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.