Kingdom Hearts: Keys of Equestria

Chapters

Arrival
The Organization`s Second Fall, Part I
The Organization`s Second Fall, Part II
Inhabitants
The First Equestrian Dive, Part I
The First Equestrian Dive, Part II
Awkward Awakening
An Unexpected Surprise
Another Unexpected Surprise, Part II
Royal Meetings & Fantastic News
The Running of The Leaves, Part I
The Running of The Leaves, Part II
The Very First Time
Rainbow Dash
Applejack
Pinkie Pie & Fluttershy
Rarity
An Actual Date
The Beginning of The End, Part I
Gathering The Elements - Sora
Gathering The Elements - Cadance
Gathering The Elements - Shining Armor
The Beginning of The End, Part II
Sunset Before Twilight
The Organization`s Return
Long-due Explanations
Another Unexpected Surprise, Part I
Gathering The Elements - Roxas
Twelve Score, Divided by Six, Part I

Arrival

Chapter II: Arrival

Perspective: Sora

"Theres more to a heart than just anger or rage. Its full of all kinds of feelings."

We had arrived in The World That Never Was in about two hours, & were already past the Alley To Between & Fragment Crossing. We were currently in front of Memory`s Skyscraper, fighting off a massive swarm of Neoshadows.

I was in Valor Form with my Keyblades, Kingdom Key & Sleeping Lion, & had just cut down two of the Heartless with my Omega Finish. Kairi & Riku were standing close to one another, taking out Heartless just as fast. Riku looked back at me, & we confirmed what we were about to do.

We jumped towards each other to initiate the Eternal Session, & from that point moved as one. I moved in with Last Saber, & Riku would make our escape with Dark Cannon. After a few of these combos, we switched our fighting style. We were still moving together, but were using different attacks. We were now closing in together with XIII Blades, & he would finish our target with Master Hearts. We slashed & spun for at least a few minutes, until I looked over to see how Kairi was doing.

She was being overwhelmed by a group of Neoshadows, & was attempting to keep them at bay. She cut through one with her Keyblade, but another attacked her from behind. I broke the formation just as we were about to use Alls End & dashed towards Kairi, changing into Final Form as I moved. I immediately cast a Cure spell on her, & moved on to the Heartless. I let my rage take over, & finished it. My Oathkeeper & Oblivion spun like fan blades as they orbited around me, slowly moving upward at the same time. As the attack finished, sending a massive wave of white energy across the area, my voice rang out louder than Traverse Towns bell.

"SIN & REPENTION!"

The Heartless quickly vanished, leaving me, Kairi & Riku alone in front of the Skyscraper.

I looked up at the building, & was grateful that I did.

A gigantic bolt of black lightning flew from the sky, & fell right towards me. I levitated myself into a horizontal position & spun, knocking the bolt into the side of the building.

"Well guys, looks like we`re heading up there."

With that, we began our ascension, with Kairi grasping my arm as I flew up the wall, still in Final Form, & Riku simply free-running at an equal speed beside us.

The Organization`s Second Fall, Part I

Chapter III: The Organization`s Second Fall, Part I

Perspective: Riku

"I`m not afraid of the dark anymore!"

We had made it to the top of Memory`s Skyscraper, & what we saw filled us with a mix of anger, expectancy, & shock.

Xemnas had already revived four Organization members, & our friends were fighting them. I could see the King stuck in a clash with Xaldin, his Keyblade struggling against the lances, Donald running back & forth casting random spells at Vexen, Goofy relentlessly attacking Lexaeus, & Sai`x & Xemnas just standing there, watching our friends struggle.

I summoned Way To The Dawn & charged. They were going to fall at my hands, & I was starting with Vexen.

My Keyblade sunk into his back as I pulled it out & slashed at him, this time my blade raking across his face, which left a small cut running diagonally across his left cheek. He swung his shield to the side, & just before it slammed into my ribs, Donald had jumped in, & was now holding the shield back with his staff.

I rose my Keyblade, wielding it in a reverse grip, & brought it down on top of Vexen`s head, as he dissipated into nothingness.

I nodded to Donald, & ran off to take on Xaldin.

My Keyblade met with one of Xaldin`s lances, easily cutting it in half. I jumped into the air, & held out my arm, sending a flurry of Dark Firaga spells at him. The attack stunned him, giving me just enough time to sneak in a three-hit combo, then use my Dark Leap ability, back-flipping & sending a wave of dark fire at him. The flames knocked Xaldin onto the ground, allowing me to cast Dark Thundaga this time. A swarm of deep purple thunderbolts descended upon Xaldin, forcing him into the air. I leaped after him, using a Dark Firaga to boost my momentum, then began furiously slashing at his chest. The cuts on his torso formed a star, which was the perfect target. A powerful spell, called Dark Firagun Beam, shot from my palm, incinerating Xaldin.

The King & I ran off to face Lexaeus, wasting no time on pleasantries. He threw his Keyblade at Lexaeus as I leaped forwards, catching Mickeys Kingdom Key D & flying straight through his body, then coming back with the same attack. As I flew back to the King, a chain of dark energy followed me, somehow holding Lexaeus in place. I handed the Kings weapon back to him as I turned around, dark energy enveloping my body. I flew straight ahead, dark flames trailing behind me, & slammed into Lexaeus` chest. To my surprise, I passed through him as he melted into nothing, just like Vexen.

The Organization`s Second Fall, Part II

Chapter IV: The Organization`s Second Fall, Part II

Perspective: Sora

"A far-off memory that`s like a scattered dream.

A scattered dream that`s like a far-off memory.

I want to line the pieces up; yours, & mine."

I had just watched Riku obliterate three Organization members as he ran back to us with Donald, Goofy & the King behind him. Together, we turned to face Xemnas & Sai`x.

"Well, well, well. The Keyblade wielders & their lackeys have come to defeat me again. Preposterous! You really think you can make it out of here alive? You must be dreaming. Kingdom Hearts may be gone, but that doesnt mean I cant destroy you with my own powers!" Xemnas summoned two of his ethereal blades & charged at us, his left blade glowing with a strange black & white energy. He swung the glowing blade to the side, cutting through Riku & causing him to disappear in a cloud of white fire. Before any of us could react, he did the exact same thing to Kairi, & my rage took over once more. I changed back into Final Form, & threw my Oathkeeper at him. The Keyblade simply bounced off of his ethereal blade, & came back to me like a boomerang. He continued his assault, using the exact same attack on Donald & Goofy. I dashed forward at an unimaginable speed & slashed at him with every last bit of strength I could muster. My attacks seemed to be doing considerable damage, which just fueled my rage even more.

I flew around Xemnas at a decent speed, slashing away as I went, then back-flipped & swung at his head. My Oathkeeper just barely missed Xemnas` neck, instead cutting across his right cheek.

I could tell that Xemnas was getting fed up. His entire body started glowing with the same light as his blades, & he flew into the air above us.

A massive storm of ethereal blades fell towards Mickey & I. We attempted to knock them away as they fell, but we were quickly overwhelmed.

My vision went pure white as I began falling somehow. Where I was going, I wasn`t sure. At this point, I thought I was dead.

Boy, was I wrong...

Kingdom Hearts: Keys of Equestria

Inhabitants

Chapter V: Inhabitants

Perspective: Sora

"My friends are my power!"

As I said before, I had awoken in a large green field. I could hear voices all around me, but I had no idea who it was.

"What is it?"

"Is it alive?"

"Do you think it`s friendly?"

I had no idea why these people thought I was dangerous, or why they didn`t know what I was.

Finally, I worked up the courage to open my eyes.

Ponies. All around me was a massive crowd of ponies, pegasi, & unicorns, all with different styles & colors.

I thought I really WAS dead now, & this was where I would spend the rest of my life.

"It opened its eyes!"

I scrambled to my feet & summoned my Kingdom Key. I knew now that I was very much alive, & these ponies had no idea who or what I was.

"Who are you!? What`s going on? Where are my friends!?"

A small yellow pegasus with a pink mane & tail stepped out of the crowd & towards me. Her voice was so quiet, I could barely register her speech.

"So, since you can talk, I have a few questions for you. First, do you have a name?"

"My name`s Sora. What about you?"

"I`m Fluttershy. Nice to meet you, Sora."

She held out her hoof, & I shook it quite eagerly. She seemed pretty nice to me.

"So, Fluttershy, you said you had some other questions."

"Well, do you think you could come back to my house with me? Its not that far, if you dont mind coming."

I leaned back against a tree, holding my arms behind my head, & smiled widely.

"Sure thing! Let`s go."

Fluttershy really was right when she said it wasn`t very far. In about ten minutes, we had made it to her house, & were sitting inside, as she asked me a fairly small number of questions.

"So, Sora. Do you have any ideas about hurting me or anypony else here?"

"Of course not! Id never hurt anyone that hasnt done anything wrong."

"Then, why do you have that thing in your hand? It looks like a weapon."

I had completely forgotten that I was still holding my Keyblade.

"Oh, this? It`s my Keyblade. You see, back in my home world, I was a huge hero. Me & a couple of my friends used these to defeat however many horrible monsters."

Fluttershy seemed to shrink back in her seat at the word "monster".

"But, you`re not going to use it on us, are you?"

"No way. I wouldnt hurt you if *my life* depended on it! I fact, let me see if thisll work still..."

I stood up, & held my Keyblade out in front of me, as I waited for it to disappear like always. It didn`t.

"Um, what exactly are you trying to do, Sora?"

"You remember when I first woke up here? When I stood up, my Keyblade magically appeared in my hand. Its supposed to be able to disappear, too. Maybe my magic doesnt work here. Fluttershy, do you mind if I step outside & see if I can still use magic here?"

"Sure. I know a place where you can do it without being able to hurt anypony."

I followed Fluttershy to a small field not unlike the one I woke up in. As I told her to step back, I held my Keyblade out in front of me, & yelled as I always did.

"FREEZE!"

A large chunk of ice flew from my Keyblade & struck a tree, breaking on impact. A successful Blizzard spell.

"Huh. So maybe I just can`t dismiss my Keyblade anymore, since I can still use magic. Do you know of anyone that could make me a scabbard or something for my Keyblade?"

Apparently she did know. She led me into town, causing a lot of ponies to either give me suspicious looks, or run away.

All except one. A mint green unicorn with a similarly colored mane & tail stood in awe, just staring at me.

"Ummm, hi?"

"You can talk? Are you a human!?"

"Yeah. I`m Sora. Nice to meet you..."

"Lyra! Lyra Heartstrings!"

Lyra began running around me, inspecting my body. Finally, she made it to my right hand, where I was holding my Keyblade.

"What`s that? Is it a weapon?"

"Actually, yes, it is. Its my Keyblade. Where Im from, Im a really important hero, & this was what I fought with. Dont worry, Lyra. I wont hurt any of you guys with it. In fact, Fluttershys taking me to a place where I can get something to carry it in, since I can`t use the spell to make it disappear anymore. But for some reason, I can still use my magic."

"You have magic? So do I! What kind of spells do you know? Can you show me?"

"I would, but a lot of my magic is really dangerous, since I used it in combat. I do have a couple, though... Say Lyra, have you ever wanted to fly?"

"Do you have a flight spell?"

"Kind of. When I say so, jump into the air as high as you can.

One, two, three... JUMP!"

The moment I spoke, she leapt into the air, stopping at a height that put my High Jump to shame. I thrust my Keyblade into the air, & a large orb of energy appeared beside her, which she immediately began orbiting around. I slowly brought the orb down to the ground & dismissed it. Lyra just stood there with a look of amazement on her face. It was actually kind of cute for a minute. The look began to melt away as it turned to one of concern.

"Sora, do you have a place to stay?"

"Actually, no. Do you know someone that can help me out?"

"Yep! In fact, you`re looking at her right now! How about it, Sora?"

"Wow. Thanks a lot, Lyra! Hang on just a second..."

I rummaged through my pocket for a second until I pulled out a couple of large munny orbs.

"I dont think my munny is worth anything here, but its all I have that you could use. Unless... hey Lyra, do you know any spells that can combine objects to make new ones?"

"I`ve got a few. Do you need something fixed?"

I went through my pockets again, & pulled out a large number of Synthesis items. Four Power Crystals, two Blazing Stones, a Frost Gem, three Dense Crystals, & five Dark Shards.

"Back where I`m from, we used stuff like this all the time to synthesize new items, so I thought you might have a use for them."

"Thanks a lot, Sora! I already have a few ideas for things I could make out of these. So, you wanna check out where you`ll be sleeping tonight?"

I looked up at the sky, & saw that it was getting pretty late. It was probably sometime around sunset.

"That sounds great right about now. Fluttershy, do you mind if we come back in the morning? I`ve had a really exhausting day, & I could really use some sleep."

"Oh, I don`t mind at all, Sora. Oh wait! I almost forgot. I found these in that field you woke up in, & I think they might be yours."

Fluttershy reached into her saddlebags & pulled out three small wooden boxes that I had completely forgotten about.

"My Keychains! Thank you so much, Fluttershy! I completely forgot about these!"

I couldn`t resist it. I dropped to my knees & pulled Fluttershy into a hug, which she promptly returned. Lyra obviously had a question, which she voiced as soon as I stood back up.

"Sora, what`s so important about Keychains?"

"Lyra, these aren`t just Keychains. They attach to my Keyblade & give it new, & most of the time, more powerful forms. Hang on, let me show you real quick."

I opened one of the cases, & pulled out a random Keychain, a small black crown, like the one on my necklace. I clipped it on to my Keyblade, & the three of us watched as it changed shape & color, turning into my Keyblade, Oblivion.

The process clearly shocked Lyra, who just stood there, mouth agape.

"So, you ready to go, Lyra?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Let`s go, Sora. See you later, Fluttershy!"

"Goodbye! I`ll see you two tomorrow!"

Lyra brought me to her house, which was substantially bigger than it looked on the outside. When we entered, there was already someone there. A beige colored earth pony with a pink & blue mane & tail. She was sitting on the sofa, reading a book, which she immediately looked up from when we stepped in. Her face held a look of confusion, curiosity, & fear all in one.

"Lyra? What is that!?"

"This is Sora. He just woke up in a field here in town this morning. Youd know that if you ever took your face out of those books. & best of all, HES A HUMAN!"

"Huh. So that`s what they look like. Does he talk?"

"Yes, I do. My name`s Sora. How about you?"

I held out my hand, which she placed her hoof on carefully as I shook it.

"Im Bonbon. Nice to meet you, Sora. Well, if you dont mind, I can show you to the guest room, talk a little. You know, get to know you a little better."

Lyra whispered something in my ear, & I did it.

"Sure thing, Bon."

"Lyra! You know I hate it when you call me that."

"Whatever, Bon."

"Lets go, Sora. Id rather you not see me beat Lyra to a pulp."

"Eh. I`ve seen worse."

Bonbon led me up the staircase & to a room that looked no different from the others on the outside.

Finally, I got up the courage to ask the question that had been bugging me for a while.

"So, Bonbon. Are you & Lyra, you know..."

"Oh, no. Were just roommates. Youd be surprised how many ponies have asked me that before."

Bonbon & I talked for quite a while as I told her what had happened prior to me coming here. She told me a bit about Equestria, & that Ponyville was about to have it`s annual Running of The Leaves. It seemed like something that I might want to join in on.

Finally, she left, & I laid back in the room`s bed, letting sleep take me over.

The First Equestrian Dive, Part I

Chapter VI: The First Equestrian Dive, Part I

Perspective: Sora

"As long as I have my friends, I don`t need the Keyblade."

I was back in the Dive To The Heart, but it was different. I was standing at the base of the Station of Calling, but instead of the image of me holding the Kingdom Key with my eyes closed, it was now an image of me & four ponies. The first one I immediately recognized. It was Lyra, levitating a Keyblade with her magic. It wasn`t a Kingdom Key, though. The guard was made from what looked almost like a miniature harp.

No, it wasn`t a harp. It was a lyre. The shaft of the Keyblade was made from a white staff with black musical notes across it, & the teeth of the key was made from a pair of eighth notes hanging from the bottom of the staff.

Now I got what her name meant.

The rest of the ponies I had never seen before. One was a light purple unicorn with a pink & purple mane & tail, who was levitating two Keyblades. One was a Kingdom Key, while the other was much different.

The guard was a dark pink circular shape, with a shaft that looked almost like a very narrow bookshelf. The teeth of the key were made from half of an open book, & the Keychain was a light pink star.

The other two were a bright blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane holding a Keyblade in her mouth, & a light orange earth pony with a blonde mane & tail that were both tied back with red ribbons, most of her mane obscured by a cowboy hat. Like the pegasus, she was holding a Keyblade in her mouth. I was beginning to wonder how these ponies could stand holding metal objects like this in their mouths.

The pegasus` Keyblade almost reminded me of one I would see Riku using, as it was designed like a normal sword instead of a key. The guard covered only one half of the handle, & looked as if it was made from a small cloud. The blade was very intricately designed, looking like it was coated in cyan feathers, just like her own, & the Keychain was a rainbow colored lightning bolt.

The earth pony`s was quite unusual. The guard was made from a small tree branch, whereas the shaft was made from a trunk. the teeth of the key were made from a large leaf, & the Keychain was a small, bright red apple.

I noticed that all of the ponies had a strange marking on their flanks. Lyras, of course, was a lyre, & the other unicorns was a bright pink star surrounded by a few white ones. The pegasuswas a rainbow colored lightning bolt, & the earth ponys was a triangle made from three apples.

Apparently, their Keychains had something to do with these markings. But what?

Before I had a chance to observe the image any longer, a small group of Nobodies appeared. Nothing much, just a few Dusks & a Creeper or two.

I summoned Oathkeeper & Oblivion, & threw both Keyblades at the Nobodies. They destroyed all of them except one Dusk.

It spasmed wildly for a moment before morphing into something I`d never seen before.

It was a massive Nobody that closely resembled their sigil, even with its impressive size. I charged at the Nobody, & sunk my Oblivion into its ankle. The beast fell to the ground, as I ran up its body & began rapidly hacking away at its face.

Five large blue tentacles flew up from its neck & swatted me onto the ground. I jumped back up, charging the Nobody, until it jumped off of the Station. I waited, standing in a defensive position, until the creature returned.

It had turned the entire Station on its side, & was about to throw a massive orb of dark energy at me. I dropped off of the Station, & flung my Oathkeeper as hard as I could at the orb, which exploded, knocking the Station back into position as the Nobody & I fell to the ground.

My Keyblades embedded themselves in the ground beside me as I stood up, pulled them from the ground, & buried my Oathkeeper into the Nobody`s head as it disappeared in a cloud of white fire.

I continued along the Station, noticing that the pillars had that same modified design, but with different coloration. I reached the end, where the door to the next Station awaited. Carefully, I stepped through.

The First Equestrian Dive, Part II

Chapter VII: The First Equestrian Dive, Part II

Perspective: Roxas

"A Key... Blade?"

I had gone through the Dive To The Heart again, & had noticed that the Station designs had changed greatly. Instead of the original Station of Calling, it had been changed to an image of Sora & four ponies. Two unicorns, & a pegasus & earth pony, all wielding a custom Keyblade. I made it to the door, & stepped through.

At the same time that I came through the door, Sora had come through a door on the other side.

The Station of Serenity had been changed to an image of the four ponies from before, but with three others: a light yellow pegasus with a pink mane & tail, an alabaster unicorn with a deep purple mane & tail, & a light pink earth pony with a dark pink mane & tail, all holding their own Keyblades.

The white unicorns had a guard that was a shape similar to the Kingdom Key without the lower segment so that it wasnt connected to the handle. It was a silverish, shiny color that almost looked like it was made of diamond. The shaft was a deep purple like her mane, even with the same curled shape to it, & the teeth of the key was made from a large, light blue gem. The Keychain token was made of a diamond shaped gem almost identically to the one that made up the teeth.

The pegasushad a guard made from a pair of wings, more like an eagles than her own, whereas the shaft was a lizard`s tail, & the teeth were made from a large white fang. The Keychain was a small pink butterfly.

The earth pony`s was by far the strangest Keyblade I had ever seen. The only way to possibly describe it was if a party ate fifteen cakes & threw up on a Keyblade. The guard was a pair of streamers that combined into a very intricate knot at the bottom. The left half of the guard was a bright blue, similar to the color of her eyes, & the other side was a dark pink, just like her mane & tail. The shaft was a long purple & pink candle that ended in a white flame, & the teeth were made from a decent sized slice of cake. The Keychain was a bright yellow balloon.

I had an unimaginable number of questions, but I was able to sum them up in one.

"Sora, what`s happening here?"

Awkward Awakening

Chapter IX: Awkward Awakening

Perspective: Sora

"The power of the Guardian. Strength to aid friends. A shield to repel all."

I woke up with a strange warm feeling all across my body. Had someone covered me up while I was sleeping? There was something pushed up against my back. Probably just a pillow.

Wait, pillows don`t move.

I opened my eyes & looked behind me. Lyra was curled up against me in my sleep, & had no idea I was awake. She was just laying there with her forelegs wrapped around me, snoring lightly.

I couldn`t dispute it. She was absolutely adorable. & it was actually kind of comfortable. But it was still pretty awkward.

I tried to slip away, but she just tightened her grip. Ponies may be small, but they were surprisingly strong. Finally, she woke up, & her eyes went wide as saucers when she realized that I was awake.

"Sora! Uh, Im sorry. You were flailing around & talking in your sleep. You sounded scared, & it hurt me to see you like that. When I... did that, you calmed down & I accidentally fell asleep. Im so sorry. Can you forgive me?"

I could tell now that what she was doing was only an act of kindness towards a friend, & not... whatever I thought it was. Plus, it pained me to see her this sad. I knelt down & placed a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to make her visibly happier, but almost saddened her at the same time

"Lyra. You have no reason to be sorry. What you did was an act of kindness. You know what that means to me? That just shows how good of a friend you are. & from what I can tell, Im pretty lucky to have you as a friend. In fact, even though weve only known each other for a day, I can tell that you`re almost like my family."

Lyra immediately threw her forelegs around me & began crying into my shoulder as I lightly patted her back.

"It`s okay, Lyra. If you feel it, just let it happen."

After a few minutes, she had stopped crying & was just clinging to my shoulder, lightly sniffling. She was almost like the sister I never had, & I loved that fact.

"Say, Lyra. If you don`t mind talking about it, what exactly made you start crying like that?"

"Well, its just, I never had much of a family. I was an only foal, my father was always gone, & my mother never payed much attention to me. The only family I had was my collection of antique lyres. But then you came along, Sora. Youre so kind, & caring. & I know this might sound strange, but you`re like my brother. I feel like I can talk about anything with you."

As she spoke, I simply tightened my hold on her as I shed a few tears of my own. She was such a beautiful soul, & yet she came from such a terrible upbringing. I felt a combination of sadness, compassion, & a small amount of anger towards her "family".

"Hey, how about we go get some breakfast? Do you guys have anything to cook?"

The fridge was a bit scarce, but there was enough for me to work with. After we ate breakfast, Lyra claimed she had something to show me, as we walked into the house`s basement.

"Sora, do you remember yesterday when I said that I had an idea for what to do with that stuff you gave me? Well, I used them, & a few things I had lying around here, to make some things that I think you`ll like!"

She was right about me liking them. Lyra had made me a strangely flexible scabbard for my Keyblade, a pair of retractable wrist-mounted blades, & something else that truly shocked me. It was a piece of armor with an unimaginable amount of magical energy in it, allowing it to morph into multiple forms.

"Lyra, how did you make this!? It`s amazing!"

"I just formed that piece of armor with a few of the things you gave me, then I spent about two hours filling it up with all kinds of spells that would make it do... well, what it does!"

I crouched down & wrapped my arms around Lyra, pulling her up into the air as I stood up, & hugging her tightly. Right then & there, I realized something. I hadn`t even been here for a day, & these ponies were treating me like we had known each other all our lives. Were they really that friendly, or was something else going on here? I decided to assume that it was the former, as I sat Lyra back on the floor.

"I`ll be right back, Lyra."

I ran back upstairs, greeting Bonbon on the way & picked up my Keyblade, which had been resting next to my bed, placing it in the scabbard. A perfect fit.

I went back down to the basement staircase, & called from the top.

"Hey Lyra, you wanna see something really awesome?"

An Unexpected Surprise

Chapter X: An Unexpected Surprise

Perspective: Sora

"Empty creature from Ventus riven... to you, the name Vanitas shall be given."

Lyra & I had gone out to an empty field so that I could try to show her one of my less dangerous skills. When we made it to the field, I noticed that there were already six other ponies there. I recognized one of them as Fluttershy, but the others... they just felt familiar.

Finally, the memory flashed into my mind. I didn`t even notice that I was speaking out loud.

"Those... those are the ponies from the dream..."

"You dreamt about them, Sora?"

"Listen, Lyra. Im about to tell you something that you might not believe, but its true. Those ponies... theyre Keyblade wielders. Theres obviously a reason why, & thats what I need to figure out. Im going to have to talk to them, but you CANNOT, & I mean CAN NOT tell them what I just told you. Understood?"

"Cross my heart & hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

"I`ll take that as a yes."

We continued on to meet them, & Fluttershy was the first to notice us. She wasn`t the first to speak, though. Instead, the pink earth pony bounced-& I mean, literally bounced, over to me.

"Hellooo! Im Pinkie Pie, who are you? I dont think Ive seen you here before, or anywhere, for that matter, & I dont think Ive seen anything that even looks like you & whats that thing on your back, & oh my gosh! I forgot to throw you a "Welcome To Ponyville" party!"

"Uhhh... Im Sora. Nice to meet you! Ill assume that you guys are friends of Lyra`s?"

"Of course we are! Lyra`s one of my best friends, even though I consider everypony my best friends! Good to meet you, Sora! How about I introduce you to my friends?"

"Sure..."

She led me to the white unicorn first, who obviously had a problem with the ground, since unlike the rest of them, she was sitting on a small sofa. She stood up & came to meet me, & held her hoof out in a gesture of friendliness, which I promptly returned.

"I`m Rarity. Quite the occasion to meet you, sir. You are a male, correct?"

"Yes. My name`s Sora. Nice to meet you, Rarity!"

"Your outfit is absolutely magnificent! Tell me, who designed it? I dont think Ive seen any clothes like those before!"

"Uhhh... I kinda... forgot who it was. But, as soon as were done with the introductions, theres something about these clothes that I want to show all of you."

Pinkie led me over to the lavender unicorn, who seemed to be almost studying me.

"I believe I heard your name before. Sora, right? Twilight Sparkle. I`d like to ask you a question, Sora."

"Shoot."

"Do you think you could meet me sometime later today? I`d love to learn a bit about you."

"Sure. I don`t mind at all."

A small smile grew on Twilight`s face, which quickly turned into a massive grin as she began hopping in a circle around me repeatedly screaming "YES!". She realized what she was doing & quickly sat back down next to Rarity. This time, Pinkie brought me over to the rainbow maned pegasus.

"Names Rainbow Dash. Fastest flyer in Equestria! Hows it hangin`, Sora?"

"Just fine. How about you?"

"Awesome as always. You seem like a pretty cool guy yourself. You get the Rainbow Dash Seal of Approval!"

The orange earth pony came to see me for herself.

"Applejack. Good to meet ya, Sora! Fluttershy told us plenty about ya. Ya seem a bit young to be runninaround with a weapon like that, fightin monsters. At least that`s how Ah see it."

"Back where Im from, I am fairly young, but that was never a problem. If the Organization cant stop me, then no one can!"

"Organization?"

"Oh, right. Organization XIII. They were this huge group of really powerful people that had some seriously evil goals. So, me & my friends took them down. & apparently when me & my friend Riku defeated their leader, Xemnas, he wasnt completely destroyed, & he was trying to reform the Organization. We tried to stop him, but he... Im pretty sure he killed my friends, & he sent me here."

"Wow. That seems like quite a lot for somepony yer age to be goin` through."

"Well, Ive got you all now. As long as I have friends, everythingll be all right! Now, how would you guys like to see some really powerful magic?"

The entire crowd of ponies began cheering in agreement as Twilight levitated a scroll & quill from wherever, & Pinkie pulled a chair & a bag of popcorn out of her mane. How she did it, I had no idea.

I pulled my Keyblade from the scabbard & focused my energy. It was hard to do this without my friends, but it wasn`t impossible. I could feel the power overflowing inside me.

That was where everything went wrong.

My clothes had started to change into the familiar red & black scheme of Valor Form, but quickly stopped & turned to pitch black. I was now standing in front of the ponies in AntiForm, as Fluttershy ran behind a tree & Rainbow Dash prepared to buck me into next week. My voice was distorted, but still audible.

"Wait, wait! Its okay. Its still me, Sora. In fact, this is a part of what I wanted to show you. You see, my clothes have a special magic that allows me to change my form, & gain new powers along with it. But all of the light generated by my other forms leaves behind a lot of darkness, & this is just its manifestation. It`s called AntiForm."

Fluttershy came back after finding out that it was still me, & Rainbow Dash stopped her preparations. The dark coloration drained from my body as I returned to my normal form.

"Sorry guys. I guess it would just be easier if I told you everything."

This possibility caused Rainbow`s eyes to shrink to the size of pinpricks.

"No, please don`t! Do you think you could try again?"

"Fine."

My Keyblade began to emit a white light as I focused my power once again. My clothes slowly changed to those of my indisputably powerful Final Form. My Keyblades, Oathkeeper & Oblivion were floating behind me as I began to levitate.

"This is called Final Form. It`s my most powerful Form, & it represents the Keyblade showing its hidden powers. In this Form, I can do all kinds of things; fly, teleport, & the best part: my combat abilities increase substantially."

Twilight was absolutely shocked that I had magic this powerful, Rainbow was only paying attention to my "cool factor", Rarity was stunned by the style & luminescensce of my clothes, & Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie & Lyra had no idea what to think.

Slowly, my body fell to the ground, my Keyblade returned to its normal form, & my clothes did the same.

Finally, Twilight spoke up.

"Well, girls, if you dont mind, I have some things to do, so Ill be seeing you later. It was nice meeting you, Sora."

"Wait, Twilight. Didn`t you say you wanted to talk to me?"

"Oh. I almost forgot! Just come by whenever you have the time. Lyra can show you to my house."

"Okay. See you later!

So, do you guys know anything about the Running of The Leaves?"

My question seemed to ignite a spark between Applejack & Rainbow Dash, as if it meant something important to them. Rainbow spoke up first.

"Well, Sora, the Running of The Leaves, which Im obviously going to win this year, is a Ponyville tradition, where we run through the forest to make the leaves fall from the trees. Its a pretty big deal around here!"

"Hmmm. A big event. I`m starting to get an idea. Something always happens to me after really big events, so maybe it might happen if I enter the Running of The Leaves!"

"What exactly happens to you after these events?"

"Usually, I get a new Keychain for my Keyblade. But I get all kinds of things. Keychains, items, lots of stuff. When is the Running?"

Applejack cut in this time.

"Well, if Ahm correct, the Runnin should be in just two days. Ah`d sign up quick if Ah were you!"

"Thanks! Ill do it as soon as I can. Ill see you girls later. I`m gonna go talk to Twilight. Bye!

Hey Lyra? Where exactly does Twilight live?"

Another Unexpected Surprise, Part II

Chapter XII: Another Unexpected Surprise, Part II

Perspective: Sora

"Kingdom Hearts... IS LIGHT!"

I was sitting on the sofa talking with Twilight. She wanted to know everything- & I mean everything about me, from where I was from, to how many times I had saved the universe, & finally, how I got my Keyblade.

"You see, Twilight, when me & Riku were kids, this guy named Ventus came to the Islands. He performed what they call a "Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony" on Riku."

"What exactly does this ceremony do?"

"If you perform an inheritance ceremony on someone, then when you die, that person gains the ability to use the Keyblade. So, when Ventus gave in to the darkness to save his friends, his heart stayed behind, & found a place inside mine, which gave me all of the powers that he had. Which means it allowed me to use my Keyblade. Later on, during my first journey, when I stabbed myself with the Keyblade of Peoples Hearts to free Kairis heart from mine, I turned into a Heartless for a while. & when someone turns into a Heartless, it creates a Nobody, too. When that happened, a piece of Ventus`s heart found a place inside Roxas, which let him wield the Keyblade, & for some reason, it made Roxas look like him."

Twilight just sat there taking notes & asking questions. I hadn`t even thought to say anything to her.

"So. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions now?"

"Sure, Sora."

Before I could say anything, a series of rapid knocks on the door drew my attention, followed by Applejack yelling for me.

"Sora! Ahve got somethin ya might wanna see!"

I stood & walked to the door. I opened it, & to my complete amazement, Riku was standing at the door. Riku! I was certain that Xemnas had killed him. & if Riku was alive, then that could mean...

I immediately dismissed my current thoughts to make sure that I wasn`t dreaming.

"Riku! I... I thought Xemnas killed you. So if you`re still alive, then that means that the others might still be!"

"Wait. What do you mean, they might still be alive?"

"Oh right. You were the first one gone. Xemnas did to Donald, Goofy & Kairi what he did to you. Then he did something, Im not sure what, to me & the King. But he didnt show up here with me. Maybe his magic sent us all to different worlds, & the both of us getting sent here was just a coincidence."

"Makes sense. If he split us all up, then it wouldve been a lot harder for us to take him down again. So, whatve you been doing here until now?"

"Well, first of all, you have no idea how hospitable these ponies are. One of them that hadn`t even known me for an entire day was willing to give me a place to stay."

"& where would that be?"

"What do you think? In her house."

"Wow. You weren`t lying. Think you might be able to find me somewhere to stay?"

"Ill see, but that might be something youll have to figure out yourself. Maybe Lyra can find somewhere for you. She seems to have an... affinity for humans."

For a few seconds, Riku`s body began to glow bright white. When the light dissipated, he was still there, but he was holding something.

"Riku, that`s a new Keyblade!"

The Keyblade`s guard was an upside down triangle shape, with a beige & red coloration. The blade was very similar to his Soul Eater, except it was extremely jagged, with a beige & black striped pattern. The Keychain was an unchained Heartless emblem, just like Way To The Dawn.

"What are you going to call it?"

"Hmmm. Well, this is almost like Im getting revenge on Xemnas. He wanted to kill me, but instead Im alive, & I have my best friend by my side. I think I`ll call it Restitution. Since this kind of like my personal restitution."

The three ponies in the room were confused as to what Riku & I were talking about. Twilight seemed the most curious out of them.

"Your Keyblades have names?"

"Yeah. They all have different names to go with their design & the way they were obtained. For example, this one is called Oblivion. It represented my memories slowly slipping away from me while I was in Castle Oblivion."

I reached into my pocket, & attached the Oathkeeper Keychain.

"This one is called Oathkeeper. It represents an important promise I made to a really close friend. But, Im not sure if shes even alive or not at this point."

"Wow, Sora. From what I know now, you`ve had a really hard life. I wish I could help."

"Actually, you might be able to, Twilight."

I removed the Keychain & took it in my hand.

"Can you use your magic to scan this Keychain? It might be able to tell you if the person its connected to is still around. Even if shes not in Equestria, it would make me feel a lot better about this whole situation if I knew she was at least still alive."

Twilight took the Keychain in her magic grip, as her horn began to glow with an almost blinding light, & it dimmed after a few moments.

"Im sorry, Sora. That spell was foolproof. But theres no magic anywhere with a feel like this one."

"So that means that Kairi...

No... no, this cant be for real! She cant be gone! That`s impossible!"

"Like I said, if there was any kind of magic like that, I would`ve felt it. Your friend is... you know."

"Well, Kairi may be gone, but at least I have you, Riku."

I heard a unanimous "da`www" from the two mares in the room, & a light chuckle from Big Macintosh as I spoke.

"Well, Riku, let`s go see if we can find you someplace to stay."

Royal Meetings & Fantastic News

Chapter XIII: Royal Meetings & Fantastic News

Perspective: Sora

"The Keybearer shatters peace & brings ruin. There is no place in my ocean for you or your Key."

Lyra & Bonbon were willing to let Riku stay with us, since he was my best friend & I had convinced them that he wouldn`t hurt anyone, no matter how shady he looked.

Twilight had told me that it was time for me to see the Princesses, so that they could judge if Riku & I could stay in Ponyville or not. We had boarded the train to Canterlot about an hour ago, but we were extremely lucky. We had gotten a special train that was usually only used by the Royal Guard. The train had a large platform at its back, so Riku & I could see if we were still as good with our Keyblades as we used to be.

This time, we had a couple of spectators. Rainbow Dash wanted to see exactly how well we could fight, Rarity wanted to see if my clothes were as functional as they were stylish, & Applejack & Lyra were just bored out of their minds.

Riku lunged at me with his Restitution & Way To The Dawn, slashing at me in an x shape, as I leapt over his head. I had never seen Riku dual-wielding his Keyblades before, so it was a bit unusual. As I landed, I began spinning furiously with my Kingdom Key & Oathkeeper outstretched, knocking Riku to the ground. He quickly recovered & threw his Way To The Dawn at me, which I easily dodged. I retaliated with a similar attack, flinging my Kingdom Key at Riku. It hit him square in the chest, almost knocking him off of the train. As he recovered, I advanced, sweeping my Oathkeeper underneath his legs. Riku fell to his back, & I stood over him, holding my Kingdom Key to his neck.

"Looks like you`re a bit rusty, huh?"

"Yeah. If I had a bit more practice, you`d be the one on the floor right now."

"But, I`m not. Whatcha gonna do about it?"

As I spoke, I began twirling my Oathkeeper in circles, obviously showing off. Before Riku could say anything, the train screeched to a halt as I flew to the back of the car. We had arrived in Canterlot. The ponies on the car began filing to the front of the train as they commended our skills. Lyra seemed the most enthralled by my combat skills, even more than Rainbow Dash. There was something in her eyes, though. I couldn`t determine what it was, but it definitely showed every time she looked at me.

We had made it to the palace, & were waiting anxiously for Celestia & Luna to call for us. Lyra seemed the most worried. I could tell that we shared a special connection, but I wasn`t sure what it was. She was like my sister, but at the same time, I felt all kinds of other emotions when I was around her.

My thoughts were shattered as Celestia`s motherly voice echoed from the other room.

"Twilight Sparkle. You & your companions may enter."

We stepped into the room, & I saw something that Twilight had obviously forgotten to tell me.

The Princesses were unicorns with wings! I had seen pegasi & unicorns, but nothing like them. The ponies in the room bowed to them, & Riku & I did the same. Luna decided to speak first, as she walked towards us with a strange expression, almost like she trusted us, but at the same she didn`t.

"Sora & Riku. Do tell, what art thy intentions in our world?"

"Well, your highness, we didnt even try to come here. A villan from our world named Xemnas, he sent us here & killed our friends. We may not be here on purpose, but we have developed quite a friendship with a few of your subjects, especially Lyra here. She was willing to give us a place to stay, even though weve only known each other for two days. Shes almost become... shes like the sister I never had."

"Hmm. If thou hath no malicious intent, then why art thou carrying weapons?"

"You have absolutely no reason to be worried. I would never hurt someone that didnt do anything wrong. In fact, I wouldnt even be carrying my Keyblade with me if the spell to dismiss it still worked."

"Thou hath magic? Please show us."

"I`m sorry, but my magic is extremely dangerous, so it would be really hard for me to do it without hurting anyone. Wait! I almost forgot about this."

I drew my Kingdom Key from the scabbard & began focusing energy into it. My body slowly began to glow as I changed into Final Form, levitating in front of them with my Oathkeeper & Oblivion floating behind me.

Luna was standing there slack-jawed, amazed that I had magic of this caliber, & yet I wasn`t a unicorn. Celestia was studying my Final Form. She was, of course, just as surprised as Luna, but she was able to hide it much more easily.

"Sora, would you mind telling us what this magic does?"

"Well, this is called Final Form. My clothes have a special magic in them that allows me to change my form & give myself new, stronger powers. Each of my Forms represents something. Final Form represents me being able to use all of the Keyblade`s hidden powers. All my Forms have different strengths & weaknesses, but Final Form has every possible strength, & next to no weaknesses."

I reverted back to my normal form, standing in front of the Princesses instead of floating. Celestia looked to Riku as I placed my Keyblade in its sheath.

"Riku. I would like to see exactly where your skills lie."

"That depends. Do you guys have a problem with dark magic?"

Celestia & Luna seemed to grow uneasy at the mention of dark magic.

"If you can control your powers, I will allow it."

We prepared to show off Riku`s skills as I lunged at him. He teleported out of the way as I back-flipped & spun 180 degrees simultaneously, attempting to swing at him again. Riku teleported away again, this time reappearing a few feet above me, casting a powerful Dark Auragun spell. A swarm of dark fireballs slammed into my back as I fell to the ground. This time he cast Dark Tornaga, tossing me through the air & into the ceiling.

"Thats just a fraction of my powers. I would like to note that my dark magic is much different than the kind you have here. My magic is extremely difficult to control. But, since I once was able to manipulate the darkness, its a lot easier for me to use these spells without giving in to it."

"Well, I believe I have made my decision. Sora, Riku, I will allow you to stay in Ponyville, since you seem to be quite peaceful."

A massive cheer erupted from the ponies behind us with this news. I couldnt help but smile at this. They wouldve actually cared if we had to leave.

Equestria was a great place to live.

The Running of The Leaves, Part I

Chapter XIV: The Running of The Leaves, Part I

Perspective: Sora

"Someday, I want to get off this island."

Today was the Running of The Leaves, so I had to prepare myself. Pinkie Pie had kept us up all night with a "We`re So Excited That You & Riku Get To Stay In Ponyville" party, so I had slept most of the morning. It was about one in the afternoon when I had woken up.

Riku had been awake for quite a while now, & was outside running laps around town. He had registered for the Running as soon as we got back to Ponyville, so we were practicing together.

Riku flew past me as I waited for him to stop. I had some important business to attend to. Finally, he slid to a stop in front of me.

"Hey Riku! I need to talk to you."

"Sure. What`s up?"

"I have some important things to do, so Ill probably be gone until the Running. If you need me, Ill probably be at Rarity`s."

"Okay. What exactly do you have to do with Rarity?"

"I... uhh, gotta go!"

I took off at the highest speed I could manage, straight towards the Carousel Boutique. Riku could not know about this until I was sure that it was for real.

I knocked on the door as it was enveloped in Rarity`s blue magic aura, followed by the sight of the white unicorn herself.

"Ah, hello Sora. How are you?"

"Good. Rarity, do you mind if I come in? I have some problems, & you`re the only one that I think would understand."

"Of course, Sora! Anything for a friend. Come on in, I`ll make some tea, & we can talk."

"Thanks a lot."

I noticed that Sweetie Belle was sitting at the table in the living room, reading a book.

"Hey Sweetie. What`s up?"

"The sky."

The light giggle she let out after saying that was one of my favorite things about her. She was always so happy, & it rubbed off on everyone else pretty easily. She was like the unicorn version of Pinkie Pie.

Finally, Rarity came back in with a teapot & two cups in her magic. She gave a look to Sweetie, who promptly left, as if it was something they both knew.

"So, what is it that`s troubling you, Sora?"

"I think... I think Lyra might be in love with me. Im not sure what to do, you know, since Im not a pony."

"Well, do you feel the same, Sora?"

"Im not exactly sure. I mean, shes good looking compared to the other ponies, shes smart, she cares about her friends, plus shes one of my best friends here, & Ive always been able to do things with her that Id never be able to do with my other friends. There`s just something. I think I might..."

"Well, Sora, if youre not sure about it, just try & do something with her that youd normally do, but make it a little more personal. Do something special for her."

"Ill try. Thank you so much, Rarity. & please dont tell anyone about this."

"My lips are sealed."

It was about two hours until the Running of The Leaves, so I decided to go see what Twilight was up to. As I turned towards the library, a familiar voice called out to me.

"Hey Lyra! How`s it going?"

"Good."

"I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Do you think youd like to... I dont know, go get something to eat? I didnt eat breakfast, so Im starving."

"Sure thing, Sora! Where do you want to go?"

"I was just thinking we could go to Sugarcube Corner. Nothing too special. Just a regular lunch."

"Okay. You want to head on over?"

"Actually, you can go on ahead. I need to run back to the house & grab some stuff."

"See you there Sora!"

"Alright."

I decided to head to the house first. When Celestia gave us permission to stay, she gave us each 600 bits until we could get jobs of our own. I had barely spent anything, so I still had about 550 bits left, since Lyra & Bonbon were kind enough not to charge us rent, no matter how much I tried to convince them.

I had gotten my bag of bits, & now I was on my way to the Ponyville Jewelers.

The owner of the establishment was a dark brown unicorn stallion with a short cut grey mane & tail. His cutie mark, of course, was a triangle of diamonds.

"Hello, sir. My name is Shining Gem. How may I help you?"

"I would like to buy this particular necklace here."

I pointed to a small necklace made of black & red pearls with an ornate emerald charm.

"Exellent choice, sir. That would be 155 bits."

I fished the correct change from my pouch as he took it in his magic, handing me the necklace in a small ornamental box.

"Thank you, Shining Gem."

"You are greatly welcomed..."

"Sora."

"You are greatly welcomed, Sora."

I headed out of the shop, & towards Sugarcube Corner. Lyra was probably wondering where I was.

As I entered the building, Lyra seemed to become visibly happier at the sight of me.

"Hey Lyra. Sorry I took so long."

"Its fine, Sora. At least youre here now."

As if on cue, Pinkie had come to take our orders. I ended up with a strawberry chocolate cupcake, & Lyra had the same. How Colgate wasn`t the richest pony in Equestria, I would never know.

"Lyra, Ive got something for you. Just a present for you doing all this for me & Riku, since you wont let me pay rent."

I reached into my pocket & pulled out the box containing the necklace.

"Sora. You`ve got to be kidding me! How much was this!?"

"Dont worry about the price. All that matters is that I could give my friend something special. You know, since you wouldnt let us pay rent."

Lyra immediately jumped across the table, pulling me into a hug before I could say anything else. It was a bit long, but it didn`t faze me. She was probably just grateful for what I had given her. Plus, if she did have feelings for me, that would also explain a lot.

& with that, we headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, where the Running of The Leaves would begin.

The Running of The Leaves, Part II

Chapter XV: The Running of The Leaves, Part II

Perspective: Sora

"How about a race?"

We were waiting at the starting line to begin the Running. I looked around to see who was going to be in the race. Of course, Applejack & Rainbow Dash had made some kind of bet, & it was all riding on this. I recognized a few other ponies: Lyra, Bonbon, Derpy, & to my surprise, Twilight. I didn`t think she was much of a runner.

Before I could look around any more, the race began. I began running at a brisk pace, & noticed that Twilight & I seemed to have the same strategy: move slowly at first, then wait for everyone else to tire themselves out & rush to the finish. The scenery here was absolutely beautiful. I was glad that I wasnt sprinting like a madman, or else I wouldnt have noticed any of this. we made it to the halfway mark, & neither me or Twilight had expended much energy. She had told me that she wasn`t much of an athlete, but she wanted to join in on Ponyville traditions whenever she could. Apparently, there was some kind of event in the winter, where the citizens joined together to get rid of the snow, wake the hibernating animals, basically getting everything ready for summer. They called it "Winter Wrap-Up".

Maybe I could get another Keychain from helping out with this...

The ponies ahead of us seemed like they were tiring themselves, so Twilight & I decided to speed it up. I increased my speed to as fast as I could go in my normal form. Twilight was about to make it past me, but I beat her to the punch. I activated my Quick Run, sliding across the finish line.

"&, in second place, we have Sora!"

"Wait. Who got first?"

"Miss me?"

Riku was standing at the finish line. He had won the Running of The Leaves by using his Dark Booster skill, which increased his speed when he activated his dark powers. He was obviously using the skill to its full potential, since there was an aura of darkness surrounding him.

Before I could speak to him, a gigantic flash of white light surrounded us, & we were both holding a new Keyblade.

The guard of mine was a dark brown ring that looked as if it was made of wood. The shaft was a somewhat jagged line that resembled a tree branch. The teeth of the key were composed of a large leaf, & the Keychain was an acorn. There was an inscription on the guard:

"The Fair Weather will strengthen friendships like none other.

Looks like this Keyblade`s called Fair Weather."

Riku`s Keyblade was nothing like mine, just like always. His Keyblades were usually designed more like normal swords than keys.

The guard was composed of two small leaves, while the blade was made from a blade of grass. This Keyblade`s Keychain was a small pumpkin.

"This one has an inscription too.

With this blade in hand, your Autumn Fantasy will become reality.

Autumn Fantasy..."

Even though they were racing for first place, Applejack & Rainbow Dash tied for last place. They ended up having a worthwhile laugh, until Twilight asked Lyra an interesting question.

"Where did you get that necklace? It looks expensive."

"Sora gave it to me! Isn`t it beautiful?"

"Yes, but I`m not sure that he knew the implications behind that necklace..."

"Twilight?"

"Huh? Oh, Sora. Yes?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

"Lyra, would you mind if I talk to Twilight in private?"

"Okay."

"Twilight, I heard you say that there were implications behind that necklace I gave Lyra. What is it?"

"Well, in Equestria, if a stallion gives a mare a piece of jewelry with the coloration of both of their coats or manes, it`s kind of a proclamation of love..."

"Wait, WHAT!? I had no idea! Why didn`t the jeweler tell me?

Wait. This could be helpful..."

"What do you mean, helpful?"

"Well, I kind of noticed that Lyra... might be in love with me, & I think I might feel the same."

"You think so? Or do you know so? Theres a big difference, & if you dont then you should tell her soon instead of just leading her on."

"I know. I was thinking about it, but but Im not sure if I should, since Im not a pony & everything."

"I might be able to help you with that, Sora. Tell you what, come back to my house as soon as you`re done here."

"Okay. See you soon."

Twilight cantered off towards her house, & I decided to follow her. I arrived just a few moments after she did.

"Hey Twilight. So, Im going to assume that youre going to use some kind of spell to turn me into a pony so I can date Lyra without any problems, right?"

"That... that`s exactly what I was going to do."

"Okay. Let`s get this over with."

Twilight`s horn began to shine with an unnaturally bright light, as I was enveloped in her magic aura.

The process of the spell was difficult to describe. It was like being stretched to about three times my normal size, then being crushed into a three-inch sphere, & finally, ending the spell in my new equine body.

I had been transformed into a tannish colored alicorn with a mane that was the exact same color & style as it was when I was human. I noticed that I was wearing a modified version of my normal clothes, sans the gloves, since I no longer had hands. My cutie mark was two Kingdom Keys crossed over a stylized heart.

"Wow. This is amazing! I`ve been transformed into a lion, a merman, & even a vampire, but not an alicorn! I need to go! Thank you so much, Twilight."

Before I exited, a massive glow filled the room, & I was holding another new Keyblade. The guard was composed of two large wings, & the shaft was made from a long silverish crystal, while the teeth were made from a similarly colored unicorn horn. This Keyblade`s Keychain was a large stylized heart, like the one in my cutie mark.

I realized that my horn was glowing with a dark green magic aura, & I was levitating my Keyblade next to me.

"I... Im using magic! I cant believe it!"

There was another inscription on the guard.

"The Royal Commoner has risen. His true potential will surface in time.

Royal Commoner..."

I sheathed my Keyblade & prepared to leave.

"Oh, & Sora?"

"Yeah?"

Twilight used a teleportation spell to appear just a couple inches away from me, her horn pressed against my neck.

"If you hurt Lyra, then so help me, I will end you in the most painful way possible."

"Dont worry. Everythingll be fine. You have nothing to worry about."

The Very First Time

Chapter XVI: The Very First Time

Perspective: Sora

"I can`t believe it.

I really flew. Wait till I tell Kairi."

I had gotten used to walking on four legs pretty quickly, since this was almost like a larger version of my lion form. I decided to try out something that I had all but forgotten about.

My wings.

I wasnt even sure how to move them, but they felt almost like another pair of arms, so I decided it couldnt hurt to try. I flexed, & my wings moved away from my sides. It felt like I was giving a part of my body a long needed stretch. I began to move them up & down at a moderate speed, & without even thinking, I was hovering about three feet above the ground.

I was flying! I had flown before in Neverland, but its a lot different when its a part of your body doing the flying.

I tilted my body forward & began flapping at a much higher speed, flying towards Lyras house. I wasnt exactly comfortable calling it my house, since Lyra & Bonbon were the ones paying the rent. I still didnt like that they were doing everything, & Riku & I hadnt even been able to get jobs yet. I had tried before, but could never find the one job that worked. I had tried helping Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner, but I was never a very good cook. Needless to say, that didnt work out well. Then I had tried assisting Fluttershy with her animals, & that ended with me in a bears mouth, Derpy stuck in a tree, & a dog running around with my Keyblade in its mouth. I wasn`t strong enough to buck apples, & my Keyblade always cut the trees in half, so Applejack was out of the question pretty quickly. I had tried helping Rarity on multiple occasions, but those always found a way to end in disaster. I never even knew that diamonds could catch on fire...

Then I realized that I had never done anything for Rainbow or Twilight. I couldn`t fly, so there was nothing I could do for Rainbow. Although, now I might be able to. Twilight never needed help with anything, since she had Spike & Owlowiscious. I arrived at the door, & entered.

Bonbon was sitting on the couch, reading a book as always, except this time, she had a look of pure fear on her face.

"W-who are you!? Why are you in my house!?"

"Bonbon, calm down! It`s me, Sora! Twilight used her magic to turn me into a pony."

"I don`t believe you. Tell me something only Sora would know."

"You have a crush on Caramel, but you know itll never happen, since he isnt into mares."

"It is you, Sora. Sorry about that. Why did Twilight turn you into a pony in the first place? Did you ask her to?"

"Well, not exactly..."

I told Bonbon everything that had happened before & at the Running, from when I first noticed that Lyra felt the way she did, all the way up until right now.

"So... you thought that Lyra was in love with you, & you were pretty sure that you felt the same, but you felt weird about it since you werent a pony, so Twilight turned you into an alicorn so that you could date Lyra without any problems, then you got a new Keyblade, & now youre here?"

At that point, I began wondering if Bonbon was related to Pinkie Pie or not.

"Uhh... yeah, that`s... exactly what happened."

"Did you ever think about how you were going to explain this to Riku? I mean, I dont think hell take too kindly to the thought of his best friend dating a unicorn, especially right after you found out that your girlfriend back home is dead."

"Ill figure something out. Just try to make sure that he doesnt find out until I come up with an explanation, please?"

"Sure. I`ll try my best."

"Thanks a lot, Bonbon."

Rainbow Dash

Chapter XVII: Rainbow Dash

Perspective: Sora

"So that`s a Keyblade. & you must be its chosen wielder."

I had a very specific schedule for today. First, I was going to go talk to the girls & make sure they knew what Twilight had done, so they`d know who I was. Then, I would go buy a few things in preparations. Lastly, I was finally going to try & ask Lyra out. I had to admit, I knew little to nothing about this, so I knew that I should probably talk to Rarity beforehand, since romance was kind of her area of expertise.

I was already on my way to find Rainbow Dash. It would probably take some time, since she rarely ever stayed at her house during the day. As I trotted down the street, I noticed that the ponies were giving me really weird looks, like they weren`t sure what to make of me. I then remembered something Twilight had said about alicorns.

"In Equestria, alicorns have always been royalty. Nothing else."

That`s why they were looking at me like that! They thought I royalty, but nobody had told them that I even existed. I started to wonder if Twilight knew any spells that I could use to turn myself into a pegasus or a unicorn.

Anything but an alicorn.

I sped up my movement to a full gallop, then leapt into the air & began moving my wings. I flew as high as I could & stopped, scanning the surrounding area for a bit of rainbow.

I spotted a large cyan & rainbow colored body lying on top of a small cloud. I flew at a light pace towards the cloud, stopping just underneath it. I decided that this was the perfect opportunity for a good prank.

I extended a hoof & poked through the cloud. Rainbow immediately flew about five feet into the air with an expression of pure terror on her face. I decided that it was time to reveal myself.

I flew upward, slipping right through the cloud, & tapped Rainbow on the shoulder. As soon as I touched her, she whipped around & punched me in the jaw with an unimaginable amount of force. If it wasnt for that cloud, I wouldve been halfway through a fall to my doom.

"Who the buck are you, & what did you just do!?"

"Rainbow, it`s me, Sora! Twilight used a spell to turn me into a pony!"

"Oh yeah? Then tell me something only Sora would know."

"Secretly, you`re jealous because I can fly faster than you in Final Form."

"Hmm... I think Ill take your word for it. That, & I dont know of any alicorns that look like you."

"Yeah. I was going to ask Twilight if she knew a spell that could turn me into another species. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that."

"Okay. See you later, Sora. Oh, & sorry about the whole "punching you" thing."

"Eh. It`s cool. Just like you."

"Seeya!"

With that, I flew towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack

Chapter XVIII: Applejack

Perspective: Sora

"I need more hearts... more rage..."

I flew from Rainbow`s cloud towards Sweet Apple Acres. The farm came into view as I lowered myself a bit, scanning the orchard for any signs of Applejack. Finally, I spotted her in the northern orchard, bucking trees. I floated down towards her, making sure to keep my distance in case this went any way similar to my meeting with Rainbow Dash.

"Hey AJ."

"Sora? Where are ya?"

"Right behind you."

"Oh. Whore you? Youre definitely not Sora. Wait, youre an alicorn! Shouldnt you be back in whatever kingdom you rule?"

"AJ, it`s me. Twilight used a spell that made me an alicorn."

"Why`d she do that?"

I explained everything to Applejack about Lyra, & how & why Twilight had made me into a pony.

"Okaaay... does Riku know about this?"

"He will pretty soon. Ive got a really big schedule today, so Im going to talk to him second to last."

"Who`s gonna be last?"

"That would be Rarity. I need to talk to her before I go see Lyra, so I thought I might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"What does killin` birds hafta do with that?"

"Its an expression back home. It means that youre getting two things done at once."

"Oh. Now it makes sense."

"Well, if youre pretty sure that Im not some kind of "imposter", then I`m out to see Pinkie."

"Alright. Ah`ll let you be on yer way."

"See you later, AJ."

I began running, & like before, I jumped into the air, starting to fly towards Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie Pie & Fluttershy

Chapter XIX: Pinkie Pie & Fluttershy

Perspective: Sora

"This. This is power. Darkness. The true darkness!"

I was walking to Sugarcube Corner, mulling over the information that Twilight had given me. She said that self transformative magic was fairly easy to use. She was definitely right. I was now trotting down the street in the form of a normal unicorn stallion. I stepped through the door, seeing Mr. Cake behind the counter.

"Hi there. I dont think Ive seen you around here lately."

"Mr. Cake, it`s me, Sora. Twilight turned me into an alicorn, & I used a transformation spell to turn myself into a unicorn. If you want me to prove it to you, I can still turn back into my normal form."

"Go ahead. Show me."

I poured a decent amount of magic energy into my horn as it glowed with its dark green aura. My body started to change until I was standing in front of the counter in my normal human form.

"Okay. I believe you. What do you need?"

"Is Pinkie here? I just need to talk to her."

"Why yes she is. Just a second."

Mr. Cake left, & a few moments Pinkie Pie came bouncing into the room like always.

"Hey Sora! What`s up?"

"I`ve got something to show you."

"Ooh! Is it a new party decoration? Or maybe you got a new pet!"

"It`s something completely different. Watch."

I let a small amount of magic seep into my Keyblade as my body began to shrink slightly. My Keyblade became enveloped in a deep green energy as it began floating next to me.

"Howd you do that? You look a bit like Vinyl Scratchs cousin."

"It`s a spell Twilight showed me. It lets me turn myself into an earth pony, pegasus, or a unicorn at will. But, if I turn myself into an alicorn, it lets me use my magical prowess to its full potential."

"So, you can turn into a pony or a human whenever you want with some kind of special magic?"

"Its not exactly special. Any skilled unicorn could use the spell. Its just unicorn magic adapted so that I can use it with my Keyblade."

"Oh. I dont know much about unicorns or alicorns, but that sounds like really advanced magic, even though you said its not."

"All magic is complicated on the outside. On the inside, it`s as natural as flying is for pegasi, or baking is for you. Well, I just wanted to come & tell you about that."

"Okay. You need anything else?"

"Actually, could I get a dozen cupcakes?"

"Whatcha want? We`ve got plenty!"

"Can I get... four double chocolate, three strawberry chocolate, & five blueberry cream?"

"Sure thing, Sore!"

Since when does she call me Sore?

"Thanks, Pinkie. See you later!"

"Kay-kay!"

I stepped out of the door, transformed into a pegasus, & flew towards Fluttershy`s cottage.

I landed in front of the small house & knocked. A moment later, she came to the door.

"Hello. Um, might I ask who you are?"

"Just a moment."

My body began to shift, until I was standing in my normal form.

"Hello, Sora. What did you just do?"

"Well, Twilight used her magic to turn me into an alicorn. Then, she taught me a spell that I can use to turn into a pegasus, unicorn, alicorn, or even an earth pony if I want. Obviously, I can also use the spell to turn back into a human."

"Oh. That`s interesting. Would you like to come in?"

"Sure."

I stepped inside, turning into an alicorn as I walked. The two of us sat down on a sofa.

"So, was that the only reason why you came here?"

"Actually, I have a question. Do you think I could buy some flowers from you? I would buy them from Rose, but she doesn`t take too kindly to me after I tried to help her cut roses with my Keyblade."

"Of course. I wont take your money, though. Youre my friend, & I`d do anything for my friends. One question, though."

"What is it?"

"Why do you keep changing shape? Do you prefer being a pony?"

"Well, I could stay a human, but it`s so interesting to see the world from a completely different perspective."

"Oh. You know, I`d really like to see what it would be like to become a human."

"Maybe Twilight & I could figure out a spell for that."

"Really?"

"Of course! I hate when my friends don`t enjoy their lives as much as possible!"

"Sora, I`ve noticed a few things about you. You seem to be concerned about yourself when you should be, but any other time, all you care about is your friends being happy. Why is that?"

"I guess its just me. Theres no rhyme or reason to it. I`ve always been like that."

"I wish I could be like you, Sora."

"Hey, if you just try hard enough, you could. All you have to do is have faith in yourself, & you can do anything."

"Thank you so much, Sora. Oh! I almost forgot the flowers. Be right back."

Fluttershy trotted out of the room, & I waited. A few seconds later, I heard a loud scream that was obviously her. I transformed back into a human, & charged out the door, drawing my Keyblade in the process.

"Sora! Help!"

"What is i-"

I was stopped midsentence by a Neoshadow leaping out of the ground at me. My Keyblade started glowing with a white aura as I jumped into the air, bringing it down on top of the Heartless as it dissipated into nothing. I looked over & saw four more Neoshadows circling around Fluttershy as she simply quivered in fear.

"Fluttershy! Try to fight them off!"

"I can`t! My hooves go right through them!"

"Listen! Take every emotion you can imagine; anger, happiness, anything! Combine them into one emotion. Use that power to defeat the Heartless!"

Another group of Neoshadows jumped into the air above me. I spun in a circle, balls of flame orbiting my body & destroying the Heartless. I looked over, & saw just what I was hoping for. Fluttershy had pooled together the power in her heat, & summoned her Keyblade, which looked just like it did in the Dive. She charged forward & cut through all four Heartless that had been attacking her.

"Looks like we`re okay for now."

"Sora, what is this?"

"That`s your Keyblade. Hearts that are nearly devoid of darkness, but at the same time still have a powerful will are normally able to use the Keyblade. You & your friends all have the ability to use it; it just takes the right situation to unlock that power. Or, as someone else told me, it just takes the right Key to unlock it."

"But... I cant fight. I could barely get rid of those things. Whats the point in having it if I can`t use it?"

How can she still talk with that in her mouth?

"Theres more uses for a Keyblade than just fighting. You may not be a unicorn, but with the Keyblade, you can use magic. Theres a lot of different healing spells I could teach you."

"I`d like that a lot, Sora. Now, what do I do with this?"

"Just imagine it disappearing, & it should go away. If you think about using it, you can summon it again."

I could see that she had genuine difficulty dismissing her Keyblade, but after a moment, she succeeded.

"I`m sorry. Those monsters destroyed my flower bed."

"Its fine. At least youre okay. Ive got to go talk to Rarity. Ill see you later."

"Okay. Bye."

I turned around, going into pegasus form, & flew towards the Carousel Boutique.

Rarity

Chapter XX: Rarity

Perspective: Sora

"I`m not leaving without Belle! Now go! The Heartless are coming!"

I walked towards the Carousel Boutique, still a bit on edge. If that group of Heartless had appeared in Equestria, whats preventing more from coming? Maybe the princesses knew something. Maybe they could tell me where Equestrias Keyhole is. I was so deep in thought that I didn`t even realize that Rarity was standing in front of me, a look of confusion on her face.

"Excuse me? Do you need something?"

"Oh! Sorry. It`s me, Sora. Twilight gave me a spell that lets me turn into any pony species at will."

As if to prove my point, I briefly shifted between each of my forms; from a pegasus to a unicorn, then between alicorn & human form, & finally back to a pegasus.

"Oh. Was that everything? Do you need anything else?"

"No. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Not at all, Sora."

I stepped inside, & sat down in a chair with Rarity sitting in one right next to me.

"So, what exactly do you need?"

"I need some advice. I was thinking about asking Lyra out today, & I`m not sure what to say. Can you give me any tips?"

"Ah, the one thing that most stallions pay little attention to. Well, theres not much I can tell you except for this: Be chivalrous. Make eye contact, but dont just give her a blank stare. You dont want to put too much emotion into it either. All in all, just be your normal self. If she cant accept you that way, then she`s not worth the effort."

"Alright. Thanks."

"No problem. Before you leave, I have something for you."

Rarity`s horn began to glow for a moment until she pulled something out of a nearby drawer; an almost bedazzled looking blue & purple bow tie.

"This looks amazing. Thanks Rarity."

"Once again, no problem. All is necessary in the pursuit of love."

I turned around, trotting out of the Boutique & back home.

An Actual Date

Chapter XXI: An Actual Date

Perspective: Sora

"The Darkness may destroy my body, but it can`t touch my Heart."

Lyra & I were actually on a date. She told me that there was a performer in town that she wanted to see, so we both went.

"Behold the magic of The Great & Powerful TRIXIE!"

"Sounds like a showoff."

"Sora, all performance magicians are showoffs. They know that any unicorn can do what they do, but they think that their way of doing it is better than everypony else`s."

The stage came into view, & we were greeted by a shocking sight. There was a brilliant blue unicorn mare with a mane colored in varying shades of pale blue, with a cutie mark of a star & wand. She was wearing what was obviously a decorative cape & hat. Her appearance wasn`t the thing I was paying attention to, it was her trick. She was levitating a whip, controlling three Shadow Heartless & making them perform all manner of acts; flips, dancing, basically everything. I knew I had to speak up before this went wrong.

"Stop! Do you have any idea how dangerous those things are?"

"Who dares question the abilities of The Great & Powerful Trixie?"

"I do! My name is Sora, & those Heartless wont stay under your control forever! I dont want to do this, but I`m doing it to save all of you!"

I turned back into alicorn form, levitating my Keyblade & charging at the Shadows. Just before I cut down one of them, Trixie threw up a barrier spell, blocking my attack.

"Whats wrong with you? Youre putting all these ponies` lives at stake!"

"The Great & Powerful Trixie has no idea what you speak of. These creatures are perfectly tame, at least after Trixie was able to get her hooves on them. Now please, drop the glamour spell, you insipid unicorn, & get back into the crowd."

"Look, I know the dangers of controlling Heartless. One of my friends tried to do it before, & he almost died! How about this? A duel; if I win, I destroy the Heartless. If you win, I`ll let you finish the show."

"Trixie accepts your challenge, as she will obviously win."

"We`ll see about that. Whoever makes the biggest spectacle wins."

"Please, go first. Trixie wishes to see just what useless powers you have."

I charged up multiple spells at once in my Keyblade; a combination of Aero, Thunder, Fire, Blizzard, Gravity, & two extremely strong ones, Stopga, & an equally powerful Magnega. I released the spells, & a massive ball of lightning, fire, ice chunks, gravitational energy, gale force winds, & a magnet to hold them all together shot into the sky as I cast Stopra on the entire thing, allowing the crowd to get a good look at it.

"& just so you know, this isn`t a glamour."

I flew into the air as the Stopra wore off & cut through the ball, creating a gigantic explosion of thunderbolts & fireballs as I skid to a halt on the stage.

"Beat that, Trixie."

"Of course. Watch & learn, pathetic commoner."

Trixie`s horn began to glow with an almost purplish light as three firecrackers flew towards one of the Heartless. The Shadow jumped into the air to avoid one, then kicked the other two at its brethren, making them jump too.

"Ha! These beasts are harmless. Clearly, Trixie is victorious."

"That`s not the end of my challenge. I have another type of duel for you. A physical battle. You up for it, or are you scared?"

"The Great & Powerful Trixie fears nothing, as all fears her."

"Whatever. Maybe you`ll change your mind when you see my true form."

"True form? Trixie commands you to show her this "true form" you speak of."

"You command me!? You dont *command* anybody to do anything. I dont take commands from useless street performers that show off just because they can. Also, I beg of you to stop speaking in the third person. It gets really annoying."

I charged a small amount of energy into my horn, & in a moment, I was standing on two legs once again. I could hear Lyra & most of the crowd cheering wildly, the only ones who weren`t just standing there slack-jawed.

"What kind of trickery is this? Trixie commands you to tell her what you have become."

"Once again. I. Don`t. Take. Commands!"

With a yell, I summoned my Kingdom Key & threw it at Trixie. It slammed into her chest, sending her back, but not off the stage. My Keyblade came back to me as Trixie shot a beam of magic energy at me, which I deflected with a quick vertical slash. I charged at her as my Keyblade started to glow with a blinding orange & yellow light. I began slashing furiously at her, knocking her to the edge of the stage.

"Finis!"

Instead of the usual overhead finisher, I swung straight up, sending Trixie into the air. I jumped after her & pulled off a quick aerial combo, then finished with another, much longer & powerful one. I landed on the ground, & followed up the combo with a shout.

"Ragnarok!"

A large swirling beam of energy shot from my Keyblade, exploding on contact with Trixie & sending her back to the ground as she broke through the stage with a thud.

"You... you dare harm The Great & Powerful Trixie!? You will pay dearly for your insolence!"

Trixie`s entire body started to glow, & in a moment she was holding two extremely familiar weapons.

How in the name of Sid does she have a Keyblade? & it`s not one, but two!

The first one was somewhat basic. The handle was a very light blue on the outside, with a flat black on the interior. The guard was made from two similar shapes that were the same color as the outside of the handle, forming an R on each side. The shaft was a perfectly straight rectangle with the same light blue color on the outside & a very dark blue on the inside. The teeth were made from a wand & a star just like her cutie mark, still sporting that same light blue, & the Keychain was a red six pointed star. The other Keyblade was fairly similar. The guard was an upside down triangle with rounded edges like my Metal Chocobo, except it was a medium blue with a diagonal stripe pattern. The shaft was identical to the other one, but with a dark red coloration. The teeth were made from a red lightning bolt, & the Keychain was a bright yellow flame.

"These things... they seem to be weapons. Trixie thanks the universe for this perfect coincidence!"

"Two things. First, of course theyre weapons! Why else would they be called Key*blades*? Second, this isnt a coincidence. Your emotions combined with the powers that lie dormant inside of every powerful heart & formed your Keyblades."

"Trixie will not pay mind to your ramblings. Now die!"

Trixie lunged at me, levitating both her Keyblades into a horizontal arc. I easily jumped over her head & countered with a ten-hit combo. I made the first three attacks basic slashes, the fourth an Upper Slash. Instead of jumping, I finished the ground combo with a Finishing Leap, knocking Trixie back into the air. I continued the assault by jumping, then giving three basic attacks, a Horizontal Slash, & finally an Aerial Finish, which knocked Trixie back down, causing her to bounce off of the ground. I took the opportunity to cast two Thundaga spells on her, then finished the magic chain with two Trinity Breaks. After the second Break, I front-flipped, knocking her down & finishing the battle.

"You really didn`t put up much of a fight. I almost feel bad for using that much power."

"Trix-... I give any apologies needed to repair the emotional damage caused by my transgressions. As for physical damage... I don`t think you have sustained enough to warrant an apology for that."

A strange noise came from Trixie`s mouth after she spoke. Was she... laughing?

"It`s fine. As for you..."

I swung my Keyblade into the air, causing a set of bells to ring over Trixie`s body, quickly healing her.

"Thank you, Sora. Would there be anything that I can do to repay you?"

"No, but theres a couple things I have to do. First, I need to take you to my master. Hell teach you to properly use the Keyblade, or Keyblades in your case. After that, you`ll be able to come back here; then, I have a special mission that you & a few others can help me with."

Lyra had come to my side a moment ago, & hadn`t spoken until now.

"Sora, I thought you couldn`t let anypony from other worlds know about Yen Sid."

"First of all, I told you didn`t I? Second, the rule is different for Keyblade wielders. I have to send her to the Tower. But not yet. You know what I told you before."

"Okay. But, if you don`t have your Gummi Ship, how can you leave this world?"

"I`m going to see if the princesses can help me with that."

"Wait! Sora, you said that you needed to destroy these creatures. Aren`t you goung to do it?"

"If you want to, you can do it yourself. Just use your magic to summon the Keyblade. It`s the only thing that can defeat the Heartless."

Trixie`s horn started to glow as her Keyblade appeared, & used it to cut through the Heartless.

"Goodbye, Sora. I hope that we meet again."

"Dont worry. We will. Thats a promise."

"A Pinkie Promise?"

"Pinkie, where did you come from? I didn`t see you in the crowd."

"Never mind that! Now, is it a Pinkie Promise?"

"Cross my heart & hope to fly, stick a cupcake in-OW!"

"I remember when Twilight did that. Guess it`s a thing for newcomers."

The Beginning of The End, Part I

Chapter XXII: The Beginning of The End, Part I

Perspective: Sora

"The name`s Axel. Got it memorized?"

Two Months Later

I was sitting at home reading a book, when a series of knocks erupted from my door. Still in pegasus form, I walked over to the door & opened it, revealing Twilight standing there with a look of shock on her face & a large book in her magic.

"Twilight?"

"No time! Is Riku here?"

Before I could answer, Riku came bolting down the stairs, Keyblade in hand.

"What`s going on!? I heard someone calling for me!"

Twilight looked at the two of us, her expression turning grim.

"Sora, Riku, Discord is back."

This shocked both of us, but Riku was the first to speak.

"Discord? I thought he was imprisioned!"

"Well, somehow the seal on him was broken, but it wasn`t done by a pony. It was done by some other being."

I finally realized what had happened.

"Xemnas! He wanted to find the most powerful Nobodies possible, & what could make a more powerful Nobody than the god of chaos?"

Twilight began to think about this quite a bit, coming to a conclusion.

"Looks like weve got a Nobody to stop! Ill gather the girls. You two find Trixie. We meet back at the library ASAP. Got it memorized?"

Did she just...

No, I never told her about Axel.

"Alright! Riku, let`s go!"

I drew my Keyblade, changed into alicorn form, & flew out the door, Riku running beside me.

Quite luckily, Trixie was right in the middle of the market, a bag of assorted vegetables draped over her flank. I shouted at the top of my lungs to catch her attention.

"Trixie!"

Trixie ran towards me, dropping her bags in the process.

"What`s going on here!?"

"Discord is back. So is Xemnas, & we need the Elements & our Keyblades."

"Alright."

I began to cast another spell, & we were back at the library. Twilight came galloping down the road, the Elements trailing behind her. The moment she stopped, me & the other three unicorns in the group combined our magic to teleport ourselves to Canterlot.

We arrived in the castle gardens, but it was very different. The usually bright, beautiful flowers were now displaying muted colorations, & looked as if they were on the verge of death. There were numerous storm clouds gathered overhead, completely blocking the sun. Lightning began to fall from the sky, & a devious laugh came with it. Finally, the source of the noise appeared to us; what looked like a mish-mosh of parts from various animals with the head of a pony. Standing next to him was an unusual sight. A pale grey unicorn with a light blue mane stood beside Discord, cloaked in black. A large X shaped scar covered the front of his face. I recognized the figure instantly, & made my discovery known.

"Sai`x! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, not much. Mainly, Xemnas sent me to keep an eye on Discord while he got rid of you all. But if you wish, I could play a more... active role."

Trixie, Riku & I summoned our Keyblades, preparing to fight Saix. He levitated his claymore into the air, taking on an aggressive stance. Twilight & the others stepped back, & the three of us charged. I knew the specific tactics for battling Saix, & so did Riku, so I decided to brief Trixie on the strategy.

"Trixie, remember that skill I taught you yesterday? Use it when I tell you to, & get out of his way when I say so. Got it?"

"Yes."

My Kingdom Key & Royal Commoner became wrapped in a familiar yellow aura as I brought them down on Saixs head. An cloud of lightning bolts exploded from my Keyblades as I jumped away, giving Riku a chance to attack. He dashed forward & began slashing wildly, causing a decent amount of damage. He back-flipped away, & finished the attack with a Dark Firagablitz, sending a cloud of dark fireballs into the air as they spread out, spinning around Saix like a tornado, & converging on his position, creating a massive explosion. Saix emerged from the explosion mostly intact, levitating his claymore in the air. His mane became extremely disheveled, & I could see a pair of fangs sticking out of his mouth.

"Trixie! Riku! Get out of the way!"

They ran, & Sai`x flew towards me, swinging his claymore at the ground, causing a large shockwave to erupt with each strike. I blocked one of his attacks with my Keyblades & spun, knocking him back.

"Trixie, now!"

Trixie ran forward, levitating her Keyblades & pierced Saixs chest with one as it erupted in flames, creating a blast of fire that knocked him away. She moved again, doing the exact same with her other Keyblade, except this time, it exploded into shards of ice. She began dashing after Sai`x repeatedly, performing the same two attacks over & over again. Trixie disappeared, teleporting behind him & swinging her Keyblades in a horizontal arc, knocking the Nobody right at me.

With one final shout, I finished the battle.

"Final Blitzaga!"

How I did it in alicorn form, I have no idea, but somehow I was able to go into Final Form without being in my human body. My coat had turned from its normal tan color to an almost blindingly bright white, & my mane was now flat black, but with the same style. I also noticed that my magic aura was now dark blue instead of green. My Keyblades disappeared, & I summoned two new ones: Ultima Weapon & Two Become One. I flew towards Saix & began slashing at him to no end, my Keyblades radiating pure rage. I wanted to destroy Organization XIII with a passion, & the hope that I could do it gave me a borderline primordial power, one that would triumph over all others, no matter what. For the final strike, I buried my Keyblades in Saixs chest, causing a gigantic wave of energy to wash over the area, bathing it in white light. I flew into the air, his body still attached to my Keyblades & spun, throwing Saix to the ground. The light began to drain from around me as it poured into my body. I dove straight at the ground with hundreds of light orbs spinning around me & landed right on top of Saix, lancing through him with my Keyblades & creating another explosion, except this one was less like a grenade & more like a miniature nuke. Before he disintegrated, Saix gave me his final words.

"You may have defeated me, but you will be quite surprised by Discord`s new... powers."

"What do you mean?"

"Xemnas has a plan to possess Discord & use his godly powers to destroy everything by destroying one."

"One what?"

"He will not just corrupt the heart of this world, but the heart of all worlds."

Sai`x disappeared, & I looked to Riku, both of us knowing what he meant. Before either of us could say anything, Twilight decided to make her confusion known.

"Sora, what did he mean by the heart of all worlds?"

"Remember when I told you about our first journey, & how we fought Ansem? Ansem wanted to use the power of Kingdom Hearts to gain supremity over everything. Xemnas, however, is going to destroy Kingdom Hearts, which will cause everything in existence to disappear. Including us."

A massive gasp erupted from the seven mares with this news. Twilight wasn`t done with her questioning, however.

"Now, how were you able to use your forms as a pony? Don`t you have to be human to do that?"

"I have absolutely no idea, but-"

Before I could finish talking, my body started glowing once again, & this time I didn`t have a new Keyblade, but a new companion lying in the grass in front of me: a light grey alicorn stallion with a golden mane that swept over part of his face. His cutie mark was the Oathkeeper & Oblivion Keyblades crossed over a Nobody sigil.

"Sora? By Yen Sid`s beard, what just happened?"

"Roxas!? What are you doing here!? More importantly, how are you here in the first place, & how are you a pony?"

"I can explain, but at the same time, I cant. You see, there was a Nobody that didnt look like any I had seen before. It looked like parts from a bunch of different animals mixed together in the form of a Nobody."

Twilight came to a conclusion, & decided to give us the information.

"That must have been Discords Nobody! I knew that he looked different just now. That wasnt Discord, it was his Heartless! Roxas, did you actually defeat it?"

"No. It was too powerful. It used some kind of magic that sent me through the very fabric of Sora`s heart & brought me here."

"So, where`s the Nobody now?"

"I dont know. It just popped up in the Dive To The Heart. I knew I shouldnt have been there, because I already went through the normal Dive once, & when Sora first got here, we both went through a modified Dive. Almost like the Equestrian equivalent of it. I went through the Equestrian Dive again, & instead of a Twilight Thorn, I fought Discord`s Nobody. This one could talk, though. It said something about his "master" corrupting "the grand heart". Sora, was he talking about Kingdom Hearts?"

"Yeah, & his master is Xemnas. I know whats going to happen. Theyre going to use a powerful dark magic to corrupt Kingdom Hearts & turn it into the center of the new Realm of Darkness. We need to stop them before they can get there, & its going to take a lot of magic, so well need every unicorn we can get to help us. Roxas, come with me. We`ve got a posse to round up!"

Rainbow Dash stepped forward, obviously not okay with this plan.

"& what are we going to do? Just sit here twiddling our hooves while you go & get every bit of magic in Equestria? I don`t think so!"

"You didnt let me finish, Rainbow. I have an idea. Everypony listen up. Each of you will be going somewhere specific in teams of two to get any unicorns you can find. Rarity & Riku, youll be checking out Ponyville & Fillysberg. Make sure you go together. Trixie & Fluttershy, you go to Manehattan & Fillydelphia. Applejack & Pinkie, you two go to Las Pegasus & Mexicolt. Rainbow & Twilight, you guys head to Canterlot. Roxas & I are going to the Crystal Empire. Got it memorized?"

The mares & Riku all gave a nod, while Roxas looked at me, very confused.

"Something wrong, Roxas?"

"Yeah. What`s the Crystal Empire?"

"Youll know it when you see it. Lets go!"

We all split into our groups, & headed to our destinations. I decided to teleport us both to the Empire & save plenty of time. We landed right in the middle of a courtyard, almost landing on top of a crystal pegasus stallion with an electric blue mane.

"Sora, why didn`t you tell me before you did that?"

"Sorry, I was trying to get here quickly. Either way, welcome to the Crystal Empire!"

As I spoke, I waved a hoof around the area, giving Roxas a good view.

"Now, lets go. Theres somepony I want you to meet."

The two of us walked off towards a massive structure in the distance.

We arrived at the castle in just a few minutes, since I had quickly taught Roxas about flight. A pair of crystal unicorns stood guard in front of the door, one mare & one stallion. The mare`s coat was a pale green, & her mane was of a color that was just between blue & purple. The stallion looked almost the same, but with a light blue mane. I assumed that they were related somehow. The mare stepped forward to address us, & I noticed that her cutie mark was a pair of spears crossed over a light purple star.

"State your names & business."

"My name is Sora. Im pretty sure youve heard of me. & this is Roxas. Hes... my brother. Were here for an audience with the prince & princess."

She moved over to the side, giving us an opportunity to go inside. We entered the castle, & I noticed that Roxas was absolutely shocked by the architecture, his jaw dropping to the floor.

"Close your mouth Roxas, you`ll swallow a fly."

"Oh, right. Is this all naturally forming? It`s amazing!"

"I have absolutely no idea. I guess I never thought to ask about it. You can get the information from the princess herself in a second, though."

"For real? This place has a princess too? I thought Celestia & Luna ruled all of Equestria."

"Yes, but technically the Crystal Empire isnt part of Equestria, so Celestias niece is the princess here. Even more unusual, Twilight`s brother is the prince!"

"Really? I don`t know why, but I kind of felt like I knew that already."

"Well, you are my Nobody, so naturally you have all of my memories."

"Makes sense."

We came to a door marked with a gigantic crystal heart, & I knocked at the door. A moment later, it was covered in an aura of magic & opened. At the end of the room, Cadance & Shining Armor stood talking to each other. Cadance noticed me, & came running. We had developed quite a friendship, one almost as strong as the one she shared with Twilight.

"Sora! I haven`t seen you in forever!"

"I just came here three weeks ago, Cay."

"First of all, you know I hate it when you call me that. Second of all, when youre immortal, time becomes irrelevant. Whos your friend?"

"Well, thats a bit of a long story. You remember when I told you about Nobodies & Heartless? Well, this is Roxas. Hes my Nobody."

"Oh. Wait, I thought Nobodies didn`t come into existence until after their original selves die."

"Roxas is kind of a special case. We`ve coexisted a couple times before, but this is the first time we knew that the other was still around."

Shining Armor trotted over leisurely, slightly confused by Roxas, but still happy to see me.

"Hey Sora! & you are?"

"Roxas."

"Shining Armor."

Roxas held out a hoof, which Shining bumped his against instead of shaking it. He seemed much more... casual than he was the first time I met him. I decided that we shouldn`t stay here any longer than we had to.

"Cadance, Shining, I have a request for you."

Cadance looked at me, her expression turning sincere.

"Sora, youre one of my best friends. Ill do anything for you."

"I need you to gather up every unicorn in the Crystal Empire. Theres some serious trouble, & we need every bit of magic we can possibly get. Ive got Riku & the girls all over Equestria looking for unicorns."

"Alright. I`ll see what I can do. Any certain place you want them to go?"

"Yeah. I need them right here. Not in the castle, of course."

"I know what you meant."

Cadance & Shining Armor walked out onto a balcony, & Shining Armors horn began to glow, obviously casting a voice amplication spell. An entire courtyard of crystal ponies stopped what they were doing as the listened to Cadances address.

"My citizens! I ask something extremely important of you!"

She motioned to me with a wave of her tail, & I came out to stand next to her.

"This is Sora. I`m sure that you have heard of him already. He requires your assistance."

Shining`s magic aura began to cover me as well, amplifying my speech too.

"Yes. I have a mission of the utmost importance. I need every, & I mean every unicorn in the crystal empire to gather right here in this courtyard. Upon your arrival, I will tell you what has to be done."

The citizens began to scatter, all of the unicorns moving into a tight group.

"Cadance, is that really every unicorn?"

"I`m sorry, but yes. The Crystal Empire is mainly populated by earth ponies."

"It`s fine. This should be just enough, especially with the other groups."

"What groups?"

"Ive got Riku & the girls scoping out every major city in Equestria: Canterlot, Las Pegasus, Mexicolt, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Ponyville & Fillysberg. Theyre going to get every unicorn in the cities gathered into one place."

Shining Armor stepped forward to question me.

"Sora, might I ask what you need this done for?"

"Alright Ill tell you. But please, dont let the citizens know just yet. Discord is back. So is Xemnas, & theyre working together to corrupt Kingdom Hearts from the inside out, destroying all of existence. Discord has no idea of whats going to happen, & Xemnas is planning to posess him & use his godly powers to finish the job. That`s why we need this much magic, so that we can open the door to Kingdom Hearts & get there first, giving us a chance to come up with a way to stop them once & for all."

"Oh. My. Goddesses. Is there any way we can help?"

"Maybe. We`ll have to see if we can even open the door period first."

"Wait, so youre not even sure if thisll work?"

"For the record, I know that we can make the door appear, but I dont know if we can open it. The last time, it took the combined power of three Keyblade Masters to open it. Here in Equestria, we have the Elements of Harmony & three Keyblade wielders, but only two of us are masters. Im not sure if we have enough power. We might with the Elements, but who knows if they even have an effect on Kingdom Hearts!"

Before I could say anything else, seven massive glows erupted in the distance.

"Looks like the other groups are ready. I`ll be back."

My horn began to glow with its familiar dark green aura, & in a second, I had used my magic to turn me & Roxas back into our human forms.

"Come on, Roxas. We`ve got a door to open!"

The two of us ran to the balcony & jumped. Before I could hit the ground, I activated my Superglide, flying towards the large platform in front of us. Roxas however, simply ran at an equal speed. We made it in a matter of seconds.

"Citizens of the Crystal Empire! I`m here to tell you exactly what I need you for!"

Roxas & I drew our Keyblades, him summoning Oathkeeper & Ultima Weapon, & me summoning Two Become One & Oblivion.

"Now, I need all of you to focus every bit of magic energy you can muster into our Keyblades! I`ll signal when you can stop!"

A massive number of different magic auras appeared in the crowd, each firing a beam of energy that connected with our Keyblades, which began to glow with every color of the rainbow & more, to the point that they became painful to look at & hold.

"STOP!"

The lights dissipated, & we both held our Keyblades to the sky as a massive orb of multicolored light formed at the tip of each one. An orb formed over top of the seven lights in the distance, & they all converged on each other, forming into the shape of a giant keyhole, which an even larger door materialized around.

"Alright Roxas, let`s-"

My sentence was interrupted when the door changed from its pristine white color to flat black. Two large arms reached through the keyhole, pulling their body out. I turned to the crowd, yelling at the top of my lungs.

"Everypony run! Get out of here!"

The crowd began to scatter, leaving nobody but us facing down a Darkside.

"Roxas! Can you hold this thing off for about thirty seconds?"

"Sora, I fought Discord`s Nobody for three days straight. Of course I can handle a Darkside for less than a minute!"

"Alright."

My Keyblades disappeared as I changed into alicorn form & flew at the highest speed possible, straight into the throne room. Cadance & Shining Armor were standing at the balcony, watching in fear as Roxas fought the Darkside.

"Cadance, Shining! I need you guys to help us!"

Shining Armor stepped forward, a look of borderline anger forming on his face.

"Oh yeah? & what use are we!? I thought you said that Heartless & Nobodies could only be harmed by the Keyblade! We`ll get slaughtered out there!"

"Thats the thing. You both have unimaginably strong hearts, & those with strong hearts are normally able to use the Keyblade. You see where Im going with this?"

"Okay. Cadance, let`s go!"

Cadance ran forward, & the three of us jumped off the balcony once again. I was a bit worried about what would happen to Shining Armor, but he simply made four large dents in the ground with his hooves, landing unscathed.

"Okay you two, Ive got a plan. Shining Armor, you try & see what you can do with your magic. Focus on elemental magic. Cadance, you come with me. Ill need your help with this part."

We all split, Cadance & I heading to Roxasposition. He was trying to hold back the Darksides hulking fist with his Oathkeeper. He swung his Ultima Weapon to the side, cutting right through the Heartlesswrist & causing the hand to disintegrate. I looked over, & noticed that Shining Armor was charging a powerful spell. A large fireball flew out of his horn, exploding against the Darksides head. He immediately began charging another spell, not giving the Heartless a chance to recover. Roxas was locked in combat once again, using his Keyblades to block a series of massive punches from the Darkside. He rolled to one side, causing the Heartless to bury its fist in the ground. He jumped on top of the Darksides arm, running up to its head & beginning his attack, which I wouldve missed if it werent for my quick-moving vision. I saw him jump into the air, burying his Oathkeeper in its head, & slashing wildly at its face with his Ultima Weapon. He finally released his Oathkeeper & fell onto the Darksides shoulder, then spun furiously, removing half of its neck. Roxas once again fell to the ground, landing right in front of us.

"Sora, you got a plan?"

"Yep. First, I need you to touch one of your Keyblades to Cadance`s horn. If everything goes right, she should be able to wield a Keyblade of her own."

"Alright."

Roxas lifted his Ultima Weapon, crossing it over her horn.

"Now, both of you pour your combined magic energy into the Keyblade."

RoxasKeyblade began to glow with an aura that was somewhere in between a combination of blue & turquoise, becoming extremely bright, but not comparable to the glow from the entire crowd of unicorns. The light spread, now covering Cadances body.

"Now, stop."

The light around the Keyblade dissipated, but Cadance was now emitting one of her own. Instead of her normal turquoise magic energy, this was an almost silverish color. In a flash, the light cut out, leaving Cadance laying on her stomach, a familiar weapon lodged in the ground beside her. Her Keyblade was an unusual design. The guard was shaped like half of a keyhole, & colored a light pink, just like her coat. The shaft was shaped almost like a lightning bolt, with a gold coloration. The 'teeth', if you could call it that, was a large heart perched at the top of the shaft, surrounded by three more; the center one was almost fiery red, & the ones on the left, right & top were entirely clear. The Keychain was half of her cutie mark. Roxas had gone back to fighting the Darkside, as well as a Behemoth that had found its way through the door. I knew that him & Shining Armor couldnt take on a pair of Heartless that powerful, but I couldnt leave Cadance here. She was too vulnerable where she was. I stepped forward, & nudged her slightly with a hoof.

"Cadance. Cadance."

Her eyelids fluttered open for a brief moment, & she began to stand up. She levitated her Keyblade into the air, moving into a combative stance.

"So, are we just going to sit here, or are we going to help them?"

To answer her question, I drew two different Keyblades, Fatal Crest & Bond of Flame, & changed into Master Form. I now had a yellow coat, a black mane, & a cutie mark of a black star. I turned to Cadance, nodded to her, & flew off. She followed me, her Keyblade still floating next to her.

"Cadance, listen. Me & you are going to take the Behemoth."

I motioned towards the massive quadrupedal Heartless to emphasize.

"This one is extremely powerful, but its attacks are pretty repetitive & easy to predict. Make sure you attack its horn & nowhere else. Lastly, when one of us deals the final blow, itll use one last attack. Its entire body will start to spark, then after a few seconds of charging, itll summon a massive storm of lightning bolts that follow their target until they either hit it or hit something else. Ill tell you when its about to happen, but the only one that can avoid it is you. Got it?"

"Yeah. Let`s go."

I began flapping my wings even harder, building up speed, & cut straight through the Behemoths horn with my Fatal Crest. It wasnt completely dislodged, but it almost was.

"Cadance! Attack now!"

Cadance flew past the Behemoth, slashing at its horn repeatedly, then spun around its head & fell downward like a rock, splitting the horn in half with her Keyblade. The Behemoth started to crouch, & thrust its head into the air, causing a series of lightning bolts to rain down in a circle about sixty feet around. Cadance was struck directly by three bolts, & began falling towards the ground. Luckily, Master Form gave me a large speed boost, so I was able to fly underneath her before she hit the ground. I levitated my Bond of Flame right above Cadance`s head, & shouted a single word.

"Heal!"

A set of bells rang above her head, signaling a successful Curaga spell.

"Sora? What happened?"

"You almost finished off the Behemoth, but you got hit by its lightning bolts. You almost hit the ground, but I caught you jst in time."

Cadance leaned down, wrapping her forelegs around my neck & nuzzling me affectionately.

"Sora, you saved my life! Thank you."

"Eh, it was nothing. I was trying to avoid them myself. Now let`s finish this!"

She began to fly beside me, & we prepared to deal the last blow. The two of us split, flying towards the Behemoths horn from different directions, & cut through it simultaneously, causing the Heartless to cry out in agony, summoning another swarm of lightning bolts. We were already out of its range though, so the attack was pointless. The Behemoth let out one final shriek before it exploded, leaving behind a giant multicolored heart that started to float into the air. I went back into normal form & turned to Roxas & Shining Armor, who had nearly defeated the Darkside, & noticed that Shining Armors magic reserves were nearly empty. I pulled an Ether out of Sid-knows-where, & tossed it to him. He fired one last ice shard at the Heartless` chest at the same time that Roxas jumped into the air & threw both of his Keyblades in a circular arc, decapitating it. The door turned back to its original white color, & I stepped forward.

"Roxas, Cadance, now."

The two of them stepped forward as we all raised our Keyblades to the door, & a large beam of light shot from each one & into the Keyhole. A large clank could be heard as the Keyhole was partially unlocked. I turned around, & gave the others the next stage of our plan.

"Alright guys, this is it. Were almost to Kingdom Hearts. Heres what we need to do. We all have to split up & find the girls & Riku. Ill go get Twilight & Rainbow Dash from Canterlot. Roxas, you get Applejack & Pinkie Pie in Las Pegasus & Mexicolt. Cadance, youre going to find Trixie & Fluttershy in Manehattan & Fillydelphia. Lastly, Shining Armor, you`ll be getting Rarity & Riku from Ponyville & Fillysberg. When you get them, come back here immediately."

Roxas asked me what was basically his only question.

"Do any of you have a map or something? I`ve only been in Equestria myself for about seven hours."

Cadance`s horn began to glow quite brightly, & a large piece of paper materialized in front of Roxas.

"Heres a detailed map of Equestria. You wont be able to miss where you`re going. The cities are marked more noticibly than the others."

"Thanks!"

Before we split, I turned to Shining Armor, stopping him.

"Wait!"

"Sora?"

"Before you go, there`s something I need to do. Step over here, & crouch down just a bit."

He walked forward, & I realized just how much taller than me he was. I placed my Oblivion against his horn, focusing a large amount of energy into it. Like before, the light emanating from the Keyblade flashed brightly before dissipating, leaving Shining Armor levitating his Keyblade in the air. The guard was shaped almost exactly like an upside-down keyhole, with a pristine white color. The deep purple shaft ended in a strange divot, with lines running across it, & the teeth were made from a sideways version of his cutie mark. The Keychain was designed identically to the teeth, only vertical.

"A Keyblade? Nice." His expression was one of both surprise & admiration.

"Well, looks like everythings fine. Lets get out of here."

The four of us all split up into different directions. I headed south on hoof, since Canterlot was only a few miles from here & flying would just be a waste of energy.

Gathering The Elements - Sora

Chapter XXIV: Gathering The Elements - Sora

Perspective: Sora

"Every world has a Heart."

"Gather!" I yelled, using a Magnet spell to pull in a large number of Heartless. A Neoshadow somehow evaded my spell. It jumped towards me, and was denied an attack by my Oathkeeper.

"Where are they?" I wondered. "Ive been searching all of Canterlot, and I havent found a trace of them!"

A large rainbow-colored trail moved through the air with great speed, knocking a Shadow into the ground next to me. After finishing the Heartless off, I changed into pegasus form and flew off towards the trails source. I still wasnt fast enough to catch up. Finally, Rainbow Dash slowed down. I noticed that it looked almost like she had been crying. Her eyes had a slight red tinge to them.

"Hey Rainbow!" I called out to her. "Where`s Twilight?"

"I dont know!" She said worriedly, flying up right next to me. "Ive been looking everywhere for her! Do you think the Heartless got her!?"

"I dont think so. Even if it were to happen, shes more than capable of defending herself. Ive seen it firsthand from her brother, and I dont think she`s that much different in terms of strength."

"You`re right." She took a deep breath. "So, what happened in the Crystal Empire? I saw that giant door, and then it turned black, and that was all I saw."

"Well, we`re halfway to opening the door to Kingdom Hearts. Now we just need the Elements and at least one more Keyblade, which is why I sent Shining Armor off to find Riku."

"Awesome! Were gonna kick that Xemnas guys tail, aren`t we?"

"I dont know about that, Dash. Me and Riku fought him together, and we just barely took him down. That time he was alone, but now he has Discords Nobody and Heartless on his side! It`ll take a miracle to defeat him this time."

"Uh-oh. This is bad."

"Yeah, it`s definitely a stretch to think that-"

"Not that! That!" She pointed down to the streets of Canterlot, where Twilight was standing in a corner, firing various spells at a large crowd of Heartless.

"We have to save her! Come on, Sora!"

"Right!" I changed into my normal human form as we touched down and summoned my Oathkeeper, calling down a multitude of Thundaga spells on the Heartless, then moving in to finish them off. No matter how many Heartless we dispatched, they just kept coming back. We were done for.

Unless...

"Twilight! Rainbow Dash! I have an idea!" I leaned down and began whispering to them after casting a powerful Stopga spell on the Heartless. The two of them prepared for the plan, Rainbow Dash leaning down with her wings outstretched, and Twilight forming a massive amount of magic energy into a single fist-sized orb.

"Let`s do this. Gather!" I cast a full-powered Magnega spell and pulled all of the Heartless in, then flung my Keyblade into the crowd and let it bounce around for a moment before bringing it back to my hand.

"Rainbow, now!" She flew at least six stories into the air and hovered there for a moment before dropping back down.

"Twilight! Hit it!" Twilight fired a gigantic beam of magic from the orb she had summoned right at Rainbow Dash, giving her body an even brighter rainbow coloration. I could see the cone of air forming around her body, but she wasn`t high enough to succeed. As a final precaution, I cast multiple Hastega spells on her to give the right speed boost. Finally, my plan came to fruition.

An immense rainbow-colored explosion struck Canterlot, flying out towards all of Equestria. the effects of the Supersonic Rainboom were not felt only in Canterlot.

The rainbow blew across the Crystal Empire, shaking the building`s foundations and even slightly moving the door to Kingdom Hearts.

The blast was felt in Fillysberg, where Rarity looked up at it, stunned while Riku fought off a swarm of Nobodies.

It was seen in Las Pegasus, where Roxas, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie traveled back towards the Crystal Empire.

The explosion, however, was most powerful right around us. Multiple buildings were knocked to the ground and others were heavily damaged. Not a single window remained in the area. The Heartless were gone. No more appeared.

"Alright! It worked!" I exclaimed, tossing my Keyblade into the air, spinning on one foot, and catching it.

"That was amazing!" Twilght added. "But how did you know that would work?"

"Well, most Heartless are highly vulnerable to magic. A Sonic Rainboom is already extremely powerful. The two of us both have nearly unsurpassable magical powers, together or alone. Combining those three things would naturally create a destructive force like no other, possibly to the point of eliminating every Heartless around. All in all, the entire thing was based on a single hunch that I had. Didnt you notice that Rainbow Dash almost didnt finish the Sonic Rainboom? That was the most integral part of my plan, so obviously I would have to devote all my focus to it. When I saw that she wasn`t going to make it, I used magic to intervene and speed her up while allowing her to maintain the same coverage of distance. For example, at that point, she was moving around twenty feet every five seconds, but with my magic included, she would still be moving at the same distance in relation to time, but she would have a higher speed in a magic-based sense. She was moving twenty feet every five seconds mathematically, but she was moving about ten feet every second magically."

"Okay, first of all, I don`t mean to be rude, but since when can you explain something that complex with that much in-depth analyzation? Second, you lost me at 'destructive force'. Lastly, I have no idea what you even said."

"Sorry, Sora, you kind of lost me at 'vulnerable'." Rainbow Dash added. I simply rolled my eyes and turned around, changing back into my alicorn form.

"Lets get out of here. Weve got a door to open!"

Gathering The Elements - Cadance

Chapter XXV: Gathering The Elements - Cadance

Perspective: Cadance

"And down you go!" I shouted jovially, blasting away a group of Heartless with a powerful Blizzara spell. They were deceptively strong, but I was stronger.

"Watch out!" Trixie yelled, telekinetically throwing both of her Keyblades into the fray and keeping me from being sliced in half by a large bipedal Heartless.

"Thanks, Trixie."

"It was of no bother to The Great- I mean, it was no problem."

"I see you`ve stopped speaking in the third pony tense. To be honest, it sounds a lot better."

"I noticed. Where did Fluttershy go?"

"I just saw her a minute ago. Let`s find her."

The two of us set off through the urban jungle that was Manehattan, searching for Fluttershy.

"Hey Trixie, do you think it would be a good idea if I look for her from above?" I proffered hopefully.

"Good idea, Princess."

"Just call me Cadance. I hate it when ponies call me 'Princess'. It makes me seem like Im above them, and Im not that different from everypony else. I just have wings and a horn."

"That makes sense."

I took to the skies for a short time until I spotted a speck of yellow flying under a set of beams in a construction site, sending a flying Heartless straight into a pile of bricks.

"Trixie! I found her!" I dove towards the ground and began flying behind Fluttershy before catching up to her.

"Oh, I wasnt expecting you, Cadance." I still hadnt gotten used to her voice, but I could hear a semblance of it.

"We need to go back to the Crystal Empire ASAP. Sora needs the Elements to open the door to Kingdom Hearts. Then, we can end this once and for all."

"Yay!" She whispered joyously.

Sounds kind of weird, but whatever. To each their own.

A large crowd of flying Heartless made their advance towards us. I raised my Keyblade above my head and swung it forward, sending out a string of light blue energy to grasp one of them. I pulled myself into the group and spun wildly, using the ensnared Heartless like a mace. It was surprisingly effective. Finally, I threw the Heartless straight ahead, accidentally using it to break through at least five windows in a skyscraper.

"Well, that was interesting." I remarked.

"You`re right. Should we head back to the Crystal Empire?"

"Definitely. Trixie!" I shouted towards a flash of blue on the ground. "We`re heading back! Follow us!"

"This is very bad." I noted as we walked back into the Crystal Empire. A large group of Behemoth Heartless were attacking the castle while Sora, Roxas, Riku, Shining Armor, and Rainbow Dash attempted to hold them off.

"We need to get up there now!"

Gathering The Elements - Shining Armor

Chapter XXIV: Gathering The Elements- Shining Armor

Perspective: Shining Armor

"Do you remember your true name?"

I was galloping at a speed I had never achieved before, trying to find my way to Fillysberg, which was just a couple miles away now. I almost envied the others. They had wings, so they didnt have to go everywhere on hoof. The archway that led into Fillysberg was no more than five yards away. I charged straight through it and saw something that I needed to stop now. Rarity was standing in the middle of a small courtyard, a swarm of Nobodies surrounding her. She was rapidly pulling gems from the ground with her magic and throwing them at the monsters, but it was doing little to nothing. I charged forward, summoning my Keyblade, and cut down three of them in one slash. My Keyblade was *that* much longer than Soras? I thrust the blade into the ground in front of me, causing a wave of energy the same color as my magic aura to flash across the area and destroy the entire group of Nobodies.

"Rarity, where`s Riku?"

"He got caught up with an even bigger group of Nobodies and Heartless, and I lost track of him while he was chasing them down. I think he went that way." She pointed down towards an alley, where I could just barely hear the sound of a struggle. I dashed into the alley, finding Riku attacking a trio of Samurai Nobodies. I threw my Keyblade into the mix, obliterating all three of them.

"Thanks. Wait. Who are you?" He asked me. "And how do you have a Keyblade?

"My name is Shining Armor. Im Twilights brother and prince of the Crystal Empire. Sora found a way to give me a Keyblade through some kind of weird magic. You`re Riku, right?"

"Yeah. Where`s Sora?"

"He`s in Canterlot looking for Twilight and Rainbow Dash. They should be back in the Crystal Empire by now."

"Okay. Did you happen to run into a white unicorn with a really fancy-looking purple mane on your way here?"

"Who, Rarity? I sure did. She said that she was trying to keep up with you, but both of you got caught by some Nobodies."

"You helped her, right?"

"Do I look like an idiot to you? Of course I did! I wasn`t just going to let her die out there. Listen, we need to go now! Follow me!"

I took off with Riku following me, right back to where I had found Rarity. She was conversing with a younger-looking grey earth pony mare with an extremely well-kempt black mane and a cutie mark of some kind of music-related symbol.

"Rarity!" I called. "Let`s go!" She gave the mare a brief goodbye followed by a somewhat drawn-out hug and came back to us.

"Who was that?" Riku asked. "It looked like you knew her."

"That was Octavia Melody, my cousin-in-law. I havent seen her in quite a while. then again, I havent been to Fillysberg in almost a year."

"Look," I cut in before she could continue. "I know how much you want to tell us about her, but we really need to go. Now."

The Beginning of The End, Part II

Chapter XXVII: The Beginning of The End, Part II

Perspective: Roxas

It was hopeless. Even with as many people (or ponies) as we had, we couldn't take down this many powerful Heartless. They were just too much.

"Watch your back!" Sora yelled to me, using a Chain spell to pull a Behemoth's legs out from under its body before it could crush me.

"Thanks Sora. But honestly, there's no use in this. We`re done for. Unless you can pull off another Supersonic Rainboom, we're dead."

"Don't think like that, Roxas." He replied brightly. "Even when things seem hopeless, there's always a way to do it. For example, I have an idea, but we can`t do it until Cadance gets back here with-"

"Sora!" Cadance called, galloping towards us with Trixie and Fluttershy behind her.

"There she is! Twilight!" He shouted. "We need the Elements now!"

The six of them gathered in a circle while Twilight gathered her magic. Sora, Riku, Cadance, and Shining Armor stood in a tight group inside said circle.

"Get over here, Roxas!" Sora called to me. I stepped into the crowd and held my Oathkeeper and Oblivion over my head. The rest of them hefted their Keyblades while the Elements unleashed their power on our weapons, charging them with an unimaginable amount of powerful magic energy. It almost hurt to hold my Keyblades even with telekinesis.

"Everyone!" Sora instructed. "We need to strike the door with every bit of strength we can muster! On three!

One...

Two...

THREE!"

The five of us slashed at the door with identical timing, cracking it open slightly. The Elements launched another blast of rainbow energy at the door.

It opened.

"Alright!" Sora and Shining Armor exclaimed together. I looked into the door, seeing nothing but darkness. Cold, unforgiving darkness.

"Alright," Sora began. "only a few of us are going in here. It's going to be unimaginably dangerous, and I don't want too many of you guys getting hurt. Riku and Roxas, you two are coming. Same goes for the Elements and Trixie. We need a lot of Keyblades, but we can only take the ones that have true skill. Sorry, Cadance, Shining. You two just aren't that well-trained."

"None taken." Cadance replied truthfully.

"Okay. Roxas, go get the Elements and Trixie. We're about to end this once and for all."

"Wait." I interrupted. "Shouldn't we have the Princesses with us too? I mean, this is going to take all the power we have."

"You're right, Roxas. But where are they?"

"I have something to say about that." Shining Armor told him. Before he could say anything else, a mint green unicorn with a similarly colored mane came running towards Sora, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and hugging him tightly.

"Lyra!" Sora yelled with surprise. "Why are you here? It's too dangerous!"

"Look, Sora, I'm a unicorn. I know plenty of spells, and I can hold my own quite well. I needed to come see you before you all went off to fight Xemnas. You know," She paused, shedding a single tear. "in case you don't come back."

"Why would you say that? We're fine, and I don't think any of us are going to be staying back there, on purpose or not."

"I need to go with you. I can't just stay back here while you all go in there. It's just not right."

"Fine. Roxas, go get everyone else. Shining Armor, what were you going to say?"

"Alright. Roxas, you should stay here for this. The Princesses are already inside Kingdom Hearts. They followed Xemnas."

"So, they knew about this the whole time!?" Sora questioned with anger. "Do you realize that even with our efforts, ponies still lost their lives today, just so that they wouldn't cause a panic!? That would've been better than letting them die for no reason!"

"I'm sorry. I should've told you before, but I was sworn to secrecy. I know it's not a revival spell, but here. This is all I can give you."

Shining Armor passed Sora a small object that looked almost like a star made from shells. It had a strangely familiar aura to it, like I had seen it before.

"The Princesses wanted me to give you this. Luna told me that you would know what to do with it when the time comes."

"Right. Now, it's time to finish this!"

"Roxas, stay here. I'll go get the others." Shining Armor ran off towards the courtyard, leaving me, Sora, Cadance, and the unicorn he had called Lyra.

"You know, Sora," Cadance began. "from what I've seen, you have a "close relationship" with Lyra here." She wagged her eyebrows suggestively at the words "close relationship", making them both light up like candles.

"No, no, no!" Sora denied. "We're just friends!" Lyra nodded her head vigorously.

"Look, I know these things. I'm the Princess of Love." Sora and Lyra both facehoofed powerfully.

"This is... interesting. I wonder what got them together."

Wait a minute, that wasn't my thought! Who is that?

"It's me, the other part of you."

The other part of me?

"I'm the reason that you can wield the Keyblade."

I thought it was because I'm part of Sora!

"No. My friend is why he can wield it, but I'm why you can. My friend performed the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony on Riku, and when he gave in to the darkness, the Keyblade sensed his new powers and transferred itself to Sora. Then, when I was defeated by a long-time rival, I became part of Sora's heart. When he became a Heartless and you were created, a fragment of my heart fused with you."

What's your name?

"My name...

is Ventus."

Okay, Ventus, we need to go.

"Alright. How many Unversed are we up against?"

What's an Unversed?

"Wait. There aren't any Unversed? Then who are we fighting?"

Xehanort's Nobody, Xemnas.

"What's a Nobody?"

A Nobody is what is created when a person with a strong will gives in to the darkness. I'm Sora's Nobody, but I guess that since you've given me somewhat of a heart, I'm only... half Nobody.

Sunset Before Twilight

Chapter XVIII: Sunset Before Twilight

Perspective: Sora

This place felt familiar. It was nothing more than a wide, open space of nothingness. There were a few small platforms dotted with treasure chests.

This was the End of The World, but different from how I remembered. How it was different, I just couldn't put my finger on it. It just was.

"Ah don't like the looks 'a this place." Applejack noted, stepping gingerly out into the open.

"What's in the box!?" Pinkie shouted, running forward and opening one of the chests.

"Don't!" Before she heard me, the chest was open. An orb of purple light swallowed us all.

[I opened my eyes,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCH8O7kOSaY\) only to see two figures in black cloaks.

"Alright, who are you?" Roxas questioned, summoning his Oathkeeper. The glow from the walls of purple energy around us seemed to reflect off of his Keyblade's silver handguard. The taller of the two figures stepped forward, removing his hood.

"Don't you remember me, Roxas?"

"Axel?" He asked, lowering his Keyblade and staring at the man under the hood. It was Axel, all right; that fiery red hair, those stark green eyes, and of course, his deadly chakrams. I stood up and summoned my Kingdom Key.

"You should remember me, too." The other figure joked, lowering her hood and revealing a smiling face rimmed by flat black hair.

"Wait." Roxas stated. "Xion? How? How is this possible? You're part of me!"

"I'm not Xion, you dolt." Her smile turned from cheerful to sadistic as her body changed, turning into a light yellow unicorn mare with a red and yellow mane.

"Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight looked at the mare with confusion.

"Yep. It's me! Good to see you again, Twilight Fizzle." She walked forward, shoving Twilight away.

"If Xion was really this 'Sunset Shimmer', then are you really Axel?" Roxas asked.

"In the flesh! You miss me, Roxas? I'd like to introduce you to our new No. XIII, Sunset Shimmer, The Spirit Breaker. She may be our current No. XIII, but you're still the best."

"What's her attribute? Mine was originally Light. Is that a tradition for No. XIII's?"

"No. Her attribute is Spirit. There's a reason why her title is The Spirit Breaker."

"Who are you?" I inquired, looking at the unicorn.

"My name is Sunset Shimmer. What these idiots don't know about me, though, is that I'm technically Twilight's Nobody. You see," She began, pacing back and forth in front of us, "Xemnas has known about Equestria for quite some time, but he just recently decided to go after its heart. When he first discovered Twilight's power, he extracted the darkness from her heart and created me."

"But Celestia said that you were her student before me!" Twilight reminded her.

"Zip it, Fizzle! I was getting to that!"

"Leave her alone!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"You too, jock. Xemnas worked together with two other members of the Organization to travel back in time, placing me in the position of Celestia's personal student long before Twilight, so that she would never know about our relation to each other. Everypony else was none the wiser."

"Who did he work with?" Twilight asked her.

"Luxord." I told her.

"And Zexion." Roxas and Riku added at the same time.

"Right. Twilight has a truly pure heart, since I was created from the darkness inside it. Every time a bit of darkness accumulates in Twilight's heart, it becomes part of me and makes me even more powerful. If I wanted to, I could destroy you with next to no effort. Xemnas, Zexion, and Luxord sent me back in time to make Celestia think in the present that she had another student before you. I'm your Nobody, but I've existed longer than you. Just let all that sink in for a moment." She taunted, levitating what I assumed to be her weapon: a long red staff with two heads, one of them an axe blade, and the other a spear. The weapon seemed to radiate an unnerving aura.

Twilight crouched down, contemplating everything she had been told.

"No." She stated flatly, staring straight at the ground.

"No, what?" Sunset probed.

"I refuse to believe you. There is no way that even Xemnas could have manipulated Celestia's mind that much. She's simply too powerful. If I cannot be controlled, neither can she!" Twilight's body floated into the air, her eyes a blinding white. Her voice was unimaginably loud.

"I will not believe your lies! You cannot alter my mind, much less that of a Princess of Equestria! You will be punished for this!"

Her entire body flashed, revealing what I assumed was her Keyblade. Its guard consisted of a deep pink circular shape that almost seemed to sparkle in this unnatural light. Its shaft was what appeared to be a narrow bookshelf. Keeping in line with the Keyblade's book-based motif, its teeth were made from half of an open book. Naturally, the Keychain was a light pink star just like her cutie mark.

"Come near me, and you will die. Your sins will be attoned for!"

"You sure about that?"

Sunset flung her staff at Twilight, letting it slash at her a few times with its axe blade, then pulled it back and tried to attack her a few times with its spear head. Each of her attempts was denied by Twilight's Keyblade. I had already made quite a few observations on Sunset's role in the Organization. She was a master of disguise. She was fast, but far from deadly in combat. Her title matched her personality. The Spirit Breaker. She was sadistic and cruel, and clearly focused on destroying her opponents' will before actually hurting them physically. Their spirit would be broken, stripping them of their will to fight, then she would strike. But Twilight's will was too strong. Her logic overcame Sunset's expertly woven web of lies.

She was superior to her Nobody.

Twilight rushed forward, teleporting around Sunset and practically slicing her to ribbons. She reappeared in the air above her Nobody. Another Keyblade, this one identical to my Spellbinder appeared in her magic. Twilight dropped to the ground, creating a wave of purple energy and nearly destroying Sunset with it. However, she remained in existence, laying on the ground bruised and battered.

"Before I go, I want you to know the truth about me."

"Tell me!"

"Celestia's old student was named Sunset Shimmer, but I am not that Sunset. Xemnas trapped the old Sunset Shimmer inside that mirror world by replacing the one that belonged to Celestia with a normal mirror, then he created me with a sample of her soul. There is another Sunset Shimmer, I am no more than a copy of her created by the darkness in your heart. I am your Nobody, and at the same time, a simple replica, just like the old No. XIV, Xion. But there is one good thing in this."

"What? Tell me now!"

"D-Do you really think you can defeat me that easily?" Sunset croaked. "As long as there is darkness accumulating in your heart, I will still exist. I cannot be defeated. I am truly immortal."

"SILENCE, NOBODY!"

Twilight dropped her own Keyblade on Sunset's body, causing her to dissipate in a flurry of small Nobody sigils.

"You gotta be kidding me." Axel complained, dropping one of his chakrams and facepalming. "What is it with these No. XIII's always disappearing somehow? Then again, there's a reason why thirteen is an unlucky number."

"You do realize that you're next, right?" Rainbow Dash asked him dubiously.

"No, I'm not." He replied confidently. "I'm here to help you guys. I can help you take Xemnas down."

"I don't really trust you," Roxas said, dismissing his Keyblade, "but you're my best friend, so I can at least give you a chance."

The Organization`s Return

Chapter I: The Organization`s Return

Perspective: Sora

"I`ve been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this real or not?"

I woke up in a large green field. I was certain that I had fallen asleep at home.

At that moment, I remembered what had gotten me sent here.

It was a fairly boring, or to most people, normal day back on the Islands. I had woken up in my hut, & gone to greet Riku & Kairi like always.

They were waiting for me on the shore, & Riku was holding a small bottle in his hand.

"Hey guys. What`s with the bottle?"

"Its a letter from the King." Rikus voice was one of both uncertainty & recognition that if the King had sent us a letter, something had to be wrong.

The letter had a bright red seal on it instead of the usual green. Obviously, this was important.

Sora, Kairi, Riku.

I have some pretty bad news for you guys. Apparently, Xemnas wasnt completely destroyed when you defeated him. Hes trying to reform the Organization with what we thought was long-forgotten magic.

Meet me at the top of Memory`s Skyscraper in The World That Never Was, ASAP.

-Mickey

At this point, I was resisting the urge to destroy the tree I was leaning on. Xemnas had done so many horrible things that we thought we had put an end to, & now he`s back & trying to do it again?

I couldn`t hold my rage back anymore. I summoned my Keyblade, the Kingdom Key, jumped into the air, & cut the tree into perfect halves.

"Lets go. *now.*" I sounded so much different than usual. Like my anger had changed my voice somehow. I used my Quick Run technique to get there faster, even though there wasnt much room between me & the Gummi Ship, & boarded it with Riku & Kairi right behind me.

Long-due Explanations

Chapter VIII: Long-due Explanations

Perspective: Sora

"That _____ was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers."

I had explained to Roxas about everything that had happened so far, from the Organization`s return, to my arrival in Equestria. He seemed completely flabbergasted as to how all of this was even possible, even with an in-depth explanation.

After Roxas had told me about the giant Nobody that I fought, we came to two conclusions:

One, there were quite a few Keyblade wielders in Equestria, & we had to do everything we could to protect them.

Two, I had gone through Roxas`s Dive, & he had gone through mine. That explained the giant Nobody, which he told me was called the Twilight Thorn.

"So, if this is my Dive, then where`s the Darkside?"

"Oh, you mean that giant Heartless? I took it out a while ago. I gotta say, it was a pretty decent challenge."

"So that means..."

At that moment, a massive flash of white light stunned the two of us, & I could feel myself waking up.

Another Unexpected Surprise, Part I

Chapter XI: Another Unexpected Surprise, Part I

Perspective: Riku

"Darkness is eternal. Surely, we nothings must be the same."

After Xemnas had attacked me, I passed out & woke up in a forest. I could see the outline of a town, so I decided to head that way. I summoned Way To The Dawn just in case. As I made it to the edge of the forest, I could see the town in greater detail. There was a huge farm, covered in trees holding what looked like apples. I could see a medium sized red blur in the orchard as I got closer. I finally made it to the shape, & what I saw shocked me to the core.

It was a large red pony, about a foot shorter than me, with a ginger colored mane & tail. Half of a green apple marked his flank.

"Uhh... might Ah ask who you are?"

I was certain that I had gone insane. I was seeing talking ponies with country accents & tattoos. He didn`t seem to be dangerous, so I decided to press my luck.

"My name`s Riku. What about you?"

"Big Macintosh. Most ponies call me Big Mac, though. Say, yer name sounds familiar. Ya gotta friend named Sora?"

"You know him!?"

"He just woke up in our orchard a couple days ago. Ah haven`t met him yet, but mah sis has. Let me see if she can talk to ya. Come on."

I followed Big Mac to a small farmhouse, which he entered. A minute or two later, I could hear a loud "WHAT!?", followed by rapid hoofsteps.

An earth pony with an orange coat & a blonde mane that was mostly obscured by a cowboy hat trotted through the door with a look of shock on her face.

"So, yer that Riku that Sora was talkinabout. He said that some fella named Xemnas killed ya. Ah wonder what hell think about this...

Oh! Sorry bout that. Names Applejack. Good to see ya Riku."

"Same here. You said you know where Sora is?"

"Yep. Come on, Ah`ll take ya to him."

Gathering The Elements - Roxas

Chapter XXIII: Gathering The Elements - Roxas

Perspective: Roxas

"Sea Salt Ice Cream... it`s salty, but sweet at the same time."

I was just a few minutes away from Las Pegasus, & I had realized that flying came to me naturally for some reason, like jumping to a grasshopper.

Wow, that was one of the suckiest metaphors ever.

I arrived in the heart of the city, right next to the Marage hotel. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pink blur whipping past me, followed by a strangely familiar orange earth pony with a blonde mane & a cowboy hat. I saw that her 'cutie mark', as Sora had called it, was a trio of apples forming a triangle. That mare was probably Applejack, if her cutie mark was anything to go by.

& that pink blur must`ve been Pinkie Pie...

I galloped after them, making sure that no more pedestrians were in the way, & raised my Oathkeeper to cast a spell.

"Pull!"

A string of blue light shot from my Keyblade & wrapped around Pinkie`s hindlegs, stopping her right where she stood. Applejack turned around, clearly shocked by my accuracy.

"Ah donthink Ahve ever seen anypony catch Pinkie Pie that quick after she ate that many cupcakes. Who are ya, anyway?"

"The names Roxas. Im sure that Sora said something about me. Im his Nobody, & he sent me here to find you two. Youre Applejack, right?"

"The one nonly. Now, if Ahm correct, Sora told us that Nobodies cant exist until their original selves die. How are you here? Last Ah checked, Sora was aliven kickin`."

"Well, Im kind of a special case, compared with other Nobodies. I have some semblance of my own heart, so Im not completely a Nobody. I`m more like... half Nobody."

"Huh. Well, would ya look at that. Wait, what the hay are those? They don`t look like performers."

"What? Who?"

Applejack pointed behind me, where a group of Nobodies were attacking some tourists. There weren`t very many of them, but they were very high level Nobodies. At least three Sorcerers, two Berserkers, a Samurai, & a Dancer. I turned back to the mares, & gave them a quick rundown of what was happening.

"Ill be right back. Those Nobodies are about to slaughter that group of tourists, & Im the only Keyblade wielder here."

I turned to attack, but I felt a set of teeth clamp down on my tail & saw that Applejack had grabbed onto me & wasn`t about to let go. I stopped moving, & she let go of me.

"Now wait just an applebuckinminute! You aint gonna fight them alone."

"But only Keyblade wielders can- wait a minute. Applejack, Pinkie, stand still."

The two of them stood almost like statues, & I stepped forward, touching my Keyblade to their foreheads. Applejack simply gave me a look of suspicion, & Pinkie Pie looked as if she was using every bit of strength she had just not to burst into a fit of giggles where she stood. I moved my Keyblades back, creating that same flash of white light. The light left behind nothing. The two mares were just standing there like nothing had happened.

That shouldve awakened their Keyblades! Whats gong on here? They had Keyblades in the Dive!

"Whats wrong, Rox? You look like somethings going on! You know, other than Discord & Xemnas trying to destroy the world."

"Pinkie, first of all, please dont call me 'Rox'. Roxas is fine. Second, that process shouldve awakened your-"

I cut myself off before I could finish. Sora had said something about how if they knew they were wielders, the Heartless & Nobodies would pick up on their knowledge & start attacking them. They werent ready yet. I needed to give them some form of training first, but then again, what better time to train than while youre preventing the destruction of everything in existence?

"Sorry. As I was saying, that process shouldve let you two wield the Keyblade, but it didnt do anything."

I stood there for a second, before I realized that a group of tourists was about to die. I summoned my Oathkeeper & Oblivion, & took out all of them with a single attack.

"Cosmic Raid!"

I flung both of my Keyblades towards the Nobodies as they became wreathed in both lightning & fire, obliterating the entire group. The Keyblades dissipated in midair as the energies did the same, & they reappeared in my magic grip once again.

"Well, that takes care of that. Now, theres one more inportant question: Why in Sids name did that not work? It shouldve brought your Keyblades into- wait just a minute! I think that I just figured it out! All of our Keyblades didnt appear until we truly needed them. Soras was created when the Destiny Islands was attacked, & he wouldve died without it. Mine was first summoned when a Nobody found its way into the virtual Twilight Town. Once again, it was a life & death situation. Sora brought forth Shining Armor & Cadances Keyblades when the Crystal Empire was attacked by Heartless! In order for a Keyblade to be summoned for the first time, the wielder has to be in a situation where lives are on the line, whether it be theirs of someone elses. So we just have to wait until someones going to die if you dont have the Keyblade."

Applejack was clearly distraught by this revelation, & decided to give me her input.

"Now Roxas, yer tellinme that for us t use our Keyblades, someponys gotta be about to die? Ah dont know what yer thinkinhere, but Ahm not gonna put somepony else`s life in danger just so that Ah can use some glorified skeleton key!"

"Look, AJ."

"Don`t call me that. Only mah friends call me that, & at the moment, ya don`t seem like much of a friend."

"Whatever. Now, if this situation occurs, then that person will survive without a doubt, as long as you can use the Keyblade to save them. Most of the time, itll be something pretty easy to do. For example, the first time I used my Keyblade was when I had to fight a Dusk. Theyre the second weakest type of Nobody around, so obviously it was a quick battle."

"Okay, but if somepony gets hurt because of me, Ah`m gonna have a bone ta pick with you."

"Sounds fair. But just remember, Im the one with two extremely deadly weapons. Now lets go. Follow me!"

I ran off into the distance, the two mares following me.

Twelve Score, Divided by Six, Part I

Chapter XXIX: Twelve Score, Divided by Six, Part I

Perspective: Roxas

"So, what made you want to join us?" I asked Axel while we walked through the End of The World, Sora, Riku, me, and Axel taking the front of the pack and watching for Heartless or Nobodies.

"Well, at first I thought that we were going to finally have hearts of our own, but after I realized just what Xemnas was planning, I came to the conclusion that this was wrong on every possible level. I decided to turn against Xemnas behind his back. Got it memorized?"

"Man, I missed that."

Wait, why is Sora still in his alicorn form?

"Sora, why aren't you in your human body? It's a lot more suited to combat, you know."

"You wanna know why, Roxas? In this body, I'm not as agile or durable, but I have unbelievable magical prowess while still keeping my natural strength."

"When did you get so... what's the word?"

"I think the word you're looking for is 'articulate'."

"Now I know why." I said, facepalming.

"Hey, if you can do that too, then why don't you? More powerful magic is worth being less durable in my eyes."

If you still had any. But you do have a point.

I focused a small amount of magic into my Keyblade. In mere seconds, I was walking on all fours without skipping a beat.

"You can do that too?" Axel asked me with confusion.

"Yeah! Since I was brought through Sora's heart after he gained this power, I can use it too!" I explained, fluttering lightly around him.

"Look out!" Sora called, using his Kingdom Key to deflect an attack from a black-cloaked figure. Another one flung a wide spread of cards at me and Axel, and was denied just as much. The last attack came in the form of a combination: six bolts of purple energy and three yellow and blue blades, all deflected by Riku. The figures levitated in the air while looking down at us. They all removed their hoods at the same time, revealing four horribly familiar people.

"Miss us?" Xigbar joked, twirling his arrowguns around his fingers.

"Axel, Sora, Roxas!" Demyx greeted us. "I haven't seen you guys in ages!"

"It hasn't been that long, Demyx. Time passes slowly, but not that slowly." Luxord told him plainly.

"I'm gonna have fun getting my revenge on you, deserters!" Larxene taunted, clearly directing her sentiment at me and Axel.

Another figure materialized between Luxord and Xigbar, floating out of a massive white rose.

"You get caught in traffic or somethin'?"

"No, Xigbar. I was simply held up by a few Heartless, nothing more."

"Hey," Demyx noted, "where's-"

"I believe you're looking for me." Zexion interrupted, spontaneously appearing behind him.

"AH! Zex, don't do that! You scared me half to death! That's just kinda creepy."

"My name is Zexion, not Zex, you childish imbecile."

"Play nice, boys!" Larxene demanded. "We have company."

"But he-"

"Silence!" Xemnas shouted, flying through a Corridor of Darkness.

"Xemnas!" Sora yelled. "It's time to end this!"

"Not just yet, my boy. First, you and your friends will go through a test to determine if you are worthy of facing me."

Xemnas flung his arms outward, sending a wave of energy across our group and separating us into pairs. I stood up and noticed that Twilight was laying on the ground next to me.

Wait, Axel was standing beside me just now. Why is she here?

"Roxas?" She confirmed, stumbling to her hooves, but falling straight back down. I ran to her side, holding her up with my foreleg.

"Are you okay?" I asked, showing true concern.

"I think so. That whole situation with Sunset completely drained me, even more than using the Elements."

"It's fine." I said cheerfully. I levitated my Oathkeeper over my head.

"Heal!" I commanded, causing a set of bells to ring over her head and signal a successful Curaga spell.

"Thanks, Roxas. I just... really... kind of..." At this point, she was showing all the signs I could notice; she was stuttering, avoiding eye contact, blushing heavily, and had that weird half-smile.

Well, this is just plain great.

"Really?"

I was being sarcastic.

"Let's just say that whatever happens, happens." My field of vision was immediately obscured by nothing but lavender, white, and a bit of deep purple. I gained my vision once more, and had apparently lost my voice in exchange.

"I-I-I-I-I-I... uh... I FORGOT TO SHAVE MY STOVE AND TURN OFF MY SHEEP!" I bolted away, only to end up faceplanting into the wall. Twilight stood over me and attempted to poke me into getting up.

"I do hope I didn't walk in on anything." Zexion said, literally stepping out of his lexicon.

"Zexion!" Twilight called, summoning her Keyblades. "Sunset told me what you did! We have business to settle, right here, right now."

"Fine." Zexion sighed. "I do hate fighting, but I hope you give me a good one." He disappeared back into his lexicon. It split into six copies, their pages wide open.

"It's already over!" He shouted, a copy of him flying out of each book and slamming into her from every direction. The moment I saw the real Zexion, I dashed forward. He attempted to hit me this time, but I defended myself by wrapping my telekinesis around his right arm, extending the field to all of his copies, then throwing them into each other and turning them back into one Zexion. Twilight lunged into the air and practically tore him to shreds with her own Keyblade and Sora's Spellbinder. To finish the assault, I began slashing at him with my Oathkeeper and Oblivion while she hammered him with Thundaga spells, then threw him to the ground. I teleported underneath him and thrust my Keyblades downward, causing four orbs of light to orbit around my body and explode. Zexion landed next to me with a sickening crack.

"Et jurant in aeternum desiderabat: et cor meum ad fidem, et falsa vocant, in quo vastabuntur omnes adversantes mihi, virtutibus. P. Misereatur tui Domine.

Lexicon imagine, veniat ad me et iudicium meum velut ferrum!" His lexicon began floating behind him, opening the way for a massive phantasmic lizard, its body flickering like fire with claws made from lightning bolts.

"This is bad. Let's get it over with." I told her, readying my Keyblades again.

"No." Twilight said, pushing me out of the way. "I have to do this myself. It's between me and him."

"Alright. Go all out. Don't hold anything back!"

"I don't plan to."

Twilight's eyes flashed white again as her Keyblades began floating at her sides. She began levitating herself into the air. Her speech went back to the same tone she had used during her battle with Sunset Shimmer.

"Vade, fallacis daemonis Tartara ima ad ubi et non invenietur!

Tenebrae et tormenta, haec nova fata!"

The ghostly lizard disappeared, leaving no traces behind. A small lizard and his lexicon floated into the air beside Zexion. With a blinding light, Zexion was now a lizard printed on the book's cover.