My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria

by Codex92

The Cutie Re-Mark (Part 3)

Kairi continued to struggle underneath Sora's strength as he kept her pinned down, too shocked to look away from the changed pony who he knew for years. Kairi was always optimistic and cheerful, a little strict when it came to calming him and Riku when they got into a heated argument, and always a caring soul. Her eyes once had a gleam with all those things that made her special to Sora, but there was only mistrust and anger in this Kairi's eyes, and it tore his heart more than seeing hers in a glass container, practically "dead", yet still able to be revived if possible.

"Kairi...What happened to you?" Sora asked.

Distracted by her scarred body and deadly glare, Kairi managed to wedge one of her hind legs free and gave Sora a swift kick between his own. He yelped in agony, hunching over slightly as he hissed in pain, giving her an advantage as she bucked him off her and into the wall. He cursed the weakness every male has, not blaming Kairi for doing so if she thought he was a changeling, not having any time to recover as the unicorn stood up and grabbed her Keyblade.

"You must really be 'starving' for love, huh?" Kairi asked, her magic returning to her after her horn was smacked as she enveloped her aura around Sora. She tossed him back against the wall, keeping him pinned with her blade held right at his throat. "Couldn't bother using any of the mares you sick bugs keep trapped in those disgusting pods that you want to actually steal it from the source, huh? Next time, don't stare, but you won't because I'm going to kill you!"

"W-Wait, Kairi, stop," Sora pleaded, wincing as his tenders were still giving him the mother of all pains that will last for what feels like hours as he struggled not to move his neck. "It's really me, Sora."

"Shut up!" Kairi yelled, punching the stallion in the stomach. "You're not Sora. You, your army, and your queen don't know ANYTHING about him! I was tricked by Chrysalis once back at that wedding, but I'm not going to be fooled by this stupid disguise anymore! Now change back to who you really are, you mutated horsefly!"

"It...really is me," Sora wheezed, catching his breath as best as he could with the darkened Destiny's Embrace pressed harder against his windpipe. "I rescued you from that castle in Radiant Garden, when you were in a coma. Your heart was in mine, and I sacrificed my heart to wake you up. I came to save you from Organization XIII when they kidnapped you."

"Words don't mean anything if you know of my memories," Kairi growled. "I can't believe I was fooled when she pretended to be the bride, and I told her everything..." As she gave vague information on what happened at this wedding, which Sora and Twilight both clearly knew it had to have been Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding Chrysalis and her changelings invaded, they figured the drastic change in this present time was that the changelings succeeded in their invasion. And how Kairi was involved in the invasion made them want to ask questions, but only if the unicorn would cooperate and believe that they aren't enemies. "When I find her again, I'm going to take my Keyblade, then run it through her cold, empty chest where her heart should be, and kill all of you bugs until you're all extinct from this world."

There was no chance of convincing her they were on her side. Sora tried to think of anything to get her to trust her, Twilight unable to do much as she still helplessly remained tied up, only able to listen to what was happening, though she did wince when Sora was struck and made that painful yelp. Sora looked down, an idea coming to him as he almost forgot about the one thing he surely made a promise to Kairi after he first saved her.

"Wait, I can prove it!" he said. "The charm you gave me! I still have it!"

"Changing into it isn't going to save your hide," Kairi muttered.

"No, I really do have it! Check my jacket pocket! Left side!" Kairi leered at Sora for a moment, considering ignoring his request. She then noticed he was wearing clothes, unaware of it earlier when she knocked him and Twilight out due to the fact the pegasus looked like a Sora imposter. Rolling her eyes, she decided to humor him and reached a hoof into his pocket, keeping her blade close to his neck. She felt something and pulled it out, revealing the seashell Wayfinder his Kairi made for him, staring at it in bewilderment. "See? You gave it to me for good luck, and you told me, 'Make sure you bring it back to me.'"

Kairi stared at the charm, running her hoof over the thalasa shells she found to make it and the design she made. Her anger was gone and replaced with confusion, sorrow, confliction, none of which were what Sora expected her to feel. She shook her head slightly, looking at him and the charm over and over. Kairi dropped her Keyblade, freeing Sora as she continued staring in shock at the star-shaped charm.

"...H-How?" Kairi questioned, not to Sora, but to herself. "T-This is..."

Sora rubbed his neck, then his head from the previous bumps he had gotten from Kairi, wincing as he stood up while trying not to collapse from the coming and going pain in his groin. "You made it for me. Remember? I mean, you were teasing me about it when you made me promise to bring it back, but-"

"No...No no no no no no no no no no no..." Kairi didn't seem to pay Sora any attention, too focused on the Wayfinder as her hooves fidgeted in anxiety.

She quickly walked over to a section of the hut where some of her belongings were stored: her tattered clothes, a worn out saddlebag, some medical supplies, and empty bottles that used to hold Potions and Ethers. While digging around for something, Sora approached Twilight and helped untie her, pulling out the balled up cloth that was shoved in her mouth.

"You ok, Twilight?" Sora asked as she took off the blindfold, squinting her eyes as she stared at the fire when she opened them.

"A bruised side, but I'm fine," Twilight assured. "What about you, though? I kinda heard you get hit...there."

"It's happened to me so many times, I should expect it from any mares who lose their minds," Sora said with a slight chuckle, only to groan as he doubled over from another wave of pain. "Too bad we can't grow an immunity to getting hit there..."

Kairi finally found what she was looking for, choking back a sob as she shakily picked up the object with her other hoof. Sora and Twilight carefully approached her, unsure if she was still hostile or if she finally decided to trust them. Her ears drooped as she slowly turned to them, tears welling up in her eyes as she showed what she was looking for. In her hooves were the same exact Wayfinder Kairi had made, the one Sora had still in good condition, but the one she found was cracked, a few of the arms on the star chipped off, and splattered with something red.

"...I-It's not...Y-You c-can't..." Kairi's hooves shook, taking shaky breaths as she dropped both seashell Wayfinders as her mind contemplated what was going on. Twilight took the two Wayfinders with her magic so she and Sora got a better look, Kairi clutching her head as she shook it, thinking she was hallucinating or being tricked by some kind of manipulative magic. "It's impossible...He's not..." She began sobbing as tears rolled down her face, memories she had repressed coming back to her as she tried, and failed, to convince herself this wasn't real. "This isn't real...It's a bad dream...He can't be..."

Sora and Twilight looked at Kairi's broken charm, feeling unnerved at the dried red splatters on the front. "Sora...Is this...what I think it is?"

"I really hope not," Sora uttered, already dreading to know what happened to him in this timeline. Putting his charm back in his pocket, he took the other one and approached Kairi. "...Kairi?"

She looked at him as he called her name, shaking her head wildly as she called her Keyblade to her, aiming it at him. "Get away from me!"

"Kairi, it's ok," Sora reassured, slowly continuing approaching her. "It really is me. You believe me, right?"

"No, I don't!" Kairi screamed, letting out another sob. "I said get back!" She swung her blade at him, Sora quickly summoning his and blocking it, the sight of his Keyblade only making her panic more and scream louder in emotional turmoil. "Stop it! Stop messing with my head!"

She swung again, but Sora parried her, sending her Keyblade sailing out of her hoof and clattering to the ground. "Kairi, stop," Sora calmly said, quickly wrapping his hooves around her, but the mare struggled to break out of his grasp. "It's ok. It's me."

"No you're not! You're not Sora!" she cried, hitting him with her hooves as he held onto her tighter. "You're not him! You're tricking me!"

"Kairi, you know it's me," he said. He grabbed her hooves, holding them down to her sides as he tried to stop her from flailing. He hated seeing her like this, feeling tears well in his eyes, but he had to be strong for Kairi, even if this was a completely different Kairi. "Look into my heart. Feel my light. You know it better than anyone else."

He hugged her tightly, gently pressing her head against his chest. Her struggles slowed to a halt as she felt his heartbeat, and even sensed the light within his heart. It was the same light she was protected in when her heart connected with his while Destiny Islands was being destroyed by the darkness. Her voice caught in her throat, unable to believe it, but it really was Sora. Kairi looked up at him, staring into his blue, tear-filled eyes, seeing the same kindhearted gaze he always held when he was around her.

"...Sora..." He grinned as she finally recognized him, more tears flowing down her face. "It is you...Sora!" She wrapped her forelegs around him tightly, burying her face in his chest and cried her heart out. Sora held Kairi tightly, his tears flowing as well as he held her, letting her cry out all the pent up sorrow she had repressed for what felt like an eternity for the distraught unicorn. "Please...Please tell me I'm not dreaming."

"It's not a dream," Sora said, gently caressing Kairi's short hair, nuzzling her as he rubbed her back with his wings in a protective embrace. "This is real."

Twilight could only watch as she witnessed this heartbreaking, yet heartwarming moment, shedding tears herself at the reunion Kairi desperately needed. After Kairi had let out every last ounce of her emotional stress, the trio sat around the fire, the unicorn leaning against Sora, never letting her hooves leave Sora's waist. Unfortunately, Sora and Twilight had to tell Kairi the truth, where they didn't belong here, and Sora wasn't the same Keyblade wielder she knew. She was disheartened at first when she learned that he wasn't her Sora, but she was content just with seeing him again; being close to him again.

"...I see," Kairi finally said after a long silence. "...So, you're not really..."

"Your Sora," Sora finished. Kairi looked downhearted, even as she hugged Sora tighter. "Sorry, Kairi."

"...I knew it was too good to be true," she mumbled. Kairi sighed, looking at the fire as she would have to settle with an alternate Sora who was still around. "Why did this have to happen...?"

"Kairi," Twilight said. "I know this is...a pretty big emotional toll on you, but...we have so many questions as to what had happened. Here in Equestria, with you, and every other world."

Kairi sat up a little, looking at Sora as a wave of sadness rolled through her heart. "...Where do you want me to start?" she asked with dread in her voice.

Sora held up the worn out Wayfinder Kairi had kept, swallowing the lump in his throat as he desperately needed to know what happened to him, hoping the same results didn't happen in the last alternate timeline with Xehanort's story. "...What happened to me?"

Kairi stared at the charm, taking it from Sora and held it to her chest, a fresh wave of tears rolling down her face. "...It was when Organization XIII was still around. Xemnas was the last one alive, and we got separated from you and Riku when the portal of darkness that Naminé created for us before completely returning back to me..." She sniffled, clutching her charm tightly, Sora draping a wing along her back to comfort her and gently urge her to continue, even if it was going to be painful to recall for both of them. "...He told me what happened...after..." Kairi choked back a sob, taking deep breaths to try to compose herself. "...After...he returned...with your body..."

---

Sora and Riku were in the middle of the fight of their lives as they took on Xemnas in the gray emptiness of the remaining remnants of The World That Never Was. He wasn't the leader of Organization XIII for nothing, going all out on the two Keyblade wielders as he teleported around the room, firing lasers, spiked barbs of energy, his ethereal swords, even splitting himself into two beings to overwhelm them. Sora was heavily exhausted after Xemnas tried to zap the teen to death in his electro orb, Riku coming to his rescue even as Xemnas's double tried to keep him at bay.

In a last ditch effort, Xemnas trapped Sora and Riku in a dark void, sending thousands upon thousands of red lasers raining down on them while trapped in the semi-circle barrier of red beams. With their quick movements, the two best friends worked together, deflecting the lasers from hitting them and each other, constantly moving, flipping, dodging, twirling their weapons, anything to keep them from getting filled with holes. The lasers shot out faster and faster, more and more constantly firing on them, but they kept going, even as their lungs and muscles burned in exertion. The room around them grew brighter, blinding them as the last of the beams were fired, both teens collapsing on their knees as they panted heavily.

Once they caught their breath, Sora looked up, only to be met with a kick to the face as he was sent flying back by Xemnas. "Sora!" Riku cried out as he watched, but before he could help him, Xemnas hovered beside him, an ethereal blade held in front of his face as he kept still.

The Nobody leered at him, holding the energy blade up to his neck. "You had caused so much trouble to the Organization, even foiling our backup plan if Roxas were to fail."

"Backup plan?" Riku asked with a growl.

Xemnas smirked as the Keyblade wielder had no clue what he was talking about. "Memories are so delicate, aren't they? You and Sora won't need them for very long once I'm finished with you."

Before Xemnas could strike Riku down, Sora let out a yell and rushed the Nobody, swinging his Keyblade and knocking the ethereal blade away from his friend's face. Riku quickly got up and retaliated with Sora, both Keyblades clashing with the dual energy blades as sparks flew around them. The two teens lunged forward, thrusting their blades forward, but Xemnas left an afterimage of himself as he teleported away.

"Damn!" Riku cursed, not realizing Xemnas had teleported behind him.

Sora gasped when he saw the Nobody leader in his peripherals, aiming one of his blades right at Riku's back. "Look out!" he shouted, time moving slowly around them as he tackled his friend out of the way.

Riku grunted as he was shoved out of the way, turning around as he fell and watched in utter horror. Sora turned to face Xemnas, but he was too slow to defend, the blade of energy piercing through Sora's chest and through his heart. Sora let out a strangled gasp in pain, blood spilling out of the fatal wound. Riku flipped back on his feet, his shock turning to fury as Xemnas pulled his blade out of Sora's bloody chest, blood spluttering out of the teen's mouth as he let out a gargled gasp, then roundhouse kicked him hard in the face, sending him sprawling across the ground.

"Sora!" Sora dropped his Keyblade as he fell, sending it tumbling toward Riku. Growling, he grabbed the Kingdom Keyblade in his left hand, dual-wielding both Keyblades as he ran toward Xemnas, not letting him get a chance to escape as he slashed wildly, striking the Nobody with unbridled rage. The Nobody was unable to defend himself as he was constantly struck. "Die, you bastard!"

Using both blades, Riku slashed Xemnas upward, sending him soaring into the air. As the Nobody fell, Riku aimed the Kingdom Keyblade and the Way to the Dawn at him, leaping up after him and thrusting both blades right through him. Xemnas let out a painful grunt, unable to look down at his impaled chest as Riku thrust his hand out, grabbing his face, and flung him down after blasting him with a Dark Firaga blast at point blank range. He hit the ground hard, Riku falling after him as he slammed his feet down on both Keyblades' hilts, pushing them deeper in the Nobody as his body began disappearing. He reached a hand out, clinging onto what little life he had left, but it was inevitable for him to perish as Riku grabbed his Keyblade and shot a beam of light straight through where his heart would have been.

As soon as Xemnas was gone once and for all, Riku ran over to Sora, falling to his knees as his friend struggled to breathe, clutching the hole in his chest while wincing in pain. "R-Riku..."

"Oh damn. Hang on, Sora," Riku said, beginning to panic as he reached into his pockets to find a Potion to heal him. Unfortunately, they weren't safe as hundreds of Dusks appeared around them, fulfilling their master's final command to eliminate the duo upon his death. "Oh come on, not now!"

Sora coughed heavily, reaching a hand into his pocket and pulled out Kairi's charm. With an exerted grunt, he sat himself up, panting in agony as he fought through the pain. Riku tried to lay him back down, but Sora shook his head, grabbing his friend's hand as he stood up.

"L-Let's get...rid of them," Sora weakly said, his voice raspy as he wheezed. He gave his friend the seashell charm, his blood staining the sewn together shells as he summoned his Keyblade back to him. "...Riku...Tell Kairi...I love her."

"Sora, what are you doing?" Riku questioned, but he didn't answer. Sora used what remaining magic he had left and what little time left he had before succumbing to his injuries as he unleashed a Limit Break with Riku, surprising his friend as their combined power was unleashed, and against his will. "Sora, no!" Both teens shot forward, slashing wildly at the Dusks nearby. They continued their flurry of slices and thrusts, along with a barrage of Dark Fire spells, Sora ignoring the pain as long as he can until they were all gone and his best friend was safe. "Sora, you're dying! You need to stop moving!" Riku begged, unable to control his body as they then flew around, slashing away with a blue aura coating their blades or summoning thirteen ethereal blades, spinning them around them like a circular saw as they mowed down the Nobodies. "Damn it, why can't I control myself!? Sora!"

Sora grunted and coughed heavily, but he didn't stop. He and Riku both threw their Keyblades at each other, both weapons encased in an orb of energy as they pulled all the remaining Dusks between them, firing beams of light between them until the orbs exploded in a blast of light. All the Dusks had been vanquished as the light faded, both teens landing on their feet, Riku finally gaining control of his limbs. Sora, however, fell forward, dropping his Keyblade as the last of his strength waned. Riku quickly knelt down beside Sora, carefully turning him over. He tried using Potions, Elixers, Cure spells, anything to keep his best friend alive, but his attempts seemed futile as his wounds were already too severe to be mended.

---

Kairi waited impatiently on the shores of Destiny Island, where the portal of darkness sent them when they escaped. Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto tried to assure her that Sora and Riku were tough enough to handle Xemnas on their own and make it out of The World That Never Was, but she had a feeling something was wrong. As she looked out on the horizon for what felt like hours, flying through the sunset skies were two comets, and they came straight down toward the ocean. The two falling stars crashed not too far from the island, and a moment later, Riku popped out of the water while keeping Sora's head above the surface. She was happy to see them, but noticed Sora was unconscious, which brought back that dread in her heart she began feeling a short while ago.

"Sora! Riku!" she called out.

"Gosh, I think Riku needs help carrying Sora out of the water!" Mickey said.

Donald and Goofy ran out toward the water to help the teen as he treaded water. Sora's fighting buddies and loyal friends took the teen out of Riku's hands as he got close enough to the shore, slowly trudging up on land as he also held Sora's Keyblade in one hand. Though his clothes were soaked, Kairi felt unnerved seeing dried blood on his clothing, his long bangs veiling his eyes as his head was lowered.

"Riku? What happened to Sora?" Kairi asked with grave concern. He looked up at her, his eyes red from crying, quickly looking away from her as tears rolled down his cheeks. She looked back at Sora, where Donald and Goofy had laid him out on the sand, but they were just as distraught as Riku when they saw his chest. Kairi gasped in horror at the sword-pierced hole that went straight through him, dried blood coating most of his shirt and jacket. He wasn't breathing or moving, his wound fatal as his heart was pierced, killed by Xemnas while they were trapped in The World That Never Was. "No! Sora!"

Kairi ran up to him, falling on her knees beside him as she shook him, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her as she couldn't believe he was gone. There was no color in his skin, his body was growing cold, no pulse from his destroyed heart. She then bawled her eyes out when she finally accepted reality, burying her face in his chest while clutching his jacket tightly. Donald and Goofy began shedding tears as well, both of them taking off their hats as they mourned the loss of their best friend.

Mickey turned to Riku, who sat on the shore, his legs curled up with his face buried in his knees, his shoulders shuddering as he silently sobbed. "Riku, what happened back there? What about Xemnas?" He didn't respond, his hand clutching Kairi's charm Sora gave to him before sacrificing the last of his power to save him. Mickey had to have figured that Xemnas was gone, but he wasn't going to get any answers from Riku right now. He winced as Kairi cried harder, looking back to see Goofy gently prying her away from Sora's body and comforting her as she cried against his shoulder. The king sadly sighed, shaking his head as he looked down at Sora's Keyblade, Riku having dropped it when he got up on shore. "...Sora...Master Yen Sid is not going to like this..."

---

It had been over a year since Sora had passed away, things not going better for Kairi as she missed him every single day. She was still depressed, but the truth hit everyone else who knew Sora hard, especially his mother. Riku gave Kairi the charm she gave Sora a few days after giving him a burial, his body resting in the back of the island where his Keyblade marked his grave. He apologized to her, wishing it was him that got seriously hurt or killed instead, but his words didn't make her feel better. Every day, she always came to the island, stood in front of Sora's grave for a while, then went to the paopu fruit tree and stared at her charm. She didn't bother cleaning off the dried blood, leaving it as a reminder to her that he's gone, and her power as a Princess of Heart couldn't save him. She even took a paopu fruit every so often, staring at it as she recalled the symbolism it had in its legend, the cut it in half and ate one of those halves, dropping the rest on the ground beneath her.

During that time, she was also called by Yen Sid to become an apprentice, seeing as she now has the power to wield a Keyblade. She even wore an entirely knew outfit courtesy of the three good fairies who stopped by to visit: Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Dressed in a pink and white outfit matching Sora's clothes, which didn't help her any better as it reminded her of him, she began her training under the wizard's tutelage. Her training did distract her a little when involved with physical combat, but she always recalled how Sora fought. She excelled in magic spells and immediately learned the strongest of them that Yen Sid could teach her, but even with the praise she received, none of her training mattered. Nothing did.

After finishing her daily training session, Yen Sid asked for her presence in his study, obeying her master's orders as she stood at attention in front of the wizard's desk. "Kairi, you have been improving substantially well with your Keyblade, but your combat skills still need a little bit of work." Kairi silently nodded, her expression miserable as it has been since that tragic day. Yen Sid knew Kairi was the most upset over Sora's death, something he didn't expect to happen to a Keyblade wielder with such potential such as him. She barely responded to him, didn't talk to Riku, and she kept distancing herself from everyone. "...I know it is difficult dealing with losing Sora. All of us, including the friends he has made in the many worlds he's visited, miss him. It's hard to move on with the loss of a loved one, but all we can try to do is move on, never forgetting them as they'll always live on in our hearts.

"But, I didn't call you before me to bring you further emotional pain. I do have something for you to do, in a world that's farther beyond any Sora or Riku have visited." Yen Sid levitated one of the books off his shelves with his magic, opening it up to reveal the map of the universe. "I had also met a contact personally through one of my mirrors, something the likes of which I've never seen in my life, but the world there is quite habitable."

"Heartless are attacking?" Kairi asked, her tone somber and tired.

"No. There has been some...issues, but she was able to take care of these matters herself," Yen Sid assured. "She was actually hoping for a different outcome than she expected, but her hopes were dashed several years ago." Kairi ignored the exposition the wizard told from his contact in this world, looking down at the map where he marked its location. It would seem like it would take at most week of traveling in a Gummi Ship to reach it from the Mysterious Tower. "She's already fought against her sibling when she had returned from a millenium-long banishment, stopped a chaotic deity from destroying her kingdom, and yet she's very exhausted with her daily duties as a ruler."

"...So, what do you want me to do there?" Kairi questioned.

"Enjoy yourself," Yen Sid said, slightly surprising the teen. "You're in need of a vacation, and this world would be perfect for you." He stood up from his desk and walked over to Kairi, gently placing a hand against her shoulder. "Time heals all wounds, Kairi. You need something to distract you from what happened to Sora."

Kairi sighed, nodding her head slightly in understanding. After writing down the coordinates of the world's location, she left the study, only to open the door and find Riku about to walk in, both of them nearly bumping into her. He had his hair cut back to its shorter length after Organization XIII was no more, though he seemed exhausted, having done a lot of work protecting the worlds after passing his Mark of Mastery exam while waking up the sleeping worlds, stopping Young Xehanort before the present Xehanort completed his thirteen seeds of darkness.

"...Hey, Kairi," Riku greeted, but she didn't greet him back. She looked away from him, refusing to talk to him ever since Riku gave her the charm she gave to Sora, telling her his final words before using the last of his power to kill the Dusks that attacked them. Riku sighed, rubbing his tired eyes as their friendship was dwindling from her distancing herself from him. "Kairi, why won't you talk to me? I know you miss Sora, but losing him hurt just as much for me as it did for you. I tried to heal him, stop the bleeding, but he refused to stay down...I...don't think it would have mattered with how fatal-"

"Just stop, Riku," Kairi growled. "I don't want you to remind me what happened. I saw the damage, so you don't need to explain everything in full detail."

"...S-Sorry," Riku apologized.

Kairi surprised him as she slammed his back against the wall, glaring at him in spite as she grabbed the collar of his vest in her hands. "And don't you dare tell me your hurting as much as I am...My heart was a part of his. I thought I lost him once when he sacrificed himself to wake me up...Now I can never see him again..." Riku was stunned in shocked silence, never seeing Kairi like this since meeting her as kids. She let go of him and left the room, her head hung low as she made her way down the stairs. "I'm going on vacation...Master Yen Sid's orders."

As soon as she disappeared down the magically winding staircase, Riku leaned against the wall he was slammed into, sliding down until he sat on the floor with a hand against his forehead. She clearly hated him for failing to help Sora, and possibly blamed him for trying to kill him while Ansem took control of his heart, or when he was manipulated by Maleficent into thinking he didn't care about the two of them.

"...She hates me," Riku muttered. "Our friendship's over..."

"She is still suffering from the stages of losing a loved one," Yen Sid reassured the distraught Keyblade Master. "It can take several years for one to finally accept their losses. But with how close they were, in both cases with their hearts and personally, it might last for far longer."

"In other words, forever," Riku paraphrased, Yen Sid shaking his head no.

"Let's leave her be. Some time alone will do her some good." The wizard looked outside his window, watching Kairi enter her Gummi Ship.

She flew off into the void of space, setting her coordinates to this world Yen Sid was sending her to, and set it on auto pilot for a slow cruise to her destination. The week-long journey was spent with her lying in her bunk, silently staring at her charm while memories of her and Sora constantly flashed through her mind. If Naminé were here with her, she would have probably suffered along with Kairi, knowing Roxas was gone as well since he was Sora's Nobody. She didn't know if they ever had a relationship before fading, but as their Nobodies, maybe they had an immediate connection while she and Sora were together, harboring the same feelings they had for each other though not saying it out loud. Unfortunately, she would never be able to tell him how she felt anymore, even as they both knew they loved each other.

After flying for the whole week, stopping on a few worlds to resupply or recover from space lag, Kairi arrived at her destination. The world was farther away from any others, nearing the edge of the universe, a royal castle sitting at the top alongside a mountain, and at the bottom was a small village with a slightly overgrown forest beside it. She headed for the castle, which was where Master Yen Sid's contact was said to live, not noticing her body changing to adapt with the denizens of the world. She landed her ship close to the base of the mountain, activating its camouflage so no one notices it, then stood up from her seat, only to fall on her stomach as she finally discovered her magically transformed body. She looked down at her hooves, then up at a mirror she kept in her ship, finding herself as a pink unicorn.

The little girl in her wanted to feel ecstatic, her childhood fantasy where she would play in a world of colorful horses would be a reality, but her childhood innocence was weighed down heavily by her depression. "...This place is supposed to make me feel better?" she questioned, letting out a heavy sigh as she shakily stood up, getting some practice in walking on four legs before exiting her ship. Finding a trail that lead up the mountain, where the castle and its city were built, she climbed up the sloped path and reached the entrance, where she saw noble ponies walking about in fancy clothing, some pegasi, regular ponies, and unicorns like she was. "This world was made for little girls...Too bad it doesn't help me, Master..."

Making her way down the busy streets of Canterlot, she ignored the odd looks the nobles gave the mare dressed in her attire, some of them huffing and turning their noses at her as if she wasn't meant to belong in the city. She could say the same for them for wearing clothes when they don't even need to, only to make them look important. It didn't help that there were some young couples seated in a few outdoor cafes, enjoying a date together as they talked, laughed, or even shared a meal. She quickly made her way to the castle gates, where a pair of stallions in golden armor wielding spears blocked her path.

"State your business," one of the guards demanded.

"I'm here to see your ruler," Kairi said. "My name is Kairi. She's supposed to expect me."

The other stallion headed into the nearby guard station and looked at a clipboard, which must have held names for ponies who were scheduled to see their monarch. He nodded his head to the first guard, confirming that her name was on there.

"Alright. Princess Celestia is in the throne room at this time," the guard said, allowing Kairi passage. "Just make your way down the hall and you'll find the large doors to the throne room."

"Thanks," she said, making her way past the stallion, her ears twitching as she heard them talking about her odd clothing choice.

Inside, the castle seemed to be in quite a bustle as servants were running around, gathering decorations, flowers, or getting somewhere for some kind of celebration. Ignoring them, she found the throne room and walked inside, finding a taller white horse compared to the others, with both wings and a horn, her mane constantly flowing in a nonexistent breeze in a hue of sparkling blue, green, lavender, and pink, and before her was another pony with wings and a horn, only slightly taller than Kairi with a pink coat and her hair streaks of purple, pink, and pale yellow. The white one was looking through a long list that held all the requested items for this big event that's being planned at this very moment.

The Keyblade wielder's presence was known when the ruler spotted her approach them. "Oh. I was expecting you," she said, the other pony turning to face Kairi in confusion. "You must be Kairi."

"I am," Kairi said. "I think my master told you about my visit?"

"Yes, and right on time, too. I am Princess Celestia, and I welcome you to Equestria," Celestia said. "And, this is my niece, Princess Cadence."

"I prefer to be called Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," Cadence said, practically demanding to be called as such. "And you didn't tell me you were expecting somepony to see you. And today of all days when we're trying to get my wedding planned and set up."

"Yes, I know, and we're still right on schedule before the date of the ceremony," Celestia chided. "Kairi is a foreign dignitary from across the seas and is taking her master's place to discuss some new training exercises for our guards."

"...How foreign?" Mi Amore Cadenza questioned, raising a brow in skepticism.

"Their temple is concealed from unworthy ponies, so their training grounds, and society, are completely hidden," Celestia explained, Kairi rolling her eyes at the convincing lie she made.

Cadenza stared at Kairi for a moment, sensing something about her before taking her leave, snatching the list out of Celestia's hooves. "Alright. I'll leave you to your secret military tactics while I make sure everything else goes perfectly for my wedding."

As soon as the mare left, Celestia let out a sigh, then giggled. "Brides-to-be. They want their wedding day perfect, and they're willing to throw a tantrum if one little thing is out of place or not done on time." She got up from her throne and stretched out her legs, acting very casual in front of a guest instead of like a proper royal figure. "Sorry you arrived at such a busy time. Cadence has been planning this day for the last few months, and the stress seems to be finally getting to her. Anyway, welcome again to our world."

"At least you're right about our 'temple' kept under the table," Kairi said. "Master Yen Sid told you why he sent me here, didn't he?"

Celestia's grin formed into a sad frown as she nodded her head. "He has. I'm so sorry for your loss." Kairi looked down at the floor, wishing she had fists to clench as someone ended up telling another about Sora's death. "I heard you two were really close...Sharing the same heart, or something similar to that?"

"I was a part of his heart when our home was destroyed," Kairi corrected. "I watched him fade away before my eyes once, and I was lucky enough to bring him back from the brink of darkness. Now, he's dead, and I can't bring him back when he has a literal hole through his heart." Celestia grimaced at the details of what had happened, Yen Sid refraining from telling her how gory the injury was. "If he thinks this is going to make me feel better, being surrounded by horses in a colorful land, it's not! Nothing ever will!"

"I understand you're still suffering, but Yen Sid is really concerned for your well-being," Celestia said. "You're welcome to stay here in the castle as long as you'd like. Anything you need, all you have to do is ask and one of my servants will get it for you."

"How about you find a way to revive Sora?" Kairi questioned irritably. "Or take me back in time so I can save him from dying!? Can you do that for me!?" Her eyes welled up with tears as she glared angrily at the princess, Celestia pitying the mare as she still grieved in her pain. "No...You can't...I'll never be the same without him..."

Kairi left the room, slamming the doors shut with her magic she used on instinct, making Celestia flinch slightly. "Oh dear..."

---

A few days since Kairi arrived in Equestria, she learned the layout of the castle and the city beyond its walls, but she didn't interact with anyone. She randomly wandered the halls, passing by the ponies getting Mi Amore Cadenza's wedding ready before the big day, even passing by the bridezilla from time to time, who took an interest in the foreign unicorn. When Kairi was finished walking about, she mostly holed herself up in her guest room, laying on the bed as she sadly looked at her charm. Before meeting with Yen Sid, she had also brought an old picture of her and Sora together, being a couple years younger than when Destiny Islands was cast into darkness. The image had also changed slightly, changing them both into ponies while leaving the background of the island the same, possibly due to her Keyblade magic making sure the world order remained balanced.

One day, she sat out in the garden, bringing the photo with her as she laid in the grass and stared at it. "Is that some sort of meditation you do?" Kairi's ears twitched as she heard Cadenza. Moving her head in the mare's direction, learning that she and Celestia were called alicorns, she found her staring at her curiously. "You're not a foreign dignitary, are you?"

Kairi sighed in annoyance, sitting up and leered at the princess. "What gave that away?"

"Well, the guards haven't been learning anything new since you arrived," Cadenza stated. "And you've mostly held yourself in your room for the past week. So, either you're some randomly adopted member of Celestia's family, a special guest, or she's just inviting anypony to stay in the castle." Kairi didn't answer, remaining silent as she continued to glare at the suspicious mare. "I think it's more around guess number two." She saw the picture Kairi had, quickly swiping it from her hoof with her green aura. "Well, what have we here?"

Kairi summoned her Keyblade, pressing the blade up to the pink alicorn's neck as she surprised the princess with her incredibly fast speed. "...Drop the picture...Now."

Slightly startled, Cadenza recovered from and grinned. "You know, you're lucky there aren't any guards around us who saw this. Wouldn't do you well if you threatened a princess with a sword, would it?" Kairi continued glaring at her, not even caring if she was caught threatening to kill her. Cadenza eyed the blade, curious and confused by its odd shape and design. "Or, a giant key shaped like a sword?...Odd choice of weaponry. Maybe you are some secret warrior in training after all." The unicorn remained silent, making the alicorn roll her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. "I'll give it back. I'm just curious to see what was in it."

"...It's just a picture of someone I know," Kairi uttered, slowly moving her weapon away.

Cadenza looked at the photo, noting a very big difference with the unicorn's expression from the picture and the mare before her. "You used to actually be happy. I'm shocked." Kairi growled in response to the mare's sarcasm. "Oooh. And look at this handsome stud. I'm sure he's a really good 'friend', huh?" she said with a seductive wink.

"...He's...no longer around," Kairi muttered sadly.

"Why? He move away?" Cadenza asked, but the silence and sudden sadness on Kairi's face told her otherwise. "...Oh...That's what you meant...My bad." She gave the picture back to Kairi, slowly taking it back and putting it away in her pocket. "What was his name?"

"...Sora," she answered. "...He...died a year ago...I still miss him."

"I'm so sorry," Cadenza apologized. "Should I leave you alone for a bit? Or do you want to talk about it?"

"...I just want to be left alone," Kairi said, her Keyblade disappearing in a flash of light.

Cadenza stared at where the blade was, noting how the unicorn didn't use her magic to call it forth and dismiss it. "Alright. But if you want to talk, you can come to me. I may be a bit mean because of the stress of planning this wedding by myself, my future husband a bit too busy as Captain of the Royal Guard to help me with the little things, but I can lend an ear when I take a break." Kairi nodded her head and laid down on the grass. Cadenza turned back toward the castle to continue her wedding planning, wearing a smirk as her eyes flashed green for a moment. "She has a lot more magic than that dimwitted stallion...And a whole lot more love to give for that colt than Shining Armor does for 'Mi Amore Cadenza'. I think a change in plan is in order..."

---

The day of the wedding was coming close, tomorrow the big day as the whole kingdom was told of the news about the royal wedding. It was the middle of the night, Kairi sitting in her bed as sleep eluded her. Needing some fresh air, she approached the balcony windows and walked outside, stepping up to the railing. She leaned her forelegs up to the railing and looked down at the city. Her stay here in Equestria wasn't helping her feelings in the slightest, her given vacation just an excuse for her to have some time to herself and cope with Sora's death. While staring at the sleeping city of Canterlot, she didn't hear a pair of wings silently flapping down behind her, landing on the balcony silently.

As soon as the intruder took a step forward, Kairi's ear twitched, quickly spinning around to confront the mysterious stranger. "Who's there!?"

"Hey, easy," a male voice spoke, making her balk in confusion as the voice was from someone she hadn't heard from in a long time. The clouds shrouding the light of the moon moved away, shining down on the silhouette of the stallion before her, making her gasp in shock as his identity was revealed. A tan pegasus with spiky brown hair stood there, blue eyes staring at hers with a calm smile, looking, and sounding, just like Sora. "Didn't mean to startle you. It's not like I'm going to assassinate you, right?"

Kairi was dumbstruck, staring at the pegasus in bafflement with her mouth agape. She blinked a few times, thinking she was seeing things, then slapped herself in the face until her cheeks hurt. She wasn't imagining things; standing in front of her was a stallion who looked and sounded like Sora. She shook her head in disbelief, finding it impossible for him to return, even as a reincarnation as a pony if it was possible.

"...S-Sora?" Kairi squeaked, her voice cracking as her brain and heart struggled to believe this moment was really happening or if she was dreaming.

"Come on, Kairi," the stallion said. "You forgot about me already? That hurts my feelings."

Kairi shook her head harder, unsure if she was dreaming or hallucinating. "Y-You can't...But you...What is going on?" she asked herself. "...You can't be here...You...You..."

"Sora" approached the distressed unicorn, gently taking her hoof in his as he moved closer. "It is me, Kairi. You must have had a terrible nightmare or something." Something in Kairi's head told her this wasn't right, that Sora can't be here, but her heart longed for his presence. He gently wrapped his forelegs around her, holding her close and gently nuzzled her, feeling his protective embrace and strong, yet gentle hooves caress her back. She was so confused, but her tears streamed down her cheeks, no longer caring what was real anymore as she embraced him, wanting this to happen. "It's ok, Kairi. I'm here. I'll keep you safe."

He gently cupped her cheeks in his hooves, tilting her head up to look at him. Her head was swimming with conflicting feelings, slowly getting lost in his eyes. The pegasus leaned closer to her, gently pressing his lips against hers, surprising the unicorn as she let out a squeak. She wanted to push him away, slap him, kick him, anything to stop this, but she wanted this. She slowly gave in, closing her eyes and kissed "Sora", her hooves moving up to wrap around his neck. She was so distracted by the passion she needed from him to see his eyes open, flashing green as he smirked slightly, a green aura glowing in front of his forehead as it snaked its way in her. He pulled away, watching her slowly open her eyes as the spell took hold of her mind, turning a shade of green as she stared longingly at him.

"I love you, Sora," she uttered in her mind-controlled trance.

"Oh, I know you do," "Sora" said, chuckling evilly as he pat the unicorn's cheek. "But I'm not Sora, am I?" The stallion took her entranced silence as a no, caressing her cheeks as she stared blankly into his eyes. "So easy to trick the mind when they long for that special somepony they miss so dearly. You must have missed him that much." Kairi dumbly nodded her head, leaning closer to the stallion to kiss him again, only for his hoof to press against her lips, pushing her head back a little. "Now, now, let's not be hasty.

"I want this plan of mine to work, but I will need your...cooperation," "Sora" continued. "You help me, I can help get rid of all that pain losing your precious Sora. He will be with you forever; no more tears, no more heartache. Does that sound like a deal, my pet?"

"Yes, Sora," Kairi mumbled. "Anything...to be with you..."

"Good girl," "Sora" said, petting Kairi's head before leading her back into the bedroom, placing her down on the bed and crawling over her. "Now, help me grow stronger. Give me all of your love."

"Sora" leaned down and kissed Kairi again, making her moan in need as the spell cast on her strengthened, giving him all of her love for him as her mind was completely brainwashed.

---

Kairi winced in her sleep, her body and mind feeling numb as she woke from what felt like a deep slumber. She could barely move her body, something soft and gelatinous keeping her contained. She opened her eyes, squinting through some green ooze she was in as her senses slowly came back to her. Beyond the green ooze, she appeared to be in the throne room of the castle, but the large room filled with several pods that had the same green goop she was trapped in. She looked around and saw some of them nearby, letting out a strangled gasp as she saw Princess Celestia trapped in one of them, along with other ponies in each one. Something happened when she lost consciousness, her memory lost as to what happened to her as she tried not to suck in whatever this liquid keeping her contained was in her mouth.

Calling forth her Keyblade, she sliced through the membrane, making the viscous ooze spill out from the pod as she fell out. She hacked and breathed in lungfuls of fresh air, heaving heavily as she threw up what liquid she did inhale while trapped inside. She heard hoofsteps from outside as they heard her, the throne room doors opening as a pair of black bug-like ponies entered to check on the disturbance, their appearance disturbing with their complete blue eyes with pale white irises that were barely noticeable and the holes in their legs.

"W-What!? How did she escape!?" one of them said.

"Alert the queen!" the other said, the first one nodding and flying off, his wings making an odd buzzing sound with its see-through wings. As Kairi breathed heavily, her body weak from being trapped inside that pod for who knows how long as she struggled to stand on her legs. She looked up as the guard approached her. "You're not going anywhere, little unicorn."

"W-What...happened?" Kairi demanded weakly. "Who...are you?"

He tried to grab her, but Kairi smacked the equine/insect hybrid in the face with the guard of her Keyblade, knocking him to the ground as she crawled away. Soon, more guards came in, surrounding the mare, unable to fight in her weakened state. Eventually, the ponies' queen made her appearance, a taller version of the chitin bug ponies, though she had hair, long and a dark green, and green eyes. When she spotted the unicorn, she smirked as the circle of enemies gave their queen room to approach her.

"Well, well, well. Someone finally woke up," the queen mocked. "Have a good sleep in dream land?"

"Who are you?" Kairi asked, holding up her Keyblade to defend herself, despite her exhaustion. "What did you do?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" the mare said with a sinister chuckle. "I am Chrysalis, queen of the changelings. And this is my kingdom."

"Changelings?" Kairi looked around at the insect ponies, all of them ready to pounce her if she made any sudden movements. She then looked back at Celestia trapped in her pod, turning back to Chrysalis. "This isn't your kingdom. It's Celestia's."

"Not anymore it isn't. I overthrew Celestia, and now this land is mine to rule, along with all the little ponies who's love we can feed on for a lifetime." Chrysalis licked her lips as Kairi noticed one of the pods near one of the walls glowing, one of the changeling guards sucking away from kind of energy from a pony trapped inside, letting out a satisfied sigh as he had his fill. "Yours was quite delicious, though. Too bad the well ran dry after a few months."

"M-Months?" Kairi questioned. "I've been in that thing for months???"

"Far longer, but not in a feeding pod for the first few months I feasted on your love," Chrysalis explained. "I admit, I was a bit curious when you arrived at this castle, your clothing so strange that it never seemed like anything that was ever made in any part of Equestria."

"Y-You knew I was here?" Kairi asked, utterly confused. "But...I didn't see you."

"Actually, you have." Chrysalis grinned as she relished the confused expression on Kairi's face. "Oh, that's right. You didn't see my real form. Let me see if this will jog your memory." The changeling queen's horn lit up in a green aura, her body suddenly surrounded in green flames as her appearance began to change. She shrunk little, her fur turning pink and her hair in yellow, purple and pink streaks, changing into Celestia's niece, Mi Amore Cadenza. "It is I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Surprise."

Kairi gasped at the shapeshifter smirking at her shock, even her voice changing to the pink alicorn's in her transformation. "Y-You're Cadence!? W-Why would Celestia adopt something like you!?"

"I'm not really her niece," "Cadenza" said. "I pretended to be the real Cadence and trapped her in the crystal mines underneath this city. My original plan was to impersonate her while sucking away all the love my 'husband', Shining Armor, gave to her, using him to help me take over. However, you had a lot more to give than that stallion, and with such magical power never before seen in all of Equestria." Kairi looked down at her Keyblade, her eyes growing wide in shock as she made the mistake in revealing to "Cadence" her weapon. "And what unique magic, indeed. I have to thank you for assisting me in taking over Canterlot and dethroning Celestia for me like a good little pet."

"W-What?...I-I didn't...Why would I do that!?" Kairi yelled, gripping her Keyblade tightly as she stood, only to fall as her legs gave out. The changeling soldiers snickered at how pathetic she was with all her energy drained away. "I would never work with a witch like you!"

"Oh, now don't be like that. If I were that heartless, would I have not given you the chance to have a moment with somepony you love dearly?" Kairi's breath caught in her throat, dreading the smirk on the "alicorn's" lips. "Should I enlighten you again with what you can remember?" The unicorn slightly shook her head no, but Chrysalis didn't heed her response. "That night on the balcony, you couldn't sleep, but you were visited by somepony...Care to guess who?"

"...N-No..." Kairi began putting the pieces together, feeling sick to her stomach as Chrysalis transformed again.

When the flames died out, standing in "Cadenza's" place was the same pegasus who surprised her that night. "Sora" smirked, relishing the look of horror and disgust on the unicorn's face as her memories came flooding back: staring in "his" eyes, hearing "his" soothing voice, feeling "his" comforting touch, and "his" lips upon hers in their kiss. If she didn't already expel her stomach contents earlier, she would have thrown up after realizing she kissed a woman, who was also a transforming bug/pony creature that impersonated someone she loved who was supposed to be dead. "Sora" began to laugh as Kairi was mentally and physically scarred, breaking her more as she heard his voice come from the impostor.

"It is so easy to manipulate somepony with a broken heart," Chrysalis said in Sora's voice. "They long for affection when they are desperate for it. I saw the look on your face when I mentioned him after seeing that little picture." The transformed changeling levitated the photo of Sora and Kairi the unicorn kept on her, having taken it away from her after she was brainwashed by her magic. "So sad to hear he passed away...And you were foolish enough to think I was him, and he was still alive. If you believed in reincarnation, you're more gullible than the other ponies I've fooled before I invaded Equestria. But at least you enjoyed yourself, especially the night before the wedding."

Chrysalis flung the photo at Kairi, the other changelings laughing as her face went pale. She looked at the picture as it slid to a stop by her hoof, tears began falling down her face as she was used in more ways than one. Chrysalis joined her soldiers and laughed with them, transforming back to her normal self as they mocked the poor mare. She was tricked, not only by the changeling queen, but also by her own heart. And she paid the price by not only getting fooled; she felt violated, she was forced against her own will to attack the innocents in this world, "assisted" Chrysalis in dethroning Celestia and capturing ponies to use them as food for these love-sucking monsters, and she was wholly responsible for letting this world fall under the power of a manipulative monster.

Something in Kairi snapped, one of her ears and eyes twitching as her blood began to boil. She grit her teeth, her vision turning red as she grabbed her Keyblade tightly in her hoof. Her horn began sparking, alerting the changelings as they stopped laughing, watching it fizzle until it began glowing.

"Uhh, isn't she supposed to be drained of her magic?" one of the changelings questioned.

Chrysalis began to grow wary as Kairi began to stand up, her stance wobbling for a moment before she stood still, her head hung low as her slime-slicked mane hung in front of her face. She growled low like a predator, lifting her head up as a blue eye peered through her hair, glaring with intense hatred for the changeling queen. Her horn suddenly ignited brightly, startling the changelings as Chrysalis gasped in shock.

"She's going into a magic surge! All of you get away from her!" she quickly said, but they reacted too late.

Kairi screamed at the top of her lungs, her cry full of pain and anguish as every window in the castle shattered from the ear-piercing frequency. A bright light lit up the room, blinding the changelings as they were all flung away from the distraught unicorn by her shriek's shockwave, all of them crashing to the floor and skidding to a halt. Kairi's eyes began glowing a bright white, her mane and tail blowing harshly in a nonexistent storm as a white aura billowed around her form. Even her Keyblade had transformed, the colors lost and the features wilted or dead as it signified her pain, her loss of hope, and loss of trust among others; her life forever filled with misery.

The changelings recovered and saw the unicorn in her power surged state, none of them knowing how to handle dealing with a mare with such magical power despite her energy supposedly drained away from nearly a year of being absorbed of her love. One changeling was foolish enough to try to attack her, hissing as he ran forward and lunged. She turned her head in his direction, swiftly slamming her Keyblade down on his back and sent him to the hard ground, making him wheeze in pain. She lifted her blade up, shifting the ground and smacking the unfortunate changeling's underbelly with a pillar of marble, further breaking his ribs and lungs as he was sent flying up to the ceiling, falling to the ground and back down to the enraged mare, getting impaled by her Keyblade straight in the heart.

Instead of blood as the others expected, she pulled her Keyblade out of the changeling's chest, taking out a glowing heart that was inside of him, then slashed it into pieces, making it shatter and the heartless changeling's body disappear in a flash of light. Greatly intimidated, the changeling guards began to back away in fear, even terrifying Chrysalis as they never saw such power come from Kairi.

"I'm getting out of here!" one of them screamed out before making a break out of the room. Kairi looked at him, trapping him in her white aura and dragged him toward her. He pawed at the marble floor, trying to crawl away in vain as he cried in fear. "Nooooo! I don't want to die! I didn't do anything to you! I swear!"

"I don't care," Kairi said in an ominous tone, holding her Keyblade at the changeling, sending out a small spark of fire out at him.

As soon as the spark touched him, his body erupted in an explosion of flames in a powerful Firaja spell, the intense swirl of fire burning him alive as he screamed in agony. He flailed and screamed until his voice died out, the spell stopping and leaving nothing but a pile of ash where the changeling stood.

"What in Equestria...?" Chrysalis uttered.

She could only stare and watch as her changeling army got annihilated by the enraged unicorn, either hacked into pieces with flurries of slashes from her Keyblade or in gory, creative ways with other expert level magic spells she had learned but never cast before now. The last of the guards were slain as changeling limbs and elemental spell remains laid about the ground around Kairi, her glowing eyes leering at the queen who had used her power against her will.

"...Die," Kairi growled, running forward and screaming in rage as she leapt up and swung her blade down, unleashing a barrage of sharp Aero slashes down on Chrysalis.

The queen flinched and shut her eyes, using her magic to create a barrier around herself. Her magic was strong enough to protect herself thanks to the love she stole from Kairi, but it also bounced off her barrier and was reflected back at the unicorn. Kairi gasped in surprise, too slow to react as the slashes struck her, letting out a cry of pain as they left deep cuts on her face, chest, and forelegs, her clothing torn apart from the powerful backlash. The reflected attack knocked the mare out of her surge, sending her tumbling back across the throne room and stopping to a painful halt into Celestia's pod, the impact breaking through the membrane and freeing the alicorn.

Celestia let out a gasp and hacked after falling out of the pod, snapped out of her comatose state she was trapped in as she took in deep breaths. Chrysalis, squinted her eyes open, only for them to widen in shock at what had happened.

"...D-Did...I do that?" she asked herself.

Celestia groaned as she lifted her head, looking around herself in confusion. "W-What happened?" She then looked down at Kairi as she heard her groan, the unicorn's face, front legs, and chest spilling blood from the deep cuts inflicted on her. "Kairi?" The memories of the invasion came back to her, knowing the unicorn wasn't responsible for her actions as the true villain, Chrysalis, brainwashed her. She heard the changeling queen begin to cackle as she looked down at her hooves, surprised by her own power increased far more than she expected. "Chrysalis..."

"It seems as though Kairi's love is stronger than I thought," Chrysalis said. "Not only had she given me enough to overthrow Celestia, but I've also gained some of that unique magic of hers...I wonder..."

Chrysalis decided to test her new magic spells, never knowing she could use them after sucking away love from Kairi for so long. Her horn sparked as she managed to unleash elemental spells in front of her, giggling with manic glee at the unique magic she learned from absorbing love from the Keyblade wielder. Celestia could only watch in trepidation, standing no chance against Chrysalis now that she's witnessing her practiced magic spells, no less against a mind controlled Keyblade wielder. She looked down at Kairi as she let out a groan, trying to stand as she looked up at the alicorn, giving her an apologetic look as her anger and adrenaline ebbed away.

"Y-Your Highness," she mumbled. "I-I...I'm-"

"It's not your fault, Kairi," Celestia assured, knowing Kairi was just as much a victim as her and the rest of her subjects. "Chrysalis tricked all of us...and she took advantage of you and your depression. You weren't yourself and your actions were under her control." They heard Chrysalis cackle, too enthralled by her increased power and magic casting to pay attention to Celestia and Kairi talking to each other. The alicorn strained what remained of her magic reserves, lighting up her horn to cast a spell. "Kairi, you need to escape. Get back to Yen Sid and tell him Equestria needs help."

"W-What?" Kairi asked. "But what about-?"

"Forget about me," Celestia interrupted. "He told me you're a princess as well, but far more important than I am. Now, run, and don't look back."

Kairi tried to disagree with her, but Celestia cast her spell, teleporting the injured, tired, and mentally scarred unicorn right outside of Canterlot. She ended up looking back at the city, now barren of any life as it felt like a ghost town, spotting several changelings flying around the buildings in search of any victims they haven't caught yet. Looking up at the castle, Kairi winced as she wanted to go back and help, but her burning wounds and exhaustion reminded her she wouldn't last in another fight. Reluctantly, she turned tail and limped away, heading down the path leading down to the base of the mountain to reach her Gummi Ship.

It took nearly an hour, but she made it to the bottom, surprised she wasn't noticed by any of the changelings. She was exhausted, completely drained of her energy and magic, in an excruciating amount of pain, both physical and psychological, but she wasn't going to stop until she was safe in her ship and flew out of Equestria. As soon as she reached the little field where she remembered parking her vessel, her heart sank and she saw what was beyond the overgrown shrubbery.

Her Gummi Ship was gone, nothing but pieces scattered around, not even enough for a small ship just to escape. None of them could be used anyway as all of them were slashed apart, not taken down or ripped off the ship. Kairi limped toward the center of where her ship used to be, picking up the irreparable Gummi Blocks as she desperately tried to put two different ones together, failing to connect as her hooves trembled. She dropped the pieces, disheartened as she was now stranded in this world with no way of getting any help.

She began to sob, her tears mixing with her bloody cheeks as they ran down her face, not feeling the stinging pain as her heart hurt more than anything. Reaching into what remains of her pockets were left, she still carried the seashell charm she gave to Sora, part of the arms slightly chipped after getting struck by her own reflected attack. She was all alone: vulnerable, defenseless, tired, helpless, and violated. Kairi finally broke down, wailing in anguish, uncaring if anyone heard her as she fell on her side, clutching the charm tightly to her chest. Chrysalis had broken her far more than she already was, using her as a slave to overthrow Celestia and stealing her love for Sora to gain power, letting her changeling army have their way with her love while under her magical brainwashing, and having her destroy her own Gummi Ship to avoid escaping and leave her stranded in the world she "helped" create for the changeling queen.

Her crying didn't go unheard however, but instead of changelings finding her, it was a small hunting party of surviving ponies lead by a zebra with a black and white striped mohawk wearing gold rings around her neck and as earrings, dark green tribal paint covering them in random patterns as they bore spears.

"Another changeling, Zecora?" one of the mares asked, aiming her spear at the distraught unicorn.

The zebra held up a hoof, commanding her group to stand down as she carefully approached the sobbing mare. Kairi noticed them through her teary gaze, but she didn't care anymore, wanting her life to end so her pain would finally go away. Zecora now stood before the broken Keyblade wielder, taking a makeshift bowl filled with the same kind of paint that covered her's and her party's faces and bodies. Dipping her hoof, she began smearing some of it in a tribal pattern on her body, leaving her wounds untouched so it didn't burn her skin and cause anymore pain than she was already in. When she was done, she waited for any results, but when none came, she sighed in relief and ordered her comrades that she was a normal pony.

"Dear child, what has happened to you?" Zecora asked. She then noticed the paint giving off a faint glow, feeling pity for the poor unicorn. "Have the changelings violated your heart, mind, and body, too?"

Kairi didn't respond, but it was clearly obvious by the hopelessness and pain in her eyes, along with the sticky remains of the ooze used to contain the changelings' victims in their feeding pods. As the rest of Zecora's party of hunters approached them, avoiding the mysterious, colorful blocks strewn about, one of them gasped and aimed his spear at her.

"Hey, she's the pony who helped the changelings!" the stallion said. "She took down Celestia with that weird key sword thing and helped that bug take control over all of Equestria!"

"Put down your weapon, you fool!" Zecora scolded, slapping the stallion's spear away. "Can you not see she was used as the changelings' tool!? She was used as a puppet, controlled against the free will of her mind. They have already hurt her in more ways than one, and we will not do so in kind." Obeying the zebra, she carefully picked Kairi up, placing her on her back while making sure the charm she held onto was still held in her hooves. "Do not fear, child, you will be safe with us. Let us tend to your wounds." She then looked at her party, leering at them in warning not to attack the injured and emotionally and psychologically tormented. "None of you make a fuss."

"Hey, what about her weapon?" one of them asked as they picked up the discolored blade, not like how it was when they saw her around their homes with it.

"Might as well take it," another of the mares said. "If she can fight, she might help us win against the changelings."

Zecora didn't think Kairi had any fight in her, not in the state she was in. Maybe in due time when she has recovered, she might be a crucial ally now that she is no longer under Chrysalis's control, but that might take a long while with how broken down she was. She lead her group back into the forest, making their trek through one of their hidden villages away from the changelings, one carrying her Keyblade as another one curiously took one of the Gummi Block shards to study.

---

"So, I've been stuck here in Equestria the last couple years." Kairi finished her story, glaring at the fire with hatred toward Chrysalis as she recalled those painful and hateful moments. "I stuck around the village Zecora brought me to, just to heal up and try to recover, but I wasn't welcomed by everyone...There are other hidden civilizations with ponies who managed to hide from the changelings when they attacked, and everyone doesn't trust me...I don't even trust myself. Or anyone else I see after I was tricked by that...succubus...I've been trying to train, get stronger so I can finally end her, but because she's absorbed so much love from me for nearly half a year and trapped me in one of their feeding pods for the rest of that year, I don't think I'll ever be able to stop her..."

Sora and Twilight were speechless, both of them unable to find the words to say about what had befallen Equestria, but mostly with what had happened to Kairi. They could tell she's been through so much, cold and unable to trust anyone as she was used in so many different, painful ways. Sora's own inner turmoils didn't compare to this Kairi's: unable to cope with losing him, feeling bitter and miserable as she resorted to distancing herself from everyone she knew who cared about her, manipulated by Chrysalis after tricking her by transforming into him, then mind controlled and used to take over Equestria and sexually violated by the changeling queen and her army, stealing her love to feed and grow stronger, and feeling alone while stranded in this world, not a single pony able to trust her in helping them with their cause. She was all alone, and no one came to her rescue.

"...Kairi..." Sora looked at Kairi's Keyblade, the gloomy weapon of light losing its luster as it sensed its owner's light was dimmed down, losing all hope and faith that everything would be ok for her. He blamed his other self for sacrificing himself, even if his wound was fatal when he and Riku faced Xemnas, but at the same time, he felt that blame should go to him regardless if he was from another timeline than this. He wrapped his hooves around Kairi, hugging her tightly, feeling her tense up and bury her muzzle in his neck, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks and staining his jacket. "I'm so sorry..."

Twilight watched Sora comfort Kairi, wanting to find out anymore of what had happened to Celestia, their friends in this world, or even Starlight Glimmer. But she's already said enough, feeling sad for the unicorn and this horrible timeline she was forever trapped in. Kairi calmed down a little, sighing heavily as she looked at the fire while resting her head against Sora's shoulder. She wanted this moment of peace to last forever, but she knew that was impossible, knowing this alternate Sora and Twilight Sparkle didn't belong here.

"Kairi," Twilight said, finally speaking up after several minutes of silence. "Can you take us back to where you found us? Where the map is?"

"...I can't," Kairi said. "Not right now...It's already nighttime."

"It is?" the alicorn asked, looking outside of the draped windows to see nothing but the wild foliage of the Everfree Forest.

"I've lived here in the Everfree for a while. I know when it's dark enough to be evening," Kairi explained. "And the changelings can ambush us in the dark. Best to be careful than reckless...Besides, don't you two need some rest after going through that timeline where you teamed up with Xehanort?"

"But what about Starlight Glimmer?" Sora asked. "We need to stop her."

"Sora, I think it is better if we rest for the evening," Twilight suggested. "If we use the spell to take us back again, Starlight will be one step ahead of us...I don't think it would matter if that was the case."

"...I guess you're right," Sora said, letting out a grunt as he fell on his back, staring at the ceiling of the simple hut. "I think...I still need to let all this sink in, anyway..."

"Well, make yourselves comfortable," Kairi said. "I don't have any beds, so I hope you love sleeping on the hard ground...I got used to it when I wasn't welcomed by everyone when I recovered after my escape."

Kairi stood up and picked a random spot in her hut, landing with a plop as she curled up in a ball, her back facing the fire. Sora and Kairi tried to get comfortable as well, wishing there was some kind of bedding Kairi might have used like leaves.

"What happened to Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, unable to shake her curiosity to what happened to her mentor.

"...Chrysalis trapped her in a pod again," Kairi said. "I checked the castle one day, but she and her army moved elsewhere with her and the other ponies." While Twilight was relieved to hear she was still alive, Kairi turned her head to look at her with her broken, hopeless gaze. "Don't bring your hopes up...There is no hope to have anymore."

Twilight grimaced at the loss of faith Kairi had, the mare turning her head back around as she curled up tighter. Sora wanted to ask Kairi if she felt comfortable sleeping beside him, but he figured she probably didn't trust him that much, even after discovering it really was him. She was already scarred as she was physically and mentally molested, not wanting to bring back those horrible thoughts and repressed memories of what she could remember.

---

Late in the middle of the night, Sora squinted his eyes as he heard someone whimpering. He sat up, rubbing his tired eyes as he heard where it was coming from. Kairi seemed curled up even tighter in a ball as she slept, her tail held tightly to her chest as tears ran down her face. She squirmed, unable to escape whatever was haunting her in her nightmare, though with how curled her tail was between her legs, Sora had an idea that it wasn't a pleasurable dream. He stood up and crept over to her, making sure not to wake Twilight up as she was deep in her sleep.

He gently touched her shoulder and shook her slightly. "Kairi?"

She gasped and woke up, swinging her hoof and smacking Sora in the face. "Don't touch-!" When she saw who she hit, the pegasus groaned and rubbed his face, making a note to himself not to do that again. "Sora...Jeez, don't do that."

"Sorry," he apologized. "You were having a nightmare and I wanted to check on you."

Kairi grumbled, rubbing her eyes and stood up. "Well, I'm not getting back to sleep now. As usual."

"Are you ok?" Sora asked.

"Oh, I'm fantastic," Kairi said sarcastically. "I'm stranded in Equestria, haven't seen anyone else in the last few years, I've been suffering from panic and anxiety attacks, afraid to go near any males, I'm a complete emotional wreck, my heart's been broken and torn apart into millions of pieces, I was used by Chrysalis in so many ways that I feel like an old rag doll flung around by a baby while always getting dirty no matter how hard it gets cleaned from the messes that baby makes with it, I also have insomnia, and I feel all alone in this dictatorship run by a love-sucking monster where no one trusts me, and I can't trust anyone else I come in contact with. How the hell do you think I'm doing!?"

"...I was talking about your nightmare," Sora said, barely surprised at the verbal lashing Kairi gave him. He knew she had a right to yell, let out all her pent up aggression after all she's been through. "I know you've been through a lot...I can't imagine going through all that and still struggle to survive like that."

Kairi's glare softened, looking down at the ground in sadness. "...Why did you have to leave me?" she questioned. "Why did everything turn out like this?"

"I don't know," Sora said. There was an odd coincidence between Equestria falling into ruin in some way and Sora always dead, with no sign of an alternate Twilight or their friends in these different present timelines. He didn't want to believe Xehanort from the Sombra timeline when he explained how he died, but if he died in the changeling timeline, then something strange was going on that he needed to figure out. "Twilight and I will try to fix this. We just need to figure out how to stop Starlight Glimmer...Do you...by any chance know a pony by that name? A light pinkish unicorn with purple hair and a blue and light purple streaks?"

"No. Haven't seen anyone like that," Kairi said with a shake of her head.

Sora sighed, hating how Starlight thinks she's winning with her revenge plan when she doesn't realize just how important it was for the Mane Six to get their cutie marks. "Well, we'll stop her...somehow."

The two sat in silence, Kairi curling her tail up from between her legs and unconsciously stroked it. Sora noticed she was feeling really nervous with the silent tension, aside from hearing Twilight's light snoring breaking that silence every so often. She glanced up at him, only to look elsewhere, acting timidly around him as if she was still unable to trust him.

"...Sora?" Kairi uttered, her voice breaking as she swallowed the lump of nervousness in her throat. "...A-Are we...I mean, the Kairi you know...Are you two...t-together?"

"Yeah," Sora answered without hesitation. "It took me a while to finally tell you how I felt, and you ended up making the first move, but we've been happy together as a couple."

"...G-Good," Kairi said, her body trembling slightly as tears welled up in her eyes again. "I-I'm...glad to know...we're together..." She choked back a sob, worrying Sora as she began to cry. She held her tail tighter, her broken heart envious of her alternate self able to enjoy her relationship with Sora while she lost her Sora. "I-I...I wish I...was her..."

Sora quickly moved beside Kairi and held her, the unicorn burying her face in his chest as she struggled not to break down again, taking deep, shuddering breaths. He felt bad for her, wishing there was some way to make her feel better. Even though it only felt like one day of riding through so many emotions time traveling to alternate versions of their time, Kairi has been living the last couple years in constant misery, losing all sense of happiness as it kept turning upside down over and over again. He wanted to see her happy, let her know that not all hope is gone and make her believe that things will eventually get better. His Kairi had to pick him up off the ground when he was down, so he was going to do the same for this Kairi, but he didn't know how.

Eventually, he had one crazy idea, but he might end up getting in trouble. "Kairi?" Sora asked, the unicorn letting out a muffled sound in response, having his full attention. "...Do you want me to give you a genuine kiss?"

Kairi's ears shot up as her eyes widened, moving her head back and staring at Sora in shock and confusion. "...W-What?"

"Do you want to know what it's like to actually kiss me?" Sora repeated, Kairi still giving him that look as if she seemed to have misheard what he asked. The stallion looked away for a moment, now mulling over how ridiculous his idea sounded. "I mean...Well, is it considered cheating on Kairi if it was with you, but an alternate version of you? But you are Kairi, just not mine, and you two are practically the same in a different sense-" While Sora continued his confusing tangent, Kairi tuned him out as her head reeled with so many thoughts and questions. She didn't want to get hurt again, but this really was Sora, not a changeling. She sensed the light in his heart unlike when Chrysalis impersonated him as she was too shocked to focus on whether or not she was seeing things back then. But her doubts faded when she watched him trying to reason with himself that it was ok to kiss her and not get her Kairi mad. For once, since her Sora's unfortunate end, Kairi actually cracked a small smile as she was reminded of how silly he could be, whether he made sense or not. "-or not she'd kill me because I made out with her when it's not her, but it is her, which is you, and...Ok, now I'm sounding like Pinkie when she gets in her tangents. And I just confused myself. Let me start over."

Before Sora could restart his conflicting tangent, Kairi pressed a hoof to his lips, silencing his rant before he hurt his brain. "I think she would understand if you told her why," she said. Sora noticed she was smiling a little, already making her feel better, even if it was only for this one moment. He was still a little nervous going through with this, but he was sure Kairi would understand, assuming he and Twilight can fix this mess Starlight got them all in. Kairi moved hoof away from his lips, starting to feel a little nervous as she wanted to do what she longed for with her Sora for so long. "I...I'm kinda nervous. I'm...probably not as pretty with all these scars, and I still feel bad hitting you down there earlier when I thought you and Twilight were changelings. I didn't hurt you too bad, did I? I mean, I know it hurts really bad, but I didn't believe you at first, and then I actually tried to kill you-"

Kairi squeaked as Sora leaned forward, planting his lips on hers with a kiss to stop her rambling. Her eyes shot open wide in surprise, her instinct telling her to punch him in the face, but she remembered it was Sora who was kissing her, not a fake. He pulled away, leaving the unicorn stunned, staring blankly at the grinning stallion.

"How was that?" he asked.

Kairi blinked a few times, her brain processing the words to express how the kiss felt. It was definitely real, but Sora ended it too soon and she wanted more.

"...C-Can we...do that again?" she asked, practically begging by the sound of her voice.

"Hmm...I guess we can," Sora obliged.

Kairi's heart fluttered as she leaned closer to kiss Sora again. "What are you two doing!?" Twilight exclaimed, startling the couple as the alicorn was now wide awake, staring at them in shock.

"...Uhh, ok, Twi, I know this may seem weird, but I swear it isn't considered cheating," Sora reasoned, suddenly second-guessing himself. "...At least I think so."

"No, not that! You two are kissing!" she said. "You do realize what kind of Equestria we're in, right!?"

Kairi winced, completely forgetting about the situation she had been trapped in for the last couple years. "...Oh...Oops."

Sora realized it too, all three wielders' ears perking up as the heard the sound of buzzing wings getting louder and approached the hut. "...You know, whenever we have an emotional moment, something has to ruin it."

"Well, I guess we're going out early," Kairi said. They summoned their Keyblades, waiting for the first sign changelings breaching the small abode to strike and make a break for it. Kairi snuffed out the fire, then waited for the chance to strike as the changelings got closer. As soon as their buzzing reached the entrance, she thrust her Keyblade forward, unleashing a Firaga fireball at them, hitting one of the closest changelings as it exploded, sending the attacking swarm flying back. "Let's go!"

Sora and Twilight followed Kairi as they made a run for it. Racing past the singed and unconscious changelings, they heard more of them hissing and flying at them through the trees. They lunged out to try to tackle them, but their reactions were quicker, leaping or sliding underneath them while smacking them with their Keyblades, either sending them flying back into one of their comrades, into a tree, or slammed to the ground, knocking them unconscious.

"How far from the Everfree did you live in!?" Sora questioned, freezing a changeling with Blizzard as one of them tried to take a bite out of Kairi as he hid in a bush.

"That map isn't too far away!" Kairi said as they got closer to the exit of the forest. "Let's just hope that these are only scouts and not-" As soon as they ran out of the Everfree Forest, the trio skid to a halt as they found hundreds of changelings waiting for them, most on the ground while some hovered in the air. "-...the entire hive."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Kairi." Stepping past her army, the changelings making room for their queen, Chrysalis approached the Keyblade wielders with a sinister grin. "It's been so long. I'm surprised you eluded me for this long."

"Chrysalis," Kairi growled.

"And you were hiding ponies from me when none of them are able to trust you after all your help you gave me?" When she got a better look at Sora and Twilight, she balked in confusion when she recognized the stallion. "Wait a minute..." Chrysalis pulled out the picture Kairi had on her, which she left behind in the castle after escaping from her. She looked at the colt in the picture and to Sora over and over, thinking she was imagining things. "...So, he wasn't dead after all?...You must have been hiding him from me to protect him, weren't you?"

"I can take care of myself just fine," Sora said. "You've got a lot of nerve going after Kairi, using her as a puppet and hurting her in far too many ways that make me want to break you."

"Oh, I'm shaking in my skin," Chrysalis said sarcastically. "You three have no chance of stopping me or my changelings. Not with my new power courtesy of a certain little unicorn not of this world."

"How did you know she was from another world?" Twilight questioned.

"Her magic and that ridiculous sword you three hold. And that odd ship my soldiers ran into down at the base of Canterlot." Chrysalis began chuckling as she noted Kairi's ears drooping slightly at the mention of her Gummi Ship. "Kairi told me how it was her way of getting to worlds outside of ours while under my spell, and she would have escaped in it if she ever broke free. So, to keep her here and continue feeding on her love, I ordered her to destroy it. And it was far more entertaining than tricking every single pony at that wedding and watching Celestia fall under my former slave's might."

Kairi winced as Chrysalis laughed even harder, her fear about what happened to her ship was true after all these years. Sora gently placed a hoof on her shoulder to calm her, keeping his glare on the changeling queen.

"You're lucky we're not in the mood to pick a fight with you," he said. "We have a bone to pick with someone else, but when we deal with her, you won't even be successful in your invasion, Chrysalis." Sora looked at Twilight and Kairi, then raised his Keyblade up between them. The two mares followed his example, not sure what he had planned. Their blades touched as their magic power was combined, making the changeling queen raise a brow at what they were doing. "Blind!"

The tips of all three Keyblades lit up and unleashed the spell, expelling a wide shockwave of black mist that struck all of the changelings, Chrysalis included. Black mist clouded the changelings' vision, blinding them as they all began panicking, bumping into each other or flying erratically before ramming into others or hitting the ground.

"AHH! My eyes!" one of them shouted.

"I can't see!" another stated.

Chrysalis growled as she rubbed her eyes, unable to get rid of the dark mist floating in her vision, barely able to see the three surrounded ponies. Through what little vision she could see, she thought she saw Sora, Twilight, and Kairi run away, slashing their way through the confused and blind changelings.

"Stop them, you fools!" she commanded. "Don't let them escape!"

The trio continued running, surprised by how Sora's plan seemed to have worked by combining their Keyblades' power to increase the blind spell to spread out in a wider and farther radius. They soon found the Cutie Map, Twilight quickly pulling out Star Swirl's spell and readied her magic.

"Ok, if Starlight knows we're going to come back, then maybe we can get the jump on her first before she tries to attack us," Twilight said as she focused her magic.

Before Sora joined Twilight to return back to the past, he looked back at Kairi. She seemed really upset to see him leave so soon, but she knew he didn't belong here.

"Kairi, don't worry," Sora reassured. "I'll fix all this."

"...I know...but, you'll fix everything for your time, not mine," Kairi corrected, which only made Sora feel worse for her, forgetting that nothing would really change for this Kairi. "I understand, though...I'm feeling a little better now that I got the chance to see you again...even if you aren't my Sora." She gave him a smile, her eyes filled with tears as they glimmered with renewed hope. Sora grinned back, even if it felt wrong for leaving this Kairi alone, but he was at least glad to see she was turning back to normal, if only a little bit. Right as he was about to turn around and climb up on the table with Twilight, Kairi lunged forward and kissed him deeply, surprising him slightly as she wanted just one last moment between them before he left. He obliged and kissed her back, the couple holding each other tightly, one of them afraid to let go and let this dream be a reality. Unfortunately for them, all good things must come to an end as they separated, Sora and Kairi both staring into each other's eyes as the pegasus climbed backwards onto the table with Twilight, who began tearing up at the sad goodbye. "...Take care of her..."

Sora had a flashback to when Riku said those exact same words to him when he, Donald, and Goofy closed the Door to Darkness on him and Mickey to keep the Heartless from escaping. Unlike last time where he thought Kairi would stay safe on the island and running off to search for his best friend and the king, he was going to keep that promise. For his Kairi.

"I will," Sora said with a nod. "I won't let anything happen to her..."

Twilight cast the spell, summoning the time portal above them as they were sucked back into the past. Kairi stood and watched, unaffected by the portal's pull as the alicorn and pegasus flew off through time, seeing Sora one last time before he was gone from her life again. The portal closed, and the map disappeared along with it, leaving behind an empty patch of grass, and something else that caught her off guard. In the center where the map stood, there was a drawing that was etched in the grass, which happened to be the same drawings she and Sora once made in their Secret Place back on the island, both of them sharing a paopu fruit together.

Kairi's tears ran down her cheeks, smiling sadly as she looked down at the fond memory, even more so than when she first saw the addition Sora made in that cave several years ago. Sora may be gone, but he would never be forgotten in her heart. She was so blinded by sorrow to realize it, even when others tell her he was never truly gone so long as their memories remain, but now that she's been given a renewed sense of hope from a Sora in another timeline, she was never going to be clouded by misery any longer.

"There she is!" Kairi heard the changelings approaching, sighing a little as she rubbed her eyes with her foreleg.

She turned to face the approaching swarm, Chrysalis leading her army toward her to either trap the unicorn again and use her as food, or kill her. Her Keyblade began glowing in a pale light, Destiny's Embrace returning to its brighter and original form. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, crouching in her fighting stance as she opened her eyes, gazing at the thousands of changelings with determination, faith, and hope.

"Your reign ends here, Chrysalis," Kairi said to herself. "I will stop you...I CAN stop you. Sora may not be with me anymore, but I know he's still in my heart." Feeling something well within her chest, Kairi felt some of Sora's light reach out to her from within her heart. Her free hoof shot out and she gasped, a flash of light summoning a second Keyblade in her hoof: Sora's Kingdom Keyblade. It was the same one left behind in Destiny Islands as a mark for Sora's grave, and it came to her to help her in this final stand. "...Sora..."

She didn't have long to question how she was able to hold a second Keyblade, hearing the changelings getting close snapping her back into focusing on surviving. Grasping both blades in her magical aura, she charged forward, meeting the changelings head on with her Keyblades prepared to slash through them as they sparked with magical energy, intending to end Chrysalis and liberate Equestria from her control.

Comments

[Joeyjambo122]

How many chapters of this saga is there?

[cj dizzle]

8616357
As many as it needs to be

[ArcanaMaverick7]

Damn... This version of that timeline... Poor Kairi...

[Dusk Star Shine]

At least in this time line the good guys look like they will win unlike back in the Sombra time line, I do hope when you get to the Nightmare, Discord and other times lines they stay a bit longer to undo the evil in those worlds, after all with that time spell they have all the time they need until they have to leave to try and defeat Starlight.

[everydaygamer]

Can't wait to see what happens in the Nightmare Timeline. Also kind of hoping for a Maleficent time line, that would be cool since we don't see her enough.

[Noctis Prism]

Damn, you made this one a true heart stab and I love the presentation you did for it. Hmmm, I'm eager to see how you change things up in the next few timelines.

[RandomPerson65]

Holy shit. Just ... damn.

[HB_DS2013]

It seems that Keyblade users gain the ability to dual wield under times of emotional strife and resolve. I hope Kairi gives that Chrysalis a beatdown she'll be unable to forget.

[Codex92]

8616357
...What cj dizzle said.
8616455
I can see your point, but imagine how exhausted Sora and Twilight would be if they stayed in these alternate timelines and tried to stop the villain responsible for causing Equestria's destruction. Even if they had time to rest, they'd rather be back in their present than know what might happen if things happened differently from what they know. Plus, the map is keeping them around to fix the paradox Starlight keeps creating, so if they waste too much time, the map's magic could run out and they would disappear. Time is a very fickle mistress that shouldn't be screwed with, or screwing around when there's an invisible time limit.

[MagicLover2128]

Damn, now this was heart wrenching at first but it’s nice to see this Kairi regain her faith and resolve at the end of all this.

[Unseenvision]

I have a theory regarding why there seem to be no alternate Twilghts. Following her failed entrance exam, the loss of her hopes and dreams, could it be that the heartbroken unicorn filly took her own life?

[Petor]

Sad chapter. And that's the second time Sora is believed to have died. Something tells me it's not just because of Twilight and the others being the elements of harmony that these alternate timelines happened.

I hope that is explained soon.

[timbo8]

wow man i mean litarry wow this chaper wasemotinal

[ShadowLight96]

Kick ass kairi!!!!!!!

[Codex92]

8617162
...Well, it couldn't have been THAT dark of a route filly Twilight could go for not making it through the entrance exam. She could still be alive in hiding from the villains' rule, kept as a prisoner, met their end by them...I'm only making it darker with these possibilities...
8617291
It'll be explained later on...though the answer might be crazy and might baffle you and everyone else with why Sora's been killed in the alternate timelines.

[BenictheHedgehog]

I feel awful for this timelines Kairi and how it ended up turning her to the state he ended up in. but I get the feeling that thanks to Sora, she will be just fine and with her light reignited, and will save Equestria. Plus I can agree that it is the same person or pony from a different timeline that it is not to be considered cheating since it is the same one you know.

[AetherToast]

First the nonsense before I talk about the real harsh stuff here. Sors was cheating because it is not the same Kairi. This falls back to the whole is having sex with your clone masturbation or not debate. It isn't masturbation due to the fact that you and your clone are different people because both of you have had completely separate experiences that make you different people.

Next thing: Holy crap this chapter makes your heart just absolutely hurt with how soul crushing saddening it is. I can't really say more than how beautiful in a dark way. Hopefully when the timeline gets fixed there will never have been this reality that happened. Though it will have happened, because Sora and Twilight will have memories of it existing. Which makes it exist in this horrifying paradoxal mess up that just stops after what we see and hopefully doesn't go on.

[Cloud Dreamer]

I was not ready for these feels.

[TheDarkMagic]

The dark will never cry. Nah i lied i cry

[Gojira_Tanaka]

That part where Kairi killed that fearful changeling made me think it was Thorax... I want to protect that cinnamon roll now

[Codex92]

I'm kinda surprised no one who read this chapter in the season 5 finale had so many spacing errors, and they were mostly during the flashback scene. I kinda hate this new writing system when I can't tell if it looked like I hit enter in the middle of a paragraph when I accidentally hit space twice. That, and it may be more my fault while keeping italics on for a really long stretch of the chapter just for some backstory on the alternate events...And now to check the next chapter in case I did the same thing.

[Skylight Blossom]

When the flames died out, standing in "Cadenza's" place was the same pegasus Kairi who surprised her.

Either this sentence is missing words, "Kairi" is unnecessary here, or Kairi has a mismatched clone.

[SuperWriter2329]

Okay, I'm saying it right now: I was NOT expecting a lot of feels in this chapter. I cried a lot in this chapter. Poor Alternate Kairi, having her loved one be taken away from her. Everyone, let's have a little moment for the Alternate Sora.

[BenictheHedgehog]

After escaping from another alternate fate caused by Starlight, Sora & Twilight make their way back to the past to stop her from causing more harm in time. But even with that in his mind, Sora feels deep pain for what happened to Alternate Kairi & having to leave her to face the Changeling invasion timeline on her own.

Will Sora & Twilight restore the past the way it’s meant to be? How is Soras deaths connected to the Rainboom not happening? Will Sora ever be able to recover from the pain alternate Kairi has suffered? Or will his fear for Kairis fate haunt him for the same thing happening to his Kairi? Find out next time, On My Little Pony Soras Misadventures in Equestria!