Asuna's Story
Asuna slowly opened her eyes, having just woken up. Then as the reality of what had happened before she fell asleep sank in, she became wide awake. She rose to her feet, then she looked about. "Madoka?" Asuna called out, "Kyubey?" She was alone in the Sandlot. No sign of anyone in sight. "What happened to me, back there?" Asuna asked herself, "Since when do I start to fall asleep in the middle of something like that?"
As she continued to think, there was a puff of pink smoke, and Pina appeared right next to her. She meowed at Asuna, getting her attention. "Pina?" she asked, "Do you know what happened to me?" Pina cocked her head, confused. "I guess not, huh?" Asuna sighed, "Let's see here... I remember Madoka and Kyubey interfering with that guy in the Organization cloak. But why was he here? And what did he do with Madoka?"
Asuna looked about the Sandlot, hoping to find a clue to her friend's whereabouts. Just then, she heard an explosion coming from the side streets, and she turned to where it came from. "What was that?!" Asuna gasped. She paused, then looked to Pina, who meowed. "Right. Let's check it out!" Asuna understood her Dream Eater, and the two took off.
(Insert 'Ignite' TV Size by Eir Aoi)
Without hesitating, Take the world of paradoxes,
(The scene opens with Kirito's face fading in from the left-hand side, his eyes opening as the symbol of the Original Keyblade wielders appear in the center. Kirito's face fades out as Asuna's face fades in on the right-hand side, opening her eyes as the Dream Eater Spirit symbol replaces the Original Keyblade wielders symbol.)
And shoot it with your hands
(Asuna's face fades out as Yui's and Leafa's faces fades in, back to back as they looked towards either side while Sora's crown pendant appeared between them. The crown shines brightly, then showing the title of 'Sword Art Kingdom: Falling Fantasy', with the Sword Art Kingdom symbol right behind it.)
In the warmth of fallen tears
We should've learned kindness
(The scene opens to Asuna standing on top of the school rooftops, looking out in the distance with a solemn expression. She looks down at the white Wayfinder in her hand, the ghostly image of Aqua passing by her. She closes her eyes as she clutches the Wayfinder tightly, then she looked seriously ahead, ready to proceed.)
So why do we keep hurting each other
And give birth to more hatred?
(Kirito is sitting on the porch outside his house, holding one of his kendo stick Keyblades he made in his hands, looking down at it with a serious expression. He then stands up and whips it around before stopping in his fighter's stance, as the ghostly image of Terra in his battle stance stood behind him.)
From the stinging pain I learn to be strong
(The first scene shows Gretinal at her desk, with Yui on one side, and Jackson, Latias and Cypress on the other, all looking at the screen. The next scene shows Yen Sid at his desk, with Donald, Goofy and Mickey on one side, and Sora and Riku on the other side.)
And gently blanket the future
(The next scene shows Leafa closing her eyes as she fall backwards into the black screen, only to be scooped up by the large hand of Young Xehanort. He waves his other hand forward as Heartless Oberon, Gouxus, Saïx and a black coat Recon stand around him, grinning maliciously. The screen distances from them to where Kirito and Asuna stood, angrily looking back as they charged.)
Without hesitating, Take the world of paradoxes,
(The scene next shows Kirito using Flowmotion to move around the city of Alne in Alfheim Online, taking out Nightmares that came at him, then slamming his Keyblade into the ground, causing a shockwave of energy that blasts away nearby Heartless.)
And shoot it with your hands
(Asuna appears leaping across the rooftops at high speeds with her Eaglider and Pegaslick at her side, unifying together into Dual Style: Bladecharge, and swinging her energy-extended Keyblade around, sending all Nightmares around her flying away.)
I ever so softly embrace, The sorrow that is covered in red tears
(The scene shifts to Asuna and Recon fighting with one another within the experimental lab at the top of the World Tree, Sora and Leafa's minds showing behind the two as they fought. Then it shows an open room within the top of the World Tree, and Saïx is going into Berserk mode as he faces Kirito, who roars in rage as he charges at him, determined to defeat him.)
Just as the ringing vibration, Marks the sound of the beginning
(The scene ends as Asuna and Kirito race forward towards the golden bird cage where Leafa was, surrounded by darkness and fast asleep, with Heartless Oberon and Gouxus standing in front of the locked gate, waiting for the two. Asuna and Kirito leapt at the two, producing their Keyblades to fight. Heartless Oberon and Gouxus produce their own weapons and leapt at the two, Oberon going after Kirito while Gouxus went after Asuna, and the frame freezes as they near each other, ready to attack.)
Asuna ended up using her Flowmotion to move faster, jumping from the walls and grinding on the railings as she charged towards the noise that sounded like combat. A few Nightmare Dream Eaters got in her path, but Asuna and Pina worked together to take them out.
When Asuna arrived in the middle of the Market Street, Asuna heard a monster's roar, and saw, down at the bottom of the hill she was on, a large Dream Eater. It had some characteristics of a mandrill, but its' main body looked like a box, almost jack-in-a-box like. Based on the dark colors and the symbol it bared, it was a Nightmare variant.
"That is one tough-looking Dream Eater!" Asuna gasped, pulling out the Dream Eater book. She scanned through the book until she found the monster under the high-ranking Dream Eater. "It says here that this is called a 'Hockomonkey'." Asuna read, "A wild opponent with two personalities and three types of arms. It also says that this is the Brute variant." Asuna closed the book and looked up at the beast, who was looking at something else, or rather someone else.
The person the Nightmare was facing was a girl that looked a little older than Madoka. She had long, dark red hair that propped up at the top. Her attire was a teal, zipped-up hoodie, mini jean shorts, and tall black boots. She also had a fish-shaped cookie on the ground next to her.
"What's the big idea?!" the girl shouted at the Hockomonkey, "I was saving that cookie for later, you boxy baboon!"
Asuna came racing into the intersection, leapt over the railing, and got in between the girl and the Nightmare. "Leave this one to me!" Asuna stated, pulling out her Keyblade in ready to fight. Pina appeared right next to her, lowering its' lower half, ready to fight. The girl was surprised at the sudden encounter.
The Hockomonkey stared down at Asuna for a second, then it roared. Suddenly, Dream Eaters started appearing in front of the girls. The Hockomonkey hollered, then it leapt up to the buildings, and disappeared. "Get back here!" the girl shouted.
"Leave it. We got more important matters here." Asuna told the girl, indicating the Dream Eaters.
"Thanks a lot!" the girl scoffed in a sarcastic demeanor, "Just for that, you can fight these things for me."
"A kinder response would've been nice!" Asuna retorted, but she refocused herself on the Dream Eaters.
The Nightmares were composed of the same set, now with the addition of Pricklemane, a two-legged, cat-like creature whose body and the tip of its' tail were covered in prickly fur. Asuna used her Flowmotion and magic to take on the Nightmares, and even discovered how to Reality Shift by pure accident. After a while, she and Pina defeated the Dream Eaters.
Asuna placed her Keyblade away and turned to the girl, who was picking up the cookie she dropped and examining it. "Good, it looks salvageable." she noticed, brushing off a bit of dirt on it. Within two bites, she polished off the cookie.
The girl turned to Asuna, and said, "Your skills ain't half-bad. What should I call you?"
"Uh, you can call me Asuna." Asuna responded.
"Asuna, huh…" the girl muttered, almost like she heard the name before, "Well my name is Kyoko Sakura. And you, my girl, are my meal ticket."
Asuna was pretty confused at what she meant by this. "Meal ticket?" she repeated, "What on earth do you mean?"
"I mean exactly that; You're gonna get me my next meal, ya hear?" Kyoko told Asuna sternly, "Listen up, you are gonna feed me, or I'll rat you out, and you'll find yourself in a whole lotta trouble. Even that big guy that was facing us before might want a crack still ya."
"So let me get this straight: You are blackmailing me in order to get yourself some food?" Asuna summed up, not enjoying being in this situation.
"A girl like me has to eat somehow." Kyoko answered, "Food is important, and those Dream Eaters ain't gonna stand around and let you take their munny. I can't fight yet, so you'll have to do it with your weapon and that Dream Eater."
Asuna had to think about her situation. She really wanted to find Madoka right now, but Kyoko was not gonna let her walk off. Her attitude demonstrated how self-centered and fiery she was. She wasn't making idle threats. However, Asuna was confused as to what kind of trouble Sakura was talking about BESIDES the Hockomonkey. After a moment's pause, Asuna decided that if it is only munny for food, it would be fine to help out this girl.
"Alright. I'll help you out." Asuna told Kyoko.
"Now that's more like it." she stated, "I knew you would agree." She looked behind Asuna, who turned to see a hot dog stand right behind her. "I'm in the mood for a couple dogs, chips and a soda." Sakura explained, "Get me some, and I'll be satisfied."
"Let's go find some Dream Eaters to defeat, then." Asuna decided, "Know any good, popular area for Nightmares to gather?"
"I have the perfect spot." Kyoko answered, "Follow me to the Tram Commons." And with that, Kyoko led Asuna to their destination.
The place Kyoko spoke of was around the rooftops of the Tram Commons. Sakura was able to utilize Flowmotion for getting around and going to higher places, but as far as Asuna knew, she didn't utilize it for combat. Still, Asuna was able to handle her own in battle against the multitude of enemies, which now had a lot of Komory Bats vacating the rooftops. All of the money she gathered from the Dream Eaters, she handed to Kyoko.
Asuna and Kyoko reached a large open space on the rooftops. It was there that they noticed a large, glowing orb in front of them, with diamond prisms surrounding it like spikes.
"Jackpot!" the hungry girl cheered, "Looks like we found a Portal!"
"What's that?" Asuna asked.
"They're special items that are made from people's dreams in other timelines." Kyoko answered, "At least, that's what Kyubey says. These Portals have Dream Eaters within them, and by defeating them, you may claim the prizes within."
"And what are the prize?" Asuna asked.
"Munny, Link Points, Dream Pieces, stuff like that." she answered, "However, each of them contain special bonuses when you complete the extra objective given to you. You can even get a Dream Eater recipe."
"That might come in handy." Asuna stated, "Let me try it out."
Asuna stepped forward to the Portal and touched the surface. Just then, a face of a person appeared within the Portal itself. It was a familiar, dark-blue haired girl she had fought once before. "That looks like…Lucina." Asuna stated, "Is this part of her dream?" Asuna then read words that appeared on the portal surface. "It says here that my extra task is to take down all the Dream Eaters using my Link System." Asuna looked to Sakura and asked, "What's the Link System?"
"For a smart girl, you really are a ditz." Kyoko sighed.
Just then, the Portal rose into the air, and lights shined down upon the spot where Asuna and Pina stood. Suddenly, half-a-dozen Komory Bats and a large eagle-like Dream Eater appeared before her, all ready to fight her. "Looks like we have a new Dream Eater in store here!" Asuna stated.
"That's a Halbird." Kyoko answered, "Quite tougher than your average Komory Bat."
She was right. The Halbird unleashed laser shots from his wings, which homed in on Asuna. She shielded herself as she took the blast, and was sent tumbling back from being hit. As she sat up, she moaned to her useless companion, "Okay, mind telling me what this Link System is all about?"
"It allows you to fuse with your Dream Eater if your connection is strong enough." Kyoko explained, "Try pulling it off, right now."
Asuna looked to Pina, who endured a couple sonic screeches from the Komory Bats. "Pina!" Asuna shouted, racing to her Dream Eater, "Unite your power with mine!" Pina heard her cry, and ran to her side. Pina turned into a bright orb, and went into Asuna. "Link Style: Darkest Fears!" Asuna shouted.
At once, Asuna's body was glowing with a dark aura. Her hands and feet became dark claws. The moment she glared at the flying Nightmares, they all looked scared of her. "Woah…" Kyoko gasped.
Asuna charged forward, and started slashing at the monsters with her shadowy claws. Her attacks seemed anger-enhanced, and her targets were unable to escape her ferocity. Asuna's final target was the Halbird, which dashed at Asuna. She lunged forward with her claws. The two crossed one another's path. As Asuna landed onto the ground, the Halbird split in half, and disappeared, leaving a Dream Piece behind.
Asuna looked to Kyoko, who was both scared and amazed at what she had done. Asuna then realized her own condition, and looked at herself better. "Is this…me?" Asuna asked herself, seeing the dark aura.
"It sure looks that way." Kyoko answered, slowly walking towards her, "I've heard that the Link System is mainly a powerful attack with their Dream Eater. Could this be the rare Link System power you can get from this world?" Asuna glowed brightly, and the aura sheds itself off of her. Pina reappeared on Asuna's side.
Just then, the Portal above sparkled brightly, and shined down upon the girls and Pina. The sparkling lights then turned into munny and some Dream Pieces. Asuna's Dream Eater book started to glow on her, and she pulled it out. The book opened up and flipped through its' pages, landing on a Dream Eater called a 'Wheeflower'. It now showed a recipe for creating it.
"Nice going there." Kyoko commended Asuna, "You have a new recipe and Dream Pieces to work with, while I got enough food munny for myself." Kyoko gathered all the munny, and Asuna got the random Dream Pieces from the prizes and monster drops.
"I should use this Dream Eater recipe to my advantage." Asuna stated, seeing the ingredients needed to make the Wheeflower, "And after that Portal, I think I have more than enough to make an A rank Spirit." Asuna pulled out some Lofty Fancies she got from the Halbird and the Portal reward, plus Rampant Figments, and added a Drop-Me-Not she got before. She placed a card in the middle as well, then focused herself.
"Dream Eater, beckon to my side." Asuna chanted, "Come forth, and fight with me against Nightmares!" Just like before, the materials started to glow, spin about in the air, then gathered together. There was a puff of pink smoke and a bright light, and the Wheeflower Spirit appeared before Asuna.
The Wheeflower was small, it had a yellow head of a flower, with pink and yellow-tipped flower petals and antenna of the same color. It had blue eyes and a small, diamond-shaped mouth. It had a green leafy collar over its' tiny stem, and leafy hands that were mainly green, yellow and pink. The base of its' body was heart-shaped, the same color as its' flower petals, with the Spirit Dream Eater symbol on the front.
"What a cute Dream Eater." Asuna stated, seeing the Wheeflower float towards her, chirping quietly. It spun around, then opened its' arms up, scattering petals onto Asuna, who giggled at the feel of it.
"Too cutesy for my taste. But hey, that's how the Spirits roll." Kyoko stated.
Asuna rubbed the head of the Dream Eater, thinking of a name. "I think I'll call you 'Petal'." Asuna decided, "Since you enjoy spreading them, it fits you." Pina greeted Petal, and the two started to bound in a circle together.
"Let's get back to the hot dog stand." Kyoko told Asuna, "All this running about is making me starved." Asuna agreed, and the two went back the way they came.
Kyoko ordered her meal from the stand, and added an extra hot dog and drink for Asuna, just because she did all the work. Asuna looked at the Dream Eaters analyzed on her card, and noticed that Petal seemed more mage-based than Pina.
Asuna also worked on both of her Dream Eater's Link Boards. Pina gave Asuna a boost in her Thunder-based attack, hastened her casting time and made her resistant to being put to sleep by other Nightmares. Petal granted Asuna more speed in her casting time, and added an extra Blizzard Spell to use.
There was also a Moogle shop nearby the hot dog stand, and Asuna went to it. There, the Moogle explained all about how the techniques and spells worked in the Dream Realm. Asuna could not only purchase the standard items and Dream Pieces at the Moogle shops, but also purchase techniques and spells there, too.
The Moogle also handed Asuna a device, which looked like her smartphone back home, that somehow connected itself with Asuna's own body, allowing Asuna to choose what techniques she can pull off in battle, and exchange skills around with what she had learned outside of battle.
Granted all this knowledge, Asuna looked at the pad and noticed she could only use four commands right now; Blizzard, Fire, Quick Blitz and Thunder. Asuna had an extra Blizzard in store, so she sold a couple potions and some extra Dream Pieces in exchanged for something she saw in the Moogle Shop that pleased her; Her 'Linear' Rapier Skill. Apparently, she could purchase her Sword Skills as well. After some exchanging, Asuna created her set of attacks to be Blizzard, Quick Blitz, Thunder, and Linear.
Asuna and Kyoko sat down and had their meals, while Asuna gave her Dream Eaters some treat that she found from monster drops; a couple of Confetti Candy. The hungry red-head was quick to polish her hot dogs and chips off.
"You have some serious skills, I'll give you that much." Kyoko told Asuna as she sipped her drink.
"Thanks." Asuna thanked her, "I was glad to help."
Kyoko looked at Asuna for a second, then asked, "So tell me, what do you know of a girl named Madoka?"
Asuna looked surprised at this. "How do you know about her?" Asuna asked.
"She's a fellow Magical Girl, like me." Kyoko answered, "But also, she's in trouble."
"What kind of trouble is she in?!" Asuna demanded, now seriously looking at Kyoko.
The red-haired girl paused for a second, then answered, "Some guy in a black coat told me about her." Asuna gasped at this. "He confronted me, saying that he will leave Madoka alone if I brought you to him, awake." she continued, pulling out an eye-shaped Soul Gem, which was red and slightly tainted, "I don't care much about Madoka, but I did know this guy was no friend of mine. I tried to attack him, but he summoned that monkey Dream Eater, and chased me off."
"Tell me, where did the guy tell you to bring me at?" Asuna asked sternly.
Kyoko looked up at her. "At the Train Station." she answered, "But the pathway to it is blocked off. The only way there is through the Underground Concourse, and it is packed with Dream Eaters down there."
Asuna stood up from her seat and placed her hands on the table. "If Madoka is in danger, I have to save her." Asuna declared, "She and Kyubey tried to protect me from that man, and ended up getting hurt instead. Now, Madoka's life is at stake. I should do everything I can to save them, this time!"
Kyoko looked up at Asuna, amazed at her. She then closed her eyes, and chuckled. "Man, you are pretty selfless." she told Asuna, "You would willingly go straight into the enemies arms just for the sake of someone you just met." She stood up as well, being on level with Asuna. "I'm a sucker for such sop stories." she told her, "Count me in on this rescue!"
Asuna looked pleased at Kyoko's decision. Perhaps she wasn't so bad after all. And as for what she said, Asuna just knew that Kirito and Sora would do the same, too. That feeling just rubbed off on her. "I'll lead you through the Concourse." Kyoko told Asuna, "You would get lost in that place if you didn't know your way around it."
"Lead the way!" Asuna responded, calling back her Dream Eaters into their cards. Together, the girls raced off to find Madoka, and save her in time.
Kirito's Story
Kirito opened his eyes, his head on the ground. He then slowly raised himself to his feet. "My head…" Kirito moaned, shaking his head, then he looked about. He was still on the hill in Market Street. "Why did I fall asleep?" Kirito asked himself, "And, where are Homura and Sakaya?" Kirito paused to think about the whole scenario.
Then, Komory appeared right next to him, resting on his shoulder. "I hope Sakaya is still on good terms with Homura." he told Komory, who screeched a bit in response. Kirito turned around and looked down the hill. "Let's see if we can find them, Komory." Kirito told his Dream Eater, and he took off, with Komory flying behind him.
Kirito wandered down to the bottom of the hill, where he found a Moogle Shop. He was given the same rundown as Asuna about how to work with his attacks, including given a similar pad. Kirito noticed he had four moves; Fire, Blizzard, Quick Blitz and Spark Dive. He also noticed his Sword Skills could be purchased at the Moogle Shop. There was only one available, which was Sonic Leap. Kirito purchased it, and swapped it with Blizzard. With that, Kirito continued on.
Kirito reached the Alleyway in Twilight Town, where he passed the Usual Spot that Hayner and the guys would hang out at. Just then, he heard some gun shots coming from inside the Usual Spot. "A gun?" Kirito asked, turning to the curtain. Kirito raced towards where the shots took place, wondering what was happening.
Kirito opened the drapes, and he and Komory saw the room a bit bigger than how they remembered. They also noticed several Nightmare Dream Eaters surrounding a young girl.
She was a teenager, probably fifteen. She had yellow eyes and hair, which was worn in twisty, cone-like rolls, held by flower hairpins. She wore a white dress with puffy shoulders and a yellow bow, and detached sleeves with brown fingerless gloves. She had on a leather waste-strap like Leafa's, with a white bow tied in the back, a broad yellow and brown-rimmed skirt, striped brown stockings, and yellow and brown knee-high boots. She also had a brown hat with a white feather on her head, along with a hair piece that looked like a flower with an orange jewel in it. She also carried a musket in her hand.
The girl was calm as she looked at all the Dream Eaters around her, which were composed of Meow Wows. "That girl's in danger!" Kirito noted, pulling out his Keyblade, "I'll deal with them!" Kirito and Komory charged in to aid the girl. Kirito unleashed his Spark Dive right off the bat, sending the Nightmares scattering. Kirito had his back to the girl, who had a calm look of surprise on her. Kirito charged at the individual Dream Eaters, and with the aid of Komory, he took them all out in no time.
As soon as he was done, he turned to the girl, cradling her musket in both hands. "You doin' okay?" Kirito asked her.
"Very much so, thanks to you." the girl answered, giving a curtsy, "And who do I have to thank for my rescue?" Kirito immediately could tell this girl had a bit of poshness to her.
"It's Kirito." he answered.
"Well then, thank you, Kirito." the girl thanked him, "My name is Mami Tomoe."
The two stepped outside of the Usual Spot, going back to the Alleyway. "I'm surprised a boy like you is actually in this world." Mami told Kirito.
"You aren't the first." Kirito replied, "Homura said the same thing."
"Oh, you met Homura?" Mami asked pleasantly.
"Met and lost, along with a girl named Sakaya." Kirito answered, "I was looking for them when I ran into you."
"So Sakaya was with you, too." Mami stated, "Was Madoka among the friends as well?"
"No." Kirito replied simply, "Though based on what they said, it seems like this Madoka girl is pretty important to them."
"I had planned to meet with them so we could have some tea and cake." Mami stated, "However, those Dream Eaters were interfering, and I was fighting them off until you arrived."
'Tea and cake at a time like this?' Kirito asked himself, 'This girl is more feminine than Asuna and the other girls.'
"I am having difficulty finding my friends, right now." Mami told Kirito, looking about, "Would you mind helping me search for them?"
"Uh, sure." Kirito answered, "I am looking for them, myself. I'll even help take down the enemies for you."
"Why thank you." Mami thanked Kirito, "As a matter of fact, I should preserve my magical energy as much as I can."
"In that case, leave everything to me." Kirito declared, and he led Mami as they went into the Tram Commons.
There were plenty of Dream Eaters around the Commons, giving plenty for Kirito to fight against. Mami held back, but that didn't stop her from firing the occasional shot when she felt like she should protect Kirito. The occasional firing did disturb Kirito, as she already said she should preserve her magical energy.
Finally, Kirito asked, "I thought you said you wouldn't fight."
"I said 'I shall preserve my magical energy as much as I can.'" Mami reminded him, "I didn't say I would stop entirely."
"But what would happen if you would use up too much of your energy?" Kirito asked, looking at the jewel on Mami's head, which was tainted a bit darker than before, "Is there anyway of replenishing it?"
"Well, there is defeating powerful Dream Eaters and using their energy to replenish my own magic." Mami answered, "As for what would happen, I can't be too sure."
Kirito looked at Mami's gem, then back at Mami. "Aren't you worried about using too much?" he asked her.
"Not at all." Mami responded, "As long as Nightmares exist, I will protect as many people as I can. It's my own 'justice', so to speak." Kirito looked down a bit. He knew the feeling too well, and the realization of what happens when he can't accomplish that goal.
"Oh, look!" Mami stated, pointing something out. Near the pathway leading back into Market Street was a Portal, floating off to the side.
"What is that?" Kirito asked.
"A Portal." Mami answered, "They are the dreams of people from other worlds. By defeating the Nightmares within, you can free the dreams and get rewarded for your merits. You can even do more so if you accomplish the objective added to it."
"I see." Kirito understood, "Let me give it a shot, then."
Kirito stepped to the Portal, and placed his hand on it. The Portal then lit up, and it showed the face of a man with short, blue hair, blue eyes and a golden hairband. "The person's name…" Kirito muttered, knowing who it was by touching the orb, "His name is Marth. I remember, he was at the Smash Cup!" There were letters that formed on the Portal. "It says I should attack a few times with Flowmotion."
The Portal floated up into the air, and Kirito backed off and got to the ready as the lights shined down, and out came several Pricklemane Nightmares and one beetle-like Nightmare Dream Eater leading them. "Looks like I got a new opponent!" Kirito noticed the new Heartless.
"That's the KO Kabuto." Mami told him, reading from her Dream Eater book.
The KO Kabuto started firing from above while the Pricklmanes charged forward. The fireballs it shot up rained down upon Kirito, who braced himself with his Keyblade. Kirito was sent flying from the explosion of the attack. Kirito was upside down in midair as he saw a lamp post aways from him. He used this, activating his Flowmotion, and came back at the Pricklemanes with a wide-radius, spinning slash.
He then tumbled into the KO Kabuto, utilizing his Flowmotion as he spun around the beast, then launching it at the Pricklemane, where it disappeared. Kirito continued this string of combos by leaping at the wall, activating his Flowmotion again, and drilled right into the Nightmares, followed by a slamming attack. It didn't take Kirito very long before he defeated all the Dream Eaters tasked to him.
When he finished the last one, he whipped his Keyblade around, then made it disappear. He heard applause, and he turned to see Mami clapping. "You're very good at this." she told Kirito, "I wonder if there are such things as Magical Boys, too?"
"I doubt I'm that." Kirito chuckled at that, "I just do with what powers are given to me to defeat enemies. You can say that's my 'justice'." Mami understood the repeated answer she gave him given right back.
With the Dream Eaters defeated, the Portal shined a sparkling of lights down upon Kirito and Komory, giving Munny, Dream Pieces, and, as Kirito discovered, a new Dream Eater Recipe. His book opened itself, revealing the Dream Eater Spirit 'Sir Kyroo'.
"So I get a new Dream Eater, now?" Kirito asked, seeing the recipe.
"Looks that way." Mami responded, "But it looks like you lack the right amount of ingredients. Don't worry, I'll help you add to it."
"Really?" Kirito asked, surprised, "Thanks."
Kirito added his own Intrepid Figments and a single Noble Fancy, with more Fancies added by Mami. Together, with a Hi-Potion Kirito gained, all the ingredients were set. Kirito placed the card in the middle, backed away, and concentrated. "Dream Eater, beckon to my side." Kirito chanted, "Come forth, and fight with me against Nightmares!" The materials once again floated, spun, merged together. A puff of smoke, a bright light, and there stood Kirito's new Dream Eater Spirit.
It was a frog-like Dream Eater, orange with a white and yellow-rimmed belly with the Spirit symbol. It had small, orange and blue wings on its' back. In one hand, it carried a lilypad like a shield. In the other hand, it had a green and yellow-tipped cattail sword. Its' eyes were purple.
"A sword-wielding Dream Eater." Mami stated, seeing the Sir Kyroo approach Kirito.
"Not the most sharp of blades, but it will do." Kirito stated, "I'll call you 'Kyroo' for short. Is that okay?" The frog croaked in response, and Kirito understood it as a yes.
"You should probably power your Dream Eaters before we proceed." Mami suggested, "Your allies should be strong for the fight."
"Good thinking." Kirito answered, grabbing Kyroo's card and pulling out Komory's. He pulled up the Link Board, and started working on each.
From Komory, Kirito gained the spells Confuse and Zero Gravity, along with a boosted resistance to darkness. From Kyroo, Kirito gained the Strike Raid technique, plus a boost to water-based attacks, which he lacked. Still, that left him with three new attacks, but no room for them, since he could only pull off four attacks for the moment. After some organizing, Kirito now used Spark Dive, Fire, Strike Raid and Sonic Leap.
Kirito and Mami went back to the Market Street, and started going up the hill towards the top, dealing with Dream Eaters as they went so. Kyroo was quite a skilled fighter, and an excellent sword user. He also noticed that Kyroo could use a Sleep spell, putting opponents to sleep, giving Kirito some easy opponents to get at.
When Kirito and Mami reached the top of the hill, they heard a familiar voice shout, "What's the big idea?!" The two looked at one another, surprised. Kirito recalled his Dream Eaters, and the two dashed towards where the voice was coming from; the Station Plaza.
Upon their arrival, and when the clocktower started to toll for six, the two witnessed three people at the steps of the Train Station. Sakaya and Homura were at the base of the steps, looking up at a man in the Organization XIII's black coat.
"Homura!" Kirito called out.
"Sakaya!" Mami followed.
The two girls in question turned to see the two that called out to them. "It's Kirito and Mami!" Homura noticed as they raced to their side.
Kirito got in front and whipped out his Keyblade, knowing what kind of person he was dealing with. "Stay back, you three." Kirito warned the girls, "This guy is not one to be trifled with."
"Not so fast." Sakaya retorted, coming next to Kirito, "I want to know why this jerk tried to pin me against Homura." Kirito looked from Sakaya, then to the man. Actually, that was something he would like to know as well.
"I did it for a good cause." the man answered.
"What 'good cause' made you set me against my friend?!" Sakaya demanded.
"I merely hid the dark truth about the Soul Gems you bear from you." the man answered.
"A dark truth?" Mami echoed.
'No…He wouldn't say it.' Homura thought to herself.
"Have you ever wondered what would happen if your Gems would be completely tainted?" the man asked them, "What would come about if the lights in the gem would be gone?"
"We…would not be able to be Magical Girls again, right?" Sakaya guessed.
"Far from that." the man replied, "Not only would you not be Magical Girls, you wouldn't even be human. You would be a Nightmare, like the rest of the creatures in this domain."
Kirito, Sakaya and Mami were shocked at this. "You gotta be kidding me!" Sakaya gasped.
"We would turn into Nightmares, ourselves?!" Mami asked in a panicked tone, "But…that can't be. Does this mean I've been fighting more Magical Girls like me? All this time?"
Kirito turned to Homura, who's expression was not of shock, but of disgruntlement. "Hold on…" Kirito realized, "Homura, did you…?"
"After what I have seen, I know." Homura answered his question before he could finish.
Sakaya turned sharply to Homura. "You knew this would happen to us, too?!" she demanded. Homura could only look down, her expression apologetic.
Kirito watched the two, then heard whimpering from Mami, and he turned to her. Her expression was shocked. Tears were forming in her eyes. "I've…been killing other Magical Girls…" she muttered to herself.
"Get ahold of yourself, Mami." Kirito told her. She didn't respond to him.
"There is a way to prevent this from happening." he told the group, who got all but Mami's attention, "If you do not wish to turn into a Nightmare, or have your close friends become Nightmares, all you have to do is destroy their Soul Gem. Without it, they can no longer be tainted."
"But if you do that, it would be no different than taking someone's life!" Homura shouted, "The Soul Gems are exactly what they are; They house our souls! Destroying them would mean destroying our own existence!"
"I don't want my Gem to be tainted, but dying isn't exactly something I leaned towards, either." Sakaya stated. Kirito looked at Sakaya and Homura, agreeing with their choices.
Just then, the trio heard the cocking of a gun. They turned and were met with two barrels from two muskets Mami carried, pointed at them.
"Wha-?" Kirito started.
"Mami?!" Sakaya gasped, seeing her point one of the guns at Sakaya's Soul Gem, which hanged over her pocket.
"What are you doing?!" Homura demanded to her, seeing the other gun pointed at her own Soul Gem.
"I do not wish to fight any of you, especially if you're a Nightmare." Mami muttered, her eyes shadowed from the group, "I can't believe that all this time, I've been fighting girls like me, and killing them." Mami looked up, and the three were met with a tear-soaked face. "I cannot bring myself to kill my friends like that!" she wailed, "So in order to prevent this, in order to prevent your souls from being tainted, I have no choice. I have to destroy your Soul Gems."
"No! Stop!" Kirito ordered her.
"You've gone crazy!" Sakaya shouted.
"Mami, I know this is all so sudden, but this is not the answer." Homura told her.
"Then what is, then?!" Mami shouted, "Wait for our Soul Gems to taint, just so I can fight your Nightmares?! I can't bear that pain! This is the only other way of preventing that!" She focused the guns on the two girls better. "I'm sorry." she apologized, and pulled the triggers.
There was a pair of gunshots that could be heard throughout Twilight Town. Homura and Sakaya stood there, stunned. The man in black watched in silence. Mami was stunned. Kirito had stepped forward, and used his Keyblade to deflect both bullets simultaneously. All that work in Gun Gale Online wasn't for nothing.
"There is a third alternative." Kirito told Mami, "You can continue living."
Mami blinked, stunned that Kirito could deflect bullets like hers. "…Continue…living?" she sobbed.
"You said it yourself that it is your sense of justice to protect everyone anyway you can." Kirito reminded her, "It would be painful to fight your friends, but it would be just as much so to kill them. So all there is left is to keep living with them."
Mami started to regain her sanity again. She dropped both muskets, and fell to her knees. Kirito turned to Sakaya and Homura, nodding in assurance that she would be okay. Sakaya came to Mami's side, and wrapped her arm around her. Mami pressed her body against Sakaya, crying. She was just too afraid to grasp the reality of it all.
Kirito glared up at the man in black. "You're really twisted, trying to use something like that to cause anguish among friends." he growled.
"Oh, well." the man sighed, "I guess I have to resort to plan B." Kirito got ready to fight, believing him attacking was Plan B.
The man raised his arms, and from above him, a large Nightmare Dream Eater appeared. It was a mandrill-like creature, with no legs or feet. Its' body was a jack-in-the-box like, slightly bright-colored with neon blue and green, with frilly stage magician sleeves, and floating hands.
"The Hockomonkey Mage!" Homura gasped, "That one's gonna…"
"Tata." the man said to the group, and he disappeared into a portal.
"Come back!" Kirito demanded, racing up the steps. The Hockomonkey swiped at Kirito, but he barely dodged it. Kirito watched as the Nightmare started floating up to the top of the Clocktower Train Station.
"Homura, take care of Sakaya and Mami." Kirito told her, "I'll deal with the Nightmare."
"Please do." Homura answered, "Because…that monster is what results in Madoka's death."
"If that's what happened in the other timelines, I'll rectify that!" Kirito declared, racing into the Train Station, about to climb to the top.
Asuna's Story
Kyoko led Asuna into the Tram Commons, where they found the underground passageway to the Concourse. The pathway was fairly complicated, with twists, turns, and Dream Eaters at every corner. Asuna cleared the path for Sakura and her. During this time, Asuna witnessed Petals in action, who was quite good, using its petals like a propeller to attack, and using healing and a Protect spell on Asuna and Pina to protect them.
Kyoko knew which exit to take in the Concourse in order to get to the Train Station. After a while of enduring, the team made it out of the tunnels, and into the Station Plaza.
"Here we are." the redhead told Asuna, looking up at the clocktower.
Asuna looked around the plaza. No one was there. "Madoka! Kyubey!" Asuna called out. No reply.
"Guess they're not here." Kyoko assumed, "Man, we came all the way here for nothing."
"There is one other place." Asuna assumed, looking to the Train Station.
Just then, there was a rumbling coming from inside the Train Station, followed by an animal's roar. "I know that sound!" Kyoko realized.
"The Hockomonkey!" Asuna knew as well. The two dashed right towards the building, up the stairs, and into the station.
(Cue KH3D OST 'Untamable')
Inside, the station, The Hockomonkey Brute was jumping from stationed train to stationed train, thumping its' claws together. Kyubey was right next to Madoka, who had tumbled back to a sitting position. Bow, Madoka's Meow Wow, was standing in front of Madoka, but it tumbled to its' side. It had taken too much damage from the fight with the Nightmare.
Madoka crawled her way to her Dream Eater, wrapping her arms around it. "Please. Hang on, Bow!" she told her Dream Eater, who meowed slightly. Madoka looked worried for her partner, then the Hockomonkey roared, bringing her attention up to see the Hockomonkey hanging from the rafters above. It then let go as it dove down at Madoka, who was too terrified to move.
"Madoka!" Asuna shouted, her Keyblade glowing brightly. She leapt towards the falling mandrill, and unleashed her Linear Rapier Skill. She made contact with the mandrill, causing it to redirect the angle of assault, making it tumble away and save Madoka at the same time.
"Asuna!" Madoka gasped, shocked at her sudden appearance.
Kyoko came to Madoka's aid as well. "You doin' okay?" she asked Madoka.
"Kyoko?" she asked, surprised to see her here, then she answered, "Yeah, I'm okay." Kyoko helped Madoka to her feet, who recalled her Dream Eater. Asuna's Pina and Petal were at Asuna's side as the three saw the Hockomonkey get up.
"I insisted on trying to pursue the man in black, wanting to ask how he came to be here." Kyubey told the group, "We couldn't find him until we saw him enter this Station. When we did, he disappeared, and this monstrous Dream Eater appeared."
"In other words, you got tricked." Kyoko summed up, gritting her teeth, "Just like I almost did."
"Kyoko, take Madoka and Kyubey out of here!" Asuna ordered, "This mandrill is mine!" Kyoko nodded, and she grabbed Madoka and ran, leaving Asuna and her Dream Eaters ready to fight the monster.
The Hockomonkey flipped towards Asuna, attempting to strike her with an inverted kick. Asuna barely dodged it, and charged forward, with Petal using Protect on her and Pina. Asuna unleashed her Thunder spell while Pina unleashed her F Minor spell. Hockomonkey got himself surrounded by three balls of encased flames, while the Thunder attack made it stumble, hitting one of the F Minor bombs and making it holler.
The Hockomonkey shook off the feeling, then waved its' arms to detonate the other two bombs. It then ran away from Asuna and her Dream Eaters, and Asuna pursued, about to fire her Blizzard spell. The Hockomonkey leapt at the wall, pushed itself off, and dashed at Asuna, hitting her and Pina as it did so, sending them flying through the station. Petal looked as Asuna flew over it, then turned and got whacked by one of the Hockomonkey's claws.
Asuna quickly got up again, catching Petal as she flew. "You okay, Petal?!" Asuna asked it hurriedly. Petal chirped in response, then used Cure on the both of them. "Okay, let's try this one more time!" Asuna declared, and she charged forward at the Hockomonkey, with Pina rising to its' feat and charging, just like Asuna, from the Hockomonkey's right.
The Nightmare retracted its' arms and claws inside its' box-like body, and pulled out new arms, which had boxing gloves. "A change of arms isn't gonna change anything!" Asuna shouted, leaping at one of the stationed trains, and activating her Flowmotion. She rocketed at the Nightmare, who turned to Pina as it fired off note-shaped bolts of lightning. It thrusted its' fist forward, and its' arm stretched farther than it normally looked, striking the ground near Pina's feet. Asuna countered that with a drilling slash from her Keyblade, ending with a slam onto the box on the Nightmare's head.
The Nightmare started to glow pink in Asuna's eyes, and she realized what this meant. "Drift!" she shouted, diving into the ground with her Reality Shift. She had the Hockomonkey trapped in a ball of light. Asuna reached out and pulled back the orb. "Let's see how far you go." Asuna stated, and she released the orb, sling-shooting the Hockomonkey towards the backside of the train station, where it fell, stunned. Asuna came out of the Reality Shift, and charged ahead.
The Hockomonkey was just getting up as Asuna unleashed her Quick Blitz, striking it fast before it could retaliate. Petal joined in, using its' Propellor Strike on it, followed by Pina's Musical Bolts.
The Hockomonkey got enraged, and transformed into a hammer onto Asuna before she could get away. Next thing she knew, Asuna was stuck in the place where the monkey's head was before, with only her upper half sticking out instead. Asuna struggled to break free, but the Hockomonkey raised its' boxing gloves, and started pummeling Asuna with them. After several strikes, Asuna was launched out of the Hockomonkey as its' own head appeared back. Asuna fell to the ground side-first, then tumbling face-first to the ground.
Asuna struggled to get to her feet again, but the attack really did her in. The Hockomonkey wasn't gonna wait around. It retracted its' boxing arms, and replaced back with his first arms. It folded itself into the box, and leapt high, about to land on Asuna. Pina and Petal scurried over to Asuna's side. Petal had Asuna wrap her arms around Pina's body, and the two carried Asuna out of the way just in time to avoid the slam. The Hockomonkey then detonated itself with a blast of energy, sending the trio flying all the way to the left side of the stage.
Petal regained itself enough to perform a heal spell onto the team, regaining their stamina. Asuna rose to her feet again, looking down at her Dream Eaters. "Thanks, you guys." Asuna thanked her Dream Eaters, "You two really care for my well being." Petal and Pina happily agreed in response.
The Hockomonkey unfolded itself, howling to continue fighting. Asuna, Pina and Petal readied themselves. "Looks like he's raring for more." Asuna stated, looking to Petal, "I've already discovered that Pina grants me the power of darkness. Let's see what kind of Link Style you provide." Petal chirped in response.
Asuna and Petal focused themselves, then Petal turned into a bright ball and merged with Asuna. "Link Style! Wavesurfer!" Asuna chanted, and suddenly, she found herself to be encased in a blue, watery aura, along with her Keyblade.
Pina unleashed F Minor bombs while Asuna charged forward at the Hockomonkey, who ran at Asuna on all fours. Asuna threw her Keyblade forward, and it became encased in a water, transforming into a surfboard form. Asuna hopped onto her Keyblade surfboard, and came at the beast.
It attempted to swipe at her, but Asuna dodged the Hockomonkey's attack. Asuna then flipped at the beast while riding her surfboard Keyblade, then started spinning her water-based weapon at it several times, hitting it and preventing it time to recover. She ended her combo by scooping her own water powers, then sending it in a heavy tidal wave, making the Hockomonkey fall onto its' back.
"You're finished now!" Asuna declared as Pina joined sent its' F Minor bombs at the Dream Eater, making them explode. Asuna then surfed forward and activated her Linear Rapier Skill with the weapon she was riding on, making the water's blue be added with a silver-white light.
The Hockomonkey got up just in time to see Asuna come at it, roaring in rage as she struck hard with her attack. The Hockomonkey was not only damaged heavily, it was sent flying back again, falling into the center of the room, where it laid motionless. Asuna stopped herself, and she and Pina split up again, both back to normal.
The Hockomonkey's body started glowing brightly as it was carried upwards by and unknown force, towards the ceiling above. It passed right through it, and soared high into the sky above the Clocktower, where it vanished in a sparkling of lights. It was defeated.
Down below, Kyoko, Madoka and Kyubey watched the Hockomonkey disappear. "The Dream Eater is defeated." Kyubey stated.
"Heh. Looks like Asuna did us a good deed." Kyoko stated.
"I just hope she's okay in there." Madoka prayed.
Madoka's answer was revealed when Asuna came walking out of the Station, seeing her friends waiting there, pleased at her achievement. Asuna felt her Command Pad vibrate, and she pulled it out to see that the amount of attacks she could do went up by one, and that her Fire Spell entered the new slot. "Guess my hard work worked out, after all." Asuna stated.
She walked down to her friends, and Madoka stepped forward. "Thank you so much for saving my life." Madoka thanked Asuna.
"No problem." Asuna replied, "You should be thanking kyoko. It was her that warned me you were in trouble."
Madoka looked to her senpai, who turned away, giving a look of denial. "I just let it slip to her, that's all." she stated.
"Thank you, Kyoko." Madoka said with a smile.
Kyoko looked to Madoka, seeing her smile, then blushed as she replied, "Yeah, well don't get too use to it, okay. I just wanted the energy the Dream Eater had to remove the taint from my Soul Gem."
"By energy, did you mean these?" Asuna asked, revealing two balls of light. Madoka and Kyoko were amazed at the sight.
"Those are the proper energy sources for removing the taint." Kyubey noticed, "Did you gain them from the Nightmare?"
"Yes. They just happened to appear in front of me after the fight." Asuna answered, holding them out to the two girls, "You two should use them, okay?"
"I'll be able to use my magic again!" Madoka cheered with pleasure.
"This'll help me with my meal money, for sure." Kyoko added.
Asuna smiled at the two, seeing the two hold their purifying lights. Then as the bell tolled six o'clock, something started to happen. The air started to waver a bit, and the next thing they knew, the four noticed at the base of the stairs to the Train Station, three people's images were there; Homura, Sakaya and the man in black.
"What is…?" Kyoko started, but then two characters fazed right through the group. Kirito and Mami were racing towards Homura and Sakaya.
"Kirito?!" Asuna gasped as the other two girls panicked at being phased through by the two. Asuna watched as Kirito confronted the man in back, with the three girls behind him.
"Kyubey, what are we witnessing?" Madoka asked.
"The images of an alternate timeline." Kyubey answered, "Due to how the timeline here was changed by Asuna, we are witnessing a moment that happened at this time, in this place, in another timeline."
"What do you mean?" Asuna asked.
"Watch." Kyubey responded.
The three girls watched, not being able to hear what the man in black, Kirito or the girls were saying. However, they could see their expressions. Something the man said made the group go into shock, particularly Mami. Kirito and Sakaya turned to Homura, who wasn't as shocked.
"What's gotten their panties in a knot?" Kyoko asked.
"The man told the results of what would happen if your Soul Gem would become completely tainted." Kyubey answered.
"What would happen then?" Asuna asked the little creature.
"We would become witches, right?" Kyoko asked, "I know how it works."
"In your original world, that would happen." Kyubey corrected her, "However in this world, you would become a Nightmare, like that Dream Eater Asuna defeated."
"You're kidding me!" Asuna gasped.
Just then, the trio of girls witnessed something shocking; Mami pulled out two muskets, pointing them at Sakaya and Homura's Soul Gems. "Mami, what's gotten into you?!" Madoka called out.
"The news is unbearable to her, and she is trying to prevent them from becoming Nightmares by destroying their souls." Kyubey answered, "A clever trick, but she will kill them, nonetheless."
"Destroying their souls isn't the way to do it!" Asuna shouted back, turning to the scene before her, "Kirito, don't let her do it!" Kirito did just that. He blocked the bullets Mami fired with his Keyblade. Then after, he told her something that made her slump to her knees.
"Looks like he brought her to her senses." Madoka stated.
"This is another interference in the timeline." Kyubey noted, "You wielders of the Keyblade are a strange bunch."
Madoka stepped forward, seeing Homura watch as Sakaya comfort Mami. "Homura…Sakaya…" she muttered, watching her two close friends.
Kyoko looked to Mami, watching her cry in Sakaya's arms. "Mami…" she muttered, feeling sorry for her.
Asuna watched Kirito sneer at the man in black, pissed off at him. "Kirito…" Asuna muttered, hoping that he wouldn't do anything reckless.
Kirito's Story
Kirito arrived at the top of the Clocktower, summoning his Komory and Kyroo, and looked about. There were no signs of the Hockomonkey arriving. Kirito kept his guard up as he looked around, then he detected the presence of the Nightmare. He turned around and looked up. The Nightmare was above Kirito and his Dream Eaters, waiting for him. "Found you!" Kirito shouted, he and his team ready to go.
The Hockomonkey floated over Kirito, and now hovered over the edge of the top of the Clocktower. Kirito could tell this was an unfair fight, since he was utilizing Kirito's lack of long-range attacks. However, this was not gonna stop him from trying to fight. "Time to take you out of the equation!" he declared, getting into a battle stance.
(Cue KH3D OST 'Untamable')
The Hockomonkey summoned fireballs, and tossed them at Kirito. He dodged out of the way, then turned around and shouted, "Have a taste of your own flames!", and unleashed his Fire spell, hitting the Dream Eater. Komory was able to reach the Hockomonkey due to being able to fly, and screeched into its' face. Kyroo was unable to reach it, and it got pretty annoyed by it. "Just hold on, buddy." Kirito told it, "You can do your own part later."
The Hockomonkey used its' hovering hands, shooting them at Kirito and Kyroo. The two ducked out of the way, then looked up to see it retract its' hands. "Let's see, I can't use my close-range attacks, Kyroo can't attack it, and I can't use Flowmotion, either." Kirito listed, "Guess all I can do is count on Komory, and use my long-range attacks."
The only two attacks Kirito could pull off were Fire and his Strike Raid technique. The Hockomonkey retaliated by shooting his fists and fireballs at Kirito and Kyroo, who did their best avoiding the attacks. Komory was doing pretty well in the sky, though it was clear it was still outmatched against the Hockomonkey.
The Hockomonkey got close enough to Kirito in order to swipe at him. "Now's our chance!" Kirito told Kyroo, and the two avoided getting swiped at and striking it hard simultaneously. The Hockomonkey roared in pain, and backed off.
"It will be tough to get another opportunity like that!" Kirito stated, "We need to find a way to give us the open space needed to fight better." Kyroo then waved his cattail blade at Kirito, waving him to something. Kirito saw Kyroo point down to the ground, where Mami, Homura and Sakaya were at. Suddenly, Kirito had an idea. "It might be reckless, but it has to work!" Kirito stated.
Kirito saw Komory avoiding a couple fireballs made by the Hockomonkey, but got hit by the third. "Komory, come back here!" Kirito called out. Komory shook the singes it felt, and flew back to Kirito's side. "Komory, carry Kyroo and wait for my signal, okay?" he told his Dream Eater. Komory nodded in response, and retreated to Kyroo's side.
Kirito saw the Hockomonkey glaring at him, and prepared another volley of fireballs for him. "Bring it!" Kirito declared, ready to pull off his trick. Jus as the Dream Eater threw its' fireballs, Kirito unleashed his Strike Raid, making the fireballs explode in midair.
When his Keyblade came back to him, Kirito made his Keyblade glow blue, and he ran and leapt off the building to the Hockomonkey. He unleashed his Sonic Leap at the Hockomonkey, slamming his Keyblade hard onto its' body. The force of the attack sent the Hockomonkey falling down, with Kirito falling with it. "Komory! Kyroo!" Kirito called out. Komory and Kyroo appeared next to their master in a puff of smoke, the bat carrying the frog.
From below, the three girls watched as Kirito, his Dream Eaters, and the Hockomonkey were falling towards them. "Woah, woah, woah! What is he doing?!" Sakaya shouted. Mami and Homura were speechless, both amazed and worried about Kirito's feet.
Kirito dove at the Hockomonkey, who tried to swipe at Kirito. He took the hit, spinning around in midair until he regained himself, then unleashed his Spark Dive technique, cloaking himself in lightning and diving right into the Hockomonkey. The attack hurt the Dream Eater, causing it to fall faster. The moment they hit the ground, there was a massive explosion, and smoke was the only thing visible to the girls. Komory let go of Kyroo when it was safe to do so.
"Kirito!" Mami called out.
"Did he survive the fall?" Homura questioned. For a moment, they thought he didn't. Then suddenly, Kirito reappeared out of the smoke, taking a drink of potion to regain his stamina.
"That was too close." Kirito sighed, "Good thing I'm tougher than the average fighter, or I would've died."
"Anyone could've died from that!" Sakaya shouted, "You were lucky to survive that!"
The Hockomonkey recovered from the fall as well, and it roared at Kirito. "Okay, now that we are on open grounds, let see how well you handle us!" Kirito declared. Kyroo and Komory agreed whole heartedly, and they charged forward. Homura, Sakaya and Mami all backed off to the Concourse so that Kirito could fight without worrying about their safety.
The Hockomonkey raised its' hands, and several fists appeared around the path between Kirito and the beast. Kirito and his Dream Eaters witnessed it, and dispersed as the fists started falling down upon them. Kirito unleashed his Strike Raid, hitting the Hockomonkey. Kyroo got in and unleashed a spinning slash, while Komory slashed it with its' wings.
The Hockomonkey dispersed its' own body into four hands, which floated around, finding potted plants all around the area to toss at Kirito and his Dream Eaters. "Okay, this is new." Kirito stated, dodging one large potted plant, "Kyroo, Komory, let's take out the hands." The trio dispersed.
Kirito hit the wall of the Train Station, activating his Flowmotion, and struck one of the hands with a series of attacks, damaging it strong enough to destroy it. Kirito then got hit by a potted plant, bringing his attention to another one of the Hockomonkey's hands. He charged forward, avoiding a swipe from the hand, and slashed at it. He then used several more slashes, ending with a Spark Dive, taking it out. Komory and Kyroo had already taken out their own Hockomonkey hands.
The four defeated hands came together, forming back into the dazed Hockomonkey, which started to glow pink as Kirito got close. "Gotcha now!" Kirito declared, "Drift!" Kirito activated Reality Shift, trapping the Hockomonkey into a ball of light. He directed the attack carefully, and launched the Hockomonkey straight at the wall of the Train Station, where it slammed into with a burst of light. It fell to the ground, its' tongue lolling out, and its' eyes closed.
The Nightmare got encased by another ball of light as it was pulled upwards by an unknown force. Then it glowed brightly, and disappeared from existence in a sparkling of lights. The Hockomonkey Mage was defeated. "Way to go, you guys!" Kirito thanked Kyroo and Komory, rubbing their heads. The two felt pleased for being praised.
Just then, two things happened. One, Kirito's Command Pad activated, and Kirito pulled it up to see that his amount of attacks he could use went up by one, and that his Zero Gravity Spell entered the new slot. Secondly, two orbs of light appeared in front of Kirito, floating with a mysterious energy.
Homura, Sakaya and Mami joined Kirito as he recalled his Dream Eaters. "You defeated the Hockomonkey." Homura noticed, "And I see you got purifying lights for our Soul Gems."
"So that's what these are for." Kirito stated, seeing the orbs, "Unfortunately, I only have two."
"You two take them." Mami told Homura and Sakaya, "You need them more."
"Are you sure?" Sakaya asked, "What about your own Soul Gem. Aren't you worried about it being tainted, now that we know the truth behind it?"
"I know. That's why it would be better for you guys to purify your gems first." Mami answered, "At least my friends will still be safe. Also, it's a way for me to apologize for almost trying to…" She couldn't finish that statement.
"We all realize that there are risks in life we have to take." Kirito told Mami, "But if we work with our friends to preserve that life, then we can continue fighting, no matter the risk. I think you just need to realize how important that is." Mami looked to Sakaya and Homura, who smiled and nodded at her. Mami smiled appreciatively. She really did want to protect her friends, but now she wants them to live with her.
Just then, the air started to shift, and suddenly, four characters appeared near the stairs of the Train Station. It was Asuna, Madoka, Kyubey, and Kyoko. Kirito and the girls approached them, Kirito coming up to Asuna.
"What is this?" Kirito asked Homura, attempting to touch Asuna, only for his hand to go right through her shoulder.
"It's a shift in reality." Homura answered, "Basically, we are seeing people that are here from a different timeline. It's because you altered the timeline's course by stopping Mami and defeating the Dream Eater.
Mami approached Kyoko, seeing her face looking back at her. "Kyoko…" she muttered, "She would really chew me out for what I tried to do."
Sakaya looked down at Kyubey, seeing the blank expression it always shown. "Honestly, I don't know what Kyubey was thinking, bringing us here." she sighed.
"It wasn't Kyubey that did it." Homura corrected Sakaya, looking at Madoka, "It was one wish that really changed it for us." She looked at Madoka's smiling face, smiling back at her. "Madoka…" she muttered.
Kirito looked at his three companions, then at Asuna, seeing her calm and caring expression. "Asuna, what did we end up doing?" Kirito asked her, knowing she couldn't hear him.
There was a sudden bright light that shone itself all around Twilight Town. Next thing they knew, Kirito, Asuna, Kyubey and Homura were the only ones in the Station Plaza, each in their own timelines. Kirito and Asuna stood side by side as Homura and Kyubey stood there, facing them.
"In our world, villainous creatures were attacking across the universe." Homura explained to the two of them, who now could hear her in both timelines, "Kyubey was a celestial being designed to recruit girls like me to become Magical Girls to protect the people. In exchange for our service, we were granted one wish each. Mine was simple; I wished to stay with Madoka, my closest friend, as long as I could. That wish made me witness Madoka die a few times, and time itself would rewind, and I would meet her again, like nothing happened before."
"Because of Homura's wish, Madoka's own wish would become stronger and stronger for each timeline." Kyubey followed Homura, "Then she wished for one thing that was incredibly powerful; To create a world where her friends would be free from the laws of witches. Thus, this world was created for her; A world of dreams and wishes, added on by many others onto Madoka's to be made."
"This world was created by Madoka?" Asuna asked.
"Exactly. And those Magical Girls that were a great influence in her life became part of this world." Kyubey stated, "Though this did not stop Homura's wish to cease, for every time a Dream Eater would kill her, time itself would rewind back to the beginning of the creation of this world."
"I guess you could say that I'm responsible for the multiple timelines that were made." Homura stated, "However, thanks to you two and your efforts, you managed to defy the timelines' original courses, causing them not to go into another loop."
"But what about your home?" Kirito asked, "Would you ever want to go back again?"
"The chances are high." Kyubey answered, "Though in this world, I realize just how strong a dream is to someone. When all you want to do is protect your friends, and preserve the love you have for them, it flourishes into something powerful. I don't have the emotions to understand it completely, but I can calculate the power increase it develops."
"Friendship and love are things you cannot simply calculate." Homura retorted to Kyubey, "They are things that exist that make you stronger, make you want to protect the people that matter, and fight for a future worth living. Maybe this world was already created, and it called the five of us, Magical Girls, to realize that message. And maybe you were brought here to deliver that message to us." She smiled at the two of them. "Thank you, for giving us that message."
Asuna and Kirito looked to one another, smiling at her thanks. "We're glad to help!" they responded in unison, "Now please, be safe."
Homura nodded in approval. Kyubey turned to Homura, and leapt up to her shoulders. The two were encased in a bright light, and suddenly, they vanished from sight, amazing the two Keyblade wielders.
Kirito and Asuna looked up at the Clocktower Train Station. A keyhole suddenly appeared above them. One of the Sleeping Keyholes. Asuna and Kirito nodded to one another, then raised their Keyblades. Both started to shine brightly, and shot a beam of light at the Keyhole. Like before, the lights connected with the Keyhole, and opened it up for them. The two were enveloped in a bright light, whisking them away as they felt sleep take them.
The last thing Kirito could think was what happened to Leafa. Did she already move ahead of them? Was she having trouble finding this world's Keyhole? Or did she not appear here at all. All he hoped was that she was safe from harm.
Leafa's Story
In the Sandlot, Two Nightmare Tyranto Rexs fell to the ground, where they disappeared from view. Leafa stood there, panting, her Sylphwing Keyblade held in her hand. A Kooma Panda and Meow Wow Spirit were right next to her.
Leafa's Dream attire was a lot brighter-colored green than her former clothes. Her flowery headband became white and green-rimmed, and she had a white choker with a red ribbon and gold button. Her dress became a two-piece with top and bottom. The top regained its' puffy shoulders, and her detached sleeves became simple wrist sleeves with gold bracelets. The chest part was a lighter green with a white X on it, held with yellow straps.
Her leather waist strap showed a bit of her midriff under her white leather and gold strap belt. Her bottom part of her dress was shorter, now more as a light green and white-lined waist guard, with a darker green and yellow-trimmed skirt underneath. Her leggings were frilly at the top, held by green bands. Her boots were now of a different style; black strings going up, with yellow straps wrapped around the bottom and metallic soles.
"Man, that was tough…" she sighed, placing her Keyblade away and turning to her Dream Eater, "You two really helped out there. Thanks." The two Dream Eaters, whom were dubbed Kooms and Wowzer, cried out in response.
"Okay, let's see your stat boosts." Leafa decided, pulling up both of their cards, "Looks like I can get an attack boost from you, Kooms, which would come in handy. And Wowzer, I see we accumulated enough for me to gain a resistance boost from light-based attacks, plus a Slow Spell." Leafa pulled off each objective, giving herself new power to use. By defeating the two powerful Dream Eaters, Leafa gained a new attack to use in her Commands. So far, she had Quick Strike, Fire, Blizzard, Cure and Circle Raid.
Leafa sighed, then looked up into the sky. "So far, I haven't located the Sleeping Keyhole, nor Kazuto or Asuna." she stated, "I need to keep going, though. I have to become a Keyblade Master. That way, I'll be able to find…" She stopped mid-sentence. She had just seen a guy wearing a black coat enter the Market Street. However, his head was revealed, and Leafa was stunned to see the familiar lime-green hairstyle of the one person she was looking for.
"It can't be…" Leafa stated, pausing for a second, then she called out, "Recon!" she raced after the boy as he exited the Sandlot, going into the streets. "Recon, it's me!" Leafa shouted, raising her hand out to him, "It's Leafa! Can you hear me?"
Recon waved his hand forward, and a black portal opened up before him. This made Leafa stop, watching as he paused for a second, looking to the side, but not at Leafa, and smirking. He then walked into the portal, and vanished. "That portal. How is he…?" Leafa asked, "Something is off. But I know that's Recon. It has to be him, it just has to!" Leafa recalled her Dream Eaters and entered the portal behind Recon. The portal closed up behind her.
"That was almost too easy…"
Next Time on SAK:FF
Asuna: I blast from one world of Magical Girls, only to end up in another one! This time, this girl Nanoha, and a large dog-girl person named Aruf need to stop this girl name Fate from making the wrong decision. But does it really have to resort to fighting? Why?
Next time on Sword Art Kingdom Falling Fantasy
Lyrical Jewel! Fate, Thy Friend!
Kirito & Asuna: The Dreams have yet to be discovered!