Hello, fellow readers! Welcome back to Harmonic Hearts! Keeping this going, what do we have:
johannvanguard: We shall see, my friend.
Navi: I'm going more towards her KH2 portrayal personally, as KH3 made her more bland in my eyes. Also good point, I kinda forgot to build on Anti-Sora as he just came and went. Don't worry, I have plans for that form later on.
As for KH4... is it sad to say I was more excited for the keychain grapple hook than the game itself?
Don't get me wrong, it's cool that they're building upon the new ideas. I just feel like they could have entered the new saga without butchering KH3's story. That's a whole different discussion, but I'm still curious on where KH goes from here.
Nisha: OK, I thought it was you! Glad you like the trio's dynamic, I wanted to do it for some time as there are little stories that have it. To be honest, while I like Ven, I don't know if he might show up again. Then again, you never know.
Funny enough, that's what I want to do in the redux. Have the Mane Six go to a world or two with Sora and company. MLP and Disney characters interacting would be really cool, especially for Sunset and Twilight who would be curious about the other worlds.
I've heard of Sofia the First and considering its premise, I'm surprised it's not even referenced in the KH series. I can see that theory being true, Sora and Sofia as siblings would be pretty cool.
By the way, I can just say how much joy I feel when you say you're enjoying the story that much? I really try my best to keep that quality up, so it makes me smile to hear such praise.
Thanks for the feedback! With that said, let's continue!
Visit 4-1: More than Meets the Eye
The morning sun was rising to the sky as the school bus drove down the road to Camp Everfree. Some of the students from CHS rode on it, including the Rainbooms and Shadowolves, the latter being the name of Levin's group. Excluding the trio, the students were wearing a t-shirt of the camp and their choice of shorts. The Shadowolves agreed on cargo shorts as the Rainbooms did shorts.
Sora and Riku were catching up with what's happened after their last visit. Aside from Sci-Twi's recovery and the Shadowolves transferring over, the two groups mainly used the time to bond. This includes events such as:
Pinkie's big welcoming party, Sci-Twi and Levin doing science projects while playing with Spike, Ventus and Fluttershy tending the animal shelter, Stylite assisting Sunset's magic research, Visor and Rainbow playing sports, Shade working on Sweet Apple Acres, and Pixel showing interest in fashion thanks to Rarity.
Needless to say, they became good friends in that time.
"This is gonna be so much fun!" Pinkie cheers, "We're gonna roast marshmallows, eat marshmallows, and sleep on marshmallow pillows!"
"Yeah!" Sora agrees.
"Probably not the last part, but yeah." Riku admits.
"Maybe you're not." Pinkie then hugs a bag of marshmallows, which she likely pulled out from nowhere.
"Attention, students!" Celestia calls out, "We're almost at the campgrounds, but before we arrive, I'd just want to say how proud we are of you helping us raise enough money to go on this camp field trip."
"When we were your age, we made some of our favorite memories in these woods." Luna adds, "And we're sure you will too."
"Now who's excited for Camp Everfree!?"
The bus roars in cheers from the campers, which made Sora quite giddy. Riku just smiles at the silliness while Kairi can see why Sora likes this world. The positive energy can be rather infectious.
It took a bit until the bus arrived at the campgrounds. As the students got off and start getting their bags, the Destiny trio took a look around. The place was rather simple, having places such as a mess hall, a boathouse near the docks, and tents near their courtyard.
"Isn't Camp Everfree just beautiful?" Fluttershy points out, "I can't wait until we have our first nature walk."
"I definitely want to go on one of those." Spike agrees.
"You want to see all the adorable woodland creatures too?"
"Yeah! Specifically squirrels, more specifically so I can chase them." The pup was getting excited with a bark to match.
"I'm so surprised." Ventus sarcastically comments, with Pixel chuckling upon hearing that.
Applejack finished pulling out her bag as she spoke, "I'm just looking forward to roughing it. Make my own shelter, forage for food-"
"You do know they provide us with food and tents, right?" Rainbow points out.
"Yup! Still gonna forage though."
"While you are doing that, I'm just fine with some R&R." Rarity leans against her bags as Riku notices the excess luggage:
"And you need all of that?"
"Yes! The past year has all been a bit too much for my tastes."
"I'll say!" Pinkie agrees before giving a recap, "We fought three evil sirens, a ridiculously competitive rival school and two demon friends!"
While Sunset didn't mind that, Sci-Twi was still rather uncomfortable at the mentions. The trio notice this before hearing Levin call her out:
"Yo, we agreed to stop bringing you-know-what up!"
"Oh, oops! No offense." Pinkie apologizes.
"None taken." Sunset shrugs off before playfully bumping her fist on Sci-Twi's arm, "You'll get used to it."
AJ then shifts the topic, "Either way, CHS has become a magic magnet. Gonna be nice to be away from it for awhile."
"Twi!" Levin calls out as he jogs over to her, "You forgot your bag."
"Oh, thanks." Sci-Twi grabs her bag and puts it on, "Kinda slipped my mind."
Before he could ask how, they then hear a loud screech before the intercom lets out a voice:
"Hi everyone! If you can start heading to the courtyard, that would be rad! It's time to start the best week of camp ever!"
The intercom goes off as the students head to the location. The trio follow behind as Sora wonders on the activities:
"What do you think they might start with? Arts & crafts? Rock climbing?"
"I'm actually hoping we get something water-related." Kairi mentions, gesturing to the lake. "It'd be great to swim or sail anywhere other than the ocean."
"I don't blame ya. Come on, we don't wanna miss anything." Riku agrees before the trio catch up to the others.
The campers settle at the courtyard as the camp counselors step onto the center gazebo, the female grabbing a mic before speaking:
"Hi everyone, welcome to Camp Everfree! I'm Gloriosa Daisy, your camp director. Think of me as your friendly camp and nature guide. And this is my brother, Timber Spruce!"
The male grabs the mic for a sec to introduce himself, "Think of me as that awesome guy, who should always be invited to fun things."
He did a bit of showboating, tossing the mic over himself before catching it, to show said fun side. He gives the mic back to his sister before she continues:
"We aim to please, so before we hand out our tent assignments, we'd like to hear from all of you! Your options are wide open!"
"Except hike near the rock quarry, that's off limits." Timber mentions.
"Oh, right. Other than that, your options are wide open. So what camp activities would make this camping trip the best ever?"
She moves the mic towards the campers, who each had an idea in mind:
"Rock climbing!" Rainbow calls out first.
"Done!" Gloriosa confirms.
"Archery, if possible." Levin went next.
"Of course!"
"I haven't played tetherball in awhile." Visor mentions.
"Naturally!"
"Arts & Crafts!" Bulk Biceps said before noticing the stares, "My mom needs new pot holders."
Sora gets the same idea, "I should make some for my mom too."
"I'll supply the looms." Gloriosa adds.
"Cookie decorating!" Pinkie adds, licking her lips.
"Ooo, I do make a mean sugar cookie."
"Early morning nature walks?" Fluttershy hopes for that in particular.
"Walking sticks for everyone!"
"What about the camp gift?" Celestia mentions, "That was my favorite activity."
"A camp tradition!" Gloriosa mentions before clarifying to the campers:
"Every year, campers come together to create something useful. A gift for future campers, this common goal helps to forge strong bonds to last well beyond your time here at camp. This gazebo is a gift from last year, while the totem pole and sundial are also from previous campers."
"The sundial was our year's gift." Celestia adds before hearing Luna clear her throat:
"Even though some people considered it impractical, since it can't be used at night."
"Hence 'sun' dial, not 'moon' dial." Shade casually jokes, making a couple of campers giggle. Luna wasn't one of them.
"You all seem like a really amazing group, so I'm sure you can think of something inspiring to leave behind."
The campers agree on that before Timber spoke up, "Now before we do any of that, now's the time for tent assignments. That way you don't have to worry about your bags getting lost or ruined."
The duo step off the gazebo as Gloriosa clarifies, "Timber will be giving out assignments to the girls. Guys, you're with me."
The camp counselors each held out a bag for the campers to pull out a card. The tents each hold a pair, which goes as such:
Pinkie and Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow, Fluttershy and Kairi, Sunset and Sci-Twi w/Spike, Sora and Riku, Levin and Stylite, Visor and Ventus, Shade and Pixel.
"Of course you two would get a tent." Kairi points out the 'coincidence' of their assignments.
"We're just lucky that way." Sora casually shrugs with a smirk.
"I wouldn't have mind partnering with a girl though..." Riku offhandedly retorts, which got Sora's attention:
"Hold on, you ain't jealous that I have a girlfriend now?"
The Rainbooms and Shadowolves pause at what he just said. Kairi was blushing red as Riku had a devious smirk:
"Nope, I just want to hear you said that." This left Sora baffled at his little trick.
Thankfully, it didn't linger long as Gloriosa blows a whistle to get their attention:
"OK everyone! Go get settled in, we'll be meeting at the docks in fifteen minutes to go over safety rules. Let us know if you need anything."
The campers did just that upon reaching their tents, pulling out their camp essentials and whatnots. In one of said tents, Stylite notices Levin pulling out a pair of goggles. They look to be custom made, designed with rectangular frames and black lens.
"What's with those?" The former asks.
"This camping trip provides a good training ground for my tech." The latter answers as he puts them on, "These goggles should detect any creatures hiding in the woods, especially those heartless."
"Smart. Is that your work?"
"Yeah, though Sci-Twi helped me optimize the frequencies."
This made Stylite raise an eyebrow, "Even though you're capable of doing that anyways?"
"W-Well, it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion." Levin stammers a bit as he moves the goggles up onto his head.
"Sure. Be more careful though, others might think you like her."
That made Levin almost drop his bag onto the floor, quickly grabbing it before moving it under the bed.
"L-Like? Oh, like a friend? Yeah of course."
"No, you know what I mean." Sty sees Levin try to retort before shutting him down, "Dude, I've dated before. It's not that hard to see you spending a lot of time with her, especially with those science projects. Please, be honest."
Levin was silent after that before eventually speaking, "...Nothing leaves this tent, all right?"
Sty nods before he sat on his bed, with Levin sitting on his across from him. The latter takes a moment to think about the events leading to said feelings:
"It was after her recovery from that 'Midnight Sparkle' transformation. She was thinking of doing a project to ease her mind from the magic stuff, so I proposed we partner on homemade lightning rods. Nothing too hard, just customize two metal rods and start an electrical current. From there, she came over more and more to do more projects. To be honest, I enjoy being able to share such a hobby with someone."
"Understandable, none of us are as techy as you within our group." Stylite comments.
"True. Anyways one day, she came over as usual, but I noticed she was lacking sleep. It was rather strange as I've never seen her like that before, so I asked about it. She tried to say it was nothing, but as I've had sleepless nights sometimes, I know there's something off. But I decided to not press on it, thought it would be a one-time thing. Then it happened again, and again, and again..."
"Did she have sleepless nights too?"
"That's what I originally thought. It eventually reached a point where I insisted she needed to sleep. She didn't even speak as I escorted her to one of the guest rooms, that is until I opened the door. When I did, she asks me... to stay with her."
Sty got an idea of what that meant before Levin clarifies, "As in I sit at the desk next to the bed. She probably thought having someone there eases her mind."
"I know, just messing with ya. Did she get to sleep?"
"Yeah, and really well might I add. She woke up refreshed and we spent the rest of the day catching up what we missed. That didn't last long however. The process kept repeating for awhile until she calls me on one of my sleepless nights. When I answered, she sounded really scared and begged to come stay over at my place."
"Was it nightmares?"
"Yeah... a really bad one. After she came over, we went to the living room to sit down as she was catching her breath. I just sat there as she just talks about her struggle. All those sleepless nights she had were from this reoccurring nightmare, one related to 'Midnight Sparkle'. I asked if the others knew about this, which she answered no, mainly cause she didn't want to worry them. I'm against the idea, but that's her choice. Turns out, that one time she slept at my house was the only sleep she got during that week."
"Week!?" Stylite was surprised to hear that detail.
Levin nods before continuing, "Once she told me that, I told her to stay at my place until she feels safe on her own. Her face brightened up instantly upon hearing that. All that happened... about two weeks ago now."
Stylite took a moment to process all that, "So, she's been staying with you for the past two weeks, which is likely the time you started developing feelings for her?"
"It's very likely, but I'm not entirely sure. I don't want to act on them without concrete proof that I do... like her that way."
"I see. Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Stylite assures him before standing up, "Come on, we better get to the docks."
"Right." Levin nods before the two head on out.
Around the same time, in another tent, Sunset and Sci-Twi were unpacking their essentials. The former pulls out a flashlight and turns it on, pointing it towards her face to emit a spooky light. Frankly, she couldn't help but indulge a bit:
"OooOoo..."
Clicking it off, she then notices Sci-Twi being off in her thoughts. Curious, she asks her about it:
"Something on your mind?"
"H-Huh? N-Nothing, it's nothing." She continues to unpack to try shaking off the subject.
However, Sunset was now getting curious. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's nothing."
"Doesn't sound like it. Come on, you can tell me."
At this point, Sci-Twi should have figured she would persist. In a quick attempt to throw her off, she just blurts out the first thought:
"I-I like someone!"
Sunset was taken aback by that, "What!? Who is it?"
Now there's a different conundrum. While she's technically lying now, it'll likely be worse to fake a relationship to convince her. So, may as well go in. Turning around, she sits on the bed as she admits:
"It's... one of the boys. One from the Shadowolves."
"No way!" Sunset then sits next to her before listing who it might be:
"Who is it? Is it Stylite?" She shakes her head no.
"All right... Is it Shade?" Also no.
"Is it... Pixel?" No again.
"Visor?" No again.
"Ventus?" Sci-Twi looks confused for a sec, "Not the keyblade wielder." No once again, leaving...
"Levin?" She hesitates before giving a small nod, "No way! When did this happen?"
"W-Well, it was rather recently. During our science projects, it started out as simple conversations before I discovered how... attentive he is. Not only on how he notices small details, but he likes to hear what I have to say. I can tell him anything really."
"That is a good quality." Sunset comments.
"And totally not because of her nightmares..." Spike mutters, which Sci-Twi heard. Thankfully, it wasn't loud enough for Sunset as she stood back up:
"I'd love to hear more about it later. But we better head to the docks, just need to put on some sunscreen..." Upon going through her bag, she couldn't find it. "I could have sworn I packed it."
Sci-Twi stands up to look for it before seeing it on the floor, "Found it!"
Before she could pick it up, it suddenly starts to float up to her height. Sunset walks over as other objects slowly follow suit, surrounded by a magical aura. While Sci-Twi was getting a little afraid, she was the opposite:
"Did you... how is this possible?"
"I can't believe it... this is..."
"Amazing!" "Horrible!" The two had different reactions to the sight before the auras disappear.
Right after they did, Sunset was getting excited. "Are you kidding? This is great! I mean, we all ponied up before and fired magical lasers, but this is different. Well, kind of different, considering my powers. Anyways, how did you do that?"
"I don't know!" Sci-Twi admits before a scary thought crosses her mind, "Or maybe I didn't... maybe it's her."
"Her? Who do you mean?"
"Nothing, never mind! Can we just not talk about it, and not bring it up to the others?"
"Why not?"
"You heard Applejack, this is supposed to be a trip to get away from magic. I don't want to ruin it cause of this crazy new magic I brought with me."
"OK... If you don't want me to, I won't say anything."
Sci-Twi begins to step out of the tent before stopping, "I really don't."
"OK, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing!" Despite Sunset saying that, she had already left.
Back to the sunscreen, she couldn't help but try to replicate the levitation. Try as she might though...
"I think you're just gonna have to pick it up." What Spike said.
"Aww." Sunset simply said before picking it up.
After applying it, she then heads for the docks herself. Admittedly though, she's still rather curious on what new magic Sci-Twi brought, and in turn whoever this 'her' she'd referred to.
The campers had gathered around the docks, where they can see the full view of the lake. The Destiny trio were taking it in as Rarity comments on said beauty:
"So gorgeous. It almost looks like a giant shining diamond."
"For that size, it better be worth the price." Riku jokes.
"It is rather lovely out here." Fluttershy adds, "The fresh air, the cool breeze..."
A bird flies by as she holds her hand out, which it lands on. "The birds that land on your finger."
"I think that only happens to you." Rainbow comments before Kairi mentions an interesting fact:
"Actually, there are princesses in other worlds that talk to animals. I think they also sing."
Fluttershy's eyes widen in excitement, "Really!?"
"Yup. They also have animal companions." Sora adds, with Rainbow still processing what she just heard.
As they were conversing, Gloriosa was informing them on the schedule for said lake:
"Lake activities are available everyday until sunset. So if you want to sail, canoe, windsurf or swim, please let us know."
Levin, Stylite, and Timber were on the docks already as Applejack was taking a canoe for a ride. Timber was keeping an eye on AJ as Stylite decides to converse:
"Just curious, how long have you been a camp counselor?"
"Um, for a couple of years now. The camp was actually ran by our parents until we were old enough." Timber mentions.
"Really? Sounds a bit like a family business."
"You could say that. Although, I wish I can go to the city more often."
"Want a change in scenery, right?"
"Yeah... Didn't think it'd be possible to be burned out on nature."
"Well if you ever want to visit Canterlot, hit me up. My crew know a place or two to have fun at."
Timber was surprised at the sudden offer before smiling, "I wouldn't mind that at all."
Levin was half-listening to the conversation when he sees Sci-Twi walking onto the dock, canoe paddle in hand.
"Thinking of trying out canoeing?"
"Yup. Seems pretty simple to do, just move the paddle to where you wanna go." She even gestures with said paddle to show her knowledge.
"True." Levin then gets an idea, "I was actually thinking of going after AJ, so why don't we share a canoe?"
"S-Share?" She was a bit taken aback, moving one of her feet back in reflex.
Upon doing so, the wood plank suddenly broke and gave away. In an instant, Levin stops her from falling by grabbing her into his arms. After taking a second to recognize the cause, he moves her away from the small hole before putting her back on her feet:
"You good?"
"Y-Yeah. Thanks." She was a bit shaken up, but fine.
Stylite and Timber run on over to check up on them, "What happened?" The latter asks.
"One of the boards broke." Levin answers.
Sty moves to examine the hole, noticing the age of the wood. "How old is the dock?"
"It's been here since our great grandparents found the place." Timber answers, "Come on, we better get off before anything else breaks."
The four did so, after helping Applejack dock the canoe first, before Gloriosa went to examine the hole with the principals. Luna was the first with a suggestion:
"This is a safety hazard. I recommend we close the dock for the remainder of the camp."
This is understandably a disappointment to the campers before Applejack gets an idea, "Actually, why don't we make a new dock for you guys? If you ask me, this one already worn out its welcome."
"A whole new dock? That would get in the way of your camp activities." Timber makes a good point, "Are you sure about that?"
"Yup, we can make it our camp gift for you guys. As well as future campers."
"I think it's a great idea!" Celestia supports.
"Let us help too!" Sora chimes in before glancing at Riku, "It'll be like old times."
"You two know how to fix docks?" Visor wonders.
"Me and Sora help his dad fix stuff on Destiny Islands, so we know our ways around construction." Riku answers.
"Plus, we do have a couple of..." Sora then summons his keyblade before finishing, "Tricks up our sleeves."
At the corner of his eye, he saw Trixie with a smirk on her face.
"I'm game too!" Rainbow cheers, "How about it guys!? Let's contribute the most awesome gift for Camp Everfree!"
The campers were on board, if the cheer rally was any indication. Gloriosa and Timber were impressed by their eagerness as the former spoke up:
"OK everyone, let's get to work!"
First things first, they need the blueprints for a new dock. One of the campers, named Water Melody, assisted with creating a drawing of it. Once she had an outline, the Rainbooms then came up with a couple of ideas:
"Best that we reinforce the foundation." Sci-Twi went first.
"That'll make it nice and sturdy." AJ agrees.
"And we can make a wood craved sign that says 'Camp Everfree'." Sunset chimes in.
"Plus boxes of food to feed the ducks and fishes." Fluttershy adds.
"Oh, how about lanterns too? That way you can see the place at night!" Rainbow pinches in.
With those suggestions in mind, Water Melody made a few adjustments before revealing the final product to the group:
"It's stunning!" Rarity compliments, "You can make a fashion runway out of that."
Celestia and Luna came over to check on their progress as they showed them the drawing:
"Impressive work, girls. It'll take a lot of work, but we know we can pull it off!"
"YES! Adult supervision!" Pinkie cheers, much to others' confusion.
Sora, Riku and Kairi were assigned as the destruction crew for the project. After making sure the others were at a safe distance, Sora went first as he points his keyblade right at the dock:
"Here's a neat trick I learned in Tron's world." He mentions.
Acting like the keyblade is a fishing rod, he starts to 'reel it in' to lift said dock into the air. It took a few tugs, but he manages to pull it out intact as he makes it stand up vertically.
"OK, do it."
Riku and Kairi then summon their keyblades before throwing them, going vertically up their respective side of the dock, slicing off the logs. After the logs fell to the ground, they call their keyblades back as Sora tosses the dock up. In one swift motion, the trio leap and deliver powerful slashes upon it, slicing it into small pieces that fell to the ground.
The campers gave them a round of applause for the small show, which they did a small bow in response.
"Now that's how you make firewood." Visor remarks.
From there, the construction of the new dock began. After awhile, they made good progress by reaching about half of said dock. Rainbow was putting in one more nail into a board when Applejack notices something:
"Nice hammer, where ya get it?"
"Uh duh, from the toolbox."
"That's cool. I made mine." AJ shows off her homemade hammer, which Rainbow rolls her eyes at.
Meanwhile, Timber was putting on the finishing touches on a lantern when Levin notices his work:
"Is that a solar-powered garden light?"
"Yup." Timber smirks at the compliment, "Pretty crafty, don't you think?"
"Pretty cool tech from a nature guy."
Timber notices the goggles on his head, "I'm guessing you're the tech guy in your group?"
"Yup. Don't worry though, I make sure to keep them friendly for the environment."
"All right everyone!" Celestia announces to get their attention, "We've made a lot of progress, but it's going to get dark soon. We can pick this up tomorrow between our other activities."
"Now let's get cleaned up! We'll meet up at the campfire in an hour for smores and scary stories!" Gloriosa chimes in.
"SMORES!" Pinkie cheers in absolute delight.
Night soon fell, revealing the many stars in the sky as the campers had gathered around the campfire. Rarity was finishing up a scary story, though the content is anything but:
"And that's, when she looked down... and realized she was wearing purple socks with a burgundy dress! AHH!"
Nothing.
"Purple and burgundy, darlings! The same color family! AHH!"
Still nothing.
"Uh, that was a terrifying story." AJ sarcastically remarks.
"Yeah, I'm terrified she'll tell it again." Rainbow retorts, making a couple of campers chuckle.
Luna then clears her throat, "Anyone else have a scary story?"
Timber raises his hand, "I have one. But I'm warning you, better hug a friend now. That's how scary it is!"
Fluttershy held Spike as Bulk Biceps held both Snips and Snails. Everyone else was curious as he begins his story:
"It's about time I told you the legend... of Gaia Everfree. Many years ago, my great grandparents came to this forest and after seeing its beauty, they realized that it would be a great place to build a camp. But when they began building, strange things start to happen during construction. Some would see it as a warning, but they ignored them as they continued their work... until one faithful night."
"The wind began to howl with its strong currents, eventually becoming strong enough to blow a tree onto the roof of their cabin! They ran out in fright, unaware of the monster that awaited them. The two stare on in horror as it rose from the earth itself, creating a form that's far from human. She had wild hair like the branches of a tree, mouth filled with jagged rock teeth, and eyes like pools of black tar. Her aura shimmered like diamonds as she left a trail of gem dust in her wake."
The campers were on the edge of their seats, vividly imagining the creature he just described. The Rainbooms were intrigued as well as the Shadowolves, but the keyblade trio wonder about the possibility of this being just a legend. Their thought was cut short as Timber continues:
"Eventually, they found their voices to speak to this creature:"
"What are you? What do you want?"
"The creature answers in a deep and hollow voice:"
"I am Gaia Everfree, the spirit that holds domain of the forest. And you... are trespassing on my land!"
"My great grandparents quake in fear at the creature's fury, but quickly spoke their piece. They told her that such a land must be seen by those who admire nature, wanting to see its beauty with their own eyes. For the longest time, she held her frightening glare upon them before... she relents, and leaves them her final words:"
"I will look past this transgression, but be warned. I will return to reclaim my forest... As all that lives returns to the earth whence it came."
"Ever since that day, my grand grandparents has told this story throughout the generations. Some say she's a myth, but if so... how would you explain that trail of gem dust?"
Timber gestures to where he means, where the campers indeed saw a trail of gem dust.
"That... that wasn't there before... right?" Pixel asks what everyone was thinking before Fluttershy lets out a yelp:
"S-Shadow! I saw a shadow move!"
The campers stood up, in case they were in danger, as the keyblade trio ready themselves for a fight. It was then they saw it, shadows. Not Heartless, just shadows of something moving around them. They were a lot surrounding them as Levin puts on his goggles, where its readings were going wild, almost overloading at the sheer amount.
The campfire was suddenly starting to go out as Kairi thought quickly. Firing a Fire spell, the burst of flames actually scared away the shadows as they flee into the forest.
"Where did they go now?" Ventus frantically looks out for any sign of them, as does everyone else.
With everyone's back turned to the fire at the moment, a humanoid shadow emerges next to it and jumps inside. The flames turn blue, its color changing in the light making the campers turn around... and scream at the top of their lungs.
What they were met with was some form of monster, growing larger as it lets out an inhumane roar. The Destiny trio summon their keyblades, ready to fight before the monster then... starts to laugh?
A familiar laugh at that.
"All of you are so gullible." And a very familiar voice.
The monster form fades away, returning the campfire to normal as slow clapping was heard. Sora recognizes the figure next to the campfire, but Riku and Kairi were taken aback by his face. A proud smirk was on said face as Vanitas continues:
"Props for the genuine fear, everyone. Top notch acting."
"Vanitas? What are you doing out here?" Sora questions as his doppelganger stops clapping:
"Got bored, so I decided to travel the world. Heard about your feats during those 'Friendship Games', even missed my other half paying a visit."
"You would have had a reunion if you played nice."
"Eh, not really my style."
The Rainbooms were understandably on edge, due to his actions at the Battle of the Bands. The Shadowolves only heard about Vanitas, but were bracing for any trouble. Vanitas then notices Sora's childhood friends, recognizing the look they're giving him and clarifies:
"Don't be fooled, I'm nothing like goody two-shoes there."
"What could have given that away?" Riku sarcastically retorts.
"What's your goal this time?" Kairi questions, which Vanitas scoffs at:
"As if I'd tell you my business. Anyways, I've had my fun. Best keep your guard up." With that said, he vanishes without a trace.
The trio made sure there was no more danger as the campers were still processing the events. Thankfully, the coast was clear when Gloriosa spoke up:
"All right everyone, best we head back for tonight as we need to be up bright and early tomorrow!"
They went to do just that, but the Rainbooms and Shadowolves stayed back to speak with the trio.
"How long do you think he was listening?" Pixel wonders.
"Clearly long enough." Visor answers, "If he means harm, we need to figure out what he's after."
"Leave him to us." Riku assures them, "We came here in case stuff like this happen."
"That's good to hear. I'll be on standby if you need any help." Sunset adds.
Fluttershy was still holding Spike in her arms, which Ventus notices how tight she was embracing him:
"Fluttershy, easy!"
She quickly eases her tight grip, allowing the pup to breathe. "S-Sorry, that story earlier got to me."
"Don't worry, it's just a legend." AJ shrugs off.
Everyone looks at her as if she just said something stupid, which... you tell me why.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that..." Sora casually said, resting his giant magical key on his shoulder.
"Anyways, we better head back." Kairi reminds them.
The groups took their leave before Stylite remembers the campfire. Making sure no one was looking, he tosses a bubble of water onto it. As the flames die out, he goes to catch up with the others, unaware of Vanitas standing at the top of a nearby tree:
"This world always hides a secret or two."
And done! OK, it's been awhile since I've written a chapter like this. As you can tell, there are big changes that we need to go over:
I've learned from my mistakes during the Friendship Games visit and decided to take out unneeded plot points. If you're familiar with the original movie, you'll notice that only two of said plot points are here. So you may be asking, what's gonna fill in those missing points?
Easy, my OCs. The third visit introduced them, so I'll use this visit to flesh them out a bit more. I'll also be using the time gap between said visits to expand upon the connections between the Rainbooms and Shadowolves.
Vanitas makes his return after an unexpected absence. Believe it or not, I was originally planning to have him for Friendship Games instead of Young Xehanort. And to be frank, it'd most likely make that visit more interesting. But enough about that!
With the little tease at the end, turns out there's always more than meets the eye. Don't worry, all will be explained in due time.
With all that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!