, Dash." Mina assured as she paused to look at Rainbow who was already patched up and wearing a hospital gown just like the brunette.
"Who said I'm worried? I'm not!" Rainbow lied yet Mina couldn't help but giggle a bit. Rainbow was such a tsundere.
Rainbow groaned in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… laugh it up, Key Girl. So… about the whole explanation, we could wait for the rest or if you wanna give me the full scoop first – go ahead. No funny business alright?" She warned.
"Rainbow, why would I lie exactly?" Mina asked yet her words made the rainbow-haired woman sigh. It was clear that she was worried and wanted some answers.
"Look, Mina – I acted like a jerk and I'm sorry… but I need to know the truth – who you really are and how'd you gain a Keyblade in the first place. I'm not trying to force the whole story out of you… just the important bits." Rainbow said.
Mina nodded with a small sigh – no use in backing out now.
"Alright… but some ground rules if that's alright: some things that I'm going to share are supposed to be a secret. The less people know, the better… it's for their own good." Mina explained.
Rainbow nodded albeit a bit reluctantly. "I can tell it's not a light secret already… alright. But only with me and my friends, is that fair?" She asked with Mina nodding.
"Alrighty. So, how'd you REALLY came to Equestria?" Rainbow asked.
Mina cleared her throat and began. "Now I told Twilight that I was from another world… and I'm not lying. However, I exaggerated the whole 'arrival' thing a bit… I wasn't exactly on a ship with my folks or anything like that. It's more complicated." She explained.
Rainbow nodded slowly – so far so good with the explanation bit.
Before she spoke again, Mina sighed and wondered if Rainbow would believe her or not. Worth a try…
"Anyways… the reasons on how I came to Equestria are basically by pure coincidence. On our world, there was a prophecy dedicated to the End of the World in 2012… Naturally, we all believed it was a hoax. Nobody paid much attention… and sadly…" Mina trailed off to let Rainbow come to her own conclusion.
And she did… with her eyes widened in shock.
"It happened, didn't it?" Rainbow asked slowly and Mina nodded.
The brunette sighed. "The end of the world pretty much marked the end of humanity as we know it… violence, destruction, deaths. You name it… my parents, sister, my girlfriend and I… we tried our best to find a hiding place yet… poof!" She said.
Rainbow was once again shocked and placed a hand on Mina's shoulder. "If you don't want to share the rest, I'll understand." She told her yet the brunette wielder shook her head.
"I'll be fine. So, what happened next? My world is gone… everyone is dead… and that's the end of the story… or so I thought. I regain consciousness and I come face to face with… you won't believe it though." Mina trailed off.
"Honestly, everyday interesting things happen in Equestria… nothing fazes me or my friends anymore – go ahead and tell me." Rainbow encouraged.
Mina nodded and continued. "I come face to face with none other than God himself – our lord and savior as people call him. He goes on to explain that the end of the world was just a test – to see if humanity is worthy of survival."
Rainbow's mind blocked completely and she shook her head. "Wait, wait… so the end prophecy was a simple test? God allowed the world to end to see if humanity has what it takes to survive?" She asked in disbelief with Mina nodding.
"Wow… some lord and savior he turns out to be." Rainbow sarcastically stated with Mina shrugging.
"I had the same reaction… and I was so angry that I wanted to punch him in the face yet I decided to humor him and listen to what he had to say. 'End of the World' ya-da; ya-da… you get the picture. And then comes the most interesting bit – my family and I passed the test. We were worthy of survival." Mina said.
"Hmmm… I see where this story is headed. Continue." Rainbow requested with Mina nodding.
"What happened next was that I was offered a reward – either returning back to my own world with my family and going about my day normally… or pick a new world to live on with any power that I could want." Mina told Rainbow who had come to her own conclusion.
"And you picked Equestria… huh, that explains why you fell from the sky. Though, was life on your world that bad? I mean… won't your friends, family or girlfriend miss you? I'm not the one that decides your own life but still…" Rainbow trailed off.
"Well… honest truth – if you lived on my planet, you would be a little… conflicted in a sense. Corrupt politics, a war economy, peace being threatened. Besides, I'm not the only who will come to Equestria – made a deal with the lord almighty to get my folks and my girlfriend to come with me." Mina explained.
"Ah." Was all Rainbow spoke before nodding.
"And… the rest is history." Mina finished with her tale and the two went silent as Rainbow tried processing this information in her mind. The brunette wielder just laid quietly and waited…
Eventually, Rainbow sighed a bit. "Well… I can see why you kept it a secret. Though I wouldn't have done anything bad… I'm surprised by your story to be honest." She admitted.
"And… you don't find it weird – even a little bit?" Mina asked yet Rainbow sent her a look.
"I told you… nothing weird fazes me – Ponyville has had a number of weird things happening yet it's mostly a peaceful place… mostly." Rainbow replied.
'Good point… there was that incident with the para-sprites…' Mina thought in her mind.
"Oh, that reminds me – could I see your Keyblade?" Rainbow requested.
Mina didn't have any objections and summoned Equinox before passing it to Rainbow who examined it more clearly.
"A crescent sun and moon design, huh?" Rainbow asked the brunette who nodded.
"Keyblades are forged from your heart and can be designed in the way that you envisioned… Equinox is my own design." Mina explained.
"Ah… say, how did you gain the ability?" Rainbow wondered while looking at Equinox some more.
"God – in addition to the 'getting sent to a new world'; I asked him for the power of the Keyblade… my own personal design which you are holding." Mina explained.
"Ah, right…" Rainbow trailed off as she realized something before chuckling sheepishly. "Oh, lord… I just realized something."
"What?" Mina asked with a confused look.
Rainbow rubbed her head reluctantly. "Well… before I heard your story… and before you came… we were reading this book on the legendary weapon. The last page detailed a sort of wording that was mumbo-jumbo and possibly the author playing a prank." She explained.
"What's that got to do with me though?"
"Well… I read the words… and then an earthquake happened… and you show up." Rainbow explained sheepishly.
Mina was stumped. "Wait… you believed those words brought me here?" She asked amusingly.
"That was only after I heard your tale… believe me, I thought that you came to Equestria thanks to those words." Rainbow chuckled a bit – it did seem silly if you asked her.
Mina chuckled as well. "It's not the worst opinion – next to God sending me here… wait, you read a book on the Keyblade?" The brunette asked.
Rainbow nodded. "Yep… there was lots of information about the Keyblade, Heartless and Nobodies too." She explained.
"I see… what about how they arrive?" Mina asked.
Rainbow looked at her confused before realizing what her question was. "You mean how they made it to Equestria, right?"
Mina nodded. "Yeah… I thought that Equestria was peaceful. How are the Heartless here exactly?" She asked.
"I think we both are wondering that ourselves… the book had bits and pieces about the lore of the Keyblade… and only a little bit of info about the Heartless and Nobodies." Rainbow admitted.
"Damn…" Mina snapped her fingers in annoyance much to Rainbow's worry.
"Something wrong?" Rainbow wondered.
"You bet it is! The Keyblade is considered by many to be a weapon of ruin and wonder… along with the fact that this is the only thing that Heartless fear the most. Ordinary weapons could work as well yet aren't powerful…" Mina explained.
"So… they came to Equestria because they were attracted to you specifically?"
Mina shrugged at Rainbow's question. "A good guess… there could be other reasons – pure hearts, the heart of Equestria… anything is possible at this." She explained.
"What exactly does a 'heart' relate to?" Rainbow wondered but Mina shrugged since she wasn't certain herself.
"One thing is certain… whatever the Heartless are doing on Equestria cannot be good. That means someone is guiding them or… just mindless beasts. Either way, it's best to have a good guard up." Mina suggested with Rainbow nodding.
"I understand… though you ain't gonna leave Equestria to these monsters, right? If the Keyblade is as powerful as you told us, then we need your help. Please, Mina." Rainbow pleaded.
"Rainbow… first of all, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere… and second, this is my home now as well. I'll protect it no matter what." Mina promised with a grin.
Rainbow thanked her with a hug. "Thanks, Mina. We'll also help out as best we can… shame we don't have any other Keyblades at hand. Would be really cool if we did!" She declared before passing back Equinox to her owner.
Mina dismissed her weapon before looking at Rainbow. "If you did have Keyblades, things would be a lot easier… for now though, we'll do our best to keep on fighting no matter what." She assured the rainbow-haired woman who nodded back.
"Right… I think I've learned everything I wanted to know. Though one last question – are you sure that all of this needs to be kept a secret? Won't it be easier just to reveal it all?" Rainbow asked.
"So, you would think… however, the consequences will be very severe. Rainbow, this isn't something that you can reveal to others… if people knew, it would be chaos. Picture a single population living in a simple world while being ignorant of the existence of other worlds – but one day they learn… Can you imagine how chaotic it would be?" Mina asked.
Rainbow went silent as she tried to think before realizing that Mina had a point – the order would break down and mass panic would be visible… not to mention the fact that greedy villains would gain the opportunity to seize more power. It would be trouble…
"I see your point… add the Heartless to the equation and things will get messy." Rainbow said.
"Another reason why this all needs to be kept a secret as best it can…" Mina replied.
Before the two could continue their conversation, the doors opened as AJ, Rarity and Pinkie entered the room. Like Mina and Rainbow, they were covered in bandages as well and wearing hospital gowns.
"Ya both feeling alright?" AJ wondered with a slight grin.
Rainbow and Mina nodded. "We'll live… how's Twilight and Fluttershy?" The girl with rainbow-styled hair questioned.
"She'll live, Rainbow… though the dreadful creatures did a number on her. She's lucky to be alive… Twilight as well." Rarity was glad that both of her friends weren't dead.
"We're lucky that Mina saved us all in the nick of time… even though I was wrong to act like a jerk towards her." Rainbow admitted with an ashamed look.
AJ rolled her eyes before looking at the brunette. "Don't mind Rainbow… she can sometimes really take things too far, Mina. Thank ya for saving us from them Heartless varmints. We owe ya!" She thanked their savior.
Mina blushed heavily in embarrassment but responded, nevertheless. "It was the right thing to do… anyone could have done it."
Pinkie zipped towards her direction and hugged her. "You saved us nevertheless!" She told the brunette.
"Indeed, darling. You're a hero!" Rarity agreed.
Mina embarrassed enough and wished to hide under a pillow to avoid further praise… all she did was the right thing – that was enough reward in her eyes.
"Also, girls – she explained the situation more clearly… but can you keep a secret? It's important." Rainbow spoke – her tone was serious.
"Is it about our questions?" AJ asked with Rainbow nodding.
Mina looked at Rainbow who encouraged her to proceed forward with the answers while the rest were eager to hear their savior out.
With a soft sigh, Mina began. "Alright… so as you might have guessed, I'm not exactly from around here…"
(Nighttime at Canterlot – the throne room…)
Celestia was sitting on her throne quietly and looking at some papers over the recent daily events around Equestria when she froze and let them drop to the ground.
She sensed it… the power of light and darkness… the unspeakable clash… the Keyblade. It was here in Equestria and it made her blood boil.
Getting off from her chair, she walked over to the window and examined the neighboring peaceful hamlet known as Ponyville… it was there that she would find the wielder.
Though a thousand years had passed she would never forget that moment… and make sure that criminals didn't go unpunished. The Keyblade had no place in her kingdom nor in her plans for preserving the peace.
"Captain!" Celestia called out to the royal guard in the throne room who stood to attention before she looked at him. "Prepare my carriage for tomorrow. A criminal has been set loose and we must bring him or her to justice. Understood?" She asked.
The captain nodded without hesitation and left with the rest. Only one person remained in the throne room – Celestia.
"The Keyblade does not have any place in my kingdom… come tomorrow, I will see you punished for bringing the weapon to Equestria in the first place. This I promise." Celestia said while overlooking the town of Ponyville and preparing for tomorrow.
Whatever happened, she would definitely bring the wielder to justice and expel her from Equestria.
Author's Notes: Another chapter finished and ready for posting! Hooray for me! Honestly, at this point in time I just want to write anything that my mind clings to... already have plans for another KH story in mind; a displaced one as well... a very mixed-up schedule... not to mention how much I have to update on Archive on our Own... Oh, boy - XD
With the truth out, Mina's task in protecting Equestria has begun and her actions during the Heartless have been detected by none other than Celestia herself. I feel like I've rushed a little in introducing Celestia but we'll how all of you accept this action in my story. Also, keep in mind that her personality is quite OOC thanks to a little... fiasco nearly a thousand years ago. In the next chapter or the following, you'll find out why - probably in the next and the one after that.
Kind of a little disappointed that it's only a minor fame but at least this story isn't getting shitted like it did on FimFiction - I guess this isn't everyone's cup of tea so I'll just accept it and write for the hell of it, I suppose.
To those that still enjoy this and support me, thank you! And a special thanks to my beta reader for helping me out when I need it the most - many thanks, Dimension Traveler! I owe you a lot, dude!
As usual, I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor My Little Pony - they belong to their respective owners Tetsuya Nomura and Hasbro! I only own my OCs - especially my main one, Mina!
Enjoy reading the next chapter of The Crescent Key and until next time! Later, my readers!