Chapter 11 - Iron Giant!
"Well, this is gonna be a challenge. Time to see just how strong you are, iron head!" Mina declared and prepared herself for what would probably be the most difficult fight.
The battle began with the giant releasing a roaring sound that was too loud for Mina's sensitive ears to comprehend. She covered them with both hands until the roar died down. Then the iron Heartless made its move by raising its sword and slamming it down onto the ground.
Luckily, Mina was able to dodge in the nick of time as the iron giant got angry and started to roar once more only for the brunette to silence him by striking him a couple of times before jumping back. To her surprise, there were a couple of cracks and scratches but only minorly. Whoever sent it here must have upgraded it to have thick armor. This wouldn't be an easy fight.
The next move that the giant made was aiming its driller-like hand towards her and launching it while it was active. She performed a couple of somersault flips to avoid getting hit and then landed back safely a few feet away from her opponent. The Iron Giant released a couple of shadows for Mina to play with as the fire inside its furnace stomach bellowed and steam being released from different parts in its metal body.
Preparing Equinox, the little Shadows charged forward yet they were quickly taken care of without any trouble. But unfortunately, the Iron Heartless didn't seem to acknowledge that victory and charged up his driller-like hand before launching it at Mina who was preparing to dodge yet again. What it wasn't expecting however was a small-sized sharp rock launched as its head.
It stopped its driller-like hand and re-extended it back before looking to see who it was that threw the rock in her direction. Besides the Heartless, Mina also looked towards the culprit responsible for-
"Oh, yeah! Bet you liked that didn't you!? Come on, tough guy! I'll take ya on!" Rainbow Dash's aggressiveness taking over . Mina immediately deadpanned and began to panic. What was she even doing over here!?
"Rainbow, what are you doing here!? Get out of here!" Mina ordered yet Rainbow shook her head.
"No way, I'm gonna stick around to help you! I still owe you for saving all of us in the Everfree Forest!" Rainbow declared and clenched her fists, ready to fight the giant Heartless in front of her.
Mina was in pure disbelief. "Rainbow, you're not thinking straight right now! Do you even see the giant Heartless- LOOK OUT!" She yelled after being cut off by the iron giant launching its driller-like hand towards Rainbow.
The brunette had tackled her to safety before she could receive a hole through her body and her heart stolen. Both landed onto the grassy field and were covered while the Iron Heartless began to roar and stomp in anger at his prize being denied. It powered up its purple blade and prepared to bring it down on the girls who dodged out of the way. Damn it! Why couldn't they stand still!? If it could talk, it would definitely be admitting how it felt at the moment.
As for Rainbow Dash and Mina, they quickly got up and saw that the iron giant was ready to continue its rampage. The girl with rainbow-colored hair turned to her companion and then spoke. "Mina, you need help in combating this thing. Remember that I'm no ordinary athlete. I'm the Element of Loyalty and I live up to that title. I won't leave any of my friends hanging."
Said brunette felt a tinge of worry in her due to the fact that Rainbow might mess up and make a mistake which would result in her paying the price. But then again, this giant Heartless was quite a tough opponent to take down. Hmmm, perhaps Rainbow could be of some use to her after all.
"Alright then, Rainbow. You can help me out but you have to stay by my side and follow my precise instructions! Understood?" Rainbow nodded in response to Mina's order.
"Yeah, I get ya. So, what do we do exactly?" The Element of Loyalty questioned but didn't receive her answer yet as the two girls jumped back before the driller could pierce their chests and extract their hearts.
The Iron Giant roared in anger once more and steam came out from its metal body. A few feet away, Mina and Rainbow were discussing how they were going to take down this Heartless. The brunette came up with a risky plan that would possibly end with one of them becoming casualties although the Element of Loyalty assured her that nothing bad would happen if they were careful enough.
"If you say so… now, here's what we'll do - I'll be serving as a distraction while you try to locate an area that might serve as its weak spot. Watch out for its main attacks that involve the purple blade and its driller-like hand. I'll do my best to make it focus on me but your task will be to find its weakness and then inform me of it. Also, make sure you don't get surrounded by the shadow Heartless - you don't have a weapon that can defend you."
"Right… Hmmm, would a stick or a rock help out in taking down those Shadows though?" Rainbow asked.
Mina paused to think about that. Hmm, a stick or a rock were weapons that would work on ordinary people. But not Heartless or Nobodies for that matter… her experiences in playing KH 358/2 Days and the prologue of KH 2 had taught her that. Only Keyblades and weapons that were blessed would be able to eliminate the creatures of pure darkness.
"Not unlikely… unless you have a blessed weapon. Look, I'll keep the Heartless at bay but you find its weak spot, got it?"
The answer wasn't the one Rainbow wanted since she was eager to fight against the creatures of darkness yet she knew only the Keyblade would be able to destroy them. What rotten luck… if she had a sword or a bow, then she'd be able to join in to help her friend in fighting against the Iron Heartless.
Giving a reluctant nod to Mina, Rainbow waited until the brunette made her move. The Element of Loyalty stretched her legs and prepared to start looking all over the Heartless for its weak spot while the Keybearer would serve as both the attacker and distraction. With a little luck, they might be able to take it out before it could continue its rampage outside of the farm and onto the town of Ponyville.
Once the Iron Giant finished roaring, it felt something hit its armored body and the culprit was none other than Mina herself who was armed and ready to keep its gaze on her at all times. "You hungry for my heart, Iron Boy? Well, don't worry! I ain't going anywhere!"
Hearing her voice, Rainbow quickly ran without being spotted to the back of the armored Heartless. All that jogging to keep her body fit was definitely a good sign. Now though, she had a task to locate the weak spot of the iron giant and then report her findings to Mina. Well, it was a task easier said than done…
While Mina kept distracting and taking on the Iron Giant, Rainbow took a quick look at its back. Where would a weak spot be located on a giant Heartless such as this one? Maybe a hatch of some kind from where Mina could enter to take it down from the insides or possibly a valve to weaken it? One of them had to be it.
She looked and saw a couple of valves attached on its metallic body parts along with a huge hatch at its back. Was that a location which Mina could use to enter and take it out from the inside? What if it was a trap though?
While Rainbow was continuing its search for another weak spot, the brunette Keybearer continued to fight off the Iron Giant and its on-spawning Shadows along with watching her every step. The last thing that she wanted was to get injured and slip into an unconscious state. Without having a Potion to heal her wounds or casting the Cure spell, she would have to be aware of her every move. She cursed herself for not trying harder to learn any sort of spells.
As for the Iron Giant, it had seen out more Shadows from its steel belly to attack the Keybearer. They surrounded her and were prepared to pounce on top of her as Mina searched for an opening to escape. Unfortunately, there wasn't any and to make things worse, the Iron Giant had raised its blade and prepared to bring it down and eliminate her from the board permanently.
She didn't want to admit it but she felt afraid about the outcome. "Rainbow! Tell me you found a weak spot!" She yelled her demand.
"Other than a hatch and some valves, no such luck!" She yelled back.
A valve and a hatch, huh? It would have to- Her talk with Rainbow resulted in the Shadows pouncing on top of her and pinning her to the ground. The Iron Giant was ready to strike down its sword until it felt something sharp hit its helmet. It turned and saw Rainbow who was holding a couple of rocks in her hands. "Hey, ugly! Leave my friend alone!" She demanded.
The Iron Giant turned its helmet around as if he wasn't interested in acknowledging the rainbow-haired girl and her presence. Yet a couple more rocks thrown while his back was turned irritated him as steam was released from his body parts. He ordered the Shadows to keep an eye on the Keybearer and soon turned its attention to Rainbow Dash who started to run away while mocking him.
This action infuriated the Iron Giant that he gave chase and started to run after her. In the meantime, Mina was kept pinned by the damn Shadows and couldn't budge an inch since they were too many. One positive thing though was that she still had access to Equinox although it would be a little hard to move and hit anything.
"Ugh. Come- UGH! ON!" She demanded and tried to get up with limited success. Closing her eyes, she started to apply pressure yet the Shadows weren't budging an inch. In fact, they seemed to be getting a little heavier than usual!
If only she could find some way to attack one of them… but there wasn't anything that she could do. It made her frustrated and a growl came out from her mouth. "Goddamnit! I can't give up now! That Iron Heartless is bound to finish both me and Rainbow very soon before moving onto Ponyville! There has to be a way- Ugh, these damn Shadows! I wish I could just set you all on fire or something!"
And at that moment from the tip of her Keyblade, a bright red light began to glow much to Mina's surprise. What was going…? And then a couple of fireballs were released and struck the shadows! They screeched in pain and started to scatter away as Mina jumped up and checked herself. No scratches or serious wounds, that sure was lucky. Looks like that Iron Bastard is making sure that it will get the kill instead of its minions.
And speaking of luck, she looked at Equinox before aiming it at a nearby tree. Concentrating, she took a deep breath and then…
"FIRE!" In response to that, a fireball was launched from the tip of the Keyblade towards its target. When it collided with it, the result was a small charred area on the tree. The flames quickly extinguished though… At least there won't be an accidental forest fire anytime soon.
Mina was about to celebrate her success when she remembered that Rainbow was still being chased by that Iron Heartless. She quickly gave chase to catch up to her opponent before the worst happened. At least she now had another tool at her disposal - Fire. If that spell worked, then it was possible that Water also would be active too.
As she kept on running, she came up with an idea - if she could utilize the Water spell at her disposal and hit the giant from behind, it would result in some parts of his metal body becoming rusty. It might just make her job of defeating him more easier. But first, she had to get to Rainbow as quickly as possible.
Picking up the pace, she ran and ran until her target was in her field of view. Surprisingly, it was still chasing after Rainbow Dash who miraculously wasn't even out of breath. An athlete through and through… she had done her part. But now it was up to Mina to finish the task. She started to run after them…
As for the Element of Loyalty, she was still running and chucking rocks at the fuming Iron Giant who was still keeping up its pace and attempting to strike her down with its sword. It was having minimal luck due to Rainbow's quick reflexes and speed. Even so, Rainbow knew she was one false move from disaster.
The Iron Giant kept on pursuing her until it felt something wet at its back… and then felt heavy all of a sudden! He turned slowly and saw none other than the brunette Keybearer!
"Back off from her, you bag of bolts!" Mina demanded.
Seeing that the Iron Giant was distracted, Rainbow took her cue quickly to leave before things got rough. As for Mina, she aimed Equinox at its chest and then yelled. "Water!"
A fountain of water came out from the tip and started to strike the front of the armor. The result was that the locations in which it was hit started to rust rapidly. It tried to raise its sword but it felt heavy all of a sudden… perfect! Mina rushed forward and started to attack. One of the limbs dislodged from its torso and crashed onto the ground. The opening allowed access to the inside which was perfect for her.
She quickly jumped and entered inside before casting the Fire spell and incinerating the shadows before moving onto the core. A few more Heartless were taken care of and soon she had found it - a blackened purple-like heart that didn't have a shield to protect it.
She wasted no time and pierced the center with Equinox's tip before quickly exiting out of the armor, which started to shake until it froze and screeched in pain. The brunette covered her ears as did Rainbow who was finding its scream to be very awful.
The scream came to an end as the furnace stomach had been extinguished. The shadows inside it vanished. What followed next was the iron giant's entire body began to disintegrate into dust which was vanishing into thin air. All that was left were huge footsteps on the ground from the Heartless' boots.
Mina collapsed on the ground and took deep breaths. At least there won't be any casualties nor a destroyed town anytime soon. She had won her battle against the Iron Giant and was able to cast two of the spells that she had learnt properly. A small win for her.
Closing her eyes, she was taking in the silence until she heard something nearby. It sounded like a tearing sound. She looked to see a portal of some kind opening up! A hint of curiosity was on her mind… only to immediately regret it when she saw who had stepped out from the other side.
Celestia. Wonderful… and she was fucking pissed off. Grand… her day went from a victorious one to a shitty due to the arrival of the 'princess'. Mina didn't bother to hide her annoyed gaze. "Anyone ever told you to send a letter before you arrive?"
Celestia glared at her. "How dare you speak to me that way, Keybearer!?" She demanded yet all Mina did was roll her eyes.
The brunette wasted no time and jumped up before pointing the still-summoned Equinox at her. "Before you go and do anything that you might regret, I should remind you that neither Princess Luna nor Twilight will appreciate you trying to arrest me. Plus, I saved your town from that big Heartless… I deserve a little credit."
Celestia's anger increased. "A little credit!? For what!? For bringing the Heartless with your Key!?"
"Bringing the- Are you serious?! How can I even bring them over here!? What part of 'I'm not here to cause trouble' didn't you get the first time!?" Mina questioned.
Celestia had enough. "No! Enough! I tire of your excuses, Keybearer! Neither my sister nor Twilight are here to save you this time! You're coming with me!"
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" A voice demanded.
Celestia made a pause in her tracks and was flabbergasted when she saw none other than the Element of Loyalty appearing in front of Mina and blocking the path.
"Rainbow Dash! What is the meaning of this!?" Celestia demanded an answer.
Rainbow glared at her. "Back off, Princess! If you haven't noticed, Mina not only saved me or Applejack's farm, she also managed to stop a monster from destroying Ponyville along with the rest of Equis! This is wrong and you know it!"
Celestia however didn't back down and attempted to explain her intentions once more. "Rainbow, don't you see!? You've been brainwashed by her! She's manipulating your mind! Please, Element of Loyalty! If we allow this foolery to continue, the Keybearer will eventually doom our world! I'm only doing what is right!"
By this however both Mina and Rainbow shared a glance at one another before they concluded on one thing: Celestia was truly paranoid. No use in trying to get to change her mind… It was better to walk away before things got ugly.
"No, Princess. You aren't doing what you think is right… At times, I might be stubborn and not think things straight… but even I'm aware of when I go too far. You aren't touching nor taking my friend away… if you do attempt anything stupid, I won't be sorry for what I do next. Your decision." Rainbow finished with a determined look.
Celestia was in disbelief. Rainbow Dash was manipulated! How could she be so blind not to believe the Princess of the Sun!? The Keybearer will shatter the peace and bring ruin to them all! She only wanted to protect Equis!
Before Celestia could answer, Rainbow beat her to it. "We're leaving… if you try to follow and do something stupid, Princess Luna will be hearing about it. I might be loyal and respect you, Princess Celestia. But this time, you're on your own in this delusional quest. Let's go, Mina."
"Right."
Celestia however had no intention of letting her go and prepared to charge only for Mina to step forward and aim Equinox at her. "Try it, 'Princess'." Her tone was one of mocking.
Rainbow placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Easy, Mina. No need to provoke her and go to prison afterwards for an assault charge."
Mina looked at her and nodded before turning to the Princess of the Sun who wasn't backing down and glaring at her. The stand-off eventually ended with the rainbow-haired woman yielding into the demands and taking a few steps back.
"This won't go unpunished." She warmed with a glare before summoning a portal and taking her leave as quickly as possible. Once she was gone, the two girls shook their heads and rolled their eyes.
It definitely won't… but not for them. For Celestia's case though, it would be a nightmare if she continued the way she did. Oh, well… if she wanted to continue being a paranoid fool, it was her loss.
With everything cleared up, the two girls began the trek back to Ponyville for some good old rest and relaxation. Mina needed some food in her belly and a shower as well. All that fighting had made her work up an appetite.
As the two girls fled, the cloaked figure who had been observing the entire fight was satisfied and impressed at the results. "So… the kid survived the Iron Giant Heartless. With the help of that 'Element', they were both successful in taking it down. Interesting… looks like this brat might actually be worth something."
It was time to return home and prepare for the next step in his plan. His moment of triumph will come soon enough and nothing will stop him in getting his revenge. Soon, he will have what he had lost long ago…
Jumping off the tree branch, he summoned a dark corridor and walked through it quickly before he could be spotted. Once over on the other side, the gateway closed and only the soft breeze could be heard.
Author's Notes: Back with yet another chapter of Crescent Key! The continuation of the battle and its end along with the Sun Princess popping up to embarrass herself further. She will receive a huge spanking in the end from Luna if she continues with her behavior.
Am I possibly going to far with making the Princess feel like a jackass? Maybe... but then again, this is a different MLP-verse than the canon one. So, yeah: No breaks, baby! Next time, we're heading into an adorable moment by giving my baby her very own pet as a companion - a female husky called Frosty. I've been thinking about it for a while and I do hope you all enjoy the idea of Mina getting her very own puppy!
Also, be sure to tell me if my OC is acting too much like a Mary Sue or being too OP and all that stuff. I'll do my best to tone it down for you all - don't need Mina turning into a freaking Mary Sue and get called for it later.
After this, I'll start working on either the next chapter or focusing on the manuscript. Need to get back to it if I want to publish it... which I will eventually. At the beginning but we'll manage to get to the end no matter what.
And now I leave you all to read and enjoy! Happy reading of Chapter 11 and tell me how I did on the fight along with the confrontation between Celestia and Mina!