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Moon Dancer had gone to bed early that night, surprising even herself with how the need for rest superseded her desire to study her newest scripture.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.