Connie awoke in darkness. The scent of mud assaulted her nostrils as she fought to lift herself from the ground. Opening her eyes, she found herself lost in a thick fog, though the rustling of leaves and the sounds of wildlife clued her in that she had awoken in a forest. She wiped herself down, and tucked her hair behind her ears. She furrowed her brow, trying to see through the fog in front of her. "How the hell did we end up here?" She thought for a moment. Was there a treeline alongside the road they crashed on? She couldn't remember. She looked down. She didn't feel injured, and her clothes were intact. Just what was going on here?

None of that mattered now, she needed to get out of here. Wherever here was. She reached into a pocket on the inside of her skirt and pulled out her phone. Turning it on, she sighed. "Nineteen percent....you're kidding." She turned on her flashlight and began to head in a random direction, hoping it would lead her somewhere. The light didn't do much, and the fog seemed to grow thicker with each step she took, almost as if to assert the wood's hold on her, almost as if to tell her she'll never escape.

"JOHN?!" She shouted in hopes that someone would hear her. "LILLIE?!" The only response she got was a howl off in the distance, putting the girl on edge. She rubbed her arms as she traveled deeper with no end in sight, and whether it was the chill in the air or her fear, goosebumps littered her arms. At least a half an hour passed she had to guess, before she finally came across some form of shelter. An old stone building, covered in moss and overgrowth. the door had long since gone missing and parts of the walls had been collapsed for some time, but it would provide her shelter if for a moment. The walls had once been lined with wood, though what little was left was now peeled pack and molded. A desk once sat in the corner, but like the rest of the shack, now sat in ruins on the floor. Much the same could be said of the bed, though at least that had a blanket resting on it still, torn and frayed. Connie grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. It did little to help in the cold forest, but all in all it was better than nothing. Walking up to the desk, she crouched down and gently pulled a drawer open. The rusted track got caught halfway open, though she still spotted the blade of a decent sized dagger within the drawer. "It's....better than nothing." Connie carefully grabbed the blade of the dagger and guided it out of the opening. Out of everything in the old hut, it had seemed to be in the best condition. The blade, around two feet, was made of some sort of iron and had been kept sharp. Deciding she had scavenged enough she turned around and made her way to the exit before a loud crack made her jump. Looking back into the hut, she noticed the drawer had fallen out of the desk completely, and glancing upward she found an old parchment floating down to the floor. Stepping forward carefully, she grabbed the parchment and wasted no time leaving the hut for real this time. Something about it seemed off, though she took little time to think about what as she continued deeper into the woods, searching for a way out.

___

The Everfree Forest was a treacherous place. Untouched by Equestrian magic, and happy to consume any unprepared pony who dared to enter the sprawling forest.

Yet Twilight Sparkle along with her newfound allies had managed to not only find their way to the Castle of the two Sisters, but summon the Elements of Harmony as well, and fight Nightmare Moon head on. Yet here Twilight sat defeated in the throne room of the ancient castle, the larger mare cackling above her and her friends. "And thus, thou art defeated. Face demise, little pony!" The mare's horn began to glow cobalt as she readied her final spell, one Twilight knew would kill her. She closed her eyes, awaiting for the impact that never came.

A collection of gasps was heard from behind her, and as she opened her eyes she could only marvel at the heavily armored bipedal figure in front of her. As his mighty sword pushed against the alicorn's horn and held back it's magic, he looked to Twilight Sparkle. His glowing purple eyes shining through the horned helmet that covered his entire face in a dirty and rusted grey, he let out a scoff. "Only a fool would trust six children with the fate of the world." He stated, his gruff yet booming voice leaving a momentary look of disbelief on the face of Nightmare Moon. "Find cover, Lady Twilight, and take the fractured Elements with you!"

The armored being faced Nightmare Moon again, pushing her to the ground with his sword. "It's been far to long, Luna." He took a step forward, smirking under his mask. "I hope you're prepared for the final act of your thousand year stunt."

Nightmare Moon stood again, taking a step forward to mirror the knight, her wings flaring as she sized up her new opponent and readied a spell once more. "Indeed. Treachery shall not be forgiven, Garland!"

Garland raised his sword as Nightmare Moon fired her magic once again, only for it to circle around him and seperate into several smaller projectiles. The blade of Garland's sword launched itself from the hilt, revealing a ten foot chain connecting the two as he swung it around, absorbing the magical blasts into his weapon. Nightmare Moon ducked under the blade as he did so, launching herself at him as she narrowly avoided the circling chain. She made impact, launching Garland into the retreating ponies who had barely scampered out of the way. Gripping his sword tighter the chain retracted once more, and the blade began to glow an evershifting color, the dark rainbow aura nearly unnoticeable. Garland climbed back to his feet as the cackling alicorn approached. "If I cannot defeat you this way, then I'll simply have to-"

"Enough!" Another voice boomed, this one more motherly and welcoming. The two opponents looked towards the entrance to the throne room. There stood Princess Celestia, alongside Twilight and her five friends, all wielding the newly repaired Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon's eyes widened at the glow of the Elements, and with a quick flap of her wings, she took to the air through the decaying roof. Celestia took to the skies after her as Garland launched the blade of his sword once more, the chain easily reaching thirty or so feet this time. Spinning it behind him, he tossed one end high towards the dark alicorn, who failed to notice it flying through the air until it had wrapped around her barrel, seemingly smelting into itself and ensnaring her. She let out a gasp as Garland tugged the chain towards him. Celestia readied a spell of her own, blasting Nightmare Moon back into the throne room, where Garland tugged again. "Now Lady Twilight, fire the Elements of Harmony!"

Snapping out of the state of awe she had found herself in, Twilight closed her eyes, the glow of her and her friend's Elements glaring through her eyelids. Garland closed his own eyes, feeling slithers of the blast being absorbed into his mighty sword. Then, something different. He felt something was off as the blast stopped. He opened his eyes, expecting the worst, only to find his pony allies staring towards the end of the room, where a sniffle and a sob was heard. Celestia was first to approach, lifting a pony half her size out of the rubble. Garland recognized this pony, and made his own approach as she began to stand. Plunging his sword into the floor beside him, he bowed on one knee, lowering his head. This was not the demon he had fought a thousand years ago, nor was it the demon he had fought moments before. This was his charge, as captain of the Lunar Guard.

"Princess Luna….welcome home."

Celestia cleared her throat, and motioned for the knight to stand. "Sir Garland, as much as I would like to….discuss your presence tonight, I feel it would be best if you took these six brave ponies back to their homes."

Garland crossed his arms, before pulling his sword from the floor and turning to the six ponies behind him. "Let's go."

The six mares very quickly gathered around him, each spouting some sort of dribble as they made their way out of the castle. He payed it no mind. As the group of seven began their trek through the forest, a shadow crossed Garland's eye. A biped, on the trail leading to the castle, slowly making it's way towards the group. Turning to the mares, he grunted and motioned ahead. "Into the bushes, I will deal with this." He didn't bother stopping to see if they had obeyed, though he could hear the white one complain as he walked towards the biped. He was around ten feet away now, though the darkness of the forest did not allow him to make out details. "Halt there, state your business." The figure froze for a moment, though took a step back. Garland held up his right hand, drawing from the mana reserves in his armor to create a flame; a source of light.

"What the hell...?"

For the first time in millennia, the knight would see another human being with his own eyes.

~~~

Connie stood terrified of whatever stood in front of her. A knight of some kind? She didn't quite know and frankly, she wasn't really processing it. Her brain stopped the moment she saw it conjure fire in it's clawed hand. When she saw the armor gleaming slightly in the dark, she assumed she had stumbled upon some sort of larp session. God she wishes it was just a larp session.

A breath escaped her, before she finally mumbled out; "What the hell...?"

"Hell is what I am not, at least, not anymore." It, very clearly a he, responded. "Who and what are you, and why are you trudging around the remnants of royal property at this hour?" And he very clearly knew where he was, unlike her.

"I-I'm lost, we got into a car accident just outside of the woods and I'm looking for my brother and his girlfriend."

"I'm afraid to say these are in fact not the woods you met your end near. Welcome to the Everfree forest." He motioned towards himself, and six small horses made their way out from behind a conveniently thick bush within the brush. Connie's mind raced as she examined them. Two seemed to be regular horses, though four seemed to be mythical creatures she had been told she couldn't own as a child; two unicorns and two pegasi. None of them were bigger than a great dane, and every one of them was an unnatural bright color, with the exception of the white unicorn who was currently complaining in what seemed to be a very slight english accent. The knight cleared his throat. "Quite rude to stare, miss...?"

"Connie."

"Garland." The knight chuckled. "I had the same reaction when I first arrived, do not worry. If your family has been brought to Equestria as well, we will find them. We will escort you out of the forest."

Equestria? Talking horses? Connie didn't know what to think at this point, but it was clear that Garland was her best bet at getting out of the woods safely. Likely her only bet. "Alright...lead the way." She'd been lucky it had been him she had ran into.

~~~

It had been an hour since they had found Connie, and so far the three of them were all that was left. Applejack's farm hadn't been to far from the Everfree, she opted to thank Garland for the safe passage out of the forest and head home herself. Rainbow Dash did much the same, though without much thanks. Next he had dropped off Pinkie Pie and Rarity, who both offered him payment in the form of goods and services, something he would be keen to take them up on. After that, the rest of the group has escorted Fluttershy back to her cottage, where she mumbled her thanks and goodbyes, and headed inside.

Garland cracked his neck, looking down at Twilight Sparkle. She was small, socially awkward, and to be blunt he found her adorable in much the same way a child would find a small kitten adorable. This mare would grow up to be his occasional roommate? The very idea was hilarious, yet Celestia had clearly seen something in her in order for her to have come this far. As the group passed back into town, Garland glanced in Connie's direction. She had been silent since they had found her in the forest. He would talk to her soon, for now he had a question for Twilight.

"How did you salvage the Elements of Harmony?"

The mare looked up at him, giving him a soft smile. "Well...think of it like a spirit. The body of the elements can be destroyed, but so long as the spirit is still there, the Elements of Harmony can still be used." The tilted her head to the side. "At least, that's the current hypothesis."

Interesting. "Something Celestia no doubt knew. I wouldn't know however, I've seen the elements utilized before, though never destroyed." He paused. "I would rather not discuss the usage of the elements in the past. You six, you are it's new wielders?"

Twilight took a moment to think. They were crossing the market now, it's stalls long since shut down for the night. "Yeah, I guess we are."

Garland nodded. "It is a mantle to take pride in."

The rest of the walk to Golden Oaks Library was silent. As they reached the doors, Twilight turned to Garland and smiled. "I'm sorry, I haven't even thanked you yet, have I?"

"Thanks are not needed, though you are very much welcome."

"Well do you have anywhere to stay? The least I can do is offer you a place to rest for the night. It wouldn't be much but...we have a couch? Tomorrow morning I can have Spike write a letter to Princess Celestia for an escort to Canterlot if you'd like?"

Garland smiled, though he shook his head. "The offer is tempting, but I will be staying at the inn tonight. I will also be staying to help with repairs around town, at least up until Celestia wishes to attend to the matter that is little old me." He chuckles, though glances to Connie once again. "Though if you wish to repay me, you may take Connie in for a time. Until we find her family."

The girl in question looked to him as if ready to object, but Twilight nodded in agreement and spoke before she could reject. "I can do that. I'm sorry to cut this short but it's been a looooooong day and I'd like to get some sleep." She looked over to Connie, who sighed nodded her head. "Alright, but tomorrow I've looking for John. Thanks Garland, and....Twilight?"

"Twilight Sparkle, but just Twilight is fine. Come on in and we'll get everything sorted out."
As the door shut, Garland made his way back towards the area of the market. The Ponyville Inn was small, but it would suit his needs well enough. As he opened the door and approached the blue unicorn stallion at the front desk, the poor thing began to shake. "U-u-u-u-hhhhh, Garland? Room for two? Room number is two-seven, have a p-p-p-p-pleasant stay!" He tossed a key to the knight and ducked behind the counter.

The man rolled his eyes, and headed to the second floor hallway. It was lit by candles, and quite cozy. He hadn't reserved a room yet, so who was the second? Had it been Celestia, she likely would have invited him back to the castle. That only left....

"Hello Garland, eventful day?" Miss Lavender, Twilight Sparkle herself. She had opened the door just as he reached for the knob. She was garbed in a brown cloak that covered almost her entire body, thought one could see her face if they were close enough. He had given her this cloak at one point, though he could no longer remember when or why.

Garland snorted, moving past the alicorn to let himself in. The room was relatively small in size and had no windows, with one pony sized bed in the back right corner. To the opposite corner on the left, a small desk, accompanied by a wooden chair. It would suffice for now, though Garland would be opting to sleep in the desk chair. "Eventful does not begin to describe it. The day I battled against Discord himself was less of an emotional toll."

"Emotional, I am sure, but physically?" Lavender chuckled, remembering her own encounters with the draconequus.

"Yes, physically this was child's play."

The alicorn followed Garland into the room, making her way to the bed. "I tried to book a bigger room, but they didn't have one on such short notice. You can have the bed if you'd like." She said, though stifled her laughter when he instead plopped down into the chair, taking his helmet off. His face was obscured by the darkness of the room, but Lavender could easily make out the details hidden by the lack of light. It was a face she was very familiar with after all; the face of the only ally she had left.

"I will take the chair. The bed is much to small for me."

"Very well then, we should call it a night-" A deafening crack interrupted her, and her head was out the door in a second. Garland quickly followed suit, his helmet now back upon his head as he pushed past her and into the dim hallway. The two made their way downstairs, where the receptionist was now poking his head outside. The fear Garland had witnessed minutes ago now gone as he surveyed the area around the inn. The knight cleared his throat, getting the pony's attention. "What is it?"

"I-i dunno! It was this loud crack, like lightning, but Cloudsdale doesn't have any thunderstorms in the schedule for weeks! I think it came from the market? I can't really tell on account of how loud it was though!"

Lavender nodded, and looked up to Garland. "That is strange Shakey, but we're gonna go take a look."

The unicorn nodded, though gave the two a worried look. "Alrighty then, just be careful out there. I'm about to close up for the night, but the door will be unlocked for ya." He moved out of the doorway, letting the two pass. The night sky was filled with stars as the two set off for the Ponyville market.

"What do you think it was Lavender?" Garland asked. He was already skeptical of the events leading up to this point. It had been a strange night, and if it had kept up-

"I have a feeling we're about to find out." She said, pointing to a smoking lump laying in a heap upon a destroyed stall. Garland narrowed his eyes, focusing on the stall. 'Yes.' He thought to himself; 'Of course this night would continue to be eventful.' As the two walked up to the stall he scoffed. "What do we have here?"

~~~

A slow wind fell upon John's face, and at last he opened his eyes. The void was dark and seemingly foggy, the only source of light being a stained glass pillar directly below him. As he realized he was floating headfirst towards it, he began to shift his weight to land upon it feet first. Finally touching down, he gazed upon it. It was a glowing orange, with the colors within the glass depicting a white horse rearing up with a sparkling multicolored mane. It had both wings and a large horn, On it's right side sat six decorative circles, all of which depicted the faces of different horses. Though two had horns, the four others didn't. Behind the white one sat the pattern of a decorative sun. John looked out into the void, but his gaze settled on nothing. He was alone here.

He stepped forward, before a voice rang out; "A great journey awaits you." John whipped his head back, searching for the source of the voice. He was alone on the top of the pillar, but the voice spoke again. "But don't be afraid."

On the stained glass, puddles of a black ooze began to form, and from the puddles rose inky black beings in roughly the size and shape of a pony with claws on each hoove. There were five of them, and though they had shape, they were featureless aside from their glowing blue eyes and claws. "I will guide you...." The creatures skittered to form a semi circle in front of John. "...to Victory."

A flash from his right hand, and John felt his hair blow back for a split second. In his hand sat Crescent Rose, the Keyblade he had made. It was heavier than before, and now had a glimmering shine to it. One of the creatures leapt towards him, and instinctively he swung his Keyblade upward to meet it, knocking it back from the uppercut.

The other four monsters rushed forward at once swinging their claws, and in response John swept his weapon from left to right in a wide swing, and though he hit three, the fourth fell back into the ground below, becoming an inky black puddle once more as it crept around. Paying no mind to it for now, John focused on the other three he had knocked back, getting a second hit on one of them. It burst into a small cloud of smoke, dissipating within seconds. As he attacked the second and third, they did much the same.

The monster he had uppercut previously had crept back into the fray, and while John had slain three of the five, the last two had snuck behind him. One of them leapt. "Behind you."

Turning back, John saw the monster leaping towards him, and raised his Keyblade in both hands to block the being, which jumped chest first into the blade. John took the chance to slam the blade and the creature into the ground, where it turned to smoke and vanished, only for the fifth and final creature to jump at him and bring it's claws to his face. John let out a scream, punching back the monster and clenching his face. He brought his hand down and watched as blood dripped from his hand onto the stained glass. His gaze landed on the monster, and he rushed forward as it jumped at him again. He thrust his Keyblade forward, running it straight through the pony shaped creature. As he held his blade up, it twitched for a moment, letting out a rasp before it too turned to smoke.

"You will face many hardships. Not all battles will be this easy." A pause, before the voice spoke again. "You've already chosen your role."

He brought the Keyblade to his chest, holding it up with both hands as he inspected it.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A weapon of terrible destruction, or a tool for great valor. This is your form."

At the edges of the stained glass two podiums appeared. One of which held a mighty blue shield decorated with a golden trim. The other podium held a wooden staff, one end forming a hook, with a bright red crystal suspended in the opening. The Keyblade in his hands disappeared in a flash of light before the voice continued.

"What will you give up in exchange for the power you've been gifted?"

A choice then. John should have expected it. He took a moment to think it over before approaching the staff and picking it up.

"The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin."

He looked over the staff. It felt good in his hands, and it made his heart race. As John's eyes fell upon the crystal, he felt electrified, as though he could do anything. He placed the staff down on the podium, and approached the shield, fastening it to his left arm.

"The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all."

John felt little as he held the shield up. Though it was very pretty, it was heavy and clunky, something he'd rather not lug around with him. He placed the shield back onto it's podium and made his way back to the staff. Grabbing it once more, he nodded.

"A warrior with the aid of the power of magic. A magician familiar with the art of combat. Is this the form you choose?"

He nodded again. The staff in his hands disappeared, as did the podiums. "Worry not, your allies will shield you, so long as you play your part."

In the space between the podiums, a door appeared though it stood alone, connected to nothing. It was a dark brown, the doorway lined with decorative jewels and patterns. "Step through the door, and find the future that awaits you."

John did so apprehensively, looking back for just a moment as he opened the door and walked through.

Walking though the other side, the droning of the wind carried the sound of a never-ending groan to John's ears as he stared across the wide marble room. It had clearly been of some importance at some point, the stain glassed windows depicting events from decades long past, and banners torn and unrecognizable. Perhaps once upon a time it had been beautiful.

Now it lies in desolation. The far end of the room had been torn from the rest of the fortress John had found himself in, leaving nothing but a massive opening to the outside.

An outside that held nothing but an inky blackness that slowly crept inside, staining the marble walls. John looked back, but the doorway was gone. Whatever this place was, he had no escape.

Floating in the opening was a massive beast, easily coming to forty feet tall. It's red and batlike wings beat gently to hold it in the air, as it's sharp yellow eyes stared John down. The hair on the boy's back stood up as the demon laughed, before reaching out with one of it's clawed red hands, but John could only stand paralyzed in place. "You are not supposed to be here child." It's voice was deep and menacing, with a hint of regality in it's tones. "I will not be stopped by a whelp. You will serve as fuel for the great assimilation." It's clawed digits wrapped around John, and the boy shuddered. His mouth wouldn't open, his screams wouldn't come out. As the demon brought him up to it's mouth, a crow drew it's attention. The bird quickly flew to the demon, weaving and dodging the three hands not holding John from swatting it out of the sky. After a moment, it managed to get up to the demon's face and began to peck at it's eyes. The beast howled in pain, before dropping John back onto the marble flood and grabbing the bird.

"You insignificant speck!" The demon crushed the crow in it's hand, and John could just barely make out the blood running down it's red claws. It shoved the bird into it's mouth and swallowed without chewing, before looking back at John.

"In the end, your struggle will be futile. You will grow tired, you will grow weary. You will die. And when you do, all that shall remain is the darkness you left in your wake. Such is the nature of all life." It reached it's clawed hand out once again; "Such is the nature of death."

Death never came, as John awoke.

~~~

Garland stood above the smoking pile of wood and wool, an eye raised as he looked down upon the body snuggly stuck inside of the wreck. A boy lay battered and bleeding, though Garland could tell he was still breathing judging from the pained wheezing barely passing his lips.

"Oh my-" Miss Lavender began, though shook her head. Her horn lit up, and the boy disappeared in a flash of light. Garland held out his arms, where the boy appeared a foot or so above his outspread appendages and landed with a soft clinking noise. Lavender let out a huff, and looked upwards at Garland. "At the very least, we won't need to look for John now." The knight nodded, looking down at the boy. His face was framed by medium length black hair, though it didn't quite reach his neck, only stretching to his jaw. His jawline was sharp, though it had a bit of fat on it, giving it a somewhat rounded appearance. Garland looked back to Miss Lavender. "Shall I inform Connie--"

"Tomorrow." Her horn lit up once again, and the pile of wood transformed into a stall, the sign on it's base having a picture of an apple painted on it. "Tonight...let's just get some rest, okay?"

"Right."

With that, the two of them walked back to the now darkened inn, with Miss Lavender tossing a few more bits onto the unoccupied countertop. The second floor hallway was no longer lit, and the two of them stumbled through it blindly. Finally, Lavender began to grow annoyed and began to emit a soft light from her horn, to which Garland thanked her. Upon reaching the doorway to room twenty-seven she began to fumble with the knob, though the knight gently pushed her aside, holding the boy up with one hand and opening the door with another. The two entered the room, not looking back as they closed the door and turned in for the night.

Unbeknownst to either of them, twenty or so feet away from the apple stand stood a sword in the image of a key, stood up resting in the ground. A moment passed, before the keyblade vanished in a flash of light.

Author's Note

Admittedly this chapter has been in the works for a long time. I started writing it right after I finished the last one, but circumstances put it on hold for a while. I still plan on writing, but chances are updates won't be consistent.

I had a lot of fun writing this one.