KINGDOM HEARTS: Fractured Friendship

Chapters

Chapter 02: A Late Start
Chapter 03: We Got This Together
Chapter 04: Magical Mystery
Chapter 05: Equestria
Chapter 06: Canterlot Blues
Chapter 07: Appleloosa
Chapter 08: Little Manehatten
Chapter 09: Broken Dreams
Chapter 10: Our Town
Chapter 11: Dark Corners
Chapter 12: The Vault
Chapter 13: Evil Awakens
Chapter 14: Bright Side of Life
Chapter 15: Anguish and Pain
Chapter 16: Castle Mania
Chapter 17: Hidden Truths
Chapter 18: Black Magic
Chapter 19: Harmony
Chapter 20: Chaos, Chaos, and More Chaos
Chapter 21: Lost at Midnight
Chapter 22: Cosmic Darkness
Chapter 23: Forgiveness
Chapter 24: The Frozen North
Chapter 26: Dream Walker
Chapter 27: Tarantara!
Chapter 30: Smiles and Change
Chapter 31: Fear and Love
Chapter 32: Dark Usurper
Chapter 29: Origins
Prologue: A Wedding In Ruins
Chapter 01: Dark Steps... With a pint of Chaos
Chapter 25: Be Prepared
Chapter 28: The Plan

Chapter 02: A Late Start

Author's Note

First off, I want to apologize for letting this wait go out long. I've been busy with life and all that @#$%.
I know I said that the next chapter would be about Sora, but I split the chapter into two parts because it felt long. So for now, here's a chapter with the Mane Six- I mean, Mane Five.
Next Chapter will feature Sora and his crew.

Chapter 02: A Late Start

ACT I: FRAGMENTED BEGINNINGS

"Are you sure that this will work, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course it will!" Pinkie Pie said as she began decorating the cake, writing the letters, We're Sorry, Twilight on the top. "It has to work!" Since the whole fight yesterday, Pinkie Pie has been hard at work. She really felt sorry for leaving Twilight all alone instead of being by her side. So, she thought that maybe a party would work. It always cheers up a pony when they're in a fowl mood.

"But... I thought Twilight said that a party won't fix thi-" Fluttershy said.

"Don't care!" Pinkie Pie said, her eyes showing bags under them, showing that she had been busy planning all day in a stressful manner. "Must... make... Twilight... happy again!" She then took a large inhale, and began to blow tons of air into the balloon in front of her, making it as big as she could. But then suddenly, she unintentionally inhaled, causing all the air in the balloon to go into the party pony, making her blow up like a beach ball. The shy pegasus before her almost gasped.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy said, and then she approached the Pinkie's round shaped body. Poking her hoof into the pink pony's side, she opened her mouth, letting all the excess air out, and making her deflate and fly across the room, slamming into the wall, getting the attention of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, who came into the room.

"What the hay is going on in here?" Applejack asked.

"We're trying to throw an apology party for Twilight." Fluttershy said.

"Yep!" Pinkie Pie said. "And it will work!" The farmpony, however, felt otherwise.

"Pinkie, maybe we should respect Twilight's wishes for right now." Applejack said. "Trying to win her trust back now is probably gonna make things worse."

"But Applejack, we can't just leave our friendship broken!" Pinkie Pie said. "We have to make things right with Twilight, even if it kills us!"

"Why should we even try?" Rainbow Dash asked, flying in front of Pinkie Pie. "Twilight said our friendship is over, so what's the point of trying?"

"Because, it's our job to cheer a friend up!" Pinkie Pie said.

"She's not our friend anymore!" Rainbow Dash said. "You heard her yourself, she's doesn't wanna be our friend anymore. And besides, she had no right to mouth off about us like that."

"Now Rainbow, don't be yippin' like that." Applejack said. "If anything, Twilight is right. We let ourselves get caught up in our wedding planning that we forgot to take her worries seriously."

"How can you be defending her?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "Didn't you hear how she said that you cared more about your own pride than your family?"

"Yes, I did." Applejack said. "But it's true. I let me pride get the best of me, and I admit, I still have to work on my stubborness. And that doesn't make it her fault. And in case if you've forgotten Rainbow, we promised that we'd take her worries seriously, even if they weren't such a big deal. Don't you remember Lesson Zero?"

"So what, we forgot a friendship lesson." Rainbow Dash said. "It's no big deal."

"No Big Deal?" Applejack asked. "Why of all the... Aren't you listening to yourself Rainbow? Don't you care that we let our friend down? You know what, Twilight was right. You don't seem to care about anything but the Wonderbolts!"

"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm such a big fan!" Rainbow Dash said.

"But it is if you care about impressin' them over the safety of your own friend!" Applejack shouted.

"How was I suppose to know that Twilight was gonna be sent below the castle?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's not on me!"

"Yes It Is!" Applejack shouted. "It's on all of us! Twilight could've gotten hurt by that shapeshifting queen, or worse! We weren't there for her, so her tragedy would be on all of us!"

"Well maybe she shouldn't have acted like a jealous little sister!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Nopony was listening to her!" Applejack shouted. "She had no other option!"

"She had plenty of options!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"And all of them weren't working!" Applejack shouted back.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice shouted, and a blue aura surrounded both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, lifting them up into the air. All eyes turned to Rarity, who was not in a very happy mood herself. The two's arguing was the last straw for her to get them to stop.

"Stop this arguing at once!" Rarity shouted as she placed both of them down to the ground. "Now look, we are all under a lot of tension here, and the last thing we need is to be fighting amongst ourselves! We have to get ahold of ourselves! I mean, seriously, you both are acting like little fillies."

"I wasn't acting like one." Applejack said. "She is."

"Only because you started it!" Rainbow Dash said.

"No, you started it!" Applejack shouted back.

"You both started it!" Rarity said. "I know that you both are not happy with how Twilight went all sour at us, but we can't lose more friends just because of it."

"You know, I'm starting to wonder why we even are friends." Rainbow Dash said, giving a glare to the fashionista. "We both don't have anything in common. And last thing I remember, you looked more concerned over the dresses that we threw off over everypony else's safety!"

"I said that is enough!" Rarity shouted. "Do not make me hit you, Rainbow Dash. I am not afraid to do so!"

"Oh yeah?!" Rainbow Dash asked, getting ready to rustle down with her hooves up. "I like to see you try... C'mon, give it your best shot! Come on, bring it!"

-SMACK-

A hard punch from Rarity's hoof smacked Rainbow Dash right in the mouth, sending her across the floor.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy shouted as she flew over to her friend. The fashionista pony gasped at what she had done. She had punched her friend!

"Oh my goodness, Rainbow Dash!" She said as she galloped to the high-flyer, who lifted her head up.

"Owww.... ptooey!" The rainbow maned pegasus spat out a tooth, showing a little gap between her teeth. "Hey, that was my last fillytooth!"

"Rainbow... you still have fillyteeth?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I did... but that was my last one." Rainbow Dash said, giving a glare at Rarity.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, I am so sorry." Rarity said. "I didn't mean for things to get so... so... violent."

"No... it's fine..." Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her sore mouth. "I shouldn't have went overboard with what I was saying... I'm sorry too." The fashionista extended her hoof out, offering her help. The rainbow maned pegasus took her hoof and the fashion pony helped her up. Then, the two gave each other a hug, accepting each other's apology.

"Look, maybe we should just head home." Applejack said. "Let's give Twilight some space, and then we can try talking to her after a while."

"Ok, but we should probably check up on her to make sure she's ok." Rarity said. "Might as well check up on Spike too. I hope he's not too angry with us..."

"Wait, where's Spike?" Fluttershy asked. The four other mares noticed the same thing. Spike wasn't around! In fact, they haven't seen him since this morning!

"Oh, that poor little draik must be alone." Rarity said.

"He's probably with Twilight." Applejack said. "We better check up on him."

"You think that's a good idea?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, Twilight doesn't want to talk to us."

"Well, it shouldn't hurt to go look." Applejack said. "C'mon y'all." With that said, the five mares went to go look for Twilight and Spike.

The five began to wander Canterlot, searching for Twilight's house. They've only been to Canterlot a couple times, the first time was during the Grand Galloping Gala, when Twilight and her friends were invited to the most biggest event that would ever happen here in the city. The only recent time they've been here before the wedding was on Twilight's birthday. And those couple times, they never had the chance to see Twilight's house, nor her parents. But thanks to some of the ponies Twilight knew back then, they were able to find the home of the ponies who raised her. The house was nice, all white with purple and blue windows and roof. Not as noble as the other houses in Canterlot, but it stood well among them.

"This must be her folks' place." Applejack said.

"Such a lovely home." Rarity said as they approached the steps. "I wonder if she writes to them since she moved to Ponyville."

"Well, I hope Twilight didn't tell them about what happened." Rainbow Dash said, with all of them right at the front door.

"Well, here goes." Applejack said, knocking on the door. After a moment, the door opened, showing a light gray unicorn, but her skin was darker than Rarity's. Her mane and tail was striped with moderate purple and white. She had arctic blue eyes and her cutie mark was of three purple stars. This was Twilight Velvet, the mother of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. She is also a writer, with most of her work about adventures.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Velvet?" Applejack asked. "Twilight's mother?"

"Yes, I am." Velvet said. "Can I help you?"

"Um, yes." Rarity said. "We're friends of Twilight. We're wondering if she's here." Velvet's happy expression slowly began to fade.

"I'm sorry, are you the mares Twilight told us about?" Velvet asked.

"Yeah." The fashionista said. "We're Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. We-"

-SLAM-

The loud bang came as the door was then slammed in their faces, surprising the quintet.

"Uhhh... that didn't go well." Rainbow Dash said, as Applejack approached the door again.

"Uh... Miss Velvet?" Applejack asked. "Are you ok?"

"Go Away!" Velvet shouted, venom heard in her voice. "You are not welcome here! Now Leave!"

"Honey, who's at the door?" a male voice asked from inside, probably Twilight's father.

"It's those no good gold diggers who abandoned our little Twily!" Velvet shouted from inside.

"Gold Diggers?!" The five ponies asked.

"Yeah... she told them." Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh Velvet, please." The male voice said as the door opened once more, revealing a grayish azure unicorn with a darker phthalo blue mane and tail. His eyes were a moderate amber and his cutie mark was of a yeloow crscent moon with a smaller moon facing inside the other way. This was Night Light, Twilight and Shining's father. Unlike his wife, luckily, he displayed a welcoming smile on his face.

"Oh, hello girls." He said.

"Um... Are you Twilight's father?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, I am." The stallion said. "The name is Night Light. You must be the girls Twilight told us about."

"Yeah... we just met your wife." Rainbow Dash said. "Rude." That was met with a kick in the front leg by Applejack, making the daredevil wince a bit.

"Oh yes, you'll have to forgive Velvet." Night Light said. "Twilight told us what happened with the wedding and all that, and she's very upset." The girls looked at him with confusion. Velvet was pretty angry with them, but he isn't.

"And you're not?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I'm not very happy with what you girls did, leaving our daughter over some fake bride." Night Light said. "But, I'm not one to hold a grudge, especially since we were also fooled by that monster. Velvet goes mother-hawk when something happens to Twilight, and she wasn't happy when our daughter told us what happened. You should've seen Velvet when she lectured our son. She literally kicked him out of our house." The mares stood there a bit surprised... and with a bit of fear.

"I think we already have an idea about that." Applejack said, her face showing some worry.

"Well, we want to talk to Twilight." Rarity said. "We just want her to know that we're sorry, and we'll respect her wishes if she doesn't want to talk to us for a while."

"Oh, I see." Night Light said.

"Night Light, are they still here?!" Velvet asked as she moved her head from the side of the door. Looking at the girls made her show a cold glare at the group.

"Velvet, it's alright, they just want to talk to Twilight." Night Light said.

"Sorry girls, but she isn't here." Velvet said.

"She's not?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"We haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon shortly after the whole Changeling Invasion." Night Light said. "But if you want, you can stop by her tower near the castle. She's probably there." The girls' eyes widened with more surprise.

"Wait, she has her own tower?!" They asked.

"Of course she does." Night Light said. "She's lived there since she became Princess Celestia's student. She didn't tell you girls?" The five looked at each other with surprise. Twilight had never told them that she lived in a tower, let alone a royal tower. Probably since she was Princess Celestia's student, she was given a proper home to study and live in.

"Not really." Applejack said. "But we'll try there. Thank you both kindly."

"You're not welcome." Velvet said as she stood forward and stared at the girls with sterness. "And just so we're clear, you better respect our daughter's wishes and leave her be if she doesn't want to talk to you all. Oh, and if you girls do anything to our daughter, I will make sure you all wished you were never born!" With a snort, the mare walked back into the house, while Night Light gave a nervous smile.

"That was... scary..." Fluttershy said as she hid behind Rainbow Dash, who was trembling a bit too.

"Uh... don't worry, we won't do anything to her." Applejack said. "We'll just talk to her."

"Ok, but go at your own risk." Night Light said. "Take care, girls." With a nod, the five mares departed as Night Light closed the door, heading off to Twilight's home.

"Man, she was rude." Rainbow Dash said as they departed.

"Well, we can't blame her." Rarity said. "But now we know where Twilight gets her stress from."

Pretty soon, the girls managed to find Twilight's tower just next to Canterlot Castle. The group of friends were still surprised that Twilight lived in such a wonderful place. Guess it comes with being the Sun Princess's student.

"Wow, I can't believe Twilight lives in such a cool place like this." Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm more surprised that she never told us that she lived in a long building like this." Applejack said.

"Well, she is studious, and she is Princess Celestia's student." Rarity said.

"Former student, actually." Fluttershy corrected.

"Oh... right." The fashionista said with a sad tone, now knowing that Twilight had resigned as Celestia's student.

"Still, I kinda wished that she'd told us." Rainbow Dash said. The friends approached the door and knocked.

"Twilight, are you in there?" Applejack asked. No response.

"Twilight, you alright?" She asked again. "I know you don't want to talk with us, but we wanted to make sure you were alright, and if Spike's ok too." There was no response... no response at all.

"It's awfully quiet in there." Fluttershy said. "It's dead silent." The other mares were silent themselves, but then Rarity's eyes widened, with a sudden sense of realization... and horror.

"Oh no... she didn't!" Rarity shouted, pushing the other mares aside and began to knock on the door.

"Twilight, Twilight, are you alive in there?!" Rarity shouted in worry, trying to get the door opened, but it wouldn't open. Perhaps it was locked.

"Rarity, what's the matter?" Applejack asked.

"Maybe Twilight's not in there." Fluttershy said.

"But what if she..." Rarity began, and then moved her hoof across her neck, signaling a death reference. The girls gasped themselves in horror. No... Twilight couldn't possibly take her own life! No, she couldn't have! Worrying taking over, Rainbow Dash flew backwards.

"Alright, stand back everypony!" She said, and then charged forward.

"Rainbow!" Applejack shouted, but the pegasus charged headfirst, only for the door to be opened on the other side, allowing Rainbow to zip right in, and crashing into a shelf of books, causing all of them to fall on top of her.

"Ooooh..." Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity spoke in unison.

"You're welcome!" Pinkie Pie said, revealing herself in the room, next to the door, getting everypony's attention.

"Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked, getting back into the air with her wings. "How'd you get in here?"

"Well, when Applejack was knocking on the door, I decided to find another way in!" Pinkie Pie said. "I tied myself to a couple of balloons and flew all the way up through the window, climbed right in, and I heard the girls banging on the door, and I opened the door for you all." She then gave a smile.

"Pinkie Pie." Rarity lectured. "You know it's rude to barge into other ponies' homes without their consent, or without knocking at least."

"Oh." Pinkie Pie said. "That could explain why Granky Doodle Donkey always got annoyed when I went into his house."

"Wait, did you see Twilight?!" Rainbow Dash asked, getting back to the important matters. "Is she ok?! Please tell me you didn't find a dead body!"

"No, I didn't see her in here." Pinkie Pie said. "But I think that ripped up dress could be a clue." Turning their heads to where Pinkie Pie was pointing at, they saw the ripped remains of Twilight's bridesmaid dress, all torn to pieces. Rarity gaspd as she saw her work destroyed. She approached the fabric and levitated the pieces, seeing that it was too good to be true. No doubt Twilight had ripped it up, and from the way it was torn up, Twilight was probably beyond hurt and angry.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy said. "Rarity, I'm so sorry..."

"No, no, it's fine darling." Rarity said. "I can always fix it... or make a new one... but seeing how much it's been ripped, I think patching things with Twilight will be much more difficult." But then, they heard a sound coming from the dark. Igniting her horn, Rarity lit up the room, seeing Spike facing away, sitting on the ground, holding something in his claw. The five mares approached him.

"Spike?" Rarity asked.

"Are you alright?" Applejack asked. The little draik didn't turn his head.

"She's gone..." Spike said.

"What?" Applejack asked.

"Who's gone?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Twilight..." Spike said. "Twilight's gone..." The girls tilted her heads in confusion.

"What?" They asked.

"Twilight's gone..." Spike said, giving a sniff. "She left me... She promised that she wouldn't... but... now she's gone..." The girls realized what he was saying. Twilight was gone? What did he mean gone? Did she... actually take her own life? Were they too late? But then, they noticed something in Spike's claw. It was a scroll, and it looked like it had writing on it. Taking the note with her magic, Rarity lifted it out of Spike's hands and read it outloud.

To Anypony Who Would Find This,

I am sorry that I had to leave, but I must move on. I cannot cope with the pain that is in my heart. The betrayal of the ones I thought were my friends and family is just too much to bare. So I've decided to leave this place to find my own. Please don't bother trying to find me, and don't tell the others where I have went. They probably don't care about me anyway. Farewell Spike, you've been such a wonderful number one assistant. Please tell Cadance that I'm sorry. Farewell Equestria... Goodbye forever...

Twilight Sparkle

The girls gasped as they finished the letter.

"Twilight's gone!" Pinkie Pie shouted, and her mane began to deflate once more. "But... that means... she won't come to her We're Sorry, Twilight Party!" She then let out tears of sorrow from her eyes.

"She... she left me..." Spike whimpered as he continued to cry, with Fluttershy moving toward him and gave him a nuzzle, but she too began to cry softly. Rarity was surprised from the content of the letter, but she herself began to cry, making her makeup drip along with the tears. Applejack tried her best to hide her own tears, but she shielded her face with her hat as she couldn't hold them anymore. The girls have now realized that things were not gonna be so easy as it was before. Their friend was gone, and it was their fault.

Out of them all, Rainbow Dash was trying to sort this through her head. Shifting from one expression to another, from shocked, to tears, to confusion. She has now realized that they had hurted their friend far worse than they thought. No, she thought. She was not gonna let Twilight run away and get herself hurt because of what they've done. There is still a chance to make things right! Swallowing her empty mouth, she lifted her head up and was ready to bolt out the door, getting Applejack's attention.

"Rainbow, where are ya goin'?" Applejack asked.

"To find Twilight and bring her back!" Rainbow Dash said. "I'm not gonna let one of our friends run off because of our mistake! I'm gonna find her and prove to her that we're still friends!" As she left, the other girls looked at each other. They realized that Rainbow Dash was right. They caused this mess, and now they're gonna fix it.

"She's right." Rarity said. "My hooves may get dirty, but I'm willing to get dirty if it means making things right with our friend!"

"Me too!" Pinkie Pie spoke, her mane and tail shifting back to their normal poofy nature. "We're gonna find Twilight and show her that we'll never abandon her again! And we're gonna throw her that apology party too!" She then zipped on, following Rainbow Dash, as Rarity followed suit.

"Yep." Applejack said. "Ain't no way I'm gonna let that filly walk away without tryn' to fix it." Applejack said, tilting her hat forward. "C'mon Flutters, let's go tell the Princess before those girls take off without us." As the farmpony followed the others, Fluttershy gave a nod before wiping her tears. She had failed Twilight, but she was not gonna fail her again. Turning back to Spike, she cuddled him in his arms and on her back.

"Let's go, Spike." Fluttershy said. "Twilight needs us." Looking back at the pegasus, he gave a nod.

"Yeah..." Spike said. "Let's bring Twilight back."

Chapter 03: We Got This Together

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 04: Magical Mystery

Meanwhile... back in Canterlot...

The halls of Canterlot were pretty quiet today, as Princess Celestia made her way to her chambers. News of the Changeling Invasion and the wedding cancellation were spreading like wildfire as many ponies were trying to recover from the craziness that had accord. No doubt many of them were traumatized by how the changelings snuck in and managed to invade the city. Many of the populace of Canterlot were demanding answers. According to the tabloids, some of them blamed Princess Celestia for how she knew there was a threat and did nothing to call off the wedding.

If anything, most of the scrutiny was placed on Shining Armor, who was now placed under observation for the role he played in letting the Changeling Queen in. It was ruled that he was completely mind control, but after facing the press about it, he couldn't help but wonder. He remembered the details of how he talked down his sister like that. Was he truly in control when he kicked his sister out, so was he under mind control?

Princess Cadance has refused to comment on the invasion, nor did she allow anyone to talk to her.

And Princess Luna, while she was shocked at how Celestia abandoned Twilight, and lectured her older sister about the subject, she did eventually apologized and told her that she would handle the press, and make sure no pony would have continuous nightmares about the whole invasion. But yet, that wasn't enough to put the elder sister's mind at ease.

The Sun Monarch was thinking to herself as she continued to walk. If anything, she couldn't help but allow the guilt to claw at her mind. Her faithful student... or her now ex-faithful student was furious with her, and she knew why. Twilight was the only one who knew something was wrong with the fake bride, but Celestia didn't listen to her, nor did her friends, or her brother.

But in the end, Twilight was right all along. She was always right. Maybe not right all the time, but 99% of the time was enough. And now, she was still hurting from the treatement the sun monarch and the ones closest to her gave her, abandoning her in her time of need. If anything, they were grateful that the Changeling Queen only sent her down below into the Gemstone Caverns, which was now being investigated. But the worse part was... Twilight said that nopony would ever find her... What if she was right? What if she had never found the real Cadance, or found a way to escape? And worse, what if the Changeling Queen took the opportunity to... kill her?

Celestia couldn't help but let these thoughts flow through her head. Her faithful student, the pony she loved like a daughter, killed because of her own fault?

"This is my fault." Celestia said. "I should've listened to Twlight's concerns about the fake bride's behavior. She had known Cadance more than anypony, more than me. To think that she was jealous, but in the end she was trying to warn us. And we didn't believe her... I didn't believe her." She sighed, and glanced out the window, seeing ponies gossiping and comforting each other. It seems her subjects were still healing from the invasion.

But that didn't matter now. Right now she had to make things right with Twilight. But how? Perhaps she could ask her if they could do something together. Maybe take a stroll around the town, read a book, or maybe teach her something new while having a nice gossip. Though, Twilight might not be in the mood to do so.

"Princess!!!" A voice called out from outside. Looking at the window, she saw Rainbow Dash, flying toward her.

"Princess! Princess!" Rainbow Dash called out as she zipped right toward the royal monarch, only to be halted by a magical aura colored in very light gold. The pegasus looked to see the Princess, who's horn was glowing the same color.

"Good day, Rainbow Dash." Celestia said. "May I ask why you are flying in a state of panic?"

"Princess, Twilight's gone!" Rainbow Dash shouted. The princess froze, giving a surprised gasped, her magic evaporating around her horn and Rainbow Dash, causing the rainbow-maned pegasus to fall onto the floor front first.

"G...Gone?" Celestia asked. "What do you mean gone?"

"She's gone!" Rainbow Dash shouted, getting to her hooves immediately, and flapped her wings anxiously. "She... she just vanished! We went to check up on her, but we found Spike and he had a note and... She's gone!" Before anymore could be said, a knock came from the door.

"Princess, we have an emergancy!" Rarity's voice called out. The Princess then opened the door, revealing Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, bolting into the room.

"Princess, we got a big problem!" Applejack said.

"Twilight is gone!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Yes... I've been told." Celestia said, still shocked that her student... eh... former student had up and left. The girls quickly stepped aside, allowing Spike to approach the Princess. He handed her the note, and after reading it, the Solar Princess was unable to speak. Twilight was in so much emotional pain, and she caused it.

"So... what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked. "Do we... panic?"

"Is that the only answer you got?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "Twilight's gone and all you want to do is panic?!"

"Twily's gone?" Turning to the source of the voice, the girls saw Shining Armor, with a shocked expression on his face.

"Oops..." Rainbow Dash said, cursing silently at her big mouth. The captain of the Royal Guard approached the girls, and the Princess, who silently handed him the note. As he read it, his face showed more guilt than he had yesterday. His little sister ran away... No... he chased her away, and it was all his fault.

"No... Twily..." Shining Armor said.

"So... what do we do, Princess?!" Spike asked, looking back at the Princess.

"Yeah, what do we do?!" Rainbow Dash asked, all of them anxious and ready to do something. The royal monarch looked at the six ponies and dragon, all of them looking up to her, and asking what they should do? But... the princess didn't have answer, nor any clues to where Twilight could be. She gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry... but right now, there is nothing we can do." She spoke.

"WHAT?!" Everypony, Shining and Spike asked.

"But... but we have to do something?!" Spike said.

"Yeah, we can't just sit here and do nuttin'!" Applejack said.

"We have to find Twilight!" Fluttershy said.

"Now girls, I understand that you are all worried about Twilight, and so am I." Celestia said. "But we have no leads, no idea where Twilight could've gone to. And believe if I did know, I would be there instantly. But until then, all we can do is wait." The girls lowered their heads. To be honest, the Princess is right. They don't have any clues or knowledge of where Twilight could be, so, they had no choice but to play the waiting game.

"Alright... I guess we'll wait then." Applejack said.

"I don't like it though." Rainbow Dash said, feeling reluctant. However, all attention was drawn to Spike, who showed disappointment, mostly to Princess Celestia.

"Well, guess we can't rely on you to do anything." He said with venom in his voice. This caused the girls to almost gasp, as the baby dragon headed back for the door.

"Spike..." Celestia said.

"If you won't find Twilight, then I'll go find her myself." Spike said.

"Now, Spike." Rarity said as she was about to approach the baby dragon, only to be with a face of anger from the dragon.

"Don't tell me what to do, Rarity." Spike said. "Oh, I'm sorry... Miss Rarity." As he stormed off, the fashionista stood there, feeling hurt by the dragon's response. She gave a heavy sigh, and lowered her head in shame. Poor Spikey-Wikey, she thought. To be fair, he had every right to be angry with her too. She left the pony who raised him over some stupid wedding, and she chased the poor girl away. She lost her friend, and now she lost him.

"It's alright, Rarity." Applejack said. "He'll come around." Shining Armor only lowered his head in shame. His sister was gone, somewhere out there all alone. Giving a shake with his head, he headed straight for the door.

"Where are you going?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm gonna go find her, and tell her that I'm sorry." Shining said as he went out the doorway.

"Captain, you should re-" Celestia said.

"No, don't stop me." Shining said. "This is all my fault. I need to make this right." In a split second he rushed out the room, to go find his sister. Rainbow Dash only glanced at the floor, and gave a scuff.

"I'm going too." Rainbow Dash said as she made her way back to the window, flapped her wings and flew out the window, to find Twilight herself.

"Um... should we?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, let Rainbow handle her own." Applejack said. "C'mon girls, we better go tell Princess Cadance."

"I don't think she'll want to talk to us either." Rarity said.

"Well, let's just try." Applejack said as she, the fashionista, and Fluttershy walked out, while Pinkie Pie slowly followed.

"I miss Twilight." She spoke as she left the room. The only one left inside was Princess Celestia, who then closed the door with her magic. As the doors slid shut, the royal princess turned her head and closed the window. Suddenly, her straight face began to melt away, as tears began to drop down her face. Giving a sigh of exhaustion, she collapsed to the floor, and began to cry softly.

"Oh Twilight... I'm sorry..." She spoke to herself. "I'm so, so sorry..." As she continued to cry, she began to recall the moment Twilight destroyed the entire rehearsal hall in anger, from all the pain she had experienced. The scene of the lavender unicorn walking toward her, ready to attack without hesitation. Celestia has lost another student... she failed her... she failed again...

"You failed Celestia... You've failed again..."

Celestia froze as she heard that voice. Looking up, she saw a silhouette of a unicorn, a familiar unicorn with the red flaming mane and tail, staring down at her.

"You're a failure... you're a useless, incompetent, failure..." The unicorn spoke, as Celestia watched in fear.

-BANG-

The sudden loud bang from the window caused Celestia to jump in surprise and horror, only to see a light bluish gray pegasus with a pale, light apple green mane and her eyes being the same color but brighter and darker, and a bit cross eyed too. There's only one pony with crossed eyes and a cutie mark consisted of two large bubbles surrounded by five smaller ones, and that was Ditzy Doo, or Derpy as many ponies would call her. She was also the occasional mailmare, sending letters to other ponies, though it seemed that she accidently crashed into the Princess's window... or did she.

"My bad... sorry Princess..." Ditzy said.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Der... I mean, Ditzy." Celestia said, rising from the ground, wiping the tears from her eyes, and keeping a straight face. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Actually, I have mail for you!" Ditzy said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a letter, with the royal alicorn taking it with her magic.

"Have a good day!" She said as she flew out the window, with a sudden crash being heard from the distance. Hearing that made Celestia form a smile, though it wasn't enough to heal her heart. She glanced at the letter, but then her eyes widened as she saw the seal. The seal was of a crescent moon, with a couple of stars near it.

"Yen Sid...?" Celestia asked. Her time living, she had known about the outside worlds, and she would always right letters to King Mickey, and he would do the same. Aside from King Mickey, she too had met Yen Sid from time to time. But this letter, from the great Sorceror Yen Sid! This could mean something very important... or disastrous. Opening the letter, she read it.

Dear Celestia,

It has been quite a while since we last met, but I write to you because I sense something terrible is transpiring in your world.

For you see, the magic in our universe is somehow not working properly. From what the three good fairies had told me, the magic seems to be fading away. And the source of this is coming from your world.

I have seen the stars that surround your world, and the one in the center is dying out. The Element of Magic is losing it's power, and I feel that your student, Twilight Sparkle, is now walking a path that evil lies at the end of it.

I am fully aware of what had happened at the royal wedding, with how your student knew something was wrong and no pony, not even you, believed her. But, I do not blame you, nor do I believe it is your fault. The Changeling Queen, who was thought to be imprisoned in the volcano outside Equestria, had manipulated the events and the ponies around her to further her goal.

But regardless, your student has now gone astray. Do I believe this is connected to the magic dying, I cannot be sure. But all of this is happening at a worse time. I have sensed a great magic up in the Frozen North of your world, along with a dark spirit that is waiting to be unleashed. This could only mean one thing. The Crystal Empire has returned. Much sooner than we expected it would.

So, I have decided to send you help to solve this crisis. I will be sending my former pupils, King Mickey, Riku, Sora and their friends to help you deal with the Crystal Empire and find Young Twilight. You may know Sora pretty well, for he had helped your student and the other bearers save your sister from the darkness. They will help you face this disaster, and we better pray it's in time.

Yours in Confidence,

Yen Sid

The Sun Monarch's eyes widened when she read the letter. The Crystal Empire! That must be the powerful surge she felt when Princess Cadance and Captain Armor sent the Changelings away. But the Empire wasn't suppose to come back for another few months! It seems that the broken connection between the Elements of Harmony must've caused this to happen this soon. And it was her own fault.

No, she thought, shaking her head. She must not lose hope yet. Yen Sid is sending his keyblade students to help, one of them that she knew well. Sora. The boy who helped Twilight save her sister from the Nightmare. Sora can fix this. She quickly made her way out of the chambers to tell Luna what has happened, and she must gather the other Element bearers, Captain Armor, and Princess Cadance. They're gonna need everyone to save the Crystal Empire. But more importantly, they must find Twilight! And they better pray, they find her in time.

MYSTERIOUS TOWER

In a beautiful starry night with many of them gleaming in the background, floating amongst the clouds was a small countryside with several hills seeping through them. On the small island floating above them was a tall surrealistic and crooked, golden-brown tower. The tower itself is topped with blue cone-shaped turret roof, decorated with moons and stars, similar to Yen Sid's hat. At the top of the tower, inside the Sorceror's Loft was Yen Sid himself, sitting at his desk, speaking with two other keyblade wielders. The short one was King Mickey, the King of Disney Castle, and the taller human boy was Riku, Sora's best friend.

Riku had silver hair with bangs and bright blue eyes, and he possessed a muscular build. His hair appears more spiked up in the back, almost similar to the main character Yozora from Verum Rex. His attire consists of a black, hooded jacket with short sleeves and gold buttons. The lower part of his jacket had a unique checkered pattern at the hem. Underneath his jacket was a white V-neck shirt. He wore blue cropped trousers that are hemmed with the same checkered pattern as the jacket, black glovelettes, and high-top boots.

King Mickey Mouse was the anthropomorphic mouse with black fur, long thin tail, the skin colored muzzle, and of course the iconic big round ears and white gloves. His attire was a bit similar to Riku's, but with different coloring. The black hooded jacket had silver buttons and a checkered pattern at the hem,. But his shirt was grey, and his trousers were red cropped, hemmed with the same checkered pattern. His shoes were grey at the back, and yellow at the front.

The two were speaking to Master Yen Sid about what has happened back at Radiant Garden, with the magic being unresponsive and the heartless attack. Luckily for them, the master was quite aware of the magic going out.

"I see." Yen Sid said. "The magic isn't working for both of you either."

"No." Riku said. "Not at all. All elemental magic spells are not working, not even Time or Magnet spells."

"It's almost as if the magic in dying." Mickey said. "This has never happened before. But I did see the stars in the sky while at Radiant Garden, and one of the stars in the Equester Alignment was going dim." Yen Sid began to stroke his beard.

"Hmmm... this is definitely the first that has happened in many, many years." He said. "The six stars in the sky, one of them is losing it's light. It seems that the Elements have been rifted." Mickey's ears perked up in surprise.

"Wait, you mean the Elements of Harmony?" He asked. "The Elements of Harmony?!"

"Yes, the same ones." Yen Sid said.

"I'm sorry, but what are exactly the Elements of Harmony?" Riku asked.

-Knock Knock Knock-

All eyes were turned toward the door. It opened up, revealing Sora, Donald, and Goofy coming inside.

"You guys made it." Mickey said.

"Sorry we're a little late." Sora said, though his face showed that he was feeling down, much to Riku's notice.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"No." Sora said. "Kairi got attacked while we were preparing the Friendship Festival at Twilight Town... She's got this strange scratch on her arm, and she wasn't feel well either. She's with Aqua right now, and she's trying to figure out what's going on."

"Aww...poor girl." Mickey said, as Donald and Goofy gave worried nods of their own.

"But there's something else though." Sora said. "Our magic isn't working right. All Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, Water, not even Stop or Magnet spells are working."

"Uh huh." Goofy said. "Donald even passed out when we were fighting one of those heartless towers."

"You don't need to mention that." Donald said.

"Well, it got us worried though." Goofy said.

"It seems all magic in the world is not working correctly." Yen Sid said. "Perhaps it is the sign of something terrible happening. And it has happened at a worse time. The Elements of Harmony are losing their power, the magic is dying, and an ancient kingdom a thousand years old has resurfaced." The spiked hair boy turned his head, hearing the worlds Elements of Harmony. He has heard those words before, from his previous adventure in Equestria. They were the six artifacts that he and his friends from Ponyville used to defeat Nightmare Moon.

"Elements of Harmony..." Sora said, getting Donald and Goofy's attention. "The Elements of Harmony are losing their power?" The sorceror gave a nod.

"Yes, nd as for what they are, I can happily explain if you two wish to know." Yen Sid said, to both Sora and Riku.

"Yes sir." The two said in unison, as Mickey, Donald, and Goofy stood aside, as the sorceror prepared to explain what they are dealing with.

"A long time ago, before even the Keyblade War took place, there was a land where peace and harmony roamed for more than thousands of years..." Yen Sid began. "A mystical land that is known as... Equestria." With a wave of his hand, the book before him opened up, and then, a magical holo-gram appeared from within, showing a projection of the land of Equestria, and it's many towns and cities, including pictures of many ponies. "A land inhabited by magical ponies, unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, who all lived together in tranquility. This land is far more different than the worlds that you all have visited, for it is a world that exists in the very core of the Realm Between. It acts as a barrier that prevents too much darkness from entering the realm of light, depending on the state that it is in. And it is protected by the magical forces known as the Elements of Harmony, magical elements of pure energy that keep the world in balance. There were many times they were used to safeguard the land from dark and evil forces. They were first used by the two Royal Sisters of that world." The next projection displayed the two royal sisters, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. "They were two powerful alicorns, ponies that had the strength of the Earth ponies, the wings of a pegasus, and magic of the unicorn. The oldest is Celestia, the elder, the Princess of the Sun, and the other is Luna, the younger, the Princess of the Moon. They had used the Elements of Harmony to stop various threats, some that were quite bigger than the ones you all have faced, such as Discord, the God of Chaos, and Nightmare Moon, the Mare of Nightmares... But overtime, their connection to the elements have weakened, and so they were passed onto six different ponies of today's generation." As the project disappeared, a new one appeared, showing six crystals in the shape of objects, one orange, one red, one purple, one yellow, one blue, and one magenta. "There are six elements in all... The first is Honesty, the element in which one tells nothing but the truth, no matter the consequences. The second is Loyalty, the element where one is devoted to support and stand by those that matters to them. The next one is Generosity, the element in which one helps and gives to those for nothing in return. The other is Kindness, the element of those who are kind and gentle to many, even to the most dangerous creatures. And there is Laughter, the element in which one brings happiness and joy to those who are sad. Together, those elements, when ignited by the spark in everyone's hearts, it creates the sixth element..." Sora glanced at the last crystal shown, the magenta one in the shape of a six pointed star.

"The Element of Magic." He said with a smile, getting more surprised looks from Donald and Goofy.

"Yes, that is correct." Yen Sid with a nod, and a knowing smile.

"Wait... how do you know about tha-" Donald said.

"Shhhh..." Sora said. "The master's talking." The duck was about to speak, but Goofy covered Donald's mouth with a nod, who grunted, as Mickey gave a smile.

"For you see, the Elements of Harmony appear to be losing it's power, as something has caused a rift within them." Yen Sid said.

"A rift?" Sora asked.

"He means a conflict caused the elements to stop working right." Riku said.

"Oh, I see." Sora said.

"Yes, and it has happened at a worse time." Yen Sid said. "For an ancient kingdom has arisen in the Frozen North of Equestria, along with a dark being who wishes to conquer it."

"An ancient kingdom?" Riku asked.

"What kingdom?" Sora asked. Before he answered, the sorceror closed his eyes.

"The Crystal Empire..." He said.

"The... Crystal Empire?" Sora and Riku asked, looking at each other, and then glanced at the king, who gave a shrug, not knowing either.

"Unfortunately, the knowledge of the Crystal Empire is very limited." Yen Sid continued. "But yes, it has existed, before Luna's banishment. Though not much is known about it, it contains a very powerful magic, almost as powerful as the Elements of Harmony. The Crystal Empire was once a magnificent city that belonged to the Crystal Ponies, ruled by the beloved Princess Amore, a regal unicorn who spread the magic of the empire across the land." His hand giving another, the book turned another page, and a special projection flashed from it, revealing the crystal city, so beautiful and radiant, and sparkly too. Probably because it was all made of crystal.

"A thousand years ago, there was a unicorn, a unicorn whose heart was black as the night, who took over the Crystal Empire." He continued. "And his name was King Sombra..." The book then showed a glyph of a growling black unicorn with red eyes, while his sclera was glowing green with a purple mist around them. "With his powerful dark magic, he turned Princess Amore into crystal, shattering her, and conquered the beloved city with an iron hoof." The projection showed King Sombra, transforming Princess Amore into crystal, and then shattered her with a dark lightning bolt. The next scene showed him on the balcony of the castle, witnessing many crystal ponies chained up to each other, and excorted into the dungeons. Seeing the sight of the distraught prisoners only made Sora sigh.

"Luckily, the Royal Sisters managed to defeat him, transforming his body into a shadowy spirit, and banished him within the ice of the Arctic North." Yen Sid said, showing the next projection of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, using their magic to defeat Sombra and turning him into a shadow, as he was pulled into the icy abyss, while he screamed with rage of defeat.

"Whoa..." Sora said.

"But before he was, he placed a terrible curse upon the Empire..." Yen Sid continued. "A curse that caused the entire kingdom to vanish into thin air, along with all of the crystal ponies..." The last scene showed the entire Crystal Empire fading away until nothing remained but snow, and the projection disappeared as well.

"Gosh..." Sora said. "So... the empire disappeared for a thousand years? But... if there is not much history of it, then where do the stories come from?"

"That is a good question." Yen Sid said. "The only pony who would know more of this would be Starswirl the Bearded, the mentor of the Royal Sisters. But he has disappeared a while after Nightmare Moon's banishment. No one else knows much about the Empire, or Sombra, nor what dark deeds drove him to do such terrible things."

"I think I can imagine..." Riku said. Riku has had experiences wth the power of darkness before, when he sided with Maleficent to save Kairi. However, he embraced it too much and it nearly cost him his life, that is until Sora and King Mickey saved him.

"So, how do we stop this King Sombra?" Sora asked.

"Luckily for us, King Sombra has yet to be free from his prison." Yen Sid said. "It will take time for him to recover, and it will give us enough time to find the source of the Crystal Empire's magic. The Crystal Empire is very important, for it's magic also affects the land of Equestria. For example, if one rules it with a heart of purity, such as friendship, hope, and love, these emotions are reflected across the land. But if one with a dark heart of negativity rules it, then darkness will cover the land, and lead it to ruin." Donald and Goofy gasped with worry as they heard that.

"Ok then." Sora said. "So, all we have to do is go to the Crystal Empire, find the power source, and then we defeat Sombra and be back in time for the Festival!"

"Maybe, but we also have to get the Elements of Harmony working again." Riku said. "Without them, it's gonna be harder for us to stop Sombra."

"Don't worry." Sora said. "I know just who to talk to."

"Who to talk to?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, I know someone from there." Sora said.

"You... do?" Donald asked. "Wait, you went to Equestria?!"

"Of course I did, while I was training." Sora said. "I met someone who can wield the Elements too. She and her friends used them to defeat... Nightmare... Moon..." Sora halted as he realized what he was telling them. That little adventure that he said was secret. He then scratched his head nervously.

"That... was my little secret." Sora said.

"How did you get there?" Riku asked.

"Can't say." Sora said. "I probably took a wrong turn when I was leaving the Realm of Dreams.

"Oh, that's right." Goofy said. "That explains why you were gone for so long."

"But how come you didn't tell us?" Donald asked.

"Because, I wanted to keep it a secret." Sora said. "Plus, I wanted it to be a surprise should I ever have to go back there with you guys." He then began thinking. "Come to think of it, it's been a while since I last saw her. I hope she's doing ok down there."

"Actually..." Master Yen Sid spoke. "Sora, I want to speak with you in private."

"Huh?" Sora asked, his head tilting to the side a bit in confusion.

"Somebody's in trouble..." Donald said with a sneaky smile.

"Donald, you and Goofy should listen in too." Yen Sid said, making the duck gasp in surprise.

"Wait, what did I do?!" Donald asked.

"Nobody's in trouble, Donald." Mickey said. "Me and Riku will get the Gummi-Ship ready. You guys talk with Master Yen Sid."

"Ok." Donald said, while the king and Riku headed for the door.

"We'll be out when you're ready." Riku said.

"Ok." Sora said with a wave as Riku and the King left the room, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy alone with Master Yen Sid.

"What is it, Master?" Sora asked the sorceror.

"Sora, I have tasked Riku and the King to head for the Crystal Empire." Yen Sid spoke. "But I have assigned a different task for you." The boy stood in surprise.

"What?" Sora asked. "So, I'm not going to help Riku and the King?"

"No... not yet at least." Yen Sid said.

"Aww c'mon master!" Sora complained. "I can help."

"Sora!" Donald spoke out. "Don't pester him like that!"

"Sorry, but I really want to see Twilight again." Sora said. The two tilted their heads in confusion.

"Twilight?" they both asked, while Donald's eyes widened with realization.

"Wait... Twilight Sparkle?!" Donald asked. "The Princess' Prodigy?!"

"Isn't Twilight Sparkle Princess Celestia's student?" Goofy asked. Sora then froze and covered his mouth.

"Uh... yes." Sora said with a nervous smile.

"Do not fret, Sora." Yen Sid said, getting the trio's attention. "You are going to Equestria too, but your assignment there is much more important."

"Oooh, ok." Sora said with a smile. "But is it more important than stopping a crystal king from ruling an empire?"

"Very more important." Yen Sid said. "Your mission... is to find Twilight Sparkle." The boy froze, hearing the name.

"What?" He asked. "Wait, Twilight's missing? Is she in some sort of trouble?!"

"Wait, how do you know Twilight Sparkle?" Goofy asked.

"Because I met her." Sora said. "She's the one who can wield the Element of Magic. I met her, and I helped her make friends while I was there."

"Wait, so you were hanging out with a magical horse?!" Donald asked.

"Hey, she's not a horse!" Sora said. "She's a unicorn pony."

"Well actually, a pony is pretty much a smaller version of a horse, so does that mean the same thing?" Goofy asked.

"Well, you should've told us about it!" Donald said with an angry look.

"I told you, it was a secret!" Sora said. "I was going to make it a surprise!"

"We have important matters to discuss!" The voice from the sorceror caught their attention. Seeing that he had things to say, the three quickly got back into place.

"As I had just said, Sora, I am sending you to Equestria to find Twilight Sparkle." Yen Sid said. "For you see, her star has grown weak, and I cannot find any trace of her at all."

"W...what?" Sora asked. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently, there has been a... series of unfortunate events happening just recently, very bad, indeed." Yen Sid said, turning his head towards the window, seeing the six stars in the sky, with the magenta one still blinking weakly. "And now young Twilight has disappeared without a trace. And I'm afraid... she may be on the path of darkness." The boy's eyes widened with a gasp.

"NO!" Sora shouted, slamming his hands on the table, startling Donald and Goofy. "Don't say that! Twilight is a good pony. She would never cross the road of darkness!" The sorceror only had his eyes closed as the boy spoke. He then opened them, turning back at him.

"I wish I could say so, but it appears the Elements and the Stars are not giving me the whole story." Yen Sid said. The boy lowered his head. No. It couldn't be true. Twilight is gone, and is now making her way down a very dark road.

"It can't be..." He said.

"Well, she is a smart pony." Goofy said. "Princess Celestia said that she's pretty studious, so maybe she's searching for knowledge not knowing that it's darkness."

"Yeah, and there was the whole Discord incident a while back." Donald said, getting the boy's attention.

"Discord?" Sora asked.

"Some crazy deity who was trying to bring chaos all over." Donald said. "He nearly turned Twilight's friends against her."

"Yeah, but Twilight and her friends were able to stop him, trapping him in a stone prison." Goofy said. The boy began thinking, and began to grasp that Donald and Goofy know about Twilight and Equestria.

"Wait, how did you guys know about Equestria?" Sora asked.

"The King told us." Goofy said. "Princess Celestia is his pen pal. Well, they've met a few times in person, but they've always exchanged letters." Donald gave a nod, verifying the answer.

Oh yeah." Sora said. "She even told me that herself." Donald quacked in surprise.

"Wait, you actually met her in person... or pony?!" Donald asked.

"Yep." Sora said. "And her younger sister Luna. I still can't believe they're a thousand years old. Yet, they look so young and youthful."

"Hey!" Donald shouted.

"What?" Sora asked. "I said young and youthful." He then turned his head to Master Yen Sid. Something in the boy's gut was telling him that the sorceror somehow knew that Sora had been to Equestria.

"I take it she told you that I was there?" Sora asked.

"Yes, she mentioned it in a letter." Yen Sid said. "Saying how a boy who's bright smile helped her student make friends, and defeat the vicious Nightmare Moon by meddling." The boy nearly blushed as he heard the word meddle.

"I wasn't meddling." Sora said, scratching his head. "Well... not on purpose I think."

"If anything, you always have the desire to help those in their time of need." Yen Sid said with a smile. "If you were a pony yourself, that would be your special talent."

"I guess so." Sora said.

"If anything, I've always imagined Sora could be a pegasus." Goofy said.

"Well, I didn't turn into a pony when I went to Equestria, though." Sora said.

"That's because we weren't with you." Donald said.

"Yeah." Sora said, though his focus wasn't on Donald's comment. His mind was focused on Twilight Sparkle. She was lost out there, somewhere alone without her friends. He knew that she needed help, and fast.

"Don't worry, Master." Sora said. "I'll go find Twilight, and bring her back home safe and sound." Hearing those words made the sorceror smile.

"Then get ready to depart with Riku and King Mickey." Yen Sid said. "Go to Canterlot and speak with Princess Celestia and Twilight's companions. They were the last ponies that Twilight had last spoken to, so they may have answers." The boy gave a nod in response.

"And Master Yen Sid!" Donald said.

"We'll go with them!" Goofy said. "After all, the three of us make a pint and a half!"

"Very well." Yen Sid spoke. "I will leave the rest to you."

"Alright then!" Sora said as he gave a smile.

"Hey, Wait!" a voice called out. "Don't forget about me!" Suddenly, hopping up onto the table was a small anthropomorphized cricket, though he had no resemblance to a real cricket whatsoever! His skin was olive, he had thin black eyebrows and four-fingered hands, and he wore white gloves like Goofy and King Mickey. For a cricket, he dressed very formally, wearing a blue top hat with an orange band near the base, a red vest with a single pink button, a yellow ascot, a black blazer, and a high-collared white shirt. He also wore tan pants and yellow shoes with black tips, and he held a journal in one hand, and an umbrella in the other. Cricket was his name. Jiminy Cricket at their service!

"Jiminy!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy called out.

"That's right." Jiminy said with a tip of his hat, and jumping onto the side of Goofy's. "I'm coming along too. You guys wouldn't know where to go without me."

"Oh boy!" Donald said.

"Well, You guys ready to go?" Sora asked.

"Yep, but just don't go fooling around again." Donald said.

"U-hyuk, this is gonna be fun!" Goofy said.

"Ok, but remember." Sora said. "This is a very important mission." The two gave a nod, and placed their hands together. Raising his own, Sora stacked his hand onto their's. Soon, they stood together and gave a salute.

"You can count on us!" The trio said confidently, as the sorceror gives a nod.

"Before you depart, I have a special gift for you, Sora." Yen Sid spoke. With a wave of his hand, an object appeared right in front of Sora and landed in the boy's hand. It was a hexagon shaped trinket with a white glowing crystal at the top. Sora has seen something like this before. It's a heartbinder, a powerful token that can allow Sora to summon a friend he met into battle.

"A... Heartbinder?" Sora asked, examining it. But he noticed something was different about it. Like all the other heartbinders, they had a symbol that specify which world the friend came from. But the symbol in the middle was an outline of a heart, with the tips curling inward at its top. And in the middle of the heart was a crown, that matched the same shape as Sora's crown necklace.

"It is not just any heartbinder like the ones you have." Yen Sid answered. "It is a very special one that connects with everyone that you've met, and even summon the light from long ago. When you are in such dire need Sora, use the heartbinder and everyone you know will lend you their power in the most imaginable way possible." Clunching the heartbinder in his hand, he gave a nod.

"Ok then." Sora said. "Thank you, master."

"Are we ready?" Donald asked.

"We're ready." Sora said as the three stood side by side, and gave a bow. Before departing though, the three leaned in a bit, with their ears to the sorceror, who closed his eyes and spoke the traditional words keyblade wielders have said across generations...

"May your hearts be your guiding key..."

Soon, the trio made their way down the steps of the tower, having a conversation about Sora's previous visit to Equestria. He was telling them all about it, how he met Twilight Sparkle, helped her make some friends, and defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Equestria from an Eternal Night. Both Donald and Goofy were quite impressed, especially since he was underpowered due to him being stripped of most of his power when he fell into a deep sleep.

"Garsh Sora, you helped Princess Celestia's student make lots of friends?" Goofy asked.

"Sure did." Sora said. "It wasn't easy since she was more concerned about Nightmare Moon's return, but the journey to the old castle helped her become more comfortable around them."

"You went to the Castle of the Royal Sisters?" Donald asked.

"Sure did." Sora said. "What's so special about it, anyway?"

"The Old Castle of the Royal Sisters was the originally the home of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Gooy said.

"That's right." Jiminy said as he opened his journal. "According to Equestria History, the castle lies deep in the Everfree Forest, where it was built by the princesses themselves, along with Melvin the Manticore, and Starswirl the Bearded, the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era and the Princesses' mentor. The two sisters lived in that castle a thousand years ago, until it was destroyed when Princess Luna turned into Nightmare Moon."

"Say, Jiminy, how do you know so much about Equestria?" Sora asked.

"Well, the King told me all about it." Jiminy said. "He visited Equestria a couple times, even after Luna came back."

"So, who are these friends that you helped Twilight befriend?" Donald asked.

"Hmmm..." Sora said. "Well, there are five of them. One is Applejack, a farmpony, and the Element of Honesty. Next is Rainbow Dash, a fast flyer and the Element of Loyalty. The other is Rarity, a fashion designer and the Element of Generosity. The fourth is Fluttershy, a shy animal caretaker and Element of Kindness, and there's Pinkie Pie, the party planner and Element of Laughter."

"They sound pretty nice and fun if you ask me." Goofy said.

"They sure are." Sora said. "Come to think of it, everypony in Ponyville sure are friendly too."

"Everypony?" Donald asked confused.

"Well, yeah, they are ponies, right?" Sora asked, as Donald only gave a shrug. As the group continued on, Sora noticed a door on the right slightly opened. He came to a full stop as he glanced at it.

"You guys go." Sora said. "I'll be right down."

"Ok!" Donald and Goofy said as they continued down the stairs, leaving Sora to approach the slightly opened door, glancing inside. In the room was Kairi, sleeping on the bed, with the scratch on her arm covered in bandages. But she didn't look too good. She was breathing a bit raggedly, and her breaths sounded like she was in pain. Sitting on the side of the bed was another girl, roughly around eightteen. She was tall and slender, with her blue hair was a medium length, mostly parted to her left. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and she wore a black and navy blue high-collared halter top, with a black corset with two pairs of white laces and black shorts. She had two pink straps intersecting over her chest with a silver badge. On her arms were white bell-sleeves and tan fingerless gloves. On each of her upper arms were small segmented pieces of armor. She wore black stockings reaching halfway up her thighs. There were two strips of blue cloth draped over each ofher hips, along with a smaller white stripe around her waist holding the two stripes together. Her bots were silver, pointed and armored, with a sharp hook like edge on the outer side of each.

"Aqua..." Sora said, getting the taller woman's attention.

"Sora?" She asked. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just getting ready to go." Sora said, but looked back at Kairi, who looked a bit pale, and breathing slowly.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's resting... though I can't say that she isn't in pain." Aqua said as she got up. "She's developed a fever, and the effection seems to be spreading...

"The magic isn't working." Sora said. "And she's one of the Seven Pure Lights. Could the magic failing be connected in some way?"

"I can't be sure." Aqua said. "I've never seen anything like this, nor do I think anyone has." The boy only lowered his head, feeling guilt. He promised to look after her. What a good job he's been doing.

"I should've been by her side." Sora said. "I promised I would keep her safe."

"You did what you could, Sora." Aqua said. "Don't let it eat at you." The boy only turned his head in shame. The girl tilted her head, knowing that something else was bothering him.

"You seem distressed." She said.

"I feel more than distressed." Sora said, looking at the ground.

"Are the nightmares... still bothering you?" Aqua asked. The boy lifted his head a bit. Out of everyone he knew, Aqua is the only one he's told about his nightmares.

"Yeah..." Sora said. "I nearly suffered another panic attack today. One of those Demon Towers attacked Twilight Town. Donald collapsed in front of us, and it brought back that memory when he passed out using that dangerous magic. I've tried to focus on preparing for the festival, but... that didn't work either."

"Have you told the others?" Aqua asked. "Not even Donald and Goofy?"

"No..." Sora said. "I didn't want them to worry about me. And I thought that maybe the dreams would go away. It's been months now... and... they haven't." As the two continued their conversation, they were completely unaware of Kairi, who was opening one of her eyes, listening in.

"You should never be afraid to tell them what's bothering you." Aqua said.

"I know..." Sora said. "But... right now that's the least of my problems. There's someone out there that needs my help. She's someone that I've met, while I was training. I helped her make friends, and saved their world from an Eternal Night. I promised that I would see her again. But... I've been told that she's on a dark road... and I'm beginning to worry. If I couldn't protect Kairi, how will I save Twilight?" He only gave a heavy sigh. With everything that's happened today, the festival, the heartless attack, the mental breakdown, and Kairi getting hurt. This was almost too much for Sora to bare. The keyblade master before him placed her hand on his shoulder, showing a smile.

"You'll save her, Sora." Aqua said. "I know you will."

"How so?" Sora asked.

"You were able to save me." Aqua said. "And you were able to save Ven, and Terra, too. You even cheated death to save all of us from a grim fate. If you can do all that, I'm sure you can save Twilight as well. What is broken can be fixed. What's been cleaved apart can be cleaved together. And whatever is lost can be found again." Hearing those words of support brought a smile of hope to the boy's face. She was right. Sora saved Aqua, who was trapped in the Realm of Darkness for more than a decade. He saved Ven, who's heart was residing within his own, and he saved Terra, by helping him get his body back from Xehanort. If he can pull that, then he can save Twilight.

"Thank you, Aqua." He said, before giving her a hug. "Look after her, ok?"

"I will." Aqua said as she stroked the boy's head. Seeing her friend having lots of encouragement brought a smile to Kairi.

"Thank you..." She spoke silently as she continued to rest.

"Equestria?! You guys are going all the way to Equestria?!"

The question came from Ventus, the sixteen year-old boy, who looked like Roxas, though his hair was slightly longer and more blonde. His attire consisted of a jacket that was white on the right side and black on the left side, almost reminiscent of the Yin and Yang symbol. The collar was red and pleated, almost similar to Roxas's own jacket. Underneath, the boy wore a grey vest with a single button and several white angular patterns on it. A third layer under it was a plain high-necked black shirt. His pants were similar to Roxas's, but they close up about halfway down his legs, and are colored with shades of grey, black, and white. A black and white checkered wristband with white edges were on his left, and his street shoes, shading with dull green and grey were armored. Like Aqua, he also wears two criss-crossing straps on his chest, with a silver badge in the middle. On his shoulder was dull green and grey piece of armor.

Next to him was Terra, a taller and muscular young man, approximately 20 years old. His brown hair reached the base of his neck in the back and styled into rather messy, vertical spikes, and bangs that frame his face. His skin was slightly tanned and his eyes were blue. Like the boy next to him, he wore two intersecting straps over his chest, though his red ones drop much lower own and resembles criss-cross suspenders. And the gold badge was not on the straps, but on his belt, tied like an obi-sash. He also wore a skintight black high-collared shirt, and hakama, which are traditional samurai pants distinguished by the large pleats, colored dark grey at the top and tan with a lighter stripe at the bottom. He wears a a plain black wristband on his right wrist, while a black fingerless glove was on his right hand, with his left arm significantly covered with dark grey and red armor, with a piece of armor on his shoulder identical to the one on Ventus's shoulder.

The two are also close friends with Aqua, as they have been friends for almost fifteen years, if you count the decade where they were... frozen in time in some extent. They all nearly suffered a horrific fate from Master Xehanort's plan, where Aqua was stranded in the Realm of Darkness, Ventus's heart was damaged and he was placed in a comatose state, and Terra lost his body as Xehanort used it as one of his vessels.

But thanks to Sora, they were saved and reunited, and have managed to move on from the ordeal.

They also arrived and spoke with Yen Sid about the magic suddenly weakened, but were also surprised that Equestria was the reason why. Unfortunately, they were told to stay on the sidelines and only help when it is necessary, much to Ven's disappointment.

"Yep, we sure are." Goofy said.

"Wow, you guys are so lucky." Ventus said. "I wish I could go with you guys."

"Sorry, but Master Yen Sid is sending only us." Donald said.

"Awww..." Ventus said a little disappointed. "I really wanna help you guys."

"I know, but we just got you guys back." Goofy said. "We don't want anything bad to happen to you guys like last time." Hearing that made Ventus sigh, but soon he was given a friendly head scratch by Terra.

"Don't sweat it, Ven." Terra said. "There'll always be another time. And who knows, maybe they might call us if they're desperate."

"You worried about us already?" Riku asked.

"Nah." Terra said. "I'm confident that you guys got this."

"I sure hope so." Riku said. "As long as Sora points us in the right direction."

"And not be reckless." Donald said with a sly smile.

"Actually, he doesn't think ahead." Jiminy said from on top of Donald's head. "That's the problem."

"But with Riku and the King coming with us, I'm sure Sora will be able to think and listen." Goofy said.

"I heard that!" hearing Sora's voice, the duck turned to see Sora right behind him with a raised eyebrow. He and Aqua just exited the tower as they were talking.

"Well, it is true." Donald said. "You can be reckless."

"True, but at least I'm not hot headed like you are." Sora said with a sneaky smile, making the duck quack in surprise, and everybody laughed at the comment.

"Well, we're all packed and ready to go!" Mickey said.

"Ok then." Sora said, making his way to the edge of the small island. Right before him and the group below, emerged a massive red spaceship, with white wings, thrusters, and some firearms below it. This was the Gummi-Ship, a cool ship that Sora, Donald, and Goofy use to travel to many worlds, made from Gummi-blocks, which are said are pieces from the walls that surround the worlds to make it impossible for outsiders to visit, except for keyblade wielders though.

"Our Gummi-Ship!" Donald said.

"Let's get going!" Goofy said as he and the royal wizard headed into the cockpit, with Mickey and Riku joining them. Sora turned back to see Terra, Aqua and Ventus.

"Well, here we go." He said.

"You guys take care, and stay vigilant." Terra said. "Equestria is not like any of the other worlds that you've been to."

"It may be peaceful, but there are dangers out there, even in the uncharted outlands." Aqua said. "Be careful."

"We will." Sora said with a thumbs up, and leaped up into the Gummi-Ship.

"You guys have fun!" Ventus called out. "And come back safe, alright?!"

"You got it!" Sora called out as the ship rose into the sky, as Ventus, Terra, and Aqua watched them leave. As he got into the driver's seat, Sora looked back to see the others.

"Everyone ready?" Sora asked.

"Sure are!" Donald and Goofy called out, with Riku and Mickey giving nods of assurance.

"Ok..." Sora said as he summoned his keyblade. "Let's do it to it." He then pointed it forward, opening the gateway to Equestria, and their adventure has begun...

KINGDOM HEARTS III
Epilogue:
Fractured Friendship

Far outside Radiant Garden...

In the crystal-like valley of the Dark Depths, there was a massive fortress with a huge heart symbol at the top. The Villain's Vale was the headquarters of many villains from the outside world... at least until they disbanded after losing Radiant Garden to the Restoration Committee. It was now the home of an evil witch, who was watching the night sky and the six stars in the sky. The witch had fair and green skin, with her shining yellow eyes heavily shadowed with violet makeup, and her lips were painted red. Her head is topped with a black-horned headdress, and she wore a long tattered black robe with a purple trim and maroon edges that flared out. In her hand was a staff with a glowing green orb at the tip.

The evil Maleficent has been in this fortress for quite some time. She used to have a nice black castle back in the Enchanted Dominion, until she traded it for the castle that used to be Hollow Bastion when Xehanort did experiments and plunged the world into darkness. But after her defeat at the hands of Sora, she retreated to this old place. This crumbling fortress was all that was left, especially since her other castle was useless too.

But finding a new castle was the least of her worries right now. She was staring at the sky, seeing the Equester Alignment. She could sense a powerful surge coming from it. A weak splotch of light, and a powerful brink of darkness.

"Say, Maleficent!" A voice came from the stairs. Climbing up and coming into the room was a large portly, black furred, anthropomorphized cat, though it was hard to tell since there was no sign of his tail. He wore a huge assortments of pouches, zippers, and armor on his suspenders and shirt.

This was Pete, Maleficent's lackey and assistant, though he's more of a servant so to speak. Pete used to be captain of a steamboat, until he eventually became greedy and wanted to overthrow Disney Castle and cause mayhem, that is until King Mickey and his friends stopped him many times. A while later, the king ended up banishing Pete into another dimension a long time ago. But he got out with Maleficent's help, who promised him freedom and riches beyond his wildest dreams. Unfortunately, that's not happening anytime soon.

"A chandelier is tangling on it's side." He said. "Is it suppose to do that?" There was no answer however, for the witch was still looking at the sky.

"Um... Maleficent?" Pete asked. "What'cha lookin' at?" Soon, the witch gave a smile.

"Ahhh... now I see..." She spoke.

"See what?" Pete asked.

"Why the magic is suddenly not working properly." Maleficent said.

"Huh?" Pete asked confused.

"Equestria..." She said. "A magical land that is inhabited with ponies. It seems that a dark disturbance has happened upon the land, and that is why the magic is no longer working."

"A magical world... filled with ponies?" Pete asked.

"Yes." Maleficent said. "Ponies consisted of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, a world ruled by the graceful Celestia, the Princess of the Sun."

"Really?" Pete asked. "A world that has talking horses?"

"Of course..." The witch continued. "And it seems Equestria is now in the wake of the Crystal Empire's return..."

"The... Crystal Empire?" Pete asked. "What's that?"

"If I recall, there was a unicorn who ruled the empire with an iron hoof." Maleficent continued. "He was known as King Sombra, one of the darkest unicorns to ever walk the land. He used the power of darkness to take over the kingdom, that is until Celestia and her younger sister Luna defeated him. But right after he was, he placed a curse upon the Empire, making it disappear for a thousand years."

"Whoa... for that long?" Pete asked. "I don't mean to sound practical, but that kinda sounds like an old fairytale."

"True, but the Book of Prophecies isn't a fairytale, so why should the Crystal Empire be one?" Maleficent said. The former steam boater began thinking.

"You make a good point there." Pete said. "But why are you suddenly interested in that place, anyway?"

"Because..." The witch continued. "The Crystal Empire possesses a powerful magic, magic that can shift the reflection of the land depending on who wields it. For example, if someone with a pure heart has it, it will spread positivity across Equestria... but if someone with an evil heart uses it, it will spready negativity, and darkness shall consume the world. With that power in my own hands, nothing can stop us."

"Wow, I think we're on to something very big here, Maleficent!" Pete said with a laugh. "So... are we gonna conquer it and take their home as our own?"

"Quick gawking you fool." The witch said. "Equestria is not as simple as all the other worlds we've been to. We will need to find the appropriate way to conquer it." The big bumbling minion only gave a sigh.

"Do you need some help?"

The new voice in the room caught their attention, making Maleficent and Pete turn their heads.

"Who goes there?" The witch asked, her staff readied in her hand. In the direction they were facing, they saw a corridor of darkness at the end of the room. Emerging from it was a mysterious man wearing a black coat, one that is worn by the members of Organization XIII, followers of the late Master Xehanort.

"Sorry to intrude your castle." The stranger said. "But I couldn't help but overhear your desire to conquer the home of the Royal Sisters." Pete took a good look at the guy, and there was concern on his face.

"Ummm Maleficent, that guy has the coat of those crazy dark dudes." Pete said. "Do you think we should trust him?"

"Don't be ridiculous you baffoon, the old man is gone." Maleficent said, then turned her head to the hooded man. "But I am curious though. Why are you suddenly interested?" Though his face was shrouded, a smile was seen on his face.

"Let's just say I have my own business with that world." The man said. "There is something... and someone there that I'm looking for that I believe is in that world. And you seem to be interested in wanting to rule it, so why not kill one bird with two stones?"

"Don't you mean two birds with one stone?" Pete asked.

"Equestria is the bird, and we are the two stones... or three stones counting you." The man said. "In fact, I may happen to know who exactly can help us." The witch raised an eyebrow. This mysterious man in the organization coat was generously offering his help? This does seem odd, for she knows much about Xehanort enough to know that uses people for his own agenda. Neverless, she smiled, seeing this as an opportunity to take over the world.

"Alright, you peeked my interest..." She said. "Explain more..."

Author's Note

Secret Report #3:
The strange surge from the Equester Alignment has caught my attention. It seems that Elements of Harmony have gotten out of whack, so to speak. The connection between the Element of Magic and the others are severed completely. It seems Princess Celestia has let her prized pupil go astray.
This could play to my advantage. My associates have been searching for something desparately down in Equestria, and with the magic no longer working, this can be a good time to search for the artifact. But I cannot do it alone. I may need help... inside and out.
That witch and her big lackey can prove to be useful. And I believe I can find some recruits down in Equestria. The land may be all rainbows and friendship but even the brightest star casts the deepest shadows.
Well, might as well get to work. Time is precious, so let's not waste it. - ???

Welp, that's a wrap on this chapter. I apologize for the slow updates.
It was actually nice to feature Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Hands down, while I love the Destiny Trio and the Twilight/Sea Salt Trio, the Wayfinder Trio are my favorite, and I was greatly happy when they reunited in the climax of III. I was literally crying at that scene.
So, Sora and his friends are going to Equestria. Just don't expect them to just show up and fix everything. That's not how stories work. For MLP maybe, but this is a Kingdom Hearts crossover too. Luckily I planned how it will all go out.
Note: They won't be going to any other worlds unfortunately. The entire story will take place in Equestria.
Oh, and the mysterious black hooded figure. Before you guess it, it's not Xigbar... or the Master of Masters... Who is it? I can't tell, otherwise it will spoil everything.

Chapter 05: Equestria

"..."

He opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. But then the blurriness began to fade as his sight became crystal clear. He found himself flat on the ground. He must've fallen asleep again.

"Sora? Sora!"

"Huh?" He asked.

"Sora, get up!" Donald's voice shouted.

"Whoa!" Sora shouted as he lifted himself up, waking up entirely.

"I'm up!" He said. "I'm totally up!" He then froze, and noticed his surroundings. There was a purple rocks around him, as well as a couple of flowers growing nearby. He recognized the color.

"Hey, did we make it to Equestria?" Sora asked.

"Sora?!" Donald's voice asked. Turning his head, Sora glanced over to see Donald and Goofy. Both of them were staring at him. While Goofy looked ok, Donald looked like he was shocked.

"Donald? Goofy?" Sora asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?!"

"Well, uh." Goofy said, but Donald quickly covered the captain's mouth.

"Sora, You're A Pony!" The royal wizard shouted.

"Wait... WHAT?!" Sora asked, lifting his arms up... arms? Taking a quick look, he saw that his arms weren't hooves, but actual his own arms. Turning around, he saw the water puddle a little ahead. Looking down, he saw his own reflection, but not the reflection of a pony. Realizing that he was not a pony, he gave a sigh or relief.

"Donald, don't scare me like that!" He said.

"Sorry, just thought I'd get a good laugh." Donald said, giving a good laugh.

"Did you see that movie where the dog princess went to the human world and turned into a human?" Goofy asked.

"No." Donald said. "Why?"

"Just kinda figured you were just pulling that on Sora." Goofy said. Getting back on his feet, Sora shook his head a bit, and looked around.

"Huh... this looks familiar." Sora said, recognizing the area of the purple rocks. They're probably on the mountain where Canterlot is on top of.

"Sora, Over Here!" Riku's voice called out. Turning to the direction the voice was coming from, the trio saw Riku and King Mickey looking from the edge of the surface. Approaching them, the three saw what they were seeing. What they were seeing was a beautiful view of green, blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, all sorts of colors of the magnificent land before them.

"Whoa..." Sora said.

"Here we are." Mickey said. "The Land of Equestria." The five took a moment to see the amazing sight of the world around them.

"It's beautiful..." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Riku said. "Probably the most colorful world I've ever seen." Sora glanced a bit lower and saw a town in the distance. The boy recognized the town as the town he and Twilight went to when they first met.

"Hey look." He said, pointing at the town. "There's Ponyville."

"Is that where your friend lives?" Riku asked.

"Yeah." Sora said.

"Um, can we admire this another time?" Donald asked. "We have work to do."

"Donald's right, fellas." Mickey said. "We need to go see the Princess."

"Right." Sora said. The group then turned around, and noticed that there was no view of the castle. They were only look at the side of the mountain.

"Uh... where's the castle again?" Riku asked.

"Well, we're not looking at it." Sora said, as Goofy looked around.

"Hmmm... it looks like we're a little low off." He said.

"Sora!" Donald said.

"What?" The boy asked.

"You said you knew where we were going!" Donald said.

"Sorry, I can't help it if I'm a little off." Sora said.

"A little?" Donald asked. "You mean a lot!"

"Don't worry." Sora said. "We just have to head up the mountain, and then we'll see the castle." He then started making his way toward the steps upward.

"Wait, we're climbing up the mountain?" Donald asked.

"Well, duh." Sora said. "Up is the usual direction."

"Haven't we climbed enough mountains already?" Donald asked.

"Awww, c'mon Donald." Mickey said. "A little mountain climbing can't hurt ya."

"And besides, you can use the exercise." Riku said as he and Mickey followed Sora, with Donald looking confused.

"He's right." Goofy said with a chuckle. "You do look like you could lose some weight Donald." The royal wizard quacked in surprise. He then gave a defeated sigh, and then he and Goofy followed the others, completely unaware of a rainbow maned pegasus flying in the background, scanning the area.

Rainbow Dash was flying around the mountain, hoping to find Twilight, where she could be. She's been flying up and down the mountain in the past couple hours, but was unable to find any trace of the lavender unicorn. Could it have been possible that Twilight took the train instead of climbing down the mountain herself? The Rainbow maned pegasus couldn't help but give a defeated sigh.

"Twilight, where are you?" Rainbow Dash asked herself. Out of all the ponies, she felt the worse of letting her friend down and abandoning her. Twilight was right, she thought. There was an problem and they failed to listen to her when they promised to taker her seriously after the whole Smarty Pants incident. Rainbow Dash failed to listen to her, the one pony who taught her the wonders of reading books, and all she cared about was impressing the Wonderbolts. The rainbow maned pegasus gave a sigh, knowing that Twilight was right again. Her dream is just a fantasy, and she gave up the pony she loved just to chase it.

Wait... Love? Where did that come from? Rainbow Dash shook her head, giving a weak blush as she kept thinking about Twilight. She had to focus on finding her and making things right, not thinking about her. She then turned to her right and stopped quickly. She saw two non-ponies hiking up the mountain, along with a creature with big ears, and some dog and duck... wearing clothes.

"What the hay?" She asked. "First changelings, then this." Squinting her eyes, she saw the two boys walking. One of them turning his head to talk to the group behind them. Rainbow Dash froze, recognizing the boy's face. The spikey hair and blue eyes.

"Wait... is that... Sora?" She asked. Suddenly, she gasped in realization, with a smile a hope forming on her face. "Sora's back...! Sora's back!"

"Why do we always climb mountains?" Donald asked.

"Oh, c'mon Donald." Sora said. "It's not that bad. It's like climbing the mountain back when we were in Arendelle."

"And we fell off the mountain, TWICE!" Donald said.

"You guys fell off a mountain two times?" Riku asked. "How did that happen?"

"Oh, first time it was Larxene and some heartless." Goofy said. "The second time was when Marshmellow tried to scare us away."

"You guys fought... a giant Marshmellow?" Mickey asked.

"No, it was a huge snow monster named Marshmellow." Sora said. "It's a long story."

"HEY, SORA!" a voice called echoed. Stopping quickly, the group heard the echo.

"What was that?" Sora asked, with Goofy turning around and saw something out in the view, seeing Rainbow Dash waving her arms and calling Sora's name.

"Hey, Sora." Goofy said. "Somebody's calling for you."

"Huh?" He asked, turning his head to see the rainbow maned pegasus far away, waving at him. The boy tilted his head in confusion, but after a couple of seconds, his eyes widened, recognizing the pegasus.

"Hey, That's Rainbow Dash!" Sora said with a smile as he rushed to the edge, and called out. "HEY, RAINBOW DASH!"

"Whaddup Keyster!" Rainbow Dash called back. "You picked an awesome time to show up!"

"Sure did!" Sora called. "Say, are the others here too?!"

"You bet!" Rainbow Dash said. "Meet me at the city, and I'll gather everyone up!"

"Ok!" Sora called out with a wave, and in a flash, the rainbow maned pegasus zipped fast upwards, with her sudden speed impressing Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey.

"Whoa, she's fast." Riku said.

"Yeah, speed is her thing." Sora said. "C'mon, let's get going!"

Making their way up the mountain steps, the group began to see light coming from the end of the tunnel they were following. Stepping out, they halted to witness the next magnificent sight. There, standing before them, was Canterlot, the most beautiful city consisting of white colored buildings, with colors of yellow and purplish grey on the roofs and parts of the architectures. The front part of the city was a huge castle entrance, with the draw bridge lowered, and the doors closed. Neverless, the sight of the city standing by the side of the mountain, surrounded by the waterfalls, was breathtaking.

"There it is!" Sora said.

"Canterlot!" Donald said.

"Garsh, it's amazing." Goofy said.

"Let's go!" The boy said as he ran off toward the entrance.

"Sora, wait!" Donald called out as the others followed him. The boy made his way to the entrance, where in front, two royal guard unicorns stood, standing feet apart, but side by side. The boy noticed that they were moving. But regardless, he continued his way, until a clash of spears by the guards formed an X, stopping him from getting closer and into the city. The boy was nearly startled by their sudden reaction.

"Begone thee!" The first soldier said.

"The city is off limits to all visitors until further notice!" The second guard said.

"No wait, you don't understand." Sora said. "I'm here to see the Princess. You know, Princess Celestia?" The guards looked at each other, then glanced back at the boy.

"Sorry boy, but the Princess is not seeing anyone today." The second guard said.

"If you're here for the Royal Wedding, then you're too late." The first guard spoke. "It has been cancelled." Sora tilted his head in confusion, hearing the word wedding. There was suppose to be a wedding going on?

"Wedding?" Sora asked. "Who's getting married?"

"Sora!" Donald's voice made the boy turn to see his friends running up to him.

"Don't just run off like that!" Donald said. "We have to protect the world order!"

"Didn't you say border?" Riku asked.

"I said Order!" Donald shouted.

"Actually it sounded like you said border, Donald." Goofy said. The duck only quacked in fustration, while the guards looked more suspicious.

"I got this." Riku said as he stepped forward.

"Excuse me, but we're here to see the princess-" he spoke, only to be stopped by the guards aiming their spears right at him.

"Don't come closer." The first guard said.

"Who are you boys, anyway?" The second guard asked. "You don't look like you're from here!"

"Maybe they're with the changelings!" The first guard said.

"Changelings?" Sora asked. "Do you guys mean the Heartle-"

"Order!" Donald shouted, causing Sora to close his mouth immediately. The guards looked even more suspicious.

"Didn't you say that you had this?" Sora asked.

"Well, I wasn't the one who made them uneasy." Riku said.

"I'll handle this, fellas." Mickey said as he stepped through the group, approaching the guards. In his pocket, he revealed a seal, a seal with a Hidden Mickey on it, or a Lucky Emblem as others would call it.

"My name is King Mickey of Disney Castle, and we're here to see Princess Celestia." The king said. The guards gasped in surprise as they saw the seal.

"That's the seal of the House of Disney!" The first guard said.

"That means it's him!" The second guard said. "The legendary king!" The first guard quickly hushed the second one, and the two gave a bow of respect.

"We are honored to meet you, your majesty!" The first guard said.

"It is so splendid to have you visit today!" The second guard, as he kissed near the mouse's feet..

"Um... Thank you." Mickey said confused. Usually while he is King of Disney Castle, everyone always treats him as a good friend rather than a ruler. So he's not used to this kind of royal respect.

"Guess he's not used to this kind of respect." Riku said.

"I suppose what they're doing is the royal treatment?" Sora asked.

"As I was saying, we're here to see Princess Celestia." Mickey said. "It's very important."

"Of course, your highness." The first guard said. "You may enter. Just give us a minute." The two royal guards turned away to look at the top of the city's gatehouse.

"Hey, Open the gates!" The second guard called. "The King of Disney Castle is here to see the Princess!" Then, the gates that sealed off the castle began to raise up, allowing the entrance to open up.

"Wow..." Sora said. "That's pretty cool."

"Wait, how did you get into the city the first time?" Riku asked.

"Actually, I found myself in the city the first time." Sora said with a shrug.

"Well, you do have a tendency dropping us in unexpected places." Donald said. Sora was about to speak on that, but he only sighed in defeat. Donald was right about that.

"Thank you, gentlecolts." Mickey said.

"Of course, your highness." The second guard said.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves." The first guard said. "I am Windwhirl Xaldin."

"And I am Earthius Lexeaus." The second guard said. Then suddenly, Sora and Riku froze, remembering those names. Xaldin and Lexeaus. They knew those names. They were members of the first Organization XIII, founded by Xemnas, the nobody of Xehanort. And surprisingly, they noticed that the two ponies looked just like the two members.

With the first guard's mane styled into distinctive dreadlocks that flair dramatically when the wind blows, with one of them used to tie most of the others into some sort of ponytail, while four thinner dreads dangle in front of his face, the violet eyes, and bushy eyebrows and thick sideburns that hook around his face.

And the second guard, who's body was a bit larger than the other's, had very angular and strong features with a square chin, straight muzzle, and sharp cheekbones, along with his blue eyes and small eyebrows His auburn mane slicked back into rather odd messy spikes.

Seeing the two ponies looking like the organization members made their heads tilt a bit.

"What?" Windwhirl asked.

"Uh... nothing." Riku said.

"Yeah, you just reminded us of some people we know." Sora said with a smile. The guards tilted their heads and looked at each other. Neverless, the two shrugged.

"Come, we'll take you to the castle." Earthius said as he and Windwhirl led on, with the others following them.

"Please, forgive us if we were a bit brash back there." Windwhirl said. "We've been... on edge recently."

"On edge?" Mickey asked. "Did something happen?"

"Was it the heartless?" Sora asked.

"No... worse." Earthius said. "Changelings."

"Changelings?" Sora asked.

"Monsters that feed off the love of ponies and drain them of their essense." Earthius continued. "It's been years since we last saw them."

"When was that?" Riku asked.

"Almost a thousand years ago." Windwhirl said. "It's a long story, involved some of the outer kingdoms falling and what not. It's kinda dark, really."

"Then don't give us the details." Donald said.

"So, what happened?" Mickey asked. The guards looked at each other and nodded, knowing that they had to explain.

"It was suppose to be the wedding of the century." Windwhirl said. "Our captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, was suppose to be wed to the glorious Princess Cadenza Mi Amore. But apparently, there was a threat going on in Canterlot, but the two wanted to have the wedding still."

"And?" Sora asked.

"Well... it turned out, the bride Princess Amore, was actually the vicious Changeling Queen in disguise." Earthius said. "She trapped the real princess below in the crystal caves. And when the bride escaped and revealed herself, the Bug Queen dropped her disguise and invaded the city with her changelings. She defeated Princess Celestia, but Princess Amore and Captain Armor managed to blast them all away with a powerful spell."

"Well, guess everything turned out ok." Riku said.

"Not really." Windwhirl said. "There's been some chaos out in the streets. Ponies are demanding answers. And though no pony was physically hurt, they're definitely traumatized by the invasion."

"And all of this would've been avoided if the Princess had listened to her student." Earthius grunted.

"Now Lexeaus, don't start ranting again..." Whirlwind said.

"Huh?" Sora asked. "You mean Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, you know her?" Earthius asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "I've met her. I helped her and her friends defeat Nightmare Moon." The two guards looked at the boy.

"Are you... her mate?" Windwhirl asked. The boy tilted her head, wondering what he meant by mate. Perhaps it's a pony slang for friend.

"Well, something like that." Sora said, with Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey staring at him with surprise and confusion.

"What?" He asked, noticing them looking at him. They sighed, realizing that Sora was too innocent to know what that means. Riku approached the boy.

"Actually, Sora." He said. "Mate mean..." As the boy leaned in the listen, his friend whispered into his ear. Nobody heard it, but Sora could. In fact, the boy's expression went from confused to shock.

"WHAT?!" Sora asked "What's what mate means?!"

"Yeah..." Riku said with a nod.

"Oh, No, No, No, No, No!" Sora said, waving his hands in a no manner. "It's not like that at all! Twilight is just a friend."

"Ohhh..." Windwhirl said. "Figures, he isn't a pony."

"Yeah, otherwise Captain Armor would've pummeled him to the ground." Earthius said as they continued, leaving Sora a bit more confused. Why would they say otherwise their captain would've pummeled him to the ground? Regardless, the boy shook his head.

"So, again, what happened with her and the princess?" Sora said, continuing the conversation, and leaning in interested, hoping that he could learn more of why Twilight's gone.

"Well, the poor girl knew something was off with the imposter." Windwhirl said. "She knew Princess Amore for years, and she knew that the imposter didn't act like the real one."

"But no pony listened to her." Earthius said. "Not the Princess, and not the Captain." Sora was a bit surprised. Twilight knew something was wrong and the Princess didn't listen to her?

"Well, she did make a scene saying that Princess Amore had gone evil." Windwhirl said.

"Still, Captain Armor should've listened to her!" Earthius said.

"Now, Earthius." Windwhirl said. "Don't be blaming him again."

"But that was his sister!" Earthius grunted. "His younger sister was trying to protect him, but he just shunned her away, and the Princess and those girls, the so called Elements, followed suit."

"But he was under the influence of the Changeling Queen." Windwhirl said. "He was brainwashed."

"Well, he sounded in control when we saw him lecturing her like that." Earthius said. Hearing them speak made Sora wonder. Shining Armor, the Captain of the Royal Guards was Twilight's brother?

"Wait, their Captain is Twilight's older brother?" Sora asked. "And... they and the Princess had an argument?"

-BOOOOM-

Suddenly, the ground shook around them group, almost throwing them off balance.

"What was that?" Mickey asked.

"Oh, now what?!" Windwhirl asked, picking up his lance, and Earthius his tomahawk. The group followed the two royal guards outside, out into the city. The five came to a halt just as the two guards did. To their surprise, they saw ponies running and screaming. They were being chased by the last thing the group wanted to see. The black shadow creatures with yellow eyes. The Heartless! There were various different ones, in two different categories. Some of them pureblood, and most of them emblem heartless.

The purebloods are natural heartless born from the darkness in people's hearts. While they have less variety, they are more numerous in quantity and attack in swarms.

The emblem ones were created from a machine designed to reproduce the process of a heart being consumed by darkness. These heartless are more common, bearing the red and black Heartless sigil, and mimic the shape of creatures and objects within other worlds.

There were lots of Heartless running and attack, with Shadows, some Flutterings, Flame Cores and Water Cores, Soldiers, Creeper Plants, Crescendos, Tornado Steps, Minute Bombs, and Lance Soldiers.

"Wha... What are those things?!" Windwhirl asked.

"They're everywhere!" Earthius said.

"The Heartless!" Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey called out.

"Heartless?" Windwhirl asked.

"The demons of darkness?" Earthius asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "Don't worry, we'll take care of them! You guys go get the rest of the guards and make sure everyone's safe." The boy then summoned his keyblade and charged forward.

"Sora, Wait Up!" Donald called out as he brought his staff out, Goofy his shield, with Riku and King Mickey following suit. Earthius was about to follow, but Whirlwind stopped him.

"No, let them." Whirlwind said. "We need to get the other guards and protect the ponies."

"Right!" Earthius said as the two left, leaving the others to fight against the heartless. Riku and Mickey had their own keyblades, with the former's, known as Braveheart, looking like a dimple key for a pin tumblr lock. The blade was long and silver, with two parallel grooves running the length of the blade at the center, several circular intents are etched along each edge asymmetrically. The blade juts out and then cuts back in just before connected with the black and blocky guard. Like Sora's keyblade, the keychain was a hidden mickey token, but much more darker.

King Mickey's keyblade, the Starseeker, was much different too. The guard was in the shape of two shooting stars, the blade is blue, curved slightly and decorated with stars, while the teeth was a crescent moon with a star in the middle, with spikes on the other side of the moon. The keychain itself is of a crescent moon as well with the chain consisted of three four pointed stars.

Goofy and Donald brought out their own weapons, with Goofy pulling out his Knight's Shield, the circular shaped shield with thin gold edges, with the rest colored sky blue and had a black silhouette of a Hidden Mickey emblazoned on the shield. Donald's Mage's Staff had a black handle with a gold pummel and white ring near the tip and based. The lower part of the staff's head is bent and blue, with a collar with white edges folded over, and the upper half sporting a brown hat with a long curled tip and black belt around it.

Armed and ready, the five entered the fray, with multiple heartless approaching them, ready to fight.

"Remember, our magic isn't working, so we'll have to rely on normal attacks." Riku said.

"Ok, we stick with the basics." Sora said. "Let's Go!" With that said, the group leaped into action, with Sora sliding his way across the floor with his Sliding Dash, whacking enemies away as he slid down, and jumped back on his feet. As the shadow heartless leapt to pounce him, the boy quickly reacted.

"Circle Raid!" He called out, and threw his keyblade, spinning around like Strike Raid, except it was circling Sora while striking enemies. While taking out the Shadows, Riku was crossing his keyblade with the Lance Soldier's lance. As he pushed the soldier's lance out of the way, he performed an uppercut, throwing the heartless into the air. Riku jumped up and whacked it even higher into the air. And when it was high enough, the boy flew up for one more whack.

"Goodbye!" Riku shouted as he smashed the heartless to the ground with his Aerial Slam attack. The King was leaping around like a ninja, given his small size, allowing him to dodge attacks without any problem while the Tornado Steps spun around.

"They really don't know when to give up, don't they." Mickey said, as he sliced through the last Tornado Step in his sight. Goofy was whacking the Soldiers away with his shield. For it's big size, it was used not only for defensive tactics, but also for offensive. As a larger number of Soldiers began to surround him, Goofy quickly got ready to spin.

"Here go's nothing!" He called out as he did his Goofy Tornado, where he spun around like a twister, not only sucking in enemies, but also bashing them with his shield. Surprisingly he didn't get dizzy as he got done spinning. Donald on the other hand, was having more trouble. Since he couldn't use magic, which is his greatest offensive, he resorted to hitting heartless on the head, only doing little damage. And it was a bit difficult not to get pelted by Creeper Plants, who were shooting sharp bullet seeds. But as he leapt out of the way, the royal wizard saw a Minute Bomb wondering around, looking for something to blow up. An idea came to Donald's head.

"Aha!" He said as he rushed up and bashed the Minute Bomb, making it spark and begin to countdown to explode, a last resort should it ever be under pressure. But as it got close to explode, Donald quickly threw it into the heard of Creeper Plants, and as the number reached zero on it's head, it exploded, burning the Creeper Plants with it.

As the heartless were destroyed, the ones with the emblems began to release hearts, which floated away into the sky. However, before anyone could celebrate, a lone Crescendo watched as its comrades fell. Taking a deep breath, it began to play a loud trumpet sound, summoning more heartless into the fray.

"They just keep coming!" Riku said.

"We're not giving up yet!" Sora said as they stood their ground, as the heartless began to charge toward them.

"INCOMING!!!" A familiar voice called out. Looking toward the sky, they saw Rainbow Dash flying toward the fray. Spinning like a propeller, she charged right into the heartless, bowling them over like pins, and they disappeared and exploded as she made a perfect landing. The blast sent the Crescendo onto the ground, next to the rainbow maned pegasus, who squashed its head with her hoof, and it disappeared, releasing the heart trapped inside.

"That's what I'm talking about!" She said.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Sora called out as he and the others ran up to her.

"Hey, Sora!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew toward the boy and hovered around him with a smile. "You made it! What took ya so long?"

"Sorry." Sora said. "Took a while to get up the mountain. Nice of you to drop in."

"What can I say?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I never leave a friend hanging. Wait, there's something different about you." She hovered closer to him to get a better look.

"Hey, you got a bit of a haircut!" Rainbow Dash said. The boy knew what she meant. When he got his current attire, he cut a bit of his hair for a more sleeker look. His hair is not as wild when he first came here.

"Oh, yeah." Sora said as he scratched his head. "You're actually the first person to mention that... or pony if I should say."

"Um, Sora?" Donald asked, tugging on the boy's arm.

"Oh, right!" Sora said, knowing that they haven't met her in person yet. "Guys, I like you all to meet Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, this my friend Riku, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey."

"Hello Miss Dash." Riku said with a wave, while the others gave one too.

"So you're the cool guys Sora told us about." Rainbow Dash said, then began to examine Riku, much to his confusion.

"Hmmm... rustled hair, black clothes, cool attitude?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Now this guy I like!" She then lowered her self to take a glance at mickey.

"Royalty, quick on his feet, and king from another world." Rainbow Dash said. "You're cool in my book too!" She then turned her attention towards Donald and Goofy.

"Though I can't say the same for these two, though." She said. "No offense."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?!" Donald asked, feeling offended.

"Hey, chill out, dude." Rainbow Dash said. "Any friend of Sora's is a friend of mine too." Despite that, Donald only gave a gruff.

"Sorry, Donald can be hot headed sometimes." Goofy said as he patted Donald on the head, only irritating him even more.

"So, what brings you guys here anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Did you come here to help us take care of this weird monster infestation?"

"Well, not really, but we can still help." Riku said. "We came here to see Princess Celestia."

"She's probably helping deal with the monsters." Rainbow Dash said. "But we can go find her, and search for the other girls too."

"Alright, lead the way." Sora said.

"Ok then!" Rainbow Dash said, and in an instant, she took off flying.

"Hey!" Donald shouted. "Slow Down!" The rainbow maned Pegasus quickly halted, realizing that she was going too fast.

"Oops, sorry." Rainbow Dash said as she flew back to the group. "Forgot about my own speed." This time, she went a bit slower, so the others can follow without getting left behind. As they made their way toward the middle part of town, Sora realized that he hasn't had the chance to ask Rainbow Dash about Twilight. Since she was with them, he took the chance to ask.

"Say, Rainbow Dash." Sora said. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Rainbow Dash asked, coming to a halt.

"Well, I was wondering, when did you last see Twilight?" Sora asked. The rainbow maned pegasus froze in place. He just asked her about Twilight. Oh no, she thought. He wasn't going to like this.

"Um... I haven't seen her since yesterday." Rainbow Dash said as she floated to the ground. "Why?"

"Because." Sora began. "Our master told us that our magic wasn't working. He said that the connection between the Elements have been broken. And, he told me that Twilight went missing, which is the second reason why we're here. From what I've heard from the guards, they said that you and the others were involved somehow." The Pegasus only lowered her head, and her face showing some guilt.

"Sora... you're not gonna like this." Rainbow Dash said. "But this is kinda our fault."

"Huh?" Sora asked, ready to hear what she had to say.

-RUMBLE-

The floor around them began to shake, almost making them lose their balance, and Rainbow Dash to hover above the ground.

"What was that?" Goofy asked.

"Look!" Donald shouted, pointing to the building far ahead. It was the Canterlot Opera house, and it was on fire! Surrounding the building were Flame Core Heartless, black ball shaped heartless with small wings, and flaming heads like Hades, Lord of the Underworld. They were spitting out fireballs from their mouths, spreading the fire.

"Flame Cores!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy called out.

"They're setting the building on fire!" Mickey said.

"We have to stop them!" Riku said, with Sora giving a nod.

"I'll take care of it!" Donald called out as he charged forward.

"Donald, Wait!" Sora called out, but the royal wizard went on, his staff ready, and the Flame Cores turned around to see him coming. The duck raised his staff in the air.

"WATERGA!" Donald called out, his staff glowing with a water-like sphere, only to pop and splash weakly all over the floor. The duck stood there shocked. Right, he thought. Magic doesn't work.

"Uuuuhhhh…. uh oh." Donald said, seeing the Flame Cores staring at him blankly. Then, their bodies glowed hot red and they fired fireballs.

-BOOM-

The combined attack from the heartless created an explosion, sending Donald flying up into the sky and back onto the ground, right in front of the others. He laid there covered in soot, looking like a cooked chicken.

"Oooooohhh…" The boys and Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Well, at least he has his feathers on." Goofy said.

"C'mon, we gotta stop that fire!" Sora said.

"But how?" Rainbow Dash asked. The boy began to think, but then he remembered. The first time he met Rainbow Dash, she accidently crashed into Twilight, right into a muddy puddle. Rainbow Dash then used a cloud filled with water to wash the mud off of Twilight. Remembering that sparked an idea in Sora's head.

"I got it!" Sora said, then he turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, get as many clouds as you can, and fill them with water."

"How's that gonna help?" Riku asked.

"The pegasi are in charge of the weather." Sora said. "They make and move clouds. We can fill the clouds up with water, and sprinkle them onto the burning buildings and the heartless." Hearing that made Rainbow Dash smile.

"On it!" She called out, and then she flew off super fast. So fast that the speed blew the clothes and fur off of Donald's body. He quacked in embarrassment, covering between his legs. Then, Rainbow Dash came back with multiple clouds and stuffed them all together, forming a much bigger cloud.

"Wow..." The group said in astonishment.

"I got these from the Cloud Stadium." Rainbow Dash said. "And I filled them up with water."

"Ok, place it over the Opera House!" Sora said.

"Ok!" She called and the rainbow maned pegasus placed it on top of the Opera House and the herd of Flame Cores. With her feet, she quickly stomped on the cloud and made it sprinkle water, or rain, onto the building and heartless. The fires were then quickly dispatched, and the Flame Core's flaming heads went out completely, weakening them, much to their confusion.

"It worked!" Mickey said.

"Now's our chance!" Riku said.

"CHARGE!" Sora called out as he and the others charged forward into the heartless herd, bashing, swatting, and hurtling them into the air, slicing and slashing through them, making them disappear and reduce to smoke, which faded away quickly.

"Got 'em." Sora said as the group cheered, while Rainbow Dash watched with amazement.

"That was awesome!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew down to Sora's level, giving him a fist bump, or hoof bump in her case. "Looks like you've improved a lot since the last time I saw ya."

"What'd you expect?" Sora asked. "That was only the tip of the Iceberg."

"You should've seen him at the Keyblade Graveyard." Goofy said. "He actually managed to take down a huge Heartless Twister with a barrage of keyblades."

"Really?!" Rainbow Dash said, squeezing her cheeks together with a smile. "Sooo Awesome...!"

"Yep, I sure did." Sora said. But then he froze, giving a slight gasp. The images of the fight against the Heartless Twister appeared in his mind, only the one where all of his friends were being sucked up by it, and then it went after him and Riku.

"Sora? Are you ok?" Riku asked.

"Huh?" Sora said, and turned his head to see Riku, Rainbow Dash, and the others looking at him. Seeing that he was back in Canterlot, he shook his head, getting the image out of his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said.

"Dude, you looked pale for a second." Rainbow Dash said. Donald and Goofy looked at the boy closely.

"Are you sure?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Sora said, trying to end the subject. "Just felt a chill down my spine, that's all."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The scream caught them off guard, and they looked around quickly.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

"That sounded like Futtershy!" Rainbow Dash said. "C'mon!" She then took off at top speed.

"Hey, wait for us!" Sora called out as he and the others followed her.

The group made their way through the streets, passing several buildings and shops along the way, such as Donut Joe's Donut Shop, Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop, and of course the Art Gallery. But the group was making their way to the Canterlot Theater, where many live performances and plays were performed at. They made their way into the building and came to a halt. To their surprise, they saw multiple heartless inside, the same variations that they faced when they came into the city. But the monsters themselves were surrounding two earth ponies who were fighting back, one was an orange farmpony with a brown cowgirl hat and blonde mane, and the other was a pinkie pony with a puffy mane and tail. Above them, handing from the dangling stage prop, which was a round ball, painted white like the moon, at the top of the theater, was a butter colored pegasus with a long pink mane and tail.

"Applejack!" Sora called out. "Pinkie Pie!" His voice got their attention. Turning to the voice's direction, they saw the group making their way toward them. Seeing Sora's face brought a smile to theirs.

"Sora!" Applejack called out as she bucked a soldier heartless with her hind legs.

"SORA!" Pinkie Pie called out as she threw a frosted cake at the Tornado Step, making it spin away. The group and Rainbow Dash joined the fray.

"Hey Girls!" Sora said as he whacked a heartless away with his keyblade.

"Sora, you're just in time!" Applejack said.

"Guess we picked a fine time to arrive!" Sora said. Rainbow Dash looked up into the air, and saw Fluttershy hanging on for dear life on the stage prop.

"Flutters!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew up to her friend. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to hide from those monsters!" Fluttershy said, unaware of a Flame Core emerging from behind, ready to fire a fireball. Luckily, Rainbow Dash saw this coming.

"Look Out!" She said as she pulled Fluttershy away and off the prop, just as the Flame Core burnt it to a crisp. The prop fell onto the stage and off, hurling into a couple of heartless, destroying them.

"What are these things?" Applejack asked.

"They're Heartless!" Mickey said. "Monsters from the Realm of Darkness!"

"But what are they doing here?" Applejack asked.

"They're probably here because of the magic not working!" Mickey said as he whacked a shadow away.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" A voice said, along with a few others. The boy turned his head toward the stage, seeing some ponies hiding behind the curtain.

"We got to get them out of here!" Donald said.

"Right!" Sora said as he, Donald, and Goofy jumped onto the stage and moved toward the ponies.

"Hey, you guys gotta get out!" Sora called to them.

"Quick, Follow Us!" Goofy said as he, Sora, and Donald leg the ponies off the stage.

"Wait!" Applejack called out. "Where's Rarity?!"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The loud scream nearly threw them off balance, almost making Donald scream himself. Rainbow Dash looked up to the balcony, seeing the white unicorn with the fabulous purple mane, surrounded by Lance Soldiers and Crescendos. She was holding a wooden chair up in defense.

"Get away from you, you beasts!" Rarity shouted as she swung the chair with her magic, trying to keep them back, until a Crescendo blew it's loud horn into Rarity's face, making her mane fly backwards.

"How Rude!" She said.

"She needs help!" Sora said.

"Don't worry, I got it!" Riku said as he leaped into the air toward the balcony, just as the heartless were ready to pounce the fashionista, making her turn around and cower and scream. But Riku managed to make it and spun his keyblade.

"PRISM WINDMILL!!" He shouted, spinning his keyblade like a windmill and rushed into the heartless, blowing them away and destroying them. With the monsters gone, the boy took a deep sigh, then turned to see if Rarity was alright.

"Are you alright, miss?" Riku asked, while Rarity turned her head to see the boy. But suddenly, she froze upon seeing him, and then, her eyes began to sparkle, as hearts began to float around her. In front of her was this fine, and muscular boy, his hair flowing a bit in the wind. He was... amazing!... and handsome to boot! Rarity formed a smile as two hearts filled her eyes.

"Oh my... he's so handsome..." She thought. She slowly approached him, and was about to speak, only for her to bray like a horse, which is ironic because she's a pony. She covered her mouth making the sound.

"Um... I.... Hello..." She said, giving a wide smile, trying to get her act together, while Riku stood there a bit confused.

-RUMBLE-

The ground shook around them, as did the entire building. The heartless did so much damage, the roof was going to collapse on everyone!

"Uh Oh!" Goofy said. "The building's gonna collapse!"

"Quick, let's get out of here!" Mickey said as he led the way, helping everyone get out.

"Riku, Come On!" Sora called out, getting his friend's attention. Before Riku could respond however, the balcony began to shake and start to crumble. Rarity nearly screamed.

"Hang On!" Riku said as he picked up Rarity and took a running start. He made a mighty leap, just before the balcony fell apart. Making a perfect landing onto the ground, he followed the others to the exit, just as the roof began to give in and fall. But Riku moved, dodged, and leaped through and over the debris, while Rarity, who was holding on to dear life, only had her eyes on the boy holding her, seeing nothing but hearts and sparkles.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, four of the Mane Five, the King, and the ponies managed to get out of the building. Turning his head, the boy saw his friend almost to the exit.

"Riku!" Sora called out. The other boy nearly made it, but the roof finally gave in, and the entire building collapsed, leaving a massive dust cloud to engulf the building and it's surroundings. As the dust cleared, Sora opened his eyes and saw the building destroyed, with Riku and Rarity nowhere in sight.

"RIKU!" Sora called out as he, and the others expected the worst. As the boy stood there, all he could see was the image of Riku, holding off the massive Heartless twister, before it swallowed him. The boy froze, unable to get a word out. Donald and Goofy lifted their heads up, both their eyes widened.

"LOOK!" Donald called out, getting Sora out of his trance. Shaking his head, he looked forward, to see a silhouette emerging from the entrance. It was Riku, holding Rarity, awake and well, stepping away from the debris unharmed.

"Riku!" Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey called out.

"Rarity!" Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy cheered.

"You're ok!" Sora said as he approached his friend. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"What?" Riku asked. "You were worried?" Sora was about to speak, but he brushed it off and smiled.

"Nah, I knew you'd be ok." Sora said, though his hesitation before said otherwise.

"Thank goodness you're alright." Mickey said as he approached Riku. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, Mickey." Riku said. "And so is she." His head moved toward Rarity, who was still looking at him with an astonished smile.

"Thank you so much, dear." Rarity said.

"It's nothing, really." Riku said as he helped the unicorn back on her feet.

"No really, thank you so much." Rarity said, but then she spotted some dust on the boy's face. "Oh my goodness!"

"What?" Riku asked.

"You got dust on your cheek." Rarity said. "Hold on a second." With her magic, she pulled out a hankerchief and gently rubbed the dust of Riku's face.

"Uh, thank you." Riku said.

"No trouble at all." Rarity said.

"Hello, Rarity." Sora said, getting the fashionista's attention.

"Sora!" she said. "You're back! It's good to see you, and I must say you've dressed practically well. Love the new garments you're wearing! Are the checker patterns the new style where you're from?"

"No, they're just my new clothes." Sora said, as Donald and Goofy gave a chuckle.

"SORA!" Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy called out as they approached him with smiles of joy.

"Hey everypony." Sora said with a wave, only for Pinkie Pie to hop right into him, sending him to the ground. Despite that, he was still happy to see her.

"Sora!" Pinkie Pie said. "You're back! I knew I would meet an old friend again!"

"Good to see you too, Pinkie Pie." Sora said. "Wait, you knew I was coming?"

"No, but I started hiccupping in a cute tone." Pinkie Pie said. "That means I'm about to meet an old friend. And it was you! It's one of my Pinkie Senses."

"Pinkie Senses?" Sora asked.

"Uh huh!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's an ability that allows me to predict events in the near future by interpreting various twitches and involuntary motions. Anyway, it's so good to see you again, Sora! It's been like forever since we last saw you. Wait, there's something different about you. Oh! Oh! You cut your hair!"

"Yes, actually." Sora said. "I shortened it up a teeny-"

"Oh, Oh!" Pinkie Pie said, glancing at Sora's friends. "And you brought friends too!" The others gave a nod, and Donald stepped forward to introduce himself.

"Ahem, my name is-" Donald spoke.

"HI!" Pinkie Pie said as she leaned in until her muzzle touched Donald's bill. "I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm a expert party planner! I throw parties for everyone, including newcomers like you! And I know everypony, mostly everypony in Ponyville. I live in Ponyville, to be exact. I live at Sugarcube Corner, with Carrot Cake and Cup Cake, who just had twins! I also know how to cook all kinds of treats, ranging from cakes, cupcakes, cakecups, you name it. I'm very good at ice skating, and I can play ten instruments! See?" As she continued to talk on and on, she popped from different directions around the four, almost surprising them with each direction, though no one could explain how there were four of her. And as she got to the ten instruments part, she zipped away in a brief second and showed up with ten instruments, consisting of symbols, a banjo, a harmonica, a tuba, a Sousaphone, an accordion, a bass drum, a tambourine, a maraca, and a triangle! She then started playing them, creating sounds of music in a fun marching way.

"Wha… how did she do that?!" Donald asked. Before Pinkie Pie could continue playing, she was tugged on the tail by Applejack, who was telling her to stop.

"Sorry, Pinkie Pie likes to meet new friends." Applejack said. "My name is Applejack."

"I'm... Fluttershy." Fluttershy said, a little nervous.

"And my name is Rarity." Rarity said.

"My name is Riku." Riku said.

"We're Donald and Goofy." Goofy said as he introduced Donald and himself.

"And I'm Mickey, King Mickey Mouse." Mickey said. Hearing that made Rarity gasp.

"A King?!" Rarity asked. With quick response, she gave a bow and kissed the mouse's feet. "Such an honor, your majesty."

"Uh... you really don't have to do that." Mickey said with a smile.

"Oh, forgive me, your majesty." Rarity said to the mouse. "It's just that you're royalty and I must be respectful." She then turned her attention toward Riku.

"And this must be your handsome body guard, is he not?" She asked.

"Bodyguard?" Riku asked surprised.

"Oh, he's not my bodyguard." Mickey said to Rarity. "He's my friend."

"Oh!" Rarity said, her attention still drawn to Riku. "Well still, he is quite dashing, especially his clothing. Please tell me sir, what is the attire you're wearing now saying?" The boy in front of her only raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"It... it doesn't talk." Riku said. "It's just a jacket."

"Oh!" Rarity said, realizing that she was being a bit attached and astonished by him. "Of course... sorry, um..." Applejack then took Rarity by the tail and pulled her away.

"Rarity, don't suffocate him." Applejack said, then turned her attention to speak with Sora's friends. "Sorry about that."

"Aww, it's ok." Goofy said. "Any friend of Sora's is a friend of ours too."

"Same here." Applejack said. "It's really good to see all of you. Wish Twilight was here. She'd be very happy to see you again, Sora." Then suddenly, saying her name made the farmpony halt in her sentence. She then lowered her head, as did the other girls. Sora, however, nearly gasped in realization hearing Twilight's name.

"Oh, Right!" Sora said, then turned toward the girls. "Girls, I need to talk to you about Twilight-"

-CRUMBLE-

The loud sound of something landing came from behind the group. They slowly turned around to see another heartless. But instead of a huge wave, it was a massive one. It was a huge monstrous humanoid Heartless with two paladin shoulders with horns, a chain around his neck, and both wrists. And in his hand was a massive axe. It was a Rock Troll Heartless, one of the biggest brutes within the Heartless species list, and there are many more just as big and frightning as this one. It let out a roar before looking around a couple times, then curiously glanced down at the group.

"Uh oh..." Donald said with a worried look.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Fluttershy and Rarity screamed as they ran off to behind the group, while Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Mickey, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack glanced at the Heartless, which let out another roar in their faces.

"This is Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said with an exciting smile.

"Oh, no." Sora said. "Not a Rock Troll!"

"Ok, gang!" Mickey said as he prepared to fight. "Get ready!" The boys then prepared their weapons, getting ready for the battle. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie got ready to fight too, much to Sora's surprise.

"Girls, you should probably take cover." Sora said. "The Heartless aren't like the other creatures here in this world."

"No way, we're gonna stay here and fight with ya." Applejack said.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked.

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said. "If they wanted to fight with us, then she shouldn't have tried to hurt our friends."

"Uh-huh!" Pinkie Pie said. "And it's a good thing I brought my Party Cannon!" Instantly, the Party pony then brought out a blue cannon with pink wheels that have big flowers on the front part of the wheels. Seeing the three ponies ready to fight brought a smile on his face.

"Ok then!" Sora said. "Ready?!"

"CHARGE!" Mickey called out as the group of eight charged forward to attack the Rock Troll, who raised his axe up and swung down, only to be blocked by Goofy's own shield. Despite the shield being smaller than the axe, it was strong enough to block the attack, making the Troll lose his balance, allowing Sora to jump and swing his keyblade with his Blitz attack, swinging down hard on the Rock Troll's face. The heartless became dazed, allowing Riku to perform Maelstrom, his mighty spinning attack. The Rock Troll got it's balance, and then jumped onto his own axe, and spun around, causing rocks to rise up from the ground and push the boys away. The king however, was able to jump up and dodge, while also zooming in and striking quickly multiple times at the heartless's head before jumping away. The attacks on him made the Rock Troll angry, steaming hot so to speak.

"Hey!" Donald shouted as he ran up to the heartless. "I may not be able to do magic, but I can do this!" He then threw his staff forward, sending it hurtling toward the Rock Troll, hitting him on the head, though it was more of a tap than a hit. That made him roar and moved forward, while stepping on the wizard's staff, breaking it into pieces, making Donald quack with shock and then worry as the heartless approached him, ready to strike. Rainbow Dash, however, flew in fast and circled the Rock Troll, making it spin around and get dizzy once more, allowing Donald to escape and run.

"Hey cool guy!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew toward Riku. "Hop on!"

"Alright!" Riku said as he jumped onto the pegasus's back. The two then flew in around the Rock Troll, while Riku swung his keyblade to strike it multiple times, while the heartless swung it's axe, trying to swat them. But Applejack however leaped behind the heartless and brought out her rope and lassoed the Troll's arm, pulling him back and distracting him.

"Oh, Oh, Oh!" Pinkie Pie called out. "My turn!" She then aimed her party cannon and fired balls of confetti at the heartless, covering him in lots of confetti.

"Wheeeeeee!!!" The party pony cheered as she continued to fire, splattering so much confetti on the Rock Troll, who couldn't see with all the strips of paper and glitter all over his face.

"Take this!" Mickey called out as he jumped up and struck the heartless with his keyblade. The Rock Troll swung his axe down, but the King leaped back, dodging the attack.

"Ready for a little Rainbow Blast?" Rainbow Dash asked Riku.

"Yeah, if you don't it getting a bit dark." Riku said.

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash cheered as she flew up into the sky and sped her way down straight for the monster.

"Here we go!" Rainbow Dash shouted as rainbow energy formed around her.

"Like it!" Riku called out as his keyblade glowed with dark energy. The two of them slashed through with Shadow Rainbow Slicer, a spinning attack that allowed them to deal heavy damage on the Rock Troll, making him fall onto his face.

"Alright, it's our turn!" Sora called out.

"Ready?" Goofy asked as Donald and Sora got behind him, and the knight raised his shield up.

"Here goes!" He shouted as he charged forward, with Sora and Donald pushing him forward, initiating their Trinity Guard attack, allowing them to charge forward fast, slamming the Rock Troll across the ground into a wall, making the cracks and broken pieces of the wall to fall right on him.

"Got Him!" Sora said as he and Goofy high fived each other. Donald, however, was focused on the heartless, and gave a quack.

"He's getting back up!" Donald shouted, getting the group ready for the next phase. The Rock Troll got up, and this time he placed his axe... over his face, showing that his axe was also a mask, attaching to his head, and making him glow and armor up.

"Here he comes!" Goofy said as the Rock Troll gave one mighty roar, and charged toward the group. The captain of the royal knights raised his shield up once more, while Sora and Donald stood behind him to help him out. The attack collided.

-BOOM- -CRACK-

The force was so strong that it through the three backwards far across the floor. Sora managed to get to his feet, as Donald only moaned. Luckily they weren't badly hurt, but Goody's shield wasn't so lucky. As he lifted himself up, he saw a large crack on his shield, showing that it was heavily damaged.

"Uh oh!" Goofy said, feeling a bit sad that his shield is broken.

"Sora!" Riku said as he got off of Rainbow Dash, and the two, along with Mickey, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie ran toward the trio to see if they were alright. Rarity and Fluttershy also came to the scene.

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm alright, Fluttershy." Sora said. But then the roar made them turn to see the Rock Troll, getting ready for another charge.

"Don't worry, I got it!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she aimed her cannon and fired another ball of confetti, only for it to do no damage. "Uh oh..." The Rock Troll let out one final roar and charged forward to slam them over.

"Get Back!" Sora called back to the ponies and he, Riku, and Mickey held up their keyblades to guard against the attack, while Goofy held up his broken shield in defense, with Donald cowering behind him, all of them protecting the ponies. The Rock Troll kept running closer, ready to bash them.

-FLASH-

Suddenly, a bright flash of light boom between the group and the Rock Troll, making it stop and take a couple steps back, looking up at the source. As Sora and the others glanced up at the sky, they saw a majestic figure floating to the battlefield. But they all knew her, for anyone and anypony can recognize the white alicorn with the magical flowing mane.

"Princess Celestia!" They all called out. Yes, it was Princess Celestia. Regal and magestic as always, with a stern look on her face. Luckily, her face was aimed directly at the heartless. Making a smooth landing, she let out a snort. The Rock Troll tilted his head in confusion, but then let out another loud roar and charged forward, ready to pounce her. But then, the Solar Princess's horn lit up with a very light gold aura, and nudging her head forward, she fired a magical beam, striking the Rock Troll in the face, making him stagger back, surprisingly since attacks that small don't make him lose balance. He tried to charge again, but Celestia fired once more, making him back off every time she shot him with her magic. As she got him to back away more, she looked up at the sky.

"Luna, Now!" She called out. Then, soaring from the tower windows was a tall, but slightly smaller, dark blue alicorn with a flowing mane, but colored sapphire blue. It was Princess Luna! And by her side, held on by her magic, was a might sword with the silouhette of a crescent moon on it.

"Ha Zah!" She called out. "Stand down, foul creature of darkness!" She moved in and struck the a couple times in the face, then bring a mighty slash, pushing the beast back, and destroying his axe mask. She then flew beside her sister.

"Shall we?" Celestia asked.

"Gladly!" Luna said as the two flew up to the sky. Spinning together in a circle, both their horns charged up with magic. The two touched horns, forming a mighty sphere of magic. As it charged up all the way, the two alicorns fired the magic sphere onto the Rock Troll. As it made a direct hit, it exploded, incinerating the mighty heartless to dust. All that was left of it was the heart it stole, which floated up the sky and vanished. The ponies gave a wonderful cheer, as the princesses have saved the day.

"Alright!" Sora said, raising his fist into the air, while Donald and Goofy danced in a victory dance, and the others cheered. The two royal sister descended onto the ground. As their hooves touched the floor, the Princess of the Sun gave a heavy sigh.

"First the changelings and now this." Celestia said. "This has been one exhausting day."

"Princess Celestia!" Mickey said with a smile as he approached the tall alicorn. Seeing his face made the sun princess smile with joy and hope.

"King Mickey." She spoke as she lowered her head down and nuzzled his cheek. "It is so good to see you again, old friend."

"It's good to see you too, Princess." Mickey said, as Donald and Goofy approached the two.

"Your highness!" Goofy said as he gave a bow.

"Your majesty!" Donald said as he too bowed.

"Hello, Donald and Goofy." Celestia said with a nod. But then her attention was drawn toward Sora, who along with Riku, approached the pair. Seeing the boy and his happy smile, brought more hope to the Princess.

"Sora." She said as she approached the boy. "You have returned."

"Sure have." Sora said with a wave. "Nice to see you again, Princess." But then suddenly, he was pulled by the ear by Donald, making him lower himself in a bit of pain and confusion.

"Sora, show some respect!" Donald said. "She's the ruler of Equestria!"

"Donald, don't do that!" Sora shouted in a bit of pain.

"It's quite alright, Donald." Celestia said. "I'm used to the casual talk." Surprised a bit, Donald released Sora, who rubbed his sore ear. But then the Princess's attention shifted toward Riku.

"And who is this?" She asked.

"I'm Riku." He answered, giving a slight bow of respect. "I'm Sora's friend. Master Yen Sid sent me too. It's an honor to be at your acquaintance, you highness."

"Oh, thank you, Master Riku." Celestia said. "I'm glad Yen Sid sent us help."

"Princess Celestia!" A voice called out. The group turned to see a white stallion with the sapphire blue mane and tail with cerulean and dark blue streaks. It was Shining Armor, and behind him was Whirlwind and Earthius.

"The monsters are gone- huh?" He asked, his attention was drawn to Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. "Who are these guys? And why are they not ponies?"

"At ease, Captain Armor." Celestia said. "They are our friends. Master Yen Sid sent them to help us." Sora then looked back at the stallion.

"Captain Armor?" Sora asked.

"Yes, I'm Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard." Shining said, introducing himself.

"Ooohh!" Sora said with a smile. "So you're the infamous Captain Armor."

"You heard of me?" The captain asked surprised.

"Not really." Sora said. "I heard some of the guards rant about you a while ago." Hearing that made the stallion tilt his head, and blush. Apparently some of his soldiers were not pleased with how he treated Twilight at the royal wedding, some of them even threatened to have him demoted. Hearing what Sora said made Earthius blush and whistle, trying not to get attention, while Whirlwind shook his head.

"And you are?" Shining asked.

"I'm Sora." Sora said. "These are my friends Riku, Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey." The stallion tilted his head, but then he remembered. He remembered the name Sora. That was who Twilight told him about in her letters. His eyes widened upon staring at him.

"Wait!" Shining said. "You're Sora?!"

"Yep." Sora said. "Twilight told you about me, did she?"

"Yes." Shining said. "She told me about you in one of her letters! She said you helped her defeat Nightmare Moon. But... you're not a pony?"

"No." Sora said. "I'm human."

"Well, she never mentioned that." Shining said. "I thought you were a coltfriend."

"Coltfriend?" Sora asked. He looked back at the others, wondering what that meant.

"I think he means boyfriend." Goofy said as he and Donald approached him.

"WHAT?!" Sora asked, blushing nervously. "Oh, no, no, no! It's not like that! She's just a friend! Besides, I already have a girl back home! Oh!" He covered his mouth, blushing even more. Behind him, Donald and Goofy couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, good." Shining said. "Otherwise I would've pummeled you to the ground."

"Hey!" Donald said as he stepped in between the stallion and Sora, taking the former's words as a threat. "You mess with Sora, you mess with me and Goofy!" The stallion, startled by the duck's response, stared at him and Goofy.

"What are you two, his dads or something?" Shining asked. Donald and Goofy looked at each other confused.

"Not really." Goofy said.

"We look after him, and we make sure he doesn't cause any trouble." Donald said.

"Hey, since when do I cause trouble?" Sora asked.

"Well, you did run up to the castle without waiting for us." Goofy said.

"And took over the controls and landed us in that jungle." Donald said. "And there's a lot more we can count."

"Hey, I'm not the one who got us sucked into a computer." Sora said. Donald was about to speak, but he paused. He was right about that. When they were using Ansem's computer back in Radiant Garden, Donald alerted the MCP within the computer and got himself, Sora and Goofy sucked into the Space Paranoids.

"Ok, that's a good point." Donald said. "But someone has to keep an eye on you, even if we have to act like your fathers."

"Well, actually, I see you two more as the super cool uncles." Sora said. Hearing that made Donald and Goofy feel a bit of pride.

"Aww, he sees us as super cool uncles." Goofy said as he gave Sora and Donald a hug, with the latter rolling his eyes.

"What was all that noise?!" Another voice called out. Before them, a pink alicorn smaller than Luna approached the group. It was Princess Cadance.

"Cadance!" Shining said. "Are you alrigh-"

"Don't! Talk! To! Me!" Cadance hissed toward the stallion with her hoof up, making the stallion back away.

"Uhhhh…" Sora said, with the alicorn quickly calming herself.

"Sorry." Cadance said. "He and I aren't on speaking terms."

"And, you must be his ex?" Sora asked.

"I am Princess Cadenza Mi Amore, but I prefer Cadance." The alicorn said. Hearing the word Princess, and the name quickly made Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasp in surprise.

"Oh, A Princess!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy spoke, and they quickly held postion and gave a standing salute... with Goofy's pants falling down, showing his underwear with rubber ducks on them. All three of them noticed this, with Goofy quickly lifting his pants up and giving an embarrassed smile.

"Excuse me..." He said with a blush, as Sora gave a chuckle, and Donald facepalmed. The others behind them laughed at Goofy's moment.

"Is it over?" Another voice called out. This time, the group saw a purple baby dragon with green spikes making his way to the group. "Are the monsters gone?"

"Hey, Spike!" Sora called, getting the dragon's attention. The little draik smiled as he saw the boy.

"Sora!" Spike called out as he ran up to Sora. He jumped into Sora's arms, who hugged him. "You're back!"

"Of course I'm back." Sora said. "I did promise I come back and visit."

"You sure did." Spike said. "Twilight would've been happy to see you too." The boy nodded, but then he realized. Twilight wasn't here. That's right, he thought. She's missing. It wasn't time for them to celebrate just yet. He looked at the others as he put Spike back on the ground.

"So... Twilight is not here, is she." Sora said. The girls then realized it too, and all of them lowered their heads. To Sora's notice, it was of shame and guilt.

"I... I believe we should talk privately." Celestia said. "Everyone to my chambers at once." The group gave a nod and they followed the Princess toward the castle.

"Well, we better go with them." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Sora said as Donald nodded in agreement. The three followed the others, with Sora behind the two.

"You truly are something, aren't you. So special, just like Little Sparkle."

The boy came to a halt, and heard the voice. He turned his head, to see someone watching from afar. This someone was wearing a black coat, a coat worn by Organization XIII! Sora nearly gasped in surprise, seeing him.

"Sora!" Donald called out, getting the boy's attention.

"C'mon, Sora!" Goofy called out.

"Oh, right!" Sora said. "Coming!" He then took one last look at the mysterious figure, only to see him gone. The boy stood there for a second, seeing nothing. Was it just his imagination, or were the nightmares in his head playing with him. He only shook his head.

"It's probably just a hallucination." Sora said to himself. He then ran off to catch up with the others, to find out what happened to Twilight. As he went into the castle, the man he saw was on the rooftops, watching the boy leave. The man had a smile on his face.

"This has gotten much more interesting." The man said as he walked away into the shadows, to continue his secretive, nefarious work.

Author's Note

Well, that's it for this chapter.
And sorry, Sora and Riku do not turn into ponies.
Whirlwind Xaldin and Earthius Lexeaus are pretty much like the pony versions of Xaldin and Lexeaus / Dilan and Aeleus. They're not them, they're based off of them.
Also, the idea of having Rarity develop a crush on Riku was planned during the production of this story. It was inspired by Rarity's crush on Trenderhoof. Riku is a cool guy, and he's handsome, and Rarity loves handsome. I just hope Spike doesn't get jealous.
Also, I might be doing a bit of an RDxTS thing in the story.

Note: You're all wondering why Mickey is using the Starseeker instead of the Kingdom Key W from KH3. Because I like it. That's why. End of Discussion.

Next Chapter is being finalized and will come next week!

Chapter 06: Canterlot Blues

The Princess's chambers

It was quite a while since the Heartless attack. While a couple of buildings were destroyed, the citizens were luckily unharmed, again. But they were still worried. First the Changelings and now this. These attacks are getting out of hand. The news began to spread once again only this time they were praising the heroic acts of Sora and his friends.

But now wasn't the time for that. The group have made their way to Princess Celestia's chambers for debriefing. The king was speaking with her about what those monsters were.

"I see." Celestia said. "So those were the heartless you mentioned."

"Yep." Mickey said. "I'm surprised that they found their way into your world. Perhaps it's because the Elements are disconnected now, and without the connection, darkness will seep into this world."

"But there wasn't heartless here when Discord got loose." Goofy said. "And the Elements were disconnected."

"Yeah, and he turned us against each other." Applejack said.

"Making us complete opposites of ourselves." Rarity said.

"They weren't completely disconnected." Luna said. "It only disconnected for a brief moment until Twilight rediscovered the spark. She was able to restore her friends from Discord's manipulation... or former friends at the least." Hearing that made the girls wince away for a moment.

"All of this is happening at a very worse time." Celestia said. "The Changelings launch their attack, Twilight has gone missing, and now the heartless are involved." As the group kept discussing the events, Sora was the only one who wasn't talking. He was waiting patiently until he was allowed to speak. But the thought of Twilight being missing was still in his head, and tapping his foot was not helping him at all. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He had to speak up.

"C'mon now!" Sora said. "Can I finally say anything? So, what happened to Twilight? And what's this about an invasion, and a wedding?" The girls looked at each other, and the Princess sounded surprised.

"Wait... Master Yen Sid did not tell you?" Celestia asked. The boy tilted his head.

"He only told us about the Crystal Empire, and that Twilight was missing." Sora said. "Wait... tell me what?" He then turned to Shining Armor, and the girls, who all showed worried and nervous expressions.

"Girls, what's going on?" Sora asked. They all glanced back at one another, and Applejack was the first to speak.

"Sora, don't get mad at us, but... this was all our fault." She spoke.

"Huh?" The boy asked. "What did you do?"

"It's a... long story." Applejack said, as the girls nodded.

"I'm listening." Sora said as he leaned in, along with Donald and Goofy, while Riku and Mickey gave a nod, listening in as well. Giving a heavy sigh, Applejack was the first to speak.

"A couple days ago, there was going to a grand royal wedding between Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance here." The farmpony began, pointing at the stallion and Princess of Love. "We were so excited, Princess Celestia even tasked us to our own thing for it. I was in charge of catering the food."

"I was to make dresses for the bride and bridemaids." Rarity said.

"I was... suppose to..." Fluttershy said, but the guilt was too much for her. "Provide music!"

"I was going to host the reception..." Pinkie Pie said, feeling downbeat as she said it, her mane deflating a bit as she spoke.

"And I was supposed to do my Sonic Rainboom." Rainbow Dash said.

"Sonic Rainboom?" Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey asked.

"Yes, it's a powerful burst of energy when I go really fast." She clarified.

"Oooohhh." They spoke.

"And Twilight?" Sora asked.

"She was supposed to be my best mare." Shining said.

"Best mare?" Sora asked. "Oh, you mean like a best man, right?"

"Yes." Shining said.

"And she wasn't happy about it, about you getting married?" Sora asked.

"Well, she was angrier that I didn't tell her myself." Shining said. "I probably should've though. There was a threat going on in Canterlot, and I was pretty occupied."

"A threat in Canterlot?" Sora asked. "If there was a threat, why didn't you call off the wedding."

"Because... I don't know." Shining said. "Cadance said that the wedding must go on, or at least I thought it was Cadance."

"Huh?" Sora asked, then glanced at Princess Cadance.

"I used to be Twilight's foalsitter when she was a filly." Cadance said. "We did pretty much a lot together growing up."

"Oh!" Sora said. "Well, I guess when she found out it was you, she must've been thrilled."

"Yes, but..." Cadance said. "It wasn't actually me though."

"What?" Sora asked. "Ok, now I'm really confused."

"A couple days before the wedding, I was abducted by Chrysalis." Cadance said. "It was all part of a plan to invade Canterlot and harvest ponies and captives for their love."

"Chrysalis?" Sora asked.

"The Changeling Queen." Celestia said. "Changelings are monsters who can shapeshift into anyone at any time. They feast on the emotions and love of whoever they're close to, or target."

"Monsters that feed on emotions?" Riku asked. "Like how the heartless feed on people's hearts."

"The changelings haven't been around in almost a thousand years." Mickey said. "History taught us that they've ravaged many pony kingdoms outside of Equestria. When they raided Trot, Princess Celestia was able to stop them, trapping them inside a Volcano."

"Garsh, but how did they get free?" Goofy asked.

"Someone... or something must've let them out." Donald said.

"Most likely." Celestia said.

"Luckily Twilight found me in the nick of time." Cadance said. "We were able to escape and stop the wedding."

"Oh, so you guys found out the fake bride was an imposter, right?" Sora asked with a smile. The girls, and Shining Armor only winced away, their faces shriveled with guilt and shame, much to Sora's surprise.

"Right?" Sora asked. There was silence, until Applejack spoke up.

"Actually, Twilight was the first to know that something was off about Princess Cadance." Applejack said. "She knew Cadance a lot more than we did, and she knew she wasn't acting like the real one. She tried to explain it to us, but we were so caught up in our weddin' plannin' to even listen." Sora's eyes widened.

"W... What?" He asked.

"And when the fake bride made us her bridesmares, we all still didn't listen to Twilight when she tried to bring her case to the rehearsal." Rarity said. "I didn't even think about finishing her dress."

"She accused Princess Cadance of being evil." Pinkie Pie said. "And she was right, but we didn't believe her. She was making a scene of it."

"We all thought that Twilight was acting jealous when she was accusing the imposter." Rainbow Dash said.

"So, what happened?" Sora asked.

"Ask him!" Cadance said, pointing straight at Shining Armor, who was hoping not to explain. But as the group stared at him, he gave a sigh of defeat.

"I... I went to follow the fake bride and banned Twilight from our wedding." Shining said. Sora nearly gasped.

"And we followed." Applejack said.

"Yes... and we just left her, all alone." Fluttershy said, tears of guilt beginning to form in her eyes. Luna glanced at her sister, who was feeling guilt too. The younger sister nudged her, getting her to speak.

"And I... I told her that she had a lot to think about..." Celestia said.

"WH... WHAT?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy asked in unison.

"But in the end, Twilight was right." Rarity said. "The bride turned out to be the Changeling Queen, who was using Captain Armor to increase her powers. She laid her army upon Canterlot, and we tried using the Elements of Harmony. But they didn't work, because Twilight felt the sting of our betrayal."

"The sting of your betrayal?" Sora asked.

"Of course." Mickey said. "That was the rift Master Yen Sid told us about. The rift was caused... by them." He pointed at the Element bearers, Shining Armor, and Princess Celestia.

"We were able to defeat the changelings, though." Applejack said. "Princess Cadance and Shining Armor used their magic to send them away, but Twilight, she grew bitter towards us, even renouncing her position as the Princess's student."

"She even told us that the Changeling Queen banished her into the caverns below, where no pony would find her." Rainbow Dash said. "And to be honest, she was right. We focused on the wedding rather than thinking about looking for her."

"She lashed out at us for how we left her back at the wedding rehearsal, and she accused us for just using her for our own desires." Rarity said.

"And she said that she was no longer our friend anymore..." Pinkie Pie said, as Fluttershy nodded in sadness.

"Yeah... and she attacked her brother, then destroyed everything in the hall." Rainbow Dash said. "And... that was the last time we ever saw her..."

After the girls had told them everything. There was only one word to describe how they were feeling. Angry? No. Shocked. Especially Sora. He was processing all of this in her head. Twilight knew something was wrong with the fake bride, but no pony listened to her? They just left her?

"So... you guys just left her?" Sora asked, looking at the girls. "You just left her there all alone, not even bothering to comfort her, or look for her?" The girls lowered their heads in shame, but not before giving a nod. The boy was surprised by this. Her friends just ditched her for some bride they didn't even know.

"And you... Princess Celestia?" Sora asked, turning toward the sun princess. "You didn't take her concerns into consideration?" All Princess Celestia could do was nod.

"No... I didn't." She said with guilt. Sora gave a surprised sigh. Princess Celestia, Twilight's teacher who she looked up to as a mother, didn't take her worries seriously either. He then turned to Shining Armor.

"And you... what the guards said was... true?" he asked. "You shunned your sister away, when she was just trying to protect you?" The stallion only turned his head with shame but turned forward as he saw the hateful glare from Cadance.

"Yes... I did." Shining said with guilt. "I pushed her away and-"

-BOOM!-

Shining was then struck hard by a swing, and a weak bolt of lightning, that pushed him to the ground. Everyone gasped, even Goofy... But his attention was not drawn to Sora, for he too was shocked by this sudden action. All attention was on Donald, who had his staff in his hand, or what was left of his staff at least. Sure, the staff was broken, and the magic was not working for him, but the head of the staff and the weak spark was enough to send Shining Armor down.

"You Buckhead!" The Royal Wizard quacked. "How could you choose some bride over your own flesh and blood?!"

"I... I didn't know!" Shining said, getting back up. "I thought Twily was jealous!"

"Well, you should've!" Donald shouted. "Family always comes first, and you of all ponies should know that! You're no Big Brother! You're only a disgrace to the uniform!" He then turned to the mane five. "And you five, how could you abandon your friend?!"

"Now, calm down ducky boy." Applejack said. "We didn't know the bride was a monster in disguise."

"And Twilight accused her of being evil." Rainbow Dash said.

"That doesn't matter!" Donald said. "You all are supposed to be the wielders of the Elements of Harmony! You're supposed to show your element! But you didn't! You're no better than that bug queen, bloodsuckers!" Hearing that offensive word made Applejack twitch.

"Why you loud mouthin' hot head!" Applejack said. "I should buck you into next week for saying that!" She was ready to buck him, but the girls held her back.

"Bring it on, you hillbill-" Donald said as he was ready to charge forward, only to be stopped by Goofy, who kept him from hurting anypony else.

"Donald, relax!" He spoke. "They already feel terrible enough already!" Applejack quickly calmed down as her friends held her back. She turned her head, but she couldn't hide her pain though. Donald was right. They cared more about a wedding than their friendship. Mickey and Riku then turned toward Sora, who then turned to the girls.

"So... she's gone?" Sora asked.

"Yes... she just upped and vanished." Applejack said, getting herself together.

"And it was all our fault." Fluttershy said as she lowered her head, weeping in sorrow.

"I didn't even get a chance to throw her an apology party." Pinkie Pie said, her mane and tail beginning to deflate a bit more as she too cried.

"Hmmm... maybe that explains it." Riku said.

"Explains what?" Shining asked.

"Master Yen Sid also told us that Twilight Sparkle was on a very dark path." Riku said. "A path that can lead her to embrace and be tainted by the darkness. I was on that road before... and it nearly ended badly for me." Shining's eyes widened.

"Y... You mean?" He asked.

"Uh-huh." Mickey said. "If nothing is done, Twilight will be forever lost." The captain gasped, along with the girls and the Princesses.

"No..." Princess Celestia said.

"Then that means..." Applejack said. "We really pushed her over the edge!"

"We really did buck up." Rainbow Dash said, tears beginning to form.

"And all because we wanted to throw a worthless wedding." Rarity said.

"This really is our fault!" Fluttershy said, as she and Pinkie Pie continued to cry, louder this time.

"No... it was all my fault." Celestia said as she turned away. "Twilight was the first to see this, and I didn't take her concerns seriously. And because of me, she will be damned to the darkness." She lowered her head, showing a small tear dropping down to the side of her cheek, while the other girls, and Shining gave faces of guilt. Donald only tapped his foot, while Goofy gave a worried expression. Sora didn't say anything but placed his hand over his heart. Closing his eyes, he remembered the first time he met Twilight, and when he had to go, he promised to see her again. And now, he might never see her again. Clenching his fist, he knew what he had to do.

"I'll save her!" He said, getting sounds of surprise from everyone and everypony in the room.

"What?" Celestia asked.

"I'll save her." Sora said. "I'll bring her back home."

"Y... You will?" Applejack asked. The boy gave a nod.

"What?!" Donald asked. "You want to help them after they abandoned their friend?"

"Yes, Donald." Sora said. "It's the right thing to do. And besides, this world can't function with just five Elements of Harmony. Without Twilight, Equestria doesn't stand a chance."

"But... aren't you furious with us?" Rainbow Dash asked. The boy shook his head, and turned around, with his arms crossed.

"Well, it's like this." Sora said. "I'm not happy with how you all handled the situation. But there's no reason for me to be angry with you all for it. That Changeling Queen... what is she called?"

"Chrysalis." Celestia said.

"Right." Sora said. "That bug queen Chrysalis saw your weaknesses and used them and the wedding against you all to further her goal. And besides, I can see that deep down, you all realized your mistakes, and want to make things right. Plus, I made a promise to see Twilight again. She's my friend too. And if a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there. So, I'll save her, whatever it takes." Hearing those words brought surprise and hope to the ponies. He held no grudge against them, and with everything that they had done. He's willing to help them!

"Thank you, Sora." Applejack said.

"Oh, Thank You Sora!" Pinkie Pie called out with a smile, as her mane and tail poofs back up like a balloon and hugged the boy. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!"

"You're the best friend anypony could ask for!" Rainbow Dash said.

"No problem." Sora said. "But... you all have to win Twilight's trust back yourselves. Can you promise that?"

"Of course, I swear on the Apple Family Name." Applejack said. "I will do whatever it takes."

"So will we!" Rarity said.

"I Pinkie Pie promise!" Pinkie Pie said. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" She did the movements, crossing her chest, flapping her hooves, and poked her closed eye with her right hoof.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

"A Pinkie Pie Promise!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's a special promise that cannot be broken, and I never break a Pinkie Pie Promise. Because if you break it... You'll lose your friends... FOREVER!!!"

"Really?" Sora asked.

"Nah." Pinkie Pie said. "I just made up that last part. I just love saying it that way."

"But we're not gonna be left out of the action." Rainbow Dash said as she floated off the ground. "If you're gonna save Twilight, then we're going with you. We'll prove that we care about Twilight."

"Indeed!" Rarity said as Fluttershy gave a nod.

"No way-" Donald said.

"Ok." Sora said, surprising the royal wizard next to him.

"WHAT?!" Donald asked. "No, they can't come!"

"C'mon Donald." Sora said. "They want to come along, so let's let them come with us. Besides, they have more experience here in Equestria, and we'll need their help if we're gonna search for Twilight."

"Yeah." Goofy said. "I don't see any harm in it. Plus, we should always give those a second chance."

"Awww..." Donald said as he shook his head.

"You're more than welcome not to come along if you don't want to." Sora said. Before he could speak, the duck gave another sigh, and a smile.

"Awww, with everything that we've been through, you guys won't last a second without me." Donald said. "So, I'll come along too!" Hearing that made Sora and Goofy smile.

"I knew that you wouldn't abandon us, Donald." Sora said as he and Goofy pulled him into a group hug. Mickey and Riku gave a nod, then turned toward the Sun Princess.

"Princess Celestia." Riku said. "Master Yen Sid sent me and King Mickey to investigate the Crystal Empire."

"Oh!" Celestia said, remembering the Crystal Empire. "That's right."

"So, you let Sora and the others find Twilight, and we'll check on the Empire." Mickey said.

"Thank you, Mickey." Celestia said. "And... I'm sorry..."

"Sorry?" Mickey asked. "About Twilight? Aww, it's ok. I've made a lot of mistakes myself. But don't worry. Sora will find her. I know he will." The Solar Princess gave a nod.

"And in that case, you'll need a guide to get to the Crystal Empire." Celestia said. "Captain Shining Armor, I appoint you to guide King Mickey and Master Riku to the Crystal Kingdom." Hearing that made the stallion surprised.

"What?!" Shining Armor asked. "But I want to find Twily. She's my sister."

"I know you're concerned about Twilight, Captain." Celestia said. "But I don't think it's a good idea for you to go with Sora. Twilight is angry at you the most, and you being there could cause problems." The stallion was about to speak. But the Princess was right. Twilight did buck him in the face, and that gave him a black eye, which was still healing up. Who knows what else she could do to him? He nodded reluctantly.

"Of course, Princess." Shining said. "I'll guide the King and the Keyblade Master to the Crystal Empire."

"And Princess Cadance will join you as we-" Celestia spoke.

"No!" the voice of Cadance made everyone turn toward her in surprise. Her head was turned away from their view.

"I'm not going." She spoke.

"But Cadance." Shining said. "They will need our help." The Princess of Love turned her head away, not listening to him.

"I'm not talking to you, remember?" Cadance said. "I made it clear to never talk to me again."

"Cadance, this is no time to hold grudges." Celestia said. "The Crystal Empire is in danger, and you have a special pur-"

"I'm not going anywhere until Twilight is back safe and sound." Cadance said. "And you're not forcing me to go either." The Sun Princess, and Shining only gave defeated sighs. Cadance was still not on good terms with the two since learning of their terrible behavior toward Twilight, and she wasn't going to hear any more from them. Riku approached the young princess.

"Princess Cadenza." He spoke. "I know you're feeling angry with them for how they treated Twilight Sparkle, but we really need your help. And besides, I can tell that we'll need you." Riku was right. With him being a keyblade master, he could feel and sense the magical aura in those around him, and he sensed a familiar and powerful spark within her that was so familiar.

"Why should I trust you?" Cadance asked.

"You don't have to trust me." Riku said. "Trust Sora."

"Huh?" Sora asked hearing his name, as Cadance glanced at the boy.

"He'll bring back Twilight." Riku said. "He was there for me when I felt lost. He's saved three of our fellow keyblade wielders from a grim fate. If anyone has a good shot at saving Twilight, it's him. Sora is the best chance we have. Trust him." The Princess of Love glanced at Riku, and then back at Sora, who gave a smile. With her being the Princess of Love, having the power to sense love and light around her, she can tell that there was something special about him. His heart was so pure unlike anything she had ever seen. Seeing his smile, she too gave a smile.

"Alright." Cadance said.

"Thank you, Cadance." Celestia said.

"But just so we're clear, I only have faith in him and them." Cadance said, pointing her hoof at Sora, Riku, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy, before turning her head back to the Sun Princess. "So that doesn't mean that I'm not skeptical about you Auntie Celes-... I mean, Princess Celestia. Also, I request that Captain Armor keep his distance from me while we're at the empire."

"Cada-" Shining said.

"Don't!" Cadance said. "And that Princess Cadance to you, Captain. And whatever you do, Captain, don't try and woo me, because like I said, it's over." She then gave a huff and departed for the door. "I'll be waiting by the train station." She opened the door with her magic and left the room, but not before slamming it, leaving everyone a bit surprised.

"Garsh…" Goofy said as Donald gave a chuckle. Shining Armor lowered his head. With how he treated Twilight, he deserved that.

However, as Cadance left the room, she took a few steps away from the door until she came to a halt. Then, surprisingly, she lowered her head, and a few chokes came from her voice. Tears were beginning to fall from her eyes. She was crying.

"Oh Shining..." She spoke. "I'm sorry for being so cruel..."

"Well then, we better get ready then." Sora said, back in the royal chambers.

"But where do we start looking for Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, she could be anywhere in Equestria." Pinkie Pie said. "She's probably out there all alone in the heat, or in the cold!"

"Then we'll start asking around town." Sora said. "No doubt somepony would've seen her."

"Alright then." Rainbow Dash said. "We'll ask around and search for clues!"

"Ok." Sora said. "We're also gonna need some supplies. It's probably gonna be a while before we find her."

"You can check by the Market area." Celestia said. "Canterlot has plenty of items that you can buy."

"Thank you, Princess." Mickey said.

"Oh, and Princess." Goofy said with a bow.

"Yes, Captain Goofy?" Celestia asked.

"Is there any chance you got a couple of spare shields?" Goofy asked, holding up his cracked one. "Mine's not looking too good."

"What about me?!" Donald asked, holding his broken staff up. "That heartless smashed my wand!"

"Do not worry." Celestia said as she picked up the knight's shield with her magic. "I believe I can fix that... and Luna, if you don't mind."

"Of course, sister." The Lunar Princess said as she took the broken wand away from Donald and levitated it up in the air. The royal sister than used their magic and bathed it upon the shield and wand, making them glow brightly. In a flash, the crack on the shield was gone, and the wand was back together. Actually, they both were upgraded too!

The shield was now a pentagonal and it's bottom three corners are rounded. It had a golden yellow border with the top and bottom corners sporting a silver bolt. The inner part of the shield was white, with a light-yellow hidden mickey symbol with an orange outline. And behind the hidden mickey was a yellow and orange stylized sun, the same image of Celestia's cutie mark.

The staff was now longer, with the handle now predominantly dark blue, while both ends were grey persian blue. At the top was a wide brown disk at the tip of the handle, connected to the head of the staff, which was in the shape of a moderate sapphire blue hidden mickey. Inside the head was a white crescent moon, which was the same moon that was on Luna's cutie mark.

The new shield and staff were given to Donald and Goofy, who both were surprised and excited.

"The shield and staff have been powered up by our magic." Celestia said. "They shall allow you to use the magic of the sun and moon, as well as granting you protection."

"Oh Boy!" Donald said.

"Thank you, Princesses." Goofy said.

"Ha!" Donald said to Sora, leaning in toward him. "We got new weapons, and you didn't!"

"Donald, no need to get in my face... literally." Sora said.

"I also have something for you too, Sora." Celestia said. "And you as well Master Riku and Mickey." And with her magic, three pairs of special bracelets appeared in the air, on pair was gold and shiny, the second was purple and black, and the other was silver and pearl. Each of the bracelets had six gemstones on them. The gemstones were colored red, yellow, orange, blue, white, and magenta. The gold bracelets were magically attached to Sora's wrists, with the purple ones attached to Riku's, and the silver ones were attached to Mickey's.

"Whoa... what are these?" Sora asked as he examined them.

"They're special bracelets that will grant you protection against the dark magic in our world." Celestia said. "And they will allow you to harness the magic within Equestria, as well as us, Cadance, the five elements. With the magic in our world, you should be able to harness your elemental abilities until the magic is restored. The bracelets won't restore your magic to its full power, but it should allow you to use low level magic for the time being." The boy gave a smile. The bracelets will allow him, Riku, and the King to harness magic again, but only low-level magic, so the -RA, -GA, and -ZA spells will not be accessible. Neverless, it was enough, and a generous gift.

"Thank you." Sora said, feeling generous. "But I don't have anything for you though."

"You all given us hope, Sora." Celestia said. "And that's good enough for me." The boy gave another nod and looked back at everyone.

"Alright, let's go save Twilight!" He called out, his fist in the air. The girls gave nods and cheers, ready for action.

Sometime later, the group left Celestia's chambers to get ready. Before they had to leave though, they had to pack up and stock up for the long journey they were going to have. It's probably not as long as their previous adventures, but better safe to be prepared than sorry. The girls went on ahead to ask around town to see if they can find clues to where Twilight could be. Shining Amor made his way to the train station, where a bitter Princess Cadance was waiting at. That left Sora and the others to their own devices.

"We're gonna go gather some supplies." Mickey said. "It's gonna be a long train ride to the North."

"Ok." Donald said with a nod, with the King and Riku making their way out the castle to the market area.

"We better go get some supplies too." Goofy said. "I hope they have potions, and ethers."

"Will we need ethers, though?" Donald asked. "Our magic doesn't work."

"Yeah, but the bracelets will allow us to use low-level magic and attacks, Donald." Sora said.

"That's right, Donald." Goofy said. "Better safe than sorry. And who knows, if we find Twilight, the magic may start working again."

"I suppose." Donald said as the two made their way down the hall. Sora was about to join them, but he stopped. He began thinking, much to Donald and Goofy's notice.

"Sora?" Donald asked.

"I'll join you in a minute, I need to wash my face really quick." Sora said to them. He then made his way to the restroom, while Donald and Goofy looked on.

"His face didn't look dirty, did it?" Goofy asked, as Donald only shrugged. Heading into the restroom, Sora went toward the sink. Turning the water on, he held his hand out to get enough water, then splashed it over his face. Taking the clean towel, he rubbed his face until it was dry. Removing the towel from his face, he took a sigh, and lowered his head, his hands gripped on the sides of the sink to keep him from falling.

His eyes only squinted shut, and he felt his hand shaking a bit. He was feeling it again, the adrenaline. It's when someone feels anxiety and stress, which causes their heart rate to increase along with their breathing. The flashbacks were coming back, the moment where he saw everyone sucked up by that Heartless twister. He shook his head, trying to get it out.

"Get out of my head..." He said to himself.

"All that fighting against the darkness, and yet you've learned nothing."

Sora's eyes widened, recognizing that voice. He slowly turned his head and saw a familiar man with long silver white hair, and yellow eyes. The boy before him gasped.

"Xehanort!" Sora said. "But... that's impossible!" The man only laughed.

"The real me is gone, Sora." Xehanort said. "But a piece of me still exists, inside your mind."

"W... What?" Sora asked, feeling confused.

"Don't you feel it?" Xehanort asked. "The scars on your hearts. You think that you've won by saving everyone who suffered a grim fate, yet the pain has only begun for you. The sight of your friends being taken away from you has placed a grave strain upon you. You can try to hide it, the trauma that you've experienced, but your heart will only break from the pressure."

"You're wrong!" Sora said. "My heart is strong!"

"Yes, it is." Xehanort said. "But a heart can only withstand such pain for as long as it can. I already told you before, there's always a high price to pay for wielding such power foolishly." Sora only gave a grunt.

"Well, I didn't disappear, did I?" Sora asked. "I've managed to save Kairi and escape death, so the jokes on you!"

"Yes, but you can't save everyone." Xehanort said.

"Of course, I can!" Sora said. "Twilight will be saved! I'm her friend! And so is Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie!"

"Yes, the little Elements bearers who abandoned her when she needed them the most." Xehanort said. "But who was the one who gave her those friends, not knowing what they would toss her away like a broken toy? You did." Sora's eyes widened, but he shook his head.

"Don't pin this on me!" Sora said.

"You had a part in this too, you know." Xehanort said. "You never once thought to visit her while she waited for you. How many times have she tried to call you? Of course, you wouldn't know, because you didn't care."

"Stop It!" Sora said.

"You abandoned her just like her friends abandoned her." Xehanort continued. "So, you're much to blame as those pathetic horses."

"Shut Up!" Sora said.

"Friendship doesn't last forever. It'll only wilt away like a flower, until it dies." Xehanort said. "You have comdemned Twilight to the depths of hell. And it is all... your... fault...!"

"SHUT UP!" Sora shouted as he threw a punch at the man.

-CRACK-

The sounds of glass breaking made the boy freeze in place. He opened his eyes and looked around, seeing that he was still in the restroom, and Xehanort was nowhere inside. It was probably just a hallucination, conjured up by his mind. He lifted his head up to see his fist in a broken mirror. He must've punched it while he was hallucinating. He pulled his hand back slowly, seeing cuts on the top of his hand. As he gripped his hand with his other hand, blood dripped from his wounds, and he took a deep sigh. These stupid hallucinations have to stop, he thought. But as he lifted his head up, he saw the crack on the windows disappearing, showing the mirror restoring itself to its former glory. The boy was a bit surprised. The mirror actually fixed itself. It must be magic. This world's magic works, but not the magic from the outside world?

"You're lucky that mirror is unbreakable." The voice made Sora turn his head. To his surprise, it was Princess Luna.

"Princess Luna." Sora said as the alicorn approached him. "What are you doing here?"

"This is actually the mare's restroom." Luna explained, showing the door's insignia, which was a pink pony. The boy's eyes went dead blank seeing that. He went into the girl's bathroom.

"Oh..." Sora said. "S... Sorry."

"It's alright." Luna said, but then she glanced down to see Sora's bleeding hand. "You've made quite a mess of your hand there." Before Sora could speak, the Lunar Princess's horn began to glow, and magic wrapped around Sora's hand. The pieces of glass were removed from the cuts, and the cuts began to close up and heal quickly, as if they were never there!

"Whoa..." Sora said, seeing his hand good as new. "Thank you."

"No need." Luna said. "It is we who should be thanking you. Thou have saved us from the darkness." Sora tilted his head.

"We?" Sora asked. "You mean you right?"

"Yes." Luna said. "Forgive us, for our vocabulary is a thousand years out of date. We... I have been trying to adjust to a more modern speech. Twilight has been giving me lessons on that recently."

"Interesting." Sora said. The lunar princess tilted her head and glanced straight at Sora.

"You seem a bit pale." Luna said.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"I've sensed a lot of conflict in you." She spoke. "And the way you punched that mirror surely shows it." The boy only lowered his head.

"It's just... mmm..." He turned his head, not wanting to talk about it.

"Speak your mind." Luna said. "Or should I read it and say it out lout?"

"No!" Sora said waving his hands, and then gave a defeated sigh.

"I just can't stop thinking about... the Keyblade War." Sora said.

"Ahh, yes." Luna said. "The battle where you and the seven guardians faced against the thirteen darknesses, correct?"

"Yeah." Sora said, a bit surprised. "How'd you know?"

"Celestia and I have heard of your triumphant victory against Master Xehanort from Master Yen Sid." Luna said. "He is quite proud of your accomplishment, yet you don't seem proud of it." Sora turned his head again.

"Let's just say... the first time didn't go so well." Sora said. "I lost my friends so easily. They were stripped from me in the most horrible way possible, and then I was next. I never felt so helpless and hopeless in my life. But, with some help, I was able to go back to before we went in, and we were able to turn the tides thanks to Naminé and Terra." The boy then started thinking. Naminé. Kairi's nobody who was created when Sora released his own heart to free Kairi almost three years ago. Naminé was quite different, having the power to rewrite memories of Sora and those around him, which was what the Organization tried to use her for. But with Axel... or Lea's encouragement, she rebelled and restore Sora's memories. She was such a big help for the group's second attempt against the thirteen darknesses. Using Sora's memories, she was able to locate Terra and helped them tip the scale to their favor. He still hasn't had the chance to thank her yet.

"So, if the tide was changed to your favor, why are you troubled?" Luna asked.

"Because..." Sora said. "It was so... terrifying. I didn't realize how easily I would lose my friends, until that point. And... it scares me to even think about it."

"You have not told them your dilemma, have you." Luna said.

"No." Sora said. "I didn't want them to worry. They acted like everything was back to normal. Plus, they don't even remember it. But I do. I tried so hard to move on too, but I can't help but feel paranoid sometimes. And I have nightmares frequently about it. And now, Twilight's out there alone with no one to turn to. I... I just can't handle losing another friend again." He gave another sigh, not knowing how much more he can take. Luna lifted the boy's chin with her hoof.

"You must never be afraid to share your troubles." Luna said. "They may not understand what you've experienced, but they'll understand how you feel about it. And I have faith that thou shall save Twilight."

"How?" Sora asked.

"Because the first time I met you, I saw you as a brave young man, willing to help those whenever there is danger." Luna said. "You have that bright light that is still strong. You've helped Twilight make friends, just as you helped her save me. I know you'll save Twilight, in your own way. And besides, those who are lost can be found. You just need to know where to look." Hearing Luna's encouragement brought a smile to the boy's face. She was right. He can find Twilight and save her.

"Thank you, Princess Luna." Sora said.

"Oh, and before you go, I have a gift of my own to give you." Luna said as her horn ignited with magic. A special charm appeared between them, a charm that had a white crescent moon, and three purple stars linked to it like a chain. The charm is placed into Sora's hand.

"What's this?" Sora asked.

"A special charm that will allow us both to keep in contact." Luna said. "And if you have the need for my help, I will be there in a flash." Sora looked up at the princess.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked. "I don't wanna drive you away from your royal duties."

"My sister handles most of the royal duties." Luna said. "And besides, Twilight taught me much about friendship too, so I want to return the favor and find her as well. Just don't be afraid to call me."

"Thanks again, Princess Luna." Sora said as he gave a bow but was surprised as she gave him a hug. Regardless, he gave a smile, and hugged her back.

Pretty soon, after his talk with Princess Luna, Sora was making his way down the hall. He was thinking about his talk with Princess Luna, about his own troubles. She said that he shouldn't keep them from his friends, and that he should talk to them about it. Maybe she's right. He can't keep going on like this, having these hallucinations and nightmares from time to time.

But he'll have to tell them later though. His mind right now was focused on Twilight, and he had to save her. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. He hasn't had the chance to come back and visit her. Maybe if he did, this probably wouldn't have happened. Was it also his fault?

No, he thought. This was not his fault. He won't listen to Xehanort… or whatever he was talking too earlier. Sora had to save Twilight. He must.

"Whatever is lost can be found again..."

Aqua's words rang in Sora's head. She's right, he thought. Twilight is lost, but he will find her, just like he found Kairi and his friends. Twilight needed him. He must stay strong. He can't be afraid. Friendship will always find a way. As he walked down the hall, he couldn't help but feel a groove coming on, as he made his way down. The song in his head started to pick up, and he found himself dancing.

I can't be afraid

The world needs me

Everybody sees me everyday

I can't be afraid!

Good will find a way

That's what they tell me

But as long as there's evil

A hero has to rise

But I don't have to stand alone against a thousand armies

I've got an army of my own!

And we're shouting out tonight!

We see the stars collide!

Cause as long as we're alive

We're fighting back tonight!

As the lyrics got quicker, Sora starts to move and dance much rapidly, giving stances and expressions as he continued to sing.

Waking from a bad dream into a nightmare

Stepping out and one again there's panic in the air

The sky is red, and smoke darkens the horizon

I guess once again a force or foe is terrorizing

My heart stops when the clock stops ticking

Cause I know I've gotta help while I'm alive and kicking

I remember days were never black but that's over

Now that every day a demon's back

And I've had it

But we don't have to stand alone against a thousand armies

We've got an army of our own!

And we're shouting out tonight!

We see the stars collide!

Cause as long as we're alive,

We're fighting back tonight!

As the song cutted to an instrumental, Sora found himself in a blackened area, probably in his own mind. The images of the Keyblade Graveyard began to surround him, and he looked up to see the Heartless Twister. The boy nearly froze, but then he remembered. He must not be afraid. He took this thing down before, so he'll do it again.

And so you want to start a war

You don't know what I have in store

I've never felt this way before

And you can't stop me anymore

With that said, he charged forward, and the twister sent out hurtles of Demon Tides to strike him. But he swung he swung his keyblade, striking back the tides as he kept running and singing.

And so you want to start a war

You don't know what we have in store

I've never felt this way before

And you can't stop us anymore!

With a mighty leap, Sora jumped up, not afraid, and ready to strike. With a battle cry, he swung his keyblade striking through the Twister. As he sliced through, hundreds of glowing keyblades joined him and sliced through the tornado, destroying it for good.

And we're shouting out tonight!

We see the stars collide!

Cause as long as we're alive,

We're fighting back tonight!

And we're shouting out tonight!

We see the stars collide!

Cause as long as we're alive,

We're fighting back tonight!

The music stopped as Sora finished singing and dancing, doing the amazing dab. Suddenly, he heard the clock tower chiming. Looking around, he realized that he had a job to do. He then made his way out of the hall to the castle gates, unaware of Whirlwind and Earthius watching from the sidelines.

"Wow, he really knows how to dance." Whirlwind said.

"Yeah, I was hoping for an encore." Earthius said with a nod.

Outside, Sora was making his way to the market street, to catch up with the others. He certainly didn't want to keep them waiting. But soon as he turned his head, he stopped in his tracks. He saw a purple dragon sitting on the bench alone. It was Spike, and he looked sad. Sora knew why, because Twilight was missing. He went over to the bench.

"Hey Spike." Sora said, getting the baby dragon's attention.

"Oh, hey Sora." Spike said before looking back at the ground. The boy sat next to him.

"How are you holding up?" He asked.

"Ok, I guess." Spike said, though his sad eyes said otherwise. The boy then noticed something in Spike's claws. It was a gold tiara decorated with sapphire stones. On top of the tiara was a six-pointed magenta star shaped gem, which looked identical to Twilight's cutie mark. It was the Element of Magic. Spike must've taken it from the Hall of the Elements while Sora and the others were talking with the Princesses.

"Is that the Element of Magic?" Sora asked.

"Yeah." Spike said. "I took it from the Hall so I could give it to Twilight... if we find her."

"You still hung up with Twilight going missing?" Sora asked.

"She's not missing, Sora." Spike said. "She left. She left me."

"I know." Sora said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Spike said. "It's not your fault. It's their fault." The venom in Spike's words made the boy tilt his head. Spike was likely referring to the girls, Shining Armor, and Princess Celestia.

"You mean the girls?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, them, Shining Dumbhead, and Princess Sunbutt." Spike said. Sora nearly gasped.

"Spike, no need to get that harsh." Sora said.

"Well, they didn't take her seriously like last time." Spike said. Sora raised an eyebrow. Something like this happened before?

"Last time?" Sora asked. "When was last time?"

"It happened a few months ago, sometime after that whole Discord thing." Spike said. "When Twilight lived in Ponyville, she would always send Princess Celestia a letter, or friendship report whenever she learned something new about friendship. A while back, Twilight thought that she was being tardy for a Friendship Report, that she asked her friends for help. But they thought that she was just making a deal out of nothing. And I won't lie, I did too. So... Twilight went a little loco and the coco... actually she went really loco in the coco. She decided to make a friendship problem instead of finding one, by using her old Smarty Pants doll and a Want It, Need It spell to get ponies to fight over it. When it got so bad, the girls tried to help, but it wasn't working. So, Princess Celestia was able to undo the damage.

"Wait, how did the Princess know?" Sora asked.

"That was my doing." Spike said. "I told her that Twilight was panicking over being tardy for a friendship report and asked her to talk with her. After the problem got fixed, Twilight thought she was going to be expelled as Celestia's student and forced to leave Ponyville, and go back to Magic Kindergarten. But Princess Celestia told her that she didn't need a report every week. Then the girls come in and told her that it was their fault for not taking Twilight seriously. And they promised that they would. But they broke that promise because they cared more about a stupid wedding. They don't deserve to be Twilight's friends."

"Spike, blaming them isn't going to bring her back." Sora said.

"Well, it is their fault!" Spike said much louder, almost surprising Sora. "I don't care if Shining Dork was being mind-controlled by that bug queen! What he said to Twilight was the worst thing he has ever said! All of them were horrible to Twilight! If they were really her friends, then they should've remembered to take her seriously! But they didn't! Even after the whole Smarty Pants incident, they didn't learn to take her seriously. They never learn anything! And the worse part was..." Before he continued, his eyes started to water up, as the baby dragon's anger shifted to guilt.

"I followed them..." Spike said as he lowered his head in shame. "I left Twilight. I didn't mean to, because I was just confused and scared. But I should've stayed. I should've stayed there with her. But I didn't. She said that she wasn't mad at me, and she promised she would never leave me. But she did." The baby dragon couldn't keep his tears in anymore. He just lowered his head as he began to cry. Seeing him so sad, Sora wrapped his arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a hug, comforting the poor dragon.

"We'll find her, Spike." Sora said. "I promise we'll find her, whatever it takes."

"How can you be so sure?" Spike asked. Sora was about to speak, but he started thinking. How could he know? He didn't know that Xehanort and the thirteen darknesses meant business when he and the guardians went to fight him. But the boy then remembered what Aqua told him. What is lost can be found again.

"I don't know, but I do know this." Sora said. "Whatever is lost can be found again. Twilight is just lost without us, and we'll find her again. You just gotta have faith." Hearing those words made Spike smile with hope.

"Ok." Spike said. "I'm glad you came back, Sora."

"Me too." Sora said. "Though I wish I could've come back here sooner before all this started though. But I'm here now, and that's what matters."

"Yeah." Spike said. Then suddenly, he felt a vibration in his claw. Looking down, he saw that the Element of Magic was glowing. Glowing all of a sudden.

"Hey, what's going on?" Spike asked. Sora was surprised himself. But then suddenly, his keyblade appeared in his hand, glowing too. Suddenly, the keyblade pointed at the Element of Magic, charging up a magical light at the tip. It then fired a ray at the tiara. As the ray touched, the Element began to glow brightly, and its magic suddenly surrounded Sora's keyblade with a magical magenta aura. Within just a few seconds, the keyblade and Element stopped glowing, much to their confusion.

"Uh... what just happened?" Spike asked.

"I don't know." Sora said, then looked back at his keyblade, which began to glow a magenta color, then pointed toward south. Both the boy and the dragon were a bit confused, but then Sora remembered. He remembered when his keyblade was able to detect the Keyholes to the Heart of Each World. It seems when the Element and Keyblade reacted to one another, the keyblade gained a new power, to track down the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. The boy smiled.

"Oh!" Sora said. "I get it! Twilight is connected to the Element of Magic. The Keyblade absorbed the magic from the Element of Magic, and now it's showing us where Twilight is going!"

"R... really?" Spike asked.

"I think so." Sora said. "It's a long shot, but I think it's our only chance."

"Well then, what are we waiting for!" Spike said. "Let's go find the others!"

"Yeah!" Sora said with a nod, and just like that, the two were off.

Soon, the group made their way to the Train station. Sora's friends were able to gather supplies from the market. A bagful of Potions, ethers (just in case), Elixirs and even the Hi and Mega brands too. While they were doing all that, the girls asked around town, hoping to see if anypony in the city spotted Twilight. But no such luck, they even tried speaking to some of the ponies that Twilight knew. But they didn't know, especially a certain yellowish grey unicorn with a red mane and glasses, who only spat in their face when she heard Twilight's name and closed the door in front of them.

But it wasn't a total waste though, as Rarity spoke with Fancy Pants, the light grey unicorn with the azure eyes and fancy mane, who told her that he did see her friend leaving town, but not taking the train. So that was something at least.

As the group rendezvoused at the Train Station, Spike and Sora joined them, who told them all how they can track Twilight down.

"So, wait, you're telling me that you can find Twilight... with this?!" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing at Sora's keyblade.

"Yeah." Sora said. "It just absorbed the Element's magic and pointed to where Twilight could be. It's almost as if the keyblade has a mind of its own."

"Well, it did let me wield it for a while, until it went back to Sora." Riku said.

"Well, now we have a way to track down Twilight." Pinkie Pie said.

"Speaking of which, did you ask around town?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, but not many ponies know where she is." Applejack said. "We even asked some pony with red hair and glasses if she knew where Twilight was, but she just hissed at us and slammed the door."

"She's probably somepony who doesn't like Twilight." Rarity said.

"There were some ponies who did spot her last night, but she didn't look like she was going to Ponyville though." Fluttershy said.

"That would be the first place she would expect us to look." Rainbow Dash said.

"Then we just follow her heart." Goofy said.

"Uh-huh!" Donald said.

"Yeah." Sora said. "Riku and the King followed Aqua's heart, and they found her. So, we'll follow Twilight's heart."

"May our hearts be our guiding key!" Pinkie Pie said with a smile, and all attention was right toward her. "What?"

"Where did you hear that from?" Mickey asked a bit surprised.

"Oh, Granny Pie!" Pinkie Pie said. "She told me the stories of the outside worlds and the old age of fairytales when I was growing up. She told me to always follow our hearts, and they will show us the way." Mickey, Donald, and Goofy stood there a bit stunned.

"Garsh." Goofy said. "I guess this world knows almost everything outside."

"But still, we should try and keep the order in case we run into someone who doesn't know, especially you." Donald said, shifting his look at Sora.

"Hey!" Sora said.

"Well, we better get going." Cadance said, then turned to Riku and Mickey. "Master Riku, King Mickey, I'm ready."

"Of course." Riku said. "Oh, and you can just call me Riku if you want."

"And you can just call me Mickey." The king said.

"Ok, Riku, and Mickey." The Princess of Love said with a nod. She then headed into the train cart, with Shining approaching the group. Seeing Cadance boarding the train, who shot a glare right at him, made him sigh.

"I hope things will work out between you two." Sora said to the stallion.

"It probably won't." Shining said. "Sora, please find my sister. Bring her home."

"I will, Captain." Sora said. "Just promise me that you'll make things right with her, ok?"

"I promise." Shining said.

"Can you Pinkie Promise?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Of course-" Shining said, only for the party pony to lean up to his face with a glare.

"You Pinkie Promise?" She asked, making the stallion back away a bit.

"Yes." He said as he did the movements. "I cross my heart, hope to fly, and stick a cupcake in my e-AAHH!" He accidently poked himself in the eye while it was opened! He winced a bit in pain as he rubbed his eye. The girls looked at him.

"Yep, he is Twilight's brother." Rainbow Dash said, remembering when Twilight poked herself in the eye while asked by Fluttershy to keep a secret. Donald only laughed at the misfortune, while Sora whacked him behind the head.

"Hey!" Donald shouted.

"Be nice." Sora said as the duck gave a groan.

"Well, we're off." Riku said, as Shining headed into the train cart. "You take care now."

"You too." Sora said. "And be careful up there, alright? And no reckless stunts. Don't want you to end up like with your fight against Roxas."

"No need to worry." Riku said. "Mickey will look out for me."

"I sure will." Mickey said. "You guys be careful out there and try not to be reckless yourself."

"I'm not that reckless." Sora said.

"Yeah, he just doesn't think, that's all." Donald said.

"But you're still a hot head though." Sora said, with the duck rolling his eyes.

"Don't worry, your majesty." Goofy said as he pulled the two into a hug. "I'll keep an eye on them."

"What about you?" Donald asked Goofy. "You're naïve and clueless!"

"That's true." Sora said. "But he can see things that we can't."

"I do?" Goofy asked, while Donald against tapped his foot, and Sora gave a smile.

"Good luck, fellas." Mickey said.

"Take care." Riku said as he and the king went onto the train.

"See you soon!" Sora said as he, Donald, Goofy, Spike, and the girls waved goodbye, seeing the train take off to the north.

"So, now what?" Spike asked.

"We find Twilight." Sora said, and he pointed his keyblade out, which gave a magenta glow, and pointed straight toward south.

"We just gotta head this way." Sora said. "Any towns down there that we can check?"

"Maybe she headed down Appleloosa." Applejack said. "Might be a good place to start."

"Then that's where we'll go." Sora said.

"Attention!" A speaker spoke from the intercom. "The train heading back to Ponyville and beyond is now arriving!" Then suddenly, another train, The Friendship Express, the nice classic train colored in pink approached the station and opened its doors as it stopped.

"Everybody ready?" Sora asked, looking back at the group.

"Yep!" The girls said, with Spike, Donald, and Goofy giving a nod. With that said, the boy looked at the train and nodded as well.

"Alright, here we go." Sora said as they all got onto the train. As everyone got on board, the train doors closed and left Canterlot. Everyone watched the town disappear behind them, ready to begin their search for Twilight. While the train disappeared, no one and no pony noticed the mysterious pony wearing a purple suit with a dark blue hat, watching the train leave...

Far from the castle nearly at the top of the mountain where the city was dangling from, the shadowy man in the black hood was watching from afar, along with Maleficent and Pete.

"Gosh, this place looks mighty pretty." Pete said. "You really sure you wanna destroy a lovely city like this?"

"Of course." Maleficent said. "This castle looks far too colorful for my standards. But pretty soon, I'll destroy this castle, and then rebuild it with my own personal touch of darkness."

"But before we do, we must deal with the Crystal Empire first." The man in black said. "For the empire's magic also affects the entire land. When the empire falls to darkness, the rest of Equestria won't stand a chance against us."

"Ok, but what's the plan?" Pete asked.

"While the Crystal Empire is back, so is the Unicorn King that was spoken about in the stories from long ago." The man said. "He is still trapped in that little frozen cell the Princesses placed him in. And we're gonna let him out."

"Let him out?" Pete asked.

"Absolutely." The man said. "We release King Sombra, he'll help us take over the Crystal Empire, and deal with the King and his bodyguard."

"And the stallion and Princess Cadenza as well." Maleficent said. "We cannot let that pink alicorn find the power source for the Crystal Empire."

"Alrighty then." Pete said. "This should be a snap. So, we gonna let him out?"

"Correction, you both are gonna let him out." The man said as he began to depart.

"Hey, where are you going?" Pete asked. "You said that you were gonna help us!"

"I am." The man said. "I'm going to do some recruiting."

"Recruiting?" Pete asked.

"Yes." The man said. "Even if the Empire falls into our hands, Canterlot will do whatever it takes to defend itself. So, I'm going to assemble some friends to help us, or any army so to speak. This land has some nasty creatures and ponies out here that hate this place. You might say that I'm good with... persuasion." Maleficent only smiled.

"Very well." The witch said, much to Pete's surprise. "You go invite some recruits for our army. We will go release the Shadow King."

"Oh, and one more thing." The cloaked man said. "What about the meddling keys?"

"The heartless have seeped into this world." Maleficent said. "They should keep them occupied."

"And if I happen to run into the boys?" The man asked.

"Do what is necessary." Maleficent said.

"Good... Very good." The man said. "Well, I'm off. I'll join you two soon!" With a friendly wave, he departed from the group to do his own thing, while Pete only looked on.

"Hmmm... I'm still skeptical about that guy." He spoke.

"No need to worry." Maleficent said. "He wants to help us, so we'll let him. Now, we must find King Sombra at once." Before leaving, Pete took one last look at the departing trains, especially the one with Riku and Mickey's group. Maleficent said that they mustn't find the Crystal Empire, especially the pink alicorn. Why her though?

"Say, you said we cannot let the pink unicorn with wings get to the Empire or find its power source?" Pete asked.

"Alicorn, you dupe." Maleficent said. "She is an alicorn. And yes, we cannot let her find the Empire's power."

"But why?" Pete asked. Maleficent turned her head and spoke.

"She is the descendent of Princess Amore." The witch said. The big guy then started thinking, and then gasped.

"Wait... what?!" He asked.

"Come." Maleficent said. "We are off." The witch the summoned a dark corridor to make it faster to the Frozen North. With a defeated sigh, the big lackey followed his mistress into the portal, while our heroes journeyed to find their lost friend, and save a crystal kingdom.

END OF ACT I

Author's Note

Secret Report #4

I followed Sora and his friends to Equestria, and I'm keeping a close eye on them. Apparently Princess Celestia's student Twilight Sparkle went missing, or probably ran away. I heard about the fiasco at the wedding, with the invasion and all that. Do I blame them? Not really. But now Sora and the king's trusted subjects Donald and Goofy are journeying with her friends to the south to find her, while Old King Mickey and his dear friend Riku, who is also Sora's best friend, head off to the Crystal Empire. and I'm following Sora close by, while trying to figure out how he's still alive.
This probably goes against my mission to save the fractured timeline, but it's my best shot to find out who is responsible for destroying the future. But I still wonder... how is Sora still here though? - S

Well that's the end of that chapter. Act 1 of the story is complete! Soon, we'll be moving on to Act 2, but it might be a while until I start posting chapters for it.

New Weapons gained!

Dream Shield C - a shield empowered by Princess Celestia's magic. It is said to use the powers of the sun, while granting amazing protection against magic!
ATK +7
MAG +0
Abilities: Magic Screen

Dream Rod L - a staff empowered by Princess Luna's magic. It is said to use the powers of the moon, as well as granting the wielder perfect magic boost!
ATK +6
MAG +8
Abilities: Magic Boost

Items Acquired:
Element of Magic - The sixth element of harmony, inside the tiara which Twilight wields when using the Elements.

Elemental Bracelets - special bracelets that allow the wearer to wield the magic in this world, but only a little bit. WARNING: These don't fully restore magical powers.

Lunar Charm - a magical charm that can allow the holder to contact Princess Luna. Good thing she isn't busy during the day.

Now, if you're wondering why it wasn't Sora who chastised the girls. Because that's not Sora's character. He's not the kind of person to hold a grudge. He's more forgiving and understanding. He was quite shocked and not happy with how the girls treated Twilight during the rehearsal and wedding planning, but he's not angry with them either. He knows that they were fooled and manipulated by the Changeling Queen. Sora is just too nice for his own good.

Also, the illusion of Young Xehanort, it's not Master Xehanort. It's what can be said, an illusion conjured by Sora's inner dilemma.

Also, I was listening to BlackGryph0n / Gabriel Brown's song Fighting Back, and I felt this was a good song. I know it's a Rainbow Dash song, but I thought it goes perfectly with Sora. Call me crazy if you will, but the song inspired me. Can't wait to see BlackGryph0n and Michelle Creber at BronyCon again!

Oh, and one more thing... Updates will probably take much longer than usual this time, because I'm a bit torn with how I want ACT II to go out. But don't worry, I'll figure it out.

The story is divided into five Acts, and the good news is that I already have Act III, IV, and V planned out and how they will work out.

In the meantime, I'll take this long period to work on my other story Hero-Quest Adventures: Jump Start, with the next chapter coming next month when I get back from BronyCon.

See you guys soon!

Chapter 07: Appleloosa

Chapter 07: Appleloosa!

ACT II: The Search Does Well

On the Pony Trail...

The train ride down to the south took almost the whole day, with the sun was just setting above the horizon. The train has made a couple of stops before making it to it's destination, such as Ponyville, and Gnasty Gorge. But despite the stops, the train managed to make it's way to the only town that's down south. Appleloosa!

It's like the wild west. Actually, it is the wild west. As Sora and company departed the train, the boy and his two friends looked with astonishment. The whole town was similar to towns that are in the old west from long ago. The town includes a nice saloon called the Salt Block, a red colored clock tower, a stage for musical performances, and acres of apple orchard, along with the finest comforts like horse-drawn carriages, wild west dances, even mild west dances.

"Wow... what a nice settlement." Sora said.

"Looks like the wild west out here." Goofy said.

"Looks like it?" Donald asked. "It is the wild west!"

"C'mon y'all." Applejack said, stepping off the station towards the town. "Let's go around town and start searching."

"Searching for what?" Pinkie Pie asked, hopping as the girl's followed.

"For Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said.

"I know that." Pinkie Pie said. "I meant what else are we searching for?" Rainbow Dash only gave a sigh as they made their way to town, passing a few Earth ponies passing through. In fact, almost the entire population of Appleloosa is made up of Earth ponies.

"Hmm..." Applejack said as she scanned the town, as if she was looking for somepony.

"What's up?" Sora asked.

"That's strange, I was expecting Braeburn to show up." Applejack said.

"Braeburn?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy asked.

"Hey There!" A face appeared in front of the three, making them tumble backwards and onto the ground. Sora was the first to lift his head up, to see light gold earth pony with brilliant pistachio eyes. His mane and tail was brilliant gamboge with brilliant amber highlights. He wore a nice light grey leather stitched vest, and his cutie mark was of a red apple, with an acoustic guitar behind it. And he had a big grin on his face. Not as big as the ones Pinkie Pie makes, but big enough.

"Howdy gents!" He said. "And welcome to A-A-A-A-ppleloosa!"

"Um... thanks?" Sora said as he got up, while Donald rubbed his head. "And you are?"

"The name's Braeburn, sir!" The stallion said with a happy smile. "It's a mighty pleasure to meet new folks."

"Oh yeah, this guy." Rainbow Dash said unamused.

"Um, Braeburn." Applejack said as she stepped forward. "We-"

"Good to see you too, Cousin Applejack and friends!" Braeburn said. "Are these three new friends of yours?"

"Well yes... and no... but-" Applejack said.

"Well you should've introduced them!" Braeburn said, not shying away his smile. "They look like nice people, regardless of what they are. Tell me fellas', what's your name?"

"I'm Sora." The boy said as he got up. "This is Donald and Goofy."

"Hello." Donald said.

"Howdy." Goofy said.

"Howdy indeed!" Braeburn said as he took Sora's hand and shook it rapidly. "It's real nice to meet friends of Cousin Applejack. Any friend of hers is a friend of mine too!" He then let go of Sora's hand, though the boy's hand continue to shake, much like Twilight's hoof was when Applejack shook hers. Luckily, Donald grabbed the boy's hand, making it stop shaking.

"Thanks." Sora said.

"Don't mention it." Donald siad.

"Braeburn, we don't have time for silliness." Applejack said.

"Your right, cuz." Braeburn said. "Because I got a lot to show your three buddies."

"A lot of what?" Goofy askd.

"The pleasures and wonders of... A-A-A-A-ppleloosa!" Braeburn said. Before the three knew it, the stallion earth pony pulled them in and took them on a tour. "According to history, we settler ponies built this entire town in just one year. And as you can see, we have all of the finest comforts. Like horse-drawn carriages, horse-drawn horse-drawn carriages. And we have our local waterin' hole, the Salt Block."

-CRASH-

The Sound of glass shattering when a local stallion was thrown out the window into the stack of hay by the bartender, Morton Saltworthy.

"I said that's enough salt for you!" Morton shouted before closing the doors. "Now don't come back, Ol' Salt!"

"I just wanted some more cider!" Ol' Salt said.

"Garsh..." Goofy said as Sora and Donald nodded, witnessing what just happened, just before Braeburn pulled them way to the next building.

"Over there is the office of Sheriff Silverstar." Braeburn said, pointing to the sheriff's building, showing the sheriff outside on the chair, snoozing a bit. "And over there is where we have our wild west dances! And here's where we have our mild west dances." He showed them the buildings where they have their wild west and mild west dances.

"Mild?" The trio asked.

"And here is the most wonderful sight in all of A-A-A-A-ppleloosa!" Braeburn continued, showing them the next sight. "Our Apple Orchard!" There, the three saw what the stalion was showing them. A vast field full of trees, with apples on them. All kinds of apple trees were growing down here.

"Wow... that's beautiful." Sora said.

"Yep, and it'll be harvest time soon when the late summer and fall comes around." Braeburn said.

"Braeburn..." Applejack said.

"Nice that the buffalos allowed us to have our trees here too." Braeburn said, not hearing Applejack call his name.

"Braeburn..." Applejack said, getting annoyed.

"Oh speaking of which, Applejack and her friends-" Braeburn said.

"BRAEBURN!" Applejack shouted, making the stallion turn to her.

"Yes, cuz?" Braeburn asked with a smile.

"We know that you have a nice town and all, but we're not here for sight-seein'." Applejack said. "We were wondering if you saw our friend Twilight."

"Twilight?" Braeburn asked. "Twilight who?"

"Twilight Sparkle." Applejack said. Braeburn tilted his head, still not remembering.

"She's the purple unicorn friend of ours." Applejack said.

"Oh, the one who has the pet dragon?" Braeburn asked.

"Hey, I'm not a pet." Spike said, emerging from behind Rarity.

"Right, but yes, that's the one." Applejack said. "We were wondering if you saw her around town recently. Have you?" Braeburn began to think, but shook his head.

"Nope." Braeburn said. "I haven't seen her. And I never forget a face, especially one that ugly." His hoof pointed right at Donald, who almost quacked in surprise.

"That's it, I wanna burn his mouth off." Donald said as he pulled his staff out.

"No!" Sora said as he and Goofy held him back.

"Darn, she's not here." Rainbow Dash said.

"Why would you guys be lookin' for her?" Braeburn asked. "Isn't she always with you girls?"

"Yeah, but... um..." Applejack said. "She ran away."

"Ran away?!" Braeburn asked, his smile faded to a face of complete shock. "Ran away from what?"

"From them, of course." Donald said, pointing at the five mares.

"Donald!" Sora and Goofy said annoyed, much to the duck's surprise.

"Well, it's true!" Donald said.

"No, he's right." Applejack said, lowing her head. "Twilight ran away because of us."

"Because of you girls?" Braeburn asked. "Why? Applejack, what did you do to make her run away?"

"It's a long story." Sora said, then looked at the girls, all of them still feeling the sting of guilt.

"I'll explain it." Applejack said. And then she told her cousin the whole story. About the royal wedding, how Twilight's older brother Shining Armor was to be married to Princess Cadance. Braeburn was quite shocked that her friend's brother was captain of the Royal Guard. She then explained how Twilight knew that Cadance was not acting all right, and she tried to tell them, but no pony listened. So when she tried to bring her case and expose her, they still didn't listen, and the captain expelled her from the wedding, and went to comfort his "bride" and her friends followed suit, even the Princess.

The "bride", however, was actually the Changeling Queen in disguise and sent her down below the castle into the crystal caverns. Luckily, Twilight found the real Cadance and they managed to escape. They crashed the wedding and exposed the imposter, who laid siege upon Canterlot. The girls tried to stop them with the Elements, but they didn't work because of their betrayal to Twilight. Luckily, Shining and Cadance were able to blast the changelings and their queen away. But their victory was short lived when Twilight grew cold towards them and ended their friendship, and even kicked her own brother and shot at the princess herself. Braeburn gasped.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Braeburn said. "She actually shot the Princess?"

"Braeburn, Shhh!" Applejack said as she hushed her cousin. "Don't shout like that."

"Sorry." Braeburn said. "Please continue."

"As I was saying." Applejack said. "Then Twilight just ran off and disappeared, and that was the last time we saw her."

"Gosh dolly." Braeburn said, surprised and a bit saddened by what he heard. "I don't know what to say, except for this though." He then lifted his hoof up and swat Applejack's hat down over her face, almost blinding her.

"Hey!" Applejack said as she pulled her hat up to see.

"Sorry, cuz." Braeburn said, showing a bit of aggression, though his expression wasn't anger. "What were you thinkin'?! Siding with some fake bride you didn't even know when your friend was trying to protect you guys?!

"We didn't know, alright?" Applejack said. "Plus, Twilight was making a scene of it and it was hard for us to believe her."

"It doesn't matter if she's making a scene or not." Braeburn said. "You should always take a friend's concerns seriously. I thought you learned that." The farmpony was about to speak, but she stopped herself. He was right. She should've taken Twilight's concerns seriously. But she didn't.

"You're right, Braeburn." Applejack said, feeling the guilt once more. "We should've taken her seriously. We forgot to remember that. We were so caught up in our stupid weddin' plannin' to even remember. We let her down. I let her down." She lowered her head in shame, but she felt a hoof lift her chin up, making her look at her cousin.

"Hey, don't beat yourself so hard, cuz." Braeburn said. "If anything, you all were played by that ugly bug's masquerade, so you're not entirely to blame here."

"But we bucked up, Braeburn!" Applejack said, unable to keep her emotions back. "We promised Twilight that we would take her worries seriously if something was bothering her, or if something was wrong! But I broke that promise! I forgot the lesson we learned! ...I failed Twilight."

"It wasn't just you, dear." Rarity said. "We all failed her. We all forgot to take her concerns seriously."

"Yes, you guys did forget." Braeburn said. "But so does everypony else. Sometimes we all forget the lessons that we've learned growing up and making friends. But that doesn't mean you forget them completely. You all realized your mistake, right?"

"Yes." Applejack said.

"And you want to make things right?" Braeburn asked.

"Of course we do." Applejack said. "More than anything."

"Then you fix the problem and make things right." Braeburn said. Applejack looked at her cousin and gave a weak smile. He was right. They still had a chance to make things right with her.

"Thanks, cuz." Applejack said. "I'm sure lucky to have a cousin like you."

"Well I'm lucky to have a cousin like you too, cuz." Braeburn said as he hugged the farmpony tightly, who returned one back.

"Say cousin, is there any chance you and the townsfolk can help us find her?" Applejack asked.

"Sure we can." Braeburn said. "We just got done setting up for the Appleloosa Rodeo, so we got time to help out." The farmpony' eyes widened up.

"The Appleloosa Rodeo is Today?!" Applejack asked. "Gosh, I forgot that was going on."

"Yep, it's gonna be a big one this year." Braeburn said. "And hopefully nothing goes wrong."

-BOOM!-

The sound made the area rumble a bit, almost making everyone lose their balance.

"Garsh, what was that?" Goofy asked.

"Sounded like an explosion." Sora said.

"It came from town!" Braeburn said. "C'mon!" Within a second, the group ran and galloped their way back to the center of town. Looking for the source of the sound, Pinkie Pie noticed one of the buildings was smoking from the inside.

"I think it came from inside there!" Pinkie Pie said, pointing forward.

"Oh No!" Braeburn said. "It's the Appleloosa History Museum!"

"C'mon girls!" Applejack said, and the group rushed toward the museum.

"Stop!" a voice said from inside the building. "You are under arrest! Don't you dare shoot-!

-BOOM!-

Another blast came from inside the small museum, making the ponies, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Spike back off and shield themselves in case any small debris would come out. The only thing flying out was a earth pony stallion, who landed on his back, in a dazed state. The earth pony was middle age at the least. His eyes were a light azure, his coat was grayish amber, and his mane and tail was dark amber brown. He wore a black cowboy hat, and a moderate blue vest with an amaranth colored ascot. He born a nice mustache and his cutie mark was a silver sheriff star.

"Sheriff Silverstar!" Braeburn said as he rushed to the sheriff. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... he shot me..." Sheriff Silverstar said as Braeburn helped him up. The girls, Spike, and the boys rushed over.

"Who did this to you?" Sora asked.

"He did." Sheriff Silverstar said, pointing forward. They turned to see who he was pointing at, and they saw a mysterious figure coming out of the smoking museum. As he emerged, Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked a bit confused, but the girls and Spike, they're eyes widened with shock, though Rainbow Dash's reaction was 20% more than that.

"Wait... what?" Applejack asked.

"But... how?" Rarity asked.

"You....!" Rainbow Dash hissed. The mysterious figure they were staring at was a cloaked pony. But it wasn't any cloaked pony. It was a pony dressed in a dark blue suit, with a dark blue cape, and dark indigo sports tape around his hooves. He wore another suit over him, a more purple colored one, though there was a blue M on the front of it. He also wore a purple hat, over his light blue eyes, with pale cornflower blue pupils.

"Mare Do Well?!" Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Fluttershy asked.

"Mare Do Well...!" Rainbow Dash said with a hiss.

"Wait, you guys know this fella?" Braeburn asked.

"Huh?" Sora asked. "Who?"

"It's a pony we made up." Applejack said.

"Made up?" Donald and Goofy asked.

"Yeah, it was a while back." Applejack said. "When Rainbow Dash was getting recognized for her hero status."

"When Rainbow Dash was bragging about being a hero and was getting wrapped up into her fame, we created Mare Do Well to teach Rainbow Dash about grace and humility, and not to act with selfish arrogance." Rarity said.

"Yeah, me, Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy posed as her!" Pinkie Pie said. "I used my Pinkie Sense to save construction workers, Fluttershy did some fly-bying, Twilight fixed a dam, and Rarity made the costumes!"

"But we got rid of the costume, didn't we?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm sure we did, darling." Rarity said. Rainbow Dash was the first to step forward to face this mysterious Mare Do Well.

"Alright, Mare Do Not!" Rainbow Dash said. "What's the big idea, blowing up a museum?!" The masked pony said nothing.

"C'mon, answer us!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew in to strike. Suddenly, the masked pony pulled out a shovel and then whacked Rainbow Dash with it in the face, sending her flying back into the pile of barrels.

"Rainbow!" Applejack and the girls called out. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were much surprised by this. The boy turned back to Mare Do Well and summoned his keyblade.

"That's it!" Sora shouted as he charged forward to strike again. But then suddenly, puffs of smoke appeared between him and Mare Do Well, making him stop in place. From the smoke emerged Heartless! The Heartless that were present were humanoid muscular heartless with grey skin and yellow eyes. They had a lightning-shaped beard. They wore black armor with blue highlights and the heartless insignia was on the chest plates, alongside a short skit and twin gauntlets. Their shoulders had twin pauldrons with yellow spikes and white wings, and their feet were shaped like goat hooves. The helmets they wore had two horns jutting out of each one!

They were Satyr Heartless, named mostly because they're like satyrs, which are half-man and half goat species mentioned in Greek Mythology.

"Oh great, more heartless!" Sora said, as Donald and Goofy rushed up to help. Mare Do Well took a glance at the monsters in a bit of confusion, showing that he didn't summon them. Seeing this as an opportunity to escape, he rushed away, though it didn't go unnoticed by Sora.

"Wait!" He called out, but Mare Do Well disappeared quickly.

"Sora!" Donald said, getting his attention. "We have to deal with the Heartless!"

"Oh, right!" Sora said as he got back into his stance, and the nine Satyrs stood there for a few short seconds. Suddenly, their helmets were lowered, covering their faces. The three stood there surprised.

"Uh oh." Sora said.

"Why uh oh?" Braeburn asked. Suddenly, the helmet eyes began to glow, and metal armor covered their bodies. Instantly, the Satyrs lowered themselves a bit.

"RUN!" Sora shouted towards the ponies.

"Why?" Rainbow Dash asked. Then the Satyrs charged forward in a rampaging speed, smashing the barrels on the side of the road!

"That's Why!" Donald shouted.

"Everybody Out Of The Way!" Goofy shouted as he and Donald took cover, while Sora pushed Rainbow Dash out of the way. Applejack pulled Rarity and Fluttershy away, while Pinkie Pie just stood there.

"Wait!" Pinkie Pie said. "They probably just want a hug!" The Satyrs kept charging towards the party pony, who was beginning to realize that they were not wanting a hug.

"Uh Oh..." Pinkie Pie said. With a loud scream she bounced away while the Satyrs launched themselves all over, smashing everything in their path. They began to burst into the buildings, trample over the haystacks, and also began wrecking the stuff for the Appleloosa Rodeo, trashing all the hard work in the process.

"They're ripping the town apart!" A pony shouted as dozens of them ran for it, except for a lone filly, who was amazed by the Satys' looks.

"Cool!" He said as his mother galloped forward and pulled him out of the way of the charging herd. Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped out of their hiding spots and looked around, seeing the destruction.

"Oh no!" Sora said. "We have to stop them before the town's completely gone!"

"But how?!" Donald asked. "They'll hurl us out of the way!" Goofy then looked at his shield, the new one that Princess Celestia had given him.

"Fellas, I got a crazy idea!" Goofy said. "How about Trinity Guard?" The two caught on to what he meant.

"Oh, Right!" Sora said. "We'll use that!"

"Of course!" Donald said as the group rushed into the middle of the road, with Goofy giving a whistle.

"Hey, Heartless!" Goofy called out, with all of them turning their heads to see, even the ones inside the Salt Block. They all saw Goofy waving his hand, with Sora and Donald making faces at them. The Satyrs looked at each other and then rushed towards them in a massive group head first.

"Ok, get behind me!" Goofy said as he raised his shield up. The boy and royal wizard got behind him, and they waited as the Satyrs kept running towards them, while the mane five and Spike looked up from their hiding spots to see the three going against the many heartless.

"Steady..." Sora said, as they got closer.

"Steady...." The Satyrs were just a few feet away.

"Ok, Now!" Sora shouted, and all of them together, the three pushed as Goofy's shield began to glow with a radiant yellow glow, covering all three of them in a magical surge. They charged forward towards the Satyrs, and with a mighty flash, the trio were unharmed, while the heartless were blown away by the powerful force, their helmets and metallic armor shattering as the shield struck them hard.

"Yes!" Sora said. "Now's our chance!"

"Attack!" Donald shouted as the three friends charged forward.

"STRIKE!" Sora called out as he charged forward into the middle of the herd, his keyblade forward. He then performed a somersault out of the way while throwing his keyblade like a boomerang, striking multiple enemies with his Reversal Raid attack, while Goofy jumped onto his shield and slid across the floor with his Goofy Turbo, attacking enemies in his path, and Donald, aimed his staff, and managed to unleash his Aqua Splash spell, spraying melted ice around him at the heartless. It wasn't as strong, but thanks to the charm Luna placed on the staff, it was enough to do something. Seeing the trio fight made the girls come out of their spots.

"C'mon, Let's Go!" Rainbow Dash called out as she flew in to help out, with Applejack and the others following, though Fluttershy was a bit reluctant. Rainbow Dash flew in and struck the Satyrs from behind with her Rainbow Zip Dash, while Applejack summoned her lasso and managed to get lasso up some heartless together and bucked them in the heads. A Satyr leaped over to Fluttershy, who ducked to the ground, while Spike jumped up and breathed out a breath of fire, burning the heartless to a crisp. Rarity just did what she'd do whenever someone would attack her, she just slapped the heartless satyrs in the face, pretty hard. And of course Pinkie Pie, she just threw multiple cupcakes as the heartless, covering them in frosting and blinding them, allowing the others to attack. After so many slashes, bonks, slaps, and bashes, bucking, and of course cake throwing, the heartless all disappeared all together, with hearts releasing and disappearing into the air. All of them were gone, leaving just the Trinity Trio, and of course the Mane Five and Spike the last ones standing.

"Got 'em!" Sora called out, while Donald, Goofy, and everyone else began to cheer.

"Hurray!" Donald called out.

"Is everyone ok?" Sora asked, looking back at the group.

"Yup, we're good." Applejack said.

"20% More Good!" Rainbow Dash said as she hoof bumped Applejack.

"Wow, that was some mighty fightin' there!" Braeburn called out as he and Sheriff Silverstar approached the group.

"Gentlecolts, thanks for yer help." The Sheriff said.

"No problem." Sora said. "Wait, don't you mean Gentlemen?"

"It's probably for Stallions and Colts." Goofy said.

"Oh, that makes sense." Sora said.

"Now let's go check out the Museum." Braeburn said. "That cloaked pony better not had taken the valuable stuff in there." Nodding in agreement, the group made their way to the Appleloosa History Museum. Going inside the building, there was a lot of broken glass on the floor, along with some broken wood from the ceiling. But luckily, the glass containers and the items inside were not harmed, so it looked like nothing was stolen.

"This place looks like a mess." Sheriff Silverstar said. "But at least all the displays and treasures are intact. Hopefully that masked pony didn't steal anything." Sora glanced back at the doorway, and started thinking. Come to think about it, that Mare Do Well was carrying what appeared to be a shovel or some sort.

"Wait... wasn't that Mare Do Well carrying a shovel?" Sora asked.

"Shovel?" Applejack asked, only for Braeburn to gasp.

"Shovel?!" Braeburn asked. "Oh No!" He glanced towards the end of the left side of the room, and saw a glass container hung up on the wall, shattered to bits, with nothing inside it.

"It's Gone!" Braeburn shouted.

"Dag Nabbit!" Sheriff Silverstar spoke. "That Mare Pony stolen the town's most valuable treasure! So much for keeping it safe and sound."

"What was stolen?" Goofy asked.

"The Shovel of Rockhoof!" Braeburn spoke, making Applejack's eyes widened up with shock and disbelief.

"Wait, you mean Rockhoof?!" Applejack asked. "The Rockhoof?! The Rockhoof who saved his village from a Volcanic Overflow?! That Rockhoof?!"

"Same one!" Braeburn said. "You seem to know him well cousin."

"Of course I do, he was one of the Heroes of Old Equestria!" Applejack said. "My pa used to tell me that story all the time! But wait, wasn't Rockhoof's shovel left at an archaeological dig at his old island home?"

"Well it was." Braeburn said. "But the volcano the village was located at had a little burst from the side, and the items were transported here ...in A-A-Appleloosa!" The continued shout made Donald cringe in annoyance. He was ready to lift his staff to whack the stallion, only for Sora to whack him behind the head.

"Ow!" Donald said.

"Don't even think about it." Sora said as he shook his head.

"Sheriff!" A mare pony with orange hair called out from outside. "Look at the town!" Hearing their mare's plea, the group the came out of the Museum and saw the entire town completely in ruins. There was a lot of bent up buildings, busted windows, hay all over the road, even the area for the Rodeo was destroyed, all thanks to the Heartless.

"Wow... what a mess." Sora said.

"Garsh, and the town looked so lovely." Goofy said.

"Darn..." Braeburn said, saddened by the sight. "It took us a whole year to set up this wonderful town, and now it's... it's gone."

"It's gonna take us some time to get it back up on it's feet." Sheriff Silverstar said.

"But what about the Rodeo?" Applejack asked.

"I guess we're gonna have to cancel the Rodeo..." Braeburn said a bit disappointed.

"No way!" Sheriff Silverstar said. "No way in Tartarus are we canceling the Rodeo!"

"But Sheriff, look at the town!" Braeburn said. "It's a mess! It's gonna take weeks, maybe a month to get things working again." The sheriff looked at the town, seeing it all a mess. Braeburn is right. The town is a big mess, and there's no way they'll get it all done before the Rodeo starts. He let out a defeated sigh.

"Actually, it won't take that long." The two stallions turned to see Sora approached the two. "We'll help you get the town back into shape."

"We won't be able to get it done in one day, son." Sheriff Silverstar said.

"We can, if we work together." Sora said. "We were able to get a festival ready in one day, so we'll get this rodeo ready and the town back up in no time!"

"Uh-Huh!" Donald said as Goofy gave a nod.

"We'll help, too." Applejack said, as the girls gave nods of agreement.

"We'll all help!" a voice spoke from behind the sheriff. Turning back around, he saw the townsfolk all ready to help out too. The sheriff looked at the group of ponies and the three boys, and gave a smile. The boy was right. If they work together, they can get the town fixed up just in time for the rodeo!

"Alright, we got a town to fix!" He said, as the ponies gave a cheer.

"C'mon everypony!" Applejack called out. "Let's Raise This Barn!" And like that, Applejack began to sang as she, the ponies and their friends got to work, many of them grabbing wood, lifting them up together to put and rebuild the houses that were tarnished from the attack, many ponies collecting screws and hammers to hammer down and keep the wood up and together.

Yee-hoo!

Raise this barn, raise this barn

One, two, three, four

Together, we can raise this barn

One, two, three, four

Up, up, up, go the beams

Hammer those joints, work in teams

Turn 'em round quick by the right elbow

Grab a new partner, here we go

Then suddenly as one house was fixed, the ponies grabbed a partner and began to dance together in a hoedown fashion. A little surprised, Sora, Donald, and Goofy joined then fun while Applejack played on the fiddle. With the wood pieced together, the stallions and mares went to one side and pulled the attached wood together with rope, while ponies on the other side lifted the wood up so it could be pulled upward. As it reached the top of the building, some worker ponies hopped up and began nailing the top so the building can stick together, while other ponies began to saw some wood for more pieces to reconstruct the town. Thankfully they have a huge orchard of apple trees for the wood.

Raise this barn, raise this barn

One, two, three, four

Together, we can raise this barn

One, two, three, four

Finish the frame, recycling wood

Workin' hard, you're doin' good

Turn 'em round quick by the right elbow

Grab a new partner, here we go

Whoo-whee!

Raise this barn, oh, raise this barn

One, two, three, four

Together, we can raise this barn

One, two, three, four

Slats of wood come off the ground

Hold 'em up and nail 'em down

Turn 'em round quick by the left elbow

Grab a new partner, here we go

The crowd of ponies began to cheer and dance as they continued to work, which surprised Sora, Donald and Goofy greatly. The town was almost half done with being restored!

"Garsh, this really is taking no time at all." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Sora said. "I'm surprised myself."

"Surprised?" Donald asked "You mean you didn't think we'd actually get it done fast?"

"No, I did." Sora said. "I knew we would get it done quick, but surprisingly not this quick."

"Well, I guess that's because they're all one big happy family." Goofy said. "And you know what they say, you don't have to be related to each other to be family." Suddenly, Applejack pulled Sora away from the group, and the two began to dance together.

"Yee-How!" Applejack said as the two danced together. "Show 'em what you got, buddy boy!"

"Alright then!" Sora said as he got on top of one of the barrels with one hand and began to spin around, getting cheers and applause from the ponies.

Look at us, we're family

Workin' together thankfully

We Apples, weare proud to say

Stick togetherthe pony way

Bow to your partner, circle right

Get down if you're scared of heights

Forward back and twirl around

That barn's gonna be the best in town

Pretty soon, with the Salt Block fixed up, Sora jumped onto one of the cows and rode it down to the Clock tower, and began tossing planks and tools to the ponies as they began construction on the tower, managing to build it up back to it's former glory, and fixed the clock in time for it to ring for the exact time.

"Oh Boy!" Donald cheered as he and Goofy circled around in a dance, while Spike was playing the harmonica. Applejack and Sora, and the rest of the mane five were lifting buckets of paint, placing them down one by one as the ponies grabbed brushes and began to paint the tower and the rest of the town's buildings, giving all of Appleloosa a new coat of beautiful paint!

Raise this barn, raise this barn

One, two, three, four

Together, we can raise this barn

One, two, three, four

Take your brushes, young and old

Together, paint it, bright and bold

Turn 'em round quick by the left elbow

Grab a new partner, here we go

Pretty soon, the entire town was in perfect shape, and the ponies were overjoyed that they continued dancing and singing while one of the mares with a cowgirl hat continued to play the fiddle! Soon the music began to slow down a bit and everyone continued to sing.

We raised this barn, we raised this barn

Yes, we did

Together we sure raised this barn

Yes, we did

Being together counts the most

We all came here from coast to coast

All we need to strive to be

Author's Note

Welp, that's it for this chapter.
Made a little reference from the Grinch movie (the Jim Carrey one) with the voice mail thing. Found it funny.
I've added Raise this Barn, which I feel is the theme song for Applejack and the entire Apple Family. In the show, they singing the song while putting the barn back up, but in this story, the ponies are putting the town back together again. But hey, you don't need to be related by blood to be family. Friends, either faraway or close, are also family too! The lighter font is for everyone singing.
The Pillars of Equestria don't play much of a role in this story, but their talismans do though. So now, not only Sora has to find Twilight, but also make sure the other Talismans are safe. I know their locations are revealed in the season 7 finale Shadow Play, but I placed them in different locations so they would fit into the story.
I like the Wayfinder Trio (Terra, Aqua, and Ventus), so I figured I'd give them some moments in the story. As for the Sea-Salt Trio... I have an idea for that too.
The hooded man has now recruited Garble and his Dragon chumps to his cause. What are his intentions? That's a secret!
Anyway, sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Took some time away from the story and worked on it little by little. Doesn't look like I'll get ACT II done before the final three episodes of MLP: FiM airs, which is pretty much a two part finale and an epilogue that airs on the same day. And the story probably won't be completed until sometime in 2020. Goal is to get it done around the 10th Anniversary of Friendship Is Magic.
I've written chapters simultaneously so hopefully the later chapters of the Act won't be a long wait.
Anyway, hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far. Sorry for the long wait on the chapters. But don't worry. I will get this story done. I want to get this story done! This I Swear!
Please comment if you wish. Say nice things please.

Chapter 08: Little Manehatten

It was almost nighttime when the train arrived at it's next destination. The keyblade guided them to where Twilight could be next, and it led them straight towards Manehatten, one of the biggest cities in all of Equestria. The city itself is pretty much the size of San Fransokyo, one of the many worlds that Sora and his friends had visited before. Manehatten was a bit different actually, since it resided on the eastern coast of Equestria, connected by a long railroad bridge! The city of Manehatten, nicknamed the Big Apple by Applejack and her family, is best known for it's amazing details and sights, such as the Crystaller Building, the tallest skyscraper with the top being the head of a pony, the Statue of Filly Liberty, which was a green statue of a mare holding a torch, and of course, the Bridleway District, the city's central square that consists of broadway performances, and it's the area that Sora and co. were lookin at.

Sora was wondering around the town, amazed by the lights and the sights the city had to offer. While San Fransokyo was the first big city he has ever seen, he has never seen another city as big as this one! A smile was all over his face as he went from left to right, and kept giving words of awe as he scanned the area.

"Wow!" Sora called out. "Look at this city. It's so... big!"

"Garsh, he seems excited." Goofy said.

"Well, he's not the only one." Donald said, pointing straight at Rarity, who was pretty much excited herself, wondering the huge city of Manehatten. Given that she's a unicorn who likes to make beautiful dresses, she is no stranger to some of the dazzling places of Equestria, such as Manehatten.

"This place is beautiful!" Rarity said as she looked around. "I've always wanted to come all the way out here. The gigantic buildings, the fancy shops, and of course the theaters!" Suddenly, she was pulled by the tail by Applejack.

"Now Rares, we're not here to sight see." Applejack said. "We're here to find Twilight, remember?"

"Oh, yes of course." Rarity said, straightening her mane, remembering their purpose for being here. "But this place is really big, and far more bigger than Canterlot. It'll take all day to find Twilight."

"If she's here." Rainbow Dash said, hovering past the two. Pinkie Pie was hopping up and down the street, until something caught her eye. She zoomed up to one of the buildings, which was revealed to be a toy store! Her eyes widened up and her smile grew even bigger, seeing all the huge stuffed animals inside, ranging from elephant, monkeys, lions, and giraffes!

"Oh my gosh!" Pinkie Pie said. "Look at the size of those toys in there!" Fluttershy looked from the window along with Spike, seeing the toys.

"Oh my, those are pretty big toys." Fluttershy said. Suddenly, the two heard some grunting. Back with Sora, he looked up at the crosswalk, seeing the massive screens and posters that hung on the buildings. He kept smiling as he saw them.

"Wow... this place is awesome!" Sora called out. He then turned around and pulled out his phone, trying to type in a number.

"Whatcha doin' there?" Goofy asked.

"I'm calling Riku." Sora said. "I gotta tell him how amazing this place is."

"But we just got here." Goofy said. "We didn't even check any of the shops yet." Donald only rolled his eyes.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Sora asked as he put his phone away. "Let's go check it out!" He then was about to bolt to check out more of the city, until he was halted by a magical aura, colored in light cornflower blue.

"Not so fast, darling." Rarity said, showing her horn was glowing, and she was using her magic to keep him from running off. "You can't just run off. This is a big city, and you could easily get lost. We should check out surroundings first." The boy then understood what she was telling him. This was unfamiliar territory, and with it being a big city, it can be easy to get lost here without a map.

"Oh, right." Sora said with a nod. "Sorry about that."

"But don't worry." Rarity said. "Let's take this moment and take a good time to explore the city. Just remember, don't be afraid to show generosity to everyone around you."

"Ok." Sora said. "I'm good with being generous." Suddenly, music began to pick up and start playing, much to Donald's notice.

"Um... where's the music coming from?" Donald asked.

"I think this is one of those cities where people go out on the streets and sing." Goofy said.

"What?!" Donald asked. "Who does that?!" Suddenly, Rarity appears before the boys, but her sight was drawn to the wonders of Manehatten.

Oh, Manehattan, what you do to me

Such a huge bustling community

And there's always opportunity

To do the friendly thing

As Rarity turned her head, she noticed that Spike was feeling a bit grouchy. She turned once more to see a carrot dog stand, which sold carrots on a bun with mustard on top. She bought one and then gave it to Spike, who happily accepted it, only for it to be taken by a flying bird.

If some are grouchy, pay no mind

Surprise instead with something kind

Lo and behold, you may just find

A smile is what you bring

The group made their way to the ferry, the boat which carries citizens and travelers to see the Statue of Filly Liberty.

"Welcome to the ferry!" One of the boat workers said. "Please, step inside to see the wonderful statue."

"Of course, sir." Rarity said as she gave a gem to the worker.

"Oh my!" He said as he examined the gem. "Allow me to give you change."

"Do keep it all." Rarity said as she placed the gem into the stallion's pocket. "I insist." The worker gave a tip of his hat to Rarity and the group as they got onto the boat to see the Statue of Filly Liberty, amazed by it's grand structure.

Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can give

Generosity, I'm here to set the bar

Just sit back and watch how I live

Soon after the boat ride, the group made their way towards the deeper part of town, where some of the citizens were acting a bit moody today, probably because they were late for work, or blaming each other for an accident.

Some may say, "Rarity,

Don't be so big-hearted and bold

Treating strangers like they're friends

This town's too big and cold"

Suddenly, Rarity bumped into one of the stallions dressed in a fedora and suit. He turned around and gave a mean stare at the fashionista. But Rarity didn't feel threatened, knowing that he just needs a good pick me up to get in a better mood. She then took a flower from the flower cart, paid the flower owner a nice gemstones, and placed the flower on the stallion's fedora, much to his surprise. A kind smile formed on his face.

"Oh, thank you." The stallion said, feeling a bit more chirpy now.

"Just showing some generosity." Rarity said with a wink

But this is how I play my cards

I'm not about to fold

Where I see a frown, I go to town

Call me the smile patrol

Suddenly, the group came across a wagon that had broken down. No doubt there was an accident, as the driver, the passenger and another pony were arguing. Taking everything they learned from Rarity's generosity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie rushed in to help them, as Sora, Donald, and Goofy helped fix the wagon. With the wagon better, everyone was now happier, thanks to their generosity.

Oh, Manehattan, what you do to us

What if you find a Gloomy Gus?

It's no intimidatin' thing

Just be kind without a fuss

Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can do

Generosity, you are the key

Manehattan, I'm here just for you

Just for you!

Sometime have passed since the group had tour much of the city, though there were some parts that they haven't explored just yet. But they seemed to be more familiar of the city now. So now it was the time to stop sight seeing and find Twilight.

"So, where do we start looking for Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"This is a pretty big city." Fluttershy said. "She could be anywhere... alone... cold... hungry..." The butter colored Pegasus began to whimper as she thought of Twilight being alone and hungry.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy." Pinkie Pie said. "I'm sure she's fine, though there is a good chance she could be alone, cold, and hungry. Oh, maybe she's with those bad ponies who go out and attack other ponies! Or maybe she's been abducted and forced to do things with stallions against her will! Oh, or maybe she committed a crime such as robbing a store or bank, and now she's locked up in a prison ward! Never To Be Heard From Agaaaain!!!" As the party pony began to ramble on and end with a shout and her eyes facing in opposite directions, Fluttershy began to whimper more, showing a face of horror and sadness. All that stuff Pinkie just said, it could be happening to Twilight right now!

"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity shouted, taking a newspaper and whacking her on top of the head, which a squeak was heard instead of something getting punched. "Stop being ridiculous!"

"Awww, but I like being ridiculous!" Pinkie Pie said as he eyes spun from the newspaper hitting her head. Spike too started to show worry as well.

"But what if she's right though?" Spike asked. "What if that's what's happening to Twilight right now?" He and Fluttershy only whimpered, until Applejack placed a hoof around their shoulders.

"Don't worry, you two." Applejack said. "I'm sure Twilight is ok. I was in the Big Apple when I was a filly, and nothin' bad happened to me."

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said in agreement. "In fact, I can fly up and find her myself. I am pretty fast! I can check this city in ten seconds flat!" With that said, the rainbow maned Pegasus took off flying, very fast.

"STOP!" A voice shouted, along with a whistle blow, stopping the Pegasus in her tracks.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, turning her head to see two officers right on the sidewalk, staring at her. One officer was a Pegasus stallion, a bit tall and fit. His mane was black and short, along with his tail, giving him the tough guy look. His partner was a unicorn mare, her mane and tail were longer and brown. They both were wearing shades and police uniforms. It was the police, stallions and mares who work to make sure everyone is following the law, and catch bad guys.

"Excuse me, miss." The stallion officer said. "You were flying way over the speed limit. You don't fly by the limit, we'll give you a ticket." He pointed at the sign for the speed limit, which showed 25 mph.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash asked, pretty shocked. "Since when did that become a thing?"

"It's always been a thing, miss." The mare officer said.

"And you are?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm Officer Stable and this is my partner Officer Benson." The stallion spoke.

"We're police, ma'am." The mare, Officer Benson said. The rainbow maned Pegasus only stared at the two and showed an unamused face. She didn't like to be called ma'am.

"Oh, great." Rainbow Dash said. "Well, for your information, I'm not a ma'am, ma'am."

"Hey, you should show some respect, missy." Officer Stable said.

"Well, I'm not a missy either." Rainbow Dash said, getting even more unamused. The rest of the ponies, and Spike behind her began to show worried looks. Rarity went over and attempted to get things cool.

"Apologizes, Officers." Rarity said. "She's not the kind of pony who likes girly things. This is actually our first time here, well, it's actually Applejack's second time, but everypony else's first time, including myself."

"Well, that explains it." Officer Stable said, before turning his head to look at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "And these three are your friends too?"

"Yes." Rarity said. "That there is Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Don't worry, they're good people." The three gave a happy wave, while the officers stared at them and smiled.

"What do you think?" Officer Benson asked.

"The spike one and dog look nice, not sure about the duck though." Officer Stable said, getting Donald's attention. "He looks like the kind of guy who's willing to steal anything."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Donald asked, showing a bit of suspicion.

"Just a compliment." Officer Benson said, before turning back to look at the girls. "And the rest of you?"

"Oh, where are my manners." Rarity said. "I am Rarity, head of the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville. That there is Applejack, Futtershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike. They are all from Ponyville as well." As the rest of the girls and Spike gave a wave, the stallion gave a smile.

"Oh, right, the Elements of Harmony." Officer Stable said, surprising the group.

"You heard about us?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, you're the girls who defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord." Officer Stable said. "Good job on those, though you didn't do a good job protecting Canterlot from those changelings though." That negative comment made Rainbow Dash tilt her head.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh, we heard about the wedding in the paper." Officer Stable said, holding up a newspaper, showing a picture of the Changelings invading ponyville. The headline said and quoted.

Changelings Attack! Student Knew, But No One Listened!

In the wake of the Royal Wedding, Canterlot was under attack by a swarm of changelings, led by their Queen, who was actually posing as the bride, Princess Cadance, where the real one was hidden away. One pony, Twilight Sparkle, the star student of Princess Celestia was the only one who knew something was wrong, but no pony listened, not the Princess, not the groom, Captain Shining Armor, nor the Element Bearers. While the attack was repelled by the real Princess Cadance, who was rescued by Twilight Sparkle, ponies are demanding answers and are pinning the blame on the invasion on Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, and the Elements of Harmony.

Citizens are protesting that due to Celestia's failed security, demanding answers. Some are also requesting to hold a petition to have Princess Celestia removed from power and vote for Twilight Sparkle, the true hero of Equestria, to take her place.

The eyes of the girls and Spike widened up as they read the paper. The ponies of Canterlot are blaming them and the Princess for what happened at the wedding, and want to remove the former with Twilight? It seems that Princess Cadance's comment to the reporter really made him and others spread the news even further.

"What?!" Applejack asked. "You gotta be kidding me! They're wantin' to remove Princess Celestia from power? She doesn't deserve this kind of trash-talk!"

"Absolutely, she didn't know that the bride was the Changeling Queen!" Rarity said. "Neither of us did!" While the girls were reading the paper, Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other. Since they weren't speaking to the cops, the boy decided to take this opportunity to talk with them.

"Excuse me." Sora said, speaking to the policeponies. "Have you seen anyone named Twilight Sparkle? She's a lavender colored unicorn with a blue mane and tail, with a purple and magenta streak on her left, with a six pointed star cutie mark." The two cops looked at each other.

"No, we haven't." Officer Benson said. "Is she the Princess's student?"

"Yes, officier." Goofy said. "She ran off and we're trying to find her."

"She ran off?" Officer Stable asked. "Is that why she's not with them?" He pointed his hoof towards the girls.

"Yeah." Sora said. "It's a long story."

"With the news getting out, I think he already knows that story." Donald said.

"I can see why." Officer Stable said. "These girls didn't take their friend's warning seriously, caring more about some stupid wedding than their friend." The girls lifted their heads up in shock and anger.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew up to Officer Stable's face. "Don't be pinning this out on us! Like we said, we didn't know that Bug Queen was posing as the bride."

"Well friends don't leave their friends crying on the stairway." Officer Stable said. "Yeah, I read the newspaper."

"You don't know anything about me!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Yeah I do, Miss Rainbow Firefly Dash from Cloudsdale." Officer Stable said. "Champion of the Little Fliers Flight competition, and daughter of Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles." The rainbow maned Pegasus began to blush with shock as she heard that. How did this cop know about her middle name, her flight competition at Flight camp, and her parents names?

"Wh...h... How do you know all that?" She asked.

"Because I used to go to school with your parents, Firefly." Officer Stable said, showing a cocky smile, with his partner looking at him with worry. "They send me letters about your greatest achievements. Bet they're probably gonna be real ashamed that you let Canterlot get attacked on your watch." Rainbow Dash blushed, but her eyes showed anger.

"Eli, please don't." Officer Benson said, pulling her partner away. But it was too late, the rainbow maned Pegasus lost her cool.

"That's it!" Rainbow Dash said as she was about to attack the officer, but the girls pulled her back.

"Rainbow, no!" Applejack shouted. "You punch them, we'll be spending the night in jail!"

"Don't care!" Rainbow Dash said as she tried to break free to attack the officer. Applejack was right. Assaulting an officer of the law will land her a night in a cell, or longer. Seeing the group fighting was too much for Sora. He didn't want to hear any more of this backlash and what not.

"ENOUGH!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, getting everypony's attention, even surprising Donald and Goofy.

"Garsh." Goofy said, with the boy trying to calm himself.

"Sorry." Sora said. "Just stop shouting everyone!" Officer Stable only stared at Rainbow Dash, who only gave a snort as she turned around.

"Fine." She said as she turned around and went on trotting, with the girls following suit.

"So sorry, officers." Rarity said as she and the others went about their way. Sora then approached the officers.

"We'll just be going." Sora said. "Sorry for taking your time."

"It's no hassle." Officer Benson said as she approached the boy. She then glanced at the boy for a few seconds from bottom to top, much to his notice.

"What?" Sora asked.

"There's something about you." She said. "Something really special." The boy was taken back by this, but he smiled.

"Thanks." He said with a nod. "Have a good day, officers." He then glanced back at the girls and he, Donald, and Goofy followed suit, while the officers only looked on. Officer Benson looked back at Officer Stable with a disappointed look.

"What?" Officer Stable asked.

"Do you always have to be so stubborn?" She asked. The stallion only shook his head annoyed.

It was already a few minutes as they left the Bridleway District, with Rainbow Dash still frustrated with the conversation with the two cops. Who did they think they were, undermining her like that.

"Can you believe that guy?" Rainbow Dash asked. "He didn't have the right to talk about me or us like that."

"Rainbow, just calm down, alright?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash only shook her head, but then glanced down at the ground, seeing a small puddle and her reflection within it. She then felt sad, knowing that the cop was right. She and the other girls did leave Twilight when she needed them most, and Equestria almost fell in a matter of minutes because of their ignorance.

Behind them, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were following close, still looking around the big city.

"Garsh, this city is pretty big." Goofy said.

"Yeah, it sure is." Sora said.

"I hope we don't get lost around here." Donald said. Suddenly, before they kept going any further, a sudden sound came from nearby. Turning their heads, the group saw a small unicorn filly, with purple eyes, a dark blue mane, and her coat was a turquoise color. And she was crying.

"Uh oh." Applejack said as they saw the sobbing filly. The group approached the little pony, who was dressed in a very ruined dress.

"What's the matter little girl?" Goofy asked the filly.

"Filly." Sora said. "She's a filly."

"Same thing." Donald said.

"Just leave me alone!" The filly said as she turned away.

"But... you're crying." Sora said.

"No, I'm Not!" She said. Donald only rolled his eyes.

"Alright, see you later." Donald said as he began to walk away, only to have his tail pulled by Sora, preventing the duck from leaving.

"Donald." Sora said, showing a disapproving look. The royal wizard only sighed, while Rarity approached the crying filly.

"What seems to be the problem?" Rarity asked.

"I... There's a huge party going on at my friend's house... and... and..." She said as she continued to sob.

"And what darling?" Rarity asked.

"And, the invitation said, dress up in any style." The filly said.

"And?" Rarity asked.

"I tried to dress up in a royal style, but I ruined my dress." The filly spoke, showing her ruined and messed up attire. There were ripped holes in the dress, with the sleeves and ribbons torn up. Rarity gasped at the sight.

"Oh my stars!" Rarity said. "That's horrible! Of all the worst things that could happen... this is... The. Worst. Possible. Thing!"

"I know!" The filly said as she continued to cry. Donald and Goofy tilted their heads.

"She's sad over a dress?" Donald asked.

"Well, that is pretty sad." Goofy said. The filly continued to cry, until Rarity wrapped her up in a warm hug, comforting the little filly.

"There there, darling." Rarity said. "There's no need to cry. What's your name darling?"

"Azure..." The filly said. "Azure Drop."

"Well Azure Drop, you don't really have to dress all fancy if it's in any style." Rarity said. "You should dress in whatever you want to, not what other ponies are dressing up as."

"R...Really?" She asked.

"Of course, darling." Rarity said. "It's not really what's on the outside, what really matters is what's on the inside." She then examined the dress the filly was wearing. She noticed that the rips could be patched up and fixed, and with the right accessories, she can make it even better!

"How about I fix the dress up for you?" Rarity asked. The filly looked up at the mare.

"Y...You will?" Azure asked.

"Of course, it's no trouble at all." Rarity said. "And besides, leaving a dress in this state is a crime... in fashion." She then turned to her side and pulled out a small purse, that was hanging from her side. She opened it up and it revealed some sowing tools, some hairspray, some make up, some accessories... ok, how much does this fashionista carry with her?

"Hold still for me, dear." Rarity said, as the filly stood still. Pretty soon, Rarity went to work, using her tools to fix up the filly's dress, while tearing away some of the stuff that is not needed, and added a few additions to it as well. As for the noticeable stitching, she covered them with accessories so no pony would notice. This took about a couple of minutes, as Sora and the group watched with astonishment. Pretty soon, Rarity was finished. She then revealed the new Azure Drop, showing her dress fixed up, and with a couple of new accessories added to fill in the pieces. The filly looked down at herself with amazement. It was a beautiful green and blue dress to match her color scheme. There were a couple of diamonds on her sleeves and a nice ruby gem upon the front part of the dress. It was indeed beautiful.

"Wow!" She said. "I look amazing! Now I can go to the party! Thank you Miss Rarity!"

"Of course, darling." Rarity said. "And there's no need to give me anything in return. Seeing you happy is all I need."

"I can't wait to tell my friends about you." Azure Drop said. "You're the most amazing fashion designer in all of Equestria!" Hearing that made Rarity smile. The little filly sees her as the most amazing fashion designer in the world? That was so sweet.

"Thank you so much, darling." Rarity said. "You have fun, ok?"

"I will!" Azure said as she waved goodbye. "Goodbye!" She then took off for the party.

"Goodbye!" Everyone said as they waved, seeing the little filly happy as she went to the party. Rarity felt so proud of herself, as she managed to life a pony up with her generosity. But then suddenly, the fashionista formed a frown and lowered her head, feeling sad.

"What's wrong, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked. "Aren't you happy you helped the dear?"

"I am." Rarity said. "But... I can't help but think of Twilight. You all remember her birthday, right?" The girls nodded.

"What about it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, I can't stop thinking about how I chose to attend some Canterlot party instead of Twilight's birthday." Rarity said, remembering when Twilight asked the Princess to let her friend stay in Canterlot at the palace for the week. During that time, Rarity planned to make a dress for Twilight, but she got so caught up to be a Canterlot pony to gain the attention of Fancy Pants, she completely ignored it and chose to go to the garden party than Twilight's birthday party. When the Mane Six arrived to surprise Rarity, Rarity had to keep up the horrible lie that she wasn't a Ponyville pony and keep her promise to be at Twilight's birthday by going back and forth to both parties. But when the royals showed disgust towards her friends, Rarity stood up for her friends and proudly declared that she was a Ponyville pony. Her friends have forgiven her for all that, but to be honest, Rarity had started to think back on that after the whole wedding thing, especially the unfinished dress.

"The dress I made for Twilight, I planned to do something more with it to thank her for asking the Princess to let me stay at the Castle during my week in Canterlot." Rarity said. "But when I was acting as a Canterlot pony instead of a Ponyville pony to get the royals to notice me, I ignored the dress completely. I suppose I cared too much of being a Canterlot pony instead of being a good friend to Twilight." The girls couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Spike, while he was still anger with Rarity for abandoning Twilight, also felt sorry for her. Sora approached the fashionista.

"It's ok, Rarity." Sora said. "There's no shame feeling like that. But let me ask you something. Did Twilight like the dress?" Rarity began to think back on it. Twilight actually did like the dress, even if it wasn't finished.

"Yes, she did." Rarity said.

"And you did your best to be at Twilight's birthday right?" Sora asked. "And you stood up for her and the other girls against the royals, correct?"

"Of course I did." Rarity said. "Those snobby royalists had no right to make fun of my friends like that."

"Then that shows you do care about Twilight and the girls." Sora said. "You realized your mistake and managed to make things right."

"He's right." Applejack said. "It was nice of you to say that we're the most important ponies you know."

"Well that's because it's true." Rarity said. "You girls mean so much to me. If I had to choose between the world and your girls, I would choose you, and of course my family, because they mean as much as well."

"And we'll choose you and Twilight as well." Rainbow Dash said. The fashionista pony gave a warm smile, and she pulled her friends into a hug with her magic, including Spike.

"Thank you girls." She said as she hugged them, before turning to Sora. "And thank you too, Sora."

"No problem." Sora said with a thumbs up.

"Um... Sora?" Goofy asked, getting his attention.

"What's up?" Sora asked, but then noticed that Goofy was holding Donald's beak closed, who was ranting a bit.

"He's getting impatient again." Goofy said as Donald finally broke free.

"Is there anything that will get us moving along already?" Donald called out.

-CRASH-

The sound of glass shattering from afar quickly got their attention. The group turned and looked around, wondering where the breaking glass sound was coming from.

"Stop Her! Don't Let Her Get Away!"

"Wait, what that?" Sora asked as he turned his head, seeing a pony colored in blue with dark blue eyes, with her black mane in a bun and tail curled up. She was holding a flower in her hoof, and her cutie mark was of a green emerald.

"Whose that?" Sora asked. "What does she have in her hoof?" Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes a bit to get a better view. Apparently, the pony running was holding... a flower.

"It looks like a flower." She said.

"A flower?" The girls asked.

"Stop Her!" Another voice shouted, revealing two policeponies chasing the thief. It was actually Officer Stable and Officer Benson. It seems they were chasing after the thief, who stole a flower?

"Rough Diamond, Stop Running!" Officer Stable shouted.

"You can't run forever!" Officer Benson shouted. The group saw them chasing the thief. Whatever that flower that she was holding was, it looked like it wasn't suppose to be taken.

"C'mon, let's go!" Sora sad as he ran forward.

"And help them?" Rainbow Dash asked, still feeling a bit sore of how Officer Stable berated her.

"Yes, we can't let the thief get away!" Sora said. "C'mon!" He continued to run after the cops to help them.

"Sora, wait up!" Donald shouted as he and Goofy followed him.

"C'mon girls." Applejack said as she and the rest of the group followed them too.

The mysterious thief, Rough Diamond, was not really having a good day. After stealing the priceless artifact from the flower store, she was hoping for a clean get away. But she wasn't counting on Officer Stable and Officer Benson to be on duty. She found herself galloping towards a wall. She quickly stopped in her tracks. She turned around, seeing the two officers approaching her.

"Not so fast, Rough Diamond." Officer Stable said. Rough Diamond looked left and right, seeing each side had a pathway. She bolted for the left side, but then, Sora, Donald, and Goofy emerged at the end of the pathway, with keyblade, staff, and shield in hand.

"Stop!" Sora shouted as he and the others went into their battle stances. Rough Diamond yelped and turned around, making the exit at the right side, but it was blocked by Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Spike, and Pinkie Pie, armed with her party cannon.

"Don't think about it." Spike said, blowing a little spark of fire from his mouth. Rough Diamond backed away and realized that she was cornered. She had nowhere to run now.

"It's over, Rough Diamond." Officer Stable said, then looked back at the Mane Five. "Thanks for showing up girls."

"No problem." Applejack said. Officer Benson then looked at Sora, and saw his keyblade. She couldn't help but smile.

"I knew there was something special about you." She said.

"What can I say?" Sora said to the cop with a smile. He then looked forward to see Rough Diamond, and he noticed something in her hoof.

"What do you got there?" Sora asked, pointing his keyblade forward. Rough Diamond moved her hoof forward a bit, showing a flower with white and red petals, with two green plants at the end of it in a pot.

"That's the Everlasting Flower!" Officer Stable said.

"Yes, it is!" Rough Diamond shouted. "And it belongs to me!"

"No!" Officer Benson shouted. "It belongs to Mistmane and her family!" Rarity's ears perked up, showing that she knew that name.

"Wait... Mistmane?" Rarity asked. "You mean the Mistmane that gave up her youth to restore her village's beauty?!"

"Same one." Officer Stable said. "That flower was kept safe in the Manehatten Historical Flower Shop. I knew it wasn't going to be safe there."

"Actually, I thought it wasn't going to be safe there." Officer Benson said. Sora then looked forward to see the flower. That flower belonged to Mistmane. Mistmane was one of the Pillars of Equestria! If that belonged to Mistmane, was it one of the talismans?

"Could that be one of the talismans?" Sora asked Donald and Goofy.

"Probably." Goofy said as Donald looked at Rough Diamond closely. He then quacked in horror.

"Sora! Look!" Donald shouted, getting the boy's attention.

"What?" Sora asked.

"Black Smoke!" Donald spoke out, pointing at Rough Diamond. The boy glanced back at the infamous thief and realized what Donald was talking about. He could see it, the little bit of black smoke particles steaming off of the pony. He had seen this before. This is what happens to those who have a heart corrupted with darkness!

"Darkness!" Goofy said, seeing the smoke too.

"Darkness?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking around, seeing only lights from the street lamps and building windows. "It doesn't look dark to me." Applejack's eyes widened.

"No Pinkie-girl, look!" Applejack said, with the girls noticing the black smoke coming off of Rough Diamond's body. "She doesn't look right at all."

"It's the darkness!" Sora said. "Those who become too corrupt with darkness will eventually become a heartless!" The girls and Spike gasped. The two police ponies looked at each other with confusion. They didn't have full knowledge of what Sora was talking about, but they knew that Rough Diamond had to be stopped.

"Give us back the flower, Rough Diamond!" Officer Stable shouted. "And surrender."

"Never!" Rough Diamond shouted as she pulled out a grappling hook and threw it at the top of the building, attaching it to the side. She then clicked a strange device that was at the end of the rope. She then quickly flew up at the top of the building, making her getaway.

"She's getting away!" Officer Benson shouted.

"Don't worry, we got this!" Sora shouted as he rushed up to the wall and started wall-running up the building. Rainbow Dash flew right behind him, to help him out and make sure he didn't fall. The two managed to run up the building and make it to the top. Sora prepared his keyblade to fight, while Rainbow Dash got ready to fight as well.

"Alright, Rough Diamond!" Sora called out. "The games... up?" The two stood there frozen, to see Rough Diamond on the ground, unconscious, and a bruise on her forehead. Standing over her was a masked pony wearing the purple hat and cape! It was Mare Do Well! He was the one who knocked out Rough Diamond.

"Mare Do Well!" They both shouted, as Donald and Goofy got up to the building, both also surprised to see the masked pony as well. Rainbow Dash looked closely at the masked mare, and saw that he had the Everlasting Flower in his hoof, and he placed it into his saddlebag.

"He has the flower!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Stop!" Sora shouted as he, Donald, and Goofy rushed over to stop the mysterious masked pony. But suddenly, the pony threw some coins across the floor, making the trio trip, and hitting Rainbow Dash on the head, knocking them onto Rough Diamond instead, pinning her on the ground. The boy looked up and saw the masked pony escape, and jump off the building. Pretty soon, Pinkie Pie appeared behind the four, looking down upon them.

"Hi!" She said.

"Pinkie, where did you come from?" Sora asked.

"I flew up here, that's what." Pinkie Pie said, seeing three balloons floating up into the sky. No doubt Pinkie Pie used those balloons to fly up to the top of the building.

"Pinkie, Mare Do Well was here!" Rainbow Dash said. "He stole the flower!" The party pony gasped and rushed towards the edge of the building, to see if Mare Do Well was still there. But he was already gone. No trace of him whatsoever.

"He's gone." Pinkie Pie said.

"Darn it!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, at least we got the thief." Goofy said, showing that he, Sora, and Donald were still on top of Rough Diamond.

-BOOM-

The sound of the doors bursting open nearly startled the group, as Officer Stable and Officer Benson, and the other girls and Spike emerging from the doorway that led to the roof. They were a bit surprised, seeing Rainbow Dash and the others on top of Rough Diamond.

"You guys caught here." Officer Stable said. The four looked down and saw that they were still on Rough Diamond, who was moaning in a bit of pain.

"Yeah, we did." Sora said as he, Rainbow Dash, Donald and Goofy got up.

"But Mare Do Well has the flower!" Goofy said.

"Huh?" The Officers and ponies asked.

"Mare Do Well was here, and he stole the flower from Rough Diamond." Sora said. "We tried to stop him, but he got away."

"Awwwwww…" The ponies and Spike said.

"Well, at least you all are ok, and the crook has been caught." Officer Stable said. He and his partner approached Rough Diamond, who finally came to, only to have her hooves cuffed.

"Rough Diamond, you're under arrest." Officer Benson said.

"No!... NO!" Rough Diamond shouted. "I didn't come this far to be caught now!" As she spoke, more black smoke began to steam off her body, and soon, a circle of black smoke began to form right under her. The two officer ponies stood back with surprise.

"What's happening?" Rainbow Dash asked, as Sora's eyes widened with shock, knowing what was about to happen. Rough Diamond was going too deep now!

"Everyone, get back!" He called out as he, Donald, and Goofy ran toward the edge, as the cops, Spike, and the girls, except Pinkie Pie, who was still staring down from the top of the building on the street, backed away as well, as Rough Diamond began to scream at the top of her lungs as she looked up at the sky, and a black force erupted from her body, covering her in a black and purple cloud.

"Wait, get back from what?" Pinkie Pie asked as she turned around, and her irises began to shrink down as she saw the dark cloud take shape and form. As the smoke began to clear up, a huge heartless took it's place, showing it to be a princess like heartless with a crown that had multiple crystals sticking out of it. In it's hands was a scepter with the middle part looking like a crown, and at the top was a huge gemstone followed by a red ruby. It's lower body had a long dress with both it's left ad right side in the shape of a tiara with red diamonds, and the rest of the body was a round orb, with spikes and a gear at the bottom, tipped with a diamond jewel. And of course, it had a the black hands and face, with the heartless sigil on it's chest. This was a heartless known as a Jewel Princess!

"What... the.... HEARTLESS!" Pinkie Pie screamed as she galloped behind Sora and co. Fluttershy also hid behind the group, frightened by it's size and look. Rarity gasped, but it wasn't because the heartless looked monstrous.

"Oh my stars!" Rarity said. "How do those heartless come up with the most amazing outfits?"

"So, now what?" Goofy asked.

"We fight, of course." Sora said.

"Yeah!" Donald said as he brought out his staff, Goofy his shield, and Sora his keyblade.

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash said, flapping her wings and getting ready to fight. Sora looked back at the officers.

"You two leave this to us." Sora said.

"Ok." Officer Benson said. "C'mon."

"Good luck!" Officer Stable said as he and his partner stood back, allowing the trio and ponies fight against the Heartless. The Jewel Princess glanced down at the group, and pointed her staff forward. With a bright glow, the staff shot out crystal shards upon the group.

"Incoming!" Sora shouted as they made the move, dodging the crystal shots. Good thing Goody's shield was strong enough to block the crystals. Rainbow Dash just did her usual flying, doing her best to dodge every crystal shard, except for one that hit her and sent her tumbling down. Sora leaped up as the shards finished raining down on the group.

"Take This!" Sora shouted as he threw his keyblade forward with his Strike Raid attack. As the blade struck through, it returned to the boy's hand, and he dropped down on the beast with a Blitz swing downward, whacking the Jewel Princess in the face.

"Here I go!" Goofy shouted as he performed his Goofy Bash, hurtling his shield at the heartless, almost like Strike Raid, but it was hitting the heartless multiple times. The Jewel Princess began to turn red with anger and it threw it scepter into the ground, summoning large crystal boulders. The boulders began to dive and bounce on the ground.

"Look out, everyone!" Sora called out as he, Donald, and Goofy made their efforts to dodge, while the ponies, even the policeponies, jump out of the way while the boulders continued to leap up and down, shaking the building a bit, and making ponies open their windows up and see what the ruckus was.

"Who's making all that noise?!" A Pegasus called out, until she looked up and saw the Jewel Heartless above the building next door. She gave a scream at the sight of it. Other ponies on the ground floor were watching with confusion and shock. They were thinking about running, but they saw Sora and company fighting it. They certainly didn't want to miss this. As the boulders finished the attack, Rainbow Dash flew straight towards the Heartless.

"Come get it!" She said, only to be whacked by the heartless's scepter. Seeing an opportunity to attack, Donald jumped in to launch a spell... hopefully.

"My Turn!" Donald shouted as he ran up and pointed his wand forward, charging up with what energy it could.

"Let it be good... FIRE!" Donald shouted as he pointed forward, but then Rainbow Dash, who was hit by one of the crystal shards, bumped into Donald, making his staff drop out of his hands and shoot a fireball... at him. It hit, and the duck was engulfed in flames. The royal wizard began to quack and shout as he began to run around, his behind in flames. To be honest, if this was a spell, this would be called the Blazing Donald! Seeing this sparked an idea in Pinkie Pie's head.

"Oh!" She said. "I know what to do!" She then pulled out her cannon out of nowhere and looked at Rarity.

"Rarity, put him in my cannon!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Why?" Rarity asked.

"JUST... DO IT!" Pinkie Pie said, standing up on her hind hooves and lowering her front ones, giving a shout. Rarity then nodded and picked Donald, still screaming and in flames and hurtled him into the party cannon. Pinkie Pie then aimed it at the Jewel Princess and clicked the switch, shooting out a burning Donald with confetti, and he hit the heartless, making it drop it's scepter. He then landed on the ground in soot, giving a cough.

"Oh my!" Fluttershy shouted as she flew towards the royal wizard. "Are you alright?"

"Hiya, toots." Donald spoke, really dizzy.

"Oh, you poor thing." Fluttershy said as she picked up the duck, who was moaning. "I got you." She then carried him to the side. The Jewel Princess began to get angry now, as it raised its hands into the air, summoning a large crystal with a pointy sharp end and aimed it at the group.

"Uh Oh!" Goofy shouted as he lifted his shield up. The heartless then turned it's head to see Spike, who was on the ground, looking at the monster with fear. The Jewel Princess aimed the crystal right at the dragon, hoping to crushing him.

"Spike, look out!" Sora called out, as the baby dragon tried to run, but tripped and fell on his stomach. He looked up to see the heartless ready to drop the crystal on top of him.

"Oh great." Spike said. "Never thought I'd get squashed by my favorite food!" Rarity gasped in horror as she saw the little dragon about to be crushed by the crystal. She then looked down at the ground and saw the heartless's scepter. She picked it up with her own magic. She rushed forward between Spike and the crystal, aiming the scepter with her magic. It glowed brightly and then the crystal suddenly stopped, surprising the heartless.

"You wicked heartless beast!" Rarity shouted. "No one tries to crush my Spikey-Wikey!" The heartless tilted its head in confusion. Rarity then nudged the staff forward, shooting the crystal and making it break into multiple pieces. Then with it, she fired the crystals at the Jewel Princess, hitting it with each shard. As she did, Spike just watched with amazement. Rarity saved him, and she called him her Spikey-Wikey! He couldn't help but smile. As all the shards hit the heartless, the Jewel Princess was in a daze. This was now a good time to strike!

"Hey, Sora!" Goofy called out. "Let's batter up!"

"Alright!" Sora called out as he rushed toward Goofy, who then tossed his shield up into the air and Sora swung his keyblade, hurtling the shield at the Jewel Princess multiple times. This was their Knockbash Joint Attack, moves that can be executed with a teammate. After a couple of knockbashes, the two then did their Duo Raid, throwing their weapons like boomerangs a few times at the enemy.

"Alright, I'm ready!" Goofy called out.

"Ok!" Sora said as the captain leaped into the air and Sora caught him.

"Hey, let me join too!" Rainbow Dash called out as she flew on top of Goofy, who began to rapidly shake, and Rainbow Dash spread her wings.

"Rainbow Cosmic Boost!" The three called out together and Goofy flew right out of Sora's arms like a rocket, with Rainbow Dash flapping her wings, leaving a rainbow trail as the two flew around and slammed into the heartless, bashing it. It was now heavily damaged.

"It's all yours!" Rainbow Dash called out.

"Ok!" Sora shouted as he rushed forward and made a great leap. With a shout and swung his keyblade, slicing through the heartless with a mighty slash. The ponies on the ground watched with surprise and astonishment as the boy made a perfect landing on the other building. As he turned back to see, the heartless then began to twitch as a bright light emerged from it's chest. A red pink heart burst out and flew up into the air, and the Jewel Princess was no more, disappearing and fading away.

"Yes!" Sora cheered.

"Oh boy!" Donald called, leaping out of Fluttershy's hooves as he and Goofy cheered with joy. The ponies and Spike also cheered as well, seeing the heartless was no more. Sora made another leap back to the building the others were on, and Donald and Goofy gave him a big group hug.

"We did it!" Donald said.

"Good going, Sora!" Goofy said.

"Thanks, but we all did it." Sora said. "We did it together." After the two gave a nod, Donald looked over the side of the building and smiled.

"Hey, look!" He said, pointing down at the streets. Everyone made it to the edge and saw the ponies on the streets cheering and applausing, thankful that they stopped the heartless and saved the city.

"Garsh, we have an audience." Goofy said as he, Donald, and Sora waved happily, while the other ponies did the same, with Rainbow Dash flying above them.

"Thank you!" Rainbow Dash said. "Thank you!" She was then pulled by Rarity, who was telling her to calm down and not let her ego get the best of her again. Suddenly, there was a grunt sound, like someone was waking up. Sora looked over behind, and surprisingly saw Rough Diamond on the ground, alive and slowly waking up.

"There's Rough Diamond." Sora said.

"We got this." Officer Benson said as she and Officer Stable went on ahead and approached Rough Diamond, who was finally waking up again.

"Wha... what happened?" Rough Diamond asked. "What's going on?" Suddenly, the two officer ponies pounced her and held her down on the ground, finally placing hoof-cuffs on her.

"You're under arrest, Rough Diamond." Officer Stable said with a smile, as Rough Diamond gave a grumpy pout.

"You Darn Do-Gooders!" Rough Diamond shouted as she was placed into the prison wagon. "You haven't seen the last of Rough Diamond!" The gate closed up, and the wagon drove off towards the prison building.

"Well, guess that's the end of that." Donald said.

"Yeah, but the flower is now in the hands of Mare Do Well." Sora said, looking back at the two. "Now Mare Do Well's got two talismans already."

"Hooves." Donald said.

"Oh, right." Sora said, remembering that the ponies have hooves, not hands.

"It's ok." Goofy said. "At least the thief is caught and locked up."

"And we managed to recover the other items that she has stolen." Officer Stable said as he approached the trio. "You three have our thanks."

"It was nothing." Sora said. "We wouldn't have caught Rough Diamond without our friends." He then looked at the ponies and Spike, who all gave nods of agreement. Officer Stable then approached Rainbow Dash.

"Miss Dash, you have my apologies." Officer Stable said. "It was wrong of me to, you know, criticize you like that. I know that you and your friends, and the Princess are not fully responsible for what happened at the wedding." Rainbow Dash gave a smile and nod.

"Hey, it's cool." Rainbow Dash said. "But you are right. It is our fault for chasing Twilight away like that."

"But we will do whatever it takes to make things right again." Rarity said. "We owe that to Twilight." The other girls nodded in agreement.

"So, what now?" Officer Benson asked.

"It's probably time for us to leave." Sora said. "We still need to keep searching for Twilight. And we won't rest until we find her and make things right." The girls and Spike all gave another nod.

"And we also have the magic to fix." Donald said.

"Hopefully when we find Twilight, we'll fix that too!" Goofy said. He, Sora, and Donald also nodded.

"Well, you guys take care out there." Officer Stable said. "If you want, how about we find you guys a nice place to stay tonight. We owe you so much." The girls looked at each other. It would be nice to stay at a nice fancy hotel. But they didn't want to. Twilight was still out there, and they needed to find her and make things right. Besides, it wouldn't feel right for them to stay at a nice hotel while she didn't. No way they were going to leave her out again.

"It's very nice of you, but no need." Rarity said. "It wouldn't be right for us to have a nice room without Twilight."

"But if we happen to come back, can we have a reservation for all of us, including Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That can be arranged." Officer Stable said.

"You girls take care, and we hope you find your friend." Officer Benson said.

"Us too." Applejack said.

"Hey spikey kid." Officer Stable said to Sora.

"Yes?" He asked.

"You take care, and use that key of yours wisely, alright?" Officer Stable asked.

"And if you happen to get the glower back, make sure it's kept safe, ok?" Officer Benson asked.

"You got it!" Sora said. "See you again!" They then turned to leave, while the ponies waved goodbye to the officers.

"Take care!" Stable and Benson called out.

"You too!" Sora called back.

"Goodbye!" Donald and Goofy called out with the girls and Spike, as they continued on their journey, as the music was playing in the background.

Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can do

Generosity, you are the key

Manehattan, I'm here just for you

Just for you!

Soon the group made their way towards the train station. If Twilight wasn't here in the city, then she's probably somewhere that's out of town, like a forest or field and such. Perhaps they should search areas like that. Needless to say, with the moon now out and raised by Princess Luna, they'll likely have to make camp tonight.

"Well, Twilight wasn't here, either." Applejack said. "I wonder where she could be."

"I'm a bit more worried how we're gonna tell her we're sorry." Fluttershy said. The farmpony then glanced over to Rarity, who was alone in her thoughts.

"You alright, Rares?" Applejack asked.

"I'm fine, but I can't help but think about the Everlasting Flower." Rarity said.

"You're worried over a flower?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It's not just any flower, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said. "It belonged to Mistmane, the most beautiful and kindest unicorn is the old legends of Equestria. She gave up her own beauty to save a friend and an entire village."

"First Mare Do Well steals Rockhoof's shovel, then Mistmane's flower, why is he stealing artifacts that date back thousands of years?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Maybe the artifacts are used for a ritual to summon an evil monster." Pinkie Pie said. As the girls were discussing about Mare Do Well, Sora, Donald and Goofy couldn't help but wonder the same about Mare Do Well and his motives.

"Are we gonna tell the girls about the Pillars?" Donald asked.

"We'll tell them tomorrow." Sora said. "It's been a busy day for us."

"You know, this Mare Do Well seems to be a couple of steps ahead of us." Goofy said. "I wonder who he is?"

"Maybe it's someone who's has a bone to pick with the girls?" Sora asked.

"But what kind of crazy pony would want to release a monster just to get back at the girls?" Donald asked. The trio continued their way to the train station, with Sora making a stop to look up at the sky. Whoever this Mare Do Well was, he sure had a lot of nerve to go around and stealing the artifacts that could potentially release the Pony of Shadows. But why? And who?

Sora then noticed that Spike was walking beside him, looking at the ground with a worried face.

"Are you ok Spike?" Sora asked.

"Not really." Spike said. "I'm worried about Twilight."

"Oh..." Sora said, understanding the little dragon's worrying. "It's ok. We're all worried about her too."

"I just can't stop thinking about where she could be." Spike said. "She's probably all alone out there somewhere, and no doubt she's probably starving by now."

"I'm sure Twilight knows how to fend for herself." Sora said.

"But what if something bad is happening to her?" Spike asked. "What if she's being attacked by a vicious manticore or a ursa major? Or worse, what if she comes across Mare Do Well, and he does something bad to her?!" He was about ready to panick, but the boy placed his hands on the baby dragon's shoulders.

"Spike, don't think that." Sora said. "I'm sure Twilight will be fine."

"How do you even know that's true?" Spike asked.

"Well..." Sora was about to speak, but then he started thinking. Spike did have a point on that. How could he even know if Twilight's ok? Heck he didn't know that Xehanort would use Terra's body and ambush him.

"He's right..." A familiar voice said, making Sora silently gasp. Lifting his head up, he saw someone behind Spike. Someone in a black coat, with white silver hair and yellow eyes. It was Young Xehanort!

"Huh...!" Sora spoke as he saw him.

"How can you be sure?" Young Xehanort asked. "You can't know everything... not even the horrible fate your friends almost endured..." The boy then gasped, as the scene around himself disappeared, showing the Keyblade Graveyard. Looking forward, he saw Xehanort, in possession of Terra's body, did away with Ventus and Lea. Then the entire area flashed, as it switched to the Heartless swarm, which was sucking up Aqua, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, Ventus, Lea, and Kairi…

"Sora!" Kairi's voice rang out as the scene of her being sucked into the swarm played through his head. Then the image of Riku trying to hold off the swarm only to be destroyed as it came for Sora next.

"Sora?" A voice spoke, making Sora blink and snap out of his trance.

"Huh?" Sora asked, and saw that Spike was looking at him.

"Are you ok?" Spike asked. The boy then looked around, seeing that they were still in Manehatten. It was probably another hallucination.

"Yeah." Sora said as she shook his head, trying to get the scenes out of his mind. "I'm fine. What were we talking about?"

"Um... about how could be sure that Twilight is alright?" Spike asked. Sora then turned his head to think. How could he know and be sure? How can he even answer that?

"I... I don't have a good answer for that, Spike" Sora said, while the baby dragon tilted his head.

"You really don't know, do you." Spike said. The boy looked at Spike.

"Well, all I can say is, just don't worry about what could happen to her." Sora said. "You just need to focus on what you can do for her now. We just focus on finding her and then we focus on making things right again. And I know that you won't let her down." Spike then started to think. Sora was right. He shouldn't think about what could happen to Twilight. He needed to focus on finding her and making it up to her. The baby dragon gave a nod and a smile.

"You're right." Spike said. "Thanks, Sora." The boy gave a happy nod.

"Sora!" Donald called out, getting his and Spike's attention. The two looked to see Donald and Goofy looking at them.

"C'mon, fellas!" Goofy said. "Let's get to the train station!"

"Ok!" Sora called out. Getting back on his feet, the boy and the dragon continued on, with Spike going ahead. He then looked back at Sora, remembering that weird face the boy was making. The face was like Sora was having an episode or something, and whatever it was, it was probably frightening. He never saw Sora look so spooked before.

"Sora, are you sure you're alright?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said, showing a smile. "Really, I am."

"Oh, ok." Spike said as he continued onward to join the others. As he got far ahead, Sora's smile slowly disappeared and he gave a heavy sigh. Truth be told, he wasn't fine.

"I wish that were the truth, though." Sora said. These frightening episodes really need to stop. Now even Spike's worriedness was enough to start one. He's not sure if he can handle another one. He recalled that Aqua has told him that he should talk about it with Donald and Goofy. But could they understand? They don't remember anything about it. After all, Sora returned to before the swarm attack and he's the only one that does remember it.

Sora then started to think about Twilight, still out there all alone. Come to think of it, how come whenever they're close to Twilight, she suddenly seems to be more out of reach? Could the darkness finally get her?

No, Sora thought. He didn't want to think that. He needed to stop thinking so negatively. It wasn't healthy. He needs to focus on finding Twilight and restoring the magic. He also needs to stop thinking about what could happen to Twilight. He knows that Twilight would never stoop that low. Never. There is still light in Twilight, he knows it.

"Twilight... I hope you're ok out there." Sora said, his face out to the sky. "I'll find you again. I promise."

It was sometime around nightfall when he was giving his speech at a motel conference room at Whinneyapolis. There was only one pony in attendence, listening to a tall minotaur with an grayish cobalt blue upper body, and a dark blue colored lower body from the waist to his hooves. He had silver horns and a black tie.

Iron Will was his name, and while he had a brutish appearance, he's a very cunning, and legalistic minotaur, and somewhat deceptive at that. His personality ma be very forward but he always shows to honor promises and contracts. He likes to refer to himself in the third person, which is usually during situations in which he's confident or proud, sometimes both. Now he was working to get ponies onto his Self-Esteem Seminar, where he teaches ponies and all creatures to be assertive, for money at least...

"And you can learn all of Iron Will's secrets to being the new assertive you!" Iron Will continued. "For just four easy payments of-" Before he could finish, the only pony that was in the audience was leaving.

"Hey, where you going?" Iron Will asked.

"Leaving." The pony said, heading for the doors unamused. "This seminar stinks."

"Wait, Stop!" Iron Will shouted. "If you act now, Iron Will shall throw in this easy pocket horseshoe cleaner!" He held up a horseshoe cleaner up, hoping to lure the pony back in, but the stallion was already gone. The big minotaur only sighed in defeat as he lowered his head.

A while back, Iron Will was in Ponyville to get customers to try out his Self-Esteem Seminar, where he can show that he can teach anyone to be assertive with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and attempted to get Fluttershy to act more assertive and no longer be a doormat, though it was probably so he could leech money off of her. It worked, as Fluttershy managed to stop being a pushover, which resulted in her insulting her friends. When he came by to collect the money, Fluttershy realized her wrong doings and refused to pay since his seminar made her push away her friends. Since she wasn't satisfied, he kept his word and left. Since then, his business for his Self-Esteemed Class has suffered, and he barely had any money to provide for his wife and son.

Next to him was a grey goat with an orange mane with grey horns, it's eyes looking in different directions. It was Bertha, which was most likely his pet. Iron Will looked at the goat, as if it was telling him something.

"Iron Will doesn't know, Bertha." The minotaur said. "It's like Iron Will has lost all of his charism.! Even the other goats have left me."

"B-A-A-A-A!" Bertha spoke.

"You're right!" Iron Will said. "I did say me! Now I said I! Iron Will is losing it!" Suddenly, there was a clap, coming from the empty audience. He turned his head to see a man shrouded in a black coat and hood, clapping. The same mysterious man who spoke with the dragons back at the Dragon Lands.

"Bravo, Bravo!" The man said, ending his clap. "That seminar was quite a show." The minotaur looked at the strange man.

"And who are you?" Iron Will asked.

"Apologies, Mr. Will." The man said as he got up from his chair. "No need to be assertive now, for I was just watching your class, which is empty by the way. My name is of no importance, but you can call me a friend."

"A friend?" Iron Will asked. "You want to be friends with Iron Will?"

"In a way, yes." The hooded man said, looking around in the room, seeing the empty chairs. "I see that you're class for Self-Esteem isn't packed. And how did this come to pass?"

"A long story." Iron Will said. "Iron Will used to be good at teaching ponies how to be assertive, like Iron Will. But after Iron Will had his first dissatisfied customer in Ponyville, Iron Will has lost his charisma! Ponies no longer want to take my class, and I can't make profit anymore. Darn it! I referred myself in the first person again!" He then shook his head with grief and frustration. While his hooded shrouded his face, the man was smiling.

"Oh, so you've lost your charisma?" He asked. "Well... I can help you get it back." The minotaur looked at the man.

"You... want to help Iron Will?" He asked.

"Of course." The man said. "I need someone with your brute strength and your assertive appearance to help me with a special cause. And you, my friend, have all the qualities for the job." The minotaur gave a look of suspicion. This man wants Iron Will to help him with a special cause? What cause?

"Why should Iron Will listen to you?" Iron Will asked. "You're not even a pony, nor do you speak in the third person."

"Because the ponies' fear sparked you charisma." The man said. "Everypony, and everyone used to be afraid of minotaurs like you. And now that they're not, you're charisma will be gone very soon. But, if you join me, they'll be afraid of you again, and you shall have your charisma back, and I'll be more than happy to pay you for your services." The minotaur then looked at his goat, who just replied with a bleat. This guy wants to help him get his charisma back and he's willing to pay him money? Well, if he doesn't get any money soon, Iron Will's wife would scold him. No way he was gonna let an opportunity like this slide away. But... for what?

"And what's this cause again?" Iron Will asked. The man replied.

"Revolution."

Author's Note

Secret Report #5

Thingss are going as planned, at least I'm certain. I spotted that boy earlier at the Royal Castle... The boy who defeated Master Xehanort and his followers. This makes things a little more interesting. I guess the old sorceror must've sent him to Equestria to solve this matter. Regardless, I have my own thing to do.
The goal right now is to recruit others to help us to take down Canterlot and the Royal Sisters. It seems that the Witch and her Baffling Buffoon has their eyes set on the Crystal Empire right now. I've tasked them to awaken the Unicorn King from his Frozen Prison, while I search for some accomplices to help us take down the Princesses. So far I've managed to recruit a couple of Dragon teenagers to help, and now I got the minotaur to help us as well.
Now I just need to go find two unicorn scam artists who seems to hold a grudge against one of the ponies the keyblade master is friends with. I won't lie, it's so amusing to get others to help. Frankly, I believe we're already becoming friends. - ???

Yep, this was a bit difficult to write. I was originally planning to butch this chapter, but I wanted to feature Manehatten. Since they're in Manehatten, the song Generosity is featured in this chapter. Had to watch the clip from Rarity Takes Manehatten to get it right.
Officers Stable and Officer Benson are actually based off of Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. I really love that show! Congrats to the show's 21st Season!
You all may recognize Rough Diamond from the MLP comic arc Manehatten Mysteries. And sadly, there's no Trixie at the moment. I do plan to give Trixie a cameo at some point... maybe soon?
The Heartless, the Jewel Princess is a real heartless from the Union χ game. I've never played the game before, but with it being a jewel and diamond based enemy, I figured it's abilities would be based on diamonds, jewels and crystals.
And as for the Donald catching on fire thing, in the original Chain of Memories game for the Gamboy Advance, that is actually a sleight called Blazing Donald, where you combine Fire card + Donald card + Fire card in that order. In Re:Chain of Memories however, it's replaced with Stardust Blitz, where you just use a Donald card + Fire card. It's a really funny sleight actually if you think about it.
Also, I want to apologize, again, on the long waits for these chapters. I've been having a bit of writers block and working on this story slowly, and I was working on my Hero-Quest story, which is posted on FanFiction right now. So far, that story has made more progress than this one.
But don't worry, for I'm taking a little break on that story to focus a bit on this one. This story needs love too!
Also, the other chapters for ACT II are nearly finished, so you won't have to wait too long on those ones.

Let me know if there are any mistakes, and I'll fix them when I can.

Chapter 09: Broken Dreams

He gave a little grunt, feeling very sleepy. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, seeing nothing but pitch black. Shining Armor got back to his hooves slowly, trying to figure out what was going on? He looked around, but saw nothing. There was nothing but darkness.

"Hello?" Shining asked. "Is anyone there?"

"You never loved her. You only pushed her away."

He turned his head, hearing the strange voice. But yet he didn't see anyone. He was the only pony here in this dark strange place... or was he?

"Who's there?" He asked. "Show yourself!" Before he heard a response, a door suddenly appeared before him. He slowly approached it, and it opened, showing darkness inside. It then opened up, and the stallion saw what was inside. It was Twilight. And she was crying.

"Twily!" Shining called out. Without a moment of hesitation, the stallion jumped into the door and it closed behind him. Suddenly, he found himself on a familiar red carpet. He looked up and saw the familiar glass stained windows and the white and grayish purple structures and designs on he wall. He was back in Canterlot! How was this possible? He looked around, and spotted a familiar pony walking down the hall, reading a book. The unicorn with lavender fur, blue mane and tail with the purple and magenta streaks, and the six pointed star as her cutie mark. It was his sister, Twilight!

"Twily?" Shining asked as she was walking away. "Twilight, wait!" He galloped after her, and to his relief, she stopped. She turned her head to stare at him. But he stopped, a bit surprised. Seeing her face, she didn't look too happy to see him.

"What are you doing here, Shining Armor?" Twilight hissed, which made Shining feel a bit uncomfortable.

"W... Well I found this strange door, and I saw you crying." Shining said.

"I thought I made it clear to never speak to me." Twilight spoke. Shining's eyes widened with even more surprise. Never to speak to her again? Where did that come from?

"Wha… What are you talking about?" Shining asked.

"Oh, you don't remember?" Twilight asked. "Then let me jog your memory." Lifting the book in her hoof, she slammed it on his head. He covered his poor forehead, feeling pain from the book's impact.

"Ow!" He said. "Twily, that hurt!" Hearing Twily made Twilight turn her face to a glare.

"Good, now you know how I felt when you ditched me for some snobby wife!" She spoke, her voice full of venom. Shining then realized what this was all about. When he abandoned her at the wedding rehearsal to check on the fake bride.

"Twily… I didn't mean to leave y-" Shining said.

"Yes, you did!" Twilight shouted. "You meant every word of what you said! And it hurt! It hurt!" She then fired a magical beam, hitting him and sending him to the floor. He tried to get back up, but he was then caught in a magenta colored aura, and he was pulled to Twilight.

"Twily, please!" Shining said.

"Stop calling me that!" Twilight spoke. "I hate it when you call me that!"

"Twily, you know that's not true!" Shining begged. "Please, stop! I didn't mean for this happen! I should've never turned you away like that! I'm sorry!"

"Oh, so now you're being remorseful?" Twilight asked. "Of course you are, because now I'm a threat to you, aren't I?"

"No, that's not true!" Shining said.

"Well if anything, I should thank you." Twilight said. "Because you showed me how life can be cruel, and that even our actions can have disastrous consequences." Shining lifted his eyebrow in confusion.

"Wh... What do you mean?" Shining asked.

"Here, let me show you." Twilight said. With her magic, she threw him towards the door, it impact bursting them open and made him drop onto the ground. He lifted his head up, and opened his eyes, which then widened with horror. Before him as Canterlot, but it wasn't pretty and beautiful. It was all in ruins, Changeling soldiers patrolled the skies, the buildings covered in Changeling slime, with multiple ponies, soldiers, families, mares, and children locked away in cocoons. The stallion was horrified at what he saw. Canterlot has fallen!

He soon turned to his right, seeing one of the cocoons twiggling, and it slowly opened up, revealing a pony slipping out of the shell. Shining's was now afraid, seeing before him. It was Cadance! But she wasn't pink, no. She was black and her teeth were fangs. She opened her eyes, showing no pupils and her sclera was bright light blue. She was a changeling drone now!

"This is all your fault!" She spoke, and she gave a hiss.

"AAHHHH!!!" Shining shouted as he ran for it, but he soon stopped in his tracks, seeing more Changeling drones, but these two that he saw scared him the most.

"Mom...? Dad...?" Shining asked, seeing the changelings with his parents mane and tails.

"You did this to us!" They both shouted. The stallion screamed again as he tried to run, only to stop in the other direction, seeing changeling drones that had the rest of the mane five's manes and tails.

"You made us betray our friend!" They shouted. Shining only backed away, horror made him unable to fight or run.

"All of this was because of you, Shining." Twilight's voice said. "You abandoned me... You Left Me! And that in turn made all of Equestria fall!" Shining then felt a shiver down his spine. He slowly turned his head to see the silhouette of Twilight.

"Don't you know... what I've become?" She asked, stepping out of the doorway of the castle, revealing her mane and tail all messy, her skin was pitch black, and while she retained her eye color, the pupils were slanted like the Changeling Queen's. And she had insectoid wings! Shining gasped, seeing his sister was a changeling!

"Twilight... what did they do to you?!" Shining asked.

"Oh, they didn't do anything to me." Twilight said, showing her fangs as she stepped down the stairs. "You did this to me. When you left me all alone in that wedding hall, the Changeling Queen sent me down below and trapped me in a cocoon. When I came out, I was reborn... into her Changeling Princess!" She let out a hiss, making the stallion tumble back and on the ground.

"I found a new life calling." She continued. "I have become one with the Changeling Hive. And you, Shining, shall suffer my wrath as I drain you of your love and essence, just like my friends did when I drained them too." Shining was now terrified, not for his life, but that his sister was now a changeling! Fear paralyzed his entire body as she approached him.

"Twily, No!" He shouted, as tears came out of his eyes. "Please Twilight, don't do this! I'm sorry! I'm Sorry!!!!"

"Oh, don't worry..." A familiar voice said behind him, making his eyes shrink down to the size of pencil tips. He looked up and saw the Changeling Queen herself! Chrysalis!

"You will be!" She said as the Changelings surrounded him. "Now my little princess... FEAST!" Shining looked back at saw Twilight going for him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" He shouted as she pounced him.

"TWILY!" He shouted as he lifted his head up. He gasped, opening his eyes. He froze, seeing no pitch black anymore. He saw that he was covered in a blanket, and he was in a bed with a pillow. Looking around, he saw that he was in bed, riding on the train. He looked out the window, seeing nothing but grassy plains, and the starry night up in the sky lit up by the stars and the moon.

It was a dream. He gave a sigh of relief. It was only a dream. But... it felt so real. It felt really real. Then he remembered, how he abandoned Twilight at the wedding rehearsal and she was taken underground by the Changeling Queen. What... What if what he experienced in his nightmare happened instead? What if she ended up turning Twilight into a changeling, which would've allowed her to take over Equestria? It could've happened.

"Captain?" The sudden voice made him jump, and turned to the door. It was only Riku, who was leaning into the room. No doubt that he heard the long shout from outside the room.

"Are you ok?" He asked. The stallion looked away and lowered his head.

"No." Shining said. "I'm not ok." The boy tilted his head. He was up to use the bathroom, and after finishing up, he heard the captain scream. Curious, Riku stepped into the room, wondering what was bothering the stallion. From the shout he heard from outside the room, it was probably a bad dream.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He asked.

"Yeah." Shining said. "It was pretty scary."

"How scary?" Riku asked. The stallion slowly lifted his head.

"Do you ever wonder, what could've happened?" Shining asked.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Well, What if Twilight wasn't sent to be trapped forever in the Caverns?" Shining asked. "What if the Changeling Queen decided to turn Twilight into a changeling and use her to take over Canterlot?"

"Is that what the dream was about?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, half of it." Shining said. "I found myself in a dark place, and I found this door. Twilight was inside and I went inside too. She was berating me for not listening to her, and she threw me out of the castle, and when I looked up. All of Canterlot was under Changeling control. It was horrifying."

"I'm sorry." Riku said. "But, you should be glad that it didn't."

"But I can't." Shining said.

"Why not?" Riku asked. The stallion only buried his face into his hooves.

"Things are never going to be the same again." Shining said. "Even if your friend finds Twilight. She's never going to forgive me after everything that's happened."

"Don't be so sure of that." Riku said. "I mean, you were under the Changeling Queen's influence. So you probably didn't know what you were doing, right?" The stallion lifted his head up, showing realization. Everything was coming back to him. Everything!

"No... I think I did." Shining said. "I was in control the whole time. I remember lashing at Twilight because I thought she was ruining the wedding. But then I felt bad after what I did, and I wanted to make things right with her." Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Riku asked.

"After I shouted at Twilight and kicked her out of the wedding, I felt pretty bad about what I said." Shining said. "I knew deep down that Twilight was only being concerned about me. So, I went back to the rehearsal hall to talk with Twilight and making things right. But then... I saw... everything!" Riku knew what he was talking about.

"Twilight being sent to the Caverns below." Riku said.

"Yes... I saw it." Shining said. "With my own two eyes!" At that moment, he was now remembering everything!

A couple days ago...

Shining was walking down the hall, heading back to the rehearsal room. He was feeling pretty bad in his stomach, and he knew why. After he just told Twilight that he didn't want her to come to the wedding at all, and her friends followed him suit. He realized that that was a terrible move on his part. Sure she said some nasty stuff about his soon-to-be wife. But in his heart, he knew that there was truly something wrong, and Twilight would never act like that unless it was serious. And from the way she was acting, it was serious.

Well, he knew what he had to do. He had to make things right and make amends with Twilight. He was going to tell her that he was sorry for what he said, and that he was going to listen to her side and everything. He finally reached the doors to the wedding hall. He was about to open it up. But he heard something inside, like someone was shouting.

"What the?" Shining asked as he slowly opened the door, and then, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. There near the stairs, was a green flaming circle, and Twilight was inside, scared for her life. Standing before it was Cadance, and her horn was glowing green.

"Cadance, wait, please!" Twilight shouted.

"Sorry, but I'm not gonna have a little foal like you ruin my plans." Cadance said as her horn flashed, and Twilight was sinking into the ground. Shining gasped.

"Twily!" He shouted as he charged into the room.

"HELP!" Twilight shouted. "SPIKE! PRINCESS! SHINING!!!"

"TWILY!" Shining shouted as he rushed over, but Twilight was already deep into the ground, and the green magical circle disappeared. Shining stopped in his tracks, seeing his little sister gone!

"No!... No, no no no no!" Shining said as he knelt down to the ground. He then turned his attention towards Cadance, who was showing no remorse at all. She was smiling, and it was an evil smile.

"Cadance!" Shining demanded. "What did you do to Twily?"

"Oh, don't worry, dear." Cadance said. "You said you didn't want her at your wedding, so I took care of the problem."

"Where is she?!" Shining asked.

"Oh I put her someplace where no pony would ever think to look for her." Cadance responded.

"Cadance, bring her back!" Shining shouted. "I didn't want this!"

"Oh, I can't do that, Shining." Cadance said. "I can't have her ruin my big day when I finally rule all of Equestria." Shining tilted his head, but then saw something. Something in Cadance eyes. They were not light purple! They were moderate harlequin with dark opal eyes. Shining's eyes widened up with shock.

"I don't believe it!" He shouted. "Twilight was right about you all along! You are evil! And I'm not gonna let you ruin this special day! Now bring my sister back!" The fake Princess gave a laugh, and her voice became a cackle, distorted with another voice.

"I can't do that, Captain." Cadance said, though her voice was distorted with another's. "And I can't certainly let you ruin everything!" Instantly, the fake bride's horn began to glow green and trapped Shining in the grip of her magic.

"No!" He shouted, unable to break free. "Let me go!"

"Oh, no." The fake Cadance spoke. "I'm never letting you go, my darling soon-to-be King." Then she fired her magic upon the stallion. He tried so hard to fight back, but her magic was too strong! He didn't have the strength to fight it off.

"No!" Shining shouted. "Twily!....." Suddenly, his jerking stopped, and his eyes opened up wide, showing his pupils now glowing green. He was then dropped to the floor, where he landed on his hooves. He looked like a zombie, completely zooned out. That only meant one thing. He was now under the fake bride's control.

"Now, you're going to forget everything that happened here, and we're going to continue our special day." The fake bride spoke. "Is that understood, my pet?"

"Yes, mistress." Shining spoke.

"Now, go get ready." The fake bride said. "We have a big day ahead of us." The stallion gave a smile and nodded. He then departed from the room, while the fake Cadance only stood there, giving a big grin, showing fangs on her teeth.

"This day is going to be perfect..." She spoke as she walked out of the room, giving an evil laugh.

"At that moment, she finally took control of me!" Shining said, as tears started to form in his eyes. "And I forgot everything that happened..." Unable to keep the tears back he only lowered his head in shame, letting them drop.

"I failed her..." He said. "I let Twilight down!"

"Captain Armor." Riku said. "That's not true."

"Of course it is!" Shining said. "All Twily was trying to do was to protect me, and I pushed her away. And I wasn't there when she needed me. I don't deserve to be her brother, nor do I deserve to be Captain of the stupid Royal Guard. It doesn't matter anymore anyway."

"What?" Riku asked.

"The reason I joined the Royal Guard, was to protect ponies, including Twilight." Shining said, wiping the tears away, though more kept dropping. "Twilight was always bullied because of her studious nature. That was the reason why she didn't have many friends when she was young. I took it upon myself to protect her, to be there for her when she needed me. She's the reason why I even have a cutie mark." The stallion looked down at his flank, seeing the cutie mark of a blue shield with three lighter stars above it, and it showed six pointed magenta star on the shield, which represented Twilight. However, there was a slight crack on the star.

"One day a couple of bullies a year older stole her Smarty Pants doll, and they were about to beat her up." Twilight said. "But I rushed over there and told them to back off, and they listened. They gave back the doll and ran away. Twilight was so happy that I was there to protect her. Back then I was always interested in being a Royal Guard. That day, I realized what I wanted to do with my life. To be part of the Royal Guard to protect people, but more importantly, to protect my sister. But now, with everything that's happened... I don't deserve to be a royal guard, nor be Twilight's brother. I was her big brother best friend forever... but now, we'll never do anything together. Forever." He hung his head, and surprisingly, his color started to become less bright and more dull. This usually happens when they're in pain or become so depressed, losing themselves. Riku was about to speak, but first, he stood up and faced the captain.

"Captain... you don't believe that." Riku said. "I know you don't." The stallion lifted his head up, staring back at the boy. Riku, then suddenly froze for a second and started to think.

"Strange..." Riku thought. "Why does it feel like I've said those words before?" Riku tried to think on it, but he couldn't recall when he said it. Did he ever say it? He doesn't even remember or recall when he said it. But how comes it feels like her has? Well, that didn't matter.

"Huh?" Shining asked.

"You think that you're beyond redemption, but that's not true at all." Riku said as he sat on the bedside next to the stallion. "Sure you screwed up, but that doesn't mean you don't have a chance to make things right."

"How would you know?" Shining asked. The boy then sat next to him again, and stared at the ground.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, I've done some bad things in the past." Riku said. "Terrible things. When I was cast out of my home for the first time, I gave into the darkness and turned against my best friend. I believed that he abandoned me, and valued his new friends more than us. I took everything away from him, and I nearly destroyed our friendship. And when I was at my lowest, I lost my body, my heart, everything." Shining tilted his head in surprise. He has heard of keyblade wielders in the past turning to the darkness, but he never expected that this young man was one of them. He never really saw that.

"Wow." Shining said.

"I too believed that I could never be given a second chance." Riku said. "But a good king saw the good in me, and helped me redeem myself. And someone special to me helped me find the light in my darkness. Through them, I walked the Road to Dawn, and worked to help Sora get his memories back. I will admit, I kept my distance from him when he woke up, because I thought I didn't deserve his forgiveness. And despite everything that's happened between us, he forgave me. He was even willing to face death just to find me, even lost his own memories to do so." The boy glanced out the window, seeing the stars twinkle in the sky.

"Maybe it's because Sora is just so nice, even for his own good." Riku said. "And I'm really proud to have a good friend like him."

"You're pretty lucky." Shining said, giving a weak smile.

"If anyone can save your sister, Sora can." Riku said. "And I'm certain that Twilight will forgive you. She just needs to remember the good times, not the bad."

"But, what if she doesn't." Shining asked.

"Then you prove to her that you're sorry." Riku said. "Redemption isn't too hard to get. Light is easy to find." The stallion glanced down at the floor. Riku was right. There was still a chance to make things right with Twilight. It may take some time, and a lot of work. But things will be right again. He'll do anything to make amends with his sister.

"Thank you, Master Riku." Shining said.

"Riku's just fine." The boy replied. "And your welcome, Captain."

"You don't have to call me Captain." Shining said.

"Fair enough, Shining." Riku replied with a smile. While the two were talking, outside the train room was Princess Cadance, who was listening on to their conversation. She couldn't help but show a face of guilt, and let out a heavy sigh. In her heart, she felt truly horrible being mean to Shining. She didn't want to be mad at him anymore. Deep down she knew that Twilight running away wasn't really Shining's fault.

"Princess?" a voice asked. The young princess turned to see King Mickey, looking at her with concern.

"Are you ok?" Mickey asked. The pink alicorn lowered her head, and only sighed.

"No." She said. "I've been mad at Shining for no reason..." She only dropped to the floor and cried softly, with the king making his way toward her and hugged her, comforting the sad princess.

Rainbow Dash felt so dizzy, as she struggled to open her eyes. She slowly nudged her head as she began to come too. As she opened her eyes up, getting her sight back on track, she gasped. She lifted herself up, seeing that she was in Canterlot Castle, inside the Princesses' throne room. But it wasn't colorful however, as it was grim, and dark. But that wasn't the kicker as she gasped once more. All around her were bodies, the bodies of Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. They were all grey and black, their colors were no longer there. Their eyes were pitch black, with a couple of cracks forming from them. The Pegasus gasped as she saw her friends. They were not moving. They were not sick, or sleeping. They were dead.

"No... No!" Rainbow Dash said as she looked around, looking at her dead friends. "Applejack... Rarity... Pinkie Pie!" She then looked at Fluttershy's corpse. Her best friend! Her most closest friend.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said as she held up her winged friend. "No... No..!"

"Muhahahahahaha!" A familiar evil laugh called out, making the rainbow maned Pegasus look around startled. She had heard that laugh before. And it wasn't Pinkie Pie's laugh.

"Who's there?" She asked.

"Behind you..." The voice said. Rainbow Dash turned to the throne room, to see the Changeling Queen sitting on top of the throne. Next to her worse the lifeless bodies of Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna, all of them no moving like the other girls. But Rainbow Dash had her eyes set on Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings, who was licking her lips.

"You!..." The rainbow maned Pegasus hissed.

"Well, well, well, it's the Hero of Ponyville." Chrysalis said. "Rainbow Dash, isn't it?"

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" She asked.

"Well, if you were truly a hero, then you should've saved Equestria by now." Chrysalis said as she walked down the steps of the throne. "Oh wait, you didn't. Guess you weren't fast enough after all." Hearing that insult made Rainbow Dash's blood boil. She took off into the air and flew towards the Changeling Queen to strike. However, the queen's horn lit up, trapping the Pegasus in her magic.

"Let me go!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Too slow." Chrysalis said as she tossed Rainbow Dash out the throne room, crashing outside the castle itself. As the rainbow maned Pegasus came to, her eyes opened wide with shock. The entire town of Canterlot was in ruins. All of it was in ruins. The buildings were broken, houses were in flames, and there were even more dead bodies of ponies in the streets.

"Wh....What?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Do you see that?" Chrysalis asked. The Pegasus turned around to see the Changeling Queen coming out of the castle. "This is what happened while you were so busy planning your stupid little wedding, while more focused in wanting to meet the Wonderbolts. All of Equestria has fallen under my control, and you have no one but yourself to blame. You should've heeded Twilight's warning from the beginning." Rainbow Dash was about to speak, but then it hit her. Twilight! She wasn't among the bodies of her friends. She then glared at the Changeling Queen.

"Where is she?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "Where is Twilight?!"

"Oh, you care about her now?" Chrysalis asked.

"What did you do to her?!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Oh, I did nothing." Chrysalis said. "You did it yourself." The rainbow maned Pegasus looked at the Changeling Queen in confusion.

"Wh... what do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked. She then looked forward, and saw Twilight's tower just next to the castle. She took off flying and flew straight to the door. She tried to open it, but it was locked shut. With all her strength, she pushed the door with her entire body, breaking it open, but pushing herself through the doorway. She then looked around, trying to find Twilight.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Where are you?! Twi-" She then stopped as she turned her head forward. Her eyes widened up, showing horror as her mouth dropped.

"No.... No...!" She spoke. Right before her was Twilight Sparkle, floating in the air just above the ceiling lamp, with a noose hanging from it, and tied around her neck. Twilight... hung herself. And she was dead.

"NO!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew up and ripped the noose from the lamp, and caught the unconscious Twilight. She undid the nose around her neck, but she showed no signs of life.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Twilight, wake up! Twilight!" The lavender unicorn didn't move, or respond. She wasn't breathing. She was dead. Though there were tear stains on her cheek. Rainbow Dash started to produce tears in her eyes. Her friend was dead... and it was all her fault.

"You did this to me..." a voice said from Twilight's mouth, getting her attention.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked. Suddenly, a magenta colored aura wrapped around Pegasus's neck, preventing her from getting air into her lungs. She was then lifted her into the air, as Twilight's head leaned forward and opened her eyes, showing black sclera with red glowing irises.

"You did this to me!" Twilight shouted. "You killed me!"

"Tw...Twilight... Please...!" Rainbow Dash said as she was slowly pulled into the air as she was being choked, and the undead corpse of Twilight hovered up with her.

"You abandoned me. You left me!" Twilight shouted. "And now you lost. Goodbye, Rainbow Dash." As Rainbow Dash started to suffocate, the lavender unicorn then grabbed Rainbow Dash's body and threw it down to the ground with great force, causing the rainbow maned Pegasus to scream as she fell through the floor, which shattered into pieces as she fell into the darkness.

"No! No! Twilight!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she fell through.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she leaned up screaming. The screaming ceased, and the rainbow maned Pegasus began to pant as she looked around, seeing that there was a campfire in front of her. She then turned to her right, seeing that her friends were sound asleep, snuggling with sleeping bags. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were ok, and not dead. And course, Spike was wrapped up in a blanket, safe and sound asleep too. Just sleeping. She took a sigh of relief, thankful that they were ok. She then looked down at herself, seeing that her right wing was around her neck. She used her left hoof to push it off as it drooped to the ground. She let out another sigh.

But then suddenly, she felt something grab her wing. She almost yelped, her head turning to look at whatever grabbed it. She saw a hand, a white glove with just three fingers. She looked up and saw Goofy, who was mumbling in his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, but not all the way open, only slightly. He then lifted his head and turned slowly to Rainbow Dash, giving a sleepy smile... it was kinda creepy... but funny.

"How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?" He asked. The rainbow maned Pegasus looked at him with a bit of confusion.

"Uhhhh… thirty in a half?" She asked. Within a couple of seconds, Goofy dropped back to the floor face up and just went back to sleep, snoring. Rainbow Dash let out another sigh. She then looked past Goofy and saw Donald sleeping on his front, quacking quietly as he snored. Apparently, the group had to make camp out here in the forest, since the train was unable to take them any further. They had to resort to walking, and camping out here for the night. Luckily, Rarity was able to bring some supplies and camping materials. She's not one for camping, but she'll put up with it, even if it means finding Twilight. While everyone else was asleep, he rainbow maned Pegasus only got up and stared at the campfire, thinking about that nightmare she had.

"You ok?" The sudden voice made her yelp almost, and she turned to see Sora, who was next to the campfire. He was looking at her with concern. He must've woken up before she did.

"Huh?" She asked.

"You ok, Rainbow?" Sora asked. "I heard you scream." The Pegasus then realized that he heard her. She looked away.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said. The boy tilted his head, seeing that she didn't look ok.

"You sure?" Sora asked. "You can tell me." She then turned her head, to look right at the boy. She then let out a sigh and got up.

"I just need to use the bathroom." She said as she trotted away slowly, onto the path. Sora then got up and followed her, knowing that something was still bothering her.

"Rainbow, are you sure you're alright?" Sora asked. The Pegasus stopped in her tracks, and turned her head.

"Do you always have to butt into people's business?" Rainbow Dash asked. The boy was almost taken back by that question. But he didn't feel offended.

"Sorry, I can't help it." Sora said. "I just don't like seeing people in distraught. You're actually the second one who didn't want my help." The rainbow maned Pegasus only sighed. She knew that the wasn't gonna let her up on what's bothering her. So she sighed and spoke.

"I had a nightmare." Rainbow Dash said.

"About what?" Sora asked.

"About the whole invasion." Rainbow Dash said. "That happened at the wedding. It was horrible."

"How horrible?" Sora asked as he approached her.

"Like my friends were dead around me, Canterlot was destroyed, and Twilight hung herself and came back as a zombie to kill me." Rainbow Dash said. The boy was shocked hearing all that. Clearly he wasn't expecting that.

"Wow..." Sora said. "That's scary... and disturbing." Rainbow Dash only lowered her head, and couldn't help but think. What if Twilight never escaped the crystal caverns? What if she wasn't sent down there at all? What if she instead took her own life, because of how Rainbow Dash and the other girls abandoned her?

"What if that happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What if Twilight killed herself and was never sent to the caverns and found Cadance?" Sora, honestly, didn't want to think about that.

"Well to be honest." Sora said. "I really don't want to imagine that. But be glad that it didn't." Rainbow Dash only sighed. She couldn't stop thinking about it. She wasn't there for Twilight. She wasn't there to help her when she needed it. She started thinking back at when she spoke with Cadance, who was actually the Changeling Queen in disguise. She was able to control Shining Armor, and make him do things for her. Was it possible that when Rainbow Dash spoke with the imposter, did the latter place some sort of spell on her to make her leave her friend?

Yet, she didn't feel anything holding her. She felt no magical surge gripping on her those times. So maybe it wasn't the Changeling Queen's magic at all. Maybe Rainbow Dash wasn't loyal enough to Twilight the whole time and just cared about impressive the Wonderbolts. She only hung her head down with guilt.

"Why wasn't I there for her?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I'm suppose to be the Element of Loyalty! I'm always willing to help ponies! But I couldn't help Twilight. She was right. I guess I was chasing a stupid dream."

"Aww, c'mon Rainbow." Sora said. "Don't think like that. The Rainbow Dash I know wouldn't leave a pony hanging. Don't you remember when we ventured in the Everfree Forest to the Castle of the Royal Sisters?" The Pegasus lifted her head up and started thinking. She remembered that, when she went to get the bridge up, and she encountered the Shadowbolts, an illusion created by Nightmare Moon to turn her against her friends.

"Yeah, I remember that." Rainbow Dash said.

"When those Shadowbolts tried to persuade you to join them, and Twilight was hanging on the side of the bridge in peril, you turned them away and chose to save Twilight instead." Sora said. "You chose your friend over a dream. That shows how loyal you are. And I know you won't let Twilight down." The rainbow maned Pegasus looked at the boy and began thinking. He was right. She did choose Twilight instead of joining the Shadowbolts. That showed she was loyal. And when Twilight needed help with something, she was always willing to help her with anything, even if it was boring. A smile formed on her face.

"You're right, Sora!" Rainbow Dash said. "I am loyal! And I'm going to be more loyal to Twilight than I ever have before. We'll find her and bring her home!" The boy smiled hearing that.

"That's the spirit!" Sora said. Rainbow Dash turned away, and saw the horizon, with the sun slowly creeping up from the end.

"It may take time to make things right, but I'll use all my heart to prove to Twilight that I do care about her!" Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly, all around her, time began to slow down, just as the sound of drums began to play. She then started walking slowly, and she found the urge to sing.

I have so much more to say

But I live in slow motion

From moment to moment, hey

Holding back from day to day

The clock's ticking slowly

But time cannot hold me down

The rainbow maned Pegasus looked down at the path before her, seeing a nice pathway towards the horizon. She tapped her hooves a bit, ready for a running start.

I find myself in the rhythm of my feet

Feel it in my heartbeat

The time is now, and I won't hold back, hold back

Then, with everything she got, she started to gallop forward and her wings began to flap allowing her to hover above the ground at a very fast speed.

Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'

Watch me, yeah-yeah, I'm runnin'

Seeing a log in front of her in the road, the rainbow maned Pegasus smiled and flew right over it with a neat spin, allowing her tail to leave a rainbow trail behind.

I let go in this moment, all roads open

Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'

I was born to break free

The Pegasus then took off flying into the sky, as Sora surprised by how fast Rainbow Dash was flying, watched the sky, seeing the rainbow maned Pegasus perform incredible moves.

"Whoa..." Sora said, just as Donald and Goofy were finally waking up from their slumber. The two shook their heads, trying to get out of the sandman's spell, and then noticed Sora looking at the sky, while Rainbow Dash continued to sing, flying among the clouds.

I choose my path, I choose my dreams

My spirit's a fighter

A passion igniter, yeah

All I need's inside of me

A light shining brighter

A spark to a fire now

She looks down below, and sees a couple of camping ponies awake, but all of them were in chaos. A pony about to spill his drink on a mare, with a filly tripping over their dog, and a stallion almost flying out of control, about to spill cupcakes onto the floor.

I find myself in the rhythm of my feet

Feel it in my heartbeat

The time is now, and I won't hold back, hold back

(Whoa-oh-oh-ohhhh-oh)

With a couple of stretches, Rainbow Dash flew in, with time still slow around her, and managed to help the ponies. She picked up the cupcakes before they dropped to the ground and placed them all back into the tray the stallion was holding. She then picked the fill up and balanced her back on the ground, and placed the leash back onto the dog. She then the cup that was almost spilling and gathered up the liquid before it got on the mare. With everything in place, she then flew to the sky. And time went back forward, and the ponies were not harmed and safe. They were a bit startled at first, but they looked up at the sky, seeing Rainbow Dash waving at them with a wink. They all waved back in thanks.

Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' (yeah-yeah)

Watch me, yeah-yeah, I'm runnin' (I'm runnin', runnin', whoa)

I let go in this moment, all roads open

Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'

I was born to break free

Afterwards, Rainbow Dash punched through a cloud, grabbing ahold of some of it, morphing it into an electric guitar. Despite having hooves, the Pegasus began to play the cloud guitar with style, as it sounded like a real guitar, performing a near solo as the song went on.

"Sora?" Donald asked as he and Goofy approached the boy, who was still staring at the sky, seeing Rainbow Dash perform. The duck looked up and his eyes widened with complete shock.

"Look at that." Sora said, as Goofy and Donald looked up, watching with amazement. The girls then slowly got up from their slumber, and so was Spike. Then they looked up in the sky, seeing Rainbow Dash playing the cloud guitar. That probably what woke them up, but they were amazed by how Rainbow Dash was playing.

"Whoa, nelly." Applejack said.

"I didn't know Rainbow Dash could play the guitar." Pinkie Pie said.

I find myself in the rhythm of my feet

Feel it in my heartbeat

The time is now, and I won't hold back, hold back

(Whoa-oh-oh-ohhhh-oh)

As she got high enough, she then turned and flew back down, this time so fast, that her whole body was stretching a little bit. But with a mighty flap from her wings, she glowed up and zoomed forward at super sonic speed, with a burst of rainbow colors flashing from her body, forming a massive circle shaped Rainbow Boom that cleared the clouds away and lightning up the forest. What she did, was a Sonic Rainboom. It's pretty much a Sonic Boom but colored in a great rainbow.

Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' (yeah-yeah)

Watch me, yeah-yeah, I'm runnin' (I'm runnin', runnin', whoa)

I let go in this moment, all roads open

Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'

I let go in this moment, all roads open

Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin'

I was born to break free

She flew down to the group's level, flying past the girls and Spike. They all watched with amazement and smiles, to see Rainbow Dash flying in the sky, with no doubt whatsoever. Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched the sky, still seeing the energy from the Sonic Rainboom as it spread across the sky with multiple colors.

"Wow..." Sora said, astonished. "That was just... wow. So that was a Sonic Rainboom?"

"Garsh, Rainbow Dash sure has a lot of energy." Goofy said.

"Yeah, and she looked happy." Donald said. The boy stared up at the sky, and smiled, glad to not only see the Sonic Rainboom, but also Rainbow Dash happy again.

"Yeah." He said. "Definitely." As he continued to see the rainbow, he was thinking. He was pretty glad that he helped Rainbow Dash open up about her nightmare and worries. But then he started to think about his own dreams. The recurring nightmare of him and everyone back at the Keyblade Graveyard, where all of them were taken out one by one. He never had the chance to tell Donald or Goofy about his own dilemma, but it wasn't important right now... was it?

"Wish I could do the same." He thought, lowering his head. Suddenly, the sun began to flash in his eyes. He looked up to see the beautiful red and yellow rising from the horizon. As he looked on, he started to remember something.

Months Ago...

It was only just before Sora had to leave. The day he first arrived to Ponyville and helped Twilight and her friends defeat Nightmare Moon and save Equestria. He was just about to leave, but he wanted to say goodbye to Twilight first.

"I'll come back and visit you again." He said as he knelt down to her level.

"W...What?" Twilight asked.

"You and I are friends now." Sora said. "So nothing can stop me from visiting you." The unicorn tilted her head a bit with surprise.

"You and me... we're friends?" Twilight asked.

"We've been friends ever since we met." Sora said. "Friendship is magic, right?" Hearing that made Twilight giggle.

"Yeah, it sure is." Twilight said.

"Oh, if there's also any problems, don't hesitate to call me if you have to." Sora said. "I'll swing by and help out, and I'll even bring some of my friends too."

"I would like that." Twilight said.

"And remember Twilight." Sora said. "Even if I'm not here, I'll always be here." He then pointed at Twilight's chest, directly to her heart. The unicorn knew exactly what he meant.

"Friends in our hearts." Twilight said.

"Yep." Sora said. He extended his hand out, offering to shake her hoof. However, Twilight walked toward him and placed her front hooves around him, giving him a tender hug. Surprised at first, but he wrapped his arms around her too, completing he hug.

"Oh." Sora said, remembering one more thing. "I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. It was a necklace, with the latches and string holding it together being small chains. And in the middle was a yellow crystal star.

"What's this?" Twilight asked.

"It's a friendship necklace." Sora said. "I want you to have it. So that way, you won't forget about me. And a part of me will also be with you too." He placed it around her neck, and the necklace hung there, giving a twinkle as the light glanced on it. The lavender unicorn lifted her head up with a smile.

"Thank you, Sora." Twilight said with a nod.

As the memory went through his head, the boy couldn't help but reflect on his first visit here. How he met Twilight, joined her to Ponyville, helped her make friends, travel to the Castle of the Royal Sisters, defeated Nightmare Moon and helped her learn the joys of friendship. He remembered the necklace he gave her. The necklace that was a sign of their friendship.

"I wonder if she still has the necklace." Sora said. He's pretty sure that she does.

It was near the morning when they trotted along the trail, going through the forest with a red luxurious wagon behind them. The ponies in question that were pulling it were two very identical unicorns, showing that they were twins. They both had moderate pistachio eyes, coated with pale, light grayish olive coloring, and their manes were moderate red with white stripes. They both had sales uniforms on, consisting of a striped blue and white shirt with black bows and nice hats that are usually worn by acapella singing groups. These were the Flim Flam brothers. The difference between them was that Flim had no facial hair and a left facing apple slice cutie mark, and Flam had a mustache and an apple with a slice missing cutie mark. They are traveling salesponies... well actually they're con artists, and they were suffering hard.

Their recent scam was to broker a deal with Applejack's family to allow themselves buisness in ponyville in producing cider for them. But when the brothers wanted 75% of the profit and wanted to give 25% to the Apples, the family refused, with the brother declaring to drive Sweet Apple Acres out of business, provoking them to partake in a Cider-making competition to garner the town's favor. The brothers were using their technology to overpower the Apples with their Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. But Applejack's friends offered to help the Apples and it gave them a lead.

The brothers resorted to cheating, turning off their machine's quality control settings to get a faster lead, and while they produced the most barrels, the cider was contaminated with rocks, branches and dirt. The ponies of Ponyville favored Sweet Apple Acres, and the brothers retreated to try and sell their next product. Unfortunately, the news of their horrible cider spread across Equestria, and they were losing business bad. Instead of blaming it on themselves, they blamed Applejack and her family. The two brothers recently left Baltimore in defeat, as no one wanted to buy their products.

"Well brother, that's another scheme foiled." Flim said.

"Another day, another bad apple in the bunch." Flam spoke.

"You can say that again." Flim said. "We used to have it big, you know. We managed to get ponies into our scam and make money."

"But now because of that Apple Family, we got no business anymore." Flam said.

"You said it." Flim said. "Is there anywhere in Equestria two honest conmen can set up a scam without Applejack and her family showing up and ruining it?" Flam gave a sigh, but as he lifted his head up, he saw someone in the distance, walking towards them!

"Brother, look!" Flam said. "A customer!"

"Excellent!" Flim said as the two rushed forward, their excitement allowing them to pull the wagon to meet this person.

"Hello there sir!" Flim said. "Would you like one of our products? It's a limited time offer!"

"Oh, no thank you." The person said, revealing himself to be a man in the black coat. The same one that was with Maleficent, Pete, and had just spoken with the Dragon Trio and Iron Will. Yes, it was the hooded man. "I was just passing through. You two looked like you were a hurry with... whatever you were doing." The two brothers only lowered their heads in defeat.

"Well, that's just great." Flam said, while the hooded man looked down upon them.

"Why so sad?" He asked. "You two look like a couple of good salesmen... or salesponies to be precise."

"Well, not anymore." Flim said. "Not after the Apple Family made fools of us."

"The Apple Family?" The hooded man asked. "You mean those old ponies who rely on labor than technology?"

"You said it." Flam said. "We challenged them to a cider making contest, and they ruined us. They made us cheat in the first place."

"Cheat?" The hooded man asked, showing a smile on his face. "So you two are con-artists." The two brothers froze stiff, realizing that they mentioned cheating. They lowered their heads in defeat.

"Yes." Flam said. "We're... con-artists. And the Apple Family exposed us."

"Yeah, they made ponies care about quality." Flim said. "I mean, why do these Apples care so much? Who asked them to be hall monitors of all of Equestria."

"It's a bum rap, it is." Flam said. "Every time we set up it's like apples fall right out of the trees."

"We've got to do something about them." Flim said. "If they keep ruining us, we'll lose our Resort in Las Pegasus!" The hooded man gave another smile.

"I can help you with that." He replied. The two brothers lifted their heads up in surprise.

"You... you can?" They both asked.

"Yes." The hooded man said. "What if I offered you the chance to get rid of that pesky Apple Family for good? What if I told you I had the power to give you wealth beyond your wildest imagination? I can make you rich beyond your dreams." The two brothers looked at each other with surprise. This stranger is willing to help them, and give them money? This could be a chance to get rich, and no longer have to scam ponies for the rest of their lives! They both nodded with excitement.

"Of course!" Flim said. "We'll do anything!"

"If the price is right." Flam said. "And for what now?" The hooded man knelt down and spoke.

"We're going to mount a mutiny..." He whispered.

RADIANT GARDEN

Radiant Garden, one of the most beautiful and magnificent world ever known, mostly because of it's name. And yes, it was radiant. It is ruled by Ansem the Wise, who spent his time studying the heart in order to protect his people from the darkness. Going through the Castle Gate, passing the Outer Gardens and the entryway, visitors would find themselves in the Central square, which is located in the middle of the world, surprisingly. On the right side, Merlin's house could be seen, including the Marketplace where it houses a Moogle shop, where the friendly moogles would craft all kinds of trinkets and weapons, if given the right items to synthesize with. On the left side, there was a beautiful garden and taking the right path up north will lead visitors to the front doors of the huge castle.

More than a decade ago, this once peaceful world fell victim to Master Xehanort's dastardly scheme when he possessed Terra's body and performed terrible experiments with the help of some of Ansem's apprentices, who betrayed their master and converted to nobodies to be part of Xehanort's Organization XIII. For ten years, this world was reduced when Maleficent took over the castle naming it Hollow Bastion, but the castle was restored to its former glory after Sora and friends defeated her, with the help of the Restoration Committee. After Xehanort's defeat, Ansem resumed his role as the leader, and his former apprentices, who saw the errors of their ways, and eventually redeeming themselves by helping Sora and Riku, resumed their positions as well.

The trio were speaking to Ansem and three others. Ansem was the much older man with blond hair, worn long and slicked back. He sported a short mustache and goatee, and his eyes were bright orange. His attire consisted of a periwinkle labcoat, identical to the ones two of the other men were wearing, a dark grey vest underneath with a collared shirt and a violet ascot, as well as black pants and shoes. A red clothe of some sort draped over his shoulders.

Next to him was a younger man, Ienzo, somewhere in his mid-twenties. His hair was steel-blue, with a bit of a messy style with long bangs covering the right side of his face, with his left bright blue eye visible. His labcoat was white, along with a white dress shirt and a grey sweater-vest underneath. He also had an ascot, which was purple. He even had knee-high silver-trimmed boots.

The other was Even, who sported platinum blond hair worn long with two slightly shorter bangs what frame his face. He also has large bright green eyes, and like Ienzo, he wears the same labcoat and accessories with it.

The fourth man, Aeleus was not wearing a labcoat, but a guard uniform, which was a grey uniform with white cuffs and a red heart on the chest. There were blue hearts on the cuffs of both his gloves. He possessed very angular and strong features, with a square chin, straight nose, and sharp cheekbones. His hair was auburn and slicked back into rather odd, messy spikes. His eyebrows were small, while his eyes were blue.

A little note to know, Ansem has met Aqua down in the Realm of Darkness sometime after Sora and friends defeated Xemnas. How he ended up in there the second time, it's a bit complicated to explain. The last time he saw Aqua was when Xehanort's heartless blasted her into the dark ocean. But seeing her alive and well brought some peace to his heart, glad to know that Sora was able to dive in and save her.

Aqua, Terra, and Ventus had arrived shortly to speak with Ansem and some of his apprentices. No doubt they too became aware of the mysterious magic outage that was happening across the universe.

"Equestria." Ienzo spoke. "So that could explain why the magic is acting out of sorts."

"Yes." Aqua said. "We believe that the Elements' disconnection may be the cause. And someone in that world is searching for artifacts that could awaken an evil spirit."

"Hmmm... very troubling indeed." Ansem the Wise said.

"And it may not be as simple we all can hope." Even said. "Equestrian magic is much more complicated than it sounds to be." As they were chatting, Aeleus was staring at Ventus for a moment, as if he was seeing someone that he knew.

"Uh... you ok?" Ventus asked.

"Sorry, you just look someone that I know." Aeleus said. "From my time in Organization XIII."

"Aeleus, that's just Ventus." Ienzo said. "He only looks like Roxas, or the other way around exactly." Regardless, Aeleus shook his head and just left the room. Ienzo only shook his head.

"You'll have to forgive him." Ienzo said. "He and Roxas have some history."

"I can already guess why." Ventus said, knowing that he and Roxas look almost identical to each other.

"Someone in that world is searching for mystical talismans that belong to the Pillars of Equestria." Terra said. "Do you all happen to know anything about them?"

"The knowledge of the Pillars of Old Equestria is quite limited, I'm afraid." Ansem the Wise said. "But the Pillars have been active during the rule of the Royal Sisters, before the Great Celestial Lunar Rift."

"There have been stories about the Pillars themselves." Ienzo said. "Some of which are rarely heard of today. The only thing that we know of so far is that a decade after Luna was imprisoned, they disappeared without a trace after battling a monstrous foe known as the Pony of Shadows."

"Master Eraqus has told us that the pillars gave up their lives to stop the Pony of Shadows." Aqua said. "The talismans that this Mare Do Well is searching for are the keys to locking it away."

"Interesting." Ienzo said, as he went towards the computer and turned it on, showing images of the Pillars of Equestria. "If these talismans are the key to locking the Pony of Shadows away, then the items that this masked pony is seeking has to be personal belongings that belong to the pillars themselves."

"The only item we know so far is Rockhoof's shovel." Terra said. "Is there any information regarding what the others could be?"

"I'm afraid not." Even said. "Our computer only has information regarding to what we managed to salvage from lost texts."

"Well, I guess the library is out of the question then." Ventus said.

"The only other person who should know more about them could be the Sun Princess herself." Even said. "She was a personal friend to Starswirl… or used to, so to speak."

"Used to?" Terra asked. "What happened?"

"We discovered a page that was probably written by Starswirl the Bearded." Ienzo said. "The page said that he and Princess Celestia had a fallout regarding a mirror, and since then Princess Celestia has cut ties with him ever since." Ventus could help but raise an eyebrow.

"Wait, you guys found a page?" Ventus asked. "How did you guys find pages and info regarding Equestria?"

"That's the thing." Ansem the Wise said. "It just randomly shows up out of nowhere. More than a decade ago before Xehanort's schemes, we discovered some old books and pages that just come into the main study out of nowhere. It's almost as if they magically appeared on their own.

"Or maybe... someone from Equestria is bringing them here." Aqua said.

"That would make sense." Terra said. "At least I think it does."

"Hmmmm…" Ventus said, trying to think. Something was on his mind since coming here, regarding the magic. He remembered something he overheard from Master Yen Sid about the Elements, and how their connection is what helps the magic stay in balance. But he did recall overhearing how Discord broke free from his prison and turned the Elements against each other. But... during that time, the magic was working fine.

"I just realized something." Ventus said.

"What's that?" Aqua asked.

"The Elements are suppose to keep the magic in balance, right?" He asked.

"Right." Aqua said.

"But I do remember Master Yen Sid saying that the Elements were turned against each other when Discord broke out of his statue." Ventus said. "The magic was working just fine when it happened. So what if the Element's disconnection isn't really the case? What if there's something else that's keeping the magic functioning?" Aqua and Terra looked at each other. Surprisingly, Ven was on to something there. The magic was working fine when Discord turned the Elements against one another. So what if the Element's disconnection isn't really the cause?

"There may be something that might give us answers to that question." Ienzo said as he typed the keys on the board, showing the map of Equestria. Just south of Canterlot and a small town, a red dot was shown on the screen, in the middle of a forest.

"We have detected a strange surge of magical activity happening somewhere in the deep forest." Ienzo said. "A forest that neighbors a small town known as Ponyville." Aqua's eyes widened.

"The Everfree Forest." Aqua said.

"The only part of Equestria that acts on it's own." Even said. "The home where strange creatures reside in."

"Then whatever is happening in that forest might be the cause of the weakened magic." Terra said.

"But... what exactly?" Ventus asked.

"Whatever it is, that forest holds a much deeper mystery." Aqua said. "We better warn Sora right away." Everyone gave a nod in agreement. If Sora was going to save Equestria and restore the magic, then he's definitely going to need to know about this.

Author's Note

Ok, now we're gonna do something very different here. This was pretty much a breather chapter for everybody, showing some focus on Riku and the King for a bit.
Now regarding why Riku doesn't have any memory of the blundered attempt before the Final Battle. When a heart returns to the moment in time when they were still alive, the mind does not remember that moment in time, and cannot interfere with the events that will occur, which is why he and everyone except Sora doesn't remember.
Sora, however, remembers, and I believe Kairi and Namine may have a role in it, since Kairi kept Sora from fading away when he used the Power of Waking to save everyone, and Namine, being a special nobody, has powers over Sora's memories and those around him, using the links to communicate with people who met for at least one second, which was why he was able to remember and was able to change the outcome. I know this is all confusing and it doesn't make sense. But MLP doesn't make sense either. They just make it up as they go. And to tell you the truth, I kinda like it.
And also, regarding the TSxRD thing. I decided to drop the idea, not because I didn't like it, but because I believed it was unnecessary. Sorry.
This contains lyrics of the Equestria Girls song Run to Break Free, because the song was the only RD one that made sense. To be honest, when I wrote this chapter while listening to the song, I tried to imagine a rock version of this song to be playing. Someone make a rock version of this song please, because it's really good!

Chapter 10: Our Town

Somewhere in the desert village of Somnambula, named after the Pegasus who saved the Pharaoh's son from the great sphinx, just outside the pyramid was a white blindfold laying on the steps. The ponies from the village placed the blindfold there to remember the great heroic deed she had done for the village many, many years ago.

No pony was around to see it, but Mare Do Well slowly made his way to the step. He took the blindfold from it and placed it into a saddle back on his right. Inside the bag was Flash Magnus's Shield, Mistmane's Everlasting Flower, the Shovel of Rockhoof, and now the Blindfold of Somnambula. There were four talismans he now had... only two more...

How long has it been? Probably... a few hours since they continued walking. When morning finally came, the Mane Five, Spike, Sora, Donald, and Goofy continued onward. As before, the train couldn't take them any further than they were already going. Luckily, they were able to make it out of the forest, only to come across what appears to be a grassless plain, where there were only columns of rocks sticking out. One thing's for sure, it wasn't a rock farm, otherwise the group would be running into Pinkie Pie's family. But after hours of walking, the group was getting pretty tired, with the ponies showing a little lack of sleep and their manes were a bit messy. Spike's spines on her head were getting pretty droopy, and he was getting hungry too. Even Rainbow Dash was tired, probably because she was floating in the air with her wings. Her wings were about ready to give out.

The only ones who didn't look like walking for hours were Sora, Donald, and Goofy, while they looked ok, they were feeling tired too.

"Can't... walk... anymore." Pinkie Pie said as she fell to the ground on her front. Soon, all the ponies started to stop and sit down, while Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground, and Spike laying on his back.

"I'm pooped..." Rainbow Dash said, laying on the ground. Sora, Donald, and Goofy continued walking, until Donald slumped to the ground, and Goofy dropping to his knees.

"Quaaaaack…" Donald quacked, exhausted.

"Sora... maybe we should rest for a bit." Goofy said.

"Yeah... that's a good idea." Sora said, sounding tired as well. The group came to a stop and dropped down, sitting on the floor. Donald let out a weak moan, as Goofy only started to sleep again. Sora sighed, and looked around, seeing nothing but rocks, sand... and whatever. But nothing else.

"WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE WE?!" He shouted with his head up at the sky. Then he only lowered his head, letting out a defeated groan. Pinkie Pie let out a hungry sigh and lifted her head up. Suddenly, her eyes opened up wide, and her mane and tail returned to it's puffy fluffy self again. She let out a gasp, and a smile.

"Oh My Gosh!" She cheered. She took a hold of Sora's face and pointed it forward. "Look!" Sora then stared down at what Pinkie Pie was trying to show him. Suddenly, he noticed something far away. It looked like a silhouette of a pony. And it was moving towards them.

"Hey, there's someone coming towards us." Sora said, as Goofy lifted his head up to see, but his sleepy state made it difficult to see.

"You sure it's not a mirage?" Goofy asked. Donald, on the other hand, did see someone in the distance.

"No, there is someone!" Donald said, pointing forward. The group looked on and saw that Sora and Pinkie Pie were right. Someone... actually somepony was coming towards them slowly.

"Who is that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It's Maud!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Who?" Applejack asked, while the others looked at her with confusion.

"Maud Pie!" Pinkie Pie said. "She's my older sister!"

"Maud Pie?" Rarity asked, but then she gasped, showing that she knew the name. "Wait, is she the sister you said that has my same interests in fashion?"

"The very same!" Pinkie Pie said. "She's coming straight towards us!" She hopped up and down and stood in front of the group, seeing the pony coming towards them.

"HEY MAUD!" Pinkie Pie called out. "OVER HERE!" The pony, still a little too far to see, was coming towards them... it looked like she was walking. Though the pony was getting closer and closer, slower than expected.

"Is she even moving?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"WE'RE OVER HERE, MAUD!" Pinkie Pie called out as she made a big jump, floating in the air as she called out. She hopped back down to the ground, giving a very big happy smile. Pretty soon, the pony, Maud Pie, got closer to the group, with everyone having a better view of her, and it was a bit surprising. Maud Pie, like Pinkie Pie, was an Earth Pony. But she was very, very different than Pinkie Pie. Her fur was a Persian bluish gray color, and her eyes were light turquoise. Her mane and tail were straight and flat, colored in a grayish blue violet. She had eyeshadow like Rarity, but it was the same color of her own mane, only grayer. She also wore a grayish blue dress that reached down her back hooves, with a black buckle-less belt around her waist. No one could see it, but her cutie mark was a sharply diamond-shaped rock.

Maud Pie, her eyes not closed, but her upper eyelids lowered a bit, as if she was showing no expression, looked at the group. She then looked down at the ground, seeing a rock. She knelt down and sniffed.

"Hmmm, sedimentary." She spoke, her voice showing lack of enthusiasm.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked as Maud Pie picked up the rock.

"This is a sedimentary rock." Maud replied. "It's a rock that's formed by the accumulation or deposition of small particles and subsequent cementation of mineral or organic particles on the floor of oceans or other bodies of water at the surface of the ground." As she spoke, Sora, Donald, and Goofy tilted their heads, showing confusion.

"What just happened?" Donald asked.

"I think we've just learned a science lesson." Sora said.

"Sounds like it." Goofy said.

"That's because she's into rock science." Pinkie Pie said with a smile.

"Rock science?" Everyone asked.

"Uh-huh!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's the study of rocks!" She gave a smiling squeal, while Maud gave an expressionless nod, agreeing with her sister. The other ponies looked at each other with confusion. She's actually a lot different than Pinkie Pie. Of course, the two lived on a rock farm, so that could explain it. Regardless, they had to introduce themselves.

"Well, nice to meet you Maud Pie." Sora said. "My name is Sora. This is Donald and Goofy.

"Hello, Miss Pie." Goofy said as he and Donald, giving a nervous quack, gave a wave.

"And I'm Applejack." The farmpony began as she approached the rock pony. "This here is Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy." They all waved hello. Maud Pie didn't wave or anything. She just blinked, with one eye, and then the other eye. The conversation was getting a bit weirder now, so Rarity decided to speak up.

"Pinkie Pie has told me that you share my love of fashion." Rarity said.

"I'm really into expressing myself through my wardrobe." Maud Pie said.

"Amazing!" Rarity said. "So what is the delightful frock you're wearing now saying?" The earth pony looked at her with a confused raised eyebrow.

"It doesn't talk." She said. "It's a dress." Rarity suddenly blushed, probably because she said her question in the wrong way, or possibly because Maud Pie didn't understand.

"Oh, yes of course." Rarity said, giving a little nervous laugh, while the earth pony continued looking deadpan.

"Say, what are you doing all the way out here?" Sora asked.

"I'm studying more rocks to earn my rocktorate in rock science." Maud Pie said. The trio looked even more confused.

"Rock...torate?" Sora asked.

"I think she means a bachelor's degree." Goofy said. "You know, the certificate you get when you complete college."

"Oh yeah." Sora said. "Like the one you got after you went back to college, before you became a knight, right?"

"You betcha." Goofy said.

"Oh yeah, I remember that." Donald said. "Me and the King were at the Graduation Party for that."

"Oh, that's right!" Pinkie Pie said, looking at her sister. "You're working on your rocktorate! How's that going?"

"Going good." Maud Pie said. "We're out here studying new kinds of rock, seeing how they form and such."

"We?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking around. "Who's we? I don't see anyone else here."

"Me and Boulder." Maud Pie said. "He's my pet. He's in my pocket." The earth pony pointed to the little pouch that was on her dress.

"Oh, you have a pocket pet?" Fluttershy asked with interest and excitement due to her love of animals. "What kind of pet is it? Is it a tiny mouse? A baby bird? Or a trained butterfly?"

"He's a rock." Maud Pie said, reaching into her hoof and pulled out a small rock, much to Fluttershy's surprise. "His name is Boulder." Everyone only looked a bit confused. This was definitely different than Pinkie Pie and her colorful personality.

"Um... is it just me or is this getting a little awkward?" Spike asked, Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"She's way different that Pinkie Pie." Donald said.

"That's ok, though." Goofy said. "Everyone's special in their own way. I'm starting to like her. She knows a lot about rocks." Sora only gave a smile and a nod. Say, since Maud Pie was out here, maybe she might've seen Twilight.

"Say, have you seen a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle?" Sora asked, approaching the earth pony. "She's lavender with a blue mane and tail, with a purple and magenta streak. And her cutie mark has a magenta colored star on it." Maud Pie looked at the boy, but shook her head.

"No, I haven't." Maud Pie said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy only slumped in disappointment.

"Well, did you at least see someone out here?" Donald asked.

"Yes, I did." Maud Pie said, surprising everyone.

"You have?" Applejack asked.

"There's a small town just up ahead." Maud Pie said. "Me and Boulder were just passing through it. Maybe you'll find your friend there." Hearing that brought some hope for the ponies.

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash said. "Let's go!" With a nod, the ponies and Spike went off towards the direction Maud came from. Pinkie Pie looked back at her sister.

"You wanna come along, sis?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I have important stuff to do." Maud Pie said. "But I'll visit you in Ponyville sometime soon, ok?"

"Ok then!" Pinkie Pie said with a happy nod, knowing that her sister needs to work on getting her rocktorate. Before departing, she gave her older sister a happy hug. Surprisingly, Maud gave a warm smile and hugged her sister, which was a bit surprising given her apathy. That's because she truly loves her sister.

"Take care, Maud!" Pinkie Pie called as she and her friends went off, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked back at the earth pony.

"It was nice meeting you, Maud." Sora said. "I hope you get your rock...tor... whatever you were doing."

"Thank you." Maud Pie said. "Look after my sister, ok? She means the worlds to me."

"We will." Sora said.

"You got it." Goofy said with a salute, and Donald gave a nod. They were then about to leave.

"Be careful." Maud Pie said, making them turn back towards her.

"Why?" Sora asked.

"The town is pretty creepy." Maud Pie said. "Too many equal signs, creepy smiles. The unicorn running the place, don't be fooled by her."

"Equal Signs?" They asked.

"You'll see." Maud Pie said. They all looked at each with a bit of confusion, but they gave a nod, showing that they can't stop now. They needed to find Twilight.

"Ok." Sora said. "Take care!" He, Donald, and Goofy gave a wave as they departed to follow their friends to the town. As she looked on, Maud Pie gave another smile.

"May your heart be your guiding key." She spoke.

The trio continued their way to follow the ponies to the town that Maud Pie had mentioned. They didn't get the name of the town, but from what Maud had described, she said it was a creepy town, and beware the unicorn who runs it. Whatever that meant, it was probably bad. So they had to be ready for anything. Pretty soon, they saw the girls just up ahead, staring down at something. The group then came to a half, and saw what they were witnessing. Just below them was a small town.

The village was just in the middle of nowhere, where all the houses were arranged into two parallel lines, forming an equal sign. The only exception was one house at the end of the houses, standing not connected to the others. The sight of the village was very nice... and suspicious. Houses don't usually stay lined up like that. Either way, it looked nice and decent.

"There it is!" Rainbow Dash said.

"It looks nice." Fluttershy said.

"You think Twilight could be down there?" Spike asked.

"Only one way to find out." Rarity said as she approached the ledge, only to be stopped by Applejack.

"Hold on, sugarcube." Applejack said. "This doesn't look right."

"Same here." Sora said. "We should probably be careful. It might be dangerous."

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash cheered, taking the group by surprise. "What? I like dangerous."

"Everypony, stay back!" Pinkie Pie said, making her way towards the edge. "I'm going in..."

"Pinkie Pie, Wait!" Donald called out as Pinkie Pie leaned over the edge, allowing herself to drop and roll down the hill, up to the rock where she hid behind it, and tilted her head, to get a better look at the town. She then hid under the rock plates on the ground, moving to the next one, and on to the other big one. The group only looked at each other with confusion, but then made their way down the edge normally. Pinkie Pie then hid behind the next big rock, lifted it up with her hooves, and urged the group to follow her. As they did, the rock fell right on Pinkie Pie, but she moved her hoof, urging them to keep going. She then moved with the rock still under her.

"How does she do that?" Donald asked.

"That's just Pinkie Pie." Sora said as they continued to follow her. The group then looked behind the rock, with Pinkie Pie moving from under it to see. The town looked pretty normal... because the stallions and mares they were looking at were smiling and talking to each other.

"It looks kinda… boring." Rainbow Dash said. "Probably the most boring place in Equestria.

"It's just a normal village with normal looking ponies." Applejack said.

"It definitely could use a few more architectural flourishes." Rarity said. "Or any architectural flourishes."

"I think it's lovely." Fluttershy said.

"I don't like it." Pinkie Pie said. "I don't like it one bit."

"How do you know?" Goofy asked.

"Because, look at their smiles." Pinkie Pie said, pointing at the ponies below. "I know smiles. And those smiles don't look right." The group looked on and saw that Pinkie Pie was onto something. The ponies down there were smiling... and they were weird smiles. But Sora also noticed something, something about them was off too.

"That's not just it." Sora said. "Look at their cutie marks." The group then noticed the cutie marks on the ponies' flanks. They were all equal signs. And what's really strange. The ponies' manes and tails were about the same as each other.

"Ok, that is weird." Rainbow Dash said.

"But ponies don't have the same cutie marks." Sora said. "Do they?" The girls and Spike only shook their heads.

"You think it could be Heartless in disguise?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't think so." Sora said. "I don't sense anything relating to darkness down there."

"You can't sense any darkness at all." Donald said, with Sora looking at the duck with a glare.

"I reckon we just ought to head into town and talk to some of the locals, find out what's really goin' on." Applejack said.

"Great idea, AJ." Rainbow Dash said. "Let's go!" She then took off, only to be stopped by Rarity.

"We should just go there in a polite manner." Rarity said. "And not dashing our way through." The rainbow maned Pegasus gave a sigh, knowing that they shouldn't start a commotion... yet. The group then made their way towards town.

"Those smiles are bad news..." Pinkie Pie said, with Sora having the same feeling. Pretty soon, the group made their way towards the town, getting the attention of the other ponies with the equal marks.

"Welcome!" One of the ponies said with a smile, as the group gave a nervous wave.

"Welcome!" Another one said.

"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" All the ponies, the mares, the stallions, even the fillies and colts spoke as the group made their way through the town. The group felt more nervous than ever.

"Gosh, this is the most pleasant place in Equestria!" Fluttershy said.

"Too pleasant if you ask me." Rainbow Dash said. As they continued their way through the town, a pony with light cobalt blue eyes, a moderate azure and cornflower blue mane and tail, and a coat of light cyan-ish gray approached them, though his color seemed to be quite discolored a bit.

"Welcome!" The pony, Party Favor said. "Pardon my forwardness, but are all of you friends?" the group looked at each other with confusion.

"Yep, we sure are." Goofy said.

"Well, you certainly came to the right place for friendship." Party Favor said, while another pony, Double Diamond, colored in white, his mane being white with cyan-ish gray and blue cobalt eyes, approached them as well.

"What brings you all to town?" Double Diamond asked.

"Um... just passing through." Sora said with a nervous smile.

"I see." Double Diamond said. "Well, all are welcome here in our little village. I'm Double Diamond, and this is Party Favor."

"Howdy, Double Diamond." Applejack said, showing a little unease. "I'm Applejack, and this here's Pinkie Pie, Futtershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Spike." The group gave a nervous but friendly wave, though Pinkie Pie showed a face of suspicion.

"I'm Sora." The boy replied. "This is Donald, and Goofy."

"Hello." Donald said as he and Goofy waved.

"Well, you all look very unique." Double Diamond said looking at the group, but then at the girls' cutie marks. "And so do your cutie marks!"

"Um... thanks?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Say, if you don't mind us asking, is everything ok here?" Sora asked. "Any trouble?"

"Trouble?" Double Diamond asked. "Why no, I don't think we've ever had trouble in our little village."

"It's true." Party Favor said. "Perhaps you'd care to speak with our founder, Starlight Glimmer." The group looked at each other. Their founder?

"Um, alright." Sora said. "Lead the way." The two ponies gave a nod and led the group towards the house at the end of the town, which was separate from the other houses, looking ordinary.

"I wish everypony was as friendly as these ponies are." Fluttershy said.

"Well, I got my eye on them." Pinkie Pie said, looking back at the ponies, who were all following behind them with happy smiles. "Something's rotten in... whatever the name of this village is that we're in right now!"

"I think she's right." Sora said to Donald and Goofy. Pretty soon, the group made their way towards the house, as the two ponies knocked on it. The door opened and they went inside.

"Starlight, we have some new visitors." Double Diamond said, leading the group inside. There was a door on the other side of the room, next to a stairway leading up to the upper floor.

"Be ready to fight." Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack. "We don't know what's gonna come through that door." Pretty soon, the green door opened up, and out of the shadows came a unicorn with a pale light grayish heliotrope coat with moderate Persian blue eyes. Her mane and tail were moderate purple with lighter purple and grayish aquamarine highlights. It was just a unicorn, much to Rainbow Dash's disappointment.

"Welcome!" She said. "I am so pleased to have here." The group waved hello, though Pinkie Pie looked more suspicious.

"Nice to meet you." Sora said. "I'm Sora. That's Donald and Goofy, and those are Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Spike." The group also gave a nod, though it was a nervous nod. Starlight Glimmer examined the boy closely, much to his confusion.

"Forgive my bluntness, but I take it you're from the outside world?" She asked. "We don't get many people from the outside world."

"Figures..." Donald whispered to Goofy.

"My name is Starlight Glimmer, the founder of Our Town." The unicorn, Starlight Glimmer, said. "Tell me, how did you hear of our village?"

"That's a long story actually." Sora said, not wanting to bring up Maud Pie in order to avoid suspicion.

"Well, however you found us, we're happy to have all of you!" Starlight said. "We're happy to have anypony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time."

"True Friendship?" The group asked.

"Oh, indeed." Starlight said, making her way towards a portrait of an equal sign, straightening it up. "That's what's so unique about our village, you see. Around here, we don't flaunt our special talents because we don't have any special talents to flaunt."

"Special talents?" Sora asked. "You mean... is that why you all have those cutie marks?"

"Perhaps it be easier to understand if I gave you a tour of the village!" Starlight said. She then opened the door, as a marching drum cadence began to start.

"Heads high, ponies! Marching proud!" Starlight said, gathering the other ponies as they followed suit. "All Together now! Every one of you! No pony left behind." The ponies began to march, while the girls and co. only watched with confusion.

Life is so grand in Our Town

We're always filled with cheer

We never have to look around

To know that we're all here

Pretty soon, the ponies began to circle the group, much to their surprise. To Sora's notice, Starlight Glimmer was moving her head, as if she was using her horn to conduct.

In Our Town, in Our Town

We don't have to wait

To find out that our destiny

Is just to emulate

"Let's see those big, happy smiles!" Starlight said, as the ponies began to smile... way too much without pain.

Life is a smile in Our Town

Our cutie mark's the same

Because we do not separate

Ourselves by more than name

Two of the Pegasus circled Rainbow Dash, and pulled her slowly to the ground, making her land on her hooves.

In Our Town, in Our Town

We dare not compete

Winning only breeds the worst

Ego-filled conceit

"You see?" Starlight asked right behind Rainbow Dash, making the latter jump. "Now everypony wins! " As Starlight and her ensemble continued, seeing that they were more distracted and focused on the Mane Five, Sora looked at Donald, Goofy, and Spike, silently telling them to leave the group real quick. The three followed the boy somewhere to hide so they can think.

Life is a joy in Our Town

We're all equal here

No one is superior

And no one shakes in fear

As Starlight fixed up one of the mare's manes and styled them as pigtails, Sora rushed over to Applejack and whispered into her ear.

"You girls keep them distracted." Sora said.

"Why?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know, but we're gonna try and find out what happened to their cutie marks." Sora said. "Think you can do that?" The girls looked at each other and gave a nod to the boy.

"Don't be too long." Rarity said. "We'll try as best we can."

"Thanks." Sora said as he moved out of the group with Donald, Goofy, and Spike, reaching a nice place where they can barely be seen by one of the houses.

In Our Town, in Our Town

We work as a team

You can't have a nightmare

If you never dream

While the ensembled were marching around the mane five, Sora, Donald and Goofy, and of course Spike, were watching with a bit of confusion. The boy knew that this wasn't right. Giving up their special talent for true happiness?

"Guys... this is not normal." Sora said.

"I have the same feeling, Sora." Goofy said. "This looks too happy if you're asking me."

"Uh huh." Donald said. "It's almost as if when they lost their special talent, they lost themselves too."

"Yeah." Sora said. "Ponies can't just give up their special talents. The talents they have are what make them unique, and it's suppose to bring happiness, if you know the meaning of that purpose. These ponies, they don't look happy." The boy stared at Starlight, who was conducting the ponies to keep singing. He was heeding Maud Pie's warning about the unicorn who runs the town, and Starlight was that unicorn. Something about her was very suspicious.

"That pony is not right." Sora said, looking back at the two. "I think we better investigate."

"But... where do we begin investigating?" Spike asked.

"Psssst!" A voice whispered behind them, making the four turn around. They saw another unicorn with a moderate magenta colored mane and tail, her coat being a pale cerise, and her eyes were moderate cerise. She was whispering to them and with her hoof, she was urging them to come to her near the cellar, that lead under one of the buildings. The four looked at each other, wondering who was calling them. They decided to go check it out, while the others were still singing to the Mane Five. Pinkie Pie still looked at them with suspicion, knowing that something was still wrong.

Other ponies argue

Do you ever wonder why?

When you think your talent's special

You don't see eye-to-eye

There's just too many differences

That lead to disarray

But when you learn to act as one

It's like a holiday

Fluttershy began to move her head to the rhythm of their song, but Pinkie Pie stared at her, shaking her head, telling her to not be fooled.

In Our Town, in Our Town

We don't complicate

When you learn to simplify

Life is oh, so great

Join in our utopia

Come out of the dark

Banded by equality

By our cutie mark!

The ensemble finished the song, all of them standing parallel to each other like an equal sign, while Starlight was at the end of the line, giving a smile, while a couple of Pegasi behind her lifted a banner of a white sheet with an equal sign. The girls realized what the ponies were here and had equal signs. They gave up their own cutie marks! And they wanted them to give theirs up too? Rainbow Dash began to laugh at this.

"You're kidding, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Give up our cutie marks? No way!"

"Rainbow Dash, don't be so rude." Fluttershy said. "I don't think we should judge them . They all seem perfectly happy with their choice."

"Don't believe their smiles, Fluttershy." Pinkie Pie said, still showing lots of suspicion.

"But girls, there's no reason to be rude." Fluttershy said. "They just like doing things a bit differently than we're used to. There's no need to hound them for it." Hearing that made Starlight smile.

"We're so glad to hear that." She said as she approached the butter colored Pegasus. "Why don't we show you around?" She then glanced to her fellow equal ponies with a nod.

"Would you all show her our wonderful art exhibit?" Starlight asked. The ponies gave a nod, and they stood by Fluttershy's side and led the way to one of their buildings.

"Oh, thank you." She said as she happily joined them to their art exhibit, while the girls only looked on with shock and surprise.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "Taking our friend from us?"

"Well, we certainly have no judgements here in our village." Starlight said. "Each of us was confused once as well, blinded by the false promise of our cutie marks.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Rainbow Dash said. "Is she for real?"

"Look, y'all." Applejack said. "We didn't come here to join your... little regime. We came here to find a friend of ours. She's lost and it was our fault."

"Your fault?" Starlight asked. "Was it because of your cutie marks?"

"No way!" Applejack said. "We... did something bad, and we weren't there for her when she needed us."

"Awww... that's so sad." Starlight said as the ponies behind her entered the art house with Fluttershy. "Maybe because your cutie marks led you down a path that made you all abandon her."

"Of course not!" Applejack said. "We're connected."

"Through the Elements of Harmon-" Pinkie Pie was about to speak, but she covered her mouth, realizing that she may have said too much. Hearing that made Starlight's eyes widen a bit, and a bigger smile formed on her face.

"Well, well." Starlight said. "You girls are the Elements of Harmony wielders? I knew I saw those faces somewhere. No wonder your friend ran away. Maybe she ran off because you all were just using her for your own desires." Hearing that made Rainbow Dash angry. How dare she say that about them.

"Why you little...!" Rainbow Dash said, only to be stopped by Applejack.

"Look, this is a big misunderstanding." Rarity said.

"Of course it is." Starlight said with a smile. "Have you considered that you all need a teaching of how cutie marks could be bad? But we can help you with that. After all, nopony has ever come to our village and wanted to leave. Why should you be any different." Applejack then took a long stare at the unicorn. Something in her gut knew that there was something very wrong with this pony. Either she was misguided by her own beliefs, or maybe she's actually a threat!

"I told you something's off about this place." Pinkie Pie whispered, with the girls giving a nod.

"Look, we appreciate the hospitality, but we should probably grab our spikey friend, and Flutters and just be on our way." Applejack said.

"Oh... I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Starlight said. "Because we might need you to provide a boost to our community..." Suddenly, her horn began to glow with a light turquoise aura. Suddenly, the four ponies were held by Starlight's magic! Wait, how is she able to hold four ponies at once?!

"H...How are you doing this?!" Rarity asked.

"Years of practice." Starlight said as she approached them, while they tried to break free. "When the rest of Equestria sees that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony gave up their cutie marks to join us, they'll finally understand what we're trying to accomplish. And with the power of the Elements, it'll be so easy too!"

"You meanie!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "I knew there was something fishy about you!"

"Well, guess the gut really does tell you something is off." Starlight said as she held the girls up, giving a wicked smile. "Now... your cutie marks..."

The cellar can be spooky if you can't see. Actually it's still spooky even if you have a light or with someone to accompany you. As the four looked around inside, they could only see pitch black, and nothing else.

"Huh, this is one spooky place." Goofy said.

"I can't see a thing in here." Spike said.

"Ow!" Donald shouted. "Hey, who stepped on my foot?"

"Oh, sorry Donald." Sora said as he moved forward, trying to look around. But it was still pitch black and no one else was inside... or was there? Sora could've sworn he heard some silent chatter within the cellar.

"Hello?" He asked. "Is anyone in here?" Sora asked.

"Right here." A mare's voice said. The light came on quickly, revealing the mare that Sora saw just a minute ago.

"Oh, there you are!" Sora said.

"Shhhh!" The mare whispered. "Not too loud." The boy, knowing what that meant, gave a quick nod. Then suddenly, behind the mare, three other ponies came out of the shadows. It was Double Diamond, Party Favor, and the other one was a moderate azure Pegasus mare with brilliant cerulean eyes, and her mane and tail were white and light phthalo gray. That was Night Glider. The four ponies approached the four, as Sora, Donald, and Goofy were ready to prepare for what's about to happen.

"Hello!" Sugar Belle said with a normal smile. "We're so happy to meet you!"

"Oh, hello there." Sora said.

"Don't worry, they're friends of mine." The unicorn mare said. "My name is Sugar Belle. This is Night Glider, and you've already met Double Diamond and Party Favor."

"Hello." Sora said as Donald and Goofy gave a wave.

"Say, why are we in here?" Spike asked.

"So nopony can see hear or see us." Sugar Belle said.

"Hear what?" Sora asked as the mare approached him.

"Well, us just being us!" Sugar Belle said. "Tell me, you're from the outside world, right?" .

"Um..." Sora said, then he looked back at Donald and Goofy, who reluctantly gave a nod, since Equestria is aware of the outside worlds around it.

"Yes, we are." Sora said.

"Were you sent by Princess Celestia?" Night Glider asked. "Do you know her?"

"I love her cutie mark!" Sugar Belle said. "And I love the pink one's cutie mark too!"

"You do?" Donald asked. "I thought you guys hate cutie marks. We just heard that marching song outside."

"Yes we do, but I really miss mine though." Sugar Belle said. "When I had my cutie mark, I was able to make the most delicious treats! That was my special talent."

"My special talent is to snowboard to the extreme." Double Diamond said.

"Mine was to make party animals out of balloons!" Party Favor said.

"And mine's to fly amazingly... during the night at least." Night Glider said. The four looked at each other with surprise. These four ponies love their special talents?

"So wait a second." Sora said. "You guys want your special talents back?"

"Of course we do." Sugar Belle said. "We've always dreamed of having them back. Joining the community was the biggest mistake we've ever made."

"Well, what's stopping you?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, why don't you get your cutie marks back?" Donald asked.

"Daydreaming is one thing, but you mean actually having it put back on?" Party Favor asked. "That's probably not gonna happen."

"What do you mean?" Goofy asked.

"We're not sure Starlight would like that." Sugar Belle said. "She wants us all to be happy in our sameness."

"But no one should keep your from your cutie mark." Sora said. "It represents the essential part of who you all are."

"Oh, we're not kept from them." Night Glider said. "They're up in the vault in the caves."

"We can visit them any time we like to remind us of the heartache of a life with special talents." Double Diamond said. "But the heartache is actually living a life without a special talent."

"The Vault?" Sora asked as he looked at the others and Spike. He then turned back to the four ponies.

"Hey, if we agree to get your cutie marks back, can you tell us where the cave is?" Sora asked. The four ponies looked at each other with surprise. They're willing to go get their cutie marks back for them? They looked at the boy and gave a nod.

So, after hearing from the four ponies how much they missed their special talents, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Spike decided to go check out this cave, which is said to have the cutie marks inside. As they made their way out of the cellar, the group saw that no pony was in sight, nor was Starlight or the Mane Five.

"I wonder where the girls went." Goofy said.

"Maybe they're distracting the villagers." Sora said.

"I sure hope so." Donald said. "I don't like this village one bit." They soon turned and saw Fluttershy coming out of one of the houses, where she had a smile on her face.

"Oh, hey Fluttershy." Sora said.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, Spike, this place is lovely!" Fluttershy said.

"Lovely?" Spike asked. "How is this place lovely?"

"Well, the ponies here are nice, simple, and they have very good tastes." Fluttershy said.

"Good tastes?" Donald asked. "Doesn't look like good taste by the look of these houses. They're all the same!"

"Well, there's no reason to be rude about it." Fluttershy said. "This is the choice that they made for themselves." Sora then noticed something. The other girls, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were not with her. Where were they?

"Wait, where are the other girls?" Sora asked.

"Huh?" Fluttershy asked, looking around her, just noticing that the others were not with her. "I guess they went to look around."

"Any chance something bad happened to them?" Goofy asked.

"Was Starlight with you as well?" Sora asked.

"Um... No." Fluttershy said. "The only ones who were with me were the villagers. I guess Starlight's giving them a tour of the place." The group looked around.

"That can't be good." Sora said.

"What if Starlight did something to the girls?!" Donald asked. "She probably is trying to convert them to her ways!"

"Now, Donald!" Fluttershy said, her voice sounding more louder, much to the duck's surprise. "Don't be accusing somepony like that. There must be some explanation."

"Well, we better go find them." Sora said. "But first, let's go find those cutie marks."

"Cutie marks?" Fluttershy asked. "Whose-" The boy quickly gave a shhhh sound, his finger right up to his lips, not wanting to draw anymore attention.

"We'll explain." Sora said. "C'mon." With that said, the group made their way towards the cave, to find the cutie marks of the four who miss the so much. However, four silhouettes emerged from the path, seeing the group leaving towards the cave.

Author's Note

This wasn't originally suppose to be part of this story, but I got the idea from one of the commenters if Our Town could be featured in this story. So I decided to add this.
So special thanks to Wilddog88!

And I know Maud Pie meets Starlight Glimmer before all this, but I had to include something. Despite her personality, Maud Pie is just so great!

And Starlight Glimmer fans, you're probably gonna hate me for what I'm gonna do with her in the next chapter. You'll see...

Oh, and Xbox fans, the entire Kingdom Hearts saga is coming to Xbox. The HD collections, including the Final Chapter Prologue collection will be on the Xbox One in 2020. Better late than never!

Next chapter will be real soon too!

Chapter 11: Dark Corners

Just a little bit out of the town, the five made their way towards the cave Sugar Belle and the other ponies told them about. They made sure no one was following them, of course, hopefully not getting attention from too many ponies. Pretty soon, the group was up at the cave, looking straight at it.

"Is this it?" Sora asked.

"Sure looks like it." Goofy said.

"It is a cave after all." Donald said.

"Well, let's go check this vault out and get the cutie marks." Sora said.

"Are you sure, Sora?" Fluttershy asked. "I'm sure they miss them a little, but the ponies here don't seem unhappy."

"Fluttershy, this town isn't right." Spike said. "Plus, there's no sign of the other girls. Something must've happened to them."

"He's got a point, Fluttershy." Sora said. The butter colored Pegasus only lowered her head, but gave a nod, knowing that Spike and Sora were correct. The town seemed too perfect, even for their standards. With that said, the group made their way inside, to find this vault. As the group entered inside, they all froze, showing a face of shock. Right before them was a huge wall.

And on that wall was a huge vault, lined up with magical turquoise colored bars, and behind them in each square was a cutie mark. And there were dozens of them, ranging from a microphone with a music note next to it, a dress with sticking supplies around it, even one with a blue shield with a lightning bolt on it.

"Whoa..." Sora said.

"That's the vault?" Donald asked.

"I've never seen anything like it." Goofy said.

"Oh my gosh." Fluttershy said.

"Holy guacamole!" Spike said. Sora looked up at the vault, seeing the cutie marks inside. But soon his attention was drawn towards the strange wooden staff in the middle of the room.

"What's that?' Sora asked as he moved toward the staff.

"It looks like some sort of staff." Goofy said.

"Wonder what it does." Donald said. The boy slowly approached the staff, looking at the carvings on it. Could this be some magical staff that's used to remove cutie marks? Could it also be a key to unlocking the vault. He reached out to grab it.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A voice asked, making the four turn around to see who it was. Coming into the cave with a weird smile was Starlight Glimmer. Uh oh... This isn't good.

"Starlight!" Sora shouted as Donald and Goofy were ready to fight.

"I'm delighted to see that you found our cutie mark vault." Starlight said. "We hoped someday every pony in Equestria will make a pilgrimage here to our village to have theirs removed too, and our message of perfectly equal friendship can finally spread across all the land." The trio, Fluttershy and baby dragon however felt tense, knowing that something is up.

"What did you do?" Sora asked.

"Just doing everypony a favor." Starlight said as she moved towards the staff, picking it up with her magic. "I removed the cutie marks of my fellow villagers so they can know what true friendship is like."

"With that staff?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course." Starlight said, holding the staff up. "This is the Staff of Sameness. It was one of the great Mage Meadowbrook's enchanted items. We're very fortunate to have it here. This is the treasure that allows us to free ourselves from our cutie marks!" Sora looked at the staff, and remembered. Terra and Aqua told him about Mage Meadowbrook. She was one of the Pillars of Equestria! And that staff! Could it be one of the talismans used to seal away the Pony of Shadows?

"Mage Meadowbrook?" Goofy asked Donald. "Could that be one of the talismans?"

"I think so." Donald said.

"I'm curious..." Starlight continued. "Why did you all come here to the vault?"

"Uhhh..." Sora said, looking back at Donald, Goofy, Spike, and Fluttershy all gave nervous looks. "We... uh.... just saw this cave and decided to take a look inside." He gave a smile, though Starlight seemed unconvinced.

"Really?" Starlight asked, slowly dropping her smile. "Because it looked like you were trying to free all these cutie marks!"

"Because those marks represent the part of what makes a pony themselves!" Sora said. "You can't live without your special talents!"

"Of course you can." Starlight said. "Just ask them." She pointed the staff forward, making the group turn around. Coming out of the shadows were four ponies, and the group gasped in shock and horror, with Fluttershy's eyes shrinking down with terror. The ponies were some ponies that she knew well.

"R...Rainbow Dash?" She asked. Standing there out of the dark and before them were Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, all of them lined up and showing huge smiles... And their cutie marks were gone! Replaced by equal signs!

"Hi Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash said, her smile being big and creepy.

"Rainbow Dash... what happened to you?" Fluttershy asked. "What happened to all of you?!"

"We found true happiness Fluttershy." Applejack said, her tone out of tune.

"We finally have big smiles!" Pinkie Pie said, her smile getting larger and larger.

"Because we're all equal." Rarity said.

"You should join us too, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash said. "The process is a wonderful experience."

"Oh No!" Goofy shouted as Spike hid behind Goofy.

"It's A Trap!" Donald shouted. Sora watched with horror, seeing the four ponies with equal signs instead of cutie marks. But then, he looked closely, and noticed something in their eyes. They were shrunk down to the size of pencil tips, and they were... lifeless. The boy gasped, realizing what's going on!

"They're being controlled!" Sora said. He then turned to Starlight. "What did you do to them?!"

"I just opened their eyes." Starlight said. "Showed them how wonderful life can be without a cutie mark, and I placed them in here." She held up a jar, containing the four cutie marks that belonged to the other girls. Sora only gave a growl.

"Give them back their marks!" Sora shouted.

"Sorry, but I can't do that." Starlight said. "You've seemed to have started a lot of free-thinking here, and we can't have that."

"Everyone has the right to free-think, even ponies!" Sora shouted. "You can't force them to follow or do things that goes against their beliefs! Everyone should be allowed to follow what they believe in, to follow their hearts and their own path! Our hearts are our guide key!" Starlight froze, her eyes widening and shrinking a bit as she heard those words.

"Wha… what did you just say?" She asked. The boy made a tall stand, and stared at the pony.

"May my heart be my guiding key." Sora said, remembering the words Master Yen Sid said to him. "It means that we follow our hearts and do what we believe is right." He then looked at the unicorn, and noticing that she reminded him of someone... someone he faced not too long ago. Her wanting to control everything, her wanting a world where there's no cutie mark. A world where she can dictate destiny.

"It's funny, really." Sora said.

"What?" Starlight asked, trying to keep her cool.

"You remind me of a man who wanted a world of equality." Sora said. "A man who used darkness to start a war in order to reset everything in his own image. And you know who I'm talking about... do you." Starlight's eyes widened. She knew who exactly she was talking about. A long time ago, Starlight met someone almost like the boy she met now, an old man with an incredible power, who helped her find this cave and begin her founding of this town.

"H... How do you know Master Xehanort?" Starlight asked. The boy gave a smile, his theory correct.

"Because... I met him." He said. "And I defeated him." Starlight's eyes widened with shock. She then gave a scowl.

"No! You can't be..." Starlight said, pointing her staff forward. As they were talking, Fluttershy looked at the four ponies, her friends, controlled by that crazy unicorn. Seeing Rainbow Dash under the control of some mind magic made the butter colored Pegasus twitch. She turned to Starlight, her eyes getting angry.

"How dare you..." She said. "HOW DARE YOU!!!" She then flew past Sora, much to his surprise, and charged towards Starlight, who was taken off guard.

"What the-!" Starlight shouted as Fluttershy collided with her, her hooves on the Staff of Sameness.

"You monster!" Fluttershy shouted. "Pinkie Pie was right about this place! This isn't free-choosing, this is suppression! Now let my friends go!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Starlight shouted as she pushed Fluttershy, throwing her to a wall. The group was quickly surprised, and they rushed over to help, but suddenly, the trio and Spike were picked up by a light turquoise blue aura from the ground. They looked to see Starlight, who was holding her staff up. She then tossed them aside, making them fall onto the floor. Sora lifted his head up, seeing the mare of equality approaching the rest of the mane five.

"Now, you're next." Starlight said. Then, she aimed the staff at Fluttershy, and it fired a beam of magic upon her. The magic gripped and held her up into the air. Suddenly, she began to groan as if she were in pain. She was, actually. Suddenly, Fluttershy's cutie mark was slowly being ripped off her flank! Sora watched in horror as he saw Fluttershy's cutie mark being ripped off her.

"Stop!" Sora shouted to Starlight. "What are you doing?!"

"Doing them a favor." Starlight said. "They believed that their marks were a good thing, but I'm going to show them how bad there." Fluttershy began to change color as her cutie mark was taken, her fur and mane showing a dull, pale, grey color. Sora gasped.

"You heartless pony!" Sora shouted. "Give the girls back their marks!!"

"Nope." Starlight said. "They're going to spend the rest of their lives with us! And we're going to show them how much better life will be without their cutie marks!" Seeing this psycho pony taking away the poor Pegasus cutie mark, and making her suffer in pain, was too much to bare. Sora then gave a glare, as rage began to build up inside him. He's had enough of this! His keyblade appeared in his hand.

"I said... Let... Them... GO!" Sora shouted as he pointed keyblade forward. Charging up with energy, the blade fired a ray of light at Starlight's staff, knocking it out of her hooves. The sudden action made her lose control of her magic, and the staff exploded, sending her flying to the ground, and making her drop the jar that contained the other girls' cutie marks. Speaking of which, Fluttershy's cutie mark returned back to her flank, allowing her color to return. The other cutie marks went back to the girls as well, and their colors returned to them as each mark was placed back where they belong. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes, her irises returning to normal, and so were the other girls. It seems the return of their cutie marks broke Starlight's Mind Control spell on them. They all shook their heads in confusion.

"What just happened?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I dunno." Applejack said. "But I feel dizzier than a sheep doggie bull-riding a cattle." They then looked forward to see Fluttershy land safely on the her hooves, turning back to her friends.

"Girls!" She called out as she galloped towards them.

"Fluttershy!" The girls called as they embraced her with a hug.

"Wait, what happened, Flutters?" Applejack asked.

"And where are we?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, let's just said I heeded Pinkie Pie's warning just in time." Fluttershy said. Pinkie Pie gasped, and saw Starlight groaning on the ground.

"Aha!" The Party Pony said. "I knew it!" The unicorn with the equal sign slowly lifted her head. She then stared back at Sora, and surprisingly, she gasped in horror.

"What?!" She asked, seeing the boy holding the keyblade in his hand. The sight of the weapon made her tremble in fear, but show lots of anger. "I knew it! You're one of them!"

"That's right." Sora said, spinning his keyblade. "This is a keyblade, and I'm a keyblade master!"

"Still-in-training..." Donald spoke, only to receive a glare from the boy.

"But... that's impossible!" Starlight shouted. "He said that there were none of you left!"

"Nope." Sora said. "We're still here, and I'm not gonna let you take away everyone's special purpose!" The unicorn gave a growl.

"Oh no, you're not!" Starlight shouted as he horn began to charge up with the light turquoise aura, much to the surprise to Sora, and everyone in the cave.

"I'm not gonna let you destroy everything that I have built!" Starlight shouted as she fired a massive beam at the boy. Sora held his keyblade up in defense, attempting to stop the beam. But it kept pushing against him. Seeing him in danger, Donald and Goofy rushed up and helped him push forward. He looked back at them.

"We thought you might need some extra help." Goofy said.

"You betcha." Donald said. Seeing them both help him brought a smile to his face.

"Right!" Sora said, as the trio continued to push forward. Suddenly, the keyblade glowed brightly and suddenly, a mighty flash emerged as Sora pushed his hand forward, the beam was suddenly absorbed by the glowing keyblade, which then changed shape! Sora, who noticed this quickly, formed a smile, knowing what was happening. As the beam quickly disappeared, Sora pulled back and punched forward, revealing a mighty fist to pop out of nowhere and punch Starlight right in the face, sending her flying against the wall. As she dropped to the ground, everyone looked back at Sora in shock, and saw that his keyblade… was something else! It was now a shield! A Counter Shield!

"WHOA!" Donald called out, as the girls reacted with awe.

"Sora, the keyblade transformed!" Goofy said.

"I noticed that!" Sora said, as Rainbow Dash flew towards him and examined the shield.

"You're keyblade can transform?!" She asked. "Sooo Awesome!"

"How did you do that?" Applejack asked.

"It must be the bracelets Princess Celestia gave him." Rarity said. But the boy shook his head.

"Nope, the magic came not from the bracelets." Sora said as he looked at Donald and Goofy. "It came from my friends. My friends are my power." Donald and Goofy each gave a nod. Starlight slowly lifted herself up off the ground, but gasped as she saw the boy's keyblade turned into a shield.

"What?!" She asked. "It can change into a shield?!"

"Not just a shield." Sora said, his keyblade shield giving a glow and then transformed into what appears to be two yo-yos, the Twin Yo-Yos!

"They can become yo-yos!" Sora said, and he swung the yo-yos forward, each one hitting Starlight in the face. He then spun around and whacked both yo-yos together, and surprisingly they became large and trapped Starlight vertically. Looking back at the viewer, Sora gave a sly smile and then the yo-yos sprouded metal teeth, and began chomping down on Starlight, making her speak in sounds of pain and a chicken sound.

"Or some claws!" Sora said as the yo-yos then shifted into a pair of Agile Claws. He then rushed towards her and began swinging the claws back and forth, striking her with everything he's got.

"And last but not least!" Sora said as his raised his hands up, the claws merging into one, transforming into the Hyper Hammer! Starlight gave a worried meap seeing the hammer.

"It can become a hammer!" He said as he moved in and swung, whacking Starlight, and sending her flying out of the cave, before landing into the little puddle of water, right in front of the townsfolk, who were surprised to see Starlight flying out and landing into the water puddle.

"Yes!" Sora called out with a cheer, as Donald and Goofy jumped up in down with joy. The five mares and baby dragon also cheered with victory and happiness. Starlight lifted her head from out of the water, and looked up to see the other citizens, watching her, staring at her, with surprise and confusion. Among the crowd were Sugar Belle, Night Glider, Double Diamond, and Party Favor. Before she could explain what was going on, she heard footsteps, and hoofsteps behind her. She turned around to see Sora, Donald, Goofy, Spike, and the Mane Five approaching her.

"Impossible...!" The unicorn spoke. "How did you do that?"

"Because, he's a keyblade wielder!" Rainbow Dash said.

"But he ain't any keyblade wielder." Applejack said. "He's our friend." Hearing that made the boy smile. He then turned back towards Starlight, who was giving a cold growl.

"Sorry, Starlight, but it's over-" Sora said, but then he stopped and noticed something on Starlight's thigh, the Equal sigil that was on there... it was... smudged, and there was a little light blue color underneath it. Wait, there was color underneath the equal sign?

"Wait a second..." Sora said as he began to brush the equal sign, much to Starlight's horror.

"NO!" She shouted. "Don't!" But it was too late. As the boy brushed and brushed with his hand, the water on the smudged mark began to make it disappear, revealing... a cutie mark! The mark was of a purple and white star, with two two-toned turquoise glimmering streams! The boy gasped, as did everyone and everypony else.

"She... She has a cutie mark!" Sora shouted.

"She does!" Donald shouted.

"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle." Applejack said. Starlight quickly got to her hooves and glanced at the group with anger, but then she turned around to see the citizens of the Town, watching with surprise and shock.

"You... you have a cutie mark?" Night Glider asked.

"How... How Could You?!" Party Favor shouted with anger as the other villagers began to protest too.

"I... Uh...." Starlight spoke.

"You said that cutie marks were evil!" Double Diamond shouted. "You said that special talents only led to pain and suffering!"

"They Do!" Starlight shouted.

"Then why?!" Sugar Belle asked. "Why did you take ours and not give up your's!"

"Because she's a liar!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Yeah, a big fat party pooping liar!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"She lied to all of you so she could take your cutie marks!" Applejack said. The villagers gasped with even more shock, and this time they're reaction turned to anger.

"Well... I had to, you fools!" Starlight shouted. "How could I collect your cutie marks without my magic?!"

"But the staff has all the magic we need!" Night Glider said.

"Oh please!" Starlight shouted as she held up the broken staff with her magic. "This is just a piece of wood I found in the desert! It's my magic that makes everything possible! You'd all still be living your stupid lives thinking you're better than everypony else if it weren't for my magical abilities. I brought you friendship! I brought you equality! I created harmony!"

"You didn't create harmony, Starlight." Sora said. "You forced harmony upon others. Everypony, and everyone has unique talents and gifts, and when we share them with each other, that's how we-"

"QUIET!!!" Starlight shouted, making the boy stop in his words and step back a bit, as the others behind him stood there a bit shocked.

"Somebody's sensitive..." Sora said.

"You lied to us, Starlight!" Double Diamond shouted.

"So what?" Starlight asked. "Everything else I said is true! The only way to be happy is if we're all equal!"

"Not if you force it upon others!" Party Favor shouted.

"You all willingly accepted it!" Starlight shouted.

"But you haven't!" Sugar Belle shouted. "And you know what, I miss having my cutie mark, and my special talent!"

"Yeah!" Night Glider shouted. "Give Them Back!" Starlight only gave a cold glare.

"Never!" Starlight shouted.

"Then I will." Sora said, summoning his keyblade. He then turned around and pointed his keyblade at the cave. With a ray of light, the keyblade shattered the lock upon the Cutie Mark Vault, releasing the cutie marks inside. The marks began to sparkle as they flew out of the cave and returned to their rightful owners. As each mark returned to each pony, their dull color became much brighter, and all of them began to be more full of life! The crowd of ponies began to cheer.

"I feel like my old self again!" Sugar Belle cheered, her cutie mark being a cherry-topped cupcake with four jellybeans.

"I feel like me!" Double Diamond said, his cutie mark being three snowflakes in blue formation.

"I'm rad again!" Night Glider called out, her cutie mark being a crescent moon with two curved feathers surrounding it.

"Me too!" Party Favor said, his cutie mark being a balloon animal with streamers, as he blew up a balloon, and made a perfect balloon giraffe with it. All the ponies cheered as Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched with joy.

"Now that's a happy town." Goofy said. Sora turned his head to the broken staff on the ground. Starlight said that it was just a piece of wood, and it never belonged to Mage Meadowbrook.

"So that staff isn't really one of the talismans." Sora said. "Guess it's back to square one."

"At least we stopped a tyrant unicorn and saved another town." Goofy said. But then, Donald turned his head to see Starlight trying to sneak away from the crowd.

"Where do you think you're going?!" He shouted, making everypony look directly at her.

"Uhhh… Gotta Go!" She shouted as her horn lit up, and suddenly, she created a mighty flash before all of them, blinding them for a mere second. As the flash cleared up, Starlight was gone!

"She's gone!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"No she isn't." Party Favor said. "She's up there!" Glancing up, the group saw Starlight heading up the trail to the snowy mountains.

"Let's go!" Sora shouted as he, Donald, Goofy, the girls, and Spike chased after them. Starlight was making her way up the mountain pass, trying to get away from the group. She turned around, and saw that they were making their way right up towards her. The unicorn continued to run, but she then came to a stop, to see a large boulder in the way, blocking the entrance to another cave. She gave a smile, knowing so well that this cave led out of the area. She used her magic to lift the boulder out of the way, just as Sora and company managed to catch up with her!

"It's over, Starlight." Sora said. "You can't run forever!"

"Oh yes I can." Starlight said, as she used her magic to cut the ground between her, and Sora's group. The ground began to break by a couple of yards, leaving only a couple of smaller platforms in it's wake.

"Goodbye, Keyblade Scum!" Starlight shouted as she disappeared into the cave.

"Starlight!" Sora called out, but it was too late. Starlight had gone into the cave. The boy only sighed.

"Darn." Sora said.

"Just let her go sugarcube." Applejack said. "She can't do anything now."

"Yep." Donald said. "If she doesn't want to accept friendship."

"Then that's her choice." Goofy said.

"Yeah... I suppose." Sora said, looking back at the cave.

"Hey, look on the bright side!" Donald said. "We saved another town!"

"Yep, that makes three towns saved in one day!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Two days, actually." Rarity said.

"Whatevs." Rainbow Dash said.

"But there's still no sign of Twilight anywhere." Fluttershy said.

"Yeah... I hope she's ok." Spike said.

"Me too." Sora said.

-BOOM!-

The silent but hearable noise came from inside the cave. Looking up, they saw some flashes in the cave.

"Garsh, what's going on in there?" Goofy asked.

"Maybe she's getting attacked by giants spiders!" Pinkie Pie said, with all the ponies looking at him. "I'm just saying."

"No... something's not right." Sora said. But then suddenly, he looked down to see his keyblade. It was glowing. It was glowing the magenta color! The boy's eyes widened up with surprise, and a smile formed on his face. Twilight was nearby!

"The keyblade's glowing!" Sora said. "That could mean Twilight is nearby!"

"She is?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"But where?" Fluttershy asked. Sora pointed the keyblade forward, and turned to where the glow was getting a bit stronger. It was pointing toward... the cave.

"Inside... the cave?" Sora asked confused.

"So... is she in there?" Donald asked. The boy only shrugged and looked at the cave, seeing nothing but pitch black, and a couple of flashes. If she's in there, and there are flashes, then that must mean she ran into Starlight, and the latter is trying to get rid of her!

"Maybe she's fighting Starlight!" Sora said, and his gave a nod. "I'm going in there!" He ran forward to the edge of the cliff.

"Sora, Wait!" Donald and Goofy called out. The boy, however, kept going, and leaped off the edge, making the girls and baby dragon gasp. But Sora landed on the small platform in the middle, then on the other platform, and reached the other side. The mares and dragon reacted with awe.

"I'll be right back!" Sora called out as he ran into the cave.

"Sora!" Donald called out, but the boy disappeared into the cave, leaving the royal wizard grumbling in annoyance. "Does he always have to run off like that?"

The boy continued running as fast as he could as he went into the cave. Luckily, the keyblade glowing in his hand lit the way for him, allowing him to find his way. It was glowing much brighter now, so that must mean Twilight was close. Pretty soon, he saw light at the end of the tunnel. As he got closer and closer, the light revealed more snow, and a pathway outside. Making his way out of the cave, he followed the path to a much wider area, all of it covered in snow, much like the Summit back in the Land of Dragons. The only difference was that there were some rock structures and boulders nearby. The boy ran out until he stopped to catch his breath. He looked around, and saw that his keyblade was still glowing. But after a few short seconds, the keyblade's glow fainted and died out.

"What?" Sora asked in surprise. "But... Twilight has to be here." He looked around, see nothing but snow, and mountain rock.

"TWILIGHT!" Sora called out. "HELLOOOO!!! TWILIGHT!" Despite his efforts, he didn't see Twilight, nor find her. The only thing that was there was the echoes of his voice, which surprisingly didn't cause an avalanche. He gave a defeated sigh. Twilight was not here.

"Dammit..." He cursed. "Twilight's not here either." Shaking his head in disappointment, he turned around and made his way back to the cave.

-BOOM!!! RUMBLE-

"Whoa!" Sora said as he almost lost his footing. He turned around, and saw a blast coming from the right side of the mountain. Shooting out of it was Starlight, who was screaming in agony as she landed face first onto the other side into the snow, with a bag of her belongings dropping to the side. The boy only winced as he saw the unicorn lift her head up, all dizzy, before falling back into unconciousness, her face falling flat on the ground.

"Starlight?" Sora asked. But then he saw another blast coming from the hole. Looking around, he saw a big rock on the right. He made his way towards it and hid behind it, not wanting to be seen. Peeping from his hiding spot, he saw another pony coming out of the wall. It was the pony wearing a blue mask with blue eyeholes, dark blue bandages, a purple hat on his head, and purple cape around his neck. It was Mare Do Well!

"Mare Do Well?" Sora asked. The masked pony, who didn't see him, was approaching Starlight, who lifted her head up from the ground.

"You jerk!" Starlight shouted. "Get out of my way!" The lighter pony jumped back up and fired a spell, with Mare Do Well summoning a magical wall around himself, shielding him from the attack. Magic?! Mare Do Well can do magic too?!

"What?" Sora asked, and noticed something on Mare Do Well's forehead, who lifted his hat up a bit, revealing a horn covered along with the mask, glowing brightly.

"Mare Do Well is a unicorn?" Sora asked. All he could do was watch as Starlight kept firing beams of magic, while Mare Do Well blockd each attack with his magic shield.

"Stop blocking me, you fool!" Starlight shouted, and soon, her horn began to glow brightly. Then suddenly, three more ponies emerged from her body. They were identical to her! Actually they were her! Starlight performed some sort of duplication spell.

"Like it?" Starlight asked. "Similo Duplexis. When combined with Accelero in just the right way, you can be in two places at once!..."

"Or four places!" Her three duplicates said.

"Let's see how you can handle four of us!" Starlight and her duplicates said. She and her copies fired multiple beams at Mare Do Well, who continued to block with his shield. Unfortunately, the shield kept breaking and cracking up. But then, when the shield disappeared, Mare Do Well's horn glowed, with a dark cloudy purple color. He grabbed a hold of the three Starlight clones and lifted them up in the air. His horn gave a flash, and the three clones began to scream as they melted away... literally, turning into small spheres that went back into Starlight.

"What?!" Starlight asked. "How?!" The cloaked pony approached Starlight slowly.

"Well, let's see if you can catch me instead!" Starlight hissed as she began to use her Accelero spell, moving really fast, almost as fast as Rainbow Dash! She began to zip around the area, while Sora kept watching the fight. Pretty soon, Starlight charged toward Mare Do Well. But then suddenly, his horn glowed once more, this time freezing Starlight in place. The mare couldn't move!

"Wha... why can't I move?!" Starlight asked. Suddenly, Mare Do Well disappeared, and reappeared in front of Starlight. She then conjured up a big bat, and swung, striking Starlight and hurtling her across the floor. Seeing that made Sora freeze up. As he saw what happened, he suddenly saw Ventus in Starlight's place, while he saw Xehanort, using Terra's body. This scene was just as that one, where Xehanort mortally injured Ven!

The boy almost felt paralized by what saw, but he shook his head, trying to get it out. He managed to not get either of their attention. Starlight lifted herself up, and glared at Mare Do Well.

"Ok then!" Starlight shouted. "You asked for it!" Soon, Starlight's eyes began to glow, and her horn glowed with a bright light blue color. She began to lift herself off the ground, charging up with magic.

"Let's see if you can block... THIS!" Starlight shouted as she fired a massive beam of energy. Mare Do Well's own horn glowed and she too fired a beam... a familiar colored beam that Sora had seen before. The beams were at a stalemate, until Starlight's began to move closer and closer to Mare Do Well.

"Yes... Yes... YES!" Starlight shouted with an evil grin. With the mask on, it was truly impossible to see Mare Do Well's reaction to this. But soon, Mare Do Well's horn began to glow even more, with it conjuring up with purple clouds and dark green magic. Then, a circle formed around him. Sora almost gasped, seeing something like this before. The scene from the Keyblade Graveyard came back to his head, when Donald was charging up his Zettaflare attack! Was this what Mare Do Well was doing?! Yanking her head back, Mare Do Well fired again, this time, his beam becoming much more massive, pushing away Starlight's beam within seconds, making the latter gasp as the beam hit her right in the right side of her face.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" She screamed as the beam consumed her. In a mighty flash, Sora lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the blast. As the light began to die away, Sora looked over to see Starlight fall to the ground, almost on the edge of the mountain cliff. The ground below her was beginning to crumble and break away. Mare Do Well slowly approached the unicorn, who was weakly trying to get up. Starlight lifted her face up slowly, and turned, showing the right side of her face completely burnt and scarred.

"Who... are you?!" She asked.

".....Your End." Mare Do Well spoke, revealing it to be a female voice. He... or she then stomped her hoof down and the ground in front of her shook. Before Starlight could react, the surface under her broke apart, making her fall... off the mountain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Starlight's voice echoed as she fell down and down and down from the mountain. Sora only watched, in both shock and horror. There was no way a pony would survive that fall that far. The boy couldn't help but look away. No one deserved that. Not even Starlight. Lifting his head from his spot, he saw the masked mare looking down at the ground, seeing a saddle pouch on the floor, with Starlight's cutie mark sigil on it. Picking it up with her magic, she opened it, pulling out what appears to be a strange mask in the shape of a bird.

"Yes... the Mask of Mage Meadowbrook." Mare Do Well said, her voice really being a female voice. "Only one more talisman remains." The boy's eyebrows lifted a bit. Mare Do Well was a girl? And that mask is one of the talismans? Not only that, he heard her say only one more talisman is left! Does that mean she already has five of them? Either way, she had to be stopped. Seeing that she was distracted, Sora began to slowly emerge from his hiding spot, and his keyblade was still in his hand.

"Ok... gotta move up... quietly..." Sora said as he lifted his keyblade, and pointed it at Mare Do Well... A little fire spell might stun her a bit so he can go all out.

(RING RING RING)

The sudden ringing of his phone quickly made him jump back into his hiding spot. He pulled it out and answered it.

"Hello?" Sora asked.

"Sora!" Aqua's voice spoke from the phone. "Are you there?"

"Aqua?" Sora said. "Uh, now's not a really good time."

"Sora, listen!" Aqua said. "We think we know what's wrong with the magic-"

-CRACK-

The sudden cracking of the rock behind Sora made him turn around and lower his phone, seeing it being torn apart. As it was forcibly separated in half, the boy saw Mare Do Well, using her magic to rip the hiding spot up. The boy watched with shock. His cover was blown.

"Aqua, I'm about to get my butt kicked." Sora said over the phone. "I'll call you back."

"Wait, Sora!-" Aqua spoke, but the boy hung up before she could finish. Placing it back into his pocket, and holding the keyblade with both hands, he charged toward the mysterious pony. She fired magical beams at the boy, he leaped, jumped, and dodged every single one. He then swung his keyblade to strike, with Mare Do Well jumping out of the way. The masked unicorn then made a run forward to escape. But Sora looked to his left and saw a column of bolders blocked by a structure. With his keyblade, he shot a ray of light at the structure, breaking it up and making the boulders go loose, all of them forming a blockade to prevent Mare Do Well from leaving. The masked mare was almost startled, and was hesitant to find a way out.

"Hold it right there!" Sora said as he moved forward, pointing his keyblade at the mare. "Who are you?" The masked pony didn't respond, but her focus was much more on what was behind Sora. She pointed a hoof forward.

"What?" Sora asked.

-HISSSSS-

The sudden hiss made Sora freeze in place. The sound of a hissing meant someone... or something... was right behind him.

"Uh oh..." He said as he slowly turned around to see what was there. There, right behind him, was a massive violet colored four legged heartless, with yellow swirly eyes, a big round shaped lower body, and four insectoid legs with black pincers... and there were purple and black pinchers in it's mouth. It was a Savage Spider! The insectoid heartless let out a loud roar, startling Sora greatly.

"WHOA!" Sora shouted as he pointed his keyblade at the monster. "WATER!" He then summoned a water shield around him, which conjured up a sphere and fired at the Heartless Spider, only to splash in it's face like a rain drop. It let out another roar.

"Well, that made it angry." Sora said. He made a couple of steps backwards as the Savage Spider approached him. Suddenly, Mare Do Well passed him and leaped into the air, using her horn to fire a zap of electricity upon the spider, making it roar in pain. Sora was surprised. Mare Do Well was helping him? Guess the heartless are in her way as well. The boy gave a nod, and then rushed forward. He then swing his keyblade and struck the spider in the face.

It let out another growl and began to lift its legs up to stomp on the two. Sora leaped out of the way, and so did Mare Do Well. Seeing that stomping wasn't killing it's pray, the Savage Spider leaped to the side of the mountain and crawled slowly, and it aimed it's rear at the two. Spiders can shoot webs from their bottoms, and that was what the heartless was doing, shooting out webs at them both. Sora moved forward, dodging the web shots as he leaped up on the side of the mountain. He then threw his keyblade into the air, and it transformed into the Double Arrowguns. He aimed at the Spider and shot magical ethereal bullets with heart-shaped tips, all of them homing onto the heartless, as they arrows shot it multiple times. Mare Do Well leaped onto the mountain and fired concussive beams with her horn. She also aimed at some of the snow above it to make it drop on the heartless.

The spider let out another roar, and started spitting out poisonous venom. Some spiders are poisonous, after all. Mare Do Well managed to summon a magic shield around herself. Surprisingly, Sora couldn't help but notice that the aura coloring was familiar. Where did he see that coloring? Either way, he snapped back to his senses as spits of poison dropped near his feet. He hid behind one of the massive rocks. As the Savage Spider let out a roar, Mare Do Well saw one of the boulders nearby. She then charged up magic and fired at it. The flash got the spider's attention, but then suddenly it's eyes widened up as it stared at the boulder. Hearts appeared around the heartless's head as he moved toward the boulder and began to snuggle it. The boulder was hit with a Want It, Need It spell, so the spider saw it and began to be affectionate towards it. Sora looked from his hiding spot and saw that the Heartless was distracted.

"Alright, now to finish it off!" Sora shouted as he emerged from his hiding spot and combined his Arrowguns, transforming it into the Magic Launcher! He then aimed at the heartless, and the launcher gun, the size as a bazooka, fired a massive shot, impacting the heartless as it exploded into multiple particles, damaging the heartless critically. Sora then made one more rush towards it, his keyblade transforming back into it's normal form, ad he sliced through the heartless. The spider gave one final shout as it began to fall off the side of the mountain as a glowing heart popped right out of it, and the beast faded away into nothing but ash. The heartless was dead.

The boy stood there, glad that the heartless was gone. Those heartless always come out of nowhere, or could've been summoned by someone. He then turned around, seeing Mare Do Well pick up her bag. The boy started to approach her.

"Hey, thanks." Sora said. Mare Do Well turned her head towards him, and began to hesitate. She fired a projectile at his feet, making him jump.

"Whoa, what was that for?!" Sora asked, as Mare Do Well was about to gallop pass him. "Wait!" He said, trying to grab her cloak. But he did grab something, as it snapped off and made Mare Do Well fall on her head. The boy then looked down at what he grabbed from her. He then gasped. It was a necklace. But it wasn't just any necklace. It was a necklace that had a yellow star on it. This necklace! He gave it to Twilight! He then glanced back at Mare Do Well, who got back to her hooves.

"Where did you get this?!" The boy asked. "This belonged to a friend of mine!" The masked pony only stared at him. The boy's eyes widened.

"You..." He said. "Did you steal this from her? What did you do to Twilight?!" Mare Do Well shook her head and tried to run, but the boy rushed up, summoned his keyblade and swung down, as Mare Do Well pulled out Rockhoof's shovel and blocked the attack. The boy needed answers!

"Stop This!" Sora shouted. "Why are you stealing the talismans? What did you do to Twilight? What do you want? WHO ARE YOU?!" Before he could ask anymore, he noticed something glowing. Turning his head a bit, he saw that his keyblade was glowing the color magenta again, the same color as Twilight's magic. And it was glowing much brighter than before. The boy's eyes widened. That meant Twilight was nearby!

However, he was then thrown backwards by Mare Do Well, pushing him to the ground. Luckily he landed safely on his feet. He then looked up to see the masked pony glance down at him, and then galloped away.

"Wait!" Sora shouted. "Come Back!" He then chased after the pony, who disappeared with a flash of magic. The boy stopped as she disappeared, giving a sigh of defeat. He then glanced over at his keyblade, and saw that the magenta glow weakening, until it completely went out. The boy stood there for a minute, thinking. The keyblade glowed right when he was fighting Mare Do Well. And come to think of it, the blade always glowed whenever Mare Do Well would show up, and then stop when leaving. Now that wasn't a coincidence... If it was glowing when Mare Do Well showed up, and then stopped glowing when the pony disappeared...

"The keyblade's glow died out... when she vanished..." Sora said. "And she had the necklace I gave to Twilight... around her neck... Then that means." But then he froze, realizing that this was no coincidence at all! The keyblade's glow meant that Twilight was nearby, but yet Mare Do Well was here when it happened. This could mean...

"No.... it... it can't be..." Sora said, looking at the direction Mare Do Well went off. Sora started to realize who Mare Do Well truly was.

"Twilight?" He asked. No, that can't be. Twilight is Mare Do Well? But that can't be right! Yet, it makes sense. The keyblade glowed when Mare Do Well showed up and Twilight nearby, and it went out just as Mare Do Well left. Not to mention the magical aura she had was the exact same color as Twilight's. Twilight Sparkle... was Mare Do Well?

"Sora!" The duo of voices called out didn't get his attention as he looked on. Donald and Goofy emerged from the cave and rushed up to him.

"Sora, don't run off like that." Donald said.

"Yeah, you almost had us worried-" Goofy said.

"It was her..." Sora spoke, making them tilt their heads.

"Huh?" Donald asked. Sora stopped himself for a minute. While the obvious clues were there, he's not really sure if Twilight was in fact Mare Do Well, so maybe he shouldn't say anything about that part.

"I saw... Mare Do Well." Sora said as he turned his head to face them.

"Mare Do Well?!" Goofy asked. "Is he here?"

"No... she ran off." Sora said. "She had a mask too. She said that it belonged to Mage Meadowbrook. It must've been one of the Talismans."

"Uh oh." Donald said.

"That can't be good." Goofy said, but then he lifted his head up, hearing Sora say she instead of he. "Wait, did you say she?" Sora was hesitant to say, but he continued.

"Y... Yeah, Mare Do Well was a girl." Sora said. "Or a mare, since she's a pony. But... she helped me."

"Huh?" Donald and Goofy asked.

"There was this giant heartless spider." Sora said. "And Mare Do Well attacked it. She helped me defeat it and ran off."

"She did?" Donald asked. "Well, guess the heartless were in her way too."

"That heartless you fought could explain why me and Donald felt the cave shaking a bit." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Sora said.

"Well, well. If it isn't Sora and company..." A voice said from behind the boy. The group nearly froze, recognizing the voice. They all turned around and wouldn't believe their eyes. Emerging from a dark corridor was Maleficent, and Pete! The two villains were surprised, but they were smiling.

"Maleficent!" The trio shouted as they summoned their weapons.

"Hehehah, I knew there were familiar voices ringing about in my ears." Pete said with a laugh.

"Was that suppose to be a joke?" Goofy said.

"No." Pete said.

"What are you two doing here?!" Sora asked. "Were you the one who summoned that Heartless Spider?"

"Certainly not." Maleficent said. The witch then looked at the boy, as if she was examining him.

"What?" Sora asked.

"There's something different about you, and it is definitely not your new clothes." Maleficent said.

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"I sense something about you." Maleficent said. "There is conflict within you. A great deal of fear, it seems." The boy gasped a bit. She sensed fear in him? Wait, the nightmares that he had for quite some time. Is that what's she sensing in him.

"Say, Maleficent." Pete said. "Can we do away with these rascals? Their magic ain't strong this time, so this is a good chance to get rid of them."

"No." Maleficent said, surprising the buffoon.

"What?!" Pete asked. "But they're right here!"

"We'll deal with them later." Maleficent said. "We have a much more important task to do." Pete began to think, and then remembered.

"Oh yeah, we gotta get to the Crystal Empire!" Pete said.

"Silence you fool!" The witch shouted, making her lackey shut his mouth closed. Sora and co. however heard him well.

"The Crystal Empire?" Sora asked, but then he gave a confident smile. "Well, whatever you're up to, Riku and the King will hold you guys off."

"Yeah, they're already there right now!" Donald said.

"Wait, are they?" Goofy asked, only for Donald to stare at the captain with a glare, making him be quiet.

"Perhaps." Maleficent said. "But we already have big plans for them... especially for you." She then turned away and summoned another dark corridor. She then went inside, and glanced back at the group.

"We will meet again, Sora." Maleficent said. "And I shall have my revenge on your yet."

"Yeah, later losers!" Pete said as the witch disappeared inside the corridor, with Pete realizing that she already left. "Hey, wait for me!" He then ran inside, and as he did, the portal closed up behind him.

"Nuts, they got away." Donald said.

"For now, but I'm sure Riku and the King can deal with them until we find Twilight and fix the magic." Sora said.

"Yep." Goofy said. "I'm sure they're already there by now."

"Yeah." Sora said, but then he lowered his head, trying to think. Maleficent said that she sensed great fear in the boy. Was he really afraid? The nightmares were scary, and they shake him up a bit, but that can't mean he's afraid. Is he?

No doubt Donald and Goofy were thinking the same thing. Seeing that he wasn't paying attention at all, the two looked at each other and whispered.

"What did Maleficent mean when she said there was conflict in Sora?" Goofy asked.

"I dunno." Donald said. "He has been feeling a little strange recently." The two looked back at him, as he was still in his thoughts, staring at the ground.

"Garsh, I hope he's ok." Goofy said. Donald then noticed something in Sora's hand, and it looked like a necklace.

"What'cha got there?" Donald asked, getting the boy's attention. The duck was pointing at the necklace in the boy's hand. He glanced at it, and almost gasped.

"Oh... just a necklace I found." He said as he placed it into his pocket, not wanting to tell them that Mare Do Well had it... or Twilight that had it. He still couldn't get his mind off that though. But he had to change the subject.

"So... what were we talking about again?" Sora asked.

"About Mare Do Well and the Talismans?" Donald asked.

"Talismans?" Pinkie Pie's voice asked. Turning around, Donald and Goofy saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike, and of course, Pinkie Pie coming out of the cave.

"Girls." Goofy said. "Guess Rainbow Dash got you all over too."

"Yeah, and it was hard working." The rainbow maned pegasus said as she stretched her hooves.

"Did you find Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Uh.... well... no." Sora said, not wanting to say anything if his theory of Twilight being Mare Do Well wrong. "I saw Mare Do Well, though."

"Did you also see Starlight?" Applejack asked. The boy then remembered. Starlight! She was pushed off the edge of the mountain by Mare Do Well!

"Yeah... but..." Sora said, looking back at the edge next to him.

"But what, sugarhog?" Applejack asked.

"I think she's dead." Sora said.

"WHAT?!" The girls and Spike asked.

"She and Mare Do Well were in a battle, and Mare Do Well defeated her, and pushed her off the mountain." Sora said.

"What?!" The girls asked again, with Rarity and Fluttershy almost close to fainting, while Pinkie Pie moved towards the edge, glancing down at the abyss below.

"HELLOOOOO!!!" Pinkie Pie called out. "Starlight, are you down there?!" She leaned in to hear something... but no response. "Yeah, she might be dead."

"Garsh, are you ok though?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "I think so..." He closed his eyes for a second. Seeing Starlight get pushed off that cliff began to bring back that horrible memory of his friends being sucked up by the Heartless Swarm. He only shook his head, getting it out of it.

"But why did he attack Starlight?" Spike asked. The boy began to think. He remembered his short call with Aqua before he hung up when Mare Do Well discovered him. He remembered her saying Mare Do Well having five of the artifacts already.

"Because Starlight had a mask that belonged to Mage Meadowbrook." Sora said. "And from what Mare Do Well said, all she needs is to steal one more artifact." The ponies gasped a bit.

"Wait, Mare Do Well is a Girl?" They asked.

"Yeah, I heard her talk." Sora said.

"Well, that does explain it, since her name starts with Mare." Rainbow Dash said.

"But what is Mare Do Well planning to steal?" Rarity asked. "So far she has stolen a shovel, a flower, and now a mask."

"They're aren't ordinary items." Goofy said. "They're actually the Talismans."

"Talismans?" The girls and Spike asked.

"Yeah, the talismans that belong to the Pillars of Equestria." Sora said. "They might be the key of awakening an evil spirit-" Suddenly, Sora, Donald and Goofy froze instantly. They never had the chance to tell the girls about the Pillars of Equestria or the Talismans. They nervously spoke, unable to say anything else.

"I guess we forgot to mention that." Donald said.

"Awww, it's ok, fellas." Applejack said. "But next time there's something important, be sure to tell us next time and not leave us in the dark, ok?"

"Ok." Sora said. "I promise... at least I will."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Donald asked.

"Well, you never filled me in on anything that was important." Sora said. "You guys never told me about Master Xehanort, or about Terra, Aqua, and Ven."

"Sorry, a decade is a pretty long time." Goofy said.

"And the King never tells us everything." Donald said. "That we all can agree on."

"Anyway, Mare Do Well has five of these talismans." Sora said. "And she's after the last one." The two looked at him even more confused.

"Wait, how do you know that Mare Do Well has five of the talismans?" Goofy asked, looking back at Sora.

"I overheard her talking to herself." Sora said. "She said that she only had one more to find, so that meant she had the other five. I was about to jump her, but I got a call from Aqua and my cover was blown- OH!" The boy gasped again. Aqua tried to call him, and she said that she knew what was up with the magic. He cursed. "Awww, No!"

"What's the matter, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"Aqua said that she might know what is up with the magic, and I hung up on her." Sora said, and hung his head over with guilt.

"It's ok, Sora." Goofy said. "You were in the middle of a fight."

"Yeah." Donald said. "It happens."

"Maybe she'll call back after a while." Goofy said. The boy gave a sigh.

"Ok." Sora said. "When she calls back, I'm gonna apologize too." He then looked back at the remains of the edge of the cliff, seeing the abyss below it. He couldn't get his mind off of how Mare Do Well threw Starlight over the cliff. If he had interferred with the fight, could he have saved Starlight?

"I could've saved her." Sora said. "I could've saved Starlight."

"Even if you did, she would've blasted you to get away." Rainbow Dash said.

"I doubt it." Fluttershy said. "The Manticore didn't harm me when I got the thorn out of his paw."

"But still." Rainbow Dash said.

"Don't think about what you could've done, sugarhog." Applejack said. "Besides, If Mare Do Well was able to fight her and beat her to an crushed apple, then she would've wasted you like that too."

"I guess so." Sora said.

"But what about Mare Do Well?" Spike asked. "We gotta stop her from stealing the last talisman, whoever it could belong to." The boy began thinking. Canterlot is where Mare Do Well is probably heading towards right now. The other pillars came from far away places, so it had to be a pony who lived in Canterlot. He recalled Jiminy saying the Princesses were mentored by Starswirl the Bearded, and he's one of the Pillars of Equestria. Perhaps whatever Mare Do Well is after belongs to Starswirl.

"She might be stealing something that belonged to Starswirl the Bearded." Sora said.

"What makes you say that?" Applejack asked.

"Well, Twilight told us that Princess Celestia was very close to Starswirl." Rarity said. "I'm sure the Princesses might have some artifacts that belong to him, and the only place that I could think of is the Canterlot Vault."

"Canterlot has a Vault?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I have a Party vault back in Sugarcube Corner, and it's filled with party stuff."

"I think she means a vault of valuable treasures." Fluttershy said.

"Ooooh…" Pinkie Pie said.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Rainbow Dash said. "Let's go to Canterlot right away! Girls... It's Hero Time!"

"YEAH!" The other mares and Spike said. The mane five and Spike then rushed to the cave to get back to Starlight's Village, with Donald and Goofy following them. Before he joined them, Sora took one last look at the area, seeing it in ruins. He couldn't help but think of Mare Do Well, and his keyblade glowing the magenta color as Twilight's, and it's only happened whenever Mare Do Well shows up. Could it be true? Was Twilight and Mare Do Well the same pony? It couldn't be. The boy gave a heavy sigh.

"Twilight... please don't let it be true." Sora said. He then turned around and went off to join the others. Their next stop, Canterlot.

Back at the village, everyone was celebrating as all of them had their cutie marks back. They were now colorful and bright, happy to have their special talents. Sugar Belle was now making delicious muffins, Double Diamond was snowboarding again, Party Favor was now making more balloon animals, and Night Glider was flying, and performing cool stunts again. Every pony was happy again, and Sora, Donald, Goofy, Spike, and the rest of the Mane Five were happy to see them smiling with real smiles this time.

"Now those are real smiles!" Pinkie Pie said. Fluttershy was showing a happy face, but then she looked back at her friends, still feeling bad for leaving them alone with Starlight.

"Girls, I'm really sorry that I didn't listen to you all." She said. "I probably should've before I got wrapped up into this."

"Don't be sorry, sugarcube." Applejack said. "We shouldn't have been a little hard on you for thinking that they were normal... in some way."

"But perhaps it was a good thing." Rarity said. "If you hadn't gone off with the crowd and left us with Starlight, she would've never been exposed."

"That's true." Sora said.

"Uh huh!" Goofy and Donald nodded.

"Thank you girls." Fluttershy said. But then she looked away for a second and started to think. Come to think of it, she remembers the day before the wedding when Twilight was trying to warn them about Cadance acting out of sorts. She can't stop thinking how much she didn't listen to her friend. Sure, them not listening to her kinda helped expose the faker, but if they had listened, could they have stopped the invasion before it began? The butter colored Pegasus couldn't help but frown with a sad face.

"What's the matter, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"It's just... I wish we would've listened to Twilight though." Fluttershy said. "Maybe if we had, then we would've avoided the Changeling Invasion, and she wouldn't be bitter with us." The girls knew what Fluttershy meant. They all still feel guilty for what happened.

"Don't worry, girls." Goofy said, getting their attention. "I'm sure Twilight will forgive you when we find her."

"That's right!" Donald said. "Right Sora?" The duck looked and saw Sora looking away, thinking. He noticed that the boy had a bit of worry on his face.

"Sora?" He asked, getting him back to reality.

"Huh?" Sora asked. "Uh... yeah, right." Clearly, he didn't hear what they were talking about unfortunately, but his smile showed that he probably was. Either way, Donald and Goofy gave a nod.

"Thank you all again." A voice said, getting their attention. They turned to see Sugar Belle, Party Favor, Double Diamond, and Night Glider. "You all helped us so much."

"No problem." Sora said. "We were glad to help."

"It's nice to see y'all learned what true friendship really is." Applejack said.

"Actually it's you who have taught us something." Party Favor said. "We all came to this village because we were searching for something missing in our lives. We thought Starlight had given it to us, but now... we realize that it was right in front of us all along. It's us."

"Being the ponies we want to be." Sugar Belle said.

"So, now what?" Sora asked. "You all are gonna stay here?"

"It's our home." Night Glider said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"This is the chance for all of us to get to know each other again." Double Diamond said. "This time for real!"

"And I can finally bake delicious muffins again!" Sugar Belle said, holding out a tray of frosted muffins with jelly beans. Pinkie Pie gasped with a smile. He tried one of the muffins and gave a yummy sound.

"She sure can bake!" Pinkie Pie said. The group gave a happy laugh.

"So, what about you all of you?" Party Favor asked.

"Well, we're heading back to Canterlot to go find something." Applejack said. "And we're gonna go find our friend. She's out there and we need to make things right with her."

"Yeah, because she's our friend." Rainbow Dash said.

"And we're gonna prove to her that we love her." Pinkie Pie said.

"Definitely!" Spike said, as Sora, Donald, and Goofy gave a nod.

"Well, good luck." Sugar Belle said.

"You got it." Sora said with a thumbs up.

"Take care out there!" Night Glider said.

"We hope you find your friend!" Double Diamond said.

"Come back anytime too!" Party Favor called out.

"Ok!" Sora and the others said. "Goodbye!" The group happily waved goodbye to the four ponies and the townsfolk as they continued on to get back to Canterlot, and to find their missing friend. As they left, far, far away from the town, watching on the edge, was a certain draconequus, who was giving an evil smile.

"Well, wherever they're going, I'm going too." Discord said as he gave a happy and evil laugh... that is until his phone rang. Hearing the ringtone, he picked it up and answered.

"What?" Discord asked, as he listened to whoever was calling him. "Oh, I'm appearing in the chapter after the next one? Works for me!" He then hung up and continued laughing evilly... only to let out a hacking cough after laughing too much.

On the other side of the mountain, the snow covered the landscape, while debris from the mountain cliff really made it more messy. It was now a burial ground for Starlight's corpse... or was it.

Suddenly, a familiar heliotrope colored hoof burst through the snow covered ground, and suddenly, another hoof came out. Then, Starlight gasped as she pushed her head out of the floor, slowly getting herself out and on solid ground. As she lurked forward and dragged herself away from the hole she popped out of, she began to pant.

Her village. Her order of Equality. Her harmony. It was all gone. All of it. Taken from her by that keyblade wielding scum and his two lackies. And of course those five colored mares and their little dragon too.

But then she looked down at the floor, seeing a frozen puddle before her, but it was clear enough to see her scarred up face. Her right side was completely burned, and her right eye was closed up and scarred. That masked pony! She did this to her! Everything bad that has happened to her was all their fault! She gave a cold growl.

"They... they will pay for this...!" Starlight said. "All of them will pay for this!!!"

"Awww... did the little pony lose her equality?" The voice got her attention.

"Who said that?!" Starlight asked, turning around to see who said that.

"Right here." The voice said. Starlight turned to see a hooded man wearing a black coat. It was the same man that recruited the teenage dragons, Iron Hoof, and the Flim Flam Brothers!

"Who... are you?" Starlight asked.

"You can call me... a friend." The man said as he got up from the snow, brushing himself off. The unicorn tilted her head.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I just want to help, that's all." The cloaked man said, slowly approaching her. "You seem hurt. Allow me to help you."

"Why would you help me?" Starlight asked.

"Because, you want vengeance, so do all my friends." The man said. "How would you like to be part of my group of friends. In return, I will help you get back at those ponies who ruined your harmony of equality." He extended his hand, with the unicorn unaware of it emitting a black smoke. She looked up at him, showing lots of promise. She didn't care if he looked suspicious or not. She wanted vengeance on those ponies and that boy who took away her town of Equality. She took the man's hoof, while the mist spread across it. She gave a smile.

"I'm in..." She said, and her right eye that was scared opening up, revealing it has turned to red sclera and a yellow pupil. This pony was in need of revenge...

Author's Note

So yes... that's the end of this chapter. We only got two more chapters and it's the end of ACT II.

And sorry for what I did to Starlight here. But it won't be the last time we see her though. I already have plans for her. Don't think of this as an attack on Starlight herself. I do like her.

Also, Mare Do Well is a, well, mare all this time. That was planned from the start of all this. I referred the masked mare as a stallion to throw everyone off. The group believed Mare Do Well was a male, but she isn't.
But now... who is she? That is the question....

Well, be on the look out for the next chapter soon!

Trivia: Can you guess which keyblades use the transformations in this story?

Chapter 12: The Vault

What truly stinks about adventuring is having to backtrack many times. Luckily, the train rides from each town to the next was a bit quicker. It was already almost sunset when the Friendship Express arrived into the city, with Sora and his routine departed the station. They were wondering down the streets, making their way to the castle.

"So now all we have to do is find the Canterlot Vault." Sora said.

"Well it's not going to be easy, Sora." Rarity said. "The vault isn't just for anypony to enter. It's filled with even the most dangerous artifacts."

"She does have a point, Sora." Donald said. "We could get in trouble for this."

"Don't worry." Sora said. "Luna gave us clearance."

"Clearance?" The girls asked.

"Don't worry about it." Sora said. "I got it covered." The group then made their way towards the castle, seeing the beautiful building. They walked up towards the entrance, seeing two pony guards at the entrance. They were the same ponies who Sora and his friends met when they first came to Canterlot. Whirlwind Xaldin and Earthius Lexeaus. Luckily, the two guards didn't show hostility and recognized the boy and the two from earlier. The group then told them why they were here.

"The vault?" Earthius asked. "That's at the end of the castle."

"And why would you need to go to the vault?" Whirlwind asked. "It's forbidden. Even the entrance way to the room that houses the vault is inaccessible."

"We're looking for something that we think might be stolen." Sora said. "Something that belonged to Starswirl the Bearded." The eyes of the two guards widened up as they hard Starswirl's name. They both glanced at each other and gave a nod.

"We're not actually suppose to talk about it, but there is a way you can get to the vault." Whirlwind said. "But to do that, you'll have to take the underground caverns."

"Within the caverns is a massive room that is said to be the private library of Starswirl the Bearded." Earthius said.

"Really?" Sora asked, but then he started to think. "Wait, how do you two know that?" The two ponies looked at each other, giving a nervous blush.

"We saw Princess Celestia going into the caverns a couple months before the Changeling Invasion." Whirlwind said. "We followed her inside and found her there. She apparently took something from the library."

"She didn't see us, but we didn't see what she took." Earthius said. "But managed to follow her out through a big door that led us back up and right near the vault." Donald and Goofy looked at each other.

"I wonder what Princess Celestia took from there?" Goofy asked.

"Who knows." Donald said.

"Can you take us there?" Sora asked the guards.

"Unfortunately no because we're at our post, but the entrance to the caverns is underneath the floor in the halls on your left." Whirlwind said.

"Just be careful down there." Earthius said. "It can get pretty dark."

"Thanks." Sora said with a nod and smile, and the two guards allowing him, Donald, Goofy, Spike, and the mane five to enter the castle, to find the caverns and Starswirl's library.

Making their way on the left as the guards told him, the group came to the hall and looked around, hoping to find the mysterious entrance to the caverns below the castle, or at least some sort of contraption that will open up the entrance. So far, they haven't found anything yet. Nothing but the wall or the carpets that laid out on the floor.

"Where is the entrance to the caverns?" Rainbow Dash asked, only to get a shush from Rarity.

"Keep it down." She hushed. "We don't want to draw attention."

"Sorry, but this is taking too long." Rainbow Dash said.

"Just suck it up Rainbow." Applejack said. Fluttershy looked along the walls and the windows, before making it to the curtains.

"HI!" a high pitch voice said from behind the curtain, making the butter colored Pegasus yelp backwards on her back. Behind the curtain was Pinkie Pie.

"Oh, you startled me Pinkie." Fluttershy said.

"Pinkie Pie, this isn't the time for games." Rarity said.

"But I'm not playing games." Pinkie Pie said. "I just love saying hi!" Donald and Goofy looked under the carpet, finding no mechanism for the entrance.

"There's nothing here." Donald said. "Maybe those guards are sending us on a wild goose chase."

"I don't think so." Goofy said. "I don't see any wild geese here. This is a royal castle." Donald only rolled his eyes in annoyance at Goofy's cluelessness. Sora was checking near the columns right on the wall where the curtains were hanging.

"It has to be here somewhere." Sora said. "I just got this feeling in my gut that it's right under us somehow." Suddenly, the boy turned to his right and saw one of the flowers on the wall was a bit crooked. He went over to turn it back straight, but as he did, he heard something. It sounded like something was clicking behind the wall. Seeing it can turn more, he turned it to the right, tilting the flower upside down. Then suddenly, He felt the floor disappear right under him and then he suddenly fell inside, giving a yelp as he fell down, in a strange hole underneath him. Luckily, the yelp got everyone's attention.

"Sora?!" Goofy and Donald asked as they went to the source, and found the big hole behind the column. The two leaned in and looked inside.

"Sora?!" Goofy asked. "Are you ok?!"

"I'm ok, guys!" Sora said. "But you gotta come see this!" Looking at each other, the two gave a nod, and turned back towards the girls and Spike.

"Hey girls, over here!" Goofy said, getting their attention. They saw the two going into the hole that opened up below the ground.

"They found it!" Rainbow Dash said.

"C'mon girls!" Applejack said. The girls and Spike made their way and jumped into the hole. The descent was rather quick as they all fell on top of each other, since there was ruckus and girls groaning as they hit the floor. Pretty soon, Rarity lit her horn up with magic, creating a bright light. To their astonishment, the entire room was made of crystal! While the floor was solid and clear, the ceiling and the walls had crystals and gem carvings all over. The sight made Spike smile. After all, he loves gems. All dragons love to eat gems!

"Wow!" Spike said while licking his lips. "This place is amazing!"

"Hey!" Donald shouted, showing that the girls and Spike were on top of him and Goofy. "Get off!"

"Sorry, Ducky-boy." Applejack said as the girls and Spike hopped off, while Goofy got up from Donald who gave an annoyed moan.

"Hey guys, check this out!" Sora's voice called out. Turning their heads, they saw Sora near a large hole in the wall, broken open. They were even more astonished.

"Wow, who did this?" Applejack asked.

"Maybe Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked. "She and Princess Cadance were trapped in a crystal cavern. This must be part of the caverns they were trapped in." The girls stood there and looked, seeing the broken wall. This probably was the same place the Changeling Queen sent Twilight after her little failed attempt to expose the bride. Guilt began to show on their faces as they saw the wall, and they couldn't help but wonder. What if Twilight never found Cadance? What if she ended up lost in here and died of starvation?

"Twilight said that she would've never escaped if she didn't find Cadance." Applejack said.

"And we probably would've never found her either." Fluttershy said, unable to hide a guilty whimper. Rainbow Dash moved forward and placed her hoof on the wall. Out of all the ponies, she was the most guilty of them all. But she wasn't going to give up. Not on Twilight. She's gonna make this right. She's gonna find her, tell her that she's sorry.

Sora looked around and looked on his right, seeing that there was another path next to the wall, a path blocked by crystals and gemstones. But he also noticed there was a faint light down that tunnel. Maybe that's the pathway to the library.

"C'mon, let's go this way." Sora said.

"But that pathway is blocked." Rarity said.

"But I see I light down there." Sora said. "Maybe that's the way to the library."

"How are we gonna get past this blockage?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Um... you mean blockade?" Fluttershy asked.

"I got this." a voice spoke behind them. They turned to see Spike, giving a confident smile.

"Spike?" Sora asked. "How are you gonna-"

"There's one thing you guys should remember." Spike said. "I love to eat gems. And I haven't had much to eat for a while, so... Bon Appetit!" He then rushed past the group and leaped onto the rubble of gems and crystals. And he began to eat the shiny crystals, even chumping onto the large one blocking the way. The group watched with surprise and amazement, seeing this little dragon eating away. It was true that he hadn't ate much in a while. Regardless, the five ponies began to chant.

"Eat, Spike, Eat!" They chanted. "Eat, Spike, Eat! Eat, Spike, Eat!"

"Keep eating Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity said, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at her with a bit of confusion.

"Spikey-Wikey?" The three asked.

"Well, of course." Rarity said. "He's such a helping cutie..." The three looked at each other and gave a chuckle. Pretty soon, within just a minute and a half, Spike took one last piece of gem and tossed it into his mouth. The pathway was clear! The ponies began to cheer.

"Look!" Applejack said. "There is a light at the end!"

"Come on, let's go!" Sora said as he ran forward.

"Wait up, Sora!" Donald called out as he and Goofy followed suit. The girls then began to follow too, but then, Rarity stopped and turned around. She saw Spike laying on the ground against the wall, giving a satisfied sigh, showing that he's had his fill from eating those crystals and gems blocking the path. Surprisingly, he stomach was actually bulging out, about the same size it got after he ate those other dragon's gems a while back, if not a little bit bigger.

"Ahhhh... that really hit the spot." Spike said, letting out a hiccup. Despite that, Rarity couldn't help but smile. But then suddenly, Spike only gave a frown and stared at his round stomach.

"What's the matter, Spike?" Rarity asked. "Are you getting a tummy ache?"

"No." Spike said. "Even with my tummy full, I still feel empty inside." The fashionista realized why Spike was upset. He missed Twilight.

"You miss Twilight, don't you." Rarity said.

"Yeah, I miss her so much." Spike said. He truly did miss Twilight, the pony who hatched and raised him his whole life. If anything, Spike saw her more than just a friend. He saw her as a parent. He saw her as his mother. Deep down he always felt that way, but he never got the courage to tell her himself.

"She told me that she was never mad at me, and she never blamed me." Spike said. "But deep down, I feel like she is. I wasn't there for her when she needed me. I'm her number one assistant, and I let her down."

"Oh, Spike." Rarity said. "I honestly don't believe that she was angry with you. When you stopped her from attacking Princess Celestia, she was able to snap out of it when she saw you afraid. And out of all us in that wedding room, she never scolded you. If there was anything that you've did, you were just scared and confused, and it's normal for a dragon your age. Even Sweetie Belle gets scared and confused when something bad or unexpected happens." Spike then looked away for a second and gave a sigh.

"You're right." Spike said. "Rarity, I'm sorry for being mean to you recently."

"Don't be, Spike." Rarity said. "If anything, I deserved it. And... I understand if you don't want to forgive me after all this." The baby dragon then started to think. Deep down, he couldn't hate Rarity for what happened. Besides, unlike Twilight, Spike never knew Cadance at all either. He didn't know that the imposter was a changeling queen. So, he couldn't blame Rarity. After all, he still liked her very much. It's odd for a baby dragon his age to fall in love with a pony, especially someone who is a little older than him.

"Well, it might take some time." Spike said. "But right now, I just want to find Twilight."

"We'll find her Spike." Rarity said. "Whatever it takes."

"Hey, Rarity, C'mon!" Rainbow Dash called out at the end of the tunnel. She then turned around, but not before looking back at Spike and using her magic to lift him up and place him on her back.

"I'll carry you from here on out." Rarity said.

"Thanks, Rarity." Spike said. "I hope I'm not too heavy, given the gems I just ate." The little dragon poked his swollen stomach as the unicorn gave a giggle.

"It's no problem at all, Spikey-Wikey." Rarity said as she carried the baby dragon on her back and continued on to catch up with the others.

The boy kept running down the cave, with Donald and Goofy, as well as the rest of the group trying their best to keep up with him. Normally one would say run from the light, but that's only if you're on the verge of death. In this case, they were going towards the light, which began to grew brighter and brighter as they got closer. Pretty soon, Sora came to a stop and his eyes widened at what he was seeing. As Donald and Goofy got closer, they too showed the same expression. A smile was formed on Sora's face at the view he was seeing.

Before him was a massive room, while there were crystals hanging from the ceiling very tightly, the room was so vast and beautiful. There was a stairway on the right side, and at the top was a long bookshelf, filled with many books. On top of the shelves, there was a huge telescope and behind it was a magical orb floating and spinning slowly on its own. In the middle of the room was a small pond with a bit of land in the middle, which held the world's largest bit, or coin so to speak. And on the far end of the room was a statue of a grey colored pony with along white beard, wearing a blue cloak and hat covered in bells. That was definitely a statue of Starswirl the Bearded! Next to it was a bunch of scrolls in bags, a glass cabinet that contained all kinds of jewelry, and of course a huge portrait of Princess Celestia.

This could only mean one thing. This is without a doubt the personal and private library of Starswirl the Bearded. Sora couldn't help but be amazed, as were the others, who just showed up. Sora hasn't been this amazed since seeing Rapunzel's tower in the forest back at the Kingdom of Corona.

"Wow... look at that." Sora said.

"Garsh, this must be the library of Starswirl the Bearded." Goofy said.

"We found it!" Donald cheered.

"Wow." Applejack said. "Twilight would flip if she saw this place."

"Well, she is a fan of Starswirl after all." Rainbow Dash said.

"Hey guys!" Pinkie Pie called out. They turned to see Pinkie Pie up on top of the bookshelf, looking through the telescope. "I can see my house from inside here!"

"Pinkie, get down from there." Applejack said. Donald and Goofy looked up there a bit surprised. Pinkie Pie sure made it up there very fast.

"Wait, wasn't she behind us?" Donald asked.

"That's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie." Sora said as he went down to check out the cave. Rainbow Dash flew up to Pinkie Pie and attempted to get her down from the shelf, while Applejack and Fluttershy took a look at the big coin in the room. Rarity was looking at the cabinet, admiring the big pink gem that was inside. Spike was also admiring it too, giving a lick since he loved gems. Fortunately, he wasn't hungry anymore to eat. Sora then approached the statue of Starswirl and began to examine it.

"Wow." Sora said. "So that's what Starswirl looks like." He then turned his head to take a look at the picture of Celestia. There was actually someting quite different about her in this picture. She looked a little bit smaller, almost Luna's current height, and her mane and tail wasn't flowing as much. Her mane and tail was a darker pink, almost similar to Fluttershy's mane. She was probably younger in this picture, which could explain why the crown was much bigger.

"Huh..." Sora said. "Princess Celestia looks so young in this portrait."

"Garsh, it's kinda hard to think of her as anything but what she looks like now." Goofy said.

"She has been around for more than a thousand years." Donald said. "She also faced many challenges and struggles too." Suddenly, popping out of Sora's hood was Jiminy Cricket, who was observing the portrait.

"Hmmm, this must've been from around the time when Princess Celestia officially became Princess of Equestria." The cricket said. "No doubt that she's faced a lot of trials as a ruler, and a lot of problems back then."

"Yeah, especially when she was forced to use the Element of Harmony and banish her sister to the moon." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Sora said. Then he looked around a bit more, but spotted something to his right. What he was seeing was a strange mirror, decorated with a horseshoe-shaped rim lined with multiple gems, and attached to the top was a smaller window with a depiction of a pony inside it.

"Hey, look at this." Sora said as he ran up to it. He came to a stop as he examined it.

"It's a mirror!" Donald said.

"Guess Starswirl used it to see how well he looked in clothes." Goofy said. As Sora went closer towards it, seeing his reflection in the mirror, he felt something... something mystical from the mirror. It's almost as if it was magical.

"Guys, somehow I don't think this is a mirror." He said as he continued to examine the mirror. There was definitely something magical about this mirror. He could feel it. But what?

The past and the future collide...

The sudden voice rang in Sora's ear. What was that? Did he just hear a woman's voice? Suddenly he felt a bit dizzy, but not too dizzy. He rubbed his eyes as he felt a teeny bit of pain in his head. Where did that come from?

"Come on, Celestia. There's something I must show you immediately!" The sudden voice made Sora turn his head. Turning around, he saw something... or somepony that surprised him, a familiar tall white alicorn with a flowing multi-colored mane and tail with a sun cutie mark! It was Princess Celestia!

But next to her wasn't Luna. It was a light grey unicorn with dark gray hooves, a long white tail mane with a mustache and beard, with streaks of grey. He wore a dark blue hat and cape with a couple of stars and crescent moons, with bells as well. And his eyes were dark greyish blue. Was that... Starswirl the Bearded?!

"Princess Celestia!" Sora said. "And Starswirl?!" That can't be? How is he here? Donald and Goofy looked at the boy with confusion. Because they didn't see anything.

"Sora, Princess Celestia isn't here." Donald said.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"There's no one else besides us, the girls, and Spike." Goofy said.

"And me too!" Jiminy said through Sora's hood.

"We know." Donald said.

"Huh?" Sora asked as he looked back at the two, then back at Princess Celestia and Starswirl. He then noticed something. The bodies of the tall alicorn and unicorn were glowing, and transparent. He could see right through them. They weren't ghosts because Princess Celestia was alive. Was this a... hallucination? Or a... vision?

"It's an exciting day to be magical, Celestia." Starswirl said as the two were walking towards the three. "I've made a breakthrough that even I didn't think possible. This mirror is going to be the greatest achievement of my career!"

"Starswirl, you've really done it?" Celestia asked. "It's just... its just impossible to believe. Another world?"

"Oh yes!" Starswirl said. "This mirror will allow us to jump from one world to another! And in time we might be able to jump from dimension to dimension... or universe to universe... Aren't you curious to find what else is out there in the cosmos?"

"With Luna being so distant lately, I've got so much to do..." Celestia said. "I doubt I'll have time to help you with what you're proposing." The tall alicorn only lowered her head as he throughts dwelled on her sister.

"Now Celestia, I know you've been concerned since your sister started to act a bit... dark recently, but I'm sure we'll get her turned around before anything serous happens." Starswirl said. Celestia looked at her old mentor and smiled.

"Thank you, my old friend." Celestia said. "You have no idea how much I've needed to hear that. I've had so many doubts lately."

"Never doubt yourself, my faithful student." Starswirl said with a smile. "You'll do great things for your subjects. We all know that. Now, on to the main subject. If the secrets of cross-world travel are going to be kept under here, do you think I should put up some protections? Maybe a trained supernatural beast?" Celestia began to think on it.

"Maybe a hydra?" Celestia asked.

"Ooooooh!" Starswirl said with a smile. "I like that idea!" Sora tilted his head in confusion.

"A hydra?" Sora asked. "They placed a hydra down here? I didn't see a hydra when we came down here." Hearing the word hydra, Donald and Goofy looked at each other. Donald then looked to his right, and tugged on Sora's jacket, getting his attention.

"There it is." Donald said, pointing at the water nearby. Inside the pool was a huge skeleton with multiple skulls and necks... That was probably a hydra.

"Huh." Sora said. "So that's where it was."

"Anyway, here it is!" Starswirl said as he passed through Sora, who then stepped out of the way as the projection of Princess Celestia walked by. As they passed Donald and Goofy, who were still confused at what was happening, Celestia was a bit amazed by the sight of the mirror, and a bit confused too.

"Every bit of magical knowledge in Equestria wrapped up in a reflective package!" Starswirl said.

"How does it work?" Celestia asked, her head tilted a bit.

"Some worlds can be accessed through spells, some only through the precise alignment of the moon and stars." Starswirl said as he magically placed the blueprints of the portal back into one of the shelves. "As of right now, I've only formed the spells for one world at this time. Think of the new magic to discover out there... the knowledge we can attain..."

"W...We?!" Celestia asked a bit surprised. "But Starswirl, I can't go traipsing about in a different world, I have a blossoming kingdom to run and protect!"

"Pish posh." Starswirl said. "You say that like the pursuit of knowledge isn't a worthy pastime."

"It is worthy, but..." Celestia said. Before she could finish however, Starswirl closed his eyes, and his horn charged up with an azureish gray aura of magic. He then pointed his horn and zapped a magical beam at the mirror, making it glow brightly, as a wave of magic blew across the two. Starswirl then approached the mirror and pressed his hoof onto it... but instead, his hoof went through it! He then turned to Princess Celestia, extending his hoof out.

"Come along, Princess." He said. "Adventure is out there." Seeing the bearded unicorn with a smile, without a care, made her think. Perhaps a little time away from this place wouldn't cause much harm. She took his hoof and the two went right through the mirror. The sudden action surprised Sora greatly.

"Whoa!" Sora said. "Princess Celestia and Starswirl went through the mirror!" Donald and Goofy looked at him and each other with confusion.

"Sora, there's no one else there." Donald said.

"I know." Sora said. "I think I know what just happened!"

"What?" Donald asked.

"I... I just had a vision!" Sora said.

"A vision?" Goofy asked. "You mean you're psychic?"

"No, no, not that kind of vision." Sora said. "I mean, I saw a glimpse of the past! I saw a past scene of Princess Celestia and Starswirl using this portal. This portal seems to be a gateway to one of the outside worlds!"

"Yeah..." Donald said, showing a nervous smile, before pulling Goofy to speak to him privately. "Yep, he's completely lost it."

"I dunno, Donald." Goofy said. "Sora may be onto something. He seems fine to me."

"He wasn't ok when that heartless tower showed up." Donald said. "He was scared to death."

"Now Donald, don't say that." Goofy said. "He might hear you."

"He's probably not listening to us." Donald said.

"I'm listening now!" The sudden voice made Donald and Goofy turn to see Sora, who was looking at both of them with a stern face. Yep, he heard them.

"Told ya." Goofy said, Donald only gave a nervous laugh. Sora then turned his head back at the mirror. If that mirror could take anyone to another world, what world did the mirror lead to?

"I wonder what world they went to though." Sora said.

"Probably one of the ones we've been to." Goofy said.

"Or maybe one we didn't go to yet." Donald said. The boy tilted his head, with curiosity building up inside him.

"Let's find out." Sora said as he approached the mirror.

"Sora, we probably shouldn't." Donald said.

"It'll only be a minute." Sora said as he looked back at the two. He then got closer to the mirror.

"It's probably not on." Donald said. The boy looked at the mirror for a short moment, and lifted his hand up. He slowly leaned his hand to touch the glass... only for his hand to go inside it!

"Whoa!" Sora said with amazement, as Donald and Goofy watched with awe as well.

"It is on." Goofy said. Sora looked back at Donald with a smile.

"You were saying?" He asked, as Donald only sighed. The boy then glanced back at the mirror and leaned his head in to see where it led.

As his head popped out to the other side, the boy opened his eyes, and glanced around himself. He was half-way inside the mirror... actually, he was sticking a bit outside a mirror, with both hands out and one foot out too, with his other foot on the other side so he didn't completely leave. Looking around, he saw that he was in the middle of a mirror as well! Looking at his surroundings, he saw that it was a huge library.

Wait... this library! The floor was green, and the shelves were arranged into a pathway. He also saw a yellow table at the end of a ledge, which was the upper floor. And the columns that were near... This library! This was the library that he came across during his time in Hollow Bastion... or Radiant Garden. This world was Radiant Garden! He was in Radiant Garden... or partially in since his foot was still on the other side from where he came.

"This is... Radiant Garden!" Sora said, before turning his head. "Guys, the mirror leads to Radiant Garden!"

"It does?!" Donald and Goofy's voices called back.

"Yeah!" Sora said. "This is the library, the one that was some sort of puzzle maze." He looked around, surprised that the mirror lead to Radiant Garden. Could this be the world that Celestia and Starswirl went through, before the world became Radiant Garden.

"I can't seem to find anything." A voice said. Sora knew that voice well, well actually there were two people he knew that had that voice. But it was more uplifting. He looked to one of the bookshelves and saw Ventus, scanning through the shelve to find something. Sora was more surprised. Ventus was here?

"There's nothing regarding any knowledge of Equestria's past." Ventus said as he slumped his head down. "You guys find anything?" Coming up the steps were Aqua and Terra, the former holding a book.

"Nothing." Aqua said as he scanned through the book. "Only information regarding the PUE Royal Guards, and the Wonderbolts. Nothing about the Pillars or anything."

"We weren't able to get a hold of Sora." Terra said. "He hung up on us."

"He was probably in the middle of something." Ventus said. Sora raised an eyebrow, seeing the three here.

"Ven?!" He asked, with the blonde boy turning his head upon hearing his voice, only to see Sora stuck between a mirror. Wait, what?! Ventus turned his head, seeing Sora's upperbody sticking out of the mirror.

"Wh... Sora?!" Ventus asked, as Aqua and Terra looked at what Ventus was seeing. Both of them were dumbstruck to figure out what was going on.

"Hey guys..." Sora said with a nervous smile and wave.

"Sora!" Ventus asked as he ran up towards the mirror. "Wha... how... uh... is it really you?"

"Who else?" Sora said.

"Sora... how did..." Aqua said.

"How are you even here?" Terra asked.

"Funny you should say that." Sora said. "This mirror here led me here... or part of me here."

"Wait, aren't you in Equestira?" Ventus asked.

"Well... part of me is." Sora said. "There's this mirror we found in an underground cavern and-"

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy called out, getting his attention.

"Huh?" Sora asked. "Hey!!" He was then pulled back in through the mirror.

"Sora!" Aqua called out as she ran towards the mirror, her hand pressed onto the glass. Wait... pressed onto? It didn't go through it.

"What?" Aqua asked.

"Ok... what just happened?" Ventus asked. Aqua stroke her hand across the mirror. She felt something. It was a magical surge coming from the mirror itself.

"There's some strange magic coming from the mirror." She said, as Terra examined the mirror too.

"This mirror seems to be a portal that lead Sora here from Equestria." Terra said.

"A portal that leads to another world?" Aqua asked. "So whatever goes through this thing from here can get to Equestria."

"And anyone from that world to here." Terra said. Ventus tilted his head, amazed. They were all amazed. A mirror that leads to Equestria. Another way to cross to other worlds? Could that explain how some of the knowledge and texts from that world got here? And if this mirror is a portal, how many more could there be?

"Well, now we know where the stories come from." Ventus said.

Sora felt himself being pulled from the other side of the mirror, as Donald and Goofy pulled him back into the caverns. All three of them landed on the ground, with the boy landing on top of the two. He lifted himself up and shook his head.

"Hey, get off!" Donald shouted.

"Sorry." Sora said as he got off, allowing Donald and Goofy to get back onto their feet. "What was that all about? I was having a conversation with Ven."

"Wait, you saw Ven?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, he and the others were in Radiant Garden." Sora said.

"What were they doing there?" Donald asked.

"Probably looking for information on the Pillars." Sora said. "But you guys didn't have to pull me out of there!"

"We had to!" Donald said.

"Why?" Sora asked. The royal wizard then made his way towards the mirror and pressed his hand upon it. But instead of going through it, it pressed onto it. The boy tilted his head. "Huh?"

"The portal closed up." Goofy said.

"It closed up?" Sora asked. "So that meant I would've been stuck in Radiant Garden?"

"No." Donald said. "You were halfway through the mirror!"

"Which meant part of you would've been stuck in between." Goofy said. "Half of you there, and half of you here." The boy's eyes widened. That's why they pulled him out. He was standing between the portal, and if it closed up, he would've been stuck!... or sliced in half!

"Whoa!" Sora said. "Thanks guys. Good thing you guys pulled me back in." He gave a happy smile of relief, while Donald only rolled his eyes.

"Celestia, you were doing what?!" A voice boomed in the room. Sora turned around, hearing the voice. He turned to see Starswirl the Bearded, and Princess Celestia talking, though it sounded like they were arguing. Their bodies were glowing and transparent, which mean this was another vision most likely.

"Another vision?" Sora asked as he watched the scene.

"I... I was using the portal to visit the outside worlds." Celestia said.

"And you were doing so after I told you we couldn't go out there anymore?" Starswirl asked. The Princess turned her head away, and there was sadness in her eyes, something that Sora noticed.

"How often have you used it?" Starswirl asked.

"Not... often-" Celestia said, though Starswirl's stern face wasn't buying it.

"How Often?!" He asked, his voice getting louder.

"...On and off... ever since Luna was banished to the moon." Celestia said. Sora's eyes widened up. This must've taken place some time after Princess Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to banish Nightmare Moon to the moon, along with Luna.

"You've been using the mirror for almost a whole decade?" Starswirl asked, showing worry and anger on his face. "Celestia, you know what kind of consequences there are visiting the outside world! We've talked about this! Using the portal way too many times can cause the entire universe to collide together and rip itself apart, there by, destroying the universe! You promised me that you wouldn't use it! We can't risk it!"

"You don't understand!" Celestia said. "Luna is banished to the moon! And it's my fault! The outside world was the only thing that could bring me solace! To help me ease the pain of having the banish my own sister!"

"You did what had to be done." Starswirl said. "If you hadn't, Nightmare Moon would've destroyed you. Besides, your sister turned evil. Once a villain, always a villain."

"Luna didn't turn evil." Celestia said. "She was corrupted by darkness!"

"She chose to use darkness." Starswirl said. "She made her choice."

"Because I made her feel alone!" Celestia said. "She just wanted ponies to know how wonderful the night was!" Starswirl only shook his head.

"We can't use the portal anymore, Celestia." Starswirl said. "If you use it again, it could cause the universe to collapse on itself! You're putting everypony in danger! What could possibly be worth it?!"

"What do you think is worth it?!" Celestia asked, showing tears in her eyes. Starswirl only turned away, showing disappointment.

"I'm sorry..." The princess spoke, her head hung down in shame. "I just… I don't want to be alone anymor-"

"No, Celestia... no." Starswirl said. "I'm ending this." Celestia lifted her head up.

"What do you mean?!" Celestia asked, though in her heart, she knew exactly what he meant. "No! You can't! I won't use it as of-"

"No!" Starswirl said, looking back at the Princess. "I will not let you put your kingdom and the other worlds at risk. This is over... Now!" He then approached the portal and his horn glowed with magic.

"No!" Celestia said, making her way towards the stallion, but a force field preventing her from getting closer. "At least let me say goodbye to my friends!"

"Kingdom come, and kingdom go. A land so close to our core." Starswirl chanted as magic enveloped his body. "Our worlds now severed, ebb and flow. Doth from his point, we close the door!" He then fired a mighty flash of magic upon the mirror, making it glow brightly and the glass upon it shattered.

"NO!" Celestia shouted as she got through the force field. But alas, it was too late, as the mirror was shattered and the door to the outside world was closed forever. She approached the mirror and slumped, unable to keep the tears in her eyes from dropping to the ground. Starswirl only turned away, still showing disappointment.

"We will never discuss this again." Starswirl said. "I'm very disappointed in you, Princess. But in time you will know that-"

"Fix it..." A hiss came from Celestia's mouth, making him turn towards her.

"What?" Starswirl asked. The sun princess turned her head, showing tear-ridden eyes, though her eyes were full of rage and sadness.

"Fix the portal... NOW!" She shouted, making him stumble back a bit. The Sun Princess was angry and demanded him to open the portal up. But he shook his head.

"No!" Starswirl said. The Sun Princess only lowered her head, though there was rage present in her eyes, and more tears.

"Then... as Princess of all of Equestria, I banish you, Starswirl the Bearded, from Canterlot and beyond!" Celestia shouted with a royal traditional Canterlot voice boomed, making Starswirl gasp. She was banishing him from her kingdom?!

"Celestia, this is madness!" Starswirl shouted. "You have to understand-"

"LEAVE NOW!!!" She screamed as tears dropped from her eyes, and she galloped away, with tears dropping from her eyes, out of the caverns, towards and through a massive door. Starswirl watched dumbfounded. Celestia had banished him?!

"Starswirl!" a voice called out. He turned his head to see a pegasus wearing old Roman armor fly into the caverns and descended upon the ground. His coat was brilliant amber and his mane was moderate amaranth. He had turquoise colored eyes and his cutie mark was of a blue feather over mountain peaks.

"There you are, Starswirl, we've been looking all... what happened here?" The Pegasus noticed the cracked mirror, and Starswirl looking a bit startled.

"N...nothing, Flash Magnus." Starswirl said. "What seems to be the problem?"

"We found him." Flash Magnus said. "He's near Ponhenge!" Starswirl's eyes widened with surprise, but they showed determination.

"Then we must stop him." Starswirl said as he tilted his hat. "Oh, before we leave, we'll have to come back to get my belongings. I'm leaving Canterlot." Flash Magnus lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

"Why?" He asked.

"I'll... explain on the way." Starswirl said with a nod. Though Flash wondered, he knew it had to wait for another time. He gave a nod and made his way back the way he came, with Starswirl following him. He couldn't help but lower his head in sorrow.

"I'm getting too old for this." He said as he left.

The vision then came to an end there as Sora watched with surprise. Starswirl destroyed the mirror because using it would've caused the universe to collapse on itself and destroy everything? And Celestia banished him for it?

"Wow..." Sora said as Goofy and Donald walked up to the boy.

"What did you see?" Goofy asked.

"I saw Princess Celestia and Starswirl arguing with each other about the mirror." Sora said. "She was using the portal and Starswirl forbade her from using it."

"Why?" Donald asked.

"Because, he said that using the portal too many times would cause the universe to be destroyed." Sora said. "He ended up cracking the mirror up, destroying the portal, and the Princess banished him."

"What?!" Donald and Goofy asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "And... then she left, and a Pegasus showed up. I think it was one of the other Pillars of Equestria. They said they found somepony, who they referred to as him. Then they both left. I think they went off to fight the Pony of Shadows."

"Garsh, then that moment must've taken place before Starswirl and the Pillars fought against the Pony of Shadows." Goofy said. Donald, on the other hand, started to think about the portal and the whole universe could be destroyed if used to much. He never heard anything like that.

"That's odd." Donald said. "Master Yen Sid and the King never said anything about portals causing the universe to be destroyed."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, a bit confused.

"Well, Master Yen Sid also had a portal thing-a-majig, though it wasn't a mirror." Goofy said. "It was a magic pot, and it allowed him and others to go to other worlds back in the old days when he too was a Keyblade Wielder, before there were Gummi-Ships, Star Shards, and Keyblade Gliders." Sora tilted his head. So there were other portals besides the mirror?

"Wait... there are other ways to get to other worlds besides just ships and all that?" Sora asked surprised. Donald and Goofy quickly froze up and covered their mouths, or beak in Donald's case. It seems that they weren't suppose to say something about that.

"Whoops, we weren't suppose to say that." Donald said as Goofy gave a nervous chuckle. The boy crossed his arms and began to think. He then looked at the mirror and wondered. He saw that Starswirl cracked the mirror up, but now it's in perfect shape, as if it was brand new.

"But wait... how did the mirror get fixed?" Sora asked.

"Maybe Princess Celestia managed to fix it somehow." Goofy said.

"Or someone else probably fixed it." Donald said.

"Hey guys!" A voice called from the distance. They turned to see Rainbow Dash.

"I don't mean to be impatient, but can we please get a move on?" She asked, while the other girls and Spike were done looking around. The three then realized that they were wasting time. They had to get to the Canterlot Vault.

"Oh, right." Sora said. "We better get going."

"But how do we get out of here?" Donald asked. Sora then started to think. He remembered Whirlwind and Earthius talking about a door that will take them out of the caverns and to the Canterlot Vault. Come to think of it, the vision he saw showed Celestia running out of here through a massive door. He then looked to where she went, and saw a huge massive door. That was probably the way out.

"Hey guys, over here!" Sora called out. "This must be the way out!" Everyone turned to see Sora pointing at the door. They all gasped.

"Oooh!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she rushed to the door and leaning her head on it. "I wonder if there's a big surprise behind it!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy pushed the door open, showing another pathway that lead out of the library.

"Awwww, that wasn't so surprisingly." Pinkie Pie said with a little pout.

"Alright, let's go find that vault." Applejack said as then the group made their way through the doors, with Donald, Goofy, and Sora being the last ones to leave. But as Sora was about to step out. He turned his head back, to look at the room. He couldn't get his mind of the vision he had of Starswirl sealing up the portal that lead to the outside world. He could only sigh and leave... until...

"It must be here! It has to be!" Sora froze as he heard that voice. He turned around suddenly, his vision acted strange again, as everything turned white and black, but he saw a blue glowing pony. Making his way back inside, he saw that it was Princess Celestia, and she was looking through something, desparately.

"Princess Celestia?" Sora asked.

"There must be a way!" Celestia, showing some panick in her voice.

"Having trouble?" a new voice spoke, making Sora turn his head. He gave a gasp, seeing a strange man in a black coat, the same coat that is usually worn by Organization XIII!

"Organization XIII!" Sora shouted as he summoned his keyblade, ready to fight. But suddenly, he stood there a bit confused, seeing that the man wasn't looking at him, nor paying attention to him. In fact, he was glowing a strange crystal blue color and his body was a bit transparent too. Sora then realized that this was another vision, probably taking place long after Starswirl sealed up the mirror. But that doesn't make sense. Is this taking place when Xehanort was alive, before he started all that mess. The princess of the sun glanced up to see the hooded man.

"What are you doing here, old master?" Celestia asked, feeling a little unease.

"Aww, is that the way to say hello to a old friend?" The man, the Old Master said as he came into the room, passing Sora. The boy then noticed something in his hood. While his face was shrouded, one of his eyes wasn't, which was showing a glowing crystal blue colored eye. Sora almost gasped in surprise. That eye color. That was the same eye color that was on Master Xehanort's keyblade! And his voice sounded different, very unlike Xehanort's or his other past selves' voices. The voice was more in-between, more middle-aged, give or take a few years younger. Was this Xehanort's master or something?

"Oh, wait, am I not your friend?" The Old Master asked in surprise, making Celestia feel that she unintentionally offended him.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it that way-" Celestia said, until the old master laughed.

"I'm just kidding with ya." He said, as the Sun Princess rolled her eyes.

"I don't like it when you toy with me like that." Celestia said.

"Sorry, I can't help it." The old master said. "So, have you heard? Starswirl's gone."

"Yes, I've heard." Celestia said.

"So what are you doing down here?" The old master asked. "You mourning him or something? Or is it to find a way to open up that portal over there?" His hand was pointing towards the broken mirror, which made the Princess gasp.

"W...what makes you think-" Celestia asked.

"Now, now, Celestia." The old master said, wagging his finger. "I know about your little fight with Starswirl concerning the portal to the outside world. Just as I knew you would be down here trying to unlock it. Don't you remember, Celestia? My eye can see the future." The sun monarch only let out a defeated sigh.

"Yes, I'm trying to find a way to open the portal that leads to the outside world." Celestia said. "But I can't seem to find the spell that can restore the portal." The old master looked at some of the books and picked one up, opening it up and reading it.

"Well, you're not making much progress." The old master said, his fingers grabbing ahold of one page. "There's nothing in this book about unlocking chains." He then ripped some of the pages out, much to Celestia's annoyance.

"Do you have to do that?" Celestia asked.

"Yes." The old master said before tossing the book away and sat on the desk Celestia was near. "So tell me, what's going on?" The sun princess only gave a deep sigh and leaned against the chair she sat in.

"All of this started when I used the Elements of Harmony to stop Luna from going out of control." Celestia said. "But instead of destroying the darkness inside her, I succeeded in only banishing her to the moon."

"And that portal was the only thing that brought you solace." The old master asked.

"Yes." Celestia said. "The portal has shown me the world beyond the things I've seen. As we entered the world, we took the shape and form of the inhabitants of that world, and while we managed to keep a low profile of where we came from, the wonders of those worlds made me feel... alive."

"Then what happened?" The old master asked.

"Starswirl said that we couldn't use the portal anymore because doing so would cause the universe to merge and destroy itself from the inside out." Celestia said. "I've used it a few times behind his back, but when he caught me coming back, we argued and he sealed it up. He truly believed that using the portal would bring harm to the worlds. He didn't care if I lost my sister, nor if I was in pain." The old master looked her, and then...

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" He laughed a bit hysterically.

"What's so funny?" Celestia asked.

"Cause the universe to be destroyed?" He said getting off the table. "That is the most stupidest lie I have ever heard." Celestia's ears perked up hearing that.

"What?" Celestia asked. "What are you saying?

"What I'm saying is, the old horse lied to you." The old master explained. "The real reason why he locked the portal up was because he was afraid that someone else would find it and use it to get to the outside world. All that whole destroying the universe thing was just a bunch of bull."

"W... What?!" Celestia asked, completely shocked at this revelations. "Why would he lie to me about this?"

"Guess he never told you, but he was having trust issues at that time." The old master said. "A friend of his betrayed him, making him lose trust in those he's closest too. Yet he was too oblivious and sucked up in his pride to realize that it was he who made his friend betray him. But let's get back to the subject. Do you want to see the outside world again?" Celestia then started thinking. She didn't know what else to think. First she lost her sister, then she lost her mentor's trust and now, learning that Starswirl lied to her about the portal? This was too much for her. She didn't know what to do, but the old master seemed to have read her face.

"I'll take that distraught as a yes." The old master said. Then, he turned away and lifted his hand up. Then suddenly, a spark of electricity ignited his hand, then suddenly, a weapon appeared. Sora, witnessing this flashback, gasped in surprise. The old master summoned forth a keyblade! But it wasn't just any keyblade! The keyblade had a black handle with a raised spiral carved around it, with its pummel and guard resembling black demonic wings. The base o the blade was decorated with the emblem of a goat, and the shaft is formed with two black barbed blades, stched with a white icon resembling a bramble of thorns. The teeth are formed in the shape of a demonic king, with a blue eye in the top and middle of the blade. The keychain is made of small, grey links, and the token is an entagled talisman with the same eye. It was the same keyblade that was wielded by Master Xehanort!

"What?!" Sora said to himself. Before he could think of anything else, he saw the cloaked man point the keyblade at the mirror. It charged up a lot of energy and shot a ray at the mirror, sealing up the crack and restoring the glass as if it was never broken. A small keyhole also shined on the glass and evaporated into specks of light. The vision of Celestia gasped greatly as she saw the mirror restored.

"How did..." She asked.

"Helloooo, keyblade." The Old Master said, showing the keyblade before it disappeared from his hand. "After all, I am the Master of Masters, so to speak. Now you can use the portal again. I also changed the mirror so no one else would go through it but you. So now you can explore the outside worlds, and enjoy them to your heart's desire! Congratulations!" The old master, the Master of Masters began to clap as if he was applauding. Sora only raised an eyebrow. Is this guy was really a keyblade master or a deeply disturbed person?

"R...Really?" Celestia asked. The cloaked man then placed his finger on the alicorn's chest, most likely pointing to her heart.

"May your heart be your guiding key." The Master of Masters said. Celestia looked at the portal then at the cloaked man. She then gave a sigh and a nod.

"Thank you." She said. She then made her way to the portal.

"Oh, and one more thing." The Master of Masters said, getting the alicorn's attention. He then gave her a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Celestia asked.

"The date that you shouldn't go to the outside world." The Master and Masters said. "On that exact day, or at least a couple days before hand, don't use the portal. Because on that day, something terrible will happen, where a great war will ravage the land. But when it's all over, the worlds will survive and be much different than the one you've seen. But you'll have no problem with it though."

"War?" Celestia asked.

"Just don't ask about it, alright?" The Master of Masters said. Celestia then gave a nod and went into the portal, while the Master of Masters flexed a bit.

"Man, I was right." The Master said. "Ponies are so much fun." Soon, the vision of the Master and the entire scene faded before Sora's eyes. To be honest, he was so confused to at what he saw. He stood there and started to think. That master, the Master of Masters spoke about a war. He was probably talking about the Keyblade War, the first one from the Land of Fairytales that Master Yen Sid told him and Riku about. All of this stuff happened before the first Keyblade War?

"So wait... all this happened before the first Keyblade War?" Sora asked himself. "And... the mirror only works with Celestia… How come I was able to go through the portal? And just who was that guy?"

"SORA!" Donald's loud voice grabbed his attention, making him turn around to see Donald and Goofy at the doorway.

"C'mon, Sora!" Goofy called out. "We gotta get to the Vault!" Sora then remembered. They had to get to the vault!

"Oh, right!" Sora said. "I'm coming!" He then ran off towards the, and left the massive library. Whatever he saw would happen to be resolved for another time.

Somewhere in another hall of the castle, the floor began to open up as a floor plate lifted up and moved to the side. Out came Sora, who took a quick look around to see they were in another hallway, and the sun was just about to set outside, seeing no one and no pony in sight.

"Ok, the coast is clear." He said as he got up out of the hole, allowing Donald and Goofy to pop out, though the former had a little trouble getting out himself. After he got out, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie then came out from the hole too. All of them now back in the hall, Applejack slid the floor plate back on top of the hole.

"Well, that went pretty well." Rainbow Dash said.

"So where's the Canterlot vault?" Applejack asked. Donald turned his head, and his eyes widened up.

"Look!" He said, pointing forward. Looking towards the direction he was pointing towards, the group saw another massive door, colored with white with purple swirls all over it. It was very big. There wasn't much else to describe it.

"Is that it?" Sora asked.

"Yep, that's it." Rarity said.

"Then, let's get inside!" Donald said.

"Um... I don't mean to burst your bubble, but we might have a problem." Rainbow Dash said, pointing at the door to the vault, which was being closed by a massive crystal lock, and covered in crystal. That only meant one thing. It was locked.

"It's locked." Applejack said.

"Awwww..." The other ponies said.

"Now what do we do?" Spike asked. Suddenly, Goofy and Donald then looked at Sora.

"What?" Sora asked.

"Do you think your keyblade can unlock it?" Goofy asked. The boy then knew what he meant. The keyblade has the ability to unlock all kinds of locks, even magical ones.

"Well, only one way to find out." Sora said. He then summoned his keyblade, and pointed it straight at the lock. It conjured up a mighty bright light and it shot out a ray of energy upon the lock. The lock began to glow and disintegrate, and then the doors to the vault opened, revealing multiple artifacts and gold coins inside! The group reacted with awe.

"Awwwww…." They all said- No, the word is AWE. A. W. E.!

"Ooooooooo!" The group said. Ok, that's better.

"We got it!" Sora said.

"Oh Boy!" Goofy said.

"Woooww….!" Donald said, seeing the treasure that was inside. Whenever there is gold or treasure, Donald can be pretty greedy.

"Donald, don't even think about it." Sora said, making the duck shake his head, trying to get back to his senses.

"Right, sorry." Donald said.

"I hope we don't get in trouble for this." Applejack said.

"Don't worry, we'll make it quick." Sora said. "C'mon!" The group then began to head inside. But then suddenly, before them, a massive portal surrounded by crystal light blue energy emerged out of nowhere, making the group stop in their path.

"What the?!" Sora asked as he, Donald, and Goofy came to a halt, as did the ponies and Spike. Emerging from the portal, was a light azureish gray unicorn, with moderate turquoise eyes and a dark grayish azure mane and a goatee on his chin. His ears were a bit pointed and his horn was sharp. He wore a dark purplish-red cloak with a yellow color, and he had a red sash with a gold medallion on it. And he did not look too happy.

"I should've known there were some thieves among us." He spoke.

"Uh oh..." Goofy said as Sora stood his ground. The unicorn in the red cloak glanced at the trio, showing a face of disgust.

"Ahh, I see we have some outsiders here in Equestria, as the rumors spoke." The unicorn said sternly, and then glanced to see Sora's keyblade, which made him glare even more. "Ahhhh, a keyblade wielding scum. No wonder my lock was shattered easily." Sora was a bit offended being called scum.

"And you are?" Sora asked.

"I am Chancellor Neighsay, head of the Equestria Education Association, and a high ranking member of the Unicorn Council formed by Princess Platnium herself." The chancellor spoke.

"Neighsay?" Sora asked, and then looked at Donald and Goofy. Then the trio started laughing at the name.

"His name is Neigh say." Donald said as the three continued to laugh, while Rarity was trying to silently tell them to be quiet.

"That's one funny name!" Goofy chuckled.

"SILENCE!" Neighsay shouted, his horn lit up with a light tangelo aura. The shout was enough for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to stop laughing.

"Uhhh... sorry?" Sora asked.

"You will be sorry soon enough." Neighsay said. His horn then started to glow, as if he was ready to attack the group. The trio stood their ground. But the chancellor then aimed right at the Vault doors and closed it up, summoning a new lock upon it.

"Now, to deal with you." He said. "GUARDS!" Upon command, a squadron of royal guards appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the group.

"Garsh!" Goofy said as Donald jumped onto him and held on.

"Take them away." Neighsay said, and the guards approached them, making the group back into each other, having no idea was about to happen. One thing for sure, they were in big trouble.

While Sora and co. were in Canterlot, there were actually a couple of stray dogs outside the castle gates, far from the watchful eyes of the Royal Guards, digging deep into the ground near the entrance. They weren't actually stray dogs, they were Diamond Dogs! Vicious dogs that have one thing in common. They like to find gems! They are diamond dogs after all.

There were two dogs digging, while one was observing and reading a map he held in his hands... or paws. The one not digging was Rover, the medium-sized gray dog with grayish spring bud eyes, and a red vest around his body. The other two digging was Fido, the large-sized one colored in cornflower bluish gray fur with very light yellow eyes and a grey vest, and last but not least, Spot, the small grayish gamboge bulldog with light yellow eye, also with a lighter gray vest.

These three dogs were still trying to find some more gems, after their last search ended with a blunder after they attempted to kidnap Rarity to use her gem-finding magic to find all sorts of gems, only for them to fall victim to her complaining and whining act. They let her go by the time her friends came to save her, showing that even a lady can fend for herself.

Now the dogs were here trying again to find gems on their own. They have heard from the reports of the Changeling Attack that the Hero of Equestria escaped the crystal caverns when she was sent down there by the changeling queen. Wanting to know if this rumor is true, they decided to sneak into Canterlot to find the caverns. With all those gems, they'll be rich beyond their wildest dreams, and never have to search for more gems again!... for probably a year or so until they get bored of them.

"How much farther do we have to keep digging?!" Spot asked.

"If we dig deeper, we'll sink the castle." Fido said.

"Oh will you stop complaining!" Rover said. "Those rumors from the bug monster attack has to be true! If there really is a cavern of gems below the castle, than we must see it for ourselves! All the gems down there... they will be ours!" Fido popped his head out of his hole.

"But why are we digging from outside the castle?" He asked. "Why not just go in?" Rover only face palmed his head.

"Really?" Rover asked. "Because ponies don't like us, remember? Plus, this is the castle of the Pony Princess. We go in in rags, we'll get kicked out of there!"

"We could just ask, though." Spot said.

"And risk getting mauled by spears?!" Rover asked. The two dogs in the holes looked back at the castle doors, seeing two royal guards on patrol with spears. They were only standing at the front gate, and not even noticing the dogs since they were too far away. But the guards with spears or any sort of weapon were definitely something to be afraid of.

"He makes a good point." Fido said.

"Thank you." Rover said. "Now Keep Digging!" His shout made the two dogs continue digging into the ground frantically. The leader of the pack made a sigh as he sat onto the ground. With the guards back at the mountains and with it just the three of them, they'll never be able to get more gems at this rate.

"At this rate, we'll never find anymore pretty gems..." Rover said to himself, unaware of the man wearing the black coat walking by before turning his head at the three dogs. While his hood hid his face, a smile showed that he was either interested or found some more recruits...

"Excuse me!" He said, getting the attention of all three Diamond Dogs, who were surprised to see someone wearing a black coat, and walking on two legs. Sure, the dogs can't walk on two legs too, but they usually use their arms too.

"Yes?" Rover asked as he turned around, showing a suspicious face, while the two other dogs jumped out of their holes and stood behind their pack leader, ready to back him up.

"What are you three doing?" The man asked.

"What does it look like?" Spot asked.

"Well it looks like you three are digging holes... near the castle." He said. "Are you searching for something? Maybe a bone or a squeak toy?"

"Actually, yes." Fido said. "We're looking for gem-" A elbow to the stomach by Rover got the bigger dog to zip his lip.

"Don't tell him, you idiot!" Rover hissed, but the man was smiling under his hood, knowing what Fido was saying.

"Oh... you three are looking for gems, are you?" The man asked. The dogs only gave a glare at Fido, who only whimpered.

"Yes, we are." Rover said. "We're Diamond Dogs, and we search for gems!"

"And we keep 'em!" Spot said.

"Really?" The hooded man said. "You mean.... like this one?" He then pulled out something from out of his pocket, revealing it to be a green colored emerald gem! The three dogs looked with amazement! A gem! A real gem!

"Gem!" The three dogs said. The man's smile grew bigger.

"You want it?" He asked. "You want the gem?" All three dogs nodded, jumping a bit in excitement like a dog excited to see a squeak toy or a stick. They aren't called Diamond Dogs for nothing. They love gems too!

"Well then, go get it!" He said as he tossed it to the side.

"GEM!" All three of the dogs shouted as they rushed towards it, running over each other in the process. Spot was the first one to claim it!

"It's Mine!" He shouted, until Rover hovered over him and took it from him.

"No, it's mine!" He shouted.

"MINE!" Fido shouted as he jumped on Rover, grabbing it from him. The three dogs began to pounce each other, scuffling to get the gem for themselves. The man approached the dogs.

"Pups, pups, please." He said, getting their attention. He then pulled out from his pocket, two more gems! A red ruby, and a blue sapphire.

"You all can have one." He said, tossing the two gems to the dogs. Rover and Fido grabbed the ruby and the sapphire gems, while Spot kept the green emerald.

"My Precious!" Spot said as he cuddled his gem, like a certain little creature who had the one ring to rule them all.

"Do you have any more gems?!" Rover asked.

"Unfortunately no, I'm am all out of gems, so to speak." The hooded man said.

"Awwwww..." the three dogs spoke in disappointment, but a smile was still on the man's face.

"But I can get you more." He said. Their ears perked up.

"Really?" Rover asked. "Where can you get them?" The man pointed straight towards the Castle of Canterlot.

"There." He said.

"There?" The dogs asked.

"But there are ponies in there!" Spot said.

"And we don't like ponies." Fido said.

"And those ponies don't like us either!" Rover said.

"Then I think we should do something about it." The hooded man said.

"We?" The three dogs asked.

"Why, of course." The man said. "These Canterlot Ponies relish too much in the safety of their fancy homes that they believe that they are better than us. But we won't sit by while they enjoy the riches and the high-profile qualities while we rest in pity and poor conditions. It's time that we remove these greedy ponies from power and give the riches to the poor." The diamond dogs looked at each other with a bit of confusion, but then they started to think. These ponies have always enjoyed in these nice fancy houses while the diamond dogs were always turned away by the snobby royals and left to rot in the dirt. But not anymore.

"Yeah!" Rover said. "These ponies thing they're better than us! It's time that we teach them a lesson!"

"Definitely!" Fido said.

"Let's kick some pony butt!" Spot said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Not yet." The man said, making them look back at him. "I'm afraid it'll take more than just the four of us to go in there and take the gems. But luckily, I have a solution."

"And what is that?" Rover asked. The man knelt down.

"We're going to form a rebellion." The man said. "Unite with others under a single banner..." The dogs leaned in closer, listening in on what the man was ready to tell them. Whatever scheme he had in that head of his, it was probably much more diabolical than anyone could think.

Author's Note

Ok, this was originally gonna be a long ass chapter, but after expanding the chapter a bit, I decided to cut it in half. Plus, I wanted Chapter 13 to be the final chapter of ACT II.

A little insight here... Sora seeing visions, kinda reminds you a bit from a particular ability that is commonly used in the Assassin's Creed series. Yes, that is Eagle Vision, or Eagle Sense! No, the Assassin's Creed series is by far not part of this story, as the ability Sora just used there is called Eagle Eye, which is based and inspired by the Eagle Sense ability from Assassin's Creed.
Also, the cloaked man talking to Celestia is not the other hooded man. That is actually the Master of Masters during the time of X Back Cover / Union X, before he disappeared. And the portal is not a Dimension Portal from the MLP arc Reflections, it's a Portal that leads to the worlds Sora and co. know about.
I never played Union X because it has something to do with loot boxes and microtransitions and stuff (you know, buy stuff for a chance to get new content). But I do like the story a bit, even if it is... really confusing.
We're unsure if the Master of Masters is labeled evil as of now, because while his intentions are mysterious, his personality is... mood swinging.
Equestria has been around for more than a thousand years, even when the Keyblade War took place. As it's been said in the story, it's a world unlike any other world in the KH Universe.
Now to clarify, the hooded man at the end of this chapter, that's the mysterious foe that's helping Maleficent and Pete, not the Master of Masters. Now he's recruited the Diamond Dogs. What is he up to?
I'm not tell you what or who he is... but I think you'll be very excited and shocked to see! Hehehe!
Diamond Dogs weren't going to be part of the story, but I added them at the last second.
A little reference of George of the Jungle in this chapter.

Now, next chapter is where everything goes down... not everything. It's gonna be an emotional ride, as it might make you delighted or very saddened.

Chapter 13: Evil Awakens

If someone could imagine themselves being chained up and being escorted by authorities, then they would be in Sora's shoes right now. He, Donald, and Goofy were cuffed, while the girls and Spike were also in chains. For Rainbow Dash, this was pure torture. She didn't like being on the ground for too long unless she wanted to. But her wings were in chains so she couldn't fly.

"Well, this is embarrassing." Donald said, though he looked up at Sora, who wasn't fretting at all.

"Sora, how come you're calm like this?" Goofy asked.

"Don't worry, it'll get cleared up." Sora said.

"How?" Donald asked.

"Just trust me, ok?" Sora asked. The two showed worried looks, but they gave a nod. They better hope Sora knows what he's doing, for everyone's sake. Pretty soon, they were inside the throne room. It was a pretty big room, where the reddish magenta carpet made it's way up to the big throne, which was surrounded by vases of flowers and two streams of water on each side of the throne. The throne itself had two seats. One big one with a sun at the top, and a slightly smaller one next to it with the crescent moon at the top, showing that these must be the seats that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sit at.

"Wow..." Sora said. "This place is amazing-" Suddenly he was hit on the head by a stick, which was wielded by Chancellor Neighsay. "Ow!"

"Do not speak." Neighsay said. "You are criminals and you should not speak unless told to."

"Sorry." Goofy said, only to receive a glare from the Chancellor, who then glanced at the entire group.

"All of you are hereby charged for theft and attempting to break into the Castle Vault." Neighsay began. "Have you any words for what all of you have done?"

"Well, we have a good explanation for that." Sora said, only to be hit in the head again. "Ow!"

"I said silence!" Neighsay said.

"But you said if we had any words to say-" Donald said, only to be hit in the head as well.

"Silence!" Neighsay said.

"What is your problem, mister?" Applejack asked, stepping forward.

"Yeah, you don't have the authority to hit somepony like that." Rainbow Dash said. "Or someone in their case."

"Do not tell me what to do Pegasus." Neighsay said, wagging his stick at the rainbow-maned flyer. "Now I believe you all should be sent to the dungeons."

"Shouldn't we wait until Princess Celestia gets here though?" Spike said as he was the first to approach. "You can't make that decision without.

"Get away from me, you filthy scaly beast." Neighsay said as he pushed Spike away, making the girls gasp.

"Hey!" Rarity said as she stepped forward up to he Chancellor's face. "How dare you call him such a word. You may be the chancellor of the Unicorn Council, but I'm not afraid to rip your mane out if you hurt his cute little face!"

"ENOUGH!" a voice spoke from behind. Glancing back at the doo, they saw a tall white alicorn with a flowing mane walk into the room. It was Princess Celestia. As she came into the room, the guards gave a bow swiftly, showing respect to their princesses.

"Princess Celestia!" Sora and the others said as they gave a bow.

"Princess!" The chancellor said hesitantly, and quickly gave a short bow.

"Chancellor Neighsay." Celestia said. "What is the meaning of this? Why is the keyblade master and the elements in chains?"

"Forgive me, Princess." Neighsay said. "These ponies and these humans were trying to break into the vault." The princesses turned to see Sora, Donald, Goofy, Spike, and the mane five, who all waved nervously. She then turned to the guards.

"Guards, you may leave." The Princess said, with the guards then giving another bow and departed out of the room. She then turned to the Chancellor.

"Chancellor, release them at once." Celestia said. Everyone gasped at what she said, even the Chancellor.

"Wh...What?!" Neighsay asked.

"Release them." Celestia said. "Sora and his company were given clearance to enter the vault."

"What?!" Neighsay asked. "What kind of a fool gave this human scum and these outsiders clearance?"

"That would be me." Another voice said from the throne, revealing to be none other than Princess Luna herself, holding an goose in her hooves, which let out a gawk. "So nice of you to join us, Chancellor Neighsay."

"WHAT?!" Neighsay asked. "Why would you give this human clearance to go into the vault?!"

"The keyblade master made a call to us." Luna said. "He informed us that it was very urgent, and may depend on Equestria's safety." She looked back at the boy, and gave a wink and smile. The boy gave a nod.

"Wait... when did-?" Donald asked, with Sora holding up the charm that Luna gave him earlier.

"Like she said, I made a call." He said with a wink, with Goofy giving a chuckle.

"Who gave you the right to give an outsider permission?!" Neighsay asked.

"Chancellor." Celestia said as she approached the unicorn. "My sister is also Princess of Equestria, and we are Co-Rulers of Equestria, so she is also allowed to give ponies, and other citizens permisson should it be very crucial, even to non-ponies." The chancellor was about to speak, but he stopped himself.

"Of course, Princess." Neighsay said.

"Oh, and one more thing." Celestia said as he horn began to glow, her magic covered the chains Sora and company were in, and shattered them, setting them free. She then turned her face back to the Chancellor. "Should I hear you ever threatening young Spike here, you may not like what is coming next." Despite feeling threatened, the Chancellor kept his cool and gave a nod.

"I... should probably be on my way." He gave a short bow and turned to leave, but he then gave a quick stare at the group, but mostly looking back at Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Spike.

"Disgusting vermin." He silently said as he left the area. As he got far away enough, he took one look back, he then went down the hallway.

"How pathetic..." Neighsay said to himself. "The Princesses are now being noble to filthy creatures outside our world now? They don't deserve to be rulers of Equestria, especially after the Changeling Attack. Well, hopefully it won't be much longer now." He only shook his head and went on his way. With the chancellor gone, Celestia only gave a sigh.

"I am so sorry about that, Sora." She said. "The chancellor is... not pleasant towards non-ponies."

"I noticed." Sora said. "He was pretty rude."

"Yeah, he called Sora keyblade wielding scum." Goofy said.

"And he called Spike a filthy scaly beast." Applejack said.

"Yeah, that wasn't very nice!" Donald said.

"Yeah, he's such a meanie too." Pinkie Pie said.

"And the worst part is he is a very high representative in Canterlot." Rarity said.

"Well, don't let him get to you." Celestia said. "He's always been like that."

"We're sorry too for not going to you in person first." Sora said.

"It's alright." Celestia said. "You told Luna, and she told me that you needed to be here. But now, back to the subject at hand. What is it that you all need from the vault? You need something to find Twilight or restore the magic?"

"Well actually, Princess." Sora said. "We wanted to know, did you happen to store anything in here that belonged to Starswirl the Bearded?" Celestia's eyes widened as she heard that name.

"Starswirl?" Celestia asked. "Why must you know? You're looking for something that belonged to him?"

"Well yes, Princess." Goofy said as Donald gave a nod. "You see someone named Mare Do Well is hunting for the Talismans that belonged to the Pillars of Equestria. She already has five of them, and now she's after something that belongs to Starswirl the Bearded." Celestia gasped.

"The Pillars of Equestria?" Celestia asked.

"Someone is searching for their artifacts?" Luna asked.

"That's right." Sora said. "And now, we think Mare Do Well is after something that belongs to Starswirl the Bearded. If there's anything we can find in the vault-"

"Starswirl's Journal." Celestia said silently.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"The Journal of Starswirl the Bearded." Celestia said. "That should be the artifact that you're searching for. It was found along with the other artifacts after he disappeared."

"So is it in the vault then?" Sora asked.

"No." Celestia said, before turning her head away for a moment. "It's actually in my chambers."

"It Is?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy asked.

"Yes." Celestia said, while Luna's ears perked up.

"Wait, what were you doing with Starswirl's journal, sister?" Luna asked, with Celestia freezing in place.

"Um... I was... I was looking to see if he had a spell in there." Celestia said, showing a smile. "A spell that would've allowed us to find Twilight. I got it out before Sora and company arrived. I must've forgotten to put it back." Princess Luna, however, glanced closely at her sister. She was staring at her sister's face, and looked unconvinced.

"You're lying, sister." Luna said, with Celestia slowly dropping her smile, showing a bit of worry, something that Sora, nor the girls and his friends never saw before.

"Huh?" Sora asked, while Luna stepped closer to her sister.

"W...What makes you say that, sister?" Celestia asked.

"Your wording, your hesitation at the start of your sentence." Luna said. "I know when my own sister is lying about something." Celestia tried her best to keep a straight face, but she knew her little sister wasn't buying the act. Apparently she had the journal for more than just finding Twilight.

"Sister, you promised me no more secrets after I was restored." Luna said. "What were you doing with Starswirl's journal." Celestia couldn't help but sigh. There was something that she really needed to get off her chest.

"Well... I.... um...." Celestia spoke.

-BOOOOM!!-

The sound and rumble took everyone by surprise.

"What was that?" Goofy asked. Sora looked up at the ceiling, seeing some dust falling down from the ceiling, seeing that it must be from the floor above.

"It came from up the castle!" Sora said.

"Someone's broken into the castle?" Donald said.

"Oh no!" Celestia said, showing deep worry on her face. Without saying a word, she rushed off out of the chambers, much to Luna's concern.

"Sister, wait!" Luna called out as she chased after her.

"We better go with them." Sora said.

"Alrighty then!" Applejack said.

"Then, let's go!" Rainbow Dash said, with everyone nodding in agreement, and they rushed off, following the royal sisters up the castle, and find the source of that sudden shake in the castle

The castle was pretty big, probably much bigger than the city of Canterlot itself. Luckily, the group were following Luna, who was chasing Celestia. Soon they came to a stop, seeing Princess Celestia rush into her chambers, where smoke was emerging out. But not too much. It was mostly dusty smoke. Luna went in after. Sora and the others went into the room as well. Opening it up, they saw the entire bedchamber a mess, with many papers, scrolls, and even the bed sheets were tossed aside with some pillows. And the maids just got it cleaned an hour ago. Celestia gasped, seeing the table pushed over. She galloped inside and to the table, looking for something. Worry struck her face as she gasped.

"Oh No!" Celestia shouted. "It's gone!"

"What's gone?" Sora asked.

"Starswirl's Journal!" Celestia said.

"What?!" Sora asked as everyone else gasped.

"It's gone?!" Spike asked.

"What do you mean, Princess?" Applejack asked.

"I left it on the desk, and now it's gone!" Celestia said. "Oh no, this is bad! Very bad!" She looked around the room, looking up and down, panicking. Princess Celestia was... panicking? Normally the ponies would see Celestia much more calmer in a crisis like this. But this was the first time they've seen the Sun Princess lose her cool.

"Wow... I've never seen the Princess like this before." Sora said.

"All that for a journal?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's one of the talismans!" Donald said.

"And I think I know who might be responsible." Goofy said. Pinkie Pie was about to speak, but then suddenly...

"OH!" She cried out, as if she was in pain, dropping to her knees. The sudden shout got everyone's attention.

"Pinkie Girl!" Applejack said as she galloped toward the party pony.

"Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked. The party pony rose back up, showing a face of deep concern.

"Yes, I'm ok.... but..." Pinkie Pie said. "I... I felt something dark... and evil..."

"Evil?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Is it another Pinkie Sense?"

"Yeah... but... it felt horrible... and terrifying." Pinkie Pie said. Rainbow Dash looked around, and her eyes widened as she stopped.

"And I think I know who!" Rainbow Dash said, getting ready to fight. The group turned to what the pegasus was looking at. Standing there on the Princess' balcony was the masked mare herself, Mare Do Well.

"Mare Do Well." Rainbow Dash growled. The ponies stood their ground, while Rarity tilted her head, seeing the horn on Mare Do Well's head.

"She's a unicorn?!" Rarity asked.

"She's here!" Applejack said.

"Well, let's take her down!" Rainbow Dash said. Donald and Goofy were getting ready to fight too, but Sora only stood there, to see the masked mare. Concern was on his face, as he wondered if this pony truly was Twilight. He had to know. He was the first to approach her slowly. He then spoke.

"Twilight?" He asked. The name of the pony they're looking for made Donald and Goofy moan in question. The girls froze in place, as the boy spoke the name of their friend. Even the princesses almost gasped in surprise. He said Twilight. But he was talking to the masked pony.

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked as the boy continued to approach her.

"Twilight... is that you?" Sora asked. Mare Do Well then just stood there and lifted her hoof up to remove her hat. She the removed the mask and cloak, finally revealing her face. Everypony gasped, even Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Wait.... that's not Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Oh, No, Not You!" Rainbow Dash said. As the Mare Do Well clothes disappeared, the unmasked pony gave a smile, showing a face the girls were hoping never to see again.

"Oh yes it is." The pony said, revealed to be a unicorn coated in brilliant azure, her mane pale cornflower blue with very pale cerulean stripes. Her eyes were dark grayish violet, and her cutie mark was a light blue magical wand with a crescent moon. Then suddenly, a magic purple hat and cape with yellow stars appeared from her own magic. She then gave a smile.

"The Great... and Powerful... Trixie!" She called out. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie?" The three asked.

"Trixie!" The girls called out with surprise, but also a bit of annoyance too.

"Hello, girls." Trixie said, showing a sly smile. "Trixie is back, and I'm here for some unfinished business."

"Wait, you girls know her?" Sora asked.

"We sure do." Applejack said. "She's a magician."

"And a very big boaster too." Rarity said, her face showing distaste. "She tells ponies stories of many heroic things she does, which are all fake." Then suddenly, Princess Celestia stepped forward.

"Trixie Lulamoon." She said. "This is quite a surprise."

"Wait, you know her too?" Rainbow Dash asked surprised.

"Of course I do." Celestia sad. "She used to be a student back at the School for Gifted Unicorns, until she dropped out at least. It's a long story."

"Ahhh… Princess Celestia." Trixie said. "You remember Trixie well. It has been a long time, hasn't it."

"What are you doing here, Miss Lulamoon?" Celestia asked. "Did you steal Starswirl's Journal?" The magician pony gave a smirk.

"What else?" Trixie asked as she pulled something from under her cloak, revealing to be an old book with a couple of bookmarks in it. While it was a bit worn out, it was in very good shape. It had six stars on it, with two swirls at the top and the bottom, engraved within a hexagon. The Princesses gasped.

"Starswirl's Journal!" Luna spoke. "Trixie Lulamoon, return that to us at once!"

"I can't do that, your majesties." Trixie said. "I need this for a little spell, to awaken the greatest evil of all!"

"Oh no, you're not!" Rainbow Dash said as she and the girls got ready to fight. "You'll have to go against us."

"And don't think we'll let you get away with it." Applejack said. "You're not as great and powerful as you say you are."

"Oh, you're wrong." Trixie said. "Trixie is great and powerful... with this!" She the widened the cloak collar around her neck, revealing something that was attached onto the chain that held the cloak around her. The royal sisters gasped with shock. The item on the chain was a black amulet with a red gemstone inside it. The top of the amulet had a unicorn head with read eyes, and wings too!

"The Alicorn Amulet!" They both said in unison, surprising the group.

"What?" The girls asked.

"Wait, you recognize it?" Sora asked.

"Yes." Celestia said. "That is the alicorn amulet. It's a dark magic amulet that gives the wearer the powers of an alicorn, reaching to our level of magic." The girls and Spike gasped in surprise.

"Alicorn magic?" Sora asked. "So it's like a magic booster or something?"

"Yes." Luna said. "And the longer they wear it, the more powerful they become, and more corrupted with evil."

"That's right." Trixie said as she straightened the amulet on her cloak chain. "And now, Trixie feels more powerful than ever!" She then blinked her eyes, showing a red glow in them as a dark red aura began to light up from the amulet and surround her body.

"Not while I'm here!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew in to attack, only for Trixie to point her horn forward, firing a red beam and blasting Rainbow Dash into the wall.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy called out, flying towards her friend, who was lifting herself up, grunting in a bit of pain.

"Ow... that hurt." She replied. Donald and Goofy looked at each other and gave a nod. They then turned to Sora, who was looking away thinking.

"That wasn't... Twlight?" Sora said to himself.

"Sora!" Donald said.

"Huh?" He asked, getting back to reality.

"We have to stop her!" Goofy said, pointing at Trixie.

"Oh, right!" Sora said as he summoned his keyblade. He, Donald, and Goofy rushed forward to attack, but then Trixie gave a smile, putting Starswirl's Journal into her cloak.

"So long, knaves." Trixie said as she took off running, galloping away towards the edge of the balcony and jumped off! The group gasped as the trio stopped, only to see Trixie slowly emerging from the bottom, and floating up into the air. The group were surprised, while Celestia and Luna were even more shocked. A dark cloud was below Mare Do Well's hooves, and the masked mare's horn was glowing with a cloud of dark aura. Pretty soon, Trixie turned around and jumped off the cloud, making her way upon one of the buildings below.

"She's getting away!" Luna shouted. "Rainbow Dash, Sora, you two go after her!"

"On it!" Rainbow Dash said. "Sora, C'mon!"

"Ok!" Sora said as he dashed forward, with Rainbow Dash flying ahead and down the edge of the castle. With a mighty leap, Sora jumped off and landed on Rainbow Dash's back.

"Hold on!" She said. "This is gonna be fast!" As he gave a nod, Rainbow Dash flew much faster than she did before and chased after the thief. They spotted Trixie, who's horn started to glow. Another cloud of dark magic appeared in front of her and she jumped on, flying around the city of Canterlot, while Sora and Rainbow Dash were close behind.

"Trixie!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Stop!" The magician pony only laughed, with her horn glowing, and shot out magical beams at the two. With Rainbow Dash being a very fast flyer, she was able to dodge and roll, while Sora held on, escaping every blast.

"Fire back!" The pegasus shouted.

"Got it!' Sora said as he aimed his keyblade and fired magical projectiles at Trixie, attempting to hit her. But the pony summoned a shield, blocking them, and she even pushed some of them away as she kept commanderring the dark cloud below her, flying around the city of Canterlot. Ponies looked up to see this chase take place.

"Look, it's a bird!" Fancy Pants called out.

"It's a plane!" Lemon Hearts called out.

"It's Rainbow Dash, chasing a unicorn while some boy with a key-shaped sword is riding on her back!" Minuette called out. Looking down at the ponies below, Trixie gave a smile.

"Well, let's see if you're really a hero, Rainbow Dash!" Trixie called out as she aimed her horn and shot down upon the streets, causing some of the ground to break up and some of the houses to be caught on fire, making ponies scream.

"Oh No!" Sora shouted. "Rainbow Dash, we have to help them!"

"But what about Trixie?" Rainbow Dash asked. "We can't let her get away!"

"SORA!" Donald and Goofy called out as they ran down the streets where Trixie shot at.

"Guys!" Sora called out. Donald rushed over to one of the burning houses and pointed his staff forward.

"WATER!" He shouted, with his staff shooting out a small burst of a water onto the fires. He did this several times to put the fires out, since higher level magic wasn't accessible due to the magic not working. Goofy also picked up some buckets of water and splashed them onto the flames to help out. The girls were also in the streets, helping several ponies who were hurt.

"Don't worry, we'll help everyone out!" Goofy called out. "You go after Trixie!"

"Are you sure?" Sora asked.

"Of course!" Donald said. "Now hurry, she's getting away!"

"On it!" Rainbow Dash said as she continued to fly after Trixie, as Sora held on. The magician pony only growled as she turned around and fired red beams at the two, with Rainbow Dash dodging each beam, even somersaulting a few times. Luckily, Sora has had some experience riding on anything fast, such as flying on Baymax back in San Fransokyo. Sora pointed his keyblade and fired more magical bullets, managing to hit Trixie on her flank, making her yelp and cover her sore butt.

"That's it!" Trixie called out as her horn began to glow, lifting up several crates and carts off the streets and making them float up beside her.

"Try and dodge this!" She shouted as she hurled the carts and crates at the two.

"Uh oh!" Rainbow Dash said.

"I got this!" Sora said as he then threw his keyblade up in the air, transforming into the Double Arrowguns. He gripped them both in his hand and fired more magical bullets at the objects, blasting them away with each shot.

"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash said as she continued to fly, with Sora shooting each piece of debris with his arrowguns, even shooting Trixie's hat right off, making it hurtle to the ground.

"That was Trixie's hat you fool!" Trixie said as she turned around. Her horn began to glow even more, as did the Alicorn Amulet, and her eyes began to glow red as well! She picked up everything she could, such as more crates, carts, vases, and all sorts of objects, wadding it all up into one massive ball.

"Prepared to be crushed by Trixie!" She shouted as she tossed the ball straight at the two. Sora however, didn't show any fear, as he combined his two guns into the Magic Launcher! He then aimed forward, charged up a shot, and then fired at the ball of debris. As the shot made contact, a huge explosion of dust and particles blasted in the sky, making Trixie cough as she looked on and saw nothing. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash flew in fast from the dust and swatted Trixie in the face, followed by Sora coming in hot, and whacking Trixie with his Magic Launcher! The hit made Trixie drop from the cloud she was flying on and hurling straight towards the ground. She screamed as she was about to hit the floor.

But then suddenly... she felt no impact on her face and body. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was just an inch away from touching the ground. Looking straight up, she saw Rainbow Dash, grabbing her by the tail with her teeth, with Sora on her back, both of them smiling. As Trixie touched the ground with her hooves, Rainbow Dash released her tail. The magician pony then tried to keep her cool.

"Had enough, Trixie?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That's The Great and Powerful Trixie." Trixie said. "And no, I haven't!" She then sent out a wave of magic, sending the rainbow maned Pegasus and the spikey-haired boy across the floor. As Rainbow Dash moaned in a bit of pain, Sora lifted himself back up.

"Now to finish you all off!" Trixie spoke out as her horn began on charge up, and she began to glow with magic, lots of dark red magic. As Rainbow Dash lifted her head up, her mouth hung down and her eyes widened up with shock, seeing the boasting unicorn more powerful than ever! Sora then glanced at the Alicorn Amulet attached to her cape.

"Trixie, take the amulet off!" Sora said. "It's magic is turning you evil!"

"No can do, peasent boy!" Trixie said. "And you won't be able to take it off from me, because only I can take it off if I want to. And that is never going to happen!" Sora only shook his head. He can't take off of her. But then he glanced down at his keyblade. Maybe that can break the amulet off!

"But this might!" Sora said as he pointed his keyblade forward, charging up as much energy as if could. The keyblade then fired a ray of light and it struck Trixie. It did not hit her, but it did hit the Alicorn Amulet, and the impact sent her flying. As it did, the amulet popped right off her! With the opportunity in hand, Rainbow Dash flew forward and grabbed it.

"Got it!" Rainbow Dash said. "Sora, heads up!" She then tossed it to Sora, who then whacked the amulet to the ground. Raising his keyblade, and with a mighty shout, Sora slammed the keyblade on to the amulet, shattering it to pieces! A loud scream was heard as the amulet broke apart in pieces, as red dark magic seeped out of it and faded away like dust. The boy let out a sigh of relief, seeing the amulet destroyed.

"There we go." Sora said as Rainbow Dash approached the boy with a smile.

"That! Was! Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said as she hopped with excitement. "Good job, Sora!"

"Thanks." Sora said as he and the Pegasus did a fist bump... or hoof bump in Rainbow's case. The two then glanced over to Trixie, who was face down on the ground, slowly regaining consciousness. Sora and Rainbow Dash approached her.

"Alright, Trixie." Sora said, pointing his keyblade forward. "Give it up." The magician pony lifted her head up, opening her eyes, reverting back to their light violet color. She looked around, showing a confused face.

"Wait... what happened?" Trixie asked. "Where am I? Why am I here in Canterlot?" The boy tilted his head with confusion, as did Rainbow Dash.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, with the azure pony looking back at the rainbow-maned Pegasus.

"You!" Trixie asked. "Your Twilight Sparkle's rainbow friend!"

"Uh... it's Rainbow Dash." The Pegasus said.

"Right." Trixie said, and then glanced over to Sora. "And who is this?"

"I'm Sora." The by said, though he was more confused by why Trixie didn't remember what just happened.

"Sora! Rainbow Dash!" voices called out. They turned around to see the girls, Spike, Donald, and Goofy making their way towards them.

"Donald, Goofy, is everyone back there ok?" Sora asked.

"Uh huh." Donald sad. "No casualties."

"Yep, everypony's ok." Goofy said. "Though I think the Donut shop might need some fixing." They turned back to see a destroyed Donut Shop, with Donut Joe, the light amber coated pony with the moderate orange tail and mane, with sap green eyes, crying in agony as his ruined shop.

"No!" He shouted. "Oh Nooo!"

"NOOO!" Pinkie Pie screamed, also giving a cry. "She blew it up!" She slumped to the ground and slammed her hooves on the pavement. "Darn You! Darn you all to Tartarus!"

"Um, I'm sorry?" Fluttershy said as she patted Pinkie Pie on the shoulder. Giving a shrug, Applejack approached Trixie.

"Alright, Trixie-girl." Applejack said. "Give us back Starswirl's Journal!"

"Starswirl's Journal?" Trixie asked. "What journal?" That made Applejack raise an eyebrow with confusion.

"Uh... the one you're sitting on right now." She said, pointing at the book that Trixie was on top off. The magician pony turned her head and glanced at the book.

"This?" Trixie asked. "Wait, why did I have this? Why do I have this?" The ponies tilted their heads with more confusion.

"Ok, now I'm really confused." Rainbow Dash said.

"You stole this from the Princess Celestia's chambers, remember?" Applejack asked.

"I did?" Trixie asked as she started to think. She tried to remember that but she couldn't! "Trixie doesn't remember that." everyone looked at her with confusion. She doesn't remember?

"You... don't remember?" Rainbow Dash asked. Rarity then gasped with realization. She approached the magician pony.

"Trixie, what is the last thing you do remember?" the fashionista asked. Trixie continued to think.

"Well, the last thing Trixie remembers is that she was here in Canterlot to do a magic show, though no pony showed up due to her actions and lies in Ponyville spreading across all of Equestria." Trixie said. "Then suddenly, I come across this masked pony with a purple hat and cape. She asked me to switch clothes with her, and when I placed the suit on, the pony placed this weird amulet on me... then, that's its." After hearing her story, the ponies only looked at her, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy were a bit confused.

"Like we're gonna believe that, boaster." Rainbow Dash said.

"She's telling the truth." All eyes were on Applejack, as she said those words.

"Wait, you believe her?" Rainbow Dash asked. "After all those fake stories she told?"

"Yes, Rainbow, she's telling the truth." Applejack said. "I know when a pony is lying, and Trixie isn't lying."

"My goodness." Rarity said to Trixie. "I think you were hexed."

"Hexed?" Sora asked.

"She was cursed, or enchanted." Donald answered. Sora tilted his head, still confused.

"Mind control magic." Goofy said.

"Oooh, that makes sense." Sora said as Donald rolled his eyes. Sora glanced back at the shattered amulet, and began to think. Trixie came to her senses after he removed the amulet from her. So maybe the Alicorn Amulet was enchanted with a mind control spell.

"I think that amulet Trixie was wearing was cursed with that sort of spell." Sora said.

"So whoever enchanted her was the one who was wearing the Mare Do Well outfit and stealing the artifacts." Goofy said.

"To throw us off her tracks!" Donald said.

"But then... who enchanted her?" Spike asked.

"Trixie, did you see who it was who put the costume and amulet on ya?" Applejack asked. Trixie continued thinking, but couldn't remember.

"No." Trixie said. "Trixie didn't see her face. But her voice was very familiar." The magician pony lifted her head up and her eyes widened, giving a gasp

"There she is!" The azure unicorn shouted, pointing her hoof up and forwards. The group turned to who she was pointing to. Standing there on top of one of the buildings was a pony wearing a black hooded cloak. While it was hard to make out her face, a pair of glowing cyan eyes glowed through the dark.

"Her?" Goofy asked.

"Yes!" Trixie shouted. "She's the one who cursed me!" Before anyone could react however, the cloaked pony revealed a horn from on her forehead, which glowed a familiar color aura. And with her magic, she picked up the Journal that was right in front of Trixie and took it.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted as the book flew to the cloaked pony, who placed it into a saddle bag on her right.

"Give that back!" Applejack shouted. "That book doesn't belong to you!" Sora tilted his head as he looked at the cloaked pony. Was that the pony who enchanted Trixie and placed the Mare Do Well on her. Then... could that mean... that's...

Before he could think anymore however, he glanced down at his keyblade, seeing that it was glowing again... the same magenta color aura, showing that Twilight was closer. Much closer. He let out a silent gasp and looked back at the mysterious pony. Could that be... Twilight?

"You're not getting away this time, meanie!" Pinkie Pie said as she prepared her party cannon, aimed straight at the mysterious pony, who only stared at the group, her face still shrouded in the hood.

"Liars... betrayers... selfish... disservicers… frowners..." The mysterious pony spoke from her hood.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You all still think you and Celestia can fool Equestria with your facades." The pony spoke. "Well, guess again." Sora suddenly froze, shock and fear slowly showing on his face as he heard the voice that came out of her mouth. He knew that voice. It can't be.

"That... that voice." Sora said, his keyblade loosening a bit from his grip.

"Finally... time to finish this!" Rainbow Dash said as she made a charging dash forward.

"Rainbow, wait!" Applejack called out as she took off and flew after the mysterious unicorn, who took off galloping across the rooftops as the Pegasus was in pursuit.

"Rainbow... No!" Sora shouted as he bolted after her.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy called out, but he ignored their cries as he went after Rainbow Dash, jumping onto the rooftops to give chase. As they watched, Goofy did notice that Sora looked scared stiff when he took off after them.

"Did Sora look scared for a moment?" he asked.

"I didn't pay attention actually." Donald said. "But he did sound like he just saw a ghost." Not sure what was bothering him, they knew they had to chase him.

"Well, c'mon!" Goofy said as he and Donald went after them.

"Wait for us!" Applejack called out as she and the girls, and of course Spike, followed along, leaving Trixie alone and confused. But she then brushed herself off and shook her head.

"That's right, runaway!" She said, boasting once more. "You could not beat the Great and Powerful Trixie!" She then conjured up a ball of smoke and disappeared... actually she just ran off in fear.

Rainbow Dash was hot in pursuit as she was chasing the mysterious pony, doing her best to catch up.

"Stop running!" Rainbow Dash shouted. The hooded pony only turned her head and fired a magical beam, shooting right at the Pegasus, who dodged out of the way and did her best to catch up to her.

"Rainbow Dash!" Sora's voice shouted. Turning her head, she saw Sora running across the rooftops after her.

"Sora!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew in under, allowing Sora to hop on and fly on her back. The two continued to give chase.

"Don't worry, we're not gonna let her get away this time!" Rainbow Dash said, though Sora was showing an very concerned face.

"Rainbow, wait...! That pony... she's..." Sora said.

"She's what?" Rainbow Dash asked. Before Sora could speak however, he looked forward and saw a huge boulder hurling towards them.

"Look ouuuut!" Sora shouted.

"AHHHHH!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew upward, dodging the boulder. She continued to fly after the hooded pony, who kept galloping. She made a leap, but Rainbow Dash flew faster and spread her hooves out to catch her. She got close.

"Gotcha!" She shouted as she squinted her eyes and wrapped her hooves up. But as she opened them, she didn't see anything the pony. She didn't catch her. Wait, where did she go? Suddenly, Rainbow Dash was grabbed by her rear hoof. Looking back, she saw the cloaked pony, tugging her down.

"Get off!" Rainbow Dash said as she tried to shake her off while flying upward, while Sora looked forward.

"Rainbow, Look out!" He shouted, getting her to look forward again, only to see that she was about to fly into one of the towers. Rainbow Dash flew up, with her legs touching the building. Suddenly, the hooded unicorn grabbed the Pegasus by the tail, tugging her and making her lose altitude. With no altitude, no flight. Rainbow Dash began to fall backwards, with Sora holding on as the cloaked pony tackled Rainbow Dash as they fell. Everyone watched as the two mares and boy began to drop high in the air. Luckily, Sora grabbed Rainbow Dash hoof and thrusted his keyblade forward, stabbing it into the side of the tower, preventing all three of them from falling. The three dangled there was Sora held on. He looked down to see how high up they were.

"Whoa, that was close." Sora said, then his attention turned to see he was holding onto Rainbow Dash's hoof, who still had hooded unicorn dangling from her tail. "Rainbow, are you ok?"

"What does it look like?" Rainbow Dash asked before looking down, seeing the mysterious unicorn glancing up at her. "So, you had enough, thief? Give back what you stole, or else!"

"You really think you're the hero?" The hooded unicorn asked, with the rainbow maned pegasus raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Heroes protect others, not chase after villains." The mysterious pony spoke. "You're no hero, nor are you a loyal friend." She then released Rainbow Dash's tail and began to drop.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash said as she released Sora's hand, dropping with her.

"Rainbow!" Sora called out as the pegasus flew down and tackled the masked pony. Both of them struggling, the cloaked unicorn trying to push Rainbow Dash off, while Rainbow Dash continued to grab ahold of the mysterious pony.

"You think you're gonna get away with this?!" Rainbow Dash said as she grabbed the unicorn by the horn. "I won't let you get away with this! Even if you are..." She then pulled the hood right off the pony, revealing her face. While no one else could see if, Rainbow Dash did, and shockingly... she gasped with complete shock... and horror.

"Y...You..." Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly, she was flipped downward and a flash struck her.

-BOOM-

Rainbow Dash as hit hard by a powerful beam of magic to the face, breaking her flight and sending her falling. The girls, and Spike, looked up and saw with horror.

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie called out.

"Rainbow, No!" Fluttershy screamed as she moved pass the girls and galloped fast. She had to save her friend, the one friend who stood up for her when other pegasi would bully her. She already failed one friend. She was not gonna fail another one. She then started to flap her wings, taking flight. Surprisingly, she started to fly faster and faster. She zipped through and caught Rainbow Dash before she smashed into the ground, just in the nick of time! She was safe! The girls sighed in relief as they rushed over to their friends.

"Rainbow!" Applejack called out. "Are you alright?" The rainbow maned pegasus moved her head a bit, while Fluttershy gave a nod.

"She's alright." She said.

"Wow, that was good flying Flutters." Applejack said.

"Oh, thank you." Fluttershy said.

"Girls!" A voice called out. Turning around, they saw Sora leaping off one of the rooftops to their level, and rushing over. "Is Rainbow ok?"

"Yes, she's fine." Fluttershy said as Rainbow Dash moaned a little bit.

"I'm good..." The blue pegasus said as she rubbed her head.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy's voices called out. The group turned to see the Knight Captain and the Royal Wizard rush towards the group.

"Is everyone alright?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, we're good." Applejack said.

"Where's the hooded pony?" Donald asked. "The one who took Starswirl's Journal?" Sora then remembered, the cloaked pony with the hood. He looked around, trying to spot her, and so did Goofy. To his luck, his eyes finally spotted the hooded pony making her way towards the Tower... The Tower where the rest of the Elements of Harmony are being kept!

"There she is!" Goofy said, pointing straight at the tower, as the mysterious pony blasted through the doors and rushed inside.

"She's going into the Tower!" Fluttershy said.

"That's where the Elements are being kept!" Spike said. "She's probably gonna steal them too!" Sora looked on and his head was spinning his gears. If that was the pony who hexed Trixie, and she took the journal. Then that means...

"I'm going after her!" Sora said as he summoned his keyblade and rushed forward, leaving the group behind.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy called out, but the boy was already making his way to the tower.

"C'mon, Goofy!" Donald said.

"You got it!" Goofy said as he summoned his shield, Donald his staff, and the two continued on to go after Sora and after the mysterious pony, leaving the girls and Spike to tend to Rainbow Dash.

"I.... saw... her...." Rainbow Dash moaned, getting everyone and everypony's attention.

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked as the rainbow maned pegasus opened her eyes.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew up back into the air.

"Yep, she's alright." Applejack said.

"No, I saw her!" Rainbow Dash spoke. "I saw her! I saw Twilight!" The girls' ears perked up.

"Wha?" Applejack asked. "You saw Twilight?"

"You saw Twilight?!" Spike asked. "You really saw her?!"

"Twilight's Back?!" Pinkie Pie asked. "She Came Back?! Where is she?" Rainbow Dash then looked left and right, wondering where Sora, Donald, and Goofy went.

"Where's Sora, Donald, and Goofy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"They went to the Tower of the Elements, after the hooded pony, the one who shot you down." Applejack said. Suddenly, to their surprise, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, showing shock and... worry?

"Oh No!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew from the group and straight towards the tower, leaving the girls. That was sudden. Rainbow Dash was showing a face of worry? Whatever was spooking her, they had to know and stop that pony in the cloak.

"C'mon, girls!" Applejack said. "Let's go!" The four mares and the baby dragon nodded and rushed over to get to the Tower... to stop this mysterious pony once and for all!

The hooded pony kept galloping down the halls as some of the guards chased her. Even when a line managed to get in front of her, the mysterious pony teleported through them, passing them to their surprise. She made a turn down one hall, passing some of the columns that held the building up, but then suddenly, a squad of Royal Guards emerged from behind the pillars, surrounding her.

"Stop, in the name of the Princesses!" The royal guards called out. The hooded pony only lifted her head, and zapped up into the air, sending a powerful wave to blast the soldiers to the wall. They all groaned in pain and she passed them quickly.

She then kept running, clutching the book and whatever she had in her saddlebags. She turned to the hallway, and burst open the doors in front of her, showing the hall of the elements, where the glass windows depicting the mane six on their adventures, with the one in the middle depicting their successful victory against Nightmare Moon. In the middle of the room were the chest that contained the elements, or at least the five other elements since Spike had the Element of Magic.

She then made her way toward the box, seeing that no one was insight... except for Sora, who came into the room and hid behind one of the columns. He leaned his head out, seeing the pony approaching the chest. He looked at her for a brief moment. Her face was shrouded so he could not see. But the color of that magic was familiar. He knew that aura anywhere. That was the pony who enchanted Trixie into making her steal Starswirl's Journal, and that meant that this mysterious pony swapped the clothes onto Trixie sometime after her encounter with Sora to shake off her tail.

But the boy couldn't help but wonder. His keyblade was glowing magenta, the same color as Twilight's magical aura, which was the same color as the cloaked pony. The boy didn't want to believe it, but the pieces were there and connecting. This cloaked pony, who was masquerading as Mare Do Well, and Twilight Sparkle could be the same pony. He didn't want it to be true, but he had to know and stop her.

The unicorn then used her magic to open the chest, revealing the five elements necklaces inside. Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, and Laughter. As the mare looked down and was about to lift her hoof to touch them, the spikey haired boy emerged from his hiding spot with his keyblade in hand and rushed toward the scene.

"STOP!" He called out, and unicorn stopped in her tracks. The cloaked mare turned around, face to face with the boy. She looked at him, and made a couple steps down the steps.

"So... you finally made it." She said. The boy didn't say anything, only trying his best to keep a straight face. But inside, the only things he was feeling was denial, fear, and adrenaline. He then slowly made his way down the hall, oblivious to Donald and Goofy making their way into the room. But Goofy came to a full stop, and lifted his arm up to prevent Donald from rushing in, only succeeding into accidently whacking the duck's head and making him tumble. He was about to shout at the captain, but he then looked forward to see Sora, approaching the cloaked pony.

"Take off the hood." Sora said.

"If I do, what do you think you'll see?" The pony asked.

"To be honest, I don't want it to be what I think it is." Sora said.

"And that would be?" The pony asked.

"The face of my friend." Sora said, making a couple more steps closer to her. He then spoke the name he hoped the pony was not.

"Is it you... Twilight?" He said. Hearing that made Donald and Goofy's eyes widen up, and their mouths opened a bit. Pretty soon, the rest of the mane five rushed into the room, along with Princess Celestia, Luna, and Spike, ready to fight whoever stole from their chambers, only to stop a couple yards away, to see Sora approaching the cloaked pony. Soon, the adrenaline he was feeling got more rapid. He stopped walking, standing still, and then he raised his keyblade and pointed it at the cloaked pony. His keyblade began to glow a magenta color, very brightly.

"Twilight... is that... you?" He asked, his hand with the keyblade shaking. After a very short moment, the pony lifted the hood off, then discarded the entire cloak, revealing her face.

"Funny... you actually remember me... Sora." The pony spoke. Her mane was dark blue mane with the purple and magenta streaks on her left side, and the only piece of fabric she wore was the dark purple scarf around her neck, with the necklace of Sin Delore underneath it. Her lavender coat sparked fear and surprise upon the ponies. There standing before them, was their friend, Twilight Sparkle. But she was not pleased to see them all. The one thing that was different about her was that her sclera had a cyan color to it, while her pupils were no longer purple, but red. Sora's eyes widened, full of shock and horror.

"No..." Sora said, as the grip on his keyblade loosened, and it dropped to the ground. Donald and Goofy gasped in surprise.

"WHAT?!" Donald asked.

"That's Twilight Sparkle?" Goofy asked. Behind them, unbeknownst to the group, the girls, Celestia, Luna, and Spike watched from behind Sora's group, all of them shocked to see Twilight.

"Tw...Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"It's... Twilight..." Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh... my..." Rarity said as Fluttershy gave a whimper.

"Twilight?" Spike asked, trying not to believe what he was seeing. Twilight, the pony who raised him, was the mastermind behind the thefts of the Talismans, and hexing Trixie. While Luna was quite shocked, Celestia's eyes widened with such horror, as if she saw a ghost from her past. Her student... her daughter... was there... corrupted by darkness.

"No..." She spoke, tears beginning to form. "Nooo..."

"T...Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Is that... really you?"

"Who else?" Twilight asked as she glanced back at Applejack, showing a dark smile.

"Wait!" Pinkie Pie called out as she zoomed in closer to Twilight. "There's something different about you... Oh, Oh! I know! It's the scarf, isn't it?"

-ZAP-

The party pony was blasted away by the lavender unicorn, with everyone giving a horrific gasp as Pinkie Pie tumbled behind the girls.

"Pinkie, are you alright?!" Fluttershy asked, while the pink pony lifted her head up, her eyes rolling in circles, and stars appeared over her head.

"Hey look!" Pinkie Pie said. "Staaarrrrss.."

"Twilight, what was that for?!" Rarity asked.

"Heh, wanted to do that to that annoying brat for a long time." Twilight said. The unicorn then glanced to her right, pulling out a journal... Starswirl's journal!

"Finally... I have them all!" She spoke. Princess Luna on the other hand, watched with surprise as she saw the book, recognizing it.

"Starswirl's journal!" Luna spoke with a gasp.

"Ahhh, I'm quite surprised that you remember, Princess Luna." Twilight spoke. "But to think that you'd actually manage to figure it out. Of course, I would've never done it without some boasting unicorn." The girls' eyes widened. She was talking about Trixie.

"You mean Trixie!" Rarity said. "You were the one who bewitched Trixie to get the journal! But why?!"

"Because, it's one of the talismans of the Pillars of Equestria." Twilight said. And speaking of which..." With her horn, she revealed five more artifacts that belonged to the pillars. Rockhoof's shovel, Mistmane's flower, Flash Magnus' shield, Somnambula's blindfold, and Mage Meadowbrook's mask! They were the talismans that belonged to the Pillars of Equestria! That meant she did steal them all.

"What?!" The ponies asked.

"Those items!" Luna shouted. "They belong to the Pillars of Equestria! Twilight, what are you doing with them?!"

"I'm collecting them." Twilight said, her eyes giving an evil glow. "To use them to complete my plan for vengeance upon all of you." While the ponies watched in horror, Donald and Goofy were ready to fight. Sora, however, stepped forward, still in utter shock.

"Twilight... what are you doing?" Sora asked. "Why are you doing this? And what's up with your eyes?"

"Looks can be deceiving, but everything else is real." Twilight said.

"The Twilight I know would never do this!" Sora spoke out. "Not without a good reason!"

"Oh... so now you care about me?" Twilight asked. "That's funny coming from you, given the fact that you didn't show up when things go bad." The boy only raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?" He asked. The lavender unicorn took a couple of steps forward, giving an evil chuckle.

"My dear Sora..." Twilight said. "Let us have this dance..." She twirled her head, and her horn glowed. Before Sora knew it, he was covered in a magenta aura, and was yanked off the floor quickly and then hurled right into the wall to his right.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy shouted. The boy felt pain as he hit the wall, but then he has hurled again to the wall on his left, this time much harder. Then he was moved and slammed right into the ceiling.

"Oooohhh...!" The five mares called out, with Fluttershy hiding behind Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity cringing, while Pinkie Pie closed her eyes. Twilight could only laugh.

"Who knew this was so much fun." Twilight spoke, though there was proof that her voice was distorted a teeny bit. With her magic, she pulled the boy close to her. He lifted his head up, despite the pain he was feeling.

"Twilight... why?" Sora asked.

"Why?" Twilight asked. "Why?! You should know why, Sora, because you promised you would come back and visit... But you didn't."

"What?" Sora asked.

"After you left, things were fine." Twilight said as she turned and walked away. "Me and these excuses for mares did everything together. We faced many obstacles together, we triumphed against everything and then a chaotic deity was out of his prison and nearly brought our world to ruin. I was left alone as my friends were turned against me, and you never showed up to help, leaving me to face it on my own." Sora lifted his head up, knowing what she meant. The girls had told him that they faced Discord, and there was a lot of crazy stuff going on. That all happened when he was off fighting against Xehanort and the Organization.

"Twilight... I had no idea." Sora said.

"You'd said that you'd be back to visit us." Twilight said. "You never showed up. You never wrote me letters. Nothing. And then, my stupid excuse of a brother's wedding came along, and he was to be married to my old foalsitter Cadance. But I knew something was wrong. Something very wrong was happening. But no one cared. No one listened to me. And everyone abandoned me in my time of need. These mares, Captain Dumbarmor, and Miss Sunbutt." The five girls lowered their heads in guilt.

"You never showed up either." Twilight said. "You didn't come to visit. You never cared."

"Twilight, I do care!" Sora said. "I had no idea. I didn't know that you were in so much pain... I'm sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it." Twilight hissed. With all her might, she then slammed the boy to the ground and tossed him behind the girls, all of them gasping and calling his name. Donald and Goofy rushed up to him to see if he was ok. Despite the amount of physical pain he had endured, he attempted to stand up, only to make it to his knees. Rainbow Dash was unable to bear it, seeing her friend being tortured by the pony she saw as a friend.

"That's It!" Rainbow Dash shouted, turning her head to Twilight. "You're gonna get it, egghead!"

"Rainbow Dash, No!" Applejack called out, but the rainbow-maned pegasus dashed forward to attack, with the others pursuing her to stop. But Twilight's horn glowed once again, and all of a sudden, Rainbow Dash was grabbed stiff by Twilight's magic.

"Are you all really that gullible?" Twilight asked. She then hurled Rainbow Dash across the ceiling, slamming her against it, as the girls watched.

"Twilight, Stop It!" Rarity shouted.

"Stop?" Twilight asked. "I'm just getting warmed up." She then pulled Rainbow Dash and slammed her against the wall.

"That was for calling me egghead." Twilight said, and then she levitated Rainbow Dash and smashed her into the columns nearby. "That was for being so arrogant! And this... so for being a terrible friend!" She then shot a bolt of magical electricity upon the rainbow-maned Pegasus, making her scream in pain. It was for twenty seconds, and after words, she slammed Rainbow Dash into the ground, a few feet away from Sora. Despite the beating, Rainbow Dash lifted her head up, and glanced at her former friend.

"Is... that all you... got?" The fast flyer said as she tried to gallop forward. But the pain that was inflicted upon her began to take over, making her almost trip. When she got close enough, Twilight's horn began to glow, charging up with dark magic, and then.

-ZAP-

Rainbow Dash was hit hard by the dark magical beam, and was slammed to the ground head first. The girls watched in horror as Rainbow Dash couldn't get up. She was covered in scrapes and bruises, unable to get back on her hooves. Twilight, feeling no remorse for what she was doing, turned around, seeing the box that contained the Elements of Harmony. She lifted the box open, revealing the other necklaces that represented each element. Twilight grabbed them with her magic, all five of them hanging over her head. She noticed that the Element of Magic was missing, but she didn't care. She then turned to Rainbow Dash and approached her.

"Rainbow Dash, the element of loyalty." Twilight said, as Rainbow Dash lifted her head up weakly. "But you weren't loyal enough to stand by my side, only to chase a dream that will never come true. Like I said before, the Wonderbolts would never chose a pony like you." Then, with her magic, she gripped the Element of Loyalty and slammed it into the ground, breaking the necklace and shattered the red thunderbolt to pieces. The girl's gasped as they saw the element being destroyed.

"Your name should've been Rainbow Crash." In defeat, Rainbow Dash laid there on the ground. No longer wanting to see more of this, Applejack then snorted.

"That tears this!" She called out as she charged forward, with the other ponies following behind. But then, Twilight's horn lit up with magic, and suddenly, the rest of the mane six were froze by Twilight's magic. Turning her head, she approached the farmpony.

"Applejack, the element of honest." Twilight said. "Yet you couldn't tell that I was honest, and that imposter was lying about everything. Your family was nearly put in danger because of you." She then tore the Element of Honest in half, which broke the orange apple gem inside it. Hurt, Applejack lowered her head in shame, with Twilight moved to Rarity.

"Rarity, the element of generosity." Twilight said. "Only you were generous to the high officials instead of your only friend. Didn't even bother making a dress for me for the wedding, only caring about being among the royalty." Taking the Element of Generosity, she crumbled it up to a ball, breaking the purple diamond upon it. Rarity only covered her mouth, as tears came to her eyes.

"Fluttershy, the element of kindess." Twilight said, while the pegasus pony nearly dropped to the ground. "Kind to animals, but not kind to your own friends. I was all alone crying and you didn't bother to give me comfort while I was at my lowest. You're not kind, you're just a doormat." Then, Twilight broke the Element of Kindness, with the pink butterfly in it destroyed. The pegasus only squeaked in fear and hid her head behind her mane.

"And Pinkie Pie." Twilight said, glaring at the party pony. "Being the element of laughter, why didn't you bother cheering me up? You only cared about throwing stupid annoying parties that are so annoying that I barf everytime I see them. As I said, I'm better off without friends like you." And finally, Twilight destroyed the Element of Laughter, popping the sky blue balloon gem. Hearing those words made Pinkie Pie gasp, and her mane and tail began to deflate into a straight style, and she began to cry. Then, Twilight turned her head, and approached Spike, who was standing there in fear. But surprisingly, she passed him, much to his own surprise. She approached Princess Celestia, who was frozen by the sight of her student fallen to darkness.

"And last but not least... Princess Celestia." Twilight said. "My mentor, my teacher, the one pony I saw as a mother figure. Yet, you never showed any care or sympathy for me when you told me that I had a lot to think about. You're no ruler, Princess. You're not even a good leader. You're just a coward who used me to fight your own bucking battles. You're Equestria's Biggest Joke."

"Twilight, that is enough!" Luna said as she stepped between her and her sister. "Your anger is blinding you! Please, fight the darkness!"

"Fight it?" Twilight asked. "I've embraced it!" Then suddenly, her horn charged up with magic, and she fired upon Princess Luna, who used her magic to shield herself.

"Twilight!" Luna shouted. "Stop This At Once!" She did her best to hold on, but her shield wasn't staying strong enough. Sora lifted himself up, and watched. Seeing Luna getting swat by Twilight brought the scene of Aqua being swallowed up by the Heartless swarm. Soon, Luna was blown away.

"AQUA!" Sora shouted, as the scene in his head faded, only to see Luna tumble across the ground. Princess Celestia gasped as she rushed towards her sister, who was dizzy from the impact. She turned to see Twilight, now seeing another silhouette of an orange pony with yellow and red blazing hair giving a wicked smile.

"Twilight..." Celestia said. "This isn't you! Please... stop."

"Sorry Princess Celestia, but I won't stop." Twilight said. "For I have finally learned the ultimate lesson in Friendship. Never count on anyone. Discord taught that to me."

"Discord?!" The ponies asked.

"Of course I did!" Everyone gasped as they heard the voice speaking around them.

"I know that voice..." Luna grunted in worry and irritation. Then above them, appeared the God of Chaos himself. His entire body was serpentine, bearing resemblance to a snake and a chinese dragon. His amber yellowish grey head was very horse-like with white bushy eyebrows and beard, while he hand a deer antler on the right, a blue goat horn on the left, one long fang, and light brilliant yellow eyes with different sized crimson pupils. He had a lion arm on his right, an eagle claw on his left, his right leg was a lizard's leg, and the left leg was a goat's leg. In addition, he had a bat's right wing, a pegasus' left wing, and a horse's mane. The rest of his body was dark reddish brown, with a moderate amaranth dragon-like snake tail with a white tuft at the end.

"DISCORD!" Luna, Celestia and the mares shouted.

"Oh, so that's what he looks like." Spike said.

"That's right girls, I'm baaaack!" Discord said. "You girls thought that you have gotten rid of me, but you didn't." The girls gave cold glares while Fluttershy gave a whimper. The draconequus then glanced down to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"And look, you brought the King's Cavalry with you, and the noble keyblade wielder I've heard so much about!" Discord said. "To be honest, he doesn't look pretty tough to me." The boy grunted, trying to get up.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked. "I could take you down if I could..."

"Oh, but I don't think you can." Discord said. "Pity the boy who defeated Master Xehanort couldn't save his dearly beloved friend when she needed him." Sora's eyes widened. He knew what he was talking about, when the old Keyblade Master murdered Kairi right before him. But how did Discord know that?

"H...How did you..." Sora said.

"Oh don't be so surprised." Discord said. "I can sense all chaos and despair across space and time, even chaos from outside this world. I can sense your feelings, young keyblade master. Doubt and worry clouds your puny little mind."

"You're wrong!" Donald shouted. "Sora was able to lead us in victory!"

"Yeah, and he defeated Master Xehanort too!" Goofy said.

"Yes, only because he had you guys with him." Discord said. "But by the looks of your friend however, he doesn't sound convinced himself, especiually since his first attempt to defeat the seekers of darkness was a complete blunder." Donald and Goofy looked a bit confused.

"Wait, what is he talking about?" Donald asked.

"We didn't blunder... did we?" Goofy asked.

"What?" Discord asked. "You don't remember? Oh that's right, you don't, but your keyblade champion does. Where he led you to face against the thirteen seekers of darkness and you all fell defeated, and your little friend dropped on his knees and cry when you guys were swallowed up one by one." Sora gasped, surprised that Discord knew about that. The boy however, lowered his head. Sora could only look down at the ground, with the images from back then came back to his mind.

"You monster!" Applejack said.

"What have you done to Twilight?!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Me?" Discord asked. "I did nothing. You heard what she said, you made her this way. Abandoning poor little Twilight in her time of need when she needed her friends to support her claim. But no, you all left her, following an imposter of a mare she knew a lot longer than you. And come to think of it, your betrayal to her also allowed me to escape." The girls gasped. Was it true? Did their betrayal towards Twilight cause Discord to escape?

"No... that means..." Applejack said.

"This was all our fault." Rarity said.

"We doomed Equestria..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Oh yes, you did." Discord said. "And now, I'm going to continue spreading chaos and mischief all across your cute little land."

"Not yet Discord..." Twilight said, getting the draconequus' attention.

"What?" Discord asked.

"We have a Pony of Shadows to awaken first." Twilight said. Celestia, Luna and Applejack gasped when they heard that.

"The Pony of Shadows?!" They cried out.

"Yes, the Pony of Shadows." Twilight said, showing an evil grin.

"But... the Pony of Shadows is just an old pony's tale!" Applejack said. "That only happens when night falls on the Castle of the Two Sisters!"

"Ahh, and you're wrong, you hillbilly pony." Twilight hissed. "Deep beyond the hills of Ponyville, lies the burial ground of the pony that was defeated by the Pillars a long time ago."

"Ponhenge!" Celestia spoke in horror.

"That's right." Twilight said. "And when all six talismans are brought together at that same place, the Pony of Shadows will be released, and darkness will cover the land, leaving nothing but ruin. And soon all of you will know what it's like to be forgotten and all alone."

"Twilight, please cease this at once!" Luna said. "You release the Pony of Shadows, he'll destroy you and all of Equestria."

"What do I care?" Twilight asked. "Nothing matters anymore. So why not destroy it all? Then every pony will know what true pain and sorrow is like!" Then, she turned directly towards Sora, her horn lit up, as the strange color around Twilight's eyes grew a bit more, and a magical circle appeared around her.

"T...Twilight?" Sora asked, taking a couple steps back.

"But first... you, Sora, will feel my pain... and my wrath!!!" Twilight shouted, her voice distorted with another's.

"ENOUGH!" A booming voice shouted, revealing to be Celestia, who stood between Twilight and the boy.

"Twilight, please don't harm them because of my mistake." Celestia said. "Please, you must fight against the darkness! Please!" Twilight only lowered her head and smiled.

"No... I shall not." Twilight said. Celestia only closed her eyes, both shedding a tear.

"Then... you leave me no choice." Celestia said, opening her eyes, giving a bright glow, as her horn lit up with a very light gold aura. Her wings spreaded out as her horn began to power up with all the magic she had.

"Forgive me, my student..." She whispered, then she thrusted forward, firing a massive beam of gold energy at her former student, who fired right back with her own beam. Both of the beams were reaching what seemed to be an impass. But slowly, Twilight's beam was moving forward, pushing away Celestia's own beam. The Princess kept holding on, but her beam was slowly being diminished.

"You're a fool, Celestia..." Twilight hissed. "You trained me, remember? And besides, you know it just as much as I do. I am more powerful than you!" Soon her beam was reaching the tip of Celestia's horn, who was still using her magic to fight it off. The Sun Princess started to scream, either in determination or in Pain. Sora, Donald, and Goofy only stood there, with the latter two looking concerned. Sora, however, looked like he was seeing a ghost. He reached out with his hand, and saw the image of Riku fighting off the storm of Heartless with all his might, only to slowly be consumed by it. With a screetch, Twilight lunged forward, and the beam pushed once more, striking Princess Celestia and hurtling her across the room, slamming straight into the floor. Everyone reacted with horror and shock.

"SISTER!" Luna shouted.

"PRINCESS!!!!" The ponies and Spike called out.

"RIKU!!!" Sora shouted, and blinked, only to see the princess on the ground.

"Oh, now that was a show!" Discord said as he began to clap with glee. "Bravo, bravo, Twilight! I knew you were too good for these friends of yours. So, shall we go back to doing fun chaotic stuff together and release that shadow pony?"

"Not yet, Discord." Twilight said.

"What?" the draconequus asked. "But I thought you said that we had to let out the Pony of Shadows?"

"Stygian's gonna have to wait." Twilight said. "He'll have his turn." Goofy and Donald tilted their heads, hearing the name Stygian.

"Wait... Stygian?" Goofy said, but then he gasped. He remembered now! Stygian... that was the pony who was Starswirl's closest friend.

"Stygian!!!" He and Donald shouted.

"Well, you two seem to remember also?" Twilight asked. "Yes, he will be free and ravage all of you. But first... Sora." She stared at him, and her eyes began to glow, and the magic circle around her appeared again, while Sora stared at her with horror.

"Twilight... No!" Sora spoke.

"Time you learned how difficult life can be!" Twilight spoke, her horn charged up with dark energy. She then fired a massive beam at the boy. The sight of the attack brought back the horrifying image of the swarm and going after him. Holding his arms up in defense, he prepared for the worst.

Nothing happened.

Opening his eyes, he saw Donald and Goofy, with their staff and shield up, protecting him from the attack, giving all they got to protect him.

"Donald... Goofy..." Sora said.

"I remember now!" Goofy said. "Stygian was the friend of Starswirl who brought the Pillars of Equestria together, uniting them to fight against the remaining magic of Nightmare Moon! But then he grew jealous of their glory and the Mare's magic corrupted him into the Pony of Shadows!"

"You're not gonna let that monster out!" Donald shouted. "NO WAY!" With a strong push, Donald and Goofy pushed off the blast, with Donald's staff shining off a mystic blue aura, while Goofy's shield was glowing a sunny yellow aura, both weapons drawing their power from the royal sisters nearby.

"As Captain of the Royal Knights and the Royal Wizard of King Mickey!" Goofy began.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!" Donald shouted as he charged his staff, and Goofy pulled back his shield. Then, with the powers of the Sun and Moon, the two fired their weapons, firing a blast of very light gold and moderate cobalt blue energies at the unicorn, who fired her own magic beam. The two beams collided, but the gold and blue beams were pushing forward, winning. As the blast got closer to Twilight, she gave a wicked smile, and the sclera in her eyes began to fill up with more cyan blue, and she pushed forward with more of her magic, bringing surprise to Donald and Goofy.

"Fools... I am stronger than Celestia and Luna combined!" Twilight shouted. "Nothing can stop me!!!" She pushed forward, evaporating the blue and gold energy with her own. This time, Donald and Goofy were blown backwards, passing Sora and crashing them against the wall, knocking them out cold.

"Guys!" Sora called out. The boy turned to see Twilight stepping toward him. He summoned his keyblade, and was ready to fight. Deep down though, he couldn't fight her. He didn't want to. But what other choice does he have.

"Twilight... please stop!" Sora begged. The pony said nothing as he began to approach him.

"Alright, you asked for it!" Sora shouted, a tear dropped from his eye. He then attempted to strike, but the unicorn grabbed ahold of it with her magic.

"Foolish boy..." She said, and yanking it out of his hands, she hit him with the weapon's guard, right in the face, pushing him back. He fell backwards on his back. He then struggled to get back up on his foot and knee, spitting out bits of blood from the attack. Looking up, Twilight began to examine the keyblade.

"For a friend who can't keep promises, you're not truly worthy of this..." The lavender unicorn spoke, and with her horn, the keyblade was engulfed with her magic... Then...

-CRACK-

The keyblade broke in half, separating the blade from the hilt, ripped apart by Twilight's magic. The boy's eyes widened with shock as he gasped. His keyblade was destroyed, right before his eyes. The unicorn only gave an emotionless grunt as she tossed the broken hilt and blade toward Sora. The boy only stared at it for just a couple seconds, then back at Twilight. Rage was beginning to fill his eyes.

"AAAAAAHHH!!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He then got up and grabbed the blade of the keyblade from the ground and charged toward the unicorn, ready to strike again. However, he froze in place, but not on his own though. He was grabbed by Twilight, who used her magic to stop him from getting too close to attack. Then, she forced the boy to his knees, making him lower his head. He couldn't break free from the girl's hold over him. She then approached him, using her magic to lift his head up, making him stare right at her. She then grabbed his face with her hooves.

"Remember... this is all your fault..." She hissed coldly. Then with her magic she lifted him up and hurled him through the glass stained window of Twilight and her friends, making it shatter as he made impact, and fell out of the castle.

"SORA!!!" The girls cried out. There was also a surprised gasp, which came from Discord.

"Oh my...." He said, with shock all over his face. He rushed forwards the broken window and looked out, seeing it was raining and a bit dark to see where the boy was thrown to. It was a pretty long drop from the high tower. For the first time, the draconequus felt deeply disturbed by this act. He just saw Twilight throw Sora out the window, which may have possibly physically hurt or killed him. Sure, doing bad stuff was fun, but physically hurting and... killing someone? He glanced back at Twilight, who showed no remorse.

"We're done here." Twilight said as she began to walk away.

"Um... Twilight, dear." Discord said. "Don't you think that was a little... dark?"

"It was necessary." Twilight said.

"Necessary?" Discord asked. "Well you could've just thrown him into a wall again, but out the window? He could be hurt or killed. That's a little too extreme, don't you thin-" Before he could finish however, his beard was grabbed by a dark magenta aura, and he was quickly pulled toward Twilight, who gave a cold glare.

"You question my motives?" Twilight asked. Looking at the mare's eyes, Discord felt scared for the first time in his life.

"Uh... no...?" He said.

"I thought so." Twilight said as she released the draconequus' beard. She then turned to her former friends, now turned enemies.

"Foolish ponies... This day will be remembered as your last, for the everlasting night shall reign supreme!!!" Twilight shouted, her voice becoming distorted, and then she, along with Discord, disappeared in a flash of magenta light, leaving everybody else surprised, and shocked. Donald and Goofy lifted their heads up, regaining consciousness.

"What happened?" Goofy asked.

"I dunno." Donald said. But his eyes widened open as he saw on the ground, the broken hilt of Sora's keyblade.

"Oh No!" He called out as he and Goofy ran up to the broken hilt. Picking it up, Donald examined it carefully, as Goofy gave a worried groan. Princess Luna however, was standing still in the room, processing what Twilight had said before she left. It wasn't about the Pony of Shadows, but the last lines. This day shall be their last, for the everlasting night shall reign supreme. The moon monarch's eyes widened with fear and realization.

"No... it cannot be..." She said.

It was raining outside as she made her way out of entrance to Canterlot. Twilight continued down the road, satisfied with her work.... well, nearly satisfied. All she needed to do now was unleash the Pony of Shadows and her vengeance on those who abandoned her will be complete.

Behind her, Discord couldn't help but go through what just happened. He had just saw Twilight throw that keyblade wielder out the window from a high story tower. Was he probably hurt or killed? He didn't want to think about it, but the scene was playing in his head.

He only looked down at the ground as he followed Twilight, passing a man wearing a black hood. Wait... man wearing a black hood? He turned his head and saw the man in the black coat, who stopped just as he did and looked straight at the draconequus.

"Well, I'll be damned." The hooded man said with playful surprise. "It's the legendary Discord himself! What an honor!" He approached the draconequus and examined him, noticing that he was showing disturbance on his face.

"You don't look so bright." The man said. "Did you drink a bad cup of hot chocolate?" Discord looked at the man, but only shook his head.

"N...No." He answered. "I... I just saw something that... wasn't for my tastes."

"Really." The man said. "Well, it certainly looks like you're in need of some... friendship, probably. Or maybe in need of spreading some chaos, perhaps."

"What?" Discord asked.

"You see, I'm assembling a team of villains for a very special movement to take down the tyranny of Princess Celestia, and I was hoping you would like to join." The hooded man said. Discord looked at the man, who was showing a strange personality. He was asking him to join a special movement? What movement?

"Discord!" A voice shouted, getting their attention. They saw Twilight, who was not happy.

"Hurry up!" She hissed. "We're leaving." She then continued onward, while the draconequus watched, as did the hooded man, who tilted his head.

"Is that Princess Celestia's student?" The man asked. "Is she your new pet?"

"Eh.... no." Discord said, shaking his head, still feeling distraught by Twilight's actions earlier. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not in the market for joining this movement of yours." The man only gave a nod.

"Oh, I understand." The man said. "But do think about it if you want to change your mind, although the revolution will start by the time you decide." He then turned away and made his leave, while Discord only looked at him for a moment. That voice. Where did he heard that voice? It was so familiar. Come to think of it, his personality was somehow similar to someone he met a long time ago. But who?

"Um... you sound familiar, have we met before?" Discord asked. The man stopped in place, and turned around.

"Have we?" He asked, while Discord glanced carefully at the man, trying to see his face. Suddenly, he caught something in the man's hood, seeing glowing amber eyes... Wait, those eyes!

Suddenly, Discord gasped, his face showing horror as he stared at the man, who gave a smile underneath his hood.

"I suppose it doesn't matter." The man said. "Cheerio, Bringer of Chaos..." He then turned away and departed into the darkness, while the draconequus stood there, frozen by fear.

"Y...You can't be..." He said.

END of ACT II

Author's Note

Secret Report #6

This is looking bad... very bad.
I can't believe that Twilight has now gone rogue and will soon be a pawn of the darkness. This must be why I came back here, to stop her... or destroy her? No. We can't. I doubt Princess Celestia would allow that. There's something funny about that Chancellor though. I sensed something really nasty about him.
Still, I should not get involved... not yet at least. And to dispose of her, that is for Sora to decide. He's not doing so well either. I wish there was a way I could help him.
I did notice something while I was in town. There was a man. A man in a black coat. Those coats represents the followers of Xehanort. But of course in truth, they were also worn by someone who was known as the Master of Masters, the mentor of the Lost Masters. But that's impossible. The Master of Masters is gone, and so are his students... What if... what if it's the one who will bring devastation to my timeline?
Discord seemed to be very terrified of him. But why? Only one thing's for sure, if things do get bad, I'll have to intervene. I just hope Sora finds a way to save Twilight without having the option to... kill her.

May my heart be my guiding key - S

Well, I hope you guys have enjoyed and cried over this chapter. It seems that our keyblade wielder and his friends have realized that things are not going to be that easy. This just got bad pretty fast. How will our ponies and heroes handle all this?

ACT II is officially over, so now we can get on with the easy parts... or at least I think they'll be.
Until then... Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Kingdom Hearts: Fractured Friendship will resume this Winter.

Chapter 14: Bright Side of Life

It was nearly night at Radiant Garden. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus had just left the castle, knowing that Mare Do Well already has five of the talismans already. While their conversation with Sora through the mirror was pretty short, they knew what must be done. They knew Sora and Riku needed more help. So, they're heading to Equestria now.

"Wow, I can't believe we're going to Equestria." Ventus said.

"Yeah, but it's not a vacation, though." Terra said.

"I know, I know." Ventus said. As they were about to leave, however...

"GAAAH!" Aqua screamed suddenly as she fell to the ground in pain, making the other two turn around, seeing her shaking a little bit.

"Aqua!" They both called out ran up to her.

"Aqua, are you ok?" Terra asked as he knelt down to help her up. Holding on to him, she managed to get up.

"Yes... I'm ok." Aqua said. "But... I sensed a terrible darkness. The Element of Magic... it's slowly being consumed by darkness." Ventus and Terra gasped.

"So does that mean?" Ventus asked.

"Princess Celestia's student has been turned." Terra said.

"And Sora..." Aqua continued. "He's in a lot of pain. He needs us." Ventus and Terra looked at each other, giving a nod.

"Then we better hurry." Terra said.

"Right." Ventus said.

"VEN!" The sudden shout made Ventus turn his head.

"Huh?" He asked. Suddenly, a blue blur was quickly moving across the ground and lashed out towards Ventus. He gave a shout as the mysterious creature jumped on him and knocked him to the ground.

"Ven!" Terra and Aqua called out as the boy fell on his back.

"Ow." He said as he lifted his head up, catching a good look at what was on top of him. Looking straight at him was a strange creature. There were only two words t describe it; cute and fluffy. The creature was coated with blue fur with darker patches on the back of his head and on his back as well. A domed nose rests in the center of his face, between large black, tear-shaped eyes. Sharp teeth resided in this extraterrestrial's mouth, along with a long pink tongue. He had clawed hands and stubby legs that have shorter claws themselves. And a short tail juts out from his rear.

"Ven!" It said. The boy's eyes widened. He has seen this creature before! He ran into this little guy on a huge ship, where it helped him take down that huge Metamorphosis Unversed. And in return, he helped the little guy escape. The last time he saw him was when his ship went so fast, hurling Ventus towards Neverland!

"Hey, it's you!" He said.

"Ven!" The creature said as he nuzzled his head against Ventus's head. Aqua and Terra also looked surprise.

"Wait... is that-" Terra said.

"Experiment 626!" Aqua said. Yes, they too have met Experiment 626 before. They were on the ship before Ventus got there, where Terra helped his creator, Dr. Jumba Jookiba set him free, while Aqua was tasked by the Grand Councilwoman to capture the little guy, only to save him from Captain Gantu, who wanted to destroy him instead. Experiment 626 turned his head to look at the two.

"Terra! Aqua!" He said with a smile.

"Hey, it's good to see you again." Aqua said as she bent down and petted the creature.

"Haven't seen you in a long time." Terra said.

"Excuse me!" Another voice called. The three keyblade wielders turned their heads towards the source of the voice and saw that it was a girl. The girl they were looking at was around twenty-four. She had long brown hair styled into a braid down her back, with curls on either side of her face. Her bangs frame her face, and she had green emerald eyes. Her red ribbon was bright and tied behind her hair, and she wore a carmine pink and white top held up by a string that wraps around her neck. Underneath the top was a pink dress with a horizontal white stripe near the bottom. Another dress was underneath which was white and longer than the first. She also wore black boots, and attached her was a sheath that held a quarterstaff behind her.

"Sorry, he kinda ran off on me." She said.

"Aerith!" Experiment 626 said as he then ran up to the girl and hopped gently on her shoulder, giving her a nuzzle as well.

"He's a little excited today." The woman, Aerith said.

"I don't blame him." Ventus said as he got up. "We actually know him."

"He's a friend of ours." Aqua said.

"Really?" Aerith asked. "How did you meet him?"

"It's a long story." Terra said. Aerith then glanced at the three closely. She looked at Ventus first, then Terra, then Aqua. She noticed that their clothing was different, especially the pieces of armor all three of them possessed.

"You three aren't from here either." She said. "Are you friends of Sora?" The three almost gasped in a bit of surprise. This woman knows Sora?

"Yes, we are." Aqua said.

"He saved us." Terra said.

"Wait, how do you know Sora?" Ventus asked.

"Oh, sorry, where are my manners." The girl said. "My name is Aerith, Aerith Gainsborough."

ACT III: Dark Hour

"WHAT?!" The girls asked. They were in the presence of Chancellor Neighsay, who was informed about Twilight's turn to the darkness, and has issued an order.

"That is right." Neighsay spoke. "We hereby place you all under arrest for bringing destruction upon Canterlot."

"How are we responsible?" Rainbow Dash asked. "If this is about the vault thing, Princess Luna gave us clearance, remember?"

"You're not under arrest for that." Neighsay said. "You're all under arrest for knowing there was a threat happening in Canterlot and did nothing."

"How is that being even our fault?" Applejack argued. "Sure we knew there was something bad going on but-"

"So, that means you admit it." Neighsay said.

"That's not what we're saying!" Applejack said as she got up to the Chancellor's nose.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Neighsay spoke as he pushed Applejack away. "You filthy Earth Pony!" Applejack gasped as she heard those words.

"What did ye call me?" She asked with a snort, ready to pound him away.

"Applejack, please!" Rarity said as she pulled the farmpony away, not wanting her to get into more trouble. "Chancellor, this is a big misunderstanding. It's not us you should be arresting. We didn't cause all this."

"Very well, then there's one pony we can hold accountable for..." Neighsay said. "Twilight Sparkle."

"WHAT?!" The girls asked.

"That's Not What I Meant!" Rarity said.

"Besides, most of the ponies are praising her right now!" Pinkie Pie said.

"But she did attack the castle, and the Princesses." Neighsay said. "So we'll be ordering for her to be arrested instead."

"NO!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You're not gonna arrest her! She didn't do anything wrong!"

"She is the only culprit to the crime, and she did steal something very vaulable that did belong to one of Equestria's most legendary ponies, and as I said, she attacked the princesses." Neighsay said. "So she must be punished."

"Ok." The regal voice got their attention. They turned to see Princess Celestia.

"What?!" They all asked. Even Princess Luna, who was standing next to her sister, was quite shocked as well.

"Twilight Sparkle shall be found and... and tried for her crimes." Celestia said, her head lowered to the ground. The Chancellor gave a confident smile.

"Excellent." He said. "We'll start the paper work and prepare for her trial." He and some of his associates made their leave as they trotted back to the castle.

"But Princess Celestia, she isn't at fault here." Fluttershy said.

"We're the reason she's doing all this." Rarity said. "In fact, charge us instead. We'll take the punishment."

"I'm sorry my little ponies." Celestia said. "But the Chancellor is right. Twilight has broken the law. She must be captured." The girls didn't know what else to say, but Rainbow Dash, her blood started to boil, until she couldn't keep it in any longer.

"Are you BUCKING Kidding Me?!" Rainbow Dash asked in anger as she flew up to the Princess's face, much to her friends' shock and surprise. "You're just gonna punish Twilight for our mistake?!"

"Miss Rainbow Dash, calm yourself." Celestia said.

"You know what, she was right all along." Rainbow Dash said with anger. "You don't care about her at all! You were just using her to fight your own battles, sending her out to fix your mess like she's your attack dog!" The girls gasped as they heard Rainbow Dash speak those words.

"Don't You Dare Say How I Feel About Twilight!" Celestia, surprisingly, shouted, in a massive voice. This kind of voice was dubbed the Royal Canterlot Voice, which Luna herself usually does most of the time. This voice from Celestia, however, surprised everyone, even Rainbow Dash. Never once in their lives have they heard that voice coming from her, and it was much louder than Luna's...

"Twilight Means More To Me Than The Sun Itself!" Celestia shouted. "I Would Never Use Her For Such Horrible Advantages!"

"Well then you should've stayed and comfort her instead of following that fake bride and telling her that she had a lot to think about!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"I Did Not Know That The Changeling Queen Was Manipulating Us!" Celestia said.

"Well maybe you should've kept fighting instead of just laying there on the ground!" Rainbow Dash shouted back. "If you were a real princess, you should've taken care of threats like this yourself, not depend on others to stop them for you! You control the sun for Harmony's sake! You could've stopped the changelings yourself! But no, you just let Twilight fix it so you don't have to! You know what, I'm starting to think that you let the Changeling Queen beat you! Well guess what Princess, I agree with Twilight on one thing! You're no better than those bucking Changelings!"

-BOOM!-

A powerful blast sent Rainbow Dash to the ground, much to the shock of the girls. She was just hit by Princess Celestia!

"Rainbow!" Applejack called out as she galloped to her friend. The rainbow maned pegasus lifted herself up, feeling pain surge down her body for a bit. The two turned to see Princess Celestia, her face was showing lots of stress and anger.

"How dare you..." Celestia spoke as her horn lit up. "How dare you speak of me in such HARSH TONE!" Suddenly, Celestia's mane was lighting up a bit, while her magenta eyes started showing a firey yellow glow, where her pupils were demonic slant. The sudden change nearly frightened the mane five. But suddenly, Celestia stopped herself with a gasp. She blinked her eyes, reverting back to their magenta coloring. She looked down at the shocked ponies. Looking up at her own horn, glowing with magic, she stopped it. She realized what she was going to do. She was going to attack the group of ponies before her. She then turned to see Princess Luna, and some of the royal guards, all of them frightened. The Sun Princess then turned to her left, seeing some of her subjects, all of them showing the same reaction.

"Sister..." Luna said, as Celestia lowered her head.

"I'm sorry... I need to be alone..." Celestia spoke, and surprisingly, she flew up to her chambers, while her sister looked on.

"Tia..." Luna spoke with worry. Behind her, some of the guards were still a bit terrified, as were Windwhirl and Earthius.

"I think I wet myself a bit." Windwhirl said.

"Probably should've kept that to yourself." Earthius said. The girls were a bit surprised too. They've never seen Princess Celestia this angry before. Perhaps it was stress finally catching up to her. Regardless, Rainbow Dash got herself up and just walked away with a snort.

"Rainbow?" Pinkie Pie asked, but Rainbow Dash didn't answer as she continued to walk away.

"I'll talk to her." Applejack said, patting Pinkie Pie's shoulder. She then galloped toward the rainbow maned pegasus.

"Rainbow, that was a little harsh, don't you think?" Applejack asked.

"I'm... I'm sorry, alright." Rainbow Dash said as she just paced herself. "But I wasn't the one who shot a beam of magic."

"Well, I admit, the Princess probably shouldn't have done that, but you're also at fault too." Applejack said.

"Applejack, I'm not in the mood right now." Rainbow Dash said.

"Rainbow, now's not the time to hold a grudge." Applejack said. "We gotta focus on rescuing Twilight." Rainbow Dash stopped herself and hung her head down.

"What's the point." Rainbow Dash said. "We're probably gonna make it worse." Applejack raised an eyebrow in shock. Rainbow Dash is giving up?

"You're giving up?" Applejack asked. A snort came from the pegasus' nose and mouth.

"Yeah, I'm giving up!" She lashed out. "That's what I'm doing, I'm giving up!"

"Rainbow, we can't give up now!" Applejack said. "We can't give up on Twilight!"

"It doesn't matter, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash said. "We can't save Twilight, we only succeeded in pushing her away! And the worse part is that Equestria is going pay the price for our mistake!"

"But we can still fix it!" Applejack said. "We fixed everything before!"

"But not this!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "We can't fix something that is broken! Our friendship with Twilight is broken!"

"Whatever is broken can be fixed, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack said.

"But not this!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Don't you get it, Applejack? We failed! We failed, alright!"

"No, we didn't!" Applejack shouted. "Giving up right now is where you fail! You give up, you fail, and if we give up, then we all fail. But we're not giving up already! We didn't fail yet!"

"But we already did!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "We failed Twilight... I failed her..." The rainbow maned pegasus lowered her head again, trying so hard to fight back her tears. "I failed Twilight... I failed her... I should've been more nicer to her... I should've been there for her...! But no, I had to treat her like crap and make fun of her for being a egghead! Dang it, I'm doing it again!" Rainbow Dash began to shake her head in frustration, as if she was trying to hold back tears. The farmpony approached the rainbow maned Pegasus and placed her hoof on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Rainbow." Applejack said. "We'll figure somethin' out. Let's go find Sora, he'll know what to-"

"No..." The sudden response took the group by surprise.

"Wh...What?" Applejack asked.

"We can't." Rainbow Dash said as she lifted herself off the ground. "I told you already. We can't fix this." She then began to walk away from the group, dropping a single tear from her eye.

"It's over." Rainbow Dash said. "We lost." The girls were more surprised now. Rainbow Dash was giving up? She was giving up?

"But... what about our friendship?" Pinkie Pie asked, her eyes still watery. The rainbow maned Pegasus turned her head towards them, and then away.

"Friendship is dead..." She spoke, and then took off flying, leaving her friends shocked and saddened as the Pegasus flew away from the town, leaving. Fluttershy then started to lower her head down and began to softly cry. She then started to bolt away from the group, much to the surprise of everyone else.

"Flutters, where are you going?" Applejack asked. Was Fluttershy giving up too? The butter-colored Pegasus turned her head, showing her tears.

"I'm sorry, girls." She said. "But I just don't have the will to keep going!" She then bolted away, leaving the three ponies behind, while Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie only watched with saddened eyes. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie started to tear up, and then burst into tears.

"Me neither!" Pinkie Pie said. "No Way!" She then pulled out her Party Cannon and jumped right in it, and it was aimed right out of Canterlot over the mountain.

"Pinkie Pie!" Applejack called out, but it was too late. The cannon fired, shooting Pinkie Pie out of Canterlot. Luckily, she had a couple of balloons with her, so she would be able to fly and float out of the city back home. The two ponies only stood there, with Rarity only shaking her head, showing sadness. She too started to leave.

"Rares…" Applejack said.

"Please don't, Applejack." Rarity said. "I'm going home." She then slowly trotted away, leaving Applejack all alone. The earth pony only lowered her head down and stared at the ground. Suddenly, for the first time, she began to cry, choking on her voice and letting the tears drop down from her cheeks. It had now become certain, that Friendship was truly broken.

...or was it?

Spike was watching the whole thing. He looked around, seeing that Sora, Donald, and Goofy were nowhere in sight. He had to find them fast! He made his way across town, trying to find them.

Back outside the castle, Donald and Goofy were just sitting on the stairs to the front door. So much has happened today. A lot has happened today. It seems that things were much more complicated than they originally believed.

"Garsh, things got pretty bad so quick." Goofy said.

"I know." Donald said. "First the magic begins failing, then we run around Equestria to find Twilight and those talismans, only to learn that she has become evil, and now, The Pony of Shadows is going to return!"

"And let's not forget the Crystal Empire thing too." Goofy said.

"Don't remind me." Donald said as he shook his head.

"I can only imagine how Sora is feeling right now." Goofy said. But then, he realized something. Sora! Sora wasn't with them.

"Wait, Where's Sora?!" Goofy asked. Realizing himself, Donald quickly began to panic.

"Oh no, now we lost Sora!" Donald spoke. Before they could lose it even more, an idea came up in Goofy's head.

"Oh, I know how to find him!" Goofy said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Gummi-Phone. The duck recognized it quickly.

"Wait, isn't that Sora's phone?" Donald asked.

"Actually, it's mine." Goofy said. "Chip and Dale made one for me incase we'd get split up from Sora."

"WHAT?!" Donald asked, feeling left out. "How come I don't get one?!"

"Because, they were afraid you might get in trouble with it." Goofy said. "You know, with money and all that." The duck quacked in surprise. Yes, phones are also used to play games where you bet money, and lose it if you lose. And everyone knows how greedy Donald can be. He sighed in disappointment. Goofy then typed in Sora's number, and it began ringing. Then suddenly, there was a faint sound around them. It was the boy's ringtone. That means he must be nearby.

"You hear that?" Donald asked.

"Yep, but I don't see him." Goofy said looking around. But then suddenly, they both turned their attention toward a crate, a crate that was big enough to fit someone inside. They both got closer to it, and the sound got even louder. Sora was inside the crate? Why?

"Sora?" Goofy asked. "Are you in there?"

"I'm not coming out." The voice in the box said. It was Sora already.

"Sora, you can't stay in there forever, you know." Donald said.

"Uhhh... yes I can." The boy responded. The duck gave a sigh and with his staff, he hit the lock open, and tilted it over, forcing the boy to slide on out. But he didn't look happy. Depression was all over his face.

"Sora?" Donald asked.

"I said I didn't want to come out." Sora said. Either way, he slowly got himself up.

"Sora, are you sure you're ok?" Donald asked.

"I'm fine." Sora said as he began to walk away.

"You don't sound fine to us." Goofy said.

"I said I'm fine!" Sora said, his voice sounding annoyed. "End of discussion!" Hearing that only made Donald irritated himsef.

"Sora, what's wrong with you?!" Donald asked. Then... unbeknownst the two, Sora's face started twitching, as if something snapped inside him.

"What's wrong... What's Wrong?!" Sora asked, giving a glare at the two. "Oh, I don't know where to begin, where do I begin." The boy's tone was starting to become hysterical. "Well, I guess I could begin to where I'm waking up almost screaming from some bad nightmares from our fight back at the keyblade graveyard, but that's not important. What happens is that I come back here hoping to save Twilight and Equestria from impending doom, caused by what the girls, Princess Celestia, and Captain Armor did by abandoning her. We travelled all over Equestria to find her and convince her to come back. But now, we come back here and find out that she's corrupted by the darkness or whatever has tainted her, and to top it off, she broke my keyblade!" The boy picked up what was left of his broken keyblade. Donald and Goofy gasped at the sight, but it was hard to tell that they were shocked by Sora's broken keyblade, or how Twilight was able to break it.

"Um... we know..." Donald said, holding up the other broken half of the keyblade.

"Garsh..." Goofy said.

"Yeah, gosh." Sora said, sounding more frantic. "She broke my keyblade, but of course I can't blame her because I played a part of her spiral down the evil road. And now, all hope is lost Because Some Evil Spirit IS GOING TO RAIN HELL ON ALL OF US!!!" The boy began shouting, unable to control his temper. "That Is What's Wrong! HAVE I LEFT ANYTHING OUT?!" The two stood there, a bit frightened. They never saw Sora like this in like... ever.

"Um... probably a bad time to say that you forgot to mention that we almost got arrested." Goofy said, with Donald face palming his own face. The boy only sloped down and turned away. In a fit of rage, he threw the hilt of the keyblade to the ground, dropping to his knees.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, slamming his fist into the ground. All that anger, all that uncontrolled emotion, was then replaced with quiet sobs. For the first time in his life, he felt so... vulnerable.

"This is my fault... this is all my fault." Sora said. The two behind him sounded surprised.

"Sora, don't think that." Goofy said. "This isn't your fault."

"But it is." Sora said. "I knew there was something wrong from the very start, but I didn't do anything about it. I should've went with my gut, but... I just thought it was part of another nightmare." Donald and Goofy tilted their heads in confusion. The boy lowered his head in shame.

"I lied when I said that I was ok." He spoke. "I'm not ok. Everything's not ok. Everything that I've been through, losing you guys and my friends back there. You may not remember, but I do... Back at the Graveyard, we blundered into a massive failure. All of you were taken out, one by one, and then sucked away from me by that massive storm." Goofy and Donald quickly realized what he was talking about. The battle before they went to the Keyblade Graveyard to stop Master Xehanort, where it all ended in a massive failure. Sora only watched helplessly as all of his friends and allies get taken from him. Luckily, Sora was able to go back in time with Namine and Chirithy's help to redo it and succeed. They may not remember that part, but the image of losing his friends, was still engraved into his mind. That must've been what Discord was telling them.

"I still dream about it... and I can't get it out of my head." He said. "I'm suppose to be strong, but I can't... It's just too much... And now... now I lost Twilight, like I lost you guys. I failed. I failed her. So much for friendship is magic...." He cringed his eyes, letting the tears drop out onto the ground. The royal wizard and captain of the knights approached him, and Donald placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey... don't feel bad." He said as he and Goofy helped him on his knees, which surprised him.

"Garsh, if that was bothering you so much, then how come you didn't tell us?" Goofy asked.

"I just... I didn't want to burden you guys." Sora said. "You and everyone were acting like nothing happened. I didn't want you to worry-"

"Fiddlesticks, Sora!" Donald said, getting his attention. "You can always tell us what's bothering you. You don't need to hide your pain from us."

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"We all feel lots of feels from time to time." Goofy continued. "The past always comes and haunts us once and a while. But you should never be afraid to share your suffering with us."

"You guys are willing to share my problems?" Sora asked. "You're willing to... share my pain?"

"Of course we do." Donald said. "Because that's what friends do. We stick by you through thick and thin."

"And if it's too much, you can always turn to us for help." Goofy said. "It's always ok to cry with your friends." The boy looked straight forward, realizing that his friends were right. He couldn't help but shed a couple more tears. Without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around the two, and cried.

"I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry...." He said, choking on his tears. The wizard and captain continued their embrace, comforting their friend.

"It's ok, let it all out." Donald said.

"We're here for you buddy." Goofy said, as the boy continued the cry, feeling the warmth of his two best friends.

"You two are the greatest friends I could ever have..." He said, holding them close. He couldn't help but notice, finally letting all of that out, he felt a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders. Lifted from him by the love of his two friends. For the first time in such a long time, he felt solace. A lot of solace. Soon the hug was broken, and the boy rose back to his feet.

"Feel better?" Donald asked.

"Yeah... I feel a lot better now..." Sora said, wiping the tears from his face with his arm. "It felt good letting all that out."

"Now wipe those tears, buddy." Goofy said, patting the boy's shoulder. "And let's go save Twilight."

"But... how?" Sora asked. "She's fallen to darkness... and I don't know what to do..."

"Now Sora..." A voice came from the boy's hood, revealing to be Jiminy Cricket hopping out onto the ground, and looked straight up at the boy.

"Sora, we get that you feel like you failed Twilight, but that's not true." Jiminy said. "We can still save her."

"You really believe that?" Sora asked.

"Of course we do." Jiminy said. "She just needs to be reminded of all the good times you and her friends had together. Your friendship with her isn't broken. It's just cleaved."

"Cleaved?" Sora asked.

"You can cleave something apart, or you can cleave something back together." Jiminy said. "A mystic friend in a book once taught me that. You can cleave something back together if it's been cleaved apart."

"That's right!" Donald said. "And we'll help you. We always find a way."

"Yeah, we got this." Goofy said. "And besides, you know what they say."

"What do they say?" Sora asked. As the song began to slowly start up, Goofy stood up and told him... in song.

Somethings in life are bad

They can really make you mad

Other things just make you swear and curse

When you're chewing on life's gristle

Don't grumble

Give a whistle

And this'll help things turn out for the best

And...

Always look on the bright side of life

(whistles)

Always look on the right side of life

Donald attempts to whistle along with Goofy, but is unable to due to his beak, making him groan with irritation. The sight of the duck being irritated was enough for Sora to laugh.

If life seems jolly rotten

There's something you've forgotten

And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing

When you're feeling in the dumps

Don't be silly chumps

Just purse your lips and whistle

That's the thing

And...

Unaware, the spirits of several people that Sora, Donald, and Goofy met throughout their adventures, appeared behind the group, singing along with Goofy, consisting of Hercules, Genie, Peter Pan, Captain Sparrow, Jack Skellington, Beast, Flynn Rider, and Hiro.

Always look on the bright side of life

(whistles)

Always look on the right side of life

(whistles)

For life is quite absurd

And death's the final word

You must always face the curtain with a bow

Forget about your sin

Give the audience a grin

Enjoy it

It's your last chance, anyhow

Then, a sound a thunder came from the sky, with a couple of droplets of rain coming down. Luckily, Goofy pulled up an umbrella, opening it up. It was big enough to cover three people. He held it over himself, Donald, and Sora, who was now feeling better as the song continued, shielding them from the rain, as the boy in the middle began singing.

Always look on the bright side of life

(whistles)

Always look on the right side of life

(whistles)

Life is always tough

But it ain't so rough

Life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true

You'll see it's all a show

Keep 'em laughing as you go!

Just remember that the last laugh is on you!

Always look on the bright side of life

(whistles)

Always look on the right side of life

(whistles)

Pretty soon, Goofy and Donald began to tap dance, with Sora following suit, while the characters from their previous adventures began to dance in coordination with them. During the whole time, Sora's smile was returning back to it's full strength, and his mood was much more happier.

Always look on the bright side of life

Everyone continues to tap dance.

Always look on the right side of life

Suddenly, the group tap dances at a much faster pace, until they get back into the original tempo

Always look on the bright side of life

(whistles)

Always look on the right side of liiiiife

Pretty soon, the other characters from their adventures fade to black, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy left to sing.

For life is quite absurd

And death's the final word

You must always face the curtain with a bow

Before they could continue, they saw an elderly pony passing by, holding a shrubbery, which is a small bushy plant with branches underneath it.

"Excuse me miss." Goofy said, getting her attention. "Is that a shrubbery?"

"Oh yes, I'm throwing it out." The pony said. "The cat won't leave it alone."

"Don't worry, we'll take it off your hands." Sora said.

"Oh, thank you dearies!" The pony said.

"Hey Donald, give her some money." Sora said. The duck quacked in confusion.

"Awww, alright." He said as he gave some bits to the elderly pony, who gave a nod, and then departed, while Sora and Goofy placed the shrubbery into the ground, surrounding it with fresh dirt and soil, and Donald used his staff to use his Water spell to sprinkle water upon it. Then the clouds disappeared above them, revealing a sunny day. The three continued dancing and singing!

Always look on the bright side of life

Always look on the briiiiiiiiiiight side of life!

"The bright side of life!" Donald called out.

Side of life!

"Ooooh, Boy!" Donald said.

Side of Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife!!

The song finally ended and the three finished singing, tumbling backwards to the ground. The three couldn't help but laugh at their silly predicament. This time, Sora's smile was right back on his face. He felt so much better now, and chirpier too!

"Now do you feel better?" Donald asked.

"Yeah... I feel much better now." Sora said, looking at his two friends. "Donald... Goofy... Thank you."

"Sora!" A voice called out to the trio. Turning around and getting back up, they saw Spike rushing up to them.

"Oh, hey Spike." Sora said. "What's up?"

"They're gone." Spike said, making the three look at him with confusion.

"Whose gone?" Sora asked.

"The girls." Spike said. "They're gone." The three looked at him surprised.

"What do you mean gone?" Donald asked.

"They just left." Spike said. "Everything was just too much for them. They just gave up." He lowered his head, showing sadness. The boy stood there too, surprised. The girls have given up? They too have lost hope? He lowered his head, while Donald and Goofy looked at each other with concern too. It seems that hope was truly lost.

"No." Sora said, getting their attention.

"Sora?" Donald and Goofy asked. The boy lifted his head up high, showing a face of determination.

"I'm not giving up." Sora said, looking up at the sky. "Twilight needs me. She needs all of us. I'm not giving up on her. No way, no how." He then turned to Donald and Goofy, showing a strong smile.

"Donald, Goofy, are you guys with me?" He asked. The two also gave smiles, happy to see Sora was not giving up just yet.

"You betcha!" They both said.

"But what do we do?" Spike asked. "We're all that's left. What do we do?" Sora then started thinking, and then he remembered. They've been focusing on searching for Twilight, they almost forgot about the magic of the outside world that still needs fixing.

"Well... our magic isn't currently working right." Sora said. "So I think we should fix the magic first. If we restore the magic, then we might be able to save Twilight."

"But how?" Donald asked. "The magic is connected to the Elements, and with their friendship broken, the Elements are disconnected. So the magic can't work until their friendship is fixed." Sora began to think again. But then something came to his mind... an idea, and a realization.

"Actually... what if there's another way?" Sora asked.

"Huh?" Donald and Goofy asked.

"Well, think about it." Sora said. "That weird Draco.... uh.... what's that guy's name again?"

"Discord." Spike said.

"Right." Sora said. "Discord turned the girls against each other last time, right?"

"Yeah, except for Twilight." Spike said. "She just lost hope in everything."

"And... well, he was able to turn the elements against each other, right?" Sora asked.

"Uh-huh." Spike said.

"Then if the elements were disconnected, then why did the magic still work at that short time?" Sora asked. The group then started to think. Sora was making a good point. While the girls were the opposites of their elements, the magic was still working. How was it possible?

"Hmmm..." Goofy said. "You might be on to something there."

"Goofy?" Donald asked.

"Well, if the elements were disconnected at that time, and the magic was still working, then that means someone... or something else was keeping the magic running." Goofy said.

"Exactly!" Sora said. "Maybe there's a backup source here on this world that was keeping the magic working. And that backup source isn't working. But what could it be?" The group started to thinking. What was it that kept the magic working back then?

(BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP)

The sudden ringing caught the group by surprise, and it was coming from Sora's pocket. Reaching inside, he pulled out his Gummi-Phone! If it was ringing, then that could me one thing.

"The King!" Donald and Goofy said. Sora gave a smile and pushed the answer button.

"Hello, Riku?" Sora asked. The screen came up, showing Ienzo.

"Hello, Sora." Ienzo said. The three looked at the phone and gave a defeated sigh. Spike leaned his head over to see the screen.

"Who's that?" Spike asked.

"Ienzo." Sora said.

"Um... did I call at a bad time?" Ienzo asked.

"Oh, no." Sora said. "It's good to see you again Ienzo. What's up?"

"Funny you should ask." Ienzo said. "Your keyblade wielding friends arrived here not too long ago, and they've informed us on what's been going on."

"We became aware of the magic in our universe acting out of sorts." Even said, popping onto the screen, bringing a bit of surprise to the trio.

"Oh... new friend?" Sora asked.

"Oh, forgive me." Even said. "We haven't met before... well, technically we did, but you don't remember. I am Even. I was originally part of Organization XIII when I was a nobody." Sora tilted his head, but then he remembered about Roxas speaking about Ienzo and others who helped create the replica needed so he could exist.

"Oh!" Sora said. "You're the guy who made a body for Roxas! Thank you so much for that."

"It was nothing really." Even said.

"Anyway, your friends have told us about the situation, so we decided to help." Ienzo said.

"Really?" Sora asked a bit surprised.

"Thanks, that's very generous of you guys." Goofy said.

"What exactly have you both find?" Donald asked.

"We've done our own little investigating." Even said. "Apparently there has been some strange surge of magic drainage just southeast of your location." He then pulled up a map of the Equestria landscape, where it showed Canterlot at the top, and a large forest just near a familiar town.

"Our readings have shown that the abnormal surge may be the reason why the magic isn't working right." Ienzo said. "And it's happening deep in the forest just outside of a small town nearby." Looking from under Sora's arm, Spike's eyes widened as he saw the forest landscape near the small town, one that he knew very well.

"Wait, I know that town." Spike said. "That's Ponyville!"

"You're right!" Sora said.

"Which means the forest right near the town is... the Everfree Forest!" Spike said, pointing at the forest on the screen.

"The Everfree Forest?" Sora asked, lifting his head up. He remembers the Everfree Forest, the huge forest just next door to the town of Ponyville. It is also the only place where the environment and weather act on their own, including the animals. And Pinkie Pie mentioned an evil enchantress living in there too. He had been in there before the first time he came here with the girls when they were heading to the Castle of the Royal Sisters to collect the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare Moon. It's where Applejack saved Twilight from the fall, Fluttershy tamed the manticore, Pinkie Pie used her laughs to scare away the frightening trees, Rarity gave her tail up to fix Steven's mustache, and Rainbow Dash fixed the bridge and saved Twilight from falling into the pit.

"The forest where everything acts on it's own." Goofy said.

"Just like all the other worlds." Donald said. Sora started to think. If the magical anomaly is occurring there, then perhaps the forests holds a much deeper secret. Perhaps the forest is where this power source for the magic happens to be.

"Then we better go to the Everfree Forest and check it out." Sora said.

"Sora, the forest is too dangerous." Donald said. "It could be teeming with fierce creatures."

"Not to mention that your keyblade is broken." Goofy said. Sora looked down and summoned his keyblade, still seeing that the blade was snapped off from the hilt. Donald had a point there. His keyblade is now useless. He let out a sigh, but his face showed no daunting expression.

"Maybe." Sora said. "But if we do nothing now, this world will be doomed, and we'll never be able to save Twilight. There is no way we're letting that happen. And besides, I don't need the keyblade. I got you guys. Together, we're unbeatable." Donald and Goofy looked at the boy, and then at each other. Seeing him not hindered by worry and shining his smile made them both smile too. He did have a point. If they don't do anything, this world is doomed. Plus, they have managed to push through everything together, even without the keyblade. As long as they have each other, they can do anything.

"You're right." Goofy said.

"But just so you know, we're not your bodyguards." Donald said.

"I know that." Sora said. "But you know I can't do this without you guys."

"Well then, we got a forest to explore." Goofy said.

"Uh-Huh!" Donald said.

"Excuse me." Even's voice said. "You do realize the phone is still on, correct?" Sora looked down at his phone, seeing Ienzo and Even still on the screen. He just noticed that he was on the phone still.

"Oh, sorry about that." Sora said.

"It's quite alright." Ienzo said. "You boys go check out the forest. We'll do whatever we can to help too."

"And be careful as well." Even said. "The forest holds many dangers and many mysteries."

"Will do." Sora said. "Thanks again." Pretty soon, he hung up the phone, then turned back to Donald and Goofy.

"You guys ready?" He asked.

"Yep!" Goofy said.

"You betcha!" Donald said.

"I'm coming along too!" Spike said. "I may have let down Twilight, but I'm not letting down you guys." Hearing that made the boy smile.

"Thanks, Spike." Sora said. And with that, the quartet were off to the train station, to make their way back to Ponyville, and to the Everfree Forest.

"So... you three are friends of Sora too, huh?"

Those were the first words that came out of the mouth of Cid Highwind, the forty-four year-old man with blonde hair and blue eyes with some facial stubble. On top of his head were a pair of pilot goggles. His attire consisted of a light blue T-shirt with dark green cargo pants. A brown bomber jacket is tied around his waist and a dog tag around his neck. A toothpick was in his mouth.

Cid is a gifted pilot, and an engineer, making ships made out of Gummi-Blocks. He's a bit skeptical to the mythology and mystical creatures. He is foul-mouthed, where he would curse from time to time. Despite being a bit crude, he is kindhearted, and over the years he has softened up to a good degree.

Aerith had just brought Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to meet Cid and the others at Merlin's House, who were all part of the Hollow Bastion... or Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. The committee is a movement dedicating to restoring the town to it's former glory, while also eradicating threats such as the heartless. There two other people in the room.

There was an man around twenty-seven, with brown hair like Terra's, but with a lighter shade, and his bangs sweep to the left side of his face. He wore black gloves, zipper-lined shoes, a silver Griever necklace and a white undershirt. He wore a short black jacket with a white fur collar. Three brown belts were around his left forearm and three buckles on his right thigh. His black pants also sported a vertical zipper going down the side of each leg, held up by three belts around his hips. Two brown, one black. His eyes were blue and he bore a distinctive scar running diagonally across the bridge of his nose.

This was Squall Leonhart... though he prefers the name Leon. He is leader of the Restoration Committee, and quite known for wielding a Gunblade, which was a sword, and a gun at the same time. He's a bit withdrawn and a quiet loner, but he's been more cheerful now, especially since the town was doing much better now.

Next to him was Yuffie, the eighteen year-old girl with violet eyes and short black hair. She wore a black headband with white lining. An unzipped, dark grey combat vest with a black strap dangling from the right pocket overtop a navy blue tank top with white floral designs. A white wristband is on her right wrist and a grey fingerless glove on her left arm. Her shorts were slightly darker with another black strap dangling from the left side. She also wore black, over-the-knee socks with white stripes at the top underneath dark tan sneaker boots that are knee-high in length.

Yuffie is the cheerful hyperactive one of the committee, though she tires out easily due to her high energy and quick movement. But she is hard-working and determined, a bit mischievous, but friendly too! She also has a 4-Point Shuriken. She is a ninja after all.

"Yes, we are." Aqua said. "And you all are friends of his as well."

"We sure are!" Yuffie said. "And from the looks of your clothing, you guys are keyblade wielders too, huh?"

"Lucky guess." Ventus said.

"I knew it." Leon said.

"Knew what?" Terra asked.

"You guys probably didn't notice, but I actually caught a glimpse at you guys a long time ago." Leon said. "You three were running around town fighting that big monster near the castle." The three were a bit surprised. That was when they were fighting that Trinity Armor Unversed more than a decade ago.

"You remember that?" Aqua asked.

"I do." Leon said. "And surprisingly, you guys look like you haven't aged one bit since then."

"Were you three sleeping in cold storage too?" Cid asked.

"It's complicated." Ventus said.

"It doesn't matter." Aerith said. "It's nice to meet friends of our friend too."

"Speaking of which!" Yuffie said as she ran up towards the group. "What's Sora been up to lately? His friend was here a couple days ago. It's been a while since we last saw him. Is he on another mission or something?"

"Something like that." Terra said. "Though I think it'd be better for him to tell you himself." Before anymore conversations could happen, a sudden puff of smoke appeared at the end of the room. Emerging from the smoke was an elderly man with pale skin and thing arms and legs. His nose was a bit large and his black eyes were rather small and close-set. He wore spectacles with circular lenses. He also has short white hair on the side and back of his head, with bushy eyebrows, a walrus mustache, and a long, floor-length beard. His attire was a sky blue cloak that stops just above his ankles with large, hanging sleeves. There were also slippers on his feet, and he wore a tall, floppy, conical hat, both were the same color as his cloak. There's only one person with a blue cloak and hat, white beard and spectacles. Merlin the Wizard!

"My, my, do we have guests?" He asked, straightening up his glasses. He then saw the three keyblade wielders and nearly gasped.

"Aww, it's you three." He said. "I knew I recognize those pieces of armor from somewhere."

"Merlin the Wizard!" Aqua said. "Good to see you again."

"It's great to see you all as well. I see you all have improved the last time I saw you all." Merlin said, before turning to Terra. "Oh, I just wanted to say thank you again for returning the book I dropped. Sora has been keeping it occupied while you three were away." Terra was a bit surprised. That's right. The book Merlin dropped more than a decade ago when Terra arrived in Radiant Garden on his first visit, and the latter returned it to him.

"Oh, it was no problem." Terra said, as Ventus looked back at Terra. When Ventus first came here, Merlin mentioned to him about a book.

"Oh, so that's why he mentioned that book." Ventus said.

"Excuse me!" Yuffie said, interrupting the conversation. "Sorry to cut this short, but can you tell us how you know Sora, and why were you guys visiting the Castle?" The three glanced at each other and gave a nod.

"It's a long story." Aqua said. And so on and so forth, the three keyblade wielders explained everything to the group, of how they knew Sora, and what was going on, including their reason of visiting Ansem the Wise and his apprentices.

"So... this Equestria place." Cid said. "That's the reason why the magic acting all bucked up? Make sense since the old loon's magic isn't working right either." Hearing that Merlin gasp.

"Hey, I'm not the one who nearly got a whole town under attack by your little defense mechanism." Merlin said sternly.

"Well, You're the one who blew up my computer!" Cid said aggressively. Clearly, Cid and Merlin have a little rivalry, mostly because Cid prefers technology, and Merlin prefers magic.

"HEY!" Aerith's calm voice got louder, getting the two to stop their argument. "I told you two to get along. Don't make me sic Stitch on you." Experiment 626 gave a nod and gave a mischievous laugh towards the two, making Merlin and Cid sigh and nod nervously, knowing he'll cause trouble if they don't get along.

"Stitch?" Aqua, Terra, and Ventus asked.

"That's his name." Aerith said, with Experiment 626, or Stitch in the matter, gave a cheerful smile.

"Cool name." Ventus said with a thumbs up.

"Anyway, so this Equestria world is why the magic in the universe is... well, what Cid said?" Yuffie asked.

"Apparently." Ventus said. "It's not looking too good, given how Aqua almost collapsed outside."

"This is definitely bad." Merlin said. "Equestria isn't like any of the worlds that you all have traveled too. That world is a very special one, which acts as a beacon and surge for all the magic in the world. If it falls, than the universe could be in grave danger."

"And if Sora is having more trouble, then he's gonna need our help." Aqua said.

"Then let's cut to the chase." Leon said as he approached the group. "Terra, Ventus, Aqua. If you guys are gonna help Sora, then we're tagging along."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Terra asked.

"Oh don't worry." Leon said. "We know who we're dealing with."

"That's a compliment, right?" Ventus asked.

"In a Leon sort of way, yes." Aerith said. The three looked at each other. Normally they shouldn't bring people from other worlds to other worlds, to protect the world order. But these four seem to have knowledge of the outside worlds themselves, and the Heartless seemed to have already messed it up during their absence. Plus, with the magic not working right, and the Element of Magic is going dark, they're definitely gonna need all the help they can get, especially Sora.

"Well, given that Equestria is not doing too good, I suppose bringing a little extra help won't hurt." Aqua said.

"I believe it's a good idea too." Merlin said. "It may also turn the tide to our favor. Just as long as you take your little friend with you. I don't feel really comfortable having him in my house." He was referring to Experiment 626, who looked at the Wizard with a bit of a glare, but he smiled as Aerith stroked his head.

"Don't worry." Aerith said. "Stitch will be on his best behavior while he's with us."

"Ok, I guess we're all going then." Ventus said.

"Then it's settled." Cid said, showing some excitement. "This is also a good chance to try out my new ship, courtesy of Ansem the Wise, of course."

Author's Note

Secret Report #7

Well, well, Princess Celestia has issued her student to be captured and tried, and those moronic protectors of Equestria have lost all hope. The keyblade wielder is nowhere to be found so he's most likely dead. And now Princess Celestia is losing her cool, which means the ponies will soon be doubting their princess and see her as the hopeless ruler of Equestria. It seems that the plan is working perfectly.
Still, there's still so much to do before the big finish. Even if that keyblade scum manages to save little Twilight Sparkle, they won't stop what's the come. For so long have we stayed in the shadows while Princess Celestia rules this land, letting those Earth Ponies and Pegasi run around. Well soon, she will be disposed of, and we, the Unicorns will take our rightful place to rule.
By Princess Platinum's crown, we shall have what's ours - N

Welp, this was one chapter. Everyone got their emotions out, and Celestia's sudden temper loss... could that be hinting towards... something.

Also, Sora venting out his emotions was a bit sad and funny. Sure they've shown Sora at his lowest in the Kingdom Hearts series, while III showed him breaking down towards the Final Battle. But this is where he shows his trauma and vulnerability for the first time. Luckily, Donald and Goofy realize that he's hurting, and even though they might not remember or understand it, they're still there for him no matter what. I really like that in the Kingdom Hearts series.
Oh, and the song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, written by Eric Idle, is a wonderful song. The version the trio sings here is the Musical version from Spamalot. I actually saw Spamalot a couple years ago, and I enjoyed it very much, including this song. This pretty much is a message when the tough gets going, always look on the bright side of life! (no pun intended).
There's a movie version of Spamalot in the works now. I'm looking forward to see it.
This won't be the last musical number, because there are more coming later on... The story has at least fifteen songs, and we've gone down half the list.

...And, remember when I said don't expect the Restoration Committee / Final Fantasy Characters? Yeeeeaaah... I lied. They're in the story. It was planned from the very beginning. I said that they wouldn't be because I wanted to make it a surprise. This is a Kingdom Hearts fan-story after all! Just don't be expecting to see them in action just yet.
But this won't be the only surprise you'll get from this story. I have a few big surprises here and there! Just you wait!!!

And... coincidently, the newest trailer for Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind DLC has just been released... or no longer private. They posted the trailer a few days ago but they accidently set it to unlisted, so yes.
Either way, I'm excited to see what the DLC has in store, I think it'll please everyone.

Speaking of which, Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind DLC will release on January 23rd 2020 on PS4, while Xbox One will be getting the DLC on February 25th!

Interesting note: The Restoration Committee were originally planned to be in Birth By Sleep where they would be in their younger years. But they were removed because, according to Nomura, there were too many plot lines already and it would've gotten confusing... (I could've gone with a simple cameo. But at least we got Zack Fair in the game though.)

Trivia: Star vs. the Forces of Evil reference in this chapter! Can you guess the name of the friend Jiminy mentioned?

Let me know if there are any mistakes and I'll fix them when I can.

Chapter 15: Anguish and Pain

It was just a little while after Sora and what was left of his group left the city, and Twilight's friends ran off in despair. Celestia was making her way towards her chambers, trying to go over everything that has happened. This wasn't how she was envisioning everything to happen. She was really hoping things would be simple and clean. But it wasn't. Her worst fears have been realized. Twilight has turned, and will stop at nothing to destroy Equestria.

Celestia opened the door to her room. It was still a big mess, with the pillows and sheets removed from the bed, and the table tipped over, many pages were on the ground. She let out a very heavy sigh as she came into the room, and closed the door behind her.

"Well, well, to think that you could go no lower than you already have."

Celestia froze instantly hearing that voice. A voice that she had not heard in ages! She turned around, to see sitting on her bed. It was a unicorn, and from the looks of Celestia's widened eyes, full of shock, she knew her very well. This unicorn was a brilliant amber color and her eyes were moderate cyan. Her mane was colored with a vivid crimson red with brilliant yellow stripes, almost like flames. Her cutie mark was a shimmering sun mixed with red and yellow coloring. She was giving a scowl and a mischievous smile.

"Sunset Shimmer!" Celestia spoke, her voice showing surprise and a tint of fear.

"Hello, Celestia." The unicorn, Sunset, spoke. "Has it really been so long?"

"W...what are you doing here?" Celestia asked.

"What, no hello back?" Sunset asked as she got up from the bed and walked toward the alicorn. "Can't an old student say hello to her... faithful teacher?"

"But... how did you get back here?" Celestia asked. "The portal's no longer set to the world you escaped too!"

"Oh, I have my ways." Sunset said. "Let's just say I learned a new form of magic while I was banished from this world."

"Sunset, you were never banished!" Celestia said.

"Oh, I was." Sunset said. "When you denounced me as your student."

"You were sneaking into the forbidden section of the library!" Celestia said. "And you were only caring about yourself and wanting power!"

"Yeah, I was." Sunset said. "Maybe that wouldn't have happened if you didn't expect too much from me, and just given me what I wanted."

"And what was that?" Celestia asked.

"To rule by your side!" Sunset said. "To be your chosen heir to the throne."

"Sunset, you were not ready." Celestia said. "You refused to learn what it truly means to be a leader, and you refused to learn about friendship."

"True." Sunset said. "But maybe if you hadn't had so many expectations on me and just allowed me to be a normal pony, then maybe I would've decided to learn about friendship." Celestia only shook her head.

"Sunset, don't pin this on me." Celestia said.

"Oh please." Sunset said. "Sure, I may have been a bad pony, but you were only thinking about what you wanted for me, without even thinking about what I wanted. I know you were planning to make me a princess just so you won't have to deal with anymore of your problems. And I take it you were doing the same for Twilight, weren't you." Celestia raised an eyebrow. How did she know about Twilight?

"H...how do you know Twilight Sparkle?" Celestia asked.

"Oh, I know everything, Celestia." Sunset said. "I know that you chosen her because you knew that she was much stronger than you. I know that you've sent her to go save your sister when you couldn't try to do the same. And I know that you failed to take her worries seriously when she suspected something was wrong with your niece." Celestia felt more hesitant and more surprised.

"Sunset..." Celestia said. Sunset only scuffed and then made her way to the table, picking up the newspaper that was lying there.

"Hmmm... Changelings Return! Celestia to Blame?" Sunset asked, reading the article. "In the hour of the Royal Wedding, the bride revealed herself to be the Changeling Queen, and laid siege upon the city like wildfire. The monsters were stopped by the efforts of Princess Cadance and her magic. According to resources, there was a threat going on around Canterlot and the Sun Monarch did nothing about it. One pony, Twilight Sparkle, the faithful student of the Princess saw the signs, but no pony did anything about it. Did we place our faith in the wrong Princess?" The unicorn gave a cold laugh.

"Wow, you really bucked up again, Celestia." Sunset said. "Another student turned against you, and you're to blame for it, as always."

"What are you saying?" Celestia asked. "I didn't know that the bride was an imposter!"

"But Little Twilight did though." Sunset said. "And you didn't listen to her. She had faith in you, the pony she saw as a mother, and you cast her aside. And now, you lost another student, just like you lost me." In that instant, the unicorn's eyes began to glow a dark color, and then, the ground and room around them began to turn dark and black.

"Darkness!" Celestia said.

"Yes, the new form of magic that I learned." Sunset said. "This is what happens when you let students go astray, when you don't teach them what they should know, or give them what they deserve!" She then fired a magical beam at Celestia, trapping her into the pool of darkness around her, lowering her to the ground, causing her crown to fall off. The sun monarch tried to break free, but it was no use. She was stuck.

"Sunset... Stop!" Celestia shouted.

"And soon, Twilight will be one with darkness, and you will lose her forever." Sunset said. "And in the end, you'll have no one but yourself to blame."

"Stop... please, stop!" Celestia spoke, as tears dropped from her eyes.

"You are unfit to rule Equestria." Sunset said, and with her hoof, she shattered the princess's crown. "You are not worthy of being a princess."

"Please..." Celestia said as her voice began to break up, only to see Sunset, slowly turning in what appears to be a twisted form of Twilight.

"And you... are... nothing..." She spoke in a distorted voice.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Celestia screamed with all of her might. She started to hyperventilate, and open her eyes. She began to look around, seeing no darkness in sight. Sunset was gone. The room was the way it was when she came inside. Was all of this just in her head?

She then noticed to the right, a pile of many scrolls, that were actually written letters. But they weren't just any letters, no. They were Friendship Reports, reports from Twilight and her friends of all the things they've learned about friendship.

Dear Princess Celestia,

We're writin' to you today because we all learned a little somethin' about friendship. We've learned that you should take your friends' worries seriously, even if you don't think that she has anything to worry about. And that you shouldn't let your worries turn a small problem into an enormously huge entire-town-in-total-chaos Princess-has-to-come-and-save-the-day problem!

Signed,
Your Loyal Subjects.

Celestia couldn't help but shed a couple of tears reading the report. She lowered her head, with so much shame. Maybe if they had heeded Twilight's worries during the wedding rehearsal, or even take it into consideration, then maybe none of this would've happened.

She couldn't help but think about what Rainbow Dash had said to her, about using Twilight to fight her own battles. She would never do such a thing. But looking back, with Discord being free from his prison and causing mayhem and destruction, turning Twilights friends against her and each other, maybe she could've prevented that from happening. Sure, her connection with the elements is gone, but she probably should've just fought Discord herself to buy the girls some time to find the elements, and maybe he wouldn't have turned them against Twilight.

She could've done more. She could've fought back. But no, she let Twilight take care of the problem, and made her go through all that suffering, just like she didn't heed her worries and suspicions about Cadance, and not put her through so much. Perhaps Sunset was right. She was not fit to be a princess anymore.

Celestia knew that there was only one way to fix this, to make things right and take responsibility for her actions. It may put a lot of ponies at risk, but it was the only way.

-BOOM!-

The doors flew wide open, revealing Princess Luna.

"Sister!" She called out. "I heard you screaming! Are you alright?!" Celesta yelped as she heard the doors open, coming out of her thoughts. She gave a sigh of relief, knowing that it was just her sister.

"Yes, I'm fine, Luna." Celestia said. "I was... just lost in my thoughts, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Luna asked as she approached her sister. "You seem a bit troubled." Celestia only glanced at the floor and let out another sigh.

"Too much has happened today." Celestia said.

"I know..." Luna said, using her magic to set the table right back up again, and picking up the pieces of paper.

"Where is Sora?" Celestia asked.

"He and his routine have left Canterlot." Luna said. "From what I've witnessed before raising the moon, the keyblade master seems still on set of bringing Twilight home. It seems that everything that has happened hasn't daunted him."

"I take it that you have talked with him?" Celestia asked.

"No, the king's subjects have lifted his spirits up." Luna said. "They were singing a pretty catchy tune."

"And the others?" Celestia asked.

"I can't say the same for the girls, however." Luna said. "They are broken, and they have given up." Celestia only lowered her head, showing more shame.

"Well, I guess it's up to the keyblade master, now." Celestia said, she then made her way to the doors to the balcony, opening the doors up.

"Sister, I don't mean to start an argument, but why did you issue Twilight to be arrested?" Luna asked.

"Because, you heard what the chancellor had said, Luna." Celestia said. "Twilight has broken into the castle, stole Starswirl's journal, and she attacked me."

"So what, you're going to have her imprisoned when all of this isn't really her fault?" Luna asked. "I sensed something wrong with Twilight. It seems she is influenced by a dark but familiar voice."

"Perhaps, but it's is the only way that I can get Twilight back." Celestia said.

"Then why are you planning to have Twilight arrested?" Luna asked. "Even if Sora does somehow manages to turn Twilight back to the light, what makes you think that she'll forgive you if you try her-"

"I'm not going to have Twilight tried for her crimes." Celestia said, making her sister raise an eyebrow. "I'm going to have a talk with her about everything, letting her know that I am truly sorry for everything that I have put her through. I shall ask... no, I will beg for her forgiveness. If she does find it in her heart to forgive me and her friends, then I shall pardon her of all charges." Luna was a bit surprised. She isn't going to try Twilight, and she's going to drop the charges on her?

"But... what if she doesn't?" Luna asked.

"Then I'm left with no other choice." Celestia responded. "I'm going to free her from the pain of everything that has transpired." Luna began to think for a moment, but then her eyes widened up. Freeing Twilight from the pain? Does she mean... Erase her memory?!

"Celestia…" She said, showing horror and anger. "No! You cannot erase Twilight's memories of what happened at the wedding! The heart will still feel the betrayal-"

"No!" Celestia said. "I'm not going to erase Twilight's memory of the wedding or everything. I would never do such a thing to her. I'm going to let her leave to the world outside." Luna's temper died out when she heard that. Leave to the world outside? Her face began to show surprise.

"You mean... the outside worlds?" Luna asked.

"Yes." Celestia spoke, her head lowering a bit. "If Twilight wishes not to stay here in Equestria, I will allow Sora to take her from this world to the ones beyond ours, so she can live the life she wants to live, instead of the one that I pictured her to live." Luna gasped. She's going to let Twilight leave Equestria? Wait... what did she mean live the life instead of the one that Celestia wanted her to live.

"Wait... what do you mean instead of the life you pictured for her?" Luna asked. Celestia turned towards her sister before making her way to the balcony.

"As I watched Twilight grow up to the mare she is now, I knew that she would be destined for greatness." Celestia said. "The moment I saw her unleashing her incredible magic, I knew that she had a greater purpose than just being the Element of Magic. Her level of magic is at our level, Luna. Much more stronger than ours combined..."

"Sister." Luna said, getting a good idea what her sister was talking about. "You mean..."

"Yes." Celestia said. "Twilight has the magic of an alicorn, and I have planned to make her a princess... to be the next Princess of Equestria."

"What?" Luna asked, even more surprised.

"I've been ruling Equestria for a long time, Luna, and without you, it was much more harder." Celestia said. "And with everything that has happened, Twilight deserves to be the ruler of Equestria instead of me. You heard the reports of the wedding, how they all see Twilight to be better suited to be their Princess than I am."

"Sister, no offense." Luna began. "But I highly doubt that Twilight would want to be a Princess, let alone rule all of Equestria, given her stress and... well, her obsessive-compulsive issues."

"I know." Celestia said. "Spike had told me about her issues many times than I can count. I'm partially to blame for that. I probably should've just told her that I don't expect everything to be perfect. Guess that whole Smarty-Pants incident didn't truly seep through her about that."

"Yes, though it was a bit entertaining seeing her go, as Pinkie Pie would say, Loco in the Coco." Luna said, giving a chuckle, and Celestia did the same.

"As I was saying, I always envisioned Twilight to be the next Ruler of Equestria." Celestia said. "But now, with everything that's happened, that dream is only a mere fantasy now. And I've realized now, that Twilight should be allowed to follow the path she wants to follow, to follow her heart. If Twilight refuses to stay or forgive her friends, then I will let her leave Equestria. I will let Sora take her from this world to the outside ones, to live the life she wants to live." Luna was still surprised of Celestia's decision to let Twilight leave to the outer worlds if she doesn't want to forgive her friends.

"Sister..." Luna said. "Do you even think Master Yen Sid or King Mickey will allow that?"

"I'm confident that Mickey would." Celestia said. "He and I have always agreed with one another."

"But how could she even leave?" Sister asked. "We have no way of leaving to the other worlds. Only keyblade wielders are known for doing so." Celestia turned her head a bit away from Luna.

Let's just say that she wouldn't be the first pony to leave Equestria." Luna leaned as she heard the rest of that sentence. The first pony to leave Equestria?

"Sister... are you sayin that..." She asked.

"Yes, Luna." Celestia said. "I have left Equestria many times."

"How?" Luna asked, still in shock.

"Underneath the castle is the Secret Library of Starswirl the Bearded." Celestia said. "Within it lies a magical mirror that allows us to leave Equestria to the outer worlds. It can take us anywhere. Starswirl created it around the time we were just beginning to rule Equestria, and we experimented with it and went to so many different places. But a little while before you were banished, Starswirl told me that we couldn't use it anymore. But... after you were banished..." She turned away a bit, showing a face of guilt.

"But what?" Luna asked.

"Let's just say, things ended badly between me and Starswirl right before he disappeared." Celestia said. "I ended up using the portal to leave Equestria without his knowledge. I have seen many things from the outside worlds, and I've learned a lot too. It was the only thing that brought me solace. You were trapped forever within the moon, and the outside worlds were the only way to help me deal with losing you for a thousand years."

"So you used the portal behind his back?" Luna asked.

"Yes... until he caught me coming out of it." Celestia said. "He and I got into an argument, and he destroyed the portal. I... I lost my temper and I banished him from Equestria." Luna's eyes widened as she gasped.

"What?!" Luna asked, before quieting herself. "You banished Starswirl from Equestria? You're the reason why he disappeared? Why would you do that?"

"Because... he didn't care!" Celestia said. "He didn't care if I was suffering! And not only that, he called you a villain! He acted like you were a bad guy all along! But it was my fault for pushing you away and letting the darkness take you!" The Princess of the Sun managed to stop talking for a moment to calm herself, as Luna was surprised.

"Sister... I'm so sorry." Luna said.

"It's fine." Celestia said.

"No, it's not ok." Luna said. "I made you feel guilty for my mistake. If I had not turned to darkness, then you wouldn't have been in that situation."

"No, Luna." Celestia said. "It was my choice, and my burden to bare. Besides, I was young, I still had much to learn, and the outside worlds have helped me with it."

"But... wait, how will Twilight leave if the portal is destroyed?" Luna asked. Celestia lowered her head.

"It was fixed... by him." Celestia said.

"Him?" Luna asked, as Celestia glanced at her with a stare. The younger princess widened her eyes up, knowing who she was actually referring to.

"You mean...! The Master of All Masters?" Luna asked, remembering the mysterious man with the black coat, which shrouded his face, except for one glowing crystal blue eye.

"Yes." Celestia said. "He fixed it so I can leave Equestria anytime I wanted. It was how I met Mickey, and I would use the portal to visit him for special occasions, and he used it to get here when he was still in training." She couldn't but smile, thinking about the times she has spent with King Mickey. She really enjoyed his company.

"Well, it was nice to see that you managed to deal with the thought of losing me." Luna said. "But you're willing to let Twilight leave if she refuses to forgive you?

"Yes." Celestia said. "And it won't be a banishment, either."

"But what about Equestria?" Luna asked. "Twilight is the Element of Magic. How will Equestria survive?"

"We'll find a way, Luna." Celestia said. "Destiny is beyond our control. We'll just have to find another way to deal with it. If Sora was able to find a way to defeat Master Xehanort, than I'm sure we'll find a way too." Hearing that made Luna nod, and the two sisters hugged each other with their wings, while giving each other a nuzzle.

"So... what to do now?" Luna asked.

"We just wait." Celestia said, as she glanced at the sky, seeing some thundering clouds hovering in the distance. "For now, Sora is the best chance we have. We must trust him." Luna gave a nod as she too watched the sky, unaware of a certain Chancellor watching from the cracked open door.

PONYVILLE

Somewhere at a small cottage just near the forest and the town of Ponyville, well, right near the tree stump. Fluttershy was on the ground, crying miserably. Everything that had happened at Canterlot, Twilight turning evil and disowning her friends, was just too much for the butter colored Pegasus to even bare. After fleeing the royal city, Fluttershy just returned home and just sobbed uncontrollably, underneath the tree near her home. For a moment, she lifted her face up, showing her tear-stained face, also covered with grass.

Her animal friends, which included Angel, her pet bunny, the chirping birds, the chickens, the ducks, the squirrels, the frog, and even the fuzzy bear, noticed their caregiving friend weeping. They all flew, hopped, and approached her, wondering what's wrong.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Fluttershy said, noticing that they were there. "I just... I just want to be alone right now..." Before she could continue to cry, she saw a little squirrel with his mouth full. Opening it up, he pulled out a couple of acorns, nuts that squirrels love to eat. He then offered them to Fluttershy, who was a bit surprised.

"Oh, thank you." She said. "But I don't think a couple of acorns will cheer me up. I've done a horrible thing to somepony close to me." The animals leaned in to listen, curious. She had no one else to talk to, so she might as well talk to them.

"My dear friend..." Fluttershy wept. "I abandoned her for some st-stupid wedding, and now I've paid the price for it. I chose to comfort some horrible bride while Twilight was left all alone with no one to comfort. And when I realized my mistake, I was too late. She turned against me... against all of us, and I put her there..." Just talking about it made the butter colored Pegasus tear up even more. She buried her face into her hooves, and kept crying.

"I'm such a horrible friend..." She spoke as she continued to sob. Suddenly, she felt something pick her up off the ground. Looking up, she saw that it was a bear, the same bear who she helped get rid of the pain in his neck a long time ago. He was nuzzling against her, comforting her. This greatly surprised her. She had just told her animal friends that she abandoned her friend and has regretted it terribly, and they didn't leave her? Why were they comforting her? She didn't deserve it.

"You... you all don't hate me?" She asked. The birds flew to her and landed into her mane, chirping while nuzzling their own heads against her, giving her affection.

"You all forgive me?" Fluttershy asked. The ducks approached her and nodded with a quack.

"I... I don't understand." Fluttershy said. "I don't deserve to be forgiven. I abandoned my friend. I chose to comfort some horrible monster I barely know instead of her." The squirrels began to chitter, speaking to her. Fluttershy was a good animal whisperer, so she understood what they were telling her.

"You're saying that it wasn't truly my fault?" Fluttershy asked. "But I left her. I didn't heed her warning." The ducks began to quack, and Fluttershy's eyes widened up.

"Well... yes, the fake bride was very convincing." Fluttershy said. "And she did fool everypony, even the Princesses. And Twilight didn't know it was a changeling queen in disguise." The fuzzy bear also made some noises, such as grunting and growls, but they were calm ones.

"Do I still care about Twilight? Of course I do." Fluttershy said. "I do care about Twilight, and I really want to make amends." The chickens began to give clucks.

"What's stopping me?" Fluttershy asked. At that moment, Fluttershy began to have a deep understanding at what the animals were trying to tell her. While she did abandon her friend, it wasn't entirely their fault, as the fake bride had manage to fool them all, even without the use of magic. And as Fluttershy had stated, she feels horrible about what she did. So what's really stopping her from trying to rekindle her friendship with Twilight?

And come to think of it, they were right! There was nothing stopping her from making amends. Twilight is just on the wrong path, and lost. She just needs a friend! She needs her friends! At that moment, Fluttershy began to flap her wings and wipe away her tears, knowing what she had to do.

"You're right, my animal friends!" Fluttershy said, her confidence finally boosting once more. "Twilight isn't gone. She's just lost, and she needs us! She needs her friends! I'm not giving up on her! As Faust as my witness, I'm going to be there for Twilight, and I'm going to make things right with her!" At that moment, she glanced down at her animal friends, who were all happy to see Fluttershy no longer sad and suffering. She realized that they all helped her get her spirits up, just like how she helped them when they needed help.

"Thank you, all of you." Fluttershy said. "You all helped me, just like I helped all of you." At that moment, the animals gathered around Fluttershy and gave her a big hug, and she did the same.

"Now, I have a friend to save!" She spoke, and she took off flying, as her animals friends waved goodbye, not knowing a glowing mysterious blonde-haired girl with a white dress watching from a distance.

At Sugarcube Corner

In Ponyville, the one place where ponies can get delicious treats is at Sugarcube Corner, the bakery and confectionary that belongs to Cup Cake and Carrot Cake, the owners of the store. Not only is it the home to the Cakes, it is also the very home of Pinkie Pie, who works there and helps make the most delicious desserts, such as cakes, cupcakes, frosty cake, cheesecake, donut cakes, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, and so on and so forth.

Unfortunately, it was not a happy day today. If anyone had noticed a massive stream of water pouring slowly out of the store, than all ponies would know a certain party pony in a very sad mood. Since shooting out of her own Party Cannon, Pinkie Pie crash landed into her room from the roof and has been weeping on the floor ever since. Twilight's betrayal and her hurtful words were too much for the party pony. Her color had gone dull and her puffy mane and tail had gone flat. She was sad, heartbroken, and... and... well, actually that sums it up actually.

Outside her room, two ponies were leaning inside with concern all over their faces. It was the store owners Cup Cake and Carrot Cake. The stallion, Carrot Cake, was light brilliant amber with a light orange freckle-like pattern on his upper muzzle. He had a protruding lower jaw with a ganglier appearance distinctive to other male ponies. His eyes were moderate pistachio and his mane and tail were a brilliant orange. He wore an apron, a cooking hat and a bowtie, with his cutie mark being three cut carrot cakes.

Next to him was Cup Cake, the shorter mare with a rounder appearance to contrast with her tall lanky husband. Her coat was very light cerulean like Rainbow Dash, but lighter. Her eyes were brilliant rose, and her mane and tail were light crimson with pale, grayish crimson stripes. She too wore an apron, pearl earrings, and her cutie mark was of three cupcakes.

They were very concerned for Pinkie Pie, seeing her cry away her tears, and they knew why. They were also attending the wedding and have heard about what happened between her and the girls. Unlike most ponies, the Cakes didn't blame Pinkie Pie, knowing that the poor girl's cheerful attitude made it a bit difficult for her to know what was wrong, and her pinkie senses weren't working that day so how could she know that her friend was suspicious that something was wrong?

They didn't like seeing her this way, so the two cakes came inside.

"Pinkie Pie?" Carrot Cake asked. "Are you ok?"

"No." Pinkie Pie said, turning away, not wanting to show her face to them. "I just want to be alone."

"Oh, Pinkie Pie." Cup Cake said. "You mustn't do this to yourself. I mean, you've barely even eaten anything since you came home."

"I'm not hungry, Mrs. Cake." Pinkie Pie said with her tears. "I don't deserve to be hungry." That was quite a little shock to the two Cakes. Pinkie Pie was really hurting inside. The two ponies them moved towards the pony and embraced her with a big hug.

"Oh Pinkie, it's ok." Cup Cake said. "You didn't know that fake bride was an evil bug monster."

"That's right." Carrot Cake said. "She had us all fooled with her masquerade."

"But I should've been there for Twilight." Pinkie Pie said. "I should've stayed there instead of leaving her alone in that rehearsal room. What kind of a friend am I?" The party pony only sat there crying, as the two Cakes continued to comfort her. Outside the room witnessing this were two small baby ponies. They were the Cake Twins, Carrot Cake and Cup Cake's daughter and son.

Pumpkin was the filly unicorn foal with a light yellow coat, brilliant orange mane and brilliant azure eyes, and Pound was the light goldish gray colt Pegasus foal with a brown mane and dark grayish tangelo eyes. Surprisingly they were not earth ponies like their parents, but that's because Cup Cake's ancestors consisted of Pegasi and Unicorns, so it's a genetic inheritance, so to speak.

They didn't like seeing Pinkie Pie so sad. The two twins looked at each other, and then an idea came to their heads. They quickly galloped away to go get something from the bakery, and they came back, and whatever they got surprised their parents.

Pinkie Pie lifted her head, to see Pumpkin and Pound Cake staring at her. Pumpkin's horn was glowing, and she was hovering a piece of flour over both Pound's head and her head. She then squished it with her magic, causing the flour to gush all over them. The two foals made a funny face at their misfortune. Seeing this made Pinkie Pie smile, and a giggle came, even though she still had tears in her eyes.

"That's... that's actually pretty funny." Pinkie Pie said. Seeing her smile made the Twins smile back. The party pony wiped her tears, so grateful that the Baby Cakes cheered her up a bit.

"You feel better, Pinkie Pie?" Carrot Cake asked.

"Yeah, a little bit." Pinkie Pie said. "But... I'm still hurting because of Twilight... I left her behind, and now I've turned her against me... against all of us." She then felt a hoof rest against her shoulder, followed by a nuzzle from Cup Cake.

"Oh, Pinkie Pie." Cup Cake said. "You shouldn't blame yourself. That wicked bug fooled everypony. Even we fell for her masquerade."

"But... but what do I do?" Pinkie Pie asked. "You should've seen Twilight when we just last saw her. She beaten Rainbow Dash to a pulp."

"Well, do you feel bad about what happened?" Carrot Cake asked.

"Of course I do." Pinkie Pie said. "I want to make things right with Twilight. But I don't know how."

"Then just do what you always do." Carrot Cake said. "You make her happy again, and let her know that you love her. You've made so many ponies smile, so you do the same thing with her. Let her know how much you mean to her, and how much she means to you." Those words began to echo in Pinkie Pie's ears. They were right. She just needs to let Twilight know how much she means to her, and more importantly, make her smile again. She let out a gasp, color began to shine in her eyes, and her flat mane and tail suddenly returned back to their balloon puffy look again.

"You're Right!" Pinkie Pie said. "Twilight just needs to remember how much we love her! And I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it up to her. In fact, I'm going to throw her the biggest I'm Sorry and We Love You Party Equestria has ever seen! And it will have blood and sweat all over it!" Hearing that made Carrot and Cup Cake tilt their heads in confusion.

"It's means I'm going to put my heart and soul into it." Pinkie Pie said, with the Cakes giving a sigh of relief. The Party Pony began to put one some gear, which included an Exercise suit, a strap with party balloons, and a war helmet on that said one word. Fun.

"Now, I got a friend to save!" She called out as she hopped out the door, now renewed with hope. The Cakes watched her hop along the trail to find Twilight and make amends. They were smiling.

"What a trooper." Carrot Cake said.

"It's good to see Pinkie smile again." Cup Cake said, and the twins gave out some baby giggles, showing that they were happy that Pinkie was happy again too.

At the Carousel Boutique

The Carousel Boutique, the store that is not only the store for ponies to buy dresses, but it was also the home of Rarity as well. It's actually her shop, given that she's a fashionista. Unfortunately, it was closed.

Inside, Rarity was laying her head on the table, suffering and wallowing in... whatever a pony is suppose to wallow in. After Twilight's berating, Rarity fled Canterlot under the naked eye and just returned home. Usually when she does, she's working on a new dress. However, she was suffering from a massive creators block, probably because she was hurt and guilty of Twilight now descending into darkness. And she had herself to blame for it. Multiple tubs of Ice Cream were scattered across the floor. She must've been eating a lot of ice cream. Usually it helps one to cope with depression or guilt, though it can also kill them if they're not careful. She just sighed as she tossed one of the bow ribbons away.

"I can't even design a concept dress." Rarity said, showing stains of makeup under her eyes, showing that she was indeed crying. She just lifted herself from the table and just walked across the work floor, looking at the mannequins that housed several dresses that Rarity has made. Just looking at them reminded her of Twilight so much. She remembered making a dress for Twilight for the Grand Galloping Gala. Remembering that made her remember the brides mare dress she hadn't finished for Twilight, and finding it ripped up in pieces. She then glanced over at her own brides mare dress, seeing it perfect. The fashionista only began to tear up. In a fit, she quickly grabbed it and then started ripping it apart. After a couple of rips, she came to a halt, and looked at the dress she was trying to destroy.

"What am I doing?" Rarity asked herself, glancing down at her hooves and at the broken dress. Why was she ripping up her own dress? Was it because it reminded her too much of Twilight. More tears began to form in her eyes and she just collapsed on the floor crying. She really missed Twilight, and she was feeling so much guilt choosing to make dresses for her friends and not even thinking about making one for her, as well as leaving her to comfort some wicked fake bride.

"Oh, I'm sooo Patheetiic!" She spoke as she just continued to cry.

-RING-

The sound of the front door opened up, getting the unicorn's attention.

"Hello? Is the store open?" A voice spoke out from the front room. Rarity lifted herself off the ground and saw who was standing outside. The pony looking around was a unicorn, with lighter purple eyes, a green color coat, and her mane and tail was actually an azure ocean color. Her cutie mark was consisting of a dress with a heart design on it.

"Sorry, ma'am, but the store is closed." Rarity said, while the unicorn mare noticed the fashionista's smothered make up and tear stains.

"Oh my, are you alright, dear?" She asked.

"No, I'm not alright." Rarity said. "That's why I'm closing the store."

"Oh." The mare said. "Well, I was wondering if I could find Miss Rarity." The white unicorn rose an eyebrow hearing that.

"Actually, my name is Rarity." She answered. The other unicorn mare's eyes widened and a smile formed on her face.

"Oh, you're Miss Rarity?" She asked.

"Y... Yes?" Rarity said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, I came all this way to find you." The mare said. "My name is Ocean Drop from Manehatten. My daughter told me all about you. She told me you made her that beautiful dress for her back in town." Rarity's eyes widened with more surprise. Her daughter? Wait, the little filly back in the city, the one who she made the dress for her for the party she was going to. This mare was her mother?

"Oh my goodness!" Rarity said. "You're that little filly's mother?"

"Why yes!" Ocean Drop said as she shook Rarity by the hoof. "I just wanted to say thank you for your generosity. My daughter has been so inspired by you and what you did for her." Hearing that made Rarity give a weak smile, feeling so touched.

"Oh, why thank you." She answered. Ocean Drop then looked back at the tears stains on the fashionista's face.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"No, I'm not ok." Rarity said. "I've been having a horrible day."

"And why's that?" Ocean Drop asked.

"Because... I lost a friend." Rarity said.

"Oh my." Ocean Drop said with surprise. "What happened?"

"Well... it was mostly my fault..." Rarity said. "You heard about... the Royal Wedding, have you?" Ocean Drop tilted her head.

"You mean the wedding where the Captain of the Royal Guard was suppose to marry Princess Cadenza?" Ocean Drop asked.

"Yes." Rarity said.

"I've heard about it." Ocean Drop said. "Apparently it got cancelled because of some invasion, and it's become a talk recently, where the populace wanted the Princess removed from power due to failed security. Did you go to the wedding?"

"Yes, I did." Rarity said. "Me and my friends. But it ended so horribly."

"What do you mean?" Ocean Drop asked, still listening in.

"Well, my friend Twilight Sparkle, she noticed something wrong with Princess Cadenza, who was actually the Changeling Queen in disguise." Rarity said. "But we just ignored her, thinking that she was making a big deal out of it. And when she tried to expose the bride, we all turned our back on her. But then she came back with the real Cadenza, and we tried to stop the Changeling Queen, but we couldn't. And in the end, I lost my best friend." Ocean Drop was a bit surprised.

"You lost your friend?" She asked.

"Yes, because I chose some stupid wedding over her!" Rarity said, letting the water drop from her eyes again. "And now she's turned her back on Equestria because of my mistake! I don't even know why I chose the wedding over Twilight! She was my friend, and I abandoned her! I abandoned the one pony who did so much for me!" The fashionista collapsed to the ground and continued to cry, unable to keep the tears back. Ocean Drop knelt down and comforted her with a hug. She truly felt sorry for the fashionista. She shouldn't be drowning herself in her own guilt.

"There there, it's alright." She said. "It'll be ok."

"No it won't." Rarity said.

"Sure it will, you'll see." Ocean Drop said.

"But how?" Rarity asked. "I promised that whenever something was bothering her, I would take her seriously and help her. But I didn't."

"Oh Miss Rarity, you shouldn't do this to yourself." Ocean Drop said, comforting the fashionista. "You just made a mistake. Everypony makes a mistake, no matter how big or small it is. But you can make it right."

"But she's gone too deep." Rarity said. "How can she forgive me when I pushed her too far?"

"You just prove to her how much she matters to you." Ocean Drop said. "Just show her that she really matters to you. Just don't lose faith, and don't give up. You didn't give up when making my daughters dress, did you?" Rarity began to think. Ocean Drop was right. She can't do this to herself. She can't give up so easily. There was still a chance to make things right with Twilight. Everypony may have given up on her... but not Rarity! She was not going to give up on Twilight, not again. She made a face of renewed determination.

"You're right, Ocean Drop." Rarity said as she got up. "I can't give up. I just need to show Twilight how much she truly matters to me. She's my friend, and I'm not giving up on her."

"That's the spirit, Rarity." Ocean Drop said. The fashionista glanced up at the ceiling with newfound hope.

"As Faust as my witness, I will make things right!" Rarity said. The unicorn then galloped out of the store, while Ocean Drop stayed behind. Suddenly, she began to glow, transforming into a blonde-haired girl with a white dress.

"Don't worry, Sora." She said. "Help is on the way."

At the Down N Gut Cider Pup...

Not much to describe the Down N Cut Cider Pup. It's the place where ponies would come in and out to drink some cider. Unlike the Apple Family's Cider, this kind of cider was a bit strong, the kind that makes your brain all fuzzy. In short, it was a bar for those who want to drink away. There was no pony inside today, except for one. At the front table, a certain cerulean Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail was at the front table, her head on the desk, and her eyes were a bit red. Either it was from crying, or because she had too much to drink. She lifted her head up.

"Hey, one more mug, please." She spoke, as the pony bartender glanced at her with a bit of worry.

"I think you've had enough." He said.

"No, I'm fine... hic." Rainbow Dash hiccuped. Yes, she probably had too much to drink. Normally she wouldn't have this kind of cider unless she was either celebrating or just feeling horrible. It was the latter. And she had a good reason for feeling horrible. Twilight had turn on her, and the poor Pegasus had realized there was no way she could save her friend or their friendship. So, all she could do was drink her sorrow away.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the legendary Rainbow Dash..." a voice said, a voice that the Pegasus knew too well. Turning around, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened a bit as she saw the last pony she wanted to see. The pony was a light turquoise Pegasus with brilliant gamboge eyes, and her mane had gold and brilliant amber stripes, and her cutie mark was white lightning bolt with three stars, two orange, one yellow.

"Lightning Dust..." Rainbow Dash hissed with drunken irritation. She and the other have history. They were actually rivals back in Flight School, with Lightning Dust always performing rad and very dangerous tricks, throwing everypony that stands in her way in great danger. She's very reckless and has no regard for safety. And she was humiliated after Rainbow Dash exposed her for putting several campers in danger, getting her kicked out of flight school. Since then the two have been Rivals for Life.

"Hello to you too, Rainbow Crash." Lightning Dust said as she approached the rainbow maned Pegasus, who was not very pleased to see the former.

"What do you want, Dust." Rainbow Dash said.

"What, no hello?" Lightning Dust asked. "Well I'll have you know that I'm in town touring with my new group, The Washouts. We just got done with a show a couple days ago. I was kinda wondering if you want to come to our show here in town, just to show you how more awesome I am than you are."

"Not interested." Rainbow Dash said as she drank her mug, followed by a hiccup. The daredevil pony had noticed the rainbow maned Pegasus's drunken state, yet a smile formed on her face.

"Sounds like you're not having a good day." Lightning Dust said. "Is it because of what happened at that stupid wedding?" Hearing that made Rainbow Dash tense up a bit, something that Lightning Dust noticed. "I'll take that as a yes."

"I.. hic... I don't know what you're talking about." Rainbow Dash said, trying to hide her tension.

"Oh yeah, you do." Lightning Dust said, holding up a newspaper with her wing, the same newspaper that Rainbow Dash and the girls saw back at Manehatten. "According to this little piece of paper, some psycho bug monsters launched an attack on Canterlot, and you let it happen right under your muzzle."

"Don't test me, Lightning Dust." Rainbow Dash said aggressively.

"What?" Lightning Dust asked. "You just can't accept it can you. You nearly let the capital of all of Equestria fell and it was because you'd rather impress the Wonderbolts than listen to your little friend crying for help. You know Rainbow Crash, the Wonderbolts are better off without a pony who'd leave their friends behind. In fact, your friends so can do better than you." That was the last straw, as Rainbow Dash's face quickly turned red hearing all that. Without hesitating, she grabbed Lightning Dust, yanked her off the floor and slammed her down on the front table, the edge of her wings wrapping around Lightning's neck, squeezing tightly around her airway. The other ponies in the bar gasped.

"I'm gonna turn your head into cider you little washout!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she used her wings to begin choking Lightning Dust, making her struggle to breathe.

"Rainbow Dash, Stop!" A voice said. The Pegasus turned to see Fluttershy, who just came into the bar.

"Flutershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Rainbow Dash, let her go." Fluttershy said, making her way to the Pegasus. "She is not worth it. Just let her go." Rainbow Dash glanced back at Lightning Dust, finally halting herself, realizing what she was doing. What was she doing? Choking the life out a pony? This wasn't her. As she looked down at Lightning Dust, she couldn't help but see herself, making her eyes widen up. She was becoming Lightning Dust! Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and removed her wings from Lightning Dust's neck. She stepped off the table, and went towards Fluttershy.

"Are you ok?" Fluttershy asked. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash hugged her tightly. There were some quiet sobs coming from the rainbow maned Pegasus. Hearing her friend cry, Fluttershy patted her hoof on her back.

"There, there, it's ok." Fluttershy said, escorting her out of the bar. As they made it outside, Rainbow Dash allowed her tears to drop from her face. Luckily, no pony was outside seeing this.

"I'm sorry, Flutters." Rainbow Dash said, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Fluttershy said. "I know you just lost control."

"What are you even doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I came here to find you." Fluttershy said. "We can't give up on Twilight. She needs us."

"No she doesn't." Rainbow Dash said, pushing herself away from the butter-colored Pegasus's embrace. "She can't be saved, Flutters. She's gone too far, and we pushed her too far... I pushed her too far. All I cared about was some stupid dream instead of my friends."

'But Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said. "We can't give up yet! Twilight is just lost, and we can find her and make things right!"

"I told you, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash said. "It's over... there's nothing we can do." The rainbow maned Pegasus only lowered her head and faced away, while Fluttershy only looked at her, showing a disappointed look. If cheering her up wasn't going to fix this, there was something that can work.

"Gosh, I didn't know you were such a sore loser, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy spoke. Hearing those two words, sore loser, made Rainbow Dash lifted her head up. Those were two words that she hated hearing the most. She turned her head, giving a glare.

"What... did you just call me?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You heard me." Fluttershy said. "You're a sore loser for giving up on Twilight."

"Take... That... Back!" Rainbow Dash said, getting in Fluttershy's face.

"No." Fluttershy said. "You're acting like a sore loser, so you might as well be one."

"I am NOT a sore loser!" Rainbow Dash said, her voice getting louder.

"Of course you are." Fluttershy said, turning away from Rainbow Dash. "The Rainbow Dash I know would never give up on anything, nor would she give up on a friend. And seeing you now giving up on everything shows that you're the Biggest Loser of them All... Rainbow Crash." A sneaky smile was showing on Fluttershy's face, though Rainbow Dash could not see it. Speaking of which, the rainbow maned Pegasus began to show a very angry face. How dare she call her a sore loser... but more importantly, how dare she call her Rainbow Crash, the one name she hated hearing the most of all.

"Why you little!..." Rainbow Dash said. "I'm Not a Sore Loser!"

"Then are you going to give up?" Fluttershy asked.

"No Way!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Are you going to give up on Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"Never!" Rainbow Dash shouted back.

"Then are you going to find Twilight and prove to her that you're still her friend?" Fluttershy asked.

"YES!" Rainbow Dash shouted again. "I'm Not a Quitter, and I'm Not going to give up on Twilight! I'm gonna show her that I'm her friend, and I'll even be a better friend to her!" Right then and there, the rainbow maned Pegasus stopped herself and realized what was going on. Fluttershy was just saying those things just to get her confidence back up. Using her own competitive streak to get her spirit back up. A smile formed on her face.

"I know what you just did, Flutters." Rainbow Dash said. "Using my own competitive-ness to get me back on track."

"Maybe." Fluttershy said. Despite that, the rainbow maned Pegasus gave the butter colored Pegasus a big hug. All she needed was her confidence back.

"Thanks, Flutters." Rainbow Dash said. "I'm really glad to have a friend like you."

"And I'm glad to have a friend like you too." Fluttershy responded, nuzzling her dear friend, the one pony who was willing to stand up and protect her from the bullies that would gang up on her. As the hug released, Rainbow Dash's smile didn't fade.

"C'mon, let's go save Twilight." Rainbow Dash said. "We're going to do whatever it takes to save her."

"Definitely!" Fluttershy said, and just like that, the two were off.

Back inside the pup, Lightning Dust lifted herself off the table, rubbing her poor neck. She was quite lucky. If Rainbow Dash squeezed for a little while longer, she would've suffocated.

"Hmph." The Washout Pegasus said. She then sat up at the table, and tapped her wing upon it, getting the bartender's attention. "One mug, please." As if on command, the bar tender placed a mug full of cider onto the table in front of Lightning Dust, who gulped it all down, unaware of a stranger sitting next to her, a man in a black coat... Uh oh.

"Heard some fighting going on here." The man said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just had a brawl with Rainbow Crash." Lightning Dust said as she finished her mug.

"Don't you mean the famous Rainbow Dash?" The man asked. "The Pegasus who is dubbed the Element of Loyalty?"

"Whatever, never did like her to begin with." Lightning Dust said. "You know, I outraced her once at Flight Camp, but she got me in trouble by telling the counselors that I did some damage and placed ponies in danger."

"Did you?" The hooded man asked.

"Maybe, but I didn't care." Lightning Dust. "I just had the guts of winning while Rainbow Crash cared about some losers on the sidelines. What does the Best Flyer Ever need friends for? I'm the one who should've had the trophy and she should've been kicked out."

"You seem to hold some hatred towards her for getting you kicked out." The man said.

"I do..." Lightning Dust said. "I just wanna... I just wanna beat her again, only this time smash her face into the ground." While she couldn't see it because of his hood, the man was smiling.

"Well, perhaps I can help you with that." The man said.

"How?" Lightning Dust asked.

"I'm putting together a group of outlaws and baddies from this world... more like an army, so to speak." The man with the hood said. "And if you join us, I'll give you the chance to prove to Equestria that you're better than that rainbow maned Element of Harmony once and for all. And together, we can bring her and those friends of hers down. Does that sound good?" Hearing that made Lightning Dust think it over. This stranger wants to help her beat Rainbow Dash and take her down? To be honest, after almost having her life choked right out of her by that rainbow maned loser, she really wanted to smash her real bad. She gave a smile.

"Sure." She said. "I'll let the Washouts know and we'll be happy to help."

"Splendid." The man said.

"Excuse me, miss?" The bartender said to the Pegasus. "You need to pay for your drink please." Lightning Dust then realized, she still needed to pay for her drink. But she now just noticed that she didn't bring any bits with her.

"Dang it, I don't have bits." Lightning Dust cursed.

"Don't worry, I'll pay for it. And how about two more mugs for both of us." The hooded man said, placing three pieces of silver coins onto the table, which surprised the bartender greatly. These silver coins that he was looking at were nothing like he had ever seen. In fact, these might be worth much more than bits!

"Of course!" The bartender said. "I'll be right on it!" He then left, then returned with two mugs of cider, while the Washout Pegasus looked at the hooded man with surprise.

"Whoa." She said. "Who are you?" The man accepted his mug and took a drink, then answered.

"Let's just say I'm a... none coincidental friend." He spoke with a smile.

At Sweet Apple Acres...

-Bonk. Bonk. Bonk. Batta-swing!-

Not that kind of bonk. The kind of bonk that a tree makes whenever a pony bucks it with their legs. That's what Applejack was trying to do. After the girls left, Applejack just went on home, downhearted. She just went back to Sweet Apple Acres, the farm which had the nice big red barn and did what she would do best. Apple-Bucking.

Unfortunately, she wasn't doing a good job now. Now down in the dumps, the farmpony wasn't able to buck apples from the tree like she would always do. She only managed to succeed in bucking just one apple off the tree, only for it to jump back on the branch it was dangling from. Seeing that, the farmpony only banged her head on the tree, only for the apple to fall and bump her head, making her fall on the ground all dizzy.

As she came to, she saw somepony looking down at her. It was a stallion that resembled a draft horse. The stallion's coat was brilliant amaranth, while his mane and cropped tail was a brilliant orange, and his eyes were moderate sap green, and white freckles were on his cheeks like Applejack's. His hooves were a light yellowish gray, and his cutie mark was a green apple sliced in half. Around his shoulders was a work horse collar.

"You alright, sis?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Big Mac." Applejack said as she got back up. Yes, Big McIntosh, or Big Mac, is Applejack's older brother. He also worked at Sweet Apple Acres, mostly the heavy lifting and such. He's not much for using big words or long sentences. He's not much of a talker.

"Are you?" He asked, noticing that Applejack was still feeling downhearted.

"Yes, I'm..." Applejack was about to answer, but she knew it was a lie. Lying was not her thing. It comes with being the most honest pony in all of Equestria.

"No, I'm not fine." Applejack said. "Physically I am, but not emotionally." She continued to attempt to buck the tree again, but her brother placed a hoof on her shoulder, urging her to stop.

"I shouldn't be working?" Applejack asked.

"Yup." Big Mac answered.

"Well, I need to do something." Applejack said.

"Nope." Big Mac said, shaking his head.

"Then what should I do?" Applejack asked. Big Mac leaned his head in with a raised eyebrow, but a concerned face, as if he wanted to hear what's been going on, and why Applejack is like this. She caught on right away.

"You wanna know what's wrong, do you." Applejack said.

"Eeyup." Big Mac said. The farmpony mare only gave a defeated sigh. She can't keep stuff hidden forever.

"I lost a friend." Applejack said.

"Who?" Big Mac asked.

"Twilight." Applejack said. "I lost Twilight."

"Why?" Big Mac asked.

"Because I abandoned her." Applejack said. "We were at the royal wedding and she knew something was wrong with the bride, but I didn't listened to her, because I thought she was just being a jealous little sister. But she was right. Now she's going to destroy all of Equestria and I let it happen. The girls just gave up, and so am I." She then tried to buck the tree with her front hoof, but the tree didn't even move. She attempted to try again, but she was stopped by Big Mac. There was a moment of silence between the two ponies, until he spoke.

"Normally I'm not one for talking, but I don't like seeing you this way sis." He said. "You shouldn't bury yerself with your work."

"I know, I know." Applejack said. "But I screwed up. I screwed up my friendship with Twilight... and... and..." The farmpony just stood there, trying to hide something that was going on inside her. Big Mac noticed that there was something forming in Applejack's eyes. It was tears, but she was trying to keep them in.

"You can tell me, Applejack." Big Mac said. "I'm your brother-"

"Don't start, Big Mac!" Applejack snapped. "I don't need yer help!" But the older stallion knew that Applejack was struggling. There were tears forming in her eyes, and she was trying to fight them.

"Sis." Big Mac said. "If you need to let it out, you can let it out. I haven't seen you cry since Ma and Pa passed away. Just let it all out."

"I don't want to!" Applejack said, though her voice was trembling.

"You have to." Big Mac sad. "You need to let your feelings out, otherwise they'll just eat you away."

"But you always told me I have to be a strong trooper, no matter what!" Applejack said, her voice trembling even more.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you have to hide your problems." Big Mac said, gently pulling her into his arms, giving her a nuzzle. "You can let yer feelings out if you have to, even in front of friends and family. It's ok to cry. Everybody cries." At that moment, Applejack couldn't keep it in anymore. The feelings she was feeling right now. At her brother's urging, she had no choice. She let the gates open, allowing her tears to escape her eyes. And the farmpony mare cried, as she nuzzled into her brother's neck.

"It's alright." Big Mac said. "it's gonna be alright."

"No it's not, Big Mac!" Applejack wept. "What was I thinkin', leaving Twilight all alone and just went onto that stupid wedding without even thinking about going to look for her?! I don't even know why I did! It's like I just... Oh dammit!" She cursed as she continued to cry, as her big brother nuzzled her with his chin.

"It's ok, sis." Big Mac said.

"Ma and Pa would be ashamed of me." She said.

"No, they wouldn't." Big Mac said. "They've done wrong in the past as well. We all do." The farmpony mare just continued to weep as her brother continued to comfort her. Applejack had never cried like this in a long time. Since the passing of her parents, she vowed to never cry again. But her brother was right. She can't keep it in. She has to let her sorrow out.

After a few more minutes of crying, the farmpony managed to get herself together. She was still a little sad, but she felt a lot better. It felt like a huge weight have been lifted off her shoulders. And just having somepony to help her felt really good.

"You feel better?" He asked.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better." Applejack said. "Though I dunno about Twilight, though."

"Well, then you should fix things between you two." Big Mac said.

"But I abandoned my friend." Applejack said. "I don't even know why I did. I can't even remember why I did. But I did. And I have to take responsibility for it."

"Blaming yourself and taking responsibility are two different things." Big Mac said. "If you really feel responsible for what happened, then you go do what it takes to make things right." Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Make things right?" Applejack asked. "But how? How can I make things right when I turned my own friend against all of Equestria."

"Twilight is just lost, sis." Big Mac said. "And she needs a friend to guide her back on the right track. She does need you, more than ever. Any relationship with a friend that can be saved, should be saved. Your friendship still has a chance." Applejack began to think on that. Come to think of it, her brother did have a strong point. If she really needs to take responsibility, she needs to fix her mistake. And Twilight, she's not gone just yet. She needs her! Their friendship isn't destroyed yet, so they still have a chance to make amends, no matter what it takes. The farmpony put her hoof down.

"You're right, Big Mac." Applejack said. "There is now way in Tartarus that I'm giving up on Twilight now. I want to make things right with her, and I'm going to make tings right with her, no matter what the cost, even if it means if I have to give up Apple-bucking forever!"

"Yup." Big Mac said with a smile. Looking back at her brother, Applejack couldn't help but smile. If there was one thing she was happy for, it was having a great big brother.

"Thanks, Big Mac." Applejack said. "I'm proud to have you as a brother."

"Eeyup." Big Mac said. The two siblings hugged it out. Applejack felt much better. The weight was lifted off her shoulders. She knew what she had to do. She had to make things right with Twilight, not matter what.

"Now if you excuse me, I got a friend to save." She spoke, departing the hug from her brother, and she began to gallop from the tree and the farm to go find her friend. She took a glance to her right before she continued to run, but then she stopped in her tracks, looking back at the direction she took a glance at.

On the other side, she saw a treehouse just in the small field of apple trees. She knew what that treehouse was. It was the treehouse she used to play in when she was a filly. She allowed her little sister Apple Bloom and her friends use the treehouse as a place to play in. But she noticed the stairway was broken off completely. Uh oh. That can't be good.

"Uh oh." Applejack said to herself as she made her way towards the treehouse, examining the broken stairway that led up to the fort.

"Apple Bloom?" Applejack asked, looking around to find her sister, or hear her at least. But there was no response. She wasn't up in there. Anybody could hear from the entire town if they were in there. But there were no voices, so it didn't sound like anypony was in there. The farmpony glanced down at the broken stairway. How did it get broken, anyway? But then she noticed something upon it. It was a piece of paper with words on it. She began to read it, wondering what was written on it. As she did, Applejack's eyes widened with shock, and suddenly, a face of fear formed on her face as she screamed.

"APPLE BLOOM!!!!"

Author's Note

So yes, this is it for this chapter. Decided to show what the girls were doing while Sora and co. went to the Everfree Forest.
Originally, Lightning Dust was going to be in the story, but I cut her out, but decided to bring her and the Washouts back in. I know she doesn't appear until Season 3 so I decided to make use of her rivalry with Rainbow Dash and give some backstory for these two.
I also originally wanted to include a Fluttershy song, but I don't know if I can fit one anywhere.

So now you understand Celestia's true motive for having Twilight captured. She has no intention of having her tried and locked up. She has decided should Twilight not forgive her and her friends, she will allow her to leave Equestria. Sure, Celestia may have made some tough decisions, but she is not cold.

...Oh, and for those who want to see the Sun Monarch get a beating, I already have that planned out, but that won't be until much much later in the story.

Now, regarding with the girls. A lot of accusation fics (including ones based on the Canterlot Wedding fiasco) usually has everyone, including their families, show scrutiny against the girls for not taking their friend seriously. But I didn't want to take that route, because I didn't like everyone turning on the Mane Five. I think losing Twilight, the one friend they truly cared about, and being shunned by her was punishment enough. Families should never turn away their children or loved ones if they've done wrong, or something they deeply regret.
Everyone should be given a chance for redemption and forgiveness. In Equestria Girls, Twilight was willing to give Sunset Shimmer a chance, so I'm sure everyone can give the others a chance too.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. By the time you read this, the writing of ACT III is almost complete, though it's gonna take some time to upload the next chapters, because Re:Mind will be coming out really, really soon and you know I'm gonna be spending a lot of hours on that DLC.

Also, you probably noticed at the end of the chapter, a certain filly with the big bow is MIA...
And... who was that girl in the white dress? hmmmm....

Chapter 16: Castle Mania

Chapter 16: Into the Everfree

On the outskirts of Ponyville...

For those who may not be familiar or native to Ponyville, the Everfree Forest is pretty much the wide wooded area that neighbors the town of Ponyville. The forest itself is the home to a variety of creatures and animals. Fluttershy's cottage is actually right near the edge of the forest, as most of the animals she takes care of usually live there. But there are different animals that live in there, and a vast set of different creatures. It possesses the quality that allows plants and animals to thrive without pony intervention, which many ponies believe is unnatural, since the Earth ponies grow crops and food and the Pegasi handle the weather. But Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been to many worlds that have that certain quality, so hopefully it won't be as difficult and dangerous as ponies say... hopefully.

The trio, and Spike were right at the entrance of the Everfree Forest, as they were staring down the pathway into it... though the pathway as brown and there was no bricks or road. Sora has been here before with the girls when they went to the Castle of the Royal Sisters to retrieve the Elements of Harmony. But for some reason, the forest looked a lot different than he remembered it. It looked bigger. Maybe because it's been a long time since he was here, so much has probably changed since then.

"Well... here it is." Sora said. "The Everfree Forest."

"Garsh, it really does look big from here." Goofy said.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Donald said.

"I got the same feeling in my scales." Spike said. Sora looked at the forest. He did feel something, but it wasn't a bad feeling. It was something else. But what? Either way, they had to go in and check it out.

"Well, let's go." Sora said as he made his way towards the forest. Donald, Goofy, and Spike followed too, slowly walking into the forest. As they went down the path, all they could see was lots of trees, plants, vines, trees, plants vines... yeah there was a lot of those. Nothing else.

"I hope we don't run into any wild animals around here." Donald said.

"If we do, I hope it's a manticore." Sora said.

"Why?" Spike asked.

"Because, we ran into a manticore the first time I've been here." Sora said. "This manticore had a thorn inside it's paw and Fluttershy removed it. Turned out he was a friendly pussycat." Spike tilted his head with a bit of surprise.

"Wow." Spike said. "That's not what Twilight always told me. They're usually ferocious beasts."

"Yeah... but sometimes we just need to show a little kindness." Sora said.

"Easy for you to say." Donald said. As they continued down the path, Goofy couldn't help but look around at the trees. And at the same time, he was thinking.

"Ya know, something tells me there is more to this forest that meets the eye." Goofy said.

"What do you mean?" Donald asked.

"Well, the Princesses have a castle somewhere in the forest, right?" Goofy asked. "How come they built a castle here in the forest? There must be a specific reason why they did." The group started to think on that too. That was a really good thought. Why did the Princesses build a castle here in the first place? Was it because there was a battery for the magic here?

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Sora said. "We'll go check out the castle. Maybe we'll find that magical anomaly Ienzo spoke about, and maybe a way to save Twilight."

"Good idea." Goofy said, as they continued on the path. They kept going down the same path that Sora and the girls took to get the Elements of Harmony from the castle during his first visit. They climbed down the broken cliff, snuck by the Manticore, who was sleeping like a kitten, past through the rustling trees, and crossed the river. They just made it to the over side, and continued down the path.

"How long have we've been walking?" Spike asked.

"Dunno." Sora said. "What time is it?" Goofy looked up to see the moon, shining it's light down upon them. He squinted his eyes and lifted his arms and hands up, trying to calculate the positioning.

"It's not in the middle, and it's more to the east, so it's probably nine-o-clock." He said.

"How are you so sure?" Donald asked.

"I've been looking up ways to track time by calculating the position of the moon." Goofy said. Donald, Sora, and of course, Spike, only tilted their heads.

"Um... ok?" Spike said. Suddenly, Sora stopped for a second and felt dizzy. He let out a grunt as he rubbed his eyes, much to the others' notice.

"Sora, are you ok?" Donald asked.

"Uh oh, are you getting a bad flashback?" Goofy asked. No, this wasn't a flashback... it was something else. He felt fine. No adrenaline or anything.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Sora said. "Just felt dizzy for a second..." He lifted his head up, seeing someone far away. Wait... someone? Someone in the forest? He squinted his eyes a bit, looking at the trees just head. There was someone there! And it wasn't a pony. It was a human!

"Huh?" Sora asked. "Who's that?" He Took a couple of steps forward, seeing a strange figure. Oddly enough, the stranger was human, and looking in the opposite direction Sora was. It was difficult to make out, given that he was transparent... But Sora did make out a couple things about the person. It was a boy, with curly, silver hair... and a red scarf?

"Wait... I know that boy." Sora said. "Excuse me?!" Just after a couple short seconds, the mysterious boy with the red scarf turned away and started running, deep into the woods.

"Hold Up!" Sora called out as she took off running.

"Sora, wait!" Donald shouted, as he, Goofy, and Spike ran off to go after him. Sora, who didn't bother hearing them, kept running, chase the red scarfed boy. The boy continued past the trees, swiping away the vines that were in his way, and carefully dodging the branches that spread out from the trees.

Soon, the boy pierced through, coming out of the forest into a much clearer area. He stopped in his tracks, looking left and right for the mysterious boy. But there was no trace of him, whatsoever. Sora only sighed, knowing that he lost him. But as he lifted his head up, his eyes widened with astonishment.

"Sora!" Goofy called out, as he, Donald, and Spike emerged from the trees, finally catching up with the boy.

"You really need to stop running off like that!" Donald said. But he realized that Sora wasn't actually listening. The duck turned his head to what Sora was looking at, and his eyes began to widen up with surprise. Goofy and Spike gasped at what they were witnessing. Just across the bridge was a huge castle... a castle that was abandoned and dilapidated, much of it destroyed.

"Garsh, is that?" Goofy asked.

"The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters." Sora said. Donald had his mouth hung all the way open, though Goofy helped him close it up.

"Whoa..." Spike said. "So that's Princess Celestia and Luna's old castle." Coming out of Sora's hood was Jiminy Cricket, who was amazed by the sight of the castle. His face was showing excitement.

"Well, Golly Gee!" He said. "It's really the Castle of the Royal Sisters!" Sora then gave a nod.

"Let's check it out." Sora said as he made his way towards the bridge, with Donald, Goofy, and Spike following him. The boy approached the bridge, gripping his hand on the rope that kept it up.

"Looks like it's still in good shape." Sora said.

"Guess we'll need to cross to get there." Goofy said, as Donald and Spike took a glance over the cliff, seeing nothing but a misty abyss below. Worry was all over their faces.

"I don't like the looks of that below us." Spike said.

"Me neither." Donald said with a worried quack.

"C'mon guys, we better cross." Sora said.

"No way." Donald said. "I'm not crossing this bridge."

"Yeah, I don't know if I'm gonna be comfortable doing so." Spike said. "Twilight said she almost fell off the bridge."

"But Rainbow Dash saved her." Sora said.

"Yeah, but Rainbow Dash isn't here." Spike said.

"Don't worry, Spike." Goofy said. "You can go first, and I'll be right behind you. We'll take it one step at a time."

"Really?" Spike asked.

"Really." Goofy said. Hearing that brought a bit more courage to Spike, making him form a weak smile.

"Ok." Spike said. "Thanks."

"Just whatever you do, don't look down." Sora said.

"Easy for you to say." Donald said as Spike went in front of the bridge. The baby dragon took a deep breath and began to cross, with Goofy following behind him. Spike did his best to keep calm as he kept going, knowing that Goofy's right behind him. Just as they were halfway, Donald and Sora followed behind. The duck was trying his best not to look down, taking it slowly, much slower than Spike. Luckily, Sora was patient. Good thing they weren't crossing train tracks over the river, with no train right behind. Pretty soon, Spike and Goofy made it to the end without trouble. The baby dragon was a bit relieved.

"We made it." Spike said.

"You guys ok back there?" Goofy asked, seeing that the boy and royal wizard were just halfway.

"Yeah, at least I am." Sora said.

"Don't look down." Donald said to himself repeatedly. "Do not look down." He made another step.

-CRACK-

The wood below Donald's foot cracked and broke off, making the duck gasp and look down, seeing the plank drop down into the misty abyss below them.

"SORA!" Donald shouted. "I'm Looking Down! GAAH!" He began to panic and turn around, making Sora stop in his tracks.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked.

"I can't do this!" Donald shouted. "Let me get off, right now!"

"But you're already halfway!" Sora said.

"Yes, but that half is safe!" Donald said. Sora only rolled his eyes.

"Ok, fine, you go back." Sora said as he moved, making the bridge shift a teeny bit, which only made Donald freak out a bit more.

"Wait, Sora!" Donald said, moving a bit himself, making the bridge tilt a teeny bit slightly, while the boy continued to reason with the duck, which was leading to an argument. Goofy and Spike watched from the other side, with the latter a bit confused.

"Does this usually happen?" Spike asked.

"Sometimes." Goofy said.

"C'mon, Donald!" Sora said as he tried to move past Donald.

"Just let me off!" The duck shouted. Not wanting to take anymore of this arguing, Sora began to lose his cool.

"DONALD!" Sora shouted, stomping his foot on the bridge, making he bridge swerve greatly.

"AHHH!" Donald shouted as he jumped back. "Don't Do That!" Sora noticed that Donald took a step back as he made the bridge swerve. An idea came to his head, making him smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sora said, a little sarcastic. "Do what? This?" He then stomped his foot again, making the bridge swerve once more.

"Yes, That!" Donald said.

"Yes?" Sora asked as the duck nodded his head. "Yes, do it."

"Yes... wait, what?" Donald asked, realizing what Sora was about to do.

"Ok!" Sora said with a smile, and he began to swerve the bridge left and right, making Donald scream and move backwards.

"AHHH, Stop Doing That!" Donald said. "No, You'll Kill Us Both!"

"But you said 'do it', so I'm doing it!" Sora said as he continued to swerve the bridge back and forth, and Donald continued to scream in agony as he moved backwards.

"Oh No!" Donald shouted. "I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! ...Why am I not dying?!"

"Um, Donald." Goofy said.

"What?!" The duck asked, looking straight at Goofy.

"You made it across." Goofy said. Donald then realized that Goofy and Spike were right there behind him. He looked down and saw that he was on solid ground, and no longer on the bridge. He made it across.

"Oooh!" Donald said, realizing what Sora was actually doing. He was swerving the bridge back and forth to get Donald to unknowingly cross the bridge. He looked to see Sora crossing the bridge, and he patted Donald on the head.

"That'll do, Donald." Sora said. "That'll do." He then walked past him and went towards the castle. Donald only rolled his eyes, but a smile was on his face. As he and Goofy followed the boy, Spike took a glance back at the bridge, and then back at them.

"Cool." Spike said as he followed them, as they made their way to the castle doors.

"So what do you think we'll find here?" Goofy asked.

"Hopefully the backup source for the magic, or a way to fix it at least." Sora said.

"I sure hope so." Donald said.

The Doors opened up slightly as Sora pushed on them, allowing him to see the inside of what was left of the Castle of the Royal Sisters. The boy walked right inside, followed by Donald, Goofy, and Spike, all of them taking a look at what was left of the castle. The were most likely in the Main Hall of the castle, where there were other doorways leading to other parts of the castle, three on the left and three on the right. Ahead was a stairway that led to the upper floor. And above the ceiling were two banners dangling, the one on the right dangling was yellow and had a white alicorn with a sun above her, representing Celestia, and the one on the left representing Luna, the blue and dark color with the blue alicorn and the crescent moon above it.

"Whoa... it looks bigger than I remember." Sora said.

"It's huge!" Donald said.

"And sorta gloomy." Goofy said.

"Yeah, just like the Beast's Castle." Sora said. This castle was a bit like the Beast's Castle, the home of a prince who was turned into a monster and could only be turned back by learning how to love, be kind and friendly. The difference is that the Beast's Castle is in perfect shape, but this one is not.

"Incredible!" Jiminy spoke as he hopped out of Sora's hood and onto his shoulder. "We're inside the castle! I can't believe it!

"You sound excited." Sora said.

"Well, of course." Jiminy said. "This place is absolutely perfect! I wonder if there's a library somewhere!"

"Hey, simmer down, Jiminy." Sora said, as the cricket with the top hat quickly calmed himself. He got a little too excited.

"Oh, sorry." He said, scratching his head, while Donald turned his head to one side of the room and gasped.

"Sora, look!" Donald said, pointing straight ahead. The boy, Spike, cricket, and Goofy looked at what Donald was pointing to. They were seeing eight legged insects with large underbellies making their way towards the doorway. They were spiders. Actually, they were Star spiders, they're just ordinary spiders that have brilliant arctic blue eyes, a coat of dark grayish Persian blue, with their legs being a bluish dark grey, and they had an arctic blue star on the back of their underbellies. Spike couldn't help but give a frightened shiver as he saw the spiders.

"Let's follow them." Sora said as he went towards the doorway.

"Follow them?!" Donald and Spike asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Sora asked. "Maybe we'll find something down there." He continued his way down the steps and continued.

"Well, Master Yen Sid always told Mickey to follow the spiders." Goofy said. Donald only gave a defeated groan and followed suit, while Spike gave a scared mumble.

"Why did it have to be spiders?" He asked. "Why couldn't it be butterflies?" Never-less, the baby dragon followed the group down the stairs, while it was a bit dark, they were still able to see the steps. And the little star spiders were able to show a bit of a blue trail. Soon they came across a cracked door, which the spiders went through. Sora opened it up wide, and saw a dark room.

"Are there at least any lights in this place?" Sora asked. Goofy turned his head to his right and pointed forward.

"Two nasty-looking switches over here, though I don't wanna be the first." He said, pointing straight at what appeared to be two switches. Donald approached the switches and flicked the closest one.

-ZAP-

A sudden jolt of electricity zapped Donald, making him yelp and shake as he held on. As he released his hand, he began to jump up and down until he fell flat onto the ground. He lifted his head up and shook the smoke off of him. He then gave a glare at Goofy.

"Damn your eyes!" He shouted, as Goofy looked away and smiled.

"Too late." He said with a shrug. Sora only chuckled, but then made his way back towards the switches. He flicked the other one, and then suddenly, several candle sticks began to ignite, lighting up the room. The room had a few tables and chairs, one table over the side and broken, and there were lots of shelves, with books on them. This must be the Library!

"Wow!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy said in unison.

"Gosh." Spike said. "If Twilight was here than she would go knockers over this."

"What a filthy mess." Donald said.

"I dunno." Goofy said. "We could clean the dust off, paint it up and plant some flowers-" Donald only glared at Goofy, making him be quiet. Sora looked to the right, and saw the star spiders making their way to the window.

"Thanks!" Sora said with a wave, as the spiders looked back and gave a happy wave bag with their legs, just before they crawled out the small window crack.

"I guess even the smallest creatures can land a hand." Goofy said, with Sora giving a nod. The group made their way inside, scanning the room, while Spike noticed the broken statue of an alicorn on the ground.

"This place just keeps getting creepier and creepier by the minute." Spike said.

"That's because it's night out." Donald said.

"Man... I don't think we're ever gonna find any.... any.... any..." Sora said as he stopped in his tracks, looking forward.

"Any what?" Donald asked.

"Thing?" Goofy finished.

"Shh!" Sora whispered, pointing up ahead. "There's a light coming from behind that door." They looked to see another doorway, with the door closed. But there was light shining from the crack underneath. There was a light! Sora, Donald, and Goofy each gave a nod, and slowly crept towards the closed door, while Spike followed behind. Sora slowly moved his hand on the door handle and grabbed it to push in.

-CRACK-

The door handle broke off just as Sora touched, clanging to the ground. The group stared at the broken door handle and then at each other. That was pretty anti-climatic. Sora only shrugged and then he grabbed the door handle slot. With a push, he opened the door quickly, seeing only a small candle lit on a table. Of course, on the table was a couple of figurines. They was a toy red Freightliner FL86 cab over semi-truck with blue wheels, a stuffed toy that looked like a yellow boy with a orange shirt, blue shoes and shorts with the word Kwyjibo written on the head, an action figure of a man with blonde hair, an army shirt and pants with goggles, a strap and a toy gun and helmet, a small chest, and next to it was a red helmet with a yellow mask made out of cardboard. It looked like a little private library, given that there was a shelf that had books and papers on it.

"What's this?" Sora asked.

"Probably a private library." Goofy said.

"Sure doesn't look like it." Donald said. "There are small toys here on the table." The group made their way towards the table, seeing the action figures and trinkets on the table. But Sora was more interested in the chest.

"What's in here?" Sora asked as he opened the chest. What was inside brought surprise to the group. Inside it was some kind of canister. But it wasn't a canister. It was some strange hilt with a ring at the bottom of it, with the lower hilt having four black lines on it. Curious, Sora picked it up, and examined it carefully.

"What's this thing?" Sora asked. He noticed a red button on the side. Aiming the device upwards, he pressed the button, and then out of the blue, a long blue laser blade emerged from the device. The boy's eyes widened with amazing, while Donald, Goofy, and Spike gasped, while Jiminy glanced from Sora's hood. Whatever it was, it was some kind of laser sword!

"Whoa..." Sora said.

"Now what is that?" Jiminy asked.

"Some kind of laser sword." Sora said. He turned away and swung it a bit, accidently slicing through the chair right next to him. The chair fell apart, leaving burnt marks on the places where it was sliced. "Whoops."

"Watch where you're swinging that." Donald said.

"Sorry." Sora said as he pressed the button again, turning it off as the laser blade went back into the hilt. Goofy had his attention on the action figures and trinkets on the table.

"I wonder if Princess Luna used this room as a place to study." Goofy said. "The castle was completed when she was still a little filly, so she must've played with this toys whenever she took a break." Jiminy hopped out of Sora's hood and examined the figures.

"Well, these look more like toys for boys those." Jiminy said, as Spike took a look as well. "I wonder why Luna would want to play with a toy truck."

"I don't think that's just a truck." Spike said as he took it from the table. He noticed that the gizmo that connects the front part of the vehicle to the wheels can pend forwards. Seeing a little button on the back of it, he pressed it, making the trucks sprout a blue head and two arms, showing that it was a robot.

"Autobots, roll out!" The robot spoke.

"Cool, the truck turns into a robot!" Spike said.

"Neat!" Donald said as picked up the stuffed toy of the yellow boy. "I wonder who this is." As he, Goofy, Spike, and Jiminy were intrigued by the trinkets and toys, Sora placed the laser sword hilt back into the chest.

"I wonder why these were in here." Sora said.

"...Help....!"

The voice got Sora's attention. He peeped his head out of the room, looking around. But no one, nor no pony was here.

"...Help....!"

The voice called out again, and Sora turned to another doorway that lead upwards. Curious, he moved out of the room and headed that way, leaving Donald, Goofy, Spike, and Jiminy behind, as all four of them were still examining the toys.

"This army fellow looks pretty cool." Goofy said. Kinda reminds me of the toys I used to play during my boyhood. He then turned his head, and noticed that Sora wasn't in here.

"Hey, where did Sora go?" He asked, as Donald, Spike, and of course Jiminy looked around.

"He was just here a minute ago." Spike said.

"Sora?!" Donald called out, peeping his head back into the library. "Sora, where did you go?!"

Sora continued making his way up the stairs to follow the voice he was hearing. The voice was echoing, and it was faint, but it did sound familiar. As he made it up the steps, he found himself back in the Main Hall of the castle. Turning his head, he saw that the sound was coming from the second floor. He went up the stairs to the next level and continued to follow the voice down the other side of the hall. If anyone wondered here alone, it would be a bit creepy, since this castle was indeed abandon. Could it be possible that there were ghosts? No, it can't be ghosts. Other wise they would've made themselves known.

"I hope this place isn't haunted." Sora said.

He soon came across another room, seeing that it was an old bedroom. There were two beds next to each other's. One had the sun's sigil upon it, and the other had the crescent moon. This must be the Princesses' bed chambers. They probably shared a bedroom before Luna was banished. But that's not what Sora was looking at. He saw something on the far right of the room. It was a chest, and it looked a bit less dusty than the beds were. He went before it and knelt down. He examined it carefully. This must be either Celestia's or Luna's. Should he look inside it? Probably not. But there was something in here. Something that was calling out to him. He just had to know.

He moved his hand over the latches, and unlatched the chest, unsealing. He closed his eyes, preparing for anything that could either come out or zap him. He opened it.

Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes up to take a peek, but that peek turned to a pair of wide eyes. He then opened the chest more, and saw what was inside it. There was only one thing inside it. It was a sword. But not just any kind of sword. The sword had a guard and handle, with teeth at the end of the blade... It was a keyblade!

A keyblade?! Here in Equestria? Well, this keyblade was much different than his own, and it was very dusty. The handle and neck was black, with the handle sporting two small protrusions, which bore beige spikes. The guard is comprised of two chartreuse spikes that faded into cyan, resembling knives with a diamond in the center. The blade itself has V-shaped designs in the middle. The tip had a beige design at the very top with a blue diamond in the center, which was also present in the teeth, which were of wide spikes, necessitating wide black designs. Interestingly, the keychain looked just like Roxas's zipper, but it had the guard's color scheme. Sora stared at it for a few seconds.

"A... Keyblade?" Sora asked. How did a keyblade end up in here? He leaned forward a bit to pick up the keyblade, which could be dubbed as the Missing Ache. As he grabbed the handle...

Suddenly, a flash came across his vision, suddenly blasting him backwards. The room around him became very dark. As he got back up to his feet, the area around him started to light up, showing a strange room, and above him, massive gears were rotating above the ceiling, and around him. This room, that had a shelf of books and a large table, began to shake around him, as he began to hear voices echoing in his ear.

"And that makes you the indisposable number seven." Sora turned his head and saw two people in the room. One was sitting on the table, reading a strange book, and the other was standing, facing him while giving him a nod. To Sora's surprise, they were wearing the black coats, the ones that Organization XIII have worn.

"Uh-huh." The one standing spoke.

"It's simple." The one sitting down said. "You six plus me equal seven." He then gave a surprised gasp and turned his head head, looking at the one standing. Sora noticed something about the man sitting down. He noticed a glowing crystal blue eye within his shrouded face. That's the same eye that the man he saw speaking to Celestia while he was back in Starswirl's Library!

"Wait, don't tell me that I don't count." He asked.

"Uh... No... um... I didn't say-" The other one, the younger one said surprised, but the one sitting down, the Old Master, gave a chuckle.

"I'm just kidding with you." He said as he closed the book up and rose from his seat. He then approached the younger one, and summoned forth a keyblade, the keyblade that had the goat design and the blue glowing eyes at the top of it. It was the Keyblade the Master Xehanort wielded! He then offered it to him.

"Here, take it." The Master spoke. The other boy, confused, gave a nod and accepted it, as Sora watched.

"Huh?" Sora asked. Then all of a sudden, the room began to break apart around Sora, as the gears above him began to shatter and fall towards him. With a yelp, he began to run away, as the room around him began to crumble up. He made a jump forward and landed in a field of grass, where a couple of dandelions laid awake. Lifting his head up, a huge sight had caught his eye. Across the hill was a small town, and behind it was a huge clock tower standing tall. His eyes widened. He had seen that clock tower before... but where?

"That... that tower." Sora said.

"Is there really no other way?" Another voice spoke. Turning right, he saw the hooded man once more, his eyes watching the tower. Behind him was a young man, who's face was also shrouded, but not by a hood, but a mask, which was the face of a white unicorn that had a gold trim, with a blue mane. His white hooded cloak covers a robe, shirt, and sash that are all light blue in coloration and have gold embroidering. Gold tassels appear on the front o the man's cloak.

"What about all of those who are here now?" The man, Ira said. "And the ones who will be here when the darkness finally comes? Are we to just abandon them?"

"C'mon." The mysterious man spoke as he just turned around and walked away. "You really think the world can be saved by just severn people?"

"We have to at least try!" Ira spoke, as Sora only watched. However, a cold chill blew against his back. Sora turned just as the scene began to fade, with the area transforming just as someone leaped in to strike him. Sora jumped back, but fell down, just dodging what looked like a keyblade! As the boy dropped on his back. He looked up to see who tried to strike him. Standing before him was a tall, muscular man, his face hidded by a dark grey bear mask. He too wore a hooded cloak, but it was a tan color, with a robe, shirt, and sash underneath that had light brown coloring with black embroidering. There were also gold tassels that appeared in the front of his cloak.

In his hand was a bulky keyblade, with a gray handle and a dark blue jagged guard. The base had the image of a brown bear with red eyes. The shaft was brown with a wide black area in the middle. The blade itself was brown with the edges a lighter color, with the end curving back towards the base. And the teeth was in the shape of a C.

Before Sora could figure out who this was, the man raised his keyblade and swung down.

Sora closed his eyes, but then he heard a loud clash. As he opened his eyes, he saw another individual, wearing similar clothes. But this one was a woman, with a light blue cloak, underneath were a robe, shirt, and sash colored in a darker shade of blue. Turquoise tassels were in front of her cloak, and her mask was of a blue snake.

She too wielded a keyblade like the man in front of her. The keyblade had a lighter handle, with it's opened guard resembled a bough adorned with silver leaves. The base of the keyblade depicted a silver cobra with blue eyes. The weapon's shaft was cris-like, with a black fuller, decorated with a floral design. The teeth were just like the guard, which housed a symbole that looked like the token on Terra, Ventus and Aqua had on their own clothing.

"Why do you get in my way?!" The man, Aced asked, pushing the girl away, while flinging the keyblade out of her hands.

"Don't be so conceited!" The woman, Invi responded. "I'm protecting the balance just like the Master told us to! You need to come to your senses!" Sora glanced at the woman, and then glanced back at the other, who gritted his teeth.

"If we don't do something, light will expire!" Aced spoke, making his way towards Invi. "Then we won't be able to avoid the grim future that awaits. We need to defy the Master's teachings to protect the world!"

"You're saying that he was wrong?" Invi asked. Sora turned his head, trying to figure out what he was seeing. Was this a nightmare? A vision? But something caught his attention. It was actually someone, watching from behind the building wall. It was a boy around his height. He too wore the cloak and robes like the other two, but the cloak was pale yellow, and the robe and other accessories were a yellowish-tan with dark grey embroidering. While his tassels were light blue, the mask that hid his face was of a white leopard.

In his hand, was also a keyblade, with a dark blue handle, with a guard resembling golden lightning bolts. In the base was a depiction of a green-eyed leopard, with the shaft comprised of a golden spiked blade. Bearing the same symbol the other keyblades had, it's teeth formed a web of crystalline spikes.

"There's another one?" Sora asked. How many more of these hooded cloaked guys are out here?

"He's not here anymore!" Aced spoke. "I won't let his prophecy come true, nor will I let this world fall into darkness!" He then swung his keyblade, creating a cross slash, which formed an X, and it charged towards Invi.

"You fool!" She shouted, jumping into the air, and her keyblade returning to her hand. She then summoned multiple water blades, ready to counter attack. Sora looked back at the boy who was watching, who only looked away, looking at what appears to be a piece of paper.

"So, we may now know who the traitor really is." He said to himself. He then glanced forward and looked like he spotted someone.

"Ava, over here!" He called out. Sora then felt the area around him crumbling, with the stone pavements breaking up, causing him to fall down screaming into a deep dark hole. Suddenly, he stopped falling, landing straight on his feet. Lifting his head up, he saw around him, dozens of people, some male, some female, but they all wore various set of battle gear.

"Wh... what?" Sora asked. "Now what?"

"This session may seem like it's familiar to you, but in a world that is different, one made of dreams." The voice of a young girl got his attention. Looking forward, he saw a young girl, also wearing a cloak similar to the others he had seen, but it was a pink color, decorated with light green tassels, covering a white robe with a light purple shirt and sash. She too wore a mask, but it was of a white fox with a blue trim, and cute metal fox ears were on top of her hood.

"You are our hope." She continued. "A war will soon wage. Those who strive to protect the light will turn their weapons on their allies for the sake of loyalty to their own Unions. To be honest, I don't know how far I can guide all of you. What you mustrememberis that anyone can lose themselves to the darkness. However, there will be no winners; everything will be lost. Except, all of you who are the seeds of hope. When the time comes, and there is war, you mustn't fight, but instead you must fly away from here to the world outside. This training is to help you fulfill this crucial task. The future is in all your hands, as is the world's light. May your hearts be your guiding key." As she finished speaking, Sora's eyes widened as he heard those last words. May your hearts be your guiding key. The same words that Master Yen Sid had told them.

"May our hearts-" Sora spoke, only to feel the area around him break away, transforming into what appeared to be a desert wasteland. Looking around himself, he saw many people fighting, all of them with keyblades in hands. One struck one down, while the other stabbed another, many of them falling around him.

"Wha..." Sora spoke.

"Sora?" A new voice spoke, making him turn his head. To his surprise, he saw Ventus, fighting what appears to be a strange dark figure, covered in a black smoke. Sora than noticed that he was wielding a different keyblade, which was the same one he just found.

"GAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Ventus screamed as the darkness covered all over him, and Sora only broke below the ground again, making him fall and hit hard. He quickly got himself up, and saw that he was back in the mane hall of the castle, though it was really dark.

"Huh?" Sora asked. What was going on?

"My... you seem to be special, are you?" Sora froze hearing that voice. He knew that voice, one he thought he would never hear again. He turned around, and saw an elderly man, dark skinned, bald, with a silver goatee on his chin, holding the black keyblade in his hand.

"Master Xehanort!" Sora shouted. He then looked down, and saw Ventus on the floor, who was weakly looking up at the old keyblade master.

"Come with me, boy." Master Xehanort spoke. "And I shall teach you everything." Ventus lifted his hand up to grab his, scared and confused, while Sora tried to figure out what was happening. Was this a dream? Was this a vision? Or was it another panic attack?

"Wha… what's..." Sora said, but before he could finish, he found himself tumbling back and fall on the ground.

"These are your first steps..."

The boy laid there for a few seconds before getting himself up. What did he just see? Those people in the strange cloaks talking to that hooded Master. Were those keyblade masters from long ago? And what he just saw now, Ventus during that time, and Master Xehanort finding him here. So this means this must be where Master Xehanort found Ventus, with hopes to use him for his agenda. But... how did Ventus get here? And... where did he come from? When did he come from? The boy only glanced down at the keyblade he was holding.

"Was this Ven's keyblade?" Sora asked. The boy only continued to think what he was witnessing... Not only that, he saw himself, in that black coat with Master Xehanort's keyblade. Was all this a panic attack again? Suddenly, he felt dizzy again, making him squeeze between his eyes.

"Help!" A voice echoed in the room, getting his attention. Sora turned to see a lavender unicorn running into the room. To Sora's surprise, it was Twilight, or at least a vision from the look of her transparent body.

"Twilight?" Sora asked, seeing her gallop up the stairs. The boy followed her up, doing his best to catch up with her. As he made it to the top, opening the doors, he saw a room he was very familiar. With the large platform in the middle, he saw that he was in the room where he and Twilight fought against Nightmare Moon, and she and her friends used the Elements of Harmony to purge the darkness inside her.

"Now this is familiar..." Sora said to himself. He then heard soft quiet sobbing. He turned towards the center of the room, seeing a transparent form of Twilight, crying softly. The boy slowly approached her.

"Twilight?" Sora asked. The pony just ignored him, though this was probably a glimpse of the past. The lavender unicorn lifted her head up, shedding tears.

Things change in an instant at most...

So strange that my dreams are all ghosts...

But you can't change the past!

...and good times never last.

I tried to be good but then I went astray!

I just want to see them again...

How could I have let them down and let things turn out this way

I just want to hear them say...

She only lowered her head down, and continued to cry, not caring who would hear or see her.

"You seem to be in a bad mood..." a familiar said, making Twilight turn her head to see Discord, out of his stone prison. She gasped. How did he get out?!

"Discord!" Twilight shouted, forming a battle stance. But she stopped herself. Why was she bothering trying to fight him. She only shook her head.

"Just forget it." Twilight said as she turned away.

"Awww, what's the matter Twilight?" Discord asked with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you just delighted to see me?"

"I don't want to see anyone." Twilight said.

"Are you sure?" Discord asked. "Because I was wondering if you're going to the dark side and stuff, maybe I could join you?"

"Go away!" Twiligh shouted angrily as she shot a beam at the draconuquus. He only sighed, seeing that she didn't want to talk right now.

"Ok, I'll just leave you be." Discord said as she slithered out the window. "I'll be outside if you need me." As he disappeared, Twilight only looked away and continued to cry. Just seeing him reminded her how she and the girls defeated him. Just remembering how he turned them against her, just like they turned against her during the wedding rehearsal.

"Stupid Discord... Stupid girls... Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!" Twilight spoke as she just went on sobbing.

"You don't need them..." A whisper spoke out, getting her attention. She lifted her head up, wondering where that voice came from.

"Who's there?" She asked. Sora looked around, seeing that he heard the voice too. Where was it coming from?

"Right here, little pony..." The voice whispered again, as Twilight took a glance down at the ground, seeing that her tears formed a small puddle before her. But inside it was a pair of glowing blue cyan eyes, looking at her with a merciful stare.

"Wh... Who are you?" She asked.

"No need to fear, my little pony." The eyes spoke. "You can call me your friend."

"F...Friend?" Twilight asked, but she only shook her head, turning away from the puddle. "I don't want anymore friends."

"And why is that?" The voice asked.

"Because, they all abandoned me in my time of need." Twilight said. "They never truly loved me."

"True... very true." The voice said, as a blue mist evaporated from the amulet around her neck and appeared before her, showing that this mist was what was talking to her. "Well to be honest, you're better off without friends like them." Twilight's ears perked up. She had said those words before to Pinkie Pie.

"Funny... I told Pinkie Pie the same thing." Twilight said. "But... but I don't know what to do? I was hoping this necklace would relieve me of my pain, but I still feel it. What will it take to erase the pain from my heart?" Sora then noticed in this vision, that amulet Twilight was wearing. He saw her wearing that when he encountered her in Canterlot. Where did she get that?

"It's simple..." The mist said. "Destroy everything." Twilight looked up at the misty face.

"Destroy... everything?" Twilight asked.

"Yes..." The mist said. "Destroy everything. Destroy everypony that hurt you and make them lose everything they hold dear."

"Make... make them suffer?" Twilight asked.

"You heard what the draconequus said." The mist continued, showing that she was speaking from the amulet Twilight was wearing. "Your friends don't truly love you. They just use you for their own needs. So why not make them suffer. Why not destroy everything they love? Then they'll understand what true pain is all about..." The lavender unicorn began to think it over. Destroy everything and everypony? Make them lose everything? Yes... Yes, she thought. That would make the pain go away. Nothing matters anymore, so why not destroy everything? But how, though?

"What do you want me to do?" Twilight asked.

"This..." The mist said, conjuring up a piece of paper and let it drop into Twilight's hooves. She glanced down, and saw a picture of a black misty alicorn-like demon. Twilight's eyes widened.

"What's this?" Twilight asked.

"The Pony of Shadows." The mist said. "A beast with so much dark power, it will ravage the entire land and reduce every thing to nothing. If you release it into the world, it will help you destroy every pony who stands in your way." Reading the contents on the paper, Twilight began to seep in all the information she could into her mind.

"Yes... Yes!" Twilight said, a wicked smile formed on her face. "This is how I will destroy them... The Pony of Shadows will allow me to destroy them all, to destroy all of them!"

"Yes, little one." The misty spoke as she surrounded Twilight, allowing a dark mist to evaporate from her body. The sight of it made Sora gasp. That mist was darkness!

"No..." Sora said.

"And together, we shall rid this world of it's selfish foal-ish ponies, and ruin the ones who have betrayed you all." The mist spoke. as Twilight's eyes began to show a glowing glow as well.

"Yes!" Twilight said. "All those backstabbers and Celestia will know what it's like to lose everything! If this is the only way, then I'll never let my anger go. Let my heart blacken and harden, no matter the cost! No longer will I serve the light! instead, I will walk the path of darkness!" Pretty soon, Twilight began to chuckle, which slowly transitioned into an evil, hysterical laugh. As she blinked, her eyes were replaced with cyan colored sclera, and her eyes were glowing purple. Watching this, Sora couldn't believe that he was even seeing. He was seeing Twilight, being drawn into the darkness. No... No, he thought. He couldn't bare any more of this.

"TWILIGHT!" Sora called out, attempting to pull her out, only for a thundering flash to make the whole scene disappear. He only stood there, and tried to process what he just saw. He saw Twilight alone, and in pain. And Discord and that wicked voice calling out to her. Whatever that voice was, that misty figure, seemed to have took advantage of the situation and convince her to betray everyone she loved. That amulet, the one that was around her neck, where the sinister voice came from, Is that why Twilight turned to the darkness?

"That voice..." Sora said to himself, unable to take in what he just saw. "That mist that came out of that amulet. Was that... Nightmare Moon?" At this moment, Sora was now realized. This was harder than he originally thought.

"Well, what do you know?" a voice said, one that sent a chill down Sora's spine. "You've lost before you even arrived." Sora turned his head, and saw a familiar young man with silver hair, a black coat, and yellow glowing eyes.

"Xehanort!" Sora said, gripping the keyblade he found eariler in his hand. But then he quickly realized... This wasn't really Xehanort. This was just an illusion, a fabrication conjured up by his own self-doubt.

"Oh no." Sora said. "I've been through this before. You're just in my head." Young Xehanort only smiled with a chuckle.

"Yes, you're finally understanding." He said. "I'm just a spectre conjured up by your fears and doubts." Sora only growled.

"Was all this you?" Sora asked. "Were you the one behind the things I've been seeing?"

"That?" Young Xehanort asked. "No. What you saw was the ancient past, which was something that you were never suppose to see. In fact, you were never suppose to be here in the first place. If you're still here, than you must be more special than we originally thought."

"Stop it!" Sora said. "Stop this nonsense! Just... what do you want?"

"What do I want?" Young Xehanort asked. "Nothing. I already told you, I'm just an illusion. But from what you have seen, it appears that you have no chance of saving your dear pony friend."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked. "That strange mist! What was that?"

"That was something... or someone that you and your dear pony friend have faced the first time you came into this castle." Young Xehanort said, in which Sora realized who he was talking about.

"Nightmare Moon!" Sora said.

"Yes." Young Xehanort said. "I already told you. The Elements of Harmony are only used to heal those inflicted by darkness, to keep the magic and the universe in balance. They're not for destroying the darkness. You may have saved Princess Luna from the Nightmare's influence, but it was only weakened until now. And your friend has become it's new host. And soon, she will be lost to the darkness, as Nightmare Moon will rise and destroy all of Equestria."

"You're wrong!" Sora said. "Twilight is strong!"

"Perhaps, but what about you?" Young Xehanort asked.

"Huh?" Sora asked tilting his head.

"Are you strong enough to face her?" Young Xehanort asked. "Are you willing to sacrifice anything to save this world? It means there's only one other option to stop her. And that... is to kill her." The boy's eyes widened as heard that last word.

"What?!" Sora asked. "No, I won't do that to her!"

"She has stooped too low now." Young Xehanort said. "And those who sink too low into darkness can't be saved."

"That's not true!" Sora said. "I was able to save Aqua when she was too low, and I was able to save Terra too!"

"Not on your own." Young Xehanort said. "You had help those times, and no one can help you save Twilight, not even those gold digging foals."

"Don't say that!" Sora shouted. "They're not gold-diggers!"

"Then where are they?" Young Xehanort asked. "Why are they not here? Oh that's right, they gave up and abandoned you too. Just like Twilight had abandoned you, like how Riku abandoned you when you pushed him away, making him think that you replaced him with new companions."

"Don't you dare bring Riku into this!" Sora shouted, his eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"You've lost boy." Young Xehanort said. "The only thing you have left is the painful memories of letting everyone down."

"Shut Up!" Sora shouted. "Just shut up!"

"You've failed boy." Young Xehanort said. "You're just a failing, useless, coward..."

"SORA!"

Sora's eyes widened as he heard those voices. Donald! Goofy! He turned his head, hearing their voices calling out to him.

"Sora, where are ya?!" Goofy's voice called.

"Sora, where'd you go?!" Donald asked. The boy just stood there, and his eyes widened up. He remembered what Donald and Goofy always told him.

Always smile!

A smile began to form on his face, and a sparkle shined in his eyes as a tear was shed from it. But it wasn't a tear of sorrow... it was a tear of joy.

"It's over, Sora." Young Xehanort said. "Your time in this world is-"

"No!" Sora spoke, making the silver-haired man raise an eyebrow.

"Wh... what?" Young Xehanort asked.

"You're wrong." Sora said, turning back to Xehanort. "I didn't fail yet. My friends aren't giving up on me, so I'm not giving up on them!" He made a step forward... and then...

-FLASH-

A sudden rainbow colored wave splashed out of the nowhere, knocking Young Xehanort across the floor. As he hit the ground, Xehanort let out a shout of sudden pain. That sudden blast did some damage. He turned back to see the boy, who was just as surprised as he was. Sora looked down into his pocket, and saw a tiara with a six pointed star on top of it. It was the Element of Magic! He just remembered it was in his pocket the whole time! Spike gave it to him for safe keeping! The tiara floated upwards above the boy. He then noticed his backpack was glowing too. Suddenly, five broken necklaces began to pop out of the bag. It was the other elements! They were glowing, as a magical aura from the Element of Magic began to sprinkle upon the necklaces! The necklaces were then surprisingly fixed, and the broken gems upon them were restored as well, as if Twilight never destroyed them!

"Wh...WHAT?!" Young Xehanort asked, his face showing fear, while Sora, watched with amazement! The Elements are fixed?

"The Elements..." Sora said. He then remembered. The spark! The same spark that Twilight felt when her friends arrived to help her. It was that same spark he was feeling! The Spark of Friendship!

"The spark..." He said. "This is the spark that Twilight had felt! The Spark of Friendship!"

"Sora..." A familiar voice said. Looking forward, he saw a transparent light, taking the shape and form of Riku!

"Riku?" Sora asked surprised.

"Don't worry, Sora." Riku replied. "We're here." Then suddenly, two more appeared to Sora's right. It was Donald and Goofy.

"We'll always be here, buddy." Goofy said.

"Even in the end." Donald said. Then, next to Riku, another light appeared, showing it was King Mickey.

"We'll face it together!" Mickey said with a nod. Then more lights appeared, revealing to be Roxas, Namine, Xion, Axel, Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid!

"Guys..." Sora said. Then the boy glanced forward, seeing one more light, a girl with dark red hair and blue eyes, one beautiful person that he held close to his heart. It was Kairi.

"Kairi!" Sora said. She looked at him with a smile.

"I believe in you." She said. Hearing that made the boy smile. Whatever was happening, he was feeling much more solace. At that moment, he finally realized, and remembered something important. No matter where he goes, even if they're not here, his friends will always be with them.

As the boy began to feel more hope, Young Xehanort lifted himself up to his feet, showing fear for the first time.

"Impossible!" He shouted. "How is this even possible?!"

"Because, Xehanort." Sora said. "The spark that ignites the elements is the same spark I feel right now. The spark from the Light of Friendship, a light that is stronger than the darkness! Together, we're unstoppable!" He then raised his hand in the air, and the spirits of his friends transformed into small but powerful lights. They flew toward Xehanort, and they sliced right through him, each light dealing a great deal of pain and damage to the silver-haired man. As the last light struck him, he felt to his knees, with his entire body suddenly beginning to slowly reduce to black particles. The boy approached him, summoning his broken keyblade, while gripping the Missing Ache Keyblade in his other hand.

"You... You think you've won?" Young Xehanort asked, though there was fear coming from his voice. "You may... have... eluded me... but I will never leave you!"

"Then I'll be waiting then." Sora said. "Right now, my friend needs me. So until then..." He then rushed forward.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" The boy shouted as he ran up, as Xehanort watched in horror. Sora then swung, not knowing that the broken keyblade formed a large rainbow-colored blade around it, allowing Sora to slash through Xehanort with both keyblades, making the older man choke in pain. Suddenly, Young Xehanort began to fade away, leaving only Sora in the room.

"An ancient darkness threatens this world. You must stop him, o Chosen One."

"Huh?" Sora asked, turning his head. That voice he just heard. Someone was talking to him. But no one was in the room. And that wasn't Xehanort's voice, no. It was a much different voice. But no one was here. Just him, and the elements that slowly descended to the ground, and ceased glowing. The boy approached them and picked up the tiara. He examined it, and the other necklaces on the ground, fully restored.

"Wow..." Sora said, with a smile on his face. "I guess the spark can happen in anybody."

"You really are special, after all." The voice that sounded cute, made Sora lift his head. He turned around, hearing that voice. He knew that voice!

"Is that?" Sora asked. Suddenly, he glanced up and saw a small little spark of light appear in the room, making adorable cat meow songs, and dropped before Sora. The light flashed, and a little creature took it's place. Someone small and cute.

Standing there was a small little anthropomorphic creature, almost resembling a grey cat accented with black stripes. It had a large spherical head with small ears, narrow blue eyes, and a cute white snout. The creature's limbs were quite stubby, lacking distinct digits, as is it's tail. It's attire consisted of a gold and blue cape that concealed a familiar sigil on it's back, and it wore a small pink purse around it's neck that bore a star symbol. Sora's eyes widened, recognizing the creature.

"Chirithy?" He said.

"We meet again." The creature, Chirithy said. "It is good to see you again." Sora gave a smile seeing him. He had seen Chirithy before, just after the blundered attempt of the Final Battle, where Sora was cast into the Final World due to Kairi. He met this little guy who helped him restore his physical form.

"Hey, how have you been?" Sora asked. "How did you get here?"

"Same way you did." Chirithy said. "I just followed the connection of our hearts to you." The boy approached the cute little creature, while knowing his name, didn't know he was actually a Dream Eater.

"But... what are you doing here?" Sora asked.

"My friend asked me to see if you're doing ok." Chirithy said. "It's taking a while, but he's on his way here. He's also bringing help with him."

"Really?" Sora asked, surprised that there are people out there on their way to help him. "Wow, thanks." The boy then noticed that Chirithy had said that he was really special. What did that mean?

"Say... what did you mean by special?" Sora asked.

"You remember what I told you before, back in the Final World, when you went to save the one so dear to you?" Chirithy asked. "When you used the Power of Waking to save her, you would lose your power and vanish from existance. But you somehow managed to get out, without even losing your power." Sora knew what he was talking about. In the aftermath of the final battle against Xehanort, Sora went back to Chirithy for advice to find a way to bring back Kairi. He ended up using the Power of Waking to follow the connections of his friends to see truths and solve unanswered questions, and he was able to save Kairi. But... he didn't disappear.

"I didn't vanish?" Sora asked. "Well, how did that happen? Is it because everyone refused to let me go?"

"Well, I can't really explain how that works." Chirithy said. "Though I'm certain that you would be able to return, since a lot of people you've met would do whatever it takes to bring you back. But in this case, you came back sooner than expected. That's because they allowed you to return back home. And if they allowed you to return, then you must be more important than everyone realizes."

"They?" Sora asked. "Who's they?"

"Those Who Came Before." Chirithy said.

"Those Who Came Before?" Sora asked. He started to think. Who were Those Who Came Before? Well, whoever they were, they helped Sora and brought him back.

"Huh..." He said, forming a smile. "I never knew that I was so important."

"You have no idea." Chirithy said.

"Well whoever they are, I guess I owe them a big thanks." Sora said. "Who are they exactly?"

"I can't actually tell you." Chirithy said. "But I think that you'll meet them soon enough." Sora tilted his head, but he quickly understood. He will probably meet them eventually.

"Ok." Sora said. Then a thought came to his head. Since Chirithy has a way of knowing things, he can ask him how he could fix the magic and save Twilight. "Oh, Chirithy, I need to ask you something."

"Hmm?" Chirithy asked leaning in, ready to hear what the boy had to ask.

"Ok, first off, the magic isn't working right because of what's going on in this world." Sora said. "We believe that it might have something to do with a power source that's happening in the Everfree Forest. Do you have idea of what it could be?"

"Hmmm..." Chirithy said. "Well, there's not much I know about this world, but I do know that there is something out here in the forest that keeps the magic stable, something that once harbored the Elements of Harmony."

"The Elements?" Sora asked. "So wait, the Elements of Harmony came from somewhere in the forest?"

"Yep." Chirithy said. "The Everfree Forest was the original home to the Element of Harmony, but the Princesses took them from the Sacred Tree in order to stop the Deity of Chaos."

"Sacred Tree?" Sora asked. At that moment, Chirithy hesitated and covered his mouth, looking around to see if anyone was around, much to Sora's surprise. "Chirithy?"

"Whoops, I'm not actually suppose to say too much about it." Chirithy said. "That's all that I can say."

"Awww, are you sure Chirithy?" Sora asked. "I won't tell anyone about it."

"Sorry, but you'll see what it is if you keep looking into the forest." Chirithy said. "Right now it's being weakened by a dangerous dark force. Just follow the Elements, and the trail of seeds, as they will lead you right to it." Sora only sighed, but nodded his head understandingly. Whatever this Sacred Tree was, Sora was probably gonna have to find it himself.

"Ok." Sora said. "Now, second question. The bearer of the Element of Magic is down a very dark path, and I need to find a way to save her."

"Down a dark road?" Chirithy said. "Oh boy, another student has turned against the Princess of the Sun. I'm surprised this one resorted to turning to darkness." Sora tilted his head again. Another student?

"Wait, there was another student before Twilight?" Sora asked.

"Yes." Chirithy said. "The Shimmering Sunset didn't care about making friends. She only wanted to be the best, and desired power. She refused to learn the important things, so the Sun Princess banished her daughter away, only to be struck down by the Sunset, who disappeared to another world." Sora's eyes widened just as Chirithy said daughter. Princess Celestia's daughter.

"Daughter?" Sora asked. "Princess Celestia had a daughter?" At that moment Chirithy gasped.

"Oh shoot, I wasn't suppose to say that either!" He said, showing a frantic state. He began to shake his head and cursing at himself.

"Whoa, just calm down buddy." Sora said as he held the guy and petted him on the head. "It's alright. Nobody else is in here."

"Sorry." Chirithy said. "It's just been a long time since I've had a conversation with anybody else. Usually I just speak with-"

"SORA!" a voice called from the stairway, getting both their attention.

"Sora! You think he's down here?"

"Let's go check!" They were Donald, Goofy, and Spike's voices, and it sounded like they were just beginning to head up the stairs.

"It's the others." Sora said. "My friends."

"I better get back to my friend then." Chirithy said. "Don't want to keep him waiting." With that said, Chirithy transformed into a glowing spark and flew up to the ceiling, disappearing in a flash.

"Wait!" Sora called out, but the Dream Eater was already gone. He just lowered his head with defeat. "I didn't even get a chance to ask how to save Twilight."

"To save one lost in darkness, you must learn how it all came to be..." The boy turned his head, hearing another voice. But it wasn't Chirithy's voice. It was the voice of a woman. But who?

"Who said that?" He asked. He then glanced forward and saw something... or someone to be precise. He didn't see her face, but the source of the voice was a mysterious woman, colored in white.

"Who... who are you?" Sora asked.

"Merely a servant of the worlds, but that is not of any importance." The phantom said. "Do you wish to save the bearer of the Element of Magic?" Sora didn't know who this spirit was, but maybe she may know something that he doesn't.

"Well, yes." Sora said. "Tell me what to do."

"If you wish to save your friend, you must learn from what she had experienced." The phantom said. "To see what she experienced, you must trace the connection between the two of you and those close to her. Through her, you'll see the events that happened not only from her perspective, but from the perspectives of her loved ones."

"Trace the connecton…" Sora said. He let out a short gasp. Trace the connection. Wait a second, he did this before months ago. To save Twilight, he must use the one thing that he used to save Kairi.

"The Power of Waking?" Sora asked. "But... I thought I lost-"

"The Power of Waking isn't truly lost forever." The phantom said. "It remains dormant until you truly need it once more."

"But... what if." Sora said began, but the phantom raised her hand, preventing the boy from speaking, but showing assurance.

"The Power will allow you to see without being seen by others." She said. "Now go forth, and may your heart be your guiding key." She then disappeared, leaving Sora all by himself. He then started thinking. To find a way to save Twilight, he would have to use the Power of Waking to do so, to go back in time and see through her perspective. He lowered his head, alone for a few short seconds. He gave a sigh and clenched his hand. He knew what he had to do.

"Sora!" Donald called out, getting his attention. He turned and saw Donald, Goofy, and Spike coming into the room and rush up to him.

"Guys." Sora said.

"Are you ok?" The duck asked.

"Yeah..." Sora said, but he continued to look around, and then back at the group. "Wait, where were you guys?"

"Well, you kinda went off ahead, and we spent the whole time looking for you." Goofy said. Donald then noticed the Missing Ache Keyblade in the boy's hand.

"Hey, is that a keyblade?!" He asked in surprise.

"Huh? Oh." Sora said, noticing the different keyblade in his hand. "Yeah, it is."

"Where did ya find that?" Goofy asked.

"It was in the bedchambers, inside a chest." Sora said.

"It looks so old." Donald said, noticing that it was still a bit dusty.

"Yeah, but it's in good condition." Sora said. "I think whoever came here must've placed it in there." The royal wizard than glanced at the boy, noticing there was some tear stains visible on the right side of Sora's face.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Donald asked, pointing at Sora's face. The boy then noticed that his cheeks felt a bit wet. He rubbed his eyes, wiping the tears stains away.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Sora said.

"Did you have another panic attack?" Goofy asked.

"I... don't know how to describe it." Sora said. "I... I saw a lot of things, and I saw... him."

"Saw who?" Spike asked.

"Xehanort." Sora said.

"Master Xehanort?!" Donald and Goofy asked in surprise.

"Yeah... well, his younger self to be exact." Sora said. "He was trying to torment me... but then I heard you guys calling out to me. And then... I felt the spark."

"The Spark?" Donald and Goofy asked.

"Yeah, the spark of our friendship." Sora said. "I saw Riku, you guys, and the others, and you helped me remembered something really important."

"And what's that?" Goofy asked, as the boy gave a smile.

"Always smile." Sora said. Hearing that made Donald and Goofy grin. They gave the boy a big hug, as he did the same.

"So, you feel better?" Donald asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "But I don't think it'll be the last time I see him though."

"Well, if he comes back, we'll be there to help you out." Goofy said.

"Yeah, we beaten him before, and we'll do it again!" Donald said confidently.

"Oh, and speaking of the spark." Sora said, turning around to show the two and Spike the restored Elements. All three were greatly surprised.

"Wow!" Donald said.

"The Elements are fixed!" Goofy said.

"Cool!" Spike said. "How did you fix them, Sora?"

"The spark fixed them." Sora said.

"Neat." Spike said. "Here, let me help you with them." The baby dragon rushed over and picked up the Elements, and as Sora placed his backpack onto the ground, the little dragon placed the Elements inside.

"Say, you called out Twilight's name." Goofy said. "Did you see her too?"

"Actually, I did." Sora said.

"You did?!" Spike asked as he zipped up the backpack, now filled with the Elements of Harmony.

"Well, not physically." Sora said. "I had another vision of her. I think she was here shortly after she left Canterlot. She was lamenting on everything that happened at the wedding. And there was this voice, and it was convincing her to betray everyone she loved. I think it was Nightmare Moon."

"NIGHTMARE MOON?!" Spike, Donald, and Goofy asked.

"Yes." Sora said. "But it was using this strange amulet that Twilight was wearing, and she was able to communicate to her through it." The group then started to think on that.

"That's right." Donald said. "Twilight was wearing some amulet when we found her in the Hall of the Elements."

"Well... Twilight was probably hurting a lot." Goofy said. "If Nightmare Moon was inside that amulet, then it must've used the pain Twilight was feeling to convince her to betray her friends."

"Yeah." Donald said."

"And I wasn't there for her." Spike said, remembering how he went to go get something to eat before Twilight left and ripped the dress Rarity made for her. "I knew I should've stayed with her instead of going to get something to eat." The baby dragon lowered his head in shame.

"Aww, Spike." Sora said. "Don't feel like that. We just weren't there for her at the right time. But now we will. When we find her, we'll let her know that we're here for her."

"Right." Goofy said as he patted the baby dragon's shoulders. The little draik looked up at the three and gave a smile. They were right. They can still be there for her, whatever it took.

"But... but how?" Spike asked.

"I think I may have an answer how we could." Sora said. "Or how I can."

"You do?" Goofy asked.

"Well, she must've stumbled upon it sometime before she ran off." Sora said.

"Really?" Goofy asked. "But how did she find it?"

"I think I know how we'll get our answer." Sora said, turning towards the broken window. "Though it might be tricky to do."

"How?" Donald asked. The boy turned away and made his way towards the pedestal in the room.

"I'm going to trace the connection between me and Twilight, and see the events of the wedding from her perspective." Sora said. Donald and Goofy nearly gasped, showing worried looks.

"Wait, you mean!" Donald said. Sora looked back at them and nodded.

"Yes." Sora said. "The Power of Waking."

"The Power of What?" Spike asked.

"But Sora, the power of waking isn't for searching hearts!" Goofy said. "Last time you used it to save Kairi, you almost disappeared. With the magic not working right, what if you disappear completely?"

"This time is different, guys." Sora said, glancing down at the Missing Ache keyblade in his hand. "I'm going to use the connection to look back into the past, and learn how to save Twilight in this point of time. I'm not going to meddle with the events at all. I'm just going to see how it all happened and find out how Twilight got that amulet."

"Huh?" Donald asked, looking very confused.

"I think he means go back in time and learn what he can to save Twilight in this point in time." Goofy said. "But he's not going to change the past."

"Oooohh..." Donald said. "But maybe we should with you."

"Sorry, guys." Sora said. "But I need to do this alone. Besides, I don't want to risk you doing the same, Donald."

"What?!" Donald asked. "Never had I ever been tempted to change the past."

"Actually, you were." Goofy said. "Remember what happened when Pete time travelled in the past and we had to stop him?" Donald then knew what Goofy meant, when Maleficent and Pete were using a door that lead to the past to take the castle before it was built, and the trio had to go back in time to stop them. Donald was close to wanting to change the past a couple times, where Sora and Goofy had to grab him and throw him back into their current timeline so he wouldn't do any damage. The duck sighed in defeat.

"Oh yeah." Donald said. "But still."

"Just trust me, ok?" Sora asked. "I know it can be dangerous, but we don't have any other option. This is the best chance we got. So please, trust me, alright?" The two looked at the boy with worry, and then back at each other. They had every right to worry, but he was right. If they can learn from the past, they can save Twilight. It's the only shot they got. They both nodded.

"Ok, just be good, alright?" Donald asked.

"And come back safe and sound." Goofy said. Hearing that made the boy smile.

"Thank you." Sora said. He then turned towards the pedestal, and made his way onto the platform.

"Sora." Spike said, getting his attention. "Be careful, ok?"

"You got it." Sora said with a thumbs up. He then turned straight forward, and then pointed the Missing Ache keyblade forward, and it gave a bright spark. A small circle formed around him. The keyblade conjured up energy and shot towards the ground, causing a magical floor to break apart and revealing a keyhole. Sora began to glow brightly, and everything went absolutely white.

Author's Note

So this is the end of this chapter. Originally I wanted to put a song that would describe Twilight's fall to darkness, but I couldn't find one, and I suck at writing music.

By the time of posting this chapter, today is the first anniversary Kingdom Hearts III has been released in the US, so I thought it would be very fitting to release this chapter today to celebrate.

The small room Sora, Donald and Goofy found had little trinkets that are from other properties that Disney and Hasbro, as well as properties from other companies that Disney now owns.

Can you also guess the movie references in this chapter?

And the ones Chirithy is calling Those Who Came Before, they're not actually who you think they are. And the phantom lady, I'm not telling either. Because if I did, that would spoil everything!
You're probably also getting an idea of why Sora is still here. That will be explained in a future secret report.

Oh, and the first lyrics that Twilight sings in this chapter is actually lyrics from Twilight's Lamant from the cancelled fan-film Journey of the Spark. Due to copyright stuff, the project discontinued, though it would've been nice to see that come to life, or a soundtrack made for it at least.

Anyway, next chapter will focus on Sora using the Power of Waking to learn how to save Twilight. The Re:Mind DLC shows a bit of how it works in a way, and gave us a bit of a better understanding of it. As Xehanort said, it's not for traversing worlds to reach hearts, it's for traversing hearts to reach worlds.
Let me just say something. In my personal view and belief, the Power of Waking probably isn't something that you just find out of the blue. As Ventus states, it sleeps until someone truly needs it.
And come to think of it, in the first game, Riku was traveling to worlds to find Kairi's heart. Some sort of connection?

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be showing some interesting but deep stuff, like a behind the scenes sort of thing.

Say... who was that boy with he scarf Sora saw?

Chapter 17: Hidden Truths

Author's Note

This chapter reveals some very deep stuff, as well as some revelations of what happened behind the scenes.

So in this chapter, Sora is using the Power of Waking to trace the connections and see what happened in the past. As Re:Mind focused on Sora using the same power to find a way to save Kairi. But he's not searching for hearts. He's going to use what he saw in the past to find a way to save Twilight.

Oh, and as you all may be aware, towards the middle of A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2, we saw everypony, even the girls at the wedding when Twilight and Cadance managed to break free. The two episodes focused on Twilight's perspective, we never saw what happened behind the scenes with Twilight's friends while Twilight was sent into the caverns. Does that make you wonder, hmmmm, what was really going on at that time?

So, I decided to use that concept for this chapter. Some of you might hate me for this, especially with a cameo of a certain somepony that half of you guys hate, but I don't care.

Get ready to dive into the Forbidden Zone.

Chapter 17: Hidden Truths

Sora opened his eyes, seeing that he was not at the Castle of the Royal Sisters. He was in a strange place, with many yellow white lights passing him. He's been here before, where he escaped the Final World to use the Power of Waking to find the hearts of his friends. But this time, he wasn't going back to change a point in time or chase hearts, he was using the power to trace the connections of hearts to see what he can learn to save Twilight. He lifted his head up and flew forward towards the light. As he got closer, the space around him lit up with a blinding light, not even noticing the four orbs of light following him.

The light began to fade, as Sora opened his eyes. He then saw that he wasn't floating in space anymore. As his feet landed on the ground, he took a look around, seeing that he was inside Canterlot Castle, the familiar white columns wth purple details and the red carpet on the floor.

"This is Canterlot." Sora said. "But at what point in time?"

"Sora!" A voice spoke from his hood. The boy turned his head and saw a cricket hop on his shoulder.

"Jiminy?" Sora asked. "But how-"

"I hopped right into your hood before you stepped on the pedestal." Jiminy answered. "Hope you don't mind if I tag along with ya."

"Really?" Sora asked. "Are you just making sure I'm doing this right?"

"Oh, I trust you well enough, Sora." Jiminy said. "I went with ya the first time you used the Power of Waking to save the others, so I'd figure I join you on this one too." Hearing that made the boy smile.

"Thanks, Jiminy." Sora said. He then heards a huff, which got his attention. He turns his head to see a familiar face. Trotting down the hall was a lavender unicorn mare with a blue mane and tail, colored with two streaks of purple and magenta. It was Twilight.

"I can't believe it!" Twilight said. "No pony is taking my suspicions seriously. All they talk about how wonderful Cadance is, when she's not acting as I remember. Not only is she rude and unpleasant, she's downright evil!" She let out a sigh. But a face of determination was on her face. She wasn't going to let that evil Cadance get away with this.

"I may be on my own, but I won't let her hurt my brother." She said, passing Sora, who was watching.

"Uh oh." Sora said. This must be the point in time where Twilight tries to expose the bride.

"We better go follow her." Jiminy said.

"Got it." Sora said as Jiminy hopped back into the boy's hood. Sora then quickly followed suit after Twilight. If he was going to find a way to save Twilight, then he's gonna have to watch everything. He followed her up to one of the big doors up ahead. This must be the way to the Rehearsal Room, or the spot where Shining Armor and Cadance were going to get married in. He heard some distinctive chatter from the other side of the room, and one of them was Shining's voice.

"Hey, has anypony seen Twilight?" His voice spoke. Twilight then uses her magic to open the doors wide open, pushing away the two guards that were behind it. Inside was everypony, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, Spike, and of course, Princess Celestia.

"I'm right here!" Twilight said as she made her way into the room, with Sora following behind. "I'm not going to stand next to her, and neither should you!" Everypony is quite surprised by Twilight's tone, with Shining turning to Cadance.

"I'm sorry, I... I don't know why she's acting like this." Shining said.

"Maybe we should just ignore her." Cadance said testily.

"Oh no!" Twilight said. "No one's ignoring me again! You all have to listen to me!" She began to grit her teeth as Fluttershy moves in.

"Oh, goodness!" Fluttershy said. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Twilight said.

"You sure about that?" Applejack asked, only for her hat to be pulled off by Twilight's magic and shoved into her face hard. Sora was a bit surprised by this sudden action.

"I have something to say!" Twilight speaks, and then she points directly at Cadance. "Princess Cadance is Evil!" Cadance gasps, while all the other ponies, including Princess Celestia, look uneasily at Twilight, except for Rainbow Dash.

"What?" Shining asked.

"She's been horrible to my friends, she obviously did something to her bridesmaids, and to top it all off, I saw her put a spell on my brother that made her eyes all wacky!" She begins letting her eyes spin in their sockets and her tongue lolls out the side of her mouth, which was an imitation of Shining's dazed response from what Twilight saw Cadance do to him. There was only dead silence from her brother and friends, coupled with a pop-eyed stare from Princess Celestia. Cadance has barely enough time to blush and grin before Twilight gets in her face, making the alicorn show tears.

"Wh... Why are you doing this to me?" She asked with a real but fake sob.

"Because you're evil!" Twilight shouted. "And I'm not going to let you ruin my brother's life!" Cadance begins to cry with tears, and she began to gallop off from the isle, making her way towards the doors, as Twilight chases after her. Twilight stops midway just as Cadance leaves the scene. Sora watched with a shocked face.

"Wow..." Sora said, though he could relate to that. He would've done the same thing. Twilight gives a smug and smile, glad that she chased her away. She then turns away, only to run flat into Shining and tumble backward to the carpet. Lifting her face up, she saw that he was not pleased at all.

"What is wrong with you?!" Shining asked, surprising Twilight. "Why did you scare her away?!"

"Because... because she was evil!" Twilight said, getting on the defense. "She put a spell on you that made you look zombie-like!"

"You want to know why?" Shining asked, still showing his disappointment, and began pacing around her. "Because ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines. Cadance wasn't casting spells on me... She was using her magic to heal me!" Twilight's eyes widened with a bit surprise. She was?

"But... I though-" Twilight said.

"And she decided to replace her bride maids because she found out they just wanted to be in the wedding so they could meet Canterlot Royalty. That's why she replaced them with your friends!" Shining said, pointing to Twilight's friends who were showing a bit of disappointment, though from what Sora could notice, they were showing a bit of concern.

"But I-" Twilight said, only to be cut off once more.

"And if she wasn't acting as she used to, it's because I was busy!" Shining said, stomping his foot down, making Twilight back away as he paced towards her. "She's had to make all the decisions about the wedding! She's completely stressed out because it's important to her that our big day must be perfect! ...Something that obviously isn't important to you!" Twilight's eyes widened up, showing hurt and pain.

"But I did care-" Twilight said.

"No you didn't." Shining said. "You're just acting like a jealous little sister." He then walks past her to leave.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go comfort my bride." Shining said. "And you can forget about being my best mare!" Hearing that made Twilight's eyes widen up. She was no longer her Big Brother's Best Mare?

"In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all!" Shining said. He then takes his leave, passing through the front doors, leaving Twilight to drop back to her haunches and aims a helpless, beseeching glance towards the others. Their faces displayed various degrees of disgust, horror, and shock. Sora, couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He could feel it, the pain that Twilight was feeling.

"I... I was..." Twilight said.

"C'mon y'all." Applejack said. "Let's go check on the Princess." The girls trot, hop, and flew past her, showing disappointed faces as she just watched while they ignored her. Spike followed them with a worried face, leaving only Twilight and Celestia. Twilight showed even more hurt, just as Sora felt it. He got to his knees, his hand over his heart.

"Sora!" Jiminy said from the boy's hood.

"I'm fine." Sora said. "I'm feeling what Twilight's feeling right now." He looked up to see Princess Celestia, walking towards Twilight, who looked back up her. She didn't look at her. She just walked past her.

"You have a lot to think about, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia said, showing disappointment in her words, as Twilight looked with tearful eyes, and the doors closed as Celestia, and the two guards behind her walked through them. Twilight could not believe what just happened. Her brother, her friends, and her mentor, left her behind, to follow Cadance. Was Cadance truly just dealing with pre-wedding stress after all? Did Twilight really overreact? The lavender unicorn turned away to think. What was she even thinking, coming in here, without no clear evidence of Cadance being evil and acting like a complete jerk.

"What have I done?" Twilight said to herself, staring at the floor. "Maybe I was being overprotective. I could've gained a sister... but instead... I lost my brother." She was unable to keep the tears back. She collapsed to her hooves and began to cry, feeling guilt and sadness.

He was my big brother best friend forever

but now we'll never do anything together...

Forever...

The poor mare continued to cry, her face buried into her shoulders and hooves. Sora only watched, unable to find words. He could feel it too, the sorrow and suffering that she was feeling. Using the power of waking to trace the connections to one's heart can allow keyblade wielders to feel whatever the person is feeing. And it was too much.

"Oh my." Jiminy said. "How sad."

"So... this is the pain and despair that Twilight felt." Sora said, and glanced at the ground. Maybe... just maybe... if he had shown up earlier, then maybe all of this could've been prevented. But the past can't be changed. It just can't. The boy approached the lavender unicorn, and all though she didn't feel or see him, he rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Twilight... I'm sorry I wasn't there for you..." He said, though she couldn't hear him. He then raised his head up, and to his surprise, he saw Cadance, approaching the lavender unicorn. Twilight lifted her head up to face her as she felt her stroke her mane. Cadance was looking down at her, with a face of forgiveness and mercy. Twilight cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry..." Twilight said. "I'm so sorry..."

"You will be...!" Cadance said, her merciful face dropping down to show glowing green eyes, a face of anger, and fangs... in her teeth? The alicorn's horn began to glow a bright green, and a circle of fiery flames surrounded Twilight, pushing Sora away. The boy watched as Twilight began to panic, while Cadance, watched with an evil smile.

"Cadance!" Twilight said. "What are you-"

"Sorry, but foals like you aren't welcomed in my wedding." Cadance said. "I won't let you ruin my plans." Her horn began to glow more brightly, and Twilight felt herself sinking into the ground.

"No!" Twilight shouted. "Nooo!"

"Twilight!" Sora called out. He couldn't do anything. He could only watch helplessly.

"Twily?" A voice spoke, getting his attention. The boy turned his head, and to his surprise, he saw Shining Armor, who opened the door to see what was happening with a face full of shock.

"Shining Armor?" Sora asked.

"Twily!" He shouted as he charged into the room.

"HELP!" Twilight shouted. "SPIKE! PRINCESS! SHINING!!!"

"TWILY!" Shining shouted as he rushed over, but Twilight was already deep into the ground, and the green magical circle disappeared. Shining stopped in his tracks, seeing his little sister gone!

"No!... No, no no no no!" Shining said as he knelt down to the ground. He then turned his attention towards Cadance, who was showing no remorse at all. She was smiling, and it was an evil smile.

"Cadance!" Shining demanded. "What did you do to Twily?"

"Oh, don't worry, dear." Cadance said. "You said you didn't want her at your wedding, so I took care of the problem."

"Where is she?!" Shining asked, as Sora watched the two of them speak with a confused look.

"Oh I put her someplace where no pony would ever think to look for her." Cadance responded.

"Cadance, bring her back!" Shining shouted. "I didn't want this!"

"Oh, I can't do that, Shining." Cadance said. "I can't have her ruin my big day when I finally rule all of Equestria." Shining tilted his head, but then saw something. Something in Cadance eyes. They were not light purple! They were moderate harlequin with dark opal eyes. Shining's eyes widened up with shock.

"I don't believe it!" He shouted. "Twilight was right about you all along! You are evil! Well I'm not gonna let you ruin this special day! Now bring my sister back!" The fake Princess gave a laugh, and her voice became a cackle, distorted with another voice.

"I can't do that, Captain." Cadance said, though her voice was a very different one. "And I can't certainly let you ruin everything too!" Instantly, the fake bride's horn began to glow green and trapped Shining in the grip of her magic.

"No!" He shouted, unable to break free. "Let me go!"

"Now, you're going to forget everything that happened here, and we're going to continue our special day." The fake bride spoke. "Is that understood, my pet?"

"Yes, mistress." Shining spoke.

"Now, go get ready." The fake bride said. "We have a big day ahead of us." The stallion gave a smile and nodded. He then departed from the room, while the fake Cadance only stood there, giving a big grin, showing fangs on her teeth.

"This day is going to be perfect..." She spoke as she walked out of the room, giving an evil laugh, while Sora only stood there, shocked and confused. Shining Armor saw this happening? The boy began to think.

"So wait a second... Captain Armor saw what happened?" Jiminy asked.

"Wh... what did we just see?" Sora asked himself.

"You saw what really happened." A voice spoke to him, a voice that Sora was a bit familiar with. He turned his head, and to his surprise, it was the boy he saw earlier. The boy had curly, silver hair, and wore a white shirt under a black vest with grey accents, dark pants and black boots. He had a red scarf around his neck, and a tan pouch around his waist. Sora's eyes widened up. He met this boy before! He's the boy that summoned those keyblades to help Sora destroy the Heartless Cyclone back at the graveyard!

"Oh, it's you!" Sora said, as the boy, Ephemer, gave a smile and nod. "Wait, how are you-"

"Hearts are all around us, and they connect with one another." Ephemer said. "Our hearts formed a connection when I helped you back at the Graveyard. Your determination to save your friends and the worlds called us to you at that moment."

"Really?" Sora asked. "Wow, that's so cool. Thanks, by the way."

"It was nothing, really." Ephemer said.

"Say, what do you mean, what really happened?" Sora asked.

"You are using the connection between you and Twilight to learn more about the past." Ephemer said. "While doing so, you're also using that connection to see the world and the events that took place simultaneously from the perspectives of those close to her." Sora began to think. The connection between him and Twilight are allowing him to see the events through the eyes of those close to her? Oh, right! Just like he did last time!

"Oh, right!" Sora said. "By using the connection, it allows me to discover truths that I never knew before!"

"I take it this isn't your first time doing this, huh?" Ephemer said.

"Yeah..." Sora said as he scratched his head. "I guess I'm a... rule breaker." Hearing that made Ephemer chuckle.

"It's ok." He said. "Sometimes we just need to break a few rules for the better." That made Sora give a smile, knowing that he understood.

"So... from what I saw, Shining Armor saw everything that happened, but Cadance took control of him and erased his memory." Sora said. "So, Shining must've realized his mistake."

"Yes, but it was too late." Ephemer said as he made his way towards the soot on the carpet, where Twilight had sunken into. "Twilight is now trapped deep below."

"But why would Cadance do this?" Sora asked.

"That wasn't Princess Amore." Ephemer spoke. "Who you saw was someone else disguised as the Crystal Princess's descendent."

"Disguised?" Sora asked. "Who is she?"

"A monster that feels nothing but lust, vengeance, and destruction." Ephemer said. "A creature that takes the shape and form of anyone around them, sucking the life and love out of it's victims, destroying anyone and anything in their path."

"A heartless?" Sora asked.

"No." Ephemer said. "A Changeling."

"Changeling?" Sora asked. Then he remembered what the Princesses and the girls telling everything that had transpired before he arrived, with the wedding and all, and how the bride was actually a fake, a changeling in disguise. "Ooooh, that bug monster they were talking about earlier."

"Of course." Jiminy said. "That was actually the Changeling Queen who disguised herself as Princess Cadenza and tried to take over Canterlot."

"That's right." Ephemer said. "The Changeling Queen had used these events and Twilight's suspicions to turn everyone against her."

"And Twilight, she was sent down to the crystal caverns below." Sora said.

"Yep." Ephemer said. "Follow her, and you'll learn more of what transpired." Suddenly, Ephemer began to disappear, much to Sora's surprise.

"Wait!" Sora called out, but Ephemer was already gone. But he did hear his voice.

"Just trace the connection." He said, as Sora looked at the ceiling. Right. Trace the connection.

"Ok." Sora said. "Hold on tight Jiminy." As the cricket held on, Sora pointed the keyblade forward, and he began to glow, and suddenly, he transformed into a glowing sphere and seeped deep into the ground, following Twilight to the caverns below.

Pitch black. Yes, it was pitch black from what Sora could see. Luckily, a spark of light came from the keyblade he was holding, allowing him to see everything around him. It was a barren cavern, and it was all made of crystal.

"Whoa..." Sora said, amazed by the design and the crystalline walls and structures. "This must be the crystal caverns."

"Hello? Is anyone there?" an echoing voice spoke through the room. Sora knew that voice.

"Twilight?" He asked, turning his head. He saw Twilight, her horn glowing a magenta color, lightning up more of the room.

"Where am I?" Twilight asked, unable to see Sora. "What is this place?"

"The caves beneath Canterlot." A sinister voice said. "Once the home to greedy unicorns who wanted to claim the gems that could be found inside. And now... your prison!" The reflections of Twilight in the crystals were then replaced by the face of Cadance... or whoever it was, giving an evil wicked smile. Twilight gasped, and turned around, looking for a way out.

"Help!" Twilight called out. "Somepony help!"

"It's no use." Cadance spoke. "No one can hear you, and no one will ever think to look for you. Most ponies have forgotten that these caves even exist, which is why they're the perfect place to keep the ones who try to interfere with my plans."

"What plans?" Twilight asked.

"The plans I have for your brother, or course." Cadance said. "And for all of Equestria." Hearing that made Twilight gasp, but her face showed anger.

"Don't you dare do anything to my brother, you... You Monster!" Twilight shouted.

"Only way to stop me is to catch me." Cadance said as her reflection disappeared, replaced by dozens of smaller faces. Twilight began to show a furious face, hearing the alicorn laugh wickedly. She charged up her magic and fired, but her shot bounced off wildly all over the place like a laser beam hitting mirrors. The shot eventually scorches the patch of the floor directly in front of Twilight, which the revealed a giant copy of Cadance's evil face.

"Why are you even bothering?" She asked. "No one will ever think about looking for you."

"You're wrong!" Twilight shouted. "My friends will find me!"

"Oh really?" Cadance asked. "Well, why don't we take a look? She then reveals an image on the floor playing a scene, showing everypony preparing for the big event of the century. Ponies dressed in suits and dressed for this wonderful moment, and to Twilight's surprise, she saw her friends, happily excited for the royal wedding, not even worrying about her.

"No..." Twilight said, her face showing shock.

"That's right." Cadance said. "Your friends don't really care about you. They just use you for their own selfish desires. They're not even worried about you, nor are they even looking for you." Seeing this scene made Twilight slowly show a face of rage, and denial.

"NOOO!" Twilight screamed as she charged up her magic and fired once more at the reflection, shattering the crystal wall. The sight of it made Sora gasp and move out of the way, though the broken shards passed through him and not harming him, since he was only seeing a glimpse of the past. He could feel what Twilight was feeling from their connection. The pain, the sadness, and the anger.

"Oh, poor girl." Jiminy said. "This is just too much to watch."

"I know." Sora said. "This is just horrible." Suddenly, a sound caught Sora's attention. Turning his head, he stared at one of the crystal walls. But he heard something... or someone on the other side of that wall. It sounded like someone was crying. Making his way, he seeped past the wall and he saw a surprising sight. He saw Princess Cadance, sitting down on her haunches, and her hooves were over her face. But what was surprising is that this Cadance was badly scuffed and disheveled, and she was crying tears of sadness. She also had no tiara on her head.

"Cadance?" Sora asked as he approached the alicorn.

"This day was suppose to be perfect..." She cried. "But now... it's never going to happen. Oh Shining... oh Twilight... I'm sorry." She continued to cry, as Sora watched unnoticed.

"Sora, that's the real Princess Amore." Jiminy said. It then clicked in his head. This was the real Cadance!

"Oh, that's right!" Sora said. "That imposter must've placed her down in here too. She's probably been in here much longer than Twilight."

-BOOM!-

The sudden boom took Sora by surprised, including Cadance. They both turned around, to see the wall broken apart, revealing Twilight, who was huffing and puffing. Seeing her come out brought a surprise and a hopeful smile to Cadance's face.

"Twilight!" She called out. "You're here!" Twilight, however, didn't look too happy though. She stared at Cadance with a face full of rage.

"You Hag!" She cried out as she galloped towards the alicorn.

"Twilight, wait!" Sora called out, but the lavender mare phased through the boy, or the boy phased through her as she charged towards Cadance.

"No! Wait!" Cadance called, but it was too late. The lavender unicorn hurls herself, tackling Princess Cadance and pinning her to the ground.

"I have you now, you monster!" Twilight said, her horn glowing brightly.

"Please, don't hurt me!" Cadance said. "Twilight, it's me!"

"I know..." Twilight said, her horn glowing brightly, fizzling with rage.

"Twilight please, I've been imprisoned like you-!" Cadance said, but suddenly, she felt something squeeze around her neck, making her struggle to breathe. She noticed a magenta aura around her own neck.

"Likely story..." Twilight said as she backed away, lifting Cadance up by the neck with her magic into the air. Seeing her choke the Princess of Love made Sora gasp.

"Twilight, don't!" Sora called out. "It's really her!" But alas, she couldn't hear him, as this was just a scene from the past playing out.

"Please... Twilight..." Cadance gasped, but her throat began to close more as Twilight began to strangle her.

"You're gonna pay..." Twilight said. "You're gonna feel what I felt back at that rehearsal hall... you monster!"

"Twilight, Please Stop!" Sora shouted.

"Sunshine... sunshine... ladybugs awake..." Cadance chokingly spoke out. Twilight's eyes widened, hearing those four words. She released Cadance and let her drop on her hooves, allowing her to gasp and breathe.

"Wh... what did you say?" Twilight asked. Cadance, finally getting oxygen back into her lungs, began to tap her hooves.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake." She said. "Clap your hooves..."

"And do a little shake..." Twilight said, a smile slowly form on her face, and her rage beginning to diminish to realization! Cadance looked to her with a fragile, but reassuring grin. Twilight's eyes began to tear up, now realizing that Cadance remembered her!

"Cadance!" Twilight said as she leapt into the gold-shoed forelegs for a long-overdue hug.

"You do remember me!" Twilight spoke.

"Of course I do." Cadance said with a gentle laugh. "How could I forget the little filly I loved to sit for the most?" Twilight gave a smile, but realized that she nearly tried to choke the life out of her. She formed a face of sorrow.

"Oh Cadance, I'm so sorry... I nearly-" Twilight spoke, only for the alicorn to hold her close, cooing her and stroking her mane.

"It's ok, Twilight." Cadance said. "It's ok. You didn't know. But now it's ok." She nuzzled the lavender unicorn, who gave a teary smile. But wait, if she was here... then how did...

"Wait, but if you're here, than who was that?" Twilight asked, referring to the Cadance that was mocking her and trapped her down in the caves.

"The Cadance who brought you down here was an impostor." Cadance said. "She transformed into me and trapped me here, and now she's going to marry your brother and destroy Equestria!" Hearing that made Twilight gasp, but a face of determination took form.

"Then we have to get out of here." Twilight said. "We have to stop her!" Nodding in agreement, the two ponies took off into the distance, to find a way out of the caves. Sora watched, trying to take this all in.

"Wow." Sora said, but he was a bit more surprised that Twilight resorted to get violent. "What was pretty scary."

"Poor Miss Twilight's having a really tough day." Jiminy said. Sora then glanced over back at the room, where the fake imposter was showing Twilight the scene where all the ponies, even her friends were at the wedding, not even thinking about her.

"So, they didn't bother looking for her?" Sora asked. "They just went on with the wedding without care?"

"Something's definitely not right." Jiminy said. "There's no way they could've forgotten about Twilight and just went onto the wedding."

"Not all is what it seems." A new voice, a girl's voice, spoke in the room. Hearing that made Sora turn his head. To his surprise, it wasn't Ephemer, but it was a girl, with long black hair with light brown eyes, dressed in a grey zippered shirt underneath a black vest, with a studded belt around her black skirt. There were red belts around her arms and ankles, and she black boots with knee-high socks. Sora tilted his head.

"Another one?" Jiminy asked.

"You're not Mr. Scarf." Sora said. "You new?"

"Something like that." She said with a smile. "I'm a friend, and I'm just like Ephemer, the boy you spoke with earlier." Hearing that made Sora give a grin, glad to know that this was a friend of the boy with the scarf, or Ephemer, as she called him.

"What do you mean not all is what it seems?" Sora asked.

"The scene the imposter showed your friend, while it was real, was fabricated by her." The girl, Skuld, said.

"Real, but fabricated?" Sora asked. The girl extended her hand outwards.

"Take my hand." She said. The boy tilted his head, but he gave a nod afterwards. Taking her hand, the two floated upwards above and out of the caverns, where it was clear in the morning. The two were high above the ground, seeing lots and lots of ponies outside Canterlot castle, in line for the big royal wedding.

"What's this?" Sora asked.

"This took place before your friend was tormented by the Changeling Queen." Skuld said.

"Before?" Sora asked.

"Take a look." Skuld said, pointing downward. Looking in that direction, Sora saw something that surprised him. It was the girls! Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, and they weren't looking too happy. Surprisingly, they were not wearing their bridesmaids dresses.

"The girls." Sora said.

"Golly, yesterday was so strange." Applejack said.

"Yeah, Twilight going all crazy and insulting the bride like that." Rainbow Dash said.

"Is it just me, or does this sound a bit suspicious?" Applejack asked.

"Twilight was probably just being jealous or something." Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, she probably didn't want her brother to get married. She did act a bit uneasy when we got here."

"Now, Rainbow Dash, don't be harsh." Fluttershy said. "Twilight is probably worried that she might lose her brother. She probably only did what she had to do because she loves him."

"Fluttershy, she acted very immature." Rarity said. "She was acting like a little jealous filly."

"Yes, but don't you think there was a good reason why?" Fluttershy said. "I mean, she told us a lot about Cadance and how a kind, and wonderful, and knows how to handle stress, and she didn't act like how Twilight said she did." The girls began to think, and come to think of it, they do remember Twilight saying how wonderful Cadance was, and she acted the complete opposite.

"Yeah... she did mention something about that the night before." Rainbow Dash said.

"True, but it was mostly because of pre-wedding stress." Rarity said.

"I dunno." Pinkie Pie said, scratching her nose. "I'm still getting an itchy feeling in my nose."

"Is it because it itches?" Applejack asked.

"No." Pinkie Pie said. "I think it's another one of my Pinkie Senses. I don't know what it means, but it could be something bad."

"My point, exactly." Fluttershy said. "And besides, this wasn't the first time Twilight did an outburst like that. Remember the Smarty Pants incident?"

"Yes, we still do." Rarity said. They still cringe thinking about that, mostly because they ignored Twilight's worries over a tardy friendship report, and because of that, it got bad so fast.

"Then that means something's wrong." Fluttershy said. "For some reason I'm getting a bad feeling about this." The girls did agree one that. Something wasn't truly right.

"So, now what?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Are we still going to the wedding?" The girls looked at each other.

"I dunno." Applejack said. "While this is a one in a lifetime opportunity, it doesn't feel right going to the wedding without Twilight."

"Yeah, and besides, while it's a good opportunity to meet the Wonderbolts and show everypony how awesome I am, I would never leave a friend hanging." Rainbow Dash said.

"I suppose you're right." Rarity said. "The only downside is that I wasted time making dresses for everypony, even the bride. But Twilight is my friend, and if she isn't welcomed at the wedding, than we shouldn't go without her."

"Same here." Pinkie Pie said, as Fluttershy began to look around.

"Where is Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "Did anyone see her today?"

"No, I didn't see her." Rarity said.

"Me neither." Pinkie Pie said, and the girls looked around. Come to think of it, they didn't see Twilight at all since her little stunt. Now that, that was something very off and wrong.

"This ain't right." Applejack said.

"Maybe she just went back to Ponyville?" Rarity asked.

"TWILIGHT!" A voice called out. The girls turned their heads to see Spike, who was looking around frantically. He quickly ran past the girls, but he was grabbed by Rarity's magic.

"Whoa there, Spike." Rarity said. "What's the problem?"

"It's Twilight!" Spike said. "She's gone!" The girls gasped upon hearing that, showing even more worried than ever!

"Gone?" Rarity asked. "What do you mean gone?"

"I went to go check up on her, but she wasn't in her room!" Spike said. "She wasn't there last night either! I can't find her anywhere!" The girls looked at each other. Twilight couldn't had disappeared last night without a trace. Now they knew that this wasn't right at all.

"That's not like Twilight at all." Applejack said. "C'mon y'all. We gotta look for her!"

"On it!" Rainbow Dash called out as she took off to the skies to fly at high speed, leaving the girls behind, all of them a bit annoyed.

"Ok, let's split up." Applejack said. "Fluttershy, you and me check the town area. Spike, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, check the crowd of ponies over there, if none of us find her, than we search the castle."

"Got it!" The three other ponies said in unison. And just like that, they went off to go find their friend. Sora watched the scene from above, with a surprised look.

"So the girls did go looking for her." Sora said. "But... then why were they at the wedding then?"

"Watch." Skuld said, pointing forward once more. The boy watched to see Rainbow Dash scanning the ground and the castle outside.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Twilight, where are you?!" Suddenly, something made the rainbow maned Pegasus stop in her tracks. It sounded like somepony singing. Turning to her right, she saw a nearby window in the tall part of the castle. Making her way towards it, she peeped inside. To her surprise, it was Princess Cadance, singing beautifully and gently.

"Oh, what a wonderful day this will be." She said as she glanced at the mirror, brushing her mane up. She then turned away, showing a smiling scowl on her face.

"The day that I will conquer Equestria, and finally feast on all the love on this land." She spoke. Rainbow Dash's ears perked up hearing that. Did Cadance just say conquer Equestria?

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Who thought it would be so easy to fool everypony with my pretty little façade, and they all thought it was just pre-wedding stress." Cadance said as she grabbed the knife on the table with her green glowing magic, still showing a wicked smile. "Not only did I make Celestia's foalish student look like the bad guy, but I finally gotten rid of her too. With her out of the way, I can finally kill Princess Sunbutt and take over this pretty little land!" She then turned around and threw the knife at one of the picture frames of Princess Celestia, aimed right at the neck. Rainbow Dash gasped, but did her best to keep herself from hurling. She just heard Cadance say that she got rid of Twilight, made her look like the bad guy, fooled everyone with her façade, and... she's going to kill Princess Celestia?

"Oh, this day is going to be perfect." Cadance sang. "The kind of day of which I dreamed since I was small. Everypony will gather round, when they see me in my gown, What they don't know is that I have fooled them all!" Cadance then glanced at herself in the mirror, giving an evil laugh. But inside the reflection, was a tall black pony-like creature with a long blue mane and green glowing eyes, with fangs in her teeth. Rainbow Dash gasped at the sight. It now all made sense.

"She is evil!" Rainbow Dash spoke. She moved away from the window.

"Oh boy, oh my gosh, I gotta-!" Rainbow Dash said, stammering over her words. She flew forward, only to bash into the wall of the castle. She quickly came to her senses and flew off frantically to find the others.

"APPLEJACK!" She cried out. "FLUTTERSHY!"

Back on the ground, Applejack and Fluttershy were looking high and low for Twilight, but they couldn't find any trace of her. She was not in the castle, nor outside the castle, nor in town, or anywhere, not even in the big crowd of ponies lining up.

"Twilight!" Applejack kept calling. "Where are you?!" She leaned in, but there was no answer.

"She's not here." She answered.

"Applejack!" Pinkie Pie's voice called out, getting the attention of the two ponies. They saw Rarity and Pinkie Pie making their way towards them.

"Did you find her?" Applejack asked.

"No, she's not in the castle." Rarity said. "Not even in the chambers she was sleeping in."

"I even checked the Donut Shop." Pinkie Pie said. "I checked the pots, the crates, the chimneys, but I couldn't find her."

"Then she must've went back to Ponyville." Fluttershy said. "Oh, I hope she isn't mad with us for leaving her like that."

"APPLEJACK! FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow Dash's voice called out, making all four ponies look up. Looking to the sky, they saw Rainbow Dash, flying straight towards them in a state of panic.

"Rainbow?" Applejack asked, surprised to see her in such a state.

"Rainbow Dash, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked, as the rainbow maned Pegasus landed on the ground.

"I... I don't..." Rainbow Dash said, hyperventilating and unable to find her words.

"Rainbow Dash, just relax." Rarity said. "Just take a deep breath and tell us what happened." The Pegasus took a deep breath, no longer hyperventilating, but she was still trying to find the words.

"Well, I was flying... I was... of course I was flying." Rainbow Dash said, stammering on her words. "Then I saw the... The brode... no, the bride! And she was singing, with a creepy evil smile, about taking over Equestria, and killing the Princess!..." She then pulled Pinkie Pie up close by the face with her hooves. "Do You Hear What I'm Bucking Telling You?!"

"Uhhh no?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"The Bride Is Some Evil Witch In Disguise!!" Rainbow Dash shouted, shaking Pinkie Pie. Hearing that made Spike and the other girls gasp.

"WHAT?!" They all asked in unison.

"A...Are you sure, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked.

"Does this look unsure to you?!" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing right at her own face, showing a serious face, frightening the girls and Spike a little bit.

"No." Spike said.

"So she really is evil!" Applejack said. "Twilight was telling the truth!"

"And we left her!" Fluttershy said, as tears of guilt formed in her eyes.

"We have to find her fast!" Rarity said. "We probably headed back to Ponyville. So we'll take the train and-"

"We can't!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Why not?" Rarity asked.

"Because I heard that witch saying that she got rid of Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said. "She probably did something to her!!" The girls gasped.

"Oh no... Twilight..." Spike said, letting the guilt seep into his heart, as Fluttershy began to shed some tears. Twilight was right all along about Cadance, or whoever she was, and they left her. Now that monster did something to her! Applejack, however, was not gonna give up just yet.

"C'mon girls, we gotta stop that monster!" She said. "We can't let her marry Shining Armor and take over Equestria! Twilight would want us to stop her."

"Right!" The girls said, knowing that they must stop that evil witch no matter what. Twilight would've wanted it. They quickly made their way towards the castle, as Sora and Skuld continued to watch.

"So, the girls went off to confront the faker?" Sora asked.

"Yes, but it didn't end so well." Skuld said.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked. Skuld then pushed Sora forward, making him phase into the castle like a ghost, but he then collided with the wall, while it did hurt a bit physically, but not by much. He got to his feet and saw that was he was in the hallway right near Cadance's chambers. He looked out the window to see Skuld.

"Now what?" Sora asked.

"Just watch." She said, and she disappeared, leaving Sora alone, who let out a sigh of annoyance. Do all these ghosts or spirits come and go?

"Great, alone again." Sora said.

"It's ok, Sora." Jiminy said from the boy's hood. "I'm right here." He wasn't alone forever though, as the doors to Cadance's chambers opened up, revealing Princess Cadance. Sora looked at her with a dissatisfied look, seeing her humming to herself and everything.

"That monster...!" Sora said, though she couldn't hear him. The keyblade was summoned in his hand.

"Sora, don't." Jiminy said. "We can't interfere."

"But Jiminy, she caused all of this!" Sora said. "You'd expect me to just stand here and do nothing?"

"Yes, and you must!" Jiminy said, tugging on the boy's hair. "The Power of Waking isn't used for changing the past or for chasing hearts. You can't think about what you could've done. With this knowledge, we can save Twilight in our current timeline." The boy looked forward, showing reluctance, but he knew in his heart that he cannot change the past. The keyblade disappeared from his hand.

"I know..." Sora said. He couldn't help but think. He told himself that he was not gonna meddle with the timeline, and he was about to. He only sighed with shame.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Jiminy asked.

"It's just..." Sora said. "I told myself over and over that I wasn't going to intervine… but look at what I was about to do." He only leaned against the wall and slid down to sit.

"Now, Sora." Jiminy said. "Don't push yourself about it. We all deal with temptations to do things, even Pinocchio had trouble with it as well. But we know you have good intentions, and you love to help those who need it. That shows that you have the biggest heart than anyone that I've ever met." Hearing those words made Sora smile. Jiminy was right. Sora does have a big heart, and he does love helping people, and helping others is the right thing to do, even if it does get him into trouble.

"You're right." Sora said. "I'm glad that you came along, Jiminy. Thanks."

"Anytime, Sora." Jiminy said with a tip of his hat.

"Cadance!" Six voices shouted in unison. Sora turned to see Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike charging towards her with faces of disgust and determination. Seeing them arrive, Cadance quickly placed on a fake smile.

"Oh, girls!" She said. "You made it-" She was cut off however, as Rainbow Dash flew right towards her face, showing a clenched fist... or hoof, so to speak.

"You monster!" She said. "You're not gonna get away with this!" She was then pulled away by Rarity's magic.

"W...What?!" Cadance asked, showing a shocked expression, while putting up her sobbing face. "Miss Dash, why are you suddenly being so-"

"Don't put up that fake face, Princess." Applejack said. "We all know that you're an evil witch and what not!" Hearing that and seeing the girls and the little dragon's looks of disgust made Princess Cadance slowly drop her face and show a look of hate and wickedness.

"Well, I guess my little façade didn't work after all." She said, her voice showing a bit of distortion. "How did you know?"

"I'm a good flight scanner, that's what!" Rainbow Dash said.

"We know about your little scheme to marry Twilight's brother and take over Equestria." Applejack said. "And you're not gonna get away with it!"

"What did you do to Twilight?!" Spike asked. "Answer us!" Hearing that made the fake Cadance smile.

"Oh, I put her in a place where no pony will ever think of looking for her." She said. "And I have you all to thank for that. You girls left that little foal all alone crying, which allowed me to do away with her. So you have no one to blame but yourselves." Hearing that made the girls' and Spike's eyes widen up. She was right. They did leave Twilight all alone, and that let this fake bride get rid of her. Hearing her laugh brought rage to their eyes.

"You monster!" Fluttershy shouted. "You're not gonna get away with this!"

"Oh yeah?" Cadance asked, her eyes glowing bright green and her horn charging with dark magic. "And how are you gonna stop me?" Applejack tilted her hat forward.

"Get my rope." Applejack said, as Spike handed her rope to her. And with it, Applejack quickly lassoed the fake bride by surprise, hurling her to the ground. The rest of the girls and Spike jumped onto her, pinning her to the floor. Seeing this made Sora smile greatly. They were stopping her! Wait, then how come...?

"Get off of me you little foals!" Cadance shouted, showing her fangs.

"Never!" They all said.

"You tell us right now where Twilight is!" Rainbow Dash said.

"You're not gonna get us off you, you big meanie!" Pinkie Pie said.

"But I will." Another voice said in the background, a voice that took Sora by surprise. Whoever it was, it wasn't Celestia, as the girls were lifted into the air by a light tangelo magical aura, taken by surprise.

"What the?!" The girls asked.

"What's going on?!" Rainbow Dash asked. Sora was confused. How were they being lifted into the air? He turned around and saw what seems to be a unicorn wearing a long shroud and cloak, hiding his face. Whoever he was, he was using his magic to lift the girls into the air.

"You girls are not going to cause us any more trouble." He said.

"What?!" They asked.

"But she's evil!" Spike said. "She's an evil witch who wants to take over Equestria!" Though they couldn't see his face, he was smiling.

"I know." He said, and his horn glowed once more, this time brightly. He then held out a strange mysterious grey stone, with a black Egyptian eye engraved with it, along with three triangles above it and two swirly symbols.

"What's that?" Sora asked, as the cloaked stallion held up the stone.

"By the power of the memory stone, I erase your memories of this moment!" He said as his horn glowed, along with the stone. The stone then zapped the girls and Spike, making them wince and grunt in pain. Suddenly, their eyes glowed brightly, and long straps of magical tape footage poured out of the heads, images of the whole morning and learning of Cadance's deception seeped into the stone, while the stallion showed a smile on his face. Soon the group closed their eyes and passed out, and the stallion let them go, letting them and Spike drop to the floor unconscious, as Sora watched, horrified, and confused.

"What... wha…" Sora stammered on his words, and he glanced back at the hooded pony and the fake bride. Cadance glanced at the hooded pony.

"Thanks for that." She said.

"It was nothing." He said, a voice that was a bit familiar to Sora. He heard the voice before, but who's is it?

"Looks like everything will still be going to plan." Cadance said as she got up and brushed herself off.

"Yes, indeed." The cloaked stallion said. "I'll have them be brought back to their rooms. They won't remember everything that happened this morning. By the time they wake up, they'll think they've overslept, and it will cause them to panic and forget about Celestia's little pet." Hearing that made the fake bride smile.

"Excellent." She said. "Might as well get ready, and when the moment is about to start, I'll toy with little Twilight and make her think her friends have abandoned her. That will really make her squeal."

"Yes." The hooded pony said. "At least she won't live long enough to see your Changelings destroy everything in their path." The fake princess glanced at the stallion with a raised eyebrow.

"I must ask." She said. "Who are you?"

"I am a senior member of the Unicorn Movement who opposes Celestia's rule." The mysterious pony said. "My goal is to have her out the way so we, the unicorns will be the ones to rule."

"But, why are you helping me?" The fake bride asked.

"I don't really care who wins or lose." The cloaked pony said. "No matter what the outcome is, the Princess will face scrutiny for letting this invasion happen." Though she was a bit suspicious, this pony didn't seem to be a threat, so she gave a smile.

"Well then, this will be our little secret." Cadance said.

"Then I'll leave you be... your majesty." The hooded stallion said as he gave a slight bow and left the hall, picking up the girls and Spike with his magic and taking them away, while the fake bride gave a wicked smile and went back to her chambers. The only one left was Sora, who was confused at what he saw.

"What the heck?" Sora asked as he began to think. "So the Changeling Queen had help from the inside?!"

"Evil lurks behind the light..." Another voice said. Sora turned his head around hearing the voice. He saw another person, just like Ephemer and Skuld. This one however, was a boy with black spiky hair that droops down over the side of his face and eye. He wore a black coat with rolled up sleeves, gold buttons and a large collar. His pants were grey and he wore black cowboy boots, and his earrings were silver crosses. His face was concealed by a black fedora that sported a black feather with a tan streak down the middle.

"Another one." Sora said. "Um... I take it you're friends with those other two?"

"Yep." The boy, Brain, said.

"Who... who are you guys?" Sora asked.

"We're keyblade wielders, just like you." Brain said. "We've come from long ago, in the ancient past. While we're no longer living, our hearts and spirits live on."

"Oh, they must be the keyblade wielders that must've been around after the Keyblade War." Jiminy said.

"Interesting..." Sora said. So they're keyblade wielders from long ago, probably around the time in the Age of Fairytales as Master Yen Sid had told him.

"So... Evil lurks behind the light?" Sora asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means a conspiracy within the Canterlot populace, in it's higher ups so to speak." Brain said. "A massive deception against the Princesses and the Throne."

"A conspiracy?" Sora asked. "You mean, a group who are trying to get down the government?"

"Yes." Brain said as he made his way towards the doors the shrouded pony went through. "He and his fellow brothers are members of a sinister group who want to take down the Royal Sisters and rule the world for their own desires. They believe that the unicorns should be the ones ruling Equestria, and they're ruthless towards outsiders. If they succeed, then darkness will befall this land."

"So, they're the ones responsible for all of this happening?" Sora asked.

"You can say that." Brain said. "They learned that the Changeling Queen was disguised as Princess Amore and decided to join in on the fun. But he and his followers have their own goal in mind. They're helping the Changeling Queen with her plan, but they know she's gonna get a beating. The populace will turn against the princesses for their insecurity, and Twilight Sparkle will turn her back on Equestria. Their hope is to use the events to their advantage and seize the crown."

"Oh no." Sora said as he looked down at the ground. Those ponies, those conspirators, they learned the Changeling Queen was masquerading as Cadance, and they're just doing it so they can turn the populace on Princess Celestia? Sora shook his head. There was no way he was going to let that happen.

"Hmmm... I bet that hooded pony was probably the one who left the amulet for Twilight to find." Jiminy said.

"But... who was that guy?" Sora asked. Brain turned to the boy and smiled. He then tilted his hat back, revealing his gray eyes. He then extended his arm out, offering his hand.

"Let's go together." He said. Sora gave a nod and took it. Then the two floated forward, much forward in time. As they went forward, Sora and Brain saw the events that happened, of how Twilight escaped, the fake imposter revealed her true form, striking down Celestia, and the girls trying to use the Elements of Harmony against the changelings, but the betrayal in Twilight's heart caused them to stop working. He then saw the real Princess Cadance and Shining Armor blast Chrysalis and her changelings away, and right up to the point of Twilight lashing out at her friends, igniting her horn, and rest was known.

Soon, time resumed, where Sora and Brain were in the rehearsal room, or the wedding room so to speak. Sora's eyes widened as he saw everything destroyed inside. He glanced forward and saw Twilight, huffing and puffing, with Spike grabbing her leg. She was panting and looking around. This must be after the changeling invasion, and she probably destroyed everything in the room. She glanced forward at Princess Celestia, with the side of her stomach burnt from the lavender unicorn's attack.

"I... I..." Twilight spoke. She glanced at her mentor, her friends, and her brothers, as tears of pain and anger came dropping from her cheeks. She blinked, giving a grunt of disgust.

"I hate all of you!" She spoke, her voice trembling. She galloped away, passing Sora and Brain.

"Twilight!" Sora said, but she didn't hear him. No way she could hear him, since this was a memory. But he could tell from the feeling and what he saw, Twilight was in great pain.

"Go follow her." Brain said, pushing Sora forward.

"And then what?" Sora asked.

"You'll see." Brain said, and pretty soon, he disappeared, leaving Sora alone.

"Gosh... ghosts come and go so quickly." He said. He then started hearing Spike yelling at the girls and Shining, but he didn't care about that.

"C'mon, Sora." Jiminy said. "Let's follow Twilight and see where she got that amulet."

"Right." Sora said. He turned to follow Twilight out of the room. He chased her down the hallway and out of the castle. As he exited the front doors, he saw Twilight trotting away, sobbing with tears and sorrow, not caring about whoever sees her. There was hardly anyone around, except for a lone Royal Guard, a certain brilliant gamboge Pegasus trotting along the road, his mane a bit spikey, colored with two tones of moderate sapphire blue, with vivid cornflower blue eyes. As he turned his head, he saw Twilight. His eyes widened up.

"Oh, Twilight!" He called out, galloping towards her. She didn't respond as she continued onward. Sora tilted his head a bit. Does this stallion know her?

"Hey, Twilight, are you ok?" He asked as he caught up to the lavender pony.

"Perfect... never better..." Twilight said through her sobbing. The royal guard noticed something was wrong. He noticed the tears stains on her cheeks.

"A...Are you sure?" He asked. "You don't look alrig-"

"I Said I'm Fine!" Twilight shouted, turning her head with her horn lighting up. The stallion quickly backed away by this sudden outburst. But Twilight halted herself, realizing who she was speaking to.

"F...Flash Sentry..." Twilight said with a gasp, covering her mouth with her hooves. The stallion saw that she was crying.

"Twilight, are you sure you're ok?" He asked. Twilight only turned away.

"I'm sorry, Flash." Twilight said. "I just want to be alone, right now." She only trotted away as she continued to sob, leaving the stallion alone.

"Ok..." He responded, understanding that she wants to be alone. He let out a sigh. "Probably was a bad time to ask her out..."

"Sentry!" A royal guard called out, getting his attention. "We need to help the townsponies!"

"Right." He said. "On my way!" He then made his leave, but not before he bumped into a pony with a shrouded cloak and hood. "Oh, sorry." The mysterious stallion didn't respond as the royal guard rookie left to help the others. As he past Sora, the boy glanced right at the cloaked pony. Sora didn't know who it was, but he knew that mysterious unicorn was the one who erased Twilight's friends' memories of the fake bride's deception.

"That must be the hooded pony." Jiminy said.

"Let's go." Sora said, who quickly followed the hooded unicorn. He tailed the hooded stallion to the tower up ahead. Sora knew what tower that was. It was the tower that housed the Elements of Harmony. The boy followed the cloaked pony inside, trailing him to the Hall of the Elements, the big room that housed the actual elements. As Sora made it inside the room, he saw the stallion make his way towards the chest that contained the elements. He opened it up, revealing the six elements inside. But his attention was drawn to the Element of Magic, the same one that's in Sora's possession. The cloaked stallion then reached into the pocket of his cloak and pulled out what seemed to be a necklace. It had Latin lettering on it, which spelled out Sine Dolore. Sora's eyes widened. It was the amulet! The amulet Twilight had back in the Castle, the one he saw her wearing when he and the girls found her.

"That amulet!" Sora said. Is that how she found that necklace? The cloaked stallion placed the necklace above the Element of Magic.

"There we go." He said. "Now that this has been set, Little Twilight Sparkle will find it. The mare of the moon's weak spirit shall have a new home when Celestia's pet finally wears it. It seems that my plan is working perfectly..." He cloaked pony removed his hood, showing his face. His face and muzzle was a light azureish gray, his mane, tail and beard was dark grayish azure and his eyes were moderate turquoise. Sora's eyes widened up, recognizing who he was. He was Chancellor Neighsay! The pony that called Sora keyblade scum and tried to get him and the others arrested! He's responsible for all this?

"WHAT?" Sora asked.

"The Chancellor?!" Jiminy asked. The stallion took a couple of steps back.

"Pretty soon, Celestia's pet will turn against her, and all of Equestria will turn their back on her as well, while we, the Order of the Platinum Unicorns, shall finally take over as we were suppose to." Neighsay said. "Soon, very soon, the reign of Princess Celestia will be over!" He let out a chuckle, which turned into an evil laugh, while Sora looked on with shock.

"The Chancellor... He's the cause of all this?!" Sora said to himself. Suddenly, the chancellor stopped laughing and turned around, looking straight at Sora. He showed a face of anger as if he spotted him. He then charged up his magic and fired, hitting Sora.

"GAH!" Sora shouted as he was blown across the room. Then everything went white as a sheet.

Chapter 18: Black Magic

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 19: Harmony

The group had just left Zecora's hut and now Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or the CMC for short, were making their way deeper into the Everfree Forest, to find the solution to those black vines that they saw growing about, and hopefully, the backup source for the magic. As they continued onward, the CMC were explaining to Sora about their club, and their dedication to find their cutie marks.

"So, let me get this straight." Sora said. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders is a ...secret society?"

"Well, it used to be." Apple Bloom said. "But we decided to open the club to those who haven't gotten their cutie marks."

"Yeah, we also got these cool capes we made for members." Sweetie Belle said.

"And we try out all kinds of stuff to get our cutie marks." Scootaloo said. "We tried pig farming, taffy making, hairdressing, mind-reading, baking and underwater exploration."

"We ever tried carpentry and chicken-herding." Sweetie Belle said.

"But all of them turned out to be a bust, though." Apple Bloom said.

"Garsh." Goofy said. "Well, I'm sure you girls will find something you're good at. Maybe you should broaden your horizons."

"Huh?" The girls asked.

"Expand your range of interests and such." Sora said. "Try things that could put you to the test." The three girls looked at each other.

"Good idea!" They said.

"Maybe we should try stuff that can test us." Apple Bloom said. "How about... magic tricks?"

"Nah... how about sky-diving?" Scootaloo said.

"Sounds cool!" Sweetie Belle said. "Or how about tightrope-walking."

"Or tiger-taming." Apple Bloom said. "Maybe we can become mountain climbers!" The girls continued to talk about what other stuff they could do to earn their cutie marks, though the ideas they spoke of were actually dangerous ones, like construction building, dragon-ologists, or maybe beast hunting! Hearing all that made Donald worry a bit. Just hearing them talk about that reminded him of his nephews and their shenanigans.

"Whoa, Whoa, hold on!" Donald said, making the girls stop for a second. "Those sound a bit dangerous if you ask me."

-WHACK-

The royal wizard was whacked in the back of his head by Sora.

"OW!" Donald said. "What was that for?"

"Donald, don't hinder their hopes and dreams." Sora said.

"You wanna see three fillies tame a tiger?!" Donald asked. Sora started to think on that, three little fillies taming a tiger.

"I can see that being a cool possibility." Sora said, with Donald only shaking his head in annoyance.

"Well, I think Donald means is that they should probably wait until they're older before trying anything like trying to tame a tiger." Goofy said.

"Well, I've grown tired of waiting." Apple Bloom said. "I really want my cutie mark as soon as possible."

"Then once we're done with all of this, we can start searching for them right away!" Scootaloo said.

"Definitely!" Sweetie Belle said as the three put their hooves together.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, Forever!" The three fillies said, as a sudden up beat marching song began to play in the background, much to Donald's notice.

"HUH?!" Donald asked, knowing what was going to happen. "Oh, not another song..." Suddenly, Scootaloo appeared before him.

When you're a younger pony

And your flank is very bare

Feels like the sun will never come

When your cutie mark's not there

So the three of us will fight the fight

There is nothing that we fear

We'll have to figure out what we'll do next

'Til our cutie marks are here!

Suddenly, the three fillies lined up together and began to march along the path as they began to sing, while Sora and Goofy happily nodded their heads to the rhythm, while Donald only shook his head.

We are theCutie MarkCrusaders

On a quest to find outwho we are

And we willnever stopthe journey

Not untilwe have ourcutie marks!

"Do you think these musical numbers are too much?" Donald asked.

"Shhhhhh!" Sora and Goofy told the duck, while Sweetie Belle continued with the next verse.

They all say that you'll get your mark

When the time is really right

And you know just what you're supposed to do

And your talent comes to light

But it's not as easy as it sounds

And that waiting's hard to do

So we test our talents everywhere

Until our face is blue

We are theCutie MarkCrusaders

On a quest to find outwho we are

And we willnever stopthe journey

Not untilwe have ourcutie marks!

We are theCutie MarkCrusaders

On a quest to find outwho we are

And we willnever stopthe journey

Not untilwe have ourcutie marks!

"Say, with us having good vocals, how come we don't have cutie marks for singing?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Hey, don't sweat about it." Sora said. "I know what it's like, waiting to finally find your purpose in life."

"You do?" Apple Bloom asked. "But, aren't you a keyblade master or something?" Surprisingly enough, the little filly did witness Sora effort to stop Nightmare Moon when he was here the first time, though she was escorted out quickly by her older brother before she could see the fight.

"Well, actually no." Sora said. "I'm not a master officially. So, I'm kinda at where you are."

"So, he admits it." Donald said, only to receiving an annoyed stare by the boy.

"You're not a master yet?" Apple Bloom asked.

"And that doesn't bother you." Scootaloo asked.

"Of course not." Sora said. "I don't need to be a master to prove to everyone who I am. If anything, what I really love is to help people. Every place I've been to, I've always helped someone who is in need of help."

"Really?" Sweetie Belle asked. "You just help people?"

"Of course he does, and that's proves that he's a real hero." Goofy said.

"And so are we!" Donald said.

"Wow..." Apple Bloom said. "You helped so many people?"

"Well, he should be a master if he's helped so many people." Scootaloo said.

"I don't actually help people to become a keyblade master." Sora said. "I help others because I want them to be happy again. I don't really care how long it takes for me to become an Keyblade Master. So long I can help others be happy again, then that's good enough for me. And who knows, maybe someday I will be a master. And someday you girls will get your cutie marks too." Sora said. "It just takes patience and work. And who knows, maybe the talents you've had all along will shine through too." He knelt down toward the fillies and sang as the music got back up.

I know how you feel, tired of waiting

Wanting to spread your wings and soar.

But if you're patient and work hard enough

You'll find your marks for suuuuure!

Then, summoning the keyblade, he tossed it into the air, and shot upwards a magical spark that lit the sky above, creating fireworks in a wonderful display, while the CMC watched with amazement.

"I could do that." Donald said as he brought out his staff and aimed it into the air, only for it to spark up and give a puff of smoke, covering the royal wizard in soot, and Goofy let out a giggle. Pretty soon as they continued to march on, they jumped on to stepping stones over a large river, climbed up a step mountain, and even leapt over from one cliff to another, unaware of some of the animals looking up and amazed by their feets, and just like that, they sang along too!

They're the Cutie Mark Crusaders

On a quest to find out who they are

And they'll never stop the journey

Not 'til they have their cutie marks

They're on a quest...

(Slaps their knees)

To take the test...

(Slaps their knees)

Until the finally have their cutie maaaarrrks!!!

While the song was finished, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Spike, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or the CMC for short, were making their way through the forest to follow the trail of black vines. Luckily the ones they've seen recently were not like the ones they saw back at the castle, but there was more of the vines, so they had to be getting close. But then the group stopped in their tracks, seeing a blockade in their way. It was a wall of those black lines tangled up together.

"More vines." Sora said.

"So that must mean we're getting close." Goofy said. Donald made his way toward the wall and examined the vines. He pulled out his staff and gave the wall a good whack. But nothing happened.

"Great, we can't get through." Donald said.

"Should we try going around?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I could fly over it, if I could." Scootaloo said, flapping her little wings, though they weren't able to help her off the ground.

"Maybe we can set it on fire." Sweetie Belle said, with the girls glaring at the unicorn filly. "What?"

"That would set the whole forest in fire!" Scootaloo said. "Where did you ever-"

"Shhh." Sora said with a hush. "You guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Apple Bloom asked.

-GRRRRRRRRR-

The sudden grrrrr caught their attention. There was a sound coming from somewhere. It was either a low rumble, or a very low growl. They all looked around, while Goofy glanced at the wall. Something on that wall... or in that wall managed to get him to point.

"Hey, I think that eye has walls." He said.

"Eyes?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, look." Goofy said, pointing up at the wall. He was right, there were eyes in those walls. There were at least six eyes, one pair that were moderate harlequin with black sclera, the other pair being very dark purple with moderate apple green sclera, and the last pair black with moderate amaranth sclera. The sight of those eyes made Spike worry a bit.

"Something doesn't feel quite right..." Spike said.

-BOOM!-

The wall of vines quickly burst open, surprising the group, and causing the vine pieces to scatter across the floor. Everyone looked up to see what just came out of the wall. Standing before them was a monstrous creature, with the head and front legs of a brilliant gamboge tiger with black strips, the head and hindquarters of a grayish amber and godish grey goat with a greenish black mane, and long tail that was actually a moderate spring bud snake! As the tiger head let out a roar, Donald quickly screamed as he clung to Goofy in fear, while Spike hid behind Sora, and the CMC looked with surprise.

"What is that?!" Donald asked.

"It's some kind of monster with a head of a tiger and goat." Sora said.

"With a snake for a tail." Goofy said.

"Uh oh... it's a Chimera!" Apple Bloom said with shock.

"A what?!" Sora asked.

"A Chimera!" Apple Bloom said.

"Cool!" Scootaloo said.

"How is that cool?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"My, my... such lovely guests." The tiger head spoke.

"So delicious looking too!" The goat head said.

"Wait a second, Granny Smith always said that this thing is usually in the Flame Geyser Swamp." Apple Bloom said. "What are you doing all the way out here in the Everfree Forest?"

"Simple." The snake head of the tail said leaning forward, startling Apple Bloom. "We may live in the Swamp, but that doesn't mean we can go to other places and eat."

"Especially those who willingly come into this forest..." The tiger and goat heads said in unison and they leaned towards Apple Bloom, making her gasp in fear.

"Back Off!" Sora shouted, summoning the Missing Ache keyblade and whacking both heads in the face with the blade, as Apple Bloom watched with awe. "Pick on someone your own size for once!"

"Yeah!" Donald shouted as he and Goofy joined him side by side, ready to defend the CMC from the Chimera. The tiger and goat head, showing a cut on their faces from the blade, showed very angry scowls.

"You will pay for that, you vermin..." The snake head said.

"Oh yeah?" Sora said as he pointed his keyblade forward. "FIRE!" Upon command, the tip of the keyblade began to conjure up a sphere of flames, ready to shoot out a fire ball.

-POOF-

A sudden puff of smoke ignited from the blade, suddenly surprising Sora and the group. That didn't work? How?

"What the?" Sora said. "BLIZZARD!" His keyblade then charged up a crystal blue sphere, hoping to shoot out an ice bullet, and then...

-POOF-

Another poof happened as the sphere just gave a puff of sparkles. Neither Blizzard was working.

"What's going on?" Sora asked.

"You're wearing the bracelets, aren't you?" Goofy asked, referring to the magic enhancer bracelets Princess Celestia gave them. Sora looked down and saw both bracelets on each of his wrists. But he noticed that they weren't glowing brightly. Come to think of it, the glowing was weak.

"I don't think they're working properly." Sora said.

"Oh no, it's probably the magic." Spike said. "It's not working now!" Hearing that made all three heads of the Chimera smile with glee and hunger.

"Well, what do you know." The tiger head said. "Now you're defenseless."

"Which means eating all of you..." The goat head said.

"Won't be much trouble." The snake head said. "So what should we eat first?" The CMC fillies coward behind the trio, and so did Spike.

"Uh oh..." Donald said.

"I say we eat the boy and the other two, then we eat the little ponies for desert!" The tiger head said.

"No way!" The goat head said. "We eat the three little fillies first, then we eat the boy and his delicious duck and dog."

"No!" The snake head said. "Let's eat the chubby dragon first!"

"Well, finally they notice me." Spike said. "And I'm not chubby." The little dragon however did look down at his gut, poking it with his finger, seeing that it was a bit pudgy

"No, let's eat what I want to eat!" The tiger head said.

"No, I want to eat what I want!" The goat head said.

"No, me!" The snake head said, with the three heads starting to argue, much to the group's surprise. The Chimera was in a conflicted battle with itself, trying to decide what to eat.

"What's... happening?" Sora asked.

"They're arguing more than how me and Rarity would argue." Sweetie Belle said.

"They can't seem to agree on anything." Donald said.

"Well, how are we gonna get past this thing?" Spike asked. Goofy began to think, and then an idea came to his head.

"Oh, I know what can work!" He said. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a flute, made from a gourd, or something like that.

"A flute?!" Donald asked. "How is a flute going to help us?!"

"Just watch." Goofy said as he stepped forward, and the Chimera, drawn out of it's own argument, approached him, with the snake head leaning it's head towards the knight captain, opening it's mouth. Goofy took a deep breath and started playing the flute. He played it so perfectly, jazz music began to play along with it. Suddenly, the snake head froze and began to move in motion with Goofy's swaying, as if it was hypnotized. Sora and Donald watched with amazement.

"Ooooh... he's distracting the snake." Sora said.

"He never told us he was a snake charmer." Donald said a bit surprised. Pretty soon, Goofy finished up the song, and the snake still felt tranced.

"Awww... there we go." Goofy said. "You're not gonna hurt anybody now, right?"

"Riiight..." The snake said, with the goat head and the tiger head gasped in confusion. Suddenly, Goofy pulled out some rolled up ricotta cheese.

"Here, have some cheese!" He said as he tossed it into the air, and the snake grabbed it with it's mouth.

"Mmmm... cheesy..." The snake said.

"Hey, give me that!" The tiger head shouted. "I'm hungry too!"

"Me too!" The goat head shouted too, pulling the snake head and beginning to get in a scuffle, causing the entire body to roll over away as the three heads continued to fight over the cheese. The Chimera rolled wee wee wee all the way down the hill. Goofy looked back at the group with a smile, while everyone only watched with surprise. Sora then started clapping, and so did the fillies and Spike.

"Nice job, Goofy." Sora said.

"Thanks." The knight captain said, while Donald tilted his head. Goofy had rolled up ricotta cheese in his pocket the whole time?

"Wait, you just had that cheese on you?" Donald asked.

"Well of course." Goofy said. "They had some in Canterlot." Donald was about to speak, but he only shook his head. Goofy sure does come prepared, just how prepared he comes is a mystery.

"Thanks for that." Apple Bloom said to the trio.

"No problem." Sora said. "You alright?"

"Uh-Huh." Apple Bloom said.

"Come on." Spike said. "We better go before that Chimera comes back." Everyone agreed, and they continued on down the road to follow the black vines, completely unaware of some more vines following them.

And so, the group continued down the road, going deeper into the Everfree Forest... again. Yes, they just kept walking and walking, and the moon was still high above the sky. There was certainly no telling how much time has past.

"I wonder how much farther we have to walk." Donald said.

"Hopefully not too far." Sora said.

"Say, how come your magic wasn't working back there?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, apparently Equestria seems to be tied to the magic of our universe, and for some reason, something here is causing the magic to not work right." Sora said.

"And now our magic is hardly working at all." Donald said.

"But... Sweetie Belle's magic works just fine." Apple Bloom said.

"Yes, but it's actually our own magic." Sora said. "Pony magic isn't really affected by whatever is causing our magic to stop... at least that's what we've been told."

"You know, I wonder with the bracelets not working now, I think that means the source of the thing that keeps our magic running is not working now." Goofy said. "But I wonder what it could be." Sora could only think. He remembered his previous conversation with Chirithy, who said that the Elements of Harmony came from something called the Sacred Tree.

"I wonder if this Sacred Tree could be the reason." Sora said.

"Sacred Tree?" Donald asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "Apparently, this Sacred Tree is also where the Elements of Harmony came from. Maybe that's what we need to find."

"What makes you think that?" Donald asked. "Who told you about that?"

"Someone named... Chirithy." Sora said. As the group continued on, Donald and Goofy stopped for a second. Chirithy? Why does that name sound familiar?

"Chirithy?" Donald asked. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Come to think of it." Goofy said. "Didn't the King mention a Chirithy before, when he was looking for us one time?" The two continued to think. They remember that the King had told them how he was looking for the long ago, and had help from a friend and someone named Chirithy.

"Hey guys, Check this Out!" Sora called out, getting their attention. Realizing that they were behind, they quickly made their way through the bushes and such. As they got through, they saw what the others were seeing. Water. In the middle was a huge spring, sparkling and some water shooting out of some parts. It was... peaceful and beautiful.

"Whoa..." Sora said. "It's a Geyser Spring."

"Now that certainly looks beautiful." Goofy said as Donald gave a nod.

"Ooooh." The Cutie Mark Crusaders said in unison, amazed by the peaceful looking spring.

"That's odd..." Sora said as he looked at the area. "I don't remember seeing this place the first time I came here."

"Well, it's a nice place to take a quick dip though." Spike said. Sora looked around, wondering what kind of a place this is. With the Everfree Forest being unnatural, this certainly was unnatural for there to be a geyser spring here.

"Evil...." A whisper ran in Sora's ear, making him turn his head. There was no one behind him. Where did that come from?

"Do not be fooled..." The whisper said again. The voice sounded like three people speaking to him. Was it Mr. Scarf and those other two? Suddenly, he glanced down and saw that the Missing Ache Keyblade was glowing in his hand. It was like the keyblade itself was speaking to him.

"Evil..." The voices said again, making Sora look at the spring, which was sparkling. He squinted his eyes, and saw something evaporating from the water. It was some kind of dark mist.

"Darkness!" Sora thought, realizing that this water must be polluted.

"Well, let's go for a dip!" Scootaloo said as she began to rush forward, flapping her wings, ready to jump in.

"Scootaloo, NO!" Sora shouted as he grabbed the filly Pegasus and pulled her away from the spring. Luckily she didn't touch the water.

"What?" She asked.

"Don't touch the water!" Sora said, much to Donald and Goofy's confusion.

"Why not?" Scootaloo asked.

"It's evil!" He said.

"Evil?" Scootaloo asked. "How can a geyser spring be evil?" Apple Bloom glanced at the spring, squinting her eyes to see. She then noticed something was off with the spring. It seems Sora wasn't the only one who was seeing that dark mist.

"I think Sora might be on to somethin'." Apple Bloom said. "That water does not look right." Donald and Goofy also examined the pool, and wondered what was going on.

"Could it be darkness?" Goofy asked. Spike then approached the water and glanced right at it, seeing his reflection.

"It looks fine to me." Spike said, looking back at the group, unaware of a huge black mass taking shape in the water before him. "Maybe it's probably letting off steam."

"I dunno." Apple Bloom said.

-RUMBLE, ROAR-

The sudden shake and a low roar caught the group by surprise again. All of them looked around, wondering where it came from.

"What was that?" Scootaloo asked.

"Is it the Chimera?" Apple Bloom asked. No, that can't be the Chimera, because it went far away from them, fighting over the cheese that Goofy gave them. Speaking of which, Goofy looked ahead and gasped.

"Um... fellas, I don't think that was the Chimera..." He said, pointing at the water. Suddenly, the water itself turned into a greenish color. Then two light yellow eyes began to glow as a head began to emerge from the water.

"Uh oh..." Donald said. The creature lurking in the water rose from within it, revealing to be some sort of dark grayish apple green giant crocodile, but it was covered in tangelo-ish black rock shapes.

"What's that thing?" Sora asked.

"A Cragadile!" Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo shouted in unison.

"Cragadile?" Sora asked. "Don't you mean Crocodile?"

"No, it's a Cragadile!" Apple Bloom said.

"And they aren't friendly one bit!" Sweetie Belle screamed.

"Where's Rainbow Dash when you need her?" Scootaloo asked. Pretty soon, the cragadile walked out of the lake and gave a snarl at the seven before it.

"What do we do?" Spike asked. "Quick, do something magical!"

"But our magic isn't working!" Donald shouted as the beast got closer and closer.

"Don't worry, I got an idea!" Sora said as he took a step forward, summoning the Missing Ache keyblade in his hand. He took another step forward just as the cragadile got closer. As it gave a growl, Sora did the only thing that could work. He whacked the reptile in the head with the keyblade. And it was not effective.

-ROOOOOOAAAAAARRR-

The Cragadile roared right in Sora's face, causing his spikey hair to blow back a bit.

"Ok, Plan B." Sora said. "RUUNNN!!!!!" As he shouted at the top of his lungs, he and the rest of the group screamed in fear as they took off running, while the Cragadile took off after them.

"That was your plan?!" Donald asked. "That was your plan?!"

"Well, do you have any better ideas?!" Sora asked. Suddenly, the group had no choice but to stop, seeing more black vines emerging right before them.

"Uh oh!" Goofy said. "We're surrounded!" Seeing the vine sweep in to attack, Sora jumped to the side and swung the keyblade, slicing the vine up. Suddenly, they heard another roar. Looking back, they saw the cragadile far behind them. Apple Bloom looked around, and saw that there more vines on the side, but there were dozens that didn't have any of the claws like the ones that attacked Sora. Then an idea came to her head.

"Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, I have an idea!" Apple Bloom said. As she pointed at the vines, the two other fillies knew what she was thinking. They quickly ran to the side, while Sora and the rest were unaware. Their focus was on the Cragadile, which was getting closer. It began to charge towards them, which was surprising since it was a big fella. Luckily, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Spike jumped out of the way as the beast crashed into the wall of the black vines, making it dizzy.

"Ok, let's get the jump on it!" Sora shouted. With a nod, he, Donald, and Goofy jumped on the Cragadile's back in hopes to keep it down, but the beast wasn't giving up. Shaking it's body, it flung the trio off it's back, making them roll onto the ground, Spike cringed as he saw them on the ground.

"Are you guys ok?" He asked as Sora lifted himself up.

"Ok, that didn't work." Sora said as Donald got up all dizzy. After he came to, he looked around and saw that the CMC were not nearby.

"Wait, where did the fillies go?" Donald asked. Before they could figure out, the Cragadile's roar made them turn and see the monster slowly approaching them. Sora pointed the keyblade forward while Donald and Goofy hid behind him. Before it could make them into it's meal however...

-WHISTLE-

The sudden whistle got the Cragadile's attention, making it turn around and see Apple Bloom, holding a long length of a vine in her mouth.

"Hey Craggy, Over Here!" She waved, making the beast growl, turn it's entire body, and then charge straight forward toward the farm filly. The group gasped as the reptile opened it's mouth.

"NOW!" She called out, with Scootaloo bolting through and swung a lasso made from one of the black vines and grabbed the Cragadile by the tail, making it stop in it's tracks. The other end was wrapped around one of the trees, preventing the Cragadile from getting closer to Apple Bloom. Then the farm filly swung her vine lasso around the reptile's mouth, closing it snout, with Sweetie Belle using her magic to attach the other end of the lasso the tree behind her. Apple Bloom then hopped on it's head, causing it to go dizzy, and then she, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle tied more vine lassos on the Cragadile's legs, attaching the other ends of the lasso to other trees, trapping the beast and immobilizing it in the air, trapped in a vine lasso knot!

"YAY!" The three fillies cheered at their work done so well. They've managed to trap the Cragadile! "Cutie Mark Crusaders Cragadile Hunters!"

"Hey, you guys did it!" Spike said as he gave a cheer.

"That was awesome!" Sora said as he, Donald, and Goofy applauded.

"You three sure are brave!" Goofy said.

"Thank you!" Donald said.

"No problem!" Apple Bloom said. "Sometimes you just gotta tie a beast up in a knot."

"It's kinda of a bummer that we didn't Cutie Marks for it though." Sweetie Belle said.

"Oh well, we did manage to tie up a Cragadile though." Scootaloo said. "Rainbow Dash would be so proud of me!"

"Proud of us, you mean?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah, that's what I mean." Scootaloo said. The two fillies gave giggles as Scootaloo gave a blush.

"See Donald?" Sora asked. "I told you they would be fine." The royal wizard gave a sigh.

"Ok, Ok." Donald said. "I suppose I underestimated the fillies a bit."

"You mean a lot?" Goofy asked. Donald only sighed in annoyance, while Sora couldn't help but smile.

"Hey guys, take a look at that!" Spike called out, pointing straight forward. The group then looked on at what Spike was pointing at. Before them was a cave just up ahead, and coming out of it was more of those black vines, moving a bit slowly, and there were lots of them.

"Uh oh, that doesn't look good." Goofy said.

"So that must be where those plunder vines are coming from." Apple Bloom said.

"Plunder vines?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo asked.

"Well, what else could we call them?" Apple Bloom asked. The two fillies knew she made a point.

"Those vines seem to be coming from that cave." Donald said.

"I wonder if that's where the source of the magic could be." Goofy said.

"So... it's not a tree?" Sora asked as he thought for a moment. But as he looked up, there was someone who caught his eyes. A familiar boy with white curly hair and a red scarf!

"Mr. Scarf?" Sora asked, with Donald and Goofy looking at him in confusion. The boy with the red scarf then took off into the cave. "Wait up!" The boy quickly took off running towards the cave.

"Sora, wait!" Donald shouted as he and Goofy ran after him. The CMC and Spike followed also, chasing the boy into the cave.

Sora continued making his way into the cave, going after Mr. Scarf, or Ephemer. As he kept going, he saw a light, a light that was getting closer as he got closer and closer. As he got far enough, he saw that the light was inside a huge room. Then, the boy stopped in his tracks, seeing what was ahead of him. As Spike, Donald and Goofy, and the CMC joined behind him, the boy's eyes widened as he saw what was ahead of him, a strange looking tree, of what appears to be made of crystal. It was a sparkly mixture of blue, from dark to light, but yet it's glow was very week, as if it was dying.

"Whoa..." Sora said as he made his way toward the tree, with the fillies, Spike, Donald and Goofy following behind him.

"It's beautiful..." Sweetie Belle said.

"It looks like a tree." Goofy said.

"And it's crystal!" Donald said.

"It's definitely no apple tree." Apple Bloom said.

"So there really is a Tree." Sora said. As they got close enough, the boy took one better look at the tree, seeing something very interesting about it. At the bark of the tree were two symbols. One at the bottom was a crescent moon, and the one above it was a sun. Those two symbols looked exactly the same as the cutie marks on the Princesses. But the kicker here was the white star above it, pointing in six directions. The star looked exactly like Twilight's cutie mark.

"That star." Sora said. "It looks just like Twilight's cutie mark."

"And the sun and moon look like the Princesses' cutie marks too!" Spike said.

"Is this the Sacred Tree?" Donald asked.

"It looks like it." Sora said. "But, what is this thing?"

"The Tree of Harmony." Turning their heads, the trio then saw a stranger approaching next to them, a boy with white curly hair and a red scarf! It was Ephemer!

"Who is that?" Goofy asked, showing that he and the others could see him too.

"It's Mr. Scarf!" Sora spoke, getting the two's attention.

"You know him?" Donald asked.

"No, but I've seen him before at the Keyblade Graveyard." Sora said. "He's the one who brought those keyblades to help us."

"Really?" Goofy asked.

"He's a keyblade wielder from long ago?!" Donald asked. The boy gave a nod, and then he started to approach Ephemer.

"So, what's this tree again?" Sora asked.

"This is the Tree of Harmony." Ephemer said. "It's not like any other tree you've seen before. It's a magical tree that protects Equestria from the most dangerous threats. It contains and controls everything in the Everfree Forest, even without the elements."

"Without... the Elements?" Sora asked, looking back at the tree. Then to his surprise, he saw the five branches sticking out, with dangling spheres on each one. At the top of each brance was a gemstone carving, like the ones he saw back at the Royal Sisters' Castle, on the old stones that were suppose to contain the Elements themselves.

"This is where the Elements of Harmony came from?" Sora asked.

"That's right." Ephemer said. "A thousand years ago when Discord began to cause chaos in Equestria, the Royal Sisters discovered the tree, and they took the Elements from the tree to use their magic to seal away Discord. But now... the tree is losing it's magic."

"Losing it's magic?" Goofy asked. "Is that why it's not glowing brightly." Donald looked around, and noticed something below and around the tree. He saw multiple black vines with blue spikes emerging slowly wrapping around the base of the tree.

"Look!" Donald said, seeing the plunder vine spreading across the tree, and the tree began to lose it's color, going black.

"What's happening?" Sora asked as more vines began to appear, emitting strange-like crab claw, ready to attack the group.

"The Tree of Harmony is dying." Ephemer said. "And these monstrous plunder vines will do anything to destroy it. And if nothing is done, Equestria will lose it's magic, and the magic across the universe will die out."

"Then let's torch these suckers!" Donald shouted as he summoned his staff, and aimed it forward.

"FIRE!" He shouted. The staff began to glow, but it only let out a burst of smoke, and nothing else. "Hey, it's not working!"

"The magic's gone out!" Goofy said.

"Maybe this will work!" Sora said as he summoned the Missing Ache Keyblade, and charged towards the vines, which was blocking the tree. He swung forward, but the vines didn't flinch or anything.

"That didn't work either!" He shouted. Goofy held it shield up just as a plunder vine swept in to attack.

"They're everywhere!" Goofy shouted. Spike looked around, and saw that the plunder vines quickly sealed up the exit.

"We're trapped!" Spike said.

"How do we fix it?" Sora asked.

"The tree must have it's magic back." Ephemer said.

"It's magic back?" Sora asked as the vines got closer to the group. "How do we do that?" While everyone was panicking, the CMC fillies began to back away as the plunder vines approached them.

"How do we stop these suckers?" Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom began to look around, and he attention was drawn to the tree. She then had an idea. The Elements came from the tree, did they? Maybe the Elements can be used to stop the vines!

"Spike, give us your backpack!" Apple Bloom said.

"Why?" Spike asked.

"The Elements!" Apple Bloom said. "Give them to us!"

"What?!" Spike asked. "NOOO!!"

"Oh, c'mon Spike!" Scootaloo said. "We're not going to break them or anything!"

"No way!" Spike said, clutching his backpack to his claws. "Sora asked me to keep them safe, so I'm keeping them safe." The three fillies looked at each other, then began to give a sneaky smile. Scootaloo raised her wing up, and Apple Bloom used her snout to pull a feather from the filly's wing.

"Don't make me use this." She said, making her way towards the baby dragon. The little guy realized what she was about to do.

"You wouldn't dare!" Spike said, but it was too late. The filly began to wiggle the feather on Spike's tummy, making him giggle and laugh. While his skin was scaly, he was quite ticklish. He laughed so hard, he dropped the bag, allowing Scootaloo to take it.

"Got it!" She said. "Sweetie Belle, throw me!"

"On it!" The filly said as she picked up the orange filly Pegasus.

"Hey Sora!" Scootaloo called out, getting the boy's attention. "Heads up!" Sweetie Belle tossed Scootaloo, and she used her tiny wings to fly... well, actually she can't fly, but her wings allowed her to hover towards the boy. She then tossed the backpack to Sora, who caught it in the nick of time.

"Got it!" Sora said. "Now what?!"

"Use the Elements!" Apple Bloom said. "Maybe they can stop the vines!"

"Ok!" Sora said. He then pulled out the elements and placed them on the ground. He then pointed the keyblade forward, and a white circle formed around him, and the six elements began to glow. They floated up around him, charging up with energy. The circle then let out a flash of magic, causing only some of the vines to be sent away. But the plunder vines were still moving towards him.

"Come on!" Sora said, but then suddenly, a plunder vine snuck forward and grabbed the keyblade. "Hey, let go!" He struggled to hold on, but the vine pulled the keyblade out of his hands and tossed it away. The elements began to drop, but five more vines grabbed the necklaces, except for the Element of Magic, which dropped in front of Sora.

"Oh no!" Sora said. Then, two plunder vines grabbed ahold of Donald and Goofy's legs, pulling them up into the air.

"SORA!" The two called out.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora said. He then turned back to Ephemer. "What do I do?"

"The tree just needs it's magic back." Ephemer said. "Just return what was taken from it."

"Return what was taken from it?" Sora asked. Then suddenly, his brain sparked. Return what was taken from it... Now he began to realize what Ephemer meant! The Tree functions without the Elements, and this is where the Elements of Harmony originated! The tree is powered by the Elements themselves! He didn't need to use the Elements. He just needed to return them. Seeing the Element of Magic on the ground, he picked it up, and removed the gemstone from from the tiara. He glanced up at the tree.

"Return what was taken from it." Sora said as he rushed forward.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy cried out as the boy ran toward the tree. The vines quickly took action to strike, but the boy leapt up and over to reach the tree. Taking the Element of Magic, he threw the star gemstone toward the tree. Then...

-FLASH-

The Element of Magic began to glow brightly, and the tree began to send out a magenta colored wave, blowing away most of the vines that were trying to catch Sora, including the ones that had the other five elements if their grasp. The five gemstones began to glow as well, and with a might blast, the necklaces shattered, but the gemstones remained intact. The blast incinerated the plunder vines that held them. The remaining elements began to make their way towards the tree, each one placed in their perspective branch, killing away the vines that wrapped around them.

With all six elements on the tree, the Tree of Harmony began to regain it's color, and started to sparkle. It's sparkles disintegrated every vine that wrapped around the tree. It then sent a powerful blast that began to kill all the vines around the trio, Spike, the crusaders and Ephemer, finally wiping the area clean of those pesky plunder vines. The tree then began to emit a radiant glow, showing that it was now back to it's full power. The group watched in amazement as they saw the tree even more beautiful.

"The Tree is back to normal!" Goofy said.

"Yeah!" Sora said, picking up the Missing Ache keyblade that was dropped onto the floor. Then suddenly, the boy's body began to glow, and Donald's body began to glow too. For a strange reason, both of them felt much better and more... stronger... in a mystic kind of way! Could this mean, the magic is back?

"Hey, I feel better somehow!" Donald said.

-ROOOAAR-

The sound of a familiar roar filled the room. Turning their head, they saw the Cragadile again, making it's way inside, ready for another bout!

"Uh Oh!" Goofy said as he brought out his shield. Donald however, glanced down at his staff, and gave a smile. He then stepped forward.

"Donald, wait!" Sora called out. Then the duck pulled his staff backwards.

"FIRAGA!" Donald shouted as he pointed the staff forward. Then to their surprise, the staff glowed brightly and fired a massive fireball right at the Cragadile, hitting it right in it's face! The beast then gave a yelp and crawled off, away from the trio.

"That was awesome!" Sweetie Belle squeaked as the other two fillies cheered.

"Whoa!" Sora said. "Way to go, Donald!"

"Haha, you did it buddy!" Spike said as the royal wizard then twriled his staff.

"Yep, I still got it!" Donald said.

"Garsh, the magic's back!" Goofy said.

"Yeah!" Sora said. "But... how?"

"You guys restored the Tree of Harmony, the source of the magic across Equestria." Ephemer explained. "With the magic of Equestria restored, the magic in the universe is back in balance."

"Amazing." Sora said. Then, before he could say anymore, a bright light began to shine from the Tree, as if began to emit a much more brighter glow. Then suddenly, emerging from the tree was a small glowing sphere. The ball began to slowly descend to the ground and flashed, revealing the silhouette with dark red hair and blue eyes. Sora's eyes widened as he saw the silhouette. The hair reminded him of someone he knew.

"Kairi?" Sora asked, greatly surprised, as was Donald and Goofy. How did Kairi get here?

"Kairi?" He asked. "Is that... you?" Then the silhouette got closer, revealing it to be a pony figure, just as tall as Princess Celestia. The pony had a long horn and majestic wings like Princess Celestia. But she was a bit more whitish tan, and her long messy mane and tail was dark red. Her eyes were blue, and her cutie mark was of a ink glass with a quill inside it. Sora was taken back, a little surprised that it wasn't Kairi, but another alicorn! How many more alicorns were there?

"Who... are you?" Sora asked.

"I am the Tree of Harmony." She spoke. "I have the power to project a physical form of my consciousness." The boy nearly gasped as she spoke. This was the Tree of Harmony? It can take a physical form and it had a consciousness of it's own?

"Consciousness?" Sora asked. "So, you... or the tree is alive?"

"Yes." The alicorn said.

"Whoa... that's just incredible." He said. "But... what are you doing here?"

"I contain and controls all that grows in the Everfree Forest." She said. "I also keep the magic of this world and the universe balanced and maintain it. But my magic was slowly dying away after the Princesses took the elements. But now that you've returned them to me, my magic is now restored." The boy smiled.

"That's great." Sora said. "But... what about Twilight. She's... down a very dark path."

"Yes, I know." The tree spoke. "She is being led astray by a dark force that you may be familiar with. And if nothing is done, she'll be lost forever."

"No..." Sora said, showing concern and worry.

"But she can be saved." The alicorn spoke. The boy lifted his head up.

"Really?" Sora asked. "Please, tell me what to do!"

"You already know how to save one who is deep in the darkness." The tree said. The boy began thinking.

"You mean... the Power of Waking?" Sora asked. The tree giggled and shook her head.

"No... you've had the power to save those all along." She said. "You just have to follow your heart, and just be yourself." The boy was taken back by what she told him.

"Being myself." Sora said, his hand over his chest. He realized what she meant. He was able to help those find themselves again when they were lost, by just being himself. "I want to save her... but... how can I when...?" Before he could finish, the spirit placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Friendship is always tested by the greatest of obstacles." She said. "And there are times when those around us are lost. But they can be saved. Let her know that you and those around you care for her. And if all else fails, sing a happy song."

"Sing a song, huh?" Sora asked. "Ok, I'll take that advice to heart."

"And don't forget." The tree said. "Whatever is cleaved apart..." Then extending her hand out, the broken pieces of Sora's keyblade began to glow brightly. The pieces floated out of Sora's hands and above the silhouette of Kairi, and the Elements of Harmony began to glow brightly, and the Star in the tree shined as well. Their energy began to surround the keyblade, reattaching the two broken pieces together. The blade began to glow very brightly, letting a powerful wave of light to shine down on Sora and company. As the boy opened his eyes, the light began to fade, and the keyblade was not only fixed, but also transformed. The blade, the keychain and token are the same, but the rest is different, looking almost like King Mickey's new keyblade. The handle is black with both ends capped with dark blue. The top and bottom part of the guard was red, while the sides of the guard was black, the colors matching Sora's own duds. The edges at the bottom tipped with yellow circles and the edges on the top capped with a sun parallel to the teeth and the moon on the otherside. The base of the blade is red with black stripes running on the side. The keyblade then floated back into Sora's hand. Surprise took hold of him, as did Donald and Goofy. The keyblade was fixed, and received an upgrade.

"Can be cleaved back together." The tree said. Sora was astonished. The Tree restored his keyblade, and now it was enhanced. Donald and Goofy, Spike and of course the Cutie Mark Crusaders reacted with awe. The boy gave a nod.

"Thank you." Sora said. "Oh, and sorry about earlier. You looked like someone I know. Someone that is very precious to me."

"Speaking of which." The tree said. "You don't need to worry now. The magic in the universe is now restored, so her power will be restored as well." The boy lifted his head up.

"You mean, Kairi is ok?" Sora asked.

"Yes." The tree said. "She will be ok." Hearing that made Sora smile, and now he felt even more relief. Kairi is going to be ok now! She's going to be ok!

"Thank you!" Sora said with a nod. The tree also gave a nod.

"May your heart be your guiding key." She said, and soon she faded away, floating back into the tree, as Sora and the group watched with amazement. The boy then glanced back at Ephemer, who was smiling too.

"And thank you too." Sora said.

"It was nothing." Ephemer said. "See you soon." With a wave of his hand, he suddenly disappeared, transforming into an orb of light, and then he took off flying out of the cave, while everyone watched.

"Garsh, spirits of the past come and go so quickly." Goofy said as Donald gave a nod.

"Wow, that was beautiful." Apple Bloom said. "Applejack's never gonna believe this."

"APPLE BLOOM!" A voice called out. The filly froze instantly hearing the voice. She quickly turned her head around to see five ponies. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack! The latter was Apple Bloom's older sister.

"APPLEJACK!" Apple Bloom shouted, showing fear on her face. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and of course Spike, turned their heads to see the girls.

"Girls!" They all called out.

"Hey, Sora!" Rainbow Dash with a wave. Applejack however, had a stern look on her face.

"Apple Bloom!" She shouted as she bolted forward, heading straight for Apple Bloom.

"Applejack, I can explain!" The filly shouted, but it was too late, Applejack rolled right in the young filly and began to hug her tightly and stroke her mane.

"Oh, Apple Bloom, thank goodness you're alright!" Applejack said as she nuzzled the filly affectionately and stroked her mane. She looked like she was so worried... yes, she was worried.

"Wait, you're not mad?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Mad?" Applejack asked. "I wasn't mad, I was worried-sick! I saw the tree house near the barn and I saw the stairway broken!"

"Oh, yeah." Apple Bloom said. "We were trying to get our cutie marks on making potions. But we screwed up and went to go see Zecora. I left you a note. Didn't you read it?"

"I did." Applejack said. "Did you tell Big Mac or Granny Smith?"

"Big Mac was working so we didn't want to bother him, and Granny Smith was asleep as usual." Apple Bloom said. "I couldn't find you, so we... uh.... went to the forest without telling anyone." Applejack only let out a sigh.

"Apple Bloom, you know if I'm not home and if the others are busy, you're suppose to wait at home until I get back if something happened!" Applejack lectured.

"Well, we didn't want Sweetie Belle to be a blueberry." Apple Bloom said. "Miss Rarity would've flipped out."

"Actually, I was enjoying being a blu-" Sweetie Belle said, only to have her mouth hushed up by Scootaloo.

"And don't worry, we were on the safe path." Apple Bloom said.

"But what if somethin' bad happened to ya?" Applejack asked. "Those vines were all over the place when we got here."

"I'm fine." Apple Bloom said. "I'm not a little foal." Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at the two sisters arguing at each other. Not wanting to hear anymore of this, Sora approached the two.

"Hey, lighten up Applejack." Sora said, getting the farmpony's attention.

"Sora?" Applejack asked surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"We came into the forest to fix the magic." Sora said. "And it's fixed by the way."

"You're welcome." Donald said.

"We ran into the girls on our way here." Goofy said.

"And you guys let them go with you?" Applejack asked.

"Don't worry, we made sure they were careful." Goofy said.

"And they helped us get all the way here." Sora said. "In fact, they helped scare that Cragadile away when it was trying to eat us."

"And they helped us fix the magic too." Goofy said. "We wouldn't have done it without them."

"Hey, what about me?!" Donald asked. "I scared the Cragadile too!"

"Not before we came in here." Sora said. "You were screaming and running." Donald only rolled his eyes and grumbled. Applejack's eyes widened with surprise. Her sister and her friends managed to scare off a vicious Cragadile?

"They did?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, we did." Scootaloo said.

"It was no biggie." Sweetie Belle said.

"SWEETIE BELLE!" Rarity shouted as she rushed over and hugged her little sister affectionately. "Oh, Sweetie Belle, I'm so glad you're alright."

"Rarity..." Sweetie Belle said, rolling her eyes.

"But still, you were right Applejack." Apple Bloom said. "I should've waited back at the barn until you got back. I'm sorry for going into the forest without permission." Applejack was about to speak, but she shook her head and gave a smile.

"Well, actually, while it was wrong of you to come in here without permission, it was actually a good thing." Applejack said. "If you hadn't went into the forest then Sora and his friends would've been that Cragadile's supper. And you helped them restore their magic, so I guess I really have taught you something." Apple Bloom lifted her head up with a bit of surprise. Her sister wasn't angry with her?

"Really?" Apple Bloom asked. "So... I'm not in too much trouble?"

"Well, I don't know about that." Applejack said. "I don't know if that's gonna save you from getting a lecture from Granny Smith. But I'll definitely have your back sis. You and your friends helped these boys out. I'm real proud of ya." Hearing that made Apple Bloom smile. She hugged her sister, and Applejack did the same.

"Now that's sisterly love." Goofy said, as Sora and Donald each gave a nod.

"Sora?" Rarity asked, getting the trio's attention.

"Girls?" Sora asked.

"We just want to say, we're sorry for giving up so easily." Rarity said.

"Yeah, we're all still a bit pretty beaten by Twilight's betrayal." Rainbow Dash said.

"It's ok, girls." Sora said. "If anything, you're just as victims as Twilight is."

"Huh?" All five of them asked.

"Hold on a second." Sora said as he reached into his pocket. He then pulled out the Memory Stone Naminé gave to him.

"Hey, is that the Memory Stone?" Goofy asked.

"It looks different!" Donald said.

"Yeah." Sora said. "Naminé gave it to me."

"Memory Stone?" The five girls asked.

"The original one was used to take away and manipulate memories." Sora said. "But this one houses the memories of what really happened."

"What really happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "But what does that have to do with us?"

"Here, this will help." Sora said. He then raised the memory stone high in the air, and it began to glow. Suddenly, five magical video strips emerged from the stone, one in different colors, orange, blue, white, yellow, and pink. The video strips began to fly around Sora, and then flew directly to the girls, seeping deep into their heads.

"GAH!" All five of them gasped, much to the CMC's surprise. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie opened their eyes, all of them glowing. In their eyes, the scenes of what happened while Twilight was trapped down below began to play into their minds, Shining seeing Twilight getting sent into the caverns and then brainwashed by the Changeling Queen, the girls looking for Twilight that morning and learning the bride was an imposter, going to confront and stop her, and the hooded pony, who was Chancellor Neighsay, trapping them and using the memory stone to erase their memories of the whole morning, and the rest the know.

All five of them let out a shocked gasp as they began to remember everything. Rainbow Dash was so shocked that she dropped to the ground on her hooves. The memories that were taken were now coming back to them. They remembered everything!

"No... way..." Rainbow Dash said.

"Applejack, are you ok?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I... I can't believe it..." Applejack said.

"It's... it's all coming back to us..." Rarity said.

"What's coming back to you, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Everything!" Rarity said. "We didn't oversleep that morning at all! We went looking for Twilight."

"Then we learned that Princess Cadance was an imposter... and that Chancellor, he took away our memories!" Fluttershy said. Pinkie Pie let out a huge gasp, causing her to inhale rapidly and bloated up like a balloon. With a quick exhale, she quickly deflated, but her mane and tail.

"AHA!" Pinkie Pie said. "That's why my nose was itchy!"

"So it wasn't truly our fault at all!" Rainbow Dash said.

"But... we still realized it too late." Applejack said, still feeling guilty. "We still left her alone in that rehearsal hall instead of siding with her."

"And we can't change that." Rarity said.

"But we can still do something about it." Sora said, all of them looking at the spikey haired boy, who was not daunted at all. "We may not be able to change the past, but we need to focus on what we can do now. This friendship is not broken. We can cleave it back together. And besides, hearts are connected, so we can still save Twilight and make things right together." Donald and Goofy each gave a nod, and so did Spike and the CMC. The five girls looked at each other and gave smiles of determination.

"You're right." Applejack said. "We can still make things right."

"All of us will!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Well then, let's go save our friend!" Rainbow Dash cheered.

"Yeah!" The girls called out.

-BOOM-

The sudden sound caused them all of stop for a second and listen. It was quite faint, but it sounded just like an explosion.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

"Sounded like an explosion." Goofy said. Spike turned his head and looked from outside the cave.

"Hey, look over there!" He said, pointing straight forward to whatever was on the other side of the forest. Everyone looked straight into the distance. Although the trees blocked the view, they saw smoking rising from whatever the source was. Rainbow Dash flew high up above the forest to see. She saw another explosion, and it came from Ponyville!

"It's coming from Ponyville!" Rainbow Dash said.

"That can't be good!" Donald said.

"C'mon, we better check it out!" Sora said. Everypony and everyone agreed, knowing that saving Twilight would have to wait a little bit longer. And just like that, they were off to Ponyville to see what that explosion was.

Meanwhile... in an Unknown Tundra in the North...

It was cold... very cold, and the entire area was covered and surrounded by ice. Lots of ice. In the far end of the room, there was a huge block of ice, which was transparent and see through. Inside it was a black smoke-like fire, weakly flaming inside. And yet, the ice didn't melt at all. Walking in the room was Maleficent, with Pete behind her, making their way towards the ice.

"Whoa... this place isn't what I expected." Pete said. "It's all just snow and ice."

"Of course it's just snow and ice, you fool." Maleficent said. "We're underneath the land and inside the Ice Caves." Pretty soon, the two came to a stop, and glanced up to see the smoky fire inside the ice block.

"Oh my, what's that thing?" Pete asked.

"That... is the Unicorn King from the stories of the Crystal Empire." Maleficent said. "King Sombra." As she spoke his name, the smoke began to take shape, and morphed into a spirit, forming into what appeared to be a unicorn stallion's head, though his face was a bit monstrous, but he had red glowing eyes with green glowing sclera, with purple smoke flowing out of it, and a jet black mane flowing backwards. Pete turned his head to glance at the mist that was inside, but then nearly gasped as he saw the unicorn's head.

"Oh, you don't say..." He said as he backed away.

"Who.... goes.... there?" A voice echoed in the room, which Pete nearly jumped as he heard it. Maleficent had her eyes set on the spirit of Sombra inside, knowing that he was speaking to them.

"Do not fret, your majesty." She answered. "We are here to set you free."

"Set me free?" The spirit asked. "And why are you releasing me?"

"We share a common goal." Maleficent said. "You seek the Crystal Empire just as we do. With the kingdom in the hands of darkness, all of Equestria will not stand a chance against the forces of evil. So, we're going to free you so we can take the Empire together."

"If you free me, you will help me?" The spirit asked.

"Oh yes..." Maleficent said. "But you must swear that you will do as we say, and when it's all over and Equestria is ours, the Empire is yours to do with as you wish." The spirit glanced at the witch, and at Pete, who looked a bit frightened. He gave a sinister laugh.

"You have a deal." He said. "Now... release me." Before she could however, she turned her head back, sensing someone in the room. She then saw the hooded man coming into the room.

"Hello... oh sorry, am I interrupting something?" He asked, then saw the spirit of King Sombra inside the ice block. "Oh, you found him! Good job."

"We were just getting to business." Maleficent said.

"Oh, well allow me." The man said as he stepped forward, passing the witch and made his way towards the block. He raised his right hand, and then slammed it on the ice, showing a little crack upon it. Seconds past... then the crack got bigger, and bigger, spreading across the entire block of ice until it was all covered in cracks. He then tapped his finger on it.

-CRACK!-

The entire ice block burst into pieces, with multiple ice fragments dropping to the ground. The man glanced up, with a smile underneath his hood, looking straight up at the shadow king's spirit, who began to chuckle... then laugh, then laugh more evilly and louder! He then flew across the room and circled around.

"MUHAHAHAHA!" The Shadow King said. "At Last, I am finally free!" Maleficent and Pete watched, just as the man brushed his hands off.

"Well, that's that." He said.

"So, now what?" Pete asked.

"Now, we get ready to take the Crystal Empire." Maleficent said, the she turned to the man in the hood. "Have you gathered your... accomplices?"

"Almost." The man said. "There's also one other thing that I need to take care of first..." He opened up a dark corridor to teleport to his destination.

"Then go, we'll let you do your thing." Maleficent asked. "But is this other thing?"

"Just need to make sure there won't be anymore... Shadows to deal with." The man said as he disappeared inside.

Author's Note

Secret Report #8

I have sensed it... The magic has returned to full strength. It seems the boy may have found the Sacred Tree and returned the Elements of Harmony back to where they belong. I guess Discord's little Plunder seeds didn't do the trick. Oh well, this shouldn't put a hinder into my grand scheme.
Speaking of hinder, Celestia's pet seems to be hellbent on bringing back the Pony of Shadows. While it can serve as good backup plan in case my scheme doesn't play out as I hope, I certainly cannot have that monster flying around and ruin everything. Perhaps I should go and see if the boy is strong enough to prevent that from happening.
My band of misfits is just about complete. Now just to go over the list, we got some dragons, two con-artists, a minotaur, a unicorn with a bad eye, some dogs who love diamonds, a rag team of washouts, and of course my favorite, a racist chancellor. I think the team is pretty full. Am I forgetting someone? Probably not. Now we just need a cool name that everyone will fear, but what name?
Oh, I got it! The Legion of Doom! Sounds perfect! - ???

Well, that's the end of this chapter. When doing the chapter and song, I imagined the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme as a happy marching band tune, inspired by the We're Men song from the SpongeBob Movie.
I hope you guys enjoyed it.

So Sora's keyblade is now fixed, and it got an upgrade! The design of the keyblade is the same as the Dusk Till Dawn and Kingdom Key W / Star Cluster keyblades, but the color scheme is more to Sora's attire. I really like that keyblade design. It's one of the reasons why I pre-ordered the Deluxe Version of Kingdom Hearts III from Amazon. The Dusk Till Dawn keyblade is available to purchase as DLC on the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store.

The Mr. Scarf name for Ephemer is actually something I got from watching TheGamersJoint / Cynical's playthrough of Kingdom Hearts III. When he got to the part where Ephemer showed up, he called him Mr. Scarf.

And the Tree of Harmony... it's actually the pony version of Lauren Faust. It's a homage to Lauren herself. Friendship Is Magic would've never happened if it weren't for her. So thank you Lauren! Thank you for making a wonderful show.
In the actual FIM series, the Tree of Harmony takes the form of Twilight Sparkle.

So next chapter, we're going back to Ponyville, and expect a little fight. Also, with King Sombra. He was voiced by Jim Miller in Season 3 and Alvin Sanders in Season 9. To be honest, I kinda felt his voice should've sound a bit like Darth Maul from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is airing it's final season on Disney+ as we speak. But that's wishful thinking.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one is coming real soon! :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 20: Chaos, Chaos, and More Chaos

Luckily, with loads of help from the girls, the group managed to make it out of the Everfree Forest all in one piece. As they made their way out of the forest, they stopped to take a breather.

"Well, that was pretty fast." Goofy said.

"You're telling me." Donald said. After regaining his breath, Sora glanced up. But then, he let out a gasp of surprise.

"Look!" Sora said. The group glanced forward to see what was going on. Just up ahead was the town of Ponyville. But there was a lot off about Ponyville. Ponyville was in what could be said, Chaos. The entire town was broken up, a pink cloud was sprinkling what appears to be chocolate rain, and there were a couple of buildings and trees floating up in the air, including Town Hall, and a windmill.

"Whoa!" Sora said. "What happened to the town?!"

"It's like everything is in disorder!" Goofy said. Rainbow Dash looked around, and glanced up in the sky. She gasped.

"I know who." She said. "Look!" Pointing her hoof forward, the group saw a very familiar draconequus, sitting on a floating throne high in the middle of the town.

"Discord!" The girls and Spike shouted.

"Who?" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle asked.

"The Bringer of Chaos?" Sora asked.

"What's he doing here?!" Donald asked.

"He must be causing trouble in Ponyville!" Applejack said. "But out of all places, why here?"

"Maybe because Twilight told him to." Rainbow Dash said. While the group was talking, Fluttershy took another glanced in the distance at the draconequus. Does he look... sad?

"Well it doesn't matter." Sora said. "We have to stop him!"

"Then let's get that sneaky devil!" Donald said as he brought out his staff.

"Right behind ya!" Goofy said as he brought out his shield, and Sora summoned his newly restored keyblade.

"Apple Bloom, you and yer friends go for cover, ok?" Applejack said.

"But, we wanna help!" Apple Bloom said.

"Don't worry, sugarcube." Applejack said. "We'll handle this. Just stay here, ok?" Reluctant, the filly gave a nod.

"Spike, you look after my sister and the others, ok?" Rarity asked.

"Sure thing, Rarity." Spike said with a salute.

"Ok, let's go!" Sora said as the girls, except one of them, were ready for action.

"Right!" The girls, fillies, and Spike said as they went on ahead.

"Girls, wait!" Fluttershy said, but the group already took off. She only gave a sigh as she flew in and followed them, while the cutie mark crusaders only watched.

"How come we usually get left out?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well, we gotta do something!" Scootaloo said.

"I know, let's call the Princess!" Apple Bloom said. "Princess Celestia will take care of this!"

"But how?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Don't we need dragon flame to send a letter?" The three fillies turned their attention towards Spike, who widened his eyes open.

"Oh no, not this time!" Spike said, but it was too late, the three fillies pounced him.

In the middle of the broken up town, on the red and black throne was Discord, just sitting there watching the sky and the buildings floating up towards it. Usually with him, seeing so much chaos would be very delightful. But right now, he was feeling down. The way to better describe his mood would be both distraught and bored.

From Twilight's suggestion, he thought that maybe causing chaos in a town would bring him some joy, but it wasn't working for him. He was still down with the blues. That image of Twilight hurtling that boy out the window was still on his mind, and it was bothering him still to a lot of degree. He just couldn't think straight because of it. He sighed, blinked his eyes, and dug a bit into his ear, and flicked off whatever was in there.

"This... is so boring." He said to himself. 'Why do I feel bored. Come to think of it why do I just feel... terrible?" He examined his glass of chocolate milk and examined it. He took a sip and tasted the flavor of it. No, it certainly wasn't the chocolate.

"Nah, the milk is fine." Discord said as he leaned his head on his hand and arm. "Man, it would be nice if something interesting happened right now."

"Discord!" Multiple voices called out, making him turn his head with surprise. He saw the mane five galloping towards him, and right behind them was Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The draconequus widened his eyes as he saw the spikey haired boy, alive and well! He survived that fall.

"You!" Discord said as he pointed at the boy. "You're alive?!"

"Yep!" Sora shouted as he and the others got into position. "Surprised?"

"Well, yes!" Discord said. But in truth, he wasn't just surprised. He was actually relieved. Wait, why was he feeling relieved? Maybe because the long fall out the window didn't kill him. His surprised and relieved expression was something that Fluttershy caught on.

"You picked the wrong town to mess up, Discord!" Applejack called out.

"Yeah, and now we're gonna teach you a lesson!" Rainbow Dash said, raising her hoofticuffs. The draconequus only smiled.

"Oh, please, this again?" He asked as he took a sip of his chocolate milk, though he didn't drink the milk, he only sipped the glass that was holding it. He then tossed it aside, creating an explosion as it hit the ground.

"You're not gonna get away this time, meanie!" Pinkie Pie called out as she brought out her party cannon.

"And what makes you think you all can stop me?" Discord asked. "Twilight is no longer with you, and without her, you can't harness the Elements of Harmony. Come to think of it, you don't seem to have them anymore. Didn't Twilight destroy them?"

"Yes, but we fixed them!" Donald said. "And they're back where they belong!"

"Oh, so you went to the Tree of Harmony and restored them?" Discord asked. "My, my, I can't believe you guys learned about the Sacred Tree." The girls were surprised. He knows about the Tree of Harmony?

"Wait, how did you know about the tree?" Rarity asked.

"Well, duh." Discord said. "Princess Celestia isn't the only one who knows almost everything. Why else would I plant the plunder seeds in the Everfree Forest to begin with?" Sora raised an eyebrow. He remembered Ephemer explaining that Discord had something to do with the plunder vines.

"So you were the one responsible for those vines that were growing in the forest." Sora said. "You were trying to kill the tree!"

"Yes, but they weren't sprouting at that time." Discord said. "The tree had a lot of magic to prevent them from doing so. Didn't expect the tree to have all that magic for a millennia... give or take a few years."

"Well, your plan didn't work this time either." Sora said. "The magic's back, and we're ready for another fight!"

"We may not have Twilight with us, but we will fight to protect the town we love." Applejack said.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said. "We'll never leave Ponyville hanging!" Seeing the girls and the trio ready to take him on made Discord smile.

"Ok then." Discord said. "Bring it on... knaves."

"Gladly!" Applejack said. "Let's Go!" With that said, the boys, and the girls charged straight forward towards the draconequus, who only snapped his fingers, summoning a pink cloud above them, making it rain chocolate all over the floor. Suddenly, everyone began to slip from the slippery chocolate, causing them to fall down. Discord couldn't help but laugh.

"History quickly crashing in your vains, using you to fall back down again." Discord sang. "Chocolate Rain!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy tried getting back up, but they almost slipped again.

"We're not gonna fight well like this!" Sora said.

"We gotta stop that rain cloud!" Goofy said.

"But how?" Donald asked.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Pinkie Pie called out as she brought out her Party Cannon and jumped right into it.

"Pinkie, what are you doing?" Applejack asked.

"Don't worry guys." Pinkie Pie said. "It's chocolate!" She then pressed the button on the cannon and then...

-BOOM-

"Weeeeeeee!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she blasted out of her cannon and flew up towards the sky, making a perfect landing on the pink cloud. As she hopped on it, she opened her mouth widely and began to chomp on the cloud, eating pieces right off of it, and she took another bite, and another bite. She was devouring the whole pink cloud, which was almost the size of a building, until she took one last bite and swallowed the whole cloud down into her stomach. She dropped to the ground on her back and rubbed her tummy, which hasn't even grown an inch, while everyone watched with amazement. Donald had his beak wide opened seeing that.

"Geez Louise..." Sora said.

"That's something you don't see everyday." Goofy said. Pinkie Pie let out a sigh, and a loud...

-BUUUUURRRRP!!-

"Mmmm… Chocolatey!" Pinkie Pie said with a smile. Suddenly, there was a gurgling sound, coming from Pinkie Pie's tummy. To her surprise, her tummy was starting to expand, and bloat out.

"I don't think the raincloud's done." Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's hooves began to spread out as they began to expand too, and quickly, her entire figure turned into a round shape from all that chocolate that was raining in her tummy, with her hoofs beginning to sink into their sockets. Despite tipping on her back, she let out a giggle as she continued to expand.

"Whoa nelly..." Applejack said, seeing their pink pony friend expanding more and more.

"How much more can she take in?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't think we should stay to find out." Rarity said with a face of shock. Suddenly, there were cries of screaming coming from everywhere. Taking a look, Sora saw some of the townsponies running for their lives by vicious animals, likely from the Everfree Forest, with some of the buildings beginning to break apart with dozens of ponies inside. They were gonna get hurt.

"Applejack, you and the girls go help the townsfolk!" Sora said. "We'll deal with Discord."

"Ok!" Applejack said. "C'mon y'all! We gotta save the townsfolk!" The girls, seeing the disasters happening, quickly took action and galloped, and flew off to help them, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy to deal with Discord.

"Oh, so it's just you three and me?" Discord asked. "Oh this will be fun."

"You're going down you jester!" Donald shouted.

"C'mon!" Sora called out as he rushed forward, with Donald and Goofy not too far behind.

"Ok, try and get me, spikey boy!" Discord said as he snapped his fingers, causing the ground below him to break up and create a small but big platform for his throne, flying upwards into the air. Using Pinkie Pie's growing body as a bounce boost, Sora jumped high into the air, jumping from rock to rock before running up the long one and making a successful leap onto the battlefield. Discord, however, looked amused. Sora, Donald, and Goofy, the latter two finally making it to the platform, charged straight forward.

"Look out, it's going to get... Freezy!" Discord said as he shot out a spark onto the ground, causing it to freeze up. Luckily, Sora saw this coming and spun his new keyblade, which began to transform into a mighty staff known as the Mirage Staff. And with it, he was able to hover above the ground, not slipping onto the ice below him. Aiming his staff forward, he fired golden rays of magic at Discord, who quickly got off his throne and dodge, with his seat destroyed by the ray. Sora kept firing more rays, one that managed to hit Discord in the tail.

"Ow!" He shouted. "Oh now you're gonna get it, boy!" He then pointed his hands out and shot out bullets of bees, all of the buzzing and angry.

"Not the Bees!" Goofy shouted as he raised his shield up, with the bees jabbing into his shield, while Donald ran for it. But Sora, he dodged out of the way with his Avatar Shift, leaving a hologram of himself in different places as he dodged.

"What the?" Discord asked.

"Try this!" Sora and his holograms shouted as they all pointed their Mirage Staves. "AVATAR BARRAGE!" Then all at the same time, the boy and his illusion selves shot out magical bullets at Discord, hitting him all over, and caused him to fall down. But the draconequus was now unamused.

"Ok, you got a couple of lucky shots, I'll give you that!" Discord said. "But what about these?!" He then conjured up boulders, hard as rocks, and he began to juggle them.

"Let's see how many stones it takes to kill three birds!" He said as he began to toss the big rocks forward. Sora didn't flinch, and then he transformed his staff into a big drill known as the Drill Punch, and believe it, it backs a punch. With the drill spinning, Sora jumped forward and drilled through the rocks that were thrown at him. Drilling through all but one, his drill then transformed into a claw and it picked up the last rock, and with it, he flung it right in Discord's face, causing him to fly into the air.

"Sora, it's my turn!" Donald called out as he jumped into the air.

"Ok!" Sora said as the two pointed their weapons forward.

"METEOR CRASH!" They both called out, and suddenly behind them, multiple small but powerful meteors rained down from the sky, and all of them hurtling towards Discord.

"Oh dear." He said. "Good thing I have an umbrella." He pulled out an umbrella and opened it, using it to cover his body. But at least, the meteors broke through and tossed him to the ground.

"Gotcha!" Sora called out, but the draconequus quickly got back up.

"Impressive, but that's nothing." Discord said. He then flew up into the air and wound up his bear fist.

"Hope you brought your 3D glasses, cuz I'm coming at ya!" He shouted as he flew downwards with a burning fist. Sora and Donald held their weapons up for defense, though that wasn't going to help them. Suddenly, Goofy arrived before them.

"Get behind me!" He shouted, as Sora and Donald got close behind him, and he held his shield up in defense. All three of them began to glow brightly, and when Discord gasped when he realized it, he was too late. As his fist hit the shield, the three were only pushed back a tiny bit, while Discord let out a scream, feeling his hand hurt badly.

"TRINITY GUARD!" Goofy called out, and with a great push, he, Sora, and Donald lunged forward fast and struck Discord with a great magical shield blast, hurtling him across the floor.

"Got him!" Sora said.

"We did it!" Goofy cheered as Donald gave a victory dance. Discord, however, lifted his head up, not feeling very happy at all now.

"This was not how my day was suppose to go." He hissed. Yeah, he was in a bad mood. And this was suppose to cheer him up, and frankly, it didn't. He felt more bummed out... and still conflicted? This was noticed by Fluttershy, who flew upwards to see the fight. She had just got some of the ponies away from the animals. But at the sight of things, the girls were having a little bit more trouble, with Rainbow Dash struggling to catch every pony falling to the ground, but succeeding regardless, Applejack trying to get ponies out of the crumbling houses and into another safe house, Rarity trying to put out the fires, and Pinkie Pie, well, her body was still growing larger and larger, while she was just giggling away. Back on the battlefield, Discord got back up and glared at the Trinity Trio.

"Ok, busters, time for a real fight." He said as he raised his hands, lifting multiple buildings from Ponyville, wagons, carts, trees, pieces of metal, sharp objects found in the dresser, even chickens. Seeing this made the three gasp in surprise. Discord was really gonna go all out.

"Garsh..." Goofy said. Despite seeing this, Sora and the others kept their ground.

"We can do this all day." Sora said.

"Really?" Discord asked with a creepy raised eyebrow. "Then let's see if you can!" He then pushed his hands forward, sending everything towards them at once. Surprised, they raised their weapons up in defense.

-FLASH-

A sudden flash of light pierced the sky, causing the objects to stop and fall gently onto the ground, surprising Discord and the others.

"What the?!" He asked.

"What's going on?" Sora asked surprised. Suddenly, he saw the sun was beginning to rise up from the horizon, magically being lifted up. It was morning time already? Then a spark flashed the sky. Everyone stared up straight as the sky, seeing what was going on. Discord gasped in surprise, while Sora and company gave a happy smile. Above in the sky were two alicorns, one white and one dark blue, both with flowing manes. It was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! On their backs was three little fillies and a baby dragon.

"The Princesses!" They called out, just as the two alicorns flew towards the field, slamming their hooves into the ground, causing a slight shake. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, hopped off, followed by Spike, who was still shaking a bit.

"Hi Sora!" Apple Bloom called out.

"We brought the Princesses!" Scootaloo said.

"Good job!" Sora said.

"Thanks, girls!" Goofy said.

"You're welcome!" Sweetie Belle said. As the three fillies and Spike stood by the trio, The two princesses had their attention towards the Chaos Bringer, and stepped forward.

"Discord... we meet again." Celestia spoke.

"How?" Discord asked, still surprised.

"Three little fillies sent us a letter." Celestia said, with the CMC giving happy smiles. Princess Luna stepped forward and then spoke... loudly.

"Discord, thou has made the wrong move bringing disharmony to this wonderful village!" Princess Luna shouted with her Traditional Royal Canterlot voice. "Time for thou to stop thy reign of terror, or suffer a terrible punishment!" Discord was a bit shocked to see the two royal sisters, but he gave a smirk.

"Well, well, the Princesses of Equestria are finally standing up to fight." He said. "To be honest, Princess Luna, you really need to work on your sentences because they're so outdated. And Princess Celestia, you look as benevolent as always, though it looks like you've put on a bit of weight since we've last met. Must've been binging on cake again as always." Princess Luna gasped while Princess Celestia said nothing, though Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the rest of the ponies gasped in surprise.

"How dare thou make fun of my speech, and insult my sister's physic!" Luna shouted with her voice. "Thou shall regret-" Suddenly, her mouth was covered by Celestia's hoof.

"Sister, allow me to handle this." Princess Celestia said, stepping forward. She cleared her voice and took a deep breath...

"HOW DARE YOU MAKE FUN OF MY SISTER'S VOCABULARY, AND SAY I EAT TOO MUCH CAKE!" Celestia shouted in her own Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice, though it was much more booming and louder than Luna's. "YOU DISCORD, SHALL FACE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES IF YOU DO NOT SURRENDER NOW!" The sound of her voice brought a bit surprise to the ponies, even Sora, while Donald and Goofy shivered a bit. They have never seen Princess Celestia yell like that before, at least in a thousand years.

"Whoa..." Sora said. "Now I see why everypony doesn't like to see her mad." And he was right, for even Discord was frightened by her shout.

"Oh boy, she's using the Canterlot voice. That's not good." Discord said, seeing that Princess Celestia was in a bad mood. He quickly did his best to keep his cool and shook his head.

"Now, now, Celestia." He continued a bit nervously. "No need to get angry. Is that even a way to say hello to your old boyfriend?" Wait... boyfriend?

"BOYFRIEND?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy asked.

"Oh, not this again..." Luna said annoyed.

"Whoa, wait a second!" Sora called out. "You guys were a... a thing?!" The Princess of the Sun gave a blush.

"It's complicated..." Celestia answered, before returning her attention towards the draconequus. "Discord, you are bringing disharmony and chaos on this beloved town, now I ask that you leave now, or face the consequences."

"Really?" Discord asked. "You really think you can stop me? You, who couldn't save your sister from the darkness, you, who couldn't defeat that Changeling Queen from invading the castle? Well, you know full well that you can't seal me up in a stone statue again. You're no longer connected to the Elements of Harmony and your little precious Twilight, the only one who can ignite the Element of Magic, has fallen to darkness. But who do you have to blame for that? Not me, of course."

"You're right..." Celestia said, lowering her head, her mane slowly showing discolor. "I cannot seal you away without all the Elements, and I do hold blame for Twilight's turning." She then however lifted her head up, showing determination.

"I may have failed Twilight, but I will not fail my subjects!" She continued, her mane now showing more color once again. "I may not be able to seal you away, but I will stop you from harming my beloved ponies!" Discord gave a smile.

"Awwww, the Sun Princess is actually gonna take me on?" Discord asked. "Oh, that is just so adorable. I would love to see you-"

-ZAP-

A beam of light bashed Discord right in the face, like a sucker punch to the nose, causing him to fall quickly on his back. Attention was drawn to Princess Celestia, who's horn was steaming. She let out a snort.

"Oh boy..." Luna said. "She's pissed..."

"You were saying..." Celestia hissed. Discord then lifted his head up, dizzy from the beam, and his face was covered in soot. He quickly shook it off, showing an angry face.

"Alright... it's on...!" He said, showing a glare. He raised his left hand, and it began to glow brightly. Suddenly, two more buildings in Ponyville began to be lifted out of the ground by his own magic. He raised them both in the air. The two princesses stood their ground as Discord hurled them straight towards them. Luna ignited her horn, and both buildings stopped in place, with Celestia flying in to shoot a beam from her horn, which struck Discord's hand, making him wince in pain. He then summoned a barrage of ducks with spikes all over them, and hurled them straight upon the Sun Princess. She then summoned a glowing shield around herself to protect herself as the ducks exploded on impact, giving quacks as each one hit. Luna then took flight, summoning her Lunar Blade, a long sword with the crescent moon at the guard and swung it down, as Discord brought out a rubber chicken. Wait, rubber chicken?

"Whoops, wrong one." Discord said as he tossed the rubber chicken and pulled out a rapier, which was a thin, but long, and light sharp-pointed sword which is usually used for thrusting and fencing. With it, he blocked the attack from Luna and pushed her with his hind legs. Celestia then came in to attack, using her axe spear to swing hard, though Discord leaned out of the way and tried to attack, but the Sun Princess managed to whack him away with her own wing. With a strong opening, Celestia swung upwards to hit Discord, causing him to scream in agony. But suddenly, he didn't feel any pain from that. Surprised, she swung again, but it went right through him! The axe didn't hurt him at all! Of course, he's the freakin' God of Chaos.

"Oh, right, I'm immune to weapons." Discord said as he began laughing. But that was met with a punch, or hoof to the face by Celestia, making him cringe and groan in pain. "Ow! What the- OW! OOW! That Really Hurt!"

"Serves you right." Celestia said. "That was also payback for snatching my tail away last time." Discord lifted his head up and gave a glare.

"Oh, now you're in for it..." He hissed. He took up to the air, high in the sky and raised his hands up, causing the ground to shake, and sprout out long vines from under the Mane Five in the town below. Thankfully they weren't plunder vines, but they were big enough to cause the ground to shake. The vines then grabbed Applejack and Rarity, while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took off flying. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash hit her head on the base of the vine, making her give a dizzy face and get grabbed by the vine. Spike and the CMC saw the vines coming after the too, but Fluttershy swept in and grabbed them.

"I got you!" She said as she flew, with the vines going after them. Pretty soon, the ground below Sora, Donald, and Goofy were beginning to shake up, with part of it breaking up, causing Donald and Goofy to drop from the ledge.

"Guys!" Sora shouted, but the two began to fall towards the ground. Luckily, Princess Luna was able to grab them both just in time.

"Don't worry, Sora!" Luna said. "Go help my sister!"

"Got it!" Sora called out ran forward.

"Princess!" He called out, getting her attention. Seeing the ground below him breaking up, she flew down to his level.

"Jump!" She called as he made a leap just as the ground broke up, making it on the alicorn's back.

"Thanks." Sora said. However, the two glanced up to see Discord with multiple vines at his side.

"Get ready for a good whippin'!" Discord shouted as he thrusted his hands downward, causing the vines to charge towards them.

"Hold on." Celestia said as Sora held on, and the two flew upwards toward the draconequus. With his new keyblade, Sora swung at each vine, slicing through them, allowing the two to evade each one. As they got close enough, more vines began to charge towards them. Sora then summoned his second keyblade, and spun them both, slashing the vines and allowing Celestia to charge her horn for a clear shot. Next to her, Princess Luna, with Donald and Goofy on her back, was flying beside her. They glanced at each other with a nod.

"Day and Night Collide Into One!" The two shouted. "TOTAL ECPLISE!" They crossed horns and ignited a mighty magical orb charged with yellow and dark blue energy. Pointing their horns forward, they shot a mighty beam at Discord, who gasped upon the sight.

"Oh butternuts..." Discord said.

-BOOOOOM!-

The explosion ignited as the beam was a direct hit, causing the draconequus to fall out of the sky and land flat onto the platform below him. He was a bit dizzy, so dizzy he didn't notice the butter colored Pegasus hovering onto the platform with the three fillies and baby dragon in tow. As she landed on the ground, she saw the draconequus regaining consciousness, but not even seeing her.

"Ow..." He said, just as the Princesses, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy, cornered him.

"It's over, Discord." Celestia said. "The jig is up." The draconequus looked back at the royal sister and scuffed.

"You know what, I don't have time for this." He said, snapping his fingers, causing two vines to appear out of nowhere and grab the Princesses, and the trio as well.

"Let us go, Discord!" Celestia shouted.

"Do not make me shoot you again!" Luna shouted, igniting her horn and shooting forward, but Discord raised up an invisible shield, which absorbed the attack.

"Don't bother." Discord said. "I'm not in a really good mood right now, so just leave me alone." As the princess, Sora, Donald, and Goofy attempted to break free from the vines, Discord only sat down and shook his head. He was still feeling distraught, and these fights aren't making him feel better.

From the side, Fluttershy noticed that he was not feeling... well, like himself. Back at Canterlot when he made his grand entrance, he was confident and sinister, but now, he looked... miserable and distraught. But why? Wanting to know what's wrong, she approached him.

"Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom asked.

"What are you doing?" Spike asked.

"Um... excuse me, Mr. Discord?" Fluttershy asked, getting his attention. Seeing the Pegasus and the others took him by surprise.

"Hey, how did you get past my barrier?" Discord asked.

"I just got onto the platform when you crash landed." Fluttershy said. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fin-" Discord said, but then he felt a crack in his back. "Ow! Ow! That hurt! Ok, I'm not ok... I'm not ok!" He began to wince in pain as he fell to his knees. The butter colored Pegasus gasped as she flew towards him.

"Oh my, where does it hurt?" She asked.

"Right here." Discord said, pointing at his back, right at the spot where the crack came from.

"Oh dear, let me help you." Fluttershy said as she began to massage Discord's back with her hooves. The massaging actually made Discord feel more relaxed and good. He could feel his sore back feeling much better... actually it felt much better since he left Canterlot.

"Oh, that feels good." Discord said, while the Princesses and the trio were watching.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing?!" Donald asked.

"Wait." Sora said, seeing that something was going on. Fluttershy was helping Discord? There has to be something and a reason why she is doing so.

"Feel better?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, I feel much better now." Discord said, feeling his back was a lot better. "Well, physically I am, but everything else... probably gonna take more than your massaging to fix." The butter colored Pegasus leaned in. He looked conflicted... actually, he looked distressed.

"You seem distressed." Fluttershy said.

"Well, I'm actually more than distressed." Discord said.

"And why is that?" Fluttershy asked.

"I... I just don't know." Discord said. "I mean, it was fun and chirpy for me when I finally got out of my prison, but ever since doing my grand entrance at Canterlot, I've been feeling... droopy." He only looked down at the ground, still troubled.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you even doing this?" Fluttershy asked. "Why do you spread chaos?"

"Why?" Discord asked. "Well, because I like it!"

"Do you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course I do." Discord said, with the butter colored pegasus walking up to him.

"Are you sure there's not another reason?" Fluttershy asked. "Because it looks like there is." The draconequus glances down at the Pegasus, who was staring up at him. He then started to think, and gave a sigh of defeat. Apparently, there is probably more than just one reason.

"Ok, ok." Discord said. "Confession time. You know how it's written in history about how I do things because I'm evil? Well, that's not necessarily true."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"I didn't do this evil stuff because I was downright evil." Discord said. "I did this evil stuff because no pony likes what I do. All I do is spread chaos from time to time because it's my job as the Bringer of Chaos to spread chaos, and everyone hates me for it. So, I figured if they see me as the bad guy, then I'm the bad guy."

"You're just spreading chaos because you're labeled the bad guy?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course." Discord said. "I mean, they all hate me, so why not hate them back? All the years I've spread chaos and misery all over Equestria because chaos is like the darkness, and harmony is like the light. You can't exist in a world where there's just harmony without chaos, because they're too sides of the same coin. But no pony wants that."

"But don't you think you're spreading a little too much?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's the point." Discord said as he conjured up a cup of tea and drank it, only drinking the cup instead. He tosses it away, where it explodes upon impact. "People don't like chaos and they hate me for it, so I cause twice as much chaos to make them feel how I feel."

"Well, don't you think your chaos is... too much?" Fluttershy asked.

"What do you mean too much?" Discord asked.

"Well, you seemed pretty startled by how Twilight threw Sora out the window." Fluttershy said. The draconequus only sighed with disturbance.

"I won't lie, that did make me sick to my stomach." Discord said. "I don't like the concept of hurting ponies, or people in your friend's case. I don't like going that far in physically hurting someone, let alone killing someone. That's where I draw the line."

"Well, don't you think your chaos is hurting ponies?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, look down there. There are ponies trapped under a crumbling school, crops are on fire, even animals are going ballistic and hurting ponies." She was right. Everything she was describing was happening down there.

"Oh c'mon." Discord argued. "I'm not hurting anyone. Sure I may have frozen an apple field with ice and snow and almost caused an entire population to starve to death, and I may have caused some lava to overflow and burn down a village, and I may have let ponies fall from very high cliffs where they scream in agony-" Then suddenly, Discord's eyes opened wide. Causing a population to starve to death? Lava to burn a village, and making cliffs break where ponies fall to a short death! That was... hurting ponies!

"Oh my gosh." He said to himself. "I'm... actually doing what Twilight did to your spikey haired friend. I'm... hurting people." He then glanced down at the town of Ponyville below, seeing the crumbling school house where Cheerilee and several fillies and colts trapped inside, the crops set ablaze while ponies are unable to save them and the burning houses, and the animals going vicious and chasing ponies aggressively. Discord gasped at what he saw, at what he caused. His chaos was hurting ponies, physically and emotionally. And hurting ponies, was something he didn't like. Was this truly the path of a villain, do whatever he wanted not even caring of the pain he causes everyone?

"Wha.... what am I doing?" He said, his eyes swelling up with tears and regret. "I'm actually hurting ponies, but I don't want to hurt ponies..." He couldn't help but look down at his claw and paw. No wonder he's been feeling more miserable and distraught. Looking back on everything, he truly was hurting ponies. He looked at Fluttershy, and he gave a sigh.

"You really are something, my little pony." He said. Then he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the vines around the Princesses and the others ceased, releasing them, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The rest of the girls were also freed from the vines and placed back on the ground. Then, the entire town began to shake. But to their surprise, the platform was just floating back to the ground slowly. The school house was suddenly back to it's normal self, with Cheerilee and the fillies inside safe. And the houses and trees were then placed back into their regular positions. The fires began to cease, and everything that was burnt was restored as if they were never caught on fire. The animals stopped acting vicious and reverted back to their normal states, going back into the Everfree Forest, and Pinkie Pie, who was about ten times the size of Canterlot, quickly shrunk down to her normal size, much to her disappointment. Everypony, even the princesses were surprised, seeing Discord returning the town to normal.

"Alright, now's our chance!" Rainbow Dash said as she was about to charge forward, but she was stopped by Sora. He shook his head, telling her not to attack Discord. He just returned the town back to normal, so attacking him wouldn't be right.

"Flutters, what did you do?" Applejack asked.

"I just talked to him." Fluttershy said. "Sometimes we just need to stop fighting and talk." The girls looked at each other. Fluttershy was right. They kept fighting and nothing was working, and she talked to Discord and now the fight was over.

"Wow..." Rainbow Dash said. Princess Celestia and Luna were shocked, and they glanced at the draconequus with a bit of confusion. He then turned to the royal sisters and gave a bow.

"I'm... I'm sorry, your majesties." Discord said, then turned to everypony. "I'm so sorry... I truly am." He then flew off, disappearing into the forest. Everypony, everyone, even the princesses watched, feeling sorry for the big guy.

"Awww..." Donald said. "Why do I feel bad for him?"

"He was never a bad guy, Donald." Sora said. "Everypony labeled him as a bad guy."

"Garsh, I really feel sorry for him." Goofy said. "He was just doing his job bringing Chaos."

"Yeah." Sora said. "Order cannot exist without Chaos, just like Light can't exist without Darkness. They're both two sides of the same coin."

"But the bad guys we face, they use darkness." Donald said. "They become corrupted with it."

"But there may also be people who use the light for evil ways too." Sora said.

"And that's something we can't change either." Goofy said. "It's just human nature... or any kind of nature."

"Yeah." Sora said with a nod. Goofy was right. There are people who use darkness, and even use light for evil ways. That cannot be changed. Pretty soon, the group turned their attention towards the royal sisters, who approached them.

"Your majesties." Goofy said as he, and the rest gave a short bow.

"Thank you for coming!" Applejack said.

"We're glad that we arrived just in time." Luna said.

"But you should thank these three." Celestia said, turning her head towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "They informed us about the situation.." Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle gave nervous smiles and waves. Applejack and Rarity rolled their eyes, but they gave proud smiles.

"Wow, nice call girls." Rainbow Dash said as she hive fived Scootaloo. "You three did great!"

"Really?" Scootaloo asked with sparkles in her eyes.

"You bet." Rainbow Dash said. Scootaloo couldn't help but give a muffled squeal, before almost fainting into Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's hooves.

"What about me?" Spike asked. "I helped sent the letter."

"Yes, yes, Spike." Luna said. "You've done good as well." Hearing that made the baby dragon feel a bit of pride.

It took a little while, but some of the Royal guards were able to arrive to Ponyville to make sure that everything was ok. But they were a bit surprised hearing Discord fixing the whole town up. Well, at least their arrival wasn't a total waste, for some ponies needed help in figuring out what just happened. The Mayor was able to calm the population, thank the Princesses for saving the town and congratulated Sora, Donald, Goofy, Spike, and the Mane Five, and along with the CMC in helping protect the town from Discord. Unfortunately, the CMC weren't able to get cutie marks for saving a town. But hey, they'll find another talent to try, after all, the possibilities are still endless. The group was now speaking to the Princesses, giving them an update on what has happened so far.

"So, what is the current situation?" Celestia said.

"Well, we got the magic fixed." Goofy said. "It turned out the problem was the magic tree in the forest was losing it's power." The two royal sisters gasped.

"The Tree of Harmony?" They asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "It was losing it's magic and the Plunder vines that Discord planted was trying to kill it. But we returned the Elements of Harmony back to it, and that restored the tree's power."

"It even spoke with us!" Donald said.

"Impressive." Luna said.

"I'm surprised." Celestia said. "It seems the Tree of Harmony had a consciousness of it's own. I never expected it would lose it's magic. I guess we didn't do a good job protecting it after all." Sora tilted his head.

"So you took the Elements from the tree, to use them to stop Discord the first time." Sora said.

"Yes, we did." Celestia said. "After we told Starswirl about the tree, he requested that we build our old castle there to hide evidence of the secret entrance."

"Secret Entrance?" Donald asked. "We didn't find any secret entrance."

"That's because the old castle sealed the secret entrance so no one could find it." Luna said. "But I must ask, how did you find the tree?"

"There was another entrance when we followed the vines." Sora said. "It was all the way on the other side of the forest."

"That's right." Applejack said. "We followed the vines to Sora and the others when we went in there to find our sisters."

"But what really matters is that everything's good now." Rainbow Dash said.

"Note quite, Rainbow." Sora said. "There's one more thing we have to do, and it's gonna be hard." The girls then knew what and who he was talking about.

"Twilight." They all said.

"But hey, at least we can tell her what really happened before the wedding." Rainbow Dash said. "Maybe that will help her come to her senses."

"It's not going to be easy, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said. "I doubt that Twilight will listen to us. That's going to be the hard part."

"Yeah." Sora said as he glanced down.

"Excuse me, Princess." Jiminy said as he hopped out of Sora's hood. "You did get my message about the Chancellor, have you?"

"Yes, we did." Celestia said, still showing a bit of surprise. "I still cannot believe that he was involved with the Unicorn Anti-Union Movement."

"We sent our scouts to collect him back at the castle, but he was nowhere to be found." Luna said. "He seemed to have escaped."

"Escaped?!" Sora, Donald and Goofy asked in surprise.

"How did that happen?" Goofy asked. "There's no way he could've escaped. We chained him up so he wouldn't."

"What if someone released him?" Donald asked.

"There's no way it could've been Twilight." Rainbow Dash said. Sora began to think, and suddenly, someone did come to mind.

"Maleficent." Sora said.

"The witch?!" Celestia and Luna asked, showing that they seem to know the evil witch.

"Yeah, we saw her and Pete up by the mountains." Sora said. "They seem to be interested in taking the Crystal Empire." He then gasped in surprise.

"Oh No!" Sora shouted. "We forgot about the Crystal Empire! Riku and the King are still up there!"

"And they don't know that Maleficent and Pete are here in Equestria." Goofy said.

"Oh no, if the witch takes the Crystal Empire, Equestria is doomed." Luna said.

"We'll notify King Mickey right away." Celestia said. "In the meantime Sora, you, Donald and Goofy must focus on finding Twilight, and make sure she doesn't release the Pony of Shadows." She then turned to Spike and the girls.

"You all head straight to the Crystal Empire to help the king." She said to the group.

"Sorry princess, but no can do." Applejack said. "We're gonna save Twilight first. She's our friend, and we need to be there for her."

"Yeah, no way in Tartarus we're gonna leave our friend hanging again!" Rainbow Dash said.

"That's right." Pinkie Pie said. "We need to show her how much we love her, even if it means die trying." Celestia was a bit surprised, but she gave a nod.

"Ok then." Celestia said. As the girls cheered and spoke on how they could save Twilight, Sora stood there for a moment. They were choosing to save their friend. He was happy to see that they're willing to do anything for their friend. But, he couldn't help but think. It was gonna be difficult to get Twilight back, and they could get hurt if they're not careful. And Riku and the King were still up north dealing with Faust knows what. If anything happened to them, who will warn the King and Riku and help them?

"Hey, look at that!" Donald said, pointing forward, getting Sora out of his thoughts.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"Dark clouds!" Donald said. Everyone then saw what he was looking at. Looking northeast of the mountain where Canterlot was, there were a set of mountains, known as Foal Mountain, just East of Canterlot. But something was wrong. Very wrong. Close to the mountains, there were some dark clouds forming in the sky. And they weren't just the typical thunderclouds either. They were black and a bit purple, showing that there was indeed dark magic at work there.

"That can't be good." Goofy said.

"Ponhenge..." Celestia said.

"Ponhenge?" Sora asked. "Is that where the Pony of Shadows was sealed away?"

"Yes." Celestia said. "That is likely where Twilight is right now." Sora looked forward to the mountains. That's where Twilight is. It's where she is now. She must be preparing the ritual that will release the Pony of Shadows from it's imprisonment. It was time. The battle for Equestria was about to begin.

"Then we better hurry." Sora said, with Donald and Goofy giving a nod. The Princesses turned to some of the Royal Guards.

"You all prepare a chariot for us." Celestia spoke. "We're going to Foal Mountain." The guards gave a nod and prepared the chariot for travel.

"Apple Bloom, you head straight home." Applejack said. "We're going in alone."

"But Applejack, I wanna help you." Apple Bloom said.

"Apple Bloom, let's not start." Applejack said. "Me and Twilight have a lot to talk about, and I don't want you to see it. You girls head straight to the farm until we get back, ok?"

"Ummm… Applejack, that might be a problem..." Rainbow Dash said.

"Why?" Applejack asked with a suspicious tone.

"Your barn's torched." The rainbow-maned Pegasus answered.

"WHAT?!" Applejack asked as she turned her head, and saw what Rainbow Dash was pointing at. One the far side of Ponyville, there was Sweet Apple Acres. The red big barn... was busted up and in flames. The farmpony looked at it with her mouth hung down. The barn was burnt and still flaming. Luckily firefighter ponies were there on the scene putting it out. But how did that happen? Sora and Goofy glanced at Donald with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Donald asked.

"Any chance one of those comets crashed into that barn?" Sora asked, remembering Donald casting his Meteor Crash attack during their fight with Discord.

"I didn't do that!" Donald said. "You also casted it with me!"

"I think I know who..." Applejack said as she cleared her voice. She then shouted on name. "BIG MAAAAAAC!!!" The shout was so loud, that it caused a huge sign standing straight on the ground to fall over, revealing a frozen and petrified Big Mac behind it. Applejack spotted him, with a flaming apple eye.

"Uh oh..." He said.

"Somepony's in trouble..." Apple Bloom sang quietly.

"Big Mac!" Applejack said as she marched towards the stallion. "You have a lot of explaining to do!" She stopped marching as she got close to his nose and stared at him. A moment passed before she spoke.

"You were running the boiler again, weren't ya." Applejac asked.

"Yup." Big Mac said.

"Tryin' to fix it?" Applejack asked.

"Yup." Big Mac said.

"But you couldn't." Applejack said.

"Nope." Big Mac said.

"Discord showed up?" Applejack asked.

"Yup." Big Mac said.

"You were running in fear." Big Mac said.

"Yep." Big Mac said.

"Forgot to turn the boiler off?" Applejack asked.

"Yup." Big Mac said.

"Did you try to?" Applejack asked.

"Nope." Big Mac said.

"Didn't think about it?" Applejack asked.

"Nope." Big Mac said.

"Met a mare?" Applejack asked.

"Yep." Big Mac said.

"Caught in the heat?" Applejack asked.

"Yup." Big Mac said.

"And when all the craziness blew over the boiler exploded and you weren't home when it did?" Applejack asked.

"Eeyup." Big Mac finished. Applejack then scuffed and shook her head, trying to figure out what to do now. No way her sister and her friends can't stay at the farm now because it's broken. If Granny Smith was here, who was no doubt a sleep at home during all this, she would give Big Mac a whoopin' he would never forget. Donald glanced at Big Mac.

"Is that all you can say?" Donald asked.

"Yep." Big Mac said.

"He's not much of a talker." Sora said.

"Nope." Big Mac said.

"He don't need to talk too much." Goofy said. "He would just let his work do the talking for him." Big Mac heard that, and he was surprised to hear that. Then suddenly.

"YES!" Big Mac said with relief and joy. "Another one understands me! Come here, I'm not afraid to hug a walking dog." He then pulled Goofy and gave him a warm hug and nuzzle.

"I like this guy." Goofy said, while Sora gave a smile and Donald rolled his eyes.

"Do not worry, Applejack." Luna said approaching the farmpony. "I'll take your sister and her friends to Canterlot, and I'll watch over them." Applejack was surprised.

"Really?" Applejack asked.

"Really?!" Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo asked with joy. They can stay at the castle?

"Oh, I don't know." Applejack said, knowing that her sister and her friends have a habit of getting into trouble.

"Do not fear, Applejack." Luna said. "They'll be safe in your absence and in my presence."

"Please Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked. "I promise I'll be good." She gave her puppy dog eyes, making the farmpony sigh.

"Ok, fine." Applejack said. "But you behave yourself and listen to Princess Luna. Understand?"

"I promise." Apple Bloom said.

"Me too!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Aye Aye!" Scootaloo said, all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders giving a salute.

"Please don't let them out your sight, Princess." Rarity said to the Lunar Princess, showing concern for her sister Sweetie Belle.

"Don't worry, I won't." Luna said as she turned and knelt down, allowing the three fillies to hope on her back. She then rose up and turned to the girls, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Spike.

"Be very careful." She said. "Twilight is quite powerful, so do not let your guard down." With that said, she floated into the air, and with the CMC, who all waved goodbye and good luck, they flew off to Canterlot.

"Princess, the chariot is ready." A royal guard said.

"Then let's depart." Celestia said, giving a nod.

"Ok." Donald said.

"Let's get going!" Goofy said as he and Donald headed for the chariot, while Sora glanced forward.

"Yeah..." Sora said as he followed them. As Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack headed straight towards the chariot, Fluttershy turned her head for a moment, and saw something... or someone on a lone flower. To her surprise, it was Discord, sitting on the flower sad and guilty. He must've shrunk himself so no pony could see him. She approached him.

"Discord?" She asked. He looked straight at her, and then looked away in shame.

"Fluttershy, c'mon!" Rainbow Dash called from the chariot. The butter-colored Pegasus glanced back at Discord.

"Discord... thank you for fixing the town." She said, and gave him a kiss on his cheek. As she left to depart with the others, the draconequus was a bit surprised by her act of kindness. Out of all the ponies that have scrutinized him over the years, she was probably the only one who has ever thanked him, because he did a good thing and fixed the town. As he saw the chariot leave for Foal Mountain, he couldn't help but smile. Perhaps he doesn't need to act like a bad guy anymore. Maybe, he can be a good guy.

Not much is known about Foal Mountain, probably because it's not a high mountain or so. According to animal books, it's north of the Everfree Forest, a common home for orphan birds, birds that are known for living on their own most of the time, and when they lay eggs, the good ones float at the top, while the bad ones sink to the bottom where they will live alone and uncared for. In short, if they're bad eggs, down the chute. It's actually horrible if you think about it.

Pretty soon, the chariot with the Princess and the others descended just north of the mountains, where at the base of it is where Ponhenge was located. They didn't want to get too close because Twilight would've spot them. As the chariot landed, Sora and the troupe exited out to take a look at the area. There were lots of trees, but they saw behind them a pathway that lead to a small town.

"Where does that lead to?" Sora asked.

"That leads all the way to Hollow Shades." Celestia said. "It used to be the home of Stygian. But now it's abandoned, as no one lives there anymore."

"But where are the ruins?" Sora asked.

"At the base of the mountain, that way." Celestia said as she pointed her hoof forward, right up towards where the dark clouds are circling.

"Then that must be the way to Ponhenge." Goofy said.

"Ok." Donald said. Sora took a glance back at the Sun Princess.

"You going back?" Sora asked.

"I'm not sure." Celestia said. "Perhaps I should go with you. Maybe I can reach her-"

"Wait, Princess." Sora said with his hand up. "You should go back Canterlot." That was a surprise.

"What?" Celestia asked. "But Twilight is down there. I must speak with her and try to reason with her. I must tell her how sorry I am-"

"Princess, please." Sora said. "Equestria needs their princesses, and we don't want anything to happen to you. I know you feel guilty for what happened to Twilight, but she's angry at you a lot more than the others. If you go down there, it'll probably be more difficult to reach her. Let us handle this." The two princesses glanced at each other. Perhaps Sora is right. If Celestia goes down there, Twilight will refuse to listen. After all Sora was right, the lavender unicorn is no doubt angry with the Sun Princess the most. She gave a nod.

"Very well." Celestia said.

"And Princess." Sora said.

"Yes?" Celestia asked. The boy got on his knees and gave a short bow.

"If anything happens to us, let Riku and the King know what has happened, ok?" Sora asked. "That is my only request." The Sun Princess then leaned forward and kissed the boy on his forehead.

"I will." Celestia said. The boy gave a nod and got on his feet, giving one last bow. Behind him, Donald and Goofy, Spike and all the girls gave a bow too.

"May your hearts be your guiding key." She said, and with that said, she floated off the ground with her wings, and took flight, while the Pegasi guard flew with her back to Canterlot.

"This is it, y'all." Applejack said. "We got a big fight ahead of us."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Let's go save Twilight!" As the girls nodded in approval, Sora looked at them, seeing that they're willing to risk their lives to save their friend. He glanced down at the ground and began thinking. It's gonna take a lot to save Twilight, and there was without a doubt a good chance that only of few of them, or no one would make it out alive.

Then, he remembered Riku, and the King. They were still at the Crystal Empire, helping Cadance and Shining Armor protect it from King Sombra. If anything happens to the girls and himself, who's gonna help Riku and the King protect the Crystal Empire, and stop Twilight if he and the girls are unable to?

"You ready sugar hog?" Applejack asked, getting the boy out of his thoughts.

"Yeah." Sora said. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up."

"Ok." The girls said. They then headed down the path that led to the base of the mountain, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy stayed behind for a minute. The latter two were a bit surprised, why Sora needed to wait for a moment.

"Sora?" Donald asked.

"You alright?" Goofy asked. Sora didn't answer. He was thinking. This was going to be a tough fight, and knowing how powerful Twilight is, there was a lot at stake here. Riku and the King might need help up in the North. So if Sora and the others are taken down, who's gonna help them? The spike haired boy took a deep breath. He finally made his decision.

"Jiminy." Sora said. The cricket with the top hat jumped out of the boy's hood.

"Yes, Sora?" He asked. Sora extended his hand out, and the cricket hopped inside. Sora then placed him in Goofy's own hands.

"What's the matter, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"Guys." Sora said. "You can't come with us."

"Huh?" The three asked. The boy then glanced towards the direction the girls went to.

"Me and the girls, we're going on alone." He said. "You guys head straight for the Crystal Empire."

"What?!" They asked.

"But Sora!" Jiminy said.

"No Way!" Donald said. "I'm going too!"

"Yeah, and besides, you might need a couple of more half pints!" Goofy said. The boy turned around to look at the two.

"Guys, just think about it." Sora said. "If Twilight was able to block the Princess's attack, then she might be able to turn you both into fried soot."

"But Sora, we can take her on together." Goofy said.

"Sorry guys, but I have a much more important job for you two." Sora said.

"More important than making sure you don't get killed?" Donald asked.

"Yes." Sora said. "I know I'm going to have to fight Twilight. If I'm unable to reach her and if she manages to... do her worst, you guys will be the only ones left. If anything happens to all of us together, then no one will be able to warn our friends what's coming. So you guys head straight for the Crystal Empire without me, help Riku and the King protect the kingdom, and informed them and everyone else what happened. So that way, you'll be able to carry on if anything happens to me, and Equestria can still have a chance to be saved..."

"Sora..." Donald said. "STOP IT!"

"We know what you mean, Sora." Goofy said. "But you don't have to face this by yourself."

"I'm sorry guys." Sora said. "My mind is made up. I'm going alone with the girls." As he turned around and began making his way into the forest, Donald only shook his head.

"Do you always have to make the sacrifice play?!" Donald asked, making the boy stop in his tracks. "You know as well as everyone that you don't have to face this alone! You don't need to prove to us that you're competent enough-"

"CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I'M TRYING TO SPARE YOU GUYS?!" Sora shouted loudly and aggressively. "DO YOU GUYS WANNA GET TORCHED OUT THERE?! DO YOU?!" The sudden angry shout made Donald and Goofy jump back a bit, surprised he let out an angry shout. No doubt everybody near them heard that. The boy quickly got ahold of himself and shook his head.

"I'm sorry." Sora said. "It's still there. The adrenaline. The doubt. The fear of losing you guys." He glanced down at his hand, which was twitching a bit.

"I just want to save you guys while I still can." Sora said. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to you guys. Many lives will be at stake if we go in together. I don't want to put you guys through that again." Donald and Goofy glanced at each other, feeling concerned. It was still there. The trauma was still affecting Sora. They both approached him.

"It's ok, buddy." Goofy said, his hand on the boy's shoulder. "We understand that you're still going through a lot. That's why we want to go with you."

"And besides, we're your friends." Donald said. "We'll face whatever happens."

"We ain't leaving your side." Goofy said, he and Donald took the boy's hand with assurance. "No matter what." Sora looked at the three. Donald, Goofy, even Jiminy are willing to let themselves get hurt, risk everything to help him. The boy couldn't help but smile, and shed a single tear.

"Thank you guys." Sora said, with the three giving nods.

"And I'm sorry..." He pulled away from them, much to their surprise.

"Sora?" Goofy, Donald, and Jiminy asked. The boy summoned his keyblade.

"Too many lives mean more than one." He said. He pointed the keyblade straight at the ground between himself and the three. Suddenly, a large magical wall emerged from between, conjured up by the keyblade's magic. Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy were surprised.

"Wha... Sora?!" Donald asked, his hands on the barrier, but could not get through.

"Sora, what are ya doin'?!" Goofy asked in shock.

"Go to the Crystal Empire!" Sora said. "Go help your King!"

"Sora!" Donald shouted, banging on the barrier. "Open this barrier this instant!" The boy then took a grip on his crown necklace, and yanked it off.

"Give this to Riku!" Sora shouted. "Make sure he gives it to Kairi!" He then tosses it, and it phases through the barrier and into Donald's hands.

"SORA!" Donald and Goofy shouted.

"Sora, wait!" Jiminy said.

"I'm sorry guys, but a lot is at stake here." Sora said. "You two head straight to the Crystal Empire, and help your king, ok? Tell Riku I'm sorry."

"SORA, NO!" Donald shouted, trying to get through the barrier, as did Goofy, but they couldn't get through.

"SORA, Don't Go!" Goofy said. The boy turned away, but took one last look at the three.

"And tell Kairi..." Sora said, a tear going down his face. "Tell her... tell her I love her..." He then bolted onward, into the forest to catch up with the girls, leaving Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy behind.

"SORA!" All three of them cried, but the boy disappeared into the forest, leaving them. All three of them only watched on. But Donald only shook his head.

"NO!" He said. "We can't let him go alone!" He summoned his staff and pointed it forward.

"BLIZZAGA!" He shouted, shooting out a massive ice crystal to break through the barrier. But it bounced backwards, and shot right at Donald, trapping him in solid ice.

"Garsh..." Goofy said. Suddenly, the solid ice began to shake, and Donald broke right out of it. He then rushed forward and began to whack his staff on the barrier, but it couldn't break. The royal wizard couldn't help but quack in defeat.

"So... we just let him go alone?" Jiminy asked. Goofy looked up at the sky, and placed his hand on his own heart, remembering what Princess Celestia had just told them, the same thing that Master Yen Sid told them.

"May our hearts be our guiding key." He said.

"Huh?" Donald asked.

"Sora's heart may be telling him to go on his own, to protect us from harm, and to ensure that Riku and the King get help." Goofy said. "But my heart is telling me to be by Sora's side and support him all the way through."

"Me too!" Donald said with a nod. Their hearts were telling them to go help Sora, even though he wants to do this own his own. They have to be there for him.

"Same here... but how do we break through this dang thing?" Jiminy asked. Donald only let out a questioned quack.

"Donald? Goofy?" A familiar voice asked, catching them by surprise. It wasn't the King or Riku's voice, but someone they know too. They turned around and saw a group that they knew for more than a decade.

"It's You!" Donald and Goofy called out with a smile.

Up in the North...

Just outside of a huge crystal gate, Riku was watching in the distance, just in case anything would try to break in. He was wearing his hood over his head, and his clothes have sprouted thermal arms and leggings to help keep him warm. Nice that his battle garments came with good additions, thanks to the Three good fairies.

He and his group already made it to the Crystal Empire. While Shining Armor and Princess Cadance went into the kingdom to check on the situation, Riku decided to stay near the entrance in case the Heartless, or the Unicorn King would try to get in. But more importantly, he was waiting for Sora and his group to arrive soon. Hopefully it shouldn't be too much longer.

"You alright?" A voice asked from behind. Turning his head, he saw King Mickey, wearing a snow hat on his head. He couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit cold." Riku said.

"You wanna trade shifts?" Mickey asked.

"Nah, I'm good." Riku said. "I'm just seeing if anything's coming, or at least waiting for Sora."

"I'm sure he'll be here." Mickey said. "He knows how to find his way around."

"Yeah." Riku said as he glanced back forward. But then something caught his eye in the distance. While the snow was falling around him, he did see something odd far, far away. Some strange clouds circling above an unspecified place. He could feel it. The stench of darkness. A great darkness to be exact. It even caught Mickey's attention.

"You feel it?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah... I feel it." Riku said. "Darkness..."

"Is it Sombra?" Mickey asked.

"No, it's something else." Riku said. "I feel... a dark spark. Magic turning into a black shadow."

"It's happening far down in the south." Mickey said. "This must be Twilight..."

"Sora..." Riku said. "He's down there." He could sense it. Sora was indeed down that way. But there was nothing he could do right now. All he could do was wait and see. But Sora should be able to handle it... Right?

Author's Note

Ok, we're very, very close to the ultimate confrontation between Sora and Twilight.

So, with Discord. He has always been depicted as a villain before his reformation in the show back in 2013. But we have no knowledge or any confirmation if he was always evil before his reformation or how he became evil in the beginning before the start of the series, at least I don't think. So, I once again played with that concept a little teeny bit, with Discord explaining the reason he became a bad guy was because everyone didn't like what he was doing; spreading Chaos. Because of that, they called him a bad guy, so he decided to be the bad guy. But after realizing that his actions put many ponies in serious danger, he is now remorseful of his action and is now on the path of reformation. How he will redeem himself? That's a good question.
Now we all don't like Chaos, but we cannot live without a little bit of chaos. Without Chaos, Order cannot exist, nor can all beings, and that is what many people fail to see. We cannot control what people do, we can't control the unpredicted and we can't control the future itself. The only thing we can control is ourselves.
I don't know if I made that sound right, but I just needed to say that.

Now regarding to Sora's actions at the end of this chapter. He's leaving Donald and Goofy behind to protect them. You have witnessed what Twilight is capable of in the show and in Chapter 13 of this story. Sora is still a bit affected by his trauma, but he is thinking about their safety. Also, Riku and the King may need some assistance in the Crystal Empire.
But who was talking to them at the very end?

Anyway, up next will be Chapter 21 either Friday or Saturday this weekend, and Chapter 22 the next day. We're almost there for the ultimate showdown... of ultimate destiny...

Chapter 21: Lost at Midnight

Author's Note

Ok... get ready for a big fight here. The previous ACTs have been leading up to this moment.

This has been almost more than a year in the making, but we're here at the ultimate showdown... Someone hold my drink as I would love to hear your response. Warning... someone is not getting out of this alive.

Anyway, we're diving straight into the darkness. May your hearts be your guiding key.

Chapter 21: Lost at Midnight

According to Equestria Lore, the Ruins that were hidden at the base of Foal Mountain, just north of the Everfree Forest, was the battlefield where the Pillars of Old Equestria faced against the Pony of Shadows. Some say the ruins were not pony-like, and were the remains of ancient kingdoms before Ponykind even existed. Regardless, it's where the ultimate confrontation was going to take place, and the girls knew that a big fight was ahead of them. They were just wishing that Twilight wasn't who they were fighting.

"Ok, the ruins of Ponhenge must be down this way." Applejack said, pointing straight towards the pathway, with a couple of old structures with writings on them nearby.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy asked. "I wonder where the relics came from."

"According from the locals, this ruins have been here for almost more than two thousand years." Rarity said. "Most likely dating back way before the founding of Equestria."

"Come to think of it, Granny Smith used to tell me stories that the ruins of Ponhenge used to belong to an old non-pony civilization long, long ago." Applejack said.

"You think they could've been dragons?" Spike asked. "Or the Yaks? Or the Griffins?"

"I don't think so, Spike." Applejack said. "The folks who made the ruins aren't even native to Equestria and the lands outside it."

"Maybe whoever built the ruins must've been from the outside worlds." Pinkie Pie said. "Ooh, ooh, do you think they come here once in a while when nopony's around and threw parties like I do?"

"Who cares?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Let's go save Twilight!" Pinkie Pie looked around, as if she was looking for someone.

"Hey, where did Sora go?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Uh oh, don't tell me he bailed us." Spike said.

"Oh wait, here he comes." Pinkie Pie said, looking and pointing back. The five ponies and Spike looked down and saw Sora catching up with them.

"Girls!" Sora waved as he finally caught up to them.

"There you are!" Rainbow Dash said. "What took you so long?!"

"Sorry, had to do something first." Sora said, though Fluttershy and Applejack noticed that Donald and Goofy weren't behind.

"Where's Donald and Goofy?" Fluttershy asked.

"They're heading off to the Crystal Empire." Sora said.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "They bailed?! That's just great."

"No, I told them to head straight there." Sora said. "I told them that we'll meet up with them when we stop the ritual and save Twilight." Applejack couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She noticed something about Sora's face... She noticed that while they were brushed off, there was a bit of tear stains on his cheek. She also noticed that his necklace was gone.

"Where's your necklace?" She asked. "And why do you look like you were crying?" Sora then realized what she was talking about. He quickly rubbed his face with the back of his hand to clear the tear-stains off before anyone else noticed.

"Oh... well, um..." Sora said, but he stumbled on his words, not knowing what to say. The farm pony approached him with a bit of suspicion, and with a bit of worry.

"Sora, what's going on?" Applejack asked. "Is there somethin' you wanna tell us?"

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"C'mon, sugarhog." Applejack said. "You're talking to Applejack. The most honest and most dependable of all ponies." She leaned upwards until her nose met his.

"Now, what's going on?" she asked. The boy looked at her nervously, and at the girls and Spike. He only sighed, knowing that he shouldn't lie to them, because Applejack can know when somepony, or someone in his case, is lying.

"Girls, Spike." Sora said. "We got a really big fight ahead of us. This isn't like fixing a friendship problem. We're gonna have to fight Twilight if she's not willing to talk and listen. There's a big chance that we won't come out of this alive."

"So?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"So?!" Sora asked. "I mean there's a chance that one of us could get hurt. Or probably killed."

"And that's what's bothering you?" Applejack asked.

"Yes... and it's not just this that's bothering me." Sora said, knowing that he had to say more. "During my own adventures, I've seen things... horrible things happening to those around me... things that I'm startled to talk about, and those same things can happen if you go in there, and they'll happen to all of you if we're not careful. So, if you guys want to back out of this, that's fine."

"Back out?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "No way in Tartarus are we doing that!"

"Lookie here, sugarhog." Applejack said. "We know that this isn't as easy as it sounds. But we've been through a lot ourselves. We've fought against Nightmare Moon, Discord, and we faced against bug monsters that sucked the lives out of other ponies. This may be a bigger fight than all of them, but we'll do anything to save our home, but more importantly, save our friend Twilight."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said. "We're not gonna leave our friend hanging."

"That's right." Fluttershy said. "We'll go through the ends of the earth to save her."

"We'll die for our friend if we have to." Rarity said.

"And we'll throw a big party when all of this is over!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Even if we die?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, duh!" Pinkie Pie said. "It'll be a party to die for!" Hearing that made the ponies tilt their heads. But regardless, they all gave a nod, including Spike.

"Don't worry, sugarhog." Applejack said to Sora. "We'll face this together." The boy looked at the girls and Spike, amazed that they're willing to give up everything for their friend. He gave a nod.

"Ok." Sora said. "But let me handle Twilight. You guys try and stop the ritual, ok?"

"Got it!" The girls said together.

"Let's have a go at it!" Applejack said as the girls turned around back towards the path that leads to the ruins, ready to save their friend. They galloped onwards, while Spike and Sora watched.

"So... we're gonna have to fight Twilight, aren't we." Spike said.

"Yeah." Sora said. The baby dragon looked at the ground, and took a deep breath. Twilight meant more to him than anything in this world, way more than gems and Rarity. Twilight raised him, taught him everything he knew, and treated him like he was her son. He knew that he had to make this right.

"Well then, let's go." Spike said as he ran forward with the girls, while Sora watched. He looked at the ground, knowing what was coming. He looked back to where he came from, knowing that he left Donald and Goofy behind. But it was to save them. To protect them. After all, Riku and the King need help as well, so they'll be getting it. He looked forward.

"May my heart be my guiding key." Sora said, and then he took off towards the ruins.

PONHENGE

It was very dark and cloudy at the old ruins of Ponhenge, where six tall stone structures surrounded a small stone circle in the middle. Five of the stones laid five of the talismans; Rockhoof's shovel, Mistmane's flower, Flash Magnus's shield, Mage Meadowbrook's mask, and Somnambula's blindfold. Twilight Sparkle, with Starswirl's Journal in her hooves, showing an evil smile with her glowing cyan slit eyes, was making her way to the stone structure in the center of the circle, as the clouds above began to circle, blocking the sun in the sky, with thundering happening within them. The time was nearly here, as the ritual to bring back the Pony of Shadows was ready to begin. In the back behind the trees and bushes, the girls, Spike, and Sora were watching from afar, seeing what Twilight was doing.

"This is it." Applejack said.

"So, now what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You all wait here." Sora said. "I'll go on ahead and fight. While I do so, you girls try and stop the ritual."

"Ok." The girls said.

"Sora." Spike said.

"Yes, Spike?" The boy answered.

"Please, save her." Spike said.

"I will, Spike." Sora said, with the baby dragon giving a hopeful nod. Sora then emerged from his hiding spot and moved forward, just as Twilight was placing Starswirl's Journal into the center structure.

"At last, the pieces are set." Twilight spoke. "The talismans of the Pillars of Old Equestria are in their proper places. Within a few moments, the seal will be broken, the Pony of Shadows will be awakened, and all who abandoned me will know my pain and anguish, and the night will last forever... in Darkness." She then gave a wicked laugh, and laugh that would make anypony terrified if they heard it.

"Twilight!" The unicorn turned her head, seeing the one person she hoped to never see again. Sora made his way up the steps, stepping forward into the ring, passing the pillars next to him.

"Oh, it's you." Twilight spoke. The boy closed his eyes, and then opened them. He then made his way into the circle.

"I'd take it that you're here to watch the world end?" Twilight asked.

"No." Sora said. "I wanted to see you again, but not this way."

"I find that hard to believe." Twilight said, unaware of the girls making their way to the side, to watch what was about to unfold. Spike watched from behind Rarity. Seeing Twilight all dark and evil, it was too much for him to bare.

"Twilight..." Spike whispered sadly.

"Twilight, please don't do this." Sora said. "Deep down, you know that this is wrong. Please, I beg of you. Don't do something that'll you regret."

"I have no regret." Twilight said without any emotion. "The time is nearly here, and the Pony of Shadows will awaken, and all those left me will be destroyed by it's power!"

"Is releasing an entity that could destroy everything worth getting back at those who hurt you?" Sora asked.

"Why not?" Twilight asked. "They left me behind, and abandoned me in my time of need. So, why not inflict on them ten times more than what they inflicted on me?" But soon her frown faded and a smile was formed.

"But... I may show you mercy, Sora." Twilight said. "...If you're willing to surrender." She extended her hoof outwards to him, wanting him to join her.

"What?" Sora asked.

"Join me, Sora." Twilight said. "Join me in ridding this world of it's liars and betrayers. Let us punish these deceivers and backstabbers. Together, this world will be ours to control." The boy only lowered his head, already having his answer. This is not what he wants. Joining the side of darkness? No way. He knew it wasn't right, even if it meant he had to fight his friend.

"Twilight... you know I can't do that." Sora said. "This goes against everything that I believe in. And I can't let you do this, even if I have to stop you myself." The lavender unicorn only showed a scornful frown.

"Then you leave my no choice." Twilight said. "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy." The boy only stood his ground. This was his last chance to get her to come to her senses.

"Please... I don't want to hurt you." Sora said. "I won't do that to your friends, your brother, or Princess Celestia."

"Hurt me?" Twilight asked, and then she gave a dark smile. "You don't get it, do you... I... am more powerful than ANYONE!" With that final shout, her horn lit up, and the necklace around her began to light up with a purple and cyan color, and soon, she began to float up in the air, and she was then surrounded by a magical dark spiral, which began to shine a dark light upon the battlefield. Flashing before him, and the ones watching from the sidelines. Seeing with their eyes, the girls watched in horror and shock, even Spike began to whimper at the sight of what Twilight was transforming into.

Elsewhere, Princess Celestia gasped as she sensed a great surge of darkness from Foal Mountain. Turning her head towards the source, she saw a purple and cyan flash flickering. It was darkness, a horrible darkness.

Princess Luna dropped her tea cup as she gasped, much to the crusaders' surprise. She knelt down and felt a sudden tension all over her body.

"Princess Luna?" Apple Bloom asked. "Is everything alright?" The Lunar Princess turned her head and watched from the balcony, seeing the purple and cyan spark at the base of Fall Mountain.

"A terrible darkness..." Luna said. "I haven't felt this presence since... since... Nightmare Moon!"

"GAH!" Princess Cadance shouted from her own position as she fell to her hooves, much to Shining Armor's surprise and worry.

"Cadance!" Shining said as he galloped to her, but he too gasped as he knelt to the floor, sensing a terrible speck of darkness far, far away. And it wasn't the unicorn king they were concerned about. They knew where the darkness came from and from the look of their horrified faces, they knew who it was.

"Twilight!" They both said.

Outside near the crystal gates, Riku quickly felt a shiver down his spine, and no doubt King Mickey felt it as well. The dark energy that was down south of the Frozen North to the mountains sparked greatly.

"Oh no..." Riku said.

"Darkness!" Mickey said. "From the bearer of the Element of Magic!"

Back to the ruins of Ponhenge, Sora stood his ground as he felt the wave of darkness pushed against him, and the spark continued to flash before him. As the light cleared up, Sora unshielded his eyes, both widening with shock, seeing the worse thing he could ever think of.

"You gotta be kidding me..." He spoke. Before him in the air, was a dark purple color pony. Her mane was flowing and sizzling like a massive fireball, mixed with black, purple, and magenta. Her eyes had turned to a brilliant mulberry, with the sclera glowing with a light grayish cyan. She wore a purple vest with a wicked dark design, and a collar that had a corrupted version of her cutie mark. Her tail was black, just black, and her horn was now long, glowing with a cyan color. And on her back were black violet wings, almost resembling a demonic hawk. No longer was she Twilight Sparkle. She was now the successor of Nightmare Moon: Midnight Sparkle!

"Yes... Yes!" Twilight laughed evilly. "I never knew true magic before... But I Do NOW!" Her wings spread open, sending a gust of wind upon the boy. But he stood his ground. He glanced up at the mare, now corrupted in darkness. A tear was seen in his eyes, but he closed them and opened them, his face no longer showing fear, but determination.

"I guess... I have no choice then." Sora said. Then, his newly restored Keyblade appeared in his tightly gripped hand. He then took his stance, ready to fight. Within seconds, he then charged forward. Midnight only smiled, as she charged up her horn and fired away right at him. Suddenly, Sora dodged to the side, surprising the unicorn. She fired again, only for the boy to leap to the left and onto the stone statue, then leapt up to swing down. Midnight, however, summoned a magical sword, blocking the attack and throwing him aside. She then fired again, but the boy spun his keyblade.

"RELFEGA!" He shouted, summoning a white barrier around him, shielding him from the attack, and bouncing the beam back, hitting Midnight Sparkle and sending her crashing into one of the stone structures. She dropped to her hooves, but didn't fall to the ground. With a snort, she charged forward, her wings flapped as she flew into the sky and flew down to strike with her horn. But Sora leaped back.

"TRIPLE PLASMA!" He shouted, shooting out three spheres of electricity, but the mare dodged each shot as they blasted to the ground, making three explosions of static shock. Midnight only spun as she continued to fire each shot, but Sora shot them back with his keyblade like baseballs. She did managed to shove right into him and pin him to the ground.

"Yield!" She shouted.

"Never!" Sora shouted, summoning the Missing Ache keyblade and kicking her off and up into the air with his legs and feet. Getting back up, he initiated another attack.

"TORNADO STRIKE!" He called out, summoning a swirling gust of wind around him, trapping Midnight and causing her to spin around. The boy then jumped up with the wind and performed a spinning attack with his two keyblades, whacking the mare across the battle field. She skid across the floor and got even more angry.

"You'll pay for that!" She shouted as she fired another beam, this time hitting Sora and hurtling him into one of the pillars. As he dropped to the floor, he felt a bit of pain. But he wasn't going to give up. No way. He got up. As the Missing Ache vanished, the Dusk Till Dawn began to glow.

"Here we go!" Sora shouted as he pulled his keyblade back, which then began to glow, transforming itself into a Counter Shield! With a shout he charged forward, swinging his new weapon as Midnight did the same. She was thrown offguard by the boy throwing his shield, and then finishing by summoning a circle of lightning around him that expanded outward, stunning Midnight for a few seconds. But she quickly got to her senses and her horn began to glow.

"Take this!" Midnight shouted as she flew straight forward and fired a beam, and Sora rose his shield up in defence. As the beam made contact, the shield began to glow, and absorbed the attack.

"Back Off!" Sora shouted as he pulled back and pushed forward, initiating his Wrathful Flurry attack, with the shield throwing out huge multiple punches, hitting Midnight several times before finishing with a gigantic punch to the face, sending Midnight crashing into another one of the stone statues.

"Is that all you got?!" Midnight growled.

"Nope!" Sora said, his keyblade shield now transforming into a massive Hyper Hammer. "I was just getting started!" He then charged forward and swung, but the Midnight Pony dodged and fired, striking Sora's arm, but the boy didn't flinch, and swung again, hitting and hurling Midnight up into the air. She shifted herself and began to rain beams of darkness upon him. But then, Sora threw his hammer into the air, where it began to break apart and reassemble into his Double Arrowguns.

"Here you go!" He shouted as he aimed and fired magical bullets rapidly, allowing him to stop Midnight's beams from hitting him with the arrows, cancelling them out. Then, he combined his two guns together, creating the Magic Launcher. He then aimed high, after a quick charge, He fired a massive sphere at Midnight, which exploded upon contact, sending a wave of smoke around the area. Sora only coughed and covered his mouth as the dust was around him, with his keyblade transforming back to its original form. He looked forward, and saw Midnight on her hooves.

"Twilight... please, stop this!" He called out. The dark unicorn shook her head.

"No...!" She hissed, and with her magic she summoned dark vines and they wrapped around Sora's wrists and legs, holding him up.

"There's no escape..." She said as she walked up to him.

"You're wrong!" Sora said, and his keyblade began to glow, and once again, it transformed into a set of gloves with claws. He then spun, and ripped the vines around him with his Agile Claws, before making a good landing.

"Why are you not giving up?!" Midnight asked.

"Because... I want to save you." Sora said.

"You can't save me..." She said. "No pony can."

"You're wrong!" Sora said as his claws transformed into his Highwind Spear. "I'm not giving up on you!" He then charged forward and attacked, with Midnight countering. As the two continued their fight, the girls in the background were watching... all of them with their mouths dropped to their shoulders.

"Whoa..." Rainbow Dash said. "That is so... awesome..."

"Why couldn't he do that when we first met him?" Pinkie Pie asked with a little pout.

"C'mon girls." Applejack said. "Twilight's distracted. Let's get the artifacts!" All of them agreed, and they quick went in to grab the talismans from the stone pillars. Applejack picked up Rockhoof's shovel, while Rainbow Dash grabbed Flash Magnus's shield. Rarity took Mistmane's everlasting flower, Pinkie Pie grabbed Somnabula's blindfold, and Fluttershy retrieved Mage Meadowbrook's mask. Spike ran over to grab Starswirl's journal, and he lifted it with his claws.

"Got it!" Spike said. "Now let's get out of here!" Suddenly, the journal began to glow a magenta dark aura, and Spike felt himself lifted up in the air. The aura then grabbed the rest of the Mane Five, holding them up in the air.

"Hey, what gives?!" Rainbow Dash asked. Sora, who was blocking Midnight's attack, turned and saw what was happening with the girls.

"Oh no!" Sora said. Midnight only laughed, as she pushed Sora aside. She then turned around and saw the girls being held up in the air.

"Did you honestly think that it would be so easy?" She asked. "I had a feeling that you all would try to take the talismans, so I placed a little trap spell on Starswirl's Journal in case anyone tried to take it." The girls were dumbfounded that Twilight managed to be a step ahead of them, and they were all worried now. The corrupted unicorn made her way towards Spike, who looked at her in fear.

"Now... give me the book, dragon." She spoke, extending her hoof out. Spike looked at Midnight. To be honest, he didn't see Twilight. He saw a monster. He took a deep breath.

"No." Spike said with a bit of defiance.

"What?" Midnight asked.

"I know you're still in there Twilight." Spike said. "You don't need to do this! I don't want you to do this! I'm not giving you this book, even if your try to hurt me!" Midnight only scuffed with disgust.

"Then get ready to burn, you little brat." She spoke as her horn lit up and lifted Spike in the air, ready to end him.

"NO!"

Suddenly, Midnight flung back, grabbing her own head, much to Spike's surprise.

"What are you doing?!" Midnight asked, her voice suddenly getting distorted.

"Don't hurt him!" She said again, in her normal voice. "We agreed not to harm Spike. He's all I have left!" Hearing that made Spike's quills twitch.

"Twilight?" Spike asked. That was Twilight under there somewhere. Suddenly, she looked back at the baby dragon and gently placed him down on the ground, and took the Journal from him. He was greatly surprised. She didn't try to kill him.

"But the rest... we'll do away with!" Midnight said, turning her attention towards the girls, and prepared to charge up her horn to attack, making the girls gasp with horror.

"STOP!" Sora shouted as he jumped in with his Highwind Spear, crossing with Midnight's horn, making her shoot at one of the stone structures instead. She growled and fired back at him, hurtling him across the floor. Spike managed to hide behind the stone structure that was in front of him, and watched as Sora got back up. The boy then spun his spear, which then sprouted out a red cloth, transforming into the Storm Flag. He began to spin, or twirl the flag aggressively, shooting out powerful spheres of water right at Midnight, causing her to back away.

"WATERZA!" He shouted as he twirled the flag one more time, but summoned a massive wave of water around him, splashing Midnight with great force across the ground, making her tumble back and forth. She then got back up and summoned more magic tentacle-like vines and sent them to attack. But Sora spun around, with his flag now transforming into blue crystal bracelets with blades, and white skating blades on his shoes, becoming Blizzard Blades. He spun around, slicing the blades away with his Frozen Crescent attack.

"It's Not Over Yet!" He called out as he skated across the battlefield, while Midnight continued to send out her vines to grab and strike. But Sora sliced through each one, and fired out spinning ice blades across the floor. But Midnight jumped up and dodged them.

"Watch where you're throwing those!" She shouted as she shot another magic beam, hitting the floor in front of Sora, making him jump and lost his footing. He rolled across the floor, but he managed to stop himself just in time to dodge Midnight's dark wave attack.

"Here goes nothing!" He shouted as he stumped his foot on the ground, and the ice blade began to spread and form a circle around him. He then jumped and skated into the air, his trail forming a massive frozen crystal, almost twenty feet tall!

"Time to let it go!" Sora said and then he stomped on the top, making it fall forwards right onto Midnight. It smashed into pieces as it made impact, while Sora leaped off and back on the ground while the crystal crashed upon Midnight. The girls and Spike gasped in shock. The spikey-haired boy lifted his head up, seeing dust from the ice crystals on the ground.

"Twilight?!" Sora asked Suddenly, the ice crystals began to rise up above the ground, all of them levitated by Midnight Sparkle, who slowly rose back up to her hooves. Anger was on her face, while the ice crystals sharped up like knives. Sora's eyes widened with horror.

"Uh oh." Sora said.

"DIE!" Midnight shouted as she fired the ice knifes straight at him. Sora's keyblade then transformed into Nano Arms, a broadsword-like nano blade with twin blades sticking out from the sides, made of nano. He raised it forward, and it transformed into a Nano Barrier around him, blocking the knifes as they hit the shield. But Sora felt a lot of force from the knives as they continued to hit. And then...

-BOOM-

Sora gave a shout as the Nano Shield gave out and burst, causing him to be blown backwards across the battle. The girls gasped with horror.

"Sora!" They called out as the boy lifted himself up.

"That hurt." He said. He glanced up, only to see Midnight Sparkle giving him a wicked smile, laughing as the storm clouds above her began to form, circling around, and the markings on the ground below her began to glow brightly.

"The hour has come!" She called out. "Within a few minutes, the Pony of Shadows will be awakened!" As thunder and lightning began to boom from the clouds. Sora came to his senses, got up from the ground..

"Twilight, stop!" Sora shouted. "You don't have to do this!"

"It's too late!" Midnight asked. "Just a few more minutes and the seal will be unlocked!"

"But doing so will plunge Equestria into darkness!" Sora shouted.

"So what?!" Midnight asked. "Everypony must pay for abandoning me, and the Pony of Shadows will show them pain and suffering."

"This isn't the way!" Sora shouted. "I know you feel powerful right now, like you can have everything you want! A friend of mine has been where you were, and he almost lost everything, overwhelmed by the darkness that you're using now!"

"Oh, you're wrong." Midnight said. "Unlike you, I can have everything I want!"

"No, you can't!" Sora said. "Even with all that magic and power, you'll be all alone! Please... stop this now!" Midnight looked away for a minute, but only shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Sora." Midnight said. "But I'm already alone..."

"That's not true!" Sora called out. "You're not alone! I'm here! Your friends are here!" He pointed towards the girls, but Midnight only looked away.

"They're not my friends." She said. "They abandoned me, choosing some stupid wedding over me!"

"But they didn't!" Sora called out. "They went looking for you!" Hearing that made Midnight raise an eyebrow with sudden surprise. Did he just say that they went looking for her?

"Wh...What are you talking about?!" Midnight asked.

"After the Changeling Queen sent you into the caverns, the girls went looking for you." Sora said. "They searched all over, and then they overheard the fake bride talking how she got rid of you, and planned to take over Equestria. They went to stop her in your honor, but the Chancellor was in on her scheme, and he erased their memories of the whole thing!" Midnight looked at him surprised, and quite shocked. The girls went looking for her? No, she thought. He's lying.

"I Don't Believe You!" she shouted.

"Here, let me show you!" Sora said, pulling out the Memory Stone in his pocket, and raised it into the air. It glowed a mighty spark as it flashed up to the sky, and Sora's head started to glow, showing magical streams of magic that were taking the form of video tape footage. He then shot it forward, shooting a beam of magic right at Midnight. It hit her. She then struggled as she felt her head spinning. She opened her eyes, showing a flash.

Inside her head, she saw what Sora had witnessed. She saw the fake bride, sending her into the caverns, witnessing Shining rushing into the room trying to save her, only for his memory to be wiped by the Changeling Queen, falling under her control. She then saw the girls, agreeing not to go to the wedding and search for her. When they couldn't find her, Rainbow Dash overheard the fake bride planning to take over Equestria, and learning that she did away with Twilight. The girls tried to stop her, but Chancellor Neighsay, he erased their memories, and made them go straight to the wedding.

Twilight gasped as she finished watching the whole thing. Pretty soon, her glowing cyan eyes were replaced with her usual purple eyes. Then the aura around the girls disappeared, causing them to drop on the floor on their hooves, though Pinkie Pie landed on her head.

"Wh... What?" Twilight spoke, the streams of dark magic began to fade as she floated to the ground on her hooves, trying to figure out what she just saw. She was what really happened while she was down in the caverns. Her friends were looking for her, not even caring about the wedding.

"The girls..." Twilight said. "They went searching for me?"

"Of course they did." Sora said, approaching her slowly. "They went looking for you. They didn't care about the wedding. They tried to find you, and they did what you would've done to stop that monster from taking over Equestria." Twilight looked at the boy, her horn no longer glowing cyan.

"But... the Changeling Queen." Twilight said. "She showed me..."

"She showed you what happened after their memories were erased." Sora said. "The Chancellor made them believe they overslept, and they both made them forget about you. They both conspired together, and they deceived you." She glanced to her right, seeing the girls and the baby dragon, all of them watching with worried looks. The unicorn then turned her head to see the spikey-haired boy right in front of her.

"Sora..." Twilight said.

"We don't need to fight anymore." Sora said. "You don't have to do this. This is what Nightmare Moon wants. She's just using you for your power. And when she's done, she'll destroy you too. You know it's true." The lavender unicorn looked at him, but then looked at the ground. She was now starting to realize it. What was she doing? Turning her back on Equestria and everything she learned and knew, over a stupid grudge? But seeing what she had done... she doesn't deserve to be forgiven... not now.

"It's too late." Twilight said.

"No, it's not." He said. "It's never too late."

"I nearly destroyed Equestria..." Twilight said. "I... I'm scared. I don't want to be alone anymore..."

"You're not alone, Twilight." Sora said. "I'm here. We all are. Please, Twilight. Come home. We miss you." He extended his hand out to her, offering his forgiveness. At first, she was a bit hesitant. But it now started to make sense. Her friends did care about her. They did go looking for her. And Sora... He came all this way to save her. He was still willing to give her a chance. A tear escaped from her eyes, and extended her hoof out, and then...

"NOOOOO!!!!"

Suddenly, a black mist erupted from the amulet around Twilight neck and grabbed her hoof before Sora can grab on. Both of them gasped, glancing at the shadowy spirit that had appeared behind Twilight. It began to grab her by the neck with it's black tentacles and pulled her away, making her scream.

"Twilight!!" Sora shouted as he called out to her.

"TWILIGHT!" The girls and Spike called out in horror, but Twilight was now surrounded by a black magic circle, which then burst up a musk of darkness, sinking deep into Twilight, making her shout in pain.

"SORA! GIRLS! SPIKE! SAVE ME!" She cried as the dark cloud swallowed her up, pushing Sora far away from her. The girls cringed as the blast hit them, pushing them away as well. The boy glanced forward, seeing no longer Twilight, but the glowing cyan eyes of Midnight Sparkle.

"No..." Sora spoke, his face showing shock and fear.

"Sorry boy, but you've interfered with my plans for the last time!" Midnight shouted as she charged up her horn with dark magic. She then fired straight at him. The boy raised his keyblade, which transformed into a Nano Shield to protect himself, just as the beam was about to collide.

-FLASH-

-BOOOOM!-

The sudden explosion blasted as the beam made contact. Everyone watched in fear, worried that Twilight... or Midnight might have actually pierced through Sora's shield. The dark unicorn made a grin, until she saw a blue glow shining through the dust, showing... another magical barrier?

"WHAT?!" Midnight asked. Sora opened his eyes, and he was greatly astonished to see someone, holding a keyblade! The keyblade was thin, predominantly a dull, metallic blue color. There is a teardrop-shaped gap at the base and near the tip of the blade's shaft. The head is roughly a half diamond-shaped. The teeth are formed by four spikes lining the outer edge of the keyblade's head. The handle is smooth and black. The guard is angular, white and doesn't fully connect to the keyblade. The keychain links and token were made up of water droplets.

Holding the Rainfell keyblade was a woman with blue hair and blue eyes and around her was a silver glowing barrier, almost similar to Riku's Dark Barrier.

"Aqua!" Sora called out. She turned her head to the boy with a smile.

"Sora, good to see you again." She said. The boy stood there dumbfounded, surprised that she's here.

"Wait... how did-" He asked.

"We met your friends in Radiant Garden." Aqua said. "They gave us a ride." Sora knew who she was talking about. Leon and the others!

"Oh yeah!" Sora said, but he quickly looked around, seeing they weren't nearby. "Wait, where are they?"

"They went to go help Riku and Mickey." Aqua said. "The others aren't too far behind."

"Others?" Sora asked.

"What is this?!" Midnight called out, getting both of their attention. "Two keyblade wielders? Now this just got more interesting..." Sora then noticed something in Twilight's voice. While it was her own, there was a lot of distortion poking through. Aqua then pointed her keyblade towards her.

"The game's over, Twilight Sparkle." Aqua said. "Or should I say... Nightmare Moon." Sora's eyes widened up, hearing that name. The name of the Dark form of Princess Luna!

"What..." Sora said, looking back at Midnight, show then showed a wicked smile.

"Well, well, you finally understand." She said, her voice now more distorted.

"Wait... what's going on?" Sora asked.

"It's Nightmare Moon." Aqua said. "She's the one who was manipulating Twilight, using the darkness in her heart. Now she has taken full control of her." Sora realized what she was talking about. Twilight was manipulated into turning to darkness, and now her body was stolen by Nightmare Moon.

"Just like how Ansem possessed Riku." Sora said.

"And how Xehanort possessed me." Another voice said. The boy turned his head, and saw a taller man with brown hair, and a blonde boy that looked like Roxas, making their way towards the field. Both of them had keyblades in their hands.

Terra's keyblade, the Earthshaker, had a dark brown color with brass edges. The teeth were made of two pick-like points, with two hammer-like protrusions on the opposite side. The guard was an off-blue color, and seemed to be crafted from two Omega insignias. The pommel was a dark blue cone, with the keychain being a reddish rock fragment with brass armor-like plating.

Ventus's keyblade, the Wayward Wind, was peculiar as it's usually wielded in reverse. The black handle is offset from the keyblade as opposed to being aligned with it, with the guard equally misaligned. The guard is a dull gold color and joins with the shaft of the keyblade to fully enclose the handle, with the shaft being grey, thin, with a very slight curve outward. Two short bars connect the main blade to the teeth, which was comprised by five curved bars in the shape of a wing. The keychain is a green gem with two silver flurries of wind spiraling around it.

"Terra! Ven!" Sora said with a smile, as Ventus helped Sora back on his feet.

"Sorry we were a little late." Ventus said.

"No biggie." Sora said.

"More Keyblade Wielders?" Midnight asked. "Now this will be much more fun!"

"Enough, Nightmare Moon!" Aqua said, getting into battle position. "Release Twilight from your control, and stop this madness! You unleash the Pony of Shadows, it will destroy everything in it's path!" Midnight only smirked.

"Sorry, but that's not happening, dear." Midnight said. "It's only a matter of time before the ritual is complete and the Pony of Shadows will be released." Aqua only shook her head.

"Then, in the name of all that is good, we shall expel the darkness from your heart!" Aqua said, pointing her keyblade forward. Terra and Ventus join her side by side, readying their keyblades.

"Guys." Sora said.

"Sora, you stop the ritual." Terra said.

"We'll stall as long as we can." Ventus said.

"But-" Sora said, but then he felt two pairs of hands, one on his shoulder, and one in his hand. He turned around and saw Donald and Goofy.

"Let them do this, Sora." Donald said.

"Donald?! Goofy?!" Sora asked with surprise. "But... How-?"

"Well, you're not the only keyblade wielder here." Goofy said, pointing to Terra, Ventus and Aqua.

"But... I told you guys to go to the Crystal Empire!" Sora shouted.

"And we promised that we'd stay by your side!" Donald shouted.

"We know you just want to protect us, but you don't have to face things without at least some support." Goofy said. Sora was about to speak, but he realized that Goofy was right. He only lowered his head.

"I'm sorry..." He said. "I just wanted to keep you out of danger."

"It's ok." Donald said. "But if you're gonna jump into something dangerous, than so will we!"

"Let Master Aqua and the others handle this." Goofy said. "We gotta stop the ritual!" The boy looked back at the Wayfinder Trio, who have been through a lot over the past decade. But they're together now, so they have a chance. He knew they had to do this. He gave a nod.

"Ok." Sora said. He, Donald, and Goofy ran off to the side, while Aqua, Terra, and Ventus prepared to fight. Midnight only smiled.

"Well then, let's us dance..." She hissed, her eyes beginning to glow as she spread her wings out. She charged towards the three, igniting her horn.

"AWAY!" Aqua shouted as she swung her keyblade upwards, summoning as sudden magical wave of water, causing it to splash all over Midnight and trapping her in the water!

"FREEZE RAID!" Ventus shouted as he threw his keyblade, cloaking it in ice, and it froze the water and Midnight herself upon inpact.

"GEO IMPACT!" Terra shouted as he jumped forward and slammed his keyblade into the ground, causing a trail of boulders to rush in and burst from the earth from under Midnight, causing her to fly into the air. She opened her eyes and quickly spun around.

"BURN!" She shouted, shooting out a barrage of beams towards the trio.

"Incoming!" Aqua shouted. "STOPGA!" Raising her keyblade, a time clock emerged from the wave, stopping time for just a few moments.

"Let's Go!" Ventus shouted as the three rushed forward from the targeted spot, just as the clock rang out, and the barrage of beams missed.

"Give me a lift!" Aqua called out.

"Got it!" Terra said as he grabbed Aqua's arm, and with a mighty spin, he threw her into the air towards Midnight. The keyblade master managed to whack Midnight in the face with her keyblade, bouncing up into the air, and came down swirling with magic.

"MAGIC PULSE!" She shouted, with orbs of magic surrounding herself. She came in and struck, hitting Midnight right in the back, causing her to fall to the ground. As she got up, she was suddenly dizzy and woozy. The magic from that attack made the corrupted unicorn all confused. So confused, she didn't see Ventus rushing up to her.

"AIR FLAIR!" He called out as he rushed in and slashed her with a flurry of attacks, then he finished with several spin attacks, sending her across the floor.

"Why You Little!" Midnight shouted as she ignited her horn, and suddenly, Ventus was grabbed with her magic and he was tossed into Terra, knocking them both onto the ground.

"Ow." Terra said.

"Sorry!" Ventus spoke. Midnight then charged up her horn and pointed it into the air.

"METEOR!" She screeched. Suddenly, a giant meteor that took up a few feat appeared and began to rain down upon the two. Aqua quickly stepped in between them, and summoned her barrier just as the meteor hit.

-BOOM-

The impact from the meteor triggered an explosion, causing a wave to be sent out. As Sora, Donald and Goofy shielded themselves, the rest of the girls and Spike only watched, though Pinkie Pie was blown across the floor and into a tree stump. The party pony tried her best to get out, but no prevail.

"Girls!" Pinkie Pie muffled. "Help me out!"

"I gotcha!" Rainbow Dash said as she pulled the party pony out, resulting the two to tumble backwards, with Pinkie Pie on top of the rainbow maned Pegasus with spinning eyes.

"Preeettyyy..." Pinkie Pie said as she felt down. Back in the battlefield, Ventus and Terra lifted their heads up to see the smoke clearing. They saw Aqua face down on the ground. It seems the Meteor attack managed to break her barrier and cause her to collapse from exhaustion.

"Aqua!" Terra called out as he rushed towards her. He knelt down and shook her shoulder, but the girl was unconcious. The man looked up at the corrupted unicorn, seeing darkness surrounding her. Just looking at her brought back memories, painful memories. When Xehanort urged Terra to unleash the darkness within him, allowing him to control him. Seeing Twilight in this state was just like before. Getting back up, he stepped forward.

"Twilight... I know you're in there somewhere." He said. "I've been through this before, having submitted to darkness and allowing a horrible being take over me. Don't make the same mistake I've made. Please." Midnight only smirked.

"Twilight is no more." Midnight said. "My soul has smothered her down, and she will extinguish."

"Wrong." Terra said, gripping his keyblade. "She is stronger than you think. Sora still believes in her, and so will we."

"Then you're a fool." Midnight said. "The Darkness is all that's left of her."

"Maybe..." Terra said, looking down at his keyblade. "But there is also light inside... light that comes from those we hold in our hearts. Let me show you." He held the keyblade in both hands, and closed his eyes, remembering the words his master had told him before.

Darkness can convert to light. Light comes from the worlds around us, and the ones we hold dear. Think of them, and your connections with them will lend your strength.

At that moment, Terra began to glow with a strong yellow light, as Ventus watched with a smile. Aqua lifted her head up, shaking her head to get the dizziness out. She looked forward and saw Terra glowing. He then opened his eyes.

"ARS SOLUM!" He called out, and he made a quick dash towards Midnight. Quickly and swiftly, Terra swung his keyblade in a very fast combo, clashing with Midnight's magical staff. The two zipped across the battlefield, clashing into one another multiple times, until Terra managed to swing Midnight's staff out of her magic, which he swung once, swung twice, and then slammed his keyblade down, sending a shockwave that blew Midnight into the air.

"Your turn Ven!" Terra said as he lowered himself.

"Here we go!" Ventus called out as he jumped on Terra, who pushed him into the air, with the former doing a tornado-like spin with his keyblade facing up.

"STRATOSPHERE!" He called out and he performed a downward strike, followed by four additional strikes before flying high into the air and dived down, unleashing a burst of wind that sent Midnight into one of the stone structures. Midnight only growled but she smiled.

"Impressive... perhaps there is light in all of you..." She spoke. "Then let me show you the power of darkness!" The corrupted unicorn began to glow brightly, and then suddenly, a huge hawk-like creature emerged from behind her, revealing two massive claws. The sight was frightening, but not enough to scare the Wayfinder Trio. Midnight and the Claws moved in to strike.

"Any suggestions?" Ventus asked.

"Yes..." Aqua said. "We face her... Together!"

"Together!" Terra and Ventus called out as they jumped to one side and the other, as Aqua tossed her keyblade into the air, and it began to charge up with electrical energy. She then joined her hands together, both of them glowing red and light blue. One Fire, one Ice. She then pointed her red one to Terra, who slammed into the ground and his Keyblade transformed into Earth Gauntlets, both of them were enchanted with flames, powered up by Aqua's magic. She then shot her other hand towards Ventus, who transformed his keyblade into a Keyblade Glider, taking the shape of a winged waveboard. It was glowing with ice particles, powered by Aqua's magic. He jumped on and flew into the air.

"Here we go!" Aqua shouted.

"ELEMENTAL BARRAGE!" All three of them called out.

"FLAME BURST!" Terra shouted as he charged up and crushed one claw with his flaming rock fists.

"ICE SLIDER!" Ventus called out as he flew in and spun his glider, taking out the second claw. With both claws gone, Aqua jumped into the air and grabbed her keyblade, shooting it straight at Midnight.

"THUNDER GAUNTLET!" She shouted, and the keyblade then burst out a sphere of lightning, shooting out a salvo of electric bullets that hit the corrupted unicorn and sent her flying to the ground. As she crashed to the floor, she felt dizzy, just as Sora, Donald, and Goofy headed straight towards one of the stone structures, the one that had Starswirl's Journal in it.

"So, now what?" Donald asked.

"If we take the talismans, we might be able to stop the ritual!" Sora said.

"Quick, grab the journal!" Goofy said.

"Got it!" Sora said. He leaned forward and grabbed it.

-JOLT-

The Journal gave a mighty flash, and Sora suddenly gave a shout as his hand clenched the glowing book, and he froze instantly, as if something was holding him in place. Seeing this, Goofy attempted to snap Sora out of it, but when he touched his shoulder, he too began to shout and freeze instantly. Donald grabbed on to, but he froze instantly with a shout.

"What's happening?!" Donald asked, and then the book glowed brighter and brighter, and everything went white.

Sora opened his eyes, and saw that the battlefield was empty. No one and no pony in sight. He looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Behind him, Donald and Goofy were looking around, and saw the others were gone too.

"Where is everyone?" Sora asked.

"What's going on?" Donald asked.

"Are we seeing a vision too?" Goofy asked.

"Stygian, cease this madness!" A voice called out. The boy turned his head, and saw to his surprise, a certain grey unicorn with a white beard, mane and tail, and a blue cloak and hat with stars and crescent moons on it. It was Starswirl the Bearded! There was another pony he was staring face to face. The other pony was a unicorn, coated in medium grey. His eyes were brilliant azure, and his made was moderate cerulean with arctic blue stripes. A brown hoodless short cloak was around his neck. That pony must be Stygian, the one that Goofy talked about back at Canterlot. That must be the friend of Starswirl who transformed into the Pony of Shadows. Was this where his transformation had begun?

"I can't!" Stygian said. "If Equestria sees me as the bad guy, then I'll be the bad guy."

"You have allowed the darkness to consume you!" Stygian said. "You're bringing Equestria to it's doom by doing so!"

"Maybe I will." Stygian said. "But if you hadn't turned your back against me, none of this would've happened!"

"You stole the sacred artifacts that belonged to us!" Starswirl shouted. "You stole our weapons! And for what?!"

"I never stole the weapons!" Stygian said.

"The proof is right there!" Starswirl shouted, pointing to the weapons that Stygian had behind him. Behind the unicorn was the talismans of the Pillars of Old Equestria. Rockhoof's shovel, Mistmane's flower, Somnambula's blindfold, Mage Meadowbrook's mask, and Flash Magnus's shield. The only one he didn't have was Starswil's journal, which the old bearded sorceror had in his magical grip.

"Those artifacts belong to the Pillars!" Starswirl said. "And you had no right to steal them!"

"I told you before, I did not steal them!" Stygian shouted. "They're not even real, you old fool!" The old bearded pony raised an eyebrow hearing that. They're not even real?

"What are you talking about?" Starswirl asked. Stygian then raised Rockhoof's shovel in the air.

"Observe..." Stygian said, and without hesitating, he slammed the shovel onto the ground, causing it to shatter into pieces.

"NOO!" Starswirl shouted, seeing the pieces of Rockhoof's shovel scatter across the floor. But suddenly, the metal and wood began to transform, into tiny pieces of crystals. They were just pure crystal.

"Wh... what?" Starswirl asked. "Wh... what is this?"

"They're all fake." Stygian said. "I never stole the artifacts! I only made copies of them so I could join and help you!" The old bearded sorceror glanced at the crystals, and then saw the other artifacts behind Stygian, all of them breaking apart and turning into pieces of crystals. They were all fake, just like he said.

"You... you never stole the artifacts?" Stygian asked.

"Of course not!" Stygian shouted. "I never stole them, and you accused me and pointed everyone's hooves at me. Me! Your best friend! The one pony who stood by your side and eventually left alone in the dark!" Starswirl looked down at the ground, finally realizing his own mistake. Stygian wasn't jealous from the beginning. He only made copies. And when Stygian tried to explain, he turned him away and labeled him a villain.

"Stygian... I'm... I'm sorry-" Starswirl said.

"Sorry doesn't cut you, you damned old fool!" Stygian shouted. "I just wanted to help you! I just wanted your respect! But no. You accused me of stealing from you. You called me a villain. Well guess what Starswirl... If anypony was the villain, it's you!" Suddenly, a black mist evaporated from his body, as Starswirl gasped at the sight.

"No..." Starswirl said.

"You turned everypony against me!" Stygian said, his voice becoming distorted with a demonic voice. "You turned all of Equestria against me! You were my friend, and you tossed me away and only wanted to be great! You chose your own pride over your own friend! Well guess what, Starswirl… You have no one to blame but yourself!" His body suddenly floated up into the air, surrounded by a swirling dark force which seeped into his body. He then let out a monstrous scream, sending out a powerful gust of wind as he flashed in a mighty smoke-black blast, while Starswirl only watched with horror. As the mist cleared up, there stood a mighty black demonic alicorn, with a smoke-like mane and tail, with jet black wings and white glowing eyes. It was now certain he was no longer Stygian. He was now the Pony of Shadows.

"Now I will destroy this pitiful land and reduce it to nothing!" He shouted with a hiss. In that moment, he let out a monstrous roar. Starswirl only stood there, horrified and shocked, unaware of five other ponies rushing in to join them, one of them being Flash Magnus. The Pegasus looked up at the monster and readied his shield.

"You were right, Starswirl!" Flash Magnus said. "Stygian was a villain all along!" Starswirl, however, stared up at the demonic pony, the pony he called friend, now a monster... all because of himself.

"No, Flash..." Starswirl said. "He was never the villain... I made him the villain." He closed his eye, allowing a single tear to drop out of his eye. And he was right. Starswirl had no one to blame but himself. He turned away Stygian, accused him of stealing the artifacts, and he labelled him a villain. The Pony of Shadows began to charge towards the six ponies, as Starswirl only cringed away and ignited his horn. Then everything went white.

The white disappeared without a second to spare, and the trio found themselves back in the present. Whatever they saw, it was a glimpse of the past, where Starswirl and the other Pillars faced against Stygian, the Pony of Shadows... only to realize that he was never a bad guy, but they made him one.

"Wow..." Sora said. "I think we just saw a glimpse of the past. Right when Stygian transformed into the Pony of Shadows."

"So he never betrayed the other pillars." Donald said. "He only created copies of their weapons."

"And Starswirl accused him and labelled him a bad guy, just like how all the ponies labelled Discord a bad guy for just doing his job as the Chaos bringer." Goofy said.

"Yeah..." Sora said, looking down at the journal he was holding. "Maybe... Maybe the bad guys weren't bad to begin with. Everyone else just treated them like bad guys."

"Nobody learns that lesson." Donald said.

"Uh-huh." Goofy said.

"Uh... HELLO?!" a voice called out. The trio turned to see Ventus, Aqua, and Terra, holding their keyblades in defense as Midnight Sparkle was using her magic to attack.

"Can you guys hurry this up!" Ventus shouted.

"We can't give up yet!" Aqua said, struggling.

"Just a little longer!" Terra said. But it wasn't enough, as Midnight's magic sent the Wayfinder trio across the battlefield, landing next to the girls, and Spike.

"Ooohhh!" The girls said in unison. Midnight let out a growl and turned her head, see Donald, Goofy, and Sora, who was holding Starswirl's journal.

"Uh oh..." Sora said, realizing he was holding the journal. Midnight let out a gasp.

"Give me the book!" Midnight shouted. Sora looked back at the book, and began to think. All six of the talismans are needed to complete the ritual. But she can't complete it if one of the talismans are not present, right? There was one option he could do. With a deep breath, he tossed the book into the air, and aimed his keyblade.

"Sorry, Princess." Sora said. "FIRAZA!" His keyblade conjured up a glowing sphere, and shot a massive fireball right at the book. Midnight gasped, and so did everyone. The fireball hit.

-BOOOOM!-

The book exploded as the fireball made direct contact, causing all the pages to be blown and float down onto the field, and the book itself burnt to a crisp. Everyone couldn't believe what Sora had done. He just destroyed the Journal of Starswirl the Bearded! Well, at least without it, the ritual could not be completed now.

"NOOOO!!!" Midnight shouted as she scuffled towards the pages, trying to pick them up and stack them together, even tried to get the scorched book cover and spine, only for it to burn up to ash. It was no use. The journal was without a doubt destroyed.

"Garsh…" Goofy said, seeing the remaining pages drop to the floor, and the stone structures stopped glowing and the clouds above them stopped thundering and began to slowly break apart, showing that the ritual had failed. The corrupted unicorn looked around frantically, until she shot a glare towards the boy.

"What have you done?!" Midnight shouted.

"What I had to do." Sora said. "Now you can't finish the ritual."

"NO!" Midnight shouted. "You ruined everything!" She then unleashed her magic once more. Suddenly, Sora felt his neck tightening up by dark cyan aura, choking his airway. He couldn't breathe! He was then lifted up into the air by Midnight's magic, who slowly started to approach him.

"This will be your end!" She called out. "I shall choke the living life out of you!"

"NO!" Donald shouted as he jumped on the pony's back and began to pull her by the neck, throwing her off, and making her lose her magical grip, letting Sora go and allowing him to breathe. The royal wizard held on tightly as he could while Midnight tried to get him off. Goofy rushed over and helped Sora back on his feet.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said. "We have to free Twilight!"

"But how?" Goofy asked.

"Guys!" Donald shouted, getting their attention. "Help me out here!" He continued to hold on to Midnight, who tried to throw him off. The boy then noticed the amulet around her neck. He then remembered his vision back at the Castle of the Royal Sisters! The Amulet that was speaking to Twilight, it was Nightmare Moon all along! Maybe if they remove and destroy the amulet, then maybe they can save Twilight!

"The Amulet!" Sora said, summoning his keyblade. "Donald, Get The Amulet! Nightmare Moon's controlling Twilight with that amulet!"

"Huh?" The duck asked, but then saw the amulet around Midnight's neck. "Oh!" He then reached over and tugged on the chains that held it. With another yank, he managed to pull the Amulet of Sin DeLore off of Midnight.

"I Got It!" He called out.

"Get Off Me Your Feathered Bird!" Midnight screeched, using her magic to lift Donald off of her and throw him across the floor. But then she looked down at her neck and noticed the amulet was gone.

"The Amulet!" She shouted, and then looked forward. She saw Donald give the amulet to Sora. "STOP! NO!"

"Get out of my friend!" Sora shouted as he threw the amulet onto the ground, making it crack. He then raised his keyblade into the air and swung down hard, hitting the amulet and shattering to pieces! And then... It sent out a massive wave that sent Sora, Donald, and Goofy across the battle field, while Midnight was blown into another stone structure... again. The girls and Spike were pushed a little bit, but they fell to the ground, while Terra, Aqua, and Ventus also fell to the ground again from being pushed by the wave.

The wave quickly vanished, leaving only a bit of dust. Aqua lifted her head up and saw that she was on top of Terra. He also came to, and they both looked right at each other. Realizing that they were in awkward position, they blushed.

"Uh... hi." Terra said.

"Hi." Aqua said, both of them a bit nervous. Ventus lifted himself up.

"I think that went well." He said, shaking his head to get the dizziness out. Applejack gave a groan as she got back up, lifting her hat from over her face.

"That hurt." She said, while Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, who began to brush her mane to get the dust out, got back up.

"Ow..." Spike said as he got back up on his feet, rubbing his head with his claw. Yep, he was ok. Sora, Donald, and Goofy regained consciousness too.

"Did we win?" Donald asked.

"I think so." Goofy answered as he and the duck got up, and Sora did the same. He glanced forward and gasped. There just on the other side of the battlefield. Twilight Sparkle was laying on the ground, face down.

"Twilight!" Sora called out as he rushed forward.

"Twilight!" The girls called out as they all rushed to their friend, who was giving out moans of pain. Rainbow Dash was the first to get to her. She nudged her with her hoof.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Das said, with worry all over her face. "Twilight, are you alright?" The rest of the mane six managed to get closer, and they all helped the lavender unicorn up, but her head was hung low.

"G...Girls..." Twilight spoke with a weak voice.

"It's ok, Twi!" Applejack said. "We're here now!"

"Girls.... run..." Twilight said, in pain.

"No, we're not leaving you!" Fluttershy said.

"She's... she's too strong!" Twilight said, suddenly, she began to grunt in pain, her hooves grabbed ahold of her head, making her shake back and forth. The girls stepped back, as darkness began to evaporate from their friend's body.

"Twilight, Fight the Darkness!" Rarity said.

"C'mon, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said. "You can do it!"

"I... I can't...!" Twilight said, her fur beginning to change dark again, and her mane began to lift from her neck. From the short distance, Sora knew what was happening. The darkness was trying to take over again!

"Twilight!" Sora called out. "We're Here! Fight It!" Twilight gave out chokes of pain as she squinted her eyes. She then opened them, her sclera turning cyan and her eyes turning purple-red.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" She shouted, as a burst of dark energy blasted the rest of the girls away, and almost sent Sora across the floor, but he stood his ground.

"Twilight!" Sora called out. "Twilight, It's Us! Your Friends!" The dark lavender unicorn lifted her head up, showing a wicked smiled.

"Insolent Little Fool..." She said, her voice distorted opening her eyes of cyan sclera and purple red irises. "Did you really think that would stop me?" Sora's eyes widened with horror. Twilight was still under the control of Nightmare Moon!

"But... we destroyed the amulet!" He said.

"Fools!" Midnight shouted. "My possession over your friend is complete! No longer do I need that amulet. Now... I shall be forever known as... MIDNIGHT SPARKLE!" She then charged up her horn and summoned large dark vines from around her. She then started to grab Applejack, then Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and then Pinkie Pie off the ground and dangled them into the air with the vines.

"Let us go!" Rainbow Dash called out.

"Twilight, it's us!" Fluttershy cried out, her eyes shedding tears.

"I told you, I am not your weak little friend!" Midnight shouted. "I am now the Mare of Midnight! And now, bearers of the Elements of Harmony... I shall DESTROY YOU!" At the command of her horn, the vines went to work, swinging the mares back and forth, crashing Applejack into one of the stone structures, while slamming Rainbow Dash into the ground. Rarity was being smashed into the nearby trees, while Fluttershy was being pulled by all fours, making her scream in agony. Pinkie Pie was being whacked multiples times on the ground as well. But the tentacles were giving off painful electric shocks, causing the girls to cry out in pain. Sora was unable to watch this anymore.

"Twilight!" Sora shouted. "Stop this!" Aqua and her friends were witnessing what was happening, and they weren't liking it either.

"C'mon!" She said, summoning her keyblade, while Terra and Ventus summoned their own. They charged forward to help save the girls, only to be whacked away by the tentacle holding Pinkie Pie, sending them across the floor. Donald quacked in shock, only for him and Goofy to be swatted away by another tentacle. Spike, who was trying his best to dodge the tentacles, cried out.

"Sora, Do Something!" He called out. The spike-haired boy didn't know what to do. He didn't want to see the girls being tortured to the extreme. They didn't deserve this! He does!

"Stop!" Sora shouted. "Leave them alone! I'm the one you want! Strike me down instead!" The dark unicorn glanced at the boy, and then gave a smile. That's right. He's to blame for preventing her from being her eternal night across Equestria. With her magic, the tentacle vines disappeared, therefore releasing the girls. She then sent out a wave to cast them away from the field. Then, with her magic, she summoned a mystical dome around the battlefield, preventing the girls, the Wayfinder Trio, Donald and Goofy, who all were getting back up, from entering.

"Very well then..." Midnight said. "You die first." Swiftly, she used her magic to fire at the boy, blasting him against the wall.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy cried out. The boy slid from the wall to the floor.

"Sora!" Terra called out, but was unable to get through the barrier.

"Oh No!" Ventus called out.

"Sora!" Aqua said. The boy slowly got back up, and summoned his keyblade, ready to fight. But what was the point? No matter how much he tried, Midnight would just swat him back. Nightmare Moon has taken full possession of Twilight, and fighting wasn't helping.

Then it came to him. Fighting was all that he did, but it wasn't working. Maybe he didn't need to fight. He remembered what the Tree of Harmony told him, the same thing Fluttershy did with Discord. We have to reason, rather than fight, and let them know that they are loved.. He took a deep breathe, and then he glanced back at Donald and Goofy.

"Guys... you handle the rest!" He called out to them, making them look at him in confusion. The boy then turned to Aqua and the others.

"Aqua... Terra... Ventus…" He said. "Tell the King... Tell Riku… and tell Kairi… I'm sorry." He then glanced back at Midnight, and lifted his keyblade, as if he was ready to swing it to strike. But instead, to everyone's surprise, he jabbed his own keyblade into the ground below him, and made his way towards the corrupted unicorn. They all gasped.

"I won't fight you." He said.

"What?" Midnight asked.

"You're my friend..." He said, moving slowly toward her. "No matter what you've become, I know you're still good!" Midnight tilted her head, but then shook it.

"Big Mistake!" she said, and then she summoned her dark vines, and wrapped around Sora, lifting him up in the air. Her horn glowed, and began to send dark electricity upon him. The boy began to scream in pain as the attack began to take hold, sending pain across his entire body, and it hurt so much.

"SORA!" The girls called out.

"No!" Ventus cried out as he summoned his keyblade to break through the dome, while Terra and Aqua did the same. But it was no use. As the electrical attack stopped, Sora tried to lifted his head up.

"Twilight!" Sora called out, though he struggled. "I know you're still in there! It's Me! Sora!"

"ENOUGH!" She screeched, using her magic, making the tentacles release, and then she slammed him hard into the ground. She then grab the boy, and then pulling him over onto the ground faced up right in front of her.

"I am not your friend...!" She spoke, as she swung her hoof right into his face, punching him hard. "Friendship means nothing to me!" She then began to punch him again, then punch him again, and again, and again, and again, until blood began to come out of his nose, and bruises covered his face.

"That's... not true..." Sora said. "You're my friend... you'll always be... my friend..." Giving a grunt, she then began to fling him around like a doll, slamming him into the columns around them.

"Sora!" Goofy and Donald cried out as the two, and the girls tried to get through the barrier, but to no prevail. However, they were unaware of Spike, who hid behind one of the stone structures in the battlefield, watching until the boy was slammed into the structure.

"Sora!" Ventus shouted as he tried to get through the barrier, striking with his keyblade to hopefully shatter it, but couldn't. Pretty soon, Sora was slammed to the ground by Midnight's magic. The poor boy then struggled to get up, only to use his knees and hands to support. He didn't have much strength left in him. He felt ready to collapse.

No, he thought. He wasn't going to give up. Not until Twilight was back. But how?

"We just need to sing a happy song."

The words from the Tree of Harmony rang into his head. Sing a happy song. That always helps someone when they're down and sad. It was his only shot now.

"Farewell... boy!" Midnight shouted as she ignited her horn and conjured up four realistic weapons up into the air, ready to impale the boy.

"SORA!" Everyone cried out as the girls and Spike watched in horror. The unicorn hurled them straight.

"We may be divided... but of you all, I beg..." Sora sang weakly.

-HALT!-

The swords quickly halted in place, just as they were about to stab him. Midnight Sparkle froze, hearing those words.

"Huh?" She asked.

"To remember we're all hoofed... at the end of each leg." Sora continued. The unicorn raised an eyebrow, recognizing the words that came from the boy's mouth.

"Wh... what are you singing?" Midnight asked.

"Arguing's not the way

Hey, come out and play...

It's a shiny, new day

So, what do you say..." Sora continued.

You gotta share

You gotta care

It's the right thing to do

"Is he singing?" Donald asked.

"I think so..." Goofy said.

You gotta share

You gotta care...

"And there'll always be... a way through..." Despite barely having any strength left, the boy kept singing, slowly making his way toward the unicorn, who backed away a bit as she heard him sing. But she knew those words... she knew the song he was singing.

"Stop.... stop..." Midnight spoke, but the boy kept singing. The girls looked at each other, and Pinkie Pie smiled.

"I know this song!" Pinkie Pie said, who then quickly changed into her Can-Can Dress. "Quick Girls, SING!"

You gotta share

You gotta care

It's the right thing to do

You gotta share

You gotta care

And there'll always be a way through!

While the girls were a bit confused, they began to sing with the party pony. Anything to get Twilight back. Donald and Goofy shrugged, but they began singing too. They continued singing, as Midnight tried to cover her ears, but nothing was keeping the singing out.

"Shut it..." Midnight shouted. "STOP IT!" But they kept singing.

You gotta share

You gotta care

It's the right thing to do

You gotta share

You gotta care

"I SAID SHUT UP-!" She shouted as she raised his blades again, but she froze as the boy took her hoof, making her stare as he lifted his head, staring right into her eyes.

"And there'll always be... a way... through..." He spoke. The girl stared, but her eyes widened slowly. The words and song was playing over and over in her head. The memory of her and the boy dancing together with her friends, when they were all happy.

She cringed her eyes and opened them again, the dark purple pupils and crystal blue glowing screla gone, replaced with her usual purple eyes.

"Sora?" she asked. The boy formed a weak smile.

"Twilight!" The voices of the girls got her attention. Glancing up, she saw the girls, all of them showing faces of worry and concern.

"Girls?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight!" the familiar voice of the little purple drake did the trick, and a warm hug was brought to her front leg. Looking down, she saw Spike, hugging her tightly, and looking up at her with worry and sympathy.

"Spike?" Twilight asked. She then looked forward, to see Sora once again.

"We're here... we're all here..." He said. The girl stared at him for a split second. But then she pulled away, her head flinging back and forth. She grabbed her head with her hooves, as if someone was inside. There was someone inside. The nightmare possessing her was trying to keep control, but Twilight was fighting back.

"What... How?!" A distorted voice came out of Twilight's mouth, her eyes showing the grayish cyan and mulberry slanted eyes. She then shook her head, her eyes shifting to her regular eyes.

"Get out of my head!" Twilight spoke with her own voice. She kept flailing and swinging her own head, trying to break free.

"C'mon Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called out.

"We're here for you sugarcube!" Applejack called out.

"We won't leave you again darling!" Rarity also.

"Please come back Twilight!" Fluttershy too.

"We Love You Twilight!" Pinkie Pie screamd.

"Please Twilight!" Spike said as he moved forward towards the unicorn. "I know you're in there. Please Twilight, come back to us! Mom! Mom, Please!" The unicorn struggled to fight, she tried.

"NOO!!" The distorted voice shouted, showing cyan screla with dragon slit pupils, grabbing Spike, and Sora with her magic. "This is my body! I Am Midnight Sparkle! The Bringer of Darkness!" And then, with her horn glowing bright, she flew Sora, who could barely stand up, high, high, high into the air. She raised her head up, ready to drop him.

"SORA!" Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus called out.

"TWILIGHT, NO!" Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike called out. But it was too late, Midnight Sparkle swung her head down, hurling Sora toward the ground.

"I'm with you... to the very end..." Sora weakly spoke as a tear dropped from his eye as he hurled down to the...

SORA!

-SWOOSH-

Suddenly, a black purplish creature flew right from behind Midnight and flew up, catching Sora before he slammed into the ground, just in the nick of time. The spirit flew up, revealing to be some sort of pony-like hawk, with wings similar to Midnight's. The dark unicorn gasped.

"Wh... WHAT?!" Midnight asked, her voice even more distorted. Everyone, and everypony's reaction shifted from fear, to shocked.

"HUH?" Donald and Goofy asked. Sora weakly opened his eyes, realizing that he didn't hit the ground. He looked up, seeing the thing that was holding him and. The creature glanced down at the boy. The boy felt something... something pure and powerful coming from the creature... it was a spark... a powerful spark.

"T...Twilight?" He asked. The entity gently placed the boy back on the ground.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Midnight shouted, getting the being's attention. "How are you even-" The being then flew in and grabbed Midnight by the neck, and used it's claws and grab ahold of her, staring right at her.

"Wha... what's going on?" Ventus asked.

"It's Twilight..." Terra said, knowing what was going on. "She's fighting back... just like I did." Midnight Sparkle could not break free, as the being just held her there.

"What... WHAT ARE YOU?!" She screetched, her eyes becoming more tainted dark. The being opened it's jaw.

"My... name... is... Twilight... Sparkle..." It said, it's eyes now showing a white screla, with purple magenta eyes! Then before Midnight, she saw Twilight Sparkle right before her.

"I am Twilight Sparkle..." She said. "And I will not... let you hurt my FRIENDS!!!!" Her eyes then began to glow, along with her horn. Sora's eyes widened, knowing what was happening.

"Twilight!" He called out, getting back up with all the strength he had left. "Move her to me!" The entity looked back and nodded. It then turned around, holding Midnight Sparkle in place. Now having a perfect target, the boy summoned the Missing Ache keyblade and aimed it at her. The blade conjured up all the energy it had and shot out a great ray of light directly at Midnight, who was screaming and struggling.

"NO!" She shouted, her voice now more demonic. "What are you doing?! This Is My Body Now!" Aqua's eyes widened, but she gave a nod and summoned her keyblade, as did Ventus and Terra.

"Guys, Hurry!" She said, pointing her keyblade forward, shooting a beam of light at Midnight.

"Ven, Now!" Terra shouted as he pointed his keyblade in the same direction.

"Come On!" Ventus shouted as he did the same, both keyblades shooting and grabbing Midnight Sparkle. The dark unicorn could not move. She kept trying to escape, continued to scream, but she couldn't break free. Applejack and the girls gave a nod. This was their chance to save her!

"Together!" She shouted.

"Together!" The other girls called out as they held hooves. Their bodies began to glow, each of them representing their elements.

"WHAT?!" Midnight shouted. "How is this possible?! You can't use the Elements without-!!!!" She then noticed a spark coming from the hawk pony spirit, a magenta color, taking the shape of a six pointed star. Seeing this made Midnight gasped in horror.

"The elements are within all of us!" Applejack said.

"And we're using them to push you out!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Besides, Twilight's body doesn't suit you!" Rarity said.

"It belongs to her!" Fluttershy shouted.

"Get out of our friend, Meanie!" Pinkie Pie shouted. Then, with all their magic, they shot a beam of five colors at Midnight, who began to scream in agony.

"GAAAAAAHHHH!!!" She shouted, but then her eyes went completely blank, as a dark, and cyan colored spirit-like mass exited Twilight's body. The creature before her then let out a loud screech, breaking apart, as a glowing magenta sphere, surrounded by little images of Twilight's cutie mark, popped right out. It was Twilight's own heart, and it zoomed back into the body before her. Midnight gave one last scream, until her body gave off a strong powerful wave of light. As it did, her looks were changing. Her entire dark purple fur magically shifting back to it's usual lavender color, while her flowing black violet mane reverted back to it's regular blue with purple and magenta streaks. She looked down at herself, seeing that she was back to normal. It was Twilight! Twilight was back! The draik on the other side of the arena gave a tearful smile.

"Twilight!" Spike cried out with a smile, rushing toward the lavender unicorn.

"Spike!" Twilight called out as she embraced the baby dragon, nuzzling him affectionately.

"Twilight, you're ok!" Spike said.

"Oh Spike..." Twilight said as she cuddling her little dragon... her son.

"She's back!" Applejack called out.

"Twilight's Back!" Pinkie Pie called out as she began to cheer, as did the rest of the mane six. Sora gave a weak smile, his body almost drooping. She was back. Twilight was back.

"She... she's back..." He said, a tear escaped his eye. "She's back..." Suddenly, he felt so tired, and his vision quickly turned blurry, as if there was no life left in him. His body felt ragged from the pain he was inflicted with, and he had no more strength. It was like... It was like... He was dying. His body dropped to his knees, and his keyblade fell out of his hands.

"Kairi…. I'm sorry..." He eyes then closed, and he collapsed face first to the ground to the ground, unconcious... and not breathing. Luckily, Donald and Goofy were the first to notice.

"SORA!" Donald and Goofy cried out. Hearing them shout out his name, Twilight gasped. Sora! She turned her head, and saw the boy on the ground.

"Sora!" She called out, pulling from Spike's hug, and galloping toward the boy, who was still unconcious. Seeing this, Aqua gasped.

"Sora!" She called out as she hurried towards him, with Terra and Ventus following. Twilight was the first to get to him.

"Sora!" Twilight said as she got close enough. "Sora, wake up! Sora!" Using her head, she nudged him over on his back, allowing him to face up. But he didn't move. Lowering her head onto his chest, she gasped again. There was no heartbeat! He wasn't breathing!

"Oh no... Sora!" Twilight said, as the rest of the mane six, Donald and Goofy rushed in, just as the shield around them began to disintegrate.

"CURAGA!" Donald called out, raising his staff up. A quartet of flowered bells began to float above Sora, sprinkling healing light upon him... But alas, he did not wake up.

"Sora...!" Twilight spoke. "Sora, wake up! Please, wake up!" She then nudged him with her head. He still didn't wake up. She then placed her hooves on his chest and began CPR.

"One, two, three, four, five!" Twilight shouted, pressing her hooves onto his chest gently, trying to start his heart up again. After that, she leaned in, but no heartbeat. She tried again.

"One, two, three, four, five!" Twilight shouted, repeating once more, but still, Sora could not wake up. Twilight tried again.

"Sora!" Twilight said as she continued. "Sora, please, wake up! Please! Don't leave me!" After a few more attempts, the boy still didn't respond, nor did he move. He could not wake up. And he wasn't sleeping. ...He was dead. The lavender unicorn began to tear up.

"No.... No.... please..." She spoke. She lowered her head.

"No... Sora..." Aqua said, unable to keep her own tears back. She clung to Terra, crying into his shoulder. He stood there, his arms around her, giving her comfort, while Ventus only stared on.

"Sora... come back... please." Ventus said, his eyes beginning to tear up. Donald and Goofy then began to cringe, and lower their heads too, as did Spike and the other ponies, believing that the boy was gone. Twilight lifted her head, refusing to let him go.

"No... I won't lose him...." She spoke. She then raised her horn up and charged it with magic, and her eyes began to glow. She then placed her hoofs onto his chest, and she began to glow as well. Her horn began to sparkle with sparks and magical aura. Within seconds, Sora began to glow as well, as Twilight attempted to revive him. Unbeknownst to her, a hand rested upon her back, showing that it was Ephemer. Behind him, was Skuld and Brain. Soon, many others spirits appeared behind them... keyblade wielders from long ago. All of them combining their strength to help the unicorn heal the boy. A radiant light began to shine upon them, using everything to bring him back. After half a minute, the spirits disappeared, the aura ceased, and Twilight nearly collapsed from using all of her strength.

"S....Sora...." Twilight spoke.

Chapter 22: Cosmic Darkness

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 23: Forgiveness

"Riku?.... Riku, wake up!" Mickey's voice rang in his head. He moved his head and squeezed his eyes. He opened them, and saw Mickey, who had a blanket around himself, but he was very relieved to see him. Next to him was Shining Armor and Princess Cadance.

"Riku, you're ok!" Mickey said relieved. Riku looked around, seeing that he was in a room, while it looked dull, some of the linings on the wall was crystal. He must be in a room in the Crystal Empire. He slowly lifted himself up, realizing that he was in bed.

"You feel alright?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Riku said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm still a little cold, but I'll be alright." Mickey said. "Cadance was able to get my out of there just in time."

"Good." Riku said. "I'm glad you're ok, Mickey."

"We're glad that you're ok." Shining said. "We almost lost you out there."

"Well, thank you for helping me back." Riku said to the stallion, then turned his attention to Cadance. "And thank you for getting Mickey to safety."

"You're welcome, but I don't think it's us you should be thanking." Cadance said.

"Hey, you're alive." A voice said in the room. Riku turned his head and saw a familiar man with brown hair, black clothes, and a line scar across his head and between the eyes.

"Leon!" Mickey said with excitement as Riku gave a smile. The man gave a salute, and behind him appeared a girl with short black hair and a ninja attire.

"Hey, don't forget about me!" She said. "Oh, and Aerith and Cid is here too." She stood aside revealing Aerith and Cid, both happy to see Riku and the King.

"These four managed to help you get out of the snow." Cadance said. "Are they friends of yours?"

"Yeah, but they're mostly Sora's friends." Riku said.

"But we're all still part of one big circle of friends!" Yuffie said.

"Well, it's been a short while." Cid said. "How ya feelin' kiddo?"

"A bit better." Riku said, but then he just realized that they're here. "Wait, how did you guys get here?"

"Funny you should ask." Leon said. "We met some of those friends you and Sora were looking for, and we all came here to help you guys out, seeing that you guys need it."

"Really?" Riku asked. "Thanks." But then Sora came to his mind. That's right! Sora! At that moment outside, his spark went out, but then it came back!

"Sora!" He said.

"What about him?" Mickey asked.

"He's alive..." Riku said.

"Huh?" Mickey asked.

"What do you mean he's alive?" Yuffie asked.

"Well before that heartless showed up, I felt Sora's light going out all of a sudden." Riku explained. "I wasn't able to sense him. At that moment, I thought that he wad dead. But then when that heartless was about to strike me down, I heard his voice. And we both managed to take down that heartless together. Before I collapsed, I sensed his spark again. He's alive." Cadance suddenly turned away and gasped. For a moment, she felt a powerful magical surge, a sparkle of light from the far distance.

"Cadance, what's wrong?" Shining asked.

"It's Twilight..." Cadance said.

"What about her?" Shining asked.

"Her darkness... it's gone." Cadance said. "Whatever that darkness was, it's gone! I think Sora saved Twilight!" Shining's eyes widened with surprise.

"He... he did?" Shining asked, his heart filled with hope.

"So... the others managed to make it just in time." Leon said.

"Of course they did." Yuffie said. "I knew they and Sora would be able to handle it!"

"No, you didn't." Cid said. "You looked scared as a sheet when you saw those dark clouds."

"No, I wasn't!" Yuffie shouted.

"So if Sora was able to stop this darkness, then that means the magic must be working again." Aerith said.

"Well, that leaves us with one less threat we'll need to deal with." Riku said. "I just hope Sora makes it here safe and sound."

"Captain Armor!" a voice called out, getting their attention. Turning around, they saw a stallion wearing Canterlot royal guard armor. The stallion had a gamboge coat with vivid blue eyes and his mane and tail had two tones of sapphire blue. His cutie mark was a two-toned blue shield behind a yellow lightning bolt.

"Sentry?" Shining asked. "What's the matter?"

"There's something outside the entrance." The guard said. "Some kind of strange dark cloud." Hearing that made Shining and the others gasp.

"The Unicorn King?" Cadance asked. Riku and Mickey quickly gave a nod. No doubt it was King Sombra. They knew they had to get everything ready.

"Ok, it's time that we shift our focus here." Mickey said as he discarded the blanket from his shoulders. "We need to protect the Crystal Empire."

"Well, if you're gonna protect it, then so will we." Cid said. "I just hope our other contacts find their way here."

"Others?" The royal guard asked. "Actually we did see a strange set show up at the entrance. I don't know how to describe them, but they seem a bit different."

"Then that must be them." Yuffie said with a nod. "I knew they wouldn't ignore our calls."

"Then I should go to the station and wait for Sora." Riku said as he got out of bed.

"Are you sure?" Shining asked.

"Don't worry, we'll back him up if he needs it." Leon said with a thumbs up.

"Ok then, in the meantime I better make sure the castle stays protected." Mickey said as he made his way towards the door.

"How?" Cadance asked, with the mouse looking back at them.

"Well, let's just say I'm gonna do something I haven't done in a long long time." Mickey said.

Back on the Balcony in Canterlot, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were watching from afar. They couldn't see the battle, but they saw the dark clouds disappearing from on top of Foal Mountain. The terrible darkness, which grew into a greater force, was finally snuffed out, signifying that Sora and company were successful.

"Whoa... what just happened?" Apple Bloom asked.

"The darkness has finally lifted, little crusaders." Luna said. "Sora, your sister, and their friends were successful. They have stopped the ritual, and I sense the familiar darkness that was in Twilight's heart has finally been cleansed." Hearing that made the fillies smile.

"Alright!" Scootaloo said. "I knew Rainbow Dash could do it! She's so awesome!"

"Yeah, and let's not forget Sora, Applejack, and the others!" Sweetie Belle squeaked with a happy face.

"And your sister, right?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Oh yeah, her too." Sweetie Belle said. As the three fillies cheered, the two princesses couldn't help but smile.

"The keyblade master has succeeded, sister." Luna said. "Now all that remains is to deal with the Crystal Empire." Celestia glanced forward and began thinking. Was that all that is left to do now? She couldn't help but think about the moment before all this started, when Twilight lashed out and attacked her. She couldn't help but still show a face of guilt.

"Perhaps..." She said as she turned away, but her guilty face was spotted by her sister.

"Sister?" Luna asked.

"Even if all of this is taken care of, will Twilight find it in her heart to forgive me?" Celestia asked herself as she went back into the tower. Her sister only watched, feeling sorry for her. That is right, Twilight and Celestia still have a lot to talk about. A lot to talk about.

ACT IV: The Crystal Siege

The three musketeers joined together in a group hug, happy that Equestria was safe for now. As for Sora, a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders. Not too much, but enough to make him feel relieved. They saved Twilight. They defeated Nightmare Moon. And they saved Equestria. For now, that is. Because there was another threat they have to deal with. But that didn't matter now. Right now, they're seizing the moment. They soon turned around and saw Ventus, Terra, and Aqua alive and well.

"You three ok?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, we're good." Terra said.

"That was awesome, Sora." Ventus said.

"You did great." Aqua said.

"Thanks." Sora said with a smile. "We did do great." Donald then noticed that Sora was feeling a lot more chirpier than ever.

"Sounds like you're in a good mood again." Donald said.

"Yeah." Sora said, realizing what that he was indeed happy. "It feels like it's been forever since I felt this happy."

"Maybe it's because we saved Equestria." Goofy said as Donald nodded in agreement. Sora was about to agree, but then he began thinking.

"No... maybe it's because I told you what was wrong with me." Sora said, as Goofy and Donald tilted their heads. "With everything that we've been through, I almost forgot to smile as I used to. But you guys giving your support and comfort proved to me that I don't have to face my problems alone." He then reflected on how he told Donald and Goofy to go help their King and Riku, and forming that barrier up to prevent them from going in. Looking back on that, that was pretty stupid.

"Guys, I'm really sorry for leaving you behind like that." Sora said. "I didn't know what I was thinking. I guess I was still afraid of losing you two."

"Oh it's ok, we understood what you were thinking, Sora." Goofy said. "You were just lookin' out for us, and making sure Riku and the King get the help they needed."

"Yeah, but it was still stupid of me." Sora said.

"It probably wasn't the smartest thing you did." Jiminy said as he hopped from behind Goofy's hat. "But you had good intentions, making sure we were ok."

"Just don't do something that crazy ever again." Donald said.

"Don't worry, I won't." Sora said. "Next time, I'll just tell you guys what's wrong with me. That really helped before."

"Yep." Goofy said. "It's ok to share the pain with the ones you love."

"Because we can face it together." Donald said.

"Yeah..." Sora said with a smile. He then embraced his friends in a warm hug, as they did too. Twilight watched the three hug it out. A smile formed on her face, happy to see Sora smile.

"Twilight!" a recognizable voice called out. Turning her head, she saw Spike rushing up toward her.

"Spike!" she called out. She galloped toward the little draik and hugged him tightly.

"You're ok!" Spike said, hugging his adoptive mother.

"Oh Spike... I'm so sorry." Twilight said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No Twi, don't be." Spike said. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I wasn't there for you when you needed me. Maybe if I had stayed with you, you would've never-"

"It's ok Spike." Twilight said. "Like I said, I had no grudge over you. You'll always be my number one assistant. Always..." Hearing that made the baby dragon hug her once more, allowing the two to nuzzle against each other.

"Um... speaking of grudges..." Spike said, turning his head back. The lavender unicorn then turned to the direction he was facing. There approaching them were Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and of course Pinkie Pie. All of them... well, it was hard to describe. They tried looking happy, but all of them appeared to be nervous too. For once, Twilight couldn't blame them. With everything that she did, and everything they did and didn't do, there was some awkwardness.

"Hey Twi." Applejack said as the others waved.

"Oh... Hey..." Twilight said, sounding unamused. The six friends just stood there, silent. No words to say, while Sora, Donald, Goofy, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua watched from the distance. There was a lot to go over... and a lot of emotions and words that needed to be said and shown. Pretty soon, the silence was broken by Applejack.

"Um... Twi..." Applejack said.

"We... uh..." Rainbow Dash said.

"Actually... eh..." Rarity said.

"Emmmm..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Uuuuuhhhh?" Pinkie Pie spoke with her mouth open, giving a little drop of drool to try and figure out what to say.

"No." Twilight said, her hoof up and her face showing a little stern. "Don't speak." The girls then saw this as a bad sign. She probably... wasn't ready to talk to them... until she spoke to them.

"I just want to say... you're all off the hook." She spoke. Their ears perked up in confusion at what she said.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I... I now know the truth." Twilight said, looking down at the ground. "I know you girls went looking for me, but then you had your memories erased and manipulated into getting back to the wedding. So, I commend you for refusing to go to the wedding and deciding to look for me."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"But, I haven't forgotten that you all abandoned me instead of taking my side back at the rehearsal." Twilight said turning her head away, her mood now shifting to a bit of anger. That right there, made the girls dampen a bit.

"We know, Twi." Applejack said. "We know. We should've stayed with you back there. We should've known something was wrong right at that moment."

"We all promised that we would take things seriously if something was not right." Rarity said. "But we forgot."

"And that's no excuse either." Fluttershy said. "But, after we left you, we did feel really bad for leaving you."

"Yeah." Pinkie Pie said. "I guess we're also party poopers at being friends."

"And I left you hanging." Rainbow Dash said. "So that was completely un-awesome of me."

"But all we can say is this." Applejack said. "We're sorry."

"We all are dear." Rarity said.

"Sorry for being bad friends." Pinkie Pie said.

"We understand if you don't want to forgive us." Fluttershy said.

"We deserve it." Rainbow Dash said. "We were wrong..." Twilight looked straight at her friends, all of them showing that they were truly sorry. She then turned her head, glancing at Sora. She then glanced forward and started thinking.

Sure her friends did mess up for leaving her in her time of need. But, looking back, she now realized that she wasn't acting very mature at the rehearsal. The way she tried to expose the bride, that was pretty foolish, and she acted completely childish, like a jealous little sister. So that definitely gave them a reason to leave her.

And not only that, her friends did go looking for her afterwards, only to learn that the bride was an imposter, and they believed that she got rid of their friend. They went to stop her in Twilight's honor. And that resulted in getting their memories erased. They may have not been there for her, but that was because she was acting like a jealous little sister. And in the end, they did choose her over the wedding. They chose her, their best friend.

Twilight looked down at the ground, now fully understanding that they weren't completely in the wrong after all. She took a deep breath.

"I was wrong too." Twilight said. The girls lifted their heads up in surprise.

"Huh?" They asked.

"What you girls did, abandoning me in my time of need, it hurt." Twilight said, though her tone was shifting from some anger, to guilt. "But, if anything, I didn't make a good case when I tried to expose the bride. And what I did to you all... berating you... attacking you... it hurt even more. Just thinking of what I did, it hurts me a lot. And I shouldn't have done that." The girls continued listening, while Twilight continued to speak, where her tone was now getting even more guilty than she just was.

"Twilight..." Applejack said.

"I know you guys are gonna tell me that it wasn't me, it was Nightmare Moon, or whoever it was." Twilight said. "But most of that was me... I allowed her to manipulate me into betraying everything that I once stood for. And I was in so much pain, that I felt like I needed to hurt somepony back. But... it was wrong. It was wrong of me to hurt you all like that. I shouldn't have done all this, but I did. Maybe because... part of me thought... What happened at the wedding... What if I was wrong?" The girls kept listening, though they noticed Twilight was starting to shed tears. She was trying to keep her emotions in, but she couldn't.

"What if I was wrong about everything?" Twilight asked. "What if it was Cadance having a bad day due to pre-wedding stress? What if I was... overreacting..." Tears began to drop as the dam inside her began to break apart.

"Then... I'd deserve to be abandoned." She continued, struggling as the tears began to increase. "I deserved to be kicked out of the wedding... and... and... I would've lost you all for good." She cringed, and the dam inside finally broke. The poor lavender unicorn began to cry, letting all the tears out. Everything she had done, she deserved what was coming for her.

Her friends however, only looked with guilt of their own. She's blaming herself for everything that happened. She shouldn't have to. It was their fault all this started. Well technically it was the Changeling Queen and that Chancellor, but the girls were also to blame. They abandoned her in her time of need. How could she feel guilty for her actions when they helped caused it? They couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry.... please don't hate me-" Before Twilight could finish her sentence, she was met with a big hug by Pinkie Pie, who nuzzled the unicorn with her head.

"Wh... what are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"Giving you a hug, silly." Pinkie Pie said, showing some tears of her own, but a comforting smile on her face too. "Because that's what every friend needs. A hug." Twilight's eyes widened, as tears continued to drop.

"You... you still think of me as your f...friend?" She asked, choking on her words.

"Of course, Twilight." Pinkie Pie said. "Why else would we come all the way out here? We love you, Twilight. Always." As the party pony hugged her, Twilight's eyes widened with surprise. She's still considered their friend? After everything she did, after berating them and turning them away? Tears began to fill the unicorn's eyes. With her hooves, she wrapped Pinkie Pie in a warm embrace, crying her heart out.

"It's ok, Twilight..." Pinkie Pie said, a smile and tears of joy on her face. "We're here now. We're here for you... always." Seeing the tears, the rest of the mane six gathered around the two ponies and hugged it out, giving their friend a warm loving embrace.

"Shhh… it's ok, sugarcube." Applejack said. "It's alright."

"We're not going anywhere darling." Rarity said.

"You'll always be our friend." Rainbow Dash said, hugging the lavender unicorn tightly.

"We love you, Twilight." Fluttershy said, joining in the crying, not wanting to leave their friend. The mane six continued their embrace, finally finding solace in each other as the tears they shed were not of sadness, but of joy. A smile formed on Twilight's face. Having her friends near her, feeling their embrace. It felt good. Really good. All that negativity, all that anger, and all that heartache was being lifted off from her heart, as their comfort healed her wounds. She was happy, happy to have them back.

In the background, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were watching with a smiles. Finally seeing his friend safe and sound, the boy began to rush toward them, as did Donald and Goofy.

-SWOOSH-

Suddenly, before they could get close enough, a black circle suddenly formed around the trio. Surprised, they stopped in place, just as the circle closed around them. Then before they knew it, everything froze around them. Time had just stopped. The girls and Spike were frozen stiff.

"What?" Sora asked.

"What's going on?" Goofy asked. Suddenly, a dark misty corridor appeared before them, revealing a mysterious hooded man, wearing a black coat. To their surprise, it was the same kind of coats worn by Master Xehanort's old followers of seekers, Organization XIII!

"Organization XIII?!" Goofy asked in shock.

"No way!" Sora said.

"But... I thought we got rid of them!" Donald shouted. The trio were ready for battle, But the mysterious stranger, the man who was gathering all those baddies, and helping Maleficent and Pete, wasn't facing the three, but straight at the mane six.

"Well, what do you know?" He said. "Their friendship returned her heart from the darkness to light. It seems that Friendship is quite powerful after all." Sora looked at the man, his face shrouded in the hood. He recognized him from back at Canterlot, right after they took down that Rock Troll when they first arrived.

"Wait... I remember you!" Sora said. "You were that guy I saw back at Canterlot! I knew I wasn't imagining things!"

"He has an Organization coat?" Goofy asked.

"Is he a wannabe member?" Donald asked.

"Wannabe? " The hooded man asked. "Of course not! This is actually mine... Well, actually it belonged to someone else and I took it from them, but that's not what's really important. The important thing is that I'm not this Organization XIII you speak of..." The boy only gave a glare as the man smiled under his hood. Ventus, Terra, and Aqua moved forward to face the hooded man.

"Why are you here?" Aqua asked

"Oh, nothing personal." The man said, showing his laidback personality. "I'm just here to see this unicorn's heartwarming reunion with her friends. Now is that just... wrong?"

"Only if you sound too interested." Terra said.

"A lot too interested." Ventus said.

"What do you want?" Sora asked. "And why are you suddenly interested in Twilight?"

"What, you don't know?" The man asked. "C'mon, it's so obvious. That girl over there has a great power inside her, a power that no one has ever possessed before. In her moment of weakness, her heart nearly gave into the nasty darkness, but the love from her friends and the power of friendship filled her heart with light. Funny... it's as if she is a new Princess of Heart." The boy's eyes widened by the man had said.

"Princess of... Heart?" Sora asked. He then remembered, when he visited Corona and Arendelle, when he met Rapunzel, Anna, and Elsa, where Xehanort and the Organization were targeting them, as they were the New Seven Hearts, in case if Sora hadn't assembled the Guardians of Light.

"But... that can't be." Sora said. "Twilight can't be one of the New Seven Hearts." The hooded hoodlum gasped.

"I never said that..." He spoke. "I said that she had a pure light within her, but also a great darkness that was... suppressed by the light of friendship. Why else do you think she is named Twilight Sparkle?"

"Wh...What?" Sora asked.

"What is he saying?" Donald asked.

"Um... let's see." Goofy said. "I think he's saying that Twilight's heart is pure of light, but it is also pure of... darkness? That could mean that her heart has light and darkness."

"Almost..." The man said. "But that light and darkness is what also channels her magic..."

"Magic?" Sora asked.

"Yes... keep going." The man said with a creepy face, with the group feeling more confused.

"Princess... of Magic?" Donald asked.

"Yes, now you're getting it!" The man said with a thumbs up. "Points for you!"

"Uhhh..." Sora said.

"Hmhmhm..." The man said. "Let me explain it better. Light and Darkness, Day and Night. Merge both of them together, and you get Dawn... or... Twilight. Where the sun meets the horizon, light and darkness together makes a greater power. Her name isn't Twilight Sparkle for nothing. She possesses raw magic that she has learned to control throughout her lifetime, magic that is far superior to the Royal Sisters. You saw what she was capable of. But that was only because her heart was left in the shadows. But when she uses it in the light, her magic is calm. But, her magic is strengthened by the balance of both light and darkness inside her." Sora then began thinking, but then realized something. This was the same thing Riku always did, since he had better control of the darkness in his heart.

"Wait, I know about this." Sora said. "Riku can use both light and darkness."

"Yes, yes, you're getting warming." The man said.

"So does that mean, Twilight can too?" Sora asked.

"Exactly!" The man said, glancing back at the lavender unicorn. "She can harness her magic through both light and darkness, an equilibrium where both forces are balanced, allowing one to wield such incredible power. I can see why that Sun Monarch wanted to make that unicorn her pupil. Such great power she has... very interesting, don't you think." The boy couldn't help but notice the man's strange behavior. He sounded very comical and like his words are jumbled into riddles. But yet, he could sense something very dark about him though. He seemed to be very interested in Twilight... Too interested if one would say.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Sora asked.

"Let's just say that she holds the key... to something very extraordinary." He said. "Something that would definitely make a hinder to my... plans." Hearing those words only made Sora grunt.

"Oh no, you don't!" He shouted as he pointed his keyblade forward. "I don't know what you want with Twilight, but whatever you have planned for her, I'm not gonna stand by and let you do whatever you want to her." The man glanced back at the boy.

"Oh, don't worry." He said. "I don't intend to." The boy was then even more confused.

"Huh?" Sora asked. "You're not?"

"Of course not... yet." The man hissed playfully. "It would actually be too easy, so why not just lay back a bit and watch what happens. You all are already far too busy dealing with the threats of this world, so the time is not right. Besides, you've done me a good favor getting rid of that crazy cosmic psychopath. She would've been a big issue to deal with."

"A big Issue?" Sora asked. "Who are you?"

"Well, let's just say that Xehanort's One-eyed Sharpshooter isn't the only guy who's a sneaky ancient warrior from the past." The man said. Sora tilted his head. Sharpshooter. He was talking about Xigbar, the creep with the eyepatch and the two arrowguns that can turn into a Sniper Rifle.

"You mean Xigbar." Sora said.

"Yeah, that was his name, but he was known by a different name, however." The man said. "Unfortunately, he got himself handed and now he's gone. Me, I'm nothing like him though, but years and years before that."

"Huh?" Sora asked, as everyone else was just as confused. The man only smiled.

"I... am D, which is the word for Darkness." The man said. Sora raised an eyebrow. D? That's his name?

"So, you're like... Darkness?" Goofy asked.

"Like... Vanitas?" Ventus asked.

"Well, not like that." D said. "But I do happen to be... an accomplice of a witch you know very well."

"Maleficent!" Donald shouted. Hearing that name made Ventus, Terra, and Aqua gasp.

"The witch!" Aqua said.

"Her I do know." Terra said, remembering his encounter with Maleficent, who controlled him against his will ten years ago for something pretty nasty.

"Wait... We did see Maleficent and Pete here in Equestria back at the mountains." Goofy said.

"Why are they here?!" Sora asked.

"What else!" D asked. "They're the bad guys, remember? They're here to claim this little land as their own, and I'm just doing the pleasure of helping them... of course I have my own business to attend to. They're already in the Freezing North to the Crystal Empire. So you all better hurry along, or who knows what will happen to your king and comrade. Why, the Shadow King that once conquered that land might be free and roaming around." Sora was about to grunt, but a smile only formed on his face.

"Oh please." Sora said. "You don't even know who you're working with. Maleficent and Pete are usually one step behind us."

"Yeah, plus, you're too overconfident!" Goofy said. "And overconfidence is your weakness. We were able to save Twilight and stop that crazy nightmare demon, so what ever you guys throw at us, we'll toss it right back."

"Yeah, you tell him, Captain Goofy!" Donald said.

"And besides, it's not like Sombra is already released from his prison." Sora said. "Master Yen Sid told us that he's still trapped in his icy cage." D only smiled.

"Oh, funny you should mention that." He spoke. "We let him out a while ago." The group froze and gasped upon hearing that. They let him out?!

"Wait... he's... out?!" Sora asked. D, who's face was still shrouded in his hood gave a smile.

"The clock's ticking, Sora..." he spoke as he swayed his finger. "You better hurry... Time's running out..." He gave a playful yet sinister chuckle as a dark corridor appeared behind him. He stepped backwards in and disappeared along with the portal, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy surprised and shocked, as the black circle around them began to disappear, and time resumed once again.

"Maleficent and Pete released King Sombra?" Sora spoke in shock. "Then, if we don't make it to the Crystal Empire quick, Equestria is doomed." He only lowered his head, trying to seep in what he heard.

"Sora..." Aqua spoke, getting his attention. "Don't let him get to you, ok?"

"Yeah, he's just trying to mess you." Terra said.

"But what if..." Sora said.

"It'll be ok, Sora." Goofy said. "Like we said, we defeated the Nightmare and saved Twilight."

"And if we can do that, we can save Equestria." Donald said.

"But... we don't know that." Sora said.

"We will, if we believe." Goofy said. "Besides, Twilight and her friends are strong enough."

"And now, it's our turn!" Donald said.

"That's right." Ventus said with a smile. "We got this!" The boy lifted his head up, seeing Twilight and her friends still embraced in a massive group hug. Seeing Twilight's rejoiceful smile brought a smile to his face too.

"You're right." He said. "We do got this. And they have each other again." Only a little bit more of silence remained until the Mane Six broke the hug.

"We're so sorry, Twilight." Applejack said. "With everything that happened back at the wedding, we should've listened to you."

"No, you don't need to be sorry." Twilight said. "It wasn't your fault. That monster fooled all of us. And that Chancellor, he erased your memories to make you forget."

"It didn't matter if she fooled us all or if our memories were erased." Applejack said. "We promised to take your worries seriously, and we didn't."

"Yeah, that was twenty percent un-cooler of us." Rainbow Dash said.

"I know you all didn't, but you realized it soon after." Twilight said. "You realized that you left me alone and you were doing what you could to make amends. You even finished what I was doing, exposing the imposter for being evil." The lavender unicorn than took a glance at the ground and started to think.

"If Cadance wasn't an imposter and if I was wrong about her being evil, would you all still forgive me?" Twilight asked. The girls were surprised to hear that.

"Now what kind of a question is that?" Applejack asked. "Of course we would forgive you if you were wrong. We know you were just looking out for your brother. If Big Mac was getting married and I didn't like who he was marrying, I would've done the same thing if I were in your hooves."

"We all felt bad leaving you at the rehearsal hall." Fluttershy said. "We even went looking for you to make sure you were ok. Even if we did find you and Cadance wasn't evil, we wouldn't go to the wedding if you weren't welcomed."

"Absolutely." Rarity said. "Sure being part of a Royal Wedding is a once in a lifetime thing, and I spent a lot of time making those dresses, but I would never stay and go to a wedding that our friend was kicked out of."

"Same here." Rainbow Dash said. "Sure the Wonderbolts were at the wedding too, and it would've been awesome to meet them, but I wouldn't leave a friend hanging. Besides, looking back, the Wonderbolts did a horrible job dealing with those Changelings, and I'm not really a big fan of weddings."

"Yeah, and I would've skip the wedding if you weren't welcomed!" Pinkie Pie said. "I may love planning parties, but I would leave one party go unplanned for the sake of my bestest friend!" Twilight tilted her head. They were planning to give up their parts in the wedding for her?

"You... you would all give up all that for me?" Twilight asked.

"Of course." Applejack said as she placed her hoof on the lavender unicorn's shoulder. "You're not just our friend Twilight, you're also family. You're more important to us than anything in this whole world." Twilight glanced at the farmpony, the most honest and dependable of all ponies. Just by looking at her, she could tell that Applejack was indeed telling the truth. They were all telling her the truth. They would give anything and everything for her, even their own lives. She never realized how much she truly mattered to them. She couldn't help but tear up, this time with happiness.

"Thank you, all of you." Twilight said. "Seeing how much you all went through to save me, than... I forgive you." The girls were taken back with surprise. She forgave them?

"You do?" They all asked.

"Well, you only made a small mistake, and I've made a big mistake turning you away." Twilight said. "So yes, I forgive you. But... can you all forgive me, and... would you still accept me as your friend?" The five only smiled at her.

"We already have, sugarcube." Applejack said. "No matter what happens, you'll always be our friend."

"YAAAAAY!!!!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she hugged Twilight and Applejack. "Oh, I almost forgot! Speaking of cake, I even have an I'm Sorry We Hurt You cake for this special occasion!" She then suddenly held up a freshly made cake with magenta and purple frosting decorated in Twilight's cutie mark, showing the words We're Sorry, Twilight! The girls looked at the party pony.

"How did you have that all ready?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well duh, it's been in my oven the whole time." Pinkie Pie said. She then dug into her balloony tail and pulled out a small cooking oven, which was surprising since the cake was a bit larger than that. The girls looked at each other, but they found the urge to laugh, even Twilight. It felt good. It felt good to smile again. The lavender unicorn turned her head, and saw Sora and the others. That's right! Sora! She turned and approached him.

"Hey..." She said.

"Hey." Sora said with a smile.

"You came back..." Twilight said.

"Of course I did." Sora said. "I promised ya, didn't I?" The mare smiled, but she was struggling. The scenes of her fighting him, throwing him out that window, breaking his keyblade, and him almost dying still lingered in her head. The boy realized this. He knelt down and opened his arms.

"You need a hug?" He asked. Twilight was a bit surprised, but her face soon turned to sadness and guilt. She rushed forward and jumped into his arms, hugging him as she began to cry. Though he was a bit surprised, he quickly gave a smile and hugged her.

"I'm sorry...." Twilight whispered through her tears. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's ok." Sora said. "I'm so glad you're back..."

"Yes, but I wouldn't be back without you." Twilight said. She then noticed something different about Sora. And it wasn't just the new duds, but his spikey hair.

"Did... you cut your hair?" Twilight asked. The boy figured out quickly what she meant. It's been a few months since they last saw each other. Back then Sora had his old outfit, and his hair was a bit wildly spikey, but it wasn't now. He gave a smile.

"Yeah, kinda went with a more sleek look." Sora said. The lavender unicorn gave a chuckle.

"Yeah, but you're the same dork we know and love." She said as she gave him a soft boop on the nose. Hearing that made the boy smile. Then he just realized, he never introduced her to the others yet.

"Oh right." Sora said as he got up. "Twilight, I'd like you to meet my friends." He glanced back at the others.

"This is Donald and Goofy." Sora said, introducing the royal wizard and the knight captain, then the Wayfinder Trio. "These three are Terra, Aqua, and Ventus."

"And don't forget about me!" Jiminy said as he popped out of Goofy's hat. "Jiminy Cricket at your service."

"Yes, and Jiminy too." Sora said with a chuckle.

"Hello." Twilight said nervously.

"Hello, Twilight." Donald said.

"Nice to meet you." Goofy said.

"Good to meet you too." Twilight said. "I'm... sorry for the rude introduction back at the Tower."

"It's ok, Miss Twilight." Goofy said. "No harm done."

"Any friend of Sora's is a friend of ours too." Donald said with a happy smile. Hearing that made the unicorn form a hopeful smile. She then turned to the Wayfinder Trio.

"And you three, thank you so much." Twilight said. "And I'm sorry for... you know."

"It's alright." Aqua said.

"You're not the only one who was controlled by darkness." Terra said.

"Besides, we're all friends too." Ventus said with a thumbs up. The lavender unicorn was a bit surprised. Even though she fought them, they still forgave her and saw her as a friend. She gave a smile.

"Hey Twi." Rainbow Dash said, her hoof over Twilight's shoulder. "I gotta admit, you really know how to fight when you were... evil and all that. You should do that fighting more often... without the evilness of course."

"Nah, I'm not much of a fighter." Twilight said.

"Well that's not what we saw." Applejack said. "You were really good with it."

"Yeah, you were like POW! SHOOT! WHACK! KICK! BOOM!" Pinkie Pie said, using her body to make all kind of sound effects, until she fell flat on her head. Seeing Pinkie Pie being silly made everyone laugh, including Twilight. For the first time in a while, Twilight actually was laughing again. This time in joy. Something Pinkie wanted to see during that while too.

"See, that's the Twilight we know!" Pinkie Pie said. Hearing that made Twilight blush, but a smile formed on her face. The six friends came together and formed another hug, happy that their friendship is saved. Seeing Twilight happy again with her friends brought a smile to Sora too. But then he turned his head, seeing a lonely draconequus sitting on the set of stairs, facing away from the group. But his face was showing that he was sad. His epiphany of what he had been doing was now daunting his mind, making him think over everything he had done in the past. The boy approached him, followed by Donald and Goofy.

"You alright?" Sora asked. The draconequus turned his head to look at the boy, but then looked away in shame.

"For the first time in my life, I'm starting to realize everything that I've done." Discord said, then glanced down at his paws. "When I would do chaos, it was really fun. I didn't actually think I was hurting anyone. But now seeing it through the perspective of my victims, I see now that I've done nothing but hurt people."

"Now he does?" Donald asked, only for Sora to swat him in the back of the head, making the duck be quiet.

"I may have been a villain and all that, but I know where I stand when I go too far." Discord said. "I never wanted to hurt anyone, not even kill anyone. But now I see that when I do things my own way, it's not fair and someone does eventually get hurt. To think that Twilight Sparkle was the only one who managed to impress me, but no. I was wrong. You really surprised me, young boy, you and Little Fluttershy."

"Thank you." Sora said.

"Uh Huh." Donald and Goofy said.

"Regardless, I still need to be punished for the part I played in all this." Discord said. "I only have one thing to say... well, two things actually."

"And what's that?" Sora asked. The draconequus lowered his head in shame.

"I'm sorry." He said. He then lifted his hands up together joined by the wrists, ready to be arrested. The trio looked at him with confusion.

"Aren't you going to cuff me?" Discord asked. "Put me in a choke hold? Or blind me with pepper spray or anything?"

"Pepper spray does sound tempting." Donald said, which got him a swat in the back of the head, by Goofy this time. "Hey!"

"No, we're not gonna do that." Sora said. "And hey, it's ok."

"Why?" Discord asked. "Why are you willing to forgive me?"

"Because you realized what you did was wrong, and you fixed the damage you've done." Sora said.

"You also saved us and helped us save Twilight." Goofy said. He and Sora glanced at Donald, with the royal wizard giving a sigh.

"Ok, maybe he did save us." Donald said.

"And besides, you said that you were sorry." Sora said. "And that's good enough for us." Hearing that surprised him. They were willing to forgive him, despite everything he did?

"So, you forgive me?" Discord asked. "You're willing to accept me as a ...friend?"

"Of course." Sora said.

"Everybody deserves a chance to be friends." Goofy said.

"But... I don't know what friends do." Discord said. "I don't even know how to be a friend."

"That's ok." Sora said. "There's a lot to learn about friendship. And a pony I know can help you do know it." He glanced back at Twilight, who gave a smile and a nod. She then ignited her horn, and then suddenly, Discord felt himself being lifted off the ground, and was brought between the Mane Six.

"Welcome to our circle of friends, friend." Twilight said as she and the other girls embraced the draconequus in a big hug. He was taken back by this. But it felt good. It felt really good, being in the arms of friends. Touched, he wrapped his arms around them too, sealing their hug.

"Wait, since we're friends, does this mean I get a cool necklace like you guys?" Discord asked.

"Um... I don't think you'll need a necklace since you're not an Element of Harmony." Fluttershy said.

"Oh, yes, silly me." Discord said. "But what do friends do anyway? Do they do something for each other?"

"Well, you don't have to do anything to be someone's friend." Sora said.

"Yeah, it's just simple." Ventus said as he joined the conversation. "Friends hang out and spend time together, and as long as they have fun, that's all that matters."

"Right, just like how me, Donald and Goofy have fun together." Sora said.

"Say, what exactly do you guys do for fun anyway?" Terra asked.

"We do this!" Donald said as he and Goofy began to make funny faces.

"Make funny faces!" Goofy said as the two showed their funniest face. Looking at them, Terra couldn't help but feel confused.

"That's not actually what I meant." Terra said.

"It's just their shtick." Aqua said.

"Oh, they're making funny faces too?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Oh, let me try!" She then performed her own funny face, sticking her tongue out and crossing her eyes. That made Donald and Goofy laugh.

"Now that's one funny face!" Goofy said. Pretty soon, everyone, even Discord was laughing at the silliness. Sora was very glad that everyone has made peace and was having fun again. But then thought about Riku and the King, as well as Kairi.

"You ok?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Sora said. "I just wish Riku and the others were here to enjoy this moment too." But then, he widened his eyes with realization.

"Oh!" He said in a panic. "Riku and the King's still up in the Frozen North!" Donald and Goofy quickly gasped in a state of panic.

"The King!" They both shouted.

"Oh, that's right!" Aqua said. "Riku and the others are up in the North!"

"The North?" Twilight asked. "Why are they up in the Frozen North?"

"Well, they went up there to look after the Crystal Empire." Sora said. "We were more focused on finding you to even think about it." Twilight's eyes widened with surprise.

"The Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked. "The Crystal Empire is back? I thought the kingdom vanished a thousand years ago."

"Well, it just got back." Goofy said. "And now the King and Riku are up there against Faust knows what." Donald raised an eyebrow with surprise, hearing that name.

"That's the first time I've heard you say anything about Faust." Donald said.

"Well, I'm sure this Crystal Empire will be fine." Rainbow Dash said. "Seeing Riku and that King in action, I'm sure they have it taken care of."

"I don't think so, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said. "The Crystal Empire is a very important place. I don't know much about it, but I've read that whoever rules the land can reflect their emotions across Equestria, even those who are evil." Rainbow Dash then formed a frown on her face.

"Ok, maybe it won't be fine." Rainbow Dash said.

"We better get to the Crystal Empire and meet up with the King and Riku." Goofy said.

"Right." Sora said.

"We'll go too." Aqua said as she, Ventus, and Terra joined them.

"Ok." Sora said.

"Sora." Twilight spoke as she approached him. "I'm going with you too." The boy was surprised.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked. "We just got you back."

"I know." Twilight said. "But you're going to need more than just the keyblade to protect the Crystal Empire. You were willing to help me find the Elements of Harmony, and you saved my life. So I'm want to return the favor." Hearing that made Sora.

"Alright." Sora said. Twilight turned back to her friends.

"You girls head back and tell the Princess everything that's happened so far." Twilight said. The girls looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Sorry, Twi." Applejack said. "But we're not letting you go alone. If you're going down there, then so are we." The lavender unicorn raised an eyebrow with surprise.

"Girls, you don't need to." Twilight said.

"Of course we do." Rarity said. "You're our friend, and we'll stand by your side till the very end."

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said. "No way we're leaving our friend hanging now."

"Absolutely Positively Astronomically True!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Right!" Fluttershy said. Seeing her friends ready to help her brought a smile to her face.

"Ok." Twilight said with a nod.

"I'm going too!" Spike said. "After all, you might need your number one assistant."

"Thanks, Spike." Twilight said as she nuzzled her little dragon.

"Alright then!" Sora said with a confident smile. "Let's get going!" He then made his way towards the pathway, while everyone else just watched. He stopped, and then scratched his head. He just realized that they're surrounded by stone ruins, and no where near a train station at all.

"Uuummm... anyone know how to get there?" Sora asked.

"Now he asks that?" Donald asked.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Discord said as he appeared behind Goofy and the royal wizard. "I can get us there in a flash."

"Really?" Sora asked.

"Of course." Discord said. "But you're all gonna have to hold on tight, because it's going to be a bumpy ride."

"Bumpy ride?" Twilight asked.

"You're gonna carry us there?" Ventus asked.

"Carry you?" Discord asked. "No, no, no, that would be too much work, and I'll have to make a few trips. We'll take the VIP Shortcut." He then snapped his fingers.

-POOF!-

Suddenly, before they even knew it, Sora, Twilight, and everyone else were suddenly placed into seats, which were attached to what appeared to be a big blue rocket with a red nozzle and wings. The side of it said the words; The Big One!

"Wait, WHAT?!" Sora asked with everyone realizing that they're tied to a rocket in confusion.

"Discord, what are you doing?!" Twilight asked.

"Don't worry, this flight is accident and explosion free." The draconequus said as he ignited a match and lit the fuse. The fuse began to spark as the draconequus slithered on and hopped on the rocket.

"I dunno about you guys, but this is AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash said as she strapped on in with a smile of excitement.

"Sounds like she's excited." Goofy said.

"Attention all passengers." Discord said wearing a airplane pilot suit and captain's hat. "Please keep all hooves, feet, hands, and wings inside at all times. There will be no bathroom breaks, no snacks, no drinks, but chaos."

"Wait, what do you mean no bathroom breaks?" Spike asked.

"No time!" Discord said as he pointed upwards and tilted the rocket to fly upwards, with the fuse about almost out. "Next Stop, Andy!"

"That doesn't even make any-" Sora said as the fuse went out, and the rocket began to launch, quickly shooting upwards into the sky, with everyone screaming for their lives as they hung on, except for Rainbow Dash, who was cheering with excitement, and Pinkie Pie, who was laughing and giggling as the rocket flew onward to the Frozen North, so they could meet up with Riku and the King, and protect the Crystal Empire.

Little did they know, that there was a mysterious figure watching from afar, but he wasn't human or pony. Whoever and whatever he was, was writing down something in a small book. As he closed it up, he gave a nod.

"May my heart be my guiding key." He said, and then he took off in the direction they were going.

It was only a minute after the group departed... or flew all the way towards the Frozen North. The remains of Ponhenge was awfully quite. However, there was a small hole in the ground, a hole formed from Sora's keyblade when he jabbed it into the ground when he refused to fight Twilight... or Midnight in that fact. Suddenly, the hole began to glow, and the ground started to crack up, while flashes of light began to erupt from underneath. The cracks made their way towards the center... and then...

-BOOM-

The entire ground broke apart, and the Stone Structures began to tip over, as a black colored orb began to slowly float from the ground, while six lights quickly flew up to the sky, and the black orb began to transform into a large black demonic alicorn… It was... the Pony of Shadows.

"Free... At Last...!" It spoke, before taking up to the sky and a dark flash shook the forest.

Author's Note

Secret Report #9

Son of a gun... I figured it out! I finally figured out how Sora is still here, and why everything is happening too early!
Alternate Realities!
It seems when I time-traveled here from the future, I may have accidently stumbled upon a different reality or timeline when I used the time device. I remember being told that there are possible outcomes that can create different realities, and that they can be current timelines where one thing doesn't exist, like the keyblade, or where in one timeline, something happened differently, like Twilight turning on her friends, Discord and the Crystal Empire returning earlier, and the Plunder seeds sprouting all over at the same time.
That could explain why the history is mixed up, it contradicts the events I know about my timeline, and the events happening too fast are the proofs of it all. In my timeline, the Tree of harmony doesn't get the elements back until after Twilight had even ascended into her role.
So in conclusion, this must be an alternate reality where Sora survived while saving Kairi, or Kairi's body was never destroyed, or maybe it was restored through the power of Kingdom Hearts... But wait. If I'm in an alternate reality, then does that mean I'm not in my reality? Or is the reality I'm in still connected to my timeline? Dammit, This whole thing is so confusing, like a video game franchise that got so confusing after releasing a lot of side games before moving on to the next entry.
Twilight is back to our side, but I saw that man. Something isn't right. Something's very wrong about him. I sensed a strange force within him. Something ancient... something more darker... But what? I've never sensed anything this... twisted before. Could he be the one who's trying to mess up the timeline... or not?
Well, despite all this, it may be a matter of time before I get really involved. Until then, I have to keep my distance, and follow them to the Crystal Empire. If things gets bad, then I'll act. But I'm gonna be honest right now, I hate waiting. - S

To celebrate the 18th Anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts Franchise, I've added this chapter up. This chapter was originally gonna be the ending of ACT III, but I decided to make it the opener for ACT IV.

Originally, I was planning to have a song in here, but I decided against it, seeing that it wouldn't fit somewhere in here.

Now for those who are wondering why Twilight has forgiven her friends. What she did in the previous ACTs, she realized that she had done much worse than what her friends did to her. They may have abandoned her, but she tried to kill them, betraying everything she cherished, almost plunging Equestria into damnation. Also, her little stunt back at the rehearsal wasn't the best way to expose a bride. So two wrongs do not make a right. Now you're all probably gonna be pissy, but if anything, everybody was not in their right minds while planning the wedding, and that gave the Changeling Queen the advantage. Everybody was the Queen's victims and she played them all like a flute.

So the man... his name is D... or is he? Let's just say D is a nickname to conceal his true identity. I have plans to reveal him before the ACT is over, and believe me, it's going to be some wild s#$%!

Oh, and that little thing at the end of this chapter... it's not going to happen anytime soon... but it will eventually.

Chapter 24: The Frozen North

All the Way Up North...

The sky was very cloudy, and snow was blowing through the wind up at the Frozen North. It was only a few yards away from the Train Station, where the conductor was just coming out of the outhouse. He let out a sigh and headed back to the station, ready to drive the train back to Canterlot. But then suddenly, he started to hear voices, voices that sounded like screaming. Turning his head, he saw a twinkle in the sky, with a massive object hurling right toward him.

"What the b-" The conductor asked, seeing the spark just pass the station, hurtling straight into the snow, causing the spark to break apart, popping out six ponies and one baby dragon first, followed by a Sora, Donald and Goofy, flying high into the air, next was Ventus, Terra, and Aqua, all of them pummeling into the snow. Well, luckily, they were all safe and sound thanks to the snow being soft enough for a hard landing. Though there was no telling how much snow is on the ground since they were now in the Frozen North. The conductor only stood there, surprised and startled by what he just saw. That was definitely something no pony sees everyday.

"I need a drink!" The stallion said, going back into the station. Back in the pile of snow, Sora lifted himself up, and rubbed the back of his head, while Twilight lifted her face off the ground, her eyes spinning a bit. The other girls, and Spike got up, rubbing their poor sore areas, and Donald lifted his head out of the snow, as his entire body was completely deep.

"Well, good thing the snow is so soft." Sora said. Twilight got to her hooves, and glanced around.

"Is everypony ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're good." Rainbow Dash said as the other girls gave nods, well, except for Pinkie Pie, who was half-way stuck in the snow. Luckily, the party pony pulled herself out and landed on her back. Looking around her, she saw snow everywhere.

"Oooo, Snow!" Pinkie Pie said. Instantly, she began to spread her hooves out flat on the ground and began to make a snow angel, giggling to her hearts content. Donald slowly got up and rubbed his beak.

"Wait..." Donald said as he glanced around. "Goofy, where are you?!" Suddenly, two hands popped out from Donald's sides, showing the green sweater sleeves and white gloves that Goofy always wore.

"I'm ok!" Goofy's voice said from below Donald's spot, lifting himself out the snow, pushing Donald completely out, sending the royal wizard diving face first into the snow... again. The duck gave a quacky fit. Aqua began to come to as she lifted her head up, only to see that she was on top of Terra, again. Both of them glanced at each other for a second.

"Hi..." Aqua said.

"Hi..." Terra said, both of them looking surprised and embarrassed. Getting up, the girl helped him back up as well.

"You ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks." Terra said, but the two looked around, seeing someone was missing. "Wait a second, where's Ven?"

"YAAAH!" A shout came from under the snow, startling Terra and Aqua. Luckily it was just Ventus, alive and well.

"What happened?" He asked. "What year is it? Did I move forward in time again?!" Yeah, he was ok. Rainbow Dash began to pat the side of her head, getting the snow out of her ear.

"Well, that was some landing." Rainbow Dash said.

"You're welcome, by the way." Discord said, revealing a small version of himself inside Rainbow Dash's ear, making the pegasus yelp in surprise.

"And seriously Rainbow, you should be careful patting your head like that." He continued as he slithered out and grew back to his original size. "I almost got stuck inside."

"Hey, how did you do that?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, I slithered in to keep myself warm." Discord said.

"Don't... ever... do that again!" The rainbow maned Pegasus spoke.

"What?" Discord asked. "I did bring you guys here to the Frozen North, didn't I?" The girls looked around, seeing that they were surrounded by snow, and near the Train Station.

"Yeah, we suppose you did." Applejack said.

"See, I told you we can trust him." Fluttershy said as she patted the draconequus's head. As the Pegasus tended to Discord, Sora turned his head around and moved forward in his direction, taking a glance around, seeing nothing but snow... and snow... and snow... Suddenly, he felt the chilly wind blowing against him, making him shiver.

"It's cold!" He said, his voice shaking a bit. "Donald, Twilight, someone give me a coat!" The duck lifted his head out of the snow.

"Hey, you're suppose to be a keyblade master!" Donald shouted. "Start acting like it!"

"I take it he's not used to the cold, is he." Twilight said.

"Nope." Goofy said. "He's more used to the beach than the snow."

"Yeah..." Sora said as he continued to shiver. "It comes with being an islander. Man I could use some sleeves right now." Before he could say anymore, his clothes then started to sparkle, glowing with a red and white magic. Then suddenly, his upper sleeves began to spread out lower arm sleeves that covered his entire arms into his gloves, and his pants also grew leggings that went toward his shoes. Now he had sleeves on his arms and legs, and he didn't feel cold either!

"Whoa..." Sora said as Donald and Goofy watched in awe. "Thanks, Twilight!"

"I didn't do that." Twilight said, as Goofy started to think.

"Hmmm... maybe the clothes decided to help warm you up since it's cold up here." Goofy said.

"Oooh..." Sora said, but then he started thinking for a split second. He recalled their previous adventure back in Arendelle, where the entire land was covered in snow because of Elsa's ice magic, and nearly sent the land into eternal winter.

"Oh sure, it didn't do that in Arendelle, but now it does it here?!" Sora asked with annoyance.

"Well, it was Summer back in Arendelle." Donald said.

"Arendelle?" Twilight asked.

"What's this Arendelle?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, it's another world we've been-" Sora said.

"HEY!" Donald shouted at the boy. "ORDER, Remember?!" The boy looked at the royal wizard.

"Oh, c'mon Donald." Sora said. "They knew about the outside world when I first came here."

"Yeah, but still!" Donald shouted.

"I could really use magical clothes or at least a coat too." Ventus said.

"You know, it really is getting cold out here." Discord said. "I think I need to warm up." Then suddenly, he began to shrink down and transformed into a colored scarf, wrapping himself around Fluttershy's shoulders and neck.

"Uh, what about us?" Applejack asked.

"Well, you should've brought your own clothes." Discord said as he popped his head out. "But since you all need some, here." He then snapped his fingers, and then suddenly, all the girls had winter coats and cosmetics on, shielding them from the extreme cold.

"Wow... uh... thanks." Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, I have to say, these do look a bit dashing." Rarity said as she gave a slight pose in her own winter coat.

"See, he really is a gentle one, isn't he?" Fluttershy said as he petted Discord's neck.

"Aww, you are so kind, Fluttershy." Discord said.

"Wait, what about us?!" Donald asked.

"What?" Discord asked. "You already have clothes on, and you have a fur coat of feathers all over your body."

"He is right about that." Sora said, making Donald quack in confusion. "Your feathers do count as an additional coat."

"Uh huh." Goofy said, as the duck gave a defeated quack, while the others laughed.

"We better get going." Twilight said as she looked on into the foggy storm. "Hopefully the Crystal Empire isn't too far."

"Yeah... if we knew where to go." Sora said, as Rainbow Dash looked on. The cerulean Pegasus's eyes widened up as she saw something.

"Hey, Look!" She said, pointing her hoof forward. Turning their heads toward the direction Rainbow Dash pointed toward, they saw something. Something was moving in the fog, right toward them.

"A heartless?" Donald asked.

"Doesn't look like one." Goofy said, as the shadowy figure came closer. Emerging from the stormy snowy fog, was a tall man, a little bit taller than Sora, with his hood up. But his jacket with the checkered pattern was enough for Sora to know who it was.

"Riku?" Sora asked, as the figure got closer. He then unhooded himself, showing that it was indeed Riku!

"Sora!" He said with a wave.

"Riku!" Sora said as he rushed over and hugged his friend, who welcomed him back with the same. "Hey, good to see you."

"Same here." Riku said, then looked behind Sora to see the others arriving. "You all made it in one piece."

"Of course we did." Rainbow Dash said. "Because we're awesome!" Riku gave a nod, but then noticed someone new in the group. His attention turned to Twilight, who gave a notice.

"Oh yeah." Sora said. "Riku, meet Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle, Riku." The silver haired boy knelt down to see eye to eye with the unicorn.

"Oh, hello Miss Sparkle." Riku said.

"Hello Riku." Twilight said as she shook the boy's hand with her hoof. "It's nice to meet friends of Sora."

"Same here." Riku said. "He told me that you helped him train for his last adventure. Thanks."

"Oh, it was nothing." Twilight said with a blush. But then she heard something right next to her. Turning her head, she saw Rarity, staring right at Riku. The fashionista's eyes began to sparkle, and hearts floating and popping around her, just seeing this handsome slightly muscular build. The white unicorn couldn't help but blush and squeak.

"Rarity?" Twilight asked, while her friend gave a gasp and his herself behind Twilight, holding on to her friend's hind legs.

"He's.... He's.... he's, he's, he's, he's... he's sooooo handsome....!!!" Rarity squeaked, trying to cover her own face with the lavender unicorn's tail.

"Uhhh... ok?" Twilight said.

"Did the rest make it here?" Terra asked.

"Yeah, they arrived just a while ago." Riku said.

"They?" Sora asked as he tilted his head.

"WAIT!" Donald spoke out, interrupting the conversation. "Where's the King?!"

"Donald." Goofy and Sora said, making the duck silent.

"He's back at the Crystal Empire." Riku said. "Speaking of which, we better get moving. There are things out here we don't wanna run into in this storm."

"Then let's go." Sora said with a nod. The group then made their way through the snow. The storm wasn't going to let itself calm down, so they had to be quick.

"So what's it like at the Empire?" Sora asked.

"Can't really describe it." Riku said. "The place is... pretty much dull then what Master Yen Sid described."

"Dull?" Ventus asked. "With it being crystal, should it be sparkling?"

"Well, it does when the sun's shining." Riku said.

"I bet that Shadow King must've done it when he made the Empire disappear." Rainbow Dash said. Sora then remembered, the man in the black coat.

"Oh, right!" Sora said. ""We also met someone that isn't from this world. He was wearing an Organization XIII coat."

"What?" Riku asked. "Organization XIII? But we got rid of them, didn't we?"

"We did, but this guy doesn't seem to be one of them." Sora said. "He also said that Maleficent and Pete were here too, and they're trying to take over the Crystal Empire."

"Maleficent?" Riku asked. "She's here?" Riku has had some history with the witch, where she helped him search for Kairi, while also attempting to turn him towards the darkness, to be a vessel for Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness.

"And she released that Monster Shadow King from his prison!" Donald strictly stated. The silver-haired boy then started thinking, where realization was showing from his face.

"Oh, so that could explain it." Riku said.

"Explain what?" Sora asked.

"There was a giant heartless trying to get into the city." Riku said. "At first we thought it was the unicorn king, but it looks like Maleficent must've brought it out."

"Trying to get in?" Twilight asked. "You mean the city's protected?"

"For now." Riku said. "Mickey casted a powerful dome around the kingdom so no dark forces could get in. But we're not sure how long it'll last. It's been taking quite a bit on him keeping a big shield up."

"Barrieza." Aqua said. "A very powerful protection magic, but it takes a lot out anyone who casts."

"Uh oh..." Goofy said. "I hope the king's alright. He's not used to casting strong magic. Last time he nearly collapsed from trying it the first time."

"Yeah." Riku said. "Princess Amore offered to help keep the shield up, but he didn't want her to risk getting drained either."

"Princess Cadance?" Twilight asked surprised. "She's here?!"

"Yep." Riku said. Twilight gave a smile, but then a frown of realization came to her. If Cadance was here... did that mean Shining Armor was here too?

"Is... Shining Armor here too?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah." Riku said. "He's here." The unicorn turned her head away, either out of spite or conflict. It was too hard to tell, but her friends noticed that she was feeling a bit uneasy.

"I... don't think Twi's ready to see 'er brother yet." Applejack said. Sora only gave a nod.

"So... how'd things go?" Riku asked.

"Ok." Sora said. "We got into some crazy stuff down. Nightmare Moon was influencing and controlling Twilight. She was trying to release some demonic pony from the grave, but we managed to stop her."

"And we blasted that nightmare hag into a million pieces!" Donald said.

"Yeah." Sora said. "Anyway, Twilight and her friends made up and such... but I don't know about her brother though." He lowered his head. Twilight forgave her friends, yes. But it was her brother he was more worried about. He was the one that brought her the most pain. So it's gonna be much more difficult to make peace between them. Riku placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry." Riku said. "If anything, Shining Armor is a bit worried too. We can worry about that after we save the Crystal Empire." Sora glanced at his friend and smiled. Riku was right. They can worry about Twilight and Shining's crumbling relationship later. The Crystal Empire was more important.

"Ok." Sora said. And with that, the group continued onward through the snow. But it was a big foggy to see where they were going, and the snow falling wasn't helping one bit. No doubt it covered the tracks coming from the castle. Donald and Goofy couldn't help but shiver.

"Garsh, it's pretty cold out here." the latter said as he tried to warm up his arms.

"I'm freezing!" Donald said.

"Wait..." Riku said as he stopped, with everyone else stopping.

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Are we there yet?"

"No... I sense something." He answered. At that moment, Aqua and Terra looked around. No doubt whatever Riku was sensing, they too could sense.

"It's a terrible darkness." Aqua said.

"Well what do we have here?" a voice spoke through the wind. "It seems that the wolves have been invited to supper." Sora couldn't help but shake his head.

"I know that voice." He said. Turning straight to their right, they saw the last person they wanted to see. A witch wearing black robes, two dragon-like horns on her head, and a long staff in her hand. Yes, it was Maleficent, emerging from the dark portal behind her, and so was Pete, who was giving a big smile.

"My, my, so many guests." Maleficent said, as Pete stood by her side.

"Maleficent!" Sora shouted as he and the others stood their ground.

"And Pete!" Donald and Goofy shouted.

"Pete?" Ventus asked, but then he recognized the big brute. "Wait, that's the guy who was causing trouble in Disney Town, right?"

"Same one!" Donald shouted.

"Alright, ready for the fight!" Rainbow Dash said, raising her hooves up.

"What?" Pete asked. "No hello? That's a bit rude, don't you think?"

"So, you guys are after the Crystal Empire too, aren't ya!" Sora said.

"You catch on pretty well, though you probably wouldn't have if someone didn't say anything about it eariler." Maleficent said, giving a short glare to Pete.

"I said I was Sorry Ok!" Pete said.

"You're the witch!" Twilight said. "The one who was causing trouble in the other worlds! Why are you here? And what do you want with the Crystal Empire?!"

"Why, you don't know?" Maleficent asked. "Well it's obvious. The magic of the Crystal Empire is quite powerful, as even the Princesses struggled against it. With all that power at my command, this world will plunge into darkness, and then, the worlds beyond it."

"You're wrong!" Twilight called out. "We will never let that happen!"

"Oh, are you so sure about that, Little Twilight Sparkle?" A familiar voice said, getting the ponies surprised. Even Sora, Donald, and Goofy knew that voice. They soon saw someone... actually, somepony emerging from the dark portal as well, revealing a familiar light gray unicorn with a dark azure tail, mane and goatee with turquoise eyes, wearing a EEA scholar robe. He was looking at the group with a stern but confident smile.

"The Chancellor!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy called out, with the girls giving gasps.

"Hey, that's the pony who erased our memories at the wedding!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Chancellor Neighsay?" Twilight asked, knowing full well who he was.

"In the flesh." He answered. "I do say, what an odd sort of people these are. And look, more keyblade scum to deal with. I thought most of them were wiped out centuries ago." Sora could only growl.

"That's not very nice!" Ventus said.

"Wait, how did you get out of your chains?" Donald asked, remembering that they were told that the Chancellor escaped the old Castle.

"I had help." Neighsay spoke.

"Chancellor Neighsay, what are you doing?" Twilight asked. "Why are you with them?"

"Just doing Equestria a little favor." Neighsay said.

"But why are you helping them?" Twilight asked the chancellor.

"Why?" Neighsay asked. "You should know why. You are familiar with the story of how the three pony tribes came together, correct? Originally the Unicorns were all in charge until that fool Clover the Clever helped unite all the pony tribes and we were forced to treat the Pegasi and Earth ponies as equals. We, the unicorns, were once in control, and we've been attempting to get that back on track."

"But Equestria cannot survive with just one race of ponies!" Twilight argued. "All ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies help keep balance in Equestria."

"And look at what bringing the three tribes did so far!" Neighsay said. "Discord started causing chaos, Nightmare Moon almost brought eternal night, and everything in between! That's because Princess Celestia failed to see how allowing new things onto this land can bring harm to everyone!"

"But other creatures should be welcomed into Equestria." Twilight said. "And if they're bad, we can help them become good!"

"But not all of them want to be good." Neighsay said. "Don't you remember the Changeling Invasion at the wedding? Where your friends and loved ones turned you away for some imposter and abandoned you for some stupid-"

"Don't even try." Twilight said. "Don't even try to tell me that my friends are to blame. Sure, they may have left me, but it was because I too was in the wrong accusing the Cadance that I grew up with of being evil. Besides, I know what you did to them. I know you erased their memories when they realized the bride was an imposter!" Hearing that made Neighsay only give a hateful glare at the lavender unicorn.

"Oh, so you know about that." Neighsay said. "How very clever of you Little Twilight Sparkle..." The growls in his voice as he said her name made Twilight give a snort.

"But the really question is why?" Twilight asked. "Why did you help the Changelings?"

"To make Celestia open her eyes." the Chancellor answered. "I wanted her to realize how dangerous it is to allow these disgusting creatures into Equestria, but no, she still believes that all creatures should be welcomed. Well, the only way to ensure Equestria's survival is to make sure she's out the way for good, and the Unicorns will be the ones who will fix everything the way it should be."

"And you're proving that by joining with the witch?!" Twilight asked. "They're just using you like Nightmare Moon used me!"

"Well, you see Little Twilight, in order to win a fight that isn't yours, sometimes you need to join the side that's going to win." Neighsay said. Spike turned around for a split second, and suddenly he gasped. He patted Twilight's side, getting her attention. He pointed forward, and Twilight gasped what he was pointing to.

"Sora!" Twilight said, getting the boy's attention. The spikey haired boy then saw what Twilight and Spike were pointing at. Just a few short yards away behind the group was the man in the black coat, giving a creepy wave.

"You!" Sora and Riku shouted.

"Hello, sorry if I'm late." D answered. "I was off doing some stuff."

"So he is helping you!" Sora shouted towards Maleficent.

"Let's just say we have a common goal." The witch answered. "After all, the enemy of my enemy is also my friend."

"That's right!" Pete said. "And we got loads of more friends too, and we'll be conquering this world for sure!"

"You're meddling with dark forces you don't understand, Maleficent!" Riku said, summoning his keyblade. "If I were you, I would leave right now before I'd try anything."

"My, such brave words, boys." Maleficent said. "But just words."

"Then we'll turn words into action." Terra said.

"You won't succeed Maleficent!" Aqua said. "The light is stronger than you think."

"Is it?" Maleficent asked. "Why don't we test it then?" She then tapped her staff onto the floor, and a wave of darkness blasted from it across the floor. Suddenly, several heartless began to appear before the two, consisting of Wyverns; winged blue draconian creature with sharp claws for feet, Wizards; magic heartless that wore wizard hats, Defenders; blue and purple armored heartless with shields that have living black dog heads, Darkballs; sphere-shaped pureblood heartless wit blue mouths, Armored Knights; humanoid knights with single swords.

Then, behind our heroes and in front of D appeared several Ice Cubes; which were Heartless made in blocks of ice, some Blizzard Plants, flowers with white leaves, signifying their use of blizzard attacks, and lots of Winterhorns; reindeers with sharp horns made of ice.

"We're surrounded!" Spike cried out.

"Don't worry, we can take them." Sora said as he summoned his keyblade, and so did Riku, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. The ponies also stood their ground, while Spike hid behind Twilight.

"I can't wait to see this..." Neighsay said with a wicked grin.

"Ooo… this is gonna be good." D said as he sat down in the snow to watch. Soon, everyone prepared to fight as the Heartless surrounded them, ready to pounce.

"Ready?" Sora asked.

"Ready!" Riku, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Goofy, and Donald called out.

"Let's go!" Sora said, and so the fight was on. Sora made the first move as he charged toward the Armored Knights.

"Let's Go!" Sora shouted as he initiated Prism Windmill, spinning his keyblade like a windmill as he rushed several of the Armored Knights, whacking them into the air.

"C'mon!" Goofy said as he jumped onto his shield and began his Goofy Turbo attack, sliding across the snow and hurtling the Ice Cubes into the air, giving Donald some target practice!"

"My Turn!" Donald shouted. "TRIPLE FIRAGA!" He then fired three massive fireballs onto the cubes, melting them in the process, while the heat wave got rid of some of them as well. Rarity found herself summoning diamond shaped blades and hurtled them toward some of the Darkballs. However, a Defender was beginning to creep up behind her.

"Well, besides the round shaped ones, these monsters do have a very unique fashion sense, I'll give them that." Rarity said as she turned around hoping to speak with one of the others, only to see the black dog's face on the Defender's shield give a low growl.

"Oh, not another mutt." She said. Pretty soon, the Defender began to lunge forward, with Rarity giving a loud scream.

-CLANG-

Opening her eyes, she saw Riku in front of her, using his keyblade to block the Defender's bite. Pushing it back, he then sent out a blast of aura with his Counter Aura, sending the Defender away. It then spun it's shield a bit as the dog gave red glowing eyes, showing that it was going to do a fire attack. Opening it's mouth, the dog on the shield shot out a fireball towards the two.

"Ok, I'll play Ping Pong with ya." Riku said as he whacked the fireball back at it, while the shield bounced it back. The two went back and forth until Riku gave one more hit, an the fireball hit the shield, causing the Defender to stagger and lift it's shield up, and unable to bring it down.

"Alright, an opening." Riku said as he pointed his keyblade forward, conjuring up a Dark Firaga attack. "Here's mine!" He then shot a purple fireball forward, the sphere moving slowly, but then broke off into multiple smaller shots that shot at the Defender, making it explode. As Riku brushed his bangs a bit, Rarity couldn't help but become lost at his amazing performance, and his handsome face.

"Beautiful... just handsomely... beautiful." She said as she began to stand on her hind legs and her front hoof to her face. She then swoon, making Riku quickly catch her.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Rarity said as she glanced at him. "I feel very close to your right now."

"I... What?!" Riku asked confused, while Spike only looked at this moment and only grunted with jealousy.

"Oh, c'mon!" Spike said. "What does he have that I don't?" Suddenly, a Darkball appeared behind him. Seeing the spherical shadow before him, the baby dragon turned his head to see it.

"WHOOOAA!" He shouted as the Darkball opened it's mouth, until it was shot by a magenta colored shot that hurled it backwards. Spike turned to see Twilight, who blew the steam off her horn.

"Spike, be more careful!" She said.

"I was!" Spike said. "I just didn't see it coming!" In the air, Rainbow Dash was taking flight, seeing the Wyverns chase after her.

"C'mon, you guys know this is a losing battle for you right?" The rainbow maned Pegasus asked the flying heartless. As they charged toward her, she flew up fast, causing them to bash into each other, allowing the rainbow daredevil to stomp them all to the ground.

"Piece of Cake." Rainbow Dash said.

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Who has a piece of cake?!" All in a while, Applejack was galloping as the Winterhorns gave chase.

"Gee, they sure know how to gallop like real reindeer." Applejack said.

"Hey, lure them to me!" Terra called out.

"Alright!" Applejack said as she charged towards him, with the Heartless in pursuit.

"They're all yours!" She said.

"Thanks!" Terra said as he leapt into the air. "METEOR CRASH!" Slamming down with his keyblade, several meteor fragments appeared behind him and rained down on the Winterhorns, sending them flying. Pretty soon, a Defender made his own charge towards him, only for it's arm holding it's big shield to be lassoed by Applejack's rope, causing it to lose it's balance, allowing Terra to whack it onto it's back.

"You got any rocks?" Applejack asked.

"Just this one." Terra said as he spun his keyblade and struck down, summoning a Rock column from below the snow. With her apple-bucking legs, Applejack kicked the rock into the Defender, making it poof away.

"YEEHAW!" Applejack said. "Nice swinging partner!"

"Thanks." Terra said. "Nice kicking too." For Fluttershy, she was looking around, seeing everyone doing their part. But her, she's not much of a fighter. She soon founder herself surrounded by Blizzard Plants and Ice Cubes, which popped right out of the ground, making her yelp and cower. Then suddenly, Aqua appeared before, protecting her from the heartless.

"Don't worry." She said. "I'll take care of them."

"How?" Fluttershy asked.

"With Fire!" Aqua said, twirling her keyblade. "FIRAGA BURST!" She conjured a growing ball of fire into the air, which then began to rain fireballs in all directions, melting the Ice Cubes, and even burning up the Blizzard Plants. With them being ice type heartless, the Fire magic can roast them easily without trouble. Fluttershy stood there amazed by the young woman's bravery, but then she saw a lone Winterhorn ready to charge at her.

"Look Out!" Fluttershy called out as she galloped forward, and barged right into the Winterhorn before it could attack Aqua. The butter-colored Pegasus stared right down at the heartless with her stare, not just any stare, though... The Stare.

"You monstrous beast!" Fluttershy shouted at the Winterhorn below her. "How dare you charge and attack someone without care!" She then gave it a soft punch with her hoof, causing it to poof away.

"Gosh, Fluttershy, I didn't know you were quite aggressive." Discord said from the scarf around her.

"Well, it was attacking someone, and I couldn't let that happen." Fluttershy said.

"Thank you!" Aqua said, getting her attention. "You were very brave."

"Oh, thank you." Fluttershy said with a squee. Twilight was firing multiple beams of energy at the Wyverns above her, taking some of them down, while Sora threw his keyblade at one of the Armored Knights with his Strike Raid.

"Are these the Heartless you were talking about?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, though the flying ones, the wizard ones, and the ones with the big shield, I haven't seen those ones in a long time." Sora said.

"But how is the witch controlling them?" Twilight asked.

"With her dark magic, probably." Sora said. "I'm surprised she isn't a heartless herself." Twilight then spotted three Wizards approaching them. She shot a magic beam at them, but it didn't do anything. They soon then shot out a much more stronger attack at her, causing her to raise her shield. As the attack struck, her shield gave a little crack, but it didn't break.

"Magic doesn't work on these ones." Twilight said, just as Ventus ran forward to help her and Sora.

"Then maybe this will!" Ventus said as he spun his keyblade. "TORNADO!" As he pointed his keyblade upwards, a small but powerful green tornado began to sprout below the ground, sucking in the Wizard heartless, hurtling them into each other as they spun around and around.

"Oooooo!" Pinkie Pie said as she watched the twister go and go. "That looks like fun!" Soon, the tornado attack ended, and the Wizard heartless exploded, releasing the hearts from within them. But then, some more Darkballs appeared before them.

"Oh, I'll get these ones!" Pinkie Pie said as she pulled out her Party Cannon. She then shot balls of confetti, hitting each of the Darkballs, making them poof. Ventus glanced at the party pony and her cannon.

"You just have that on you?" Ventus asked.

"Of course I do." Pinkie Pie said. "I get that a lot." Pretty soon, Sora whacked away a Blizzard Plant, just as Riku bashed another Wizard.

"Doesn't get easy, does it." Riku said.

"No, but that's the fun part." Sora said, just as more Armored Soldiers appeared, all of them surrounding the two.

"Then let's bring it!" Riku said.

"Got it!" Sora said as both grabbed each other's hand and performed a mighty Shadowbreaker, sending a Dark spinning attack, followed by another spin attack powered with Light, which slashed through all the Armored Knights. As they watched, Pete was beginning to grow concerned.

"Oh, C'mon!" Pete shouted. "I could do better than this!"

"What's stopping you?" Maleficent asked. The big brute began to think. Getting beat up by five Keyblade wielders? Definitely not a good sight.

"Never mind, just bring more out." Pete said. Despite all the heartless that were juggled into the air by the keyblade wielders and the Mane Six, more heartless began to appear, and pretty soon, they began to surround the group of heroes.

"What is it gonna take to get rid of them?" Spike asked. Twilight glanced around and began thinking. Then an idea came to her head. She remembered reading a spell that can lift the monsters up off the ground and leave them immobilized.

"I have an idea!" Twilight said. "Everyone stand back!"

"Ok!" Sora said as they stood from Twilight, while the lavender unicorn stood her ground, while the heartless began to approach them. Her horn began to glow with aura, and a circle formed around her.

"Here goes nothing!" Twilight said as her eyes lit up. "ZERO-GRAVIGA!" She sent out a wave of magic around herself, striking the heartless and causing them all, even the Defenders to float up into the air, trapped in magical sphere.

"WHOA!" The rest of the Mane Six said.

"Hurry!" Twilight said as she began to struggle with the spell. "I can't keep it up for long!"

"Ok, now what?" Ventus asked.

"Remember that move we practiced?" Terra asked. "Let's do that."

"Ok!" Ventus said.

"Need a hand?" Sora asked.

"The more the merrier!" Aqua said.

"Ok!" Riku said as they all joined together, pointing their keyblades together, all of them glowing with a magical aura, much to Donald and Goofy's surprise.

"UNISON RUSH!" All five of them said, and they all rushed forward with mighty powerful dash attacks all over, striking all the heartless that were trapped airborne. Then, connecting together, they made one lash dash towards the center, finishing with a mighty wave attack that wiped out all the heartless in the area. With the heartless gone, Twilight ended her spell and nearly dropped to the floor.

"Twilight!" Spike said as he, and the girls rushed forward to help her up.

"Are you ok?" The baby dragon asked, showing a face of worry. The lavender unicorn shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm ok Spike." Twilight said.

"Are you sure, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"That was quite a powerful spell." Rarity said.

"No, really." Twilight said. "I'm fine. I just never casted that spell before. But thank you."

"That was pretty awesome, Twilight." Rainbow Dash said as she gave her friend a hug. Soon, all of them glanced up to see Sora, Riku, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus glide to the ground.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy called as they rushed over.

"That went well." Sora said as Riku gave a chuckle.

"Good goin' fellas!" Goofy said.

"Thanks." Sora said. "We did pretty good."

"Yeah, we sure did." Riku said.

"Feels like old times." Terra said.

"We make a good team." Aqua said.

"You bet." Ventus said.

"But we couldn't have done it without Twilight." Sora said, glancing at the lavender unicorn. "Excellent A+."

"Oh, thanks." Twilight said as she gave a blush.

"Well, I could've done better." Donald said.

"I think we all did great." Goofy said.

"Oh yes, definitely." Fluttershy said.

"YIPPIE!" Pinkie Pie said as she began to hop and cheer. "We Won the Fight! Victory Dance!" She began to dance with a can-can technique, causing the group to laugh. But suddenly, they heard clapping. Turning his head, he saw D, who was applauding?

"Bravo!" D said. "What a spectacular performance!" The hooded figure turned his head, seeing Maleficent, Pete, and Neighsay glaring at him, making him slow down his clapping and stop.

"What?" He asked.

"Why are you cheering them?" Neighsay asked. "They just wiped our your monsters!"

"Well, you have to admire their valiant performance." D said. Maleficent only sighed.

"So... you were saying, Maleficent?" Sora asked.

"So you may have not lost your edge." Maleficent said. "But nothing can prepare you for what we plan to do. I believe it's time we give him a proper introduction." She glanced over to the hooded man and gave a nod. With a smile under his hood, he raised his hand into the air.

"Alright, let us light this candle!" He called out as he slammed his fist into the ground, and then suddenly, the floor began to shake. The snow in front of him began to crack open, emitting a stream of black smoke from inside.

"Hey Shadow King, come out and play!" D shouted as he raised his hands in the air. And then...

-BURST-

The crack opened up, revealing a giant black ghostly spirit to emerge from below. The spirit was of a stallion's face, with a jet black mane, green eyes with red pupils, and a red horn on his forehead. And there were some sharp teeth too! It must be the Shadow Pony! He let out a growl, that sounded like a lion's roar.

"Oh No!" Donald shouted.

"It's the Shadow King!" Goofy called out.

"Oh right, forgot about that." Sora said.

"Well, let's see how you all handle this big guy." D said. As the shadowy beast let out a mighty screech, Sora scanned the area. They may have fought off the heartless, but they don't want to waste all of their strength now. Right now, the best thing to do is stall the spirit so everyone else can get to the Empire.

"Riku, get everyone to the Empire!" Sora shouted.

"But what about you?" Riku asked.

"We got this!" Sora said with confidence.

"Ok." Riku said with a nod. "Everyone, Fall back! To the Crystal Empire!"

"Alright!" Aqua said as she and Terra followed Riku.

"C'mon, Ven!" Terra called out, getting his attention.

"But what about Sora?" Ventus asked.

"Don't worry, he's got this!" Rainbow Dash said as she grabbed the boy off his voice and flew off with the rest.

"Sora!" Twilight called out.

"Twilight, you and the girls follow Riku and the others." Sora said. "We'll catch up. Now go!" The lavender unicorn gave a nod.

"Ok, let's go girls!" Twilight called as she, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy followed the others. Turning her head, she saw Pinkie Pie looking at the Shadow King's spirit with a giggle.

"Pinkie, come on!" The lavender unicorn called out. "Laughing at it isn't going to help!"

"Awww, it doesn't look that scary." Pinkie Pie said. "He just needs a hug, that's all." Suddenly, the spirit let out a loud roar upon the party pony, making her mane to blow and her happy face shift to horror.

"AHHHHH!!!!" She screamed as Twilight picked her up with her magic, and then flung Spike onto her back. "SO SCARY!!!"

"Be careful, Sora!" Twilight called out.

"You got it!" Sora assured.

"How come we can't go with them?" Donald asked.

"Donald!" Goofy said as he raised his shield up, seeing the spirit looking down upon them. Donald quickly took action and readied his staff.

"Ok, get ready!" Sora said as he, Donald, and Goofy stood ground. But suddenly, they saw the spirit moving closer to them, and growing to a much bigger size. It began to ignite it's horn and suddenly, the snow began to seep up towards the Shadow spirit, transforming into a huge body with arms, legs, and a face that resembled the spirit's. With it's not body, it looked down at the trio.

-ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRR!!!-

It let out a loud roar that blew into Sora, Donald, and Goofy. While it didn't blow them away, the three stood there in complete shock.

"Ok, Plan B..." Sora said. "RUUUUUUUNNN!!!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, while Donald and Goofy also screamed in terror as the three took off running, with the giant Shadow Snowman ran off after them. Seeing them running away made Pete laugh.

"Guess they're not so tough after all, aren't they." He said. Despite taking some enjoyment from this, the Mistress of Evil knew that Sora and his friends were still going to be a big problem to her plans.

The trio continued to keep running across the snow as the Shadow Snowman chased after them. It seems they weren't counting on the Shadow Pony to give itself have a body made out of snow.

"That was Plan B?!" Donald asked.

"I didn't know it could turn into a snowman!" Sora said.

"Well, this ain't the first time we got chased by one!" Goofy said. "If only there were some trees we could plunge at it."

"Where do we go?!" Donald asked.

"To the Empire!" Sora said.

"But what about the monster after us?" Goofy asked, pointing at the Shadow Snowman still after them.

"Uh... I'm thinking about it!" Sora said. The three continued running as the Shadow Snowman chased after them. Suddenly, Donald tripped over and fell flat on the floor. Turning around, Sora and Goofy saw the royal wizard on the ground, turning up and seeing the Shadow Snowman approach him, ready to attack.

"QUAAAAACK!" Donald shouted in fear.

"Donald!" Sora and Goofy called out.

Suddenly, Sora felt a pat on his shoulder. Turning right, he saw a hand, but it wasn't Goofy or Riku's hand. Looking up, he saw that it was a man. Heavy-set and muscular he was, dark skinned too. His clothes consisted of a off-white puffer vest with a fish-net shirt, green pants and brown boots. His hair was styled, arranged in cornrows, he had black eyes, and a skull tattoo was on his left arm. Raising his right hand, which was a steel hand, it transformed into a cannon!

"HAAAAA!" The man shouted as he fired his arm cannon, shooting the Shadow Snowman with rapid fire energy shots, causing him to yelp backwards. With the opportunity at hand, Donald rushed towards the others with relief. Sora and Goofy were shocked but amazed to see this fellow. After shooting, the man turned his head to look at the three, showing that he was wearing a pair of shades.

"Whaddup, little britches?" He asked.

"Wha… who are you?" Sora asked.

"Barret's the name!" The man, Barret said. "Now look out! We got some company!" The trio looked ahead and saw a squadron of heartless appearing onto the field. Consisting of Blizzard Plants, Winterhorns, and of course a Chill Ripper, the armored humanoid heartless with it's legs sporting white spikes, a helmet with a black antennae, and it's blades were jagged, and made of ice.

"Hope these punks like a taste for a Grenade Bomb!" Barret shouted as his arm cannon shot out a grenade into the group of enemies, and as it exploded, the Heartless were blasted with damage, with some of the Blizzard Plants smoking in flames.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy!" Another yet familiar voice called out. "On your left!" Turning to their left, they saw a young woman with dark brown hair, though it appeared black, reaching the middle of her back. Her leather suit consisted a white tank top under a black zip-up vest with black overhauled shorts that fold at the waist, forming an additional utility pocket at the front and short duster at the back extending to her heels. She wore black shoes, short black gloves, and her eyes were brownish red. Now this was someone they knew well!

"Tifa!" The three called out with joy. The girl gave a nod and smile as she dashed past the group of enemies, ran towards Chill Ripper.

"Let's do this!" She said. "BEAT RUSH!" She then threw multiple punches at the Chill Ripper and gave him an uppercut that sent him down to the ground.

"Arf! Arf!" The sounds of an animal barking caught their ears, making the three musketeers turn to see who else was coming. Rushing into the battlefield was a quadrupedal animal with dark red and orange fur with a thin brown mane. His right eye was scarred and the remaining eye is ochre. He is adorned with a variety of beads, earrings and feathers around his head, with golden pastern braces and brands on his legs, one of them with the roman numeral XIII. Besides the flaming tail, the feline creature had black patterns on his legs and what appears to be face paint. Now that's something nobody sees everyday.

Whatever this creature was, he leaped forward and gnarled on top of one of the Winterhorns with a Sled Fang strike, and spun around in a circle, using his flame tail to send a wave of fire around himself and burnt the other Winterhorns and the Blizzard Plants to the ground.

"Who's that?" Sora asked.

"Probably their pet?" Goofy asked. Suddenly, more Wyverns and Defenders appeared behind the trio, making them turn around surprised.

"We're surrounded!" Donald shouted. But then, Sora noticed something behind the heartless, a little twinkle. It was a big four bladed Ninja Star coming in hot, striking one of the Wyverns in the air. Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared before the three, revealing none other than the great ninja Yuffie, who grapped her Ninja Star as it came back.

"Have no fear!" She said. "Yuffie's On The Scene!"

"Yuffie!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy said. The girl glanced back with a wink.

"Hey guys!" She said. "Been a while, hasn't it." Suddenly, a Defender rushed in to attack with it's big shield.

"Look out!" Sora shouted. But then...

"ROUGH DIVIDE!" A voice shouted, revealing Leon, bringing a mighty slash with his Revolver Gunblade, which was a gun with a long blade, which destroyed the attack Defender.

"Leon!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy said with joy, with the man giving a smile, while Yuffie looked confused.

"You're welcome." Leon said.

"Uh... I had that." Yuffie said.

"No you didn't." Leon said, then he aimed his gun blade and fired a fire bullet, shooting down the remaining Wyvern. "And you missed another one."

"That was on purpose!" Yuffie said.

"Guys, over here!" Tifa called as jumped back with the group, as the Chill Ripper rose back up to it's feet, and prepared to spin it's arms, giving a Freezing Spin Attack. It charged forward.

"Incoming!" Barret shouted as he and everyone dodged out of the way, while Donald managed to roll away just an inch from the attack. With it dazed from it's own spin, the red lion-creature made a jump forward and pounced upon it, biting it on the back of it's head. But the chilling bladed Heartless shook itself, shaking the feline off of him and across the snow.

"That didn't work." Sora said. Suddenly, from behind Yuffie, a blue furball alien jumped out, and rolled across the snow right in front of the Chill Ripper. To Sora's surprise, it was Stitch!

"Hey, isn't that?" Sora said.

"Stitch, go get him!" Yuffie called out. The blue alien glanced up at the Chill Ripper, who glanced down at him, tilting it's head in confusion.

"Stupid head." Stitch said as he extended all four arms out, each of them holding an energy blaster. He then began to fire rapid plasma bullets at the Chill Ripper, causing it to shake and back away as it was bombarded with blast after blast, while the little blue alien laughed. Soon, the Chill Ripper began to feel too much damage upon him.

"Why don't we finish this." Leon said as he raised his Gunblade in the air, making it glow with energy to summon a larger blade. He then leaped up and swung it down, striking the chilling Heartless before him, and breaking of it's ice swords in the process.

"He's all yours, big guy!" Leon said to Barret, he gave a smile.

"Ok, stay back everyone!" He said as he took over and charged up his cannon. "Get ready for a CATESTROPHE!" With his cannon charged up, he fired multiple blasts upon the Heartless, causing it to explode and release it's captive heart. All the other remaining heartless that were left were blown away and gone.

"Yeah!" Sora cheered.

"Oh boy!" Donald said as he and Goofy waved their hands. Suddenly, the ground shook a bit, just as the massive Shadow Snowman rose back up to it's feet, and let out a loud roar, while emitting black crystal spikes all over it's limbs, hands, and even face.

"Uh oh!" Goofy said as everyone stood their ground. Stitch, surprised by this snowman, quickly rushed back and jumped into Yuffie's arms.

"I gotcha buddy!" She said as he held him close.

"It's gonna take more to take this thing down." Sora said.

"Somebody Help Us!" Donald shouted. The Shadow Snowman let out a roar and charged towards the group, ready to bring a massive attack.

"That the best you can do?"

Sora's eyes widened, hearing that familiar voice. It wasn't Riku, but he glanced up, to see someone leaping up behind them with a massive sword, and swing down upon the Shadow Snowman with a down-thrust strike, causing it to fall back to the ground. As the snowy dust began to settle, Sora looked forward to see the sword the man was carrying. It was a long thick blade, or broadsword in this case, and it seemed to be a six-piece sword assemble, dubbed the Fusion Sword, wrapped in bandages. It wasn't just the sword that Sora recognized, but the man holding it as well!

Holding it was a man with spikey hair like Sora, but it was blonde, and the man had a lighter shade of blue eyes. His attire consisted of a high collar sleeveless indigo shirt, with black pants and boots. A black sleeve-like cloth covered his left arm, while a long cloth covered his left leg as well. He had a shoulder pauldron, two straps around his body and shoulders, held together by a Fenrir wolf badge! Sora, Donald, and Goofy smiled, seeing this familiar man and called out his name.

"Cloud!" They called. That's right. Cloud Strife. The man they befriended during their first visit to the Olympus Coliseum, as well as their comrade in the Battle for Hollow Bastion! Hearing his name, he glanced back at the group.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, good to see you again." He said.

"You too!" Sora said as Donald and Goofy cheered. Cloud then glanced at the others.

"Alright, which one of you is paying me?" He asked.

"She is." The rest said, pointing at Yuffie.

"Hey!" She shouted. Pretty soon, the Shadow Snowman got up, letting out another roar, getting his attention.

"Ok, this one's mine then." Cloud said as he held his sword, ready to fight. He then rushed forward, while the snowman prepared to strike. Then, Cloud rolled out of the way and brought a swinging attack upwards, striking the snowman. I began to swing it's arm, but then the SOLDIER boy leaped backwards and performed a Blade Beam, unleashing an energy slash across the ground and it struck the Shadowy Snowy monster.

The Shadow Snowman only shouted as he began to charge with multiple slashes with it's hands, while Cloud jumped up and off the snowman's head, making it dizzy. Jumping behind it, he raised his sword.

"CROSS-SLASH!" Cloud called out, while a mysterious Kanji appeared before him, and then he slashed and swung, striking the Snowman a couple times, while the slashes formed the Kanji at the same time! The snowman only growled and swung upwards, striking Cloud and tossing him into the air.

"Cloud!" The others called out in worry. As he began to fall towards the Shadow Snowman, who was ready to swing again, Cloud opened his eyes and gave a smirk. He somersaulted and dashed right through the beast.

"YAH!" He shouted as he initiated his Finishing Touch technique, spinning rapidly while everything slowed down around him, his spin attack creating a tornado around him, which lifted the snowman up in the air with surprise. And then, Cloud began to glow a blue crystal sky color.

"Time to finish this." He said as leaped upwards towards the snowman. "OMNISLASH!" He then slashed the Shadow Snowman four times, dashed through then three more times, followed by five more times, two more, and then... One Final Slash! He sliced through the Shadow Snowman, making a perfect landing while the snowman fell yards behind him to the ground, crumbling up to pieces... of snow, of course.

Seeing that amazing display brought joy and cheer for the rest of group, all of them cheering to Cloud's victory.

"Way to go, Cloud!" Sora said.

"Thanks, and your welcome, by the way." Cloud said as he approached them.

"Show off." Leon said with a smirk.

"Look who's talking." Cloud responded back as Yuffie, Tifa, and Barret chuckled. Donald glanced forward and saw the Shadowy Snowman crumbled up.

"Ha!" Donald shouted at it. "We know snowmen who are much nicer than you!... Well, two anyway." Suddenly, from what was left of the pieces of snow, the spirit of the Shadow King rose up again, letting out a roar. Seeing this, Barret fired his energy cannon, shooting it with multiple energy bullets. They weren't very effective however, as the Shadow King gave a growl of anger.

"Shooting this bad boy's gonna piss him off!" Barret said. "Let's Go!"

"Sounds good to me." Cloud said.

"C'mon!" Tifa said as she, Cloud, Barret and their red feline companion quickly ran for it.

"Follow us!" Leon shouted as he and Yuffie followed them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy went on with them, just as the Shadow Pony gave a loud roar and gave pursuit.

"Where's the entrance?!" Sora asked.

"Over there!" Leon called out. The boy saw two pink pillars standing side by side, with two purple crystals and one dark blue crystal hover between them. He also saw Riku and the others calling out to them, and Aerith and Cid was with them.

"Over here!" Riku called out.

"Hurry!" Twilight said.

"Quick, get in here!" Cid called out.

"We're almost there!" Sora said as they kept running, with Goofy looking over his shoulder, seeing the giant black spirit getting closer.

"He's right behind us!" Goofy said. The group continued running and running. They passed through the two crystal pillars, making it inside the entrance, while the Shadow spirit however, was bounced off by a mysterious glass barrier around the entrance, showing that a magic shield was preventing him from getting inside. Sora, Donald, and Goofy nearly dropped to the ground with relief, thankful that they made it.

"We made it!" Donald said, as Sora turned around.

"Look!" Sora said with a smile, pointing at the Shadow King, who was trying so hard to get through the barrier, but with no success! He couldn't get in. So they were safe!

"Yahoo!" Goofy said as he cheered, and everyone cheered as well. Sora took a few steps forward, seeing the spirit unable to get inside.

"No so tough now, are you!" Sora called out. He, Donald, and Goofy gave a funny face, taunting the Shadow Pony. The Shadow Pony however, quickly surged towards the face of the barrier, letting out a roar, causing the three to jump back with surprise, while Leon readied his Gunblade, Yuffie pulled out her Ninja Star while Stitch looked on with a hiss, Barret aimed his arm cannon, Cloud his Fusion Sword, with Tifa and Red XIII ready to fight.

"Whoa..." Sora said by the shadow monster's reply. Then, slowly, the Shadowy Spirit began to take shape, transforming into a dark gray stallion, with a black jet spikey mane and tail, red eyes with deep scarlet pupils, and his horn was curved, smooth, and sharp at the tip, gradient from dark gray to red. He wore silver armor on his legs and neck, a grown with horn-like points on his head, and a red cape over his flank. It was him! The Unicorn King Master Yen Sid told them about. It was him, in the flesh. The girls nearly whimpered while Rainbow Dash stood her ground. Twilight gasped as she saw the dark unicorn, with Spike hiding behind her.

"Is that...?" She asked.

"King Sombra…" Sora said. On the other side of the shield, the Unicorn King, tapped his hoof on the barrier.

"Very impressive." Sombra spoke, his voice sounding sinister and low, like a certain Sith Lord with markings on his face. "But your precious barrier won't protect you forever." He gave a wicked chuckle as he transformed into a black cloud and disappeared back into the snowy blizzard, while the others watched.

"What the hell was that thing?" Barret asked.

"Definitely not your average pony." Cloud said.

"Don't think that will be the last time we see him." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Sora said with a sigh. He then turned to Leon and the others, happy to see them.

"Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, it's good to see you guys again." Sora said.

"Good to see you too, Sora." Leon said

"Well, ain't you boys in top shape." Cid said.

"You have some nerve leaving us out of your last adventure, mister!" Yuffie said sternly, but playfully. Hearing that made Sora blush and give a nervous smile.

"Sorry, we had a lot of people to save." Sora said.

"Just relax, Yuffie." Aerith said as she patted the ninja's shoulder, while Stitch gave a happy chuckle.

"Alright, I'm cool." Yuffie said. "Better seeing you late than never." Seeing these new people were surprising to Twilight, Spike, and the girls. The lavender unicorn approached Sora.

"Um, Sora?" Twilight asked, as the other girls approached them too. "Mind introducing your friends?"

"Oh, right!" Sora said. "Guys, this is Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid, the Restoration Committee of Radiant Garden."

"His real name is actually Squall." Yuffie whispered, pointing to Leon.

"It's Leon." He corrected.

"Ahem." Tifa spoke, getting their attention.

"Oh, and this is Cloud and Tifa." Sora said.

"Great to see you as well, Sora." She answered as Cloud gave a nod. "I take it you found who you were looking for?"

"Sure have." He answered. "So, where were you guys?"

"We had stuff to take care of back at Midgar… or whatever's left of it actually." Cloud said.

"Midgar?" Sora asked, as Donald and Goofy looked at each other confused. A sudden voice got their attention, making them turn to Barret.

"Oh, we haven't been introduced." Sora said. "You must be-"

"Barret." He said.

"Hello, Barret." Sora said. "I'm Sora, and this is Donald and Goofy."

"Howdy there." Goofy said.

"So you're the funny wisecrackers Tifa told me about." Barret said with a cocky grin. "I can see why." The three tilted their heads. Wisecrackers?

"What does that mean?" Donald asked.

"It's a compliment." Tifa said.

"A true compliment." Yuffie said into the royal wizard's ear, making him sigh.

"And who's this fella right here?" Goofy asked, looking straight at the red lion creature.

"That is a good question, now is it?" It spoke... Wait, What?! The feline just talked, making Sora and Donald gasp with surprise.

"Whoa, he talked?" Sora asked.

"Yes, I talk." The feline creature spoke. "Red XIII is the name that was given to me. And I am what you see before you. Nothing more."

"Amazing!" Twilight spoke as she popped from behind the trio. "You're a talking feline creature? How fascinating!" She quickly took a pencil and a clipboard, ready to write down things about him.

"And there she goes again." Spike said.

"Tell me, where are you from, and what species are you?" Twilight asked with excitement.

"Not much is known about my species, and I am the only one of my kind left." Red XIII answered. Hearing that made Twilight surprised.

"Oh." She said, with Spike stepping in between them.

"Sorry, she can get like this when she sees something new." Spike said.

"Well, it's good to see all of you again." Sora said.

"Thanks for helping us." Goofy said.

"You'll be thanking us a lot more." Leon said as he pointed forward. "Look at that." Seeing to what he was pointing towards, the trio gasped with surprise.

"Wow!" Sora said with amazement. Just beyond the plains of grass stood a huge kingdom, sparkling with sparkles due to it's shiny and crystal appearance. There were red and blue crystal-like buildings that lined up in different heights, but the kicker was the massive crystal palace that stood in the center of the town! This was it! The Crystal Empire!

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE

"No way..." Ventus said with a smile.

"Fascinating." Terra said.

"It's beautiful." Aqua said.

"The Crystal Empire!" Donald said. "We made it!" Everyone was taking this moment to see the view.

"Now that sure is a beauty." Cid said. As Fluttershy looked with awe, Discord glanced from under her scarf, amazed by the Empire's beauty.

"Wow... that is certainly breathtaking." He said as Fluttershy gave a giggle hearing that.

"We better head to the castle." Riku said. "Mickey and the others should be expecting us."

"You mean King Mickey." Donald said a bit annoyed.

"Donald, if Riku wants to call the King by his first name, let him." Sora said. "They're friends, you know."

"But still." Donald said.

"Just lighten up, wizard boy." Rainbow Dash said as she flipped the duck's hat forward, making him grumble. The large group began to make their way to the city. As they went on, Twilight, while amazed by the Crystal Empire, still had a lot on her mind. Cadance was here, so that meant Shining Armor was here. Her brother.

She still remembered how he talked her down and left her for some bride that was horrible to her friends. Of course, she probably deserved it since she acted like a jealous little sister. But it still hurt, and she still resented him for that. That was the worse thing he had ever done.

"You ok?" Twilight lifted her head up to see Sora looking at her. Looking around, she saw that she wasn't moving. She was just standing there, thinking.

"Yeah." Twilight said, though she looked a bit conflicted. Sora had a good idea what it could be.

"It's about your brother, is it?" Sora asked.

"How'd you know?" Twilight asked. "Oh right, you were told." The boy tilted his head.

"You're a bit hesitant to speak with him, are you." Sora said.

"Yes, I am." Twilight said. "It's still there. My anger."

"It's ok to feel angry, Twilight." Sora said. "But you don't need to hold a grudge."

"I know, but I still feel the sting." Twilight said. "Out of all the ponies involved, Shining Armor was the one who hurt me the most. What he said to me hurt. It really hurt."

"I know." Sora said. "But you can't avoid him forever."

"True." Twilight said as she glanced at the ground. She knew that she was going to have to talk with him sooner or later. So might as well let it be sooner.

"Well, I guess I'll have to talk to him." Twilight said. "Though I'm not sure if I'll like it though."

"Just don't go overboard, ok?" Sora asked. "Try and be nice to him."

"I can't promise you that, Sora." Twilight said. "But I'll try."

"Ok." Sora said with a nod.

"Sora!" Donald called out, getting their attention.

"C'mon, let's get to the castle!" Goofy called out. The boy and the lavender unicorn gave each other a nod and went towards town, ready to enter the Crystal Empire.

Outside the barrier, Pete was examining the massive sky colored, yet invisible dome, and began poking at it. Moving his head sideways, then upways, he then walked back, and turned, facing the dome, while Maleficent, Neighsay, King Sombra, and D watched.

"Alright, here goes nuttin'!" Pete said, and then he gave a quick charge toward the dome.

-BAM-

He slammed head first into the barrier, making a funny face as his head impacted the dome. He then fell backwards into the snow, and shook his head as he lifted himself up.

"He keeps doing that, he's gonna smash his head." D said.

"Darn, it won't open!" Pete said as he got up to his feet. "This thing is as hard as metal."

"I thought you all were experts at this sort of stuff." Neighsay said, annoyed by Pete's inability to break the barrier. Maleficent took another look at the barrier, sensing it's magic.

"It seems to be powered by King Mickey's magic." Maleficent said. "Still, The barrier will weaken in time. Nothing will not save these little ponies when it collapses."

"Don't be so sure, Maleficent." D said. "If Friendship was able to lighten Twilight Sparkle's heart, then Friendship could do the same for them."

"It won't matter." Pete said. "This whole empire is going to be ours, one way or another!"

"No... it won't." Sombra's response caught the two off guard.

"What?" Maleficent asked.

"Excuse me?" Neighsay asked.

"Huh?" D asked.

"The Crystal Empire will be nothing but ruins once I'm done with it." Sombra hissed as he turned around. "They won't keep the barrier up forever. I think it's time that I call my family."

"Family?" Pete asked.

"The Umbrum." Sombra spoke. Maleficent's eyes widened, as if a strong force of fear had taken over.

"WHAT?!" She asked. "No, you will do no such thing!" Her brutal lackey turned to him in confusion while Sombra turned his head.

"I beg your pardon?" Sombra asked.

"We had a deal." Maleficent said vigorously. "You said that if we helped you conquer the Crystal Empire, you would help us conquer Equestria!"

"And Equestria will be yours." Sombra said.

"But not when the Umbrum are released!" Maleficent said.

"Wait, what are these Umbrum you speak of?" Neighsay asked.

"They're demons." Maleficent said. "They are wicked beings of unspeakable darkness who want nothing but to destroy everything in their path. If you release them, they will burn the entire world to the ground!" Hearing that made the Chancellor's eyes widen.

"What?" Neighsay asked. Pete stood there a mere second to think about it, then had a good idea what she meant by burning the world to the ground."

"You don't say." Pete said. The Shadow king only gave a cold glare to the witch.

"So you defy me?" Sombra asked. "If you recall, I agreed to help you take over Equestria should you release me and help me conquer the Crystal Empire, and now you're going against our deal?"

"Wait, there wasn't anything about burning the world down." Neighsay said. "Our goal is to conquer it, not burn it."

"SILENCE!" Sombra shouted as Neighsay backed away, and Pete hid behind the witch. "As I said, I promised to help you take over Equestria if you allow me to do what I wish with the Empire, and burning it down is fitting enough for me."

"But releasing the Umbrum was not part of the deal!" Maleficent said. "And I say we don't unleash the Umbrum. They'll destroy everything in their path without care!"

"And come to think of it mister black and bad, we got you out of your icy cage." Pete said to the Shadow King. "I remember that you said that you'll do what we say. So I say we don't use these... Umbrum thingies you were talking about." The shadow king only smirked with an evil smile.

"Well if anything, I was never promising you anything." Sombra said as he leaped back. "I am a King!... no, I am an Emperor! And I shall make you do what I say!" His horn then lit up, charging up with all the dark magic he could. Maleficent was readying her staff, preparing to counter with her own magic, as Pete only hid behind her.

"Uhhh... my dear, I think we should run." Pete said. Maleficent only smiled.

"He is no match for me..." The witch spoke, lifting her staff into the sky. "Thunder and Lightning, head my call, teach him a lesson, once and for all!!!" Then, a black greenish cloud hovered above her head, as she swirled her staff a couple times and fired a powerful lightning attack.

"DARK THUNDAGA!" She shouted as her staff fired a dark and green bolt of lightning at the Unicorn King, who did not look worried at all. The thunderbolt hit, creating a mighty dust cloud. The witch smiled, seeing her work done. But as the smoke cleared, Sombra was still standing, completely unharmed.

"HUH!?" Pete asked. "He's still ok?!"

"Foolis witch." King Sombra said. "I am an Umbrum. Your magic is no match for me." With that said, the Shadow King's eyes began to glow green, with purplish smoke coming out of his eyes. His horn began to charge up with purple and green energy. Then with all the magic he could, he fired straight at the witch. To their surprise, D leaped in and held his arms up, shielding the two from the blast.

"What are you doing?!" Neighsay asked.

"Stand back." D said as he held his arms up as the dark magical bullet struck him. As it made impact, there was an explosion that consumed him.

"Yes..." He said. But then suddenly, the explosion stopped spreading and was sucked back into the hooded man's hand, who was completely unharmed. Neighsay gasped at what he saw, while the shadow king's eyes widened.

"What?" Sombra asked.

"Oooh... that tickled..." He said, his hand conjuring up an electric sphere. "ULTIMA!" He then pushed his hand out, firing the sphere at the Shadow king, which exploded upon impact, hurling Sombra straight into the barrier. Luckily, the barrier didn't burn him, but it bounced him into the snow, and he felt severe pain from the attack. That attack hurted him? How was that possible? Pete's mouth dropped as he saw what just happened. Their accomplice just defeated the Shadow King and survived what could've killed him.

"Impossible..." Neighsay said, surprised himself.

"Whoa..." Pete said.

"Facinating..." Maleficent said, also amazed. "Why do I feel like I've seen this power before?" The hooded man began brushing dust off his chest and chuckle.

"You really should've conserved your energy." He said, approaching the shadow king. "I can pretty much do anything... anything that you cannot imagine." Sombra lifted himself up and charged straight forward to stab this figure with his horn. But the man disappeared in a flash, surprising the shadow king. The man suddenly appeared next to him.

"Missed." D said, who then grabbed Sombra by his horn. As he squeezed it Sombra felt pain soaring through his body, causing his legs to be locked and make him kneel to the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, does it hurt so much?" The mysterious foe asked. "Well it should. It shows not even kings are as strong as they say." The shadow king tried to retaliate, but he couldn't. Who was this man? And how is it that he is holding him in place. The man smiled as he glanced at the unicorn, reading his mind.

"Ahhhh, now I see." He said. "You were once a normal unicorn who lived in the Crystal Empire, bullied by others because you were different. I can see so much pain inside you. Loss, fear, and... love... for a pony... who is as radiant as all hoped could be..."

"Enough!" The man turned to glance at the witch.

"Let him go." Maleficent said.

"Are you sure?" D asked.

"Yes." The witch assured him. "We are finished here." Pete on the other hand looked at his mistress with surprise.

"Huh?" He asked. "After all the trouble of letting him out? I actually don't see any harm of letting these Umbrum out of their ca-"

"I said, we are done here!" Maleficent said. The shadow king raised an eyebrow, just as the man released him. Sombra only panted as he tried to gather his strength, while the witch only approached a couple feet to him.

"Unlike you, I can be merciful." She said. "The Crystal Empire is yours to do as you wish. Just don't interfere with our plans." The shadow king only glared at the wicked witch, but sighed. He then gave a hateful glare at the hooded figure.

"Fine..." He said. "As long as you let me be..." The witch gave a smile and departed, with the hooded man, and Neighsay following suit. Pete took one look at the shadow king and left with them, shaking his head in disappointment. Not in Sombra's skills, but in how much time was wasted letting him out. The shadow king only grunted in his own disappointment, and glanced back at the Crystal Empire.

"More work for me then." He said. "I must release the Umbrum." He then began to walk beside the massive barrier on his way, taking a glance back at the shield, seeing his reflection. However, his reflection then disappeared, and displayed a unicorn with artic blue eyes. Her mane was pale light grayish crystal blue, and her coat was grayish heliotrope. Her cutie mark represented a long staff with wings at the top and two snakes surrounding it.

"You're not a monster Sombra... I know you're not..." She spoke. Sombra's eyes widened as he saw her. He shook his head, only to see his own reflection again. He turned away, thinking it was just a fantasy.

"I can't believe it!" Pete complained, as he, Maleficent, Neighsay and the hooded man made their way to the train station. "All that carving and ice breaking for nothing!"

"Excuse me, I did the carving and breaking." D said.

"But you did it without trouble." Pete said.

"He can have the Crystal Empire." Maleficent said. "So long as he does not pose any threat against us." She then turned her attention toward the hooded man. "I'm quite impressed with your skills. You seem to be much more than you take on. Did you learn those moves from... a friend of mine?"

"I have no relations to Xehanort." The man said. "And no, I didn't. That was just the warm up of what you saw. I've had my own fair shares of magic, one that is years beyond what you and your people are capable of."

"You know, you never did say why you are helping us." Maleficent said. "For what reason is it that you're interested in this world?"

"Oh don't worry, you'll know soon enough." D said. "But all of it lies somewhere in Canterlot. And that is why we need a great army to take it."

"And this army is your little rag team of evil doers?" Maleficent asked.

"Yep." The cloaked man said. "They're gonna help us big time, but we're still gonna need an army to take over Canterlot, a bigger army."

"But there is only one flaw with your plan, sir." Neighsay said. "We don't have a big army."

"Yeah!" Pete said. "We can't conquer Equestria since Shadow King isn't going to help us! So what are we going to do?"

"Oh, will you stop gawking?" Maleficent said. "We just need a proper replacement, that's all." As she and the buffoon were arguing, The man began thinking, and an idea came to her head.

"There is one..." He said.

"One what?" Pete asked.

"Someone who can help us and give us the army we need to take over Equestria." D said.

"Who?" Neighsay asked.

"You know who, Chancellor." D said glancing back at him. Neighsay gasped, knowing full well who he was talking about.

"No, we're not asking her." Neighsay said. "Last time I helped her, it didn't work!"

"But it will this time." D said, as Maleficent and Pete glanced at each other, knowing little who they were talking about.

"How is this any different than last time?" Neighsay asked.

"We got friends, and we're going to make her our friend too." D said. "We all want one thing. World Domination. Isn't that right?"

"I honestly don't think this is a good idea." Neighsay said. "She might still be angry with me if she finds out I was just using her."

"Now Chancellor." D said as he approached the stallion. "Don't be going back on your word, now. You promised me that you'll be able to get me into the Vault if I helped you get rid of the Princesses for your Unicorn Movement. And besides, I was the one who got you out of those chains back at the old castle and I can just lock you back up in there." The man's voice sounded a little more threatening as he spoke the rest of his sentence, and his hand began to spark with dark misty magic, making Neighsay gasp.

"Is that what you want?" D asked. "Is it?" The Chancellor stood there, knowing well that D isn't a fool. Actually, he doesn't even know D well at all, or who he truly is. But Neighsay knew if he went against his word, D will not think twice about going against his own word either.

"No." The Chancellor said. "Not at all..."

"Excellent." D said with a smile, as he patted the stallion's head. "Now you go and spy on the Princesses for us, ok?

"Of course." Neighsay said, feeling a little uncomfortable by the man's shifting moods. But he ignited his horn and summoned a magical portal. He then went on in, leaving D with Maleficent and Pete.

"What just happened?" Pete asked.

"A lot, to be precise." Maleficent said.

"Now, I'm going to go pick her up." D said as he took his own leave. "I just hope she and her forces were hurtled all the way to the south."

"She?" Maleficent asked.

"You'll see." D said as he waved his hand and summoned a dark corridor. "I'll be back soon." He then went inside and disappeared along with the corridor, while Maleficent and Pete watched with confusion.

"Is it just me or does he not tell us everything?" Pete asked. "Just who is this guy?" The witch however didn't listen to the last part. She was more focused on how that man was able to conjure up Ultima, one of the most powerful spell attacks every known.

"There's something very ancient about him." Maleficent said. "Somehow he's not who exactly I thought he was..."

Author's Note

So, that's the end of this chapter. This one will focus on the Crystal Empire now, and I'm sure as you all already now, it will feature elements from the Siege of the Crystal Empire story-arc from the comics. That's also why the title of this ACT is called The Crystal Siege.

There's a reason why I aimed this chapter to be released today. Today is the release day of Final Fantasy VII REMAKE! And to celebrate, I've added Cloud, Barret, Red XIII, and of course everyone's waifu Tifa into the story as well! I was gonna save Cloud for later, but I didn't know how I would add him later. Unfortunately, other characters like Vincent Valentine are not gonna be in this story, because I think I have enough Final Fantasy characters in this story.

Next couple of chapters will feature some songs, but it'll take some time before they're ready, given that I have other projects, and I'm gonna be playing VII Remake as well. But don't worry, I'll be back soon to finish the story! And I promise, you'll be blown away!

Chapter 26: Dream Walker

She felt drowsy as she began to open her eyes, seeing nothing but pitch black. But then suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and saw that it was dark... very dark, and she couldn't see anything. Twilight Sparkle lifted her head up and tried to see by lightning up her horn. With it's magenta colored glow, Twilight looked left and right, but she still saw nothing except the magic from her horn. How did she end up here, she thought. She remembered being in the bedchambers of the Crystal Empire not too long ago, but now she's here?

"Hello?" Twilight asked. "Is anypony there?" Suddenly, she saw something far ahead of her. It looked like a bright light, except it was in the shape of a door. Wondering what it was, she galloped towards it, and jumped right into it. As she stumbled across the floor, she saw a familiar red carpet beneath her. Looking up, she saw familiar white pillars with purple details, flowers at the top, and of course the glass windows on each side.

"This is... Canterlot?" Twilight asked. "Why am I here?" She then looked forward, and saw a familiar majestic white alicorn with a flowing mane mixed with four streaks, light cerulean, turquoise, cobalt blue, and pale heliotrope. It was Princess Celestia!

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked. Hearing her name, the princess turned around to see the lavender unicorn, but she didn't look pleased.

"Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing here?" She asked, her voice sounding cold, much to Twilight's surprise.

"Well, I was wondering the same thing." Twilight said. "I found this door and then I-"

"I thought I made it perfectly clear that you were not welcomed here anymore." Celestia said, her voice still cold as venom. Twilight's ears perked.

"Wh... what?" Twilight asked.

"You heard me, little pony." Celestia said, her eyes showing spite. "You are no longer welcomed here. Not only are you no longer my student, but you are also hereby banished from Equestria!" Her sudden words made Twilight's eyes widen with shock. Princess Celestia was banishing her?!

"Wh... What?!" Twilight asked, very confused and scared. "Princess, I don't understand! Why?"

"Look for yourself..." Celestia said, pointing at the glass-stained window. To Twilight's pure horror, the glass-stained window depicted her, corrupted by darkness, and below her was Sora, who was slain and defeated.

"No... No!" Twilight said, not wanting it to be true! "It can't be!"

"But it is." Celestia spoke with even more spite. "You killed your friend, the one person who never gave up on you, and you killed him! You have walked the path of darkness, and now you are no longer welcomed here!" Twilight backed away as she saw the princess before her suddenly taking the shape... of herself. But it was her with darker fur, a flaming mane, and a glowing blue horn, with cyan sclera and purple irises. It was Midnight Sparkle!

"You are nothing anymore... but pure evil!" Midnight shouted with a smile and sharp teeth. Twilight screamed in horror as she galloped away, but the door she came from was closed shut, preventing her from escaping. Twilight turned around to see Midnight Sparkle approaching her, but it was now taking the form of Cosmos, the Deity of Malice. The monster opened it's mouth, ready to eat Twilight.

"NOOO!" Twilight screamed as she closed her eyes.

"Twilight...!"

Her eyes opened, just as a dark blue light pierced from the ceiling and blasted the spectre away, making it disappear completely. The lavender unicorn was greatly surprised. As the light faded away, there stood another familiar alicorn, a bit smaller than Celestia, and colored with different variations of blue. It was Celestia's younger sister, Luna!

"Princess Luna!" Twilight said, getting her attention.

"Good evening, Twilight Sparkle." Luna said. "It has certainly been a while, hasn't it."

"Wait, I don't understand." Twilight said as she approached the alicorn. "Why are you here?"

"Because, Twilight." Luna said. "As the Princess of the Night, it is my job to look after the dreams of all ponies, and that includes you, my dearest friend." Twilight's eyes widened with surprise. She had remembered when she snuck into the castle and destroyed the Elements of Harmony, as well as attacking her and Celestia when she was on that dark path. But even after all that, Luna still considers her a friend?

"You still see me as a friend?" Twilight asked. "But I attacked you."

"Yes, you have." Luna said. "But the fault is not entirely yours. It was the fragments of Nightmare Moon that made you do so."

"But it was me." Twilight said. "I made that decision on my own."

"That does not matter." Luna said. "You were still influenced by the very thing that I once was. If anything, I'd blame myself for that. Even after you freed me from the Nightmare, I did not expect that there would be pieces of her left. If I had not allowed myself to be consumed by darkness all those years ago, you wouldn't have to go through all this. And for that, I'm sorry."

"No, Princess." Twilight said. "Don't be so hard on yourself. What happened in the past happened, and Princess Celestia was willing to forgive you. We all were willing to forgive you." Hearing that made the Lunar Princess smile.

"You are a good friend, dear Twilight." Luna said. "Never forget that." She embraced Twilight with a hug, who hugged her right back. There was one thing that was still on her mind. Princess Celestia.

"Princess Luna, how is your sister?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I can't really say." Luna said. "She's been dealing with a lot since your vanished. Everything that happened at the wedding and your near descent to damnation was all because of a conspiracy by the Supreme Unicorn Movement and Chancellor Neighsay himself."

"I know." Twilight said. "We saw him in the north before we made it to the Crystal Empire, and that Shadow King was there too, along with a few others that Sora have fought against."

"So you have made it to the Empire." Luna said. "Do keep your guard up then. No doubt the Shadow King and those others will try to claim it. We cannot lose it again." Twilight then remembered something. She had heard tales of the Crystal Empire, and she has heard how the Princesses tried to stop King Sombra before he made the kingdom disappear.

"Princess Luna, do you know anything about the Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked.

"I'm afraid not." Luna said. "Me and my sister barely knew much about the Crystal Empire, so I'm not sure we'll be of much help."

"Then it's up to us then." Twilight said. "Well, don't worry. We'll take care of it."

"I know you will, Twilight." Luna said. "I believe in you." Twilight then glanced at the ground for a moment, her mind still on the nightmare she was having before the Lunar Princess showed up, of how Princess Celestia was so spiteful to her because of her actions. Would the real Princess Celestia be the same way with her?

"Princess... can you tell your sister that I'm sorry for everything that's happened?" Twilight asked.

"I believe it's best that you talk to her instead when all of this is over." Luna said. Twilight wasn't really hoping to hear that.

"But I..." Twilight said, and she looked away again. Being Princess Celestia's student, she has always worked hard to please her mentor, since she is the ruler of all of Equestria. Twilight admires her so much, but she was also scared of letting her down. Sure the Smarty Pants incident erased some of that fear away, but Twilight did betray Celestia and turned to darkness. It doesn't look like Celestia would be forgiving this time.

"You shouldn't be afraid of my sister, Twilight." Luna said. "She cares for you so much. She's even willing to let you leave this world should you wish to not forgive her." Twilight's ears perked up with surprise.

"What?" Twilight asked. Suddenly, Princess Luna closed her mouth, realizing what she just said.

"Oops, I wasn't suppose to tell you that!" She said. "Me and my damn mouth!"

"It's ok, Princess Luna." Twilight said. "It happens. But I'm actually surprised she thinks I'm not willing to forgive her."

"Well, she did leave you at the rehearsal hall." Luna said. "I'm still angry with her about that. But you should know something about that. After your little stunt during the rehearsal, she did wish to speak with you about your accusations, but she wasn't able to find you. She even searched the train station after she raised the sun, but she figured that you just went on home to Ponyville. She was considering cancelling everything, but the imposter urged her to continue on. She was going to fly there after she finished the ceremony to check on you until you showed up with the real Cadance, to ask if you wanted to come to the reception. I know you think it's just another excuse, but just know it's the truth." Twilight listened to everything carefully, and understood. Princess Celestia was considering cancelling everything to see if she was ok, if the fake bride hadn't begged her to continue it.

"I believe you, Princess Luna." Twilight said. "My friends and my brother were also fooled with too. The girls had their memories erased of learning that it was an imposter, and my brother was going to talk to me right when she sent me into the caverns. We were all fooled. But I don't care about that. I've done far worse than what everypony else did."

"But your friends forgave you, correct?" Luna asked.

"Of course they have." Twilight said.

"Then I'm sure my sister would show you mercy." Luna said.

"Or send me back to Magic Kindergarten." Twilight said.

"Don't be sure about that." Luna said. "You'll see. Just focus on protecting the Crystal Empire. But for now..." She ignited her horn, and suddenly, the hallway began to fade away, showing a beautiful ocean, and a beautiful sky with only a few clouds. Suddenly, Twilight found herself floating up in the air. She looked down at Luna, who smiled.

"May you have sweet dreams tonight." Luna said. "May you swim above the ocean and fly in the clouds, surrounded by your dear friends." Twilight tilted her head, but soon, she looked to her right, seeing Rainbow Dash flying next to her.

"Hey Twi!" She said happily.

"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

"Figured you might need some flying buddies!" Rainbow Dash said with a wink. Twilight then looked behind Rainbow Dash, seeing Fluttershy flying next to her, and Rarity, who was using magical butterfly wings. Turning to her left, she saw Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, with balloons tied to her back.

"Hi Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said. "I can fly like a Pegasus too!"

"Don't worry, sugarcube." Applejack said. "We're with ya." Suddenly, Twilight felt someone on her back. She turned her head and saw Spike, riding on.

"Me too!" The baby dragon said. Seeing her friends by her side brought a smile to her face. Being with them flying above the sea and in the sky gave her solace.

"Thanks everyone." Twilight said, as all of them continued flying forward, as Princess Luna watched.

"Sleep well, Twilight." She said as she took off and then disappeared while the girls continued flying in the peaceful sky.

Back in the bedchambers, Twilight was no longer whimpering or moving from her nightmare. As he dream turned into a happy one, she was sleeping peaceful, with a happy smile. What she didn't know was that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike were resting next to her, sleeping in peace with her too. Perhaps they have heard her whimpering in her sleep and decided to sleep with her tonight, and it seemed to work. Some would think it's strange, but it was perfect.

The light was shining from a strange angle, almost straight in Sora's face. The softness of the bed was replaced by the sudden sandy surface below him. He opened his eyes slowly, seeing the clear sky above him. Wait, he was not in the bedchambers at the Crystal Empire?

"Where... am I?" Sora asked, seeing that he was looking at the red sky, showing that it was either dawn or the sun was setting. Sitting up and looking straight ahead, he saw the sun setting on the horizon. It was very beautiful, actually. Looking down, he saw that he was sitting on a beach, which explains why he felt sand beneath him. Looking to his right, he saw a wooden pier connected to the steep hill behind him. He then glanced to his left, seeing a small miniature island connected to the upper level of the island near the Seashore Shack by the bridge. Wait a minute. This is the islands! Their home.

DESTINY ISLANDS

The boy kept looking from where he was sitting, feeling the sandy beach with his fingers. Why was he here? Was he dreaming? Well, it was better than the nightmares he's had recently. It was nice, and calm. Very peaceful. Small, but perfect.

"This is strange." He said as he let out a yawn, laying back down on the ground, his head and hair feeling the sand, but he didn't mind. He liked it.

"Sora?" A girl's voice asked. That familiar voice made him open his eyes. To his surprise, he saw a girl knew so well. With blue eyes and dark red hair reaching her shoulders, glancing down at him.

"Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Who else?" She asked with a smile. The boy lifted himself up a bit and turned to look at her.

"Wait, what's going on?" Sora asked. "How am I here? Am I... dreaming?" The girl couldn't help but giggle.

"Of course you are, silly." She answered. "But I'm real, though."

"You... are?" Sora asked. "Wait, how are you real when I'm dreaming?"

"Actually, I've been wondering that too." Kairi said. "I was dreaming about my old life when I was little, but then I heard your voice, and I was brought here. It's like someone linked our dreams together."

"Linked our dreams together?" Sora thought. He then noticed something as he looked past her shoulder, someone far away from the two. It looked like... Princess Luna?

"Princess Luna?" Sora asked.

"Huh?" Kairi asked. The boy looked back at the girl, then noticed the Princess of the Moon gone, as if she wasn't there.

"Oh, nothing." Sora said.

"So... how's it been?" She asked.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"You know, you're adventure." Kairi said. The boy then knew what she was talking about.

"Well, it's been really... interesting." Sora said, going over what had happened so far. "I guess it all started with me and the guys having to clean up Canterlot. Then we've been all over the place. First we went to a wildwest setting raising the town up, then we went to a bustling city, then we encountered a cult led by some crazed unicorn. And there was a lot of other stuff, like those black vines, the crystal tree, and we fought a crazed cosmic she-demon. We're already up north at the Crystal Kingdom, trying to figure out how to stop the Shadow King from taking it over again. Yeah, a lot of stuff happened." He didn't notice, but the girl placed her hand on his.

"I... I felt your light go out." Kairi said. "For a moment, I thought we lost you for good." The boy stared back at her with surprise. She sensed him almost dying?

"Oh, but it's ok." Sora said, reassuring her. "I'm alright. I heard you and Riku calling out to me. Everybody was." He then lowered his head, realizing that he must've made her worried sick.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that." He said.

"Don't be." Kairi said with a smile, taking both his hands. "Just like you always told me. As long as we think of each other, we'll never be apart. Right?"

"Yeah, of course." Sora said.

"That's good." Kairi said. She then looked down, seeing his hands in hers.

"I really miss you." She said. "I wish I was there with you." The boy understood what she meant, and how she was feeling. He missed her too.

"It's ok." Sora said. "I miss you too." The two looked at each other for a long moment. The boy then noticed. All the times that he's been with her, he never realized how beautiful she was. Right now, she looked... amazing...

"I never realized... how beautiful you look." He said. He then froze, realizing what he just said. He just said how beautiful she looked. He blushed.

"Whoa, where did that come from?" He asked. Suddenly, Kairi laughed. "What?"

"That's so sweet." She said. She then leaned closer to him, resting her head near his chest, making him blush even more.

"Uh... eh..." He spoke.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Uh, nothing." Sora said looking away, but the redness on his cheeks grew stronger. She leaned in closer to his level.

"It's ok." She said. "You can tell me. I won't get mad." The boy stared at the girl, seeing her sincere smile. He had no idea what was going on, and why he was feeling like this. But one thing's for sure, whatever it was, it felt good. Having her here felt so right.

"I don't know what's going on." Sora began. "But I really like it."

"Do you?" She asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "Maybe because you're here." He soon found his hand holding hers, and she smiled even more. Her hand caressed his face.

"It's ok, Sora." She said. "You're safe with me." He smiled. Just having her here did make him feel safe. He didn't know why he would feel safe around her. Maybe because of her wonderful personality, or her supporting nature. That's what he loved about her.

"Kairi… there's something that..." Sora said. "There's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?" She asked, tilting her head.

"I... um... I... Uhhhh…" Sora said, but he couldn't get it out. Why? Maybe because she wouldn't like it? Maybe because she would laugh at him.

"It's ok." She said. "Whatever it is, you can always tell me when you're ready." He glanced at her, more astonished to see her caring smile. Suddenly, they both found themselves leaning towards each other slowly, their heads moving closer, as if they were about to... Suddenly, everything went white.

The sun was just rising, piercing through her window, shining upon her face as she began to open her eyes. The girl with dark red hair stared at the ceiling, thinking about the dream she just woke up from. The dream where she was on the beach with Sora. It wasn't real... but it felt real. Really real.

Suddenly, she felt the presence of someone in the room. She turned her head, only to see the shelves and the table of the room she was in. For a moment, she could've sworn she saw a dark blue alicorn with a starry flowing mane. Maybe she was seeing things. Or maybe she wasn't.

Looking down at her arm, she noticed the bandage was gone, and the scratch that was once there was gone completely. It's almost as if it was never there. She remembered yesterday, where she felt Sora's spark dying out, but then coming back. He wasn't gone. He was ok. Looking up, she couldn't only think about him.

"Sora..."

"Kairi…"

He slowly began to open his eyes... beginning to wake up on this brand new day. Staring up, he saw that the ceiling was different. Very crystal-like. Oh, that's right. He wasn't back on the Islands or anything. He was still in Equestria, at the Crystal Empire.

Lifting himself up from the bed, he let out a stretch to get the stiffness out of him. Letting out a sigh, he just realized something. He didn't have any weird dreams, or that nightmare again. Actually, he slept through the whole night, finally having a good night's sleep. Looking up, a smile formed on his face. Thinking back at the dream he just had, where it was just of him and Kairi. That was the best dream he ever had. Was it because there wasn't any swarms of heartless coming in and sucking everybody up? No. It was because Kairi was there, and it made him happy.

He then remembered. Princess Luna. She was watching from the background. Was she the reason why Kairi was there? Did she connect Sora and Kairi's dreams together so they could talk. Well, she is the Princess of the Night, the watcher of dreams. Maybe it was a way of saying thank you for saving Twilight. But why put Kairi in all of this? Well, whatever the reason was, he knew that what he wanted to tell Kairi would have the wait.

Getting out of bed, and putting on his clothes, the boy stepped out into the hall, seeing the slight radiant colors of the castle.

"Wow." He said to himself.

"Hey, you're up!" A familiar quacky voice said. Turning around, he saw Donald and Goofy coming down the hall. He smiled.

"Hey, morning guys!" Sora said.

"Garsh, you seem to be very cheerful this morning." Goofy said.

"Yeah, I just realized that." Sora said.

"Sounds like you got a good night's rest." Donald said.

"I sure did." Sora said. "It was actually the best sleep that I've ever had."

"So, no bad dreams?" Goofy asked.

"No." Sora said. "Actually, I had probably one of the best dreams I've ever had."

"Really?" Goofy asked. "What was it about?" Sora was about to speak, but he decided not to say anything about it.

"Oh, just watching the sunset." Sora said as he turned away.

"You probably were dreaming about Kairi." Donald said, making Sora freeze in place.

"No, I wasn't!" He reacted quickly, but his blushing proved otherwise.

"Aha!" Donald said. "You were dreaming about her!"

"No, I wasn't!" Sora said. Donald only gave a sneaky smile, knowing that Sora was lying about that. The boy gave a defeated sigh.

"Ok, you got me." Sora said, and then he looked away for a moment, looking back on the dream. He was right. It was one of the best dreams he's ever had. He didn't know why, but he enjoyed it so much. Because Kairi was there.

"I don't know why, but it was... what's the word?" Sora asked.

"Magical?" Goofy asked.

"Something like that." Sora said.

"Say, you never did tell us how you met her." Goofy said.

"It's not for you guys to know." Sora said.

"Awww, c'mon!" Donald said. "We won't tell anybody." Sora only shook his head, but he let out another sigh. He knows that they're both gonna keep hounding him on it. So maybe it won't hurt to tell them.

"Well, you both probably already know, Kairi's actually from another world too, from what Aqua had told us." Sora said. "Kairi used to live in Radiant Garden, just like Leon and the others. I don't know how Kairi ended up on the islands, but it must've had something to do with Aqua, since she and the King helped her last time. But I do remember the day I first met Kairi, where I found her washed up on the shore..." As he explained to them how he met her, the boy remembered that night when the meteor shower happened, going back at least 11 years ago.

Towards the end of the meteor shower, the young boy, who was only five at the time, saw a shooting star crash close to the shore in the water near town. Curious, he went out there to investigate. To his surprise when he got there, he saw the young Kairi washing up onto the shoreline unconscious, but a mystical light was glowing from her necklace. It was actually very shocking that the girl and the shooting star was the same. He went over to see if she was ok. Luckily, the girl was slowly waking up. The two stared at each other face to face. He asked her who she was and where she came from. She only said her name; Kairi.

"She didn't have any memory of where she came." Sora continued. "The only thing she did remember was her name. Me and Riku would often visit her at her foster parents' house, and we would eventually spend time together on the islands. I still remember always competing with Riku for her affection. He must've known that I liked her a lot. Maybe that's why he would always tease me about it." Hearing that made Donald and Goofy smile.

"But who doesn't?" Sora asked. "Kairi's just amazing. She's caring, kindhearted, and she's not afraid to speak her mind. She's even willing to go against danger to help me. That's what I really like about her." He lowered his head, looking back on the precious memories of all the times he and Kairi spent together. He smiled, much to Donald and Goofy's notice. Sora then realized that he was talking to much.

"Um, yeah, and the rest you know." Sora said, trying to get himself on track.

"Awww, you do like her a lot." Donald said. The boy blushed and looked away.

"Don't rub it in." Sora said.

"It's ok, Sora." Goofy said. "It's normal to feel that way towards a girl. It's all part of growing up."

"Yeah, I guess so." Sora said. "It's funny, actually. I never had the chance to tell her how much she means to me."

"Then you should tell her." Donald said.

"But... what if she doesn't feel the same way?" Sora asked. "What if she doesn't want t be my friend anymore."

"Don't think that, Sora." Goofy said. "Kairi will always be your friend no matter what. And besides, we can tell that she seems to like you the same way."

"How would you guys know?" Sora asked.

"Remember when you turned into a heartless?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, I remember that." Sora said. "I even remember you clobbing me on the head with your wand and telling me to get lost." Donald nervously laughed.

"Well, she knew that you were that heartless." Goofy said, getting back to the point. "And when you both were surrounded, she refused to step aside and she protected you. That shows how much she cares about ya." Sora glanced back, and he remembered. She did recognize him when he was just a mere heartless. And when the other heartless surrounded them, she stood by his side and held him close. It was at that moment, she brought him back to his human self. The strong connection between them brought him back. He even heard her voice.

"Yeah, you're right." Sora said. "She saved me back there. She even refused to let me go when I was trying to save you guys."

"Huh?" Donald and Goofy asked.

"Oh, nothing." Sora said, not wanting to tell them about how he saved them from that Lich. But he did want to do one thing. To tell Kairi how much she mattered to him.

"You guys are right." Sora said. "When all of this is over, I'm gonna tell her how much she means to me. I'm going to tell her how I feel."

"Atta boy, Sora." Goofy said with a happy nod.

"But first, we have a Crystal Empire to save, remember?" Donald asked.

"Right." Sora said.

"Everybody's probably outside." Goofy said.

"Then we better go meet up with them." Sora said as they began to make their way towards the stairs.

"Just remember, we got a big day ahead of us." Donald said. "So, no meddling."

"Ok, so long as you keep your temper in check." Sora said as the three made their way down the hall, while the duck only sighed in annoyance.

The sun was out and about, shining so brightly on the Crystal Empire. It's kinda strange though, seeing how outside there was a total winter storm going on yesterday, but when they got through the shield and entrance, the storm wasn't piercing through. Perhaps it's because of the mysterious magic the kingdom possessed.

Speaking of which, the kingdom was indeed sparkling. Well, not much still. The reason why it's sparkling a bit now is because the sun was out, still rising from the east right towards the castle. At least that helps, but still, not much was giving a sparkling however.

Twilight stepped out from the Central Chamber of the castle to get a good look at the town, seeing the beautiful crystal buildings that was around her. She had seen the town as they came here yesterday, but seeing this now, without anything happening at the moment, she took the time to take it in. It was beautiful and peaceful. After nearly bringing Equestria to ruins, seeing this was enough to give Twilight some solace for her previous actions.

"Morning, Twilight!" Turning her head, she saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy coming out of the castle, giving a happy wave.

"Good morning, Sora." Twilight said with a smile. "You look like you've slept well."

"Actually, I have." Sora said. "Probably the best sleep I've ever had."

"That's because he had a good dream." Goofy said.

"A very good dream." Donald said in a sneaky way, with the boy staring at him sternly. But Donald laughed anyway.

"Good to hear." Twilight said. "Because we got a long day ahead of us." She was right. They needed to figure out how to protect the Crystal Empire, and stop King Sombra once and for all. Sora then turned his head, seeing Riku coming out of the castle too.

"Morning." Riku said.

"Morning to you too." Sora said.

"Twilight!" Twilight turned her head as she heard the voices of her friends. She saw the rest of the Mane Six, and Spike make their way towards them.

"Hey, gang." Twilight said, only to be hugged tightly by Pinkie Pie.

"Oh, Twilight, we've been looking all over for you!" She said as she began to weep. "We thought you left us again!"

"Pinkie, I just went outside." Twilight said. "Do you really have to do this every time I leave?"

"Sorry, it's just that we love you so much, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said as she nuzzled her closely.

"Our apologies, Twi." Applejack said. "We tried to stop her."

"Pinkie Pie." Rarity said as she used her magic to pull Pinkie Pie away from Twilight. "Don't suffocate her, please."

"Awww, but I missed her already." Pinkie Pie said.

"Don't worry, Pinkie." Twilight said, placing her hoof on the party pony's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere." Hearing that made her smile.

"Hey, where's Discord?" Rainbow Dash whispered Fluttershy.

"Oh, don't worry, he's around." Fluttershy said, taking a quick glance at her lower mane, with a little draconequus giving a little wink and wave, making the butter Pegasus giggle.

"So, what's the status update?" Sora asked Riku. "Where's everyone else?"

"Well, Leon and the others are speaking with the locals, to see if they know anything about Sombra and the Empire." Riku said. "Terra, Aqua, and Ventus are with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance right now, to see if the Castle Guards are ok."

"And the King?" Donald asked.

"How's he feeling?" Goofy asked.

"Mickey's with them as well." Riku said. "He's feeling better, but I told him that he should refrain from casting that Shield spell again. Aqua said she would recast it if the shield starts failing." While Goofy was relieved, Donald sounded a bit annoyed.

"Again with the first name?" Donald asked, with Sora whacking him behind the head. "OW!"

"We better go check with them first." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Sora said. "Let's go." Then the group went off to check on Princess Cadance and the others to see how they were doing.

Author's Note

This was gonna be posted a while ago, but some personal issues have been coming along that was beyond my control and is kinda putting me in a funk. All I ask is you guys pray for me and my family, please.

Well, I did something a little different this time, and decided to give you guys a little short chapter. At least I think it's short. This was originally gonna be part of the next chapter, but I split it in half.

We dive a little bit into some more dreams again, with a little nightmare at the beginning, and a nice calmer dream in the middle.

This chapter is also for you SoraXKairi fans out there. Yes, they're so cute together, and I adore them just as everyone else.
How they've met is not something that was completely explored in the games. We know that Kairi was sent from Radiant Garden to Destiny Islands thanks to the protection spell Aqua placed on her necklace. And Kairi arrived the night of the meteor shower, as mentioned by Sora in the first game.
In the Kingdom Hearts Manga series, in the very beginning, there's a scene of Kairi washing up to the shore and Sora finds her there, so I've added that part into this story, because it makes sense.
Do you think the dream is a foreshadow of what's to come in the story? ...maybe (smiles keenly)

If you're wondering where Discord is, he's still around. He's hiding in Fluttershy's mane most of the time. So if you think that I forgot him, don't worry.

Anyway, see you guys in the next chapter, and I will try to get it out asap! It's gonna have another musical number, and it's one of my favorites. I'll give you a hint: Ever heard of the works of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan?

Chapter 27: Tarantara!

Meanwhile, at the Training Grounds outside the castle, Shining Armor and Cadance were in front of a squad of Crystal Ponies wearing soldiers. These are definitely the Crystal Soldiers who protect the Crystal Empire. But unfortunately, the guards were a bit confused, having no idea what was going on, probably because they were gone for a thousand years.

On the sidelines were Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and King Mickey, who has made a moderate recovery following yesterday when he cast the shield around the city. Shining was doing his best to keep the troops in line, but they were all chattering and chattering, though it was more of a mumbling, because no one could understand a word they were saying.

"Ok, everypony." Shining said. "Can I have your attention, please?" The crystal soldiers still mumbled, all of them confused, and not hearing a single word coming out of his mouth.

"Um... Hello?" Shining asked, but the guards didn't respond.

"They're confused." Aqua said.

"Very confused." Terra said. Cadance only sighed and stepped forward.

"SHUT IT!" She shouted, all of the soldiers stopping in place hearing the pony's voice. It was actually impressive.

"Thanks." Shining said.

"Don't mention it." Cadance said. The stallion gave a nod and glanced back at the soldiers.

"Ok, listen up." He said. "I know you're all a bit confused by what is going on. But I want you all to know that we have to protect the Crystal Empire. So, I want you to go collect your weapons and we're going to do some training exercises. Hopefully that will help you get back into routine." Despite the confusion, the guards nodded and made their way to collect their equipment. The stallion gave a sigh and lowered his head.

"I just hope things will be ok." Shining said.

"Don't worry, Shining." Cadance said. "I'm sure the guards will come to their senses."

"It's not them I'm worried about." Shining said. The pink alicorn knew who he was worried about.

"Oh, Twilight." She said. The stallion gave nodded. Cadance then gave him a hug, giving him some peace and comfort.

"So, we're just gonna stand here?" Ventus asked the others.

"Your Majesty!" Two voices got the mouse's attention. Mickey turned to see Donald and Goofy rush up to him.

"Donald, Goofy!" Mickey said. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too, your majesty!" Donald said.

"You look like you're feeling better." Goofy said.

"Sure am." Mickey said. "Sorry I worried you all back there yesterday."

"It's ok." Goofy said. "We're just glad you're doing ok." Pretty soon, Twilight approached the king.

"Good morning, your majesty." Twilight said as she gave a bow. "It's such an honor to meet you."

"Thank you, Miss Twilight." Mickey said. "It's great to see you're ok as well. Princess Celestia was pretty worried sick when she told me that you went missing." Twilight was actually surprised to hear that.

"She... she was?" Twilight asked. Oh, that's right. Princess Celestia! Twilight turned her head and began to think. She remembered full well how Celestia had left her in the rehearsal hall when she accused Cadance, or the imposter at the time, of being evil. But what was really on her mind was of how she, when she had fallen to darkness, wiped the floor with her teacher when she destroyed the Elements.

"Oh, did I say something wrong?" Mickey asked, seeing the lavender unicorn lost in thought.

"Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"You still mad at Princess Celestia?" Spike asked.

"No, it's fine." Twilight said as she turned away. "It's just that, I've done some terrible things while you all were looking for me. I was blinded by my own anger, and I let the darkness consume me. And what's worse, I... I attacked Princess Celestia and nearly plunged Equestria into madness. She may have ignored my warnings, but she had good reason to. And I've done worse. She's probably never going to forgive me." The girls looked with concern.

"It'll be ok, Twilight." Mickey said with an assuring smile. "We all lose our way, but you realized your errors and came through. You found your light again and you've managed to correct your wrongs. Don't let your sins get to you, ok? Just remember you still have your friends to support you." Seeing the mouse's kind nature brought a smile to the lavender unicorn.

"Thank you, your majesty." Twilight sad. "And you're right. I have good friends who never gave up on me." She turned her head, glancing back at Sora and the girls.

"What about us?!" Donald asked. "We helped too!" Sora then shifted his attention to the guards, who were mumbling in confusion as they checked through their things to retrieve their gear.

"Ummm… what's up with the guards?" Sora asked.

"They're not quite in their right minds, unfortunately." Aqua said.

"Meaning?" Sora asked.

"They don't know what's going on." Aqua said. "They've don't remember anything at all."

"They seemed to forgotten what's happened." Terra said. "They don't even know what day it is."

"Well, they did lose a thousand years to an evil king." Ventus said.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Rainbow Dash said.

"Maybe Sombra must've done something to them when he caused the kingdom to disappear." Riku said. "Maybe some kind of amnesia spell."

"It must be the work of his dark magic." Twilight said. "He may have erased their memory of him taking over the Crystal Empire before causing it to disappear."

"I hope it's only temporary." Fluttershy said.

"I wouldn't count on that, Flutters." Applejack said. As the group were chatting, Shining Armor looked around, seeing that someone was missing.

"Where's Sentry?" Shining asked.

"Right here, sir!" The gamboge Pegasus with the blue mane and tail said approaching the captain, wearing his yellow armor. Shining was surprised of how fast the Pegasus got here.

"Wow, that was fast." Shining said. "You have everything for training?"

"Yes sir." Flash said with a salute. But then suddenly, his attention was drawn back to Twilight, who was speaking with the others. The rookie guard couldn't take her eyes off of her, much to his captain's notice.

"Uh, Sentry?" Shining asked.

"One second, sir." Flash said as he moved past the stallion to speak with the lavender unicorn. "Good morning, Twilight." Hearing her name, Twilight turned her head to see the rookie guard. Seeing him made her smile.

"Oh, hello Flash Sentry." Twilight said.

"Morning, Twilight." The guard said, but he stood there, glancing at her face. "Wow..."

"What?" Twilight asked.

"You look lovely today." Flash answered, though he gave a blush realizing that. Twilight found herself blushing.

"Oh, thank you, Flash." Twilight said.

"Your welcome, Twilight." Flash said as he gave a nod. She then gave a little peck on the cheek, making him blush once more. As she walked away to speak with Cadance, the guard stood there staring at Twilight, unaware of Spike looking at him suspiciously.

"She's... amazing." He said, suddenly finding himself sweating. His eyes were still fixated on Twilight, but it seems there was something going on inside him. Like some kind of... conflict?

"Good morning, Twilight." Cadance said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did." Twilight said, but then her attention was drawn to Shining, who glanced at her back. Both were silent.

"Hello, Shining." She said, her head glancing away.

"Hello, Twily." Shining said, feeling nervous. The lavender unicorn didn't say anything. The hurtful words of her brother still rang in her ears, but her heart was feeling guilt, now that she knows that he wanted to apologize during the whole mess and everything. Shining too was feeling guilt, but a lot of it. Luckily, before the moment got even more awkward, Sora stepped forward.

"So, Captain Armor!" Sora said. "How's everything... that's happening... right now?"

"Huh?" Shining asked.

"I'm not helping, am I?" Sora whispered to Riku, who only shook his head, but gave a smile.

"I take it you're working on getting the guards back on track?" Riku asked.

"I'm trying to." Shining said. "The crystal guards seem to be confused. They don't seem to remember how to fight or anything."

"Do they at least know how to use a weapon?" Applejack asked.

"I'm afraid they don't." Cadance said. "One of them accidently stuck one up their spears in... um... I won't say it."

"I think we already have a pretty good idea." Rarity said.

"I don't." Ventus said.

"But hopefully these training exercises we're about to do will help jog their senses back." Shining said.

"Training exercises?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Sounds like my kind of thing." The rainbow maned Pegasus approached the Royal Guard Captain.

"Say Cap." She said. "If you need somepony who can give some good coaching lessons, I may be able to give you a few pointers."

"Really?" Shining asked, sounding a little unconvinced. "Do you know much of the historical events and the basic tactics of the EUP Guard?" Rainbow Dash then froze, and started to make a dead stare face. That basically means she has no idea.

"Uhhhh... maybe?" She said.

"You do know what EUP means, right?" Shining asked.

"It means... Equestria... United... Patrol?" Rainbow Dash asked. That's not exactly what it means. It means Earth Pony, Unicorn and Pegasus.

"Yeah, definitely not for you." Shining said, with the girls, even Twilight began to giggle, with Rainbow Dash glanced back at them unamused. Pretty soon, the guards were making their way towards the field, but to everyone's surprise, they were wearing not armor, but strange black uniforms, making them look like the British Police back in the day. They were all wielding short thick stick-like bats with their magic and wings. As they all lined up, they stood in place.

"Those are the guards?" Sora asked.

"More like policeman." Donald said. Confused at what they were wearing, Shining stepped forward and shook his head.

"Ok, what are you guys wearing?" He asked.

"Uniforms." One of the guards said.

"Why aren't you wearing armor?!" Shining asked.

"We don't know." The other guard said. Shining only sighed with stress.

"Guys, listen to me." Shining said. "You guys are suppose to be the Crystal Guards of the Crystal Empire! The protectors of your kingdom, the soldiers who defend the weak, and fight the forces of darkness, even if it means die fighting!" The guards gasped.

"Die Fighting?" They all asked, as their bats began to tilt to the sides all deflated. Shining only stood there in deep shock, seeing that the guards are... incompetent. They were not like what he read about in the books. The girls couldn't help but giggle at this silly sort.

"Hey Goofy, you're a Captain of the Royal Knights." Sora said. "Can you talk to them?"

"Me?" Goofy asked.

"Well, why not?" Sora asked.

"Um... ok." Goofy said as he stepped forward, making his way to the guards.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." Goofy said, getting their attention. "I know you all seem a bit nervous and not knowing what's going on right now. But you all are royal guards. Royal Guards, like Knights, follow a code, a Code of Chivalry - the qualities of bravery, honor, courtesy, and gallantry towards many. It's your job to protect this place just as all knights are sworn to protect their kingdom. That's what you are, protectors of your kingdom." As Goofy finished his speech, Donald couldn't help but shed a tear, while Sora gave a clap.

"Beautiful, man." Ventus said as he gave a salute. The guards looked at each other.

"But… we don't know how to fight." One of the guards said.

"Really?" Goofy asked, while everyone only sighed.

"Is there anything you can do?" Shining asked.

"Yes, now that you mention it." Another guard said. "We do happen to be quite gifted with one good skill."

"And what's that?" Goofy asked.

"We can dance." The guard answered. "Hit It!" Suddenly, the Crystal Guards suddenly broke routine and began to tap their hooves to a sudden rhythm with the horns, surprising everyone. As Shining stepped back, Goofy watched with excitement.

"What's going on?" Riku asked.

"I think they're dancing." Mickey said. The guards began to do all sorts of dancing techniques, which were a bit silly, but pretty impressive, as Goofy began to join them.

"Goofy, what are you doing?" Sora asked.

"I think I'm in the middle of their dance routine." Goofy said as the guards began to march around him and behind. "But garsh, I kinda like this song." He then moved left, and then right, then back as the guards stood behind him. Then, he began to move to the marching beat, while the guards marched in synch.

When the foeman bares his steel(Tarantara, Tarantara!)

We uncomfortable feel(Tarantara!)

And we find the wisest thing(Tarantara, Tarantara!)

Is to slap our chests and sing, Tarantara!(Tarantara!)

For when threatened with emeutes(Tarantara, Tarantara!)

And your heart is in your boots(Tarantara!)

There is nothing brings it round, like the trumpet's martial sound

Like the trumpet's martial sound

As the guards began to march, chant, and dance at the same time, Goofy found himself dancing and skipping to the song. Suddenly, he pulled Sora into the dance, and the boy was happy to join, while Donald rushed up with them. Pretty soon, Ventus joined them as well, while everyone was a bit amazed, but enjoying their dancing. Pretty soon, Cadance came down to sing, as the guards, and the boys, gave a bow to her.

Go, ye heroes, go to glory

Though you die in combat gory

The soldiers lifted their heads up hearing the words die in combat gory, though Goofy lifted his own head up to hear the Princess sing.

Ye shall live in song and story

Go to immortality!

Go to death, and go to slaughter;

The Soldiers gulped with surprise.

Die, and every pony daughter

They gulped again.

With her tears your grave shall water.

Go, ye heroes, go and die!

Go, ye heroes, goand die! Go ye heroes, go and die!

The girls singing the last part, made the Crystal Guards a bit scared. Going to Die? Where did that come from. Luckily, they kept in synch to the rhythm, while Goofy continued to sing.

Though to us it's evident(Tarantara, Tarantara!)

These attentions are well meant(Tarantara!)

Such expressions don't appear(Tarantara, Tarantara!)

Calculated men to cheer(Tarantara!)

"What is happening?" Terra asked.

"I'm not even surprised anymore." Aqua said.

"Ok, this is silly." Twilight said a bit confused, but at the same time, she was enjoying it a bit, just as Sora pulled her in to join the dance.

Who are going to meet their fate

In a highly nervous state

Tarantara, Tarantara, Tarantara!

Still to them it's evident

These attentions are well meant

Tarantara, Tarantara, Tarantara!

As the soldiers sang the previous part, Rarity stepped in front to sing along with the tune.

Go and do your best endeavour,

And before all links we sever,

We will say farewell for ever.

Go to glory and the grave!

Pretty soon, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack joined the singing.

Go to glory and the grave!

For your foes are fierce and ruthless,

False, unmerciful, and truthless;

Young and tender, old and toothless,

"All in vain their mercy crave!!!" Pinkie Pie screamed out.

Hearing how they were going to glory and the grave, and how they will face fierce, ruthless, false, unmerciful, truthless, young and tender, old and toothless foes, made the Crystal Guards shiver with fear. One of them actually fainted while the others caught him. Despite this, everyone else was enjoying this happy moment. While it was silly, it was very enjoyable, even Twilight began to enjoy it as well. Spike however, noticed Flash Sentry, giving a bit of sweat.

"Are you ok?" Spike asked, almost startling the stallion.

"Uh... yeah, I'm good." Flash said. While Spike glanced at him cautiously, Flash turned away, giving a bit of worry.

"Too... much.... love..." The Pegasus said silently. Pretty soon, the guards quickly got themselves in position, while Goofy approached the rest of the girls, while Sora, Donald, and Ventus snapped their fingers to the beat.

We observe too great a stress,

On the risks that on us press,

And of reference a lack

To our chance of coming back.

As Goofy sang towards the girls, The Crystal Guards noticed nobody was paying attention. One of them whispered to them, pointing away, urging them that this was their chance to sneak away while they didn't notice. The guards began to make their quiet escape, until Shining Armor noticed.

Still, perhaps it would be wise

Not to carp or criticise,

For it's very evident

These attentions are well meant.

"HEY!" Shining shouted as he moved towards the Crystal Guards, all of them yelping as he stood in their way.

"What are you doing?!" He asked. "Get back in line! Get! Get!" The Crystal Guards only got back in line, while everyone watching began to sing along.

Yes, it's very evident

These attentions are well meant,

Evident, yes well meant, evident

Ah yes well meant!

And then, the guards, the girls, Sora, Ventus, Donald, and Goofy marched in tempo, while everyone also did arm movements left, right, up, down, expressing what the soldiers and the girls were singing. The only exception was Shining Armor, who was confused by the soliders. But he did his best to keep his cool.

Go, ye heroes, go to glory / When the foeman bares his steel

Though you die in combat gory / We uncomfortable feel

And we find the wisest thing / Ye shall live in song and story

Is to slap our chests and sing / Go to immortality

Go to death, and go to slaughter; / For when threatened with emeutes

Die, and every Cornish daughter / And your heart is in your boots

There is nothing brings it round, like the trumpet's martial sound / With her tears your grave shall water

Like the trumpet's martial sound / Go, ye heroes, go and die

Go ye, heroes, go to immortality! / Tarantara-ra-ra-ra-rah, Tarantara!

Tarantara-ra-ra-ra-rah, Tarantara! / Go ye, heroes, go to immortality!

Go, ye heroes, go you heroes! / Tarantara-ra-ra-rah, Ra-ra-ra-rah!

Tarantara-ra-ra, Tarantara! / Go to immortality!

"Away, Away." Shining sang.

"Yes, yes, we go!" The Crystal Guards sang.

"These scandrels slay." Shining sang.

"Tarantara!" The Crystal Guards chanted.

"Then do not stay." Shining sang.

"Tarantara!" The Crystal Guards chanted.

"Then Why This Delay?!" Shining asked.

All right, we go! / At last, they go!

Yes forwardon the foe

"Yes but you're still here!" Shining said.

We go, we go! / At last, they go!

Yes forward on the foe

Yes forwardon the foe

"Yes, but you don't go!" Shining called out.

We go, we go! / At last, they go!

Yes forwardon the foe

"Oh Celestia, they don't go." Shining said with stress and exhaust.

"No they don't." Leon said as he patted his head.

We go, we go! / At last, they go!

We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go! We go, we go!

At last, they go! They go, they go, they go, we go, they go, they go, they go, we go, they go, they go, they go, they go!

We Go! We Gooooooo! / They Go! They Gooooooo!

Then, after the singing stopped, the guards began to panic, realizing that they were going to glory and the grave. They began to gallop all over, leaving everyone confused.

"Wait, come back!" Ventus called out as he and Mickey went after some of them.

"Aww, c'mon!" Rainbow Dash said. "The Wonderbolts can do better than these guys!"

"Well, so much for getting them back into routine." Riku said, shaking his head, just as a stallion guard ran past them, bumping straight into one of the fences.

"Riku, Sora, you guys go check the locals!" Terra said. "Meet with Leon and the others, and see if you can learn anything about Sombra."

"Ok, but what about you guys?" Riku asked.

"We'll take care of the guards." Aqua said. "We'll see if they'll get their senses right... somehow."

"Whoahoahoahoahoa!" Ventus and Mickey shouted as they found themselves riding one of the Crystal Guards.

"The King!" Donald and Goofy said.

"Don't worry about me!" Mickey said. "You guys go find Leon and the others, and ask around town if they know anything!"

"Ok!" Sora said. Pretty soon, they took off towards the square.

"We better ask around too." Twilight said.

"Right!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash said.

"Yep!" Pinkie Pie said as Rarity nodded.

"Got it!" Fluttershy said as they quickly galloped and followed Sora and company, though Spike was falling too far behind.

"Twilight, wait!" Spike called out.

"You stay with Shining and Cadance!" Twilight called out. "I'll be back soon!"

"But I don't wanna leave you... alone again." Spike said, feeling a bit down. But then he shook his head.

"Don't worry, Spike." He said to himself. "She's with the girls, and Sora and his friends. She'll be ok." Suddenly, he heard a strange scuffling sound. Turning his head, he saw Flash Sentry galloping away, looking like he was sweating and worried. The baby dragon had more suspicion in his eyes.

"Where's he going?" Spike asked. Wondering what that Pegasus is up to, he followed after him.

The town itself, as said before, indeed breathtaking. As the group strolled along the streets of the Empire, they saw all kinds of sights, such as the Market Square, where the ponies have been making all kinds a food that had crystals with it, such as crystal berries, and crystal corn. Crystal corn? How do you make that?

Besides, there was also a massive stadium nearby just on the West of the city. It was actually much bigger than the one in Canterlot. For a city that lost a thousand years, the whole kingdom seemed to be a bit more advanced. Probably because almost everything is made of crystal. That could be it.

Pretty soon, Sora and the gang were speaking with a Crystal Pony named Sapphire Joy, hoping to learn more what they can about the Crystal Empire. But Sapphire Joy didn't look to joyful, however, and unfortunately...

"Are you sure you don't know anything?" Twilight asked the Crystal Pony.

"No, I don't remember anything." Sapphire Joy said, looking dull and glum. "I don't know anything about what happened when this King Sombra ruled our home, and I really don't remember anything at all." She looked around, her attention was towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who were thinking.

"She doesn't look too sparkly." Goofy said.

"Maybe Sombra must've had something to do with it." Donald said.

"Has it really been a thousand years?" Sapphire Joy asked.

"Yeah, it's been that long." Sora said.

"It feels like it was just yesterday." Sapphire Joy said as she glanced at the floor all sad.

"Well, if you remember anything, let us know, ok?" Sora asked.

"Of course." Sapphire Joy said as she retreated back into her house.

"What a bust!" Donald said.

"Hopefully Leon and the others having more luck than we are." Goofy said.

"Alright little horsy, start talking!" Barret said as he stared down at the other crystal pony, Fleur De Verre, who was a bit surprised and a bit scared as she saw the big muscular guy. "Do you know anything about this Empire?"

"I wish I could help you. Really." Fleur De Verre said as she left glumly, with Barret stopping her in her hoofsteps.

"Aww, c'mon now!" Barret shouted. "You gotta at least know something!"

"But... I don't have any information." Fleur De Verre said as she just walked away, though she started running away from the big guy as she got far enough. The big guy only sighed.

"I thought ponies were suppose to be happy and cheerful." Barret said.

"Maybe you should lower your voice when you talk." Red XIII said as he popped his head in, with Barret giving a defeated growl.

Yuffie began to jump from building to building, looking down at the streets. She decided to use her ninja skills to gather information from the locals to learn about the Empire.

"Alright, let's gather some info!" She said as she hopped down from the building, sneaking across the ground towards two Crystal Ponies talking to each other, both of them looking glumly and sad at the castle.

"It just feels like something's missing." Elbow Grease said as Yuffie hid in a bush and slowly crept towards the two.

"Yes, it looks the same." Night Knight said as Yuffie lifted her head up. "But it doesn't feel the same."

"Wait, what doesn't feel the same?" Yuffie asked, getting both their attention.

"GAH!" They both shouted. "A SPY!" They screamed as they took off running, while Yuffie lost her footing before she could explain.

"WAIT!" Yuffie called out, but the two were already gone. The Great Ninja only sighed.

"Why does everyone think I'm a spy?" Yuffie asked. "I'm a ninja for goodness sake."

"It's probably the goggles you're wearing on your forehead." Tifa said as she came to the scene, pointing to the particular Night Vision Goggles on the ninja's forehead. "Where did you even get those? Don't tell me you stole them."

"Nah, I just found them lying around." Yuffie said as she placed them on. "Oooooo… so night like!" She gave a giggle having them on, until she crashed into a crystal structure and fell to the floor all dizzy, while Tifa only shook her head.

Cid was taking a moment to look around the town around him, amazed by this beautiful place, but also fascinated by the little gizmos that were made of crystals.

"Dang, this place is one hell of a beautiful city." Cid said. "If these ponies use crystals for a power source, maybe I can apply that to the Highwind and see if it will power up again." As he began to think, a crystal pony approached him.

"Excuse me, do you need anything?" She asked, causing Cid to be pulled out of his train of thought.

"Be Quiet!" He shouted back at her. "Can't you see I'm having a good daydream?!"

"S...Sorry..." The Crystal Pony said as she backed away and galloped real scared. Cid then realized that he was suppose to be asking them about the Empire, not thinking about how crystals could be used as a power source. He sighed.

"Me and my damn mouth." He muttered as he face palmed.

Cloud looked around, seeing some of the crystal ponies passing by, wondering if they could know anything about the Crystal Empire. But, none of them seem to be up for talking, so... he let out a sigh.

"Not interested." Cloud said as he walked away.

"So you don't know anything?" Aerith asked, as she and Leon were talking to another Crystal Pony.

"No, I'm sorry." She said. "I don't know anything." She then glanced at Stitch, who was on Aerith's shoulder. The little furball couldn't help but open his mouth, showing his slightly sharp teeth, which made the pony nervous.

"What... is that thing?" She asked.

"His name is Stitch." Aerith said as she petted the blue creature, making him sigh calmly. "Don't worry, he's cute when you get to know him."

"Anyway." Leon said. "Let us know if you remember anything."

"Ok." The crystal pony said as she took off, while the three remained there.

"Well, back to square one." Leon said. As the three turned around, they saw Sora and the rest approaching them.

"Hey." Sora said. "Any luck?"

"No." Leon said. "We couldn't find anything. What about you guys?"

"Nothing yet." Riku said. Looking to his left, Sora saw Cid and Cloud making their way towards them.

"Did you guys have any luck?" Sora asked.

"No." Cloud said. "Nothing on our part."

"You didn't make an effort, did you." Aerith asked.

"They didn't look interested to ask." Cloud said. "Plus, this guy was yelling his mouth off." Cid only looked away with a bit of embarrassment. Pretty soon, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, and a still dizzy Yuffie making their way towards the group.

"You guys?" Sora asked, hoping they know anything.

"Nope." Tifa said. "We couldn't get anything either."

"We would've if someone wasn't shouting." Red XIII said, his head looking right at Barret.

"Hey!" Barret said. "At least I wasn't sneaking up behind folks and easedropping."

"Hey, a Ninja gets information better when she hides in the shadows and listen to others." Yuffie said, finally out of her dizzy state.

"That's still eavesdropping." Cid said. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Umm... ok?" Twilight said before whispering to Sora. "Quite an interesting bunch, Sora." Sora couldn't help but chuckle hearing that.

"HEY, TWILIGHT!" A voice called out, getting Twilight's attention. Looking behind, she saw Rainbow Dash flying towards her, with Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie following behind.

"Girls." Twilight said as Rainbow Dash floated to the ground, and the others finally caught up.

"Rainbow, don't go so fast." Applejack said.

"Did you girls learn anything?" Twilight asked.

"No, I got nothing so far." Rainbow Dash said.

"Me neither." Rarity said.

"Nothing." Fluttershy said as she shook her head.

"Nope, nuttin' either." Pinkie Pie said. "I couldn't even cheer them up."

"Sorry, Twilight, but the crystal ponies seem to have some collective amnesia." Applejack said. "But I did ask them if they had a library, and they said that there was one nearby." Hearing that made Twilight gasp and smile.

"A library?!" Twilight asked excitedly as she zoomed close to Applejack's snout. "Why didn't you say so?"

"I just did." Applejack said, with Twilight realizing that too.

"Oh... right." She said with a blush, and the girls gave a cute giggle.

"Nerd..." Yuffie whispered to Aerith.

"I like her." She answered back.

"Ok then, let's check out the Library." Sora said. "We can probably look for something there."

"Of course!" Goofy said. "Anything can be found in a book!"

"Then let's get going!" Donald said. And just like that, everyone went off to the Library, hoping to find the info they need on the Crystal Kingdom.

Pretty soon, the very large group made their way to the Library that Applejack spoke of, which was the big crystal building that had two crystal Griffon statues standing at the entrance. As the doors finally opened up, they saw a huge room where there were at least three floors, all of them connected by crystal-like stairs. And there were books. Lots and Lots of books. Not to mention the bookshelves that were made of crystals that reached all the way to the ceiling. There was a window above the ceiling, and there windows at the end to the very top floor. But nothing was more astonishing than the books and the shelves they rested on. There were so many books, as stated before. And for Twilight, it was a dream come true!

"I just... I don't even know what to say..." Twilight said, her eyes sparkling with joy and her smile growing bigger than Pinkie Pie's. "It's so beautiful... SO... MANY... BOOKS...!!!!" Her happy expression was both creepy and funny.

"Garsh, she must really like books." Goofy said.

"Geek." Donald whispered. That earned the duck a swat behind the head by Sora. "Ow!"

"Ahem..." A voice said from the side. Turning their heads, they saw an older crystal earth pony that wore yellow glasses that were held up by strings. Her mane was held up by what seemed to be a gold-colored headband, and tied in the back, just like her tail. Her eyes were a light red-pink color, and her cutie mark was of a opened scroll. She must be the librarian.

"May I help you?" The mare, Amethyst Maresbury asked.

"Yes, you can." Twilight said as she approached her. "We're looking for a book."

"We have plenty of those." Amethyst said.

"You do." Twilight said with awe. "You really do." The lavender unicorn began to twirl a bit as she continued to look with awe at the books around them.

"We're looking for a history book." Sora said. "A book that could tell us much about the Crystal Empire."

"Yes, of course." Amethyst said. "It should be in the History section."

"Great!" Sora said, as everyone else smiled. A long pause took hold as the elderly librarian didn't say anything else, or where the History section was.

"And where is the History section?" Sora asked.

"I.... I don't know." Amethyst said. "I can't seem to remember. I'm not sure I actually work here." Sora tilted his head, surprised that she doesn't remember if she's the librarian.

"Well, you dress like a librarian." Sora said.

"I do?" Amethyst asked. "Wait... what's a librarian?" That was met with sighs and ughs from the group.

"Can I please shoot the ceiling." Barret said.

"No." Leon said.

"We'll just take a look around." Twilight said. "I'm sure we'll find it on our own."

"We better split up then." Riku said. "We can save time and have a better chance finding it if we do so."

"Yeah." Sora said.

"C'mon, let's go." Twilight said as she and the others went up the stairs to the upper floors.

"I wonder if I can find a book about materials we can use to fix the Highwind." Cid said.

"The Highwind?" Donald asked.

"My new ship." Cid said.

"What happened to it?" Goofy asked.

"Someone made me crash it." Cid said, looking at Yuffie.

"I said I was sorry!" Yuffie said as they went up the stairs.

"Well, looks like we're splitting up again." Applejack said, seeing the others go up.

"Great... do we really have to look at all these books?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, I know I like reading, but all of these books, not my thing."

"I agree on that one." Cloud said.

"C'mon, Rainbow." Applejack said. "We have to. If we're gonna figure out how to protect this place, we gotta look in the books. For Twilight, ok?" Rainbow Dash looked back at Twilight, and knew that Applejack was right. They have to do this. For Twilight.

"Ok." Rainbow Dash said. "For Twilight."

"For Twilight!" Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy said. With a nod, the group followed the others, to look for the History section, and the book that could help them know about the Crystal Empire.

Now if this was a small library, the search could be quick with a big group. Unfortunately, the library was big, and it was taking a little while. Everyone was searching the shelves for the right book they needed, the book that can give them all the information about the Crystal Empire. But right now, the search was coming up with nothing. The only thing they learned from the books is that the Crystal Ponies like jousting, flew a flag of many hues, made sweets of crystal berries, and have a petting zoo with tiny ewes... Tiny Ewes?!

On the middle floor, Sora was looking through the book that he found from the shelf. But so far he hasn't found anything about it. The only thing that he got from the book was info on magic doors. And unfortunately, his mind was also else where. He kept thinking about the dream he had, spending time with Kairi. It was still on his mind, and he couldn't get it out. But honestly, he didn't want to get it out of his mind. He let out a defeated sigh.

"Find anything?" Riku asked, bringing Sora out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Did you find anything?" Riku asked.

"Oh, no." Sora said. "My mind was actually somewhere else."

"I guess looking through books got you bored, hasn't it." Riku said.

"Maybe..." Sora said, leaning against the table. "I just got a lot on my mind."

"About what?" Riku asked.

"Just... stuff." Sora said. The boy looked at his friend, and knew exactly what was going on.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Riku asked. "About Kairi."

"How'd you know?" Sora asked.

"C'mon, Sora." Riku said. "You're my best friend. I know from your expressions what you think about." The spikey haired boy couldn't help but smile. Riku knows what Sora thinks about. It's kinda creepy if you think about it.

"I guess, I just miss her." Sora said.

"It's ok if you miss her." Riku said. "She probably misses you too."

"Yeah." Sora said. He didn't want to admit, but Riku's right. Sora did miss Kairi. That dream he had, just the two of them together was still on his mind. And that moment before it ended where he almost kissed her. He never had the chance to tell her how much she mattered to him. Maybe because he was scared... Was he?

"Do you think she sees anything in me?" Sora asked.

"Why would you think that?" Riku asked. "You're her best friend."

"I know, but do you think she sees something more in me?" Sora asked. His silver haired friend realized what he was talking about.

"Oh." Riku said, having a bit of trouble answering his question. "Well, I... I suppose she probably does. You both really got a special connection."

"We do." Sora said, looking down at the open book in front of him.

"Well, what do you see in her?" Riku asked. Sora then began to think about it. What was it that he saw in Kairi that made him like her so much. Actually, there was a lot of things that he liked about her.

"Everything." Sora said. "I just see... everything."

"Like what?" Riku asked.

"Well, I dunno." Sora said. "Kairi is just... amazing, you know. She's smart, funny, kind, caring, so supportive, outgoing... and majestic."

"Majestic?" Riku asked.

"Well, you know, she's got nice skin." Sora said. Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Nice skin?" He asked. "So wait, you're starting to like her because she's got nice skin."

"N-No!" Sora said. "It's just a factor that contributes to it! It's not the looks that really matters, it what's on the inside that matters."

"Ok." Riku said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it into a big deal."

"It's fine." Sora said. "I'm the one who brought it up. It's just... I haven't really thought about it." The boy only lowered his head, lost in his thoughts. For the first time, he felt completely lost, trying to figure out why he feels that way towards Kairi. Was it instinct? Was it a connection? Was it... Love?

"It's just hard." Sora said.

"It's hard for all of us." Riku said. "I sometimes wonder that too. Love can be so hard to understand."

"It's funny, actually." Sora said. "All the places I've been do, I've seen others experience it. I've seen it happen before me."

"It's completely normal to feel that way, Sora." Riku said. "It's all part of growing up." Sora smiled. Donald and Goofy had said the same thing to him before. It's all part of growing up and accepting it.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sora said. Turning back to his book, he then noticed two people looking at him. Yuffie and Leon were on the other side of the table, looking at him, and from the smile on Yuffie's face, they were listening to the whole conversation.

"Please tell me you weren't standing there the whole time." He said.

"Oh we have, mister." Yuffie said.

"Too long." Leon said.

"Well..?" Yuffie asked as she leaned in.

"Well what?" Sora asked.

"C'mon, tell us more!" Yuffie asked, interested in hearing Sora talking more about Kairi. The spikey-haired boy gave a blush. He then picked up the book and moved to the other table.

"Awww..." Yuffie pouted. Sora only shook his head and sat at the other table, and tried focusing on the book he was reading. He turned a page, and saw something that actually looked interesting. He saw a picture of a medieval like door with a crystal above it, and he began to read the text.

The Door was found beneath the castle. A soldier opened it to see what was inside, only for him to stand frozen stiff and stare on in pure horror. As I looked in, I saw giant serpents and large scary spiders coming after us. But I was able to come to my senses and close the door. The soldier explained he feared spiders, and I, who feared snakes, came to the conclusion about the door. The door seems to house a very dark magic that brings one's worst fear to life. And for that reason, it is known as the Door of Fear.

A Door of Fear? Fear. Fear...

Face your fear....

Sora turned his head for a moment, hearing someone say those words. He only saw the others looking at and looking for books. Where did that voice come from? It didn't sound like Xehanort's voice.

"It's over, Pinkie Pie!" A voice called out, getting his attention. They saw Rainbow Dash on the top floor, and Pinkie Pie at the bottom floor.

"I have the high ground!" Rainbow Dash called out.

"You underestimate my party power!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Don't try it!" Rainbow Dash said with a grin. With a big smile, Pinkie Pie made a big mighty hop, and bounced right into Rainbow Dash, causing the two to tumble forward and back, causing the ground to shake, and a door to a nearby room to open up, causing an orb to roll out. Both of them began to laugh playfully.

"What are you guys doing?" Applejack asked.

"We're suppose to be looking for a book, remember?" Rarity asked.

"Sorry, we're trying to make the best out of a boring situation." Rainbow Dash said.

"And I just wanted to hop around a bit." Pinkie Pie said.

"Guys, come over here, quick!" Twilight's voice called out. Looking from where they were, they saw Twilight on the top floor, and it sounded like she found something. Instantly, everyone rushed up the stairs and gathered around her. She then showed them what she had found. Before her was an opened book, and while the next page shared details, the one before it displayed a drawing of a heart-shaped crystal.

"It's... it's cool!" Rainbow Dash said. "What is it?"

"What we need." Twilight said, showing the page with the heart-shaped crystal. "The Crystal Heart." And so, Twilight read the page about the Crystal Heart.

According to legend, the First Queen of the Crystal Empire created a powerful artifact known as the Crystal Heart. Powered by the love and unity of the crystal ponies, the Crystal Heart wards off even the darkest of magic. Years ago, the Crystal Heart was used to banish a dangerous race of monsters known as the Umbrum, creatures of dark magic that want nothing but to burn the world to the ground. Since that day, the Crystal Heart was displayed for all the kingdom to adore, to remind the ponies that love and unity with each other can prevail. Only the heir of the Amore Family can wield it.

"Guys, this is it!" Twilight said. "This is what the Crystal Empire used to protect it's kingdom! The Crystal Heart!"

"A Crystal Heart?" Donald asked. "That's all it takes?!"

"Well, let's carve a crystal into a heart and display it for everyone to see!" Barret said.

"I don't think it'll be that easy, big guy." Applejack said.

"She's right." Aerith said. "The book says that the Crystal Heart is powered by the love and unity of the ponies. We can't just make one out of thin air."

"But wait." Sora said. "If the Crystal Heart is able to repel dark magic from the kingdom, how did King Sombra managed to take it over?"

"Maybe he stole it." Riku said, answering the question. "He must've learned that the Crystal Heart is used to protect the kingdom, so he must've stolen it from under their hooves to weaken them and take over."

"So he must've hidden it somewhere!" Rainbow Dash said. "But where?"

"Maybe somewhere in the castle." Twilight said. "I bet he probably hid it somewhere underneath it, or above it, or at least anywhere inside it!"

"Then we better find it, quick!" Goofy said.

"But how?!" Donald asked.

"Hey Sora!" Applejack said. "Any chance your keyblade thingy can show us where it is?"

"Oh, sorry." Sora said. "I don't think I'm able to do that. The keyblade only detects certain kinds of aura related to it."

"But you were able to track Twilight with it." Rainbow Dash said.

"Only because we had the Element of Magic with us." Sora said. "And I don't know if Ven and the others can do the same."

"I Got It!" Cid said, getting everyone's attention.

"What?" They all asked.

"I have a device that could help us find it!" Cid said.

"You mean your Synthesis Material tracker?" Yuffie asked.

"Yeah, but it can track all kinds of magical items too!" Cid said. "I asked the Old Loon to add a magical tracking upgrade on it to track all kinds of magical artifacts, and I've had loads of luck finding magic stuff high and low." Old Loon. Yeah, he was talking about Merlin.

"You still have it, right?" Cloud asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I do!" Cid said.

"Well, where is it?" Leon asked.

"I kept it safe back in Radiant Garden in my desk." Cid said, who then realized that he didn't have it on him. "Oh... I don't have with me." Everyone sighed with defeat and irritation.

"Oh that's just great!" Barret shouted. "Just when you finally can help, you're useless!"

"Well at least I don't scare everyone carrying an arm that turns into a big blaster!" Cid said.

"Say that again, punk!" Barret said as he and Cid started arguing, that is until Tifa grabbed them both by the ear, making them wince with pain as they felt their ears being tugged hard.

"Both of you... play nice." Tifa said. "Don't make me throw you both down the stairs."

"Ok, sorry!" Barret said.

"I'm sorry!" Cid shouted.

"Good." Tifa said as she released them both, and the two rubbed their poor ears. Everyone was a bit surprised, except for Fluttershy, who was very impressed.

"Oooh, I like her." Fluttershy said.

"Me too." Discord whispered from under the scarf.

"May I make a suggestion." Red XIII asked.

"Yes?" Sora asked.

"The book says the Crystal Heart is powered by the love and unity of the residents of this kingdom, correct?" Red XIII asked.

"Yes, it does." Twilight said.

"Perhaps if we lift their spirits up, and remind them of love and unity, then their renewed hope can power up the Crystal Heart and help us find it." Red XIII explained. Everyone took a moment to get all that in, and then Riku spoke.

"That's genius!" Riku said. "If we unite the citizens and give them hope, they can lead us the way."

"That's perfect!" Sora said.

"Excellent!" Twilight said with a smile as the girls cheered.

"It's definitely worth a shot." Leon said as the others agreed.

"But... how are we gonna lift their spirits up?" Yuffie asked.

"Maybe we can host a celebration, like the one we did after learning the real name of our home." Aerith said. Taking that into account. Twilight then glanced back at the book, and then turned the page, and the content in the pages made her smile.

"That's an excellent idea!" Twilight said as she took the book. "And I know how we can do it."

"How?" Sora asked.

"I'll explain when we get back to the castle." Twilight said. "C'mon, everyone!" She and the girls began to head down the stairs, while the Restoration Committee, and Riku followed them.

"Let's report back to the king." Goofy said.

"Ok!" Donald said.

"Yeah." Sora said. But then suddenly, he felt something tough the side of his foot. Looking down, he saw a glass orb, about the size of a basketball on the ground.

"Hey, where did this come from?" Sora asked as he picked it up, and examined it. Looking around, he saw at the end of the hall was an slightly open door. It must've opened up when Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were fooling around a bit, and the orb must've rolled onto the ground from inside the room.

"You guys go on ahead." Sora said. "I'm gonna go put this back."

"Just leave it." Donald said. "Nobody would notice."

"Nopony, Donald." Goofy said, which made the duck roll his eyes.

"We can't just leave it rolling around." Sora said. "Someone could trip and fall."

"Ok, fine." Donald said.

"We'll wait by the entrance for ya." Goofy said.

"Ok." Sora said. "I'll be back." The boy then made his way towards the open door while Donald and Goofy headed down the stairs. The spikey haired boy then went into the room, and to his surprise, he saw a lot of old stuff lying around. Some old curtains, some old books on a bookshelf, and a table, where a small pillar was tipped over on top. Seeing the pillar's hole was the size as the orb, the pillar must've been holding the orb. Well, now he knew where the orb should be.

Sora approached the table and tilted the pillar right side up again, but then it tipped over. Luckily, Sora caught it in time. But how will the pillar stand up. Maybe he should put something under it to keep it from tilting over. Looking around, he saw a book nearby. He picked it up, not knowing the cover of the book had a strange sigil, which displayed a circle that pointed in four directions, and underneath it was a skull with an angel wing in the back of it's head. The title was a bit worn out, with it only saying this, _ISTORY OF L___S.

Seeing the book as a good object to keep the pillar standing, he placed the book on the center of the table and placed the pillar on top, and it stood still! Great! Sora then placed the orb into the pillar, and it stood tall without falling. Excellent!

"There we go." Sora said. Seeing his work done, he made his way back to the door, ready to join his friends at the castle, and hopefully learn how to find the Crystal Heart....

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately..."

Sora stopped... hearing that voice that echoed quickly. Turning his head, he wondered who said that.

"Hello?" Sora asked. "Riku?" No wait, that wasn't Riku's voice. It sounded more... a teeny bit lower and a bit rougher. And come to think of it. No one was in here. It was just him. He shook his head.

"It's probably nothing." He said to himself and went to open the door.

"Like... is any of this for real? Or not?"

Sora froze again, hearing that voice. He looked around, wondering what was going on. Then he noticed something. The orb he placed back on the table. It was... glowing! The boy made his way towards the table, and approached the orb.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately..." The voice said again. Sora glanced into the orb which was giving a misty scene. But then he noticed something in there. Someone inside it. Someone's head.

Taking a look, Sora wondered what was in there. And there was something in there... or someone. He saw a face. A face that of someone at the age of twenty. And he had spikey hair and blue eyes, just like Sora. But it was black, and the top and upper back shot upwards, while the sides and lower half of his hair shot downwards.

"Like... is any of this for real? Or not?" The man said. Sora only stared at the orb for a while, confused at the man he was looking at. Placing his hand on the orb, he stared at it a little longer. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering those words the man was saying. Sora knew those words... because he said them before!

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately... Like, is any of this for real? Or not?"

He opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he saw that he was not in the room. He was somewhere... in the middle of nowhere. In a strange place, where the sky was black as the night, but the stars and the moon was shining down upon him. He looked around, wondering where he was. Looking down, he saw that there was water underneath his feet, but yet, the surface was solid. Hang on a moment. He's been here before...

"Wait... this is..." Sora said.

"The Final World?"

The boy stopped, hearing that someone also said those words. Turning around, he saw a man, a little bit taller than him, with the same black spikey hair and blue eyes that man had... Wait, that was the man! Turning around, he saw him, and the man turned around slowly, looking surprised to see him too. What's interesting is that the man was wearing a black turtleneck zipped up jacket, black gloves, black trousers, and black boots too! A strange symbol was on the man's jacket shoulder.

Sora stood surprised, seeing the man, who was just as confused as he was. Wait? Who was this man? And what is going on? Come to think of it, this man, almost looks exactly like a familiar guy he saw on the cover of a video game case. Is that... him?

"What the..?" Sora asked. "Yozora?" The man just looked at him.

"Yozora?" He asked. Sora tilted his head.

"Oh, not Yozora?" Sora said.

"Noctis..." The man said.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"My name... is Noctis." The man said. "Noctis Lucis Caelum."

"Noctis Lucis Caleum?" Sora asked. "Cool name." The man, Noctis looked at Sora again.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm Sora." The boy answered back.

"Sora who?" He asked. Sora was about to answer, but he stopped. That... was a good question. He... he didn't have a last name.

"I..." He said, looking down at the ground, trying to figure out his last name. "W.. What is my last name?" But he didn't have one. He just stood there, trying to figure it out. But he couldn't, as everything began to fade away to pitch black as he tried to figure out what his last name was.

"I'm.... I'm...."

"あなたは選ばれました!!"

"Huh?!" Sora asked, lifting his head up with widened eyes, hearing those voices speaking in unison. But then... he found himself back in the room, standing in front of the table. He glanced down at the orb, seeing no one inside it, and no longer glowing. He began to think. Who was that man? And what were those voices?

"I have been chosen?" Sora asked.

-TAP-

"AH!" Sora spoke as he felt something tap his shoulder, making him jump. Turning to his left, he saw Amethyst Maresbury, her hoof on his shoulder.

"Oh, it's just you!" Sora said. "Oh, you almost scared me-" But then he noticed something. Something was wrong. The old mare had her eyes closed, and she sounded like she was struggling to breathe, or choking!

"Ma'am, are you ok?" Sora asked. Suddenly, Amethyst Maresburry let in a long inhale, gasping as if she was about to collapse. Suddenly, she froze, and opened her eyes, showing a strange crystal blue coloring covering her sclera.

"戦争は始まったばかりだった…!" She spoke, her voice distorted with different voices.

"W...Huh?" Sora asked. At that moment, he realized... that wasn't the librarian speaking to him.

"彼は影から戻ってきました!" Amethyst spoke loudly. "彼は復讐が彼のものになるまで止まりません、そして彼の道のすべてのものは破壊されます! 空に導かれた真の王のみが、私たちの星から最も暗い災いを打ち負かします!" She then let in another gasp, as if she was going crazy. And then suddenly, she shook her head, and took a deep breath, finally catching it. She coughed into her arm, clearing her voice. She opened her eyes, which were back to their red-pink color, as if nothing happened. Lifting her head up, she turned to see Sora.

"Oh, so sorry young man." She said. "I didn't know you were still here. Is there anything that you need?" The boy just stood there, staring right at her. With confusion and... fear. Whatever he just saw startled him. Greatly. Realizing that she was talking to him, he did his best to keep his cool.

"Uh... No." Sora said. "I was just... I came into the wrong room, that's all." He gave a nervous smile. The crystal pony however, looked at him with concern. She could tell something was bothering him from the look of his face.

"Are you ok, dear?" Amethyst asked, taking a step closer to him, making him back a bit. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said with a smile. "You just startled me, that's all. I'll just be on my way now. Thanks." He then made his way to the door, but he took one last look at the librarian, who was giving a wave as if nothing happened. He too gave a wave and left the room.

As he left, he let out a gasp, showing his terrified face. What just happened back in that room? That wasn't normal. The man he saw in the orb, him asking that question, and all those voices calling out to him. And just now, the old mare saying those things in that language. What the hell was all that? Seeing that he needed some fresh air, he hastly made his way down the stairs, only thinking of those... weird thoughts.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately...Like, is any of this for real? ornot?"

"Just... what the hell is going on?"

He slowly began to wake up from his nap, hearing the sounds of a car driving, and feeling the slight movement of going forward. The boy with the black spikey hair was dressed in a black formalwear, consisting of a coat, pants, and a buttoned up shirt with a tie. Noctis Lucis Caelum finally opened his eyes, and saw that he was in the backseat of the car. He looked forward and saw someone driving in front of him.

"You awake, your highness?" The driver asked.

"Yeah... fell asleep in the car... again." Noctis said, laying back in his seat, trying to figure out what he was just dreaming about. Meeting that boy with brown spikey hair and blue eyes. He only turned his head to the right, seeing the city buildings nearby.

"None of this... makes sense to me."

Author's Note

By the time this is posted, it's July 13th. 7/13. Seven Lights. Thirteen Darkness. 😁

Well, this chapter's come to a close. I wanted to do a little fun thing here towards the end.

For those who don't know, the song is called When the Foeman Bares His Steel, or just Tarantara, from the W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. The scene with the musical number is loosely based on the 1980s Tour and Movie version (which had the best performances, hands down), while using some minor elements from the Australian Tour as well. This was actually a fun chapter, because with this being a Kingdom Hearts / MLP crossover, I got to do another silly thing here. Sometimes in times a crisis, we just need to do something fun.

Other than the Star Wars reference with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, you'll notice the scenes in the library are based on some of the Harry Potter films.

Also, the scene in the end of the chapter where Sora sees and meets... well, you know, and the librarian speaking all that jibberish nonsense. That scene with you know who has nothing to do with the story at all. Period.
But... it does relate to something I plan to do after this story. :pinkiecrazy:

Chapter 30: Smiles and Change

Chapter 28: Smiles and Change

Back Outside...

While the others were inside the castle, the rest were outside, handling the Crystal Faire, and keeping the crystal ponies occupied. Luckily, it seemed to be working at the least, as the ponies were surprised, but feeling a bit delighted that the Faire was happening. Of course, they did feel a teeny bit worried that the Crystal Heart wasn't present. But the subject was changed, either with Pinkie Pie calling out to give Flugelhorns or anything else, so they could focus on the festivities instead. But it wasn't going to last for long, though.

In the large Crystal Stadium that was on the other side of the city, everyone was prepping up for the jousting event. Since the Crystal Ponies love jousting, and it's filled with some action, it's a good way to keep everyone entertained. Rainbow Dash was really looking forward to it, because, you know, the action and all that. And she loves action. She even placed on some Crystal Guard armor just for the event. But somewhere in one of the tents, Fluttershy was cowering inside it. Not because she didn't want to watch the jousting, but because Rainbow Dash asked her to be her sparring partner, but she didn't want to. Because, you know, Fluttershy doesn't like violence.

"Aww, c'mon, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash said. "Jousting is fun."

"I'm not going out there." Fluttershy said. "I am not going out there and hurt anyone."

"Fluttershy, you're not gonna be hurting anyone." Rainbow Dash said. "One of the guys is gonna be riding on your back while they'll be the ones fighting."

"But what if I hurt somepony?" Fluttershy said. "What if I ram into someone?"

"That's the point!" Rainbow Dash said. "Now c'mon, we're going out there."

"But I don't want to." Fluttershy said.

"Oh yes, you are." Rainbow Dash said as she began to pick up Fluttershy and push her towards the field.

"No, I'm not!" Fluttershy said, feeling a bit terrified.

"Yes, you are." Rainbow Dash said. "You're going out there whether you like it or not!" The rainbow-maned Pegasus began to push the poor butter-colored Pegasus through the tent. But she didn't really want to. She didn't want to go out there and ram into anyone, let alone jab someone with a pointy lance.

"Serious, Fluttershy, you're just going to take that?" Discord asked as he popped out of her ear.

"Well, what am I suppose to do?" Fluttershy whispered back. "She won't listen to me."

"Then you need to stand your ground." Discord said. "If you don't want to go out there and fight somepony, then you don't have to. No one should force you to do something that makes you very uncomfortable. What do they call it when you tell someone when they force you to do something you don't want to do again? No means no?" The butter-colored Pegasus then started to think. Discord is right. She shouldn't do something she's forced to do if it really makes her uncomfortable, and jousting is something that makes her very uncomfortable because of the violence. Rainbow Dash wasn't going to listen. So, she had to stand her ground.

"No..." Fluttershy said.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No." Fluttershy said. "I'm not going out there, and you can't force me to do something that makes me uncomfortable." Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, but shook her head.

"Fluttershy, we need to keep the Crystal Ponies entertained, so you're going out there whether you like it or not." Rainbow Dash said, pushing her friend towards the exit of the tent.

"I... Said... NO!" Fluttershy screamed as she suddenly picked up Rainbow Dash, who was taken by surprise, and then tossed her out of the tent and onto the ground outside, surprising anyone who witnessed it, seeing Rainbow Dash's head spinning with stars.

"What in the hay just happened?" Applejack asked as she and Rarity approached her.

"She... she just threw me out." Rainbow Dash said in surprise.

"Of course, she did." Discord said, popping out of Rainbow Dash's mane, making her jump again. "You were trying to make her do something that she was very uncomfortable to do."

"What did you do?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I just told her to stand her ground." Discord said. "Nothing else." That only made Rainbow Dash give the draconequus a glare.

"Well, he is right." Applejack said. "You shouldn't force Flutters to do something she didn't feel comfortable doing."

"But who's gonna do the jousting with me?" Rainbow Dash asked. Applejack only sighed, and only looked around. She then spotted Terra chatting with Aqua, and seeing his muscular figure gave her an idea.

"I got it!" Applejack said. She then galloped towards the two.

"Hey, sugarcube!" Applejack said, getting Terra's attention.

"Hmmm?" He asked.

"Have you ever been in a fighting match before?" Applejack asked.

"Well, I've fought in a Coliseum one time." Terra said, remembering his previous adventure about twelve years ago when he went to Olympus Coliseum and took part in the games.

"Excellent." Applejack said. "How about you and me team up in the Jousting Match against Rainbow and her partner?" Terra raised an eyebrow, as Rainbow Dash tilted her head with confusion.

"Uh... sure, but why?" Terra asked.

"Trust me, sugarcube." Applejack said.

"Wait, if you're gonna be riding with Earth guy here, who am I gonna be paired up with?" Rainbow Dash asked. The farmpony then smiled.

"Where's Soldier boy at?" Applejack asked.

"You want me to do what, now?" Cloud asked, looking at the Restoration Committee, who were all told about Applejack's plan to use a couple of extra arms for the jousting.

"You're going to be partaking in the jousting show." Tifa said.

"It's pretty much easy." Yuffie said. "You'll point swords at each other and try to whack each other off the horse." The ex-Soldier raised an eyebrow. Riding a pony while trying to whack someone off another pony. That was not what he had in mind.

"Yeah, doing a jousting gig was not on my to do list." Cloud said as he was about to depart, only to be stopped by Aerith.

"Oh no you don't, mister." She said as she took him by the arm. "You're not getting out of this one."

"Huh?" Cloud asked surprised.

"That's right." Aerith said. "You're going to be part of this, whether you like it or not."

"On the bright side, you'll be able to do some fighting." Leon said. Hearing that made Cloud all confused. He was gonna be part of this jousting thing? He was gonna whack a pony?

"I'm not gonna whack some horse with my sword!" Cloud said.

"Pony." Aerith said with a stern look. "They're ponies."

"Well, it's the same thing." Cloud said.

"You won't be whacking any pony." Aerith said. "You're going against him." She then pointed to Terra, who was in one of the other rooms, doing handstand push ups. Seeing that, Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, but do I really have to ride one?" Cloud asked.

"Yes." Aerith said. Cloud looked a bit confused. Motorcycles and Chocobos, he can ride, but a pony?

"No sweat, Buster-boy." Rainbow Dash said as she zoomed next to him. "You'll be riding with the fastest pony alive!"

"It'll be fun!" Aerith said as she clung closer to Cloud. "Right?" She gave a wink while smiling at Tifa, who suddenly became flustered. She then moved in closer to Cloud and clung on to him.

"Well, after you!" Tifa said with a smile, with both girls clinging to him and began to escort him to one of the other rooms to prep up for his match. He let out a sigh, knowing he was not gonna get out of this one.

"Should've asked for a raise." He said to himself as they escorted him to another room, with Leon and Yuffie looking on.

"He'll get over it." Yuffie said as Leon gave a smile.

"Guys!" Everyone turned to see Ventus popping his head from the tent doors. "We have a bit of a problem."

"What?" Leon and Yuffie asked.

"At the town square, hurry!" Ventus said as he rushed out, and the two, with Rainbow Dash followed after him. They soon made their way down to the Town Square, where some of the Crystal Ponies were chattering and arguing a bit, asking questions regarding the Faire's missing and important piece.

"Where's the Crystal Heart?" One Crystal Pony asked.

"It's suppose to be out here!" Another one said.

"Where is the Heart?!" A third one said.

"Ok, everyone, just calm down!" Cid said as the crystal ponies began to chatter, asking where the Crystal Heart was, just as Leon, Yuffie, and Ventus arrived.

"What's going on?" Leon asked.

"They're horsing around, that's what." Cid said. Seeing all of the Crystal Ponies not listening and demanding to know where their treasured relic is, Barret only sighed and did the one thing he knew what can get everyone to stop shouting. He raised his hand in the air, which transformed into a blaster, and started shooting up towards the sky, making the crystal ponies stop in great surprise.

"WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUDDUP?!" He shouted as he finished shooting up at the sky, with all the crystal ponies finally stop talking. Cid, who covered his ears, looked at the big guy next to him with a raised eyebrow.

"What in the heck was that?" Cid asked.

"I did you a favor." Barret said. "You're welcome." The mechanic only gave a sigh and then proceeded to speak.

"Ok, everybody, I know you're anxious of wanting to see your magical crystal heart and all." Cid began. "But don't worry, it'll be on its way in a bit, ok?" Everyone looked at him. He's right about that, but Sora and company hasn't found it yet.

"Why is it taking too long to get here?" A crystal pony asked.

"Uhhh... it's being... polished!" Cid said. "That's right. It's been a long time since this place came back, so we're making your crystal heart relic nice and polished. The shinier, the better, am I right?"

"Yeah, yeah, what he said." Barret said. "So don't worry little naggies. You're magic heart crystal's coming." The crystal ponies all looked at him with confusion. Did he call them naggies? Hearing that made Leon face palm himself.

"What in the hay was that?" Applejack asked as she and the other girls approached the group, and not only that, Riku and the King came by after hearing the blaster sounds.

"I heard something go off." Riku said. "What happened?"

"They kept asking where their Crystal Heart is." Leon said. "These pinheads told them that it's being polished."

"And it sounds like they bought it." Yuffie said, looking at the Crystal Ponies a bit surprised, but thinking that it's true. "But they're probably gonna wanna know where it is after a while. Is everything set up at the Stadium?"

"Not yet." Riku said. "Everyone's still getting ready."

"It may take a couple more minutes." Mickey said. "Aerith, Tifa, and Aqua are still helping Terra and Cloud get ready."

"Ok, we need a new plan for the time being." Applejack said as she looked at the other girls. "Any ideas, girls?

"Um... panic?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's your answer to everything!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, I suppose we could do some music to keep them occupied for a little while longer." Rarity said. Hearing that made Applejack smile with an idea.

"Of course!" She said, and then her eyes were met at Pinkie Pie.

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Do I have a parasprite on my face?"

"No, Pinkie." Applejack said as she approached her. "I have something that you can help us with."

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked with a smile. She can finally do something to help! "What is it?"

"We need you to do... The Thing." Applejack said. Hearing that made Pinkie Pie gasp, and a very big smile formed on her face.

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I can do the thing?!"

"Yes, the thing!" Applejack said.

"But I thought I wasn't allowed to do the thing anymore." Pinkie Pie said.

"Well, right now's an exception." Applejack said. "Only your thing can keep the Crystal Ponies from going whacko until the stadium is ready. Now go do the thing, partner." Pinkie Pie began to smile, unable to keep her hyper excitement. She then gave a high pitch squeal.

"Alrighty then!" Pinkie Pie said. She then galloped forward towards the crowd of Crystal Ponies, with the rest watching.

"What's the thing?" Ventus asked.

"You'll see." Applejack said. Pretty soon, Pinkie Pie blew a whistle, getting all of the crystal ponies to look straight at her. Pretty soon, she began to trot along, as an acoustic guitar suddenly began to play in the background. This was the thing. The very thing Pinkie Pie loved to do whenever someone need a frown turned upside down. Sing her favorite song. The Smile Song.

My name is Pinkie Pie (Hello!)

And I am here to say (How ya doin'?)

I'm gonna make you smile and I will brighten up your day

As she sang, she hopped on one of the trees behind one of the droopy ponies, allowing the sun to shine on them and make the clouds above their heads go away, much to their joy.

It doesn't matter now (What's up?)

If you are sad or blue (Howdy!)

'Cause cheering up my friends is just what Pinkie's here to do

Seeing two crystal fillies sad and frowning got her attention. She then greeted them with a smile, hopped them on her bag and slid down the stairs next to them. The fun excitement of sliding down brought a smile to their face.

'Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile

Yes I do

It fills my heart with sunshine all the while

Yes it does

The three ponies hopped on a carriage, which was pulled by Applejack, and they rode along the street, passing the houses on this happy little joy ride.

'Cause all I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine

"Uh... what is happening?" Cid asked, confused by the party pony's cheery tone.

"This is the thing, partner." Applejack said. "Pinkie does this whenever some pony needs a pick me up."

After the joy ride, the ponies brought a jump rope for them to play a little hop rope. Pinkie was the first to hop, but then she invited the other crystal ponies to hope along with her, though the rope was swinging itself as they jumped up and down.

I like to see you grin (Awesome!)

I love to see you beam (Rock on!)

The corners of your mouth turned up is always Pinkie's dream (Hoof bump!)

Seeing a lonely filly all alone with a jump rope, Pinkie Pie rushed over to the little one to comfort her, and then placed her on top of her head, and the two jumped over the rope, which made the little filly smile.

But if you're kind of worried

And your face has made a frown

I'll work real hard and do my best to turn that sad frown upside down

"How... how is she doing all this?" Riku asked, surprised to see the party pony managing to make everyone happy.

"That's Pinkie Pie, darling." Rarity said. "She's just being herself."

"Well, I'm starting to like it." Yuffie said as she joined pulled Leon and Barret with her so they can join the crowd.

'Cause I love to make you grin, grin, grin

Yes I do

Bust it out from ear to ear let it begin

Just give me a joyful grin, grin, grin

And you fill me with good cheer

It's true some days are dark and lonely

And maybe you feel sad

But Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn't that bad

There's one thing that makes me happy and makes my whole life worthwhile

And that's when I talk to my friends and get them to smile

As the party pony kept singing, making them smile and jump with joy, the crystal ponies felt something that they haven't felt since their Kingdom returned. It was happiness. Pretty soon, one by one, the crystal ponies began to glow, showing their sparkles once more like they did in the past.

"It's... it's working!" Mickey said. "Their spirits are coming back!"

"I guess a smile a day can make the dark clouds go away!" Ventus said as he and the King joined the Party Pony.

I really am so happy

Your smile fills me with glee

I give a smile I get a smile

And that's so special to me

'Cause I love to see you beam, beam, beam

Yes I do

Tell me what more can I say to make you see

That I do

It makes me happy when you beam, beam, beam

Yes it always makes my day

No one could imagine how Pinkie Pie was doing it. But she was doing it! She was getting all of the crystal ponies to smile. lifting their spirits and restoring their faith in happiness. And all she did was singing a happy song, and turning frowns upside down into smiles. Pretty soon, the crystal ponies were walking alongside her, all of them singing along with her.

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Yes the perfect gift for me

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

Is a smile as wide as a mile

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

To make me happy as can be

From these happy friends of

Smile, smile, smile, smile, smile

Smile!

Come on and smile

As the song came to an end, all of the Crystal Ponies began to laugh and cheer as the pink party helped them have their smiles again. All of them cheering and dancing like there's no tomorrow in all good fun.

"Well, looks like you did good, Pinkie." Rainbow Dash said as she flew in and gave her a playful noogie.

"Yep!" Pinkie Pie said. "A smile everyday makes the bad clouds go away!" Pretty soon, Princess Cadance emerged from the side up to Riku.

"Riku, everyone's ready." Cadance said.

"Alright." Riku said with a smile, and glanced back at the others. "Everyone's ready."

"Ok!" Applejack said as she made her way to the crowd. "Attention All Crystal Ponies! The Jousting Event Is Ready! Everyone to the Stadium!" Hearing the word jousting got the Crystal Ponies even more excited. They all began to make their way to the stadium in a large crowd, ready to see the jousting.

"Well, I better get ready!" Rainbow Dash said. "Don't wanna keep Earth guy and Solider Boy waiting." She and Applejack then made their way towards the stadium.

"Earth guy?" Ventus asked. "Was she talking about Terra?"

"She has a way of giving nicknames, darling." Rarity said. As the group headed out, Cid and Barret were standing there, both completely confused, yet amazed by how a colorful pony managed to get the Crystal Ponies excited and their worries down.

"Ok, you gotta admit, that was pretty cool." Barret said with a smile and chuckle.

"I... eh... I really don't get how that crazy girl does it." Cid said. He chose not to think about it too much, since he knows there are just some things that don't make sense, but are better left accepting them at this point. And so, everyone began to make their way to the stadium. The Jousting should keep the Crystal Ponies occupied and entertained. But thanks to Pinkie Pie's song, it helped them be in higher spirits. It should be enough to help Sora and the rest find the Crystal Heart.

Back in the Castle, in the secret passage way...

As everyone outside was successfully cheering the Crystal Ponies up, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Flash were making their way down the steps of the secret passageway they found behind the bookcase. And hopefully, it was help them get to Twilight, Shining, and Spike. It was a bit dark, but luckily, Sora's keyblade was lighting the way for them.

"Garsh, I wonder how long we've walked down these stairs." Goofy said.

"Probably for a while." Donald said.

"It shouldn't be too long now." Sora said. He then turned his head to see Flash Sentry, looking down the steps with a bit of worry. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." Flash said. "I'm just worried about Twilight and Spike, and Captain Armor, too."

"Don't worry, Flash." Sora said. "We'll find them. Hopefully they landed somewhere safe."

"I hope so." Flash said. The spikey haired boy glanced back at the Pegasus with the blue mane. It was actually quite surprising to him that Twilight was able to find a stallion friend, let alone a special someone, or special somepony in her case. But Sora was a bit interested in how it came to be.

"So... how did you and Twilight become... you know, a thing?" Sora asked.

"Huh?" Flash asked.

"You know, how'd you two meet?" Sora asked. Donald rolled his eyes.

"Oh great, here we go." The royal wizard said. Sora is so naïve, he thought. Why does he always have to be interested in how a boy and girl meet?

"Well, not exactly the way you think." Flash said. "I actually met her after we bumped into each other. It's a common thing we have."

"Bumping into people you first meet?" Sora asked.

"No, I mean, we bump into each other from time to time." Flash said. "That's something we're still working on at the moment. But yeah, we started seeing each other more often after that."

"Anything you guys do together?" Sora asked. "You know, like, getting dinner or seeing a movie?"

"Sora!" Donald said behind him.

"What?" Sora asked.

"Don't ponder into his personal life!" Donald lectured.

"I wasn't!" Sora said. "I'm just curious." Donald only sighed.

"It's ok, it's not a big deal." Flash said to the royal wizard, before continuing his conversation.

"To answer your question, we've went to dinner a few times, and we've seen some movies. We got into a couple of mishaps together, but I liked it. I liked it because I was with her, and that's what matters, right?"

"Yeah." Sora said.

"What about you?" Flash asked. "You have a special someone, too?" Sora turned his head, knowing who it was.

"Yeah, I do, actually." Sora said. "Her name is Kairi."

"How'd you two meet?" Flash asked.

"It was on the night of a Meteor Shower." Sora said. "She arrived shortly after the shooting stars came and pass, and I found her on the shoreline, about twelve years ago."

"Twelve years ago?" Flash asked. "You've known her for that long?"

"Yeah." Sora said. "Still can't believe how much time had passed. Since that day, we did everything together. You would like her if you'd met her. She's the best."

"How so?" Flash asked. "What do you like about her?" Sora stopped in his tracks, thinking about that question. He has had this conversation with Riku yesterday, and the latter asked him what he liked about Kairi.

"Well... everything." Sora said.

"Everything?" Flash asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "I like everything about Kairi. Her laugh, her personality, just... everything in general."

"Well, you're pretty lucky to have someone like her." Flash said.

"Yeah... everyone says that." Sora said. "Though I wouldn't say we're in the same boat as you and Twilight are." The spikey haired boy only lowered his head saying that. That was still on his mind. The dream he had of just her and him together on the beach. They had been alone together many times in the past, but it kinda feels like forever. He actually missed those days, just the two of them together. The last time they had done anything together was when he restored her back to normal. It was strange too, because he was suppose to disappear... But he didn't. If anything, he was grateful, and lucky that he didn't fade away. It was like Destiny wanted them together. But... but why hasn't he told her how much she really means to him? And... would she feel the same way?

As Sora was alone in this thoughts, Donald and Goofy could tell that he was still thinking about it, much to their concern.

"Garsh." Goofy said. "Sounds like he's missing her."

"When this is done, we need to get them on a date." Donald whispered. "Luckily I know two Italians chefs who can whip some good spaghetti for them to share." Suddenly, Goofy's ears perked up as he heard something.

"Wait, Did you hear that?" Goofy asked, as the others stopped in place.

"What?" Donald asked.

"That." Goofy said. The boys leaned around and did hear something. It was muffled, but the voice was familiar and it sounded like singing.

"Sounds like someone singing." Sora said as he leaned against the wall, hearing a familiar pink pony's voice. "Is that Pinkie Pie?" Donald and Goofy leaned in to hear too.

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine

"That is Pinkie Pie." Donald said as he heard the party pony singing, and not only that, there was a chorus of voices singing along with him.

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine

"Sounds like everyone is singing." Goofy said.

"The others must be cheering the Crystal Ponies up!" Donald said with excitement.

"Alright!" Sora said. "I knew they could pull it off!"

"Now they can lead us to the Crystal Heart." Goofy said. Suddenly, they heard a strange sound. Looking to their right, they saw Flash Sentry, and he was shivering, like he had seen a ghost. Not only that, he was sweating too.

"Flash Sentry?" Donald asked, surprised by the stallion's shaking.

"Does he not like the singing?" Goofy asked.

"Flash... is everything ok?" Sora asked as he approached the yellow Pegasus.

"Too much...." Flash whimpered in a bit of pain. "Too much love.... Too... much.... love!" The boy tilted his head with a bit of confusion. Did he say too much love?

"Love?" Sora asked. "What are you talking about?" Donald squinted his eyes a bit, trying to see what was going on with the Pegasus. But then he noticed something. The rookie guard's wings were shedding feathers. That doesn't look normal. But then he saw something coming off the stallion's body. It was a strange green spark, but not the good kind of spark. It was a strange... wicked spark.

"QUACK!" Donald said. "There's magic coming from him!"

"Magic?" Sora and Goofy asked. They glanced back at Flash, who almost fell to his knees. The poor changeling disguised stallion knew what was happening. The Crystal Ponies were all cheering and happy outside. So much positivity, so much joy, and so much love! It was causing Thorax to lose control of his disguise.

"No... Not Now!" He said in pain. "Not Now!!!"

"Not now?" Sora asked.

"Not now what?" Goofy asked. Suddenly, the stallion turned his head to face the three, and his eyes were glowing green, and his teeth grew sharp fangs. This surprised the trio a bit.

"Get Back!" Flash shouted.

"Whoa!" Sora shouted as he stepped back, as Donald and Goofy clung to each other with surprise and a bit of fear. The stallion only looked around and saw the passage way down the stairs. He then galloped downward, leaving the others behind.

"Flash, wait!" Sora called out, but the stallion went down the stairway.

"What's going on with him?" Donald asked.

"Did he always have fangs?" Goofy asked.

"I think we're about to find out." Sora said. "C'mon!" With that said, the boy took off after the Pegasus, with the knight and royal wizard following suit. Whatever was wrong with Flash Sentry, they were gonna find out one way or another.

Back with Twilight...

The lavender unicorn was screaming as she began to descend quickly through the trap door. But luckily, the walls around her began to slope up a bit, allowing her fall to be a slide instead. But soon, she found it quite fun, very fun since she wasn't falling anymore, only sliding. She began to cheer as she continued to slide down. It was like going down a water slide, except it was without water. Pretty soon, she ignited her horn and saw that as she slid out of the hole, she looked up and saw that she was inside a huge crystal cave. And it was actually a beautiful one to that. But she had no time to take in the amazement, she was still sliding down the slope. And pretty soon, she saw it slant up, and no way to stop.

"Uh oh..." Twilight said. As she went upwards on the slant, she soon flew up into the air and let out a scream. Using her quick thinking, she ignited her horn again and she soon caught herself before she landed straight into the ground, where there were lots of sharp crystals pointing up. Had she not reacted quickly, she would've ended up in a hospital. Or worse. Using her magic, she began to lift herself up and onto the solid platform next to her. As she got her footing back, she let out a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one." She told herself. But soon, she began to hear screams and shouts as well. She looked up and saw Shining Armor and Spike sliding down the slope too. The baby dragon was actually cheering, while the captain of the royal guards was screaming in fear. Guess he doesn't like slides. The two were then flown upwards from the slant, heading straight into the abyss of shards.

"Guys!" Twilight shouted. She ignited her horn and managed to catch them both as they were inches away from the sharp crystals below. The lavender unicorn lifted them up with their magic onto the solid ground she was on. Relieved that their safe, Spike began to kiss the ground.

"Oh, sweet relief." Spike said as he pecked the ground multiple times, as Shining finally got back up. He then looked straight at the abyss of sharp crystals pointing upwards. If Twilight hasn't reacted sooner, he would be dead.

"Whoa, that was close." He said. He then turned to see Twilight rushing towards him with a worried face.

"Oh, Shining." Twilight said as she hugged her brother. "I'm so glad you're ok." Hearing that made Shining raise an eyebrow.

"You are?" He asked.

"Well, why wouldn't I?" Twilight asked. "I wouldn't let you drop into pit of pointy sharp crystals. You could've gotten hurt, or worse." The stallion was still amazed. Even after everything that's happened, Twilight still holds him in high regard.

"Well, thanks for saving me." Shining said.

"You're welcome." Twilight said as the two broke the hug. For a moment, Twilight then remembered their earlier quarrel about Sombra. She couldn't help but feel guilty bringing up the Changeling Invasion like that, and accusing her brother of letting the Changelings in. He was mind controlled, so it wasn't on his own free will. Seeing that they're both alone, this was probably a good time for them to talk and work things out.

"Shining... I'm-" Twilight said.

"Death... Blood... Kill..."

The lavender unicorn turned her head, hearing that strange hissing voice. Shining also looked around, hearing that voice too. Spike jumped hearing the voice too.

"What was that?" He asked.

"That... didn't sound good." Shining said.

"We will burn everything... We will burn this world to the ground... burn... burn... burn...!"

Twilight looked over to the edge, where the pit of sharp crystals were. The voices were coming over there. A bit frightened, but curious, the lavender unicorn made her way towards the edge and looked down. Her eyes widened with surprise and horror. Underneath the sharp crystals were a black misty smoke underneath the ground. And inside it were strange looking creatures. They almost looked like the wendigos, the ghostly horse-like creatures that feed off the hatred of others and create dastardly blizzards that could freeze up towns and civilization. But these creatures in the ground were more different. They all had four hooves. They had wings. They were pitch black. And they looked... demonic, with sharp teeth.

Curious at what made that frightened look on Twilight's face, Spike and Shining looked down from the edge, with the former giving a yelp in fear.

"What... what in the name of Equestria is that?" Spike asked. Twilight didn't need to guess. After reading Sombra's journal earlier, she had a very good idea of what these things are.

"Guys, I think these are the Umbrum." She said. The sight of the horrific creatures was enough to scare the mane off their heads. These must be the Umbrum that Sombra had spoke about in his journal, the very monstrous creatures that wish to burn everything to the ground.

"This is bad." Shining said. "If Sombra releases those things, the Crystal Empire and all of Equestria won't stand a chance." Twilight gave a nod, knowing full well what they had to do. They had to stop Sombra one way or another. If he frees those things, all hell will break loose.

"Right." Twilight said. "We better find a way out of here and get to Sora and the others!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Spike asked. "Let's get out of here!" Without hesitating, the two ponies and the baby dragon quickly made a run for it, to find Sora and the others. Spotting a passageway on one of the walls, they went right in, making their way down a long hallway. Pretty soon, they stumbled upon another room, which had three pathways.

"Which one do we take?" Shining asked.

"I dunno." Twilight said. "Maybe we can-"

"AAAAAHHHH!!!" A shout echoed in the caverns, making both ponies lift their heads up, and Spike looking around. That sounded like someone screaming.

"What was that?" Twilight asked.

"That sounds like Flash Sentry." Shining said. Turning their heads, they saw Flash Sentry galloping and panicking from out of the passageway on the right. Seeing him in a panicked state brought a bit of surprise.

"Flash?" Twilight asked as she approached him, as the gamboge Pegasus came to a screeching halt after seeing Twilight and the others. To their surprise, Flash was shaking, and seeing Twilight made him sweat.

"Twilight!" Flash said with horror.

"Flash, are you ok?" Twilight asked as she approached him. "Where's-"

"Get back!" Flash shouted as he began to back away. "Stay away from me!" Hearing that surprised the lavender unicorn. Stay away from him? Why? She did, however, notice that he was shaking and sweating, as if he was in pain. And suddenly, some of his feathers began to shed off his wings.

"Why?" Twilight asked. "What's wrong? Are you ok?" The Pegasus only backed away, turning his head, not wanting to see her. Actually, it was more like not wanting her to see him.

"Flash, wait up!" Looking at the way Flash came from, they saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy making their way into the room. They did stop, seeing Twilight and the others.

"Twilight!" Sora said. "You're ok!"

"Sora!" Twilight said. "How did you get here?"

"We found a passageway behind the bookshelf, and-" Before Sora could say anymore. He heard something from above. It was the singing voices they heard when coming down. The voices continued to sing.

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine

"That's Pinkie Pie." Twilight said, recognizing the voice loud and clear. "Is she singing?"

"Yeah, and she's getting everyone to sing too!" Donald said.

"Listen!" Goofy said.

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine

Hearing the chorus of ponies singing made Twilight grin. Pinkie Pie was getting the Crystal Ponies excited and happy, filling their hearts with love and hope!

"She's doing it!" Twilight said. "She's getting the ponies cheerful and happy."

"Now their rekindled spirits can lead us to the Crystal Heart!" Shining said.

"GAAH!" The shout came from Flash as he began to shake even more, and his feathers began to shed more. Everyone noticed this. Was the singing somehow... making him shiver in pain?

"Flash?" Twilight asked. "What's wrong?"

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Yes the perfect gift for me

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

Is a smile as wide as a mile

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

To make me happy as can be

From these happy friends of

"Too much love..." Flash said. "Too... much... emotions...! Too... Much...!!!" He then opened his eyes, showing a glowing light lime green, and his teeth growing fangs. Spike, seeing what was happening, realized what was happening. The singing of joy and happiness was overloading Thorax's form.

"Uh oh." Spike said with worry. That meant Thorax's disguise is gonna be broken.

"Flash?" Twilight asked.

"GO AWAY!" Flash shouted, showing his terrified but also changing face, which made Twilight gasp. Flash began to grunt, as he began to glow with a greenish color, with flames beginning to circle around him.

Smile, smile, smile, smile, smile

Smile!

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Flash / Thorax shouted as he floated up in the air, as a green flaming circle formed around him. And suddenly, his entire body began to burst into a green-like flame, one that Shining Armor, and Twilight, recognized right a way. They have seen this kind of magic before. The same magic the Changeling Queen used when Twilight came back with the real Cadance. Emerging from the flames, coughing and weak was Thorax, no longer Flash Sentry, but in his black pony-like Changeling form with the light sea-green insectoid wings and sharp horn and light lime green eyes.

"GASP!" Twilight and Shining gasped in horror. There in Flash Sentry's place was a Changeling! So that means... Flash Sentry was a changeling!?

"Flash...?" Twilight asked, as Spike was showing worry on his face. His friend has been exposed!

"What Is That?!" Goofy asked.

"A Changeling!" Shining shouted. "In the flesh! One of my royal guards was a love sucking monster!" How did he not see this coming? First the Changeling Queen posed as his bride and now a lone Changeling posed as one of his royal guards? And he was around his sister! The stallion gave a snort and picked up his spear with his magic.

"Wait, that's one of those Changelings?" Sora asked. "The ones who attacked Canterlot?"

"The same one!" Shining said, gripping his spear.

"Wait... if that's a Changeling..." Twilight asked. "Then what happened to Flash Sentry?" The changeling, terrified for his life, only let out a sigh.

"There is no Flash Sentry." Thorax said, lowering his head. "He never existed. I just turned into a pony-like version based on a picture that I found." Twilight's eyes widened with surprise. There was never a Flash Sentry? Her special somepony was actually a changeling in disguise? She stepped forward.

"Is... is this true?" Twilight asked. "You're a changeling?" The drone-like creature lowered his head with shame.

"Yes..." He said. "I'm sorry, Twilight." Hearing that surprised Twilight even more. But yet, she did not feel heartbroken. She was actually confused. She was around this changeling the whole time, and to her surprise, he didn't suck the life out of her. She could also tell through his pupil-less eyes, he was showing guilt and shame.

"You... You Freak!" Shining shouted as he aimed his spear at the Changeling. "You were a spy sent in to attack Canterlot!? You helped your ugly species get in?!"

"No!" Thorax shouted. "I had nothing to do with the attack! I swear! I just came to Canterlot to start a new life, away from my brothers and sisters!"

"You liar!" Shining shouted.

"It's true!" Thorax shouted as he backed away. "I came to Equestria to live peacefully. I didn't even know that my people were planning an attack! When it happened, I hid because I didn't want part of it!"

"You were hanging around my sister...!" Shining said, his spear aiming directly at the changeling. "You were planning to make her your feast, were you!?"

"No!" Thorax shouted. "I would never do that to Twilight! I love her so much!" Hearing those words surprised Twilight much more now than she was. This changeling loves her?

"Tell it to my spear, you insect!" Shining shouted, gripping his spear and charging forward, ready to impale the frightened Changeling.

"Shining, Stop!" Twilight shouted as she galloped after him. Sora, Donald, and Goofy also jumped in... until a certain Baby Dragon jumped in between the changeling and the charging stallion.

"STOP!" Spike called out, standing in between Thorax and both charging parties. Shining stopped in his tracks, and so did Twilight, and so did Sora, Donald, and Goofy, all three of them almost tripping over before catching their footing. All five of them looked with confusion, seeing the baby dragon standing between them and the changeling. The stallion raised an eyebrow, confused. What is Spike doing? That's one of the enemies.

"Spike, what are you doing?" Shining shouted. "Get out of the way!" The baby dragon glanced at the Royal Captain, then back at Twilight, the pony who raised him. He then glanced back at Thorax, who was scared. He took a deep breath and said one word.

"No." He said. Hearing that made Twilight and Shining confused.

"What?" They both asked.

"I said... No." Spike said. "I'm not gonna let your hurt him!"

"What?!" Shining asked, while Twilight tilted her head. A bit surprised, Sora lowered his keyblade, also confused as well.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"What?" Donald asked as he and Goofy lowered their weapons. "What's going on?"

"I think Spike is protecting the changeling." Goofy said.

"Don't worry!" Spike said. "He's not gonna hurt anyone. I swear." Sora tilted his head, but then noticed something in the changeling's eyes. While they were light lime green and no irises, he could tell that there was fear within them, with no signs of retaliation.

"He probably has Spike under his control!" Shining said, readying his spear. "We have to take it out!"

"Wait!" Sora said, getting the stallion and the mare's attention. "I think Spike may be on to something."

"Huh?" Twilight and Shining asked.

"Look at him." Sora said, pointing at the changeling, shivering behind Spike, who did not move. "I don't think that changeling is gonna hurt us. He looks too afraid."

"Sora's right." Goofy said, with Donald raising an eyebrow. "Poor fella's shivering so hard, his wings are buzzing in a high pitch."

"Yeah." Donald said. "That's actually different."

"Not only that, he was with us the whole time." Sora said. "And he didn't hurt us."

"But Sora, he's a changeling!" Shining called out. "He's a love sucking monster!" Hearing that word made Spike step forward.

"No He's Not!" Spike spoke out, surprising the stallion.

"What?" He asked.

"He's not a monster!" Spike said, looking back at the Changeling. "His name is Thorax, and he is my friend." Hearing that made Thorax feel touched. The baby dragon was standing up for him.

"Friend?" Shining asked as Twilight's eyes widened more with surprise.

"Now, I know what you guys are thinking." Spike said. "But he's not really that bad. He's actually a pretty nice guy when you get to know him. All this time he's been around us, not once did he try to drain us of our love. He helped get the King and everyone here to the castle, and he's been helping us find the Crystal Heart. And besides, when I was in danger, he saved my life." He then glanced back at the changeling with a smile. "If he's willing to save my life, then I'm willing to call him my friend." Hearing those heartfelt words made Thorax smile, and even shed a tear, something that Twilight had noticed.

"But... but... he was part of the invasion!" Shining said.

"No, he wasn't." Spike said. "He didn't take any part of it. He just hid until you and Princess Cadance blasted the Queen and her swarm away." Shining only stood there with aggression, not wanting to listen, but Twilight, she just stood there, listening to every word Spike was saying.

"Sure, his species may have invaded our home, and sure they suck the love out of innocent ponies, but we can't judge him for what they did." Spike said. "If you two want to imprison him, then throw me in the brig with him. You can be disappointed in me, but I'm not going to let you hurt my friend." The baby dragon stood there with his arms up, ready to defend his changeling friend. It was silent for a moment. Then, Twilight stepped forward.

"Spike... I'm so proud of you." She said.

"You... you are?" Spike asked surprised.

"W...What?!" Shining asked.

"Of course." Twilight said. "You chose your friend over your own interests. I can't imagine anything more brave than that."

"Wait... you're not disappointed?" Spike asked.

"Spike, I already said that I'm proud of you." Twilight said with a giggle. "You were willing to trust Thorax, just as I was willing to trust Sora. You reminded me that a new friend can come from anywhere. Sora always said that everyone, and everypony, still has a lot to learn about friendship. Even me. If you're willing to allow Thorax be your friend, then he's my friend too." Hearing that made made the baby dragon smile. Pretty soon, Sora lowered his keyblade, Donald his staff, and Goofy his shield, also agreeing with Twilight.

"Yeah!" Sora said with a smile. "Any friend of Spike's is a friend to me too!"

"Same with us!" Goofy said.

"Absolutely!" Donald said. Hearing that made Spike and Thorax smile. Twilight, Sora, and his friends were willing to give Thorax a chance! Shining, however, was shocked, and surprised by her decision.

"W...Wait a second!" He shouted. "You're actually gonna trust him?"

"Of course I am." Twilight said. "Spike is willing to trust him, then so can I."

"But he's probably faking it to attack us later!" Shining said. "He probably has Spike under mind control, just like the Queen did to me!"

"I'd doubt it." Twilight said. "Spike is doing this on his own free will, if Spike was acting like he was mind controlled, I would've noticed it."

"Yeah, and I could've sensed the mind control magic myself." Donald said. "Same thing happened with me and Daisy one time."

"You used mind control on Daisy?" Goofy asked.

"No, she used it on me." Donald said, a bit irritated.

"Actually, I don't know how to use mind control." Thorax said. "I'm only good with shape-shifting."

"Nobody asked you!" Shining shouted.

"Hey!" Twilight said. "Leave him alone!"

"Twily, his kind invaded our land!" Shining said. "They almost destroyed our home! Why are you defending him?"

"Because he's not like the other changelings!" Twilight said. "He was never part of the invasion! And besides, he was around me the whole time I was with him, and not once did he try to hurt me!"

"He did lie to you about who and what he really was!" Shining said.

"True, but he was afraid!" Twilight said. "He only changed his appearance because he just wanted a friend! Don't judge him for what his species did!"

"They attacked our home, Twily!" Shining shouted. "Not to mention that they almost slaughtered many families and innocent ponies!"

"Only because you let their Queen into our home in the first place!" Twilight shouted back. "You're the reason why the Changelings got into Canterlot ever since you put that damn shield up! If anything, you're a more danger to Equestria than anypony else!" The two ponies began to argue again, this time much louder than ever. Spike and Thorax only watched, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy, weren't liking the scene one bit. The spikey haired boy didn't like this at all. Seeing Twilight and Shining arguing, it was way too much. Sora did his best to keep his cool, but he couldn't. He couldn't take the arguing any longer.

"STOP IT!" A sudden shouted from Sora made them yelp, while Donald and Goofy jumped back.

"Stop It, Both Of You!" Sora shouted. "Stop with the fighting! You both are brother and sister! You're suppose to listen to each other, not fight!" Suddenly, the boy grabbed a hold of his head and shook. He began to slowly hyperventilate, unable to keep his emotions in.

"Sora?" Donald asked, both him and Goofy worried.

"I'm sorry... but this is too much!" Sora shouted as he just turned around and ran for it.

"Sora! Wait!" Goofy called out.

"Sora!" Twilight also called, her hoof out to reach him, but he was already gone, down the path that no one went or came out of. Everyone looked with surprise and worry, seeing the boy bolt away in anguish. That was actually scary. Twilight glanced down at the floor, realizing that she was arguing with Shining again. She promised that she would give him a chance, not hound him. Suddenly, Donald shook his head, showing an angry face.

"Now look at what you two did!" He shouted at Twilight and Shining. "You made Sora cry!"

"I... we..." Twilight said.

"We didn't... uh..." Shining said. Both were unable to explain themselves.

"Ok, that's it!" Donald shouted as he brought out his staff. "You two need a time-out!" He then raised it into the air, and suddenly, the ground below Twilight and Shining began to shake. And then suddenly, the snow began to rise around them, transforming into an icicle cage! This was also a surprise to Spike and Thorax.

"What the?!" Twilight asked.

"Hey, let us out!" Shining shouted.

"Not until you both decide to get along!" Donald shouted. "Now if you excuse us, we have a friend to go help!" He then turned around with a huff and took off in the direction Sora ran off to.

"Donald!" Goofy said as he went off too, but he turned around at the group.

"So sorry!" He said, and then he went after the duck, leaving Twilight and Shining in their little time-out cage. But Spike and Thorax, they were outside the cage.

"Gosh, that duck has a nasty temper." Thorax said.

"I really don't know what Sora and Goofy see in that lunatic." Spike said. Back in the cage, Twilight and Shining only lowered their heads, feeling some shame. But Twilight was feeling more shame than ever. She promised Sora that she would try to get along with Shining, and look what a good job she had been doing so far. She turned away and leaned her head on the snowy cage.

"Dammit..." The lavender unicorn whispered, though Spike heard it well. "I said I was going to be nice, but now I made my dear friend cry."

"It's ok, Twilight." Spike said, approaching her and stroking her mane. "It is difficult to keep promises. At least it wasn't a Pinkie Promise, otherwise Pinkie would be all over you about it."

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie's voice said, making the baby dragon yelp, to see Pinkie Pie's reflection inside one of the crystal walls.

"I heard that!" Pinkie Pie said as she disappeared within the crystal. Ok, how does she do that? Shaking it off, Twilight glanced back at Shining, who only turned away and continued to hang his head low. She knew that she had to talk with him, and to be civil with him. She approached him.

"Shining... I'm really sorry." Twilight said.

"No." Shining said. "You were right. I told myself that I would listen to your reasons, but I've done a horrible job at it... again."

"I don't blame you." Twilight said. "I know that you're scared of losing me again. And I wasn't doing a good job listening to your reasons either." She moved closer to him.

"I know everything now." She continued. "I know that you were wanting to apologize to me before I was sent to the caverns. I know that you went to talk to me and saw the Changeling Queen send me below the castle. I know you were then controlled by her to continue on with the wedding." He glanced back at her with surprise.

"You do?" He asked.

"Yes, I do." Twilight said. "I've been wanting to tell you, but I guess the pain and anger inside me was preventing me from doing so." Shining glanced away for a minute, and knew there was something else he had to get off his chest.

"I had a bad dream a couple nights ago on the way here." Shining said. "I was searching everywhere for you. But when I found you, you turned on me and turned into a changeling. As I watched Canterlot burn to the ground, you lunged at me... and started to eat me alive." Hearing that made Twilight widen her eyes up. Her brother dreamt of her killing him? That was dark.

"Shining... I had no idea." Twilight said as she approached him.

"I deserved it." He said. "I deserved being lashed at. Equestria almost fell because I chose some fake bride over my own little sister." He turned around and glanced at her, with eyes full of tears.

"You're the greatest sister in the whole world, and I don't deserve you." He said, letting the tears from his eyes drop down his cheek. Twilight didn't take joy from this. She felt sad. She hated seeing her brother like this.

"Don't say that." Twilight said. "Don't ever say that!" She approached him.

"If anything, I didn't make a strong case when I accused the imposter." She continued. "I didn't even know it was an imposter. I acted like a jealous little sister and I behaved immaturely trying to expose her. You're not to blame for that. I am."

"But she didn't fool you, Twily." Shining said. "You were the first to notice the imposter wasn't acting like the Cadance we know and love, and we didn't believe you. I only cared about getting married than taking your worries seriously. You were right. You're always right. I should've listened to you."

"No, actually." Twilight said. "I was wrong. I originally thought that Cadance had become evil, but in the end, I was wrong. She was just a monster wearing a disguise. She didn't just fool all of you. She fooled me too. And it wasn't just her. We were all victims of a terrible conspiracy by a greedy Chancellor."

"The Chancellor?" Shining asked surprised. "You mean that grumpy old Neighsay?"

"Yes." Twilight said. "Chancellor Neighsay conspired with the Changeling Queen, and he was the one who erased my friends memories of them learning that she was an imposter. They both fooled us. And instead of just accepting I was wrong, I let my own anger and hatred get the best of me. And because of that I nearly doomed Equestria, I allowed myself to be controlled by a malicious spirit, and I almost destroyed my friendships with the girls." Twilight reflected on had happened throughout the whole start of all this, everything that she had done, the horrible crimes that she had committed and the friendships that she had almost shattered. It was so painful and scary to think about.

"I've done horrible things myself." Twilight said, tears filling up in her eyes. "I stole the talismans of the Old Pillars of Equestria, I tossed a unicorn off a cliff, I attacked the princesses, I almost awakened a terrible monster from limbo, I almost destroyed Equestria. And the worse part of it, I nearly killed the one person who gave a damn about me." The lavender unicorn started to cry too. The images of her almost killing Sora, and him collapsing to the ground replayed in her head. Just thinking about made her cringe and tear up. Seeing her cry, the stallion held her close in his hooves, and he stroked her mane to comfort her.

"It's ok, Twily." Shining said.

"No, it's not ok." Twilight said. "I let myself be blinded by negative emotions instead of just accepting it and move on." She continued to cry as he held her close, giving her a nuzzle.

"I'm so sorry, Shining." She said.

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for." Shining said. "You were the victim. We were all victims in all this. But you suffered the most because of it."

"No, Shining." Twilight said. "You only made a mistake. You all made a mistake, but I've done worse. You all suffered the most of it when I tossed you all aside and allowed myself to be tainted by darkness." The lavender unicorn nuzzled against her big brother as he stroked her mane.

"Now I know how you felt when I turned you away." Twilight said.

"It'll be alright, Twily." Shining said. "We both done bad, but that doesn't mean you're not redeemable."

"How do you know?" Twilight asked.

"Someone told me that redemption isn't hard to find." Shining said. "You don't have to deal with your pain alone, Twily. No matter what happens, you still have me, you still have Cadance, and you still have your friends. Never forget that." Hearing that made the lavender unicorn smile. He was right. When she was had felt guilty for what happened, her friends comforted her, reassuring her that everything was ok. And Cadance, she forgave her too. They all have given her a second chance, just as she did. She embraced her brother once more and gave him a nuzzle. It felt like a long time since they have hugged one another.

"Thank you, Shining." Twilight said.

"Anytime." He said. "But... now what? Where do we go from here?" The lavender unicorn began to think. She was still hurt by his harsh words towards her, but again, it was also because she wasn't acting very mature at that time. It was still conflicting.

"I don't know." Twilight said. "I want to forgive you. But out of all ponies, you hurt me the most. But I was in the wrong myself, so I can't be mad at your forever. So, that doesn't mean I'm not willing to give you a chance. It's going to take some time for me to forgive you, let alone trust you again. Right now, I just need more time. But you're still my big brother, no matter what. Just don't give up on me, ok?" The captain of the Royal Guard glanced at the lavender unicorn, with some newfound hope. She was right, it was going to take time for things to be right again between them, but she wants to forgive him. He took a deep sigh, feeling hope.

"Ok..." Shining said. "I'll let you forgive me on your own terms. And I won't give up on you, Twily-" He halted himself, knowing that Twilight didn't want to be called that.

"It's ok." Twilight said. "I love it when you call me that." The two siblings held each other close. Both of them felt a bit of solace, and for Twilight, she was feeling better. It was still going to take some time, but deep down, she still loves her brother. Her Big Brother Best Friend Forever. They didn't notice it, but the crack on Shining's cutie mark began to shrink down and disappear. There was still a small crack, but the wound was healing.

Seeing this heartwarming moment made Spike form tears of his own. He was glad to see Twilight and Shining finally picking the pieces up, even if it's still a struggle.

"Well, it's a good start." Spike said.

"Say, I just realized something." Thorax said.

"What's that?" Spike asked.

"They're in a cage of ice, and you're a dragon." Thorax said. "Can't you just breathe fire on the cage?" Hearing that made Spike's mind click with realization. The baby dragon face palmed his own head. Why didn't he think of that before?

"Oh, that's right!" Spike said. He then approached the cage. "Guys, stand back."

"Spike?" Twilight asked. "What are you doing?"

"Just trust me, ok?" Spike said. "And you might wanna duck for this." The baby dragon then took in a big inhale. Seeing this made Twilight's eyes widen.

"Oh boy." Twilight said.

"What?" Shining asked.

"I know what he's about to do!" Twilight said. "Duck!" She then went low and pulled Shining with her, as the baby dragon continued to inhale, making his chest inflate.

"Um... Do you really need to inhale so long?" Thorax asked.

"Well duh, I'm still small!" Spike said, and he continued to inhale until he could inhale no more. "Here it comes!" He then blew out, but not air, but green dragon flames. But this time, it was a much larger flame due to how much he inhaled, and the fire blew all over the cage, causing it to melt completely. As the smoke cleared, there stood Twilight and Shining on the floor, but a magenta shield was over them. Twilight lifted her head up, and saw the shield with surprise, showing that she didn't cast it. Looking to her left, she saw Shining with his horn glowing, showing that he casted the shield. Realizing the flames was gone, he dispatched the shield.

"Flame Protection Bubble." He said.

"Good thinking, big brother." Twilight said, as Spike let out a cough and a little belch.

"Sorry about that." Spike said.

"It's ok, Spike." Twilight said. "Thanks for getting us out."

"No problem." The baby dragon replied with a grin. Pretty soon, Twilight glanced back at Thorax, who was still a bit nervous. But with encouragement from Spike, the Changeling approached her.

"Um... Twilight, I'm really sorry for lying to you about... well, what I really am." Thorax said.

"Don't be." Twilight said. "I understand why you kept the appearance, so I don't blame you for it. And... well... I understand that you were only hanging out with me so I can give you love and what not." Thorax sounded a bit surprised.

"Actually, that was never the case." Thorax said.

"Huh?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I mean, it was at first, but not after a while." Thorax said. "The more and more you and I spent time together, I enjoyed every second of it. I loved hanging out with you, Twilight. I really like you." The changeling quickly blushed with a slight buzzing sound after realizing his confession. Twilight stood there surprised too, and she blushed.

"R...Really?" She asked, a smile forming on her face.

"Yes." He said, blushing more with a bigger smile, but covered his mouth. "Uh, sorry, me and my big mouth." Twilight's face turned red, but she was smiling even more.

"No, no, it's ok." Twilight said. "I really like you too." She then gave a slight horse sound upon hearing her own confession, blushing even more as she smiled. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." Hearing the lavender unicorn say she liked him a lot too made the Changeling give a happy hiss, but he covered his mouth, apologizing. Spike only rolled his eyes at these two adorkable lovebirds.

"Oh, these two..." He said to himself. He then got in between them, grabbed one of their hooves and pulled them closer together until they both touched hooves. The two glanced at the baby dragon, who gave a smile. The two looked back at each other, but they smile. Who were they kidding. They both liked each other very much, and they were happy. Shining watched this, and he couldn't help but smile. He could already tell that Thorax isn't really a threat at all, nor would he hurt Twilight. He sees that now. Come to think of it, seeing Thorax's silly quirks was all the proof he needed. He approached the two.

"Thorax, I'm really sorry for being hostile." Shining said.

"It's ok." Thorax said. "I know the Changeling Queen took control of you, so I won't judge either."

"But hey, there's a good thing out of this." Shining said. "You're officially the first Changeling to be a member of the Royal Guard."

"Thanks, but I'm not really much of a fighter." Thorax said.

"Not from what I've seen." Shining said. "You helped me, Riku, and the King escort Princess Cadance all the way here. You've done good, soldier." Hearing that brought a reassuring smile to the Changeling's face. Seeing the two actually talking to each other made Twilight give a squeal, much to Spike's delight.

"Now this is a happy ending." Spike said. "Though I wish Sora and the others saw this before he ran off." Twilight gasped hearing Sora's name.

"Oh, right!" Twilight said. "Sora! He ran off." She glanced at the way the boy went. The quick scene of the boy having that breakdown played in her head. He was about to break and she caused it.

"Don't worry, Twily." Shining said. "I'm sure he'll be ok."

"We better go and check on him." Spike said. "Hopefully Donald and Goofy caught up to him." Everyone nodded in agreement, but then something caught the attention of the lavender unicorn.

"Huh?" Twilight asked as she looked up. "What's that?" She saw something floating up in the air and right down towards the four. To their surprise, it was a sparkling star, glowing with a pink color.

"What's that?" Spike asked.

"A star?" Shining asked.

"I've never seen anything like it." Thorax said.

"But... what is it doing here?" Twilight asked as she approached the glowing star. She made her way towards it and it float right down towards her. The lavender unicorn sat down on her hind legs and lifted her front legs, allowing the star to fly into her hooves. She looked at the star and felt something. This star was housing some kind of magic. Some very strong magic that she has never felt before. This star's power. It was pure. Pure Light. Twilight's eyes widened. She knew about this power. A power of pure light! Does this mean? Is this one of the seven...

"Guys... this star... it's of pure light!" Twilight said.

"Pure Light?" Spike asked.

"You mean... like one of the Seven Princesses?" Shining asked.

"I... I think so." Twilight said. She stared back at the glowing heart, wondering what it was. And then...

"Hello..."

Twilight was surprised. She could hear the star speak.

"Hello?" Twilight asked.

"You can hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you." Twilight said to the star, while Spike, Shining, and Thorax raised an eyebrow. They couldn't hear what the star was saying.

"Uh... is she ok?" Spike asked.

"Shhh... let her." Shining said, hushing the baby dragon.

"Who... who are you?" Twilight asked. "Are you from another world?"

"I came here using a spell, and I transformed into a star. I was told that I can only return to physical form if I find the one who I hold dear to my heart."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. This star came here using a powerful spell? And the only way for her to restore to physical form is to find someone she holds dear to her. Wait... could the one she holds dear to her happen to be...

"Would that be... Sora?" Twilight asked.

"Sora?! You know Sora?!"

That made Twilight gasp. This star was looking for Sora! So, does that mean this star is the girl that Sora told her about?

"Yes, I do." Twilight said.

"Where is he? Can you take me to him? I felt that he was in distress."

"Oh... well..." Twilight began, knowing why Sora was in distress. "He was just with us... but... he ran off... because, well..." The lavender unicorn only lowered her head, showing shame.

"I made him run off, because I couldn't forgive my brother." Twilight said. "It's my fault. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. We'll find him together."

"We?" Twilight asked. "How?" Suddenly, the star floated closer to the lavender unicorn and seeped into her chest, making her gasp. Suddenly, her eyes glowed brightly and everything went white. In her head, she saw various scenes flashing through, of Sora and a red haired girl, spending time together. At that moment, Twilight knew who that girl was. The same girl that was the star she was talking to.

"Please... take me to Sora. I need to tell him..."

The light ceased as Twilight opened her eyes, which had a gradient blue within them, which was surprising to the three behind her.

"Twilight?" Spike asked. "Are you ok?" The lavender unicorn turned her head, looking in the direction that Sora and the others went off to. She got up and looked that way.

"Sora..." She said, while another voice was within her own. She then galloped down the direction Sora and the others went, leaving Shining, Spike, and Thorax behind.

"Where is she going?" Spike asked, as Shining looked on.

"Wherever she's going, we better follow her." Shining said. "C'mon!" He galloped after his sister, while the changeling and the baby dragon followed suit. Whatever was going on with Twilight, they knew they had to follow her, to find Sora and the others, knowing so little that the boy was going to face something beyond his deepest nightmares.

Author's Note

Secret Report #11

Ok, made it to the Empire, check. The girls are keeping the town's folk entertained, check. Sora and company are looking for the crystal heart. Check, check, check!
Alrighty then, things are going well, at least on this side, of course. Never thought that a pinky pony who throws big parties can cheer up a crowd of ponies, and managing to get them to sing. I love this place! If only my friends were here to see this place... They're the reason why I'm here in the first place. I don't want them to fade away.
It is still strange though. This whole ordeal of Alternate Realities doesn't make any sense. Even if I succeed, will my timeline still be the same? The timeline that I still remember from my own is that it took some time to bring Sora back, which I don't even remember how. The only way for an Alternate Reality to exist is if something happened before all this happened? Did Sora not fade away as it was said in history? If he didn't... then how so? There's no way someone else took his place... right?
What am I doing? I can't think about all this confusion and stuff. I need to get back to my task at hand. I need to make sure that the Crystal Empire doesn't fall to the darkness, and find the one responsible for what happens in my future. That's the more important thing right now.
But... why do I feel like something bad is going to happen? I just felt a strange gloomy sense down my spine. No, there's no way someone had gotten through the barrier... did they? - S

Well, this is some chapter. What makes this chapter special is that I included the song that every brony loves! The Smile Song!

And I know you guys are gonna say that Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory just released yesterday, but it was released only in Japan, not worldwide. Worldwide release date is tomorrow.
As for the next chapter, it's delayed for a little bit until I finish it. Sorry, I've had a bad case of procrastination recently, and all this Election stuff that was happening was also draining. But I will get the next chapter out, hopefully before the date I get my teeth filled. Good news is that the next chapter is almost complete. And after that, the real exciting stuff begins.

Twilight and Shining are finally getting to terms and begin mending their relationship. Twilight hasn't fully forgiven Shining just yet, but she's starting to make things right. Good news is that they have welcomed Thorax as a friend. But the bad news is they also chased Sora away with their previous arguing.

The next chapter will come in a couple of days, and it's almost done. I'm gonna be tackling some horror stuff again, and it may pull your heart strings. You're gonna see our boy suffer... Muahahahahaha (hacking and coughing).

Chapter 31: Fear and Love

He kept running down the cavern. He just kept running and running until he was far enough. The whole event of Twilight and Shining fighting was too much for him to witness, and he couldn't take it anymore. Pretty soon, Sora came to a halt, and began to catch his breath.

After a moment, the boy only knelt down onto the ground, and lowered his head. He couldn't get the whole sibling argument out of his head. He just hated seeing friends fight like that. He just couldn't stand it.

"Why did they have to fight again." Sora asked himself.

"Feeling so helpless?"

The boy's eyes widened as he turned his head, hearing that voice. He knew that voice, a voice he hated to hear.

"It's so sad, isn't it? Two siblings fighting over a monster? Quite pathetic, yet so delightful." Suddenly, Sora felt someone walking behind him. Turning around, he saw him! Young Xehanort! Summoning his keyblade, he swung it, but Xehanort wasn't there.

"What?" Sora asked.

"But what's so entertaining is that you can't do anything to stop them from fighting." Xehanort's voice spoke. "Powerless, hopeless, to do anything to save a fragmented relationship." Turning his head, he saw Young Xehanort again, and swung his keyblade downward, but he wasn't there. What was going on?

"Where are you?" Sora asked.

"And if it keeps up, their love and friendship will wither away." The boy turned and looked forward, to see Young Xehanort just feet before him. Sora gasped.

"There's nothing you can do." Young Xehanort said. "You can't save everyone. Nor can you save anyone, just like how you couldn't save your dearly beloved friend." Hearing those words, referring to Kairi, brought back that horrible scene of Master Xehanort slicing her to pieces, as Sora couldn't save her. Remembering that made him grip his keyblade.

"SHUT UP!" Sora shouted as he charged forward and swung his keyblade down.

-CRASH-

The sounds of glass shattering made the boy open his eyes. There before him wasn't Xehanort, or any form of Xehanort at all. It was just a crystal wall, cracked by Sora's keyblade. Pulling it away, the crystal wall broke apart and shattered across the floor, revealing another hallway. What happened? Xehanort wasn't here.

Sora then realized what it was. Young Xehanort wasn't really here. It was just the effects of his own trauma. His doubt was playing tricks on him again. It happened again. Of course it would happen again. It's not like a cold that will go away in a couple days. He lowered his head.

"It was... just all in my head."

"Sora!" Familiar voices rang in his ears. He turned his head, seeing Donald and Goofy coming up towards him.

"Oh, Donald, Goofy." Sora said.

"Good thing we found you." Goofy said. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said, though the two knew that he had his keyblade out, and there was crystal shards on the ground around him, and the passage way in front of him.

"What happened?" Donald asked. Sora then took notice of his work around him.

"Oh... just... had to let out some steam." He said. Both the knight captain and royal wizard tilted their heads. They can already guess what happened.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Donald asked. The boy only lowered his head, knowing that he shouldn't keep this stuff from them.

"No." He said, knowing that he wasn't ok. "It happened again. My mind... my doubt... it played tricks on me again."

"Oooh..." Goofy said, sounding worried. "Is it because of Twilight and Shining's argument."

"Yeah." Sora said defeated.

"Sora." Donald said, as the boy glanced away, remembering how he lost his cool and ran off like that.

"I'm sorry you had to see." He admitted, his hands on his arms. "I just... I hate seeing people fight like that. I know that we're not suppose to push them to forgive each other, but I hate how things escalate so badly." The boy couldn't get it out of his head, the two siblings quarrel over a changeling who didn't even hurt a fly. Sure, Shining didn't have to be so offensive towards Thorax, but Twilight shouldn't have brought up all that stuff.

"Aww, don't worry, Sora." Goofy said, his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Twilight's trying her best, and Shining, he's still a bit jumpy because of what happened at the wedding. He did get mind controlled by the Changeling Queen."

"The Changelings did launch an Invasion on Equestria." Donald said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sora said, looking back at the direction he came. "What if they don't end up making up?"

"They will." Goofy said. "One way or another, they'll make amends. You just have to believe, that's all." Just believe, Sora thought? That's right. He's heard those words before. If you believe, you can do anything, and anything can happen.

"Yeah, you're right." Sora said with nod.

"And If it makes you feel better, I gave them a big push!" Donald said.

"How?" Sora asked.

"I... uh.... trapped them in an icy cage." Donald said.

"WHAT?!" Sora asked surprised. "Donald, you didn't need to do that!"

"Well, who was?" Donald asked. "They needed the push!" Sora only sighed in annoyance. Why did Donald have to do that.

"We better go back and let them out." Goofy said.

"Yeah, and you better apologize too." Sora said.

"Fine." Donald said. "Hopefully that set them straight." The boy only shook his head as he got up, and the three went back to go get Twilight and Shining out of their cage.

"Sora..."

The boy stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening up as he heard that voice. He turned his head around swiftly.

"Huh?" He asked, with Donald and Goofy stopping.

"Sora?" Goofy asked. The boy turned back around and glanced the way he was going before.

"Did you hear that?" Sora asked.

"Hear what?" Donald asked.

"That voice." Sora said. "I just heard it." The boy glanced around, and leaned in to listen.

"Sora... can you hear me?"

He gasped. It was a voice! A girl's voice! And he knew that voice clear as day!

"It's Kairi." He said. "She's here!"

"Huh?" Donald asked.

"I didn't hear anything, Sora." Goofy said.

"Can't you hear?" Sora asked. "Listen!" He leaned in towards that direction. He tried listening again, but there was no answer. So, he called out.

"Kairi, Can You Hear Me?!" He called. He leaned in to hear.

"Sora! Where are you?!"

Her voice was echoing to him, making him smile. She was here! She was definitely here! He then felt something familiar... something bright... very bright! It was Kairi! It was definitely her! Behind him, Donald and Goofy looked confused.

"You think he's gone mental?" Goofy asked.

"That's it." Donald said as he slowly raised his staff. "I'm gonna bonk him right now!" Seeing this however, Goofy rushed forward and tried to pull the staff away, preventing the royal wizard from doing such an act.

"It's her!" Sora said. "She is here! C'mon!" He then made his way towards the direction the voice was calling from.

"Sora, Wait!" Donald shouted as he and Goofy ran after him.

The boy kept running down the caverns, following the direction the voice came from. It was Kairi's voice. It was definitely her! She was here? How was she here? It didn't matter! He had to see her! He needed to see her! He finally made his way out of the caverns and came to a stop, finding himself in a circular room.

"Kairi?" Sora asked, looking around. But she wasn't here. She was nowhere to be found at all. Pretty soon, Donald and Goofy finally caught up to him, and stopped to catch their breath.

"Sora, didn't we tell you not to run off?!" Donald asked angerly.

"Where is she?" Sora asked, looking around again. "She has to be here somewhere."

"Sora, we didn't hear anything." Goofy said.

"I did." Sora said, looking back at them. The two glanced at each other. They could tell that he was serious.

"But how could she get all the way here?" Donald asked.

"It's not possible unless she has a ship." Goofy said.

"Maybe she traveled the same way Terra, Aqua, and Ven travel to worlds." Sora said. "You know, their keyblades turn into vehicles, just like how mine can turn into different weapons."

"Well, she can wield a keyblade." Goofy said.

"Yeah, but still." Donald said. Sora continued to frantically look around, but the red haired girl was nowhere to be seen.

"But... I could've sworn I've heard her." Sora said. Suddenly, he noticed something. Something laying down on the floor before him. It looked like a sword, a crystal silver-blue colored sword laying on the ground. The boy approached it, knelt down and picked it up. The blade was long, and the hilt was interesting. It had what appeared to be a strange line or wing that went a bit upwards to the other side of the guard.

"A sword?" Sora asked.

"Here in the castle?" Donald asked.

"It's probably a sword that belonged to Princess Amore, the original ruler of the Crystal Empire." Goofy said. The boy glanced down at the blade, examining it. No. This sword wasn't any ordinary blade, nor was it an Equestria magic one. This one feels more... ancient... powerful... and... something else.

"Guys, I don't think this belongs to Equestria." Sora said. "The magic seeping from it... It's... ancient... I think it came from the outer worlds."

"A sword from another world?" Donald asked, as Goofy began to think. He glanced at the sword carefully.

"Strange... why do I feel like I've seen this sword before?" He asked.

"Have you?" Sora asked.

"No, but I've seen something like this in the King's Private Library." Goofy said.

"What were you doing in there?" Donald asked. "Nobody's allowed in there except the King."

"Well, it was a long time ago, and his room was pretty dusty." Goofy said. "So while he was away one time, I cleaned his room up, even his private library. It was actually a bit open, and one of the books was on the floor. The book had designs of a couple of other weapons like this one."

"What was the book called?" Sora asked.

"I can't seem to remember." Goofy said. "Lucious? No, that's a long name." As Goofy began to wonder about the name, Sora glanced back at the sword, and noticed something attached to the blade. It looked like a parchment of some kind, and it had words on it. Taking the paper off the blade, he unrolled it, and read it's contents.

To those who finds this
I have hidden my royal glaive below this kingdom so it may one day be found by one of my people when the time would come. If anyone else stumbles upon it, keep it safe and grant it to the 114th heir of our Family Dynasty, so he may one day protect the light from the darkest scourge. For Hearth and Home. - Yūgure Lucis Caelum

Yūgure Lucis Caelum... Lucis Caelum.

"Wait a minute, I know that name!" Sora said, remembering his previous encounter with that Noctis boy eariler today in that vision. "That boy with the black hair, the one I saw in that crystal orb. His last name was also Lucis Caelum." Hearing those words finally sparked Goofy's brain.

"Oh, that's right!" Goofy said. "Lucis!"

"Hmm?" Sora asked.

"That's the name of the book the King had in his library." Goofy said.

"Lucis?" Sora asked. "What's so special about it?"

"It's part of another world that the King had went to many years ago." Goofy said. "It was during one of the lands Founder's Day festival, from what he told me." Sora was a bit surprised. There was a place called Lucis somewhere out there? Somewhere in another world? And this sword came from that world?

"But... why would someone leave a sword from that world in this one?" Sora asked.

"Not sure." Goofy said. "But Yūgure does sound familiar, though." As the two continued talking, Donald only rolled his head, feeling bored. But as he turned his head, he noticed something on the wall. Next to the wall was a strange looking door, very medieval like, and a strange crystal was above it. The royal wizard approached it.

"What's this door?" Donald asked as he grabbed ahold of the handle and opened it up, and peeked inside.

"Hello?" He asked. Suddenly, he quacked with a fearful quack, staring straight at what was inside the door. Suddenly, his eyes turned red and his sclera shifted to a green color. He stood there frozen stiff, as if fear finally took a hold of him.

"Nooo...." Donald said. "NOOOO!!!" His shout got Sora and Goofy's attention.

"Donald?" Sora asked.

"Get Away From ME!!! NOO! NOO! NOOOOO!!!" Donald shouted as he stepped back, but his gaze was towards whatever what was inside the door. Seeing the glow in his eyes, Sora realized what was happening.

"Goofy, get Donald away from the door!" Sora said.

"You got it!" Goofy said and he quickly pulled Donald away from the door, while Sora slammed it shut. Using his keyblade, he sent a powerful ray straight at the crystal above it, and then a magical lock appeared on the crystal, locking the door up. With the door closed, Sora glanced back at Donald, who was still shivering with fear as Goofy comforted him.

"Donald, are you ok?" Sora asked.

"I... I saw them!" Donald said.

"Saw what?" Goofy asked.

"Men from Mars!" Donald shouted.

"Men from Mars?" Sora and Goofy asked.

"Yeeesss...." Donald said, shivering from beak to feet.

"Wait, you mean the ones from those nightmares you used to have?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah!" Donald said. "I saw them from inside that door!"

"Garsh, that's the first time that's come up." Goofy said. "You haven't had those dreams in years." As the duck shivered a bit and clung to Goofy, Sora glanced back at the door, having some familiarity with it. The design of the door, it was the same one he saw in the page of the book he was reading back at the library.

"That door." Sora said as he approached it. "I know about this. When we were looking through the library, I came across a page in the book that spoke about a door called the Door of Fear."

"Door of Fear?" Donald and Goofy asked.

"It's suppose to house a dark magic that can conjure anybody's worst fear when they look inside the door." Sora said. "This must be that door."

"Garsh." Goofy said. "I wonder who built it there."

"Good thing that thing's closed for good!" Donald said. "I never wanna go in there again!" Sora glanced at the two, and then back at the door. He felt something... something strange. Something was... speaking to him.

"Conquer your demons..."

"Huh?" He thought.

"Conquer your fear, defeat your demons, and you will be one step closer to peace."

The boy heard that sentence echo in his head. Whatever he was hearing, he felt like... he had to go in there. Why? Was Kairi in there? That can't be right. Was the Crystal Heart in there? Well, maybe Sombra must've hidden it in there. And that voice, telling him to conquer his demons. Whatever the reason, he knew one thing.

"I'm going in there." He spoke.

"HUH?!" Donald and Goofy asked.

"I'm gonna go inside." Sora said. "I'm going to go check it out."

"No, Sora!" Donald shouted.

"Yeah, we don't want you to go in there and be scared to death!" Goofy said. Sora only shook his head and glanced back at the two.

"Guys, just think about it." Sora said. "What if Sombra hid the Crystal Heart behind this door? He probably knew that someone would find it, so he might've hid it in here. And besides, I need to go in there. I just... I just have to."

"You think Kairi's in there?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know." Sora said. "But I have to go in there."

"For what?!" Donald asked. Sora then glanced down at his hand, seeing it twitching slightly. It was there. There was still adrenaline flowing in his body, the doubt and fear that still remained from his nightmares. He knew that he had to finish this.

"For unfinished business." Sora said, clenching his hand.

"You mean..." Donald said.

"You're horror-flashes?" Goofy asked.

"Yes." Sora said, glancing back at the door. "The door will no doubt bring my worst fears to life. But the only way to conquer fear is to face it. My problems began the moment I've had these nightmares, and they've gone on for long enough. And now, I have to face them."

"But Sora." Donald said. "If I was able to be scared stiff easily, it'll do the same to you!"

"Yeah." Goofy said. "You're already recovering, and we don't want you to feel distraught again." Sora only shook his head.

"Sorry, guys." Sora said. "But I need to do this. I just have to. If I don't do this now, it's still gonna linger until it consumes me, and next time, I probably will be scared." He glanced back at the door.

"It's gonna take all my heart." He said. "Whatever that door houses, I'm going to face it."

"There's no talking you out of this, is there." Donald said.

"Nope." Sora said, looking back at the two. "I just have to follow my heart. And you know that." Donald and Goofy stared at each for a moment, but they both gave a nod, knowing that Sora had to do this. This was something he had to do, and they can't stop him.

"Ok." Donald said. "But if it gets bad, we'll jump right in with you, ok?" Hearing that made Sora smile.

"Thank you." He said.

"Good luck, Sora." Goofy said.

"Gotcha." Sora said. As he turned around, he glanced at the strange sword that was in his left hand. Shouldn't be any harm in bringing it along. It could come in handy.

He then stared straight at the door, and summoned his keyblade. Pointing straight at the lock, the keyblade charged it's ray and shot straight at it, unhinge the lock, allowing the door to slowly be opened, as a black mist began to seep from it. Sora almost gasped, his eyes suddenly turning red, and his sclera turning green. No doubt he was seeing his fear. But he gave a nod, knowing that he had to do this. He had to conquer his demons. If it will help him find the Crystal Heart, then he had to. He gripped his keyblade, and the sword in his other hand, and walked towards the door, heading inside.

Stepping forward, Sora opened his eyes, and saw that he was in a pitch black area. There was nothing going on around him. It was like an empty void, where there was no one in sight, and nothing to be seen. It was just... darkness. Not your typical everyday sort of darkness. This was... advanced darkness.

"Nothing?" Sora thought, looking around. Seeing nothing.

"Why is there nothing?" Sora asked himself. "Does the door not affect me? But it affected Donald, so should it affect me too?"

"You're back..." That familiar voice made Sora turn his head. It wasn't Donald or Goofy. It definitely wasn't Riku or Kairi. It was him. Xehanort.

"Where are you, Xehanort?" Sora asked.

"You've finally decided to come here." Young Xehanort's voice said. "Rather foolish if you ask me."

"I know you're there." Sora said. "I know you're here somewhere... lurking... hiding... waiting to jump out."

"You're right boy..." Young Xehanort said, though his voice was shifting to a more older one. "I've been with you all along, and I've been every voice inside your head." The boy then felt something, as Young Xehanort's voice transitioned into a much older voice. A nasty smell of darkness behind him. He quickly turned around, and saw him. The old man with the silver goatee, the yellow eyes. It was him.

"Master Xehanort!" Sora said as he summoned his keyblade. The old man only gave a smile, with a quiet sinister chuckle.

"Why are you here?" The boy asked.

"The same reason you are here." Master Xehanort said. "The door you went through creates an illusion of your fear and doubt. And those emotions of weakness conjured me into existance."

"So wait... I'm afraid of you?" Sora asked. "How is that possible?"

"No boy, you haven't been listening." Master Xehanort said. "The door brings to life not only your fear, but your doubts as well."

"My... doubts?" Sora asked.

"That's right." Master Xehanort said. "Don't you remember? It all began on that fateful day, when darkness should've prevailed and the light should've expired. See for yourself." The boy tilted his head, but then turned to his right. Suddenly to his surprise, the black area transformed into a vast wasteland, with brown and orange colossal columns of rocks were rising from the ground, and thousands of keyblades were dug into the ground.

"This place..." Sora said. "The Keyblade Graveyard!"

"Yes." Master Xehanort said. "This is the sacred place where the great end came. These lifeless keys used to be full of power. United by the hearts of their masters, on this barren soil, deviants of heaven and hell were locked in combat, those who served the light, those who served the darkness, those who wanted power, and those who wanted to protect, as the Great Keyblade War raged." Sora only glanced at the hundreds of keyblades that were dug into the ground.

"Many of them giving their lives in search for one ultimate key, a key that is forged into twenty pieces." Xehanort continued. "Seven Lights, and Thirteen Darkness." Sora knew which weapon he was talking about. The great keyblade that protected Kingdom Hearts for a long time.

"The χ-Blade." Both of them said.

"Why are we here?" Sora asked.

"Just look." Master Xehanort said, pointing straight at the empty space near the entrance. Sora looked to where he was pointing, and to his surprise, it was himself, with Donald, Goofy, Riku, King Mickey, Kairi, Lea, and Aqua and Ventus ahead of them, facing against Terra... But it wasn't their Terra, as his hair was white and his eyes were golden. It was Xehanort possessing Terra.

"This is..." Sora said in disbelief.

"That's right." Master Xehanort said. "This is the moment when you went up to face us, only to blunder into a massive failure." The scene before them played, as Terra-Xehanort, swung his keyblade and struck Ventus away, sending him unconcious and onto the ground, which horrified Aqua.

"Ven!" Aqua called out.

"That's It!" Sora shouted as he charged forward to strike, but Terra-Xehanort used his empty hand to stop Sora's attack and push him away. Seeing Kairi ahead, Terra-Xehanort moved in to strike, but Lea stepped in and blocked with his own keyblade, only to be blown away by the attacker.

"NO!" The real Sora shouted as he was about to charge forward, but he was stopped by a strange black mist, which held him in place.

"There's nothing you can do boy." Master Xehanort said. "You can only watch..." As Terra-Xehanort was about to swing his keyblade to strike Kairi down, the other Sora jumped in and shielded her. Luckily, Goofy used his own shield to block Terra-Xehanort's attack, while Donald prepared his most powerful attack, and his most dangerous one too! A magical circle appeared below him, as Donald began to glow brightly.

"Donald, NO!" Goofy called out, but it was too late.

"ZETAFLARE!" Donald cried out as he shot his staff forward, firing out a massive beam right at Terra-Xehanort, who screamed in agony as his entire body was vaporized. As the beam vanished, Sora, Riku, Mickey, Goofy, and Kairi watched with surprise as Donald was all that was left standing.

However, Donald's staff slipped out of his hand, and he collapsed straight on the floor. Sora gasped in disbelief.

"Donald!" Goofy cried out as he rushed to him. Aqua rushed to Ventus's unconscious body.

"Ven!" Aqua said. "Ven, wake up!" Suddenly, far before them, a black hole appeared, and out from it came a massive swarm of Heartless, which was actually the Devil's Tide. On the other side, the real Sora knew what was about to happen. The monster was going to suck up his friends like last time.

"No!" Sora said. He tried to break free from the mist, but to no prevail.

"It's too late, boy." Master Xehanort said. "And now you will watch your friends die before you." And he was right. The swarm moved in and took Aqua first, and then it took Lea and Kairi, followed by Ventus, and then Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, all of them sucked up at once. The other Sora reached his hand out to save Kairi, but he couldn't save her.

"SORA!" She cried out as she was sucked into the storm, leaving Riku and Sora the only ones left. The other Sora, who had seen everyone taken from him, dropped his keyblade and knelt to the ground.

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Sora screamed in anguish, with the real Sora managed to break free from the mist, but fell to the ground.

"It's so sad, isn't it." Master Xehanort said. "How you all struggled to get this far, only to fall so short. To fail everyone... and even fail yourself." The real Sora looked up, and saw something before him. Right there, laying down on the ground defeated and slain was everyone, including Riku. Sora got up in shock as he looked around, seeing nobody getting up. They were all... dead. Sora then turned to Riku, who was on the ground faced up, covered in bruises and blood. He approached him and knelt down.

"Riku..." Sora said. Then suddenly, Riku opened his eyes and grabbed Sora by the shirt, startling him.

"You could've saved us..." Riku choked.

"Wha..." Sora gasped.

"You could've done more..." Riku said, before gasping his last breath and his hand dropped. Sora froze as he saw his best friend dead. He lifted his head up, and saw something that scared him more. Right there on the top was Kairi, with multiple keyblades stabbed right into her.

"No..." Sora said.

"This is what happened when you failed miserably..." Master Xehanort said as he approached the boy, who only lowered his head. "You had no chance to defeat me, as you were all fated to die trying. It's so pathetic... but so delightful." As the old man chuckled, the boy only closed his eyes.

"It's over... We lost..." Sora lifted his head up, seeing himself on his knees in defeat, as Riku only remained there. He got up and spoke.

"Sora... you don't believe that." Riku said. "I know you don't." Sora, the real one, gasped, remembering those words. He then remembered all the times where he was in other worlds, and some of the people he met were on the verge of giving up. But Sora was able to give them hope, to help them, telling them to never give up. And that is what Riku was telling him. Sora then spoke out.

"I don't believe that." He said.

"Hmm?" Master Xehanort asked. The boy got back to his feet.

"Before we fell, and I was ready to give up, a good friend looked me in the eye and said... 'you don't believe that'." Sora said, and then he turned back to the old man. "I may have led us to defeat, but there's one thing you didn't count on."

"And what's that?" Master Xehanort asked. The boy stared back at him with a smile.

"What's written isn't set in stone." Sora said. The old coot's eyes widened with shock.

"What?!" He asked.

"Look!" Sora said, pointing at the field, everything vanished, and everything rewound back to before Terra-Xehanort struck Ventus down. Before he could, a sudden blast emerged between them and Aqua, preventing from Terra-Xehanort from attacking. As the dust cleared, to the man's pure horror, crossing his blade was a suit of armor... Terra's Armor, which was brought to life by Terra' emotions, and the bonds of his close friends.

"Who Are You?!" Terra-Xehanort asked as the Lingering Will pushed him.

"Got you... Xehanort." The Lingering Will spoke as he pushed away Terra-Xehanort with his Ends of the Earth keyblade, surprising everyone. But Aqua and Ventus, they felt a strong familiar light coming from the Will itself.

"Terra?" Aqua asked.

"That's... his armor!" Ventus said. Terra-Xehanort was confused, and somewhat horrified.

"This Is Impossible!" Terra-Xehanort shouted. "You weren't suppose to be here!" The Lingering Will stood his ground, and approached his possessed body.

"How I've waited for this moment." He spoke. Then, with his mighty keyblade, he and Terra-Xehanort clashed once again. From afar, Master Xehanort was confused.

"Impossible..." He said. "This was not what the future foretold!" He then glanced at the spikey haired boy, who only smiled.

"What did you do?!" Master Xehanort asked.

"You forgot someone who was able to link up with people that I've met, even those that I've met in the past." Sora said. "Because of her, we were able to change the outcome. Of course, I wouldn't have had managed to do that without time travel." The old keyblade master's eyes widened when he heard the words time travel.

"You...!" He said. "You committed the Taboo of Nature!"

"You guessed it." Sora said, as the scene of the past continued to play out, where the Demon Tide emerged from the ground and transformed into a mighty cyclone, and the boy in the scene rushed in to fight, throwing away his doubt.

"But... you should've..." Master Xehanort said.

"Disappeared?" Sora asked. "Yeah, I should've. But someone close to me refused to let me go and kept me together. And because of that, I was able to change the outcome and save my friends from certain death. Everything I did was to save them, and to save the worlds!" The scene before them swapped over to Sora riding along the keyblades of light, powered by the light of the past to take down the cyclone once and for all.

"But... you cannot change fate!" Master Xehanort said.

"Maybe... but you cannot change what isn't set in stone." Sora said.

"But it was all written!" Master Xehanort shouted. "Everything was foretold..."

"What is written isn't certain to happen." Sora said. "Just because it was written, it doesn't truly mean that it's bound to happen. I already told you, Destiny is beyond our control. Just as the future is beyond our control. For a man who sought knowledge, you've been reading way too many books."

"But... but..." Master Xehanort spoke, but suddenly, he gasped. As he glanced at the boy, he saw another... a man with black spikey hair and blue eyes, wearing a set of black clothes. Seeing him as he saw Sora sparked fear.

"No... you're..." The old man said. Then suddenly, Sora summoned his keyblade, and the man Xehanort saw, summoned the sword Sora found and charged forward to strike. The old man summoned his nameless keyblade to block, but the boy swung upwards, bringing a mighty slash that tossed the old master's keyblade out of his hands, and made him drop to his knees. The nameless keyblade dropped to the ground and shattered into pieces, and the mysterious gazing eye within it, faded away as if it never existed. Clenching his chest, Master Xehanort struggled to breathe. He glanced up and saw the spikey haired boy looking down at him with a smile.

"So... you have bested me." Master Xehanort said. "Perhaps you truly are the better keyblade wieder among us."

"That's because I'm not afraid of you." Sora said. "I guess facing my fear isn't so bad after all." Hearing that made the old man smile and laugh, much to the boy's confusion.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Know so little you still do..." Xehanort said as he began to fade away slowly. "One who knows nothing can only understand nothing..." Sora stood surprised. He heard that phrase before, before his first adventure began. When Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, told him those words.

"What?" Sora asked. "Wh... what do you mean?" The old man glanced at the boy with an evil smile.

"I was only your doubt." He said. "You've only conquered the ghosts in your heart that haunted you... but not your greatest fear." Sora's eyes widened. He only conquered his doubt, not his fear.

"The door shows one their greatest fear." Xehanort continued. "I, and your blunderous attempt was just your doubt, but not your fear. Failure is born from doubt, not fear. Fear is born from a traumatic experience, one that you have witnessed with your own eyes."

"Huh?" Sora asked, as the old man began to disintegrate rapidly.

"Goodbye, Sora." Xehanort said as he shifted between his old self and younger. "You're about to see... what true fear is like!!!" Pretty soon, he began to disappear, fading away.

"Wait!" Sora said, but the old man was gone. Everything around him was pitch black once more. The boy then started to think. Failure's not what he's afraid of? But then... what is it? He glanced down at his own hand.

"If it's not failure I'm scared of...." Sora said. "Then, what is it?"

"Sora...."

The boy lifted his head up, hearing a faint voice. Wait. He knows that voice. It was a girl's voice. A girl that knew well. Looking forward, he saw someone. Someone with familiar dark red hair, facing away from him. The boy gasped, knowing who it was.

"Kairi?" Sora asked. He then rushed forward, every step he took brought him closer to the girl. It was Kairi! She was here! Wait. She was here? How? He came to a stop as he got close enough.

"Kairi, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Sora?" She asked, her voice sounded weak and raspy. "Is... is that you?"

"Yes." Sora said. "It's me." She turned her head slightly, though she was in the shadows. While it was her, there was something off about her. Her eyes were lifeless, and her clothes were... gone?

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her face expressionless.

"Well, funny you should say that." Sora said. "I was-" He began to approach her.

"Stay away from me..." The girl spoke, with a sudden venom in her voice. The boy stopped, a bit surprised.

"Kairi?" Sora asked. "Why would I do that?"

"So now you care about me?" She asked, her voice hissing. "Now you care about worthless little me?" The boy was even more surprised. Why would she say that?

"What kind of a question is that?" Sora asked. "Of course I care about you. You're my best friend."

"No..." She said. "Riku's your best friend. But what about me? What am I to you? Just an stupid helpless excuse to save the world?" The boy was a bit confused, and he was beginning to worry. Why was Kairi saying that?

"Kairi, what do you mean?" Sora asked. "Why are you saying that?"

"Don't act so stupid, you lazy bum..." She spoke, her voice sounding sad and angry. "You're the problem, that's what."

"Huh?" Sora asked, even more confused.

"You've always left to go on adventures, and you've always left me alone in the dust." Kairi said. "And one day, you just left and never came back."

"Wh...what?" Sora asked. The girl slowly turned her body, her vulnerable fragile body, though she was still covered in the shadows. Her eyes were still lifeless like dead fish.

"I've waited and counted the days you were gone, hoping that you would come back." She continued. "But you never did, you never came back. You left me... you abandoned me." The boy was startled by what he was hearing.

"Wh... what are you talking?!" Sora asked. "I never abandoned you! You're my friend, remember?"

"Yes... just a friend by the way you say it..." Kairi spoke, hurt and pain through her voice. "But all you cared about was saving that other girl, who you cared about more than me..." The boy gasped with more shock and confusion. Was she talking about Twilight? Wait, how did she know Twilight?

"Kairi, that's not true!" Sora said. "Twilight's my friend, but you matter to me just as much!"

"Did I?" She asked. "Did I, little helpless me, matter so much to you? Because from the way you cared about that little Sparkle girl shows that you don't!" Her voice sounding louder and angrier made the boy step back.

"No, that's not-" Sora said.

"But it's not just her." Kairi said, showing a scowl. "It's everyone you've met. You're willing to help them and spend time with them rather than me. You cared more about everyone else than me!"

"Kairi, snap out of it!" Sora said.

"You left me, Sora... You abandoned me...!" Kairi hissed with anger. "Don't you know... what I've become?" She emerging from the shadows, revealing herself. Sora gasped in shock, and horror took hold of him. Before him was the girl he cared for, but much different. Her red hair was long with dark purple at the end, her eyes were bloodshot red, glowing and lifeless, and glowing veins were all over her exposed body from the veins of her arms to her neck and face. Her arms were pale and black with demonic claws, and her legs were the same color, showing spikes underneath. While she barely had clothes on, her body was pitch black purple, and there were long thin vines around her ankles, wrists, and neck. Her face was showing pure hatred and lust. Sora was horrified by what he was seeing, and it made him sick to his stomach. Kairi, the girl he cared about, was corrupted by darkness!

"K...Kairi?" He asked. "Wha... what happened to you?"

"Me?" She asked as she tilted her head with a wicked and emotionless smile. "I've embraced the darkness. I allowed the shadows to taint my soul, to rot me to my very core, and now I feel more powerful than you ever imagined." The boy only shook his head with disbelief. Kairi had allowed herself to be seduced by the darkness?

"No, the Kairi I know would never do this!" Sora shouted.

"That's right, I didn't." She said. "But you did..."

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"All the years of you pretending I didn't exist was the reason why I'm this way." Kairi said. "You're the one who left me in the shadows. You're the one who pushed me into the darkness just like you did to Riku!"

"No!" Sora shouted. "That's not-" Suddenly, he began to remember. He remembered where he was. He went through the door that is said to contain his worst fears. So this isn't really the real Kairi. It's just all in his head. He stood his ground.

"Wait, I'm not falling for this." The boy said. "You're not real. You're just playing tricks on me."

"Am I...?" The girl asked as she tilted her head in a very creepy way. "Now you're starting to catch on. The old fool said that you would meet your worst fear face to face, and now you have." The boy froze as he heard her say that.

"What?" Sora asked. "You're my worst fear? But I'm not scared of you."

"SORA!" A voice called out. Turning his head, he saw Kairi, in her normal state, running towards him.

"Kairi?" Sora asked. He then glanced back at Dark Kairi, and then back to the other Kairi. "Wha... what's going on?" Suddenly, long black tentacles sprouted from the ground, and began to grab the normal Kairi, causing her to scream.

"Sora! Help!" She cried out.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted as he rushed towards her, as the strange tendrils began to wrap around her neck, and began to seep her into the black water below her. The boy was close to reach her, but then suddenly, a pair of black vines grabbed him, causing him to trip. He tried to pull away, but the vines were tugging him farther from Kairi. He tried to reach her hand, but he couldn't. He then summoned his keyblade and sliced the vine from his leg. Getting up, he kept running towards the girl, who was being choked by the tentacles and began to pull her head.

"Sora... save me...!" She cried as she reached her hand out.

"KAIRI!" Sora shouted as he jumped to reach her hand, but she was pulled under the water, and the water solidified the surface, preventing her from breaking out, and stopping Sora from breaking in.

"NO!" Sora shouted. He raised his keyblade in the air and began to slam down on the ground, hoping to break the glass. But every time he hit the ground, it wasn't break. He tried again, and again, but nothing was working. The girl underneath was beginning the choke and suffocate as the tentacles and the water below kept her from moving. One more slam, but the keyblade couldn't break it.

"No!" Sora shouted as he knelt down, slamming his fist upon the glass, but it would no break.

"Kairi, Hang On!" He cried. "I'm gonna get you out!"

"It's... too... late..." She spoke.

"Huh?" Sora asked. He glanced at the girl. Her eyes were lifeless, but she spoke.

"Why couldn't you... save me?" Kairi asked. "You promised... you would... keep me safe..." Sora's eyes widened. The memory of Kairi slashed by Xehanort into pieces came back to him and played in his head, where Sora failed to save her.

"No..." He said.

"You promised to protect me..." Kairi spoke. "But you just watched me die..."

"I...." Sora said.

"Don't you see?" She asked. "It's not me you're afraid of..."

"What?" Sora asked.

"You're afraid... of losing me..." She spoke, her eyes turning red and her teeth grew sharp. Suddenly, her hand phased through the ground and grabbed him by the neck. Her was so strong, he began to struggle to get air out. He tried to move her arm away, but he held on, just as she began to phase through the water and lifted him up.

"And now, your broken oath will bite you once in for all!" She said, her voice becoming more distorted, more demon like. As he struggled to break away, she opened her mouth, showing her sharp teeth.

"AHH!" Sora shouted, and summoned forth his keyblade. He swung hard, slicing the arm holding him right off.

"GAH!" Kairi shouted as he backed away and he dropped to the floor. Looking forward, he saw the sliced up arm dissolve, and to his shock, her arm grew right back in it's place.

"So... you want to fight me, huh?" Dark Kairi asked. She then summoned to her hand her keyblade, but it was more black and corrupted. The flowers that were on it were shriveled and the blade coloring was black and purple. She pointed it forward, as Sora tried to stand his ground.

"Kairi, don't do this!" Sora shouted. "The darkness is blinding you! Resist it!"

"No." Dark Kairi said as she limped upwards. "It's all I have left."

"Please, I don't want to fight you!" Sora said.

"That's fine." Kairi said. "Because I will!" She rushed forward to strike, just as Sora raised his keyblade up in defense, blocking the attack. She swung again, and he blocked again. She swung upwards, causing his keyblade to be tossed away from his own hand. She then punched him right in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. As he turned his head, she raised her keyblade upwards.

"Die!" She said as she swung down, but Sora rolled behind her, summoning the Missing Ache keyblade in his hand, and then he slashed right at her in the back.

"UURGH!" She screamed as she turned around. "Why must you always hurt me!?" She swung again, while Sora blocked each strike she threw at him.

"Kairi, stop!" Sora shouted. "Don't do this please!"

"I didn't do anything... You did." Kairi said as she kept bringing in the strikes. "All the times you left me behind, saving the others instead of me!" She then kicked Sora with her foot, causing him to tumble and roll backwards on the floor face front. He lifted his head, seeing his other keyblade right in front of him. He reached to grab it, but suddenly a foot pressed against his hand.

"ARGH!" Sora shouted as he felt the hard force press on it hard. Looking up, he saw Dark Kairi, pointing her keyblade him.

"You disgust me... I HATE YOU!" She shouted as she thrusted down, but Sora yanked away and barely dodged. Swinging his other keyblade, he managed to trip her to the ground. Grabbing the other keyblade, he swung down. But she leapt backwards. But Sora continued to swing both keyblades as she tried to block. However, he swung at her leg, causing her to trip, and on instinct, he swung down.

"NO!" Dark Kairi screamed, making Sora stop. On the ground was Kairi, her normal face, looking up at Sora with scared eyes.

"Sora, please don't." Kairi said.

"Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Yes... it's me!" Kairi said, tears coming out of her eyes and smiling. The boy tilted his head and lowered his keyblade.

"A... Are you?" Sora asked.

"Wrong." She said, shifting back to Dark Kairi and lunging at him, taking him deep into the ground as he screamed.

Back outside the door, which was still opened, Donald and Goofy only watched and waited for Sora. But he hasn't come out yet, and that probably wasn't a good sign.

"He's been in there for a long time." Goofy said.

"Do you think something's happened to him in there?" Donald asked.

"I dunno, Donald." Goofy said. "I just don't know."

"We have to go in there!" Donald shouted. "He needs us!"

"Donald! Goofy!" The voice got their attention. They turned to see Twilight galloping towards them.

"Twilight?!" Donald and Goofy asked.

"How did you get out of the cage?" Donald asked.

"Spike got us out." Twilight said.

"Twilight, wait up!" Spike called out, getting the unicorn's attention. She turned to see Spike, Shining, and Thorax catching up to them.

"Don't run off like that, Twily." Shining said.

"Sorry, but I just had to..." Twilight said, only to notice that Sora wasn't present. "Wait, where's Sora?"

"He's in there!" Goofy said, pointing straight at the door that Sora went into not too long ago.

"What's that?" Twilight asked.

"It's a door that shows whoever sees in it their worst fear!" Donald said.

"Worst fear?" Twilight, Shining, Spike, and Thorax asked.

"Yeah." Goofy said. "It made Donald see Men from Mars."

"Hey!" Donald shouted, getting all heated from hearing that. "No one is suppose to know that, you big palooka!"

"Sorry." Goofy said. The baby dragon glanced at the door, and made his way towards it.

"This thing?" Spike asked as he looked inside. "I don't see anything except-" Suddenly, the baby dragon's eyes began to wide, as his sclera was covered with a bright green and his eyes turned into a bright red.

"AHHHH!!!" Spike shouted as he backed away from the door, much to Twilight's surprise.

"Spike?" Twilight asked.

"No!" Spike said as he fell to the ground. "No, Twilight! Don't Leave Me!" Seeing the glow in his eyes, Twilight realized what was happening. She quickly used her magic and pulled Spike away from the door.

"Spike, are you ok?!" Twilight asked. "Spike!" The baby dragon then blinked, and his eyes reverted to normal. But he looked pretty scared by what he saw. He looked up and saw Twilight.

"Twilight!" Spike said as he clung to the lavender unicorn and nuzzled her tightly. "I'm sorry, Twilight. Please don't leave me!"

"Leave you?" Twilight asked. "Why would I ever do that? What did you see in there?" The baby dragon was still shivering by what he saw.

"I saw... I saw you... you were really angry with me..." Spike said. "You just kicked me out of our house... and told me to never come back.... You said that you were ashamed of me...." Hearing that made Twilight's eyes widen. Spike saw her abandoning him? The thought of it made her feel horrible and shocked.

"Spike..." Twilight said. "It's ok. I would never abandon you-" She then stopped herself and began to think about what she was going to tell him.

"Actually... I did abandon you..." She spoke. Come to think of it, she did abandon him when she turned her back on Celestia, when she went off to search for the talismans to bring back an evil entity that would destroy Equestria. Looking back on those awful things, the lavender unicorn quickly pulled the baby dragon in for a hug.

"Oh, Spike..." She said as she nuzzled the baby dragon. "I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry?" Spike asked. "Sorry for what?"

"What I did, tossing my friends and Princess Celestia away, turning you away." Twilight said with sadness. "I did abandon you, just like that vision you saw in there... And for that... I'm really sorry." The baby dragon was a bit surprised to hear that. Not wanting her to feel bad, he hugged her closely.

"It's ok, Twilight." Spike said. "You didn't technically abandon me. When you cast everyone else away, you never harmed me in anyway. When that crazy snake lady was controlling you and tried to hurt me, you prevented her from doing so. You stopped her from doing anything to me. You showed love towards me. You still harbored love towards me, even though... even though I didn't stand up for you."

"Spike, what happened wasn't your fault." Twilight said. "What happened back at the wedding, you were just scared and confused. So I never blamed you for that... in fact, I shouldn't even blame you or anyone else at all. You all were victims, like me and Cadance were. But I promise you, Spike. From this day forward, I will never abandon you. You're my family. You've always been my family since the day I hatched you out of your egg. You will always be my family." Hearing that made Spike smile. He has always been part of Twilight's family? That brought tears to his eyes. Tears of joy. Without hesitating, the baby dragon hugged Twilight, and the unicorn returned the gesture. Pretty soon, Shining and Thorax glanced back at the door.

"So, this is a door that produces someone's worst fear?" Shining asked.

"It is." Donald said, just as Spike and Twilight broke their hug.

"And Sora is in there?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, he hasn't come out yet!" Goofy said. The lavender unicorn glanced back at the door. Sora was in there? If he hasn't come out, then something must've happened to him!

"Please... Save Him!"

The lavender unicorn gasped, hearing the voice speak to her. It must be the star that seeped into her body. It was telling her to go in there and save Sora. With a determined expression, she stood back up.

"I'm going in there." She said.

"But Twily, the door will affect you too." Shining said.

"It's ok." Twilight said. "I have to go in there. Sora's in trouble, and I have to help him."

"Twilight..." Spike said.

"Sorry, but I'm going in." Twilight said as she began to approach the door. Suddenly, she froze in place, seeing the contents within the door, as her eyes began to show the same green sclera and red irises that Spike possessed. But she shook it out of her head. Sora was in there and he needs help.

"I'm not running away again." Twilight said to herself. "Sora never gave up on me, so I won't give up on him. I have to face my fears. Friends Don't Quit!" Without hesitation, she quickly charged right into the door to save Sora as the others watched her go in.

Back inside the door, however, Sora was not having a fun time. Actually, it was painful and horrifying, having to fight Kairi, which is just a manifestation of his own fear. He was holding his keyblade up in defense as Dark Kairi swung hers against his. She was fighting very aggressively, and defense wasn't helping him at all. With one powerful thrust, she was able to slip Sora's keyblade away, allowing her to punch him right in the face, sending him to the floor. As he got up, he turned around, seeing Dark Kairi with her keyblade raised in the air.

"DIE!" She shouted as she swung down, but the boy quickly rolled once more and dodged her swing, which could've stabbed him. He then grabbed his keyblade, and swung as he kept telling himself that she wasn't real. She wasn't real, he thought to himself. It's just a manifestation. He gave a strong swing with both keyblades, striking her right in the back, causing her to let out a screech that made her sink into the ground and disappear.

Gripping his keyblades in his hand, he glanced around, but she was no where in sight. Where was she? He could feel his hands shaking. He was afraid. But he wasn't afraid of her, that's one thing. But seeing her like this... it was scaring him to death. He looked around, but still couldn't see any trace of her. Then... he heard a whisper.

"Peek-a-boo..."

Suddenly, he was grabbed from the air by his head, by her claws, and she hurtled towards the ceiling as she laughed psychotically. Then as he dropped to the floor, the black tentacles grabbed him and held him up, as she dropped down, and she struck him hard in the face. As all this was happening, a bright spark punched through the darkness, revealing to be Twilight, who managed to get in the door. She gasped as she saw the pitch black around her.

"What... what is this place?" She asked. She then glanced forward and saw Sora, trapped and punched by Dark Kairi. Seeing this brought that painful memory of Midnight punching Sora's lights out multiple times.

"SORA!" Twilight screamed as she galloped forward to help. But soon, something appeared in front of the lavender unicorn. Something tall with a long horn and wings. It was given color and it turned out to be Princess Celestia! And she didn't look too happy.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, before the regal princess slammed her hoof down.

"You Had One Job!" Celestia shouted. "ONE JOB!"

"What?" Twilight asked confused. "What are you..."

"You have betrayed me, Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia shouted as she angerly approached the pony, who stepped away with each step. "You have let Equestria fall to darkness, and you abandoned everything that I thought you. I was wrong, after all. You were never truly ready for your destiny."

"What?" Twilight asked, but then something clicked in her head. Princess Celestia acting in anger? She would never act like this in front of her. She never even shown this amount of rage in front of her all her life. This was the Door of Fears she was in, so this wasn't Princess Celestia.

"No." Twilight said. "You're not Princess Celestia." Hearing that made the regal princess gasp.

"What did you say to me-?" Celestia asked.

"Don't bother!" Twilight said. "I know you're just my fear playing tricks on me."

"W...What?!" Celestia asked.

"This is the Door of Fears, remember?" Twilight asked. "It brings our biggest fear to life. So you're just my own fear trying to trap me. But that's not going to work on me this time. At first, I did fear Princess Celestia at some extend, because I was afraid of letting her down. But when all of this started, I started to fear something much bigger than her. Myself." Hearing that made the fake regal princess grin, and her mouth spread wide and far that her gums were showing.

"Well... you catch on pretty quick, you foalish pony..." The princess said, before morphing into that of a darker Twilight with a flame-like floating mane and tail with demonic wings sprouting out. It was Midnight Sparkle!

"You..." Twilight said.

"Hello there, little me." Midnight spoke with a sinister grin. "Didn't expect to see me again, didn't you."

"I had a feeling." Twilight said. "But I don't have time for this. Get out of my way."

"Or what?" Midnight Sparkle asked as she got bigger and bigger, growing to the size of a tall building. "You really think you can get through me? You pesky little foal?" Twilight looked at her, and then saw Sora still fighting against the corrupt version of his dear friend. Her friend needed him. She wasn't going to run away.

"I may be afraid, but I'm not afraid to face you." Twilight said. She then stomped on her foot, and surprisingly, it sent out a flash of light, which struck Midnight.

"GAH!" The deity shouted in pain as the light struck her, making her drop to her knees in pain, and started to shrink down slowly. "Wha... what is this?! How are you?!" Twilight kept walking forward. Each hoofstep sending out a flash that kept striking Midnight and making her shrink more and more!

"I told you, you're not real." Twilight said. "You're just my fear trying to scare me away. But I'm not gonna run away while my friend needs my help." Midnight lifted her head to see Twilight. But then she saw someone, someone transparent next to her. A familiar girl with red hair and blue eyes, standing by the lavender unicorn's side. This power was beyond what Midnight could imagine. It was the power of one of the seven pure lights!

"Wh...Impossible!" Midnight shouted.

"I got three words for you, other me." Twilight said. "Go buck yourself..." Her horn lit up with magic and she shot straight forward, striking Midnight with everything she got.

"GAAAAAAHHH!!!" Midnight screamed in pure agony as the light began to pierce through her, making her evaporate and disintegrate into pieces until there was nothing left. The lavender unicorn gave a smile, proud that she has faced her fear. With Midnight gone, Twilight now brought her attention to Sora. Seeing the boy in trouble, she galloped towards him.

Sora, unfortunately, wasn't having a good time. He kept feeling his face getting punched by the twisted version of his dear friend. Pretty soon, she stopped, allowing Sora to breathe.

"You know what they say." Dark Kairi said. "Never wound what you can't kill." She summoned a sphere of darkness, ready to hurl him with it.

"Kairi... please." Sora said. "This is not you! Fight the darkness! Fight it!"

"Sorry, Sora." Dark Kairi said. "But it's all that's left of me."

-PEW-

A magenta colored beam shot Dark Kairi's hand, making her flinch in pain.

"What?" She asked. She turned her head, seeing Twilight Sparkle rushing in to stop her.

"Leave Him Alone!" Twilight called out as her eyes glowed brightly, and she shot a mighty blast to send her away and across the floor. With that done, Twilight rushed to Sora and used her magic to destroy the tentacles holding him, allowing him to drop to his knees.

"Sora!" Twilight said. "Are you alright?" The boy lifted his head up, surprised that Twilight was here.

"Not so much about the pain, but I'll be alright." He said, trying to get back up on his feet. However, Dark Kairi lifted herself up, and turned her head with a vicious glare.

"How dare you!" She shouted as she summoned an orb of darkness from her hand. She then fired it straight forward right at the two.

"Run!" Sora shouted as he and Twilight started to run, only for the orb to hit the ground just inches away, sending both Sora and Twilight to fly across the floor, while also causing something to fly right out of Sora's pocket. The two slammed face first, right into the surface-less ground and tumbled over.

"Oooh..." Twilight groaned as she shook her head, just as Sora lifted his head up, shaking the dizziness out of it.

"That hurt." He said as he slowly got to his feet, trying to regain his fighting spirit. But then he looked forward, and gasped. Right there was the Wayfinder charm yards before him. It must've flew out of his pocket when he flew across the floor. He was about to make his way towards it, until Dark Kairi glanced down at it and picked it up.

"Oh look... the charm I gave you..." She said, though her voice was venomous.

"Give that back!" Sora shouted.

"Sorry... but you don't deserve it..." She spoke, and then...

-CRACK-

She clenched her fist, causing the charm to shatter. The boy gasped, and so did Twilight. Dark Kairi then opened her hand, causing the charm, now broken into seven pieces, to drop on the floor. Sora stood there in deep shock. The Wayfinder Charm was broken...

"No..." He spoke.

"Awww, why do you even care?" Dark Kairi asked, pointing her keyblade at him. "You never even knew the special meaning behind it." Sora only glanced at the broken pieces of the Wayfinder Charm. At that moment, tears began to drop from his eyes. His hand shifted to a fist slowly. It was like.. something inside him snapped. And it did.

"GRRAAAAHH!" Sora shouted as he summoned both keyblades and charged forward, swinging with everything he had, while Dark Kairi crossed her own blade with his.

"Oh, look at this..." Dark Kairi said. "You're angry over a stupid little trinket."

"SHUT UP!" Sora shouted. "ARS ARCANUM!" He pushed her and continued to swing his keyblades multiple times while she blocked each one, though he was attacking with great force which caused her to be pushed back. This was actually very heartbreaking for anyone to bare witness, especially for Twilight. Two friends facing against each other would be painful. But she was laughing as he shouted and swung.

"That's it...!" She said. "Let in the rage! Give into your hate! Just like I have!" Sora only let out another shout as he flung the keyblade right out of her hands and then swung once more, striking her down.

"GAAAHHH!" Dark Kairi shouted as she fell to her knees, clutching her stomach. As she looked up, she saw Sora, who then raised his keyblades in the air, ready to finish her off. She smiled.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked. "Finish me..." The boy only glared at her with sadness and rage, and raised his keyblade.

"Sora, Stop!" Twilight called out. He stopped himself, hearing her voice. Finally snapping back to reality, he turned his head back to the lavender unicorn.

"Twilight?" He asked, surprised to see her.

"Sora... please, stop." Twilight said. "This isn't you. Don't make the same mistake I almost made." He turned his head for a moment, going over what just happened. Looking down, he saw Dark Kairi looking straight at him, waiting for him to finish her.

Wait, he thought. What was he doing? Was he really willing to strike down his dear friend? Was he really willing to kill her despite the darkness taking over her. Even if this was just an illusion?

But something about this made him look right back at her. He began to see the vision of Master Xehanort striking down Kairi. This was just like that... except it was Sora. He gasped.

No, he thought to himself. This wasn't right. This wasn't right. He lowered his keyblades, and released them, causing them both to drop to the ground. He backed away.

"No..." He told himself, surprising the girl. "This isn't right... I won't... I won't end you." He then glanced down at his own hands, and he clenched them both. Was he really afraid of losing Kairi? Was he afraid of losing himself? Or was it both? He didn't know anymore. He just didn't know. He turned around and saw the pieces of the Wayfinder charm. He then made a run for it to collect them, but the dark corrupted girl smiled. She then sent out a black tentacle to grab his foot, causing him to fall over.

"Gah!" Sora shouted, seeing the tentacle pulling him away, but with all the strength he had left, he was able to grab the seven pieces of the charm, and clutched them close as she continued to pull him away.

"You're such a fool." Dark Kairi said, shape-shifting into a much larger monster. "A heart can only withstand so much pain." She dragged him across the floor towards her, while he used his free hand to try and hold the ground, but it wasn't working.

"HELP!" Sora shouted. "Someone help!" He was still getting pulled away, but he tried to reach out his hand. But then suddenly, something caught his hand, and it felt like another hand. Actually, it felt like a pair of hooves.

"Huh?" Sora asked as he lifted his head up, and surprise took over, seeing a familiar lavender unicorn holding on to him.

"Twilight!" He said.

"It's Ok!" Twilight said. "I got you!" Seeing the lavender unicorn try to save him, the girl in darkness growled.

"Get away from him!" She shouted. "He's Mine!" She then commanded the tentacles to tug Sora from the lavender unicorn. But Twilight ignited her magic and she began to pull Sora away from his tainted friend. It was at an unfortunate stalemate, as both sides were neither winning, or losing. It was like tug-a-war, but Sora was being pulled from both sides.

"Sora, Hold On!" Twilight said.

"I don't know what to do!" Sora said. "I can't reach her! I've tried everything, but nothing worked! I.... I can't face her!" The lavender unicorn tried to think hard of what could work. Nothing was working. But then she remembered. When she encountered her worst fear while focusing on saving Sora, she was able to conquer her fear because she was willing to face it. She focused on saving her friend rather than her fear.

It clicked! The only way to conquer your fear is to face it head on! You have to face your fears!

"Sora!" Twilight said. "You can face her!"

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"You can do this!" Twilight said. "When I came here to help you, I had to go against my own fear, and while it was scary, seeing you in danger was even scarier. If you want to reach her and end this nightmare, you have to face her!"

"How?!" Sora asked.

"You care about her, right?" Twilight asked.

"Of course I do!" Sora said.

"Then Tell Her!" Twilight said. "Tell her how much she matters to you! Don't be afraid to express how much you care about her! Just tell her how you feel!" As Sora began to reflect on their words, Dark Kairi only scuffed.

"Enough of this." She said as she threw out her hand and sent out a wave of darkness, causing the wind to blow. The force was so strong, Twilight lost her grip from Sora's hand.

"GAAAAHHHH!!!" She cried out, just as the glowing star emerged from her body, showing a silhouette of a girl with red hair.

"Twilight!" Sora and the star called out as the star seeped into him. As it did, the boy felt something that radiated from the star before it went into him. It was a powerful, yet very familiar light. Before he could guess, he saw Twilight blown away through a floating door and was inside it, and it sealed up before it disappeared, taking Twilight with it.

"Twilight!" Sora called out, but it was too late. She were gone. He turned his head around, and saw Dark Kairi, armed with her keyblade.

"We're not done yet." She spoke. "It's just us now. Your little friend can't save you now, just like you can't save me." Sora growled again, and got ready to fight. But what good would that do? Fighting wasn't helping, neither was reasoning with her.

"It's so sad..." She said. "You said that you would always be there for me, but I would always wait for so long... far too long. And I'm always the last person that you save, and that caused you to lose me in the first place." As she prepared to charge up another orb of darkness to finish him, the boy only stared at the ground, unable to figure out what to do. He only closed his eyes.

"What do I do?" He thought. "No matter what I do, I can't reach her..." He then dropped his keyblade and fell to his knees, not knowing what to do.

"I feel... so alone..." He said.

"You're not alone..."

He opened his eyes, hearing a familiar voice.

"I'm here for you... Like I always have..."

Then, without hesitation, Dark Kairi shot out a black orb, hurtling it towards Sora. But then suddenly, he was engulfed in a bright light, which vaporized the dark orb, preventing it from touching him at all.

"What?!" Dark Kairi asked.

"Huh?" He asked, surprised that he was protected by the light around him. "How?" He then noticed that his hand was lifted up in defense, and in it was another keyblade. It was not his own, nor was it the one he found in the old castle. This keyblade was round and curvaceous, with the color resembling the colors of a sunset. One side of the hilt formed in the shape of a breaking ocean wave, while the other is formed into a beige vine of sand that wraps around the shaft. The vine connects to a bouquet of flowers, which form the teeth of the keyblade and entwine to outline a heart. The red silken keychain connects the hilt to a paopu fruit token.

This keyblade, he thought. This was the Destiny's Embrace keyblade, the same one that Kairi wielded. But... but how did it come into his possession?

"I told you. It's my turn to keep you safe...."

"Keep... me safe?" Sora asked. He had heard those words before. Wait... This light. He had felt this light before, right when the Islands disappeared almost three years ago, when Kairi's heart flew to him....

"Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Speak from you heart... Face your fear... Don't be afraid to share your feelings..."

Hearing those words, the same words that Twilight had told him, he was now understanding what he really had to do. He didn't have to fight. He didn't have to reason with her. He just... He needed to tell her, tell her how he truly felt. He had to, even if she's just an illusion. He then got back up, and stared straight at her.

"You're ready for another beating?" Dark Kairi asked. Sora only stood there and shook his head..

"I'm not going to fight you." Sora said, shaking his head. "No more fighting. I just want to talk." The girl raised an eyebrow with confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"You're right..." He said. "I am afraid... I am afraid of losing you again. The day I lost you when our world was swallowed, that was scary enough. But when I saw you get sliced back at the graveyard... that was the worst experience I had ever had to face." The scene of her getting sliced into pieces at the Graveyard played in his head again.

"I wasn't able to save you..." He said. "And I blamed myself for that ever since... It kept playing over and over in my head." He closed his eyes, allowing the tears to drop. But then he clenched his hand.

"But you're wrong about one thing." Sora said, much to her surprise. He lifted his head up.

"I saved you!" He said.

"Huh?" Dark Kairi asked.

"I defied the law of Nature and was willing to give up everything to save you!" Sora said. "And that just shows and proves, that I do care about you!"

"Then why?!" The girl screeched, pointing her keyblade at him. "Why do you never tell me?"

"Because... because..." Sora said, but then looked at the ground before him. Truth be told, he wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, but... but...

"Because... I didn't know what to say." Sora said. "Because, there is so much I want to say."

"Huh?" Dark Kairi asked. The boy slowly got back to his feet.

"I wanted to tell you so much about how much you meant to me, but I was scared." Sora said. "I was scared that you wouldn't feel the same way, or that I would say something the wrong way and you would hate me." The girl's eyes widened with surprise.

"I was scared that I would say the wrong thing, and that I would lose you forever." He continued. "I've been holding my feelings back... but no more!" He took a step forward, light emitting from his step, lighting up the floor before him. The girl gasped.

"Wh...what?!" She asked.

"Everyone has always told me to follow my heart." Sora said. "To use my heart, to speak with my heart. And that's what I'm doing now." He took another step forward, where another flash of light burst forward. Dark Kairi held her keyblade up, but the light shattered it completely.

"Wh... wha..." She spoke.

"What I'm about to tell you is from all my heart." Sora said as he kept going forward. "The first day that I met you was the best day of my life. The times that you and I spent together, I cherished every second of it. The day that I lost you was the most terrifying experience I've ever had. I've gone through great lengths to save you, even if it would cost me my own life. If there's one person that I would give up everything to save, it's you." As he continued to move forward, he continued to glow brightly, the light shining brighter and brighter, causing Dark Kairi to back away.

"There is still a lot that I don't know, and there's a lot that I still don't understand." Sora said. "But being with you by your side, it feels right. Being with you makes me feel safe. Don't you see, Kairi? You're more important to me than anything in this world! I mean it when I say this... You're not just anything to me... You're everything to me!"

"NO!" She shouted. "You don't mean that!!!" The boy took her by the hand and pulled her towards him.

"I do!" Sora said. "With all my heart. In fact, what I'm about to tell you is something that I should've told you before all this started, before we even made that raft."

"S...Sora..." She spoke.

"Kairi... I... I..." He said, though he was very nervous to say it.

"It's ok... You can tell me, Sora..."

He lifted his head up, hearing the voice. He spoke.

"I love you..."

Those words made the girl gasp. She heard the words come right out of his mouth. He said that he loves her! Suddenly, tears began to fall down her face.

"But... I'm nothing to you-" The girl spoke, but his finger was on her lips, preventing her from talking.

"If you were nothing to me... then... would I do this?" He asked. Not backing away one inch, he moved in and did one thing and one thing only. He pressed his own lips against hers, sealing a kiss. The girl stood there in complete shock. The boy was kissing her. Suddenly, her eyes were reverting back to blue, and life was returning to them. Her heart began to melt as she closed her eyes and held on to him, not breaking the kiss no matter what. Her claws and her legs began to glow brightly. And soon, both of them were engulfed with a magical light.

The light began to fade as Sora opened his eyes, seeing that Kairi wasn't here. Nothing but sparkles as the entire area began to shift around him. Was all of this just an illusion? Or was it real? It felt real though. It felt real to him. Looking down at his hands, he thought of what he said to Kairi, how much she mattered to him, that she meant everything to him. It was all true. He did feel that way towards her. He truly loves her. He must've known deep down, but never really thought about it.

"Kairi..."

He began to remember all the times he spent with Kairi, from the very first day he met her when he found her washed up on the beach. The times where he and her would go with Riku to the Islands and play together on the shore, splashing water together, searching for seashells, and in the Secret Place at the base of the tree, where they would scribble pictures on the walls. The very scene where the two drew pictures of each other.

Fast forwarding years later, he remembered the day before they were separated, where he drew one last sketch, where he was giving her a Paupu Fruit. Later that day, they watched the sun setting over the horizon towards the sea, and the rest is known. The long adventure he spent searching for her, giving up his own heart to return her heart back to her, giving his life up to save her, even if it meant fading away. But she brought him back. Before he went searching for Riku, she gave him her Wayfinder charm.

After a long year, hearing that she was taken by the Organization, he traveled all the way to their castle to save her. He remembered when she embraced him when he found her, whispering that he was real.

And then, that moment they shared together on the tree before their fated battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, where they shared Papou Fruit, and promised to keep each other safe.

When she was struck down, Sora was willing to sacrifice his own life to save her. He only cared about saving her no matter what the cost was. He didn't care if he disappeared, and surprisingly he didn't. All he wanted was to bring Kairi back, and spend every moment with her.

All those times they have spent together, all the moments they had together, Sora cherished every single one of them. They were happy together. He was happy because she was happy. She was happy because she was with him. And he was happy because he was with her.

He then opened his eyes. This feeling. This powerful feeling. He had felt this feeling before when he found Kairi after he saved his friends. This strong feeling. The feeling of being with her, to stay by her side, not matter what.

Love.

It was Love.

He began to recall how Hercules jumped into the face of danger to save Megera, How Will Turner was willing to die to save Elizabeth Swan, how Aladdin and Jasmine, Jack and Sally, Rapunzel and Eugene, Ariel and Eric, the Beast and Belle, all of them were happy to be with each other. To be with the one they love. Sora had seen this countless times during his adventures, but he never knew what it felt like... until now.

"So... this is what love feels like." Sora said. Looking at at the Wayfinder, he gave a smile.

"Kairi..." He said, looking at the ground. "I wish you were here... There's so much I want to tell you, to say how much you matter to me..." He closed his eyes.

"I love you..." He whispered with a smile.

"I love you too...!"

He opened his eyes, hearing that voice.

"Kairi?" He asked, looking around. Suddenly, a ray of light was shining down upon the boy. And suddenly, the star that Twilight passed on to him emerged from his body, and Kairi's keyblade turns into multiple sparks of light. The sparks floated with the star, circling around it, and then hurdled together as one. Then, it began to shien brightly, making the boy shield his eyes. Despite that, he saw what was shining down on him. His eyes widened, seeing a a glowing figure of a girl slowly moving towards him. Emerging from the light, was a girl with red hair... A girl that made him smiled.

"Kairi!" Sora called out as he leaped upwards to reach her. It was Kairi! The real Kairi! It was really Kairi! The girl slowly opened her blue eyes, and saw Sora reaching out to her. Seeing him brought a happy smile to her face.

"Sora!" She called out as she opened her arms and as they got close, she embraced him with a big hug. She nuzzled him closely as he held on. Believe it or not, both of them were shedding tears. Tears of joy. The embrace was broken, but they did not depart from each other, holding each other's hand.

"It's really you...!" He said.

"Yes, it's me." She said.

"But... how?" Sora asked.

"I used a little bit of magic, but I also followed my heart to you." Kairi said. "I... I just wanted to see you again." Hearing that made the boy smile.

"Thanks." He said. "I'm so glad you're here." Then he started to remember his confession. Did she hear all that?

"You heard all that, did you." He asked.

"I did, every word." She said with a smile. She heard how much he loved her, and she was happy. Seeing her smile made him smile too. The two couldn't help but chuckle happily, back in each other's arms.

But then suddenly, there was a strange swooshing sound. Looking up above them, they saw multiple black specters circling above and around them. Was the door manifesting it's dark strength again?

"What's happening?" Kairi asked.

"I think I already know." Sora said, knowing full well what was going on. Looking forward, they saw the black spheres of smoke beginning to merge into one, transforming into the silhouette of Young Xehanort! But he looked more dark, more vicious, and more... wicked.

"Fools... you shall not... escape..." Xehanort spoke in a twisted voice of every single version of himself, opening his eyes, no longer were they golden, but red with green sclera. This definitely was the power of the Door of Fear. Pretty soon, the black mist circled around him once more, transforming into what appears to be a black armored suit with red lining all over it, a black sliced up cape held together by chains, and a long helmet the resembled the skull of a goat with large horns. Multiple keyblades circled behind him as he summoned the No Name Keyblade in his hand.

"May you both drown in the depths of Darkness!" Armored Xehanort shouted, raising the blade up to the sky, the area shook around them, as giant multiple multiple meteors were lifted into the sky, all of them aligned and ready to descend on the two. Pointing the keyblade forward, Armored Xehanort began to hurtle all of the meteors toward Sora and Kairi. The spikey haired boy gasped in surprise.

"This isn't good..." Sora said.

"Don't worry." Kairi said, her hand still in Sora's. He glanced at her.

"It'll be ok." She said. "We can do this together." Hearing her words of encouragement brought a smile to his face. She was right. They can do this together.

"Right." Sora said. "We can do this!" Pretty soon, the two joined hands, and together as they stood side by side, with keyblades in hand, a pair of large and long angelic wings appeared behind them, spreading out as they glowed with light.

"TOGETHER!" The two called out as they then charged forward, spinning together in a twirling attack, piercing through the meteors that were hurtled towards them.

"Wh... What?!" Armored Xehanort gasped, seeing the two blasting through each meteor, one after the other. They dashed right through every single one of them as they did no harm to them, and slamming right into Armored Xehanort. He did his best to block their attack, but the power of their love was too strong. They managed to blow him away, while blasting his keyblade out of his hand.

With Xehanort now defenseless, Sora and Kairi joined hands once again, and this time, clicked their keyblades together, allowing both blades to summon a powerful light. It then sent out eleven multiple sparkling lights all around them. Each one transformed into many of their friends. Riku, King Mickey, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Roxas, Axel, Xion, Naminé, and even Donald and Goofy! It was not really them, but because of the strong connection of their hearts, they were here magically. All of them stood in unison with Sora and Kairi, all of them summoning their weapons and keyblades. With all of them ready, Sora spun his keyblade forward and pointed it straight towards Armored Xehanort. Pretty soon, the keyblade began to conjure up a sphere of light, and he, Kairi, and everyone began to glow with energy.

"WHAT?!" Armored Xehanort asked.

"My friends are my power!" Sora shouted as he pointed the keyblade forward, with everyone behind him lending their strength. All of them transformed into spheres of light and flowed through the tip of his keyblade. With all that energy, he fired straight forward, a massive beam of light slammed into Armored Xehanort's body, shattering his armor completely, revealing only Young Xehanort, just as the light pierced through him.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Xehanort screamed as the mighty blast engulfed him, causing an explosion that left sparks of light across the entire field, as the pieces of Xehanort's armor shattered into more and more pieces, fading away as if time finally caught up to them.

As the dust settled, Young Xehanort was on the ground, face first. He then let out a grunt, and struggled to get up, only to find that his strength was fading rapidly from his body. He tried to pull himself up with his keyblade, but the keyblade then shattered to pieces, making him fall to his hands.

"Im.... impossible..." He wheezed. Glancing down at his hand, he saw that it was somehow turning white at his finger tips, like some strange crystalline material was spreading slowly across his body. "H...How...?" The boy and the girl only stood there.

"Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere." Sora said as he stood there, while Xehanort's body began to slowly turn to crystal, spreading across his entire body. The black coated man only sighed in defeat.

"So... I was wrong... after all..." Young Xehanort said. "You're time... in this world... is not over...." Pretty soon, the crystalline features finally spread to his upper body, and the the younger counterpart of the old Keyblade Master lifted his head up just as his body finally turned into crystal. And then...

-CRACK-

Young Xehanort shattered into millions of pieces, breaking away until there was nothing left. Sora and Kairi only stood there, and glanced at the ground, as the arena broke away, and the area began to transform into a bright sunny day, where the sea and the sky meet. Both of them were astonished by the lovely and peaceful sight. It was breathtaking. It felt so real. Was it real? Even if the Door of Fear only made illusions of one's fear, it was like everything was real. And this, all of this, this peaceful setting, felt real.

"Strange..." Sora said.

"What?" Kairi asked.

"I... I don't know if I'm dreaming..." Sora said, looking at the girl. The girl smiled.

"You're not dreaming..." She said as she moved closer to him. "Because I'm here with you." The boy smiled, not having to wonder anymore. She was right. It wasn't a dream. She was here with him. The two touched foreheads and hugged compassionately, remaining in their embrace, just as the scene around them began to fade to white... The fear has been conquered, and the demons are put to rest.

The lavender unicorn tumbled back onto the ground as the door spat her out. She lifted her head up in a daze, and tried to shake it out.

"Twilight!" Spike said as the others gathered around. The lavender unicorn opened her eyes. The gradients of blue were gone from her purple eyes. She lifted her head up and shook the dizziness right out of her.

"Are you ok?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah... I think so." Twilight said as she got to her hooves. But she then remembered. Sora was still in the door! She glanced back at it, but then something magical happened.

Within seconds, the small light was glowing in the door, and it glowed brighter, and brighter. Pretty soon, the doorway was coated with a powerful glowing light, so bright that everyone looking at it shielded their eyes a bit. Then, two silhouettes emerged from the door.

Before they knew it, both Sora and Kairi got back to solid ground. Opening his eyes, Sora saw the ground colored in a black-blue crystalline floor. Lifting his head up, he saw Kairi, her hand still in his. She glanced back at him.

"You ok?" She asked. The boy smiled.

"Yeah..." He answered. Noticing a light shining behind them, the two turned around and saw the door, The Door of Fear wide opened, but the inside was glowing with light. Suddenly, the doorway and the door itself began to disappear, and the crystal above it shattered into light, leaving nothing but the wall it was aligned to. The door was gone.

"Whoa..." Sora said with amazement. Then he felt something in his other hand. Looking down and opening it, he saw that seven pieces of the broken Thalassa Charm. The sight of it surprised Sora, and it made him feel sad and guilty. The girl noticed his saddened expression. He then showed her what it was.

"The charm broke..." Sora said, showing the broken wayfinder. "I'm so sorry..." The girl looked at the broken charm, and then back at the boy.

"It's ok." She smiled, her hands in the boy's.

"Huh?" Sora asked, seeing her smile.

"The charm is just a symbol of the connection we have." Kairi said. "You don't need it to prove how strong our connection is. Because I'm always with you." Sora was surprised, but he smiled. That's right. Even if they're part, they'll always be together. Their destinies are intertwined.

"You're right." Sora said. Pretty soon, the two heard footsteps, well, hoofsteps actually. They turned to see Twilight approaching them, looking at both of them with a smile. Her gaze was right at the broken Thalassa charm. She then closed her eyes, and pretty soon, the lavender unicorn's horn lit up with magic, and pretty soon, the seven pieces of the Thalassa Charm floated up into the air. Using her magic, Twilight pieced the seven pieces together, and with a magical flash, the charm was back together again! As if it was never broken! The two friends were amazed. The Thalassa charm was fixed!

"I owed you one." Twilight said.

"Wow." He said. "Thanks."

"Twilight!" The three voices got Twilight's attention, making her turn her head to see Spike, Shining, and Thorax galloping towards her. Her older brother gave her a hug.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm ok, Shining." Twilight said. "Sorry for scaring you all like that."

"It's ok." Thorax said. "I'm glad- I mean, we're glad that you're ok." Spike then noticed the red-haired girl next to Sora.

"Who's the girl?" The baby dragon asked.

"A good friend to Sora." Twilight said, looking back at the two.

"Sora!" A familiar duck voice called. Turning his head, he saw Donald and Goofy rushing towards him with relief and joy.

"Donald, Goofy!" Sora said, and soon the two jumped on him and hugged him tightly.

"We're so relieved you're alright!" Donald said.

"Are you ok, though?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, I'm more than ok." Sora said before looking back at Kairi, who gave a smile.

"Kairi?" Donald and Goofy asked.

"Hello, Donald and Goofy." She said.

"Well, what do you know." Goofy said. "Sora wasn't going mental after all." The spikey haired boy looked at the two with a confused look.

"Hey, how did you end up here, Kairi?" Donald asked.

"I had some help getting here." Kairi said. "But I wouldn't have found my way here without Miss Twilight." Hearing that made Twilight smile.

"I was glad to help." Twilight said. "It's nice to meet you, Kairi. Sora spoke about you a lot, and I can see why." Sora couldn't help but blush, but the girl gave a happy smile.

"Um... sorry if I'm interrupting." Spike said, getting the group's attention. "But we saw a huge floor with creepy demon ponies underneath it not too long ago. We should probably get back to finding that Crystal Heart." That's right. The Umbrum they saw underneath the floor of crystal spikes. They needed to find the Crystal Heart.

"That's right!" Twilight said. "We need to find it."

"But... how do we get out of here?" Donald asked. "We're trapped in here!"

"We could try going back the way we came." Goofy said.

"That'll take too long!" Donald said.

"Maybe we don't have to." Everyone glanced at Kairi. She was looking up at the top of the room. She could feel something radiating above them. Being one of the seven Princesses of Heart, Kairi has that distinct ability to sense all kind of powerful forces, even those of light and or darkness. And this force she was sensing, it was a powerful energy, so ancient but pure.

"I can feel it." She said. "There's something powerful at the top of the room, at least I'm sure it is."

"Could it be the Crystal Heart?" Twilight asked.

"But... how do we get up there?" Shining asked.

"Let me see." Kairi said. The red-haired girl approached the side of the wall, and she summoned her own keyblade. Pointing straight forward, it glowed. Suddenly, the outer part of the floor began to move upwards, transforming it into a stairway that lead upwards to the top. Everyone watched with awe, especially Sora, who was more amazed than ever.

"Wow..." Everyone said.

"Kairi, that was amazing." Sora said.

"Thanks." The girl said with a wink.

"Well, let's get to the top!" Spike said. With that said, Kairi headed up first, and everyone followed her. She can lead them to the Crystal Heart now. It shouldn't be much farther now. Little did they know that a mysterious presence was in the room. A mysterious transparent woman who was shrouded in a white robe. She was not of darkness, nor of light, but something... divine.

"The boy has conquered his demons, and has found the royal glaive. He is the one who will open the way..."

Meanwhile... back at the Mysterious Tower...

"She has made it, has she?" Yen Sid asked. He was speaking with Merlin and the Fairy Godmother back at his tower. On a magical mirror screen were two others as well. It was Ienzo and Demyx, who was given some clothes to wear, though they were pretty much medieval clothes. Merlin picked them out.

"Yes, she has made it." The Fairy Godmother said. "She has reunited with Sora and the others."

"Good." Yen Sid said. "Hopefully her presence will help them much."

"And what of Ventus's look-a-like?" Merlin asked.

"Roxas and the rest are already going through the trials, on the path to help the others." Yen Sid said. "I just pray they make it in time."

"I'm sure they will, Yen Sid." The Fairy Godmother said. "They share as strong connection with Sora."

"I still get confused which one of them is Roxas and Ventus." Merlin said. "They both look strikingly the same." The Fairy Godmother rolled her eyes, and Yen Sid sighed. Same old Merlin.

"Now then... can we get on with what has happened?" The sorcerer asked to the mirror screen with Ienzo and Demyx.

"Yeah." Demyx said. "And thanks for the clothes, though I could've gone with something more cool though."

"Just tell them what has happened, Demyx." Ienzo said. "How did you end up in Merlin's closet again?"

"Well, I already told you guys." Demyx said. "Some creep came out of nowhere and knocked me out cold. Next thing I know, I'm tied up, my mouth taped shut, and then placed in the old guy's closet."

"Excuse me!" Merlin said sternly. "I'm not some old guy."

"Hey, I'm just being specific!" Demyx said. "Anyway, the guy placed on my cloak and everything, and he left without a word. And I looked so cool with that cloak." As he finished telling what has happened, everyone began to go over the whole story.

"That is odd, though." Merlin said. "I placed a tight lock on my house. Nobody should be able to get inside unless I'm home."

"Did you enchant the lock with protection?" The Fairy Godmother asked.

"Of course." Merlin said. "I placed tinfoil all over my doorknob!"

"No, I mean with dark resistance magic." The Fairy Godmother explained.

"Oh... yes, I did that as well." Merlin said. The old sorcerer began to think some more as he sat in his seat.

"It seems whoever broke into Merlin's house and locked Demyx inside must've been someone with very powerful magic." Yen Sid said.

"So whoever this man who stole Demyx's coat is, he must be the one responsible for causing some of the mayhem in Equestria." Ienzo said. "But for what, exactly?" Everyone began to think. That was very odd. Merlin's protection magic is quite powerful, even against the Heartless. Of course, they did break into his house one time, but that was about two years ago. Whoever broke into his house must've had some powerful magic.

"Are you sure you didn't see anything else about the man who tied you up?" Yen Sid asked. Demyx began to think hard on it, and then something came to his mind.

"Actually, he had this weird tattoo on his back." Demyx said. "Hold on, I'll draw it for you." He quickly took a piece of paper and began to doodle the mark that he saw. After a little moment, Demyx was done.

"Ok, here it is." Demyx said as he displayed the drawing on the screen to the others. At that moment, Yen Sid's eyes widened as he gave a sudden gasp, as if he had seen a ghost from the past, seeing that symbol, much to the notice of Merlin and the Fairy Godmother.

"Master Yen Sid?" The latter asked.

"Impossible..." Yen Sid said. Looking to his shelf, he pulled a book, a very dusty book off the shelf, placed if on his table and opened it's contents.

"I have seen this symbol before." The sorcerer said as he navigated the pages, until he finally came to a page, that had the same symbol that Demyx had showed them. The symbol was of a skull... with an angel wing behind it.

"This symbol is the symbol belonging to the House of..." Before Yen Sid could continue, he then gasped again, having an idea who the mysterious man could be.

"No... He has Returned!"

Outside the Crystal Castle Entrance...

Back at the Crystal Empire, two of the Royal Guards from Canterlot were waiting outside. Since the guards of the Crystal Empire were a bit... useless and confused, the other guards were placed at the castle entrance, even the back door of course. They were actually bored. Very bored to be precise. One of them began to doze off and sleep, until the other one saw something.

"Wake up!" The first guard said.

"Huh? What is it? I'm up!" The second guard said. The first guard was pointing his hoof forward, while the second guard stared off to what he was pointing at. Coming along was a man... The man in the black coat, or Demyx's coat to be precise. He was making his way to the door.

"Hey, hold it right there!" The first royal shouted with his spear at the man, who stopped in place.

"What is your business?" The second royal guard asked.

"I'm here for personal business." D said.

"Sorry, but you're not allowed to come inside." The first royal guard said.

"That castle's closed for the time being!" The second guard said.

"Alright then, I'll just let myself in." D said as he raised his hand, and then swung forward.

-SWOOSH-

A black wave struck D the two royal guards, causing them to scream as they felt pain travel through their bodies. Suddenly, they began to struggle to breathe, and their bodies began to shake, as well as their forms began to be engulfed in a strange black mist, while the hooded figure continued his way.

"Don't worry, the transformation doesn't hurt... much." He spoke as he went inside the castle, while the two ponies, now covered in black with yellow eyes, began to show monstrous teeth, letting out a roar.

Author's Note

Secret Report #12:

It was a very easy task to regain the Shadow King's trust again. I can already tell he's still in conflict with his role as King of the Shadows. It's ironic. He has no idea that his brothers and sisters are actually a sinister race empowered and tainted by an unholy darkness that never originated in this world.
I am making my way to the Crystal Castle now. It wasn't hard getting through the barrier at all, since my magic doesn't apply to their rules. It seems the Guardians of Light have occupied the Crystal Ponies. Funny they didn't even notice me. They probably will in a bit, but they shouldn't be a problem for me to deal with, especially when I reveal some nasty things about their beloved ruler Celestia.
But yet, I've felt... a disturbance in the Force, coming from the Crystal Empire. But it wasn't coming from the Crystal Heart that is still hidden in the castle. It was something else. Something more ancient. It was a power that I haven't felt since... since...
Hmmm... Perhaps it's time that I check on the boy and his comrades. I have left the witch in charge of the Legion of Doom until I get back. She did ask me who I was, so I told her who I was. The look on her face was quite priceless actually. I believe it is now time for everyone to know my name... - ???

Well, that's the end of this chapter!

Sorry for having Sora against a darker version of Kairi. With this chapter having the door that would show one's worst fear, I wanted to tackle with the style of horror, which is something that Kingdom Hearts hasn't truly done before. I think we have seen bits of it in A Fragmentary Passage with Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, but nothing like this.

But at least you guys got to see some SoraXKairi in this. Everybody ships these two, and I think it's cute. It was nice that we got to see Sora slowly realizing his feelings for her in Kingdom Hearts III. Unfortunately, there was no kiss. But maybe we'll see that in the next Kingdom Hearts game, or at least in a future mainline game.

Now... next chapter... the big reveal is coming at the end of the month! After so many chapters, I'm going to reveal D's true idenity!

Now, it's 4 in the mornig. I'm going to bed. See you guys soon!

Chapter 32: Dark Usurper

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 29: Origins

"Now, are you sure you wish to do this, dear? This is very powerful magic."

"Yes, I'm sure." The answer came from Kairi as she was speaking to the Fairy Godmother, the kind elderly woman with pale skin, grey hair, dressed in a lavender hooded cloak, wielding a white wand. She has told the fairy about her dream, and how she came into contact with Sora when Princess Luna connected their dreams together so they could meet. Since then, she's been worried about the boy she cared for, and needed to be there for him. "I... I just need to be there for Sora, and help him if I can."

"Very well." The Fairy Godmother said. "I can transport you to him, but it will be very tricky."

"How so?" Kairi asked.

"While my magic can take you to Sora and his friends, it will be very tricky." The Fairy Godmother said. "The spell I will cast on you should allow you to get there without trouble."

"Really?" Kairi asked. "But, what's the catch?"

"To do so, I must transform you into a shooting star." The Fairy Godmother said. "When the spell is cast, you will lose your physical form. But you will be able to get to the world your friends are in. Unfortunately, you won't be able to do much as a shooting star. But, if you find your way to the one person you care for deeply, you will return back to your physical form." The girl tilted her head, but listened to what the fairy has told her. To get to Equestria as fast as possible, the girl must transform into a shooting star, and doing so, she will lose her physical form. While she can get to where Sora and the others are, she won't be able to do anything. But to return to normal, she must find the one person she cares for.

"So... I just have to find Sora?" Kairi asked.

"Yes." The Fairy Godmother said. The girl began to think it over for another moment. She knew it would be a risky trip since she will transform into a star, but Sora will need her help. She wants to help him anyway she can. She gave a nod and stood up.

"Ok." Kairi said. "I'm ready."

"Alright then, here we go." The Fairy Godmother said as she tapped her wand and waved as it began to sparkle with glimmers of light, and she said three simple words.

"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"

In the Crystal Castle...
The Throne Room...

And so, the scouting team began their search, looking high and low for anything that could at least lead them to the Crystal Heart. And hopefully the others outside are keeping the crystal ponies occupied, and their spirits up too. Entering the throne room, Goofy looked around, left and right, before making his way inside, while Sora and Donald followed behind. Following the long carpet, there at the end of the room on the other side was a seat, showing that it was the throne, and behind it was a lot of blue and purple crystals behind it.

"Garsh..." Goofy said in a bit of amazement. "Looks everything is made of crystal. Even the throne itself."

"I don't know about you, but it does feel kinda creepy if you ask me." Sora said. Turning his head, he saw that Donald was looking at the throne, and the duck's eyes were sparkling. It seems the royal wizard has become fascinated with the sight of it.

"Donald, don't even think about it." Sora said, getting the duck out of his little greedy trance.

"I wasn't thinking about it." Donald argued.

"Yes, you were." Sora said. The royal wizard only sighed, just as Twilight, Shining, Spike, and Flash... or Thorax in disguise, walked into the room. They too were astonished by the throne, and Spike was starting to lick his lips, because... well, you know. Crystals. Gems. Dragons eat gems and all that.

"Wow... that's a very pretty looking throne." Flash said.

"And it looks very good to eat." Spike said.

"Spike, remember why we're here." Twilight said, getting the baby dragon back to his senses.

"Sorry, Twilight." Spike said with an embarrassed smile. The lavender unicorn couldn't help but giggle at the red blush marks on his cheeks as they continued into the room.

"I wonder where Sombra hid the Crystal Heart." Sora said.

"Do you think he may have hidden it somewhere in the throne room?" Donald asked.

"Probably." Goofy said.

"Well, if we're gonna find the heart, then maybe we should think like Sombra." Spike said. "For instant, if I were an evil king, I would... sit on the throne all day!" He then made his way and sat on the Crystal Throne, sitting in a fancy way.

"I don't think it's that simple, Spike." Twilight said. "He could've hidden it anywhere."

"We'll probably need to be careful." Shining said. "He probably made some traps incase anybody would look for it. So let's try and not to touch anything suspicious, Spike."

"When have I ever touched anything suspicious?" Spike asked. Twilight looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She can remember all the times when he would touch something without thinking clearly, especially when he was a very young hatchling. And her expression made Spike remember some of those little moments.

"Oh, right." Spike said. "Not a paw on anything... or claw, in my case." He then just realized that he was still sitting on the throne, and his claws were still on it. He quickly jumped off and kept his hands up, keeping to his word. Everyone then started looking around the throne room, searching in the curtains, in the jars without touching them, and behind the throne room. But no Crystal Heart was in sight.

"Can't seem to find it." Sora said. "Maybe it's not here."

"Do you think he probably hid it below the throne room." Flash said. "If Canterlot had those underground caverns, then maybe the Crystal Empire has hidden rooms below too."

"That's good thinking!" Twilight said. "Maybe if we find a triggering mechanism, we could probably open a passage way to some hidden rooms."

"But I don't see anything strange or suspicious." Spike said. As everyone looked around, Sora glanced straight at the throne. Taking a good look at it, he started to remember something. The images that Master Yen Sid showed him and Riku when he was telling them of King Sombra and the Empire, he noticed that the throne looked much different than it does now. When he saw it in the visions, it looked all dark and gloomy, with pointed crystals. But it looked normal now. So could the throne be a triggering mechanism too?

"Maybe there's something on or in the throne that could open a passage way." Sora said.

"What makes you think that?" Spike said.

"When Master Yen Sid told us about King Sombra, he showed us a glimpse of his time when he took over." Sora said. "I remember seeing the throne he was sitting on, and it didn't look like this."

"I didn't see it." Donald said.

"But I did." Sora said as he glanced back at the throne. "The throne was all black and stuff, pretty evil-like or something." The lavender unicorn glanced back at the throne and smiled.

"Then let's see if the throne has a triggering mechanism." Twilight said as she galloped towards the throne and examined it. She looked up and down, placing her hooves on it, trying to find a button or something. But soon, her hoof touched another hoof. Looking up, she saw Flash, and both of them made eye contact.

"Oh!" The two spoke as they stepped back for a second.

"So sorry." Twilight said.

"Oh it's ok, Twilight." Flash said. "I'm sorry." The two couldn't help but blush and smile, getting the attention of everyone else. Shining sighed and made his way to the throne.

"Let me see if I can find it." He said as he summoned his spear and began poking at the top part, trying to see if touching one of the crystals could activate it. But nothing was working. Behind them, as Donald and Goofy were trying to see if there was something near the throne room that might open a passage way, Sora was alone in his thoughts. He remembered clearly seeing the throne when Sombra took over from the vision Yen Sid showed him and Riku. But it doesn't look all black and dark as it did back then. So Sombra must've enchanted the throne. But with what? Magic? Perhaps... with dark magic? Could dark magic activate it? He then resumed thinking about it... and he recalled something almost a year ago...

The Evening Before The Mark of Mastery...

It was awfully quiet that day before he and his friend were to take the Mark of Mastery Exam. Back then, Sora stood wore the black short sleeved jacket and pants, with the blue shirt underneath and many yellow straps around his legs to keep the red pouches on. He was wondering Disney Castle, taking a look around. Tomorrow was the Mark of Mastery Exam so they could be prepared for Xehanort's Return. After some long hours of training, the boy decided to look around the castle, and believe it or not, it's a pretty big castle. Last time he was here, Maleficent tried to take it over by trying to meddle with the past, but Sora and company stopped her, with the help of Pete's past self. And there was that situation with that portal down in the Hall of the Cornerstone... Wait, when did that happen again?

He shrugged off that memory, thinking it was nothing, not knowing that it would play a crucial part in what was to come. He continued down the hallway, wondering where Riku was. Where was he, anyway?

"Are you looking forward to the exam, Riku?" The king's voice asked. Sora turned his head to the massive doors that lead to the throne room hearing the mouse's voice. Making his way towards the door, he leaned in to listen.

"I guess so." Riku said. "But...." Hearing Riku's voice, the boy slightly opened the door, seeing the King and Riku. During that time, Riku's hair was a bit longer than it was now, reaching to his shoulders, and he wore a white sleeveless shirt with a darker blue zip-up shirt underneath, long purple pants with white shoes at the bottom. Pretty much a cool style if you think about it.

Sora knew it was rude to listen in, but it sounded like Riku was a bit worried, and his head lowered and facing the ground shows it. Opening the door and closing it a bit so he could hear, Sora took a peak and listened in.

"What's wrong, Riku?" Mickey asked.

"I hate to admit it, but I am worried." Riku said, looking down at his hand. "Everything that I've been through, everything that I've done, the darkness still has a hold on my heart. Even when I gave up my physical form to help Sora, the darkness is still there." The older boy only lowered his head, while Sora couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Riku helped him save the world, but he still felt a bit guilty for everything that's happened between them.

"Do you think I'll ever be free again?" Riku asked. "You think I'll be able to get rid of the darkness in my heart?"

"To be honest, Riku." Mickey said. "Getting rid of the darkness isn't something that can be achieved. An old friend had once told me that there is always darkness in every heart. Darkness is pretty much everywhere. In our hearts, even in Sora, and... even mine." Hearing that made Riku raise an eyebrow, and a little disheartened to hear that. Darkness wasn't just something that could go away.

"So, there's no way to destroy the darkness?" Riku asked.

"Not really." Mickey said. "But, given your position, it can be used for good though."

"Huh?" Riku asked.

"Well, if there's anything that I've learned during my time with you is that even though the darkness is a dangerous force, darkness is half of everything, and together with Light, both makes up everything around us, the worlds, and life as well." Mickey said. "I used to think that darkness was all bad, but seeing it through you made me realize that if used properly, it can be used for good. Just like you used it to help Sora defeat Xemnas."

"Really?" Riku asked. Come to think about it, Riku had used the darkness for good a few times. He used it to help Sora a couple times, he used it save Kairi, and he used it against Xemnas and Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness too. "Huh... I never really thought about that. But, do you think I'll be able to control it?"

"So far, you've done a great job on controlling it." Mickey said. "I have seen you use it during our adventures, and all the time, you've used it with good intentions, even willing to risk your life to save Sora, and that proves how strong you really are. Plus, you've used both Light and Darkness in different ways that not even I could imagine."

"Different ways?" Riku asked.

"You see, Riku." Mickey continued. "The use of light and darkness depends on how we feel, based on our emotions and instinct."

"Emotions and Instinct." Riku asked. "You mean like happiness and anger?"

"Right." Mickey said, turning his head. "I've actually had my own experiences with both light and dark before, especially during my training with Master Yen Sid. Back then, light and darkness were used in various different ways, such as activating different structures or any sort of mystic relics that could open passage way."

"Really..." Riku said. "So... that means if we're gonna have to defeat Xehanort, I may need to use the Power of Darkness again. But, what if I lose myself again."

"You won't, Riku." Mickey said. "So long as you believe, and remember that you have us by your side. Sora never gave up on you, and neither will I." Hearing that made Riku give a hopeful smile. The King was right.

"Just remember, Riku." Mickey said. "Our abilities are tied to how we act and how we feel. Should you ever feel any sort of negativity, just think on the bright things." Mickey said. "Like joy and excitement. If you keep your heart and mind filled with happy thoughts, then the power you have within you can allow you to do all kinds of things. For example..." Mickey stood in place, and summoned his Starseeker keyblade. He began to glow with with a yellow light color. Spinning his keyblade, he shot upwards at the crystal ball that hung at the ceiling. As the beam of light connected, the ball then sent out a sparkling flash that sent out glitters of magic, which were in the shapes and forms of many denizens of Disney Town.

"Wow..." Riku said, amazed by the magic Mickey could do.

"Whooaaa..." Sora said silently as he saw the glitters. Pretty soon, the glitters and images of the townspeople disappeared, and the room suddenly went dark.

"But one should be careful though..." Mickey said, lowering his keyblade. "For should fear and hatred take hold.... then one could lose them themselves to the darkness. But as long as you control your rage and fear... you can channel the dark power...." Suddenly, his eyes opened up, showing a green glowing sclera, with purple mist vaporing from his eyes. He then pointed his keyblade at the ceiling, and to everyone's surprise, shot a black and purple beam up at the ceiling, and as it hit the crystal ball at the top, it sent out rays of dark magic across the floor, conjuring up black crystals from the ground. This was a great surprise to Riku, and to Sora, who was watching from behind the door. The King harnessing the power of darkness? That's something neither of them has seen before. But pretty soon, Mickey almost felt to his knees, much to Riku's worry.

"Mickey!" Riku said as he rushed over to help. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Mickey said as he shook his head, his smile coming back. "It's just been a while since I've done that."

"That was... that was something." Riku said. "I didn't know you could do that. I guess our time together may have rubbed off on you."

"Nah, it's ok." Mickey said. "Master Yen Sid taught me a thing or two." Seeing the mouse ok and smiling like nothing ever happened brought solace and relief to Riku. From his hiding spot, Sora was still amazed by what he saw. The King can channel dark forces too?

"Whoa...." Sora said.

Back to the Present...

Sora couldn't help but remember that moment, where the King was helping Riku prepare for the Mark of Mastery.
He can fully recall the technique that he had witnessed from King Mickey. Looking back on that, he also remember hearing the King say that darkness, like light, could also be used to activate all kinds of objects that hold a mystic purpose to them. He stared back at the throne, which was still being investigated by Twilight, Shining, Spike, and Flash. If Sombra used dark magic to change the throne, could he also use it to activate and open a hidden passage way?

Riku could be able to use the dark power to make it work, but he and the others were too busy with the townsfolk and the Faire. And Twilight, she could get hurt or worse trying to use it, and Shining doesn't seem to be the one to use it too. The boy glanced down, knowing full well how to make it work. He also knew it was dangerous, but like the King said. Darkness can be used for good if used correctly, just like the power of Light. The boy made his decision.

"Guys, I think I have an idea of how to trigger it, or at least make it work." Sora said. Everyone glanced back at him.

"You do?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah." Sora said.

"You think the keyblade can do it?" Donald asked.

"Yes, but..." Sora said.

"But what?" Goofy asked.

"Sora, what are you thinking?" Twilight asked as she and the others approached him. The boy glanced back at her and then back at the two.

"All I ask is, unless I say so, don't stop me." Sora said. "Ok?" Donald raised an eyebrow with suspicion and concern.

"Why?" Donald asked with a suspicious tone.

"Just trust me, ok." Sora said before turning away and summoned his keyblade. As the ponies and baby dragon stepped aside, he started to make his way toward the center of the room, and then faced the throne, glancing straight at the crystal above it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pointed his keyblade to the ground.

Fear, Anger, and Hatred

The boy then squinted his eyes, and suddenly he started to growl slightly, before he started to shake, as if he was resisting something, or struggling to tap into something. This sudden motion brought surprise to everyone in the room.

"What's he doing?" Shining asked.

"Does he have an itch or something?" Spike asked. As the boy started to grit his teeth and he began to shake even more, something wasn't right.

"Sora?" Goofy asked. Suddenly, Donald let out a surprised gasp, seeing what was going on. Suddenly, as Sora still shook in place, a strange black mist began to seep from his body, followed by a swirl of purple and blue mixed together. It was dark magic! The power of darkness!

"DARKNESS!" Donald shouted, with Twilight giving a gasp. Suddenly, the boy's growling got even rougher as the darkness was slowly surrounding him.

"Sora!" Twilight shouted. "Hang On!" She didn't want to lose another friend again! She was about to gallop towards him.

"NO!" Sora shouted, making her stop. He did not turn his head, and still faced away.

"I Can Do This!" Sora shouted. "Trust Me!" Hearing his words, Twilight now understood. Sora was actually trying to tap into the power of darkness. But why? Donald was about to jump in, but Goofy stopped him.

"Goofy!" Donald said, but the knight captain shook his head.

"He can do this, Donald." Goofy said. "We have to trust him. We need to believe in him." Although the duck was reluctant, he knew Goofy was right. They had to let Sora do this.

Soon, Sora's let out screeching shout as the dark cloud covered all over his body, turning his skin, clothes, and even his keyblade to pitch deep black. His eyes were then glowing red with no irises in them, and a pair of fluorescent white swirling patterns on the legs and arms and black demonic silhouette emblems on the shoulders, and black, blue and purple wisps were evaporating from his arms and back. The sight was enough to worry Donald, make Spike yelp and cling to Flash in shock while Shining stood his ground. Twilight only stood there in complete surprise.

"Sora?" She asked. He slowly turned his head to face her, which began to scare her. His eyes were lifeless, no irises, and glowing red. She had never seen Sora like this at all, and it was terrifying.

But then, he gave a short nod as a happy grin appeared on his face, and that moment, the lavender unicorn knew, that Sora was still in there. She smiled, as Donald raised an eyebrow.

Then, Sora glanced back at the throne, and making a feral-like leap, he pointed his keyblade right at the crystal and conjured up dark energy before shooting it right at the crystal, causing it to turn dark as it was surrounded by vapors of purple and green energy until the whole throne turned black. Suddenly, the whole room began to shake as the ground opened up in a spiral-like pattern, revealing a stairway behind them. It was a secret passage way that was underneath the room all this time!

"Whoa..." Everyone said as the stairway was revealed. Suddenly, Sora dropped to his knees, but he dug his keyblade into the floor and held on to stop himself from falling flat on the ground. Pretty soon, his skin, clothes, and even his keyblade began to return to their normal color as the darkness began to fade away from him.

"Sora!" Donald said as he and Goofy rushed over to him. The boy let out panting breathes until his breathing was normal. He shook his head, feeling a slight headache, but it was gone in an instant.

"Are you ok?" Goofy asked. The boy glanced back at them, his eyes were normal, blue as the ocean.

"Yeah, I think so." Sora said as he regained his strength and got back to his feet, while Twilight and the others approached him.

"Wow, that was cool!" Spike said. "Can you do that again?"

"Sorry, but that's gonna be a one time thing." Sora said. "At least I hope so."

"Gosh." Twilight said. "That was really brave."

"Thanks." Sora said. "Sorry if I scared you for a minute."

"It's ok." Twilight said. "If anything you did a better job at handling the darkness then how I did." Shining let out a sigh of relief and glanced at the stairway.

"Maybe this stairway could lead us to the Crystal Heart." The stallion said. "Let's go. C'mon Sentry."

"Yes, Captain." Flash said as he followed the stallion downstairs, with Spike and Twilight following behind.

"Say, where did you learn how to do that?" Donald asked.

"A little trick I saw someone pull off." Sora said.

"Riku?" Goofy and Donald asked. Sora shook his head.

"It's a secret." Sora said with a wink as he followed the ponies and baby dragon down the stairway, while Donald and Goofy looked at each other.

"The King?" Donald asked.

"Who knows, but from the looks of it, someone that's better experienced than you." Goofy said with a chuckle, while Donald only rolled his eyes as the two followed the others down the stairway.

The party slowly but surely made their way down the stairway below the throne room. It was actually a surprise that there was even a secret room beneath the throne itself. Of course, when there's a castle, there's always hidden rooms. But ones that can be accessed through the use of dark magic, that's very surprising. While they descended down the stairs, they couldn't help but notice a strange tink sound, like something was falling behind them.

"What was that?" Spike asked, feeling a bit frightened by the sound.

"Probably just an echo." Twilight said.

"I hope so..." Spike said as they continued to make their way down the stairs, only to finally reach solid ground, and come across a door right before them.

"What's this?" Sora asked.

"Maybe another secret room." Donald said.

"Well, let's open it." Goofy said. The trio made their way towards the door and pulled on the handle. But it wouldn't open. A little surprised, they tried to pull again, but nothing. They then tried pulling one last time, this time much harder than before. But soon, Sora lost his grip on the handle, and all three of them fell backwards onto the floor.

"Ooooooh...." Twilight and Spike said, while Shining and Flash winced away, seeing the three on the ground, and on top of each other.

"That didn't work." Sora said. Looking back at the door, Twilight approached it.

"Twily, wait." Shining said as he galloped before her. "I should open it."

"I'll be fine, Shining." Twilight said.

"But still, Sombra probably placed a trap on the door." Shining said. "So let me."

"He has a point, Twilight." Flash said. "So why not?" Twilight was a bit reluctant, but remembering that she promised to give her brother a chance, she gave a nod.

"Ok." She said. "Just be careful." With a nod, he made his way towards the door and then he pushed against it. Surprisingly, it opened! No trap or anything!

"Huh... that was easy." Shining said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy lifted their heads up with surprise. It opened up by pushing it, not pulling it!

"Oh, we just had to push on it, not pull." Sora said, as Goofy gave a chuckle and Donald gave an annoyed sigh. Pretty soon, the stallion opened the door up and saw that it was dark inside. He ignited his horn, sparking a light for them to see. Suddenly, he saw a branch hanging on the side of the room, and he ignited it with a flame from his magic. Suddenly, the whole room lit up, bringing even more surprise to everyone. In the room was a desk, with a chair right in front of it, and on the end of the wall hung a bookshelf that contained so many books, which was enough to make Twilight smile. There was a nice small chandelier that only had three crystals dangling from it, a globe of Equestria on the desk, and it had a couple of busts that had Sombra's head on each one. For those who don't know, a bust is a small statue that is of your head and face, reaching to your shoulders. Not the kind of busts that your naughty minds think of...

"Whoa..." Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped, as Twilight smiled at the sight of the private library.

"Wow." Spike said. "Looks like Sombra had a room all for himself."

"Neat." Twilight said. "I so want an office like this. Well, except for the busts of myself." Everyone looked at her, and she smiled with a bit of embarrassment. But everyone only smiled, knowing that she has a thing for libraries.

"But there's no sight of the Crystal Heart." Sora said. He was right. There was no Crystal Heart anywhere. The only things that were visible was the candle stick, and the turquoise colored book with the gold locks and spine on it. The book did get their attention. Could it be a journal that belonged to Sombra?

"But there is a book." Twilight said as she made her way towards the book. "Could this be his journal?"

"Why would he leave a diary?" Spike asked.

"Everyone has a diary, Spike." Goofy said. "Even Jiminy has one."

"That's right!" Jiminy said as he popped out of Sora's hood. "I keep a journal one every single on of our adventures, even during my adventures with Pinocchio."

"Neat." Spike said. "Wait... who's Pinocchio?"

"Hmmm... I wonder if Sombra wrote the location to where the Crystal Heart is." Flash said. "Maybe if we read the journal, we can learn about Sombra too."

"Then we should read it!" Donald said.

"Donald." Sora said. "It's rude to read someone's diary without their permission. It's an invasion of privacy." Hearing that made Donald sigh.

"Yeah... maybe we shouldn't read it." He said. Sora looked at the royal wizard.

"I didn't say that." He said with a smile. Seeing him smile made Donald smile.

"Well, I suppose a peek wouldn't hurt." Goofy said.

"Then let's take a look." Twilight said as she picked up the book from the table and removed the latches from it. She opened the book up and began to read it out loud.

Sombra... It was the only word I could remember whe they found me. No matter what they asked, the only thing I would say to them was that one word. So, they made it my name. The Crystal Guard said I was alone out in the wastes just north of the empire. They asked where my family was, but I couldn't tell them. Not having any family to return a lost colt to, they brought me to Chestnut Falls' Orphanage. I was years behind my classmates. They knew all about things I had never even heard of. Saying their words felt like chewing peanut brittle. Like my mouth wasn't suppose to say them. But I was a quick learner, and Ms. Chestnut Falls would always help me when I couldn't understand the homework. Sadly, the same could not be said for others...

Twilight's eyes widened with a bit of surprise. Sombra was an orphan?

"Sombra had no family." She said. "He grew up in an orphanage." Suddenly, as Twilight continued to read, the book began to glow, much to everyone's surprise.

"What's happening?" Spike asked. Sora looked around, and noticed something floating into the room. It was a glowing crystal orb of light, floating around the group. But only Sora could see it. Was this like the other three lights that he saw?

"Another one?" He asked. Suddenly, the three orbs began to surround the group and circle around them, just as the book Twilight held in her hands glowed brightly and shined, engulfing the room with light.

It's best that you see it with your eyes...

The boy slowly opened his eyes, and found himself still standing. Behind him, Donald and Goofy held onto him, but they released him when they opened their eyes. Twilight, Spike, Shining, and Flash were also present, and of course Jiminy, who held onto the spikey-haired boy's shoulder. Suddenly, all of them gasped at what was in front of them. They were out in the city of the Crystal Empire, but it was much more sparkly than it was when they saw it an hour ago. It was much more beautiful, and again, sparkly than ever. But how? Unless...

"We're outside the Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked. "But how?" Sora looked around, and knew what was going on... or at least has an idea of what is going on.

"Guys... I think we're in the past." Sora said.

"The Past?!" Donald and Goofy asked.

"Sora, what did you do?" Donald asked.

"Nothing!" Sora said. "But I don't think we're actually in the past. I think we're watching the past."

"Watching the past?" Spike asked. "How does that work?" Shining turned his head and something caught his eye.

"Look!" He said, pointing his hoof forward. The group glanced at what he was looking at, and to their surprise, it was a blue crystal building with windows, and the sign above it said CRYSTAL HEART FOAL CENTER, with a filly sigil next to the letters. Nearby was a playground, where a couple of crystal ponies played ball together. One of them was watching from afar. It was grey-colored unicorn colt, with a jet black mane and tail. Not only that, his eyes were green as emerald! Was that... Sombra?

"Who is that?" Flash asked.

"I think that's Sombra." Twilight said. "This must be when he was in the Orphanage." To their surprise, Sombra looked a bit nervous. It looked like he wanted to play too. So, finding the courage, he approached them with a smile.

"Greetings, friends." He spoke loudly. "Can Sombra play too?" The crystal fillies and colt only looked at him with confusion and a bit of disgust.

"Why does he have to talk like that?" One filly asked. "I don't know why they keep him here. He's not even a crystal pony."

"I don't know what he is." The crystal colt said. "He doesn't even have his cutie mark." They glanced back at the young Sombra and turned away.

"Get away, Sombrero." The filly said. "We don't want anypony to see us with someone weird like you."

"Yeah, they might think we're weird too, weirdo." The other filly said as the three little ponies walked away with disgust, leaving the young Sombra alone, and hurt. The little grey colt only lowered his head and sat to the ground, feeling disheartened, which made Twilight feel sad. It reminded her how much she was picked on and bullied when she was young.

"Don't let them bother you. They think I'm weird too." Another voice got his attention, making him lift his head and turn around. Right there next to him was a sparkling purple pony, and her mane was flowing and colored like the sky. She had blue sparkling eyes and she had a smile on her face. Who is that?

"If you want, you can be weird with me, and we'll be weird together." She said, offering her hoof to him. "Would that be ok?" Seeing the filly offer her hoof in friendship made the grey colored colt smile. He shook her hoof with his own.

"Sombra would like that!" He said. Hearing that made the Crystal Pony smile.

"Great!" She said. "Just don't talk too loud, ok? My fairy friends don't like it when you shout."

"Fairy friends?" Sombra asked.

"Yes, they're all around." The Crystal Pony said. "Be careful not to step on them. They get grumpy."

"Oh, okay." Sombra said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Hope." The filly said. "Radiant Hope." The two were completely unaware that the group was watching from afar. But seeing the two ponies meet brought a smile to Sora's face. Sombra had a friend!

"Oh..." He said. "Sombra had a friend!"

"He had a friend?" Goofy and Donald asked.

"I thought bad guys don't have friends." Spike said. Twilight couldn't help but smile, seeing the two ponies playing together. Sombra had a friend, where they sat together in class, exchanged notes in a secret language, and even played games together. They were still ridiculed by the other fillies and colts, but they didn't care, because they had each other.

"But he did." Twilight said. "He had Radiant Hope." Suddenly, the environment around them changed, shifting to another scene. It was a room that had a bed with purple covers and a pillow on it. Next to it was a desk with a dragon shaped piggy bank in which colts put their money in. They saw Sombra and Hope, looking over a book, which was the same book that Twilight found back at the library! They were reading about the Crystal Faire.

"The Crystal Faire restores the spirit of love and unity to the Crystal Empire so we can protect it from harm." Hope said.

"Protect it from harm?" Sombra asked. "What harm?"

"It doesn't say... Just harmful dark spooky stuff, I guess." Hope said. "On the day of the Faire, the Crystal Princess is there and the ponies all gather round and the Crystal Heart glows with magic. It's the most beautiful thing in the world."

"Wow..." Sombra said with amazement. "Do you think we'll be able to see it?"

"What, the Crystal Heart?" Hope asked. "We can go see it right now! It's always in its place at the base of the castle."

"Really?" Sombra asked.

"Sure." Hope said. "C'mon!" With that said, the filly jumped off the bed and headed out the room as the colt followed her. Instantly, the scenery changed back to outside, and the two pony children made their way to the base of the castle. Standing there, held together by two crystal pillars was a heart shaped crystal, slowly rotating and sparkling for all to see.

"Is that the Crystal Heart?" Sora asked.

"It must be." Twilight said. Their attention returned to the colt and filly, who approached it slowly, both of them excited to witness the Crystal Heart in all of it's glory.

"Is that it?" Sombra asked.

"Yep, that's the Crystal Heart." Hope said.

"Wow, it's amazing!" Sombra said.

"Let's get closer!" Hope said. The two little ponies got closer and closer to the Crystal Heart. It continued to sparkle with light and magic. The colt and the filly were taken back by it's sparkling brightness. But then suddenly, the heart stood still for a moment, and it let out a flash, and what both the colt and filly saw were two different things.

For Radiant Hope, she saw herself, and she was smiling at the sight. The vision she saw in the heart was of herself, older and taller. She looked a bit like Princess Celestia, and she had wings! She had a crown on her head too! From what the vision had shown her, it was telling her that she was to be a Princess! And it amazed her with a grin.

"Wow..." She said.

But for Sombra, however, was much different. He also saw himself, but it was quite the opposite. He saw himself with a red horn, sharp fangs, and he was a vicious monster! He saw the whole kingdom on fire, and all the ponies dead, while he was the last one standing. It showed him as an evil emperor, and it was frightened by the sight.

"No...!" Sombra said. "NOOO!" His cry got Hope's attention.

"Sombra?" She asked. "Is everything ok?" The little colt, however, didn't answer. He backed away, showing terror on his poor face. But then he unknowingly bumped into someone behind him. He turned his head and saw a tall peach-vermilion colored crystal pony, almost as tall as Princess Luna. She had a long horn, and she wore bracelets around her body and her hooves with gold hearts on them, and she had a blue crown on her head. Her eyes were a brilliant amber and her mane and tail was swirly like Princess Cadance's mane and tail, but colored with a gradient of brilliant raspberry to moderate cobalt blue. Her cutie mark was of a Deep blue snowflake between a set of blue laces.

"Princess Amore!" Sombra said with surprise as Hope gave an excited squeal. This must be Princess Amore! The princess gave a giggle.

"Hello, little ponies." She said. "I take it that you have seen what the Crystal Heart has shown you."

"Huh?" Sombra and Hope asked.

"They say the Crystal Heart's reflection has magical properties." Princess Amore said. "It reflects what's in your heart, and shows you a future that can or may happen."

"Really?" Hope asked. "You mean what we see in the reflection will actually happen?"

"It might." Princess Amore said with a smile. "It only shows what can happen if we follow the path we're on. But we have the power to control our futures. If that's the future you want, then you follow it to your heart's content." Hearing that made Hope smile even more.

"Cool!" Hope said. "I hope my future comes true! I saw myself as a Princess!" While Hope was hopping with excitement, Sombra only glanced at the ground, horrified by what he saw.

"What did you see, Sombra?" Princess Amore asked.

"N...nothing." He said.

"Nothing?" She asked.

"Just... darkness." Sombra said. "Like... my shadow, or something."

"Interesting." Princess Amore said. "Well, whatever you did see, just remember that you have the power to change it." Hearing that made Sombra surprised and worried.

"But I really didn't see anything, Princess." Sombra said. "Honest."

"I believe you, Sombra." Princess Amore said. "Well, you two better get on home now."

"Thanks, Princess!" Hope said as she happily walked away, and Sombra followed after her, worried and whacked with guilt for not telling the Princess the truth. Of course, Amore only frowned and tilted her head, having an idea what Sombra saw in the heart's reflection. The scene was viewed by Sora and company, who were astonished.

"That's Princess Amore?" Donald asked.

"Garsh, she looks lovely." Goofy said.

"Amazing." Shining said. "She looks just like Cadance."

"Then... does that mean Cadance is a distant relative or something?" Spike asked. He glanced back at Twilight, but her focus was on Hope and Sombra, but more on Sombra's worried expression. She has also saw what they have seen in the Heart. What was interesting was that Sombra's future did happen where he became evil, but Radiant Hope's future, where she would be a princess, did not happen.

"Strange." Twilight said. "Sombra saw what would happen to him, but he did nothing to stop it. Yet, when Radiant Hope saw what she would become, it never happened."

"That is strange." Sora said. He then glanced back at the Princess, but his eyes were set on the Crystal Heart. The Crystal Heart has the ability to show one their future? A future that may or may not happen?

私たちの未来は石に設定されています...あなたがそれを可能にする場合にのみ。

"Huh?" Sora asked, getting himself back to reality. He heard that voice again. But he heard it when he was looking at the Crystal Heart. Was the Crystal Heart speaking to him? Before he could think more on it, the scene shifted around him and the others, and the group then found themselves back in Sombra's room. But to their surprise, they saw Sombra in bed and Radiant Hope was next to his bedside. And so was Chestnut Falls. The black colored colt didn't look so good. He looked very sick, and he felt like he was in pain.

"Hmmm... he doesn't seem to be getting any better." Chestnut Falls said.

"What's wrong with him, Ms. Falls?" Hope asked.

"The doctor can't seem to figure it out." Chestnut Falls said. "I don't think he'll be able to attend the Crystal Faire today. I'm sorry." Hearing that made Hope feel sad. She glanced back at Sombra, who was in constant pain.

"I'll stay here with him." Hope said. "You can go with the others Ms. Falls."

"Ok, dear." Chestnut Falls said as she made her way to the door and left the room, while the little filly stayed with the poor colt. He continued to shiver in pain.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Hope." Sombra said, looking at her with a sad smile.

"It's alright, Sombra." Hope said. "I won't leave until you feel better."

"But the Faire..." Sombra said weakly. "I don't want you to miss it."

"It's ok." Hope said. "There's always next year. And besides. What kind of friend would I be if I left you alone to suffer? It won't be fun without you." She placed her hoof into his and he looked at her with a bittersweet face. She was willing to miss the Faire to stay with him? He couldn't help but smile, but shed tears.

"Thank you..." He said, unable to keep himself from crying. The filly moved closer and nuzzled him with a hug.

"I will never leave you, Sombra." Hope said. "I promise." The sad but happy moment was witnessed by the others. The little filly refused to go to her favorite place in all of the Empire so she can be with her friend.

"Awww..." Donald said.

"She chose to stay with Sombra." Goofy said. Twilight couldn't help but smile at Hope's decision to stay with Sombra.

"So, she gave up going to the Faire to be with him?" Flash asked.

"Of course she did." Twilight said as she took a hoofstep forward. "She chose her best friend over the Faire, just like my friends chose to find me instead of going to the wedding before their memories were tampered with." Sora couldn't help but smile too. But then suddenly, time sped up around them, going forward as many suns and moons passed. He then heard something whisper into his ear.

The next day, he was better again. But as the day the Faire came again, he felt ill one more, and we weren't able to go to the Faire. The same thing happened the next year after the next... and then...

"We?" Sora asked, then he realized who was talking to him. Was that... Radiant Hope talking to him?

Suddenly, time slowed down back to it's current movement, and the group saw Sombra and Hope again. But this time, no longer were they colt and filly this time. Radiant Hope was now a mare, taller and grown up, right at Twilight's height. Her mane was similar to Fluttershy, but not as long. And Sombra, no longer was he a colt. He was a grown stallion, but he still looked gravely ill.

"Hope.... I'm sorry...." He spoke weakly, still in pain.

"It's ok, Sombra." Hope said. "It'll be alright. I won't leave you." But then suddenly, the stallion in the bed squinted his eyes and began to choke in pain, and let out gasps of pain, much to the unicorn's surprise.

"Sombra?" She asked. "Sombra?" Suddenly, he opened his eyes, now covered with a glowy green, and his pupils were blood shot red with a purple mist evaporating from them, just like in his vision! Everyone gasped at the sight.

"Oh No!" Twilight said.

"This must be when he became evil!" Shining said. The group could do nothing but watch as the stallion found himself lifted up in the air and his hooves started to crack.

"Sombra! What's happening?!" Hope asked.

"I... I don't know!" Sombra shouted. "I can't control it!" Suddenly, he let out a monstrous scream as he began to grow fangs in his teeth, and his body began to crack more and more, causing black mist or shadows and darkness to leak out. The poor stallion was in pain as he was unable to stop it. Whatever it was, Hope had a pretty good idea what was going on.

"Oh No!" She shouted. "You're... you're disappearing!"

"I'm what- AAAAHHHHH!!!" He shouted as he felt his body beginning to crack even more, and his horn began to turn into red. "Hope! Save Me! Help Me, Please!" His cries of pain and horror filled the room as his body began to shatter, showing a monstrous spectre as Radiant Hope began to panic with tears in her eyes. She didn't want to lose him.

"NO!" She cried. "Don't Leave Me, Sombra!" She then ignited her horn and grabbed ahold of him with her magic. She focused hard and used everything she had to keep him from fading away and putting him back together again. Pretty soon, his entire body was piecing back together, and the black spectre was gone as Hope sealed it back inside of Sombra. Pretty soon, Sombra was put back together and he collapsed to the floor. Radiant Hope released her magic and nearly fell to the floor, tired. She made her way to the unconscious stallion and nudged him.

"Sombra?" She asked. "Are you ok?" Luckily, the stallion was able to lift his head up, showing that he was alright.

"Yes, I think so." He said, glancing back at the mare. "You saved me."

"Of course I did." Hope said as he got closer to him. "I didn't want to lose you. I love you too much to lose you." The stallion was astonished. The mare saved him, because she loved him. He couldn't help but smile, feeling relieved and amazed by Hope's gesture.

"Thank you." He said, but then his eyes were right at something on Hope's flank, and it surprised him and made him smile.

"Hope!" Sombra said. "Your cutie mark!"

"Huh?" Hope asked. She then glanced at her flank and saw with a surprised face. She saw her cutie mark, which was a gold caduceus.

"My cutie mark!" She said and she began to hop excitingly, almost like Twilight when she got her cutie mark. But then she got ahold of herself and blushed at her little funny moment.

"Sorry..." She said with embarrassment, but Sombra gave a chuckle.

"It's alright." He said. "I'm happy for you." Seeing his smile only brought a tear to her eye. She had just noticed how... how handsome her friend was. Before he could say anything else, she rushed over to him and locked her lips onto his, sealing a kiss. It was a great surprise to him, but to him, it felt so pure and right. The two remained there for a while as they continued their passionate kiss, caring not if someone walked in on them. Pretty soon, the two broke the kiss, but they didn't depart.

"Thank you, Sombra." Hope said, and she hugged him and nuzzled him affectionate. The stallion nuzzled her as well, and the two sat there, sharing this special moment.

"Whoa...." Donald said. "She saved him!"

"Garsh, she must really care for him." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Sora said. "But what was that, though? Sombra was about to disappear."

"It can't be...." Everyone turned to Shining, who showed a face of horror, and it was also shown in his eyes.

"Shining, what's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"He's.... He's.... He's an Umbrum!" Shining spoke out.

"A what?" Sora asked.

"An Umbrum!" Shining said. "I don't know much about them, but they're said to be creatures born from an ancient darkness that dates back more than thousands of years ago."

"How do you know that, captain?" Flash asked.

"I read about it in a book once." Shining said. "Twily's not the only one who reads books from time to time." Hearing that made Twilight give a weak grin.

"An Umbrum...?" Sora asked, and he started to think. Is an Umbrum some form of Heartless? From what Shining said, the Umbrum were born from darkness, just like the Heartless. But they can't be heartless, because they don't have the distinctive qualities that a heartless would have. He was then drawn out of his train of thoughts as he heard the voice speak to him again.

This was the day I received my cutie mark, and it was when I found what my talent was. I had the ability to heal any pony of any ailment. Everypony was talking about how powerful I was, but I didn't realize how much it was affecting Sombra. He was always supportive of me, but I didn't realize how much it bothered him, until the day I got a letter, and something that would change my life forever.

Suddenly, the scene began to change around them, showing Radiant Hope showing her cutie mark with the other ponies. She was shown using her magic to heal injured and sick ponies of any ailment, showing that she had the abilities of an excellent magical healer. That meant Hope had very powerful magic, just as powerful as Twilight's. The next scene showed Sombra by himself, pacing with a worried expression.

"Why does he look so worried?" Spike asked.

"Hope's magic is unlike anything I've ever seen." Sombra said to himself. "This could reach out to the Princesses, and that means they'll take Hope as their student. That means she'll have to leave home... and I'll be all alone!" At that moment, Twilight knew what Sombra was panicking about.

"Oh no." She said. "Hope's magical abilities must've gotten the attention of the Princesses."

"Sombra!" The stallion turned his head to see Hope with a happy smile. "You'll never believe it! The most amazing thing has happened!" In her magical grip was a letter, and it had the seal of the two royal sisters! That meant one thing! The Princesses wanted her to leave home and study under them! That means he'll be all alone! In a state of panic, Sombra quickly bolted away, much to her surprise.

"Sombra?" Hope asked. "Sombra, where are you going? I didn't even tell you the news!" He didn't hear her or anything. He just wanted to run away. He knew how powerful Hope was, and he knew with the Princesses' help, she would have the potential to be a princess. That means she will leave him behind and he'll disappear if she's not here. What she had seen in the reflection of the Crystal Heart was real! It never seemed real before, but now it was.

"Why was he running?" Donald asked.

"Because she got a letter from the Princesses." Twilight said. "It was an invitation to be their apprentice! That means she would have to leave, and Sombra would be all alone."

"Garsh, he must be pretty sad." Goofy said.

"I'll say." Sora said. Suddenly, the scene shifted around them once more, and it transformed into the Frozen Tundra outside the castle, much to everyone's surprise.

"Oh great, another scene change." Spike said.

"Why are we out here, though?" Flash asked. Soon, their attention turned straight to a trail of hoofprints. Looking up, they saw Sombra, galloping as far as he could. It wasn't snowing hard, as it was gently falling from the sky. The stallion had a sad face, and tears were in his eyes. He soon came to a stop to catch his breath. But he laid down on the ground and sighed sadly.

"Hope is going to leave home..." He said. "She's going to leave me behind. But... I don't want her to go. I don't want to be alone again..." He soon collapsed to the ground and laid there on his side, crying softly. He was afraid to be alone. He didn't want Hope to leave. He didn't want to be alone again. Alone forever...

"Sombra, my dear... What is wrong?" The mysterious voice got the stallion's attention. He lifted his head up, wondering where the voice came from.

"Huh?" He asked as he got back to his hooves.

"Why did you come to see me? Have you completed your work?"

"Who's there?" He asked.

"Over here, my son." The voice said. The stallion turned his head, and to his surprise, he saw a red crystal structure, slightly taller than his height. The voice came from the crystal. Was it speaking to him?

"Wh.... who are you?" Sombra asked.

"Don't you recognize me?" The crystal asked. "It is I. I am your mother..."

"You... you are?" Sombra asked.

"Of course I am..." The crystal said, with a strange older voice. "I'm the one who brought you into this world." The stallion tilted his head. This crystal brought him into this world?

"I... I don't understand." Sombra said. "The guards found me out here all alone."

"And haven't you ever wondered how you got here?" The crystal asked. "Haven't you ever wondered why you are different than everyone else? Why you don't have one of those silly little marks like the others?" Surprised to hear this, the stallion began to see that the crystal knows more about him than he does.

"Please!" He said. "Tell me! What am I?"

"The answer is so simple, my son." The crystal said, revealing inside it to be a strange creature. It was a black smoky creature that looked just like a normal horse, but with demonic features all over it. "You're not like them because you're not one of them. You're not a creature of shining crystal, nor are you a pony. You're the opposite. A creature of shadow and smoke. A creature of pure darkness. You're the very thing they fear. An Umbrum. A Shadow Pony." The stallion, surprised by his mother's appearance, was taken back by this. Wait. They're afraid of him?

"But... they're not afraid of me." Sombra said.

"Oh, they are." The Umbrum spoke from the crystal. "They just can't remember why. You see, we're the darkness that they fight to keep at bay, to stop us from burning the world and plaguing their world. We used to haunt their dreams and turn some of them into monsters, that is until they created a weapon to keep us away." A weapon to keep the darkness at bay? He then remembered the story that Hope had told him about the Crystal Faire, how the Crystal Heart was made to keep the dark stuff away! It began to make sense now. Why he was always feeling sick, because the Heart's power was killing him.

"The Crystal Heart!" Sombra said. "That's why I'm always ill when the Faire comes, because it's suppose to protect them from me! But why? I can't do anything!"

"Oh, but you can." The creature, the Umbrum, spoke. "Your magic is very powerful, but it also makes you vulnerable to the light and the Heart's magic. So we locked it away... Until now!" Pretty soon, the eyes of the creature in the crystal began to ignite and suddenly, the crystal shot a purple bolt of power right onto the stallion, making him twitch and gasp as he felt like something turned on a switch in his brain. Suddenly, his green irises were gone, and his horn transformed into a red pointy horn, and his eyes were now green with red pupils. His jet black mane was flowing with dark magic. No longer did he have a scared and confused face. He had the face of a fearsome beast.

"Oh no..." Sora said.

"So, this must be when Sombra became evil." Twilight said.

"Go easy now, my son." The crystal said. "Your powers are stronger than you have any way of knowing. You may not be able to control them at first, but you will." To Sombra, he realized now that he was darkness, just like his mother and the Umbrum. Desturction was his talent, and darkness was his only mark.

"What do I do now, mother?" Sombra asked.

"Release us, my son." The crystal spoke. "We wait below the city, trapped by the great seal of the Crystal Heart within the center of the castle. You must go there and unlock it. But first, you must take away Amore's weapon." Hearing that made Sombra surprised. He had to steal the Crystal Heart?

"But if I do that, then I'll lose the only friend I have!" Sombra said.

"You no longer have a choice, Sombra." The crystal said to him. "If you do not remove the heart by the next Crystal Faire, then it will destroy you!" The future shadow king was a bit conflicted, but knew it was the only way. He had to steal the Crystal Heart to prevent it from destroying him. Seeing no other way, he gave a nod.

"I will do what I can, mother." He said as he then transformed into smoke and flew off back to the castle, with one thing set in mind. To steal the Crystal Heart. The others watched the shadow king fly off to the city.

"What?" Sora asked.

"So that's what Umbrums look like?" Donald asked. "A puff of smoke?"

"No, they're worse than that." Shining said. "They're much more hideious and monstrous. That must be why Sombra took over the Crystal Empire, to release the Umbrum from under the city!"

"Oh No!" Spike said. "We have to stop him!"

"We can't." Twilight said. "This is just an glimpse to the past. But we will stop him somehow."

"We better go check out what happens next!" Goofy said.

"Right!" Sora said. Pretty soon, the scene shifted around them, bringing them back at the base of the castle, where the Crystal Heart was minding it's own business. But soon, a pony wearing a black coat with purple linings began to approach it, and he had a red horn and green and red eyes. It was definitely Sombra.

"This must be when he stole the heart." Shining said, seeing the black stallion approach the heart. To be honest, Sombra knew he had to take the heart, but destroying it was not his intention. Deep down, he knew in his heart that destroying the artifact was wrong, so instead, he chose to hide it instead. He raised his hoof to take it, but as it got close, the heart shined, and it caused his hoof to burn.

"Ow..." He grunted as he shook his poor hoof. He then thought of another way to get it. He brought the brown bag to stuff it in when he took it. So, with a strong tug, he managed to swipe the Crystal Heart from it's place with the bag, and it dropped into the bag. That was more easier than he thought.

"There..." He said, sealing the bag up. "I'm sorry Hope, but I don't want to disappear again." He wrapped the bag around his back, not even noticing the regal Princess of the Crystal Empire emerging from behind the castle structure.

"It's not too late for you, Sombra." She spoke. Her voice made the Shadow King turn his head, to see Princess Amore standing there. Surprisingly, she didn't have a stern face, or a face that would make a pony feel afraid. She looked concerned, but not for the Crystal Heart, but for Sombra.

"Princess Amore!" He said. "What are you doing here?"

"Somepony needed my help, so I came here." Princess Amore said as she approached him.

"And who are you helping, exactly?" Sombra asked.

"You." Princess Amore said.

"Me?" Sombra asked a bit surprised. "I don't your help, Princess. You have no idea what I've been through."

"Then tell me what you've been through." Princess Amore said. "Please, don't make a mistake you can't take back. You don't have to be one of those monsters." One of those monsters, he thought. Then that means... she knew? She knew who he was?

"You knew..." He said. "You knew all along of what I was, and you never told me?!"

"Yes, I did." Princess Amore said. The black stallion growled.

"Why?!" Sombra asked. "Why did you hide the truth from me?"

"I didn't want you to suffer." Princess Amore said. "I didn't want you to think that you were a monster. I didn't want the truth to hurt you. But I should've told you all those years ago. And for that, I'm sorry." The stallion continued to growl.

"All those years of suffering..." Sombra said with rage. "You knew why the Crystal Faire was making me sick! You knew why because you made it! You made the Crystal Heart hurt me!"

"No!" Princess Amore said. "Not you, Sombra. I didn't want you to hurt, but the Heart's power has a mind of it's own. But I saw that you had the potential to be better. I see it even now! You don't have to be like those monsters! We can find a way to help you. You have the power to forge your own path, to forge your own destiny. You can choose to be the pony you want to be-"

"ENOUGH!" Sombra shouted, having enough of this. With his horn, he ignited his dark power and zapped Princess Amore.

"GAAAHHH!!!" The Princess shouted as the dark magic hit hurt painfully. Suddenly, she found herself being transformed slowly into pure stone from the bottom to the top. She tried to break free, but she couldn't move. She glanced back fearfully at the stallion, who's face was now unhooded.

"You can't save me, Princess." Sombra said. "Just as you can't save your precious little Crystal Ponies."

"Sombra... Please...." Princess Amore choked as her entire body transformed into stone. She let out a gasp for air until her whole face became stone. She was now a stone statue, and Sombra made her this way. The group watching this was horrified, and quite shocked to boot.

"He turned her into stone!" Donald shouted.

"Garsh!" Goofy said.

"How horrible..." Twilight said, just as Sombra only gave a grin, showing his sharp teeth. At that moment, he knew his fate was sealed, but he didn't care. He found something stronger than love. Fear. Fear was his strongest power of all, and now he would take the fear everyone placed in him and repay each of those ponies with it.

"Sombra...?" The familiar voice got the stallion's attention. He turned to see Radiant Hope, who was shocked and terrified by what she saw. Either she saw what went down, or she had just arrived.

"Wh... What are you doing?" She asked.

"Doing what I was destined to do." Sombra said as he stepped aside, letting Hope see his work, which was Princess Amore, now trapped in stone. The crystal pony rushed over to the stone statue and was horrified.

"Princess Amore!" She spoke. "It's ok, I can fix this!" She then ignited her magic and cast her healing spell on the statue. But with even a flash, nothing worked. The Princess was still stone.

"Oh No!" Hope said. "Princess, please, come back! Come Back!" The crystal unicorn tried her magic again, but alas, nothing worked.

"Everything is alright, Hope." Sombra said, getting her attention. "Everything is finally the way it was meant to be." Radiant Hope was confused by this.

"Wh... what do you mean?" She asked.

"I put Princess Amore in her place." Sombra said. "She knew exactly what I was, and she let the Crystal Heart hurt me. So, I repayed the favor." The crystal unicorn was still surprised and confused. But she knew that Sombra did this to Princess Amore. At the same time, she was worried that he'll get in trouble. She didn't want to see her friend locked up.

"Run, Sombra!" Hope said. "Get away from here before the guards come for you! I don't want them to hurt you!"

"You don't get it, Hope." Sombra said. "They can't hurt me. I'll be the one hurting them from now on... No. We'll be the ones hurting them."

"Wh... what?" Hope asked as the stallion approached her.

"Do you not remember, Hope?" Sombra asked. "How those ponies teased us? How they tormented us? How they laughed and made us writhe in pain?"

"S...Sombra..." Hope said.

"You and Me, we're the most powerful ones here." Sombra said. "We can rule this land as King and Queen. I have found my power and you're on your way to be a Princess. I will bring them under our hooves. I will find my people, and you can rule by my side! Together, we'll be unstoppable!" At that moment, Radiant Hope was terrified. Her dear friend has fallen to darkness, just like Anakin Skywalker when he transformed into the infamous Darth Vader. The crystal unicorn knew in her heart that this wasn't right. Ruling over ponies through fear and anger, it wasn't right.

"Sombra... I can't do that." Hope said. "This is Princess Amore's castle! Please, bring her back Sombra! Please, let me help you! Please!"

"Help me?" Sombra asked, giving a vicious grin. "You got it all wrong, Hope. I don't need help anymore. And as for Princess Amore..." His horn lit up once more and then he stomped his hoof.

-CRACK-

Then all of a sudden, the statue of Princess Amore, once the Princess of all of the Crystal Empire, shattered completely, much to Radiant Hope's horror.

"NOOO!!!" She screamed, but it was too late. Princess Amore was no more, and the pieces of her statue crumbled to the ground.

"She is broken." Sombra said, just as Hope collapsed to her knees and cried. Her Princess was gone. The one pony she looked up to was gone. And what's worse, she lost the stallion she loved. She laid there crying, unable to process what just happened. She then glanced up, and to her horror, no longer did she see the colt that she loved. She saw a monster.

"Y....you're a monster..." She said.

"Yes, but I'm not just any monster." Sombra said. "I am the King of Monsters." The crystal unicorn looked with great fear as the stallion approached her.

"But you can still join me, Hope." He said. "We can still rule this kingdom together. Isn't that what you wanted, right? To be a Princess?" The mare only looked at her only friend, seeing there was no light in him now.

"No..." Hope said.

"What?" Sombra asked. "But isn't this what you wanted?"

"Yes." Hope said. "I want to be with you. But not like this..." Hearing that made the stallion growl, and his eyes began to glow green.

"In that case... Join your Princess!" He spoke as he was ready to ignite his horn with magic.

"Sombra, No!" Hope cried out.

Suddenly, the stallion stopped, and his horn stopped glowing. A faint voice was talking to him. His eyes widened with a surprise. He saw the pony he loved afraid and frightened. And he was going to hurt her! He then realized what we he was doing. No, he told himself. I can't hurt her. He didn't want too. She was his only friend. The only pony who was there for him everyday. The only pony who chose to stay by his side when he was sick when the Faire came along. He knew deep down in his heart that he still cares for her so much. He still loved her.

"Over There!" A voice shouted. "A Monster!"

"Stop Him!" Another voice shouted. Turning their heads, they saw two Crystal Guards galloping towards them with spears, ready to attack. Hope gasped as she saw the guards, but the black stallion stood in front of her, facing the guards.

"Hope, Get out of here!" He shouted. "GO!" His voice demanding, but begging her to flee, the mare got up on her hooves and galloped away. She galloped as far as she could to flee from the city she grew up from, while the Shadow King stayed behind and took out the guards with one wave of darkness, sending them all away.

It wasn't much hassle dealing with them. And pretty soon, everything flashes forward as the group saw the Crystal Ponies in chains, while Sombra stood from the balcony. No longer wearing the black coat, but instead now wearing his metal armor, crown, and red king-like cape on his back.

He gave a smile as he watched the crystal ponies move along in chains, as the others, who were invisible to everyone, only watched at what Sombra had done in that short amount of time.

"So this is when Sombra took over the Kingdom." Sora said. "And the rest..."

"The rest we know..." Twilight said. And then suddenly, everything began to fade away, and it all went completely white, showing that they were now leaving the flashback.

"Please... Please help him find the light."

Suddenly, the light faded away, and the group found themselves back on solid ground, and back in the secret chamber that they found eariler. Looking around, they were slightly confused, but had a good idea what just happened.

"We're back!" Spike said as he kissed the floor.

"That was... something." Sora said.

"What exactly just happened?" Flash asked.

"We were shown the past of what happened back before and when Sombra took over the Empire." Sora said. "I guess we saw what we needed to see." Twilight glanced back at the book, which was on the floor and opened. She picked it up with her magic and read what was in it.

When I recount it, I will say that letting Radiant Hope go was my one mistake. But I couldn't kill her. I still loved her and I let her leave. No doubt she has told the Royal Sisters of our tragic tale. She believes that she can save me? No, they would come here to do what they do best. Vanquish monsters. Monsters like me.

I enslaved the Crystal Ponies to bring back the Umbrum, but now time runs short, as the Princesses are on their way. I know I am no match for them, so I must act fast. Perhaps-

The lavender unicorn holding the book saw that the word left wasn't finished. She turned the page, only to see it blank. There was nothing else in the book.

"There's nothing else left..." Twilight said, reading the final entry that was left inside the book.

"That must be the last thing he wrote before the Princesses showed up." Sora said.

"Garsh, he must've had a pretty rough life." Goofy said.

"Yeah, but he had Radiant Hope there with him, and she stood by his side every step of the way." Sora said. Twilight only closed the book, feeling sympathy for the Shadow King.

"I feel sorry for him." She said. "He never got to see the Crystal Faire, and it's all that he ever wanted."

"That and to crush the crystal ponies right under his hoof." Shining said. "I wouldn't feel sorry for him. He was just born bad."

"Shining, he was never born bad." Twilight said. "He didn't even know that he was an Umbrum."

"But still, he was one of them." Shining said. "The Umbrum are vicious monsters who want nothing but to burn the entire world to the ground, just like the Changelings when they invaded our home." Hearing that made Flash, or Thorax, lower his head with a bit of worry and fear.

"Shining!" Twilight said. "It wasn't his fault! He was afraid that Hope would abandon him. He had no one else left!"

"Yet he allowed his future to come true!" Shining said. "He had a chance to change his future, but he chose to accept it! It also makes him accountable for his actions!" The lavender unicorn only gave her brother a glare of disapproval.

"Well, shouldn't you be held accountable for letting the Changeling Queen into Canterlot, allowing her to get her army in?" Twilight asked. Hearing that made Shining gasp, but then he thought about it. Turning his head for a moment, he knew that she was right. He was responsible for letting the Changelings into Canterlot.

"Oh boy..." Spike said as he shook his head. As the two siblings had another argument, Sora, Donald, and Goofy only watched. The former didn't like the two getting in a heated conversation, and it was making him antsy.

"Guys... we can't let this go on." Sora said.

"Sora." Donald said.

"They have to figure it out themselves." Goofy said. "We can't just rush them."

"I know, but..." Sora said.

-RUMBLE-

The sudden shake in the room quickly took everyone by surprise, and it even stopped Twilight and Shining from arguing. The ceiling also shook, making some of the crystals on the ceiling shake off and drop to the ground. One landing into Spike's mouth, who happily ate it.

"Mmmm... tasty!" He said.

"What was that?" Flash asked. Once again, the ground below them shook up, and before they knew it, it was starting to crack up underneath Twilight, and before she knew it, the ground broke from under her and she fell right in.

"GAAAAHHH!" She called out as she fell down the hole.

"TWILY!" Shining shouted in horror as he jumped right in after her.

"TWILIGHT!" Spike screamed in terror. Without hesitating, the baby dragon jumped in after them.

"Twilight! Shining! Spike!" Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Flash called out as the three disappeared into the hole. Donald also made his way towards the hole and then jumped head first. But then, the hole closed up, preventing them from going in, and causing Donald to land on his head hard and fall to the ground all dizzy.

"Ooooo...." Sora, Flash, and Goofy said.

"That's gonna leave a mark." Goofy said.

"Ow...." He said as he laid there all dizzy.

"What happened?" Sora asked, wondering what happened to the others.

"They must've fell down into a trap door or something." Flash said. "How are we gonna find them?" Goofy looked around and noticed the books on the bookshelf on the other side of the room. He then got an idea. He rushed towards the bookshelf and began to pull on the books, while tossing them away.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked.

"Seeing if the bookshelf has a switch or something that can open a passage way!" Goofy said.

"Oh, good thinking!" Sora said as he made his way to the other book shelf and began pulling books to see if one of them activated a passage way. The ones that didn't work were tossed away and onto Donald, who was still knocked out from hitting his head.

"Anything?" Flash asked.

"Nothing yet." Sora said as he moved to the next shelf, seeing that it was a bit dark to see. "Say, Goofy. Hand me a candle so I can see, will ya?"

"Oh, sure thing." Goofy said as he reached to the left side and pulled out the lit candle from the socket. But the suddenly, the bookshelf Sora was in front of flipped around by a circle on the ground, pulling itself and Sora around and behind the wall it was leaning on. Luckily, Goofy and Flash noticed this.

"Whoa!" Flash said. "That must be a passage way."

"Sora?!" Goofy asked, leaning against the wall. "Are you ok?!"

"Put! The Candle! Back!" Sora called from the other side of the wall. Of course. Maybe putting the candle back will flip the bookshelf and Sora back on their side. The knight placed the candlestick back, and the wall opened up, causing the bookshelf and Sora to spin around in a whole 360 and behind the wall again. Well, that didn't help.

"Oops." Goofy said.

"Ok!" Sora said. "I got an idea! Um... Take out the candle, and I'll try blocking the bookshelf with my body!"

"You sure?" Goofy asked.

"Positive!" Sora said.

"Ok." Goofy said. He then took out the candle, causing the wall to flip open again, revealing Sora and the bookshelf. Before it could do another 360 spin, Sora quickly made moved forward to the edge of the bookshelf as it reached the wall and it stopped, thankfully. The knight and the rookie guard then saw Sora, slightly crushed against the wall and bookshelf.

"Sora?" Goofy asked.

"Ok... listen to me very carefully." The boy said, still able to speak despite his cheeks and face being squeezed by the wall and bookshelf. "Don't. Put. The Candle. Back. Then what I want you to do is shove the other side of the bookshelf. Can you do that?" Goofy looked at the boy and the wall. If he shoves the other side of the bookshelf, it help open the passage way and free Sora.

"Sure thing." Goofy said, then glanced back at Flash. "Here, hold this."

"Uh... ok." Flash said as the candle was placed in his hooves. Then, Goofy rushed to the other side of the wall and pushed with all of his might, successfully pushing the wall and freeing Sora, who walked out, unscathed.

"Sora, are you alright?" Flash asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." Sora said as he let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Goofy. Goofy?" He turned around and saw that the bookshelf was back, but not Goofy. He must've pushed all the way and is on the other side of the wall.

"Um... fellas?" Goofy called out from the other side of the wall. "Can you put the candle back, please?"

"Oh, right, sorry!" Sora said as he took the candle from Flash and placed it back into it's slot, allowing the wall to open up. This time, Sora lifted the candle up and then back down so the wall could stop, so Goofy was out, and the passage way was opened.

"Thanks, fellas." Goofy said with a smile. Then, Donald popped his head from the bookpile underneath him and shook his head.

"What happened?" He asked.

"We found a secret entrance." Sora said, pointing to the passage way between the wall and bookshelf, which was opened. Donald raised an eyebrow with a bit of surprise. He was out for almost two minutes and they found a passage way?

"Huh." Donald said. "I could've done that."

"Well, let's go down there and see if we can find Twilight and the others." Flash said.

"Alright." Sora said. "Let's go." He was about to take the candle from the slot.

"Wait, wait, Sora!" Goofy said. "Remember the candle..." The boy then remembered. They move the candle, it'll cause the passageway to close up or something.

"Oh, right." Sora said as he released the candle. "I'll just use this." He then summoned his keyblade and he pointed it forward, with the tip of the blade igniting a spark of light.

"Ok, let's go." Sora said. And just like that, the four went into the secret passage way, hoping to find Twilight, Shining, and Spike, and hopefully... just hopefully... the Crystal Heart as well.

Out back in the Frozen Tundra...

It was a long walk to where he had to go... but he made it to where he had to be. King Sombra only watched from afar, seeing the Crystal Empire and it's shield still up and proud. He could hear some sounds going on in the castle, and it sounded like ponies cheering. It seems that the heroes were keeping the Crystal Ponies occupied and keeping their spirits up and bright. To him, that wasn't good. So much glad and light. If he waited too long, he won't be able to seize control of the Crystal Empire. He had to act quickly. He turned around and made his way to the red crystal that sprouted up from the ground.

"Mother... can you hear me?" Sombra asked. Pretty soon, the red crystal glowed brightly, and revealed what seems to be a strange demonic horse-like creature inside the crystal itself.

"Sombra... you have returned." The creature said.

"Yes, I have." Sombra said. "Forgive me if it took far too long. The Royal Sisters have prevented me from doing my task, and things were put on a long hiatus."

"How long has it been, my child?" The crystal asked.

"A thousand years, I'm afraid." Sombra said.

"A Thousand Years?!" The crystal asked. "How? It's only been a couple days for us."

"Yes, that was actually my doing." Sombra said. "Before the Princesses could destroy me I cast a curse on the Empire and the surrounding areas to make it vanish, frozen in time for a millennia. Now the curse has been lifted, and now we can try again, mother."

"Good... good..." She spoke through the crystal. "A thousand years won't make a difference. We shall rise again and burn this world to the ground."

"Yes, but there may be one problem." Sombra said. "The Princess has sent help... from the Outside Worlds."

"The Outside Worlds?" The creature in the crystal asked. "She summoned the Keyblade Wielders into our world?!"

"Yes, she has." Sombra said. "There appears to be at least five or six of them. Another force of evil arrived and originally intended to help us, but they left after learning about you all."

"Is that so?" The crystal asked. "Well, no matter. They will not suspect a thing. We shall waste them easily, but first you must free us. There is a door where hidden beneath where the Crystal Heart usually resides, and if you open it, we shall be free."

"So shall it be." Sombra said. "But it'll be difficult though. They have a powerful shield up that prevents us from getting inside."

"Then... you must find a way through the gate and free us." The crystal said. "We must be freed, even if innocent blood must be shed."

"I will free you, mother." Sombra said. "But how?" He then started to think. How was he going to get through the barrier? If he and that idiot from earlier wasn't able to get through it, then how is he going to?

"Maybe with some extra darkness?" A voice asked, making him turn his head. Turning around, he saw the man again. The man in the black hood. He was probably standing there the whole time. The Shadow Pony only growled.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"Oh sorry, was I interrupting something?" D asked. "A little mother and son moment here?" The stallion continued to growl with anger, remembering how he shot that bolt back at him and slammed him into shield wall. But D's attention was drawn back to the red crystal in the ground. He walked towards it and smiled.

"So... this is where you guys have been hiding, or perhaps communicating through, at the least." D said. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it... Rabia." The demonic-like horse in the crystal raised one of them with a bit of confusion, and familiarity. While the Umbrum creature, Rabia, was in the crystal, she was able to sense the dark power from the hooded man, but not just the dark power, but a power that is probably centuries old.

"Your power..." Rabia's voice spoke. "It is somehow... familiar. Have we met before?"

"What, you don't remember me?" D asked. "It's only been more than a thousand years since we've last met." He placed his hand on the crystal, and from the sudden shocked gasp, it seems that Rabia has remembered who this man is.

"You...!" Rabia's voice said. "You're!..."

"Shhhh..." D hushed. "Let's not go speaking names yet. But don't worry. I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to help you instead." As the hooded man spoke to the Umbrum inside the crystal, Sombra raised an eyebrow. Does he know his mother?

"Wait... you know her?" Sombra asked.

"In a way, yes..." D said. "She and your little family of shadow ponies aren't your typical horsemen of darkness."

"What?" Sombra asked.

"I have seen them before, and I have seen other creatures like them." D explained. "These creatures in here, these Umbrum as you call them, were born from the deepest depths of darkness, a darkness that is far more powerful, old, and ancient than the ones those keyblade wielders have been fighting for centuries." D then glanced at Sombra, who was still a bit confused by the man's explanation.

"But you, you're not like them, though." D said. "Perhaps because your Heart and Will are more stronger than these ones in here. I guess that makes the two of us." The Shadow King only scuffed at his remark.

"We are nothing alike." Sombra said. D only smiled under his head, but his amber eyes were visible to the Shadow King.

"So, you want to free these creatures out of their little prison?" D asked.

"Yes." Sombra said.

"Well, don't worry." D said. "I'll go right into the castle and get the shield down for you." The shadowy pony raised an eyebrow.

"How?" Sombra asked. "How will you be able to shatter the shield?"

"By erasing the hope and love the Crystal Ponies have left." D said. "And I'll do it by doing one simple act."

"Which is?" Sombra asked. At that moment, D then dug his hands into the snow and picked up some snow, and crafted it into a heart, almost looking like the Crystal Heart. While it was hard to see under his hood, he began to look at the heart-shaped snow ball like he was admiring it. Suddenly, he released it and let it fall flat onto the ground, breaking the snow heart into smaller pieces of snow. He then gasped and began to do a fake weep, before giving a wink to the shadow pony.

"Huh?" Sombra asked.

"I'll smash the Crystal Heart." D said, and hearing that made Sombra gasp.

"You fool..." Sombra said. "You'll cause the kingdom to be engulfed into an Eternal Blizzard!"

"Eh." D said. "It shouldn't be a problem when you free the Umbrum. They burn everything in their path. Isn't that right, Rabia?" He glanced back at the red crystal, and the Umbrum Queen was thinking.

"Yes..." She said. "Destroy the Heart." Sombra was a bit surprised to hear this, and he then looked away thinking.

"Sombra, No!"

He then widened his eyes open and looked away in the snowy blizzard, seeing a familiar lavender unicorn with a crystal blue mane and tail.

"Please, Sombra, don't do this, please!" She pleaded. Sombra gasped.

"Hope..." He said.

"Hello, earth to mister Shadow King?" His attention was brought back to D and the red crystal. "You alright?" The Shadow King looked away once again. His mind was still on Radiant Hope, the one unicorn who loved him with all of her heart. He can still recall what happened when... when... He shook it off.

"Nothing." He said. "I was... just thinking."

"Well, do you want me to help you free these little monsters?" D asked. The Shadow King only let out a sigh. Destroying the Crystal Heart was not on his to do list, and Radiant Hope wouldn't want him to do so, even if he did destroy Princess Amore. But he had to get the throne back, and it was his destiny to be evil. So...

"Do what you have to do." He said, much to D's glee.

"Splendid!" D said as he clapped his hands. "I'll be on my way then." He then began to walk away and make his way back to the Crystal Empire. But then something came to Sombra's mind. The shield was still up over the kingdom. How does the man in the coat plan to get past the barrier?

"But how will you get in?" Sombra asked. "There's no way you can get through the barrier."

"Oh, I have my ways." D said with a thumbs up.

"Meaning?" Sombra asked.

"Hello!" D said with a wave. "Villain. Darkness. You get it." He then went on his way to do his work, while the Shadow King raised an eyebrow. Who was this man? Why would he now help him too? What was his deal? He could tell that there was a darkness coming from him, but it was something much more nastier, something more... ancient like he and the Umbrum were. He glanced back at the red crystal, where the Umbrum Queen still receded in.

"Who is he, mother?" He asked.

"He is just like you, my child." Rabia said. "He was destined for greatness... well, he was suppose to be destined for greatness." She only let out a sinister chuckle, having a good idea who this man was... The man began to make his way towards the Crystal Empire. But then he stopped for a moment and turned his head, looking around. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel something. Something strong, and something bright. Almost as if...

"Hmmm, it's probably nothing." D told himself as he continued onward to the Crystal Empire, fully unaware of a pinkish-peach sparkling star floating far from him. Reacting quickly, the star flew off towards the Crystal Empire as well, flying straight towards the sky and to the castle itself.

"I must warn him... I must help Sora...!"

Author's Note

Happy 10th Anniversary My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic!

I know this isn't much, but what a way to celebrate the 10th Anniversary that started everything than a new chapter of this ongoing story!
The original plan was to post another chapter alongside this one, but time was not on my side, and I was dealing with a bit of irritation / pain on my gums and teeth this past week, and it was horrible a couple days ago. But it's doing better... for now at least. I don't know if it was gingivitis or something, but I'm going to a dentist in a couple days to see if that's the case. But to be honest, I think I may need to get something filled.

So anyway, regarding the scene where the King demonstrates the power of darkness in the flashback scene, it was a bit tricky to write. Originally, I was going to have either Aqua or Terra display it, but I chose to use Mickey instead.

The appearance that Sora goes into when using darkness is Rage Form. Interesting note, Anti-Form and Rage Form are not the same thing, though they do share the same use of Darkness. Anti-Form is where Sora is completely stained in darkness, but Rage Form doesn't go that far. It just puts him in a rampaging state, controlled only by feelings or anger.

Also, with Sora using the Power of Darkness, this has never been done in Kingdom Hearts before. While Sora does go into this state during the Final Battle in KH3, it is only during gameplay. The series have never shown Sora canonically using the darkness before. Maybe at some point Post-Melody of Memory, he may use it canonically.

And also, the origins of King Sombra from the FIENDship is Magic comics is featured in this story, with a couple of new twists and turns. And yes, elements from the Siege of the Crystal Empire arc are gonna be featured in this ACT.

The orb that showed Sora and co the flashback, you may have a good idea who that is. And as for the glowing star, I'll leave that to you for now.

And don't worry, Twilight will forgive her brother eventually... They just need a little more time.

Prologue: A Wedding In Ruins

Once Upon a Time... in a world in the Realm of Light. There was a young boy named Sora, who wielded the mysterious keyblade. One day he is cast from his childhood home into another world, meeting Donald and Goofy, who were searching for their missing King. The three went on many adventures together to find Sora's dear friends, Riku and Kairi... but you already know how that story.

One day, Sora found his way to the world that roamed with magic ponies, consisting of unicorns, pegasi, and of course the Earth Ponies. he met a young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, the prodigy of Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria. He joined her to help make preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.

However, that day was the day of the one thousandth year, in which a prophecy spoke that the wicked mare of night, Nightmare Moon, would escape from her captivity within the moon and bring an eternal night upon the land.

But there was one hope though, a hope that would allow them to save the day. The Elements of Harmony. Powerful relics that were used by the Elder Princess to banish Nightmare Moon away. Together, they journeyed through the Everfree Forest to the Castle of the Royal Sisters, to locate the artifacts and defeat Nightmare Moon. They were also joined by five mares that would eventually become Twilight's friends. Applejack, the apple farmer who represented the Element of Honesty. Rainbow Dash, the world's fastest flyer who represented the Element of Loyalty. Rarity, the beautiful fashionista who represented the Element of Generousity. Fluttershy, the shy but kind animal caretaker who represented the Element of Kindness. And Pinkie Pie, the party pony who represented the Element of Laughter.

Finding the artifacts, Nightmare Moon destroys them. But, the young unicorn realizes that the friends she made represents the Elements themselves, and together, with Sora's help, defeated Nightmare Moon, and reverted her back into Princess Luna, the younger sister of Twilight's mentor, Princess Celestia.

Then it was time for Sora to leave, promising to visit again. As time went on, the six friends faced many challenges together, such as many friendship problems, as well as Chaotic Deities. Twilight awaited a reply from Sora. But no response came. During that time however, Sora was facing his greatest adventure yet. Sora, and his friends Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were gathering the seven Guardians of Light, to battle against Organization XIII, led by a man wanting to dangerously balance both light and darkness together - Master Xehanort.

Things were grim however, as light and darkness clashed one another, leaving ruin and anguish, as Master Xehanort successfully completed the greatest keyblade of them all... The χ-Blade!

In the end, after cheating death twice, Sora managed to turn back the clock, and with the help of his friends, triumphantly defeated Master Xehanort, proving that the Light of Friendship can conquer even the greatest darkness. Master Xehanort, realizing that he cannot control the future, gave up willingly, and departed with his old friend Eraqus into the afterlife, and entrusted the future to the next generation.

Friends reunited with one another, and new friendships were forged along the way. And everyone lived happily ever after... or so we thought.

Months later, Twilight and her friends were invited to the Royal Wedding of Twilight's brother, Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard, and her old friend Princess Cadenza Mi Amore, the Princess of Love. But not all things were what as they seemed, as the Princess of Love was not acting as Twilight remembered. She tried to warn her friends, mentor, and her brother, but the ponies, who were focused on planning the wedding, did not listen. She then made a desparate attempt to stop it all, but instead, her brother disowns her, and casts her out of the wedding, while her friends and mentor, abandon her in her time of need. The pony was left alone, where the bride, revealing herself to be a fake, casted the unicorn below, where she found the real Princess Cadance. They stormed the Wedding, revealing the imposter's agenda. The fake then revealed herself as Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen, and led her army upon Canterlot. The girls tried to use the Elements of Harmony against them... but they didn't work, for they did not know, that the five friends have planted the seeds of darkness into Twilight's heart...

This is where our story begins, where friends will face against the darkness, and their greatest battle yet...

DISNEY

SQUARE ENIX

with associations with
HASBRO

KINGDOM HEARTS: Fractured Friendship

There are times when we lose our hope
There are times when our allies betray us
And there are times when we face so much anguish and pain

But there will never come a day - where we will forsake the worlds around us, and the people we hold dear to our hearts...

My Little Pony, My Little Pony...

Breath, should I take a deep
(When I was young I was to busy to make any friends)
Faith, should I take a leap
(Such silliness did not seem worth the effort it expends)
Taste, what a bittersweet
(But my little ponies you opened my eyes)
All my, all my life
(Now the truth is crystal clear as splendid summer skies)

Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears
(I used to wonder what friendship could be)
Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears
(Until you all shared its magic with me)
Won’t be long, won’t be long
I’m almost here
Watch me cry all my tears

Do you know, you're my very special, you're my very special
You're my very special, very special friends!
Do you know, you're my very special, you're my very special
You're my very special, very special friends!
Do you know, you're my very special, you're my very special
You're my very special, very special friends!
Do You Know, you're my very special friends!

Lose, don’t have nothing to
(Our friendship's magic and it's growing all the time)
Space, this is what I choose
(A new adventure waits for us each day is yours and mine)
A mile, could you walk in my shoes
(We'll make it special every time!)
All your, all your life

Yeah,
When danger makes me wanna hide
You'll rainbow dash right to my side
Kindness is never in short supply
Once smitten twice fluttershy
For honesty no pony can deny
You are the applejack of my eye
A heart that shines so beautiful,
A rarity that'll always come on by
And you all make fun and joy
Laughter's as easy as pinkie pie!
You're the twilight sparkle,
That keeps our friendship alive!

Watch me cry all my tears

Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears
Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears
Won't be long, won't be long
I'm almost here
Watch me cry all my tears
(You're my very special friends....)

Canterlot... During the Changeling Invasion

Canterlot, the capital of all of Equestria, the home to many colorful ponies, such as unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, the magnificent home of the royal alicorns Princess Celestia and her younger sister Luna, the spark where hope for Equestria shines from...

Well, not today it isn't.

Now, monsters fly across the skies upon the city, laying siege. These vicious black colored incectoid monsters, black with white fangs, no mane or tail, except for the green transparent wings and the crystal blue eyes, and some of them using green colored magic and flames to turn into other ponies. These were Changelings, monsters that can shapeshift into other ponies and creatures, and drain the love and emotions from their victims too. How all this started, that's a long story.

This day was suppose to be perfect, the kind of day of which everypony dreamed since they were small. It was suppose to be the grand royal wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Princess of Love and Celestia's adopted niece, and Captain Shining Armor, the leader of the EUP Royal Guards, and the elder brother of Twilight Sparkle, who is the faithful student of Princess Celestia herself. But it all turns out, it was a trap for the Changelings to lead their army upon the city, where their queen, Queen Chrysalis, posed herself as the Princess of Love to feed on the love of the Captain of the Royal Guards to weaken his shield. And she had succeeded, and now the barrier was down, and the monsters are now attacking the kingdom!

Funny thing is, Twilight Sparkle was the first pony to know something was wrong. While she didn't know it was the Changeling Queen, she knew Cadance was not acting as she remembered. Because Twilight and Cadance were good friends when the latter used to foalsit for her when they were younger. She tried to bring her case to the Rehearsal, to expose the princess for the monster she was.

But yet, no pony believed her. Not her brother, not her mentor, nor her friends, where they all abandoned her, leaving her at the mercy of the imposter, who trapped the unicorn deep below in the castle, where no pony would ever find her.
Luckily, she found the real Cadance, and together, they stopped the wedding and exposed the Changeling Queen, who defeated Celestia without trouble, and sent her forces to kidnap ponies and take over the beloved city.

However, there were six ponies who were fighting back, and one of them was indeed Twilight Sparkle, the lavender unicorn with the sapphire blue mane with the purple and magenta streaks to her left side, her eyes were purple. Her cutie mark, the magical symbol on her flank, was of a six pointed star with five white smaller stars surrounding it. And with her powerful magic, she was able to fight against the Changelings, using her cancel spell to turn the disguised changelings back to their hideous forms.

Fighting along side her were the traito... eh... her friends. The orange earth pony, Applejack, with the brown cowgirl hat, green eyes, and her tousled blonde mane and tail loosely tied back, and three apples for her cutie mark. The farmpony was kicking the changelings with her hindlegs, like she always did when she would applebuck on her farm.

The light cerulean colored pegasus, Rainbow Dash, the one with the fast wings and the unruly rainbow colored mane and tail, cerise eyes, and the blue-yellow-red lightning bolt with a cloud, was zipping back and forth, whacking the changelings with everything she got.

The fourth one, the white unicorn with the slightly curled indigo mane with gradience, the light bluish gray eyeshadow over her azure eyes, and her cutie mark being three blue lozenge diamonds, doesn't usually fight since she's more into fashion, but she wasn't afraid to slap the Changelings that stood in her way, even if it meant getting her hooves dirty.

The fifth one, the butter colored pegasus, Fluttershy, her light light pink mane and tail long and blowing in the wind, her eyes a dark cyan, and her cutie mark consisted of three pink butterflies, was not the one for fighting, since she was the shyest of the six, dodged every attack, making the changelings get thrown off balanced.

The last one, the pink earth pony, with the bushy balloony raspberry mane and tail, light cerulean eyes, and her cutie mark of three balloons, one yellow, two blue. She was giving the Changelings cannonballs of confetti, fired from her self-patented Party Cannon, giving a happy smile on her face.

The six friends were able to push back numbers of Changelings, but more were coming, as the sounds of buzzing wings above were signaling more on the way, almost ready to corner the six.

"There's too many of them!" Applejack said.

"What do we do?" Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight looked around, and saw the entrance of Canterlot Tower, the place where the Elements of Harmony are stored.

"The Elements of Harmony!" Twilight called out. "Let's move!" As on command, the six galloped quickly to the Tower, as the changeling drones gave chase. As the group made it, Twilight was the first to grab the handles, opening the doors. However, grimaces of shock appeared on their faces, as they saw up on the ceiling, hundreds of changelings waiting inside, slowly descending to the ground. Turning around, they saw the other changelings, walking up to them, with the one in the most front, Commander Shell, wearing green metal armor, spoke up.

"You got nowhere to run little ponies..." He said. "Soldiers... take them!" The changelings gave hisses and nods, ready for command. Twilight turned back into the tower, and sparked an idea.

"Everypony, get behind me!" Twilight called out, as the five other ponies got behind her. With all her might, Twilight shot out a powerful blast, blowing the changelings away, and stunning them immediately.

"Now!" Twilight called out. "Go, Go, Go!" The six ponies then rushed into the room, heading for the treasure chest that contained the elements. Using her magic to unpick the lock, the chest opened, revealing a powerful glow, causing the changelings to be pushed back.

"What?!" Commander Shell asked. "What is this?"

"The Elements of Harmony..!" Twilight said with a smile, as the magical necklaces attached themselves to her friends. "Applejack represents the Element of Honesty. Rainbow Dash represents the Element of Loyalty. Rarity represents the Element of Generosity. Fluttershy represents the Element of Kindness. Pinkie Pie represents the Element of Laughter. And I, Twilight Sparkle, represent the spark that brings the elements together. The Element of Magic!" Then, the magical tiara with the six pointed magenta star magically appeared on her head, and the six friends began to glow brightly.

"No!" Commander Shell said. "How is this possible?!"

"Because Friendship is what binds us together!" Twilight said. "It's friendship that brought us together. The power of friendship conquers all! And my friends, will never abandon me-"

"And you can forget about being my best mare!"

Twilight froze, hearing Shining's words ringing in her head, as the image of her brother disowning and leaving her behind to check on his bride.

"Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Twilight?"

"In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't bother come to the wedding at all!" He spoke, leaving the rehearsal hall."

"Yo, Twi!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Are you gonna say something?!"

"C'mon y'all, let's go check on the princess." Applejack said.. with the five other ponies leaving Twilight behind, as she watched them leave her... they left her... Turning, she saw Princess Celestia, with a look so disappointing.

"You have a lot to think about Twilight Sparkle..." She spoke as she left, leaving the lavender unicorn stunned, with tears down her eyes, seeing her mentor leave her to check on the fake bride, and closing the door.

And no one will ever think to look for you either...

-GASP-

Twilight gasped, as the light in her eyes disappeared and the words of the fake Cadance echoed in her head. Then suddenly, the Element of Magic began to spark, it's magenta light, suddenly turning black, and then, everything shattered, and the light collapsed around the six girls, causing them to drop on the floor. The tiara on Twilight's head fell off her head and onto the ground, and the necklaces fell off the other Element bearers too.

"Wha, what happened?" Applejack asked.

"Hey, the magic's not working!" Rainbow Dash said. The Changeling soldiers looked and saw, the light was gone, and what was suppose to happen, didn't happen at all! They looked at each other, and they all gave laughs and evil smiles as they approached the girls.

"Twilight?" Rarity asked. "What happened?"

"Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, seeing that Twilight glanced at the floor, thinking of that horrible thought.

"Twilight, Yoo Hoo!" Pinkie Pie said, waving her hoof in front of Twilight. "Can you hear me?"

"You abandoned me..." Twilight's words spoke so softly that the other ponies had a hard time wondering what she meant.

"Twilight?" Applejack asked. "What are you talking about?" The lavender unicorn glanced back at her friends, with a look so sad, and yet angry.

"You all abandoned me..." She spoke. Then the girls realized what she was talking about! The rehearsal! When her brother disowned her accusations, and they and her mentor left her. But their realization came to a close as they, except Twilight, saw the Changelings approaching them, ready to capture them.

It was pitch black... pitch black... until she opened her eyes. The alicorn in a light coat of fuchsiaish gray was dangling upside, with her magnificent wings enclosed and against a strange surface. Opening her eyes, seeing past her mane striped with light colors of cerulean, turquoise, cobalt blue, and heliotrope, she saw that she was upside down, inside something green, and a bit slimey on the outside. It was a transparent coccoon. Around her were strange pony-like creatures hovering around her with their blue insectoid-like wings. Their chitin, or skin in the matter, were of greenish black, with tints of the color of the sea, and they had neck fins that were dark bluish gray. Their eyes were glowing arctic blue, and they had fangs, along with black horns on their forehead, and holes in their hooves. These were changelings, creatures that feast upon the emotions and essence of other ponies. They were hissing happily, and licking their teeth with their tongues, for the alicorn, Princess Celestia, the rule of all of Equestria, was their prisoner.

"So much love!" One said.

"So much power...!" the other said.

"Let's... eat!" The third said, opening his mouth!

"Enough!" a voice shouts from below. Looking downward, they see a much more taller changeling in the room, just as tall as Princess Celestia. Her entire skin was very dark, with her carapace having gradience of dark arctic blue to green. Her dark cerulean mane and tail was long, with part of it almost over her left eye, and a bang of it dangling across her crooked horn. Like the other changelings, her hooves had holes in them too along with her tail and mane, but her eyes were actual harlequin eyes with grayish opal pupils. On top of her head, there was a crown, a crown suiting for a queen. Queen Chrysalis, the Queen of all Changelings, have manged to succeed in invading Canterlot, the capital of Equestria.

"Ahhhh, Princess Celestia." The queen spoke as she flew up to the coccoon. "Feeling comfy in there?"

"Chrysalis..." Celestia said. "This is not over!"

"Oh, but it is." Chrysalis said. "Canterlot is officially mine, and soon, all of Equestria will be mine." As she continued talking, she then walked up to a light gray coated unicorn stallion standing still. His mane was moderate sapphire blue with cerulean and phthalo blue streaks. His cutie mark was of a purple shield with small light blue stars above it, but in the center of the shield was a magenta colored six-pointed star, the same star that was on Twilight's cutie mark. Captain Shining Armor, the would-be husband to Princess Cadance, the captain of the Royal Guard, was now the victim of the Changeling Queen, and the green glow in his eyes showed that he was fully under Chrysalis's mind control.

"With this stallion by my side, I shall be more powerful in all of Equestria, more powerful than you!" Chrysalis said. "Is that right... Shiny?" The stallion gave a nod.

"Yes, mistress." He spoke.

"Don't you dare call him Shiny, you bug!" Another voice rang, getting the queen's attention. Turning her head, she saw another alicorn, this one was about the same size as Shining Armor. Her coat was a light grayish cerise and her eyes were light purple. Her long straight mane was moderate violet with rose and gold streaks, and curled a bit down at the buttom, though the mane was an absolute mess, and there were scratches all over her. The cutie mark on her flank represented a multifaceted light blue crystal heart between two golden laces. This was Princess Cadance, the would-be wife to Shining Armor, until Chrysalis kidnapped her and imprisoned her below the castle. But Twilight helped her escape, but now the Princess was trapped in green goo, right on her legs, keeping her from fleeing.

Next to her was a little purple mulberry baby dragon with a light spring budish gray underbelly, moderate pistachio eyes, harlequin spikes and lime green ear fronds. This was Spike, the number one assistant of Twilight, who hatched him during her entrance exam, and has been by her side ever since. He too was stuck in the green goop next to Cadance.

"No pony calls him that but me and Twilight!" Cadance said. "You let him go this instant!"

"Oh, I'm afraid I cannot do that, Princess Amore." Chrysalis said as she walked up to the Princess of Love. "He belongs to me now, along with all of Equestria, and you my little pony shall be the perfect host for my little hatchlings."

"Hatchlings?" Spike asked confused, but then the horrific thought manifested into his mind, making him cover his mouth and turn away feeling nauseous.

"You won't get away with this!" Cadance said. "Twilight and her friends will stop you and-" However, she was cut short by the sound of the doors opening, revealing the unicorn mentioned, and her friends, being escorted by a group of Changeling Soldiers.

"Attention, Hornet Squad coming through with the captives!" One of the soldiers in blue armor, Soldier Locus, spoke out as he and the others moved the ponies inside, while two other drones were carrying Rainbow midair by her front legs.

"You were saying?" Chrysalis asked with an evil smile.

"What happened?" Cadance asked.

"The Elements of Harmony... they didn't work." Twilight said, showing a face of disappointment as she and the others walked inside, with the queen giving a chuckle.

"You do realize the reception's been cancelled, don't you?" Chrysalis asked as the other changelings laughed.

"So, what do you want us to do, your majesty?" The Changeling Commander, Shell, asked.

"Can we eat them now?" A Changeling Soldier, Locus, asked.

"No!" Chrysalis said. "They belong to me! You go out... and Feed!"

"Feed?" Locus asked. "Feed on what? We've been starving all day!" The Queen gave a irritated sigh.

"You useless drones." Chrysalis said. "There are ponies outside running around in terror. A whole population for you to feed on! So go out and feed!"

"Oh, that makes more sense now." Locus said.

"Finally, you get it." Shell said. "Come, let us feast!"

"Oh Boy!" Locus said as he, his commander, and the squad flew out through the balcony, flying out into the city. The Changeling Queen however, approached the six girls with a smile.

"Well, well, well..." She spoke. "If it isn't Princess Celestia's faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. I'm quite surprised that you made it this far."

"You monster!" Twilight called out. "You won't get away with this!"

"I already have." Chrysalis said. "And you thought your Elements of Harmony could save you? Well, they didn't. But why? Why did they fail? Oh that's right, because your friends didn't care about you." The girls then lowered their heads, while Twilight glanced back at them.

"It's funny, really." The queen said as she lifted Twilight's chin. "She was right about my behavior all along. Too bad the rest of you were too caught up in your wedding planning to realize that her accusations were correct!" As the queen removed her hoof from the unicorn, Twilight lowered her head, and remembered her words.

And no one will ever think to look for you either...

"She's right." Twilight said, getting the girls' attention. "You all didn't listen to me, and look where it got us." The rest of the mane six lowered their heads in shame.

"We're sorry, Twi." Applejack said. "We should've..." The lavender unicorn only turned her head slightly.

"I wish... I wish I could believe that." She spoke a bit coldy, making the girls feel worse.

"That's true." Chrysalis said as she turned away toward the stairs. "You should all feel bad for leaving her in her time of need. You know what they say, with friends like these, who needs enemies..." The Changeling Queen then moved to the balcony, seeing the devestation her minions were bringing, many drones chasing several pedestrians, and a group of Changelings corner a couple of ponies and a scared filly. Several guards held captive by another squad of changelings. All Chrysalis did was laugh, and sing.

This day has been just perfect
The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small
And soon I will control,
Every stallion, mare, and foal
Who says a girl can't really have it all?

As she finishes her little verse, she smiles as she sees an explosion, chuckling as she witnesses the devestation. While the other ponies watched in horror, Twilight looks around. Friendship was not going to save the day this time. But she can still stop her. She turns to see Princess Cadance, still trapped in the gunk below her feet. The unicorn then makes her way to her old foalsitter and uses her magic to strip away the substance, freeing her.

"Quick..!" Twilight spoke quietly. "Go to him while you still have the chance!" Finally free, the pink alicorn hurried along over to the still possessed groom. Finally near her beloved, she strokes her hoof along his cheek and pulls him into a hug, with a tear leaking ou of her eye. Then suddenly, her horn began to glow and sparkle with a light cornflower blue aura, with a bright pink heart popping out from the tip, and the heart flashes before Shining Armor. In an instant, his eyes were now returning to their original cerulean color. He then shakes his head, showing that the mind control spell had broken.

"Wh...where... huh?" He asked, still feeling dazed. "Is the wedding over?" A smile forms on Cadance's face, seeing her soon to be husband free from the spell.

"It's all over!" The voice from the Changeling Queen said, now facing toward the group as she comes back in from the balcony with an evil smile. He then realizes what has happened. Canterlot has been breached!

"Your spell!" Cadance said. "Perform your spell!" Making haste, the captain of the Royal Guard quickly began to harness his magic. But despite all the concentration, he could not perform his magic, only a feeble glow from the tip of his horn.

"Aww, what a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment." Chrysalis said, before giving another venomous chuckle.

"It's useless..." Shining said, lowering his head in defeat. "I don't have the strength to repel them..." Cadance however, began to nuzzle him closely.

"Wrong." Cadance said. "My love with give you strength." Exchanging looks at each other, the two gave each other a smile, and Shining tries his magic again. This time, the aura has reappeared, glowing. Cadance brings herself closer to him, and their horns touched each other's, with an magical discharge to arc between them. The touch of their horns began to create a spark that glows purple and white as it steadily grows in size, and a circle of energy begins to form around the pair. The wind blows around them, as Cadance's mane begins to billow and sparkle like Princess Celestia's, and the dirt and scratches disappear from her body.

Trading a smile to each other, their magic of their love lifted them off the floor as the aura begins to glow stronger. Twilight averts her eyes, as did her friends, but they all give grins. The hall begins to shake from the sheer amount of magical energy coursing through, and the Changeling Queen gasps with shock, her mouth dropped open.

"What?" Chrysalis asked. "But how? I drained your love!"

"No... Love can be restored." Shining said.

"Love can prevail." Cadance said.

"Our love... gives us strength!" The two said in unison, opening their eyes, revealing them to be glowing pure white, and their magic begins to burst, exploding outward as a glowing heart-shaped shockwave, blasting through all of Canterlot, while not destroying or moving the buildings, but causing the Changelings watching from their positions to be pushed back by a mighty blow, saving the ponies who were captured and being chased by the love sucking monsters. And Chrysalis, who tried to stand her ground, was blown away by the power of love, out the balcony and into the sky, screaming out a strangled yelp.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!" Chrysalis shouted.

"We're blasting off again!" Grub called out as he and Shell followed suit.

"Oh shut up, you moron!" Shell shouted back as he and the rest of the changelings were hurling toward the distant horizon in all directions, leaving the only trace of them to be a tiny pinprick of light that flashes briefly in the sky.

Back in the hall, Shining and Cadance floated gently back to the platform, with the latter's mane no longer ruined, but straight with it's non-billowing appearance. As they shared a joyous embrace, Twilight watched with surprise. The day has been saved, thanks to not the power of Friendship, but the power of love. As she stands there, she catches a glimpse of the rest of the mane six cheering and running up to the groom and bride, while she just remained there. She looked at her friends as they continued to congratulate Princess Cadance. For some reason, Twilight wasn't feeling happy at all.

Look at them, she thought. They ditched her at the rehearsal room hours ago and they just pretend like nothing ever happened. It's almost as if they had forgotten their sins and just are happy. Happy? Twilight couldn't help but feel confused... and disgusted. She just turned herself around, taking one more look at her friends... no, her accomplices, and began walking away toward the door, only to see Princess Celestia almost struggling to get up after falling from the coccoon. She lifted her head up to see Twilight.

"No need to worry about me." Princess Celestia spoke. "You have a real wedding to put on." Twilight looked at the smiling princess. Her teacher, her mentor, her second mother, who did nothing but leave her when the others left her too. The white alicorn extended her hoof out, ready to thank her student once again for saving Equestria. As Twilight looks up to the sun monarch, the words she spoke to her at the rehearsal began to rang in her head.

"You have a lot to think about... You have a lot to think about..."

As the words repeated in her head, she couldn't help but feel... resentful. As she did, the words from the Changeling Queen spoke in her mind.

And no one will ever think to look for you either...

Twilight's eyes widened as she heard the voice again. She then looked up at Princess Celestia, her hoof still extending for her student to accept it. Then, Twilight did the unthinkable...

She just slapped it away bitterly, surprising the Sun Monarch greatly.

"You know what Princess..." She begun, venom in her voice. "You want a real wedding to be put on, put it on by yourself, because I'm not." Twilight then walked pass the shocked princess, and headed straight for the door. The other ponies heard this harsh response and turned to see their friend walking away.

"Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"Twily?" Shining asked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going home." Twilight hissed, much to her brother's surprise. "I recall that you don't want me at your wedding, so I'm going away, since that's all you want me to do." The group in the hall stared at her surprised.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked. The pony stopped in her tracks, and her eyes bulged open, pupils both shrunk down to the size of pencil tips, as if something in her head just.. snapped.

"What's wrong...?" Twilight asked "What's wrong?! What's Wrong?! I'll tell you what's wrong! What's wrong is that all of you seemed to have forgotten how you all treated me at the rehearsal!" The girls tilted their heads, but then realized what she was talking about. When she tried to expose the imposter, they didn't believe her, and abandoned her, while her so called big brother cast her out of the wedding.

"W...what?" Cadance asked confused, before turning to Shining. "Shining, what is she talking about?"

"Uhhh..." The groom said, seemingly remembering what he said to Twilight.

"I'll tell you what I'm talking about, Cadance." Twilight said as she stepped toward the group. "I was the first and only pony to realize that something was wrong, and noticed that the Changeling Queen disguised as you was not acting like you. I tried to explain to everypony that you've changed, but no pony listened, for they were so busy with their wedding planning that they just decided not to listen to me. So, I tried to expose her myself, which I may have done it very immaturely, but my so called BBBFF chose to believe that imposter over me, where he casted me out of his wedding and disowned me, and my so-called friends and the Princess herself, left me all alone in my time of need, while the Queen seized the opportunity to show her wrath to me!" Cadance gasped.

"What?!" She asked, and glanced at the five ponies, who all looked to the ground, showing guilt all over their faces.

"Girls, did you truly abandon her?" Cadance asked, then glanced at the Sun Princess. "Auntie Celestia, is it true?" She then turns to Shining Armor.

"Shiny... did you really disown her?!" She asked, her voice sound more demanding. The captain of the Royal Guard turned his head, his face showing lots of guilt. The Princess of Love's eyes widened with horror and realization.

"Why...?" She asked, no response. "Answer me!"

"If he won't, then I will." Twilight spoke, getting everypony's attention. "Because like the Changeling Queen said, my friends never cared about me! All they cared about were their own desires, and some stupid wedding that we should've never came to in the first place!" Hearing Twilight's cruel words toward them made them back away a bit. But Applejack, only shook her head and stepped forward, ready to defend herself and the others.

"Now lookie here sugarcube!" Applejack said. "We admit we were wrong about this whole thing, but you sure didn't help yourself convincing us to believe you."

"Me?" Twilight asked.

"Well yeah, you were acting a bit offensive and foalish toward Princess Cadance." Applejack said. "You should've watched what you were saying."

"But didn't you get the fact that there was something wrong?" Twilight asked. "I was trying to warn all of you, but you all instead left me."

"What were we suppose to do?" Applejack asked. "We couldn't tell who was more innocent, and the imposter was more innocent than you with your over-reacting speech."

"That's funny coming from the pony who knows about Honesty!" Twilight shouted, with the farmpony stepping back.

"What does that mean?" Applejack asked.

"What I mean is with you being the Element of Honesty, you should've known that I was being honest!" Twilight said.

"Well, I couldn't tell!" Applejack said.

"Maybe you weren't worthy to be the Element of Honesty." Twilight said. "Maybe you should've been the Element of Stubborness!" Applejack was taken back by this.

"Wh... Twilight..." She said.

"Oh please, you're just scared to admit that you didn't care about anypony else but your pride." Twilight said, causing the farmpony to gasp. "And don't bother lying either, because I see how you work and how you do things. Your pride always gets in the way, and the only thing you were trying to do was defend it, way more than defending your little sister!" Applejack was about to speak up, but she stopped, and began thinking. It was true. She always placed her pride ahead of herself sometimes, even when working, and the fact that her little sister Apple Bloom was in great danger when this invasion started and she couldn't protect her. She lowered her head in shame.

"Alright, I've had enough!" Rainbow Dash said as she glared at Twilight. "Sure Applejack may have her pride to defend, and she can be stubborn, but at least she was honest to admit it. And she wasn't the one who was acting like a jealous little sister."

"Oh I was the jealous one?" Twilight asked. "Let me ask you this Rainbow Dash, were you even wanting to come to this wedding, because you were really anxious into meeting the Wonderbolts."

"Wha... what are you-" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Don't lie, Rainbow Dash, you only wanted to do your Sonic Rainboom because you wanted to impress ponies and show them how awesome you are, even though you're not awesome at loyalty!" Twilight said. "You weren't even loyal enough to take my side, and only wanted to follow your dream. Well guess what, your dream is never gonna come true, so just grow up already!" Rainbow Dash was completely offended by that, which she responded with a growl.

"I Outta Beat You Right In Your Egghead Face!" She shouted until Fluttershy stepped in.

"Wait!" Fluttershy said. "Violence is not the answer!" The pegasus then turned toward Twilight. "Now look Twilight, I admit we were all wrong, but can't you just accept that we were all fooled?"

"You know, it's already too late to be assertive again Fluttershy." Twilight said. "From the way I look at it, you failed showing me any kindess and comfort, because when you left me, I had no comfort and you didn't even bother to come back to check up on me!" Twilight shouted. "So why don't you just go back into being the little Doormat you always are?" Twilight asked. Everypony gasped, as Fluttershy stood there, with tears filling her eyes. She turned around and clinged onto Applejack, crying.

"Now wait just a second, dear!" Rarity said stepping forward. "You can't blame us for being clueless about this whole ordeal! We didn't know what was wrong! We could've still sided with you if you remained-"

"Don't start with this Rarity, because you didn't care about a word I said, except how much you wanted to make the perfect dress for the bride, and the greatest bridesmaid dresses for every pony else, but you didn't bother to make one for me?!"

"But... but I did-" Rarity said.

"Well I didn't see a dress for me, because you didn't care about me except for your dresses!" Twilight shouted. Rarity stood there in shock, almost ready to tear up.

"Hey!" A voice shouted behind the girls, revealing to be Pinkie Pie, who stepped forward. "Stop being so mean to us Twilight! We all learned our lesson alright! We should've listened to you! You can't just blame us for something that isn't even our fault. Applejack is a proud farmer, Rainbow Dash likes dreaming big, Fluttershy is just a bit shy, and Rarity, fashion is her passion."

"You learned your lesson?!" Twilight asked. "Well you seemed to have forgotten about taking a friend's worries seriously even if it's not a big deal! Don't you even remember the Smarty Pants incident?!" The girls realized what she was talking about. The day they dubbed Lesson Zero, where Twilight thought she was tardy for a Friendship Report and nearly caused the whole town to go out of control by making a friendship problem with the Want It, Need It spell, and they just told her not to worry about it.

"Ok, you do got us there." Pinkie Pie said. "But that's no reason to get all meany-weany to us. You know what you need, you just need a little bit of cheering up, that's what you need! A Party-"

"Oh just shut it Party Pooper!" Twilight shouted. "From all the other mares you just pretend like nothing happened. And do you really think a stupid little party is going to fix this? Well it's not going to, because you already blew the party!" Pinkie Pie gasped in surprise, with tears beginning to form in her eyes, and her mane and tail began to deflate completely flat.

"That... that... that is NOT very nice, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said, showing a much more angry face by the insult. "Friends don't berate each other! They forgive each other! You're not being very friendly, Twilight!"

"Well, maybe I would be better off without friends like YOU!" Twilight shouted, her horn giving off a scary spark, startling Pinkie Pie, who was hurt by Twilight's cruel response. Calming herself down, Twilight realized what she said... the hurtful thing a friend should never say. That she'd be better off without friends like them.

Wait... she's feeling bad? Why should she feel bad? They abandoned her. They left her to comfort a stranger that she knew more, but they didn't. Why should she be sorry, and why feel bad for them? Instead of showing regret, Twilight continued her stern look.

"And you know what... I mean it." Twilight said, her anger slowly returning. "I should've never made friends in the first place! I welcomed you all into my life and allowed you to enjoy my connections, but no more! From this day forward, this friendship... Is OVER!" The girls gasped at the mare's declaration.

"That Is Enough!" A booming voice called, which was Princess Celestia's voice, getting the unicorn's attention. "Please Twilight, cease at once! Your anger is blinding you!"

"Spare me your expenses, Princess!" Twilight said. "Out of all the ponies in that rehearsal room, I depended on you! But instead you turned me away like some damned dog." The girls gasped, shocked that Twilight had dared cursed.

"Twilight, I didn't know that my niece was a changeling in disguise!" Celestia said.

"Well that's because you didn't know her longer than I did!" Twilight said. "And you were so focused on this stupid wedding and making your niece happy rather than taking my concerns seriously, like the time when Nightmare Moon would return, you didn't bother listening me then, and when I was late for my Friendship Report, these mares didn't listen to me either. Let me ask you this Princess, were you just using me as some stupid plan just to save your sister or battle your own fights for you?!"

"Twilight, I would never!" Celestia shouted. "My link to the Elements were cut, and I knew that Nightmare Moon was going to return! But I could not save Luna-"

"Well boohoo to you Princes.... No, Boohoo to you... Sunbutt!" Twilight shouted, causing everypony to gasp.

"She just disrespected the Princess!" Rarity said.

"Twilight... I..." Celestia said, as the lavender unicorn turned to everypony else.

"Well you all can have your little stupid wedding without me, because I hearby resign myself as your stupid little faithful student, because I'm out of here!" Twilight said, only to be blocked by Shining Armor.

"Twilight, stop!" He said. "Please, don't do this!" I'm sorry for what happened, I really am! Please don't leave, I want you to be my best mare-"

"Don't bother trying to deceive me... Captain Armor." Twilight said, making Shining Armor gasp. "Out of all the ponies in this room, I was hoping that you would believe me. You said that you'd always have time for me, but that was a big fat lie! I loved you Shining, but yet you never loved me!"

"That's not true!" Shining said. "I do love you, Twily."

"Don't you dare call me that!" Twilight said. "I've had enough of you! Find somepony else to be your stupid best mare, because you're no longer my Big Brother Best Friend Forever!" Twilight shouted, making Shining gasp in shock, like an bullet struck his heart, breaking it into pieces.

"But... but Twily-" Shining said, his hoof on her shoulder.

"Get your hooves off me, you Stud!" Twilgiht shouted, and before he knew it, he was bucked right in the face by his own sister, sending him across the floor, much to everypony's shock.

"Shining!" Cadance said as she galloped toward the stallion. He wasn't injured, but he did receive a black eye from the kick however.

"W...Why?" he asked.

"Why?" Twlight hissed. "Why?! Because you all don't truly care about me!"

"That's not true, Twilight!" Applejack said. "We do care about you!"

"Then why didn't you all take my side, huh?" Twilight asked. "You all promised that we'd stand together no matter what, but you didn't stand by me while the Changeling Queen trapped me in the gemstone caverns, where she said that no pony would ever think to look for me! I only managed to escape because I found the real Cadance! But what if I never did? What if I died of starvation or worse? What if instead of sending me below, what if the Changeling Queen killed me?!" The girls stood there in shock. That bug monster banished her below the castle where no pony would find her! But what if instead she took the life of their friend. How their actions could've caused the death of their friend... The idea came to their minds, making them feel guilty.

"Twilight... we didn't know..." Applejack said.

"We're so, so sorry, Twilight." Fluttershy said.

"Just stop it!" Twilight said. "You're just saying that so I would forgive you. But guess what, I'll never forgive all of you! I made you all part of my life, and you promised to be good friends, but in my time of need, you abandoned me in my darkest time! You tossed me aside, left me to die, and you didn't even say... I'm sorry..." She trembled at the last few words, and began to cry, letting the tears drop down her cheeks. Celestia stood there in deep shock, surprised of what she had heard. The imposter did almost go through great lengths to stop those in her way. Although Twilight wasn't killed, she still would've been since the Princess did give the imposter the chance to. Everypony stood there in shock and horror, the thought of losing their friend, and sister, on their watch.

"Twilight... I.... I didn't know..." Celestia said, as she tried to reach out to her student. "I am terribly sorry for what happened and what pain and anguish that you've been through. But please hear me out. You saved us all from independing doom. Your actions helped bring the real Cadance back to us, and it was you who saved us from a monster that did everything in her will to tear us all apart. I am very greatful that you held out in the end, but please. Don't let your anger blind you. Please don't feel resentful to us." Twilight wiped her eyes and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry Princess... but your stupid speech isn't going to buy it." Twilight said, surprising the Princess more.

"But... But Twili-" Celestia said as she rested her hand on the mare's shoulders.

"Don't Touch Me, You Pathetic Excuse for a Ruler!" Twilight shouted as she pushed Celestia's hoof away and glanced at her. "I.... I hate you." Celestia froze in place, like her heart was broken in pieces upon hearing those words. Twilight then gave a quick chuckle, and glare.

"There... I said it... I said it." Twilight said with a hiss. "I Hate You... I Hate You. I Hate You. I Hate You. I HATE YOU!" She turned to her friends. "I Hate You, I Hate You, I Hate You, I Hate You, I Hate You..." She then turned to Shining Armor, who just got up from the floor.

"And I definitely hate you!" Twilight shouted, as Shining gave a whimper, like a worst fear became reality.

"T...Twily.." Shining said.

"Twilight... why did you say tha-" Fluttershy asked.

"You all treated me like I was the bad guy, so I'm gonna act like the bad guy!" Twilight shouted. "I placed my trust in all of you! I tried to warn you all what was wrong, and yet you pushed me aside like some dirt!"

"Twilight please stop!" Celestia said. "Please stop this at once!"

"No, I will not stop!" Twilight shouted as her eyes began to glow. "You want to see my pain, then I'll show you my pain!" With that said, Twilight's horn charged up with magic, and her eyes glowed brightly. She then pointed to the columns and fired, shooting a beam of magic, destroying the columns, much to everypony's shock.

"Everypony Duck!" Rainbow Dash shouted as Twilight fired in her direction, destroying the lovely drapes hanging from the windows. She then proceeded to destroy the glass windows, shattering them all to tiny pieces.

"Twilight!" Applejack shouted.

"Twilight, Stop!" Fluttershy cried out, but Twilight kept shooting out more beams of energy. Not wanting anymore of this, Princess Celestia extended her wings out and galloped to Twilight.

"Twilight, Cease This At Once!" She cried out, her horn igniting with a yellow light magic, grabbing ahold of Twilight. But she turned her head, and with her own magic, she broke free from the magical grip, and did the unthinkable!

She shot the Princess with her own magical ray, right in the stomach, sending her across the room and into the remaining standing column, breaking it apart, and causing it to fall upon the Sun Monarch. The girls gasped with horror. Twilight has shot the Princess!

Celestia then struggled to get up from the debris. Her mane was rustled a bit and there was a burnt mark across her abdomen, signifying where Twilight had struck her. Lifting her head up, she saw Twilight approaching her, her eyes glowing white, but showing severe rage. Before her, the Princess then saw the silhouette of a orange yellow pony with red and yellow flaming hair, making her drop her mouth with fear.

"Twilight... please... no...!!!" She begged, but Twilight began to light up her horn, ready to strike.

"Twilight! Stop!"

Something grabbed her leg, making the mare turn her head with anger, straight at the source. The little baby dragon staring up at her, but his expression turned to fear as she was about ready to...

-GASP-

Twilight froze, and the light in her eyes disappeared as she blinked, staring right at Spike, looking at her, in fear.

"Spike?" Twilight asked. Seeing the little draik looking up to her in horror, the lavender unicorn then calmed herself down, taking a couple of deep breaths, and she glanced around, seeing nothing but devestation, and the Princess in front of her, with the side of her stomach burnt from the impact of her attack. The eyes in the unicorn's eyes shrunk down, realizing what she had done. She had attacked the princess. She had attacked the royal monarch of all of Equestria. She took a couple of steps back.

"I... I...." Twilight spoke. She glanced at her mentor, her friends, and her brother, and tears of pain and anger came to her eyes and dropped down her cheeks. She blinked, giving a grunt of disgust.

"I hate all of you!" She spoke, her voice trembling, just as she started galloping out of the hall, passing the doors, slamming them shut with her magic. The group stood there in complete shock, as if their worst nightmare had come true. Their friend has abandoned them, just like how they abandoned them, but far worse.

"She's right..." a voice spoke from the group. The ponies turned to see Spike, standing on his feet, but his head lowered.

"Why did I leave her..." He said, as tears came down his eyes. Rarity was the first to approach him.

"Spike-" She said, only for him to swat away her hoof, making her back away. His gaze then turned to Shining. He ran up to him and pointed his finger at the stallion.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Spike shouted toward the stallion.

"Spike-" Shining said.

"Don't think this is anyone else's fault but you're own!" Spike said. "Twilight was trying to protect you, don't you see that? But you tossed her away and kicked her out of your wedding!"

"Spike, please calm down!" Rarity spoke once more.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Rarity!" Spike said. "You all are also responsible for this! Especially you Princess Celestia! If you'd all just listened to Twilight and stayed with her, none of this would've happened! You're all no better than the Changeling Queen!" With that said, Spike ran toward the doorway.

"Spike, where are you going?" Rarity asked.

"I'm going to be there for Twilight, and I'm done listening to all of you." Spike said as he left the room, leaving Everypony inside. They then heard a sniffle, which came from Princess Cadance, who heard everything that was going on. She didn't say anything throughout the whole thing.

"Cadance?" Shining asked, as the Princess of Love, glanced at Shining.

"How could you?" she asked. "How could you do that to your own sister?" The stallion froze, feeling the scent of surprise and sorrow within his fiance.

"Cadance... I didn't know it was-" Shining said.

"How could you just leave her like that?!" Cadance asked. "She was just trying to protect you! But instead you tossed her away like some old toy you don't even play with anymore."

"But I-" Shining said.

"And sure, Twilight may have acted immature when she tried to bring her case, and she has a tendacy of over-reacting, but it was because nopony was listening to her, and you all didn't listen to her that would've avoided such trouble!" Cadance said, then tured to the rest of the mane six.

"You girls, you only cared about your own desires and this wedding instead of carring about you friend!" Cadance said. "How can you do that to her? Maybe you girls aren't really her friends as she claimed you all to be!" She then turns to Princess Celestia.

"And you, Auntie Celestia, you left her all alone!" She said. "She placed her faith in you, and you abandoned her in her time of need! She saw you like a second mother, but you clearly don't seem to care about her as you say you do!" She then returned her glare to the groom.

"And you, Shining Armor!" She continued. "She was just trying to protect you, but you chose to believe some imposter who acted nothing like me than your own sister, and you disowned her!" As her ranting was finished, she began to sniff, showing some tears forming in her eyes.

"I thought you loved me..." Cadance said.

"I do Cadance, I do-" Shining said.

"Well if you did love me, you would've listened to your sister instead of some imposter!" Cadance said. "You put me in front of her! Spike's right. You're no better than that awful Changleing Queen." Cadance lowered her head, crying out a couple tears, as Shining attempted to comfort her.

"Cadance I'm sor-" Shining spoke, but then he was slapped across the face, and the worst part was, she was wearing one of her glass slippers, bringing down a harder slap on the stallion's face. He stumbled a bit, but kept his balance.

"Sorry doesn't cut it." Cadance hissed as she turned away. "Now if you'll excuse, there's a little filly you hurt that I must comfort. And you can forget about marrying me, because this wedding is Off!..." Hearing that greatly surprised Shining as he glanced up.

"Wha?" Shining asked.

"In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't bother trying to win me back." Cadance said. "Because I never want to see you ever again." That shot Shining right in the heart, breaking it into two. Actually is broke it into more pieces since Twilight's previous words with him already broke it. The Princess of Love walked away toward the door.

"I'm going to check on Twilight." Cadance said as she passed the five mares, as the scene of them leaving Twilight to check on the imposter flashed in their minds, making them tremble. Celestia was about to speak up, until Cadance stopped her.

"Don't say anything." Cadance said. "You have a lot to think about, Princess Celestia." She walked away as Celestia glanced at her, with the same face that Twilight expressed when she left her alone. With that said and done, Cadance left the room, slamming the doors with her magic, leaving everypony to think about what they've done.

"Hello, everypony!" a much regal voice spoke in the room, revealing another alicorn descending onto the balcony and into the room. The alicorn was smaller than Celestia, but taller than Cadance. Her coat was dark blue, and her eyes were moderate cyan, with the eyeshadow a lighter blue. Her majestic mane was sapphire blue with a persian blue outline, flowing and transslucent with sparkles, like Celestia's. She wore a black blue collar with a crescent moon on the front, a tiara with the same color, and phthalo blue glass slippers on each hoof. The cutie mark on her flank was a crescent moon on a dark purple background. It was Princess Luna, the younger sister of Princess Celestia. She seemed to have been unaware of the Changeling Attack, mostly because she was sleeping during the day, probably. She came in with a smile.

"Hello, everypony... what did I-" She spoke, but halted as she came right in with a shock expression, seeing the entire rehearsal hall completely in ruins. What happened, she thought? Did an earthquake total this place? She then turned to her sister, the five mares, and the captain of the Royal Guard, all of them showing guilty expressions.

"Um... did I miss anything?" Luna asked. "Sister, what happened her? Friends of Twilight Sparkle? Captain Armor?" While no words were said, Shining was the first to fall to the ground.

"I failed..." Shining said. "I failed to protect my sister..." He bent over and covered his face, shielding his tears. "I lost my beloved... but most importantly... I lost my sister..." As he began to tear up and shed, the girls glanced down and away, all of them heartbroken of what has been done.

"What have we done?" Applejack asked.

"We lost our best friend." Pinkie Pie said as she began to wail uncontrollably. Rainbow Dash only lowered herself to the ground, unable to keep the tears, and began slamming her hooves on the ground, trying to fight back the tears. Rarity began to sob, as Fluttershy collapsed on the ground, crying. Princess Celestia stood there, mortified. She lost her student, but more importantly, the mother-daughter bond that had yet to be completed.

"I believe... we all have a lot to think about..." Celestia said as she began to conjure up tears, as all of them began to cry, from all that has happened, not from the invasion, but what has transpired. They have lost the trust and friendship of their friend. The enemy may have lost the battle, but they succeeded in dividing them apart. And now that their only friend has abandoned them as they abandoned her, they all cried, having a lot to think about.... While Luna watches the group confused. Apparently, there was a lot to talk about.

And so, with a fist of fury, Twilight Sparkle casted away her friends, brother, and mentor, throwing away everything she once believed...

And nopony lived happily ever after...

But little did they know... a sinister force was rising from the darkness, where the negative energy from the Element of Magic began to increase the power of the dark forces in Equestria... The terrible chaotic, dark night was coming, and they would all be in for it...

Based on the Hit TV series by Lauren Faust

And the Popular Video Game Series by Tetsuya Nomura and Shinji Hashimoto

Author's Note

Secret Report #0

It worked. It really worked.
I was able to travel back into the distant past without having to remove my heart from my body. Modern technology... who knew?
I know what my mission is. I have to find the one who will bring calamity to the ruined future.

May my heart be my guiding key. - S

So, yes, here is the prologue to Kingdom Hearts: Fractured Friendship.
Here... listen to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Gu6Eg-QZs

Chapter 01: Dark Steps... With a pint of Chaos

Chapter 01: Taking the First Step

The day had shifted to night quickly. News of the Changeling Attack had spread across the city, with many ponies are relieved that the invasion was thwarted by the efforts of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. The good news was that no pony was hurt nor killed during the invasion, which was a great relief to everypony. But little did the ponies know that the Changelings had torn apart the Elements of Harmony. And surprisingly to them, instead of the doors opening for the wedding, Princess Cadance instead gave a speech to everypony that the wedding was cancelled, bringing shock and disappointment to the public eye. When a newsreporter asked her way she cancelled the wedding, she spoke...

"Ask Captain Shining Armor." She said coldly. "He's the reason why." Many have speculated that maybe she found out that her husband had cheated on her, or he and the Princess got into an argument after the invasion. But soon, tabloids and reporters were going to know the truth sooner or later.

Princess Celestia was not in a good mood herself, having lost her own student because of her own actions was getting to her. When asked by the citizens why the wedding was cancelled, she told the public just to return home, and that she is not to be disturbed. Eventually after Luna demanded to know what happened, the Sun Monarch eventually told her everything, about the Changelings, their queen masquerading as Cadance, how Twilight knew something was wrong, and no pony believed her, especially after she tried to make a scene at the rehearsal.

Truth be told, Luna was dumbfounded by how Celestia has handled the manner, leaving Twilight alone in her time of need. She actually gave a lecture to her older sister, with her powerful Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice, but after a few minutes, she calmed down and decided not to get involved.

As for the Mane Six, they tried their best to avoid the snobby reporters, because they wanted all the juicy info on how the Changelings got in and why the wedding was cancelled. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, Applejack and Rarity's younger sisters were surprised and disappointed that the wedding was cancelled, and they were met with silence from their older sisters when they asked why. So much for being Cutie Mark Crusader Flowerfillies.

And Twilight Sparkle, she locked herself away in her old home, the tower that she used to live in before moving to Ponyville. She had casted a protective barrier around it so no pony would ever enter, not even Shining Armor or Princess Celestia. She just laid there next to her bed, crying her heart out. The terrible thoughts and betrayal of her former friends, former teacher, and the stallion she refuses to call BBBFF was too much for her to handle. Instead, she wanted to be alone, alone by herself. However, that alone time was interrupted by a knock on the door.

-Knock Knock Knock-

"Go away..." Twilight sobbed.

"Twilight?" A familiar voice asked, making the pony lift her head up.

"C...Cadance?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight, can I please come in?" Cadance's voice asked from the other side of the door. The lavender unicorn approached, but halted.

"Wait... how do I know that you're not a changeling, or Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight, please... it's really me." Cadance's voice spoke. Reluctant, Twilight opened the door, seeing that it really was Cadance... or was it.

"Cadance?" Twilight asked, seeing that she got through the barrier that was around her house. "How did you?"

"Celestia is not the only one who can do alicorn magic." Cadance said.

"Well, how do I know you're not-" Twilight said, but before she could say anymore, the pink alicorn stood before her and began to trot playfully in place.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake." She said, hunching down and covering her eyes, then uncovering them.

"Clap your hooves, and do the little shake." Twilight said with her and the two clapped hooves and wiggled their rumps toward each other. Yep, it truly was Cadance, because she's the only one who'd ever do their special nursery rhyme dance when she used to foalsit Twilight.

"It is you..." Twilight said as she allowed Cadance to walk inside, who glanced around seeing the room.

"Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen this place." She said.

"I know..." Twilight said. "It feels like it's been forever..." The lavender unicorn then glanced across the room, seeing the old book of Predictions and Prophecies for Ponies, still open to the section describing the Elements of Harmony.

"This book is still open..." Twilight said. "Don't know why I left it open before I left." She then turned to the pink alicorn, who had concern written all over her face.

"So... what brings you here?" Twilight asked.

"Just checking to make sure if you're ok." Cadance said with a smile. The lavender unicorn only glanced at the Princess of Love, but a frown appeared on her face. She had heard that Cadance has cancelled the wedding, and her tone during her speech was a sour one. The poor unicorn couldn't help but feel guilty. She was angry at the girls, Celestia, and Shining Armor, but she didn't want to ruin Cadance's marriage. But she did.

Without a moment of hesitation, the lavender unicorn rushed up to the pink alicorn and hugged her tightly, giving quiet sobs as tears dropped down her cheeks. The Princess of Love hugged her back and stroked her mane.

"It's ok, Twilight." Cadance said. "I'm here now, like I've always been... it'll be ok." With everything that has happened, the whole day, Twilight had no recieved comfort from anypony since they had arrived. Her ex-friends, her ex-mentor, and her ex-brother never gave her any comfort when she was left all alone. But if anything, she was lucky that it was Cadance who was comforting her.

"I'm so sorry, Cadance..." She spoke.

"Sorry?" The alicorn asked. "For what?"

"For ruining your special day." Twilight said. "I'm so sorry for ruining your wedding. I know how much you loved Shining Armor."

"Twilight, don't be sorry." Cadance said. "I'm not mad at you. You've done nothing wrong. You did what you had to do to save your brother, and he had no right to kick you out of the wedding, regardless. And to be honest, I wasn't actually planning a wedding this big." The unicorn before lifted her head up in surprise.

"Huh?" Twilight asked.

"I originally planned to have a quiet ceremony, with me, Shining, you, and your family." Cadance said. "And I wanted you to marry us both."

"R...really?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, I did." Cadance said. "But... with everything that's happened and been told, I don't think I want to marry Shining anymore." Twilight only lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, Cadance." Twilight said. "I know you loved him very much... But, how did he manage to convince a princess like you to marry him?"

"Well, it's a funny story." Cadance said. "He'd said that if I married him, not only would I be getting a wonderful husband, but I would also get the best sister in the whole world." Twilight's ears perked up in surprise. Shining had said that?

"He did?" She asked.

"Of course, he did." Cadance said, but then lowered her head grimly. "All the times I've spent foalsitting you when you were a filly, I saw you as the little sister I've always wanted. But now that I know how horribly he treated you at the rehearsal, I guess it will never happen."

"I guess not." Twilight said. Pretty soon, the door opened slightly, making the two turn their heads, with the lavender unicorn hoping it wasn't the girls. But to her relief, it was only Spike, who came in with a box in his hand.

"Um... Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Spike." Twilight said, and then she remembered how scared he looked when she gave him the glare she gave Princess Celestia. "Spike... what are you doing here?"

"I... just wanted to make sure if you were ok." Spike said.

"Yeah... I feel a bit ok." Twilight said.

"Well, can I talk to you?" Spike asked. "Or... are you mad at me too?" Twilight's eyebrow rose in confusion. He thought that she was mad at him? Sure, he joined her friends when they abandoned her, but he had a worried and confused look on his face when he did. And that doesn't make him responsible.

"I... I think I should talk to Spike privately." Twilight said.

"Ok." Cadance said. "Let me know if you need anything, ok?"

"Ok." Twilight responded as the pink alicorn left the building, leaving Spike and Twilight alone in the room.

"Um... Twilight." Spike said.

"Yes, Spike?" She asked. The baby dragon took a deep sigh.

"Twi... I'm sorry." He said.

"Huh?" Twilight asked.

"I'm sorry for leaving you like that." Spike said, his head down to the ground. "I should've stayed by your side... but I didn't..." As he spoke, his voice was beginning to tremble, and his eyes started to produce tears.

"Spike, you don't have to-" Twilight said.

"Yes, I do!" Spike said, as the tears dropped dow his face. "I shouldn't have left you like that! I'm your number one assistant, and I'm suppose to stick by your side! But I didn't! I'm so sorry, Twilight! I'm so sorry!" He rushed over and embraced her tightly, and as he continued to sob, Twilight wrapped her right hoof over his shoulder, and gave him a nuzzle.

"Spike, did you see my yell at you?" Twilight asked. The draik lifted his head, thinking of what she said. From the yelling and arguing she did to her friends, not once did she yell at him.

"Um... no, no you didn't yell at me." Spike said.

"Then I wasn't angry with you." Twilight said. "I don't hold a grudge against you."

"Y...you're not mad at me?" Spike asked. "But... I abandoned you too. I left you and wasn't there for you like I should've. Though I tried to convince Shining to let you back in but..."

"And that's why I'm not mad at you Spike." Twilight said. "You didn't do anything wrong. You were just scared and confused, like any baby dragon your age." The baby dragon lifted his head up with surprise and hope. She was never mad at him?

"So... you forgive me?" Spike asked.

"There's no need." Twilight said. "No matter what, you'll always be my number one assistant." Hearing that made Spike feel relieved. The baby dragon wrapped his arms around her, hugging her again with all of his might, with the unicorn doing the same. But then, she noticed something in Spike's hands. A wrapped up present with a bow on it.

"Spike, what is that?" Twilight asked.

"Oh... it's... it's something that Rarity made... for you..." Spike said. "I'm not defending or speaking on their behalf, but... here." Twilight took the present and unwrapped it, seeing that it was beautiful dress. A magenta colored dress to match the color of Twilight's cutie mark, secured with a star collar.

"She... made this for me?" Twilight asked.

"Well, yes." Spike said. "Right when the imposter told her that she wanted her and the others to be her bridemares... It's a bit unfinished, but you should know that she was thinking about you..." Twilight examined the dress, and gave a heavy sigh.

"Thanks, Spike." Twilight said as she let the dress drape over the table.

"Um... so... now what?" Spike asked.

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Well, you said that your friendship with the other girls is over, and you're done being Celestia's student." Spike said. "What's gonna happen now? Are we going back to Ponyville? Or are we just staying here?" Twilight then began to think about that. She had just ended her friendship with the girls. What is she going to do now? Is she going to return to Ponyville back to the Library? If she does, then she'll have to avoid the girls, and she can't stay locked up in the library. Maybe she can just move back here to Canterlot? But then she would have to avoid seeing Princess Celestia and Shining Armor. Maybe move somewhere else? She couldn't figure it out. It was too soon to tell.

"I don't know, Spike." Twilight said. "I just... don't know." The baby dragon placed his claw on Twilight's back.

"What about the girls?" Spike asked. "I mean, you can't stay mad at them forever."

"Why not?" Twilight asked. "She left me in my time of need, so why bother trying to patch things up?"

"Can't you at least talk to them?" Spike asked. "I'm just as mad at them as you are, but do you really think they're really to blame?" Twilight just turned away and lowered her head into her hooves.

"I don't know, Spike." Twilight said. "I just... don't know." She said.

"Well, at least think about it." Spike said. "They do feel bad for what they did." The baby dragon then headed towards the door. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. Do you want to come with?"

"No thanks Spike." Twilight said. "I'm not really hungry right now. After today, I just need to be alone."

"Ok." Spike said. In an instant, Spike closed the door behind him, allowing Twilight to have time to herself. The lavender unicorn only gave a heavy sigh. She then turned her head toward the dress that Rarity made for the wedding. Twilight glanced right back at it. But seeing the dress only brought the horrible memories of the rehearsal to her mind, how they just left her like that, with faces of disappointment. They had told her that it was nothing, that she was just over-reacting. Over-reacting. Over-reacting. She began to recall the time when she thought that she was tardy for a friendship lesson and the girls didn't take her seriously. When it got bad, they vowed to always take her seriously... And they didn't. They didn't take her seriously now... Did they forget? Maybe... maybe they didn't learn their lesson after. If they didn't learn their lesson, then maybe they didn't learn all the other friendship lessons they learned along the way! Anger began to brew into her mind as she stared at the dress.

"They didn't learn a thing at all..." Twilight hissed. Then with her hooves, the grabbed the dress and began to rip the fabric in half, then she ripped it again, and again, until there was nothing left but pieces. She huffed... and she puffed... and she let out a depressing sigh, moving upon the table and cried, allowing the tears to drop down her cheeks and onto the wooding of the table. She couldn't take it anymore... she just couldn't take it. The pain in her heart was too much to bare... If only Sora was here...

Sora.

The boy who wielded the powerful keyblade. It felt like a long time since she ever spoke out his name, let alone speak of him. In fact, it has been a long time since she saw him. The keyblade wielder who came to this world and helped her make friends. He promised to come back, but he hasn't. It has been months since she last saw him. She looked up at the sky, seeing the stars blinking in the night.

"Sora... where are you?" She asked. "Why haven't you come back? Do you even care about me anymore?" All she could see was the stars, and nothing else. She lowered her head in deep sadness.

She couldn't stay here anymore. She just couldn't. She needed to get away, away from everything. But, what about Spike? She can't just leave him. Can she? No, she just can't take care of him now... not while she's in so much anguish. She rose from the table and grabbed a blank scroll on the side of the table, grabbed the feather pen with her magic and began writing down the contents before placing it back on the table. Placing the pen down, she walked away and out the door, leaving her home behind.

The lavender unicorn began to trot down the street as she made her way to the train station. But then suddenly, she felt something. Something off. It was like a chill that went down her spine. Turning around, she followed the strange surge of magic she felt, making her way to the same building that contained the Elements of Harmony. Walking into the building and going down the hall, she eventually came into the chamber of the Elements, and saw the chest inside.

"It's coming from here?" Twilight asked as she approached the chest, and opened it up. Glancing inside, she saw the six Elements, safely placed back in. But there was something that was on top of the Element of Magic, a strange stone-like necklace that was placed around the star above the crown.

"What's this?" Twilight asked as she glanced down at the necklace above the tiara. Taking it up with her magic, she began to examine it. She saw some strange latin lettering on the necklace.

Sine Dolore.

That's what it said. Twilight gasped as she saw the necklace. She recognized the amulet from a book she read. This has to be the Amulet of Sine Dolore, which is latin for Painless. Sine Dolore was also the name of a unicorn who lived years and years ago, during the time of the Founding of Equestria! She heard the story of Sine Dolore, who lost everything and was left in so much anguish and emotional pain, that she created an amulet to erase the pain from her heart, no longer feeling anything. What was this doing here near the Element of Magic? Maybe Cadance left it here so Twilight would find it and help deprive her of the emotional pain. But how did she get her hooves on this? And... maybe it was dangerous to use.

But yet, Twilight only let out another heavy sigh. With everything that she had been through, she still felt pain and anguish from the betrayal and sting of the girl's actions, as well as Shining's and Celestia's, so... why not?

"Well... better to feel nothing than anything at all..." Twilight said as she placed on the amulet. As she did, the necklace began to glow, a mysterious cyan blue aura covered the amulet, and a strange blue mist emerged from the crystal and seeped into Twilight's chest, making her gasp a bit, but then she breathed out slowly, unaware of a mysterious cyan color sparkling a bit in her eyes.

"Twilight...."

She turned her head, hearing a voice that sounded a bit unfamiliar.

"Who's there?" she asked.

"Twilight.... Twilight...!"

Confused, Twilight followed the sound of the voice, heading straight out of the Hall of the Elements, unaware of a shadowy cloaked pony hiding behind a pillar.

Making her way outside, she followed the voice to one of the buildings nearby. Going inside, she kept going. The source of the voice was coming from deeper into the hall, and Twilight was determined to find it. And soon, she comes to a stop, seeing a strange big door right in front of her, showing it to be a door to the Vault, a room where all the most dangerous artifacts are kept. The voice seemed to have came from in here. Why did it lure her here? Whatever it was, she was about to find out. Taking a deep breath, she enters, only to see no candles lit, or any source of light inside, except for the moonlight peeling through the window, revealing a statue... of a huge long creature known as a draconaquus, a creature that is said to be a mixture of different animals. There was only one creature is is a draconaquus, and it was the God of Chaos himself... Discord.

"It's... Discord..." Twilight says, taking a couple steps forward. She remembered now, when Discord broke free from his prison of stone and nearly turned her friends against each other, but together she saved them and they trapped the draconoquus in stone once more. Why was she brought here? What purpose? She only shook her head and turned away.

"Oh great..." The lavender unicorn said to herself. "Seeing him was the last thing I needed..."

"You know that really hurts, Twilight. I thought Sunbutt actually taught you some manners." Twilight nearly jumped, hearing the voice speaking to her. It was familiar though, like she heard it before. She turned, seeing where the voice came from.

"Who's there?" Twilight asked. "Show yourself!" Then a very familiar laugh filled the room, making her shift left and right.

"Don't tell me you forgotten about me Twilight... Because I certainly haven't forgotten about you..." Twilight then turns to the only thing that's in the room. Discord's Statue.

"D...Discord?" Twilight asked.

"Correct." The voice spoke. "It's been a while hasn't it Twilight." The lavender unicorn froze in place, hearing Discord speaking. How was this possible? Discord is trapped in stone! Was she going crazy?

"Wha... Impossible." Twilight said. "How can you-"

"Speak to you when I'm just a stone statue?" Discord asked. "Oh Twilight, don't you know? Chaos has no bounds. It has no limit. Althought you and your friends valiantly defeated me, I'm still alive, and kicking... so to speak."

"What do you want?" Twilight demanded.

"Now now, there's no need to set your mane ablaze." Discord spoke. "It makes you look about as much as a drag as Princess Sunbutt."

"Don't talk about the Princess that way!" Twilight shouted. "She's..." She then froze in place, thinking. She was still standing up for the Princess, after everything she put her through? She only gave a sigh. "You know what, she is a bit of a drag..."

"Tell me about it..." Discord said. "She didn't even invite me to the wedding..." Twilight's ears perked up.

"Wait... you know?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, I heard some of the guards talking about it." Discord said. "They said it was going to be the biggest event in all of Equestria... at least until those monsters arrived. What do you call them now, Changelings?"

"Forget that." Twilight said. "I will not ask again. What do you want from me?"

"Oh don't be throwing another tantrum Twilight." Discord said. "I heard your cry for help, so I'm here to help."

"Help?" Twilight asked. "Help me with what?"

"To help you with your sorrow." Discord said. "To deal with the abandonment that was laid upon you, by your brother, Sunbutt, and your so called 'friends'." Twilight's eyes widened with surprise. Discord knew about them leaving her for some imposter? About her cold reactment to them after the Changelings were blown away.

"How... how did you know that?" Twilight asked.

"You forget Twilight, or you probably don't know, that I can feel the vibrations of Chaos, Disharmony, and of course, all kinds of pain." Discord continued. "I sensed your grief, your anger, and your pain, pain inflicted by the ones that abandoned in your time of need." Twilight looked away, not wanting to talk. But her eyes began to tear up, and she collapsed to the ground, crying once more.

"You're right... they did abandon me..." Twilight said. "They left me for some bride they didn't know. I knew her longer than any pony else, longer before she and Shining got together, and they left me... And my brother, he ditched me for the imposter, and Celestia... she only said "You have a lot to think about"... Well I did think a lot, and she was wrong... I should've just left them all here to meet their fate."

"Oh Twilight, you knew that this day would come." Discord stated. "Friendships don't last forever." Twilight looked back up at the statue.

"How would you know?" Twilight asked.

"Because they never cared about you." Discord said. Twilight's ears perked up again, surprised.

"What?" Twilight asked.

"They were all just using you..." Discord said. "They never wanted to be your friend. They only see you as an opportunity to get what they want because you're so close to the Princess. And your brother, he doesn't care either. He only put up the act of being a big brother because you existed in the first place. And Celestia, she needed an attack dog, someone to fight her battles for her, while she sits on the sidelines and does nothing." Twilight's eyes widened. Could Discord be right? Were they all just using her? No, that can't be true. Discord is probably lying. But yet, her friends didn't remember to take her worries seriously, and neither did the Princess.

"That's a lie!" Twilight shouted, trying to deny it.

"Is it?" Discord asked. "Well why don't we see for ourselves then." Then suddenly, a magical screen appeared around Twilight, depicting her friends talking to each other, right after they went to check on the fake bride.

"Can you believe that egghead?" Rainbow Dash asked in disgust. "How could she have the nerve to embarrass the Princess like that."

"Yeah, that was completely harsh." Applejack said. "To think that we ever became friends with somepony like her."

"Wh... what are we seeing?" Twilight asked.

"Your friends talking about you behind your back." Discord said. "What they truly think of you..."

"To be fair, she got what was coming to here." Rarity said. "Shining Armor did the right thing talking her down like that."

"Uh huh." Pinkie Pie said. "Twilight is nothing but a big party pooper!" The lavender unicorn's eyes widened when she heard those words.

"Should we continue to bother having her as our friend anymore?" Fluttershy asked.

"Why not?" Rarity asked. "That was completely embarrassing of her to accuse Princess Cadenza like that. And thanks to her, our wishes are going to come true, so might as well end it here and there."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said. "After the wedding, we're gonna tell her that she's no friend of ours anymore. Deal?"
"Deal!" The girls all spoke in unison, and then just walked away, as Twilight, who was witnessing the scene, started to tear up. How could they say such horrible things like that? After everything they've been through, she allowed them into her lives, and this is what she gets?

"How... how could they?" Twilight asked. "They really said that?"

"Of course they did." Discord said. "But that's nothing compared to how your brother truly feels. Here, watch this..." Suddenly, another screen appeared in front of the lavender unicorn, showing Shining Armor comforting the fake Cadance.

"I'm so sorry, my love." Shining said to the crying alicorn.

"How could she say those horrible things to me?" The fake Cadance asked.

"Well, you don't have to worry about her anymore." Shining said. "I kicked Twilight out of the wedding."

"Have you?" The fake Cadance asked.

"Yes I have." Shining said. "She had no right to talk to you that way. To be honest, I was really tired to just pretending to be nice to her after all these years. I never really liked that little monster, getting in the way of everything and always telling everypony that she's right." Twilight's eyes widened as she heard those words, as they produced an arrow that shot and broke apart Twilight's hearts to pieces, bringing tears into her eyes.

"Is that so?" The fake alicorn asked. "But what if she comes back?"

"Don't worry." Shining said. "I have the guards make sure she doesn't come back. She thought I was her Big Brother Best Friend Forever, but no more. From now on, that little egghead is dead to me."

"Oh Shining, how thoughtful..." The fake Cadance said, showing an evil smile on her face. Seeing her brother say those things made Twilight shed even more tears.

"He... he never loved me?" Twilight spoke.

"That's right." Discord said. "Like I said, he only put up the act because you existed... He saw you as nothing more than an ant." The tears were becoming more apparent as they dropped from Twilight's eyes.

"No...." She spoke.

"And last but not least, this is what Celestia had to say." Discord said, as one last screen came up to show Princess Celestia in her chambers, reading one of Twilight's friendship reports. There was only disappointment in her eyes, as she scrunched up the scroll and tossed it aside.

"I don't know how much longer I can put up with her." Celestia spoke as she moved toward the window. "Twilight had already done me a favor saving my sister for me, but what she said about my niece was unexceptable. To think Twilight would be a wonderful student, only to see that she nothing but that frightened little filly that I shouldn't have saved a long time ago. Well, now she is no longer any use to me." Princess Celestia said. "Not only will she be my pupil anymore, but I shall banish her from Equestria..." Twilight's eyes widened with horror and pain, seeing how the Princess would say those terrible things.

"No... they really feel that way?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, they did." Discord said. "They don't really care about you. They just want to use you for their own needs."

"No!" Twilight shouted. "It can't be!"

"They just want what they want from your connections, while the Princess uses you to fight battles she refuses to fight herself." Discord said. "And your brother, completely doesn't even care. They don't even give a flank of how much pain they cause you."

"No... No!... NO!" Twilight shouted, not wanting to face the reality.

"But you can be free... free from the pain." Discord said. "All you have to do... is open your heart." The lavender unicorn gasped, and her eyes suddenly turned into a swirl of yellow and blue, the same swirl that was inflicted upon her friends when Discord turned them into complete opposites of who they were. Then suddenly, the pony's color began to fade away, dissolving until she was completely gray. She lowered her head, completely broken.

"They never loved me... they never cared about me..." She said. "What should I do?"

"Make them suffer, of course." Discord said. "They hurt you, so why not hurt them back?"

"You mean... physically hurt them?" Twilight asked. "Like how I attacked the Princess?"

"Well, that would be good, but no, that would be too violent." Discord said. "Hurt them to their core. Hit them hard where it hurts deep down in their hearts and souls. Shatter them until they feel the same way you do." Twilight began thinking. Discord was right. They all hurted her, so why not hurt them back twice as hard? Yes. Make them hurt. Make them suffer. But to do that, she would need to get strong. Strong to do such horrible things. She would need... power.

"Yes..." Twilight said. "I should hurt them... but how?"

"Well, why not study?" Discord asked. "You are a bookworm, after all. Check in the forbidden section and find something that will totally make them squeal... in pain. There's a lot of juicy content in there. Find the power you need and have to make them suffer." Twilight's eyes widened. The forbidden section in the Castle Library, to find more power? But nopony is allowed in there... if the Princess caught her in there, she would be...

Wait, why would she care? Who cares if the Princess caught her or not. For some reason, Twilight felt the urge to go there, to find what it will take to make her friends pay for what they have done...

"Yes... books have always helped me..." Twilight said, her eyes showing a strange cyan color to them, and then she galloped out of the room, and down the hall.

"Yes... yes!" Twilight spoke. "Soon... they will all pay!" Now filled with newfound determination. Twilight galloped to the Library, to find what she needed... Perhaps a spell? A ritual? Evil magic that could bring Equestria to a gruesome end? It didn't matter. She'll do what it will take in order to make everypony suffer for abandoning her. They would pay, she thought. They would all pay for the pain they have brought upon her.

Back in the vault, Discord's statue still stood. But soon, cracks began to emerge on the statue, ready to break apart. The sound of the draconequus' evil laugh echoed through the night, as the statue finally broke open!

The Magic... wasn't there...

Nightfall was upon the Mysterious Tower, the home of the legendary Master Yen Sid, a powerful sorceror in the arts of magic. One could recognize him for his stern-like expression, his long grey beard, and his blue robes and hat, with the latter having stars and a crescent moon on it. During his younger days he was once a Keyblade Master who trained along side two other keyblade wielders, one Master Eraqus, and the other Master Xehanort. But he chose to step away from that role and instead looks after the worlds and the stars beyond them, keeping an eye on the balance of the light and darkness. But something has really caught his attention, and it wasn't the walking broomsticks that the King accidently made a long time ago. He had sensed it... a strained force that had occurred. It was a powerful surge that came beyond the stars, and a dark sinister force, dark but very faint. But that wasn't all that he sensed. He glanced down, seeing the sparkles in his hand evaporating. The magic he was focusing on... it was gone! The magic wasn't there anymore. Scratching his long grey beard, and tilting his blue pointed hat back up. He turned around, starring at the window.

"Something wicked this way comes..." Yen Sid spoke, approaching the glass, and staring at the sky. "The Magic... it is dying. And what's worse... an ancient evil has awakened far far away..." He stared up at the space, seeing six blinking stars in the sky. One orange, one blue, one white, one yellow, one pink, and one lavender. But the lavender one in the middle... it was fading, blinking very weakly in the sky, shifting from it's colorful lavender to dark grey.

"Gaaah... Ahhh!!!"

"Sora!"

Opening his eyes, he saw before him what appears to be a massive tornado of heartless. He looked around, seeing a blue haired woman being consumed by a swarm of shadows. Turning around he, saw three others get consumed, followed by an unconcious blonde kid. He then turned to the girl, trying to wake up an unconcious red haired man, before they were picked up by the swarm. He reached his hand out to grab her, but he could not reach, and she was sucked in. He dropped to his knees, and before him, he saw another boy, holding out a weapon to block an incoming swarm trying to get them too! But then... the swarm engulfed him, and headed straight for him.

"GAAAAAHHH!!!"

The entire space was dark. Looking around, he saw a lavender unicorn with her head down.

"Sora... where are you?" She asked. "Why haven't you come back? Do you even care about me anymore?" She then disappeared, as darkness began to consume her. He reached out for her.

"TWILIGHT!"

His eyes opened, looking around. What he was seeing now wasn't a wasteland filled with broken keys. It was his room.

(BEEP BEEP BEEP)

The sound of an alarm clock was going off, disturbing the boy sleeping in the bed. The covers began to shift from inside, and a hand popped out from the side, reaching over the dresser, feeling for the alarm clock. Pretty soon, he felt it, and without thinking, he slammed the side of his fist on it, shutting it off. The covers shifted again, as a boy with spikey brown hair rose up from the bed. Giving a yawn, he stretched his arms out, and then fell back into bed, not bothering to pull up his blanket. Opening his blue sea-colored eyes, he scratched his head.

"Man... I have no idea why I even bought an alarm clock." He said. "And these nightmares really need to stop..." The boy, Sora, has a pretty interesting and adventurous life. Changing from an ordinary boy to a Keyblade Wielder, a group of warriors who wield key-shaped swords that protect the light from the darkness. Over the years many keyblade wielders have worked hard to maintain the peace and tranquility of the worlds from the forces of evil, and Sora is one of them. Sora is what many would describe a happy go lucky, and optimistic, always willing to help everyone smile in his own way. He has a tendacy to meddle and slack off at times. But his pure heart is always in the right place, and he's never afraid to stand up for what's right. Even when things go back, his kind hearted nature helps get himself and his friends out of bad situations.

So, how did someone like him, a boy who came from nothing, became a keyblade wielder? All of it started when his world was taken by the Heartless, monsters from the Realm of Darkness that hunger for people's hearts. Along his journey he met new friends, while clashing with old ones to save the ones he cares for most. His strong heart and bond with the friends he made gave him the power to wield the keyblade, and eventually He defeated the Seeker of Darkness Ansem, who in reality was the heartless of the true mastermind behind it all. After all that, he battled against Organization XIII, a group of nobodies, creatures that house the souls of the strong ones who lost their hearts to darkness led by Xemnas, the nobody of Xehanort, the true schemer who wants to make a brand new utopia, even if it meant destroying the whole universe. Before all that, Sora ended up entering a castle where he befriended a girl named Namine, who was forced to take apart his memories by the organization. But his memories were restored and in the process he forgot about his little adventure in the castle. But he did manage to thank Namine in the end.

But even after all that, war was coming for the boy. He eventually learned that Xehanort, who started the heartless and nobody riot, was actually an old keyblade master who wanted to bring equlibrium by starting a Keyblade War, a war that nearly brought the worlds into total destruction. So as Xehanort gathered thirteen Seekers of Darkness, Sora, along with his best friend Riku, and comrades King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, gathered seven Guardians of Light to combat the darkness and prevent total destruction. In the process, Sora saved those who helped shape his destiny, including three young keyblade wielders who's destinies were left in suffering, and with their help, and the support of his friends, Sora defeated Master Xehanort, who finally admitted defeat and moved on into the next life with his old friend Eraqus, the master of the three.

And as always, the battle was won, and peace finally returned. But even though he succeeded, Sora has felt... a bit out of place recently. After all, he had fought in a battle that decided the fate of the universe, and he had seen a lot. That moment where they walked right into a trap and all his friends nearly paid the price. Nightmares has begun to plague him for quite some time. He'd always smile and say that he's fine. But is he? Was it denial? Was it paranoia? Was it Post-traumatic Stress?

The boy gave a sigh. But then he felt something flow down his face from his eye. Touching his cheek, he felt a drop of water. It was a tear.

"Huh? Where did that come from?" Sora asked, wondering why he shedded a tear. In Sora's point of view, that was probably not a good sign. Was it from the nightmare he had. And... why was Twilight there? Twilight Sparkle. Before he could think on it, the sunlight came from the window, shining down on Sora's face. The boy glanced over to the window. Opening it wide, he glanced down, seeing the peaceful town below him. The sound of the calm sea echoed in the wind, across the Town of Destiny Islands. The boy looked up at the sky, seeing it blue, with not many clouds above, so the sun can shine from the horizon and rise up for a new day. Leaning his head against his hand and arm, he wondered. It's has been a while since he thought about Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who he helped defeat Nightmare Moon and made many friends. Yet, he never forgot her. He promised to see her again, if there was actually a good time to do so.

"I wonder what she's doing right now." Sora said. But then, something came to his mind. Something that made him jump in surprise.

"Oh, Right!" Sora said as he got out of bed, and went to get dressed.

Pretty soon, he was out of his house running, wearing his clothes. His duds were pretty sleek, suitable for running and jumping. His jacket was black with grey pockets, the hood, sleeves, and zipper hold having red linings, and six buttons can be seen on the front. Underneath the jacket was a black tanktop with a V-neck style collar and a white lining. The gauntlets, which leave Sora's palms exposed, had a similar color scheme to the jacket, but had grey circles on the backs and yellow buckled straps around his wrists. His black pants with grey pockets and red band wrapping around each leg, reached to his calves, and his shoes were yellow with a black tips and heels. Around his neck was a necklace with a crown charm on it. The boy was running down the pathway, and a smile was on his face.

"Today's the day! The Friendship Festival is happening today!" He spoke as he made his way. So little did he know that his next adventure was about to begin...

Author's Note

Secret Report #1

At last, I have done my part. Placing the corrupted necklace near that little brainiac student of Celestia's Element was a success. Now she will be off to releasing the deity into Equestria, and the entire world will blame Celestia for it.
The news of the changeling attack is beginning to spread like wildfire, and Canterlot are choosing sides. Some believe that Shining Armor willingfully let the barrier down so the changelings can attack, and that Celestia knew that there was an invasion and did nothing to halt the wedding. Many lives were almost lost tonight, so now the attention is turned toward Celestia and her actions.
This can be useful to our advantage, to finally seize Canterlot and expose the royal sisters for their terrible job of ruling Equestria, but the man who came here told me that it's not the right moment. He said that he was cooking a scheme that will allow us to take over Equestria. For years, the pegasi and disgusting earth ponies are becoming as equal as we are, but the unicorns are the true rulers, not them or the alicorn sisters.
For now, I must play the waiting game and follow the plan. We shall rise to power once again. By Princess Platnium's Crown, the unicorns will take their rightful place as the true rulers of Equestria! - N

Author's Note:
So, that's a wrap for this chapter. Sorry for the long wait. Like I said, this will be updated at a strange pace. I'm working on other projects as we speak, including this one.
The conversation between Discord and Twilight was inspired by the scene from the cancelled MLP fan-film Journey of the Spark. Keep in mind that the scenes that Twilight was shown before her were actually illusions conjured up by Discord's magic, and not really what happened.
I know there are people out there who have a bit of a grudge with how some characters didn't apologize for their actions, but they managed to do so by doing the right thing.
The Canterlot Wedding fiasco is a great source for inspiration for other stories and what ifs and stuff like that. But this story isn't to personally attack the Girls, Princess Celestia, and everyone involved. They made a mistake, a mistake that isn't beyond forgiving.
Friends make mistakes, and they can forget the lessons that they've learned. Every friend forgets once and a while, but not on purpose. I believe that every friendship that can be saved should be saved. Until then, we watch what happens.
Oh, and the nightmare Sora has, will play a role in the story. Next chapter, will focus more on him.

Chapter 25: Be Prepared

If everyone thought that Canterlot looked very lovely, then the Crystal Empire is probably five times more beautiful than the capital of Equestria. The city was sparkling, probably because the city is made entirely of crystals. Actually, everything's made of crystal. The buildings, the streets, even the carts. Also, the crystal ponies themselves were giving crystal effects and details themselves. After all, they are Crystal Ponies. Though, they're not sparkling at all though. They were pretty much confused, and not knowing that was happening... or what happened. But that would have to wait until everything's taken care of. The group soon made their way towards the Crystal Castle, the white sparkling castle that was in the middle of town.

"Wow..." Sora said, amazed by the structure of the castle. He has seen many castles before, like Disney Castle, the Beast's Castle, even Elsa's Ice Palace back in Arendelle. But this one right before him, takes the cake.

"Whoa..." Ventus said next to him, even more amazed than Sora was. "I feel like it's been years since I've seen anything so beautiful. Oh wait... it has." Sora understood, as Ventus was placed in a comatose state for more than a decade when his heart was shattered due to Xehanort's plan, that is until Sora was able to wake him up.

"Well, now you're awake to see even more beautiful things." Sora said, with the boy next to him giving a smile.

"Hey Ven!" Terra called out, getting both their attention. "Let's head inside."

"C'mon, Ven!" Aqua called.

"Coming!" Ventus said as he followed the others into the castle. Leon then approached Sora.

"We'll look around and check on the inhabitants." He said. "You go meet with the Princess."

"You sure?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine, as long as Yuffie doesn't start a ruckus." Leon said, glancing back at the ninja girl.

"Huh?" She asked. "I don't cause a ruckus! Stitch usually causes a ruckus." The little alien on her shoulder gave a smile.

"Well, you both do." Leon said. "Remember that ice storage incident?" Yuffie gave a sigh of defeat as Stitch gave a chuckle.

"Ok, see you guys soon!" Sora said as he went into the castle with the rest, while the rest of the crew stayed to check on the ponies.

"I hope they got somethin' nice to drink around here." Barret said.

"Just keep that gun arm to yourself." Cid said as the two went with Leon and the others. Pretty soon, Sora caught up with Riku and the others and headed toward the castle. The doors opened up, revealing what was inside. Making their way inside the Crystal Castle, Sora, Donald, and Goofy could not believe their eyes. The hallways had crystal columns that lined up in the room, with the walls having different crystal shapes adorn on them. Actually, almost everything in the castle was composed of crystals, with the stairs, even the couches having crystal patterns and parts all over them. This is probably the reason why it's called the Crystal Empire. Other than the trio, everyone, even the girls were taken back by the beauty of the whole castle, even if it wasn't sparkling enough. Even Rarity and Spike were taken back, with the former fascinated by the castle design, and Spike admiring the crystals, feeling hungry.

"It's gorgeous!" Rarity said. "Absolutely gorgeous! There are no words!" She continued to mumble incoherently.

"Focus Rarity." Applejack said. "We're not here to admire the scenery."

"But look at this magnificent castle!" Rarity said. "It's just so... breathtaking!"

"Eh, I don't see what the big deal is." Rainbow Dash said. "Just looks like another old castle to me." Hearing that made Rarity gasp.

"A--p--guh! Another old castle?!" The fashionista shouted leaning forward and touching Rainbow Dash's nose with her own. "Have you lost your mind?!" Just seeing Rarity losing it made Rainbow Dash and Applejack laugh, leaving the fashionista to only shake her head.

"Very funny..." She spoke as she continued to follow the group.

"I wonder if the got crystal pastries." Spike said. "I'm feeling pretty hungry." Hearing that made Twilight chuckle. Pretty soon, the group walked through the doors, making their way into what sees to be the throne room. On the sides of the room were open windows with transparent curtains, and in the far end was a throne, with a chair at the top and multiple crystal fragments sticking out of it from the back. On the far end facing away glancing at the throne was a familiar cerise alicorn with a violet mane and tail with rose and gold streaks, her eyes were light purple. Her cutie mark of a blue multifaceted crystal heart between gold laces was one everyone recognized. The group approached her.

"Princess Cadance." Sora said. Hearing the name made the alicorn turn her head. She glanced forward and smiled.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy." She said.

"Your majesty." Donald said, as he, the boy, and knight gave a bow, as Riku, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus moved to their side.

"Your highness." Riku said. "This is Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, former pupils of Master Eraqus."

"Princess Cadenza, such an honor." Aqua said as she and Terra gave a bow, with Ventus quickly bowing as well realizing Cadance was a princess. The Princess of Love gave a giggle.

"Thank you." Cadance said. "I'm so glad you all made it. I saw the light in the distance not too long ago."

"We're glad to be here too." Sora said, and then he realized. "Oh yeah. Cadance, we have a surprise for you!" The boy then stepped aside, revealing Twilight Sparkle behind him. The alicorn of love gasped, with a smile of joy and relief forming on her face.

"Twilight!" Cadance said.

"Cadance!" Twilight said with her own smile. The two galloped toward each other. They then spoke a nursery song while doing a happy dance, hand clap and flank shake.

SunshineSunshine

Ladybugsawake!

Clap your hooves

And do the little shake!

With the nursery rhyme dance done, the two embraced each other in a warm loving hug giving a happy chuckle.

"Oh Twilight, it's so good to see you again in one piece." Cadance said. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine." Twilight said. "Though I do feel... a little shame though. A lot of stuff happened and I... did some terrible things." Cadance glanced at the unicorn, and eyes widened a bit. With her being the princess of love, she sensed a bit of pain in Twilight's heart. But it wasn't abandonment. It was guilt.

"I know, Twilight." Cadance said. "I sensed the darkness in your heart when we arrived, and I was beginning to worry. We all did."

"I let my own anger and hatred blind me, and I almost lost sight of everything I believed in." Twilight said. "I'm so sorry..."

"Oh Twilight, it's ok..." Cadance said as she pulled the lavender unicorn in a comforting hug. Twilight was very relieved to have had Cadance as a foalsitter, and now as an older sister figure.

"Um... Princess Cadenza?" Rarity asked as she and the other four mares approached the two. Cadance however, only gave a bit of a glare to the five, still feeling uneasy for their betrayal against Twilight.

"It's ok, Cadance." Twilight said. "Me and the girls are on good terms now." The alicorn looked back at Twilight.

"Are you sure?" Cadance asked.

"Yes." Twilight said. "They traveled far and back to make things right with me. Plus, they saved my life, so we're pretty much even now. You don't need to be stern with them." Cadance looked back at the girls, who were a bit nervous. The alicorn gave a warm smile.

"Ok." She said. "If you've forgiven them, then I can too. But I'm still not making them my bridesmaids should I ever get married."

"That's perfectly ok with us, Princess." Applejack said. "Just havin' Twilight as our friend is all we need."

"Eh, being a bridesmaid was too girly anyway." Rainbow Dash said. Donald and Goofy looked around, noticing that there wasn't a certain mouse nearby.

"Hey! Where's the King?" Donald asked.

"I'm over here." A familiar voice said in the room. Turning around, they saw King Mickey making his way into the room.

"Your majesty!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy called out with joy. Mickey gave a smile and a wave, but the three noticed that he wasn't looking too good. He looked tired, as if he was drained or something.

"Mickey." Riku said as he approached him. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Mickey said, though Riku, Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked a bit worried.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked. "You don't look so good."

"Garsh, you look almost like Donald when he was seasick when we went fishing last month." Goofy said.

"You'll have to forgive him." Cadance said. "The King casted a powerful barrier around the castle so that those who serve the darkness doesn't get inside. But it's took quite a bit out of him."

"It's ok, Princess." Mickey said after taking a deep breath. "I'm fine." The King however felt a bit woozy and almost dropped to his knees, making Donald and Goofy anxious and more worried.

"Your majesty!" They both said as they helped him up.

"I'm ok." Mickey said.

"No, you're not ok, Mickey." Riku said as he knelt down. "I'm not sure if you can go on like this forever."

"He's right." Aqua said. "The shield may last for a long, long time, but casting it again might take more out of you."

"But... the shield." Mickey said. "Somebody has to keep it up until this blows.. over..."

"I'll do it." Aqua said. "I'm experienced with magic, so I'll recast it when the time comes."

"But Aqua." Ventus said.

"It could a while for you to recover too." Terra said.

"It'll be ok." Aqua said. "This land needs to be protected until all of this is done."

"Yeah." Sora said as he turned to the King. "You should probably get some rest. We all should. It's been a long day for us."

"Two long days actually." Goofy said.

"Cadance?" Another voice said, getting everyone to turn to the front doors. Making his way into the room was Shining Armor, without his combat gear.

"Shining Armor?" Sora asked, with Twilight's ears perking up as she glanced at the stallion.

"Is everything ok?" Shining asked. "I could've sworn I heard-" He gasped just as he stopped in his tracks, staring at the lavender unicorn who was staring back at him with surprise.

"Shining..." Twilight spoke.

"T...t...Twily..." Shining said, his voice trembling a bit. Everyone stood there in the room, all of them silent, as Twilight and Shining stared at each other, with the former feeling a bit conflicted, while the latter was feeling surprised, but terrified at the same time. As she stared right at him, she could only think of the horrible things he said to her.

In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't bother coming to the wedding at all!

Those words of spite echoed in her head a bit, but she tried to shake it out. But it was still there, the anger and the pain, and no doubt that she was still furious with him the most. As for Shining however, he was a bit terrified from his head to his hooves.

"Uh... um... hi." Shining said as he waved his hoof with a nervous smile.

"Hi." Twilight said, sounding a bit unamused.

"Awkward..." Ventus whispered.

"You're... you're back!" Shining said as he approached.

"Yes, I'm back." Twilight said, feeling a bit hostile. Another moment of silence.

"So... um... hehe... how's it going?" Shining asked.

"Ok... until you showed up." Twilight said annoyed. Oh boy, he thought. She was still angry with him. Maybe it was best that he leave the room.

"Um... Oh, I forgot something." Shining said as he walked backwards nervously. "I'll be right back." He turned away for a moment, only for his face to hit what seemed to be a magical wall, conjured up by Twilight's magic.

"Shining, don't leave." Twilight said, her voice sounding aggressively. "We're not done."

"Ok..." Shining said as he was magically turned around to face the unicorn, with his face still against the magical wall. He looked and saw his little sister approach closer to him.

"We have some things we need to discuss." Twilight said.

"Ok..." Shining answered again. "Can you please let me breathe though? The wall's blocking my airway." Twilight then realized that she was pressing the wall hard on him.

"Oh, sorry." Twilight said as she evaporated the wall, allowing the stallion to breathe.

"This probably isn't going to end well." Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack.

"Just give them time." Applejack whispered back.

"Sooo... how have you been, kiddo?" Shining asked. "When did you and the others get here?"

"Oooh, just about five minutes ago, actually." Twilight said. "After I traveled all over Equestria and nearly awakened an evil monster from the depths of hell and was mind controlled by Nightmare Moon and nearly brought the end of the world as we know it." Her words were calm at the start but started to show a bit of anger as she continued talking, with everyone feeling a bit worried in the room. Shining was actually at a loss of words hearing Twilight's little adventure by herself.

"Wow... that's... scary." Shining said.

"Yeah, it was." Twilight said, trying her best to calm down.

"Oh boy, I better talk." Sora said as he was about to step forward, but Riku placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, let them." Riku said. "They need to sort this out on their own." Sora looked at his friend reluctantly, but knew he was right. The boy only gave a nod.

"Wish he would listen to us like he does with Riku..." Donald whispered to Goofy.

"And it all started with you not taking my claim against the fake bride." Twilight said. Shining stood there a bit startled, but he did his best to talk.

"Well, the only reason why I didn't listen to your claim is because you were acting like a jealous little sister." Shining said. "But I was gonna-"

"Yes, I do take partial blame for that, given my own tendencies." Twilight agreed, but stood her own ground, preventing Shining from finishing his sentence. "But what choice did I have? Nobody else was willing to listen, and you went to go check on your bride and left me in the dust!"

"But why are you ganging up on me about it?" Shining asked. "I admit, I made a horrible mistake, and for that I'm really, really sorry."

"Are you?" Twilight asked. "Because you obviously didn't bother to tell me yourself!"

"Well, I wasn't the only one who left you alone in that hall!" Hearing that made the rest of the Mane Six gasp. And he gasped himself, realizing that he made a big mistake saying that.

"Dang it, not the best choice of words." He thought.

"Why you little!" Rainbow Dash said as she ferociously flapped her wings, ready to pound him, but she was stopped by Twilight.

"But at least my friends chose me over a silly wedding!" Twilight said. "They may have left me, but in the end, they did choose me. They cared about my own safety! They searched all over for me and tried to finish what I was trying to do, while you didn't bother go searching for me, or even apologized to me!" Hearing that made Shining gasp.

"What you said to me before all that was the worse thing you have ever said to me." Twilight continued. "Choosing some fake bride over your own sister. You know what the worse part was? That Changeling Queen told me when she hid me under the caverns, that no pony would look for me! And she was right! You didn't bother to look for me! The only ones I can excuse are my friends since they had their memories tempered with, but no. You chose to continue the wedding didn't even knowing that I was gone!"

"But Twily… I did go s-" Shining tried to explain, but the lavender unicorn didn't listen.

"I could've died down there!" She went on. "I could've starved to death in pain! Would you even bother to even care if I was slowly dying!? No, you wouldn't have, because you cared about some stupid wedding over me!!!" She shouted towards the end, as her horn began to light up with intense magic, and her eyes began to glow with white, as if she was going to attack. The stallion before her gasped in fear, while everyone gasped too.

"Twilight, Don't!" Sora shouted as he reached out. Twilight quickly gasped, hearing the boy's voice. She blinked, and glanced forward, seeing Shining looking at her with fear. She then glanced around, seeing everyone else startled as well, even Spike looked afraid. The lavender unicorn then glanced down and backed away.

"No... not again... I just can't..." She said. She began to head for the door.

"Twilight, wait!" Cadance called out.

"I'm sorry, but it still hurts too much!" Twilight said as she galloped out of the room, leaving everyone there. Sora couldn't take anymore of this. Seeing Twilight sad. He had to do something.

"Twilight, wait!" Sora called out as he ran after her.

"Sora!" Riku said, but he was stopped by Aqua.

"No, Riku." She said. "Let him." She was right. Knowing Sora can calm Twilight down, he gave a nod. The girls were also a bit worried.

"C'mon y'all." Applejack said. "We better go check on her too." Nodding in agreement, the five ponies, and Spike headed out the door to follow Twilight, leaving the others and Cadance in the room.

"Awwww..." Donald said.

"Garsh, she's probably still hurtin' inside." Goofy said. Shining only looked away, and lowered his head in shame. Dang it, he thought. He screwed up again.

"Shining..." Cadance said as she approached him.

"I screwed up, Cadance." Shining said. "I don't think she'll ever forgive me." The pink alicorn turned his head towards her.

"It's ok." Cadance said. "She can't be mad at you forever. She just needs time."

"HEY, Fellas!" Cid called out as he burst from the doorway with surprise and confusion.

"Cid?" Donald and Goofy asked.

"Those crystal ponies make hotdogs, with crystals on it!" Cid said as he held up a hotdog, which was covered with small crystals. "Who does that?!" Everyone only glanced at him with confusion, and he looked at them knowing there was something going on before he came in.

"What?" Cid asked. "What did I miss?"

Twilight continued galloping up the stairs to the upper floor. She couldn't do it. She couldn't face him. Not because she was still angry. Well, she was still angry, but the pain was still there. The pain of his hurtful worlds continued to play in her ear. She couldn't get it out. Pretty soon, she found herself up on the balcony. Making it to the edge, she rested her hooves on the railing that prevented anypony from falling off. She glanced down at the streets, and then up at the sky. She couldn't help but cry.

Pretty soon, Sora made it up the stairs and to the door to the balcony. Looking ahead, he saw Twilight crying. The boy knew right away. She couldn't face her brother. She couldn't. He then made his way toward her.

"Twilight?" Sora asked.

"I couldn't do it." Twilight said. "I couldn't face him." The boy only sighed, and moved next to her.

"How much does it hurt?" Sora asked.

"A lot." Twilight said. The boy couldn't help but feel sorry her.

"I'm sorry, Sora." Twilight said.

"Don't be." Sora said. "It's ok to feel like this. I know it hurts, Twilight. But you can't stay angry at him forever."

"I know, but what he said still hurt." Twilight said. "We were raised together, we played together, he was there for me when I didn't have a friend. I know that he was mind controlled, but he was himself when he said pushed me away." She buried her face into her hooves, still crying. The boy rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Twilight, you're not the only one who's gone through this." Sora said.

"Oh really?" Twilight asked. "How can you know? How can you understand how to have someone you grew up with and played with your whole life betray you? You don't know or understand how much it hurts." The boy glanced back at her.

"Actually, I do." Sora said. "I know what it's like to be betrayed by someone who's family." He then sat down next to her.

"I, too, know betrayal." Sora said.

"How?" Twilight asked, still sounding sad and bitter. "Who betrayed you?" Sora glanced away for a moment, knowing that this was something he needed to get off his chest.

"I was betrayed... by my best friend." Sora said, getting the mare's attention.

"Wh...What?" She asked.

"Me and Riku… when we lost our world, I was separated from him and Kairi. While I went looking for them, Riku came into contact with Maleficent." Twilight gasped, remembering the witch from earlier.

"The witch?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah." Sora said. "Riku ended up helping Maleficent retrieve the Princesses of Heart, and he began to embrace the darkness."

The boy remembered two years ago encountering Riku back at inside Monstro, who kidnapped Pinnochio believing it possessed Kairi's heart, and Sora knew that he wasn't on the right side. He remembered ready to face him.

"What?" Riku asked. "You'd rather fight me? Over a puppet who shouldn't have a heart?"

"Heart or no heart, at least he has a conscious." Sora said back.

"Conscious?" Riku asked.

"You might not hear it, but it's loud and clear." Sora said, summoning his keyblade. "And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!" Riku only glared with disappointment.

"Then you leave me no choice..." Riku said, summoning his Soul Eater, only to leave while a giant Heartless arrived to deal with them.

A little time later after that, Sora and his friends were captured by Captain Hook, the sworn enemy of Peter Pan. He encountered Riku there, who was commanding the Heartless. That moment he was surrounded by the heartless, who obeyed Riku's command was pretty scary.

"Riku, why are you siding with the Heartless?" Sora asked.

"The heartless obey me now, Sora." Riku said. "Now I have nothing to fear." The spikey haired boy only gritted his teeth.

"You're insane!" Sora said. "Sooner or later, they'll swallow your heart!"

"Not a chance." Riku said. "I even picked up a few new tricks as well, like this for instance." With a wave of his hand, Sora glanced down at his own shadow, seeing it emerge from the ground with haunting yellow eyes.

Sometime after that, when they made it Hollow Bastion, which used to be Radiant Garden, Sora came face to face with Riku again, only for his keyblade to be taken away from him.

"Maleficent was right." Riku said, holding Sora's keyblade in his hand. "You don't have what it takes to save Kairi after all."

"But... that's impossible!" Sora said, surprised and powerless. "How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!"

"Sorry, but your part's over." Riku said. "You were just the delivery boy..." At that moment, Sora dropped to his knees, and hung his head low in defeat.

"He took everything from me, and just left me alone." Sora said, continuing his story to Twilight, who was surprised and sad hearing it.

"I'm so sorry." Twilight said. "But after all that, you forgave him? Why did you forgive him?"

"Because... it was mostly my fault." Sora said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. The boy lowered his head in shame.

"I made him think I abandoned him." Sora said. "I met Donald and Goofy around that time, and Riku thought that I replaced him with them. I made him believe that I valued them more than I valued him. He never pushed me away. I pushed him away, without even knowing it." The boy only glanced away with guilt.

"I promised that I would be there for him when he needed me most, and I wasn't." Sora said. "And because of that, he lost himself in the darkness, and eventually possessed by Ansem… the Heartless of Master Xehanort." Twilight gasped.

"Oh my..." Twilight said.

"Because of that... I only blamed myself for not being there." Sora said. "I lost my best friend, but I wasn't going to fail him. After defeating Ansem, I went looking for Riku, to be there for him. Despite everything that he did in the past, he's still my friend. And no matter what would happen, I would be there for him. It took almost a whole year to do so. But I did find him. You wouldn't believe how worried I was. But luckily, the King was there to keep him company until we reunited. After so, Together, we were able to defeat Xemnas, the leader of the Original Organization XIII, and we made it home together." Twilight was amazed. Despite everything that happened between them, Sora was still willing to forgive his friend.

"Gosh..." Twilight said.

"Riku may have done some bad stuff, but I wasn't there for him, and I made him think I replaced him." Sora said. "You see, you shouldn't hold a grudge against someone if they made a mistake. I mean, think about it. You didn't do a good job making your case about the fake bride." Twilight glanced forward to think. Sora was right. When she tried to expose the bride, Twilight didn't act very mature during the whole thing. She did act like a jealous little sister.

"Ok, you got a strong point on that." Twilight said. "But he still didn't bother looking for me, and continued on with the wedding." The boy glanced back at her with a surprise.

"Actually, he did went looking for you." Sora said.

"Huh?" Twilight asked. "W... what do you mean?" Then, Sora reached into his pocket, and pulled out the memory stone, the one Naminé gave him.

"Is that?" Twilight asked.

"Here." Sora said. "Take a look." A little surprised, Twilight placed her hoof on the stone, and it gave a magical flash, as more strips of magical film flowed into her head, making her gasp. In her mind, she saw Shining, feeling guilty for what he said to Twilight shortly after the rehearsal. He went back to the hall to apologize, only to see her being taken below the castle by the imposter. He tried to save her but couldn't. He demanded the fake bride to bring his sister back, but she mind controlled him and made him forget what he saw, and to continue on with the wedding.

As the scenes came to an end, Twilight gasped at what she saw. Everything that she just saw, was the truth! Shining didn't abandon her and continued the wedding. He went to talk to her to give her another chance. The lavender unicorn leaned still against the balcony, going over everything she just saw.

"Twilight, are you ok?" Sora asked. She glanced forward.

"He... he did care about me..." She said. She couldn't believe it, but it was true! Shining did go to find her and apologize. Looking back at her own argument with him just five minutes ago, she couldn't help but begin to form tears.

"Wh... what have I done?" Twilight asked.

"Uh oh..." Sora said, seeing Twilight being consumed by guilt once again. With a distressful cry, she clung onto Sora, and began to cry again. She buried herself into his chest and just continued to weep, while the boy hugged her closely.

"How could I be so foolish..." Twilight said. "How could I... I..." She continued to cry as the boy held her close, stroking her mane.

"It's ok, Twilight." Sora said. "It's ok to feel all these kinds of emotions. You shouldn't feel bad about it. Everyone goes through these kinds of feelings. I've gone through them too." Pretty soon, the lavender unicorn wiped away her tears and managed to calm down.

"How do you deal with it?" Twilight asked. Sora was about to speak, but then he looked away, unable to get an answer.

"Well, I don't have an answer for that." Sora said. "But I do know this. You don't have to deal with all this pain alone. You can always turn to a friend close to you." He then glanced back at the doorway, and so did Twilight. They saw the other girls, and Spike, watching them, but they gave reassuring smiles, showing that they're here. Seeing them here made Twilight smile.

"Thank you, Sora." Twilight said, glancing back at the boy. "I know I'm gonna have to talk to Shining, but..."

"But what?" Sora asked. The lavender unicorn glanced down.

"I now know that he went to look for me, but what he said to me still hurts." Twilight said. "I... I just don't know what to do." The boy rested his hand on the unicorn's shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll know eventually." Sora said. "If you want, you can wait to apologize to him. But don't wait too long, ok? Promise me that you'll give him a chance?"

"I'll try." Twilight said. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep that promise, but I'll try."

"Ok." Sora said, but then he remembered something. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with the yellow crystal star.

"My necklace!" Twilight said. "The one you gave to me."

"Yeah, I found this when... well, when you were posing as Mare Do Well and all that." Sora said as he handed it to her. Twilight remembered, where she done the mask of Mare Do Well and stole the artifacts. A face of shame came to her face. She extended her hoof, and pushed Sora's hand with the necklace away.

"Thank you, but..." Twilight said. "I don't deserve it. Not after everything I did." The boy tilted his head, but he smiled. Unlatching the necklace, he wrapped it around Twilight's neck, and connected the latch again so it would stay on.

"It's a gift from a friend." Sora said. "And you'll always be my friend." Hearing that made Twilight smile. Without hesitating, she gave him a warm hug. It was surprising, but the boy accepted it happily. As the two disconnected the hug, the girls were still watching.

"Well, looks like Sora did the thing." The baby dragon said. "But, I don't think Twilight's ready to see her brother again."

"Gosh, I just hope Twilight and her brother eventually make up." Fluttershy said.

"Maybe I can throw them a get together party!" Pinkie Pie said. "That always works with every brother and sister that I helped make amends."

"Well, we can't rush them to forgive each other." Applejack said. "They need to take their time."

"Besides, we gotta save this Empire from being taken again." Rainbow Dash said. "Twilight's gonna need our help." As the girls continued on with what to do, Rarity couldn't help but glance at Sora and Twilight, and giving a smile.

"Rarity?" Pinkie Pie asked, popping in front of her, and startling her.

"Pinkie Pie, don't do that when a lady is observing." Rarity said.

"Observing at what?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"At this romantic scene." Rarity said, pointing at Sora and Twilight.

"Rares, you know Twilight's a unicorn and Sora's a... well, a human, right?" Applejack asked.

"Well, Sora does make a good candidate for someone special to Twilight." Rarity said. "She definitely looks like she could use a boyfriend or something."

"Excuse me?" a voice asked behind the girls. They turned to see a gamboge Pegasus with different tones a blue coloring in his mane and tail, which was styled with a cool look. He wore armor of the royal guards, except it was a gold yellow and he had a blue star in the middle. His cutie mark was a two-toned blue shield behind a yellow lightning bolt.

"Is, uh, Is Twilight with you girls?" He asked. "I could've sworn I heard her a while ago." The five ponies looked with surprise and disbelief.

"And... you are?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm Flash Sentry." The Pegasus said. "I'm Twilight's... uh... friend." The blush on his face said otherwise, making the girls look at him with even more surprise. They recalled Twilight saying that she would leave to go see a friend. And this is her friend? They all pointed to the direction she went without saying anything.

"Thank you." He replied and went towards the balcony. The girls looked at him with more surprise.

"Twilight has a... coltfriend?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"She didn't tell us she was seeing somepony." Applejack said.

"Ooooh, sign me up for the next war." Rarity said. The Pegasus, Flash Sentry, saw Twilight and Sora. A smile formed on his face.

"Twilight!" He called out as he approached them, getting the lavender unicorn's attention. As she turned around, however, the two ponies bumped into each other, causing her to fall forwards, but the young stallion in armor caught her with his hooves. Looking up at the fine Pegasus, her eyes widened with surprise, and a smile formed on her face, while Sora looked confused.

"Oh!" Twilight said, approaching the rookie guard. "Hello, Flash Sentry."

"Hello to you too, Twilight Sparkle." The Rookie Soldier said. "I'm glad that you're back. I mean, I'm thrilled, I mean... uh... you get the idea."

"Thank you." Twilight said, giving a blush. "I... I wouldn't leave Equestria hanging... you know?" She gave a nervous smile, while the stallion gave a smile and a slight blush too.

"Ummm… Twilight?" Sora asked, getting her attention. "Who's this?"

"Oh, right, introductions." Twilight said. "Flash, this is Sora. Sora, this is Flash Sentry, the newest member of the Royal Guard. We met a few months ago."

"Hello, sir!" Flash Sentry said as he gave a salute with his hoof. The boy tilted his head, but then he remembered. He remembers seeing this stallion when he was looking through the past to learn how to save Twilight. He saw this stallion and Twilight talking. A smile formed on his face.

"Oh... so that was you." He said.

"Huh?" Flash asked.

"Oh, nothing." Sora said. Twilight turned back towards the Pegasus.

"It's really good to see you again, Flash." Twilight said.

"Good to see you too, Twilight." Flash said. "I... uh... I hope I wasn't interrupting something."

"Oh, no." Twilight said. "It's perfectly fine." She then glanced around, seeing her friends staring at her with a bit of surprise, but they were smiling, well, except for Spike, who was looking straight at Flash with suspicion. She then just realized that everyone was staring at them.

"Um, girls." She spoke. "Do you mind?"

"Oh, sorry Twilight!" Rarity said "We don't want to intrude the both of you." She then used her magic to pick up Spike, much to his surprise.

"Wait, put me down!" Spike said.

"Now Spike, we should give them some space." Rarity said. "If it's ok with you, Twilight." Twilight glanced at the fashionista and back at Flash.

"Um... sure." Twilight said.

"Alright, just let us know if you need anything, Twi." Applejack said.

"And we'll be there in ten seconds flat, no, one second flat!" Rainbow Dash said. Hearing that made Twilight giggle.

"Ok." Twilight said, glancing back at Flash, who gave a smile as well.

"WHAT?!" Spike asked as he was pulled by Rarity's magic, and the two left the balcony, as the girls followed.

"You two have fun!" Pinkie Pie called back before disappearing in a second. Twilight gave a happy giggle, but then she noticed Sora was still her.

"Um... Sora?" Twilight asked.

"Huh?" He asked. He then glanced back at Twilight, then at Flash, then at Twilight, then at Flash. Then, it sparked in his head.

"Oooohhh… now I get it." Sora said smiling, having a good idea that Twilight and Flash seem to be more than just friends. "Don't worry. I'll leave you two be." He then made his way back inside the castle.

"Good night!" Sora called back with a wave as he headed back inside.

"Your friends are pretty nice." Flash said.

"Thanks." Twilight said. Just as he went into the castle, Sora glanced back at the balcony, seeing Twilight with Flash. He couldn't help but smile.

"Hello, Sora." Cadance spoke as she and Shining came from down the hall.

"Hello, Princess." Sora said.

"Is Twily ok?" Shining asked.

"Yeah, she's ok now." Sora said.

"She probably doesn't want to talk to me." Shining said, feeling guilty.

"Well, I asked her to give you a chance." Sora said. "And she said that she'll try to." He took one last look at the balcony, where Twilight and Flash were talking.

"I didn't know Twilight had a boyfriend." He said.

"She WHAT?!" Shining asked, with Sora covering his mouth. The captain of the Royal Guard glanced at the balcony with shock, seeing his sister talking with the new guy.

"She's dating the newbie?" He asked, and then a happy smile formed on his face. "I like him!"

"You do?" Sora and Cadance asked surprised. They were expecting Shining to be a brother-hawk whenever the subject of boys comes up when it involves Twilight. But he's cool with it?

"Well, who doesn't?" Shining asked.

"I like him too." Rarity said as she and the rest of the mane six and Spike approached the three. "He definitely has that cool guy, nice guy vibe."

"I'll say." Rainbow Dash said, with Spike giving a grunt of distaste.

"I can't believe it." Spike said. "We're just gonna let Twilight be alone with that slick." Spike said.

"Spike, language." Rarity said.

"Sorry, I just don't like him." Spike said.

"Don't like him?" Pinkie Pie asked. "But he's so cool looking, even if he doesn't have a personality."

"Well, still." Spike said, glancing back at the balcony. "What does Twilight see in him anyway?"

"What do you see in him?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Him?" Spike asked. "He's brilliant. He's cool, he's nice, he's supportive, he can even play guitar with his wings."

"You just called him a slick just a second ago." Applejack said.

"Yeah, but I don't feel comfortable whenever he's around Twilight." Spike said.

"Your scared that he's gonna take her away from you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Wha… No!" Spike said, though his looked away for a second and sighed. "M....Maybe..."

"Oh, Spike, darling." Rarity said. "You shouldn't be afraid about Twilight leaving you. She's been a part of your life since the day you were born."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that." Spike said. "But still..."

"Don't worry, Spike." Sora said. "Twilight will be fine. She's in good hands."

"Hooves, darling." Rarity said.

"Same thing." Sora said, with the rest of the ponies laughing. Sora took one last look at Twilight and Flash, giving a happy smile. He was glad to see Twilight having someone special to spend time with. Seeing them both together reminded him when he and Kairi were together. As he blinked, he then saw himself and Kairi, sitting on the pier on Destiny Islands. The memory of them together a couple years ago, the day before their world was swallowed by the darkness, where they were sitting on the pier together, watching the sunset.

"You know, Riku has changed." Kairi said.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Well... hmm..." The girl spoke, as she began to think.

"You ok?" Sora asked.

"Sora, let's take the raft and go! Just the two of us!" She spoke.

"Huh?" Sora asked surprised.

"Hehe, just kidding!" Kairi laughed. Sora couldn't help but smile.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked. "You're the one who's changed, Kairi."

"Maybe..." She said. "You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go, or what I see, I can always come back here. Right?

"Yeah, of course." Sora agreed with a nod.

"That's good." Kairi said, glancing at the water, looking straight to the sunset.

"Sora, don't ever change." She said.

"Huh?" He asked as she got up, seeing the sun reaching the horizon.

"I just can't wait once we set sail." Kairi said. "It'll be great."

"This time, I'll keep you safe."

"Huh?" He spoke, blinking his eyes again, seeing Twilight and Flash back on the balcony. Did he just hear Kairi's voice? The ponies around him glanced at him.

"Are you alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, yeah." Sora said. "I was just... remembering a good memory." He glanced down, realizing he was just imagining things again. But he did hear her voice though. He heard Kairi's voice.

"Come on, everyone." Cadance said. "We better get ready for bed. The shield will last for at least 24 hours. We got a big day ahead of us."

"Gotcha." Sora said. Pretty soon, the group began making their way down the hall, leaving Twilight and Flash alone on the balcony together.

"I'm really glad that you're safe." Flash said. "I was really worried when I heard that you disappeared. I wanted to go look for you, but I was assigned to help escort Princess Cadance and Captain Armor all the way here."

"It's ok." Twilight said. "It's part of being a royal guard. And besides, it was probably best that you didn't look for me."

"Why?" Flash asked, as the lavender unicorn glanced down at the city below them.

"I've done a lot of bad things." Twilight said. "Horrible things. I turned my back on Equestria and everything. I almost killed my best friend..." She closed her eyes, trying to shake the horrible memories of her wrong doings. But then she felt the warmth of Flash's wing around her, giving her comfort.

"It's ok, Twilight." Flash said. "You were not in your right mind. I overheard your brother and the princess talking about what happened. I'm sorry that I wasn't there."

"It's alright." Twilight said. "Speaking of which, where were you during all that? I didn't see you at all on that day."

"Oh, well, I had other things to attend to." Flash said, a bit nervously. "Family business and what not. Plus, I'm not one for weddings." Twilight tilted her head, seeing that Flash was sounding a bit nervous when he was speaking. Regardless, she gave a smile.

"Oh, well if was family buisness, it was probably important." Twilight said.

"Yeah..." Flash said as he looked away, looking a bit sad, much to her notice.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"It's just... my family doesn't know about what I do." Flash said. "They don't like the idea of me being a royal guard. They would probably kill me should they find out.

"Oh, don't worry, Flash." Twilight said. "I'm sure they'll accept it eventually. Besides, you must really love being a royal guard."

"Yeah, but not as much as I love you." Flash said, glancing back at her with a warm smile.

"What?" Twilight asked, hearing that. Suddenly, Flash gasped and blushed as he realized what he just said.

"No wait, I mean... uh... um... well... I..." The stallion said, though he began to blush even more as he began to stumble on his words, unable to figure out what to say. However, Twilight began to smile affectionately, giving a blush of her own. All of a sudden, she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The kiss surprised him as he blushed even more, but a smile formed on his face.

"Thanks." Twilight said. Both of them smiled as they stared in each other's eyes. Pretty soon, Twilight glanced up at the sky, seeing multiple colors forming in the sky. The Aurora Lights... otherwise known as the Northern Lights, are a natural light display in the sky, predominantly seen in the high-latitude regions. The lights were indeed magnificent.

"It's a beautiful night." Twilight said as the stallion glanced at her with a loving smile.

"Yeah... it sure is." Flash said as he and Twilight continued watching the sky's light performance. Little did the lavender unicorn know of the Pegasus's shadow took the silhouette of a strange pony creature with insectoid wings and baring sharp fangs.

Back at the entrance of the castle, while Twilight and Flash were talking. Sora was glancing up at the stars. They say that the stars up in the sky are the other worlds, and the world's light shines down like a billion lanterns. Seeing the peaceful sky were some things that would help Sora ease his mind, and it always works like a charm.

But yet, his thoughts were still on Kairi. Seeing Twilight and Flash together reminded him so much of her. He was just hoping that she's alright. With the magic working again, she's probably alright. But seeing her hurt after what happened was a dreadful sight to be seen.

He then remembered something. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out star-shaped trinket made out of Thalassa Shells. It was the Thalassa charm, or most commonly known as a Wayfinder. It's a special charm based on the paopu fruits, which are said to tie friends or loved ones together, allowing them to become a part of each other's lives, no matter what.

Kairi gave this to him when he went looking for Riku, and when they returned to the islands, Sora gave it back to her. But when Sora had to leave to save those connected to him, she gave it back to him for luck. He never had the chance to return it to her. He kept it close to his heart and glanced up at the sky.

"Kairi, I'll be home soon." Sora said. "I promise." Pretty soon, Riku came outside to join him.

"Sora?" He asked, getting his attention.

"Hey, Riku." Sora said.

"So, how did go?" Riku asked.

"Well, Twilight still needs time." Sora said. "I was able to tell her that Shining wasn't truly at fault."

"How'd you do that?" Riku asked.

"I told her a bit from my own personal experience." Sora said. "And while looking for Twilight, someone... gave me something to help jog her memory." Riku knew who he was talking about. He couldn't help but smile.

"Well, that's another thing we need to thank Naminé for." Riku said.

"Yeah." Sora said, but he couldn't help but show a frown. Thinking back on his conversation with Twilight, he couldn't help but feel a bit worried about her and Shining.

"I really hope Twilight and Shining Armor make up soon." Sora said. "I really don't like seeing two siblings fight.

"Don't worry." Riku said. "She'll forgive him."

"Yeah..." Sora said.

"So, what was the personal experience you told her about?" Riku asked. The boy looked down at the ground.

"About you and me." He answered.

"Ooh..." Riku said, knowing what he was referring to, how they ended up having to fight each other during the course of their first adventure.

"Sorry." Sora said.

"No, it's ok." Riku said. "It doesn't really bother me anymore."

"You know, I never did blame you." Sora said.

"For what?" Riku asked.

"When you helped Maleficent and... gave into the darkness." Sora said.

"Really?" Riku said a bit surprised.

"Yeah..." Sora said. The silver-haired boy leaned against the wall, thinking back on the bad things he had done in the past. Even everything that happened between him and Sora, the latter forgave him. But that was the question, was it. Why?

"You know, everything we've been through, and everything that I've done, you were willing to forgive me." Riku said. "I know this sounds pretty stupid to ask, but why? Why did you forgive me?"

"Aw, c'mon Riku." Sora said. "You're my best friend. Friends don't abandon each other, even if one of them did wrong to the other. And besides, if anything, I blamed myself, for making you feel left out."

"Oh yeah, when I thought you replaced me with Donald and Goofy." Riku said.

"Yeah." Sora said. "I never meant to make you feel like that. I'm sorry if I did."

"It's ok." Riku said. "You just love making friends. At least you didn't give into the darkness."

"Yeah, but I still wasn't there for you." Sora said. "That's why I went looking for you, so I can be there for you. Because that's what friends do. Even after what happened, I'm still willing to call you my best friend. And I wouldn't trade you and the others for the world." Hearing that brought a smile on the older boy's face.

"Thank you, Sora." Riku said. "And looking back, it was actually nice that you met Donald and Goofy, seeing that they do a good job looking out for you when I wasn't able to. But, no offense, those two aren't really the brightest friends you picked."

"Can't argue with that." Sora said. "I actually stopped counting on Donald to heal me when I run out of magic. And I won't lie, a lot of stupid stuff does come out of that beak of his."

"HEY!" A quacky shout got their attention, seeing Donald just at the entrance looking a bit angry. Yes, he probably heard that part. "I'm right here!"

"Well it's true!" Sora called back. "Your loud mouth would always get us into trouble!"

"Well, at least I'm not reckless like you are!" Donald called out, just as Mickey and Goofy came outside.

"Well, you can be a bit steamed, Donald." Mickey said, getting the royal wizard's attention. "Remember that time when you nearly broke Ansem's Computer with your feet."

"Yeah, we got sucked into Cyberspace because of that." Goofy said.

"I didn't start it!" Donald shouted. "The little blue guy did!" Suddenly, Stitch appeared behind Donald, giving a chuckle, making the duck jump in surprise until he fell on his face. Seeing that resulted with the King, Goofy, Riku, and Sora laughing at the duck's misfortune. Suddenly, the boy noticed something in the sky, and to his surprise, it was the Aurora Lights forming in the sky.

"Whoa..." Sora said.

"The Northern Lights." Mickey said. "They give off a beautiful display."

"Yeah." Sora said, fascinated by the lights sparking and swirling.

"Do you think they'll make up?" He asked. "Twilight and Shining?"

"I'm sure they will." Riku said. "Twilight will forgive Captain Armor eventually, maybe sooner than you think."

"But what can we do about it?" Sora asked.

"We can't rush them to forgive, Sora." Mickey said. "Besides, you helped her learn the truth, and you helped her make amends with her friends."

"We did our part for her, so now we just have to let them figure it out themselves." Goofy said.

"That's right." Donald said. "Plus, the Crystal Empire needs saving after all."

"There's enough time for their hearts to reconnect." Riku said. "And you know that more than anyone." The spikey haired boy glanced forward, seeing Twilight and Flash giggling and laughing. A smile formed on his face. They were right. They can't rush Twilight and Shining to forgive each other. They're gonna have to figure it out for themselves for a while. Besides, Sora has done all he could, and he pointed Twilight in the right direction. She's gonna give him a chance. She will. Like Riku had said, and a certain Pirate Captain said before him, there is always enough time for hearts to say what's true, and to reconnect. It only takes a moment to reconnect with the ones you care about, with your hearties.

"You're right, there's always enough time." Sora said, who then glanced at the sky, seeing the stars twinkle above them. "They'll make amends eventually. But for now, we have an empire to save."

Meanwhile... back at the Mysterious Tower...

"So, they've managed to succeed?" A high sweet voice asked. Back in the Mysterious Tower, Master Yen Sid was speaking with a Queen and her maiden of honor. The queen was a mouse, like Mickey, with two big round ears. She wore an elegant gown with short puffy sleeves, and the top of the gown was pink with red lining. The dress sported a flower-pattern inside circles that line the bottom. She wore white gloves, and a gold tiara with a ruby Hidden Mickey symbol set in the middle. It was Minnie Mouse, the Queen of Disney Castle. She helps look after the kingdom whenever Mickey is away.

Her maid in honor, Daisy Duck, was a duck like Donald, but with long eyelashes. She sported a gold tiara with a sapphire set in the front. Her attire consisted of a ornate, sleeveless, violet ball gown with a high collar and a white column of buttons going down the front. The dress was an amethyst color with the bottom being periwinkle with a white wavy pattern. Daisy Duck is the duchess, and Minnie's best friend. It's her job to help Minnie, and to keep Donald in line.

The two came to the Mysterious Tower after learning that the magic was working one again, and Yen Sid was giving them the updates.

"Yes, the King and the others managed to succeed so far." Yen Sid continued. "King Mickey and Riku have made it to the Crystal Empire. Sora and the others have managed to restore the Magic, and saved young Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh, that's good!" Minnie said. "I'm just glad that Mickey and the rest are ok."

"I don't know about you, but I just hope Donald isn't causing too much trouble." Daisy said.

"With the magic fixed, then all that remains is stopping the Shadow King from taking the Crystal Empire." Minnie said.

"Yes... but that's not what troubles me though." Yen Sid said. "From what Sora has stated, Maleficent seems to be in Equestria as well. No doubt that she seeks to conquer it as her own."

"And I bet you that trouble-making Pete is helping her." Daisy said showing distaste.

"Now, now, Daisy." Minnie assured her. "Sora was able to stop them before, so I'm sure he and the rest will succeed."

"Perhaps." Yen Sid said. "But the presence of the man in the black hood is what troubles me even more. Xehanort and his Dark Seekers are no more, but how is it that one who wears their cloak happens to be wondering about?"

"Well, what if it isn't someone from this Organization XIII?" Minnie asked. "What if it's somebody who is actually... someone else?" The older sorcerer let out a sigh, but that was showing that he was thinking.

"There are only two other people who wear the black coat." He said. "Two who happen to be keyblade wielders like Sora and the others. These two keyblade wielders are those who once lived in the ancient past before the Keyblade War even began. One was a Master, the Master of All Masters, and his trusted apprentice, Luxu. The Master, however, disappeared from existence shortly before the War began, and passed on his trusted keyblade to Luxu, the same keyblade that Master Xehanort had wielded." Minnie and Daisy gasped.

"But why would this Master of Master be doing all of this?" Minnie asked. "I thought he was a good person... wasn't he?"

"Or it could be someone who found his keyblade, and stole his robe." Daisy said. The sorcerer began to think some more, and a thought came to his mind.

"There is one other possibility..." He began, but then brushed it off. "No, it's not possible. It's been centuries..." The Queen and the duchess noticed Yen Sid's uncertainty.

"Master Yen Sid?" Minnie asked.

"Um, excuse me?" Another voice asked, getting their attention. To Minnie and Daisy's surprise, it was actually Axel... or Lea, to be precise.

"Oh, was I interrupting something?" He asked.

"No, not at all." Yen Sid said. "You've arrived on time. Did you bring our guests?"

"Yeah, I did." Lea said. "They even said they wanted to help, but why did you need them?" As Lea stood aside, Minnie and Daisy gasped in surprise.

"Wait... is that?" Minnie asked.

"The boy who helped us more than a Decade ago?" Daisy asked.

"Not exactly." Yen Sid said. "He only looks like him. Lea and Sora have told me that he too is a keyblade wielder. I'm glad that you decided to come... Roxas." Yes, standing in the doorway was indeed Roxas, the former nobody of Sora, and Ventus's look-a-like.

"Sure." He answered. "I'm here to help."

Far, Far, Far into the Badlands

Almost a thousand years ago... give or take a couple of years

A lone squirrel was making it's way along a tree branch, and came across what appeared to be an acorn. But as he picked it up, he smelled a terrible smell, and he realized it was from the acorn. Looking upon it, he saw that it was old and contaminated with what appeared to be larva inside of it. Giving a disgusted squeak and tossed the acorn away, letting it drop down from the tree and into a small hole, which led to an underground chasm where a pool of dark green goo-like water resided. It fell into the contaminated water. After a period of time, the acorn, now nurtured with the toxic water, grew into a plant, a very carnivorous plant that acted like a fly eating plant, and it would eat insects, and any innocent ponies that came across it, including the bones. Shortly after Nightmare Moon's banishment, Starswirl heard from several ponies about this plant and went into the chasm to fight it. He was victorious, and slayed the plant. After seeing how horrible the place was, he couldn't help but look away in disgust.

"This place is horrible." Starswirl said to himself as he examined the area. Looking down at the toxic goo before he, he noticed some dead bones of ponies in the water, sinking slowly into it. This water must be polluted with some deadly magic, or some mixture that had gone wrong. But how it was able to mutate a plant into a creature eating machine was still unknown. He knew that he could not let anyone see this place.

"Ponies should stay away from this place." He said. Taking a wooden board, he nailed it into a nearby tree, detailing it with the words DANGER: STAY AWAY! With his work done, he left quickly back to Canterlot. But little did he know that the tree he placed the sign on, was also part of the acorn that sank into the water. The nail from the sign began to grow a bigger crack, causing it to spread quickly all over the tree. Suddenly, there were sounds coming from the tree, and the crack where the sign hung burst open, causing the sign to fall onto the ground, and showing a big hole in the tree, glowing with green energy.

Then, emerging from the tree itself were pony silhouettes, crawling out of the hole. They were not ponies however... they were bug-like ponies, with their chitins being a sea-greenish black, their carapaces being dark blue, and their crusty fin and tails colored in dark arctic bluish gray. Their eyes were all moderate arctic blue, and they had fangs, sharp white fangs. They were all hissing, all buzzing with their blue insectoid wings, and they were immuned to the toxic water.

These bug-like ponies were Changelings, creatures that can shapeshift into anything and anyone around them. While some can use magic, their power allows them to feast on the love and emotions of other ponies, even having the power to suck the life-force and energy from their victims, and, with enough power and under certain circumstances, even drain ponies of their magic in the most horrible way possible. They're also known for eating ponies, but that's most likely a rumor.

After multiple changelings came out of the tree, one more was beginning to emerge from the hole, showing moderate harlequin eyes with grayish opal pupils, giving a hiss with her long tongue.

Present Time...

"Your majesty?"

The voice of one of her commanders got her attention. The Changeling Queen, Chrysalis, tall as Princess Celestia, her entire chitin skin colored in a very dark gray, with her carapace being gradient from dark arctic blue to moderate green. Her mane and tail was dark cerulean, and like her hooves, there were holes in them. She had very deep opal eyeshadow and her eyes were moderate harlequin with dark grayish opal pupils.

She turned her head to see one of her commanders, Commander Shell, who was wearing green armor, and leader of the Hornet Squad, approaching her.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked. The Changeling Queen turned back to see the desert.

"No, I am not alright." Chrysalis spoke. "I'm very angry."

"I believe it's because our invasion upon Canterlot failed, is it." Shell said.

"Of course it is, your fool!" Chrysalis shouted. "We were so close to taking over the castle! We were so close! But we tripped right at the finish line because the royal happy couple sent out a blast to blast us away! All of those months of planning is now wasted!" She only growled and shook her head in disappointment.

"If you're quite finished, I have some news." Shell said. "We've managed to restore the castle for you." Chrysalis glanced back at the commander with a grumpy face and sighed.

"Fine, let me see it." Chrysalis said. With that said, the two made their way towards their new fort for the time being, a huge black colored castle covered in green slime, with the small village below next door was also covered in changeling goo. It used to be the home of adorable catlike residents until the Changelings decided to feast on the cuddly creatures love and reducing them and their home into dust. Again, it's horrible. The two made their way towards the entrance and opened the doors.

"Any report?" Chrysalis asked.

"The good news is that the castle is in good shape." Commander Shell said. "Our squads were able to recover their strength by feeding on the love of the cat creature in the old town. But there isn't much any left."

"Hey guys!" Someone called out to them. They turned to see the Changeling Soldier and Shell's right hand changeling, Locus, the Changeling wearing blue armor.

"I found another cat we can feed on!" Locus said as he held up an adorable kitten, which was smiling just like him. The two only glared at him with annoyance. "What? Too soon?"

"Anything else?" Chrysalis asked as she and Shell continued their way to the Throne room, while Locus followed them quickly as he tossed the kitty away.

"There has been some strange reports going on in Equestria from some of our scouts." Shell said. "There was several robberies going on in several cities, some strange vines growing from the Everfree Forest, and dark clouds appeared near Foal Mountain, but all of those ceased shortly after they started."

"Oh, did you tell her that we're missing a changeling?" Locus asked. "Thorax is nowhere to be found."

"Shhhh!!!" Shell hissed at the soldier.

"Thorax?" Chrysalis asked as she turned her head. "Isn't that the changeling who acts different than all of us?"

"Yes, your highness." Shell said. The Changeling Queen only scuffed.

"Wherever he is, let him be." Chrysalis said as she sat on the crumbled up throne, only to fall a bit through the broken seat, which made her hiss in a bit of anger. "He was always a good one in the bunch anyway. Just tell me how long will it take for us to recover?"

"I can't give you much details on that I'm afraid." Shell said. "We may need to come up with another plan to take over Equestria, and it might take a while."

"A while?" Chrysalis asked. "A While?! That's all you can say?!"

"Well, your majesty, what else do you propose?" Shell asked.

"I have grown tired of waiting for results." Chrysalis said. "We are all starving and hungry for more love, and Equestria is the perfect place for all the love we can feast on!"

"That's what you said about Timbucktu." Locus said. "And Trot. We're all freakin' starving here too, you know!" Shell only facehoofed his forehead with a shake, while Chrysalis approached the soldier.

"Let me let you in on something very simple..." Chrysalis said. "I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU! The priority right now is to try again and come up with another plan to invade Equestria, and take down Celestia and her big flank once and for all!" The shout at the beginning was enough for Locus to hid behind Shell, but the latter was keeping his cool.

"But how?" Shell asked. "We're low on changeling power and we haven't recovered much yet."

"Yeah, it's not like a miracle is gonna be coming through the front door." Locus said.

"Your majesty!" A changeling scout called out just at the entrance of the throne room, getting their attention.

"What?!" Chrysalis asked.

"We... we have a visitor." The scout said. The Changeling Queen raised an eyebrow with a bit of surprise. A visitor? Who would be visiting her kingdom? Maybe this is what they need, some love to feast on.

"Let him in." She said. The scout gave a salute and opened the door, letting a man in a black coat make his way in... and that someone was the same mysterious man who's helping Pete and Maleficent.

"Hello there!" He said with a wave as he went inside. "I take it this is the... temporary home of the Changelings?" The queen, commander and soldier looked a bit confused and surprised. This wasn't a creature from Equestria. This was an outsider! An outsider here in Equestria?

"And who are you?" Chrysalis asked.

"Oh me?" D asked. "Oh sorry, where are my manners? D is the name, though it's just more of a syllable." The Changeling Queen only gave a glare. Was this some kind of a jokester or something? She gave a nod to her commander.

"CHANGELINGS!" Shell called out. "DINNER TIME!" All at once, the Changelings began to show hissing and their sharp fangs, licking them with their teeth. They all charged in to attack, but then, D waved his hand.

-BOOM-

The Changelings were then stopped and pushed away by a strange invisible force, sending them to the ground, some to the wall, and some out the window, leaving echoing screams and the soft sounds of them crashing into the ground outside.

"I'm ok!" One of them said outside.

"My leg!" Another said that was not so fortunate. Shell, Locus, and even the Queen stood there completely shocked as how their Changelings just got blown away by a single outsider, who just brushed his hands.

"Well, that takes care of the unnecessary pests." D said, and he began to approach the three, with Shell putting Locus in front of him for protection.

"Alright, what do you want?" Chrysalis asked.

"Your majesty, please, no need to feel alarmed." D said as he gave a bow. "I'm just here today to give you an opportunity of a lifetime."

"An opportunity?" Chrysalis asked as she used her magic to push Locus and Shell aside, much to their surprise. "For what? To do a little magic show?"

"Oh no, not at all." D said. "Let's just say that you, and I, and some of my co-conspirators, have a common goal."

"A common goal?" Chrysalis asked.

"As you can see, me and some of my dear friends have our eyes set on this land." D said as he approached her closely. "And given that you have your eyes on feasting the love off of this little world, we would love to have you and your changelings as part of the team." The Changeling Queen raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You want me and my swarm to be part of this team?" Chrysalis asked. "Why?"

"Because you want to take Equestria, we want to take Equestria, so why don't we all do it together?" D explained. "And besides, we have a little saying; The enemy of our enemy is our friend." Chrysalis glanced carefully at the hooded man. She could tell there was something wicked about him. Something nasty... more nasty than she is. She then began to think. She and her swarm were very hungry for love, and they want to take Equestria. He and his associates want to take Equestria and want her in on the fun. Maybe this can work to her advantage.

"If I say yes, will you help me in getting my revenge on Princess Celestia?" She asked.

"Of course... but she's not the one you want." D said as he pulled out a rolled up poster from his coat.

"She's not?" Chrysalis asked. "But she's the rule of all of Equestria! She is a big threat."

"True, but she's not your biggest threat." D said as he twirled the scroll in his hand. "Not by a long shot."

"Then who?" Chrysalis asked. The man in the coat approached her and revealed the poster he had in his hand.

"She is..." D answered as Chrysalis scanned the poster, and her eyes widened.

"This is..." She spoke.

"Celestia's Attack Dog." He said, revealing it to be a poster of Twilight Sparkle, with the words MISSING on top. "Miss Twilight Sparkle. You remember her, right?" Chrysalis took the poster from him and glanced at it.

"That's right." She answered. "This was the little pony that exposed me and saved the real bride."

"Correct." D said. "It was because of her that you were exposed at the wedding. It was because of her your plan to invade Canterlot failed, and because of her you were blasting off again into the sky wee, wee, wee, wee all the way here." Chrysalis began to think, and come to think of it, he was right. Twilight Sparkle revealed the real bride and exposed the queen, and because of her, she was cast out to the Badlands and her plan failed. She began to form a scowl, a face that was slowly shifting to rage and hatred.

"Your majesty?" Shell asked as he and Locus approached her. "Are you sure we can trust this guy? How is he gonna help us take over Equestria and destroy Princess Celestia?"

"Screw Celestia..." Chrysalis said. "She isn't my target anymore..."

"Huh?" Locus asked. "Then who's the lucky pony you want dead?" She turned her head and showed a dark twinkle in her eye.

"I want Celestia's pet; Twilight Sparkle!" Chrysalis hissed.

"Twilight Sparkle?" Shell asked. "You mean that pony that tried to use the Elements of Peace and stuff?"

"Yes..." The Changeling Queen answered. "Perfect little Twilight. Clever little Twilight. Brilliant little Twilight. I! Want! HER!" With her magic, she conjured up a life sized plushie of Twilight Sparkle, looking all stupid and happy. In a fit of rage, the Changeling Queen began to pounce on it, and began to rip it apart piece by piece, bit by bit by bit, with the two Changelings watching with a bit of surprise, as D stood by their side.

"She has tremendous anger issues, doesn't she." He said.

"Yes, unfortunately." Shell said.

"Total bitch if you ask me." Locus said, with Commander Shell giving Locus a kick to the side with his rear hoof, causing him to fall to the ground and wince in pain. Pretty soon, Chrysalis finally ceased her fit, but her eyes were still showing anger and hatred. She lifted the head of the Twilight Plushie.

"This was all her fault!" Chrysalis shouted. "Our plan failed because of her! She's the reason why we aren't making Canterlot our newest conquest!" She tossed the plushie head onto the floor and then stomped on it with her hoof.

"Well, I'll get her... and her little dog too." Chrysalis said.

"Uh... dragon, actually." Locus said, only for the Changeling Queen to whack him with a pan on the head. "Ow! Why is everyone hitting me?"

"Whatever!" Chrysalis shouted. "I'm going to find that little purple little menace and I'm going to make her pay for ruining my plans."

"You're not gonna be able to stop her on your own, though." D said, with the Changeling Queen looking at the former Organization member.

"And why is that?" She asked.

"Because as I recall, you were defeated by Princess Celestia a long time ago, and she'll still be able to defeat you before you get to Twilight." D said. "Unlike last time, you don't have that little groom to give you power. If you want Twilight Sparkle, you'll have to do away with the Princess first."

"Oh, right." Chrysalis said. "Well that's going to take a while to deal with."

"True... unless you have help." D said, with the queen's ear twitching hearing that.

"What are you getting at?" She asked.

"I already told you." D said. "I'm assembling a rag team of baddies and evil doers that want's vengeance on Twilight and her little friends." D explained. "Together we shall invade Canterlot and take down the Monarch and her Tyranny of Harmony. I also have some friends on the inside who despise their Princess who are helping out too. And now, we need you."

"Me?" Chrysalis asked.

"Yes." D said. "You and your swarm are what we need to invade Canterlot. And with the Princess and her sister out of commission, Twilight Sparkle will come to you, and she will be all yours. All that I ask is your cooperation, your friendship, and together we will rid this land of those goodie ponies, and all the love will be yours and your swarm's." As his promises began to enlighten her, she then paused and raised an eyebrow. Out of all, why her and her swarm? Why would this man be asking for their help?

"But why us?" Chrysalis asked. "Why are you in need of me and my swarm?"

"Well, it's simple." D said as he walked away for a moment, just as music began to play in a tribal sinister way. And as he sang, his voice was somehow different, much more different.

I never thought changelings essential

They're crude and unspeakably plain

But maybe they've a glimmer of potential

If allied to my vision and brain

"Huh?" Chrysalis asked, and then he jumped onto the broken pillars, making his way to the ground in synch with the drums that played. As he landed onto the floor, green smoke began to puff from the cracks of the ground. Standing up, he began to walk forward, as the Changelings watched, as the song was more chanting, with elements of metal to it.

I know that your powers of retention

Are as wet as a warthog's backside

But thick as you are, pay attention

My words are a matter of pride

He examines some of the Changelings, one was dazed, one was emotionless, and the other seemingly distracted by a little butterfly. He snapped his fingers to get it's attention.

It's clear from your vacant expressions

The lights are not all on upstairs

But we're talking kings and successions

Even you can't be caught unawares

Two changeling drones yelped as he got into their faces, causing them to fall onto the ground, with it beginning to crack underneath them. Suddenly gushes of steam burst out, causing the Changelings to fly up into the sky and fall to the ground as D continued to sing.

So prepare for a chance of a lifetime

Be prepared for sensational news

A shining new era

Is tiptoeing nearer

"And where do we feature?" Chrysalis asked.

"Hey, listen to your teacher!" The man said, squeezing Chrysalis's cheeks a bit.

I know it sounds sordid

But you'll be rewarded

When at last we'll be given our dues

And injustice deliciously squared

Be prepared!

"Be prepared?" Locus asked. "Prepared for what?"

"For the conquering of Equestria." D explained. "When all of us will bringing the Royal Monarch down to ashes."

"And the Princess?" Shell asked.

"We'll do away with her, and her sister too." D said. "And we'll remove the bearers of Harmony from existence and the land will be yours."

"And how is that?" Chrysalis asked.

"Yeah, we're not fully prepared!" Shell said.

"And that's where you're wrong." D explained. "We must cooperate with others, unite with baddies under a single banner. Together, we shall reduce Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle down to ashes. All I ask is that you stick with me, and Equestria will be yours. And you'll never go hungry again!" Hearing him speak with such inspiration, with such determination made Chrysalis smile, while the Changelings chant with joy.

"I don't know about you, but I like this guy!" Locus said.

"Yes..." Chrysalis said agreeing. "Perhaps I was wrong. Outsiders are fun after all..." She watched from the balcony, imagining her rule over Equestria as her army of Changelings begin to march in synch with the song that kept playing.

It's great that we'll soon be connected

With a king who'll be all-time adored

Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected

To take certain duties on board

The future is littered with prizes

And though I'm the main addressee

The point that I must emphasize is

You won't get a sniff without me!

With a strum of an electric guitar, the ground began to shake, allowing a pillar to rise up from the ground, with D standing on it, still singing,, as the Changelings began to chant along with the song, and Chrysalis, by his side, watched with amazement.

So prepare for the coup of the century

Be prepared for the murkiest scam

Meticulous planning

Tenacity spanning

Decades of denial

Is simply why we'll

Be lords undisputed

Respected, saluted

And seen for the wonder we are

Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared

Be prepared!

Suddenly, the song stopped quickly, with a drum roll happening silently in the background with sinister music playing.

"So, your majesty." D said. "Do we have a deal?" The changeling queen, impressed by his motives, his promises for her and her swarm, extended her hoof out.

"Under one condition." Chrysalis said.

"You want love?" D asked. "Don't worry, when Equestria falls, It'll be all yours."

"My love will be for my swarm, but I only want one thing only..." Chrysalis said.

"And that is?" D asked. Chrysalis levitated the poster of Twilight Sparkle and showed it to him.

"I... want... her!" Chrysalis said. "I want her in chains. Before my hooves and my wrath. Helpless. Alone. Starving. I want her as my personal slave. My personal host of essence. I want her to bare my hatchlings for years! I'll sign any contract! I'll make a deal with the devil! I'll go to the deepest pit of hell, just to have her to do with as I please!"

"Consider it done." D said as he shook her hoof, both of them smiling. She then turned to her Changelings and spoke.

"Changelings!" Chrysalis said. "Today, Equestria will not only belong to us, but to our friends as well! Soon, All will fall before us, and Equestria's love will be ours forever!" With that said, the Changelings began to cheer, with their Queen and D singing together in various unisons.

So prepare for the coup of the century

Be prepared for the murkiest scam

Meticulous planning

Tenacity spanning

Decades of denial

Is simply why we'll

Be lords undisputed

Respected,saluted

And seen for the wonder we are

Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared

Be prepared!

Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared

Be prepared!

As the song ended, the changelings began to cheer and salute to Chrysalis and her new companion, both of them laughing evil as the moon shined down onto the castle, knowing so little about his own plans. Whatever this D was up to, it was only the beginning. The start of the Revolution...

Author's Note

Alright, another Chapter up. Everyone's made it to the Crystal Empire, and all is... somewhat well, I suppose.
This was originally gonna be posted in the Summer time, but with this being the 1st Anniversary of this story, I decided to post it today, though it may already be April 22nd now by the time this is up.
And I guess with all the stuff going on in the real world right now, given the state of things, I guess I've been itching to keep working on this story.

So, Twilight has yet to forgive Shining as of now. I have a plan to make that into fruition later on. And Flash Sentry... Yes, he's in the story... or is he?

Interesting Fact, the scene where it showed the Changelings's birth is actually from the Fiendship is Magic limited 5-part comic, which gives us how the series main villains came to be and what they were doing before the series began. So, yes, technically, Starswirl is actually the one responsible for releasing the Changelings. For a great and powerful sorcerer, he has a habit of creating villains.
And so, we get to finally see Queen Chrysalis after her debut in the Prologue. I've been planning to have Chrysalis to have a slightly bigger in the story since the very beginning. And D's convincing seem to work with him and his crew.
Let me just say this, since the Wedding episode, and the very first arc of MLP comics, I've always thought of Chrysalis viewing Twilight Sparkle as her most sworn enemy (until Starlight kinda stole it in the Season 6 Finale).
And the song, Be Prepared was the best way to do this as well. D's promising Chrysalis vengeance against Canterlot and Twilight Sparkle, and the whole land of Equestria's love to be theirs, in return she and her swarm helps him and the others take the city and dispose of Princess Celestia. What exactly is D searching for? And Who Is He?!

You'll know soon, but that won't be for a while, or a few chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! More will be coming soon, or in the Summer. I can't decide. Oh well!

Chapter 28: The Plan

"So... what happened again?" Goofy asked as he, Sora, and Donald were on their way back to the castle. After meeting up with Donald and Goofy, Sora had to tell them what happened back at the library when he placed the orb back, about the man he saw inside it, the voices he heard, the man, and the confused librarian speaking in some strange language.

"I was placing this orb back in the room in the library." Sora began. "And then I saw this guy in that orb. Then I found myself in a mystical place, and he asked me who I was. Then I heard these voices saying 'You Have Been Chosen', or something like that. Then the librarian appeared and spoke in some strange language."

"What was she saying?" Donald asked.

"I... I don't know." Sora said. "I couldn't make it out, except for two words... True King."

"You sure it wasn't another panic attack?" Goofy asked.

"No, it didn't feel like it." Sora said. "I didn't have flashbacks or anything like that. This was much different. But still, it was enough to startle me, and it still does." He took a look around, seeing some of the Crystal Ponies talking to each other, and some of them looking at the trio with a bit of confusion.

"Do you think it's probably Sombra's magic?" Donald asked. "He probably cursed some places when he took over the first time."

"I don't think so." Sora said. "This magic was much more... different. But whatever's going on, we should keep our guard up."

"I agree." Goofy said. "With Sombra out there, we're gonna need to be on our toes."

"Definitely." Donald said. The spikey haired boy glanced down at the floor, still trying to think of what the librarian or whatever it was trying to tell him. He probably shouldn't think about it right now. He knew he had to focus on protecting the Crystal Empire.

"Sora!" A voice called out.

"WHOA!" Sora yelped, turning around to see Twilight Sparkle, who also yelped as the boy jumped.

"Twilight." Sora said.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry." Twilight said. "I didn't mean to startle you like that."

"Oh no, it's fine." Sora said with assurance. "I was just alone in my thoughts for a minute." The lavender unicorn tilted her head a bit, noticing that the boy looked a bit too startled.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Sora said. The bookworm moved a bit closer to him with a bit of suspicion and worriesome.

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked. "You don't look like it." The boy tried to give a smile, but he knew that he shouldn't try to hide it.

"Sorry." He said as he turned away. "I just have a lot on my mind. A whole lot, actually. And the day was going so good for me." Twilight tilted her head again, wondering what was wrong. Then, Goofy and Donald pulled her aside.

"You'll have to forgive him, Twilight." Goofy whispered. "Sora's been feeling a bit... jumpy."

"You mean a lot jumpy." Donald said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"It's a long story." Donald answered. "Sora's seen some stuff happen after his last visit here. And it was enough to spook him out."

"Spook him out." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What could've possible done that?"

"He saw something bad happen to us that didn't happen because he did some loop around time and such." Goofy said. "Plus, he did see someone he cared about get... um... punctured." Twilight's eyes widened a bit, having a good idea what they were talking about.

"Oh..." Twilight said. "Poor thing. To be honest, I thought it was because of everything that happened between us. But he seemed ok to me."

"He tries to hide it a lot." Donald said. "But it doesn't help. You should've seen him back in Twilight Town when he froze stiff when that Heartless Tower attacked." Just then, Jiminy popped out from behind Goofy.

"Fellas, should we still be talking about this?" Jiminy asked. "It's not polite to gossip about Sora's issues behind his back."

"I agree." Goofy said. "We don't want to give Sora the wrong idea."

"Oh please." Donald said. "He doesn't even listen to us. He's not even hearing what we're saying."

"I'm right here, you know..." A stern voice came from the boy. Donald and Goofy almost jumped, turning to see Sora with a suspicious look. From the looks of it, he's probably heard enough of it. Donald and Goofy gave a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry..." Goofy said. The boy only sighed.

"No, it's fine." Sora said. "I got loads of good sleep last night, and now something unexpected happened and it just... threw me off today." He lowered his head.

"It's ok, Sora." Twilight said. "Try not to think about it. Let's focus on protecting the Crystal Empire." The spikey haired boy gave a smile. She was right. He shouldn't think about it too much.

"Ok." Sora said. "Thanks, Twilight." Then the lavender unicorn looked around, and noticed that someone wasn't with her.

"Say, where's Spike?" She asked.

While the others were out getting information about the Crystal Empire, Spike was having a mission of his own too. After seeing Flash Sentry acting all weird and everything, the baby dragon decided to follow him and figure out where he went, even going as far as leaving the castle grounds and into the town. Luckily, not many Crystal Ponies were around, otherwise they would've flipped out, giving a dragon's taste of gems and crystals. Hey, crystals and gems can be the same thing too.

Anyway, the baby dragon was looking high and low, and heard a strange voice coming from one of the abandoned buildings. Making his way inside, he saw the inside of the house looked pretty old and dusty. And the floor looked like it was falling apart. Luckily, it was still strong enough to carry his weight, so he went on inside and looked around.

"Where did that stud go?" Spike asked as he looked left and right. Suddenly, he saw a pony shivering near the end of the room, and saw it was a familiar yellow Pegasus with a blue mane. It was Flash Sentry alright, and he looked like he was struggling hard.

"Too much...." Flash whispered. "Too much love..."

"There you are!" Spike said, making the Pegasus yelp with surprise. "What's are you doing in here?"

"S-Spike..." Flash said, though he began to cringe as if he was in pain. "I was... I was... searching the house, that's right!"

"For what?" Spike asked, the baby dragon looking at the Pegasus suspiciously.

"For... um... stuff?" Flash said, though he began to sweat, and keeping his cool, but Spike's stare was getting to him though.

"Of course you were." Spike said. "Ok, listen here Mr. Flash Sentry, I don't know what you're up to, but you better not be trying to take advantage of Twilight. You may have her around your tail, but just keep in mind that if you want to win her heart, you're gonna have to go through me." Hearing Twilight's name made Flash wheeze a bit, making him sweet more. Suddenly, there was this glow in his eyes, a glow that didn't look right.

"Spike, I really need to be alone right now." Flash said as he was about to make his way out, but the baby dragon blocked him.

"So you can plan on having Twilight for yourself?" Spike asked.

"No, of course not!" Flash said.

"Yeah, right." Spike said. "I've seen the way your look at her and stuff. So listen up mister! Twilight's already been through a lot, so don't you think about-" Suddenly, Flash Sentry let out a shout of pain as he backed away, turned around and started to shake, grabbing his head with his hooves, as if he was in pain. Spike was a bit surprised by this. Was this stallion in heat or something?

"Hey, are you ok?" The baby dragon asked.

"Go away!" Flash shouted, turning his head, showing sharp fangs and glowing green eyes, which caused Spike to back away.

"What the?" Spike asked.

"GAAAHH!!!" Flash shouted, though his voice sounded mixed with another's. Suddenly, a green fiery energy began to emerge from Flash's body, causing him to burst into green flames. As the smoke cleared up, Spike glanced forward, and his eyes widened with shock and horror. Standing there in the smoke and gamboge feathers, was a black pony-like creature with a horn and light sea-green insectoid wings. His hooves had holes in them, his carapace was dark arctic blue, and while he had his white fangs, his eyes were a light lime green. Before the baby dragon was the species of the monsters that invaded Canterlot! A Changeling!

"C-Ch... CHANGELING!" Spike screamed, then he fell on his bottom. The creature glanced back at him. Fearing that it was going to eat him, Spike took off running screaming.

"No wait, come back!" The changeling called out, but Spike didn't listen, only to crash into the wall. Suddenly feeling dizzy from the impact, he felt the ground below him was beginning to crumble. Then suddenly...

-CRACK-

The floor beneath him burst open, causing Spike to fall through a huge hole, seeing below was a bunch of sharp black spikey icicles.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!" Spike screamed as he prepared for the worse. But then... he stopped in mid-air, just a few inches away from the icicles. He was saved. But how? He then felt something was around the tip of his tail. Looking up... or down, he saw the Changeling floating above him. The changeling caught Spike's tail with his mouth, and he was preventing him from falling into the spikes below. The baby dragon glanced at the changeling surprised. The changeling... saved him?

"This is... unexpected." Spike said to himself as the changeling flapped his wings and pulled themselves from out of the hole and back onto the surface of the abandoned house. He gently dropped the baby dragon on the ground. Spike then glanced back at the changeling, still in utter surprise.

"Are you ok?" The changeling asked.

"Y...yeah." Spike said, still surprised. "Y... you saved me."

"Well, yes." The changeling said. "Those icicles were sharp down there, and I didn't want you to get hurt." Spike only tilted his head, with even more confusion. The changeling saved him. He saved his life.

"It's ok." The changeling said. "I'll just... leave." He was about to fly away... until.

"Wait!" Spike said, getting his attention. Suddenly, the baby dragon hugged the changeling, which was very surprising. "You saved my life. Thank you." The changeling looked at him with his own surprise.

"Really?" He asked. "You're not... afraid of me?"

"No." Spike said as he released him. "I mean I was at first... but actually... I'm confused. Changelings are suppose to be evil. Right?"

"Evil?" The changeling asked as he hovered back to the ground. "Well, not me. I don't actually like being evil. All I ever wanted was to have a friend, from the moment I hatched from my egg in the nursery hive. But the rest of the changelings, they were all... bad."

"And you weren't?" Spike asked.

"Correct." The changeling said. "I actually ran away from the hive, and I took on the guise of Flash Sentry, the newest member of the guard, a pony that doesn't actually exist, at least in this world. Since then I've lived in Canterlot, blending among the ponies."

"Really?" Spike asked, amazed by the creature's story. "Wow, that took a lot of guts."

"I know." The changeling said. "But I'm not one with guts. My brother actually has two of them."

"But wait... why were you hanging out with Twilight?" Spike asked with suspicion.

"Because... well...." The changeling said. "I swear, I wasn't spending time with her to leech love off of her. I don't like draining ponies of their love by force. I just let them give their love, or any affection to me and I accept it. Simple as that. At first, it was a way for me to survive, but the more and more I spent with her, I began to like her more and more." The changeling began to recall the day he first met Twilight. It was sometime during the Grand Galloping Gala, an annual event that celebrated the completion of Canterlot after Equestria was found. However, it's boring as horse-hay. It's usually attended by high-class ponies and lucky ponies would need a golden ticket to get inside or be invited, that is until Princess Celestia started allowing middle and low-class ponies to attend future ones after Twilight's friends made the previous one more livelier. It was also that night where Twilight bumped into the disguised Changeling, and they've been seeing each other ever since.

"Twilight is just amazing, you know." The changeling continued. "Her voice, her laugh, the way she would go on and on about any subject. She's just... she's brilliant, you know?" Spike stared at the changeling with astonishment. He could already tell from the blush marks on the changeling's face. He was never trying to leech off of Twilight at all. He's grown to like her.

"You really do like her." Spike said.

"Yeah... I do." He said. "But if she were to find out what I'm really am, then she would despise me. After all, my species have always been born... bad."

"Well, they did invade Canterlot." Spike said.

"Yes, they did." The changeling said. "I was actually present at the invasion, but I didn't want to be part of any of it. When it got all crazy, I quickly took shelter and waited out the invasion. The moment I saw Twilight and her friends fighting against my kind, I knew the Queen would be stopped. And she was. She and the rest of the hive were blasted away by Princess's niece and her husband-to-be. I wasn't blasted away because I was inside an abandoned house, like the one we're in right now."

"You must've been relieved." Spike said.

"I was." The changeling said. "After the invasion was finished, I quickly shifted back to my Flash Sentry persona to check on Twilight, but she looked pretty sad. The next day I heard that she went missing, and I wanted to go find her. But I had orders by the Captain to join him, Princess Cadance, and their new friends all the way here. I was really worried, but I was relieved that your spikey friend was able to find her."

"And you're worried that Twilight won't like you because you're different?" Spike asked.

"But that's just it." The Changeling explained. "Twilight's the student of Princess Celestia, and I'm just a love-sucking changeling. And if other ponies would know who I really am, then they would despise me. I dealt with that since coming to Equestria, where people would run away from me, and some would actually try and beat me up. It's hard to make a living when you're hated by ponies because of you're species." The baby dragon couldn't help but feel sorry for the changeling, but not only that, he understood him completely, feeling different from others.

"I know how you feel." Spike said. "Ever since I was hatched, I would be ridiculed by other ponies too, and Twilight would also get picked on for having me around. Some ponies still don't like dragons. Some hate them, and some fear them. Even Fluttershy can be scared by them. Growing up, I would sometimes be ridiculed by ponies, mostly the upper class ones and the snobby rich horses, all because I was different and not a pony. But overtime, ponies began to like me. In fact, the ponies in Ponyville actually adore me, even after I turned into a giant and went on a greedy rampage."

"Greedy rampage?" The changeling asked.

"Yeah, that's a long story." Spike said, not wanting to bring that story up. "But the point is, don't think that the whole world is against you because you're different or because what your species are capable of. You just need to show them the real you. If ponies know the real you, then they'll definitely like you."

"But what if they don't?" The changeling asked. "Not everyone will befriend a changeling like me."

"Well, not everyone's gonna like it, but that's their problem." Spike said. "But if the ponies were willing to give me a chance, then they'll give you a chance. And besides, seeing how you saved my life, I'd consider you a friend."

"Really?" The changeling asked.

"Definitely." Spike said. Hearing that made the changeling smile, and there was a tear dropping from his eye. He actually made a friend! He was very happy. So happy that he opened his mouth, and his hissed happily, much to Spike's surprise. Luckily, the changeling stopped himself.

"Sorry." He said. "I do that whenever I get excited." The baby dragon smiled.

"Oh, it's no biggie." Spike said.

"Biggie?" The Changeling asked.

"It means it's ok." Spike said. "You know, you're pretty cool for a Changeling. It's nice to know that not all Changelings are bad."

"Thanks." The Changeling said. "You're a pretty cool little dude yourself."

"Thanks... uhhh…." The baby dragon answered, but was unable to figure the changeling's name out.

"Oh right, my name is Thorax." The Changeling, Thorax said.

"Nice to meet you, Thorax." Spike said.

"Spike?" A voice called from the distance. The baby dragon's quills raised up as he heard Twilight's voice.

"It's Twilight!" Spike said.

"Oh No!" Thorax said. He then ignited his horn, and transformed back into his Flash Sentry persona, just mere seconds before Twilight came into the room.

"Spike, there you are." Twilight said. "I've been looking all over for you." She then turned her head to see Flash. "Flash, what are you doing here?"

"Oh... well... I... uh.." Flash said, but was unable to come up with a good excuse.

"I fell!" Spike said.

"Huh?" Twilight asked

"I went looking for you, and I almost fell into this hole." Spike said, pointing at the hole in the room. "But Flash saved my life. He's pretty cool, huh?" Twilight noticed the hole in the floor, and glanced back at Spike, who gave a big smile. That was odd. Spike isn't usually comfortable around Flash. Maybe he's finally starting to warm up to him.

"Oh, ok." Twilight said. "Just be careful next time, ok?"

"Ok." Spike said.

"Well, we better get back to the castle." Twilight said. "I have a great idea that will help us save the Crystal Empire." She then made her way out of the house. As she was gone, Flash... or Thorax actually, let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks." Flash / Thorax said.

"No problem." Spike said. "And don't worry, I won't tell Twilight about what you really are. But you're gonna have to tell her sooner or later, ok?"

"But... what if she doesn't like me anymore." Flash / Thorax asked.

"Trust me." Spike said. "She's not gonna hate you. And if anything, I'll stick up for you." Hearing that made the Pegasus / changeling smile, and the two went after Twilight towards the castle.

And so, everyone met up back at the castle, and Twilight spoke of the Crystal Heart and how it protects the Kingdom. And how to find it, she finally explained her plan.

"The Crystal Faire." Twilight said. "According to the book, it was established by their first queen and became the Crystal Empire's most important tradition. The Faire was held every year to renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could protect it from home. So, if we put the Faire together, we can renew their spirits and they can lead us straight to the Crystal Heart."

"Unite the ponies and they'll lead us the way." Riku said.

"That sounds like an awesome plan!" Rainbow Dash said. "I'm lovin' it already!"

"That sounds very promising." Aqua said. Shining and Cadance looked at each other, and they they looked at the King.

"Sounds like a long shot." Mickey said. "But it may be the best chance we got. Let's give it a try!"

"And we can all pitch in." Terra said.

"It'll be like the festivities in Disney Town!" Ventus said. "But more crystal-like!"

"Then let's get started right away!" Sora said.

"Yeah!" Donald said as Goofy gave a nod.

"It's gonna be tough, though." Twilight said, looking into the book. "I've never seen a festival this big before."

"Don't worry, Twilight." Sora said. "If we work together, we can do it. We got this!" Hearing those words of encouragement made Twilight smile. Sora was right. They can do this if they work together. Together, they can save the Crystal Ponies with their history. Pretty soon, the music began to pick up.

Every pony needs our help

The magic will not last forever

I think we can do it

But we need to work together

We have to get this right

Yes, we have to make them see

We can save the Crystal Poinies with their history

Twilight turned the page within the book, which revealed a page of two ponies jousting, showing that the Empire loved to hold jousting tournaments back in the day.

It says that they like jousting

Finding the Crystal Guard's equipment, Rainbow Dash places on the armor, and gives a cool pose while

They flew a flag with many hues

Rarity begins to weave together a flag with her magic, while engraving a crystal snowflake surrounded by majestic lining, which was Crystal Empire's sigil, completing the banner.

Made sweets with crystal berries

Applejack and Pinkie Pie head out to gather crystal berries in the field to make delicious sweets for the Fairie. The farmpony tried one as she picked it from the berry bush, and it was delicious

They had a petting zoo with tine ewes.

A herd of ewes, which were colorful female sheep, followed Fluttershy as she guided them to the Crystal Empire. They were so cute with the hoping, she hopped along with them on her hind legs.

We haveto get this right

Yes we have tomakethemsee

We can save theCrystalPonieswith their history

Taking the book, Pinkie Pie flipped the page and saw a picture of a pony playing the Flugelhorn, which is a brass instrument that resembles both a trumpet in length, but has a wider conical bore. They're usually pitched in B♭, but occasionally found in C. She then started to play it, though she more like blew into it, making a loud sound that made everyone cover their ears, but they couldn't help but laugh at Pinkie's silly playing.

There was a crystal flugelhorn

That everypony liked to play

And the Crystal Kingdom Anthem

Can you learn it in a day?

Pretty soon, everyone started to pitch in and get the Fairie set up. Twilight began to oversee the preparations just as Rainbow Dash, Riku and Ventus set up the decorations, Donald and Goofy helping Pinkie Pie play the flugelhorn correctly, as Applejack, Terra, and Leon set up the tents, Rarity and Aqua completed the banners. Fluttershy and Aerith came back with the ewes, though one was following a confused Red XII as Cloud had to carry another one, and Barret shot the confetti in the air with his cannon. Yuffie tied up the decorations on the poles, while Cid bolted them properly up. Seeing everyone working together to make this possible brought a smile to Mickey's face, even to Sora and Twilight. Together, they combined their magic and shot a light into the sky, and it burst into beautiful sparks, blessing the whole area with sparkles and glittering.

Oh we have to get this right

Yes we have to make them see

We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history!

Pretty soon, everything was set up, and the Faire was finished. There were colorful tents up, and the decorations were perfect, and with the new sparkles, it made it look even crystal-like. It was all perfect. Everyone looked in awe at their completed work.

"It looks amazing!" Twilight said. "Absolutely perfect."

"Well, we couldn't have had got it all set up without ya, Twi." Applejack said.

"Wrong." Twilight said. "All of this couldn't be possible without all of you. You guys really put your heart into it." Then suddenly...

-FFFMMMMMPH!-

A loud horn-like sound started the group. Everyone turned to see only Pinkie Pie, who was holding and blowing into the Flugelhorn.

"Flugelhorn!" Pinkie Pie said as she blew once again to make it sound. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at Pinkie Pie's silly shenanigan.

Now that the Faire has been set up, it was now time to plan for what to do next. First, they'll need a scout team to find the Crystal Heart, while the rest has to keep the Crystal Ponies occupied and their spirits lifted so the scouting team can find the Crystal Heart.

"Alright, everything's set." Sora said. "Riku, you and everyone else hold up the festivities, and keep the Crystal Ponies occupied. Me, Donald, and Goofy will look for the Crystal Heart."

"You sure you can find it?" Mickey asked. "The castle's quite big."

"Don't worry." Sora said. "We'll take care of it."

"And we'll make sure Sora won't wander off." Donald said.

"And make sure you don't break anything, Donald." Goofy said.

"Right... HEY!" Donald said as Goofy and Sora chuckled.

"Alright, Sora." Riku said. "We're counting on you."

"We'll do what we can to keep the Crystal Faire running." Leon said. "Hopefully the rest will behave while doing so." He looks right at Yuffie, Cid, Barret.

"I'll behave if she behaves." Barret said, pointing at Yuffie.

"And I'll behave if you behave." Yuffie said.

"Yeah, right." Cid said with a grin, only to be met with a stern look from Aerith and Tifa, and of course Stitch, who was also looking with a stern looking, making the pilot nervous. Cloud only looked away, but he couldn't shake off the quick grin.

"Alright then." Sora said.

"I'll go with you too." Twilight said as she approached Sora. "No doubt Sombra placed plenty of traps around, so you'll need somepony who knows magic."

"Ok." Sora said.

"We'll all go too!" Rainbow Dash said. "We're not gonna leave our friend hanging!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Sorry girls, but it's best that you all don't tag along." Twilight said, which surprised the rest of the Mane Six.

"What?" They all asked.

"Sorry girls, but if anything were to happen to all of you, I would never forgive myself." Twilight said.

"But, we wanna help." Pinkie Pie said.

"That's right, we all wanna help Twi." Applejack said.

"But girls, you are helping me." Twilight said. "I have a much more important task for all of you."

"More important than making sure you don't get killed?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"A little too much, but yes." Twilight said. "The Crystal Ponies need to have their spirits lifted up, and doing so may help us find the Crystal Heart. I need you all to help Sora's friends keep the Crystal Faire running. And knowing how well you all can put on a Summer Sun Celebration, I can't think of any other ponies better for the job!" Hearing that was uplifting for all five of the ponies. She trusts them enough to run the Crystal Fairie.

"Alright, we'll do our best, Twi." Applejack said.

"But if things get bad, we'll rush in here and help you out." Rainbow Dash said, which took Twilight off guard. But she gave a smile.

"Thanks girls." Twilight said.

"But what about me?" Spike asked. "Can I help you? After all, you might need your number one assistant!" Seeing him give a salute made the lavender unicorn giggle.

"Of course, Spike." Twilight said.

"Yes!" Spike said.

"No doubt Sombra's got traps all over the castle, so I'm tagging along too." Shining said, which didn't make Twilight happy.

"No." Twilight said, which surprised the stallion.

"But Twily, what if something bad happens-" Shining said.

"I'm not a little filly anymore, Shining." Twilight said as she turned away. "I can take care of myself. Besides, you need to be there for Cadance, since she's the only one you would care to look after." Hearing that made Shining feel hurt. She is still angry with him.

"Actually, Twilight, perhaps Shining should go with you." Cadance said as she stepped forward. "You'll need an extra pony just in case Sombra's magic is too hard for you to handle."

"I already have an extra pony who will tag along, and that's Flash." Twilight said.

"Me?" Flash asked.

"Yes, Flash." Twilight said.

"But Twilight, he's only a Pegasus, not a unicorn." Cadance said.

"True, but he's a good flyer, and a better protector too." Twilight said. Cadance only sighed.

"Twilight, I know that you're still angry with Shining, but you should really let him come along." Cadance said. "He was able to get us safely to the Crystal Empire."

"I thought you were on my side." Twilight said.

"I am." Cadance said. "But you can't hold a grudge forever. Can you at least let Shining help you? For me?"

"Please, Twily?" Shining asked. Twilight only let out a frustrated sigh and looked away. But as she did, she saw Sora talking with Riku and the others. Seeing him reminded her of their conversation yesterday, seeing the memory stone of how Shining did go to talk to her after their previous argument at the rehearsal. Her eyes widened a bit, remember that. That's right. She told Sora that she would try to patch things up with her brother. She can't be too hard on her brother. After all, she was in the wrong acting like a jealous little sister. She still feels the sting from his words, but he was going to apologize to her. She needs to put that behind her. She let out another sigh.

"Ok, you can come along, Shining." Twilight said. "And if everything goes right, I may accept your apology." Hearing that made Shining give a hopeful smile.

"And can Flash still come too?" Spike asked.

"Of course he can." Twilight said. Hearing that made the disguised pony smile.

"Yes!" Spike said with a cheer.

"Alright, everyone." Mickey said. "Let's do this!"

"Right!" Everyone agreed. Quickly, Riku, the King, the Wayfinder Trio, Cadance, the rest of the Mane Six and the Restoration Committee headed out the castle to begin the Fairie, while the rest stayed behind. Twilight, followed by Spike, Flash, and Shining went on down the hallway to begin searching for the Crystal Heart.

"Well, let's get started." Goofy said.

"You betcha!" Donald said as the two followed after Twilight and the gang. Before following suit, Sora glanced up at the ceiling, taking a moment in his thoughts. This was their one chance to stop Sombra and save the Empire. But he couldn't help but wonder about Maleficent, Pete, Neighsay and that mysterious cloaked man. He could understand the witch wanting to take over Equestria, but why is the hooded man involved in all this? What really is his motive?

Well, he'll have to think about it another time. Right now he had to focus on what he has to do now, and that is to protect the Crystal Empire from Sombra. He placed his hand on his chest, remembering to follow his heart and do what's right.

"May our hearts be our guiding key." Sora said to himself. And then he took off with the others, while the rest of the group took care of the Crystal Faire. They were gonna need to find the Crystal Heart fast, otherwise Sombra will succeed again.

Out back in the snowy wasteland, far from the Crystal Empire, Pete was only standing there while the witch kept watch. The sneaky lackey was starting to get chilly. Well, he was definitely chilly given how cold it is up in the North. And he was starting to lose his patience.

"It's getting cold here." Pete said.

"Of course it's cold, you fool." Maleficent said, referring to the snow around them. Suddenly, a magical portal appeared, and coming out of it was Chancellor Neighsay, who let out a sigh.

"Where have you been?" Pete asked.

"I went to check on everything in Canterlot." Neighsay said. "The princesses seem to have been informed about our true intentions, so I told the rest of the Movement to lay low for the time being. It's hard to spy when the whole city is against you..." He then looked around, seeing that D has not come back yet.

"Where is he?" He asked.

"He's been gone for a while now." Maleficent said.

"Has he?" Neighsay asked. "Well, I'm starting to think that the changelings probably didn't take his offer."

"Oh, I can't take this anymore!" Pete said, finally throwing a fit. "We've been waiting out here for a long time, and Mr. Dark and Clad didn't show up! I bet he probably bailed." The witch only rolled her eyes. She always found Pete quite annoying. However as she turned her head, a smile formed on her face.

"Don't give up just yet." Maleficent said. Pete glanced at her for a moment, but then saw a dark corridor taking shape, and then, the mysterious hooded man emerged from it.

"Honey, I'm home!" D said jokingly.

"It's about time!" Pete said. "You're late!"

"Better late than never, would you say?" D asked as he stepped forward.

"Well, you've taken your sweet time." Maleficent said. "And where are the others?"

"Never fear, my dear witchy friend." D said as he gave a bow. "Because now we have everything we need to take over Canterlot." He then summoned another dark corridor.

"Presenting... the Legion of Doom!" He said, as he stepped aside. "First up, the Washouts!" Then the first ones to emerge from the corridors was Lightning Dust and her team The Washouts, all of them in black suits with lightning linings on them.

"Far from the Dragon Outlands, Garble, Fume, and Clumpy!" D then spoke, while the three dragons, Garble, Clump, and Fume came from the portal, all of them snorting steam from their noises.

"Next up, we have the Diamond Dogs!" D continued. Then, coming out behind them were the three Diamond Dogs; Rover, Fido, and Spot, all of them giving sinister and creepy chuckles.

"The Flim Flame Brothers!" D said, as Flim, and Flam, came out of the corridor, all of them tipping their hats to the witch and Pete.

"The big man himself, Iron Will!" D spoke, with Iron Will coming out of the corridor, showing his flexes and his muscles.

"The Keeper of Equality... Starlight Glimmer!" D said, with a unicorn coming out, wearing a purple cloak. Unhooding herself, she revealed her face, but on her right side, there was a metal mask, almost like the Phantom from the Phantom of the Opera.

"Wow." Pete said. "This is actually pretty neat!"

"But that's not all." D said. "And now, allow me to introduce... the Ruler of the Changeling Hive, Queen Chrysalis!" Then, making her way out of the corridor, Chrysalis, and her two Changeling Commanders, Shell and Locus appeared. Seeing the Chancellor, she gave a smile, while he nervously waved.

"So... these are your Band of Misfits." Maleficent said. "I have to say, this is quite impressive."

"Thank you." D said with a nod, and the witch glanced back at the Changeling Queen.

"Well, so this is the Changeling Queen I've heard about." Maleficent said.

"The one and only." Chrysalis spoke. "And you must be the witch from the outer world. The hooded creep says that you're in need of our services."

"Correct, and we'll be glad to let you have whatever ponies are left to feast on, so long as you don't cross us." Maleficent said.

"Maybe." Chrysalis said. "But an outsider seeking our help? How come?"

"We share a common enemy, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Maleficent said. "I seek to rule Equestria, you seek to suck the love out of these puny creatures, so why not kill two birds with one stone?" Chrysalis gave a grin.

"Good point." Chrysalis said.

"And what about us?" Garble asked, getting their attention. "We want to rip some ponies apart, especially that little purple dragon!"

"Yeah!" Fume and Clump said.

"Iron Will wants his charisma back!" Iron Will shouted out.

"We want our business too!" Flim said.

"And scam some ponies!" Flam said.

"We want gems!" Rover, Fido, and Spot shouted.

"Fear not everyone." D said as he approached them. "You all will get what you want, as promised. But we must also learn to share as well, and work together. Only then can we conquer this land, and everything you want will be yours." Remembering the promise he made them, the rest of the villains gave a nod in agreement.

"Deal!" Flim and Flam said together.

"Iron Will approves." Iron Will said.

"Fine by me." Chrysalis said. "But just so we're clear, Twilight Sparkle is mine."

"No." The changeling queen turned to see Starlight Glimmer, who was still wearing the metal mask. She remembered perfectly clear how Twilight, who was Mare Do Well at the time, blasted her off the cliff near the mountains, and burnt half her face.

"If anyone's gonna take down Twilight Sparkle, it's me." Starlight said. "I'm the one who will make her pay." Hearing that made the Changeling Queen growl.

"Wrong." Chrysalis said. "Twilight's mine to feast off of."

"And I want to destroy her!" Starlight said.

"Oh, don't worry, you two." D said as he petted both their heads. "You both can destroy Twilight Sparkle together. Work as a team, and you'll both have your vengeance." Starlight and Chrysalis looked at each other, but then looked away. However, D had a good point. If they are to destroy Twilight Sparkle and drain her of her magic, they had to work together. So the unicorn and the Changeling Queen shook hooves, which is actually surprising for anyone to see.

"Then it's settled." Maleficent said. "Let us prepare for the Revolution."

"Oh yes, this is going to be good." Pete said as he began to clap his hands with excitement. The rest of the Legion of Doom also gave nods and cheers of approval, while Chancellor Neighsay was starting to like the idea.

"Perhaps this will work in my favor after all." He said, giving a mischievous smile.

Meanwhile... Back at Merlin's House

"Hmmmmm...." The old wizard was reading his book while the cauldron was cooking and simmering whatever was inside it. With everyone else out of his house, he decided to take the opportunity to create more potions. This time he was trying something different. A potion that would allow the drinker to become someone else for a limited time.

"A little bit of bark from the Apple Tree." Merlin said as he dropped a piece of bark into the cauldron.

"A drop of candle wax." He continued, adding the candlewax too.

"And lastly, a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down." He finished, dropping a spoonful of sugar, in the most delightful way.

"Excellent." Merlin said. "Now for the big finish!" He then picked up his wand and ignited his magic, and the brew in the cauldron began to glow with sparkles.

"Now... for the final words." Merlin said, waving his wand. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" He then pointed his wand forward and then a spark was made.

-BOOM!-

The cauldron blew up, causing smoke to burst out of the windows and make the old wizard fall on his behind from the sudden force it made. He shook his head, and soot covered his entire face. Except for his eyes, which were protected by his glasses. He removed his lenses and coughed from the smoke inside, using his wand to clear it all out.

"Well, that wasn't suppose to happen." He said. "I could've sworn I said it right." He then looked down and saw the wax stick that he took a piece from, and picked it up. He licked it with his tongue, and he realized what was wrong. He used the wrong type of wax.

"Oh, this is earwax, not candlewax." Merlin said, shaking his head. "I think I must've left the candlewax in the closet. Well, better get it and try again." He got up and made his way to the closet. He then opened the door, and suddenly, he looked down at who was inside. Wait... Who?! He yelped.

"Oh My Goodness!" Merlin shouted, seeing someone inside the closet. The man inside was tied up, and naked. Well, at least he was wearing boxers. But what was interesting was that the man had green eyes and dirty-blond hair, which had a distinctive style, like an odd mullet-like style, with several individual bangs that fell over his face! Wait a second. It was Demyx! What was he doing tied up in Merlin's closet, and where are his clothes?! As the poor Melodious Nocturne began to grunt and try to break free, Merlin stood there quite surprised.

"Well... this just got weird." He said.

Author's Note

Well, another chapter done! I was telling myself to get this out before the end of August, and it's the last day of August now. Well, better late than ever, as D stated.

So yes, Flash Sentry is actually Thorax. I have said that I was going to add elements from future seasons into this story, and Thorax is one of them.

Now, Sora, Twilight, Donald, Goofy, Shining Armor, Spike, and Flash Sentry / Thorax will be searching for the Crystal Heart, while everyone else prepare the Crystal Fairie and keep the ponies spirits up, and hopefully that will lead them to the Heart!

And now, our mysterious villain has assembled his rag team of villains, and they will be planning the next step to their grand scheme.

And there's that scene with Merlin finding Demyx in his closet... Betcha didn't see that coming, did ya!
How the heck did he end up in there? And where's his coat? Hmmmm....

Well, anyway, updates are still gonna be slow for the time being. I'm gonna update this whenever I can, but the goal is to get this ACT done before Winter. Now, I must sleep.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... :ajsleepy: 😴