My Little Pony: Rise of the Heartless

by Flarinite

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6
Length: 18674

Two unicorn twins are destined to wield the Keyblade against the Heartless threatening Equestria.

Two unicorn twins, Fortune Flicker and Lucky Luster, have been destined since birth to wield the Keyblade. After instructing the ponies in Canterlot Castle for fourteen years, and with a threat of Heartless yet to appear, Princess Celestia sends them to Ponyville to study magic under Twilight Sparkle, both to expand upon the twins' abilities and their experiences, and to introduce Twilight to the magic of teaching. But when an ancient villain appears, commanding an army of Heartless, will Fortune and Lucky be able to save Equestria - and the rest of the world - from descent into darkness?

If you're worrying that I'm going to break characters by introducing Kingdom Hearts characters into the pony universe, don't. There won't be any Kingdom Hearts characters in this story, except for the Heartless, and there won't be any traveling between worlds. Given the option, I wouldn't even even call it a proper crossover. It's more like the Kingdom Hearts mythology applied to the MLP universe.

Published 2012-06-01 19:24:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-10-19 05:58:46 UTC

Goodbye Canterlot...

Lucky Luster opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed in through the large window on the wall. She sat up; her brother Fortune Flicker was snoring soundly in the bed on the opposite side of the room. She huffed, blowing her blonde mane out of her eyes, and her pillow floated into the air, surrounded by the dark purple aura of her magic. It shot like a bullet at Fortune, who yelped in shock as the pillow hit him in the face. Lucky laughed.

“Hey, what was that for?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at his sister.

“You just looked so peaceful,” she giggled, eyes closed. Fortune grinned devilishly, and his own pillow rocketed at Lucky, surrounded by his silver aura. It knocked her off the bed.

“That’s what you get for messing with the pillow fight champion,” he laughed, pointing at her. She growled at him before grabbing her pillow in her hooves and jumping at him. He grabbed his own pillow, and they buffeted each other with downy blows.

“What are you doing?” The twins looked up. Their mother, Sugar Heart, stood in the doorway, staring down at them.

“Uh, we were just getting up,” Lucky said sheepishly. Fortune tapped her with his pillow.

“Well, go get ready for the day,” their mother said. “You’re almost fourteen, for goodness sakes,” she muttered as she walked down the hall.

Half an hour later, both ponies were sitting in the dining hall. Princess Celestia sat between them, at the head of the table. She bit at a piece of toast floating in front of her.

“So what are we doing today, Princess?” Fortune asked excitedly, looking up at her.

Celestia finished chewing her toast and swallowed. “Well, my little ponies, some things are going to change.”

“Are we in trouble?” Lucky asked, her face falling.

Celestia giggled. “Not at all. Do you remember my student Twilight Sparkle?”

Lucky rolled her eyes. “You mean the biggest know-it-all in Canterlot? How could I forget?”

“Hey, Twilight was great!” Fortune said. “She was one of the nicest ponies I’ve ever met!”

“Anyway, children,” Celestia said. “Your mother and I have been talking, and we both agreed that it would be best for your education if the two of you moved to Ponyville to continue your studies under Twilight.”

Lucky’s jaw dropped in shock as Fortune’s lips pulled back in a wide grin.

“Awesome!” he cheered as Lucky groaned.

“I knew it! You are punishing us!"

“It’s important for you to broaden your horizons,” Celestia said. “And it’s also a great opportunity for Twilight gain experience teaching. Try to keep an open mind, okay?”

There was a flash of light, and a Keyblade appeared in the air in front of Lucky. The handle was shaped like a heart, and the blade resembled stylized solar flares.

“But what does Twilight know about Keyblades and the Heartless?”

“She knows everything about them that I do,” Celestia said. “Which, admittedly, is not as much as I’d like. I’ve been sending her my notes on the subject ever since I decided that I would eventually send the two of you to her. Besides, she’s not going to be teaching you about your Keyblades or the Heartless. She’s going to be helping you refine your magic.”

“But she doesn’t have a Keyblade,” Fortune said, summoning his in a flash of light. The handle was shaped identically to that of his sister’s, but the blade resembled a crescent moon with a large spike protruding outward from the center.

“No, she doesn’t,” Celestia said. “But Twilight Sparkle’s special magical talent is magic. That includes the different types of elemental magic that your Keyblade allows you to perform.”

“Wow, really?”

Celestia chuckled. “And believe me, you two could use some work on your magic.” Lucky grumbled and crossed her arms.

“I still don’t see why you can’t just teach us. After all, you’re the most powerful pony in existence.”

“And that’s why you’re going to listen to me without complaining, right?” Celestia said, winking at her.

“You still didn’t answer my question,” Fortune said. “What are we doing today?”

“Today, I’m sending you to Ponyville.”

“What? Just like that?”

“Just. Like. That.” Celestia chuckled. “Your mom will stay here in the castle with me, and we’ll come by and visit when we can.”

“Awesome!” Fortune exclaimed. “I’m so excited!”

“Yeah. Woohoo.”

“Come on, Lucky,” Fortune said. “Just keep an open mind, like the princess said.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

An hour later, both children were sitting in a chariot, two pegasus guards ready to take them to Ponyville. Celestia and Sugar Heart stood by.

“Don’t forget to write to me!” Sugar Heart said, tearing up.

“We won’t, mom!” Fortune said.

“Study hard! But don’t forget to experience new things and make new friends!”

“Bye mom! Bye Princess!” The guards took off into the air, pulling the children along behind them as the mountainside capital city vanished into the distance.

...Hello Ponyville

“I can’t wait to see Twilight!” Fortune said as their chariot soared through the sky.

“Yeah, me neither,” Lucky grumbled, rolling her eyes.

“What’s the matter, sis?”

“I still don’t get why we couldn’t just stay in Canterlot.”

“It’s like the Princess said. We need to expand our horizons and meet new ponies.”

“Why?”

Fortune shrugged. “Why not? It’ll be fun! Think of it like an adventure.”

The clouds ahead of them parted, and a giant treehouse drew rapidly closer.

“Ooh, is that where Twilight lives?”

The pegasus guards landed, and Fortune and Lucky hopped out of the chariot.

“Thanks guys!” They nodded and took off, heading back to Canterlot.

Fortune walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened, and a small purple dragon stood before them.

“Hey Spike! Long time no see!” Fortune said, grinning.

“Oh, hey Fortune!” Spike turned around. “Twilight, they’re here!”

The twins heard a frantic voice from inside the house. “Ohmigosh! This place is still such a mess! Spiiiike!”

“Uh, hold on one second,” Spike said to the twins, chuckling nervously as he slammed the door shut. The twins looked at each other in confusion, eyebrows raised, as a cacophony of disjointed noises emanated from inside. The door eventually reopened, and a bedraggled purple unicorn greeted them.

“Hey kids!” Twilight said. “Sorry about that. Somepony forgot to clean the basement,” she scolded, narrowing her eyes behind her at Spike.

“It’s not like they were going to go down there anyway,” he grumbled as he stalked off with his broom.

“Please, come on in,” Twilight said, smoothing out her mane with a hoof as she stepped aside. Fortune and Lucky walked in, looking around.

“Whoa,” Fortune said. “You have so many books!”

“Thanks,” Twilight said proudly. “I’ve more than doubled the library’s collection since I moved in.”

“You would live in a library,” Lucky muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Anyway,” Twilight said. “I figured I’d show you around Ponyville today, then we can start classes tomorrow!”

“Awesome!” Fortune said. “I can’t wait to meet some new ponies!”

“Yeah, and it’ll be great to finally have another guy to pal around with!” Spike called from the top of a ladder leaning against the bookshelf.

“But first,” Twilight said. “Can you explain the Heartless and Keyblades to me again?”

“Why? I thought Celestia wrote you everything about it?”

“She did. But it’s easier to understand things when I’m listening to somepony tell me them than it is when I’m just reading them.”

“Well,” Fortune began, “from what we know, the Heartless are born from the darkness in ponies’ hearts.”

“And when they appear, they try to swallow the world into darkness,” Lucky continued.

“And the Keyblade is the only thing that can banish them.”

“And the last time the Heartless attacked Equestria was over one thousand years ago, before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna defeated Discord and took control of Equestria.”

“Very good, kids,” Twilight said.

“We’re not kids,” Lucky said. “You’re only three years older than us.”

“Don’t mind her, she’s just upset that we had to leave Canterlot,” Fortune said apologetically.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll grow to love it here,” Twilight said, grinning. “I felt the same way when I moved here, but look at me now! Come on, I’ll introduce you to my friends!” She trotted happily out of the house, Fortune close behind. Lucky dragged her hooves after them.

Fortune’s stomach grumbled. “Twilight, can we get something to eat? I’m starving.”

“In that case, let’s go to Sugarcube Corner first,” Twilight said. “We can get you a snack, and I can introduce you to Pinkie!” She held a hoof up to her chin thoughtfully. “Or maybe I should introduce you to somepony less… intense… first.”

“No, let’s go get some snacks!” Fortune said.

“What about you, Lucky?” Twilight asked, turning around.

“Whatever,” she said.

“Uh, okay then! Sugarcube Corner it is.”

“Come on, Lucky, at least try to have fun,” Fortune whispered to his sister. “Keep an open mind, like the Princess said.”

Lucky sighed. “Sorry, Fortune. I’m just not a big fan of change, you know?”

Fortune chuckled. “Believe me, I know. Remember when mom forced you to get a mane-cut?”

Lucky giggled in spite of herself. “How could I forget?”

“But you ended up liking it, remember? You still wear your mane the same way.”

“I guess you’re right,” Lucky said, smiling. Her smile suddenly faded, and her eyes narrowed at the purple pony leading them. “I still don’t like Twilight though.”

“Well, you’d better get used to her. It looks like we’re going to be living with her for a while.”

“Ah, here we are!” Fortune and Lucky looked up; in front of them was a shop made to look like a giant gingerbread house, complete with a faux-frosting covered roof.

“Why even bother going inside? Let’s just eat the roof!” Fortune said, laughing hysterically at his own joke.

As they walked inside, the door slammed shut behind them.

“Ah, hello?” Twilight called out into the darkness.

The lights suddenly came to life, and confetti and balloons rained down from the ceiling. Twilight jumped in shock as a pink earth pony blew a party horn at her, the uncoiled paper tube smacking her in the face. Four other mares jumped out from behind the counter.

“Surprise!” they all yelled.

“How you doin’?” the pink earth pony asked, bouncing up and down excitedly. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!”

“Talk about déjà vu,” Twilight muttered. Fortune’s face was frozen in a toothy grin, his eyes wide with excitement.

“Uh, hi, I’m– ”

“Ooh, wait, let me guess! You must be Lucky Luster, and that must be your brother Fortune Flicker! Twilight told us all about you two, and how you were born with your cutie marks, and how you’re going to be living here, and that–”

“What she means to say is, welcome to Ponyville, y’all,” the orange earth pony interrupted, grabbing Pinkie by the arm and pulling her away. “My name’s Applejack.” She tipped her cowboy hat to the twins.

“I’m Rainbow Dash, the coolest pony around!” the blue pegasus declared, doing a quick loop around in the air.

“I am Rarity. Charmed,” the white unicorn said, her head held high.

Fortune and Lucky turned to the last pony, Fortune still sporting his comical grin.

“I’m… Fluttershy,” the yellow pegasus pony stammered quietly, hiding behind Rarity.

“Oh, come now, darling,” Rarity said. “They aren’t going to bite, you know.”

“So I heard you guys have some awesome swords!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. “Let’s see ‘em!”

“They just got here, RD,” Applejack scolded. “Give ‘em some time to relax.”

“I don’t mind!” Fortune said excitedly, summoning his Keyblade in a flash of light. It floated in the air in front of him, and the six mares looked at it in amazement.

“Whoa,” Rainbow said in awe. “So awesome!”

“Darling, that’s absolutely beautiful! Just look at the finish on that metal!”

“What’s it called, what’s it called?” Pinkie demanded.

“It’s called Equinox,” Fortune said proudly.

“What about yours, short stuff?” Rainbow Dash called to Lucky.

“My name is Lucky,” she grumbled, summoning her Keyblade.

“Ooh, pretty!”

“What’s that one called?”

“Solstice.”

“Wait a second,” Twilight said, pointing at Equinox’s keychain. “That looks like Princess Luna’s cutie mark. And that one looks like Princess Celestia’s.”

“Yeah, it does,” Fortune said. “No idea why though.”

“So, what exactly are y’all doin’ with these here Keyblades?”

“We’re supposed to use them to banish Heartless,” Lucky said.

“But we’ve never even seen a Heartless. Apparently, they haven’t been seen in Equestria in over a thousand years.”

“W… what’s a Heartless?” Fluttershy asked.

“From what I understand, they’re like monsters made up of darkness,” Twilight said. Lucky glared up at her.

“Ahh! Monsters!” Pinkie shouted as she dove under the table. Fortune and Lucky looked down at her in confusion.

“Uh, that’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” Twilight said. “Anyway, you two are hungry, right?”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place!” Pinkie said, hopping out from under the table, suddenly all smiles again. “We’ve got so many tasty treats, you won’t believe it!”

“Why don’t you two go get some food?” Twilight prompted. The Keyblades vanished. “We’ll join you in a second.”

Fortune nodded and happily ran to the table, followed by a less enthusiastic Lucky. The other five mares gathered around Twilight.

“The blonde one seems less than happy to be here,” Applejack commented.

“Oh, she’s probably just getting used to being away from home,” Rarity said. “You can’t ascribe her aloofness to her personality just yet, Applejack.”

“Girls, Celestia sent those two to me not only so that I can teach them magic, but so that they can meet new ponies and experience new things,” Twilight said. “They’ve been brought up in the castle all their lives. This is their first time out of Canterlot since they were taken there as newborns.”

“What? Celestia doesn’t foalnap ponies, silly.”

“No, Pinkie,” Twilight said patiently. “Their family was moved into the castle after Celestia learned about their cutie marks.”

“Speaking of their cutie marks, what’s up with them? I’ve never seen anything like them!” Rainbow Dash said.

“And why they were born with them?” Fluttershy asked timidly.

“Celestia said that the only other pony in history who was born with a cutie mark was the last wielder of the Keyblade. So it must just be because they were destined to wield them.”

“That seems rough,” Applejack said. “Havin’ your destiny already decided for you.”

“Anyway, as I was saying,” Twilight said, trying to regain control of the conversation, “I was hoping that you girls wouldn’t mind if they tagged along with us when we did stuff. And maybe they can hang out with you girls individually, to see what you all do.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely, darling,” Rarity said. “I’d love to show them around Carousel Boutique.”

“And I’m sure they’d love to try buckin’ some apples.”

“Everypony loves eating cake!”

“And maybe I could show them how to take care of animals! I mean, if that’s all right with them.”

The five ponies looked at Rainbow Dash, who shrugged.

“What am I supposed to do? They can’t fly!”

“Maybe you can take them to Cloudsdale some time,” Twilight said. “I can teach them the cloud-walking spell, and you could take them to the weather factory or something.”

“I can do that.”

“This cake is incredible!” Fortune exclaimed as he cantered up to the group, his plate enveloped by his silver magical aura.

“Thanks! It’s the fourth one I made today!”

“Pinkie, you ate three cakes today?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Well, duh. We were almost out of icing, so I couldn’t make five!”

“Why don’t we show y’all around town once y’all are done eatin’?” Applejack offered. Fortune nodded happily, his mouth full.

“What about you, Lucky?” Twilight asked.

“Uh, sounds great,” she said.

“Well, you two had better relax as much as you can today! Because tomorrow, the lessons begin!”

Fire in the Sky

“All right, kids,” Twilight said the next morning as they stood outside of the library. Behind Twilight were two sacks of flour. “Before I teach you anything, I want to know what you can do.”

“Yeah! Let’s see what you can do!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she jumped out from behind one of the flour sacks.

“Pinkie, I’m grateful that you donated these sacks of flour to us, but–”

“No problem! The Cakes forgot they had them in their storage room, and they went bad.”

“…but you don’t need to hang around here,” Twilight finished.

“Oh, I don’t mind! I want to watch you guys do magic!”

“Okay, but you have to promise you won’t make any noise. They need to focus.” Pinkie nodded vigorously in acknowledgment.

“Anyway, as I was saying.” Twilight turned back to the twins. “I want to know what you can do.”

“Well, we can do basic Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells,” Fortune said.

“All right, why don’t you guys show me Fire?”

The twins nodded, and Twilight walked out of the way to stand beside Pinkie. Both of the twins’ horns glowed with magic, and small bursts of fire shot out of each of them, squarely hitting the sacks of flour and knocking them back. On the sidelines, Pinkie leapt up and down silently.

“Very good,” Twilight said.

“So now what?” Fortune asked excitedly. “Are you going to teach us an awesome new spell?”

“How about Gravity?” Lucky asked. “That’s cool.”

“Oh, no no no no no,” Twilight said. “That’s still too advanced for you. You’re going to learn… Fira!”

“What? But… that’s just a bigger version of Fire!” Lucky complained.

“It’s important that you study in a steady, progressive manner,” Twilight explained, pacing back and forth. “If you try to take on too much at once, you’ll end up in trouble.”

“Fine then,” Lucky grumbled. “Let’s give this a shot.”

“Oh, no no no no no,” Twilight said, for the second time in so many minutes. “You’re not going to perform the spell yet.”

“Huh?”

Twilight turned to the open door of the library. “Oh, Spike!” she called out. Spike came running out with two identical books in his arms.

“Here you go, guys!” he said, handing them the books. Lucky turned it over.

“What’s this?”

“This is how you’re going to learn,” Twilight said proudly. “Isn’t it a great idea? Before you actually do any magic, you’re going to learn about the theory and proper magic form! That way, you won’t make a mistake! This is how I learned all of my spells!”

“Seriously?” Lucky said. “I didn’t come all the way to Ponyville so I could read about magic!”

“Lucky, relax,” Fortune said.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Lucky, but that’s the way we’re going to do it,” Twilight said with an air of finality. Lucky sat and crossed her forelegs in annoyance.

“Now, you two can start reading the Fira section of the Fire chapter. Don’t try anything yet. Spike and I have to go run a few errands, but we’ll be back soon, okay?” She and Spike walked off. Pinkie remained, staring at Lucky.

“Can I help you?”

Pinkie shook her head silently before zooming off after Twilight.

“Lucky, what’s wrong?”

“This is so lame,” she huffed. “We could have done this back in Canterlot. Why send us all the way here to the prissy purple pony to read books about magic?”

“I don’t think you’re being fair,” Fortune said. “You don’t even have a real reason to dislike her.”

“What about this?” Lucky gestured to the open book lying on the ground. “Things have to happen her way, or they won’t happen at all. She’s just such a know-it-all.”

“Well, she is one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, according to the Princess. If this worked for her, who’s to say it won’t work for us?”

“Whatever,” Lucky said as she stood, levitating the book off the ground. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Want me to come with? Maybe you could use somepony to talk to.”

“No thanks,” she said, slightly more calmly than before. “I just need to be alone for a bit.” She walked off.

“Whatever you say, sis,” Fortune muttered as he flipped the book open and began to read.

O O O O

Twilight and Spike arrived at Applejack’s orchard to see the orange pony kicking trees, as her little sister Applebloom caught the falling apples in a basket on her head.

“Hey there Twi,” the orange pony said.

“Hey AJ, Applebloom,” Twilight said.

“How’s it goin’, Twilight?” Applebloom asked.

“It’s going all right.”

“So what brings you ‘round these parts?”

“I’m here to pick up the pie I asked for.”

“Well, gee, Twi, you didn’t have to come all the way out here. I could’ve brought it by your place later.”

“It’s no problem,” Twilight said. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“All right then. Applebloom, why don’t you take a break?”

“All right, sis! Hey Spike, wanna come check out this cool log I found? It’s filled with worms!”

“That sounds awesome!” Spike said.

“All right, let’s go!” Applebloom galloped off, Spike close behind.

“So what is it you wanted to talk about, Twi?”

“Well, you get along well with everypony, wouldn’t you say?”

“I try my best.”

Twilight shook her head. “I get the feeling that Lucky doesn’t like me.”

Applejack’s eyes shifted. “Yeah, I was gettin’ that feelin’ yesterday too.”

“How could I have made her hate me already? She just got here yesterday!”

“Well, Fortune seems to like you.”

“He does, doesn’t he?”

“Well, y’all three knew each other back in Canterlot, right?”

“Well, sort of,” Twilight said. “I mean, I knew them, but I didn’t know them well. And I didn’t know anything about the Heartless or Keyblades or anything. I just thought they were regular students of the Princess who happened to have the same cutie mark. I did talk to them a few times, though.”

“Well, what’d you talk about?”

Twilight held a hoof to her chin. “You know, I can’t really remember. It was such a long time ago. But it was probably about magic.”

“Well, maybe that’s it,” Applejack said.

“Uh, what?”

“Have you ever tried to actually get to know her? If all you talk about is what you want to talk about, she probably ain’t gonna come around.”

“But… me teaching them magic is the entire reason they’re here in the first place!”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to know them as ponies. Didn’t you ever talk to the Princess about things other than your studies?”

“…I guess.”

“Ponies are all different. Maybe you just need to become friends with her before she’ll accept you as more’n that.”

“I guess I could try that.”

“Sounds like you’ve got work to do.”

“I guess I do!” Twilight turned and galloped off. “Thanks AJ!” she called out behind her.

“You forgot your pie!” Applejack yelled back as Twilight disappeared over the hill. “And Spike!”

O O O O

“I’ll show her,” Lucky grumbled as she walked through the streets. “I can handle more than Fira. I just have to find somewhere I can practice.”

She eventually made her way to the edge of the Everfree Forest, on the outskirts of town.

“Perfect. All alone.” She sat, and let her book fall to the ground.

“Let’s see…” She flipped it open to the chapter on Fire spells. “Fire… Fira… Firaga… Triple Firaga… that one sounds cool, but it’s just three Firagas…”

She flipped through the next few pages until she reached the ‘Ultimate’ section of the chapter, and an illustration caught her eye. It showed a unicorn with a glowing horn, an enormous ball of fire hovering over its head as fire rained from the sky. Her eyes widened.

“Ooh… Firaga Burst? That looks cool!” She quickly skimmed over the instructions before standing up.

“All right, Lucky, you can do this.” She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and strained as hard as she could. A small flame flickered from her horn, and her eyes snapped open.

“What? That’s it?” She tried again, with similar results.

“I’m going to get this.”

O O O O

Fortune lay on the ground reading when he heard galloping hooffalls. He looked up from his book to see Twilight rushing up to him.

“Hey Twilight, where’s Spike?”

Twilight skidded to a stop, smacking her face with her hoof. “Shoot, I forgot him at Sweet Apple Acres. I was in such a rush to talk to…” She looked around. “Hey, where’d your sister go?”

“She’s in one of her moods,” Fortune said, standing up. “She went for a walk.”

“Where’s her book?”

“Uh, I think she took it with her.”

Twilight stared at him in shock. “She what?”

“…is something the matter?”

“I bet she went off to try a more advanced spell on her own!” Twilight exclaimed in panic. “Come on, we have to find her before she hurts somepony!” She galloped off without looking back.

“I’m right behind you!”

They galloped through the town, passing by Sugarcube Corner as Pinkie walked out the door.

“Pinkie, have you seen Lucky?” Twilight asked frantically. Pinkie nodded vigorously.

“Where?”

Pinkie made a series of unintelligible hoof gestures, and Twilight and Fortune stared at each other in confusion.

“Pinkie, just tell me! This is important!”

“All right,” she said, shrugging. “But you’re the one who said no noise, remember?”

“Pinkie, that was hours ago! Where’s Lucky?”

“I saw her heading to the edge of the Everfree Forest with that book Spike gave her! She looked really upset!”

“Oh no. I hope we’re not too late.”

A sudden shrill scream pierced the air. Fortune’s ears perked up.

“That’s Lucky!” he shouted, following the source of the noise, as the other two ponies galloped alongside him. As they drew closer to the forest, the smell of smoke began to permeate the air.

“I hope we’re not too late,” Twilight moaned.

They finally reached the outskirts of the town. In the distance, they spotted Lucky cowering on the ground, an enormous ball of fire hanging in the sky above her. Smaller fireballs shot out of it, and the trees and the grass around her were all ablaze.

“Oh no! That’s fire’s going to spread into town if we don’t do something!” Pinkie shouted.

“Lucky, are you all right?” Fortune called out over the roar of the flames.

“I… I can’t control it!” Lucky tried to run, but flames blocked her path in every direction.

“Twilight, you have to do something!”

“I know, hold on a second!” She massaged her forehead with a hoof, eyes closed in concentration. “I’ve got it!”

Twilight closed her eyes and lowered her horn. Her face was distorted with effort by the strain of the spell she cast. A small gust kicked up, and it increased in strength until a fully-fledged tornado whirled about in front of them.

Twilight opened her eyes, her horn still glowing. She slowly directed the tornado toward the flames, and the gale force winds extinguished the grass and trees. Lucky grabbed the book and ran over to Fortune and the others, as Twilight directed the tornado to the giant ball of fire in the sky.

“You can do it, Twilight!” Pinkie cheered, suddenly wearing a giant foam finger.

Twilight strained to keep the tornado together as sweat beaded on her forehead. The fireball began to lessen in size.

“Almost there!”

The fireball finally disappeared, and Twilight gasped as the tornado decompressed, the winds flattening out the grass they stood on. She collapsed to the ground, panting.

“Are you all right, Twilight?” Fortune asked.

“I’ll… be fine,” she gasped. “I’m not used to… using battle spells. I just… learned them all in the past few months.”

“I’m so sorry, Twilight,” Lucky said, hanging her head. “This was all my fault. Somepony could have gotten seriously hurt.”

“Well, maybe it was partly my fault too,” Twilight said, smiling. “I was so focused on being a good teacher, I forgot to be a good friend. I should have listened to your concerns about my teaching style. Maybe what worked for me won’t necessarily work for everypony else.”

“And maybe I should have trusted you to know what was best. You can come off as a know-it-all sometimes, but maybe that’s because you do know better than me. At least sometimes,” she added quickly.

“Woohoo! Everypony learned a lesson!” Pinkie cheered. “Let’s go have some cupcakes to celebrate!”

“Sure, Pinkie,” Twilight chuckled, standing up. “That sounds great.” She looked down at Lucky. “But only if you want to.”

Lucky smiled. “Sure. I’d love a cupcake.”

“You know something, though?” Twilight asked Lucky as Pinkie bounced ahead of them, followed closely by Fortune.

“What’s that?”

“That was a really good Firaga Burst. I couldn’t even make a fireball for the first week I tried that spell.”

“Really?” Lucky’s eyes lit up.

“Really. But, maybe it’s best you didn’t try that again for a bit.” Lucky chuckled.

“Well, that spell you used was really something. What’s it called?”

“That was Tornado,” Twilight said.

“Makes sense.”

“But don’t get any ideas about trying it just yet,” Twilight warned facetiously.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Later that evening, Twilight and Spike stood together in her bedroom.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began. “Today I learned that if you want to try to get somepony to listen to you, you have to be willing to listen to them. While it’s important to try and help other ponies, you have to make sure that they’re open to accepting your help. And to do that, you have to make sure that they respect you as a pony, and as a friend.” She looked at Spike. “Did you get all that?”

“No,” he grumbled. “I still can’t believe you left me at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“I’m really sorry about that, Spike.” She patted his head. “But I promise to make it up to you. I’ll use Rarity’s gem-finding spell and make you the best cake you’ve ever tasted!”

“Apology accepted!” Spike said. “But, maybe don’t make the cake yourself. You’re not exactly known for your baking skills.” Twilight glared at him.

“Kidding, kidding.” He pulled out a quill and parchment and began to write. “Sort of."

Ancient Memories

It was night. A large, deep blue stallion with a long silver tail galloped through the trees, sporting a black hooded cloak. He was followed closely by a white mare with a flowing pink mane, wearing golden armor that glinted in the moonlight.

The stallion skidded to a stop, motioning for his companion to do the same with an outstretched hoof. She stopped and turned to him.

“What’s the matter?” she whispered apprehensively.

From the shadows cast by the moon, creatures of darkness began to emerge. Some of them were small and bug-like in appearance, with short antennae and small feet with small sharp claws. Some of them were taller and vaguely simian in build, with long legs and arms ending in sharp claws, with long, crooked antennae sprouting from the tops of their heads and blue veins running through their bodies. They all had the same empty yellow eyes, and surrounded the two ponies, staring hollowly at them. For a few moments, nothing moved.

The monsters all attacked at once, rushing at the two ponies. The stallion threw back his hood, and his horn glowed intensely. A column of pure white light erupted from it, splitting into six and circling him quickly in an expanding ring. The monsters caught in its path vanished in puffs of darkness. The columns grew more brilliant as the circle became larger, until everything was bathed completely in the blinding light.

O O O O

Fortune and Lucky shot up out of bed simultaneously, letting out short yells. They looked at each other in confusion as a light flickered on from across the room.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Twilight was staring at them, her bloodshot eyes wide. Spike leapt out of bed and grabbed a scroll, brandishing it like a sword as he rubbed his eyes.

“Nothing,” Fortune said slowly, not breaking eye contact with his sister. “Just… a weird dream.”

“Me too,” Lucky said, cocking an eyebrow at her brother.

“Thank goodness,” Spike yawned. “I was afraid I was going to have to save you ponies from an intruder all by myself.”

“Well, you can put away your sword, Sir Yawns-a-Lot,” Twilight said grumpily. “Try and go back to sleep. It’s not even light out yet, and you have to be well-rested for when the Princess comes to visit tomorrow.”

“Yes, Twilight,” the twins said in unison as they lay back in bed.

O O O O

Princess Celestia walked through the castle, heading to a rarely-visited wing.

I hadn’t been in that room in almost a thousand years, until those twins appeared, she though somberly. Now I find myself going nearly every day.

She came to an unassuming wooden door set into a wall, which contrasted sharply with the grandiose double doors that marked the halls of the rest of the castle. A brass plaque on the door read ‘Hall of Memories.’

Celestia nudged the door open and stepped in, the door swinging shut behind her. The hall was much like the rest of the castle; spotless white walls and a marble floor. There were no windows, however; instead, magical balls of light floated in the hall, moving about almost as though they were alive. They parted as Celestia walked down the hallway, regrouping behind her.

The walls were adorned with large photographs of ponies, many standing with the Princess.

Ah, my old friends. She sighed. Time is not kind.

The photographs eventually gave way to painted portraits. The austere faces of generations past stared down at Celestia, and she looked up with a hint of a frown.

She reached a marble door at the end of the hall with a hole in the center. The words ‘Chamber of Repose’ were etched in the stone. Celestia lowered her head, almost reverently, and inserted her horn into the hole in the door. A thin beam of light in the shape of a heart pulsed on the face of the door before it slid into the wall beside it. The Princess stepped into the room, and the door shut behind her.

The room was perfectly circular, and the walls were a dark grey. Copies of Celestia’s cutie mark were displayed in white light on the walls, each with a chain-shaped path of light running down from it to the floor, where they all met at a raised platform in the center. The platform itself radiated a bright light. Atop it stood a black suit of armor, adorned with a dark blue cape. The princess folded her legs beneath her and sat, looking up at it in silence. The helmet stared back down at her.

“I miss you. I miss you every day. I thought I’d finally moved past it, but ever since I found those twins…” She averted her eyes, as though the empty suit of armor was judging her. “They’re nothing like you, you know.” She looked up at the armor once more, smiling sadly. “You were always so serious, so no-nonsense. Though, to be fair, those were much darker times.” A single tear ran down her face.

“Look at me, the ruler of Equestria, crying like some little schoolfilly.” She was silent for a few moments, just staring at the armor. “I don’t know if I can go through this again. Not without you. And those twins, they’re just kids. They may wield the Keyblade, but they don’t know anything about war. I’m the only pony still alive who’s ever even been in a war.” She sighed. “I just wish that I had you to go through it with.” She chuckled. “What am I saying? I can’t just sit here wishing things were different. Things are the way they are, and I have to deal with it. I just hope that he isn’t behind this again. If Luna ever finds out that–”

Celestia heard a faint voice calling her name.

“I guess it’s time for me to go.” She stood. “If you’re out there watching me, I’m sure you’re laughing it up. This probably looks pathetic, me lying here talking to a hunk of metal.” She smiled softly. “But you couldn’t possibly know how much it helps.”

She turned and left the room, the door sliding shut behind her. She walked briskly down the Hall of Memories, opening the wooden door and stepping out into the castle proper. In front of her, a pegasus guard was calling her name. She quietly shut the door behind her, and silently floated over to the guard.

“Hello, Sunbeam,” she said as she landed behind him. She giggled as he jumped in surprise and reflexively aimed his lance at her, dropping it and blushing when he realized what had happened.

“Please forgive me, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing.

“Oh, come now. It was just a joke.” Sunbeam righted himself, replacing the lance in the sheath on his armor. “Besides,” she said seriously, “if you’d attacked me I could have turned you into a fine mist in the space of a second.” Sunbeam stared at her, dumbfounded. She laughed again.

“Gotcha. Again.”

“O… of course, Your Majesty.”

“So what do you need me for?”

“It’s almost noon,” Sunbeam said. “I’ve come to retrieve you for your trip to Ponyville.”

“Oh, thank you. I’d almost forgotten.” They began walking back toward the throne room. “I suppose you’ll be flying me?”

“Not today, Your Majesty,” he said regretfully, unfurling a bandaged wing. “I pulled a muscle the other day. Doctor says I should stay off of it for a week or so.”

“My my, it seems like your best days are behind you,” Celestia teased. “Perhaps you should consider retirement.”

“Well, we can’t all be omnipotent immortals,” the grey pegasus ribbed. “And as for retiring, you know there’s no way I’d ever leave your aide, Princess. As Admiral of the Royal Fleet, I–”

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard your speech before, Admiral,” Celestia interrupted, still smiling. “Frankly, everypony in this castle has.”

They walked in silence for a few moments.

“Princess, may I ask you a question?”

“Of course, Sunbeam. I’m always open to questions from my most trusted advisor.”

“What exactly is in that room past the Hall of Memories? I’ve never actually seen you go in or come out, but there must be something in there. I mean, you don’t have to answer if I’m out of line,” he added quickly.

“Curiosity is never out of line, Admiral. As for what’s inside…” Celestia turned her head away. “Just… more memories.”

“I see,” Sunbeam said, unsatisfied with the vague answer but unwilling to press further.

They arrived at the throne room. Two pegasi waited on the balcony, harnessed to Celestia’s chariot.

“Don’t let the kingdom fall to pieces while I’m gone, all right, Admiral?” Celestia called over her shoulder as she mounted the chariot.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Your Majesty.”

The chariot took off, and Sunbeam waved goodbye as it disappeared over the horizon.

O O O O

“Fluttershy, how’s your bird chorus?”

“Oh… they’re ready…”

“Applejack, Pinkie Pie, how’s the food coming?”

“Relax, sugar cube, it’s comin’ along jus’ fine.”

“Rarity, the decorations–”

“Honestly, Twilight, you need to stop hovering! You’re quashing my creative energy!”

Twilight ran around Sugarcube Corner in a frenzy as the ponies prepared for the Princess’ visit. Fluttershy stood outside with her bird chorus, Applejack and Pinkie Pie worked in the kitchen, and Rarity hung elegant ribbons and bows on the walls. Rainbow Dash leaned back in a chair, sipping on a glass of berry juice.

“Rainbow Dash! Why aren’t you helping?”

“What do you need me to help with? It’s not like this is an airshow or something!”

Twilight sighed in exasperation.

“Seriously, Twilight, you need to take a chill pill.”

“But the Princess is coming!”

“It’s just an informal visit,” Rarity said as she affixed another silver bow to the wall. “She even said in her letter not to go to any trouble.”

“And there aren’t even any parasprites this time!” Rainbow exclaimed.

Pinkie burst out of the kitchen with her sousaphone. “Parasprites? Where?” She began playing, and Twilight quickly shoved a hoof into the bell.

“Pinkie, stop fooling around and finish the food!”

“Jeez, Twilight, you really need to relax,” the pink pony scolded.

“And coming from Pinkie, that means something.”

Fluttershy poked her head in the door. “Uh, Twilight?”

“What now, Fluttershy?” Twilight yelled. Fluttershy squeaked and dove out of view. Rarity clicked her tongue reproachfully and went to the door, as Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight.

“Oh, Fluttershy, Twilight didn’t mean to yell,” Rarity said. “Now, what was it you wanted to say?”

“Um, just that… the Princess is here,” she said, pointing behind her. Celestia stood next to her chariot.

“The Princess is here?” Twilight zoomed out of the store, bowing before Celestia.

“How nice to see you again, Twilight.” Twilight stood and smiled, nudging Fluttershy with her hoof.

“Oh! Right…” Fluttershy raised her hooves, and began conducting her chorus.

“Twilight,” Celestia said. “I thought I said not to go to any trouble for me.”

“Oh, it was no trouble at all, Your Majesty,” Rarity said, bowing. “Please, do come in!”

As they entered, Rainbow Dash was helping the two earth ponies to carry all the food they’d made to the table.

“Oh my, I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat all of that,” Celestia said.

“No worries, Your Princessliness! Pinkie Pie can take care of it!” Pinkie exclaimed before leaping at the table. Applejack caught her tail in her teeth, and the pink pony fell to the floor.

“Hold your horses, girl,” Applejack chuckled. “You can finish it off after the Princess has eaten her fill.”

“So, how is everything?” Twilight asked.

Celestia looked around in confusion. “Everything’s great. Except…”

Twilight’s face fell. “Oh no! What’s wrong? Is it the ribbons? I told Rarity, use gold, not silver! Or is it the food? I knew they should have made something besides desserts! Or–”

“It’s none of those things,” Celestia said. Twilight looked around; Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were glaring at her. Twilight chuckled nervously.

“Uh, sorry?”

“Well, what’s wrong, Princess?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Where are Fortune and Lucky?”

Twilight’s face froze, and her eye twitched.

“Oh no! I forgot to tell them to meet us here!” She dashed out of the store, leaving the other ponies staring after her in confusion.

“Of all the things she was getting worked up about, that wasn’t one of them?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, blowing her rainbow-colored mane out of her eyes.

O O O O

Fortune and Lucky sat on their bed, waiting for Twilight.

“She was supposed to get us an hour ago,” Lucky grumbled. “We don’t even know where we’re supposed to be going.”

“I’m sure she’ll show up. She probably just got held up.”

“Or forgot.”

“Anyway, Lucky,” Fortune said, changing the subject. “You said you had a weird dream last night too?”

“Yeah.” Lucky picked her head up. “There were two ponies. One of them was wearing gold armor, and the other one was wearing a black cloak. They were running through some forest, and–”

“–And then a bunch of monsters attacked them, right?” Fortune and Lucky stared at each other.

“Weird. We both had the same dream,” Lucky said.

“Think we should ask Twilight about it?”

“What would she know about it?” Fortune shrugged.

“And anyway, we won’t get the chance to ask her if she doesn’t hurry up and get us!”

As if on cue, Twilight burst through the door, eyes wild.

“Whoa, are you all right?”

“I’m great! Come on, let’s go! The Princess is waiting at Sugarcube Corner!”

“What? She’s already–”

“Less talking, more running!” Twilight said, galloping out the door as quickly as she’d come in. Fortune and Lucky raced down the stairs and out the door after her.

“You know, I like Twilight a lot better when she’s not stressed out,” Fortune said.

They finally arrived a Sugarcube Corner, where the others were sitting around the table, waiting for Twilight and the twins.

“Princess!” the twins exclaimed as they ran up to her.

“Hello, Fortune, Lucky. How have you been?”

“Awesome!” Fortune said. “Ponyville’s great!”

“What about you, Lucky?”

“It’s… not bad.”

“I told you you’d grow to like it if you just gave it a chance,” Celestia said, smiling.

“Enough chit-chat!” Pinkie said. “Let’s eat!”

“So, how are your studies going?” the Princess asked the twins once everyone had gotten their food.

“Great!” Fortune mumbled around a mouthful of cake. He swallowed. “In the past week, we mastered the three Advanced Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga spells!”

“Wow, only a week? That’s impressive.”

“Twilight’s a pretty good teacher,” Lucky said.

“Aww, thanks, Lucky!” Twilight said, turning away from her conversation with Rarity. Lucky grumbled.

“She wasn’t supposed to hear that.”

“Oh! Princess, can I ask you about something?”

“Of course, Fortune.”

“Well, Lucky and I both had this really weird dream last night, where–”

“You had the same dream?”

“From what we can tell,” Lucky said. “There were two ponies, one of them in golden armor and the other in a black cloak, and they were running through a forest.”

“And then these shadowy monsters attacked them, and the one in the cloak threw off his hood and these beams of light appeared, and all the monsters disappeared.”

“We were just wondering if you have any idea if the dream means something. We probably wouldn’t have thought much of it if we hadn’t both had the exact same dream.”

“Well,” Celestia said, frowning. “I don’t know about those two ponies, but those monsters sound an awful lot like the Heartless.”

Everyone else stopped their conversations and stared at the Princess.

“Th… the Heartless?” Fluttershy stammered, twisting her long pink mane nervously around her hoof. “You mean, those monsters you were talking about before?”

“The very same.”

“So… what does this mean?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Celestia said. “Just… try not to dwell on it. Keep focusing on your studies, all right?”

“All right.”

“Anyway,” Celestia said, swallowing her last piece of cake. “I should be on my way.”

“Aww, don’t you want to stay for dessert?” Pinkie asked.

“The Princess has royal duties to attend to,” Twilight explained. “Besides, how much more dessert can one pony eat?” Pinkie responded by gulping down an entire cake in one bite.

“…Right,” Celestia said, chuckling. “Anyway, it was so nice to see you all again. Next time, I should have gifts for the two of you,” she said, turning to the twins.

“Wow, I can’t wait!”

“Speaking of next time,” the princess said, turning to Twilight and smiling. “Don’t make such a big fuss about everything. When I make an informal visit, there’s no need to overwork your poor friends.”

“O… of course, Princess,” Twilight said sheepishly.

“Until next time,” Celestia said, as she climbed into her chariot. The two pegasi took off, and they disappeared over the horizon as the eight ponies waved goodbye.

“Phew,” Twilight sighed. “That was a close one, huh, girls?” She turned to face four of her five Ponyville friends, who all glared at her.

“Uh… sorry. I guess I got a little carried away.”

“Aw, we forgive you, darling,” Rarity said, and they all hugged her.

“I still can’t believe you forgot about us,” Lucky grumbled.

“Sorry about that.” Twilight frowned. “Hey, where’s Fortune? And Pinkie?”

Applejack laughed. “I think they’re inside takin’ care of the leftovers.”

Beyond the Door

“Come on, guys! Just a bit more!”

“Twilight, darling, they look like they’re about to faint! Can’t we give them a little break?”

Twilight, Rarity and the twins were in an isolated rocky area outside Ponyville, a location where Rarity often harvested gemstones. The two elder mares were using their magic to launch small boulders at the twins, who were using their newly learned Gravity and Reflect spells to protect themselves. They were both visibly exhausted.

“Twilight, please let us take a break,” Lucky groaned, casting Gravity on a boulder just before it hit her nose. It dropped to the ground. “I can’t keep this up anymore.”

“All right,” Twilight said. The rocks hovering in the air dropped to the ground. “That’s enough for today. Good job.” Fortune and Lucky both collapsed, panting.

“Twilight, I think you may have gone a little overboard,” Rarity chided under her breath. “Look at the poor things, they can’t even stand!”

“But I don’t understand,” Twilight whispered back. “I was able to do this longer than them.”

“Well, of course you were. Your special talent is magic, after all.”

“But their special talent is wielding the Keyblade, which includes battle magic! They should be just as good at it as me, if not better!”

Rarity looked down at her hooves, which were caked with a fine layer of dust and dirt.

“Well, look at this mess. It’s a good thing that I have my weekly spa date with Fluttershy this afternoon. Would you like to join us, Twilight?”

“Sure, Rarity. What about the twins?”

“Yoohoo!” Rarity called over to them. “Would the two of you care to join us for an afternoon at the spa? You can relax those poor, tired bodies of yours.”

“As long as nopony touches my hooves,” Lucky said.

“What about you, darling?” The white unicorn turned to Fortune.

“As long as I can get a massage.”

“Really?” Twilight giggled. “I thought you might be embarrassed to be seen in a spa, Fortune!”

“Why, just because I’m a boy?”

“Well, yes.” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t care, as long as I get to relax.”

“Well then, enough talking about the spa, let’s go!” Rarity said enthusiastically, leading the way back to town.

O O O O

“Isn’t this absolutely divine?” Rarity said as one of the spa ponies filed her hooves.

“It’s great,” Fortune said. He lay on his stomach as a masseuse pressed his shoulders. Lucky, Twilight and Fluttershy were still in the sauna.

“Is something the matter?” Rarity asked, gingerly peeling a cucumber slice back from her face and peering at Fortune out of the corner of her eye. “You seem distracted.”

“It’s not a big deal,” he said. “It’s just… I was thinking about what Twilight said earlier.”

“Twilight says an awful lot of things, darling. You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“When she asked why Lucky and I aren’t as good as her at magic. She’s right, we should be better at this than we are.”

“Oh, you heard that?” Rarity replaced the cucumber. “You have to remember, Twilight has been working on these spells since a few months before you and your sister arrived here. She’s had much more practice with them.”

“But we’ve been here for almost three weeks, and we’re still struggling with some of the most basic spells! And we’ve been working on battle magic since way before Twilight even knew about it!”

“Hmm.” Rarity frowned. “That is puzzling.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’m doing everything just the way Twilight says. If these methods worked for her, why aren’t they working for me?”

“Maybe you’re overthinking it, darling. When I used to try to learn new spells, I found that I did it the best when I just closed my eyes and let the magic flow through me.”

“I tried that. I’m just not getting it.”

“Maybe Twilight’s working you too hard. She can be very… gung ho about these things. Just try and relax for now. Enjoy your fabulous massage!”

“Yeah,” Fortune said, letting his body relax a little.

O O O O

As the five ponies left the spa, a rainbow-colored streak of light flew past them, leaving a strong gust in its wake. A second later, Rainbow Dash flew back up to them.

“Hey guys! What’s up?”

“Rainbow Dash! I just had my mane styled!” Rarity huffed, her impeccable curls now tangled and frizzy. She turned and trotted back into the spa, grumbling under her breath, as the other ponies stared after her.

“Anyway,” Rainbow Dash continued. “I’ve been looking all over for you, Twilight! I need you to help me with a new trick I’ve been working on.”

“Sorry, Rainbow, but we already made plans to go to Sugarcube Corner for a snack.”

“Would you like to join us?” Fluttershy asked.

“No thanks. I really wanted to get this trick down.”

“Hey, I can help,” Lucky offered. “I’m not hungry anyway.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up. “Awesome! Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash flew off, Lucky following closely behind.

“Well, I guess it’s just the three of us,” Twilight said. “Let’s go.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to pass,” Fortune said. “You guys go ahead.”

“Really? Is something wrong?”

“I just want to go for a walk,” Fortune said. “Clear my head.”

“Well, all right then,” Twilight said. “If you need to talk, I’m here.”

“I know. Thanks.”

Twilight and Fluttershy trotted off toward Sugarcube Corner, while Fortune walked off aimlessly in the opposite direction, lost in his own thoughts.

“Ah, what is it my eyes see? It is the bearer of the key!”

Fortune snapped back to attention and looked up. He’d walked all the way to the edge of the Everfree Forest. He trotted up to the zebra waving at him.

“Hi Zecora.” Fortune noticed two wicker baskets at her hooves, filled to the brim with stones that were changing color. “What are these?”

“I came to find these Ores of Doubt. Up from the ground I dug them out. But as you now can plainly see, I have too many to carry.”

Fortune picked up a stone. It immediately changed from a light pink to a murky brown, and stayed that color.

“I see your heart is filled with doubt. Would you like to tell me what about?”

“Sure,” Fortune said, replacing the stone. “But first, let me help you carry these back to your hut, Zecora.”

“Much obliged, oh magic one. Let’s go, before we lose the sun.” Fortune levitated the two baskets onto his back and Zecora’s, and they began their walk through the forest.

They walked in silence through the forest until they reached Zecora’s hut. Multiple heart-shaped trinkets hung from the edges of the thatched roof.

“What are those, Zecora? I don’t remember seeing them the last time I was here.”

“The Eve of Darkness is nearly here. Its anniversary draws near. One thousand four hundred twenty three years back, the Heartless first came to attack.”

“The Heartless?” Fortune said in shock. “You know about them?”

“Only what has been passed down, through generations by word of mouth. And so, we hang these hearts to say, ‘Begone, Heartless! Not this day!’”

“I had no idea,” Fortune said as they entered the hut. “Nopony in town seemed to know about them until my sister and I got here.”

“We zebras have long memories. All history lies in our stories.” Zecora put her basket down next to the empty cauldron in the center of the room, and Fortune did the same. “Now tell me, my key bearing friend, what ails your soul that needs to mend?”

“Well, we’ve been working on some new classes of magic spells. But I just can’t seem to get the hang of them, even basic ones like Gravity and Reflect. I should be really good at these spells, seeing as they’re part of being a Keyblade bearer.” His shoulders slumped. “But I’m not.”

“Perhaps your magic stores are gone. Spent from practicing so long. But I know just the thing to brew. An Elixir I shall make for you!”

“What’s an Elixir?”

“An ancient, powerful healing brew. Your stamina and magic, it will refuel. But alas, I need one more component. Would you like to help me search for it?”

“Of course!” Fortune exclaimed. “Thanks so much!”

Zecora grabbed a wicker basket and beckoned Fortune outside, and they began their journey deep into the heart of the forest.

“Of this Poison Joke, be wary,” Zecora said, motioning to a cluster of vivid blue flowers. “The spores can have effects quite scary.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Fortune said, gingerly stepping around the flowers. “So what exactly are we looking for?”

“Some Mythril Stones, we need to find. Without them, we’ll be in a bind.”

They walked until they reached an opening in the side of a large rock face. It opened into a large cave.

“For reasons that are quite unclear, Mythril Stones are found only here.” There were huge clusters of ore in the walls and floor, of many different colors and opacities.

“Which ones are Mythril?”

“Mythril Ore is royal blue, so pick out stones that have that hue.”

After an hour of digging, they managed to half-fill the wicker basket.

“This should be more than enough. I will have extra of the stuff.”

As they were about to leave, Fortune noticed something, much deeper into the cave than they had ventured. It looked like a door made of wood, though it was missing a handle. A thin line of gold ran along the edge.

“Hey Zecora, what’s that door over there?”

“The forest holds many mysteries, that door right there is one of these. I know not where it opens to, for it lacks a handle for me to use.”

“Uh huh.” Fortune could look away from the door. Zecora smiled.

“I have an idea, oh key bearer. We’ll return home, brew the Elixir. After your problem is no more, we’ll return here to examine that door.”

“All right,” Fortune said, finally tearing his gaze from the mysterious door. He followed Zecora out of the cave, looking back over his shoulder as they left.

Once they returned to her hut, Zecora added three of the Mythril Stones to her cauldron, along with one stone of a much darker blue and a stone colored jet black. She added a dash of some sort of silver powder, then covered the cauldron before lighting a fire beneath it. Just minutes later, she removed the lid, and a bright orange-yellow liquid bubbled at the bottom of the cauldron.

“That was fast!”

Zecora ladled the liquid into a bowl and handed it to Fortune. “Now drink up, my little one. May all your problems now be gone!”

Fortune drank the concoction, gulping it down as his lips puckered from the unexpected sourness. He instantly felt a rush of energy coursing through his limbs and into his chest and horn.

“That feels amazing!”

“Now try to cast a spell again! Perhaps your problem this drink did mend!”

Fortune closed his eyes, concentrating. He tried to cast Reflect. A transparent shield appeared for an instant before flickering away.

“What? What’s wrong with me?” He tried again, with identical results.

“It seems Elixir was not the cure. There’s something deeper, to be sure.”

Fortune sank to the ground. “I guess I just don’t have what it takes.”

“Cheer up, Fortune, sulk no more. Perhaps we should go see that door?”

Fortune looked up. “Sure. Let’s go.”

They walked together back to the cave. Oddly enough, the spots where they had previously dug Mythril out of the ground were once again filled with the ore. Fortune ignored it, ascribing it to the mysterious ways of the forest. They reached the door, and Fortune inspected it. It looked like a regular wooden door, save for the lack of a handle.

“It looks like an ordinary door, but… I can feel something else. What do you think, Zecora?” He turned around. Zecora was frozen in place, her mouth half open, her eyes in the middle of a blink.

“Zecora?” Fortune waved a hoof in front of her face, eliciting no response.

“What’s going on?” he said, his heart beating faster in his chest. He turned back to face the door, jumping when he saw the figure now standing in front of it. The large pony wore a black robe that concealed its entire body.

“Who… who are you?”

He heard a deep male voice respond in his head, though the figure remained motionless.
This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed.

“What? What are you talking about?” Fortune’s voice was panicked, his heart hammering against his ribcage.
There is very much to learn. You understand so little.

“Y… yeah? Then tell me!”

Fortune heard a deep, sinister laugh in his head. A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing.

“I know plenty!”

You cannot hide behind bluster. I can see your heart. You are nothing. The figure floated backward, passing through the door as though it wasn’t even there. Fortune leaned closer to the door, squinting. His head suddenly throbbed, and the door slowly began to open. Beyond the door was what seemed to be an infinite blackness. A torrent of wind suddenly erupted from the door, and Fortune screamed as he stood, rooted to the spot. His vision faded until he saw nothing but endless darkness.

Destati

Fortune stood, shaking his head groggily. He opened his eyes, but saw nothing but an endless void of blackness.

“What’s going on?” he whispered to himself. He took a step forward, and heard the clink of his hoof on glass. He looked down. He stood on a large circular platform that seemed to be made of incredibly ornate stained glass, colored primarily in hues of orange. Depicted on it was a deep-blue unicorn stallion with a silver mane and tail, his body arched gracefully as though he was floating in the air. His cutie mark was hidden by his billowing tail, and his eyes were closed. In the space created by the stallion’s arching body, the head of a white unicorn with a pink mane looked out of a circle. She seemed to be looking up at the stallion’s face.

“Those look like the two ponies from that dream Lucky and I had.”
So much to do, so little time…

“What? Who said that?” Fortune looked around wildly, looking for the source of the voice.
Take your time. Don’t be afraid.

“Which is it? So little time, or take my time?”
The door is still shut.

“What door?” Fortune yelled in exasperation. “Why don’t you start making some sense?”

Three stone pedestals rose from the glass platform. Beams of light appeared over each of them, and an object appeared over each one. One was a circular red shield shaped like Princess Celestia’s cutie mark. One was a sword with the Princess’s cutie mark engraved in the hilt. The last was a staff with a head shaped like Celestia’s cutie mark.

“Why is the Princess’s cutie mark everywhere?”
Power sleeps within you. If you give it form… it will give you strength. Choose well.

“Uh, okay?” Fortune walked tentatively up to the staff. He levitated it off of the pedestal with his magic, and it hovered in front of him.
The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?

“I don’t know.” He replaced the staff and walked over to the sword, again levitating it toward him.
The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?

“I’m still not sure. I’d better check out the last one.” Fortune walked over to the shield.
The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?

“Inner strength, courage, or kindness to aid friends?” Fortune mulled it over. “They all sound great. And important. But I think I’ll have to pick the power of the guardian.”

The three objects disappeared in a flash of light. Floating in the air where the shield had been was Fortune’s Keyblade.
Your path is set.

The stone pedestals crumbled and vanished. From the ground, three of the small bug-like Heartless from Fortune’s dream appeared.

There will be times you have to fight. The Heartless gathered in a triangle around him, shifting on their feet. Fortune stared at them, fear gripping his chest.
Keep your light burning strong.

The Heartless leapt at Fortune. His Keyblade responded to his magic, levitating in the air in front of him and blocking the Heartless’ wild swipes. He swung, the blade cutting through one of the Heartless. It vanished in a puff of dark energy.

He struck at the remaining two Heartless, but they sank into the ground, and his blade ricocheted off the glass. The Heartless moved through the surface like shadows, reemerging behind him. As they leapt at him, he spun his Keyblade like a buzz saw, slicing through one of them. The other one swiped at his face, knocking him to the ground. He looked up at the Heartless from the ground, and brought his Keyblade crashing down, cleaving the monster in two.

Fortune stood up shakily, looking around.

“Let me out of here!” he yelled, panicked.

A set of stained glass stairs appeared at the edge of the platform, ascending through the void in an elegant spiral. Hesitantly, he dismissed his Keyeblade before trotting toward them, beginning the ascent. As he walked, the steps behind him disappeared.

“Guess there’s no turning back,” he said as he continued on.

He reached a second platform, colored in muted blues. In the center was Princess Luna, gazing forlornly up at the crescent moon near the edge of the platform. Oddly, her cutie mark was absent.

“Now what?” Fortune looked around, as though an answer would appear out of the void.

There was a flash of light, and a large pinkish door appeared on the opposite side of the platform. Fortune walked closer to it, and realized it was translucent.

“That’s weird,” he muttered. He walked around to the other side of it. Other than its transparency, it seemed to be an ordinary door, albeit one that seemed to lead nowhere.

There was another flash of light, and a small red chest appeared on the other side of the platform. Fortune rolled his eyes as he walked over to it, hooves dragging, still tired from his fight with the Heartless. He tried to lift the lid with his hooves, but it wouldn’t budge. He tried opening it with magic, but to no avail.

“How do I open this thing?” The voice from earlier did not answer. Fortune stared at the chest when something clicked.

“If you come across a lock…” he summoned his Keyblade, tapping the chest with it. “Use a key!”

The chest popped open, and vanished, leaving a vial of orange liquid in its place. Fortune dismissed his weapon and picked up the vial, opening it. He was instantly hit with a very familiar scent.

“This is an Elixir,” he said to himself, before gulping it down. He instantly felt rejuvenated, and stood straighter.

He looked back at the door. It looked solid now. As he trotted over to it, it opened slowly, blinding light spilling from its interior. Fortune shut his eyes, shielding them from the brightness.

The light faded, and Fortune found himself standing on yet another platform. This one was mostly green in color. Snaking around the entire border was a creature with a long body and neck, with mismatched limbs and two vastly different horns atop a muted brown head. In the center of the platform was an image of Princess Celestia, surrounded by the Elements of Harmony. Fortune stared at the creature on the platform’s border.

“Is that… Discord?”

Fortune looked up. There was a small sphere of light hovering beyond the edge of the platform, but the infinite blackness made it impossible to tell how close it was.
The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.

Fortune turned around, and was frozen in shock. His shadow was growing, changing shape. Two glowing yellow pits sat where the eyes would have been. The shadow emerged from the ground as it grew and morphed, until it stood before him, towering over him. It stood on two feet, and had broad shoulders and thick, muscled arms, which ended in hands with five sharp claws. Its face was obscured by a thick mane of shadowy tentacle-like protrusions from its head, which wrapped around its face like a scarf, hiding everything but its glowing yellow eyes. In the center of its stomach was a large hole in the shape of an elongated heart, through which Fortune could see into the blackness beyond.
But don’t be afraid.

Fortune’s fear slowly began to change to one of determination. He summoned his Keyblade.
And don’t forget…

Fortune stared up at the enormous Heartless. After what seemed like an eternity, it raised an enormous fist, which came hurtling down. Fortune deftly rolled out of the way, dealing a few blows to the fist before the monster drew it back up. It reached down again, this time scooping up an orb of darkness from the blackness surrounding them. It threw its arm up into the air, and the orb burst, smaller spheres of dark energy raining down from above. Fortune stared at them in confusion, until one hit him.

“Ahh!” His body spasmed, and he rolled out of the way of the next one. Several more of the orbs rained down, following his movements. He managed to dodge or parry all of them.

The Heartless brought the other hand crashing down, palm open. Fortune rolled out of the way again, and the creature’s hand plunged into the platform, a pool of darkness forming around it. From the darkness rose three of the bug-like Heartless, which Fortune quickly dispatched.

“I’m not going to be able to take it out if I just keep hitting its hands,” Fortune muttered. Suddenly struck by an idea, he leapt onto the Heartless’s hand, which was still sunk into the platform. Several more of the small Heartless rose out of it, but Fortune ignored them, galloping up the giant monster’s arm, toward its face. It turned to look at him through its impassive yellow eyes as Fortune leapt off of its shoulder, grabbing his Keyblade in his teeth. He swung his head down, striking the monster in the center of its face, before falling to the ground, skidding along on his hooves. He righted himself and looked back at the creature.

“Take that, Heartless!” he yelled victoriously, grinning widely.

The Heartless stood and stumbled, lurching forward.

“Wait…”

It began falling toward Fortune. He yelled and tried to run out of the way, but it collapsed on top of him before sinking into the ground. Fortune was trapped in a pool of darkness, sinking slowly into it.
But don’t be afraid…

Fortune flailed about, trying desperately to free himself.
You hold the mightiest weapon of all.

Fortune was now almost completely engulfed in the darkness, only his head poking out of the void.
So don’t forget...

Fortune sank completely beneath the shadows.
You are the one who will save your world.

O O O O

“Is he okay?”

“I don’t know, I just got here myself.”

“Hey, give him some space.”

“Wait, are his eyes opening?”

Fortune’s eyes opened, his vision blurry. He saw eight multicolored shapes above him.

“Back up, y’all, he’s wakin’ up.”

Fortune sat up, shaking his head. His vision was clearer now. His six pony friends, his sister, and Zecora were looking back at him. He looked around; he was on a table in Zecora’s hut.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re all right! You gave us all quite a fright!”

“Fortune!” Lucky ran up to him, wrapping him in her hug. “I was so worried!”

“I’m fine, sis,” he said, sitting up. His head was completely clear. “In fact, I feel better than fine.” He jumped to his hooves.

“Hey, take it easy,” Twilight said.

“Really, I feel great!” Fortune cast a perfect Reflect spell around himself, grinning.

“See? I don’t feel tired at all anymore!”

“What?” Lucky stared at him. “What happened to you?”

“It’s a longish story,” he said. “I’m not totally sure if it even really happened.”

“Well, let’s hear it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “I love stories!”

“Well, Zecora and I went into this cave to find these stones…”

Unexpected Refugees

Shrinking Violet busily arranged the flowers in front of her shop, humming softly to herself.

“Hey there, Violet!” Violet looked up.

“Oh, hi, Morning Glory,” she said, waving at the grinning mare who trotted up to her from down the street. Glory looked up at the sky.

“Looks like rain.”

“Well, the weather team’s been behind all month. We were supposed to get showers two days ago.”

“Let me help you set up your canopy.” The two ponies erected a colorful tarp awning over the flowers, just as it began to rain.

“Would you like to come in for some tea?” Violet offered. “I only have chamomile, I hope that’s all right.”

“Well, I’m certainly not going to the bank now,” Glory said. “Why don’t we sit out here?” She sat down at the wooden table in front of the shop. “I love sitting outside in the rain.”

Violet chuckled. “Just as long as we’re not in the rain, right? I’ll be right back, I put the tea on the stove before you got here. It should be done by now.” Violet entered her shop, reemerging within two minutes, a tray with two teacups held firmly in her teeth. She placed it on the table and sat, and the two mares quietly sipped their tea, staring out into the rain.

“Hey, you hear about that mixer at Sua Rey’s tonight? Apparently half the single ponies in Las Pegasus are going to be there.” Glory raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Maybe you can meet somepony!” she said in a sing-song voice.

Violet took a sip of her tea, averting her gaze. “Yeah… I think I’ll pass.”

“Oh, come on, Violet, it wouldn’t kill you to get back out there. When’s the last time you went on a date?”

Violet blushed. “Well…”

A grin crept across Glory’s face. “Violet, you dog! Are you seeing somepony?”

Violet chuckled and looked up. “Well, actually…” Her voice trailed off as she heard the sound of distant footsteps. Her ears perked up.

“Do you hear that?” She asked, turning around to look down the road behind her.

“Yeah, what is that?” Glory leaned to the side, the side of her mane swinging out into the rain.

In the distance, the two ponies could make out the silhouette of an enormous throng of large, bulky creatures, outlined hazily by the rain.

“What are those?”

As the creatures drew nearer, they became clearer. They resembled bears, with white midsections and faces, and black legs and forearms, and black ears and large black spots around their eyes. A large number of the bears wore conical straw hats atop their heads.

“Are those… bears? Why are they colored so weird?”

The bears continued to grow closer, and entered the city. Violet and Glory stared as they approached them and stopped. The lead bear turned to them, revealing a long, beard-like tuft of white fur growing from his chin. He had an x-shaped patch of hairless scar tissue below his left eye. His piercing eyes stared at Violet, who shivered in fear.

“Ponies,” he said slowly. Glory noticed that he had a long staff made of some sort of plant in a sling over his waist. “Are we correct in assuming that we have arrived in Equestria?” He spoke in an accent that neither of the ponies had heard before.

“Y… yes,” Glory stammered.

“Very well. Which way to your capital?”

Violet wordlessly pointed down the road, still shivering.

“Many thanks, my equine friends.” He bowed his head before turning back to the road, silently marching on as the crowd followed him. As they passed, many of the bears looked at Glory and Violet in confusion, as though they’d never seen ponies before. Violet and Glory stared after them for almost a full minute after they’d disappeared from sight, mouths still agape.

“What in the world was that all about?”

O O O O

Princess Celestia sat in the Chamber of Repose, kneeling in front of the black suit of armor. She rested her head on the edge of the dais and closed her eyes, letting the memories of her past wash over her.

“Daddy, Mommy, you’re home!” The small white alicorn filly jumped up and down as her parents walked through the door, absolutely beaming.

“Guess what, Celestia?” her mother said.

“What? What?”

“You’re going to have a new baby sister!”

“Ohmigosh! I can’t believe it!” Celestia leapt into the air and hugged her parents around their necks, hanging several inches up off the ground.

“Careful now, Celestia,” her father warned, levitating her into the air with his magic. “You don’t want to hurt your mother.”

“Oh, you don’t need to be so overprotective, Sunspot,” Celestia’s mother said, brushing his black mane out of his eyes. “I’m not due for another nine months, no need to dote on me just yet.”

“I’m just being cautious, Astronomia, dear. Even we alicorns need to take it easy sometimes.”

“Have you picked out a name?” Celestia asked excitedly, running circles around her parents’ hooves.

“Settle down, dear,” Sunspot said. Celestia plopped to the ground in front of them, looking up at her parents expectantly.

“We’re going to name her… Luna.”

“That’s such a pretty name!”

“We’re glad you like it.”

“I can’t wait to have a new baby in the house!”

Sunspot frowned. “Actually, I was thinking it might be a good idea to move out of–” Astronomia cleared her throat loudly, cutting off her husband.

“Not in front of Celestia,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. She beckoned him to their bedroom, and they closed the door behind them. Celestia followed quietly, pressing her ear to the space between the floor and the bottom of the door.

“…just saying, with everything that’s been going on, it might be a good idea to get away from the Capital.”

“We can’t just pack up and leave! Especially not now!”

“I’m just saying, it’s getting awfully dangerous. Ever since that race traitor joined the King–”

“Shh! You never know who might be listening!”

“Anyway, all I’m saying is that it would be better to raise a family in safety. Away from this city.”

“But all of our family and friends are here!”

“I was talking to Starswirl and his family the other day, and they’re leaving tomorrow night.”

“Well, that’s good for them,” Astronomia said huffily. “But we are staying.”

“Fine.” Celestia heard her parents walking for the door, and quickly ran to her room.

“Princess?”

Celestia picked her head off of the dais, snapping back to attention. She left the Room of Repose and walked through the Hall of Memories to find Sunbeam waiting for her outside.

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time in there lately, Your Majesty.”

“I see your wing is all better,” she said, changing the subject.

“Yeah,” he said, flexing it. “Back in the day, I would’ve been back in the sky a couple days after a sprain like that.”

“Time marches on,” Celestia said. “You were calling for me?”

“Oh, yes,” he said, standing at attention. “I received an urgent message from the city gates. And quite frankly, I don’t know what to make of it.”

“Yes?”

The Admiral scratched his head. “Apparently there is a large group of creatures at the gates. Some hundreds of them.”

“Hundreds? What creatures?”

“I’ve never heard of them before, Your Majesty. They call themselves… pandas?”

Celestias eyes widened. “P… pandas?”

“They look like white bears, according to my messenger. But with black–”

“Spots and stripes, yes.”

Sunbeam raised an eyebrow. “You… know these creatures?”

“Hold them at the gates for the time being, but have them send an emissary to be escorted to the throne room,” she said, turning and walking away purposefully.

“Princess, I–”

“Now, Sunbeam.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Sunbeam did a quick salute before zooming off in the opposite direction.

Celestia sat in her throne, alone in the room. She stared at the imposing double doors opposite her. She suddenly shifted in her throne, to a pose she thought seemed more intimidating.

Within ten minutes, the doors opened. A panda with a long beard, facial scar and straw hat walked in, flanked by Admiral Sunbeam and another pegasus guard. The Admiral walked up to the Princess and stood at her side, while the other guard took several steps back.

“You are Princess Celestia?” the panda asked, slowly and deliberately.

“I am. I must admit, I’m more than a little surprised to see the Eastern Pandas here in Equestria.”

“I have no doubt you are,” the panda scoffed. “After all, you Equestrians kicked us off of our land over a thousand years ago, did you not?”

“Show some respect!” Sunbeam bellowed. “You stand before the most powerful pony in Equestria!”

“It’s all right, Sunbeam,” Celestia said. “I have little doubt that this is the ruler of the pandas, which would place him on equal footing with me.”

“Emperor Swiftpaw.”

“Well then, Emperor Swiftpaw, I expect you know that I restored your land to your people when I came into sovereignty?”

“While true, it is the actions of the Equestrian ruler before you that drove many of my people to their deaths.”

“Need I remind you that the ruler before me was not of ponykind?”

“Be that as it may, you still owe our people.”

Celestia sighed. “I can’t imagine you’d bring an army for simple negotiations.”

“Army? Hardly. The bulk of my army remains at home. I have brought with me mostly women, children and elderly.”

Celestia was slightly taken aback by this, though she retained her calm and detached demeanor. “Why have you left your army?”

The Emperor sighed. “I suppose there’s no use in beating around the bush any longer. The truth is, Ursaxia is under attack.”

“Attack? By whom?”

“I believe our enemy to be the Heartless.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Oh no.”

“It is not yet a large threat,” the Emperor continued. “They have yet to claim even a single life. But they are becoming a nuisance, destroying crops and terrorizing my provinces. The Imperial Army is kept busy destroying them, yet they continue to appear. I have evacuated the major provinces as a safety precaution, but much of my population remains behind. They have the protection of the army, but if history repeats itself, the Heartless will only grow bolder in number and in action.”

“So you and your people seek refuge within my kingdom.”

The Emperor sighed. “Yes. If I had been told a year ago that I would soon be asking for aid from the Equestrians, I would not have believed it.”

Celestia was silent for a moment before turning to Sunbeam.

“I want you to put up the pandas in the lower levels of the Capital. The Emperor and his family will stay here in the castle.” She looked back up at Swiftpaw. “Do you find this acceptable?”

“I do,” he said. “And, I must admit, I am both surprised and grateful for your generosity.”

“The Heartless would destroy everything in their path. Regardless of past differences, we must stand together now.”

Swiftpaw nodded, grunting affirmatively. “It is good to see the ruler of Equestria is one so wise as yourself.” He turned and left the room, the pegasus guard following him.

“After you’ve found accommodations for the Emperor and his subjects, I want you to send a transport for the Keyblade bearers and Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said to Sunbeam.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Sunbeam said, saluting before leaving the throne room. As soon as the doors closed, Celestia sighed, letting her shoulder sag.

The war is starting.

Ursine Royalty

Fortune stared across the field at his mentor, who levitated a rock in front of her. He blocked out the sounds of the birds, the gentle touch of the wind.

“Ready?” Twilight called out. He nodded.

The rock shot toward him like a bullet. He closed his eyes, and released the shot of magic stored in his horn. He opened his eyes again, and the rock was floating in the air in front of him, encased in a glowing orb of light.

“Ha! I did it!” Fortune exclaimed, standing straight.

“I can’t believe this!” Twilight trotted up to him. “Just last week, you could barely pull off Gravity, and now, you’ve mastered Zero Graviga!”

“Yeah, that was awesome!” Spike said, hopping down from Twilight’s back.

“Are you feeling tired?”

“Not at all!”

Twilight looked over Fortune’s shoulder. Lucky was lying in the grass, batting a rock around between her front hooves.

“Lucky, are you sure you don’t want to try Gravity again?”

“What’s the point?” she grumbled, not taking her eyes off of her rock. “I can’t do squat. Unless I have my ‘Awakening,’ or whatever it’s called, I’m not getting anywhere.”

“Lucky, you’ll get it,” Fortune said. Lucky just huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Why don’t we try going back to that door in the woods?”

“I tried that already,” Lucky said. “I stood there with Zecora for like an hour. Nothing.”

She stood up suddenly. “I’m going back to the library. I’ll see you guys later.” The other three stared after her.

“Talk about jealous,” Spike said. Twilight gently smacked him on the back of the head.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“It is weird though, isn’t it?” Fortune asked Twilight.

“I think so. Up until last week, you two were progressing at nearly identical paces. I don’t know what could be causing this.”

“Maybe she’s not trying hard enough,” Spike said, earning himself another slap from Twilight.

“Hey, what’s that?” Fortune pointed up at the sky. Twilight squinted as the silhouette grew nearer.

“Looks like the Princess sent a chariot.”

The chariot landed on the ground in front of them, pulled by two pegasi. Lucky was already sitting inside, arms crossed.

“Hello,” Twilight said. “Is everything all right?”

“Admiral Sunbeam sent us to escort you to the castle immediately,” one of the pegasi said.

Twilight looked around. “I don’t suppose it could wait? We’re in the middle of practice, and–”

“He instructed us, in no uncertain terms, to escort you to the castle immediately, Miss Sparkle.”

“O-of course,” Twilight said, as she, Fortune and Spike stepped into the chariot. “Is everything all right?”

The pegasi ignored her question, taking to the sky. The three ponies and Spike sat in silence as they zoomed over the clouds and toward the capital.

The chariot touched down on a balcony of the castle, where Admiral Sunbeam was waiting.

“Hello, Sunbeam,” Twilight said as she stepped out of the chariot. “What exactly is going on?”

“Just follow me, Miss Sparkle,” he said, as he led them wordlessly to the throne room.

The large double doors swung open, and Twilight stared in shock. The Princess sat in her throne. Next to her, in a more hastily-erected seat, sat a large bear. He tapped five sharp claws rhythmically against his armrest.

“Is that… a panda?” Twilight exclaimed in surprise.

“Show some respect, lavender one,” the panda said in deep, even tones.

“What’s a panda?” Fortune whispered to Twilight, not taking his eyes off of the large furry creature.

“They’re a species of bear,” Twilight said. “I don’t know a whole lot about them, except that they haven’t been seen in Equestria in over a thousand years.”

“Emperor, these are three of my students, and the ‘lavender one’s’ assistant.”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hi, I’m Fortune Flicker.”

“…Lucky.”

“And I’m Spike!”

The panda bowed his head in recognition. “I am Emperor Swiftpaw, ruler of Ursaxia.”

“Twilight may know this from her studies,” Celestia began. “Ursaxia is the second largest kingdom in the world, second to Equestria. It lies to the east of us.”

“But we haven’t had contact with them in centuries!” She looked to the Emperor. “With all due respect, Your Highness, what are you doing here now?”

“My people come as refugees, and as bearers of ill tidings.” The Emperor hung his head. Twilight felt a knot in her stomach, and then felt a pang of annoyance as she glared at Spike, who seemed to be stifling laughter.

“Sorry,” he whispered giddily. “He said ‘bearer.’ Get it? ‘Bear?’”

“It seems the Heartless have begun to appear in Ursaxia,” Celestia said. The room was absolutely silent; even Spike could only stare in shock.

“I suppose you are the Key Bearer?” Swiftpaw said, pointing at Fortune.

“Uh… yes, Your Highness… but my sister Lucky, she’s also–”

Lucky wordlessly summoned her Keyblade, glaring at the Emperor, who looked at her in confusion.

“Two Key Bearers? But only you exude the powerful aura of the Keyblade,” Swiftpaw said, turning back to Fortune.

“Well, sorry we all can’t master the Keyblade overnight,” Lucky snapped.

“You would be wise to watch your tone, Key Bearer. This may not be my kingdom, but I am still a king.” Lucky mumbled something that vaguely sounded like an apology, and Swiftpaw turned back to Fortune.

“So?”

Fortune stared blankly back at him. “…so?”

“What do we do to defeat the Heartless?”

Fortune looked back and forth between the Princess and Twilight, then shrugged. “I dunno. I guess, we’ll hit ‘em with the Keyblades?”

The Emperor groaned, burying his face in his paws. “With all due respect, Celestia, I imagined the heroes of the Keyblade would be more… insightful, shall I say?”

“They may be the Key Bearers, Swiftpaw, but they’re still children. They’re not soldiers.”

The Emperor huffed. “That much is apparent. In my kingdom, our people are taught the ways of the warrior from a young age. Not only the martial arts, but the strategic arts as well. We have a standing army of well over a thousand, many of whom are teenagers like these ponies before me. I have to say, I am the smallest bit disappointed that the Keyblade did not choose someone more qualified for the job.”

“A panda, you mean,” Lucky said acidly.

“Lucky, you’re going to get us in trouble,” Fortune whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

“And what if I do, pony?”

“That’s enough!” Celestia said. “Swiftpaw, I know you’re under a lot of stress right now, but making jabs at the Key Bearers isn’t going to help the situation. And Lucky, you should really try not to antagonize everypo – I’m sorry, everyone – so much.” Lucky huffed, looking pointedly away from the Emperor.

“If you don’t mind my asking, Your Highness, why do you have a standing army? From what I’ve read, your closest neighbor is Equestria, and we’re hardly a warmongering nation.”

“It seems your texts betray you, Miss Sparkle. Our eastern borders lie near the Changeling Badlands. They have tried countless times to wreak havoc in my kingdom. Our saving grace has been the stalwart courage of our warriors.”

“So that’s where they all came from,” Spike said. The Emperor raised an eyebrow, turning to the Princess.

“We had an… ah… episode with the changelings a while back,” she said, looking slightly embarrassed. “It seems that the abundance of love in Equestria made it an ideal feeding ground for them.”

“Hmph. Your soft pony hearts betrayed you again, I see.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Again?”

Celestia shot Swiftpaw a silencing glare.

“Anyway,” the Princess began. “I summoned you here to make sure that you were up to speed with our current state of affairs. We currently have approximately five hundred panda refugees being housed in the lower levels of Canterlot and in temporary housing just outside the city.”

“Thousands more of my people remain in Ursaxia, along with the bulk of the Imperial Army. They are currently able to keep the Heartless from harming civilians, but it is only a matter of time before the Heartless grow to numbers large enough to overcome even my army.”

“You’re going to have to accelerate your training,” Celestia said. “One or both of you may be needed in Ursaxia before long.”

Fortune nodded his head, staring at the Princess, trying to process all of the new information.

“Not to spoil the fun,” Lucky said. “But Princess, didn’t you tell us that the next time you saw us, you’d have something for us?”

“I did say that,” Celestia said. “But unfortunately, it’s not ready.”

“Is there anything else?” Twilight asked.

“There is one more thing,” Celestia said. Her horn glowed briefly, and a scroll appeared in a puff of light. She levitated it over to Spike, who grabbed it out of the air.

“That’s for your friend Rainbow Dash.”

“Uh… okay?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. Swiftpaw cleared his throat.

“Oh, yes, there is one more thing,” Celestia said. Her horn glowed once again, and a vortex of swirling energy appeared in the air in front of her.

“What?” Twilight exclaimed in shock, as she and Spike were pulled in toward it.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Fortune yelled. Neither he nor Lucky felt the pull of the Magnega spell, but Twilight and Spike flew through the air. The vortex disappeared as they drew near, and they dropped to the ground. The Princess cast an enormous Reflega spell, and a translucent geodesic dome of light appeared around herself, Twilight, Spike, and the Emperor. The Emperor smiled.

“Princess Celestia, what are you doing?” Lucky exclaimed.

The twins heard the doors slam shut behind them. They spun around, only to see a young panda standing before them. He had drawn himself up on his hind legs, and wore a black robe. He stood in an offensive stance, wielding a long, thin steel blade. Fortune and Lucky summoned their Keyblades, facing off against him.

“Princess, what’s going on?” Twilight asked in frightened confusion, looking up at her.

“Shh,” she said. “Just watch.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lucky demanded. The panda stared at her impassively before rushing at her, swinging his sword expertly. She barely managed to parry his attack with her Keyblade, the force knocking her weapon to the ground.

Fortune shot a Firaga spell at the panda, who quickly spun around and blocked it with his sword. The fireball ricocheted back at Fortune, colliding with him and sending him tumbling back into a wall.

Lucky readied herself again, before swinging at the panda with her Keyblade. Her opponent easily ducked beneath it, before rapping her shins with the flat of the blade. She collapsed.

The panda straightened, looking at the two groaning unicorns. He swung his sword in a quick figure eight before sliding it into the sheath at his waist.

The Reflega dome dissipated, and Twilight rushed to the twins.

“Are you guys all right?”

Lucky groaned as she sat upright. “What the hay was that for?”

“It’s worse than I feared,” Swiftpaw said. “Your students have no idea how to conduct themselves in combat, do they, Celestia?”

“Well…”

“Remember your promise.”

“Of course, Swiftpaw.” Celestia and Swiftpaw both left their seats and walked over to the group.

“This is my son, Prince Swiftblade.” Swiftblade clasped his right fist in his left hand and held it up to his face, bowing his head to the ponies. “He will go with you to Ponyville and teach you to fight.”

“What?” Fortune exclaimed. “How to fight?”

“You don’t expect to win a war without fighting, do you?” Swiftpaw asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it’s just… Can’t we just shoot the Heartless with magic?”

“Only a coward fights his enemy from afar,” Swiftblade said, speaking for the first time. His tone was identical to his father’s, but his voice was higher in pitch.

“What?” Twilight said incredulously. “Are you saying magic is cowardly?”

“Magic in itself is not cowardly. True cowardice is throwing rocks when a sword lies before you.”

“Can you talk normally?” Lucky said, sounding annoyed.

Swiftblade sighed. “If you have a blade, you should learn to use it as such. There are times when fighting from afar is the answer, and times when engaging an enemy face-to-face is the answer.”

“I hate to say it, but it’s necessary for you two to learn to fight,” Celestia said. “That’s just what you have to do, if you want to save this world.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Lucky said. “Just another thing for me to fail at.”

“You’ll get the hang of the magic eventually,” Celestia said. “I promise. Just don’t give up.”

“Okay, Princess,” she said, her voice softening slightly.

“I think it’s time you returned home,” Celestia said. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Twilight said, bowing to the Princess and the Emperor in turn. She turned to leave, and the twins, Spike and Swiftblade followed.

Dark Clouds

“Congratulations, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly. The ponies and Swiftblade were all gathered at Sugarcube Corner, celebrating the good news that Rainbow Dash had received.

“Uh, thanks, Pinkie,” she replied, smiling uncertainly. Pinkie zoomed off to gobble down some cake with Fortune.

“Uh, is somethin’ the matter, RD?” Applejack asked, noticing her forced smile. “I thought for sure you’d be more excited about gettin’ recruited into the Wonderbolts.”

“Yeah, isn’t it what you’ve always dreamed of?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, yeah,” Rainbow said, unfurling the letter that Twilight had delivered to her from Celestia. “But… this isn’t exactly how I imagined getting in.”

“There’s no use in complaining,” Swiftblade said, looking up from his tea and breaking his long silence. “There’s a war going on, and we all have to do our part.”

“I… wasn’t complaining,” Rainbow said, looking a little bit downcast.

“Rainbow, the Wonderbolts have been given a great honor, and a very important job,” Twilight said. “Not everypony could be relied on to relay messages back and forth between Canterlot and Ursaxia.”

“I know, I know, and I’m grateful and all, but… I’d always imagined getting in based on my skills and athleticism, you know?”

“But Rainbow Dash, you are getting in because of your athleticism,” Fluttershy said.

“Yes, darling, that’s what Twilight’s trying to say,” Rarity said. “The Princess obviously trusts that you will be able to deliver messages in a timely manner.”

“I guess you guys are right,” Rainbow said, perking up a bit. Pinkie and Fortune trotted up to the group. Applejack looked over their shoulders.

“Uh… did y’all eat all of the cake?”

“Uh… oops?” Fortune said, shrugging. Pinkie giggled.

“Hey, where did Lucky go?” Twilight looked around the room.

“Uh, she went for a walk,” Fortune said. “She hasn’t really been in a good mood lately.”

“Yeah, we noticed,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“That’s enough time wasting,” Swiftblade said, standing very suddenly. “Fortune, it’s time for training.”

“What? But we just got back a couple hours ago.”

“The Heartless aren’t taking breaks. Neither should we.” Swiftblade walked out the door without checking to see if Fortune was following. The seven ponies just stared after him.

“He’s… kind of a serious little guy, isn’t he?” Rainbow said.

“He’s probably edgy ‘cause his home’s under attack,” Applejack said. “Can’t say I blame the poor fella.”

“Well, I’d better go,” Fortune said, trotting slowly out of the shop.

“Wait! Fortune…” Twilight said, motioning to her mouth.

“Oh, thanks,” Fortune chuckled, licking the cake frosting from his lips.

Swiftblade was waiting outside, staring at ponies who shot him nervous glances as they trotted past at noticeably quickened paces.

“Let’s go,” Swiftblade said, turning and walking briskly back in the direction of the library.

“But what about Lucky?” Fortune asked as he caught up with Swiftblade.

“We’re not waiting around for her.” Swiftblade did not look at Fortune as he walked.

“What? But she needs to learn this stuff too!”

“She is not a fitting Keyblade Bearer. At least, not yet.”

Fortune stopped as Swiftblade continued to walk. “What? Didn’t you see her Keyblade? Do you think she stole it from somepony? And I suppose she stole her cutie mark too?”

Swiftblade stopped, but didn’t turn around. “My father is well-versed in the reading of auras. I wouldn’t treat what he says lightly.” Swiftblade continued to walk, leaving a confused Fortune to once again catch up.

“Well, will you at least train her if she shows up?” Swiftblade bowed his head affirmatively.

When they reached the front of the library, Lucky was nowhere to be found. Fortune shook his head in frustration.

“Hey Swiftblade, can–”

Fortune was cut short as a bamboo blade smacked him across the jaw. He stumbled and fell backward onto his haunches.

“What was that about?” he shouted angrily, rubbing his jaw.

“You need to be ready to defend yourself at all times,” Swiftblade said, wielding his practice blade in a ready stance. “The Heartless aren’t going to warn you before they strike.”

“Well, this is all new to me! Can’t you take it a bit slower?”

Swiftblade sighed. “Have you ever been swimming before, Key Bearer?”

“You can just call me Fortune,” he said. “And yeah. Back in the palace, there was a huge swimming pool. That used to be our reward for doing well in our classes.”

“Was the water cold?”

“Yeah, but if you jumped right in, it wasn’t so…” Fortune’s eyes widened as realization dawned on his face. “Ohhhhhh.”

“Now you understand.”

“I guess,” he grumbled, still rubbing his jaw. “But maybe you can tell me what I’m doing wrong instead of just hitting me.”

“You’re not paying attention to your surroundings,” Swiftblade said. “Before we do any combat training, you have to hone your senses.”

“What?” Fortune’s shoulders drooped. “I thought I was going to learn some awesome fighting stuff!”

“You’re not ready to fight,” Swiftblade said. “I doubt you could even stay upright if a light breeze hit you.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry. But you understand what I’m saying.”

Fortune stared at the ground. “I guess.”

“Wait here for a moment,” Swiftblade said before disappearing into the library. He reemerged a few seconds later with his metal sword at his waist in place of the bamboo one.

“Follow me.”

They walked in silence for almost an hour before they reached the edge of the Everfree Forest.

“Uh, Swiftblade? I don’t think we’re supposed to go into this part of the forest without permission.”

“Don’t worry so much.” Swiftblade continued, undeterred, followed by a hesitant Fortune.

They finally reached a large clearing in the trees. Swiftblade stopped, as did Fortune.

“Hey, what are we doing here?” Swiftblade suddenly turned to face Fortune, pulling a sash out of his robes and tying it expertly over his eyes.

“Hey, what gives?” Fortune felt around blindly for Swiftblade, but his hooves contacted nothing but air and grass.

“How many rocks are in this clearing?”

“What? How should I know?”

“You weren’t paying attention.”

“Sorry, I was too busy worrying about timberwolves.”

“Don’t worry about the future. Keep your mind in the present. I’m going to give you five seconds.” Swiftblade untied the sash around Fortune’s eyes, and he quickly counted up the rocks before Swiftblade redid the blindfold. Fortune smiled smugly.

“Now. How many trees are immediately bordering this clearing?” Fortune’s smile very quickly faded.

“What? I thought you were going to ask me about the rocks!”

“Never assume anything in battle. The most dangerous enemies are the ones that are fluid like the river, able to adapt to any situation. In order to combat such an enemy, you, too, must be as the river.” Swiftblade undid the blindfold once again. “Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Fortune said. Swiftblade smiled, almost imperceptibly.

“Good. Perhaps there is still hope in this war.”

Fortune heard a low growl behind him, and slowly turned around, his heart sinking. Swiftblade looked past him.

“So, those are timberwolves,” he said calmly, drawing his sword.

“Y… yeah,” Fortune stammered.

Four creatures with glowing yellow eyes stared at them. They were large, wolf-shaped creatures made entirely out of wood, with thick, sturdy branches in place of bone and sinew.

“Buck up,” Swiftblade said with a straight face.

“Har har,” Fortune said sarcastically.

“If you can’t face pests like this, you have no chance against the Heartless.” Two of the creatures began circling around to the other side of the clearing, and Swiftblade turned with them, leaving the pony and panda back-to-back. Fortune summoned his Keyblade.

“Remember to be aware of your surroundings,” Swiftblade said.

The Timberwolves attacked.

Time seemed to slow down for Fortune.

All right, I can do this. I just need to focus. I beat that big shadow thing in my Awakening, I can beat these two timberwolves.

Fortune’s Keyblade rose to strike.

I can do this.

A claw hit him across the face, and he immediately flew sideways into a tree, his Keyblade falling to the ground. He sat up dizzily and shook his head.

Maybe I can’t.

Swiftblade glanced over at him between blows and rolled his eyes as all four timberwolves slowly converged on him. He backed up, and what happened next shocked Fortune.

Swiftblade’s sword began pulsing with a powerful dark energy, which quickly engulfed the entire blade. Swiftblade rushed with blinding speed at one of the timberwolves, and it fell to pieces as the sword impaled it. Swiftblade suddenly vanished, reappearing less than a second later in front of Fortune, rushing at the next timberwolf with similarly imperceptible speed, leaving almost nothing to be seen but a shadowy afterimage. The remaining two timberwolves turned and fled into the woods, and the two defeated piles of wood reassembled themselves into their wolf bodies before fleeing as well, howling piteously.

How hard did I hit my head?

“That was pathetic,” Swiftblade said, walking over to Fortune as he spun his sword in a quick figure-eight before sheathing it.

Fortune was still too shocked to register the insult. “How… what… what was that just now?”

“That was Chaos Blade,” Swiftblade said.

“No, not the name of the move. I mean… you used magic just now!”

Swiftblade pulled Fortune up to his hooves. “So?”

“So? Only unicorns are supposed to be able to use magic!”

“What makes you think that?”

“I… That’s just… We’re the only ones with horns, right?”

“Every creature has magic inside of it, Fortune. Unicorns just happen to be one of the very few creatures with an innate ability to channel that magic.”

“Then how do you do it?”

Swiftblade pulled out his sword once more. “This is Gan Jiang. It has been passed down in my family for centuries. It is forged from Orichalcum, the rarest and most magically potent ore in the known world. It once had a sister sword, Mo Ye, which has been lost to time.”

“That’s so cool!” Fortune exclaimed. “I want to learn stuff like that!”

“In time, Key Bearer. First you need to learn to take a slap on the cheek without flying into a tree.”

“Very funny,” he said, chuckling.

“I think that’s enough adventure for today,” Swiftblade said, turning to leave the forest. Fortune followed.

O O O O

Lucky screamed in frustration, her voice echoing off of the high cavern ceiling. She lay before the mysterious door, head buried in her forelegs.

“Why can’t I do anything right?” Tears streamed down her face.

“Why can’t I get my Awakening, like Fortune? I just want to be good with the Keyblade! Isn’t that supposed to be my destiny?” She looked up the at the door and screamed again, her screams turning into sobs as her head sank back into her hooves.

A voice suddenly sounded from behind her. She lifted her head up and spun around.

“Who says you need an Awakening to master the Keyblade?”

Harbinger

Princess Celestia flew through the evening sky, flanked by two of her royal pegasus guards. A flash of lightning, followed by a crack of thunder. Rain began to fall from the sky.

“Princess, perhaps we should try again when the weather clears up,” one of the guards suggested meekly. Celestia ignored him, her eyes staring ever forward.

“I wish you’d have at least let us prepare the chariot for you, Your Majesty,” the other guard said.

“This is too urgent,” Celestia replied shortly. The glowing tip of her horn bathed the earth below her and the sky in front of her in a gentle white light. “Besides, it shouldn’t be more than half an hour until we reach Whinneapolis.”

They flew in silence for another twenty five minutes before reaching the city. Celestia and her guards landed on the street, keeping a brisk walking pace. The few ponies who remained out at the late hour bowed before her as she passed. She ignored them.

They arrived at a small house wedged between two shops. One of the guards knocked on the door. Moments later, the door swung inward; a sleep-deprived mare looked up them, her bloodshot eyes widening as she bowed.

“Y… Your Majesty,” she stammered. “I didn’t expect you to come here in person.”

“May I come in?” Celestia asked, smiling. The mare nodded.

“Of course, of course. I have to apologize about the mess, I–”

“Not at all,” Celestia interrupted. “I’m sure you have your hooves full.” She and her guards stepped into the house.

“I’ll… just go get them,” she said, cantering up the stairs as Celestia waited in the living room. A few minutes later, she and her husband appeared, walking carefully down the stairs, each with a unicorn foal cradled in one arm.

“May I?” Celestia asked, sitting on the floor and extending her forelegs.

“Of course,” the mare said, nodding to her husband. They placed the foals in Celestia’s arms. They were swaddled in blankets, sound asleep. The colt had a light brown coat and dark brown mane. The filly had a pale purple coat and blonde mane.

“We just got back from the hospital a few hours ago,” the mare said. “It took forever to get them to sleep.”

Celestia’s horn glowed with a golden light, and the blankets of both foals slid down to around their ankles. On their flanks were identical cutie marks, a blocky black silhouette of a key encircled by the elegant blue outline of a heart. Celestia turned to her guards and nodded.

“So… what does this mean, Your Majesty?” the stallion asked. “Why were they born with cutie marks?”

“I’m afraid… there are dark times in Equestria’s future,” Celestia said somberly. “If you’ll allow it, I would like to take these foals to Canterlot Castle to be raised. Of course, we’ll accommodate your whole family, and everything will be explained to you there.”

“Your Majesty, is that absolutely necessary?”

“It is,” Celestia said. “I wouldn’t impose like this if it weren’t absolutely vital. But I’m afraid I must insist.”

The two ponies looked at each other. “O… of course, Your Majesty,” the mare said.

“Excellent.” Celestia’s horn glowed again, and the blankets wrapped themselves snuggly back around the foals. She handed them back to their parents before standing and turning to her guards. “Cloudsurfer, I want you to stay here with the family.” She turned back to the parents. “I will return to Canterlot with Sunbeam and send a group here tomorrow to transport you and your things to the castle.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“I’ll be off, then.” Celestia exited the house, rain pelting her coat as she stepped into the night.
Sunbeam looked up at her. “Are you sure, Your Majesty?”

“There’s no doubt about it,” she said. “I’d hoped it would never come to this again.” She spread her magnificent white wings and took flight, Sunbeam beside her.