Hello, fellow readers! Welcome back to Harmonic Hearts! So, what do we have:
johannvanguard: We shall see soon enough.
Nisha: Thank you, I've always felt KH2 was the trio at their best, so I just built upon that. Oh yeah, Tron's world was one of the best examples of how you do a Kingdom Hearts world properly, especially storywise. They integrated it into the universe without making it jarring.
Sci-Twi's storyline in the fourth movie was an interesting idea, but the other plot points like Filthy Rich and Gloriosa left the execution much to be desired. Like think about it, we don't see those two after the movie, so why bother including that conflict? The movie would have flowed better if it focused on Sci-Twi's struggle and the powers of the Rainbooms.
Also thank you for not getting at me. I like Kingdom Hearts, but I'm not much of a 'hardcore' lore guy. I like my stories simple and clean. I'm really glad you like Levin, he's one of my most fleshed out OCs I have. And yeah, I figured you would catch it.
That's my style, my friend. Now here's more of it!
Thanks for the feedback! Now let's keep going!
Visit 4-2: Secrets to Unravel
Sci-Twi wakes up to find herself back at the campfire, its flames going strong under the night sky. She was rather confused by this until she suddenly hears a familiar voice:
"Here I am..."
She jumps up in fright, looking around to see where it came from. Despite her efforts though, there were no signs of someone else.
"Over here..."
She frantically looks around again, yet no one was there. She then hears the campfire start to crackle louder, soon changing to purple flames before it takes form:
"I'M ALWAYS HERE!" Midnight suddenly lunges at her, making her scream:
"NOOO!"
Back in reality, Sunset jumps up to her feet while sleeping in a fighting stance:
"W-What happened?"
"Nothing!" Sci-Twi quickly answers, "Sorry Sunset."
Sunset rubs her eyes before opening them, witnessing an interesting sight. "Uh Twilight, something did happen."
Sci-Twi notices that she was floating a few feet above ground, levitating her bed and a few things around it. She soon lets out a yelp before the power disappears, dropping them back onto the ground. Spike's bed was one of said things, but it only annoyed him:
"Is it time to get up already?" The pup goes back to sleep soon after.
"Twilight, we need to talk about this." Sunset insists.
"No, we don't." Sci-Twi denies.
Sunset takes a deep breath before speaking, "I understand you don't want to mention this to the others, but that won't last forever. If your power goes off with them around, what would you say?" Sci-Twi stayed silent, letting her continue:
"Look... I know how you're feeling. After being transformed into a magical monster, it makes you doubt your own worth. I already told you my whole story, which just confuses me. That is, if the power itself isn't what you're worried about... Right?"
"...In your story, did you ever mention if that dark side of yours tried to... reemerge?"
Sunset made sure she heard right, "Reemerge?"
"For weeks now, I've had this nightmare. The same nightmare that involves... her."
"...Midnight."
"Yes. The sheer frequency of it makes me believe that it means something. That somehow, she didn't disappear... and will inevitably return."
Sunset hears her choke up a bit as tears start to fall down her cheeks. She walks over and sits down next to her as Sci-Twi barely let out two words:
"I-I'm scared..."
Sunset didn't hesitate to hold her in an embrace, comforting her as she let the tears flow. The two just stayed there in silence for some time, excluding the crying, until Sunset eventually spoke:
"You're not alone anymore. I know if you told them what you're feeling, they'll do what they can to help you. That's what friends do."
Sci-Twi wipes her tears before speaking, "Y-You're right. Guess I'm still not used to that."
"I know that feeling. Trust me, you'll get used to it. Now come on, let's go tell the others."
Sci-Twi slowly nods in agreement before the two got up to get dressed.
The morning sun was in the sky as the campers were either doing camp activities or helping with the dock. Sunset decided to use the mess hall to gather the others, where they got the brief rundown on the current situation:
"Midnight might come back, huh?" Sora sums up from it.
"That's the dark version of Twilight you faced before, right?" Kairi recalls, which the others confirm.
"If she's gonna return, we have to find a permanent solution to stop it." Shade suggests.
"Anyone got any ideas?" Riku asks them, to which nothing came to mind.
Sci-Twi was getting worried before Levin assures her, "We may not know what it is now, but it doesn't mean there isn't one. We'll figure it out."
"Well, there goes my theory of the school being the magic magnet..." AJ mentions.
"Now WE'RE the magnets." Pinkie adds.
"You do know that's not good, right?" Visor questions.
"Either way, we got time to think. For now, let's just get through the day before we raise suspicion." Ventus points out.
And they went to do just that. As the others went to do camp activities, Levin didn't move as he notices Sci-Twi remained seated:
"Do you want to join us?"
"Honestly... I think I need some time alone right now." She admits.
"Understood. By the way, I don't think you answered but... did you want to share a canoe later?"
She felt heat rise to her cheeks before answering, "O-Oh, uh... OK."
"Great!" He cheers before composing himself, "I-I mean good, looking forward to it."
She smiles at his reaction, which was a small relief from the current situation. Once he left, she finds herself alone and ponders on what might come. Unbeknownst to them, Vanitas overheard their conversation from outside.
He heard about the events of the Friendship Games, specifically about 'Midnight Sparkle', an entity made from powerful magic. However from the sounds of it, it seems that it gained a new life inside its host. And if one of those effects is giving said host powers...
"Only time will tell. Let's see who wins out." He mutters before disappearing.
Back with the campers, the activities were underway. The suggestions they made upon their arrival was the choices, which got them ecstatic. Rainbow hopped on the rock climbing wall, as it was her suggestion.
With her was Rarity and Applejack, the latter feeling confident on her natural strength. The former was wondering of expanding her hobbies, so she figured one that helps keep her physical figure would be a good choice. The two paired up as Rainbow finds herself alone, but that didn't last long.
"Need a partner?" She turns to see Shade walk on over.
"Yeah. You rock climbed before?" She wonders.
"I use to do it a lot back then, but it's just occasionally nowadays. When I heard you suggest this, I figured why not."
"Cool! Let's go!"
The two now a pair, she puts on proper gear to climb as Celestia gives a good pointer:
"Rock climbing is about perseverance and trust, as well as core strength. Be sure to stay in sync to avoid any trouble of falling."
"That's good to know. For beginners." Shade comments.
"Well, that's good to hear either way." Rarity said before taking her first steps upwards.
Rainbow starts after her, obviously going faster due to experience and skill. As Applejack was spotting Rarity, she was starting to feel a bit strange. Not that way, it was a similar feeling of ponying up. Once Rarity reaches just above the halfway point, she slips a bit and panics before just grabbing the rope:
"O-OK, I'd like to come back down now!"
AJ heard her and got ready to lower her, but the rope wasn't cooperating:
"Hang on, I think it's a little stuck."
She then gives it a tug, not noticing her hands gaining an aura before the rope suddenly jolts in her grip. The pull brought Rarity almost to the very top, surprising AJ at that moment. Shade noticed what just happened before seeing her let go of the rope:
"AJ!" His shout distracted her as the rope gave away, dropping Rarity fast.
In an instant, Shade runs and grabs the loose rope with his free hand. Despite the rope burn, he kept it in an iron grip before it stops. Rarity was hanging in the air where she started earlier, clinging for dear life:
"APPLEJACK! What are you doing!?"
Rainbow looks down to see the commotion as AJ snaps out of her shock, "I-I don't know what happened! I didn't pull that hard and it's like she was light as a feather!"
Shade made sure Rainbow was secure before lowering Rarity to the ground. The latter immediately started to take off her gear, to little avail, as she spoke:
"I was scared half to death!"
"It wasn't my fault!" AJ exclaims before offering her help, "Here, let me help with your harness."
"No THANK you!" Rarity expresses shock mid-sentence as a sudden diamond barrier appeared from her hands.
Said barrier pushes AJ back a bit before disappearing, knocking her over. The cowgirl shook it off as Rarity looks at her hands, "How did I..."
"What in the world just happened!?" Celestia questions, which no one can answer.
"Oh dear. I'm so sorry, I think?" Rarity was just as confused, "Did I do that?"
Rainbow overheard the interaction and reached the ground before Rarity's barrier appeared. Now knowing that they got a new development, she takes off her harness before running off to get the others. All the others felt was a sudden gust before seeing Rainbow was gone.
"Where did Rainbow go?" Shade points out, which the others didn't know.
Meanwhile, some of them went to play archery. The rules were simple as each shooter has three shots to get points. The one with the best shots to get the most points win. Sora and Riku went first as Sunset hangs back with Levin and Stylite. She decides to strike up a conversation with the former:
"How did you get into archery, Levin?"
"When I turned ten, my dad got me a toy bow and arrow set for my birthday. He knew one of my favorite characters was an archer, so it was a way for me to play pretend as him. Turns out I had a knack for it." He reminisces.
"From that to the star of the archery team, not bad." Stylite adds.
"Impressive." Sunset then smirks, "How long did it take to do that two arrow trick?"
Levin couldn't help but laugh at his many failed attempts, "A long time..."
"So close!" The three heard Sora exclaim, "I almost had you!"
They look over to see him sigh as Riku manage to beat him by one point. The latter couldn't help but smirk at the result, "Just like old times..."
Before they could continue, they suddenly heard a muffled blast from somewhere. They take a quick look around before Sunset sees something, taking off with the others following suit. Upon reaching the mess hall doors, she enters said hall to see... cookie dough?
As the others enter, the group finds the place covered in splattered cookie dough. In the center of the mess was Pinkie and Fluttershy, the two also covered in cookie dough as Sunset asks the obvious:
"What happened in here?"
"That's what we wanna know." The group saw Kairi walks over unscathed, "Good thing I was quick with my barrier."
"We were just decorating cookies before they went... boom." Fluttershy adds.
"Boom?" Sora repeats, scratching his head.
"Yup! I was all 'You need more sprinkles and YOU need more sprinkles!', then BOOM!" Pinkie answers.
"So... standard Pinkie Pie stuff?" Sunset sums up.
"Pretty much! I was tossing some sprinkles to Fluttershy, when they did THIS!"
To show what she means, she takes out a handful of sprinkles and tosses them into the air. A magical glow surrounds them before exploding, splattering more cookie dough everywhere. Fortunately, the Destiny trio were quick enough to cast a barrier, stopping it from hitting the group.
"You mind warning us next time?" Riku casually mentions.
"And NOT touch stuff for awhile?" Sunset adds.
Pinkie simply nods as Fluttershy looks around, "Oh dear, we should really clean this up."
The others start to clean up as she reaches for a roll of paper towels, where she was barely out of reach. "Can someone help me out?"
Riku was the closest to her when she asked that, "Sure."
Before he took even two steps, a bird came from somewhere and flies past him to Fluttershy. To his surprise, it grabs the paper towels and hands them to Fluttershy:
"Thank you, Mr. Bird." It happily chirps in response, which she actually responds back. "Well of course I can-"
Riku was seeing where this was going as she realizes the same thing and asks the bird:
"Did you just... talk?"
CHIRP!
"But, I don't speak chirp."
CHIRP!
"I don't know if you're the only one I can understand."
CHIRP!
The others were now watching with intrigue as the bird chirps again, to Fluttershy's shock:
"Oh no, please don't call your friends."
The others then heard wings flapping before turning to see a flock of other birds, quickly ducking to avoid any collision as they land on Fluttershy's arms and head. She was just stunned at the sudden arrivals before eventually greeting them:
"It's nice to meet all of you."
The others finish processing what just happened as Kairi was the first to ask, "Are you talking to the birds?"
"Um... yes?"
"...Are you sure you're not a princess?"
The doors then slam open, scaring her as the birds flew away. Rarity and Applejack walk in with Shade in tow, who asks a rhetorical question:
"Guess who got magical powers?"
"You guys too?" Levin wonders, which AJ answers:
"Yeah, it was crazy! I hoisted Rarity up the rock climbing wall like it was nothing!"
"Well you are pretty strong." Stylite comments.
"True, but I pulled her up with a lot more strength than before!"
"I saw it happen." Shade adds, "Then had to save Rarity from falling as she was in shock."
AJ became annoyed at that, "C-Cause you distracted me!"
"Anyways, what about you?" Levin quickly shifts the focus to Rarity as she answers:
"Well, I made a diamondy thing appear out of thin air! Which I should be excited about since the facets were just perfect-"
Levin clears his throat to keep her on track, "Sorry. Anyways, it knocks Applejack down before disappearing!"
"OK." Shade starts before listing the new powers, "So we have super strength, diamond creation..."
"Animal whisperer." Levin adds.
"Exploding sprinkles." Stylite adds.
"And from Twilight's story, levitation."
"Which leaves Sunset and Rainbow." Shade finishes before remembering something, "By the way, has anyone seen Rainbow?"
Somehow on cue, a gust of wind blasts the doors open. All the group saw after that was a swirling rainbow where Levin was before it stops, revealing Rainbow in his arms as he puts her on her feet:
"Just asking about ya." He casually mentions, "Where did you go?"
"I-I don't know! I just went to go get you guys, only to find myself back in town!"
"Super speed." Shade adds to the list before wondering, "But in that case, why were you gone for so long?"
"Cause I lost it by then! I didn't get the power back until I got close to camp!"
Pinkie gasps upon realizing what it meant, "Being at camp is giving us new magical abilities!"
"I haven't gained one yet." Sunset points out.
"Maybe cause of your own powers?" Sora brings up.
She summons her rapier as she thinks about it. While it does hold some water, she has a feeling it might be something else:
"I doubt it." She then desummons her rapier as she continues, "It's clear that something at the camp itself is making this happen."
"I haven't noticed anything strange in camp." Stylite recalls.
Sunset then recalls something herself, "Actually, isn't there a place we can't go to?"
"... Oh yeah, the rock quarry!"
"Then that must be where our new magic is coming from."
"We should go investigate it..." Riku suggests before seeing the sun's already setting, "First thing tomorrow."
The group had finished cleaning the mess up before AJ lets out a sigh, "Is it really so hard to take a vacation from this stuff?"
"I feel you darling..." Rarity agrees.
"Welcome to the life of a superhero." Shade jokes before Sunset points out something:
"You guys are taking this strangely well."
"Well we've been hanging out with ya'll a lot, so I guess we're just used to it." Stylite makes a good point.
Sunset can see the logic, it's pretty much the norm for them now. As she walks past him in thought, her shoulder brushes past his before she hears his voice:
"And not cause we have powers."
She immediately stops and looks right at him, "You also have powers?"
That got everyone's attention, especially Levin and Shade who tenses up at that. Stylite didn't move at all, which raises her suspicion as she puts her hand on his shoulder:
"Sty? Did you say-"
Upon touching said shoulder, the group see her eyes briefly turn white before she backs away. She holds her head in confusion once her eyes return to normal, piecing together what just happened.
"You all right, Sunset?" Kairi asks her.
Sunset glances at her before looking right at the boys, "They have powers too, much longer than us."
Stylite and Shade didn't know what to say before Levin eventually admits, "Yes, we do."
"Really!?" Sora exclaims in curiosity.
To prove this point, Levin holds his hands out before conjuring a blue electrical current between them. He holds it for a second before dispersing it:
"We don't know exactly how we got them. Literally, we woke up one morning and now we have powers."
"It happened after the Friendship Games." Shade adds, "And I think after we transferred to CHS..."
"Then how come you never mentioned this until now?" Rarity questions.
"We were planning on surprising you guys after the camping trip." Sty answers, "As AJ said, ya'll wanted a break from magic for awhile."
"Ya'll not wrong..." AJ said before they heard the intercom come on:
"Attention campers, anyone who is interested in the floating lanterns activity, come join us at the picnic tables."
The intercom turns off before AJ continues, "Either way, I'd like to do at least one more activity before we go back into this magic business. Anyone want to go make lanterns fly?"
The others didn't see why not. As they left the mess hall, Stylite was the last one to linger back as Sunset stops to talk:
"You all right?"
"Just wondering how you realized we had powers." He answers.
"Oh. Well, I guess my power from the camp has something to do with memories."
"So... you can see into others' memories?"
"Seems like it, and apparently only through contact."
Sty then realizes something, "Wait, how much did you see in my mind!?"
"Mostly just you guys having powers, don't worry." She assures him as she heads for the doors.
He lets out a sigh of relief before hearing her speak again:
"Although..." She stops and turns around to show a smirk, "You shouldn't be afraid to ask me out. I wouldn't mind a date."
Her little tease was enough to make him turn red, "I-I, well... g-good to know."
She smiles at his reaction before exiting the hall, leaving Sty flustered as he lets out a chuckle:
"Been a long time since a girl made me blush..." He mutters, soon heading out himself.
The sun was setting over the mountains as the campers were working on their lanterns. The Shadowolves had a table to themselves, as did the Rainbooms and the Destiny Trio. Over with the Rainbooms, Rarity was finishing up hers when she sees a marshmallow drop onto the table, soon noticing Pinkie's lantern:
"Um, Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?"
"Putting marshmallows on my lantern. When it gets lit up, it will look beautiful and delicious!" She answers.
"You do know that won't float cause of the extra weight?" Rainbow points out.
Pinkie took a moment to realize the abundance of said marshmallows, "You're right, and I have just the solution!"
They were honestly expecting her to eat them, but she instead picks most of them off. The ones left made a smiling face on one side and a laughing face on the other side. The ones she picked off were made into a marshmallow ball she held:
"Much better!"
Sunset smiles at her friend's silliness before noticing Sci-Twi had finished her lantern, her eyes looking over to the Shadowolves' table. Following the gaze, it was towards Levin, who was finishing up his lantern. His design was rather interesting, consisting of constellations that have the stars being connected by lightning bolts. Curious, she then looks at the others' lanterns:
Shade has a drawing of a mountain casting a shadow, Visor has red and blue flames reflected in glass shards, Stylite has icy snowflakes and swirling waves, Ventus has a tornado design going around his lantern, and Pixel has black and white digital pixels.
Over with the Destiny Trio, she was intrigued by their designs. Kairi has her 'Wayfinder' on two sides, surrounded by calming waves on the bottom and stars at the top. Riku was more symbolic as one side shows an angel's wing in a sunny sky, and a demon's wing in a dark cloudy sky on the other side. Finally, Sora has his crown necklace painted on with various smaller symbols surrounding it. Riku also notices them, knowing said symbols likely references the friends he made.
She was pretty impressed by their creativity before turning back to Sci-Twi:
"They have pretty cool lanterns, right?"
"Yeah, more interesting than mine." Sci-Twi admits.
"There's nothing wrong with a simpler look." AJ assures her.
"She's right, darling. It shows more character than you think." Rarity adds.
"Some more than others..." Spike glances at Pinkie's lantern as he said that.
"Alright everyone!" Gloriosa announces to get the campers' attention, "It's time to watch your lanterns fly!"
Said campers got up to head to the docks, Twilight lingers back a bit upon hearing Levin:
"I like your lantern, Twi. Simple yet effective."
"Thanks. Interesting to create constellations with electric bolts." She compliments back.
"I actually got inspired with the idea by a certain someone."
"Oh? Who's that?"
He shows a shy smile before he answers, "Let's just say... I'm talking to her now."
She felt heat rise to her cheeks as they reach the docks, the two being the last to have their lanterns lit. Once they did, Gloriosa starts the countdown:
"Ready, and... GO!"
Everyone lets their lanterns fly into the sky above the lake. After they did, Kairi sees her lantern drift closer to Sora's before lightly bumping each other. Right after that happened, she felt her hand grab hold of another hand, glancing to see Sora next to her looking at the same sight. The two smile as they continue to watch the light show.
Night has fallen as the campers were asleep, except for one. Levin finds himself having a sleepless night again, not helped by a certain thought in his mind. The camp is somehow giving the Rainbooms powers and the only viable location would be the rock quarry. He recalls when Timber mentioned it before, he pointed his thumb in its general direction.
That small bit of knowledge is enough for him to get up and get dressed, soon exiting the tent as he places his goggles over his eyes. Activating night vision, he was off towards the rock quarry, not knowing that he was being followed. His travel was rather uneventful through the woods, but he kept his guard up just in case.
He eventually reaches a sealed off cave entrance, where he gets an uneasy feeling. His goggles wasn't going off on any readings, so it's likely not a Heartless. Listening out for any movement, he eventually hears a bush rustle behind him. He spun around with his arm charged up, only to see Riku who had his keyblade ready:
"Levin?"
"Riku? Geez, I thought it was an enemy." He drops his arm as he relaxes, "What brings you out here?"
Riku holds his keyblade down on his side as he answers, "Same reason as you. The rock quarry likely holds the answers we need, so I wanted to see if it's true."
"Well let's find out." Levin leads the way as the two approach the cave entrance.
After moving one of the boulders just enough, they slide on through to find themselves in a crystal cavern. Levin moves his goggles onto his head to marvel at such a sight:
"Whoa..."
"Yep, pretty." Riku casually adds before seeing an interesting sight.
There was a crystal pillar a bit further in, the top of it open to reveal seven geodes inside. The colors they had actually matched up with the girls, which must mean-
"Their powers... are from rocks?" Levin wonders.
"Disappointing if you ask me."
The two look around for the familiar voice before seeing Vanitas leaning against a rock pillar, "I thought it would have been that Gaia freak."
"I didn't hear you enter." Levin points out, "Guess they weren't wrong in saying you're a ghost."
"Ha! You could say that."
"So are you here for the scenery, or are you just bored?" Riku questions.
"Bingo on the latter." Vanitas stands up straight as he summons his keyblade, "Riku, right? I can tell how strong you are. Perhaps you can give me a challenge?"
Riku readies his keyblade as he warns Levin, "Best get back. I don't know what he'll pull."
Levin nods before going to a safe distance, being the lone witness to their duel.
Objective: Face Vanitas! (BGM: The Encounter)
Riku braces himself as Vanitas went on the offense, the latter going in with a barrage of swings. The former blocks them skillfully before jumping back, firing a string of dark fire. Vanitas counters that with his own Firaga, where the two attacks clash.
The smoke lingers for a moment, allowing Vanitas to follow up with Dark Thundaga. The lightning bolts shot through the smoke, dispersing it while hitting the walls. However, he didn't see his opponent anywhere.
"Gotcha!" Riku suddenly drops from above, landing a Dark Break on impact.
Vanitas got blown back, soon recovering with a handspring onto his feet. "Oh, you wanna play it that way."
He retaliates with an energy slash, sending a crescent shockwave towards his opponent. Riku counters that move with his version, cancelling it out as Vanitas reappears above him:
"Gotcha!" He slams his keyblade down, casting a Blizzaga for extra coverage.
"Sorry!" Turns out, Riku dodged with Dark Aura as he fires a Dark Firaga point blank.
Vanitas gets blown back, only to shrug it off before teleporting again, Riku soon following suit. Levin's eyes was able to keep up due to his enhanced senses, but he couldn't help but marvel at their speeds. Each time they reappear, the two clash blades in a flurry of slashes, matching pretty evenly throughout. Eventually, the two stop the show as they back off onto their feet.
"Not bad for a warm-up." Riku taunts, "Hope that ain't all ya got."
"Get real. I've been holding back." Vanitas retorts.
The two then activate a powerful attack, glowing with energy before charging at each other again. Vanitas lunges in with Dark Spiral as Riku performs a full-powered Dark Aura, clashing each time they past by. Levin quickly takes cover as the two land their finishers, shaking the cavern on impact. Thankfully, the cavern remains intact as only dirt particles came down.
Levin gets out to see the two a fair distance from each other, looking like they barely landed a scratch. Despite that, they just stood there to catch their breaths. He runs over to Riku to check for any injuries:
"You good?"
"Yeah." Riku assures him before casually casting Cure Potion on himself, "Nothing to worry about."
Vanitas chuckles at such a line, "Are you sure? Cause I'm sure you're aware where the real danger is."
"What are you rambling about?" Levin questions.
"Duh, that Twilight girl. I heard that this 'Midnight Sparkle' might return, hence why you came here." He then looks over at the geodes, "Although, why is there always such an easy solution?"
Levin was getting a bad feeling as they see him clench his keyblade tight, "It's annoying..."
Riku realizes what he's about to do, "Don't-"
In an instant, Vanitas lunges for the crystal with a powerful swing before a burst of bolts cease his momentum. Turns out, Levin had ran at full speed to protect said crystal with his own weapon. He then shoots a shockwave, blasting Vanitas back a bit:
"Well, you got guts to do that." The masked wielder comments as he stood up.
"...Riku, protect the crystal. I'll take him." Levin's serious tone threw him off briefly, but nods as he does so.
As he walks over, he notices the interesting weapon Levin held. It was what looks to be a large tuning fork, the handle long enough for both hands and the rods as long as a standard sword. Blue lightning dances around them as a bolt pulses up the rods every so often.
Once he was in position, Levin starts to walk towards Vanitas as the latter chuckles at the sight:
"Really, you're gonna approach me? Are you sure you know who you're dealing with?"
"Oh no, I'm well aware." Levin retorts before almost growling, "I just don't fear dead men."
"Hahaha! Well then, I'll show you why you should be afraid of ghosts."
Objective: Take Vanitas Down! (BGM: Vim and Vigor)
Vanitas went on the offence for the second time, though the response was different. Instead of clashing blades, Levin had an electric cloak as he dodges each slash. The former was rather quick, but barely misses the latter most of the time. Upon finally landing a hit, it was blocked.
"You talk a big game but-" Vanitas was cut off as Levin pushes him away, going on the offence this time.
The former was quick to block the attacks, but the latter's speed was enough to piece through his defense. Levin lands a strong combo afterwards, finishing with Thunder Strike, thrusting his weapon forward with a shockwave. While his opponent went flying, he suddenly pauses in midair:
"Nope!" Vanitas warps from above to deliver a Blizzaga slash.
Levin swiftly leaps away as he sees shadows shoot towards him. One by one, they form into a shadow clone that came swinging at him. He dodges and counters each one as they got faster and faster, only to find himself surrounded by dark crystals. Thinking quick, he casts his own version of Thundaga by striking the ground, destroying said crystals with a large lightning bolt.
Vanitas takes advantage of the brief opening, attacking with a strong thrust to send Levin into the rock wall. The latter lands on his feet as the former follows with his Firaga, which was immediately countered with a shockwave. The wave also disperses the smoke, only for Levin to see his opponent had disappeared again.
His gut feeling kicks in as he instinctively turns around, barely blocking a surprise attack from Vanitas. He was sent upwards from a rising slash, followed by a rain of fireballs and a final slash to send him flying again. Levin rolls across the ground, quickly recovering to his feet to see his enemy had vanished again.
He then spins around, swinging his weapon to deflect a lunging attack. It was here that Vanitas realizes a mistake, as his keyblade got wedged between the dual rods. Levin then unleashes a powerful Lightning Bolt, dealing serious stun damage and even disarms him of his keyblade. Taking advantage, he jumps into the air while wedging his opponent's head between the rods, swinging above him before slamming both into the dirt.
Levin remains crouched down as he sees that 'Vanitas' was a shadow clone instead. Realizing this, he quickly rises to counter a surprise slash, only to slice through another clone.
"Gotcha!" Vanitas reappears from above again, swinging at an open Levin.
To his own surprise, the latter lets go of his weapon and dashes in close to grab him:
"Predictable."
BOOM!
Riku widens his eyes as Levin had slammed Vanitas into the ground really hard. So hard that the cavern shook and the poor boy bounces up from the impact. Levin then grabs his leg in a makeshift claw hand, throwing him over his shoulder for another slam. The second bounce was higher than the last, leaving a stunned Vanitas in the air as Levin charges a super jump.
Leaping into the air, he then fires a shockwave at the peak that launches himself down right on his enemy. Riku quickly casts a barrier to protect the geodes, feeling the cavern shake again and see some debris fall from above. Thankfully, the cavern held itself up still as the smoke clears.
Once it did, he sees Levin kneeling down still, keeping his foot on Vanitas' chest to keep him down. The latter then lets out a chuckle:
"Not bad... for a non-keyblade wielder."
"Thanks." The former simply said before slightly leaning in, "Now tell me, why did you attacked the crystal?"
"...Cause then your friend won't learn."
Riku walks over as Levin questions this, "Won't learn what?"
"This 'Midnight' she became is likely her dark self manifested, so she'll always return no matter how many times she suppresses it."
"Darkness is in every heart. Though, why are you concerned about that?" Riku points out.
"...Me and Ven were forcefully separated by the old man for his ambitions. It left both our hearts fractured, and without anything to fill the emptiness... it would have been fatal."
"It won't come to that." Levin states, "There must be a way to help her without resorting to such a method. And those geodes are our best bet."
"If she makes contact with them... Won't it reawaken Midnight?"
That made them think of the possibility as he continues, "Besides, it's clear you like the girl. Just wanna see if you're willing to fight."
Riku was just intrigued at what he's planning as Levin stands back up, moving his foot away:
"I'm aware of such a chance, though I suppose your vote of confidence helps."
Vanitas smirks at the comment, "We'll see tomorrow if it works." With that said, he warps away to leave the two alone.
Riku then lets out a sigh, "Well we saw what we came for, so let's head back. We need our rest before meeting with the others."
Levin nods in agreement as the two then took their leave. Although, he pauses for a moment to look back at the geodes. He knows that it might come down to the inevitable, but does it have to be? There has to be another way... or at least he hopes so.
He then heads out to catch up with Riku, not seeing a hint of darkness briefly pulse through the crystal.
And done! OK, this chapter took a very interesting turn thanks to one big change. But before I get into that, I just noticed something after watching the movie again:
In a previous scene where Pinkie lists their victories and does the 'no offense' thing, Sunset eases Sci-Twi by saying 'you'll get used to it.' However later in the movie, Sci-Twi tries running away and Sunset stops her. In that conversation, the former says that magic made her a monster and Sunset beautiful, which makes me think two things:
1. Sci-Twi wasn't told about the story of how Sunset was changed, which the former strangely didn't tell her about.
2. Sci-Twi literally said that thinking Sunset doesn't know how she feels, which the former points out.
So which is it!? Did they tell Sci-Twi what happened before the Friendship Games or not!? You can't do both!
Anyways, back to the big change I did:
So in the original movie after Sci-Twi's nightmare, Sunset wants to discuss it and she says no before the scene changes. This is mainly to keep the mystery plot going, but now that it's removed in my version, I decided that they talk right then and there.
But by doing this change... I had to remove the 'Midnight in Me' song. Trust me, I didn't want to take it out, but I felt like it made sense when Sci-Twi felt alone in her struggle against Midnight. In this timeline, her friends do know about it, which makes the song unneeded.
After that, I slightly expanded the camp activities for interactions, where things mostly go the same as the original. The girls gain their powers, but I had Sunset figure hers out sooner than expected. Decided to kill two birds with one stone by using it to reveal the boys having powers.
In case your wondering, remember the post credit scene with the broken statue? Those orbs that flew out are what gave them the powers, where they had time to practice up until the camping trip. Not the best explanation, but the real origins of their powers will be greatly expanded on in the redux.
The lantern scene was a nice opportunity to show references with the Destiny Trio, foreshadowing with the Shadowolves, and having a small moment between Sora and Kairi. Triple shot right there before heading to a new scene, which took me quite a bit.
I wanted to have Vanitas fight Riku at least once in a duel, even if it turned out short. The second fight was honestly more to show off Levin's powers, so I hope it didn't come out too one-sided. After that, I decided to show a little sneak peek of my plans for Vanitas. More on that later.
With ALL of this said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!