The Moon Dances, The Sky Falls

Chapters

The First Night
The Morning After
The Second Incident
The Royal Audience
A Princess' Call (Part 1)

The First Night

Author's Note

Okay, so this story sort of popped into my head late at night one night, and I'm not entirely sure if I will finish it, or where I'm going to go with it. However, I've been wanting to write something KH-related for a very long time, and it's a decent side project while I'm re-working the first 3 or so chapters of 'Crossroads' (whatever route I decide to go with the re-works). So, I plan on having a good time with this.

So, some ground rules, this takes place after KH3's Re:Mind DLC on the 'Kingdom Hearts' side. On the MLP side, this starts in Season 4, specifically a week-and-a-half before the events of "Bats!"

And also, this will go into slightly headcanon-y territory with the character of Sora, mostly just in the Keyblades he has and the route he took as a fighter. I think it will be fun, since as a character, he's simple, but there's a lot you can do with him.

Anywho, I've rambled on long enough. Enjoy.

The First Night

“I will save you.”

Those were the last words he remembered hearing before the blinding light overtook him.

And they left him with so many questions when he woke up.

Honestly, for a while, Sora had legitimately thought he had died completely. But waking up to the feeling of vaguely uncomfortable leather and wool had convinced him otherwise. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a dimly lit living room, a book opened on the floor, and a simple and poorly maintained couch beneath him.

He tried to stand up and found his center of balance was far off. A fact he learned the hard way, as he landed face-first on the hardwood floor.

Placing his… hands? On the ground and pushing off of it, Sora brought himself back up to a sitting position, and let out a groan of annoyance.

“Ugh… what the heck?”

He stopped and opened his wide open upon hearing what was supposed to be his voice. But what came out was a much lighter and more feminine sounding one. That did not bode well, and he knew it. Couple that with the glasses he could clearly see before him, and finally getting a feel for why his body felt wrong, and it clicked.

Wherever he was, he’d been sent there, and transformed.

‘Okay, I can work with that,’ he said to himself, crossing his arms and closing his eyes – a little tic he had for when he was deep in thought. ‘I’ve been a lion before, I can handle being… huh, what am I, now that I think about it?’

Getting up and trying a four-legged stance, Sora could feel his feet flat on the ground, with no digits for him to wiggle. His mind went to hooves, which helped to paint some of the picture. He could feel a large tail behind him, so that ruled out being a goat or a deer.

‘A horse, maybe?’ he asked as he wandered about.

Finally, he stumbled upon a mirror in the corner, and got a good glance at what he was. Sure enough, before him stood a horse. But not like any horse he’d ever seen.

Most horses he’d ever seen were dark muddy colors – with the exception of Maximus, of course – but the one before him was… unreasonably colorful. Its light cream-colored coat was contrasted by a deep red mane, held upward by a clip in the front, with two highlights, both a different shade of purple, as well as a horn atop its head. Staring back at Sora were massive, expressive eyes, a deep dark purple in color, hidden behind a pair of glasses held together by tape. And upon its body was a dark bluish turtleneck, explaining the feeling of wool Sora woke up to.

But even with some knowledge of what he was, Sora couldn’t help but voice his confusion.

“What the…?” He stuttered, taking it all in. “Am I a Dream Eater or something? … Wait a minute, am I a girl!? Yozora, what did you do to me!? And how the heck does this save me!?”

His thoughts were interrupted by a cursory glance behind him, seeing something in the background of his own reflection. He recognized this something, for it was on him at almost all times, despite what anyone else knew. On the lone coffee table sat his bag, the one he carried all of his items in, and Sora had never been happier to see it.

It was a simple satchel, but one that had been enchanted several times over by Donald over the course of their journey, including a Mini spell for easy storage, and even more elemental resistances than his original outfit. Not only was it where they stored all their Synthesis Materials initially, but it was also their storage for extra armor, battle items, and of course, all his extra Keychains.

And right now, it was looking noticeably full.

That little detail gave Sora some hope, as he’d gathered a lot of things over the course of his adventure. And as he went through the bag – a harder feat than one would think now that he had hooves – the sights before him were enough to put his mind (mostly) at ease. He was happy to see it all, his keychains, his armor and accessories, his main outfit, his belt full of Elixi-

“Hang on, what the heck!?” He asked, looking to his 2 remaining battle items incredulously. “I had like 7 of these things! Where’d they all go?”

Taking that question and promptly placing it into the ‘for later’ segment of his mind, Sora was happy to see the various Keychains were still there. He’d put a lot of work into upgrading the Keyblades as far as he could, so to lose them would have genuinely made him sad.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard outside the nearby window, and on instinct, he rushed toward it, and saw a sight that made him especially glad he had all his stuff. Something that would have been almost comforting, were it not an immediate sign of danger.

“The Heartless are here too!?” He asked, readying his Keyblade. “Dangit… guess I’ll have to figure out how to fight on the fly.”

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, Sora defaulted to the strongest Keyblade he had on hand; the Ultima Weapon. The ornately designed sword materialized in his new maw, and he gripped down on it much like he had when he was in the Pride Lands.

And without a second thought, he rushed out the door. The only thing that stopped him remotely was a Pegasus in golden armor zipping past him, spear at the ready.

“Citizen, I must ask that you get inside!” The stallion told her. “This is a dangerous situation against a hostile foe!”

“I know!” Sora answered back, his speech muffled only slightly by the Keyblade’s handle. “I can help!”

The guard was dumbfounded at this, but for various reasons beyond some pony simply offering to fight a new threat. This mare, looking like she’d just woke up, comes charging out of the door wanting to assist in the battle, and carrying perhaps the strangest looking weapon he’d ever seen; not looking like it could cut through butter, much less whatever these things were.

Shaking off the confusion, he simply reiterated. “I cannot allow that. I must ask that you get yourself to safety.”

As he was about to move back into the fray, a Large Body charged toward him at incredible speed, knocking him into the concrete fence. Pain overtook him even through his armor, and the big Heartless belly flopped forward, sliding toward the prone Pegasus. Fear overtook him, as he tried to get back to standing.

With all the speed he could muster, Sora got in between the two, and blocked the strike with his Keyblade. It nearly sent him stumbling, due to not being used to this four-legged stance, but he found himself grounded, and unleashed a powerful upward slash in retaliation. The giant Heartless was flung through the sky, and Sora teleported upward to hit it with a downward strike.

It wasn’t nearly as elegant as his usual counter slashes, but it got the job done, as the Large Body dissipated, and the heart floated into the sky.

‘They must have already done some good damage,’ he surmised, knowing at a glance that the monster was close to defeat before he did anything. ‘That’s good. Wherever I am, they’re in good hands. … Hooves? Good hooves.’

“I can help,” Sora reiterated right back to the guard. “I know how to take down the Heartless.”

“The… Heartless? You know what these things are?”

He winced, a certain white duck’s screaming about ‘order’ coming to the forefront of his mind.

“I’ll uh… explain later, I promise!” Sora told him. “For now, we’ve gotta take these guys down!”

Before the stallion had a chance to respond, Sora rushed back into the fray, and attempted a jumping slash at the Soldier. It dissipated, and the follow through nearly caused the Keyblade wielder to stumble again. He didn’t know why, but this body felt… weaker. Significantly so.

As he spun around, catching at least 3 nearby Shadows with a strike, this weakness became abundantly clear. One of them lived, and managed to get a swipe in, ripping the turtleneck and leaving the slightest gash on his newly equine body. He winced, not at the pain, but rather at the fact that the hit happened at all.

Usually, he was quicker to recover than that.

‘Did Yozora steal my powers or something? What’s going on?’ he asked himself, blocking a Soldier’s aerial spin attack.

Seeing an opportunity, Sora let the magic flow through his Keyblade, and unleashed a powerful Firaga, that obliterated the Soldier in an instant, despite being obviously in top condition. This was a surprise, given his physical powers seemed off, but a welcome one, as it meant his magic was actually STRONGER in this form.

‘Well, that’s my out, then.’

Absorbing the dropped Magic Energy from his opponent, Sora rushed in, feeling the energy flow through him once again. Like it was second nature, the sparks ran from his body through to his weapon, as he threw it upward to unleash it. From the tip of Ultima Weapon, a spark shot outward, which in mere milliseconds summoned forth multiple lightning bolts, dealing massive damage to all the Heartless in the area.

In a flash, they were almost all gone, the remaining few stragglers being ran through by a few other guards in the area. Sora let out a sigh of relief, dismissing his Keyblade and scanning the area to see if anything else remained.

“You there! Madam!”

Turning around, he was greeted by a Pegasus stallion in ornate armor. Said stallion looked to Sora and smiled, though he caught the unease that the ‘mare’ was showing.

“Whoa now, no need to fear, madam,” he said calmly. “You’re not in any trouble. While reckless to jump into danger like that, one of my soldiers tells me you protected him from one of those beasts. For that, you have my thanks.”

A bit of the unease lifted as Sora heard his praises sung, but it was not completely gone. He still wasn’t exactly comfortable with being called ‘Madam’, even if some part of him knew he’d be stuck having to get used to it.

“He also stated that you referred to them as ‘Heartless’, and promised an explanation,” the Stallion continued. “I’m afraid there are still some who need immediate treatment, but we will still have to-”

“Where are they? I can help with that too.” Sora offered, summoning his Keyblade back.

“… That strange weapon of yours is certainly among our list of questions,” the guard said. “But we’ll put that on the backburner. You can help the injured mares?”

To this, Sora nodded. “Trust me. I’ve got something for that.”

“Very well. Follow me.”

Within a few seconds, he was brought before a few injured Unicorns, all of whom were unconscious, but their injuries were not beyond anything he’d ever gotten rid of before. And thankfully, he had the perfect spell for the job.

Raising his Keyblade to the sky, he exclaimed “HEAL!”

Suddenly, a bright green light enveloped the mares, small projections of flowers over their heads for a second or two, as their wounds miraculously closed in an instant. The guards’ eyes widened in shock, as the mares stirred from their sleep.

The first one to awaken was varying shades of blue, and let out a slight grumble as she got back to her sitting position.

“Yeesh,” she said with a slight chuckle. “That big thing sure packed a wallop.”

She was about to say something else, but her attention was completely given to her savior once she noticed the familiar cream coat. She gasped upon seeing an equally familiar face, and felt a huge smile adorn her features.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Sora said, “I’m glad you’r-”

“Moon Dancer! It’s so good to see you! How long has it been, you old so-and-so?”

Any words that the young Keybearer might have had dissipated as he heard that unfamiliar name. “M-… Moon Dancer?”

“Aw, come on, no need to play coy,” the mare continued, still smiling eagerly. “Your old pal Minuette never forgets a face! So, don’t spare the details, what have you been up to? We never see you anymore, and judging by that weird sword you’ve got, you’ve been hard at work on something HUGE!”

Said weird sword vanished from Sora’s mouth, mainly due to the fact that it now hung open in abject shock. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the implications of Minuette’s words, and they made his stomach drop further than he thought possible.

There was a brief silence, stopped only by the fact that Minuette pushed on.

“Moon Dancer?” She asked, her grin never leaving her face.

Realizing he was still in the middle of a conversation, Sora shook himself from his stupor, and let out a nervous chuckle at the scene.

“Oh, sorry about that,” he finally answered. “I’ve just… uh, been busy lately! But then those things showed up!”

“The Heartless, as I recall you calling them,” one of the soldiers piped up.

“The Heartless?” another mare asked, this one mostly yellow, but with a green mane and tail. “Is that what those things that attacked us were called?”

‘Okay, this is bad! Come on brain, come up with a way out of this!’

“Uh…” he stuttered, trying to find a way out. “L-listen, I’d love to tell you more, but I really should be getting back inside. I was… just about to cook dinner, and I can’t leave the stove unattended for too long!”

“Well, there is still the issue of our questions, Miss Moon Dancer,” the lead guard said, approaching Sora. “We’ve much to go over, clearly, given what you’ve both said and shown tonight.”

“And I’ll answer, I promise,” Sora told him. “But can it please wait until tomorrow? I really can’t wait tonight.”

“… Very well. We shall return to your abode at Noon tomorrow, and we expect honest answers about your knowledge on the subject.”

“You’ll get them. You have my word.”

With a few more cordial goodbyes, the guards left the vicinities, and all that was left was Sora, Minuette, and the other mares. Before they could even get a word in edgewise, Sora rushed back into the house, and closed the door behind him. The three were shocked by the sudden action, though they understood it.

“Well,” Lemon Hearts began. “Seems somepony’s studying some really amazing things.”

“I know,” Twinkleshine added in. “Did you see that sword of hers? It was so ornate, and so strange looking.”

“It almost looked like an oversized key to me,” Minuette joked. “Wonder where she got it. Maybe we should invite her out for donuts and ask about it.”

The three mares discussed this little plan of theirs a little further before they wandered off, leaving the premises behind. Meanwhile, inside, the very pony they thought they were talking about paced back and forth, panicking like they haven’t panicked before.

The name ‘Moon Dancer’, the new form that these talking ponies recognized, this house that he woke up in…

He hadn’t just turned into a pony. He had taken over someone else’s body!

The very thought sickened him to his core, as he remembered his fight with the Xehanort-possessed Terra. Even if he’d not intended to steal someone else’s form, he did; he was Moon Dancer right now, walking around her house, wearing her clothes, talking to her friends.

And worst of all, he had no idea how to separate himself from her.

He’d already lost the Power of Waking, so that was off the table. Maybe there was someone in this land who could help? If his magic was enhanced because he was Moon Dancer, that meant there was magic in this world, right?

Sitting down on his new haunches, Sora glanced back to his bag, and pulled out his old garments, given to him by the three fairies what felt like ages ago. Now that he knew he was in another being’s body, it made sense why he felt so sluggish earlier. He was no stranger to ‘power-downs’, as he liked to call them, but this certainly hadn’t felt like one in the sense he’d felt them previously. But that just made sense. Poor mare has probably never trained with weapons, if he had to guess, but it was clear her capacity for magic was immense.

It wasn’t a power-down, so much as it was a new skillset to learn.

One that, at least until he found a way out of this, it seemed he had no choice but to learn.

“I don't know how long I'm gonna be stuck like this… maybe I should see if I can have these refitted,” he told himself, already forming a list of goals in his mind. “Can’t be caught with my guard down if the Heartless are here. And if Moon Dancer’s friends are here, then maybe I can learn more about her, and I can act like her while I’m stuck like this.”

While the idea still left a bad taste in his mouth, Sora knew he didn’t want to mess up this pony’s life just because of his circumstances. He would still fight the Heartless, and he intended to train this body so that he could wield his Keyblade in it, but if it meant giving Moon Dancer an easy time once they were separated again, he’d make sure he understood her.

But for now, he felt the call of sleep working against him. Probably a good thing too, given he had to be up and prepare for an interrogation.

And so, searching the house until he finally found a bedroom, Sora rested on the bed, a plan in his mind and a goal in his heart. After about 15 minutes of empty waiting and considering a few more questions that came to mind, he finally drifted off to a mostly dreamless sleep, mentally prepared for tomorrow.

Starting tomorrow, he would get a better grasp of who Moon Dancer was.

The Morning After

Waking up the next morning, Sora was greeted by a strange and foreboding feeling.

Moon Dancer’s body began to move, getting out of bed sluggishly, and stumbling forward from where it was. The problem?

He wasn’t the one moving it.

“Ugh… what the hay happened last night?” her voice uttered, sending waves of panic through Sora. “I could have sworn I was on the sofa.”

“Uh oh…”

Sora said nothing, as the mare trotted forward in frustration, dealing with the sluggishness he had to assume was typical for her. When she passed by the mirror, she scowled.

“Great, and my favorite sweater got a cut somewhere!” she said with great exasperation. “Just my luck…”

A twinge of guilt was his first response, but that was quickly replaced with a sense of dread, as the events of last night replayed for him. There was no way for him to get out of the interrogation, since as far as he understood, guards were usually very diligent. There was no way they were just going to let this slip under the radar.

“Okay, calm down, just calm down. I can salvage this… I hope.”

Suddenly, Moon Dancer’s head jerked up, her eyes widened as she looked around. Her eyes darted from left to right, as if searching for something in a panic. Dread turned to hope as she let out a sigh, and said aloud “Sweet Celestia, now I’m hearing things.”

“Hearing things,” he thought, wanting to smile despite his lack of a mouth. “You can hear me, Moon Dancer?”

A chill ran up the mare’s spine as she looked around again, this time more determined to find the source of this voice.

“… Who are you?”

“I’m Sora! This is going to sound weird, bu-”

“How did you establish a mental link without my consent?”

The rest of his sentence faded, as he was flabbergasted by the question.

“Mental… link?” he asked. “I… didn’t? It’s kind o-”

“Then disconnect it immediately,” she responded curtly. “I don’t need any interruptions while I’m studying, and I don’t want you hearing my thoughts.”

“Yeah, about tha-”

“Nope, not another word.”

This left Sora conflicted. On one hand, he did not want to leave her hanging like that, especially since the guards would be here at noon, however far away that was. But on the other, this girl didn’t seem like she wanted to listen, and while he was sure he could force her to, he didn’t want to strain their relationship right off the rip.

After all, he was stuck sharing a body with her. He didn’t need her trying to purge him with whatever weird magic she might have.

When he didn’t respond, Moon Dancer decided it was time to begin her studies for the day. She had been in the middle of an interesting read on the trade relationships of Neighpon last night, and she wanted to finish it.

Picking up the book with a silvery glow of magic, Sora watched on as she used telekinesis, in awe of how effortless she made it look.

So, she didn’t bother with anything else, as she just read through the book in complete silence, not even smiling as she did. Being that she’d been halfway in already left Sora completely lost, but couple that with it being about economics and a nation he’d never even heard of, and there was nothing for him to latch on to.

And once she was done, she simply placed it back in her saddlebags, and left the house.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” exclaimed Sora, revealing he was still there. “Where the heck are you going!?”

Moon Dancer stopped mid-trot, her scowl returning. “I thought I told you to disconnect your mental link to me.”

“I would if I could, but I can’t! Now where are you going?”

“The library, genius,” Moon Dancer said, not even cognizant of the strange looks she was getting. “I have books to return.”

“But we need to be back at your place!”

“For what purpose?”

“Well, you see…”

“Ah! There she is, Captain!”

Stopping dead in her tracks, Moon Dancer looked back to see two members of the Royal Guard approaching quick. Confusion laced her thoughts as she wondered why they were coming near her, but she was not so foolish as to try and run. Once they were within speaking distance, she faked a smile, and turned to face them.

“Um, hello?” She said politely. “H-how can I help you?”

The larger Pegasus stepped forward, looking Moon Dancer in the eyes.

“I think you know why we’re here, Miss Moon Dancer,” he said with a neutral tone. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Copper of the Night Platoon, and with me is Iron Lance, the soldier you had a hoof in protecting. We’re here about the answers you promised.”

To this, Moon Dancer’s eyes widened. What was he talking about? She’d never met these two!

“This aint’ good…”

Unless…

“Do you know something about this!?” Moon Dancer tried to say in her mind.

“Yeah, I do, I kind of promised them answers last night,” Sora answered, sounding slightly guilty. “Listen, just tell them that you’ll take them back to your place and answer the questions there.”

“For what purpose? Why should I have to clean up your mess?”

“Well, I’m guessing you don’t want to go to jail for not cooperating with your royal guard?”

Loath as she was to admit it, Sora had a point. If she resisted this further, it might end up worse than postponing a library trip. With a heavy sigh of disappointment, she looked to the knights and nodded.

“Right, sorry, it must have slipped my mind,” she said, following Sora’s instructions. “Follow me back to my house, and I’ll explain everything there.”

“Excellent,” Captain Copper told her. “We appreciate your cooperation, madam.”

‘Not like I had much of a choice,’ she lamented, leading them back to her house. “Sora, was it?”

“Yeah?”

As they trotted back to her abode, Moon Dancer made no attempts to hide her irritation. “You are going to tell me everything I need to know in order to get out of this situation. Got it?”

She couldn’t see it, but based on the noise he made, she assumed Sora did the equivalent of a shrug. “Fair enough. I mean, I was gonna do that anyway. It is kinda my fault.”

The bookworm’s only answer was a slow exhale. Whoever this was, he at least owned up to his mistakes…

“Okay, you referred to them as Heartless. What do you know of them?”

“They are… creatures formed of the Darkness inside Ponies’ hearts. When that Darkness consumes somepony, they become a Heartless. They come in a lot of different forms, the ones you saw last night just being a few of the variations.”

“Fascinating. And where did you learn of these creatures?”

“I’ve… read some very obscure books. That's about all I can say.”

“Hm… what threat would they pose to the public?”

“… They would steal the hearts of Ponies to form more Heartless if we weren’t there to stop them.”

A brief silence followed, so intense a falling eyelash could be heard, nevermind a pin dropping.

“That weapon you wielded…” Iron Lance stepped in, as his commander ruminated on this. “It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Functionally, it looks useless, yet it cut through those Heartless like they were nothing. What is it?”

“Weapon…?” Moon Dancer paused, before finally nodding. “It’s a Keyblade. A rare weapon meant for fighting darkness. Though they don’t all look like that. It depends on the wielder.”

“I see. And where did you obtain it?”

“I… I honestly don’t remember. I just woke up one morning, and I had it.”

“Hm… very well. It seemed to be enchanted last night. Did you do that yourself?”

“… It just came to me like that. I can summon and dismiss it as I please, I can slice through things with it far more ease than you might expect, and I can use it as a focus for my Magic.”

“As we saw,” Captain Copper said, finally jumping back into the conversation. “You summoned forth multiple lightning bolts with ease, and perfectly targeted to only hit the Heartless. Along with that, you managed to heal those mares in an instant, a feat even some of our most powerful mages need much time and effort to perform.”

Moon Dancer winced. Had she really done all of that last night?

… No, Sora supposedly did all of that, she reminded herself. None of that was her.

“Does this ‘Keyblade’ greatly enhance one’s abilities just by wielding it?” Captain Copper asked. “Such a feat would require Alicorn-level Magic, and forgive me if this comes off as rude, but you don’t strike me as somepony with Alicorn-level Magic.”

Moon Dancer scowled for a second but brought herself back to a neutral face just as quickly.

“I… do not know. I just wield it by instinct. I’ve never really given that fact much thought.”

Captain Copper sighed. “Fair enough, I suppose. Okay… last question. You said you just woke up one day with this Keyblade? Do you know of any means to get them? Having these Keyblades would be very useful should the Heartless attack again.”

“… I’m sorry, but I don’t. As far as I understand it, Keyblades are semi-sentient, choosing their wielders. Unfortunately, that means one only comes to somepony they deem worthy, and there’s no way to even loan you mine. It would just return to me.”

Nopony said anything, as that last detail left both soldiers looking and feeling rather disappointed. Not that Moon Dancer could blame them – she too would be rather upset if she found out the secret to solving a problem had that kind of exclusivity, and that there was no consistent factor to achieving it.

“Very well,” Captain Copper stood up, his expression belying his irritation at that final answer. “We thank you very much for your time, Miss Moon Dancer. This information will certainly be helpful should those monsters return.”

The captain brought his face closer to Moon Dancer, returning to a neutral expression. “We will be keeping in touch from here on out.”

“I… sort of figured,” she answered. “I will try to be ready.”

The two soldiers nodded and walked out of Moon Dancer’s house without another word. She was alone again.

Well, mostly alone…

“Whew!” Sora said, relieved that it was over. “You did great, Moon Dancer.”

“Well, your explanations could have used some work,” she told him. “You’re lucky I could paraphrase them into a more concise answer.”

“Gimme a break, I was trying to give them give them what they wanted without outing myself.”

While this exchange was going on, Moon Dancer moved into the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the counter, and taking a big bite out of it.

“So, how are you even here, Sora?” she asked in between chewing. “Judging by the lapse in my memory where you were apparently performing supernatural feats, I’m now going to assume this is more than just a mental link.”

Had he been in his own body, this would have been the moment that Sora rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Part of him knew this question would come up, but he’d been hoping it could have waited a bit longer.

Oh well, no use delaying it.

“So… it’s a long story,” he began, “And I don’t think you’ll want to hear all of it, so I’ll cut to the chase. I… I went against the laws of nature, using the Power of Waking in a way that I apparently shouldn’t have.”

“And this ‘Power of Waking’ is?”

“I’ll explain it later, I promise. Anyway, I was able to save someone very dear to me with it, but it cost me my existence. I wandered the Land of Sea and Sky, hoping to find a way back to Kairi and the others, when I found… Yozora.

We fought each other, and… I lost. The last thing I heard was him saying he’d save me, and when I woke up, I found myself… in control of your body.”

The split-second of shock caused Moon Dancer’s telekinesis to falter, the apple falling right on the ground.

So, apparently, when she lost consciousness, this strange stallion was in control of her body, fighting creatures of darkness with a ‘Keyblade’? And now he’s still here, his soul seemingly linked to her because of somepony named ‘Yozora’, after committing crimes against the natural order?

That was a lot to absorb. Though it did leave one more question at the forefront of her mind…

“How exactly does grafting your soul onto my body save you?” she questioned aloud.

“THANK YOU! That's what I said too!” exclaimed Sora, almost sounding relieved at her inquiry. “Seriously, is there something we’re both missing here?”

Moon Dancer exhaled, picking back up her apple. “Most likely. And considering your last encounter with this ‘Yozora’ guy, I highly doubt we’re going to get an answer.”

As she finished the apple, core and all, the mare went over to her couch and sat down. “So, I suppose that means there will be times when you take over my body, huh?”

“I mean, seems like it,” Sora told her. “But I don’t want to do it without your okay.”

“Why does my okay matter? As I understand it, you’re the one with the super powerful magic and amazing key-sword. I’m just some mare.”

The boy noted disappointment in her voice, and it hurt him inside. While he might not have known Moon Dancer for very long, to hear her talk down about herself like that, especially about having autonomy over her own form brought his protective instincts to the forefront.

Already, the similarities between this and Terra made him uncomfortable. He wasn’t about to do what Xehanort did.

“Because this isn’t a one-ma-… one-pony show,” he answered, trying to use her world’s vernacular. “If I’m going to share your body, then we’re basically partners. And besides that, since I’m the outsider here, I don’t want to mess up anything.”

“Alright, I suppose I see your points,” Moon Dancer admitted. “But still though, we seem to be two very different ponies. How are we going to both be able to do what we please?”

“Simple. We respect each other’s choices. If you want to spend your time in control studying at the library, I won’t get in your way. And if I spend my time exercising so that this body can wield my Keyblade better, you won’t get in my way. Sound fair?”

“As fair as can be expected. But what about how you act?”

“Oh, I’ve already thought of that. I’m gonna try and act more like you, learn what you’re all about. That way I can be convincing that I'm you if I need to.”

Moon Dancer nodded, content with the agreement.

Suddenly, a knock could be heard from her door.

Getting up mostly on principle to check if it was the guards again, she opened the door back up, and was greeted not with the guards, but with three faces she hadn’t seen in a while now. Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts were standing out in her front yard, eager smiles adorned on their faces.

“Can I help you?” Moon Dancer asked.

“Hey there,” Twinkleshine said. “We never got to thank you for saving us last night.”

“Don’t mention it.” She told them, adding in her mind ‘Seriously, don’t.’

“Well, it got us to thinking,” Minuette continued. “We’re going out for donuts today, and we were wondering if you’d like to join your old friends for a day on the town?”

“Ugh!” she groaned, not even having to think about her answer. “Not happening.”

And for the second time in 24 hours, the door was shut on the three mares, who were just staring for a second at her shift in mood.

Finally, Lemon Hearts sighed. “Well, I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but she didn’t want to join us, Minuette.”

“Aw, come on, Lemon Hearts,” Minuette told her, her boundless optimism still as strong as ever. “Maybe we just caught her at a bad time. I mean, she did have to talk with those guards, after all.”

“That is true,” Twinkleshine chimed in. “I don’t imagine anypony would be in it when they’ve got that on their plate.”

“I guess. I mean, she did at least answer the door. That’s further than we got last time we tried to visit her.”

Minuette nodded. “Exactly. Maybe we can try again tomorrow. Not for donuts, but maybe just go to the park or something.”

Thinking it was worth a shot, the three girls trotted away, a new plan in mind for their old friend.

Meanwhile, behind the door, said ‘old friend’ grabbed the nearest book she could find, and opened it up. It didn’t matter to her that it was one she’d read already, all that mattered was that it was something she could lose herself in.

“Uh, Moon Dancer?”

Or at least, she should have been able to lose herself in.

“What is it, Sora?” she asked, her patience now wearing thin. “Can’t you see I’m kind of busy here?”

“I can, it’s just… well, where did that come from?”

“What? Is it so wrong for me to not want any interruptions?”

“I guess not. But aren’t they your friends? You didn’t need to give ‘em the cold shoulder like that.”

One single word was all it took, and Moon Dancer’s mood was completely ruined. She scowled, as if Sora were standing right in front of her.

“First thing we’re going to have to set straight,” she said, now angry at her new ‘partner’. “I don’t have friends, Sora. Nor do I want them. Now if you’re done, I’d like to get back to my book.”

When she didn’t get a response from him, a swell of satisfaction ran through her. Seems he got the memo, and he’d left her to her book once again. It wasn’t very long before she was lost within the words and the figures she’d been going over, content with the silence that she’d been given.

But unbeknownst to her, someone was not content.

In her mind, Sora drifted, completely dumbfounded by her earlier declaration. Didn’t have friends? Didn’t want them? How could that be?

In all of his travels, he’d never met anyone who didn’t want or need friends in the end. Friends gave strength to each other, gave you someone to count on, made it worth facing even the worst of days for. It was his deeply embedded belief, his own personal mantra, a code he lived by – ‘My friends are my power, and I’m theirs’.

Hell, even Master Xehanort himself, in his final moments, he had his old friend (Master Eraqus, he remembered the others calling him) by his side. So, to imagine anyone not having or wanting friends…

The very thought made his head spin.

Ironic, honestly. Not even ten minutes into their agreement and he already found a scenario where ‘respecting each other’s choices’ was becoming an issue. Sure, she might have said she did not want any friends, but that just wasn’t in Sora’s nature. He was a social guy, and he liked to form new bonds, make new friendships, enjoy the company of others. Even if he wanted to act convincingly like Moon Dancer, he couldn’t imagine bringing himself to be distant to others, even as an act. And plus, that Minuette girl seemed like the nicest pony he'd met so far, so he couldn't bear to make her feel bad.

... But perhaps there was a reason why Moon Dancer felt this way. He’d have to remember to ask at some point. He had meant what he said about them being partners, and that meant her wellbeing was of utmost importance to him. If there was anything he could do to help her, even minorly, he would do it, without hesitation.

It’d be a careful dance, trying to balance his social nature with her non-social one, but he’d do it. And while he was, he was going to try and assist her, to get through to her, in any way he could.

After all, she was his partner.

And even if she didn’t feel the same way, she was his friend.

Author's Note

And there you have it, Chapter 2.

Honestly, I think my favorite part about writing this so far is imagining how Sora reacts, but I suppose that's to be expected. He's a very fun character to think through because, while he's not the smartest, he's a thinker. Might be a bit slow on the uptake, but there's usually something in a situation to get his gears turning.

But now, they've got an agreement going, though we'll see how long it remains the way it is. Tune in next time to see where all these plans go.

The Second Incident

Another early morning in Canterlot, the recently-risen sun signaling the beginning of a brand-new day for everypony. Many were getting up, enjoying breakfast, planning for what events would unfold, and so on.

But for one red-maned mare…

“Sora, please, for the love of Celestia! We’ve been at this for two-and-a-half hours!”

Well, it was a complicated morning.

Moon Dancer had gone to bed early that night, surprising even herself with how the need for rest superseded her desire to study her newest scripture. On the bright side, this did lead to a discovery, as Sora was in control when they woke up; her prevailing theory is that whenever they lose consciousness, they switch who has access to the physical form.

And even though it was before the sun had even been raised by Princess Celestia, Sora immediately began working on training.

The boy was relentless. Not five minutes after having a light breakfast, and Sora had already started on a light trot around their district. Halfway in, a light trot turned into a run, and a run turned into a sprint, she presumed as the last of his sleepiness faded away. It had left her body out of breath by the end of it; a recurring theme, as Sora often had to take several minutes to recuperate.

Couple that with many minutes of rigorous stretches and several dozen attempts at doing some flips – each attempt getting closer than the last, which was at least something – and she was left to wonder how he could bear to keep up this routine. Even now, as they were in a secluded little section of the nearby park, she dreaded the idea of this being a frequent thing.

“No can do, Moon Dancer,” he answered back, irritating the mare at the joy and confidence in his tone. “The only way we get better is if we practice. Now, I gotta get used to your magic power.”

If she could have, she would have rolled her eyes. “Well sorry that we can’t all be Alicorn-level mages.”

Sora seemed visibly confused by that. “What do you mean? You’ve got plenty of magic to your name.”

“Oh please. I’m not that good…”

As he brought forward some small rocks and neatly put them into a pile, Sora shook his head fervently. “My magic was strong back home, but it’s a lot more potent now. You might not be athletic, but you’ve got a lotta potential in you.”

Honestly, Moon Dancer wasn’t sure what to say to that. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been complimented, or at least the last time that she’d paid attention to someone complimenting her. But to hear the alien with the unprecedented spellcasting ability thought her magic was commendable, that made her feel vaguely warm inside.

A warmth she’d long since forgotten, and one she was quick to push back down. He was probably just being nice because they were stuck together, she reminded herself.

… Even if some part of herself was saying otherwise.

“Now, lemme see if I can get this right…” Sora mused, focusing on the rock at the top of the pile.

It took a few moments, but he could feel the magic envelop his horn, and then a similar feeling envelop the stone. And it was a surreal feeling to him, though not an unfamiliar one – he had used telekinesis in both his Master Form as well as Final Form. However, channeling it through a horn was a very different feeling than his hands, and that was where the issue lied. He still needed a try or two before he felt more comfortable with it.

A few more tries before he got completely used to the feeling, and a couple extra before he started trying more daring things. First was lifting more than one, second was placing them in certain spots, third was throwing them, and finally, he began moving them in quick and convoluted paths, some of them even imitating the swings of a sword.

“All right!” he said triumphantly. “I think I got it now. Now the only thing to do is try it with the real thing.”

Moon Dancer was expecting that extravagantly designed red Keyblade he’d been wielding when he first showed her what exactly a ‘Keyblade’ was. It was perhaps the gaudiest weapon she’d ever seen in her life, but part of her assumed it was what she’d watch him wield.

So, part of her was surprised (as well as somewhat pleased) to see a vastly different weapon appear. He placed it on the ground, allowing a full view of it.

While this one kept the same general shape that so obviously caused ‘keyblade’ to be the general term, it was rather plain in terms of appearance. It had a uniform handguard, golden in color, with a black leather grip, and a silver blade (though she was remiss to call something so rounded a ‘blade’), ending with a set of teeth giving the image of a skeleton key. The crown shape that was formed inside the teeth was not lost on her, given that it was the same shape as the necklace Sora had put on before starting his run.

But perhaps most interesting was that she finally got the chance to notice the keychain attached to the bottom of the weapon, ending in a strange symbol made of three circles.

All in all, it was a nice departure from her previous idea of Keyblades, and something about it made her want to smile.

“So, you have multiple Keyblades, Sora?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“Sort of,” he answered, picking it up with his magic and doing a couple of light practice swings. “I only have the one Keyblade, but its form changes based on the Keychain hanging from it, and what that Keychain represents.”

He looked to his weapon of choice, and a nostalgic grin found its way onto his face. “This one is called the Kingdom Key. It was my first, the one that’s stood by me through thick and thin.”

“I see. You said that the ‘Ultima Weapon’ was your strongest Keyblade, yes? How does your original compare?”

Nostalgia was replaced with a more hopeful grin. This was the most interest she had taken in something he’d been doing this whole time. Perhaps that was his key to getting through to her, no pun intended.

“It’s a very balanced Keyblade, actually,” he explained. “Some are designed for physical combat, while others are really good tools for magic, while others have really strong enchantments. This one’s a jack of all trades, basically. Good at everything, but I can use better ones for hitting or for magic.”

“Well, versatility is a virtue in and of itself.” Moon Dancer told him. “Specialization has its place, but sometimes it is better to be multifaceted.”

“No argument here. And besides, even if it’s not my strongest Keyblade, I like to use it, especially for training. With how much I’ve been through with it, it just feels right. Like it’s as much a part of me as your horn is a part of you.”

That was a sentiment the mare could certainly get behind. She still had the beakers and vials from her first alchemy set, despite there being better ones out there that were in her price range.

“Unfortunately, I don’t really have anything to hit,” Sora mused. “Say, Moon Dancer? Is there a spell that can make a copy of you?”

“… You want to hit me?”

At that, the boy’s eyes widened in horror, the implications now clear. “No! No no no, that’s not what I meant! I was just- I need something so that I’m not just swinging at air.”

“And I was the first thing that came to mind?”

“L-look, I wasn’-”

An ear-piercing shriek stole both of their attention, coming from the direction of the marketplace. Stowing his thoughts for the time being, Sora rushed in that direction, surprising Moon Dancer with the sudden burst of speed. She’d never been able to move this fast before, but now Sora was blitzing through the area like it was nothing.

‘Could it be… his powers come out more based on his emotions?’

She’d not receive an answer to this question, and part of her wasn’t sure if it was because she kept it private or because of Sora’s tunnel vision. He was moving like a pony possessed, Kingdom Key floating near him as he approached the scene.

What they saw horrified them.

Restaurant Row was ablaze, several building on fire as a few Flame Cores jumped through the scene. Several guards were in flight, already dealing with the airborne threat, but on the ground was a more difficult story.

Sora had never seen this type of Heartless before, but the fact that it was vaguely shaped like an Equestrian pony did not bode well.

The shadowy horses moved with incredible speed, their charges knocking guards off their hooves easily, while some jumped upward to slam down on the prone soldiers. Sora winced as he heard a guard’s scream of agony and tried to get in to do something about it.

Jumping forward with a quick slash, Sora was able to knock the Heartless away. As he landed down, he thrust his Keyblade forward, before swinging it in a 360 motion upward. The dark horse was left in midair, where Sora considered himself to be most dangerous. With a few quick spinning slashes and a thrust, Sora had dealt significant damage, before transitioning into his finisher. Spinning vertically a couple of times, the Kingdom Key circled his body in a similar motion, hitting the enemy a few times before it finally dissipated.

When he thought it was over, a dark horse jumped in front of him, attempting to attack him in midair. Unfortunately for it, Sora was faster, and he had enough energy for one more finisher.

“BACK OFF!” He exclaimed, jerking the Keyblade forward in a downward motion. The result was a pillar of light materializing as soon as contact was made, much larger than the last time Sora had used this technique. The dark horse was enveloped in a blinding radiance, and in an instant, it was defeated, catching even the user of the technique off-guard.

This would prove to be a bane for Sora, as his split-second distraction was taken advantage of easily.

No sooner than he landed, did one of the equine Heartless slam into his side. Unfortunately, the turtleneck was not any sort of protection, and these guys seemed to be significantly more damaging than the Shadows.

The first attack left him reeling, but it was the second that knocked him off his feet. Another dark horse kicked him with its hind legs, throwing him prone by the sheer force behind the attack. Afterward, a third jumped up into the air, and slammed its front hooves down on Moon Dancer’s chest, nearly cracking ribs in the process.

It took every ounce of willpower Sora had not to scream out in pain, gritting his teeth to keep it down, as he swatted the beast away with his Kingdom Key.

Standing back up and seeing the blood trickle from his mouth, Sora let out a small groan of frustration. “Looks like these things have some good teamwork.”

“’Looks like’? Have you never seen these before!?”

He stood back up, casting a quick Curaga to bring himself back up to full. “I’ve seen Horse Heartless before, but never like these.”

“So you don’t know how to defeat them?”

To that, Sora shook his head. “Every Heartless has a weakness. I’ll find this one’s.”

As the horses charged, Sora stood his ground, blocking the middle one as the other two came in close. Seeing an opening, he swung upward, before pulling off a much more seamless counter slash than the last time.

When he landed, his first instinct was to dodge roll out of the way of the other two, which he used as a chance to get some free damage in. Thanks to being in ‘Recharge’, as he called it, he could feel the energies bubbling up within him from every strike. Just a few more was all he needed.

A Flame Core set ablaze nearly hit Sora head on, barely catching him in the flanks, and nearly throwing off his next block. He had to overcompensate for this adjustment by swinging to block, which just barely kept the dark horse at bay. He slammed his Kingdom Key into its face once again, and then swung upward, putting himself airborne right as his energies hit their peak.

“Yes! Now I’ve got it!”

“HAAAA!”

The dark horse was thrown back by a wave of force that exploded outward from where Sora was. While there was no visual change, Sora could feel the difference, as a wave of nostalgia hit him. He was about to use some of his favorite old abilities, and he had one in mind that was perfect here.

Swinging his Keyblade violently at the Heartless, he attacked with great fervor, each swipe moving with enough force to leave an energy trail. The final strike destroyed this foe, but Sora was far from done.

“This is it!” he said, feeling a former spell come to the forefront. As he spun around in midair, the Flame Cores and dark horses surrounded him, orbiting the Magnet spell that surrounded his and Moon Dancer’s shared form.

The spell burst, dissipating a few of the enemies in an instant, but also causing the remaining Flame Cores to ignite. That was not good, given how dangerous they could be, especially to the ones trying to quell the inferno.

And his magic was…

Back!?

Sure enough, he felt his reserves of magic fully recharged, surprising even himself by the development. Usually it took longer than this, and he didn’t have Classic Tone equipped, or his 3 powerful accessories, so how?

And then it hit him.

“Moon Dancer, of course!”

The mare in question made a small noise. “Um, what? What did I do?”

“You might have just saved everypony! WATER!”

From the tip of Sora’s Kingdom Key, a mighty Waterga spell burst forth, so large it engulfed two Flame Cores that were close by and defeated both in and instant. Sora did not miss a beat, landing on the ground and casting a second Waterga to put out another Flame Core, and another, and another. The combo was simple, as he picked up their Magic energy while keeping up his assault. Soon enough, all the Flame Cores were defeated, and Sora dedicated his last few casts to helping put out the fire.

Once he was in Recharge again, he saw the remaining enemies, a few more dark horses surrounding a white-furred mare.

“Get away from her!” Sora demanded, catching the attention of the Heartless as he charged in. One met his advance, and neither side intended to give an inch.

As Keyblade met shadowy horn, Sora was thrown back by the dark unicorn’s strength, but was far from out for the count. He was able to dodge the next attempt to skewer him, but it was followed up by a swift kick to the side, throwing him back.

When he landed on his feet, Sora felt his energies coming back down. Second Form would not last much longer, so he needed to finish it strong.

As the Heartless attempted its jumping attack, Sora dodged out of the way, and made his move the moment it landed.

“ARS ARCANUM!”

The wellspring of his power surged through him, as he swung the Kingdom Key at a far greater speed than before, wailing on the Heartless with everything he had. Slash after slash landed perfectly, ending in a relentless series of smaller swipes, that transitioned into a final downward slam.

The Heartless was no more, and all of Sora’s form change was spent. He barely had a moment to catch his breath, Moon Dancer’s middling stamina catching up to him.

Thankfully, the guard were making good on their duty, and handling the stragglers well enough. He fell down onto his haunches in triumph, letting his body catch up to his mind, as he watched them dispatch the remaining two with their spears.

“Okay… not good.” He told Moon Dancer, too tired to say it aloud. “A new kind of Heartless, and I think it’s safe to guess that they’re made of Ponies here.”

“Judging by their body shape… yeah, I’d say so.” Moon Dancer said, already contemplating how bad this looked. “And they seem fairly intelligent, to boot.”

“The Heartless usually are. It’s part of why they’re so dangerous.”

“Well, at the very least, we were able to defeat them, despite their coordinated assault.”

Sora smiled, seeing the still smoking, but no longer flaming buildings. “I just hope everypony’s safe.”

“… I do too.”

A few minutes later, and everyone in the area was escorted to safety, and the damage began to be cleaned to the best of the guards’ abilities. It would be a bit of time before it was fully inspected and the efforts were put forward to help the businesses rebuild.

And in this time, Sora was given a full status report by the morning guard, who had been informed of the situation by Captain Copper.

“I must say, though,” the morning Captain said. “You are far from what I was expecting, Miss Moon Dancer.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sora asked.

“I mean no disrespect, of course. It’s just you just look rather… disheveled for somepony so skilled.”

A faint blush of embarrassment covered Sora’s face. He had seen what Moon Dancer looked like, and though he hated to agree, it was kind of true. A turtleneck with a tear in it and messy hair held up with a clip didn’t exactly scream ‘powerful swordfighter’. And of course, hours of training probably made her look worse.

With a sigh, Sora simply said “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to get a h-… mane cut, but I’ve been putting it off for months. Anyway, is everypony safe?”

“I am very happy to report there were no casualties to speak of,” answered the Captain. “Your Water spells were a huge help on that front, of course. And speaking of your actions during that battle, there are some on the scene who wish to speak with you.”

There was no hesitation from Sora, who was more than willing to speak with those he’d just saved. Despite his line of work involving saving others, he didn’t get too many chances to speak to those he actually protected. This was a rare opportunity.

So, when the Captain led him over to the two, he was pleasantly surprised to see who it was.

“Minuette!” he said happily. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re safe!”

“Aw, you were worried about me?” She asked, smiling. “Well, it’s thanks to you we’re all right. I didn’t think I’d get the chance to see how you fight. You’re amazing, Moon Dancer!”

“I must agree, darling. From Minuette’s description, it sounds like quite the spectacle.”

From behind the blue unicorn, Sora finally got a chance to see the white-furred pony he had saved near the end of the fight. She too was a unicorn, with a well-kept purple mane and two of the most expressive blue eyes he’d ever seen, perfectly accentuated by her eye shadow. While he figured it was rude to stare at somepony’s flanks, he did catch a glimpse of her ‘Cutie Mark’, as Moon Dancer had called it.

‘Three diamonds? What, does she mine gems?’

The young mare approached, bowing cordially to Sora. “You have my sincerest thanks for your assistance. I’m sure if you hadn’t intervened, those rapscallions would have done much worse than simply knock me unconscious.”

“Glad I could help,” he told her with his signature grin. “I’m So-… Moon Dancer, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Charmed. I am Rarity, owner of Ponyville’s Carousel Boutique.”

That caught Sora’s attention. A boutique? Like, where they make clothes?

“Do you resize outfits, by any chance?”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity answered, a hint of pride in her voice. “Resizing, repair, customization. I like to think myself rather multifaceted in my craft.”

Considering the content of their little discussion earlier, that line earned a slight chuckle from Sora and Moon Dancer alike.

“Well, that’s really good news,” he told her. “You see, I have this stuff at my house that I need to get resized, and my sweater has a cut that could use mending. So, are you willing to do an order for me?”

“Why, of course. I’ll just need your measurements, as well as to see the pieces. Care to show me?”

Sora nodded. “Follow me, then. Though I should warn you… it’s a lot.”

The look on Rarity’s face said it all.

“Darling, where in the world did you get these?” She asked incredulously, looking to the main outfit like it was a completely alien garb.

But then again, he supposed it was…

“Oh, well my old master gave it to me, but… I think he was a bit confused,” Sora lied, taking off Moon Dancer’s turtleneck as well. He chuckled, not daring to imagine the scowl Yen Sid might give him had he heard that.

“Well, I’m inclined to agree. While it’s not at all an ugly ensemble, and it certainly does go with your mane color, it doesn’t look like even the jacket or shirt would fit you properly.”

“Yeah. That’s kind of the problem. It’s a very special outfit, but I can’t use it.”

Rarity took in every detail, having already gotten the measurements earlier, and considering the details. Sora had tried to keep it to a minimum, since the accessories were easy to fit on his ensemble anyway, and the ribbons could just be tied tighter if need be. But he wanted his shirt and jacket, and his Cosmic Belt+ would be useful to have. Up to now, he’d been working with only his inherent defenses, which were somewhat hindered by the new body.

Still though, she’d not been dissuaded, which was a hopeful sign.

“It won’t be easy,” Rarity admitted. “However, I do enjoy a challenge. And as far as the many enchantments you mentioned on the way here, I know somepony who can ensure those remain strong as ever.”

“Thank you so much,” Sora told her, picking up a coin pouch on the coffee table. “How much will I owe you?”

“Oh nonsense, darling. This one, I shall be doing free of charge!”

That declaration caused the keybearer to lose control for a second, dropping the coin purse on the floor. He looked to her, slightly shocked.

“Are you sure?” He asked, not ungrateful, but definitely confused. “I mean, it is kind of a tall order, after all.”

“I insist, Moon Dancer,” Rarity answered with conviction. “Consider it a token of my gratitude for saving me earlier.”

“Well, alright. Thank you, Rarity.”

“My pleasure. Now then, I suppose I must get going. I have a hot air balloon back to Ponyville that I must catch. Farewell for now, Moon Dancer. It was delightful to meet you.”

And with that, Rarity left Moon Dancer’s house, leaving Sora alone with Minuette, who had tagged along out of curiosity.

With one big problem solved, Sora had to wonder what his plans were from here. He really didn’t want to keep training, both due to his exhaustion from that battle and due to there only being so much he could progress in a single day. But he also wanted to be productive in some way, especially now that he had something great to look forward to. So, he wanted to find something new to do.

And as a lock of hair fell down into his face, an idea came to mind.

“Say, Minuette?”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“I forget, are there any good salons nearby? I think it’s about time I get a manecut.”

Author's Note

So, as some of you might have noticed, the rating changed.

Well, as I was writing the fight scene for this chapter, I realized that I was going to be fairly intense with some of the later battles, and I wanted to nip that problem in the bud. Still though, it was certainly a fun fight to write, and definitely worth the change in rating in my opinion.

Already, Sora and Moon Dancer have found something to discuss. I feel like the Keyblade's ability to shapeshift would have been a point of fascination for her, especially since there are a ton of different ways for Keyblades to be. And as I've hinted at in this chapter, Sora has a few interesting ones to his name.

Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. I hope you like this chapter. I'll see you next time.

The Royal Audience

Sora had never been much of a ‘salon’ guy, he’d readily admit. He’d been big on hair care, given the unruly style his was perpetually in, but he usually just had his mom do it, since she was a hairdresser.

But now that he was actually in a salon, getting a 'hooficure' with Minuette and co., he was starting to see the appeal.

“Thanks again, girls,” Sora said, looking over to where the others were. “I’ve been putting this off for way longer than I should.”

All three nodded, appreciating the serenity of their situation. While he hated having to lie to them, it was nice to see their expressions light up at his declaration.

“No problem, Moony,” Twinkleshine told him. “We’ve missed hanging out with you.”

“Has it really been that long?” he asked, seeing this as an opportunity to learn more about what went down.

“Well, we haven’t really talked much since the party,” Lemon Hearts said. “We tried to give you your space, and eventually, we kind of just drifted apart.”

Stunned silence was Sora’s only answer, though he tried to avoid letting it show. What party? Had something horrible happened?

He wanted to ask more, before his… bodymate? Was that the right term?

Was there even a term for this?

Anyway, Moon Dancer spoke up.

“Sora, if you ask about that, I swear to Celestia, I’m going to banish you first chance I get!”

Fearing the prospect, he kept his lips sealed this once.

“Still though, it’s great to have you back,” Minuette said. “Ooh! We should take a picture together! Commemorate our first outing in a long while!”

“Maybe,” Sora mused, still stuck on the thought of this party. “And the first picture with my mane not a mess.”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

Sora resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “It was frizzy, and you had to hold it up with a clip. That’s not what I’d call good.”

“You wanted to put an obscene amount of hair gel in it! That’s not much better!”

To this, he chuckled, remembering how adamant she was in refusing that. Eventually, they’d settled on a simple cut, not too far off from Minuette’s, though it took quite a bit of convincing on his part.

At the very least, that proved to him he was making progress; Moon Dancer listened when he talked.

“So, I know you probably want to relax right now,” chimed in Lemon Hearts, her expression now mildly worried. “But do you think that the guards are gonna let Princess Celestia know about this? I mean, the lives of ponies were put in danger by those fire things.”

“Well, I’d love to give the princess some peace of mind if she’d let me,” Sora answered, only vaguely knowing who ‘Princess Celestia’ was. “But why would she wanna see some random pony like me?”

“Methinks you know why, Moony,” Twinkleshine told her, a knowing grin adorning her features. “After all, you’re a hero now. Not only did you stave off those monsters, but you protected a very important pony.”

“A very important pony?”

“Oh yeah. That seamstress you mentioned earlier? She’s part of the group that’s helped our old buddy Twilight save Equestria a few times now.”

He raised an eyebrow, and grinned playfully. “Really? Lucky me, then.”

The girls chuckled, chatting on about anything they could think of, while Sora got the last of his preparations done. Meanwhile, within their shared headspace, he could hear Moon Dancer grumbling further.

“Something wrong, Moony?”

“Don’t call me that, first off,” she snipped back. “Second off, why are you being so insistent on making my life harder?”

“Making it harder?” he questioned. “Moon Dancer, I’m just hanging out with your friends.”

“They’re not my friends, Sora. We’ve been over this.”

“Well, they certainly seem to think they are…”

An angered groan escaped Moon Dancer. “And if you keep feeding them like this, they’ll keep coming by to bug me when I want nothing to do with them!”

Much as he wanted to see her point, the same pain in his chest returned from when she first spurned their friendships. But now that he had an event that seemed to hint toward why she was so… obstinate about this whole ‘I don’t have friends’ thing, it only made it worse.

He desperately wanted to understand, but he just couldn’t. And he couldn’t ask about it and risk her shutting herself off even more.

What was a man to do?

After leaving the salon with a freshly styled mane, Sora got his answer.

Outside of the facility, the same guards from earlier today were here, most likely waiting on him. No sooner than he approached was he brought up to speed on the situation. As it turned out, the sovereigns of the land had heard of his escapades earlier, and wished to speak to him.

Needless to say, Sora was not going to pass up an opportunity like that. As he trotted through the hallowed halls of Princess Celestia’s castle, he took in every single detail, loving the aesthetic it had more and more.

“Okay Sora, calm down, will you?” Moon Dancer called from within his mind.

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you’re not excited to meet the princesses.”

“Well… it’s not that I’m not excited, per se. I’m just, not convinced I could handle it. But then again, I’m also not keen on upsetting somepony who moves the sun, so-”

Sora did a double take upon hearing that. “Wait, run that last part by me again?”

A small noise of confusion escaped the mare, before she repeated her final thought. When he had confirmation that Moon Dancer had in fact said that Princess Celestia moved the sun with her powers, Sora’s face lit up like a star.

“Wow!” he told her, smiling brightly. “Not even King Mickey can do that! She must be really powerful!”

“King Mickey?”

“He’s one of the most powerful royals I’ve met. Even more than Beast and Simba, and…” Sora paused, before stifling his own laughter at his realization. “Now that I think about it, it’d probably be easier to count the royals I know who AREN’T total powerhouses.”

“Really? And just how many royals have you actually met?”

Now that, he thought, was a good question. Running through the list in his mind, Sora compiled a small collection of everyone who could be considered royalty. It was surprisingly harder than he thought, as he kept on it the whole way.

“About… twenty? Give or take?”

If Moon Dancer had a drink, this would have been the moment she spit it out in shock.

“Twenty!?” she asked incredulously. “Twenty!? Royals!?”

“Well, I’m tryin’ to think about it. Like, would you count the lions? I’ve met two, three if you count the evil previous king. And what about the Pirate Lords?”

“Wait, there’s a lion kingdom!? And what are you talking about ‘Pirate Lords’!?”

“… I’m just making this worse for myself, aren’t I?”

Moon Dancer let out a small noise of both confusion and frustration. “Sora… you’re explaining more to me about your shenanigans when we get back. Understand?”

“Fine by me.”

“Good. Now look alive, we’re here.”

The doors to the throne room were opened, and Sora was greeted with the sight of two ponies beyond anything he’d ever seen before. They were both far larger than even the guards, looking to be the size of actual horses more than ponies. Both certainly matched their namesakes, the one he assumed to be ‘Celestia’ being pure white, other than her prismatic mane, which seemed to flow freely as if the wind were constantly blowing on it.

Right next to her, he assumed was ‘Luna’, the other princess he had heard of. Her coat was a very dark blue, with a similarly colored mane, under the same effects as her sister’s. However, what caught his attention most were her eyes.

… Namely the fact that she seemed to be giving him a scrutinizing look from the moment he entered the room.

Sora tried to ignore this, coming in and bowing as politely as he could.

“Arise, my little pony.”

Hearing those words coming from one of the sweetest voices he’d ever heard, it was almost enough to make Sora wonder if she was actually a goddess rather than a princess. Looking at her directly only strengthened that feeling, as he stood face to face with the smiling sovereign.

“It has been too long, Moon Dancer.”

Stunned silence was the boy’s only answer, at least initially. Once he found his words again, he voiced confusion.

“You know who I am, your majesty?”

“Of course,” she answered. “It seems you've been blessed by fortune since your time at my school.”

“What do you mean?”

She gave a knowing grin in response. “Moon Dancer, would you be so kind as to show me this weapon of yours?”

An odd request, Sora thought, but he did so nonetheless. His magic energy surrounded Moon Dancer’s horn, as the blade materialized, telekinetically holding it up for all to see. Celestia studied the Kingdom Key intensely, taking in every detail of Sora’s most treasured sword. Finally, she nodded, as if affirming something in her mind.

“To think a Keyblade would appear once again, after so long,” she declared. “I hardly believed it until Captain Copper described your weapon.”

That line got the attention of everypony present, with the exception of Princess Luna. Their ruler knew what a Keyblade was?

As many questions as that brought up, the sovereign continued before anyone could ask.

“Moon Dancer, do you know the tale of Nightmare Moon?”

“V-vaguely,” Sora answered. “Think you could jog my memory?”

Celestia nodded. “I suppose that would only do you so well, given what I’m about to tell you. You see, the version most ponies know is that I used the Elements of Harmony to seal Nightmare Moon 1,000 years ago. However, what most ponies do not know is… there was another aiding me.”

From the corner of his eyes, Sora could see Luna’s expression become noticeably somber. Seems whoever this ‘Nightmare Moon’ was, it was a sore subject for her.

“When Nightmare Moon threatened our lands, creatures of darkness showed up in the forests. No one knew what they were or where they came from. Except for one creature. One strange two-legged creature, adorned in a black cloak.”

A chill ran down the Keyblade wielder’s spine upon hearing those last two words. Words he knew way too well, considering the last two years of his life. The Black Coat usually spelled trouble, no matter who was wearing it. The only exceptions were the ones already on his side, as well as those connected to Roxas specifically.

But now, one existed in this world, and helped Princess Celestia save the world?

“He too wielded a Keyblade, and though I never saw his face, he was strangely willing to give some help to us. He seemed to vanish from the face of the world after that, and despite his assistance being paramount to saving our lands, he insisted that he fade away with history, as though he’d never existed in the first place.

“That was the first and the last time I’d seen a Keyblade. Until today, that is.”

Silence reigned supreme, as the gravity of that explanation was not lost on anyone in the room. It took a few seconds before anyone found the strength to speak again.

Sora was the first.

“So, if the Heartless are back, and I’ve got the first Keyblade in a thousand years…” he said, piecing together an image in his mind. “Wait… does that mean… I brought the Heartless back to Equestria!?”

“I highly doubt that, young warrior,” Luna chimed in, the first words she’d spoken since they got there. “While I might not be as privy to the situation as my sister, I believe it’s more likely that this ‘Key Blade’ you wield has reappeared in response to these ‘Heartless’, not the other way around.”

“You think so, your highness?” Sora asked, hanging his head low. “I just… I’d hate to think I caused trouble for you.”

“Peace, Moon Dancer,” Celestia told him. “Even if it does turn out the Heartless are here because of the Keyblade, I place no blame on you. There was no way you could have known the ramifications when it came to you.”

Suddenly, he found himself very interested in the floor. “Still though…”

“Regardless, that is not why you were summoned here,” Celestia continued. “In fact, the reason you were brought here was twofold. Firstly, I wanted to personally commend you for your courage and heroism earlier. Ponies’ lives were saved because of you, and for that, you have my thanks.

The second reason, however, is in regard to future attacks.”

And there it was. Sora knew this had been too easy.

“So, what? Do you want to make me a member of the guard or something?” he asked, only to earn a light chuckle.

“Not quite. However, we would like you to begin practicing with our guard. I believe the experience would be beneficial for both sides.”

Sora couldn’t exactly argue against that, seeing as he was still getting used to this new body. And hey, much better than simply swinging at air, right?

“We would also like to study the Keyblade a little more in-depth,” Celestia continued. “I’m certain Princess Twilight would be more than eager to take notes on something so momentous.”

Sora winced. There was that name again. He knew this would probably anger his partner, but the curiosity was too much at this point.

“Princess Twilig-“

“SORA! BANISHMENT! I SWEAR TO CELESTIA!”

Now, had this been an hour ago, Sora might have taken that seriously. But now, Moon Dancer just sounded like a child making an empty threat. And besides, he knew her well enough by now to know she was a practical mare. He didn’t think she’d risk upsetting the Princesses just to spite him.

At least, he hoped she wouldn’t risk upsetting the Princesses just to spite him.

“Ah, yes, you two were friends, as I recall,” Celestia mused. “Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for the two of you to reconnect.”

“Maybe,” Sora lied. “To be honest, I can’t even remember why we drifted apart.”

The two mares began to further discuss the possibilities, but Sora’s focus was taken up by Moon Dancer’s grumbling. By this point, it had been cemented in his brain, and on instinct, he reached out, trying to ask her if she was alright.

“Fine!” she exclaimed angrily. “Everything’s just peachy!”

He winced once again, trying not to blow his own cover, despite wanting to voice his concern. Sometimes he needed to remind himself not to speak out loud.

“Well, look on the bright side. You’ll get to see another old-”

“If you say ‘friend’, I will-”

“Yeah yeah, ‘banish me the first chance you get’. I get it. Look, I’m not trying to make your life harder here. This is bigger than the both of us now. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I!?”

“Then we need to keep on the same page, so that we don’t have days where it looks suspicious. Okay?”

To this, Moon Dancer sighed. “You’re right. I don’t like it, but you’re right.”

“Moon Dancer?”

Hearing Luna’s voice pulled Sora from his conversation, as he stood at full attention.

“Y-yes, your highness?”

Despite Sora’s willpower, it was hard not to buckle under Luna’s gaze, her eyes scanning him as if searching for even the slightest hint of dishonesty. She was an intimidating mare, though he didn’t want to judge her simply for that.

“Nevermind. You are dismissed for now,” she told him. “We shall meet with you at a later point in time to discuss this further.”

Sora smiled. “Sounds great. I’ll be ready whenever you call.”

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, much to the surprise of the partners. Once they left the Princesses’ castle, Sora returned to Moon Dancer’s home, and tried reading a book. He was never much of a reader, but he’d thought it might be good to try seeing how she liked to live firsthand.

Unfortunately, this plan was short-lived, due to most of Moon Dancer’s books being non-fiction or textbooks. Fortunately, however, she did entertain the idea of getting a ‘Daring Do’ book for Sora, doubly so once his face lit up upon hearing the premise of the series.

That plan would have to wait for tomorrow, however, as they spent most of the evening resting their muscles. Moon Dancer wasn’t exactly a health nut, but she did have enough stuff for Sora to put something nutritious together. He made absolutely sure to equip a certain Keychain – ‘Grand Chef’, he called it – and kept it close by, as well as fitting two ‘Gourmand’s Rings’ onto Moon Dancer’s horn while he cooked.

By this point, she knew that certain experiences they shared the feelings of the body with; things such as feeling pain or exercising, as well as the taste of food.

So, her mind was absolutely blown when she tasted the meal. It was one of the most impressive things she’d ever consumed, so much so that she couldn’t stop herself from voicing that to Sora.

“You can thank Little Chef for that,” he told her, beaming at the praise. “After all the meals I made for him, I’ve picked up a few things.”

After a wonderful dinner and a few more hours of nothing, sleepiness finally started winning the fight against Sora’s seemingly unending energy. It was finally time for them to sleep, which meant it was finally time for them to switch off.

Or so they thought…

Instead of waking up back in her comfy bed, Moon Dancer found herself on a beach, under a moonlit sky. Confusion was her first response, as she stood up and trotted forward, searching for any kind of answer.

The answer she received came in the form of a strange creature, unlike any she’d ever seen before.

It stood taller than her by a significant margin, no doubt due to its bipedal stature and seemed to have no fur across its body. Its skin was a light peach, with a mess of spiky brown hair on the top of its head. While it might not have any fur, it was dressed in an outfit, one made of mostly red and black.

In fact, this outfit looked rather familiar. Like the one that-

“… Wait a minute,” she whispered, the pieces clicking in her mind. “Sora? Is that you?”

As if to answer her question, the creature looked over, its blue eyes meeting Moon Dancer’s own amethyst ones. The look on its face said it all, as its expression went through the full range of surprise, confusion, and then finally, joy.

Before she could get another word in, he rushed over, and pulled her into a hoofshake.

“Moon Dancer!” he said, the cheery voice he spoke with confirming it was indeed Sora. “It’s so good to see you! I was worried something weird had happened.”

“Uh, Sora, something weird DID happen,” Moon Dancer told him, escaping his giddy grip. “How are we even able to do this?”

“Don’t know,” he said, looking to his claws with an eager grin. “I’m just happy to be me again, even if it’s just in a dream.”

She wanted to question how he could tell right off the rip that this was a dream, but decided against it. There was a more pressing question that she wanted answers to.

“So, this is what you really look like?” she asked, to which he nodded.

“Yep, this is me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, I just- well, I wasn’t sure if humans were a thing here.”

Moon Dancer shook her head. “I remember Lyra used to be obsessed with them, though I’m quite certain they’re only a myth in Equestria.”

Sora crossed his arms and closed his eyes. “A myth, huh? Well, guess I’d better keep quiet. I don’t think either of us wants that kind of attention, right?”

“Agreed. Seriously though, how is this happening? Most of the time I don’t really dream.”

“That would be my doing.”

Both Sora and Moon Dancer looked behind them, having to shield their eyes from the burst of radiance that accompanied that declaration. When the lights faded, standing before the two was the Princess of the Night herself, Luna. Once again, she stared at them with that same scrutinizing gaze…

Before it broke into a satisfied grin.

“It would seem I was correct,” she told them both. “Sister dearest now owes me a root beer.”

“P-Princess Luna!” Moon Dancer asked incredulously, stumbling to bow as quick as she could. “Wh-what are you doing here, your majesty?”

“Peace, Moon Dancer,” Luna told her, bringing the mare back to standing. “I am simply here to confirm a suspicion of mine. My duties involving the dream world were simply the avenue by which I chose to do so.”

“A suspicio-”

Moon Dancer’s eyes went to pinpricks. “You knew about Sora!?”

She looked to the human, eyebrow raised. “So, that is your name? I see. Well, not quite. I had a hunch something was amiss. However, I could have never imagined a creature like this was residing in your mind.”

“Yeah, neither did I,” Moon Dancer told her, giving said creature a slight side-eye.

“How did this happen?” Luna asked. “I must know.”

Sora rubbed the back of his head. “It’s a long story, your majesty. Are you sure you wanna hear it?”

The Princess nodded.

“Oh-kay then… strap in, you two! There’s a lot to go over!”

To his credit, Sora did try to ‘cliff notes’ his story as much as he could; they didn’t need to know about all of his synthesis efforts throughout his first and second journey, after all. Still though, he went over the most important parts, giving them a brief bit of context about Ansem and Xemnas, the enemies he faced, the struggles he went through in order to combat them, etc. And then, he came to his final journey, where he faced the Master himself, as well as his encounter with Yozora in the land of the sea and sky.

“And I lost to Yozora and… well, here I am.”

Once the story was over, both Luna and Moon Dancer looked completely dumbfounded.

“So… this Master Zay-ah-nort was recompleted, and yet his Heartless and ‘Nobody’ both still existed?” Luna asked, trying to wrap her head around it. “And the others were this ‘Zay-ah-nort’ as well?”

“And the Heartless are hearts without bodies, while the Nobodies are bodies without hearts?” Moon Dancer questioned. “And what were the ‘Unversed’ you mentioned?”

“Questions for later. I’ll see if I still have Jiminy’s notes on the Gummiphone,” he told the two, before realizing something. “… As well as seeing if I still have the Gummiphone.”

“Hm… regardless, this is an interesting turn of events,” said Luna. “I do hope you realize I’ll have to inform my sister of this.”

“Do you think you could also get her to wait on the training thing until the day after tomorrow? Me and Moon Dancer switch control when we sleep.”

"And um... do you think you could avoid mentioning this to anypony beyond that?" Moon Dancer requested.

Luna nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, I will leave your dreamscape in such a form. I’m sure you two have much to discuss.”

And before either one could get a word in edgewise, the princess left the dream, and the two were alone again. Sora turned to Moon Dancer, they stared at each other for a bit, neither one entirely sure what to say.

And then, Sora thought of something.

“So… while we’re here, you wanna learn about humans?”

She offered a light smile, which made him smile in kind. “Yes, Sora. Yes, I would.”

Author's Note

So, this chapter took a lot longer than expected, mostly due to real life things. I'd wanted to release it only a few days after the KH4 trailer dropped, but that obviously didn't happen.

Oh well, better late than never.

A Princess' Call (Part 1)

Silence enveloped the room, as Moon Dancer scanned her eyes over the papers before her, the words painting a wonderful image in her mind. While ‘Daring Do’ was never her forte, she couldn’t deny that Sora’s enthusiasm at the stories within got her a bit more into it.

It was her day off, after a particularly intense bout of training with the guards yesterday. As much as she despised how her muscles ached right now, the progress she had watched over the last few days had been something else.

Everypony that Sora trained with was mesmerized as the Keyblade master (though, as Moon Dancer noted, he seemed rather hesitant to be called ‘master’) showed off what made him so strong. It was quite the array of abilities, from double jumping to his insane reaction speed, to how well-versed he was in magic.

And it seemed that every session only seemed to make Sora better.

Loath as she was to admit it, Sora coming into her life was actually proving very beneficial to her as well. Before, she’d just pick up takeout or make an instant meal, but now she looked forward to nights where Sora cooked. The change to well-cooked meals was really starting to show, as was all the exercise her body engaged in.

It might have only been a week or so, but Moon Dancer felt healthier, and that was actually helping her mood quite a bit.

“Man, this temple’s a deathtrap,” Sora mused aloud. “Kinda reminds me of the Cavern of Remembrance.”

“Sora, what did we discuss about talking while reading?”

“Oh, right! Sorry.”

Moon Dancer turned the page, and sure enough, Daring was caught in between a rock and a hard place. Literally. As she described the mechanism, and how the giant boulders rolled down the hill in a set pattern, both readers could see how this could be exploited. If she could get the pattern down, she could run in between the boulders, getting to a safe spot and maybe finding a way to disable the trap.

But she had to be absolutely certain she could. One false move, and she’d be crushed to death.

She had only one shot…

*Knock knock knock*

‘Darn it!’

With a slight sigh and a bookmark placed, the mare got off her couch and went to the front door. Who could be visiting her? It was probably Minuette again, trying to get her to go out and go on another ‘friendly outing’.

Or at least, that would have been her first guess, so when she opened the door to reveal Captain Copper, it was a bit of a shocking turn.

“Moon Dancer,” he said cordially.

“C-commander,” she greeted in kind.

“No need to look so shaken, I am not here because you are in trouble,” he told her, as if he was aware of her concerns. “However, I am also not here simply for a friendly visit, I’m sure you can guess.”

Moon Dancer nodded, as it didn’t take a genius to figure out that military personnel don’t just show up to the house of a soldier without a reason. Granted, she was aware Sora was not a simple ‘soldier’, but he still answered to the commander in a way.

Which could only mean one thing…

“I have a mission for you, at the request of Princess Twilight Sparkle herself.”

Her blood ran cold upon hearing that once-familiar name. She’d known Twilight was a Princess now, in part because the co-rulers of Equestria had said it directly. But to actually get a demonstration of her power was not what she had been hoping for.

“According to her majesty, there was an incident in Ponyville, involving vampire fruit bats,” Copper explained. “Something went horribly awry, and several creatures identified as Heartless attacked the princess and her friends and kidnapped a citizen of Ponyville.”

“And so, they called… me in?”

Copper offered her a grin, small yet reassuring. “You ARE the Heartless expert here.”

Except she really wasn’t.

Sure, Sora had his ‘Gummiphone’, but in the last week, she’d found it wasn’t too useful. The Heartless entries offered little more than a basic description of the creature, and if she was lucky, an idea of how they fought, or what not to use against them. Sora filled in the blanks as best he could, but it was clear he was as much a ‘hands-on’ teacher as he was a ‘hands-on’ learner.

Regardless, she wouldn’t upset a princess, even if it was somepony she didn’t want to see again…

“I-I’ll rent a hot air balloon and head down immediately,” she said.

“No need. The Princess has already hired a pegasus chariot to take you down at your earliest convenience.”

“… I’ll start getting ready then.”

Walking to her room, Moon Dancer stood in front of a full-length mirror, taking off her turtleneck and looking herself over. So much had changed in a single week. Her mane was tamed and well-kept, her eyebrows were plucked and no longer bushy, and her fur seemed a bit shinier than usual. Sora’s ‘Salon Days’ had been better for her than she cared to admit, but she was still herself.

Sometimes, she had to remind herself of this.

From within a special box, she grabbed out the outfit she knew they’d need to wear. They had received it from Rarity only a few days before, and true to her word, it was free of charge and fit perfectly. Already, the plan for adorning it had been given to her, and she was fairly certain she remembered it.

“Okay, so if I recall,” she said to Sora. “You said ‘Tank Top’ first, then the ‘Cosmic Belt Plus’, then jacket?”

“Yep!”

Moon Dancer grinned and did as she was told. The names of Sora’s equipment were a little grandiose, in her own personal opinion, but if they were going to protect her in combat, who was she to judge?

And so, the tank top went on, followed by wrapping the Cosmic Belt+ around her middle, right at the bottom of the shirt. Next was tying the Ribbons around her forelegs, the indigo-colored one on her left, and the golden yellow ‘Royal Ribbon’ on her right. Once secured, next came Sora’s jacket, which slipped comfortably over the other gear, covering both Ribbons.

The last three were Sora’s ‘Flanniversary Badge’, which she easily pinned to the inside of the coat, before doing the same with his ‘Cosmic Arts’. Out of sight, but still equipped so that their effects would be active.

“Remind me why you went with these specific accessories again?” Moon Dancer asked.

“Well, Cosmic Arts restores your magic reserves when you get hit,” Sora explained. “The badge makes your magic recharge quicker, and it makes your spells cost less while still being just as strong. I was gonna go with my full ‘Magic Haste’ setup, but you already recharge faster than me without ‘em.”

Moon Dancer nodded, grabbing one last accessory. Apparently, Sora was incredibly well-versed at appraising these items, but this last one had stumped him when they first found it.

“So… should I use it?” she asked, glancing at the periwinkle ring. “I know you don’t like i-”

“I never said I didn’t like it. I just said I don’t know where it came from. It’s a really big boost to strength though, and that’s our weak spot right now.”

“Does strength even matter, though? It’s not as though we use your hands to wield the Keyblade.”

“As far as I can tell, it does matter. So go ahead, put it on.”

Shaking her head and sighing, Moon Dancer eventually placed the ring around her horn. Suddenly, a jolt of energy ran through her, much like when she first equipped the other two, but far more potent. Her muscles felt invigorated, like she could buck an apple tree with them, despite never doing so in her life.

“Yeesh… it’s still so surreal to actually feel these augmentations. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”

“That’s what they all say,” Sora joked. “Now, let’s not keep the captain waiting.”

“Right. But just so you know, I’m going to induce a sleep spell on the way to Ponyville. You’re going to need to be in control if the Heartless are involved.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The best laid plans often go awry. That’s what they’ve always said.

Right now, Moon Dancer wished it wasn’t true.

The sleep spell should have been easy to induce, especially given how much her magic had been enhanced. A simple little incantation and Sora should have been in control. But as it turned out, she’d never get the chance. Captain Copper had joined her, despite her weak protests. She was not about to put herself under for half a minute in front of her commanding officer – that’d be way too suspicious.

And then of course, when she got into town, she was immediately thrown into the line of duty. Twilight had been there, and Moon Dancer would be damned to Tartarus before she asked anything of her. In fact, she had been dead silent during the whole briefing. Most of Twilight’s friends had been too concerned with the fate of this ‘Fluttershy’ mare to notice anyway; the notable exception was the pink one, who gave her a sidelong glance every once in a while.

Now here they were, the sun going down, Moon Dancer forced into a situation she did NOT want to be in, as well as surrounded by others.

Their mission? Find the lost pony.

“So, where do y’all think that varmint is?” Applejack asked.

“I wish I knew,” Twilight said with a dejected sigh. “Unfortunately, I can’t get a good read on his magic, no matter how hard I try.”

“What do you think, Moonie?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Don’t call me that,” she responded curtly, surveying a particular patch of trees.

Sure enough, clawmarks were left in the bark, unlike anything she’d seen before. Though, based on the dimensions of the gashes, as well as the ash-like substance that came off of them with the wind, it couldn’t have been native to any creatures of the forest. A small clue, but worth following.

“I think it’s this way,” Moon Dancer told the party. “These are Heartless tracks.”

“How can you tell?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Do Heartless even leave tracks?”

“Of course they do?” Moon Dancer answered, recalling a tale from Sora’s trip to a place called ‘Wonderland’. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“I dunno! This is all new to us!”

Rarity stepped in, placing a gentle hoof on Rainbow’s back. “Please, darling, no need to work yourself up. Moon Dancer is the expert here. I’ve no doubt in my mind she will lead us to our friend.”

To this, Moon Dancer raised an eyebrow, not really seeing the issue. “Actually, asking questions is a good thing.”

“Well, of course. I just didn’t want it to seem like we were doubting your knowledge.”

“It’s fine. The point is, this is a lead.”

“So, we just follow these things, and that’ll lead us to Fluttershy?” Rainbow piped in.

“Potentially. There’s always a chance that other unrelated Heartless are in the area, but right now I believe we should follow it.”

The 5 mares all nodded and begin following the trail. There was very little chatter during this whole exchange, as Moon Dancer’s focus was completely pointed toward finding their target. Still, every few seconds, she let her mind wander, recalling the deference that Rarity had spoken to her with. It made sense in a way, but it was still weird to think that someone valued her so highly.

‘No… they value Sora so highly. It’s his knowledge, after all.’

Sometimes, Moon Dancer was grateful she could keep some thoughts to herself. If Sora heard her ‘belittling herself’ like that, instantly he’d rush in and try to bolster her confidence. But it was not as though her confidence was the issue. It was merely her acknowledging the truth, and that was not a bad thing. Sure, it felt good to be praised, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t her being praised, and she knew it.

They liked Sora. They didn’t like her.

Night had fallen within the quiet little orchard, and the clawmarks were their only guide. Sure enough, the more they followed them, the more Moon Dancer and the party found. Not just clawmarks, but fangs, and even some shreds of wing skin. Confirming with the others that they had fought bat Heartless the night before helped to solidify the image in the duo’s mind, as well as getting a bit of the tale from Twilight and Co.

Whoever was controlling the Heartless, they seemed to have a taste for karmic punishment.

Eventually, as the moon shone down upon an empty patch of orchard, it became clear to the exhausted party that the trail had run cold. This revelation was immediately followed by a chorus of groans.

“Well that’s just great!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, crossing her forelegs in a huff. “Where the hay could those things have gone!?”

“I wish I could tell you,” Moon Dancer answered, her practiced lines rolling off the tongue. “Heartless are tricky creatures. They could be right under our noses right now.”

“And if we let them get the jump on us, that wouldn’t be good,” chimed in Sora, within her headspace. “Keep your guard up, Moon Dancer.”

“It’d be a bit easier with that Keyblade of yours, Sora,” she snarked back.

From the sidelines, Applejack seemed to notice the look of frustration, and came over to their supposed ‘expert’.

“Somethin’ troubling you, sugar cube?”

“… There’s something off about this whole scenario. I just can’t place my hoof on it.”

“Ya can’t?” Applejack asked. “Ain’t you supposed to be the Heartless expert here? Surely you must know somethin’ about where those critters coulda gone.”

“I make it a priority to ensure they don’t escape,” Moon Dancer answered, perhaps a little more harshly than she should have.

Applejack looked away, and for a second, a twinge of guilt ran through the bookworm. The poor girl was probably worried sick, just as Rainbow Dash was, and Moon Dancer wasn’t helping. But then again, this wasn’t her forte, and she knew it.

Just another reason Sora should have been in control.

“L-look, I’m sorry for snappi-”

“No, yer right,” Applejack said with a sigh. “I’m just worried about my friend is all. It’s because I was so darn stubborn she’s in this mess in the first place.”

“You wanted rid of an invasive creature to your orchard. I don’t think you were unreasonable in that regard.”

“Maybe not. But maybe if I’d given Fluttershy’s idea a chance, we coulda figured somethin’ out.”

As Moon Dancer was about to say something, her ears perked up at an unfamiliar and overall unwelcome sound.

Clapping.

Darting her head toward the sound, she was greeted with a sight that nopony wanted to see. Applejack grit her teeth, while Rarity and Twilight gave a very cross expression to the new arrival. That told Moon Dancer all that she needed to know, as the black cloaked stranger stepped forward, distinctly bipedal, and bearing an aura of ill will.

“Oh, if only you had been a good friend,” the voice taunted, clearly male and oozing superiority with every syllable. “Now here you are, worrying about the ‘what ifs’ instead o-”

He’d never get the chance to finish his sentence, as Rainbow Dash rushed forward with incredible speed and attempted to strike the hooded man down. Hoof met hand as the man countered her strike, the resulting impact creating a shockwave that nearly reached the rest of those present.

“My my, consider that nerve touched.”

Rainbow Dash jumped backward, flying idly as she glared down her opponent. “Enough talk, you two-legged jerk! Where’s Fluttershy!?”

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about the poor dear. She’s safe and sound. I haven’t touched a hair on her precious little head.”

“Then give her back to us!” demanded Twilight. “You can’t just take her away from her home and her friends like that!”

“Perhaps. But is it any worse than what you did?” he questioned, walking around the party like a predator circling his prey. “In trying to help one friend, you hurt another, made her into something she’s not.”

“That was an accident!” Twilight protested.

The hooded figure scoffed. “Of course it was. For all your brilliance, you don’t think things through. You never consider what impact your actions have on others.”

When the head of the figure turned in Moon Dancer’s general direction, it was as if the air suddenly got a few degrees colder. His eyes were not visible, but they could tell he was staring at her, and Moon Dancer herself wouldn’t have been surprised to find out he was smirking under that hood.

“I’m sure your ‘friends’ back in Canterlot could attest to that, after you up and abandoned them.”

The air tensed, as Twilight’s eyes widened in sheer horror. “A-abandoned them? What are yo-”

The poor mare’s pupils turned to pinpricks, as she seemingly realized exactly what event the man was referring to. Her head hung low in shame, as she tried to find the words. Eventually, only one question came to mind.

“H-how… how do you know about that?”

A low chuckle escaped the person’s unseen lips. “Oh, I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground for a while now. You’re quite the accomplished group, after all, and it doesn’t take much to learn of that. Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changeling Invasion. But unfortunately for you… I am a foe beyond all of them.”

“Alright, I’ve had just about enough o’ you!” Applejack said, taking a step forward. “Give us back our friend, ‘less you want this to get ugly!”

“Cute,” he said, completely unimpressed by her claim. “Tell you what: You want her, you’ll GET her.”

The leaves rustled around the party, despite there being no wind to shake the branches. Everypony tensed, awaiting an ambush, and sure enough, they were rewarded. From the nearest tree, three groups of enemies struck. On the left, there was a small squadron of Hook Bats. On the right, a group of Flutterings descended.

And in the middle, a cream-colored bat pony, looking like she was out for blood.

“Oh no!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “She’s still all vampire-y!”

“Of course she is, Captain Obvious,” the hooded man taunted. “Like I said, I didn’t touch her.”

Flutterbat was first to lead the charge, swooping over her friends and nearly slashing Rainbow Dash with her wings. She circled back around and aimed for Moon Dancer, who jumped out of the way with surprising nimbleness.

Unfortunately, while her nimbleness was on point, her spacial awareness left much to be desired. A Fluttering behind her fell straight to the ground and spun furiously, its razor-sharp wings shredding Moon Dancer’s back and sending her skyward.

“Moon Dancer! Right yourself! Hook Bats on your left!”

“‘Right myself’!?” she asked incredulously. “Sora, I don’t know to do that ‘Aerial Recovery’ thing you do!”

“You have to try! I know your body CAN pull it off!”

Moon Dancer desperately tried to figure it out, to manipulate her trajectory as she was in midair, but it seemed like something beyond her understanding. The only thing she could think of was using magic on herself, but before she ever got the chance, a Hook Bat spun around, scraping her side with its weapon, and launching her away.

“Change of plans! Get back on the ground!”

Moon Dancer did not need to be told twice, as she landed on her feet, and in an instant, unleashed a Blizzaga in the direction of a Hook Bat. The spell landed, piercing its defenses, and spreading outward to catch another one nearby. Seizing the opportunity was Applejack, who jumped forward and slammed her legs into the beast, making it dissipate into a puff of smoke.

“Watch out!”

Moon Dancer looked to her side and saw Rainbow Dash flying overhead, being chased by Flutterbat. While she charged a stasis spell, Pinkie Pie over her, a Fluttering following her with relentless fury. She swerved and avoided the strike, backflipping effortlessly, but getting in Moon Dancer’s way because of it.

Avoiding the Heartless made the pink pony bump into Moon Dancer, ruining her shot, which swerved off and instead hit Rainbow Dash. The flyer screamed out as her body ceased motion, falling out of the sky and onto the ground.

“What the hay, Moon Dancer!?” Rainbow demanded.

“Sorry! I was trying to hit Fluttershy!”

“It’s okay, just focus on annihilating the Heartless,” Twilight interjected, charging a quick reversal spell for her friend. “Moon Dancer! Summon your Keyblade! We’re going to need it!”

There it was. The call to action.

Unfortunately, Moon Dancer knew she couldn’t. And when she refused to answer, she could see the worry forming on Twilight’s face. Panic set in, and she wondered if she could really do this. Her eyes darted left to right, looking for an avenue of some sort, and trying to keep track of the battlefield.

“Moon Dancer, keep calm!” Sora said, trying to reach her. “I’m going to try and give it to you again. I just need you to charge your horn.”

Sure enough, she felt Sora’s own magic welling up within her, specifically the same spark that she always felt in training. It was warm and comforting, like a hand rested on her back. She tried to summon the Keyblade, remembering the feeling of her magic wrapping around it like phantom hands. It was so close…

“I don’t think so!”

From her left, a mighty fist slammed into her side, sending Moon Dancer flying. Twilight tried to launch a blast at her attacker, but the hooded man avoided the strike like it was nothing, before delivering a strong strike of his own. The alicorn fell onto her back, and Moon Dancer’s legs shook as she got back to standing.

“Some ‘Keyblade wielder’ you’re turning out to be,” the black cloak sneered. “From what I saw, you should have dispatched of these Heartless easily. Are you holding back? Or is it simply that you’re more bluster and fumes than you’d like your ‘friends’ to believe?”

“I’m starting to get sick of you running your mouth,” Moon Dancer growled.

“Then do something about it. Show me exactly what you’re capable of, little pony.”

Another call to action, and this one spurned on by a mix of fury at her opponent and support from Sora.

And so, the unicorn tried to.

A wave of energy ran through her, as she glared at her opponent. Suddenly, a spark appeared before her, about 3 feet in length, the exact size of Sora’s Kingdom Key. It glowed for a bit rather brightly, catching the attention of the still reeling Twilight and Co. Using the phantom hands of her telekinesis, Moon Dancer remembered everything she’d seen of the Keyblade, and how to use it. This was her chance, and all she had to do was reach out and grab it.

… Until it fizzled out.

Panic overtook her as Moon Dancer saw the sparks fade almost as quick as they’d come. Desperately, she tried again, and again, but to no avail, the same trend of a fleeting shine coming and going as it pleased. No matter how hard she tried to grasp it, she could not place her phantom hands on anything tangible.

The Keyblade couldn’t be summoned, and that left the party in shock.

As well as leaving the black cloak in stitches.

“Oh, that’s just precious!” he gloated in between bouts of laughter. “Seems your ‘master’s’ having a bit of performance anxiety!”

“Shut up!” she exclaimed, lowering her stance in a pitiful attempt to seem threatening. “I don’t need a Keyblade to take down such rudimentary foes!”

“And yet you’re stumbling like this? Arrogance truly is an ugly thing, isn’t it?”

The way he said that was quite unnerving, but Moon Dancer knew she couldn’t back down. These other ponies were counting on Sora, and right now, she had to make good on it, even if she didn’t have his powers.

Unleashing a Thundaga from the tip of her horn, the lightning bolt did little beyond staggering the man, but it was enough of an opportunity. Sprinting forward, she jumped skyward, and tried to lock him in place with her Stasis spell.

The beam came within a foot of her opponent when he swerved out of the way, barely avoiding the shot and jumping up to meet her in midair. From there, he twisted around, landing a swift kick to Moon Dancer’s face. The mare fell to the ground, landing on her back as the man returned to solid ground.

“Really?” he asked. “You’re supposed to be the one who took down my Heartless? It’s almost like you’re a completely different pony.”

Moon Dancer glanced from side to side, and noticed the others far too distracted with the bat Heartless to help. A few cries of pain echoed in her ears, as she saw the Heartless managing to land their many blows. The hooded man stepped forward, and she tried to shuffle back, to no avail. The distance between them became smaller and smaller, until Moon Dancer got back on her feet and was met with the sight of a black, empty silhouette where his face should have been.

“Honestly, you’re not even worth the effort,” the black cloak taunted. “Get me all excited, and then take the wind out of my sails, huh?”

Feeling that intense panic once again, Moon Dancer did the only thing she could think of; she turned tail and moved as fast as her legs could carry her. She was not a fighter, and this was way above her paygrade.

But much like before, she didn’t get far.

Before either her or Sora could react, the black cloak was in front of her, arm raised and hand extended outward. With a single, sweeping motion, Moon Dancer felt a jolt of pain run through her, as her legs went limp.

After that, nothing awaited her other than the void of unconsciousness.

Author's Note

Dun dun dun!

The next part will be done soon enough, so tune in next time to see exactly what this hooded stranger's deal is.