A low, groggy groan escaped Sora’s lips, eyes opening slightly and granting him the briefest glimpse of the surrounding area.
Wherever he had landed, it was unspeakably plain.
Taking a moment to compose himself, the Keyblade wielder returned to a sitting position. However, it didn’t take much for him to realize that something was amiss. For starters, his legs felt… different. Not like when he’d been a merman, of course, but still like their structure was a bit off.
To say nothing of his arms. They honestly didn’t feel like arms, more like forelegs.
Were a lesser man to wake up to this, he could easily imagine the panic it would invoke. But to that, he smiled.
Sora was NOT a lesser man, and had dealt with transformation magic enough to not be panicked by that general fact. But of course, what he had transformed into might have that effect, if his time in Monstropolis was any indication.
And so, he began his checklist.
‘Okay, let’s see…’ he opened his eyes, looking over this new body’s features. ‘Pinkish fur, hooves, a tail, a mane… uh, is that an equal sign on my butt? And-’
His entire train of thought came to a screeching halt upon realizing the next thing he noticed was there. Or rather, wasn’t there.
“What the…!?” he exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down, just in case anyone else lived in this plain little shack. “Am I… a girl!?”
There was a mirror nearby on the wall, which Sora wasted no time rushing toward. Sure enough, staring back at him was a pretty pinkish unicorn mare, her purple mane worn in a long ponytail, with a couple streaks of aquamarine accenting it, and her bangs styled straight, ensuring it was not in the way of her horn. A complete departure from what he normally looked like, in virtually every capacity.
Thankfully, he could take solace in that he was staring back into his deep blue eyes. At least he had kept something about himself.
Still though, there was only a small bit of comfort in that. There were still far more questions that needed answering. Sitting on his new haunches, Sora closed his eyes and crossed his forelegs - something of a tic for when he was deep in thought - and contemplated his situation.
‘Okay… so, now I’m a pony. I have no idea why, or where I even am. How did I even get here? Last thing I remember was wandering around and meetin-’
Sora’s eyes shot open and his blood turned to ice.
Yozora…
Memories of that strange man’s challenge flooded the Keyblade wielder’s mind, the scars still stinging his soul, despite his new body being completely unscathed. Next to the Lingering Will, Yozora was perhaps the greatest opponent Sora had ever faced. It had taken everything he had just to keep up with him, and in the end…
Well, actually, Sora couldn’t remember. That was the weirdest part of this whole situation.
But, he supposed, whether or not he won or lost was irrelevant to the whole thing. The point was, after fighting him, he found himself as a pony, in the middle of God only knows where!
‘Hm… maybe I should look around,’ Sora reasoned. ‘There’s gotta be something past this house, right?’
And so, with a tentative motion, Sora stood up. Thankfully, having been in a four-legged form before made him quicker to acclimate than one might expect. Before long, he was trotting like it was nothing, and even figured out how to use his hooves to open the door.
Though upon seeing what was outside, part of him wished he hadn’t.
Traveling to many different places, one might think Sora would be unfazed by anything he’d see. And yet, this simple settlement, it disturbed him in a way he couldn’t quite put into words. Stepping out of the house and toward what must have been the ‘Town Square’, the boy-turned-mare was at a loss for what he saw.
In all his travels, all his journeys, of all the 33 worlds he has been to (and yes, he has been keeping track), nothing compared to this. Not once had he seen a place so… depressing. Like sure, Hollow Bastion’s ruins had been dreadful to look at, and the World that Never Was had a sad existence by nature, but this was a different breed altogether.
Never once, not even in the literal world of the Nobodies, had Sora seen a town so… soulless.
Twelve little structures, perfectly spaced, perfectly aligned, and completely the same. That was it. Nothing even remotely setting any of the individual buildings apart from one another. Were they all supposed to be houses? If so, where did they have their Moogle Shops? Did they even HAVE Moogle Shops, or did everyone just run their businesses from their homes?
So many questions, and Sora highly doubted he was going to get any answers right now. It had to be about midnight, if he were to take a guess, and unless this was like Halloween Town, it was likely everyone was asleep.
‘Okay, I can work with that,’ Sora thought. ‘Someone around here has to know what’s up. I’ll ask ‘em in the morning.’
A small sigh escaped Sora’s new muzzle, and he closed the door. Returning back to the house, he took in the surroundings, noticing the equal sign adorned on the wall, and the rather plain decorations. But on the table, he did notice one thing that stood out.
His bag.
Most people didn’t even know Sora kept a bag, but that was because it was often shrunken thanks to a built-in Mini spell, courtesy of Donald. But there it was, plain as day, and from the looks of it, stuffed with something.
Wasting no time opening it up, the boy was pleased to find that he had most of his important things. His outfit was still there - though he seriously doubted it would fit this new body - along with his necklace, his armor pieces, his accessories, his belt full of Elixi-
“Wait, hold on!” Sora exclaimed, grabbing said belt incredulously. “I had like seven of these things, where’d they all go!?”
Another question for later, it seemed. For now, he could at least take solace in that he had two left. All he’d have to do is find a Moogle, and then he could synthesize some himself. Or heck, even buy some if he could get the Munny together.
But for now, Sora decided maybe getting back to sleep was the smarter option. And so, placing his bag to the side, the Keyblade wielder let himself fall onto the plain bed, and was left with his thoughts.
Wherever he was, it seemed like he needed to be a pony to not look out of place. That was fine with him, and he could even accept the whole ‘I’m a girl’ thing.
But some part of Sora felt this wasn’t right. Maybe it was the fact that his new form looked nothing like him, or maybe it was the brand on his flanks. He couldn’t entirely put his finger - or rather, his hoof - on it.
‘Ugh, too much to think about,’ he bemoaned. ‘Come on brain, let’s toss it on the backburner for now. I just wanna sleep…’
Thankfully, after a few minutes, sleep did finally grace the weary warrior.
And while he was out, Sora dreamed of home.
Author's Note
So, some of you might remember a fic I deleted called "The Moon Dances, the Sky Falls".
This is effectively another version of that premise, as I feel like the premise wasn't the problem.
I was having fun with the original version, don't get me wrong, and I love Moon Dancer, but I just feel like she didn't jive with Sora enough. Initially, I actually had two options for Sora to be grafted onto: Moon Dancer, meaning Sora had to get used to being a pony and living her life, and pre-EG Sunset Shimmer, who would have focused more on the whiplash of Sora's cheery attitude being applied to someone who was a villain before he came into the equation.
And then I remembered. Good ol' Starlight Glimmer!
So now, I'm trying a version of this premise that mixes together the best elements of both options, by going with a pre-S5 Starlight Glimmer that Sora is affixed to. This is my main version of the story from now on (though I could be convinced to do the Sunset one, but that's neither here nor there), and after this prologue, our beloved Sora is going to see firsthand what being Starlight Glimmer entails.
Tune in next time, when Sora wakes up and meets the members of Our Town! Until then, my friends!
I - Truth of the Village (Part 1)
The instant Sora opened his eyes, the plain wooden ceiling above him reminded him exactly where he was. Part of him had hoped that last night had been a bad dream, but as he raised a hoof up just to confirm the situation, it became clear that this was reality.
He was still a pony, and still a girl.
Certainly not an ideal situation to be in. But Sora had dealt with far worse, and far freakier. Sure, it was something to get used to, but nothing he couldn't achieve.
Without a single word, Sora trotted over to where his bag was, fumbling with his newfound hooves to open it. Eventually, he undid the latch, and its contents were revealed once again.
Now that his mind wasn’t distracted by the wave of newness, Sora could properly look over all the equipment once again.
Aside from the two remaining elixirs, his outfit, and his armor/accessories, the Keyblade wielder was delighted to find several of his Keychains. Very important ones—ones that he has went out of his way to maximize their potential via the forging process—at that. Though, interestingly, there was a pattern, being ones that leaned heavily on magic, or at the very least, had magic prowess comparable to their physical ability.
Among the Keychains, he recognized the ones for Shooting Star, Hunny Spout, Ultima Weapon, Grand Chef, Oblivion, and most importantly, Oathkeeper.
But upon seeing that last keychain, Kairi’s old lucky charm, Sora’s expression immediately went somber.
“That’s right… I forgot to give it back to her,” he whispered, all the joy having left his body. “And it’s been Nomura only knows how long since I last saw her.”
Having dreamt of home last night, that thought hit like a punch from Hercules. How long had it truly been since Sora had seen his friends? Weeks? Months? Years? Were they still searching, and if they were, would they ever find him here?
“Oh, come on,” he told himself, shaking his head vigorously. “That kind of attitude ain’t gonna help anything. I’m sure they’ll find me one day.”
A small smile graced Sora’s muzzle. “Our hearts are connected. We’ll meet again, for sure.”
Thus, with that issue placed on the proverbial backburner, the man-turned-mare focused his attention back to the house. It was a nice place, but much like before, he couldn’t help but wonder who it belonged to. The image of the soulless town was still fresh, and thus, it was easy to surmise that this was a part of it.
Maybe whoever owned the house could help him get his bearings.
And as if answering a prayer, a creaking sound could be heard. The door was opening, and someone was here.
“Oh, good! You’re awake!”
‘Relief’ didn’t even begin to describe Sora’s mood upon hearing that. Another pony, and he was happy to see him awake. Perhaps this was his savior, having brought him in from wherever he had been found, and protecting him from the elements. If that were the case, then he would certainly have answers about the strange town, or about the brand on his flanks.
But that relief would not last. As soon as Sora gazed upon his supposed savior, any plans forming came to a screeching halt.
He was pure white in coat and hair, reminding Sora of Maximus in a way. Blue eyes and a short mane were two defining features, though the manestyle seemed rather… plain. Honestly, it was hard coming up with adjectives for this pony, because nothing about him stood out. Some part of Sora felt bad for thinking that, but it was true. Not even his brand was unique, merely being the same equal sign on the Keyblade wielder’s own flanks.
But of course, the worst part was his smile. It was perhaps the fakest thing Sora had ever seen, about a thousand miles away from reaching his eyes. And forced, to boot, like he was trying to keep up appearances.
Were the denizens of this town as soulless as the village itself? If so, then this would not be easy to adjust to.
“We’re so happy to see you’re alive and well,” the stallion said, his voice sounding genuine, yet strained to Sora. “Are you okay? We’ve been worried about you ever since the rockslide. That blow to the head looked very serious.”
“Well, I can’t complain,” Sora answered hesitantly. “But… where am I?”
The white stallion said nothing, eyes widened over one simple question. Unease washed over Sora as he gazed upon the fearful pony’s visage.
And then, he spoke.
“Did you… forget Our Town?”
“Our Town?” Sora asked. “Is that what this place is called?”
“Oh, say it ain’t so! Starlight, did you… did you forget us?”
The man-turned-mare intended to comment on that, but would never get a chance, as his mind fixated on one little word in that.
“Starlight…?”
“Yes, Starlight Glimmer! Do you… n-not even remember your own name?”
In an instant, the horror written on the white stallion’s face paled in comparison to Sora’s own. His pupils were pinpricks and his mouth agape, looking to his guest as his mind struggled to process that.
“S-... Starlight? Are you okay…?”
It took a few seconds before everything clicked again, and Sora shook his head free of the million and one thoughts pervading it. With a nervous chuckle, he looked back to the stallion, opting to try and play innocent.
“Oh, yeah, sorry,” he said with a forced smile of his own. “That must have been one heck of a blow to the head I took, huh? I’m sorry to say, but I can’t really remember… anything, really.”
Disappointment was the only answer to that, before the white stallion tried his best to shake it off. He put back on that same creepy smile, and approached Sora once again.
“Well, no matter,” he said. “We’re all here to help you, Starlight. I’m Double Diamond, and you’re our friend. We’ll help you regain your bearings.”
“Thank you so much,” Sora said, offering a genuine grin. “I suppose my name’s Starlight Glimmer, then? And we’re living in this place called ‘Our Town’?”
“That’s right! It’s our own little home, founded by you, as a place where ponies can be truly equal!”
“Truly equal, huh?”
Double Diamond began going on about something else, but the words were unfortunately drowned out by Sora’s own thoughts. Something about that sent Sora’s inner gears spinning.
What exactly did he mean by ‘truly equal’?
Were ponies treated differently in this world? And if they were, then based on what? As far as he could tell, the only difference here was that... Starlight Glimmer... had a horn while Double Diamond didn’t.
And if this Starlight pony was trying to go against that, then that made her a good guy. Suddenly, the appearance of the town seemed a little less creepy in Sora’s thoughts. Maybe this whole thing was a work in progress, and he’d been too quick to judge. Maybe the smiles were to keep up morale, and Double Diamond was among those doing his best for the townsfolk.
But the very thought made his stomach turn, as now the situation was infinitely worse. He wasn’t just turned into a pony, he’d possessed an already existing one.
Memories of Xehanort’s horrific control of Terra bubbled to the surface, and Sora had to fight back the urge to retch. Never in a million years would he want to possess another being without their consent, and he seriously doubted Starlight Glimmer agreed to this…
Yet here he was, stuck in an unfamiliar world, with an unfamiliar body. And to top it all off, he’d just deprived this world of a good mare.
‘No! Don’t talk like that, Sora!’ he mentally chided himself. ‘You’ll just have to do right by her and protect her ponies until Starlight’s returned. It’s the least you can do for her.’
The gears continued to spin, but this time for a very different reason. Sora knew that if he wanted to do right by Starlight, he’d have to learn more about her. And he certainly didn’t want to cause a panic by revealing that something was amiss. Double Diamond had given him an out, via a rock to the head and a bout of amnesia, but he still needed to be careful in front of the others.
This was a delicate process, and it would require Sora to do something he hated doing:
Lie.
“Starlight? Are you okay?”
“Um… fine, I think,” he chuckled. “I was just trying to see what I actually do remember. But, uh, I’m honestly drawing a blank.”
Once again, Double Diamond flinched at that.
“Look, you seem like a reliable pony, Double Diamond. I know if I’m as important as you said I am, then that must mean me not knowing is gonna throw a whole lot of things out of whack. Do you think you can help me?”
“Of course I wi-”
He never got to finish that sentence, as a loud crash interrupted their conversation, and their train of thought. The front door was blown off its hinges, and lying unconscious on the floor, a dark blue unicorn.
“Party Favor!?” Double Diamond exclaimed, fear obvious in his voice.
Eyes darting toward the new arrival, Sora quickly got an answer as to who or what had done such a thing. An answer that shook him to his core…
“Heartless!”
Sure enough, the beasts that had assailed Sora and his friends since the beginning of their first journey together were just outside Starlight's door. His eyes caught sight of a few different breeds, from the typical Shadows, to Fire Cores, to Satyrs. The sheer amount was hard to glean, but that wasn’t much of a factor in Sora’s eyes.
Because no sooner than seeing them, was Sora out the door. Summoning the Kingdom Key into his new muzzle and running as fast as his new legs would take him, Sora rushed toward the enemies. It was still a bit awkward getting used to his new pony body, but thankfully, his time in the Pride Lands helped fill in any gaps.
And good thing, too. There was no way Sora would let the Heartless hurt these ponies.
He wasted no time at all, slicing through a Shadow like a hot knife through butter, and following through into an upward spiral against another. Once in the air, he aimed a Waterga at the nearby Fire Core, obliterating it in an instant.
From his peripheral vision, he saw another Fire Core aiming a Firaga Spell at him. Instinct kicked in, and Sora spun around to block the blast. While he had succeeded in doing this, he felt Starlight’s body get pushed back.
He’d have to keep that in mind. Usually, his midair block did no such thing…
Multiple flaming Heartless zeroed in on the boy-turned-mare, and tried to catch him with their various attacks. Sora did his best to block them, but from his left, one Flame Core just barely managed to get through and attack. He let out a cry of shock as the attack sent him into a spiral, falling to the ground.
Searing pain surged through the area that had been hit, gritting his teeth only barely helping to take his mind off it. Already, he was starting to miss his armor, this new body’s weaknesses becoming apparent.
‘Can’t take a hit at all…’ he thought, struggling to stand back up. ‘I’ve gotta be careful about this.’
Seven Shadows surrounded Sora on the ground, and he responded with a spinning slash, ending their attempted assault before it could begin. It took a bit longer than he would have liked to return to his stance, but at the very least, the Heartless were falling.
Yet something about how easily these Heartless fell seemed off. It took a moment of thought, and as Sora saw the sheen of his weapon’s blade, it clicked.
‘It’s still got all the upgrades!’ he thought, smiling at that fact. ‘Sweet! My spells’ll be even stronger with that!’
With this knowledge in hand, Sora landed with a bit more confidence. A Large Body slid at him from the left side, only for Sora to dodge and pelt it in the back with a Firaga spell.
But upon doing this, a second detail became apparent. His fireball was FAR larger and moved faster than usual. This seemed odd, given he knew what his usual Firaga looked like. But this wasn’t necessarily his usual Firaga. This was a Firaga fired from Starlight Glimmer’s body…
‘She seems to have a lot of magic,’ Sora mused while jumping up and casting another Waterga at the nearby Flame Cores. ‘I’ll have to use that.’
And use that, he would. Charging up electrical energy, Sora felt a bit of that power, like it was pooling into Starlight’s horn. It was a curious feeling, one he could not explain, but one he ran with.
“THUNDER!”
With a mighty cry, he felt the Keyblade leave his mouth, and heard the familiar crackle of a powerful Thundaga spell. Surrounding him in a torrent of electricity, the resulting magic obliterated any foes that got near, with the same perfect precision he’d developed for years. A flurry of hearts rushed out, freely fading away now that they were released from their prison.
Scanning the battlefield, it quickly became apparent just how strong the spell was. Only one Heartless remained, a lone Satyr, staring down an unconscious unicorn like a predator eyeing prey.
“Leave her alone!”
The Satyr looked up to Sora, their two glares meeting each other.
And before anypony could so much as blink, the Heartless made the first move, lowering its helmet and charging at Sora with everything it had. Hoofprints embedded an inch deep in the ground as its feet slammed down, each step taken with purpose.
And in response, Sora swung around, bringing his Keyblade out of his mouth and using both hooves in an attempt to block the strike. Key met helm, as the armored monster kept pushing, and the little pony tried to keep himself standing.
Unfortunately, one side was far more acclimated to hooves than the other, and eventually, Sora’s footing faltered. He stumbled back, and the Satyr followed through, trampling him in the process.
Deep, shooting pain was all Sora felt, as the thunderous hooves slammed down on Starlight’s chest. He could barely breathe as the beast moved past him, and it took all the effort he could muster to pull himself off the ground.
As the Satyr turned around to begin charging again, Sora got up to his hooves. Breathing heavy, legs shaking, and pretty sure he had at least one fractured rib, but he would not back down. As he stared at the fast-approaching Heartless, the fact that he wouldn’t be avoiding this one was apparent.
‘Okay, fine,’ he mused. ‘Defense is off the table… offense it is!’
Digging deep inside himself, Sora felt a great warmth envelop Starlight’s body, centering once again in her horn. It felt like magic, but not the type for combat; more all-purpose, but specifically like an ethereal grip. Memories of Master Form flooded his mind, as he recalled the feeling of magic coursing through his hand so strongly that he commanded his Keyblade without even touching it.
This felt similar. And so, he would run with it.
Following the feeling in his heart, Sora felt the Keyblade leave his mouth again. When he opened his eyes, it was clear what had happened, as a deep blue aura enveloped the handle. Pointing the Keyblade directly at the Satyr, he felt Starlight’s hooves go cold, as he unleashed a mighty spell…
“FREEZE!”
From the tip of the Kingdom Key, a burst of Ice magic shot toward the Heartless, who charged into it with reckless abandon. The instant the cold met its body, it branched outward, multiple spikes shooting off and into the sky above. The townsfolk watched on, audible gasps at the display in front of them.
And at the site of the carnage, Sora could only watch on as well, searching for any last trace of the beast.
Sure enough, his eyes caught sight of it. A single heart, floating up to the sky before fading away.
Finally, despite the internal damage, Sora could breathe easy again, if only for a second.
Using the rest of his remaining magic for a quick Curaga, he dismissed his Keyblade, taking in the surrounding area once again. Other than a bit of smoking wood and some terrified townsfolk, it looked like no one had gotten hurt. That was certainly a relief for Sora, after all of the bad news this morning had dropped on his head.
“Is everyone alright?” he called out, bringing the ponies to attention as the ice spire dissipated. “Nothing broken?”
The townsfolk remained stunned silent, and looked on with horror in their eyes.
Was this their first time dealing with the Heartless? He’d seen that look of shell shock before, and it would certainly explain a lot.
Evidently, someone decided to make a move, as Sora heard hoofsteps behind him, and fast approaching. When he turned around, he saw Double Diamond, looking at her with the same shocked expression. Only, beneath the look of horror, the boy-turned-mare saw something more.
Was it… betrayal?
“Starlight…” Double Diamond asked. “What was THAT!? How did you DO all that!?”
The only thing that ‘Starlight’ could do in response was flinch.
‘Uh oh…’
Author's Note
It should not have taken me four months to write 3,000 words, but here we are. 
In reality, I was just sort of stifled at the time. In addition to life being... well, life, I've been not really sure how I wanted this first chapter to end. Then, I thought I'll make it a two parter, and do the same with Moonlit Sky.
Regardless, I'm glad to be back, and I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure that this doesn't take me another 4 months to get Part 2 out. Of course, I do plan on continuing Perceptions before I even start working on the next chapter, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Thank you so much for tuning in. The reception to the prologue was absolutely incredible, and I hope you guys like what I did here.
Until next time, my friends!
