Spike and the Young Six soon arrived at a town with street lights lit up and a few large buildings around. The group is now wearing the clothes Celestia has instructed them to wear when they arrived in this world. Spike was now wearing a purple and black hoodie with matching pants with extra pockets. Smolder was wearing an orange and purple leather jacket with extra zippers down the sleeves and matching pants while she was wearing the fighting gloves on her claws as they had small metal plates on the knuckles of them.

Silverstream is seen wearing a bright pink hoodie with a black stripe down the back and pocket packs attached to the sleeves while she was wearing bright blue pants. Gallus was wearing a dark blue leather jacket with yellow lines around the sleeves and goggles on his head while he wore black pants with extra pockets on the sides. Yona was wearing a green sweater with a black leather vest while Sandbar was wearing a greenish yellow jacket with a dark green stripe down the sleeves and extra pockets on the sides.

Finally, Ocellus wears light blue hoodie with a red stripe down the back and up the sleeves. Extra green pockets seem to be placed on the shoulders of the jacket as they had red straps the shape of an X on them. "I gotta say, we look very cool right now." Smolder mentioned as she looked herself over in her new outfit.

"Yeah, but I kind of wish when we left our world, the exit would have been smoother." Gallus complained just as Silverstream stopped and looked up at the sky. She gasped in shock and got the others' attention.

"What's up?" Ocellus asked before Silverstream pointed up to what she gasped at. They all looked up and had the exact same shocked looks on their faces when they saw something in the sky.

"A star is going out!" Silverstream called out as a star in the sky blinked out.

"Just as Twilight said." Spike mentioned before he looked at the others. "Come on, we gotta hurry!" They all nodded in agreement as they ventured on.

"Where do we find key?" Yona asked her friends.

"Maybe we should be looking for this Leon guy first." Sandbar suggested as they walked up some steps in front of an accessory shop.

"Let's split up, so that we might be able to find both of them at the same time." Gallus suggested as Owloysius flew down an alley next to the shop. "Half of us will find Leon while the rest of us will find this key."

"Good idea." Silverstream agreed as she, him, and Spike went in one direction while the rest of them went into another. But with Owloysius, he found something of interest in the alley he flew down in. He found an unconscious Key laying on the ground before he landed in front of him and tapped his muzzle with his beak.

Key let out a groan when he felt something peck his face before he lifted up his head and opened his eyes. His vision was a little fuzzy as he could barely see Owloysius in front of him. "What a dream…" He groaned before he rested his head down again. Owloysius then jumped on his side, causing Key to jump and be fully awakened. "This isn't a dream!" Key then stood up and looked around as he was confused about his surroundings. "Where am I? Oh boy…" He wondered before he looked at Owloysius. "Do you know where we are?"

"Hoo." Owloysius said.

"You and me." Key answered.

"Hoo." Owloysius repeated before he heard something. Whatever he heard, it caused him to fly off.

"Hey…" Key called out. When he was too far away, Key decided to have a look around as he walked out of the alley and around the corner. He then saw that he was no longer on his Island, as he could see large buildings and street lights. "This is totally weird… I'm in another world! But where is Dusk and Heart?" He then started to ask around some of the locals as they said something about their own worlds being gone, which only confused him more. He then noticed an accessory shop and wondered if he could get answers there.

He entered the shop to find an earth pony stallion with a brown coat, yellow mane, and blue eyes behind the counter. This stallion wore goggles on his head while he had a toothpick in his mouth. "Hey there, how can I…" The stallion spoke with a country accent before he saw Key by the door. "Aw, it's only a kid."

"I'm not a kid!" Key told the stallion as he walked up to the counter. "And the name's Key!"

"Okay, okay, simmer down." The stallion told him. "So why the long face, Key? You lost or somethin'?"

"No! Well, maybe." Key replied in an unsure tone. "Where are we?"

"Huh?" The stallion then started to explain where he is and what world this is.

"Traverse Town…" Key repeated the name of the world they're in. "So, gramps, is this really another world?"

"Don't call me gramps! The name's Cid!" The stallion introduced himself. "Anyway… Not sure what you're talkin' about, but this sure ain't your island."

"Hmmm… Guess I'd better start looking for Dusk and Heart." Key mentioned.

"Well, good luck with whatever it is you're doing." Cid told Key. "If you ever run into trouble, you come to me. I'll look out for you." Key soon left the shop and wondered where to look next. He decided to head towards the second district of Traverse Town to look for his friends.

Key soon entered the second district before he saw a stallion running before he fell to the ground. What he saw next really shocked him as a glowing crystal heart came out of the stallion before his body disappeared. He then watched as that heart turned into some black creature with a helmet on its head and sharp claws as it stood on its two legs with a strange symbol on its chest. It soon did a front flip before it vanished.

"Was… Was that his heart?!" He asked in shock before he went over to where the stallion disappeared. As soon as he reached the center of where the stallion disappeared, multiple of the small black creatures appeared around him. "It's those creatures from the island!" He exclaimed before the Keyblade suddenly appeared in his hoof. As the small black creatures started to attack him, he used the Keyblade to defend himself as he took on the six of them. Once he took care of them when they were destroyed in a puff of black smoke, he looked around the second district to see where to start his search for his friends. "I think I'll start with that hotel over there."

As he walked over and entered the hotel, Gallus, Silverstream, and Ocellus entered the second district. "Doesn't look like he's here." Silverstream mentioned as she looked around.

"Keep looking." Gallus told her.

"Yeah, Leon has got to be around here somewhere." Ocellus said as they started to look around the second district.

Inside the hotel, Key looked around the hotel as he walked down the hall. The rooms however were locked as he searched and couldn't find anyone at the front counter either. After exiting the hotel, more of those small black creatures suddenly appeared as he took out the keyblade and destroyed them. After they were dealt with, Key walked up some steps and entered a Gizmo Shop just as Spike, Smolder, Yona, and Sandbar exited the hotel. "Well no sign of a key in there." Smolder complained.

"Do friends know what key we are looking for?" Yona questioned.

"I'm guessing we'll know it when we see it." Spike mentioned with a shrug.

"Anyone else think this might be like looking for a needle in a haystack?" Sandbar asked before they went to look for the key somewhere else.

Meanwhile in the Gizmo Shop, Key found himself fighting off more of the black creatures as they kept appearing from the floor. "Where are these things coming from?!" He asked himself as he took care of the last of them. He soon exited the shop and saw a ladder when he came out. "Looks kinda wobbly… Guess I can't climb it now." Even jumped off of the roof, and thanks to his years on his island, he landed safely on the ground before noticing a door. He went over and entered the house just as Gallus, Silverstream, and Ocellus exited the Gizmo Shop as they were looking for Leon.

"Not here either." Ocellus said as they looked around.

"I have a feeling this is going to take a while." Silverstream said as she scratched the back of her head.

"Let's hope the others are having better luck finding this key." Gallus said before they continued their search for Leon.

After searching a house filled with many dalmatians, Key left the house and decided to look somewhere else. He ran into more of those small black creatures from his Islands as he fought them off with the Keyblade. After taking care of them, Key noticed a doorway near the fountain before he walked over and entered an alleyway behind the hotel just as Spike, Smolder, Yona, and Sandbar exited the hotel. "Nothing in that Gizmo Shop, and nothing again in that hotel." Smolder mentioned with her arms crossed.

"I really wish that Twilight described what kind of key we're supposed to be looking for." Spike complained.

"Maybe we should search that house next to the shop." Sandbar suggested as he pointed ahead.

"It's worth a shot." Yona said before they went over to that house.

After he couldn't find anything in the back alley of the hotel, Key decided to head back to the first district to talk to Cid. He had a fight through more of those dark creatures along the way before he finally got to the first district and entered the accessory shop. "Still haven't found 'em, huh?" Cid asked Key, who nodded in response. "Keep your chin up. Take another look around town."

"Well okay." Key replied with a shrug. He then made his way out of the shop with the keyblade out.

"They'll come at you from nowhere." He heard a voice called out to him.

"Who's there?!" He quickly turned to see a griffin with a black coat and white feathers on his head. This griffin also wore a jacket with small sleeves and a symbol that looked like a lion's head.

"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade." The griffin told Key as he pointed towards the Keyblade. "But why? Why would it choose a colt like you?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Key asked the griffin.

"Never mind." The griffin replied. "Now, let's see that Keyblade." He was about to approach Key before he saw him take an offensive stance with the Keyblade.

"What? There's no way you're getting this!" He told him before he saw the griffin pull out a sword with a gun barrel revolver in the guard of it.

"All right, then have it your way." The griffin said as he swung his sword down and took a battle sword stance. Key saw the griffin summoned a ball of fire in his left claw before launching it right at him. He had to quickly tuck and roll from the attack just before the griffin leaped towards him and swung his blade at him. Key quickly swung his Keyblade to clash blades with the griffin before pushing back and the two of them clashed blades a few times. "You're good, for a colt."

"You will be surprised how good I am!" Key told the griffin before he rushed in and got a few good hits in. The griffin jumped back and threw another fireball right at him. Key was ready for it this time as he hit the fireball back at him before giving a few more hits to him. After another hit, the griffin saw an opening and hit Key in the gut. This caused him to clutch his gut before he was hit right in the neck. This caused Key to feel dizzy before he saw the griffin double back and took a knee. "Now…you're…gonna…you're gonna…" He said before he felt dizzy and fell onto his back as he lost consciousness. With Key down, the griffin took a breath before standing up.

"Aw, you're slipping, Leon ." A mare's voice spoke. The griffin turns to see a unicorn mare with a light blue coat, black mane, and wearing a yellow scarf and a white bandana.

"I went easy on him. Still…" Leon spoke as he turned to look back at the unconscious Key. "It looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse."

In an unknown location, the sounds of waterfalls can be heard as Dusk was slowly coming to. Dusk opened his eyes and slowly picked himself off of the ground. His head still felt a little dizzy when he stood up before he looked around and saw he was surrounded by water with a few frozen platforms hovering in the air. "Where am I?" He asked before he looked around and noticed his friends weren't around. "Key! Heart!" He called out but got no response. He looked down with a sad look as he wondered where he's going to find his friends, completely unaware that something or someone was watching him from afar.

Back in Traverse Town, Spike and the Young Six regrouped in the alleyway behind the hotel to check up on one other's progress. "Any luck finding Leon?" Sandbar asked Gallus, Silverstream, and Ocellus.

"Nope, and I'm guessing you didn't have any luck finding this 'key' either?" Gallus asked the others.

"We found some keys, but I doubt that they're the key we're looking for." Smolder told him as she let out an annoyed sigh. "This would be a lot easier if the princess described what key we're supposed to be looking for."

"You know, during our time here, we haven't seen a single creature around." Ocellus pointed out nervously. "It kind of gives me the creeps."

"It's probably just because everyone is inside their homes." Silverstream guessed as they started to move.

"Still spooky." Yona mentioned.

"Come on, we faced scarier things than this." Gallus reminded them before he felt a tap on his shoulder. This caused him to scream in fear as he jumped on top of Yona, causing the others to scream as well.

"Excuse me, did the princess send you?" A soft female voice asked them before they turned to see a female griffin with a crimson red coat and bright red feathers on her head.

"Come on, lazy bum. Wake up." Key heard a familiar voice tell him. He sat up in a bed before he shook his head and saw Heart standing next to him. "You okay?"

"I guess…" Key replied as his head still felt a little dizzy.

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade." Heart told him. "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."

"I'm so glad that you're okay, Heart." Key mentioned with a smile.

"Heart? Who are you talking about?" Heart asked as her voice started to change. "I'm the great ninja Yuffie."

"Huh?" Key shook his head and saw he wasn't talking to Heart, but to Yuffie when his head was clear.

"I think you might've overdone it, Squall." Yuffie mentioned as she turned to the griffin.

"That's Leon." He corrected her before Key saw the keyblade resting on the wall.

"The Keyblade…" Key said when he saw it.

"Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures." Yuffie explained as she walked next to Leon. "It turns out that's how they were tracking you."

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them." Leon added. "But it won't work for long. Still hard to believe that you of all creatures are the chosen one." He mentioned as he picked up the Keyblade. But the moment he held it up, it vanished out of his claws and reappeared in Key's hoof, which really surprised him. "Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

"Why don't you start making sense!" Key demanded. "What's going on here?"

In another room, Spike and the Young Six followed the female griffin to the hotel as she sat on the bed and looked towards them. "Okay, you know there are many worlds out there besides your world and this town, right?" She asked them.

"Yeah we do." Smolder answered.

"But I thought there's supposed to be a secret and no one is supposed to know about them." Ocellus said in a worried tone.

"They've been secret because they've never been connected." The griffin explained. "Until now. When the Heartless came, everything changed."

"The Heartless?" Key asked as he was having the same conversation with Leon and Yuffie.

"The ones who attacked you, you remember?" Yuffie asked him.

"Those without hearts." Leon spoke up.

"The darkness in creature's hearts, that's what attracts them." Yuffie told Key.

"And there is darkness within every heart." Leon added.

"Hey, have you heard of a pony named Ansem?" Yuffie asked Key.

"Ansem?" Yona repeated when the female griffin asked them the same question.

"He was studying the Heartless." She explained to them. "He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report."

"Then don't mind if we see it, do you?" Ocellus asked as the female griffin looked down with a sad look.

"Its pages are scattered everywhere."

"Scattered?!" Spike asked in shock.

"To many worlds."

"Then maybe Princess Twilight went to find them." Sandbar guessed.

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly." The female griffin agreed.

"Then we've gotta find her quick!" Smolder quickly suggested.

"Wait a minute, aren't we forgetting something?" Gallus asked them. "We need to find that key first."

"That's right, the Keyblade." The female griffin told them.

"So…this is the key?" Key asked as he held up the Keyblade.

"Exactly!" Yuffie told him with a nod.

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade." Leon told Key. "That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what."

"Well, I didn't ask for this." Key mentioned before he looked at Yuffie as he held out the Keyblade to her. "Here, you can have it."

"Sorry, but the Keyblade chooses its master." She told him as she denied his offer. "And right now, it chose you."

"So tough luck." Leon said as he crossed his arms and leaned against a wall.

"How did all this happen?" Key asked with a confused expression on his face. "I remember being in my room before I saw a storm over my…" He then let out a gasp of shock as he stood up from the bed. "Wait a minute! What happened to my home?! My island?! Dusk! Heart!"

"You know what? I really don't know." Leon replied as Key looked down with a sad look.

"You know, I've heard that the Keyblade can open all sorts of locks." Yuffie told Key. "Give it a try next time you find a treasure chest or door lock! Plus don't worry, I'm sure that your friends are out there and you'll be able to find them."

"I hope so." Key said before Leon walked up to him.

"Sooner or later, the Heartless will find you." He told Key. "You'd best prepare yourself."

"Prepare myself?"

"To fight for your life." Leon explained. "Are you ready?"

"If it means to find my friends, then I'm ready!" Key declared as Leon looked over at Yuffie.

"Yuffie, let's go join Aerith." He said as he pointed to the door behind him. "She should be there by now with the other visitors."

"Leon!" Yuffie called out as a Soldier Heartless appeared in the room.

"Yuffie, go!" Leon ordered as she nodded in agreement. Spike and the others could hear the commotion coming from the other room before the door suddenly opened it and slammed right into Spike's face, as Yuffie ran past them.

"Yuffie!" The female griffin, Aerith, called out when she ran past her. Back in the room with Leon and Key, both of them readied their weapons as Leon swung his sword.

"Key, let's go!" Leon shouted before he knocked the Soldier Heartless out of the room. Leon followed it out before Key followed behind.

"Did you hear that?" Silverstream asked her friends. "Someone said 'key.'"

"Maybe it was Leon and he has the key!" Ocellus theorized.

"Then let's go!" Smolder declared before she opened the door and they all winced when they saw Spike smashed against the wall. Spike stumbled forward as he was dizzy before he fell face first on the floor. "Ouch…"

In the back alley both Key and Leon were surrounded by Soldier Heartless as they fought them off. Once they were destroyed Leon turned towards him. "Don't bother with a small fry." He told him. "Find the leader!"

"What leader?!" Key asked before more Heartless showed up. Him and Leon got separated as they fought them off. Key was then being chased by the Heartless as he fought them off before making his way to the Third District. He made his way down some stairs to a large area, the Young Six were up on a balcony in the Third District as they saw Key down from where they were.

"Who's that?" Silverstream asked before they turned to see a couple of Soldier Heartless appear.

"These things must be the Heartless Aerith told us about!" Sandbar said when they saw them.

"They don't look so tough!" Smolder challenged as she clenched her fist with her fighting gloves ready. The other five then summoned their own weapons as Sandbar held up a shield with a purple six point star on it while Ocellus was holding a magic staff with a six pointed star on the top of it. Yona held on to a large Warhammer with a six-pointed star on both sides of it, Gallus is seen wielding a sword with wings of the guard of the sword, and Silverstream and a blade bow at the Heartless. "Let's get 'em!"

"Let's try one of the magic spells I learned on the way here!" Ocellus suggested as she held up her staff. "Fire!" The end of the staff glowed right before it backfired, sending all six of them flying off of the balcony. Key saw them coming in as he tried to run for it right before they fell right on top of him. They all groaned in pain in the pile that they were in before the Young Six shook their heads and laid eyes on the Keyblade.

"The Key!" They exclaimed before they felt the ground shake. They all stood up and it's all a bunch of pillars blocking anyway out of the Third District before more Heartless showed up. They ready their weapons as the Heartless charged right at them. Yona swung her hammer as she destroyed at least four of them while Gallus flew up and whooped down as he swung his sword to take out five more. Ocellus concentrated this time as she launched fireballs at a few heartless while Silverstream pulled back on the string of her bow as arrows suddenly appeared before she fired them at the Heartless.

Sandbar used his shield to bash against a few Heartless while Key used the Keyblade to strike down some more. Smolder seemed to be holding her own as she used her fighting gloves to knock back a few heartless before breathing fire on them. After each of them took out the last of the Heartless, they thought they were in the clear before they jumped back when a giant suit of armor suddenly fell from the sky. Said armor started to rattle a bit before it hovered off of the ground and the arms and legs connected to the body of the armor before the helmet landed on top of it.

"So this thing must be the leader Leon told me about!" Key mentioned before he readied his Keyblade. He then charged right at the armor and swung it before the armor swung its claws and knocked him back into a wall. "O-Okay… that smarts…"

"Heal." Ocellus casted a healing spell as a green glow covered Key. Key then saw Sandbar use his shield to block another attack from the boss heartless as Yona and Gallus attacked the arms. Silverstream flew up and used the blade of her blade bow to slash the body of the armor while Smolder was attacking the feet of the armor. "Don't worry, we got your back!"

"Thanks!" Key replied as he stood up. He then charged in and joined the fight as he helped Smolder attack the feet. Soon the arms and legs of the armor were destroyed and only the body of the armor remained. The armor then started to spin around fast and knock each of them back.

"Oh man, this thing's tough without its arms and legs!" Gallus commented before Key noticed the end of the keyblade was glowing red. Then one word started echoing in his head before he looked at the spinning armor coming towards them and aimed the keyblade right at it.

"Fire!" He called out as a fireball was launched right at the armor. The impact caused the armor to be sent flying back and crashed onto the ground. "Quick, let's hit it while it's down!" The group nodded in agreement before they all charged in and started hitting it with all they got. When it started to rise up, Key jumped off of Yona and delivered the final blow as sparks flew off of the armor. They watched as the armor rattled a bit before the helmet fell to the ground and the rest of the armor fell with it. It glowed bright before a crystallized heart came out of the light and flew up into the sky. Once it was defeated, the pillars went down to let Leon, Yuffie, Spike, and Aerith through.

After a quick explanation of what happened, Key looked at the Young Six. "So you guys were looking for me?" He asked them as all six of them nodded in response.

"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." Leon spoke up as both Yuffie and Aerith nodded in agreement.

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" Sandbar offered Key. "We can go to other worlds on our vessel."

"I wonder if I could find Dusk and Heart…" Key said as he looked down with a sad look.

"Of course." Smolder told him before her friends pulled her aside.

"Are you sure about that?" Ocellus whispered. "They're too many worlds, so we don't know if we can find his friends."

"I know, but we need him to come with us to help us find Princess Twilight." Smolder whispered back.

"And who knows, maybe we will find his friends along the way." Silverstream whispered.

"If we have, then we will." Gallus whispered with a shrug.

"Key, go with them." Leon told him. "Especially if you want to find your friends."

"Yeah, I guess." Key sighed.

"But you can't come with us looking like that. Understand?" Ocellus told Key. "No frowning. No sad face. Our teacher, Professor Pinkie Pie, taught us that no matter what, always keep a smile on your face."

"Yeah, pony gotta be funny, like us!" Yona added.

"This boat runs on happy faces." Sandbar told him.

"Happy?" Key asked as he kept his head down. They all waited before Key pulled his head up and made a funny looking smile with his eyes looking up and his mouth had a wide grin. There was a bit of silence before the Young Six started laughing hard.

"That's one funny face!" Smolder said through her laugh.

"Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys." Key told them with a smile.

"I'm Smolder." She introduced herself as she put her claw in for a group stack before the others joined in.

"My name's Sandbar."

"Gallus."

"Silverstream, nice to meet you."

"I'm Ocellus."

"Yona."

"And I'm Key Light." Key finished as he joined his hoof with the others.

"All for one and one for all!" Sandbar declared.

In an unknown location, a magic circle showed the Young Six meeting Key as shadowy figures watched over a table. "That little squirt took down that Heartless!" One of the figures complained in a male voice. "Who'd have thought it?"

"Such is the power of the Keyblade." Another shadowy figure spoke with an accent. "The child's strength is not his own."

"Why don't return him into a Heartless?" Another shadowy figure suggested in a female tone before letting out a maniacal laugh. "That'll settle things quick enough."

"And the brat's friends are the students of the princess!" Another male voice pointed out with a pirate accent. "Swoggle me eyes, they're all bilge rats by the look of them."

"You're no prize yourself." Another figure said to the other with a slick tone before laughing.

"Shut up!" The pirate shouted as he held up a hook to the other figure.

"Enough." Another female voice told them before someone stepped out of the Shadows. This one was wearing a black cloak down her body with a purple pattern down the middle while she had horns on her head and she carried a staff in her right hand. "The Keyblade has chosen him. Will it be he who conquers the darkness? Or will the darkness swallow him? Either way, he could be quite useful…"

Back in Traverse Town, Key stood in front of Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith in the first district as he was about to head out with Spike and the Young Six. "Make sure you're prepared for the journey ahead of you." Leon told him. "We don't know how far the Heartless have spread."

"When you have time, check out the shops here." Yuffie advised Key. "They've got some pretty neat stuff!"

"Here, this is from all of us." Aerith said as she gave Key 500 munny. "Spend it as you see fit. And these are from Leon." She handed him some potions and elixirs. "I hope you find your friends."

"Good luck!" Yuffie told him.

"Look out for each other." Leon added. "Keep your spirits up."

"Thanks." Key told them before he turned to Spike and the Young Six.

"The gummi ship is outside the gate." Spike told Key as he pointed towards the gate ahead of them.

"The what?" Key asked.

"The gummi ship, it's how we travel to other worlds." Ocellus explained.

"Wait 'til you see it, it's awesome." Sandbar told him as Jimmy smiled at the group.

"Well, I see big adventures coming their way!" He said to himself. "Looks like it's up to me to keep track of all of it in my journal!" He then jumped into Key's hoodie as Key looked at the group.

"All right, let's get going!" Key declared as they made their way to the world exit and begin their big adventure.

Here is some images of the Heartless in this chapter besides the shadow ones:
The soldier

The Guard Armor

And if you're all wondering why I change the cover image of the story, it's because since this story is focusing on the Heartless I figured it would be simple to put their emblem as their cover.

By the way, which keyblade out of the Kingdom Hearts series is your favorite?

My favorite two is Dawn Till Dusk and Oathkeeper