She's All Yak
The School of Friendship was back open for the new year, welcoming returning students and new ones from across the world. Twilight was in the main hall, setting up some posters for some upcoming extracurricular activities for her students to take part in, along with a couple events that would be fun for everyone who wished to take part.
"Ooh! New posters!" Silverstream cheered. Behind the alicorn, the Young Six gathered behind her to see the activities that'll happen at the school. "We've never had posters underwater before!"
"Wouldn't they get ruined by the water?" Gallus asked.
"...Oh yeah. That's probably why," the hippogruff mumbled in thought.
"Please tell us there's something fun this year," Smolder said.
"Well, I thought of bringing back one of Ponyville's oldest traditions; the Fetlock Fete," Twilight explained.
"...The who-lock what?" Smolder questioned, confused.
"It's a pony dance party!" Sandbar said. "They're awesome!"
Ocellus shapeshifted into a yellow-furred mare with long, light aqua hair, blue freckles, and sported a cutie mark with a ladybug on it. "I'm ready!"
Twilight laughed at Ocellus's eagerness, but shook her head. "You don't need to do that, Ocellus. This year, the event's going to be held at the school and it's open to everycreature. We're calling the dance the Amity Ball."
"Oh! Even better!" Ocellus said before transforming back to herself.
Yona was a bit confused by the concept of the dance, or what traditions it had in Ponyville. "Yona not know Amity Ball dance. Yona only know traditional dance of Yakyakistan. Go like this!" Yona showed how the traditional yak dance went, which was more attune to jumping around and putting as much strength into their landing. Yona's "dancing" caused the building to shake, making the others stumble as Yona finished the thirty second example by standing on her forelegs with her lower half raised in the air. "Ball dance like that?"
She flopped to the ground after losing her balance. Sandbar came over to help her back up on her hooves.
"It's more than just one dance, Yona," Sandbar explained. "There's lots of dances. Plus, it's an awesome party!"
"And we'll even have the old Fetlock Fete traditions: the Pony Pal Contest, the lucky potluck, and much more," Twilight added. "I'm sure you guys will love it."
Excited about the dance, though some mostly curious about the potluck dinners everyone would bring, they volunteered to help spread the flyers around the school for the rest of the student body to see. While Silverstream, Gallus, Smolder, and Ocellus split up with Twilight, Yona looked at the trophy on display for the Pony Pal Contest. Shining with gold, the cup sported two ponies on top, holding hooves while enjoying a friendly dance. Sandbar noticed Yona looking at the trophy, glancing down the halls sheepishly, being the only two creatures around. Sidling up to the yak, he tried to settle the butterflies fluttering in his stomach.
"Hey, Yona, do you want to be my pony pal?" Sandbar asked, a light blush glowing on his cheeks as it felt like he was asking her out on a date. "We can enter the contest together."
"But Yona yak," Yona said, completely ignorant of her pony friend's timid and bashful expression. "Yona not pony."
"So?" Sandbar asked, confused by Yona pointing out her difference between them.
Yona pointed to Sandbar, then to the ponies on the trophy and the poster. "Pony. Pony. More pony," she stated.
"Oh. It's just a poster, Yona," Sandbar said. "Our friends are definitely gonna be there. So will our masters."
"As human or pony?" Yona questioned.
"...Well, you know they can't really show everyone who they really are," the stallion reminded the yak. "World order?"
"Oh. Yona forgot," Yona mumbled. "Yona still find it weird new friends in Arendelle not scared of Yona when Yona talk."
"Yeah, that does sound weird," Sandbar agreed. "Even Gallus was welcomed in that world he went to." He shook his head, leaving his pondering over the strange circumstances with his other friends in another world not causing more panic than the Heartless. "Anyways, you'll love the party! It'll be tons of fun together. Promise."
Yona hummed curiously, not wanting to be left out, and she sure as hay didn't want to let Sandbar down after he's done a whole lot for her and their other friends in the past. "Ok. Yona go with Sandbar."
"Great! I'll get our tickets." Sandbar hurried off, excited as his heart fluttered. "I'll see you later!"
He trotted off with a giddy pep in his step, unable to wait for the dance. Yona watched him leave, oblivious to the true reason for his excitement. However, as much as she wanted to help him win the contest, she was worried her lack of being a pony was going to ruin their chances to win the trophy. And that lack of understanding brought back Larxene's and Hans' demeaning words toward her back in Arendelle. She had to figure out what to do so she didn't look stupid in front of the entire student body and humiliate Sandbar, but she didn't know who could help her fit in.
"Coming through!" While lost in her thoughts, Yona didn't notice Rarity rushing down the hall with a rolling rack full of hanging dresses. Spotting too late, Yona was bowled over by the fashionista, surprising Yona. "Oh! Oh goodness, I'm sorry Yona. I'm in a bit of a hurry." Rarity lifted the rack off of the stunned yak as she continued on her way. "All these dresses for the dance have me completely frazzled."
"Dress? Yona need dress!?" Yona exclaimed. "Yona have no dress!"
"Rarity, for goodness sake, ask for assistance if you're getting this stressed!" Aqua called out tailing behind the rushing white unicorn with a few dresses in her aura, which likely fell off of Rarity's rack as she was hurrying back to her boutique. "Then again, I barely follow my own advice."
"Master Aqua! Yona need help!" Yona begged, startling the Keyblade Master when the yak glomped her.
"Ack! Yona...you gotta...work on your...strength!" Aqua wheezed. Yona released her, giving her some breathing room. "Ugh. Now, what's the problem?"
"Yona not know about pony dance!" Yona said. "Sandbar ask Yona to be pony pal for dance, but Yona don't know what to do!"
"Oh. Sandbar asked you out on a date?" Aqua asked, intrigued.
"...Date?" Yona questioned with a tilt of her head.
"You just said he asked you to go to the Amity Ball," Aqua paraphrased. "You two are going to hang out together at the dance."
"But other friends be there, and school, and teachers and masters," Yona stated. Aqua was perplexed by Yona's response, part of her feeling bad for her for not knowing exactly what a date was. "But that not point! Yona want to be best pony pal for Sandbar for contest!"
Yona pointed at the trophy to emphasize her reason for her distress. "...Oh. I see. And...you want to know what happens at the dance?"
"Yes! Yona not know, but Yona want to know!" Yona said.
"Hmm...There are the dances and the potluck thing. And it's kind of similar to a formal ball, but switched up a little bit to keep Ponyville traditions," Aqua said. She looked down at the dresses Rarity accidentally dropped, then back to Yona with an idea. "Maybe Rarity can help show you. She's the queen of formal gatherings."
"Master not?" Yona asked.
"Well, my elegance on the battlefield isn't as similar as it would be for a dance or ball. Plus, with how busy I've been, I rarely have the time to prepare myself properly for formal gatherings," Aqua explained. "Come on. We can see if Rarity has time AND get her to stop fussing and accept a little help to finish those dresses."
Aqua and Yona arrived at the Carousel Boutique, letting themselves in. There was no sign of Rarity downstairs, so they headed upstairs to search for her. In her bedroom, the unicorn was busy fitting one of the many dresses for the Amity Ball. Aqua opened the door, giving it a knock and startling Rarity.
"Gah! What now!?" Rarity shrieked, turning around to find Aqua and Yona intruding on her work. "Oh. Is something happening?"
"Well, you've forgotten a few outfits in your haste to make sure things go perfectly for everyone," Aqua said, levitating the fallen dresses onto the rack with the others Rarity has yet to touch up.
"I didn't even realize I dropped those," Rarity uttered. She looked at Yona, confused by her presence. "And...was Yona helping you deliver them?"
"Yona actually wants to learn what goes on at a ball for her date with Sandbar," Aqua said, giving the white unicorn a sly wink.
"Ohhhh. He finally got the nerve to ask Yona out?" Rarity asked.
"Yona, Sandbar, and friends all go to dance," Yona explained, still clueless to Sandbar's intentions to him asking her out. "Yona also need dress. Yona want to be best Pony Pal for Sandbar."
"Oh, I would if I could, Yona, but-" Before Rarity could explain, Aqua pulled her from her workdesk.
"Rarity, being around you for a while, I can managed a small fix or fitting," Aqua insisted. "If we're going to have another Manehattan freakout, you're going to be dealing with me regardless. And since you're a much better, sophisticated individual, you can show Yona how a formal gathering works." Rarity was about to protest, but Aqua wasn't going to hear any excuses as she leered at her. "If you stress out, I'm forcing you to take the extra-strength, hot stone, deep-tissue massage so you can 'relax'."
"How is that you even like those!?" Rarity questioned. "I may like my massage therapy rough, but with that intensity!? I don't think Riku made it out of that with his spine intact!"
"It's not that bad once you get used to it," Aqua promised, though Rarity didn't seem convinced.
With the risk of having her back muscles and spine in more agony than relief, Rarity gave in and accepted Rarity's help. "Oh, very well. Perhaps I do need a break from time to time." Rarity took off her work glasses and set them on her dresser, leaving Aqua to work on the dresses while she began to teach the eager yak about formal pony etiquette. "Now, Yona, at an elegant affair like a pony dance, one must converse in a sophisticated fashion." She levitated a bowl of Brussels sprouts to the yak, making Aqua pause when she saw the bowl of vegetables floating toward the two. "Talking with Brussels sprouts in your mouth helps you to learn to ar-ti-cu-late."
"Brussels sprouts?" Aqua questioned. "I thought one important lesson in manners learned by everyone is not to talk with your mouth full."
"I find it helps work your jaw muscles when articulating your words when having a conversation with somepony from a social hierarchy." Aqua rolled her eyes, finding it hard to believe such a method would actually work, nor would it be fun talking with rich snobs like the ones from Canterlot who think they're on a much higher level of standard as their other rich peers.
Taking a couple sprouts, Rarity opened Yona's mouth and placed them inside. "Now repeat after me," Rarity said and cleared her throat. "How kind of you to ask me to tea."
"Mph mmph mm mgh mm mpk mm mp mphm," Yona mumbled, finding it a little hard to try to talk with her mouth full and articulate her words.
"May I offer you a glass of punch?" Rarity said for the next phrase for Yona to repeat.
Yona muffled the same response, making Aqua slow some of the sewing to glance at the two. She still had her doubts that that would work, and her curiosity got the better of her. Stealing a couple sprouts, she popped them in her mouth and practiced the same lesson, ignoring the strong taste of the vegetable on her tongue.
"'How kin of you to ash me to tea,'" Aqua said, gagging slightly before she spat out the sprouts. "Blegh. I've always hated Brussels sprouts."
She threw her sprouts in the nearby trash bin, sticking her tongue out in disgust. Yona tried a couple more lines before she chomped on the Brussels sprouts in her mouth and ate them. Letting out a disgusting belch, she made Rarity and Aqua grimace at her poor table manners.
"Yona like Brussels sprouts," she said, licking her lips.
"...Ok, another lesson," Aqua chimed in. "That's rude and disgusting to burp like that at a formal gathering, and if you do so, you say 'excuse me'."
"Eh, let's just move on to what dress will best suit you," Rarity said.
Rarity led Yona back downstairs to see what Yona's preference of dress would be perfect for her, along with fitting an outfit made for a yak. Aqua hummed as she continued working, wondering what kind of outfit Yona would look good in. The idea of Yona in a dress looked a little silly, but plausible, and her mind wandered to other outfits. Her sewing began to slow, pondering giving her students a little something extra as they traveled the worlds on their own. Carrying saddlebags with some healing supplies would make them too bulky, and they could end up losing them if the straps were cut during a fight. Spotting one of Rarity's sketchbooks on her desk, she began brainstorming some designs for each of her students. Rarity could help with fitting them once they were made, and she wanted to give them some unique enchantments that fit their styles of combat perfectly.
An hour passed before Aqua finally put the sketchpad down. Each design were all jackets along with an undershirt beneath, taking inspiration from Sora's clothing as they, including her, look up to him as what a powerful warrior should be. Though they lacked color since they were drawn with a pencil, she knew exactly which colors suited them from the auras that surrounded them back under the school. On the fronts of their shirts, Gallus' would have a pair of eagle claws with a golden bellflower held gently in the sharp talons, Smolder's would have a pair of dragon wings with a fire in the center that was calm and harmless, Ocellus' would have a pair of butterfly wings sprouting from a cocoon that would shimmer brightly, Yona's would have a pair of curved horns with pillars of earth rising outside of them, Silverstreams' would have a pair of wings with a wave of water rising up to greet them in the center, and Sandbar's would have his sea turtle cutie mark, along with five different colored seashells between the three reptiles where each shell would match the colored aura of his friends'.
"Aqua!" Rarity called from the stairs. "How are you coming along!?"
Snapping out of her admiration to her work, Aqua grimaced as she looked at the other dresses. "Ah, crap baskets." Ignoring the other dresses, unsure if the others were in need of fitting or given an extra touch and headed downstairs. "Uhh...A quarter of the way done?" she admitted sheepishly. "Got a little carried away designing something for myself." Rarity groaned and leered at Aqua's "assistance". "Sorry. But I started imagining what Yona would look like in a dress, then different outfits...Hope you don't mind I borrowed your sketchpad, too."
"Ugh. Well, there's still a few days left until the dance anyway," Rarity said. "I almost forgot about the important part of any dance; the dances. You, Yona, and the others have never done them before whenever we had the Fetlock Fete."
"I suppose dancing is important at a ball," Aqua said.
"Dances hard?" Yona asked worriedly.
"Not at all. And I know just the perfect ponies to show you how it's done." Rarity led Aqua and Yona out of her boutique, and back toward the school.
Gathering in Rainbow's classroom, the wielders and Yona stood before Rarity and their Fetlock Fete dance instructors, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "Oh boy. Rainbow Dash is gonna be teaching us how to dance," Sora teased. "Shield your eyes, everyone. She's gonna teach us the 'Body Smash'."
"Ha ha, hilarious, Sora," Rainbow said. "I'm a great dancer. I'm great at everything!...Except baking."
"Yeah, we noticed when you tried to make it up to Pinkie for not eating any of her pies," Riku said. "I don't even think a roach would want to go near that mound of...whatever that was as a snack."
"How did we not even know she didn't like pie?" Ventus asked. "Did anyone see her take a slice during any of Pinkie's other parties?"
"Focus!" Rarity exclaimed, getting everyone back on the current lesson. "I still have a lot more work to do on those dresses, and a certain someone failed to help earlier."
Aqua grinned sheepishly, definitely needing to compensate Rarity for her own creative genius distracting her. "We'll start with my favorite dance: the Pony Cotillion," Fluttershy said. "I made a chart for you all to see."
Fluttershy rolled out a large floor mat that spanned a few yards, but the dance steps baffled the outsiders and yak. Many different colored horseshoes and lines made it look like the dance was an elaborately complicated puzzle, even with colored numbers next to each step telling them where to go.
"...Are we dancing or learning math?" Lea questioned as he scratched his head.
"What kind of dance makes it look like a game of Twister?" Xion asked.
"I'm sure all of you will get the hang of it if I show you." Fluttershy's pet bunny approached a record player nearby and set the needle down. The record played some light classical music for the Pony Cotillion dance, which sounds fitting for a traditional ball dance. "Just follow my hooves as I step on the colors I name. Blue, red, step ahead. Green, black, now step back."
As everyone watched how Fluttershy stepped with the music, they repeated the same steps without trouble. "Huh. Ok, so far so good," Terra commented.
Yona had a bit of trouble, using the mat while trying to repeat the color steps Fluttershy said. "Blue, red, step ahead. Black - no, green!" Yona stumbled, finding it hard to keep up with her legs compared to a pony's with how shorter hers were. "Blue, red, green, black, then step back."
"Good! You're all getting the hang of it!" Fluttershy praised. "Now onto the next step. Black, green, red, and blue. Red, black, hold one and two. Red, blue, red once more. Green, black, blue, red, three and four."
Terra regretted his words when he saw Fluttershy's legs while all of them tried to process the colored steps and the twirl in the middle of the dance steps. "Uhh...Nevermind."
"Thanks for jinxing it, Terra," Lea grumbled. "Ok. Black, green, blue...wait, no, it was supposed to be red. Uhh. Hold one and four?"
Fluttershy repeated the dance steps while showing an example to her dance students, which made it more complicated and confusing as they confused each color with each step. Kairi was slowly getting it, but Sora wound up fumbling and mistepped, causing him to trip over his own hooves and bump into her, sending them both crashing to the floor.
"If this is an idea for a traditional pony slow dance, I'd rather just do the actual slow dance," Sora joked.
"I thought you were more coordinated than that, Sora," Kairi teased.
"Oh, don't you dare make up a new taunt to rile me up," Sora warned.
"Hey, get a room, you two," Riku chided while focusing on perfecting the Pony Cotillion dance. "Red, blue, red once more. Green black, blue, red, three, four."
"Just don't look at the mat. Just don't look at the mat," Ventus uttered to himself, hoping that ignoring the steps on the mat would help him learn better. He glanced down, his eyes crossing as he got lost on the placement he was in, fumbling over his hooves and accidentally bumping into Xion, causing a chain reaction and made them topple over Aqua, Terra, and Lea. "How is dancing this hard!?"
"They say dancing and combat are similar," Aqua groaned, sitting up while helping her boyfriend sit back up as well. "Except dancing is less painful."
"I think Sweet's gonna laugh at me if we dance this," Lea grumbled. "And she's not from Ponyville either."
Yona grunted, her legs getting tied up and flopping on her belly, groaning miserably. "Yona feel like Yona have four front legs," she mumbled.
To add insult to injury, Angel came dancing over, mocking the fumbling group with his own dance moves. "How has an eagle not decided to swoop down and snatch you yet?" Sora growled, fed up with the rabbit's rude attitude since he first met him.
"Uhh...maybe we'll get back to that later," Fluttershy said.
After the others got back up, aside from Riku who managed to avoid getting tripped up from Sora and Ventus' fumbling, Rainbow Dash took charge. "I think you guys will get this one easy."
"Does it involve a dance mat forged out of clouds?" Sora asked.
"I just said it was easy," Rainbow repeated, glowering at the cheeky expression on Sora's muzzle. "It's called the Pony Prance! And the key to this song is speed!"
"Wow. What a surprise," Xion mumbled with a smirk.
Angel helped change the music, taking the needle off the vinyl record, flipping it around, then set it back down on the disc, where a more energetic song began playing. "Aww, yeah! This is my kind of music!" Lea cheered.
"And no directions or steps to follow!" Rainbow added. "Just get with the flow and let yourselves go!"
The Pony Prance was more like jamming out, jumping in place, headbanging, matching the upbeat tempo of the music that was a stark contrast to the Pony Cotillion. And it was easy as Rainbow said. All the wielders got into the flow of the rhythm, enjoying the Prance far more. But when Yona tried it out, she got more into it than she thought. Her hops practically struck the ground upon landing, causing the room to quake as she let the flow overtake her and danced wildly around the room. Luckily, the others got out of her way the moment the dancing was ruined by Yona's powerful stomps, steering clear of her as she went around the classroom, knocking over various things like a bull in a china shop. She even knocked over the record playing, causing the needle to scratch and silence the music, which didn't slow Yona down in the slightest.
"Whoa! Yona, slow it down!" Aqua tried to warn, but the yak was too lost to the music and her dancing to hear.
She finally came to a stop, panting heavily. "Yona like to flow and go!" she shouted, unaware of the mess she left in her wake.
The ponies gawked at the destruction, stunned with silence for several moments. "...We need to teach her to reel back her strength," Terra said.
"Agreed," Aqua noted.
For the next few days, Yona worked hard to prepare herself to be the best pony pal for Sandbar. Slowly, she had been improving memorizing the steps for the dances and articulating her words to sound more sophisticated. There was also the potluck, though with what Yona planned to bring, it didn't sound, or smell, appetizing as anyone else would. It was a tree-root stew, and it looked more like green slop with essence of tree for "garnish", leaves, bark, and all. The sight of it reminded Sora of Flim and Flam's cider squeezing machine and how their rush for production turned several of Applejack's trees into wooden, earthy mush, and he would prefer drinking that than go near Yona's cooking.
Slowly, but surely, Yona was getting the dances down without needing a guide, or losing control of herself when she gets into it. Rarity had a little trouble making a dress that was big enough for the yak despite how diverse she'd gotten with her designs for other creatures. She was impressed by how quickly Yona was doing to fit herself in to Ponyville traditions. Even her formal speech has gotten much better with her unique technique as she practiced in the mirror. And with a little cooking instructions from Pinkie to make a more suitable meal for the potluck, she made a much more suitable stew.
However, despite Yona's eagerness to be Sandbar's perfect pony pal, Yona still felt like she wasn't going to fit in just right. Rarity was doing her best to make a dress fit for a yak her size while working on the remaining dresses for the rest of the requested works in progress, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to make it in time. As Yona panicked, she suddenly got an idea, but she needed to find Aqua.
Searching around the castle, Yona found her master in the throne room, checking on the maps for any recent Heartless activity. "Master, may I bother you for a moment?" Yona asked.
Startled, Aqua tore her eyes away from the Galactic Map and looked at Yona. "Oh, goodness gracious, Yona. I didn't even hear you come in," she said. Just as she was about to respond to the yak's question, her mouth hung open, thinking her ears were playing tricks on her. Yona's question was much different compared to what Aqua thought she would hear. "...Wait. What...did you say?"
"I hope I am not intruding on your search for the Heartless," Yona said, speaking in first person, much more fluently in a perfect sentence, and she had a similar, posh-like tone that Rarity has.
"...Gaaaaaaaaaah..." Dumbstruck, Aqua slapped herself across the face. Seeing she was wide awake and not imagining things, she rubbed her cheek and gawked at Yona. "...You're...You're actually...Huh. Rarity's teachings actually worked."
"Are you alright, Master Aqua?" Yona asked, concerned.
"F-Fine. I just...I'm so used to you speaking in third person...and...not quite as...elegant..." Aqua trailed off, swallowing whatever shocking comments she wanted to give and focus back to what Yona wanted to see her for. "Er, never mind. Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no," Yona tittered, which made Aqua wince slightly from the light giggle coming from her yak student. "I believe I have learned quite a lot from Prof. Rarity. I can even dance the Pony Cotillion without trouble."
Yona showed Aqua the Pony Cotillion, stepping perfectly with the right hooves, and without tripping or fumbling over her footing. "...Wow. Impressive. You're a much faster learner than I thought, and the dance is tomorrow," Aqua praised.
"Well, I still do not believe I am fully ready," Yona said.
"It's the dress, huh?" Aqua asked. "Maybe you can wear something that looks formal without being constricted in a-"
"No no no, not the dress," Yona interjected. "If I wish to be Sandbar's best Pony Pal for the contest, speaking and dancing won't be enough."
"...Ok?" Aqua mumbled.
"Since you and the other masters can transform into other creatures to fit in with the worlds beyond ours...can you transform me into...a pony?" Yona asked sheepishly.
Taken aback by the request, Aqua wondered why Yona felt this desperate wanting to physically change her appearance. "You want me to help you turn into a pony?"
"Just for the dance," Yona promised. "I do not wish to let Sandbar down."
Baffled, Aqua silently stared at Yona, trying to process just how far Yona was trying to go to either impress Sandbar or think that to really win the contest was to be someone that she's not. "Yona, it's a dance for everyone. I know the Pony Pal contest has the term 'pony' in it, but it's just got Ponyville traditions for every creature to take part in. The others are going. So are we."
"But you and the other masters are going as ponies," Yona said.
"...Well, we are, but not everyone in town or at the school knows our real identities," Aqua explained. "You know how we have to keep the world order in Equestria...even though most of the dignitaries from the other kingdoms know after my stunt toward Neighsay."
"I don't want to let Sandbar down!" Yona insisted. "Please, master, I'll do anything you wish of me! More training, chores! Just for the ball tomorrow!"
"Yona, I don't think Sandbar would care about-" Yona widened her eyes and pouted, looking up at Aqua with a begging look. Aqua froze, her heartstrings being tugged as she despised the fact that every single creature that resided in this world had to look or act adorable and cute without any effort. Giving her the puppy dog face threatened to melt her heart, which wound up being a losing battle as her heart quickly caved in. "...Mph! Alright, alright! I'll...help transform you."
Yona squealed and glomped her master. "Oh, thank you, Master Aqua! You have no idea how much this will mean to him!"
Aqua knew she was going to regret doing this, so long as she was able to breathe from all the yak hugs she was receiving. "Ok. Breathing is rough with these hugs," she wheezed. Yona let go of her, backing up while dancing giddly at her first ever body transformation. Aqua stood back up and caught her breath, summoning her Keyblade and aimed it and her horn at Yona. "Alright. Stay perfectly still, Yona. It'll feel a little strange, but it may or may not feel natural in another physical form."
Yona nodded, clenching her eyes as if she was waiting for a surprise, keeping herself perfectly still. Aqua ignited her horn and gathered light into her Keyblade, firing both beams simultaneously at the yak. Yona gasped when she felt body start to change, enveloped in a bright light that blinded the room. Her bulk shrank to a more lean, smaller frame, her legs grew out a little from her shorter yak legs, her horns receded, so many different sensations through the transformation that made her wonder if this was how Ocellus or Silverstream felt. The light around her faded once the process was complete, Yona's eyes still closed in anticipation.
"...Did it work?" she asked.
When Yona squinted her eyes open, she saw the astonished look on Aqua's face. "It...definitely worked. Though, what you would look like...I didn't know what to expect."
Yona glanced down at herself. Raising her hooves, she gasped at the light brown fur she had, trailing her gaze down her forelegs to her belly. She felt much lighter, smaller, and she wanted to see more of herself after seeing her legs and underbelly. Glancing toward the wall nearby, she could see her reflection, growing excited as she saw her new, temporary pony form. Her fur was less thicker, though her mane was still a dark brown with the same braided loops Rarity gave her last year. Even her poncho changed in size as it still rested over her back, though it covered her flanks, which made it difficult to see what sort of cutie mark she had.
Yona squealed as she turned her body to see every inch of her pony form. "I'm a pony! I cannot believe I'm a pony!"
"Well, I made the spell last for the next couple days, so don't get used to it too much," Aqua said. "Though I'm still not sure why either of you, or even Twilight, transformed to fit in with the other worlds out-"
Yona suddenly ran up to Aqua and hugged her tightly, suffocating the unicorn more with her yak strength still present in her earth pony body. "Thank you so much, master! Sandbar will be absolutely thrilled when we win the Best Pony Pal contest!"
Yona released Aqua and ran out, returning back to Rarity to find herself the perfect dress for tomorrow. Aqua hit the ground as she was dropped, gasping for air and coughing, reaching a hoof out to her student.
"Y-Yona, wait! You still have-!" Yona was already long gone as Aqua watched her galloping out of the castle. Groaning, both in pain and concern, Aqua stood back up, rubbing her crushed ribs. "Oh boy. Well, at least she can control herself with the dances. Maybe she won't go too overboard and watch her strength at the dance...I hope..."
The night of the dance was in full swing. The party was held in the school's central courtyard, the exterior decorated like a formal ball with a DJ booth set up to play music for those wanting to dance. Spike was manning the booth, wearing a comically large dragon-shaped head, which was shaped just like his own head. Most of the attending students were dressed for the party while others preferred to look decent since the Amity Ball was based on Ponyville's traditional Fetlock Fete.
"Can Spike wear a costume that doesn't look like himself or dragon-like?" Sora questioned. "Every Nightmare Night, he was some different variation of a dragon, and this 'Scales-N-Tail' DJ nickname is a giant head of himself."
"Maybe he couldn't figure out which other costumes he preferred to try?" Kairi suggested.
"But Spike can be creative," Xion said. "If he was born a pony, maybe the dragon outfits would be a fascination for them."
"Or he'd be wearing pony costumes," Ventus mumbled.
"That would be really silly," Pinkie giggled. "But there was his Humdrum costume when we got sucked into that enchanted comic book. I wanna be Fili-Second again!"
"We are NOT jumping into another one of those comics," Riku said. "Since that day, we've made sure each of those Power Pony comics he buys don't have some random enchantments that cause that to happen again."
While the wielders and Mane Six hung out, most of the Young Six were on the other side of the courtyard, either mingling or partaking in some of the appetizers. Smolder, Silverstream, Ocellus, and Gallus didn't plan to dress up like the others, though Sandbar made himself look nice for Yona. His shaggy mane was combed neatly and he wore a dark green bowtie around his neck. He looked around the party, but hadn't seen a single hint of the yak anywhere.
"Hey, have either of you guys seen Yona the last few days?" Sandbar asked.
"I heard she's been getting lessons from our teachers to get ready for the dance," Silverstream said, popping some snacks from a platter into her beak.
"Really?" Sandbar asked.
"Yeah. She must be dedicated to going full pony for you," Smolder said with a cheeky grin.
"T-This is a dance for everycreature," Sandbar reasoned with a blush. "I just...want Yona to have some fun."
"With all of us, or you, lovercolt?" Gallus teased.
"W-What do you mean by that?" Sandbar questioned.
"I think it's obvious that you like Yona a lot," Ocellus said. "I can actually taste it."
"And that little tumble you two took when we were doing some training a few months ago, we saw your muzzles get really close," Smolder added to further tease the pony.
"W-We didn't kiss!" Sandbar exclaimed. "I-I...It was an unfortunate coincidence, a-and I-"
"Dude, your crush on her isn't as subtle as Gallus' with Silverstream," Smolder interjected. Gallus and Silverstream winced, glanced at each other, then quickly looked away, still heavily flustered from their first kiss in the dream realm. Smolder rolled her eyes at their distance toward each other. "Guys, just go out or something. It's awkward seeing you two being cool at first, and now you're both being shy and quiet. Share a dance or something."
"I didn't know who I dreamt up was actually real!" Gallus exclaimed with a burning blush on his face. "How about you just walk right up to someone you know and plant a full-on kiss without any warning!?"
"I seriously can't believe I missed that," Sandbar grumbled.
"Hey, you focus on your own 'date', Sandbar," Gallus grumbled, grabbing and yanking Sandbar's bow, then released it, snapping it back around his neck and knocked him backward.
Grumbling in annoyance, Sandbar fixed up his hair, unaware of someone approaching them. "My apologies for being tardy, friends." Sandbar turned around, his eyes growing wide with his jaw dropping. He recognized the voice as Yona's, but who he saw in front of him "wasn't". The spell was still in affect for pony Yona, and she was overly dressed compared to her friends. She wore a flowing green dress that fit her pony frame, a dark green sash around her barrel with a blue flower accent on both sides, light blue eyeliner with her eyelashes elegantly curled, and to fit her wardrobe, she wore a wig that covered her brown hair, long and flowing in a dark purple with lighter shaded streaks. In her foreleg was her potluck bucket with her edible stew, painted with bright yellow and blue patterns. "How kind of you to invite me to this soiree, Sandbar."
"...Yona?" Sandbar uttered.
The others noticed Yona's new appearance, Silverstream choking on her drink she was sipping on and spat it out behind Gallus's head, the griffon too perplexed by the yak-turned pony. "Yona!?" she shrieked. "You're a...WHAT!?"
"She's...a pony!?" Ocellus exclaimed. "How!?"
"I asked for some assistance from our master for the evening," Yona said with a giggle. "I do hope I make a good pony pal for you, Sandbar."
"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Sandbar had no idea what to say. Or what to feel. While he was flattered Yona went to this extent to fit in with a traditional Ponyville dance, he didn't expect her to go through with physically transforming herself into a pony for him. As his brain slowly recovered from Yona's "stunning" appearance, the stallion teen blinked and rubbed his neck. "W-Well...that's...great? But you didn't need to do anything like...this."
"But I must so I may fit in," Yona insisted. "Prof. Rarity taught me everything I needed to know."
"...Can we get the rough and tumble yak back?" Smolder begged. "This is so weird seeing Yona as a pony."
Across the courtyard, Terra glanced around the party to see how everyone was doing when he spotted the Young Six. He did a double-take with the new teen mare talking among the group, walking side-by-side with Sandbar as she placed her potluck bucket among the others on the table.
"Ok. When did we get a new student at this school?" Terra asked the others.
The rest of the group noticed and stared at pony Yona, Aqua wincing and staying quiet while she sipped on her cup of punch. "Terra, you know the new school year brings some new students, right?" Lea explained.
"That's not what I meant. Have you seen that mare before?" Terra asked.
"...No...Did she recently move here?" Lea asked. "And she's really laying it on with Sandbar...Wait, wasn't there chemistry between him and Yona?"
Rarity giggled at the curious and confused gazes from the rest of their friends. "That's because that pony IS Yona," she explained, startling the group and making Aqua choke slightly on her drink.
"THAT'S YONA!?" everyone exclaimed.
"Why is she a pony!?" Ventus asked. "None of them have every had a physical transformation when entering The Land of Departure or any other world! Who could have-!?" Slowly, it began to dawn on the group. They all turned to Aqua, who was trying to act nonchalant while ignoring the shocking discovery. They knew Yona was busy practicing how to dance and act sophisticated all week, and Aqua had been around Yona more than them while helping Rarity with the dresses at her boutique. And the only way someone could transform into another creature while in Equestria was a combination of Keyblade and unicorn magic, and Aqua seemed powerful enough to use both without any trouble. "...Aqua?"
"Heh heh heh...Uhh...W-What?" Aqua sheepishly asked.
"You turned Yona into a pony," Riku said.
Seeing the cat was out of the bag, Aqua slumped over with a groan. "Yes, I did, but what do you want from me!? She gave me the eyes!" Aqua exclaimed. "Every sentient being in this world with those big eyes and that pleading...I caved in."
"Oh, goodness gracious," Terra grumbled.
"Look, I even tried to tell her she didn't need me to do that for the dance, but she is so stubborn and insistent that she'd fit right in," Aqua explained. "I didn't think she wanted to literally fit in like that just for Sandbar's sake and this Pony Pals contest thing."
"Yeah. Yaks are stubborn," Pinkie agreed. "Hard to say no to them or have them admit they need help."
"Just as long as she can tone down her muscle when we do the Pony Prance, I guess there's no harm in her being a little different for the evening," Twilight said.
Aqua winced, grabbing herself some more punch and gulping it down anxiously. She hoped Yona would keep her strength under control after failing to tell her the day before. She was only going to be a pony for the dance and she would turn back to normal. Everything would be fine.
Twilight approached Spike's booth and grabbed a microphone to address the partygoers. "Welcome, everyone, to our school's first ever Amity Ball! For those of you who've never attended a Fetlock Fete, we can't wait to show you some of our fun traditions on this special night!"
Cheers rang out in the courtyard as Twilight handed Spike the mic back. "Alright, party ponies! It's time to raise the roof and stomp your hoof for the traditional first dance of the night: the Pony Cotillion!"
"Kinda spoils the energy of the event when he hypes it to be higher than classical music should be," Sora mumbled. Kairi nudged his side, silently chiding him for his comments. Riku began making his way toward Twilight, making him curious. "Where you off to, Riku?"
"I'm gonna dance the Cotillion with Twilight," he said. "I didn't spend the last few days practicing it for nothing."
"Dance? With Twilight?" Sora questioned. "Uhh, you sure that's a good idea? I've seen Twilight dance, both as a human and a pony. She's not much of a dancer."
"I heard that," Twilight grumbled, returning to the others and dragged Riku off to join the rest of the crowd for the first dance. "I think my hoof coordination through combat will help make up for my poor dancing talents. And, I've also been practicing, too."
Caught off guard, Sora was curious to see if Twilight's dancing improved from looking like a foal finally figuring out how to use their legs to walk. Kairi dragged him behind her, following Riku and Twilight to join the others. Terra guided Aqua to join in, hoping a little dancing will relieve the stress of Yona's hasty insistence on perfectly fitting in for a pony dance. Spike started up the classical music, stallions standing on one side while mares stood on the other.
"Oh! Yona know this one!" Yona said, breaking her eloquent speech by mistake.
"You do?" Sandbar asked.
Yona caught herself, not wanting to let Sandbar down. "Indeed! Green, black, then step back," she recited and followed the dance steps, showing Sandbar she knows the Pony Cotillion flawlessly. "Shall we?"
Sandbar was a little unsure, but if Yona knew it, he wouldn't say no to his crush. They took their positions with the other dancers, following the music as each and every pony danced in sync with each other. Sora glanced over at Twilight and Riku while keeping in time with the dance steps, he was baffled seeing the alicorn actually finding her rhythm and dancing the Cotillion properly. Riku caught him gawking, giving him a smirk while keeping pace with Twilight. While Lea sat by and watched the others, he felt a slight tap on his shoulder.
"Care to dance, handsome?" Sweet asked.
Lea grinned, seeing his girlfriend wearing a simple red dress and a red ribbon with an orange, fiery motif that replaced the band in her ponytailed mane. Axle was beside her, wearing a black bowtie and his mane combed neatly.
"Sure. But...you're not from Ponyville," Lea mentioned. "How do you know this dance?"
"Axle's been showing me since Fluttershy's been teaching students how the Pony Cotillion goes," Sweet said.
"Really? Well, I don't know if he's mentioned that it's quite a complicated little dance to-" Lea looked down at Axle, who was dancing the Pony Cotillion, proving him he knew how to pull it off. After a twirl, he looked up and smirked at his stepdad, barely missing a beat. "...Ok, you little showoff. I try to look cool for your mom, and you upstage me?"
Lea gave the colt a noogie, messing up his cleaned mane. "Can you dance, or are you just all talk, Mr. Hothead?"
"Oh. Goading me, eh?" Lea questioned. "Then let's cut a rug."
He dragged Sweet out to the dance floor, leaving Axle to fix up his hair after his mom helped him get it nice and perfect. The couple gave each other a bow, then began to dance along with the rest of the crowd.
"I go through all the work of looking nice, and you're still in your casualwear," Sweet chided playfully.
"I don't look good in a stuffy monkey suit," Lea said. "Besides, it's not exactly a formally formal party. If it was, we'd be served tiny appetizers as the main course."
"I suppose that's fair," Sweet agreed.
"You do look nice in red, though," Lea complimented.
"Red is my favorite color," she said.
"Because I'm red or just in general?" Lea asked cheekily.
"Hmm...I just like the color red," Sweet said.
With Sandbar and Yona, Sandbar was surprised to see Yona was able to dance so well. "Wow. You really do know, and without missing a beat," he complimented his date. "How'd you learn this?"
"I had good teachers," Yona said.
She glanced back at Rarity, who was proud of Yona with all she learned. Even through the shock of seeing her barge into her boutique yesterday as a pony caught her off guard, everything else she taught her to help fit in worked like a charm. Sadly, fate wanted to tempt them as Yona repeated the next few steps, only to catch one of her hind hooves on the back of her dress. She stumbled, losing her footing and fell back, tumbling off toward the table with the large punch bowl. She smacked into it, knocking the bowl up, but it flew forward and miraculously landed on her head, barely spilling a drop.
Aqua froze mid-dance upon hearing her student yelp and watched her tumble. She didn't spill any of the punch on her, ruining her dress or makeup, though it was an incredibly close call.
Sandbar ran over to her to check on her. "Yona, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.
"Yona never try dance in dress before," she said, feeling incredibly embarrassed for the slipup. Realizing she also slipped up with her speech again, she giggled, played it off and stood up, the punch bowl still sitting on her head as she held an empty cup in her hoof. "I mean, may I offer you a cup of punch?"
Tilting her head forward, she poured the punch out into the plastic cup until it was nearly full. Sandbar frowned, wondering what had gotten into Yona and why she was trying to act like a noble from Canterlot.
"Time to shake things up a little bit!" Spike announced, transitioning the classical music to a more upbeat song for the next dance. "That's right, everycreature! It's time for the Pony Prance!"
"Alright!" Lea cheered. "My personal favorite. And don't worry, Sweety; no crazy steps to remember. Just dance like you don't give a darn."
"Ooh. Sounds difficult," Sweet said with a small laugh.
Everyone began to do the Pony Prance, spacing themselves out enough to avoid hitting the other dancers. Sandbar wasn't so sure if Yona could do this dance, knowing just how strong she was and how much energy she could put into her steps.
"Uhh, maybe we should sit this one out," he suggested, carefully removing the punch bowl off the mare's head.
"No!" Yona insisted, taking Sandbar's foreleg and held him tighter, refusing to let him down. "I do so love the Pony Prance!"
She dragged Sandbar back out to the dance floor, concerning him even while she was able to pull him behind her with ease for being a pony who was an inch or two shorter than him. Reluctantly, he tried to look past the worst case scenarios and try to enjoy his time with Yona and danced along with the others.
Aqua glanced over at Yona, growing concerned that she might slip up again and hurt or embarrass herself again. Just as she tried to enjoy herself, Yona's mane ended up slipping out from under her wig. She untied the loops of her braids so her pigtails could hide under it, but her wild head movements caused it to slip, freeing them, and temporarily blind her. Yona began to panic, unable to see or stop herself to simply move the wig back in place with her hooves. She rammed into Sandbar, sending him crashing back into some of the other dances with more force than she expected.
Yona shook her head, trying to shake the wig off while she hopped around, stomping the ground and causing small tremors with each step. The other partygoers stumbled from her movements, shaking the tables and causing the record to scratch on the DJ booth. Aqua gasped and saw her apprentice struggling, along with the others as they rushed over to her.
"Yona, calm down!" Aqua exclaimed. "Stop bouncing so we can-OOF!"
Yona accidentally kicked Aqua in the chest, sending her flying back and ramming into Terra. Both of them grunted and tumbled across the courtyard, left in a daze while the others attempted to stop the stampeding yak-turned-pony. She wasn't able to hear them calm her down with her loud grunts, either headbutting or whipping her mentors and friends with her flailing pigtails. Sandbar quickly got up and raced toward her, jumping in her blind path.
"Yona, I've got you!" he called out. "Just hold-!"
She rammed her head into his chest, knocking the wind out of him as he crashed to the ground. He winced, rolling away before her hooves made contact with his barrel and accidentally cause more damage to his body. Yona yelled, finally slipping the wig off her head, her relief quickly turning to shock as her hooves continued running, heading straight for the table with all of the lucky pot dinners. She skid her hooves, unable to stop herself as she rammed right into it, breaking the table and launching every bucket into the air, releasing their contents all across the courtyard. Twilight, Aqua, and Kairi quickly cast a barrier around them and others around them to avoid getting splattered with the different meals, though some weren't as lucky like the Young Six.
Bits of the table of lucky pot buckets hit the trophy for Best Pony Pal, sending it clattering toward Sandbar. The colt stood up, rubbing his chest, then looked up in horror at the mess Yona made. All the food was ruined, some of the decorations fell off from Yona's wild panic attack with her quaking stomps. Though the party was ruined, he was more concerned about Yona, as were the rest of her friends and teachers.
"Yona?" Aqua called out, teleporting to the prone mare. "...Yona, are you ok?"
Yona turned around, tears streaming down her face, feeling embarrassed, humiliated, and ashamed. "No! Yona not ok!" she bawled. "Yona ruin everything!"
"Yona, it's ok," Aqua said, trying to reassure her. "It was an-"
"No! No say it was accident!" Yona exclaimed. "Yona mess up! Yona stupid for trying to fit in!"
"What!? No! Yona, you're not-" Yona got up and ran away, bawling her eyes out.
"Yona want to be alone!" she cried, fleeing from the school.
Everyone watched Yona run away, silent. They all knew it was an accident and it wasn't that big of a deal. Sandbar felt sorry for her, but he looked over at his master, remembering how Yona mentioned she got some "assistance" from her.
"Master Aqua...Did you turn Yona into a pony to help her fit in AS a pony for the dance?" he asked.
Aqua sighed, lowering her head. "She asked me for help about the dance after you asked her out a few days ago," she said. "I didn't know what was going to be at the Amity Ball, so I thought Rarity could help teach her what a pony dance would have and what to do. I even told her yesterday she didn't have to change her appearance just to impress you, and I thought at first that's what she wanted to do when you asked her out."
"...She did it to...impress me?" Sandbar questioned. "I didn't want her to change who she is."
"I know. I tried to tell her, but..." Aqua groaned, rubbing her temple. "I should have just put my foot down and told her no. She didn't realize she still had her yak strength while in a temporary transformation, and she ran off before I could warn her...I swear, my intentions on helping her didn't involve her changing who she is. Just...to not disappoint you after she didn't understand why you asked her out."
"Oh..." Sandbar didn't realize Yona mistook his offer and went through all that effort to win a little contest. He forgot the yaks would take some things literally and be so stubbornly determined to do something if it was on their mind. It even hurt him to hear her call herself stupid over trying so hard to see how much she learned and causing a disaster that ruined the fun out of the party. He needed to find her, and he knew where she might be. "I'll be back."
"Huh? Sandbar?" Aqua uttered, watching the stallion leave. "Where are you going?"
"To find Yona," he said.
Sandbar left the school to search for Yona. With the ball ending sooner than the others liked, they all began to clean up the mess left behind. Aqua sighed, her ears drooping, feeling like she was the one who failed and caused Yona to mess up. Terra approached her, gently draping his foreleg over her shoulders.
"Hey, you just wanted to help her," he assured. "Your heart was in the right place."
"Except anytime my heart's in the right place, I just cause an even bigger mess," Aqua mumbled. "You and Ven know that firsthand..."
"Aqua, you thought you were doing the right thing," Terra reassured. "You made far better decisions than I had. Don't doubt yourself when you're just starting to go back to your old self."
Aqua didn't feel so sure of herself, leaning against him while he provided comfort. She didn't want Yona to feel inferior to everyone because she didn't know how certain ways worked, or feel humiliated for making a mistake or trying too hard to fit in. To hear her claim she wasn't as smart as the rest of her friends was painful to hear. She knew Yona was a smart yak, but her hard work to impress Sandbar ending in failure had already broken her self-esteem.
Yona panted, running far from town and into the Everfree Forest. Her dress caught on the branches on the path, upsetting her even more as she forcefully tore it off of her, leaving the outfit and any torn pieces laying in the foliage. She couldn't show herself around anyone again, not even Sandbar. She screwed up and turned into the worst pony pal he ever had.
Racing through the trees, she found the bridge leading to the old castle and the new Tree of Harmony among them. She crossed the bridge, panting heavily as her legs grew sore and slowed down, entering the crystal treehouse and immediately climbed up the stairs. She reached the balcony before her legs collapsed, too tired and too miserable to care where she rested as long as she was alone. Yona didn't bother fixing her pigtails back their braided loop style. She cried, covering her face with her hooves, hooves belonging to the worst pony pal in existence.
In a flash of light within the treehouse's second floor, Hydaelyn appeared, sensing the distress of an individual seeking solace. When she looked at Yona, her brow quirked, finding the mare unfamiliar, but the light within her heart wasn't. Quietly approaching Yona, she looked down at her temporary transformation.
"My little pony, what troubles you?" she asked, concerned for the mare's well-being than the confusion with her light.
Looking between her hooves, Yona sniffled as Hydaelyn stood over her. "It's Yona, Hydaelyn," she mumbled.
"Yona?" Looking at her light, Hydaelyn could now see why she confused a new pony for someone familiar. "Were you not a yak, child?"
"Master Aqua help turn yak into pony," Yona said, looking away from the ethereal spirit sadly.
"...Oh. I see," Hydaelyn uttered. "The rules involving the world order requiring you all to blend in to your surroundings. Though I do not understand why you have changed your appearance."
"Sandbar wanted Yona to be his pony pal for dance," Yona said. "Yona learn how to be pony to fit in, but Yona feel it not enough. So Yona ask master to change into pony to really be Sandbar's pony pal...but Yona just made mess and look stupid in front of everycreature."
Shocked, Hydaelyn's expression turned to quiet fury, keeping her calm composure as a spirit of light. "Who dared to insult you in this way?"
"Yona," Yona said. "Yona stupid."
Hydaelyn's expression softened, but she shook her head, lowering herself down and brought her hoof to Yona's chin, tilting it up to force her gently to look up at her. "No. Do not claim yourself to be less intelligent than those around you. Every single creature has the capacity to learn and grow to better themselves. Including you, Yona."
"But Yona-" Hydaelyn brought her other hoof to Yona's muzzle, silencing her argument.
"None of that," the alicorn shushed. "You have a brilliant mind, Yona. Curious, eager to learn, even when you still do not properly understand. You are smarter than you believe you are." With her power, a faint aura appeared around Yona's mane. Her pigtails floated, fixing themselves to her braided loops which helped keep her from accidentally tripping over them. "And you did not have to change who you are to fit in with others. Doing so denies who you are as Yona. The tests that I gave you and your friends and passing them proved friendship is in every creature's nature, not just ponies. Don't change your nature to seek approval or appraisal from someone else."
Yona didn't understand what Hydaelyn was explaining to her. "But...Yona wanted to help Sandbar win contest for Best Pony Pal. Yona no want to let Sandbar down. And Yona try really hard to learn dances, talk like pony, and dress like pony for dance."
"And changing yourself into a pony with all those lessons was the solution?" Hydaelyn asked. Yona still had no clue what she meant, only feeling more lost and confused. Hydaelyn was about to explain further when she felt another presence approaching the tree. Gazing over the balcony, she spotted Sandbar stepping across the bridge, searching for Yona. She smiled, then looked down at Yona. "Perhaps someone else can enlighten you more than I."
"Huh?" Hydyaelyn soon disappeared in a flash of light, confusing Yona even more.
"Yona?" Sandbar called out, making Yona gasp and peek over the railing.
She quickly ducked and hid to avoid him, but he already caught her and made his way upstairs. Still hiding behind the balcony barrier, Sandbar walked over to her. Peeking through her hooves, Yona looked up at him, gave up, and sighed miserably.
"How Sandbar find Yona?" Yona asked.
"I know you pretty well by now," Sandbar said. "And, if I were in your horseshoes, I'd probably want to hide out here if I were upset, too."
"Yona only embarrass herself around friends, masters, and whole school," Yona pouted. "Yona not come back. Ever."
"No one made fun of you, and it was all an accident," Sandbar assured. "Knowing how crazy things get in Ponyville, nothing ever really goes perfectly. Not even a normal event like a dance." Yona grunted, turning away from Sandbar and leaned against the railing. Sandbar sat beside Yona, hearing her sigh as she turned her gaze away from him. "Master Aqua told me you did all this to impress me...Is that true?"
"Mrph. Yona just wanted to fit in and win Best Pony Pal with Sandbar," Yona grumbled. "Yona never be a good pony. Sandbar disappointed in Yona."
"Why would I be disappointed in you?" Sandbar asked, shocked. "Who said you had to be a good pony for a contest? It's just a small competition for a trophy."
"But contest meant a whole lot to Sandbar!" Yona argued. "Yona not say no because Yona not want to let Sandbar down! And Yona did!" She buried her face in her hooves as Larxene's words echoed in her head once more. "Yona know nothing about being a pony...Yona know nothing at all. Larxene right...Yona stupid."
"Larxene?" Sandbar uttered. "Who's...Is she one of the Organization members?" Yona nodded her head. Sandbar knew Yona looked a bit upset after she returned from Arendelle a while back. And like with Gallus, Smolder, and Ocellus, anytime they ran into someone from the Organization, they always put his friends down and make them doubt themselves and their unique abilities. He didn't know who Larxene was or what she looked like, Sandbar frowned as some heartless woman insulted his crush and resorted to dragging her down emotionally. Scooting closer, Sandbar grabbed Yona's shoulders, turning her to face him. "Whatever she said to you, don't listen to her. You're not stupid."
"But Yona-" Again, her muzzle was sealed, this time by Sandbar's hoof.
"No you're not. She doesn't know you like I do," Sandbar said. "You ARE smart. You just don't know everything outside of Yakyakistan, and that's perfectly fine not to know. Just knowing you learned the dances and...well, turning yourself into a pony to fit in, I'm actually flattered. But you didn't have to turn yourself into a pony for me." He removed his hoof from her lips, swallowing the lump in his throat as his cheeks turned pink, summoning the courage to speak from his heart. "I prefer Yona the yak more than Yona the pony anyway."
"...Really?" Yona mumbled.
"Yeah. Why do you think I asked you to the dance?" Sandbar asked.
"...For...contest?" Yona answered.
"Not really for that," Sandbar said. "You...haven't noticed how excited I was when you said yes?" Yona shook her head, still clueless. Sandbar's blush brightened, clearing his throat as he settled his growing nerves. "W-Well...I guess I'll just come out and say it. I really, really like you, Yona. As more than just friends."
Surprised, Yona's jaw dropped. "...S-Sandbar...like Yona...like, LIKE like Yona?" she uttered. Sandbar nodded his head, grinning sheepishly. "...W-Why?"
"Well...you're strong, and funny," Sandbar listed. "And I was interested in yak culture when Prince Rutherford and his dignitaries visited Ponyville to form a treaty between Equestria and Yakyakistan. It was...a bit rocky with relations, but since we first met when school started, I wanted to know more about you." Yona began to blush as Sandbar truly had much more interest in her and her culture than she thought. "When we all became Keyblade wielders, I wanted to try to be as strong as you. And even through training, you struggled, but you didn't give up and kept trying, no matter how rough it was for you.
"That's one of the reasons why I wanted us to spar together; so I can grow stronger with you and be as tough as you. You inspire me enough by being Yona yak." Sandbar took Yona's hooves in his, making her heart skip several beats as the stallion leaned closer. "Yona...you're perfect as you are."
"S-Sandbar..." Before she could blink, Yona squeaked as Sandbar leaned just a bit closer, connecting their muzzles together, and kissed her.
Stunned, Yona felt her heart fluttering. She had never known Sandbar had such feelings for her, and she felt oblivious not realizing it from his not-so-subtle reactions when they were together. That lingering doubt of her being intellectually inferior from Larxene were dashed from Sandbar's reassuring words and his kiss. Her eyes drooped closed as she began to kiss him back. They soon embraced each other, their lips remained locked, neither noticing Yona's body glowing in a flash of light. Her form grew, turning her back into a yak as the light released in a barely noticeable shockwave, causing the crystal leaves of the tree above them to sparkle.
Sandbar and Yona broke the kiss for air, opening their eyes, finally seeing the temporary transformation spell on Yona was gone. "...Heh. The...spell broke," Sandbar giggled bashfully.
"Y-Yeah...Sandbar not disappointed?" Yona asked nervously.
He answered by cupping Yona's cheeks in his hooves, planting another kiss on her muzzle. "Nope. Yak Yona is best Yona," he said.
Yona bit her lip, her face burning red as she giggled shyly. "Yona...never knew Sandbar like Yona as Yona," she said.
"I kinda thought it was really obvious after we tumbled when we sparred a couple months ago," Sandbar admitted. "When I...you know, tried to match your strength...and landed on you...with our muzzles that close?"
Recalling the tumble that day, Yona's muzzle drooped when she remembered how flustered Sandbar got when their muzzles were smooshed against each other. "...How Yona clueless?" she questioned herself with a facehoof.
"I thought you just brushed it off and played it off like nothing happened," Sandbar said. Yona grumbled, but her doubts about herself faded when she felt Sandbar's hoof grab hers. "It's ok. At least it's not like between Silverstream and Gallus. I think his crush on her is far more obvious than mine was."
"Heh. Yes," Yona agreed. "Now they nervous when look at each other after kiss in dream world."
"I still can't believe I missed that," Sandbar pouted.
"Sandbar not miss much, but it shock Yona," she said with a small laugh, only to frown and look out at the forest. "...Yona still embarrassed to go back."
"No one's gonna make fun of you," Sandbar promised, clutching her hoof tightly in his. "I'll be right beside you."
Trusting in him, Yona was ready to head back into town. Together, she and Sandbar headed downstairs and left the treehouse, walking side by side. Above the canopy of the treehouse, Hydaelyn watched the couple with an amused smile on her muzzle.
"Some words are best said by the right creature," she said with a small laugh.
The courtyard was fully cleaned up, though the energetic atmosphere was long-since gone. Since all the potluck buckets were spilled, the only food that was left was the appetizers to snack on. Gallus, Smolder, Ocellus, and Silverstream were worried Yona ran away after what happened, hoping Sandbar found her and brings her back to let the yak know she wasn't going to lose them over the accident she caused.
Aqua was putting away one of the banners when she glanced over to the front entrance to the courtyard, surprised and relieved to see Sandbar returning with Yona, but she was back to being a yak. "Yona!" Hearing Aqua calling out her name, the others noticed and were just as relieved to see Yona return. Gallus, Smolder, Ocellus, and Silverstream were the first to gather around her and surround her in a group hug, ensuring they were all still friends. Aqua and the other wielders and Mane Six arrived, Aqua breaching through the Young Six and hugging Yona tightly. "Thank goodness you're alright. I was so worried."
"We all were," Rarity said.
"Yona fine," Yona assured as she hugged her master back. "And...Yona sorry for making a mess and ruin pony dance."
"Yona, you have nothing to be sorry about," Aqua said. "It was an accident."
"We should be the ones apologizing to you," Rarity added.
"We were all just trying to show you how to have fun at the dance," Pinkie said.
"We didn't mean for you to change who you were to fit in," Aqua added. "I should have been a little more stern explaining that to you, but I didn't want to put you down more than you were already feeling when you went through all this."
"Is ok," Yona said, glancing over at Sandbar. "Sandbar help Yona feel better."
She surprised Sandbar with an affectionate nuzzle against his cheek, which he happily returned with a grin. Aqua smiled, happy to see Yona back to her normal self, and seeing her and Sandbar finally stepping up with their relationship as more than just friends.
"And that's why we're giving you this," Twilight chimed in.
She levitated the Pony Pal trophy to the couple, but there was a change to one of the pony figures on the trophy. Dancing with the other one was what looked like a yak, surprising Sandbar and Yona.
"The Pony Pal prize?" Sandbar asked.
"From now on, it's the Amity Ball Award for Friendship," Twilight stated.
"And you two earned it," Riku added.
Everyone cheered for the duo as they both held the trophy, neither of them expecting to have earned it. Since they first met, neither Yona or Sandbar had once bickered or fought with each other the first day of school last year. And they both were dedicated to their "pal"; Yona for doing her best to fit into what she believed was a proper pony dance, and Sandbar for not judging Yona for her first attempt and helping her when she was at her lowest.
"Hey, Yona!" Spike called out, making his way through the crowd to speak to the yak, still wearing his DJ outfit. "Everyone wants to learn that crazy dance you did!"
"Spike!" Twilight chided.
"Yak dance?" Yona asked. "It easy. Yona teach...if everycreature want to learn?"
"I definitely want to," Sandbar said.
"Probably better than the Pony Cotillion," Xion said.
"Much better," Yona confirmed.
Spike hurried back to his booth and picked out the right music to put on for the new dance. "You all asked, and DJ Scales-N-Tail is here to deliver! Everybody join Yona for...the Yakyakistan Stomp!"
The music that played was fast-paced, filling the air with energy that was perfect for the dance. Aqua moved aside Yona and Sandbar's trophy as everyone gave her some space to see how the traditional yak dance was done. Like before a few days ago, Yona bounced up and down, her hooves slamming into the ground with powerful stomps. She did hold back on her strength this time to avoid shaking the earth beneath her, but it was powerful enough to cause slight tremors without knocking everyone off their hooves.
Sandbar joined in and hopped while putting as much oomph in his stomps as Yona was, followed by the rest of the crowd little by little. Everyone was jumping along, stomping the ground to the beat, the fun in the dance returning like nothing had happened. It was also a fun cultural experience to learn about the yak's style of dancing. The night was filled with laughter and heavy stomps, the Amity Ball becoming a huge success, and with big plans to add in other cultural dances from other nations that accepted every creature for next year.
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That's because it's Disney, they have tons of talking animals that don't bother them one bit. Except for UP, but that's because the dogs had collars to help them talk.
Do you think we might get a story ark where the gang ends up on Planet Gaia in Midgar and joins AVALANCHE to stop Sephiroth and Meteor?
Why am I getting a sudden Cinderella vibe here?
11784211
Now that would be interesting.
Awesome chapter!
Not gonna lie, after what happened at Arendelle, I was worried that Yona's view on romance would be shaken to the point where she'd try to avoid it so she wouldn't end up heartbroken like Anna was with Hans. Glad to see I was wrong here, and to see someone actually using Yona's pony form.
11785538
I can see lust, but I said Gluttony because we already saw a pride heartless.
11790133
You know Gluttony's sin is about consuming insane amounts of food to becoming incredibly obese...Where exactly did you see Gluttony despite the fact it hasn't been done yet? (Along with the fact that I have NO clue who to make up or what scenario would have a character turn into a Heartless through Gluttony.)
11791313
I said Gluttony because it can mean more than just someone having for food & Other medias have shown that to me. If you need an example, Digimon has made one named Beelzemon who is the sin of Gluttony that has nothing to do with food, but likes to dish out punishment those that are glutton for money or power or both.
11791530
...That would wind up being greed more than gluttony. I even looked up Beelzemon just to be sure since it's been a long, long while since I've watched Digimon. Be that as his symbol of the seven evil demon lords of the Tamers season (which I vaguely remember much of the last two seasons), it...doesn't make much sense for me. I don't know. Gluttony is always more based around excessive overeating or drinking from other tales or shows.
11792935
Yeah. But in Digimon Cyber sleuth game, they put him down as that since their being already a sin of greed Digimon. I was going off that, but I might be wrong. Sorry
11793180
Eh. I just thought of adding some new types of Heartless/enemies for the story to change it up a little bit, and went with whichever sin I could think of a scenario for. Though gluttony IS gonna be a tough one unless I just make up a new character. No one in the MLP universe are THAT depraved to consume everything in their path...except parasprites, but they live to eat excessively like the parasites they are.
11794723
Fair. Then I guess for you that leaves Lust then to be next somewhere down the road.