K is for Keyblade

by S.P.D. Gold Ranger

It's not what you think. Nerissa has unearthed an overwhelmingly evil force that consumed Nick's old friend a few years ago. Can the Guardians stop Nerissa and the Dark Keyblade? Or has time already run out for one of their own?

1. D is for Denial

(Nick's P.O.V.)

We had just recently returned from the mystical realm of Candracar after learning about our newfound title as "Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions", along with our new abilities, hoping to relax for a while and just deal.

The problem?

Once we returned to Heatherfield, we noticed that everything was covered in complete darkness that seemed to envelop everything in its path. We were completely shocked.

"What the heck happened?" Will asked.

"It looks like one of those old black and white movies Chris is always bugging me about," Irma stated.

"Didn't we defeat Phobos and stop his dark takeover thingy?" Hay Lin asked.

"It's not Phobos," I replied. "It's much worse that he could EVER be."

"Are you sure?" Cornelia asked in denial. "What could be worse than that freak trying to corrupt my best friend?"

"Trust me, Corny. This is very, VERY bad."

I looked up, straight at the evil-darkened skies of Heatherfield.

"The Dark Keyblade has been released..."

(End Nick's P.O.V.)

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(We all know that there are heroes of light and villains of darkness, and that they all try to destroy each other. The point they keep missing is that light and dark are like brothers. One can't exist without the other. Why don't they get it?)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:
W.I.T.C.H. in: "K is for Keyblade, Part 1"
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure
Rating: K+ for some violence, 'moments' and a bit of harsh language
Summary: Not QUITE a complete crossover with Kingdom Hearts, just so you know. In case Mat49324 reads this, I'm doing this story from school (details later).Nerissa, the Guardian's new enemy, has found and unearthed an ancient evil force, one that consumed Nick's old friend. What wicked plans does Nerissa have for the Dark Keyblade? Can the Guardians stop her and save their home from the darkness? Features Nick, my original character.

W.I.T.C.H. is copyright SIP Animation and JETIX. This story is copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, July 2006. This takes place during the animated series, after the season 2 episode "C is for Changes".

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Chapter 1: "D is for Denial"

"The... Dark... Keyblade?" Will repeated. "What the heck is a Keyblade, anyway?"

"Um, duh, Will?" Irma replied. "That's the thing Nick brought with him, that helped the Oracle take the Veil out?"

"Oh, THAT'S a Keyblade!" Will exclaimed. "He never really told us what it was called."

"There's no time to quibble, Guardians," Nick replied. "If the Dark Keyblade's been released, we need to find whoever took it and stop them."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Cornelia said, shaking her head. "How do you even know if this 'Dark Keyblade' is responsible for what happened here?"

Nick hung his head. This was the one question he hoped they wouldn't ask him.

"Because, girls..." he said sadly. "The Dark Keyblade was what consumed the light of my best friend years ago..."

(Begin Nick's story)

You see, a few years before I came to Heatherfield, I used to have a great friend named Cassidy. She was very nice, super-sweet, and quite possibly the best friend I could ever have. That is... until she changed.

One day, Cassidy's science was taking a field trip to the mountains. I was in Cassidy's group, but we'd been separated. Cassy stumbled upon a mysterious cave that appeared to be sealed by a mystical energy. I don't know how she got past the seal, but in that cave, she found the Dark Keyblade and was consumed by its dark power.

I finally found Cassidy, but she had completely changed. Consumed by the evil energy residing in the Dark Keyblade, she was no longer the Cassidy I remember. Even worse, she tried to kill me with the Dark Keyblade! It seems that Candracar knew of the Dark Keyblade's power as well, because just before Cassidy could attack me, I received the Oathkeeper keyblade from the Council, though at the time I had no idea where it had really come from. Feeling confident, I did battle with the possessed Cassidy. When we reached a stalemate after every blow, I realized I had no other choice.

I poured all the power I could into the Oathkeeper and felled Cassidy with one final strike, releasing her spirit from the force of the Dark Keyblade. The only thing left of my former best friend was a small crystal pendant, very similar to the Heart of Candracar. I took the Dark Keyblade and placed it back in the cave where Cassidy found it, and using the Oathkeeper, I placed a mystic seal on the cave entrance, so no one would ever be consumed by its evil power again.

That was the last I ever saw of Cassidy...

(end Nick's story)

The girls could only stare at Nick as he finished his tale, the Oathkeeper – a silver, spiky-handled keyblade with a rainbow star on the tip – materializing in his hands.

"You see, long ago, I'd made a promise to Cassidy that I'd protect her no matter what it took. I have a feeling that's why I got the Oathkeeper – because that blade and the keychain dangling from it represented the promise I'd made. I swore that I'd never forget that promise as long as I wielded the Oathkeeper..."

Everyone present and accounted for was speechless, even Cornelia, who didn't usually believe in such long-winded tales. What was even more surprising was that Cornelia was the first to offer up a bit of comfort.

"Oh, Nick... I never knew..." Cornelia said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Cornelia," Nick replied. "It's the fault of whoever wielded the Dark Keyblade long ago. Now that it's back, we need to find whoever's released it."

"Where do you think whoever has it is hiding?" Taranee asked, adjusting her glasses.

"We'd better get back to Candracar. Maybe the Oracle knows something about this," Nick stated, the Oathkeeper glowing brightly. Before Will could pull out the Heart of Candracar, Nick did a sort of 360 spin and attacked with the mystical blade, the Oathkeeper tearing a hole in space-time that led to Candracar's royal palace.

"Wow! I didn't know that key thingy could do that!" Hay Lin exclaimed as Nick twirled the Oathkeeper in his hand.

"Hey, if you've had something like this for a few years, you'd know just what these things can do," Nick replied. "And that's just for starters. But I'll explain their mystic powers later. Come on, girls!"

Together, the Guardians entered the portal, eventually ending up back in Candracar's royal palace, the Oracle standing before them.

"Back so soon, Guardians?" the Oracle said in a calm voice. "Is there trouble?"

"You don't know the half of it, Your Majesty," Nick said, holding the Oathkeeper behind his back. "We went back to Heatherfield, but it was covered with an evil energy. Do you know anything about the Dark Keyblade?"

The Oracle's usually closed eyes shot straight open at Nick's mention of the Dark Keyblade. "The Dark Keyblade has been released? Are you sure?"

Saying nothing, Nick brought the Oathkeeper out from behind his back and showed it to the Oracle. The Oracle's eyes closed again. "So, you know, then?"

"I sure do," Nick replied. "Do you know who released it?"

"Unfortunately, I do. Guardians, this may well be your toughest mission yet," the Oracle replied, launching into a story.

"Many years ago, we had chosen another set of Guardians much like yourself. Kadma of Earth, Halinor of Fire, Cassidy of Water, Yan Lin of Air, and Nerissa of the Heart-"

"WAIT! Cassidy was a Guardian?" Nick exclaimed. "Seriously?"

"Would I lie?" the Oracle responded.

"So that's why she always stormed off in the middle of class!" Nick looked back at the Oracle. "Sorry. Please continue."

"Gladly," the Oracle stated. "These Guardians were much like yourselves... until Nerissa, keeper of the Heart of Candracar, was consumed by the infinite power of the Heart. Fearing the worst, we entrusted the Heart to Cassidy. We had no idea what was about to happen because of this decision..."

"Let me guess. Nerissa went crazy like Chris on a sugar rush?" Irma inquired.

"Exactly. Nerissa, corrupted by the Heart's infinite power, turned on her fellow Guardians, nearly killing them. She conjured up a mysterious weapon from the now-corrupted Heart and declared war on Candracar."

"Yeesh, talk about jealousy," Will examined.

"That weapon was none other than the Dark Keyblade. The battle only ended when I used my power to defeat Nerissa and seal her in Mount Thanos, only to be released when the 5 elements were united," the Oracle continued with his story.

"Wait. You don't think Nerissa's the one controlling the Dark Keyblade now?" Nick wondered. "Even if that's true, how did she get out? We never united our elements before, but –"

Nick's monologue stopped on a dime as he realized. "Of course! It must have happened when we fought Phobos! We combined our powers with Elyon's and defeated that little freak!"

"Yes, Guardians. Now that she is free, you are going to need all the power you can get if you wish to have any hope of defeating Nerissa." The Oracle raised his hand, and 5 beams of light shot from his open palm and into the sky. A few seconds later, said beams flew into the girls' hands, materializing into what appeared to be Keyblades.

"Will Vandom. Energetic and powerful, you shall control the Hero's Crest," the Oracle stated as Will looked her blade up and down. The handle was basically the Heart of Candracar without the crystal, and the tip of the blade held a bright red star. The Heart itself was dangling from the keychain. "Cool! And you don't usually hear that from me," Will exclaimed.

"Irma Lair. Sweet like the morning tide, you shall control the ocean's trident: the Mysterious Abyss." Irma's keyblade had a handle that curved outwards into a blue cloud pattern. The tip held what looked like a jewel-encrusted mermaid's tail. A wave crest was dangling from the keychain. "Wow! It's so sweet!" Irma replied.

"Taranee Cook. Wild and passionate as fire, you shall wield the Bond of Flame." Taranee's new keyblade was silver and red, had a handle surrounded by small spikes, and the tip, or "attacking" segment, was what appeared to be half of a chakram. A flame crest was dangling from the keychain. "Nice!" Taranee exclaimed. (Author's Note: So, basically, it's the keyblade Axel gives you before entering The World That Never Was in KHII.)

"Cornelia Hale. Firm and strong as the earth itself, you shall wield Seismic Star." Cornelia looked at her keyblade. The handle was decorated with what appeared to be a compass. The tip of the blade was adorned with what appeared to be 3 tiny jackhammer blades, and Cornelia's element symbol was dangling from the keychain. "I wonder if Elyon would like this?" Cornelia asked herself.

"Hay Lin. Eloquent and friends with the wind, you shall control the Sword of the Storm." Hay Lin was positively exhilarated as she looked at her keyblade. The handle was decorated with all kinds of ancient writing, and the blade formed what appeared to be a lightning bolt with a moon crest at the tip. A thundercloud was dangling from the keychain. "Is it light on its feet, like me?" she asked.

"Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions, you now control your own Keyblades. Use them in victory, and..."

Before the Oracle could finish his sentence, a loud crash could be heard all over the castle. "What was that?" Cornelia asked.

"I don't know, but we'd better find out," Nick responded, holding the Oathkeeper in a battle stance.

"Guardians," the Oracle said. "You can unite your Keyblades to gather even more power when you transform."

"Best news I've heard all day!" Irma exclaimed.

"Shall we, everybody?" Nick asked as the 6 kids raised their respective Keyblades into the air, touching them together as the Heart of Candracar appeared and began glowing very brightly.

"The Heart!" Will exclaimed.

"Water!" Irma shouted.

"Fire!" Taranee continued.

"Earth!" Cornelia added.

"Air!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"Thunder!" Nick finished.

"Guardians, Unite!" they all shouted, covering the room in a cocoon of light energy. Once the light cleared, all 6 of them were in their Guardian getups.

"Girls," Nick said, twirling Oathkeeper in his hands, "let's do what we came here to do."

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Next time:

Chapter 2: "V is for Vengeance"
Nerissa has unleashed the Knights of Vengeance on the palace of Candracar. Can the Guardians, with their new keyblades, stop this threat before something bad happens?

Over and out,
S.P.D. Gold Ranger