//------------------------------// // Sleepless in Ponyville // Story: My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria // by Codex92 //------------------------------// A few days had passed after the fiasco with Trixie coming to Ponyville with a dangerous artifact that would have corrupted the unicorn more the longer she wore it. Zecora made sure to keep a hold of it, locked away safely in a chest, hoping to dispose of it properly so no one else would use the Alicorn Amulet for selfish desires. Along with keeping it safe, she visited Sora every day, dropping off a large potion bottle of her special healing potion, slowly healing his aching body with each serving and plenty of bed rest. While he was resting, Riku and Kairi stayed in Equestria for a while in case any Heartless had shown up, but thankfully, the random chaos had finally calmed down. Out in the town, Scootaloo sped off on her scooter, weaving around ponies as she pretended to be as speedy as her idol, Rainbow Dash. The daredevil filly only kept getting better and better on her scooter, her tiny wings buzzing rapidly, giving her more speed that gave her a rush of adrenaline like it would when she dreamed of flying through the sky. Scootaloo increased her speed as she saw an overturned cart, flying off it and soaring high into the air. "Whoohoo!" she cheered, flying through the air as she pulled off a no-hooved glide. Rainbow Dash nonchalantly flew by, a glass of punch resting on her chest while flying backwards. "Nice moves, squirt." Scootaloo gasped and stopped herself in the middle of her jump. "'Nice moves?' Rainbow thinks I have-" The filly soon began to fall, thankfully landing in a pile of hay near Sweet Apple Acres, keeping her from being hurt. Though her sudden descent didn't disturb her, too enthralled with Rainbow saying she liked her trick. "Nice moves!" The excited filly leapt out of the hay, fishing out her scooter and rode off to the clubhouse to meet up with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom for their Cutie Mark Crusader meeting. The remaining two-thirds of their club were already there, playing checkers as they waited for Scootaloo. The pegasus slammed the clubhouse door open, bouncing with excitement, the unicorn and earth pony not looking up from their game at Scootaloo's arrival. "You're a bit late, Scoots," Apple Bloom said. "Guys, you are not gonna believe what happened earlier!" Scootaloo said, unable to keep still. "On my way here, I was just doing my thing on my scooter, going as fast as I could! Then, I got some sick air, and Rainbow Dash flew by and said, 'Nice moves, squirt.'" "She really said that?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yeah! It's like she's thinking about taking me under her wing, teach me every trick she knows, and maybe become my big sister!" Sweetie and Apple Bloom looked at each other, finding that possibility hard to be believed. "Ah don't think that's gonna happen, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said. "...It could happen." The young Apple rolled her eyes, getting back to her game as she jumped over a horseshoe on Sweetie Belle's side of the board. "I just have to find a way to spend more time with her so she can see more of my awesomeness." "Well, Applejack and Ah are gonna be campin' up at Winsome Falls this weekend," Apple Bloom said, looking away from her game as Sweetie Belle made her move. "Maybe Ah can ask her to invite Rainbow Dash, and y'all can come along too!" "Really!? That's awesome!" Scootaloo cheered, her wings flapping with glee. "Hey, I can get Rarity to come along too!" Sweetie Belle said. "Rarity loves camping!" "I despise camping," Rarity said, the Crusaders now at the boutique. "I'm not exactly the kind of pony to...rough it out in nature." "But Applejack's going with her little sister," Sweetie sadly said. "But, if you don't want to spend any time with me..." The unicorn filly gave the saddest look to try to guilt trip Rarity into going with her. "That worked on me when you were five, and I'm not going to fall for that again, Sweetie Belle." Sweetie dropped the act and groaned in disappointment. "I can't exactly go anywhere this weekend anyway. I have so many orders to fill, and I need to finish fixing Sora's clothing after he was nearly shredded to pieces fighting Trixie. That's more of a chore considering his clothes are enchanted, and I don't want to mess with the magic that gives him his powerful forms." Sweetie Belle sighed and left Rarity's work room, meeting with her friends downstairs. "I couldn't convince her. Am I losing my touch?" "Well, we can't leave Sweetie Belle behind," Scootaloo said. "It wouldn't be fun without all of us going along." "I know. It's almost like the Sisterhooves Social..." The unicorn filly gasped as she got an idea. "Or, maybe I don't need a sister to come along. How about a brother!?" "You have a brother we don't know about?" Apple Bloom asked, Sweetie Belle facehooving at the dumb question. "I don't have a brother, but I have a brother-figure who can't say no to me," she said, her eyes sparkling as she was sure to come along with her friends. "Sure, I think I can go camping now that I'm feeling a little better," Sora said as the fillies headed back to Sweet Apple Acres. "Aww, come on! I really want to go camping with-...Wait, did you say yes?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yeah." The teen gave the unicorn filly a light noogie. "Need your little ears cleaned out?" "Ya sure ya should even be movin', Sora?" Apple Bloom asked. "Well, that potion Zecora dropped by every day has helped me. I just can't overexert myself with anything too exhausting, like fighting or farm work. I think a little hike is ok now that I'm somewhat mobile again." He grinned and moved his forehooves behind his head. "Plus, I kind of need a little break from all the crazy stuff in the past. I'm due for my vacation days." "Yay!" Sweetie Belle rammed into Sora and hugged his waist tightly, her grip strong enough to spark a small jolt of pain in his muscles. "You're the best, Sora!" "Y-Yeah, I am...but I'm still pretty sore," he uttered. He gently pulled Sweetie Belle off of him, hiding his pain while patting her head. "Let's pack up some camping supplies and enjoy nature tomorrow." The Crusaders cheered and ran off to the clubhouse, unable to wait for their camping trip to Winsome Falls. As soon as they were out of sight, Sora sighed heavily, rubbing his sides from the surprisingly powerful hug Sweetie Belle gave him. "Hopefully it'll be more relaxing and nothing bad happens. If Heartless show up, I have to resort to magic, and I can't afford to waste a single shot if there's hundreds that appear..." The next morning, the group had packed up the necessary supplies for their camping trip and were outside of Ponyville. Applejack, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo carried their saddlebags, but Sora had the red pouch attached to his hind leg, its infinite void of held items helpful in the past with everything he carried. "Ok, let's see if we got everything," Applejack said. "Canteens?" "Check!" Apple Bloom said. "Bug spray?" Scootaloo held out her can of bug spray for some of those pesky pests that might bite them. "Compass and map? Check." "And we have our tents," Sora said, patting his small pouch. "Also, my medicine Zecora gave me yesterday while we're out on the trail. It's almost like she knew I was going to be going off somewhere when I didn't even tell her I would go camping." "So, where's Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked. "Is she here yet?" "She's gone up ahead to set up our campsite," Applejack answered. "As much as we want to get to Winsome Falls, Ah don't want to risk havin' Sora in any pain on the road." "AJ, I'm ok to walk. I just can't fight or do any heavy lifting. And I hate staying in bed for longer than I should." He reached into his pouch and pulled out one of the few large potion bottles Zecora gave him, taking a small dose of the green liquid. "I'm not completely helpless." "Just makin' sure to be careful, sugarcube. Let's get a move on before Rainbow gets too impatient." The ponies began their trek to Winsome Falls, following the path on Applejack's map through the nearby forest. "You know, I think I'm glad my sister didn't come with me," Sweetie said. "She probably would have brought everything from the boutique in a giant wagon and would have me pull it so she won't sweat and ruin her recently groomed coat." "Yeah, Rarity doesn't seem to be the kind of pony to want to stay out in the woods for more than a minute," Sora said. "Luckily for you, I have plenty of experience camping when I was young, even though I mostly camped on the island my friends and I hung out at." Their hike through the forest and winding pathway left the traveling group nothing but the nature around them. Birds flew around, chirping as they perched on the branches in the trees, hearing the rustling of the bushes from any curious critters that heard their hoofsteps, taking in the calmness and serenity nature had to offer. A few hours of walking finally got them to where Rainbow waited for them at the selected campsite: an open area with a small river to refill their canteens, and plenty of trees around to gather firewood for the night. As soon as the cyan pegasus spotted them, Rainbow decided to make herself known, leaping off the cloud she was laying on and flying around the campsite. With her speed, she kicked through some trees, making big enough logs as makeshift seats, dropping them around the empty space. She then flew toward the water and picked up some stones, casually dropping them as she kept up her speed to set up the campfire so the flames won't spread out in the center. With everything set up, Rainbow dusted off her hooves, obviously impressing Scootaloo, though Sora and Applejack rolled their eyes at the show off. "Wow, Rainbow," Sora sarcastically said. "That was pretty neat...Next time, try not to showboat and set up camp in advance before we arrive." "I'd like to see you do a better and more awesome job than me." The teen pulled out the potion he drank, less than half of the liquid remaining as he occasionally took a few swigs on the hike, shaking it before her to get his hint. "...Oh. Right. Still feeling sore, huh?" "Yeah. I should be better in a couple more days." Sora took another sip, smacking his lips from the taste he quickly got used to. "At least it's not as bad as any medicine you get from a doctor that's not in pill form." "But I thought you have magic to cure yourself," Sweetie said. "Yes, but my magic can only heal injuries like cuts or bruises while also giving me a boost in energy to keep fighting," he explained. "What Trixie did to me affected my body on the outside and in my nerves. I was barely able to move without feeling pain every inch I made, and Cure doesn't exactly heal serious injuries like a broken bone or torn muscle." "Oh. That explains why you're drinking that stuff." As Sora put the potion back in his pouch, he noticed Scootaloo mumbling to herself, then casually walking up to Rainbow Dash. "Hey, Rain-" The pegasus filly didn't pay attention to where she was going, tripping over one of the logs and tumbled over to another. She stood on it, flailing her hooves as it began to roll over to the creek, but it stopped on a rock and caused her to flip uncontrollably, somersaulting over the creek and into a curved pile of rocks. Scootaloo flew back to where she tried to start her nonchalant walk to Rainbow Dash, landing hard on her back while trying to hide back her fumble and just lay back on the ground. "H-Hey, Rainbow Dash. How's it going?" "Smooth landing," Sora whispered to Sweetie Belle, her hoof held against her mouth as she stifled her giggling. Soon, the sun began to set, which meant it was time to set up their tents and build a fire. They didn't have to set up the tents with too much work with the ones Sora had in store in the past. He dug through his pouch and pulled out three magic orbs that had an image of a tent on them. Tossing each one out behind the logs, the orbs magically transformed into fully built tents, big enough to fit three ponies in each one. It was a lighter load for them all to carry, and once they were done using them, the tents would disappear out of existence, making packing them up simpler without having to take them down. Rainbow Dash and Scootloo went off to gather some firewood, Sweetie Belle pulling out some marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars, hers and Sora's idea as snacks for the evening. Applejack got the fire started, lighting the campsite in an orange glow as everyone roasted their marshmallows on sticks, heating them up to a golden brown for their s'mores. After chowing down on her portion, Rainbow hovered out of her seat next to Scootaloo. "Alright, everypony, time for the greatest story you'll ever hear," she said. "Who here likes scary stories?" The fillies flinched, shivering slightly at the thought of hearing a scary story. "S-Scary stories?" "Uhh, I love scary stories!" Scootaloo said, though she was unable to hide her fright that well, trying to put on a brave face in front of Rainbow Dash. "I know you would, squirt, cause this is a good one." Sora rolled his eyes, able to think of several different scary stories that would even scare the pants off of Rainbow, if she wore pants. Her scary story was about some old and creepy mare that lurks through the forests like the ones they were in now, catching fillies as her grumbling echoed in the night, searching for something that was stolen from her. He and Applejack were in no way scared of such a ridiculous story, though Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were shivering with fright. "...And then, the Olden Pony asked, 'Who's got my rusty horseshoe?'" "N-Not me!" Sweetie Belle said, huddling close with her friends as Rainbow Dash disappeared in the shadows, appearing behind them with a sinister smirk on her face. "YOU DO!" she shouted, making Sweetie and Apple Bloom shriek in fright and run to their sibling/sibling-figure. Scootaloo was freaked out as well, but feigned her fright by coughing, even though her body shook a little. "Sorry. Got something in my throat. Good story." "I knew you wouldn't be scared, Scootaloo," Rainbow said, messing the filly's mane. "When you jumped off that cart the other day, you're just like me: fearless and awesome." "Heh...Yeah. Fearless." Scootaloo shivered, not wanting to disappoint her idol by being scared like her friends. "Oh, brother," Sora said, hugging Sweetie Belle tightly as she felt safer under his protection. "An Olden Pony looking for a horseshoe? I think a Shadow would be more scary than a grumpy old mare finding a rusty piece of metal." Applejack yawned as it began to get late. "Ah think it's time for us to hit the hay." She was about to move, only to remember how tightly her little sister was holding onto her side, scared out of her mind. Applejack patted Apple Bloom on the head, easing the filly a little to loosen her grip on her. "Don't worry, Apple Bloom. There ain't no Olden Pony comin' after us anytime soon." As they headed for their tents, Sora was the only one who noticed Scootaloo's nervousness, still trying to hide the fact she was scared of the story just like Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "Scootaloo, you alright?" "Of course I'm alright!" the pegasus filly assured. "I mean, I'm not scared of some Olden Pony!" "Good to hear, squirt," Rainbow said, splashing water on the fire to put it out, startling Scootaloo. "You're tough like me when I was your age. I'm gonna get some sleep. Hopefully you don't snore, right?" "Nope! Never snored a day in my life!" Scootaloo laughed nervously, her eyes darting around at the darkness around them. "Good. Come on in whenever you feel like it." Rainbow walked inside her tent, leaving Scootaloo and Sora the only ones outside. "You sure you're alright, Scootaloo?" Sora asked. "It's not a bad thing to be scared, you know." "I'm perfectly fine! I'm not afraid of anything!" Suddenly, a twig snapping out in the woods made Scootaloo jump and flee in hers and Rainbow's tent, though the culprit who stepped on it was probably a fox or a harmless nocturnal critter scurrying about. Sora headed inside his and Sweetie's tent, the unicorn filly already passed out as she slept in her sleeping bag. He was a little concerned about Scootaloo, trying to be brave on the outside while scared on the inside. She's only a filly, and kids around her age were easy to scare with a creepy story in a spooky environment like atmosphere of their campsite late in the night. While he hoped she'll get over it in the morning, the teen laid down in his sleeping bag and fell asleep. With his eyes closed, Sora felt himself slowly falling down through the air, surrounded in a dark void as he dreamed. The blackness slowly shifted to a calming blue, several glowing stars shimmering all around that made several pathways, floating doorways resting along those starry roads as if they were hallways with hundreds of thousands of rooms to explore. As the teen began to flip right-side up, he began to wake up as he landed on his feet. As he came to his senses, he stared around this new realm in confusion, back to being a human. "Wait, I'm asleep right now. I'm supposed to be dreaming...Unless, this is some kind of dream realm?" Looking down at his hands, he flexed his fingers, glad to be a human again, if only in his dream traveling. He walked along the road of stars, observing all of the differently designed doors. "This place seems a lot different than the dream worlds Riku and I went through. It's kind of peaceful here." "WHO DARES ENTER MY DOMINION!?" Sora flinched, summoning his Keyblade as he looked around for where the voice came from. The voice sounded familiar, but with it echoing in the dreamscape, it was hard to tell who it was. Suddenly, a beam of dark blue magic fired down at him from above, Sora quickly avoiding it as he aimed his Keyblade at his attacker, thankful to feel no pain from his injuries while in the dream world. He was about to shoot a spell at whoever it was, but instead of a foe, it was a friend. "Luna?" Hovering above him, the Princess of the Night halting her attacks as she floated down to the road Sora stood on. She stared at him in confusion, recognizing a few features of his that made the person she was looking at all too familiar. "Uhh, hey. Was I intruding?" "...Sora?" The teen nodded, dismissing his Keyblade. "...So, this is what you are outside of Equestria?" "Pretty much, yeah," he said. "Guess I retain my actual form when in the dream worlds." Luna approached Sora, apparently a few inches shorter than the Keyblade wielder by height as she had to look up at him for the first time. "How is it you are able to enter the realm of dreams?" "I was going to ask the same thing. But, to make it simple, Riku and I were able to do that when we tried to stop Xehanort. It was for our Mark of Mastery exam, but I failed my test and got caught by him." Sora sighed, the memory of that disappointing failure forever weighing him down. "At least I didn't have my Keyblade taken away." "...I see. A testament to your own magic giving you the ability," Luna said. "Well, not only am I the ruler of the night in place of my sister, I am also able to travel through dreams. I thought it would be a good idea to help my subjects with their troubles in their nightmares. Dreams tend to subtly give hints to the conflicts they face, and I enter their dreams to help ease them of the burdens that they face." "That sounds reasonable, and probably entertaining if you get bored sitting on the throne." Sora's eyes widened when he realized Luna could enter any dream. "Wait, you haven't been in my dreams, have you?" "I have yet to see your gateway to your dreams, and I do not snoop on everypony's dreams every night." He breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to have Luna see what his dreams have been about in the past couple months. "I do have many subjects that require my assistance, though their dream worlds are separated far apart from each other. There is one nearby who I sense is having a terrible nightmare as we speak." Luna pointed at a door behind Sora, the teen turning around to see an orange and purple door. "Those colors look awfully familiar. Scootaloo's having a nightmare?" "She is. Would you mind helping her for me?" the alicorn asked. "Sure. Shouldn't be too much of a problem if it's dealing with a bad dream. And if you get too overwhelmed, you can pull me out of my dream and point me in the direction of the next troubled pony." He turned around to enter the door, only to stop and quickly turn around. "But you're not going to be walking in my dream door if you find it, right?" "What do you have to hide, Sora?" Luna asked with a smirk. "Nothing! It's not what you're thinking it is!" the teen exclaimed, his cheeks burning red as he quickly turned back to Scootaloo's dream door to hide his blush. "Just go off and help other ponies in need of help! I got Scootaloo covered!" "Relax. I know when to not intrude on a dreams like those." Sora winced, his face turning completely red in embarrassment as the alicorn giggled at his reaction. "I'll be sure to not disturb you in your fantasies with Kairi when I need assistance." Sora grumbled as Luna flew off to help her other subjects. "You and Celestia are so much alike..." Sighing in annoyance, Sora put Luna's teasing out of his mind and entered Scootaloo's dream, glad to see she was feeling better after knowing the fate of her lover, Sombra. As he passed through the glowing light of the doorway, the light faded as the Keyblade wielder found himself in a creepy forest similar to where he and the others were camped at for the evening, though the lighting of the atmosphere was a dark red instead of the usual darkness of the forest at night. He heard a pair of hoofsteps somewhere in the forest, pushing away the shrubbery around him as he wandered about the nightmare forest. He could hear Scootaloo panting as she ran in fear of something, along with the sound of an old pony's grumbling echoing through the trees. Sora managed to catch a glimpse of the filly running by through the dark trees and leaves, quickly chasing after her before she got too far away. Though, getting to her was difficult with the foliage getting in his way, his taller body unable to squeeze past the bushes and tightly packed trees. "Scootaloo! Wait!" he called out, but the pegasus didn't hear him. Sora managed to get onto the path and chase after her, but as he rounded a tree, he yelped as he skidded to a halt, finding this Olden Pony in the story Rainbow told, leering at him with a creepy glare of her eye. "Who's got my rusty horseshoe!?" "No one has your dumb horseshoe! And you're a lot more...grotesque than Rainbow described you as." Before he could walk past the "nightmare", Sora suddenly felt some invisible force shove him hard and sent him flying, forced out of the dream as he rolled back into the dreamscape. Scootaloo's door shut itself, confusing the Keyblade wielder as to what had just happened. He leapt back up on his feet and ran back to the door, but as he touched it, the door disappeared on him. "...Uhhh...Did I break something in there?" "That was fast," Luna said as she hovered down behind him after exiting one of the doors above them. "I...actually didn't even get the chance to help her," Sora said. "I ran into her nightmare, I think, and I suddenly got kicked out." "Ah. I have had some instances of dreams like this in the past," Luna said. "Sometimes, one who dreams can actually dream inside of a dream, and when they wake from it, the intruder inside gets forced out. And if the door has gone, then that means Scootaloo has awoken." Sora was a bit confused by the explanation, but he understood it enough to know that if someone who dreams wakes up, whether inside a dream or out, he'll get kicked out because of the shock the dreamer has. "So, that means we'll have to wait for her to fall back asleep...if she does." "Troubling nightmares that may traumatize can cause insomnia sometimes, which means waiting for the moment that pony passed out from exhaustion for their door to appear again." Sora sighed, unable to do anything to help Scootaloo until she falls back to sleep. "That's gonna be a problem," he said. "I don't suppose Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom are having nightmares as well, right?" Luna shook her head. "Thought so. Because those two felt more protected under Applejack and myself, they're able to rest easily. Scootaloo's pretending to impress Rainbow by being brave, but she's scared out of her mind and she isn't being comforted by her idol, expecting her to be just like her." "It's quite obvious to what she fears," the alicorn said. "She's afraid of disappointing Rainbow Dash." Sora crossed his arms together as he stared at the empty space where Scootaloo's dream used to be. "That mare better realize she's dealing with a little kid, not herself." As the two waited for when the filly would fall asleep, Sora noticed Luna had been wearing her engagement ring Sombra got for her, unnoticed to him by her flowing, starry mane. "...You're wearing Sombra's ring?" "Hmm?...Oh, yes...I am." They fell into an awkward silence, Sora feeling his guilt of that moment come back to him from failing to save the stallion. Luna gently touched the crescent-shaped gem with her hoof, sighing sadly. "I want to wear it to remind me of the Sombra I knew back then, the stallion I loved, not the monster that took control over him." She growled, glaring at the expanse of blue and endless roads of stars in the distance. "The pony...No, the monster that tricked him...Was he of your kind?" "I guess...Though, anyone could be a Keyblade wielder if they are deemed worthy to wield one. Who knows who he actually was?...He probably died in the Keyblade War, so it doesn't matter trying to find out who he was." More silence. If only there were any historical documents of the Keyblade wielders who took part in that war, but the only bit of information they all knew was that thousands had lost their lives in the struggle between light and darkness. "...I wished I was able to save Sombra for you, Luna." "...What's done is done. Equestria's safety was more important than what I desire." Sora still felt bothered, even when Luna had put the safety of her kingdom over the return of her lover being freed from his darkness. "He could have come back," he said. "When I turned into a Heartless, Kairi's light kept me from falling too deep in darkness and I followed it, bringing me back into her arms. Riku was taken over by Xehanort's Heartless, and I managed to free him by destroying it with the light of Kingdom Hearts. Heck, even Xehanort managed to come back as the old codger he was after his Heartless and Nobody were destroyed, somehow! Sombra could have come back the same way if his heart wasn't destroyed along with his body when we activated the Crystal Heart!...But..." Sora fell to his knees, clenching his fists as he pounded the ground in frustration. "...He was too far gone...I couldn't save him." "...You still feel responsible for being unable to save him?" Luna asked. "Why? Even I understood it was too late to save him when Celestia and I banished him..." "You have no idea how much it bugs me, feeling helpless to save someone who needed my help and unable to do so with the risks that can happen," Sora explained. "When Riku sided with darkness and I couldn't reach out to him when Ansem took over, I thought there was no hope in saving him. When one of the members of Organization XIII told me they had Kairi imprisoned in their world, I was scared out of my mind and I didn't want her to get hurt. I fell on my knees and begged him to give her back unharmed...I even thought Goofy was dead after he saved King Mickey from a large boulder, hitting him hard in the head, not even moving an inch... "...Even when Axel, a member of Organization XIII who defected from the Nobodies to help me...I felt helpless watching him disappear after all he did to stop them..." Sora stopped hitting the stars beneath him, looking down at the endless realm of dreams. "After reading Sombra's journal, I just had to do something to save him. He wasn't a crazed dictator. He was someone who fell in the clutches of darkness by someone who doesn't deserve to have a heart...He was innocent, and there was nothing I could have done to save him, or his heart..." "...You want to save everypony from those with evil intent..." Luna now understood the reason why Sora was so wracked with guilt when they had returned from the Crystal Empire. She gently picked the distressed teen up to his feet with her magic, turning him to face her. "But a feat like that is impossible, Sora." "...I know...I'm responsible for keeping the worlds safe from darkness, and anyone in trouble..." He summoned his Keyblade and looked at the blade, seeing his reflection off the steel through the lights around them. "...Every boy at a young age dreams of being a hero: pretending to have superpowers, fight the bad guy, and save the day...Little did anyone tell them that the ones you try to save, you can only rescue so many before you're at your limit, or when someone you care about gets hurt..." "You did what you could," Luna assured. "My sister still blames herself for banishing me a thousand years on the moon, but she did what she thought was right to save Equestria from myself when I was Nightmare Moon. Not everything can go according to plan, even your own heroic expectations when it comes to saving your friends don't go that smoothly, right?" Sora lowered his weapon and nodded his head. "It still hurts, knowing I will never see Sombra again, but knowing that the fate of the world and the many are more important than the few unfortunate to fall." The princess surprised Sora by draping her neck over his shoulder and hugged him with a hoof. "Just knowing the truth of what happened to him and rescuing the Crystal Empire and Equestria is enough for me." Sora recovered from the surprise hug, taking in the young alicorn sister's words of wisdom. What was important was stopping Sombra and saving Equestria, and he had done so, even if he failed to save him from the darkness that was forced into his heart. He felt a little relieved, his conscience of Sombra's fate somewhat cleared as he gave a small smile, hugging Luna back. "Maybe you and Celestia should have switched roles," he said, patting the alicorn's neck. "You're a lot wiser than you seem." "When you have an older sister who likes to pull pranks on their younger sibling every day, one of us has to be the serious sister most of the time." Sora chuckled, finding it unlikely that Luna was always the more serious sibling. While they still hugged, he moved his hand around Luna's ethereal mane, surprised to actually feel it despite it seeming like it was some kind of illusion. "What are you doing with my mane?" "I always wondered if both yours and Celestia's hair was actual hair or made of magic." Luna rolled her eyes as the teen continued playing around with the alicorn's hair. "It's pretty cool. I would have done this with Celestia when I first met her, but I didn't want to be rude." "And you don't consider playing with my mane right now rude?" she asked. "Well, we are hugging, so it was a good excuse." Sora moved his hand up to Luna's ear, giving it a light scratch, making the alicorn back away in surprise. "W-Why did you do that!?" Luna asked with a light blush. "It's kind of something we like to do with pets or domesticated or tamed animals, and it's a lot better for them with these than hooves." He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers, smirking at the reaction he gave to the alicorn. "Felt a little pleasant, didn't it?" "...You are the strangest...male I've ever met," she said with an unamused glare. "You were upset one minute and then your attitude turns around to being positive and upbeat." "Well, Kairi said I was always the one to lift anyone up when they feel down," Sora said, bringing his arms behind his head with a big grin. "But, if I ever get down, someone else has to pull me back up out of my own sorrow. It pays to have reliable friends who can pick you back up on the worst of days." His toothy grin melted to a calm smile, staring at Luna with a genuine happiness rather than a goofy one. "I'm actually really relieved to know you never had any resentment toward me when I told you about what happened to Sombra. I can finally relax a little more after that. Thanks, Luna." "...You're welcome, Sora." She smiled back and held out her hoof to him, Sora bumping her hoof with his fist. They soon turned to look at where Scootaloo's door had disappeared, it didn't return, the filly deciding to stay awake. "...So, it doesn't seem like Scootaloo's gonna go back to sleep anytime soon...Probably got a few more hours until I wake up." Sora looked around the realms, seeing all of the several doors still floating around the dream realm. "Think we can have some fun in other ponies' dreams?" "There don't seem to be any other nightmares at the moment." Luna looked around herself until she spotted a pure white door with a sun symbol similar to Celestia's cutie mark in the center. The alicorn grinned, immediately coming up with a sneaky idea to mess with her older sister. "I think we can dream hop until morning, and we can have a little fun startling my sister awake before her duties begin. I need to get back at her for making me sit on that flatulent balloon she placed under my seat during dinner earlier this evening." "It's called a whoopie cushion, and I got my own score to settle with Celestia for that Gala ticket lesson last year." They both giggled maliciously, running down the path to Celestia's dream door to pull a dream prank on on the sun princess. Morning came all too soon, Sora and Luna's fun through the dreamscape ending as soon as the sun rose over the land. Through their time dream hopping, they managed to prank Celestia while she slept, her dream being a world of nothing but cakes of all flavors and sizes, and completely edible. Luna used her magic on the ones her sister was devouring, turning them into pony eating fruits and vegetables, getting shoved out as she awoke after being eaten by a monstrous Brussels sprout. Her door didn't appear again, too startled to go back to sleep and needing to raise the sun in another couple hours. The rest of their time was spent in random dreams, taking part in the imaginative minds of other ponies throughout Equestria. Sora opened his eyes, stretching out his limbs, wincing a little as he felt some slight pain from his injuries. "Well, that was fun, but now it's back to being in pain for a while." He reached into his pouch and pulled out a fresh bottle of his medicine, having finished the last one before falling asleep. He took a small sip, wetting his dry mouth as he began to wake up. Before he left Luna as he woke up, he promised the next time he fell asleep, he was going back into Scootaloo's dream to help solve her problem before getting kicked out by the fright of her nightmare woke her up again. "Wonder how Scoots is doing." Sora crawled out of the tent, seeing the others had woken up before him, all of them waiting on him as he needed more rest due to his injuries. He noticed Scootaloo sitting on one of the log seats, but she looked like an absolute wreck: she had bags under her eyes, they were bloodshot, and she looked like she was on the verge of passing out. She really did stay up all night, looking more spooked than ever. He walked out of the tent, the magical shelter disappearing in a spark of light, having served its purpose for its owners for the night. The group continued on their hike to Winsome Falls, though Scootaloo was really paranoid the trek through the rest of the forest. She decided to scout ahead to make sure the dirt path is clear of anything dangerous. None of the adults gave her permission to go off on her own, the filly already speeding off on her scooter she brought along. A while later, after only about a half mile from where they started off from the campsite, Scootaloo was somehow sitting on a bush after hearing her land on it, telling them not to go off the path they were on. She then jumped high in the air out of fright when Applejack stepped on a twig, clutching onto a cloud for dear life, then fell back to the ground. Then an owl hooted, startling her so much that she backpedaled through the ground, creating a deep rut, only to pass it off as getting her exercise. And then a frog croaked, scaring her again as she quickly climbed on Sora's back. "Scootaloo, you sure you're doing alright?" Sora asked, growing really concerned with the filly's paranoia, especially over a harmless frog sitting on a lily pad in a pond a few yards away from them. "Yeah! Fine!" Scootaloo lied. "You look like you need a massage! Gotta make sure you get better in case something dangerous comes after us, like a giant grizzly bear, or Heartless!" Scootaloo began to give Sora a massage while he walked, though her hooves felt more like awkward rubbing than massaging his muscles. Sighing, he lifted the filly off his back and set her down on the ground. "Scootaloo, I don't need a massage. You're getting freaked out over harmless animals making noise, and it's very concerning," Sora said, hiding the actual truth of her jumpiness so she herself can admit to herself and Rainbow Dash why she's so scared. "Did you even sleep last night?" "O-Of course I did!" she lied again, clearly obvious with her bloodshot eyes. "Rainbow Dash can back me up, cause I didn't snore!" Sora resisted the urge to facehoof, her not snoring while sleeping not good enough evidence to prove she slept. He dropped the questioning until later tonight when he entered her dreams again. Soon, night began to fall as they reached their next campsite, and with an empty cave to use as shelter instead of using up more of Sora's magical tents. "Perfect! A cave!" Rainbow exclaimed. "We can use that for shelter, and it's the perfect setting for another scary story I've got planned for tonight!" Scootaloo flinched, having to hear another scary story that will keep her awake for another night. "Hey, Scoots, wanna go get us some firewood?" "M-Me!?" Scootaloo questioned, trying to hide her panicking as she looked out into the dark woods. Sora groaned, hating how Rainbow Dash was unable to tell that her number one fan was terrified and failing to put on a brave face for her. "I'll get the firewood. I didn't do much with the campsite the other day aside from providing the tents." Applejack was about to retort, but the teen beat the farm mare before she could say a word. "I can pick up a pile of twigs and small logs without hurting myself. I'm almost fully healed thanks to Zecora's potions. And you let me worry about all your health and safety." He heard Scootaloo breathe a sigh of relief as he walked in the forest, picking up a few sizable branches and pieces of wood for the fire. After gathering enough, he headed back and placed the firewood in the circle of stones Applejack set up, starting up the fire as he got comfortable sitting next to Sweetie Belle. "Ok, who's ready for the next scary story?" Rainbow asked, laughing creepily, making Scootaloo shiver while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle scooted closer to their sibling/surrogate sibling. "A-Actually, how about I tell a story?" Scootaloo asked. "Alright, squirt. Just make sure its a horrible one." The cyan mare sat back in her seat, giving Scootaloo the floor. "Ok. There once was a really really nice pony that lived in a bright and sunny land, where there are rainbows all across the sky, and lots of happy friends-" Rainbow groaned and placed her hoof on Scootaloo's head, already hating the story that was in no way filled with horror. "Yeah. No offense, Scoots, but it's not really a true campfire story unless somepony's shaking." Sora facehooved, still not able to get the hint that Scootaloo was desperate not to get scared again. "And I heard, in these very woods, this forest is haunted by...The Headless Horse! It gallops only at night-" "Question!" Sora interrupted with his hoof raised in the air. "How can a living being be able to move if it has no head?" "It's headless, Sora. Not brainless." Rainbow was about to continue the story, but the teen still had his hoof raised. "Yes?" "Where's its brain? In its butt?" Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle laughed at the stupid question, Sora intending to make it hilarious to ease some of the scary side of the story for Scootaloo. "Just let me tell the stupid story!" the pegasus shouted, continuing the tale of The Headless Horse despite Sora's logical questioning. Unfortunately, his plan didn't work as Scootaloo was still scared stiff, hearing the second horror story that's sure to keep her awake for a month. "...and they were never heard from, ever again!" "Never?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Never." After Rainbow's confirmation at the end of her story, the flames sparked in the fire, startling the fillies as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shrieked, laughing it off as they huddled closely to their chaperone. "It's getting pretty late," Applejack said. "Time to hit the hay." "What!? Already!?" Scootaloo questioned. "But, we didn't sing any campfire songs yet!" Sweetie Belle gasped, excited at the idea of singing songs. "You don't need to tell me twice!" The unicorn filly ran up to the rock Rainbow had stood on while finishing up the story, knocking the pegasus off her perch and began to sing. "Ninety-nine buckets of oats on the wall, ninety-nine buckets of oats! Take one down, pass it around, you got ninety-eight buckets of oats on the wall!" Sora groaned and buried his face in his hooves, cringing at how badly Sweetie Belle was singing when she has such a beautiful voice when she sings and how irritating it was for Scootaloo to spark this idea to delay helping her in her dreams. The unicorn filly continued singing, Scootaloo the only one who somehow enjoyed one of the longest songs to sing while he and the others grew tired the longer it dragged on. Sora had eventually passed out from boredom, along with everyone else except for the singer and insomniac pegasus. "Take one down, pass it around, you got zero buckets of OATS ON THE WAAAAAAAALL!!!" The last line startled the sleeping ponies awake, Sweetie Belle finally finished singing "Ninety-Nine Buckets of Oats on the Wall". A few second of standing on her stage, Sweetie fell on her side and passed out, snoring loudly as she exhausted herself. "Ugh. Finally," Sora uttered, picking the filly up as he and the others headed into the cave to finally get some sleep. As he pulled out six orbs with sleeping bags on them from his pouch, he tossed them out, creating six separate sleeping bags for everyone, laying Sweetie Belle down in the one next to his. "Wait, how about one more song!?" Scootaloo begged. "Or maybe a dance contest!? Hide and seek!? Charades!?" "Scootaloo, I'm tired," Rainbow said, settling into her sleeping bag while pulling out a pair of earplugs. "I need my shut-eye, and I need it now. We'll do whatever you want tomorrow. When it's daylight." She put the plugs in her ears and fell asleep, only discouraging Scootaloo all the more. She sat in her sleeping bag, struggling to stay awake, but Sora knew she was going to zone out and sleep in a few minutes, settling down and closing his eyes, this time prepared to get to her in her dreams before her nightmare wakes her up prematurely. The moment Sora entered the dreamscape, he quickly ran down the winding pathways to find Scootaloo's door. "Come on, Scoots. Fall asleep. Show me the door." Up ahead, her door finally appeared, the Keyblade wielder skidding to a halt in front of it. "There you are." He quickly ran inside, back in the same creepy forest from the last nightmare, running down the path to find Scootaloo before whatever was coming after her did. Sora heard her scream far down the path, picking up the pace before she woke up again and kicked him out. Up at the top of the hill, he spotted the source of this nightmare: The Headless Horse. It was a dark pony, about as tall as Luna was, but it lacked a head, exactly as it was named, and even without a body part above its neck, it was alive, though it was more disturbing than scary. "The Headless Horse is gonna eat me!" Scootaloo exclaimed on the other side of the hill, The Headless Horse rearing up on its hind legs to charge at her. "Hey, brainless!" Sora called out, summoning his Keyblade as he charged up the hill. The nightmare equine turned around, only to receive a kick in the chest, sending it tumbling down the hillside. The Keyblade wielder slid down after him, leaping up high into the air and dove down to where it would land. "Little filly is not on the menu tonight! Eat this instead!" Pointing his weapon down on the stunned nightmare, Sora rapidly spun like a drill, spearing through The Headless Horse, killing it and disintegrating it into nothing but dust. His spinning slowed as he stood on his hands on the guard of his Keyblade, pushing himself up into the ear, flipping backwards and landed next to his Keyblade. Scootaloo, cowering in the corner as she was trapped against a rocky cliff face, looked up when she didn't hear any hooves galloping toward her. The moment she saw Sora, the teen pulling his weapon out from the ground, her jaw dropped, immediately recognizing the strange creature that had the same key-shaped sword, spiky brown hair, and black jacket. "Sora?" He looked over at the surprised filly pegasus, grinning softly as he approached her, making sure not to move too quickly and frighten her more while he was in his original body. "Is...Is that really you?" "Yeah, it's me, Scootaloo." He stood closer to her, the filly having to tilt her head all the way up to see his face. "...Why are you so tall?...And different?" she asked as Sora sat down before her. "...Wait...Am I dreaming?" "Well, to answer your last one, yes. You were having a nightmare," he said. "As for the reason why I'm like this..." Sora scratched his head, unsure if he should reveal to her that this was what he really looked like outside of Equestria. On the plus side, she was dreaming, and could forget about it when she wakes up, though there was a chance she could still remember it. And, eventually, the others will one day see him, Riku, and Kairi as they really are, so he didn't see the harm in telling one curious filly. "...You might not believe me, but this is actually what I look like." "What?" she asked, growing confused. "What does that mean? And...are you really real or are you some kind of dream fairy?" Sora chuckled at the latter assumption, though Scootaloo would really be surprised if she ever met a certain moody pixie from Neverland. "It's the real me. I'm sleeping a few yards away from you, in the cave with the others, and I'm in your dream talking with you right now." "You can do that?" she asked with curiosity, slowly approaching him. "Since when could you go into ponies' dreams?" "It's a long story, but it's simpler to understand when you know what kind of magic I can use." Scootaloo nodded, even though she was still in awe at the way Sora looked. He gently lowered his hand over her head, scratching her ears, surprising her a little, but quickly getting used to the odd feeling. "It's rude to stare, Scoot." "Mmmm...What kind of claws are these?" Scootaloo asked, trying to move her head closer to the enjoyable scratching she could never feel with her own hooves alone. "I call them fingers, and these 'hands' behave kind of like Spike's claws, only without the sharp nails." The filly whined when he moved his hand away, being picked up by the waist and set on his lap. "But, I didn't come here just to play around. We need to talk about your fears." "M-My fears? I'm not afraid of anything." As Sora stared at Scootaloo with a suspicious gaze, The Headless Horse began to materialize behind him in reaction to the filly's lies. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the nightmare had come back, but Sora thrust his Keyblade behind him, killing the headless equine again. With it gone, he twirled his weapon around in his hand and rested it over his shoulder, all while keeping his eyes on her. "...Ok, I am scared...But, it's not just The Headless Horse story." "Or the Olden Pony. I mean, honestly, Scootaloo. You're afraid of an old mare trying to find a horseshoe?" They soon heard an old pony grumbling out in the forest, making the teen facepalm as the Olden Pony returned. "And she makes a return." "Who's got my rusty horseshoe!?" the old mare exclaimed. "Go bother someone else! We don't have what you're looking for!" Thankfully, the Olden Pony wandered off far away from the teen and filly. "Sorry," Scootaloo apologized. "She's really creepy, though." "You imagined her that way," he said, shuddering as he recalled the disturbing old mare's face. "Before you end up thinking of another scary monster, mind telling me what it is you're actually afraid of." Scootaloo seemed hesitant to say it, Sora knowing full well what it is, but she needed to admit it not just to him, but to herself as well. "...I don't want Rainbow Dash to think I'm not as brave as her. I'm afraid to tell her I was scared of those stories, but I want to be like her. She's so cool, and fast...and I want her to teach me everything she knows when I can finally fly on my own." "So you thought trying to be brave in front of her while freaked out by the scary stories would get you closer to being taught by your idol?" Scootaloo nodded sadly. "You know, Scootaloo, as much as you wish to be like Rainbow Dash, you don't have to be exactly like her to impress her. And being this terrified, staying up late at night to avoid your nightmares isn't healthy for you. Besides, everyone gets scared by something, whether it's fictional or real." "You're not scared," the filly said. "The Heartless, all the villains that tried to take over Equestria, you took them all on and you're the bravest and strongest pony...creature I've ever seen." "Nope. I get scared too." Scootaloo gasped, unable to believe Sora would ever be afraid of anything. "The first time I saw the Heartless where I lived, I was scared out of my mind. I had no way of defending myself from them when they appeared, nothing but a wooden sword that wasn't able to hurt them." "...Really?" she asked. "Really. I'm also scared of losing my friends, letting them down when they need help, even fighting against the worst of baddies I've ever met in my life." Sora gently rustled Scootaloo's mane as she never knew someone as strong as him would be afraid of letting his friends down. "But that's what being brave is: facing your fears head on, even if what you face is scary. It's natural to be scared. Even Rainbow has her own fears she hides from others if they're embarrassing to admit to anyone." "Oh..." She looked down at her hooves, knowing that in order to finally end her own torment, she had to tell Rainbow Dash her real feelings about the stories she told. "...I'm gonna have to tell her, aren't I?" "Afraid so," Sora said, gently tilting her head back up to look at him. "Rainbow may not be the kind of pony to express her emotions and act all cool, but I know she'll understand and lay off the horror stories. She's the Element of Loyalty, and that loyalty goes for both her friends and her number one fan." She smiled, believing the Keyblade wielder, the environment around Scootaloo's dream brightening up a little as she was no longer troubled by her trepidation. Sora stood up, lifting the filly up onto his shoulder as they looked at the calmer, imaginative forest. "Feel a bit better?" "Yeah. I'll tell Rainbow Dash in the morning...I hope you're right and she doesn't think I'm worthy to be taught by her." Sora gently poked Scootaloo's muzzle, silencing her doubts. "You two are a match made in heaven," he said. "You're both love the adrenaline when going fast, and you have a tendency to get into a lot of trouble with your hard heads, to yourselves or anyone around you." He then poked her forehead, his hand swatted away by the pouting pegasus filly. "So, until we wake up, what do you want to do in your now nightmare-free dream?" "Hmm..." Scootaloo climbed up on top of Sora's head, looking around from a higher vantage point around the forest. There was a mountain made of clouds out in the distance, created by her mind as she had an idea. "How about a race from here to that cloudy mountain? I want to see how fast you are on two legs." "Been a while since I've had a friendly, competitive race. So, do we go on-" Scootaloo suddenly leapt off his head and began to run off without even signalling the start of the race, giggling as she cheated with her head start. "Hey! You little cheater!" Sora ran after her and managed to catch up, the two racing off through the woods to the puffy mountain miles away from where they started. Hiding between the trees, watching them race was Luna, the alicorn chuckling as she shook her head. "He acts like a foal while almost at the age of adulthood. It's no wonder how he's so likable to those he befriends." The princess used her magic, creating the exit to Scootaloo's dream as she left, entrusting Sora to help the troubles of some of the young foals' who looked up to him and their nightmares whenever she needs his assistance in the future. The sun rose and the rays shone through the trees in the forest, morning coming around to wake the slumbering ponies in the cave. Scootaloo and Sora were the first to wake, the former finally getting a good night's sleep while the latter felt more refreshed and no longer troubled by the pains of his former injuries. It was clear to Sora that the pegasus filly remembered what happened in her dream, not only the heartfelt talk they had, but also her promise to keep Sora's real form a secret from the others. The others soon began to wake up, the teen winking at Scootaloo, assuring her he'll back her up. Rainbow yawned as she sat up, pulling out her earplugs. "Best sleep I've ever had." She looked over at Scootaloo, nudging the filly gently. "So, last night was a little bit odd, squirt. Didn't think you would actually be the kind to want some dumb campfire songs. And that mushy happy story you tried to tell." "...Well, there was a reason why I acted like that last night...and why I was so weird yesterday." Scootaloo looked over at Sora, the teen giving a slight nod as she took in a deep breath. "Rainbow Dash...I look up to you a lot, and I'd really like to have you take me under your wing, teach me all your flying moves, and be like the older sister I never had...I really, really want to be like you, but when you told those scary stories, I was actually scared and faked being brave..." She looked down at her hooves, feeling tears well up in her eyes, awaiting the possible rejection of being her idol's future pupil. "I'm sorry I can't be exactly like you..." "...Ok, maybe I kind of over exaggerated when I said you're like me," Rainbow said, Scootaloo looking up at the pegasus. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Scootaloo, you're pretty fast on that scooter, and you're just as cool as me, but I was too caught up in the fun of camping to realize you're not me. If you just said something sooner, I would have quit with the scary stories and moved on to something else to do around a campfire." "You mean...you're not gonna...push me away?" Scootaloo asked. "Of course not! Who said I would do that to the awesomest filly in Ponyville!?" Rainbow draped a wing around her number one fan, giving her a light squeeze. "Well, second awesomest compared to me." Applejack and Sora groaned and rolled their eyes, the cyan mare's ego getting in the way as she consoled Scootaloo. Rainbow leaned closer to the filly and whispered in her ear. "Between you and me, I was actually scared of those stories myself when I was a filly. Just don't tell anypony else about that. I have a reputation to keep up, you know." Scootaloo was surprised to hear that her own idol was actually scared of those same stories she told, and admitted it to her out of anyone else she trusted. She nodded her head and hugged her tightly, Rainbow patting her head as she shrugged off the bone crushing hug she was receiving. Sora was glad to see the two finally bonding, though with four other ponies watching them and her reputation on the line, he knew she wanted to give Scootaloo a real hug. As soon as everyone was up and motivated, they packed up their bags, the sleeping bags disappearing as they served their purpose, and continued on their way to Winsome Falls. It wasn't long before they reached their destination, and the sight of Winsome Falls made Sora's jaw drop in awe. There were waterfalls that constantly fell from the sky, the sunlight shimmering through the water and turning it into a flowing rainbow, landing in a nearby lake or down to other pieces of land far below the cliff side. "Whoa...This place is awesome," he said. "Best camping trip ever." "I call teams!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Last team to reach the falls is a moldy carrot!" "Sweetie Belle, come on," Sora said. "This place is supposed to be relaxing. A nice calming swim in the lake, sunbathing, enjoying the scenery that nature has to-" He quickly picked Sweetie Belle up on his back and flew off with the filly on his back. "READYSETGO!" "Well, so much for relaxin'," Applejack said. "Come on, Apple Bloom! We don't wanna be the moldy carrots, do we!?" "No way!" The Apple sisters chased after Sora and Sweetie Belle, though as they ran on the ground, there was no way they could catch up to them. Rainbow and Scootaloo looked at each other, nodding their heads as they flared out their wings. "Let's show those two real speed, squirt." "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash picked Scootaloo up and held her up with a hoof as the two took off, catching up to Sora as Sweetie Belle clung onto his neck tightly. Even though she was held up by her idol, Scootaloo flapped her wings as she pretended to fly alongside her idol, passing by the Keyblade wielder and reaching the waterfall in seconds. The race seemed a bit unfair with two of the fastest pegasi in Ponyville reaching the falls first, the group's fun wouldn't go to waste as they had fun at a place that should be a tourist attraction for all of Equestria with the landscape in Winsome Falls.