Nightmare Night Invasion
Nightmare Night was here once again, Ponyville decorated all spooky for the holiday with fake spider webs, carved out pumpkins, eerie lights, and cardboard ghouls and ghosts set up on ponies' lawns. Sora had put on his Halloween Town outfit he wore last year, the dark clothing, fake fangs, dark makeup around his face, and the pumpkin mask worn over his right eye. It seemed like the perfect costume to wear, and it also reminded him to visit Halloween Town and Christmas Town whenever he had any free time. As fun as a land living in the holiday was fun, so were the outfits he and his friends had changed into. He couldn't wait to prove Riku how wrong he was, telling him Santa Claus wasn't even real and showing him he does exist.
After he was ready, the teen headed outside and walked down the road to Rarity's boutique in the late afternoon. After being gone for so long, he figured Aqua could use a bit of spooky holiday merriment to help her unwind from the stressful past she had. Riku and Kairi would meet up with him later at the library once they were in their costumes so the four of them could have fun enjoying the night. Once he reached the Carousel Boutique, he knocked on the door, Aqua opening the door to answer it.
"Hey, Aqua," Sora said. "You ready for tonight?"
"For Nightmare Night?" Aqua asked, the teen nodding his head. She looked over Sora's costume, unable to guess as to what he was supposed to be with the odd setup. "Uhh...What are you supposed to be? Some kind of vampire that wears a pumpkin mask?"
"Well, it's actually a little outfit change whenever I end up in a world called Halloween Town," he explained. "Fitting in with the worlds through magic and all that."
"Oh...I don't think I've ever been there..." It had been a long time since Aqua had been to the different worlds trying to find Ventus and Terra, she barely remembered some of them, but knew she never went to a world known as Halloween Town. "Must be a fun place."
"It's the best! It's practically a holiday world, and it also has a Christmas Town! And you know the best part?" Sora looked around, making sure no one was within earshot, especially Riku, leaning over to Aqua and whispered to her. "Santa Claus actually exists and lives there."
He backed away with a child-like grin in his starry eyes, though the mare wasn't all that convinced. "Sure he does." Sora frowned, making sure to find the time to drag her and Riku there to see Santa one day. "Anyway, as fun as celebrating a sort of Halloween theme in this world, I'm not up to it."
"Why not?" Sora asked. "You don't like dressing up? Getting free candy? Spooky decorations?"
"It's not that. Don't get me wrong, I love holidays, even Halloween...but..." Aqua sighed, running a hoof through her hair as she looked at the ground. "...I kind of don't want to get involved with anything involving darkness for a long, long time. And all the dark themes around the town with ponies dressing up mostly as monsters or demons...It constantly reminds me of the Realm of Darkness."
Sora winced, forgetting just how long Aqua had spent in that realm for so long. He looked back, seeing all of the decorations around town and some of the ponies already in their costumes. Even with some of the dark clothing and fake glowing eyes some of them wore, Aqua could wind up relapsing with her mental state, even if it was slowly recovering.
"Oh...Right." Sora scuffed his hoof against the ground, feeling stupid for thinking he could help Aqua unwind during the scariest holiday around. "I thought you would have had fun dressing up and partying with everyone, but I didn't even think about that. Sorry."
"Don't worry, Sora. It's fine. You just go and have fun with everyone else." Her horn glowed as she levitated a pair of saddlebags and began to leave. "I'm going to set up a camp a bit of a ways outside of Ponyville to avoid the trick-or-treaters knocking on the door and all the horror stuff around here."
"Alright. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come by and hang out for a little while," Sora said.
"I'll try. Happy Halloween." Aqua began making her way to the outer perimeter of Ponyville as Sora made his way to the Golden Oak Library.
Neither Keyblade wielder noticed Pete spying on them through the bushes, his large and tubby frame somehow able to hide in the shrubbery he dwarfed. "Hmm...Why does that blue unicorn look so familiar? I know I saw those clothes somewhere before..." The minotaur scratched his head as he thought back to wherever he saw her, only to give up a moment later. "Oh well. That won't matter. I better tell Maleficent the little twerp and her friends are ready for a night filled with darkness."
As Sora walked along the road the library, he still felt guilty for what he almost did for Aqua. Halloween/Nightmare Night was a favorite holiday of his, second to Christmas, but he should have known she wasn't truly ready enough to see anything grim and dark for a long while. He didn't notice a star swerving down from the sky flying down to the ground, the bright light exploding and blinding him for a moment.
"Ooooooooooooh." A creepy groan came from the light as two figures walked forward as the light vanished.
As soon as Sora could see, he was surprised to see the guests that had arrived. Donald and Goofy in their magically changed forms in Equestria, though Donald was wrapped up in bandages like a mummy, and Goofy looked like a Frankenstein creation, the same outfits they wore when in Halloween Town, though not as realistically creepy.
"Donald! Goofy! I didn't think you two would show up!" he said, excited to see his battle buddies.
"Well, of course," Donald said. "His Highness gave us a day off, and we decided to spend it with you."
"Too bad we aren't in Halloween Town," Goofy said. "I betcha Jack Skellington's got some good scary ideas for Halloween...or whatever they celebrate in Equestria."
"Cool! The more the merrier!" Sora hugged his friends, the trio laughing happily as they were reunited once again. "Oh. And there's even more good news. I'm not sure if Master Yen Sid told King Mickey yet, but you know that knight Twilight encountered when we were trapped in those vines?" Donald and Goofy both nodded, recalling the alicorn's rescue from the Keyblade wielder who showed up out of nowhere. "Well, she's actually here with us in this world, and she was trapped in the Realm of Darkness for almost fifteen years."
"Gawrsh! Fifteen years!?" Goofy exclaimed in shock.
"The knight was actually a girl?" Donald asked quizzically.
"Her name is Aqua, and she was one of the three Keyblade wielders who fought Xehanort long ago," Sora continued. "She's...kind of had a bit of a stressful time after she finally found a way out. I thought inviting her to hang out and have fun for Halloween, or Nightmare Night in Equestria, would be a good idea, but I guess not."
"Well, if King Mickey fought alongside her, then we can trust her," Goofy said. "Plus, more good Keyblade wielders mean more of a chance to stoppin' Xehanort."
"Too bad the king couldn't come along with us. He's got his own job to do back at the castle, so he can't enjoy the festivities in our world, or anywhere else," Donald said.
"Maybe when he has some free time, he and Aqua can catch up after all these years. But, for now, let's enjoy the evening with the others, and have a spook-tacular night!" Sora lead the way as they continued heading down the road to the Golden Oak Library.
The inside of the hollow tree home was dimly lit with candles as the trio approached. Sora knocked on the door, which slowly began to open up as it creaked eerily , making Donald and Goofy shiver in fear. It was incredibly dark, but a figure in a black robe slowly stepped out toward them. A scythe trailed behind the figure as it slowly rose a bony hoof, the curved blade shimmering under the setting sun. A lightning strike flashed from inside, lighting up the background and a skeleton's face underneath the hood.
"AHHHHHHH!" Donald and Goofy both screamed, hiding behind Sora as they shivered.
"Hey, Riku," Sora said with a wave.
"Ah, crap." Riku move the hoof off his head, revealing his painted face, making him look like a pony skeleton. "I told you it wouldn't work on Sora, Twilight, but at least it worked on Donald and Goofy. Didn't know you two would have come along."
"Nice paint job," Sora complimented. "The Grim Reaper. Twilight paint on the black body paint for you?"
"Yeah. I don't really know how the skeleton of a pony is supposed to be, and she did it right out of an anatomy book on the pony skeletal structure." Riku twirled around the scythe, a plastic replica of Death's soul stealing weapon. "Had to buy the scythe to go along with it."
"Looks pretty real to me," Sora said, tapping Donald and Goofy with his back leg to get them to quite shuddering. "So, is Kairi here?"
"I provided the lightning," the pink unicorn said as she turned the lights on in the library. Sora got a look at her costume, surprising him with what she decided to go for. Obviously originally made, it was almost like his own costume, though it was more white than dark: the costume angelic in design, a glowing halo hung over her head attached by a headband around her head, and a white angel mask over her left eye instead of the right like Sora's. Twilight stood next to her, thankfully not wearing her Star Swirl the Bearded costume, but instead wore a black mage costume, almost like how Vivi looked from Twilight Town. Even her face was completely black with her eyes glowing purple instead of yellow. "Though, I knew Sora wouldn't have been spooked by the Grim Reaper."
"Hey, where's Aqua?" Twilight asked. "I thought you were going to get her."
"...Well...Aqua's not going to be joining us," Sora said. "Not exactly ready to celebrate a holiday filled with dark creatures and grim atmosphere."
"Oh...Right. The Realm of Darkness..." He nodded his head, the others feeling just as bad for the Keyblade Master as he was. "She still needs some time to relax after being trapped there, I guess. It's understandable if she doesn't want to join."
"You think we should find her a therapist or something?" Riku suggested. "Who knows when she'll have another mental breakdown like the drunken ramblings she made back in Manehattan?"
"That's going to be up to Aqua to decide," Kairi said. "Even if she gets stubborn over the idea, it's best to give her some space until she wants us to really help her."
The others nodded, deciding to celebrate the holiday without the unicorn. Sora looked out beyond the town, hoping Aqua would be ok by herself, even though she's a strong enough fighter to defend herself from anyone who tries to attack her.
Deep in the Everfree Forest, Pete ran through the foliage as he made his way to where he and Maleficent were hiding out. He had no clue why the ponies in this world were terrified of a creepy forest with overgrown trees and vines, along with dangerous creatures some unicorns can easily shoot down with their magic. The tubby cat-faced minotaur found his boss, reading through some spell books she managed to pilfer during her last visit when she encountered Trixie. She was disappointed that her plan with that amulet was foiled, but it was a minor setback as she assisted an egotistical show mare with a task even she failed at doing with the power that artifact held.
She looked up at a book she read through as she heard her useless minion return. "You took your sweet time getting back here."
"Oh, well pardon me, Maleficent. You try hiding from your enemies while you spy on them. And these woods are annoying to get through." Pete brushed off the leaves and twigs off his body from hiding around the whole day and running through the forest. "They should cut down every single tree in this dumb forest."
"Just tell me what you saw," Maleficent said impatiently, slamming the book closed hard, startling the whining cohort. "Are they busy or not?"
"They're busy with their little Halloween holiday and don't even realize a thing," he reported. "That twerp's wearing that same outfit like in that Halloween Town. No idea why he's wearing that as a costume. Is he supposed to be a vampire or some kind of weird clown?"
"Silence!" Maleficent commanded, shutting Pete's rambling up before she threw one of the books at his head.
"I was just wondering..." The witch ignored his mumbling as she picked up another spell book. "...So, uhh, what exactly was this plan you thought of? You didn't quite run it through with me."
"Well, seeing how in this world we end up changing, I'm starting to finally hone my magical prowess as a unicorn," she began to explain. "My own magic is powerful on its own, but with this new magic, I feel like I'm able to do much more." Maleficent chuckled wickedly, finding a few spells that could help her with her plan. "Tonight, Pete, this world will be ours, and we'll enshroud it in darkness."
"...Ok...But how are we going to do that?" Pete asked, quite confused as to how they could do that. "Because of them brats, there are less Heartless at our call to even take over that little town."
"Use your brain, you buffoon. What has an endless supply of Heartless that we can control and take over an entire world?" His jaw dropped, surprised and shocked at what Maleficent had in mind. "Now you see."
"Wait. You mean you can actually create some kind of portal that connects to the Realm of Darkness???" Pete questioned, a little terrified at the thought.
"Not by my own power alone. But with unicorn magic infused with my own, and looking through these very unique spells, I believe it is possible to create one that will allow Heartless to roam freely out of the realm. And since it is an endless world of darkness, not even Sora and his friends can stop them all as more only spawn with each one they kill." Maleficent's horn began glowing, her green aura lighting up the darkness of the forest around them. "They will be too exhausted, and this world will be mine to control."
"Yipe!" Pete backed away a far enough distance, unsure how big of a spell Maleficent will cast to make the portal.
Once she had gathered enough mana in her horn, the witch levitated her staff and gathered mana within the green orb on it. She then combined both magical auras together, aiming them both in front of her as they clashed, a dark portal slowly growing bigger in front of her. Pete could see inside, revealing the inner depths of the Realm of Darkness in all its horrifying glory, several pairs of yellows eyes seen in the distance as they stared at the newly made portal.
"Though it is only a one-way portal leading out, it's all I need to take control of this world," Maleficent said as she backed away, watching the Pureblood Heartless begin making their way toward the portal and crawled out.
She laughed as she watched Shadows, Darkballs, Invincibles, and Neoshadows exited the portal out of their home, obeying the powerful witch as they either sunk into the ground or disappeared in a dark aura, making their way to Ponyville to hunt down fresh hearts to create more of their brethren. Little did Maleficent or Pete notice a larger pair of eyes in the distance inside the Realm of Darkness, though instead of yellow, they were red, the Heartless growling as it caught the scent of its dreaded rival after it escaped from its domain.
As evening settled in, everyone was out and about in Ponyville. Every single pony was dressed up for the occasion: some wore outfits to look like superheroes, some like their idols, or even something as simple as a ghost or a zombie. Foals ran around excitedly with buckets or bags in their mouths, going from door to door to get free candy from their neighbors, watched over by their chaperones so they don't get hurt or lost. The celebration was already in full swing as Sora, Riku, Kairi, Twilight, Donald, and Goofy walked around the town, meeting up with the rest of their friends down at Sugarcube Corner.
"So, you and the others picked a theme to dress up for this year, Twilight?" Sora asked. "I thought you were going to wear that old wizard costume again."
"First of all, I was dressed up as Star Swirl the Bearded, one of Equestria's greatest wizards from a millennia ago," Twilight said. "Second, look who's talking wearing the same costume from last year."
"Hey, this is always perfect for Halloween or Nightmare Night, no matter how many times I wear it. Trust me, if we show you guys Halloween Town, you're going to wind up in a good costume as you fit into the world." Twilight rolled her eyes, her enchanted face only showing her glowing lavender eyes moving around.
"Anyway, the girls and I made a unanimous vote for costumes this year, and it was all based around Spike's 'Pony Fantasy' comic series. After that whole fiasco getting sucked into that comic book, I got a little interested in some of the characters' occupations as champions, and they were kind of like the different classes from an old board game I used to play with Shining Armor called 'Ogres and Oubliettes'." The two stallions rolled their eyes from the mention of a long a boring board game similar to one that was known as "Dungeons and Dragons" back in their world. "As simple as the jobs were named, Rarity did a pretty good job making our costumes. Although, without Fluttershy, we're not exactly a complete set of the common classes."
"Why is Fluttershy not joining?" Riku asked. "I mean, who wouldn't want to celebrate a holiday where everyone dresses up as monsters-?" He stopped himself, realizing who he was talking about. "...Never mind. Forgot she's terrified of anything that isn't fluffy or cute. Or both."
They arrived at the bakery where the others waited for them all dressed up in their costumes. Applejack wore red and white armor with a plastic sword held in the scabbard tied around her waist, dressed as a warrior. Pinkie Pie wore a blue gi and a blue headband around her head, blue bandages wrapped around her front hooves as she was the party's monk. Rainbow Dash wore a green tunic and a cap of the same color, a belt around her waist holding several plastic knives as the speedy pegasus easily fits the role of a swift thief. And Rarity wore a red tunic, a red feathered hat adorning her head as a red cloak was draped around her shoulders, dressing as a red mage, wielding a small sword attached to her hip.
"Hey, there's our black mage!" Pinkie exclaimed. "And her face really is black. Dark and mysterious, and also dangerous!"
"I thought Fluttershy would have joined us, but I guess my white mage costume will have to be used at a later date," Rarity sadly said. "But I look radiant in red, no?"
"She kind of does," Sora whispered to Riku.
"Uhh, ya think Pinkie and Ah can switch costumes?" Applejack asked as she shifted her fake armor. "Ah prefer mah hooves than anythin', so Ah think a monk suits me more?"
"I called monk!" Pinkie said. "No changies!"
"Well, Ah sure don't wanna be a white mage," the farm pony grumbled.
"Hey, what do you have against mages!?" Donald shouted. "We have powerful magic normal sword-wielding soldiers that can handle opponents with elemental weaknesses!"
"I heard red mages are both fighters and magic users," Rainbow said. "So, are they better?"
"Jack of all trades, master of none," the mummified griffon stated. "Not as strong as a fighter, a black mage, or a healer. Just secondary support."
"Wait, aren't you considered a red mage?" Sora asked. "You can heal and use offensive magic, and you love whacking Heartless if you run out of mana with your staff."
Donald squawked in surprise, leering at Sora as everyone laughed at his reaction. "You know he's right, Donald. You kind of are a red mage."
"My magic's far superior than a class like that!" Donald objected. "Sora's more of a red mage, using both magic and physical moves!"
"True, but at least I'm pretty balanced when it comes to both physical and magical skills," Sora countered, putting his forehooves behind his head and grinned.
"Do you think you can handle me with those 'skills', foal?" Everyone looked up as they heard the mysterious voice. Landing before them under the guise of the full moon was Nightmare Moon, the Mare in the Moon staring down the costumed ponies. Sora thought that it was Luna as she arrived in her magical disguise, but her voice sounded a little different. "Prepare to face the wrath of my might, you sun loving foals!"
"You shall not harm my subjects, Nightmare Moon!" Teleporting in front of them was Celestia, but she looked a bit smaller and her voice was different as well. "Your tyranny shall never happen as long as I stand!"
"...What is going on?" As the others tried to figure out what was going on, Sora noticed something hidden under "Celestia's" mane. Through the waving, multicolored hair, he spotted a small glimmer of a crescent-shaped gem around the base of her horn, the same gem on a certain ring Luna was given from her lover Sombra as a late proposal and memento of him. The teen smirked, solving this little mystery as he approached "Celestia". "Hold on a second. Celestia, if you're supposed to be fighting your sister, then how come you're wearing Sombra's engagement ring?"
The alicorn winced, her eyes darting everywhere as she tried to move herflowing mane over the base of her horn. "Uhh, w-what are you talking about? What ring?"
"Nightmare Moon" facehooved, letting out an annoyed groan. "Well, so much for creating an illusion." The dark blue alicorn shimmered as she revealed her true self, the real Celestia staring at her sister with annoyance. "You couldn't have taken that off or hidden it with a little spell?"
The smaller Celestia shimmered and turned into Luna, the younger sister pouting as she was being scolded. "I don't want to take it off. And I never will." Celestia sighed and shook her head at her sister's stubbornness. "At least it worked for a little while."
"So, both princesses are out celebrating Nightmare Night. You sure Canterlot can handle going an evening without either of you?" Sora asked.
"I think they can," Celestia said. "Besides, I've never truly been able to celebrate Nightmare Night without having somepony constantly pestering me about small matters that could wait until tomorrow." Both princesses shifted back into their "costumes", an odd site to see both alicorns switching roles and noting the difference in size between them. "I'm also curious to see if any of our subjects can tell who we are."
"Well, the more the merrier," Kairi said. "Let's officially begin celebrating!"
The group cheered as they set out to enjoy the festivities of the night. Unfortunately, it immediately stopped as soon as it began as they heard ponies scream in actual fright. As they looked out to the town, everyone began fleeing as Heartless appeared out of nowhere and began chasing the ponies, surprising the group at just how many there were. Shadows, Neoshadows, Darkballs, and Invisibles stalked around, more and more appearing as they began to corner some of the fleeing ponies.
"Where the heck did they all come from!?" Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Twilight summoned their Keyblades, quickly distracting many of them as the banes of their existence appeared. "What a good way to start the holiday!"
"Twilight, you protect the others with Donald and Goofy and get everyone somewhere safe while we take care of this sudden infestation." Twilight nodded at her coltfriend's orders, the Keyblade wielding trio running off as they took down the mass of Heartless that came without warning.
"Let's group everypony at Town Hall! Just watch out for-" A sword suddenly flew down in front of Twilight, barely missing her by a few inches as an Invisible appeared before her, grabbing its weapon as it stared down at her. "What the hay is that thing!?"
Luckily, Donald and Goofy brought their weapons just as a precaution, the knight leaping up and smacking the tough Heartless in the face with his shield. "Go on and get the others! We'll keep them off your tail!"
"We may as well assist them, Luna," Celestia said, calling forth a large broadsword of flames from her magical aura.
Luna did the same as a scythe appeared in her aura, the alicorn twirling it around her as she hovered in the air. "Agreed. I'm sick of these monsters, and they will not take over our home again!"
While Donald, Goofy, Celestia, and Luna helped Twilight fend off the Heartless, the others ran ahead to gather everypony and safely guide them to Town Hall until the Heartless were all dealt with.
Aqua sat in front of the small campfire she made, settling out far enough from Ponyville in the fields. It had been far too long since she had ever camped in a peaceful environment, being out on a clear autumn night with the full moon very relaxing for her. It reminded her of some nights when she and Terra hung out on the hillside when they weren't studying or training, enjoying the night sky as they watched the stars. And when Ventus arrived several months before their Mark of Mastery exam, they brought him with them, letting the young teen join them after he recovered from his temporary panic attacks after Xehanort used him for his personal gains.
"So many stars," she said to herself as she looked at the sky. "So many worlds out there...Some already seen, others just waiting to be discovered..." Aqua sighed and looked down at the fire. It was a long forgotten dream as kids to discover new worlds while also protecting them from the threats of darkness. "We used to talk about seeing what was out there whenever we had a break, huh, Terra?"
So many thoughts raced through her mind, many of them possibilities of what their future could have been if Xehanort was never around. But if that happened, then they never would have met Ventus. Their strength was barely enough to take him and Vanitas down, and Xehanort almost succeeded in obtaining the X-blade and Kingdom Hearts. If only she didn't try to save Terra once his heart and body were taken over, then his schemes would have never started back up again. She can't change the past. She can't bring Terra back. And she has no clue how to find Ventus's broken heart and wake him back up.
Her ears perked up as she heard screams come from the town, Nightmare Night/Halloween already off to a great start. "Sounds like everyone's having fun...Maybe I should have joined them after-" Suddenly, a Darkball appeared over the fire, the explosive blast it released blowing out the fire and surprising Aqua. "What the-!?"
The Heartless lunged at her, chomping its teeth to try to bite her, but the mare jumped out of the way as she summoned her Keyblade. Several more Darkballs appeared around her, along with Neoshadows and Invisibles. The large group of powerful Pureblood Heartless attacked, but they didn't stand a chance as Aqua cast Deep Freeze, a large area of ice around them freezing the Heartless in place. As they were completely vulnerable, she sped right through them, slashing her blade and shattering them to pieces. More appeared in their place, surprising the Keyblade Master as even more of the same Heartless, including normal Shadows, took their place.
"You're kidding me..." She looked back at Ponyville, seeing hundreds of Heartless flying or leaping around, the ponies screams from earlier more realistic from the attack than any fake props or decorations. "There's far too many of them to consider them all randomly appearing. Someone's calling them." The next wave tried to attack Aqua, but she cast Transcendence, trapping them all in a field of anti-gravity. Swinging her Keyblade, she sent them all hurtling all around her, the powerful spell and impact obliterating them without her breaking a sweat. With her vision cleared of enemies, she saw some of the Invisibles and Darkballs flying from the direction of the Everfree Forest. "But who is the big question."
Not wanting to exhaust herself from the never-ending wave of Heartless and entrusting Sora, Riku, and Kairi to handle the ones in the town, Aqua made herself invisible with Vanish and ran around Ponyville to reach the Everfree Forest. She needed to stop whoever was bringing all these Heartless before they spread out to the rest of the world. She avoided running into any of the Heartless running or flying from trees, following where they came from to find the source of their spawning and destroy it. At least none of the wild creatures that live in the Everfree were around, smartly avoiding encountering the beings of darkness arriving in several large hordes.
Keeping quiet and avoiding moving any shrubbery to reveal her location, she reached the location where the Heartless seemed to be coming from. She saw a pony and a minotaur in front of a portal of darkness, gasping both in shock at seeing the inside of the Realm of Darkness again and the two familiar beings beside it as they watched Heartless crawl out. She recognized them after many years trapped in that realm. The odd looking minotaur with a feline face she clearly knew was the same moronic cat from Disney Town who dressed as some bully trying to get votes for that competition she took part of, calling himself Captain Dark while everyone else in the town called him Pete. But the green unicorn was easily recognizable just from her black cloak and the dragon horns on her hood.
"Excellent," Maleficent said, hearing the witch's voice instilling anger in Aqua. Not only did she end up manipulating Terra to taking Princess Aurora's heart, but she saw what she had done to Sora and Riku's friendship, tearing them apart as they fought each other. Now she was going to try and take over the other worlds, her home world not enough after she bested the evil witch, even with her stronger dragon form. "Soon, those fools won't be able to stand much longer, exhausting all of their energy to stop a futile attempt to save this world. I'll be happy to get rid of all the bright and colorful landscapes in this world."
"I can't believe this plan is actually working," Pete said in bewilderment. "You put a lot of thought into this."
"Of course, you oaf. The best of plans come with patience and strategy. Though this land filled with talking equines coated in so many colorful hues is sickening, a unicorn is quite an extraordinary being with magical properties I never thought possible." She levitated her staff, watching the green aura surrounding it as she took it in her hoof. "I could probably grow stronger with my transformation as well. Oh, the possibilities of dark magic are endless."
"I guess your world really wasn't enough for you, huh, Maleficent!?" Pete and Maleficent looked out into the woods in surprise, Aqua dropping her Vanish spell and leapt out, Keyblade held in her blue aura as she glared at the two perpetrators. "I showed you mercy after you were badly beaten back in the Enchanted Dominion, but I guess that was a mistake!"
"W-Wha-Hey! I saw you in the town earlier this afternoon!" Pete said as he pointed a finger at her. "And you have one of them Keyblades too!?"
"It has been a long time since we've seen each other, right, 'Captain Dark'?" He blanched at the evil persona he remembered making many years ago, but he also recognized Aqua now that he got a better look at her.
"W-Wait, now I remember you!" he exclaimed.
"Ah...As do I," Maleficent said with a sinister chuckle. "It has been quite a long time. You sure have grown."
"Shut up," Aqua muttered, pointing her Keyblade at the witch and the portal behind her. "Close that portal, or I'll make you by force."
"I will do no such thing." Maleficent lifted her staff up, creating several lightning clouds above them.
"You never learn," Aqua mumbled. "None of you do."
Lightning soon began raining down on the blue unicorn, each bolt easily avoided as she flipped around the field and teleported in different locations as she got closer to the witch. Maleficent disappeared in a plume of green flames as she teleported away from her, leaving the portal wide open. Before Aqua could slash through the magical gateway to the Realm of Darkness, Pete leapt in and cast an invincible barrier around himself, causing her weapon to bounce off the shield.
"Oh no you don't, little miss Keyblade wielder," Pete taunted.
"Why are you working with her!?" Aqua asked.
"I owe her a debt after I was banished by the their royal highnesses back home, and I'm serving it!" he responded.
Aqua was about to question Pete on why they made a portal of darkness to the Realm of Darkness, but she narrowly avoided another bolt that landed in front of her. She leapt and flipped back, turning around to face Maleficent as she was her true opponent.
"All of my plans had already been foiled countless times, no thanks to you and your two friends, even Sora and his cohorts. This time, I will succeed. Make no mistake about that!" Maleficent thrust her staff forward, shooting out several large green fireballs hurtling straight for Aqua.
The Keyblade Master quickly countered by firing a Triple Blizzaga, the three massive balls of ice burning away two or three fireballs before melting away, the impact creating a steamy mist between the two unicorns. Maleficent couldn't see through the small fog as she heard something like ice cracking where Aqua stood. The blue unicorn leapt through the mist, her body coated in an icy aura as she shifted into her Diamond Dust command style. She let out a shout as she thrust her Keyblade forward, coated in the same icy aura as it dealt Blizzard elemental damage, but Maleficent encased herself in a shield of fire, making her attacks useless.
"What's wrong, Maleficent!?" Aqua goaded, continuing slashing at the fire barrier. "Are you afraid to see what a real Keyblade Master can really do!? Why don't you turn into a dragon again to make it fair!?"
"I don't need to transform to beat you!" Maleficent began shooting spires of green energy underneath Aqua's hooves, but the mare avoided them as she continued her slashing.
She heard yet another sound, only this time it sounded like a sword quickly sliding out of its sheath, the metal blade clanking against it. Before she could figure out where Aqua was, the Keyblade wielder slashed through the fire shield, barely missing her face by inches as a glowing blade dispelled her barrier. Maleficent teleported out of its reach, staring in shock at the Keyblade now glowing a bright white, extended a few inches longer as it looked like a normal blade made out of pure light. Aqua grinned as she stood in her Blade Charge command style.
"Maybe you should reconsider? I could really blow off some steam after all the crap I've been through in the past fifteen years." The witch growled, not willing to risk giving herself away to everyone in Ponyville, especially Sora and his friends. "I'm not going to let you, or anyone else who sides with the darkness, destroy any of these worlds!"
Aqua rushed forward, dragging the ethereal blade across the ground, avoiding panicked blasts of fire and lightning strikes as she got closer to Maleficent. She couldn't teleport away in time as the Keyblade Master grabbed her the witch's unicorn horn hard, slamming her head down hard and dazing her, keeping her from fleeing. She tossed Maleficent up into the air, leaping after her while slashing wildly, each blow connecting as the blade of light sliced across the witch's body. Aqua slammed Maleficent back down to the ground, chasing after her as she spun the glowing blade, slashing her more, then slamming the blade onto her as they hit the ground.
Having unleashed the finishing blow of her command style, the light disappeared, Aqua's Keyblade point at the beaten witch's face. "Hang on, Maleficent! I'll help you!"
Pete rushed at Aqua, only for her to aim her Keyblade at him, firing a Blizzaga spell and freezing him into a block of ice. "Not much of a minion if he stupidly leaves your portal alone." Maleficent groaned, reaching out to her staff, but the blue unicorn stomped her hoof on her chest, knocking the wind out of her while also smacking her horn to disable her telekinesis. "Not as strong as you claimed you were, huh?"
"Y-You insolent-" Aqua slammed her hoof down hard on her chest again, silencing her as she coughed heavily."
"I'm done being nice," the mare growled. "I gave you a chance to leave, and you wind up trying to throw all the worlds in darkness some time later. I saved my best friend, who was taken control of by a psychotic old man who used the three of us, but I wound up saving the wrong person. I am not going to make another mistake like that again, starting with-" A low growl coming from the portal made Aqua pause, her fur and ears standing up on end as her pupils shrunk. She knew that growl, slowly looking up at the portal, only to gasp in horror as she saw the face of the Dark Hide from inside the Realm of Darkness, letting out a menacing hiss as its yellow eyes turned red. "...No. Not you again."
Ignoring Maleficent and Pete, Aqua quickly ran toward the portal to destroy it before the Dark Hide could find a way to get through the small portal. She leapt forward and swung her Keyblade, only to be slapped back by its claws, thrusting through the portal and hitting her. Aqua tumbled back past the downed witch and frozen minion until she smacked into a tree, groaning in pain as the Heartless's claws made a deep cut in one of her shoulders. Maleficent rolled onto her side to get a better look at what made Aqua panic, her eyes growing wide as she watched the powerful Heartless squeeze itself through the portal, even managing to stretch it a little to help it through.
"What power," she muttered, but instead of excitement, Maleficent was actually terrified of the Dark Hide, its darkness far more wild and untamed unlike the other Heartless.
"Maleficent!" Aqua shouted, casting Cure on herself to heal her injuries. "Close the portal before it gets through! That Heartless is dangerous!"
"All Heartless are dangerous, you imbecile!" Grunting in annoyance, Aqua ran forward again to try to stop it, but the Heartless opened its maw to fire an attack.
She expected the Dark Hide to fire a Mega Flare at her, only for it to fire orbs of dark energy. Aqua gasped, unable to get away in time as they exploded around her, the mare screaming out in pain as the blast of darkness turned into painful energy fields. Maleficent and Pete weren't in the radius of the energy orbs, but they couldn't help but watch at the incredible power the Dark Hide wielded. As soon as the attack faded, Aqua fell to the ground, groaning in agony as she was incapacitated, giving the Heartless plenty of time to fully exit its domain. Once it was freed, its tail slammed down on the portal, the incredible force able to destroy it and stop releasing more Pureblood Heartless that didn't show up when it got closer to the portal, letting out a roar that echoed throughout the forest and several miles around it.
Sora slashed his way through the dirt roads, eliminating the Shadows in his way as he rushed toward the Invisibles approaching Town Hall. Thankfully, Twilight and her friends, excluding Fluttershy as she was still safe in her cottage, Donald, Goofy, and the princesses safely escorted all of Ponyville inside the building until the Heartless were taken care of. He flew into them, making sure not to knock his Keyblade into the Invisibles' swords to have his attacks parried, quickly destroying them before they wound up turning invisible and surround him as a cluster of dark energy to close in on him once they were done charging. They had to have killed at least hundreds of Pureblood Heartless, and it didn't help that the most annoying ones had to be the Darkballs, always disappearing and floating around as mist until they decide to reappear, either to unleash a shock wave of darkness or be temporarily stunned after being in a gaseous form for too long.
"Where the heck are all of them coming from!?" he shouted at the skies, shooting Blizzard spells at any floating Darkballs.
Riku and Kairi ran toward Town Hall as they took down more Heartless making their way to the building. "They just keep coming! I haven't seen a Heartless invasion this bad since Destiny Islands was being destroyed by that storm!"
A trail of flames lit up the ground as Heartless were burned, Celestia landing beside the Keyblade wielders, still in her illusion Nightmare Moon costume. "Well, at least I'm not embarrassing myself by losing against these things. Not like my pitiful defense against Chrysalis."
"Sister, look out!" Luna shouted, swinging her scythe as she fired crescent moon energy shots down below, eliminating a large group of Neoshadows that crawled in the shadows toward Celestia. The alicorn landed, readying her weapon while still in her Celestia illusion. "There's supposed to be an end to these monsters. Why are they not diminishing in number yet!?"
"They must be appearing from somewhere if we've barely made a dent in this invasion!" Kairi answered. "I think I saw them all heading in the direction of the Everfree Forest!"
"Did anyone see Aqua!?" Sora asked. "She should have seen this chaos since she was going to spend the evening outside of town!"
Riku and Kairi shook their heads, none of them having any idea where she might be. Before Celestia and Luna asked who Aqua was, all of Ponyville heard a monstrous roar that came from the Everfree Forest. It wasn't from any natural beast that lived in the wild forest, and its booming voice made their spines crawl in fright.
"W-What did that come from?" Kairi asked.
"I don't know...But if it came from the Everfree Forest, then it's probably a Heartless..." Riku looked over his shoulder at Town Hall, Donald, Goofy, and Twilight working together to fend off the Shadows from trying to sneak into the building. As long as those two kept her safe, then he didn't have to worry about the stronger Heartless to target the lavender alicorn. "Sora, you and I are going to check it out. Kairi, you think you and the princesses can handle liberating the rest of the town without us?"
"Yes, I think so," the unicorn said with a nod.
"Luna and I have been dying to get back into action after so many years," Celestia said. "As scary as these Heartless may be, it's quite exciting to get back into combat. Probably one of the best Nightmare Nights I've had in years."
"Agreed," Luna said. "You two go on and deal with whatever is bringing the Heartless to our world."
"You girls be careful," Sora said before he and Riku flew off, slashing through the Heartless in their way as they quickly made their way to the forest.
Aqua grunted, struggling to get up on her hooves after getting struck by the Dark Hide's energy balls. She looked up, gasping in surprise as she stared into the eyes of the Heartless that had been hunting her down for so many years. It let out a low growl, telling her it was back to finally end her life once and for all. Aqua teleported away as its massive paw slammed down on her, getting far enough away from the Heartless she thought she was free from.
"Why can't I get away from this stupid thing!?" She looked over at her enemies, Maleficent barely able to move after getting struck by her earlier and Pete still trapped in a block of ice. As much as she wanted to get rid of them after what they had done, she didn't want them to suffer a fate getting torn to shreds by a beast of a Heartless that not even Xehanort could possibly control. She cast Fire on Pete, melting the ice and freeing him. "Get out of here, now!"
"Why did you-?" Pete stood up and looked at Aqua in confusion, his jaw dropping at the sight of the Dark Hide. "What is that!?"
With no time to answer, Aqua shot an Aeroga spell at the witch and her cohort, sending them flying out of the way a she nearly avoided another swipe from the Heartless. Its eyes were only focused on her as she ran through the trees, letting out a growl as it began to hunt down its prey. After recovering from getting flung back by the blue unicorn's magic, Pete got back up as he watched the trees topple over from the monstrous Heartless.
"I think it was this way!" Pete winced, hearing Sora's voice, not willing to risk getting caught after Maleficent's plan started out so well, then backfired when Aqua arrived and the Dark Hide destroyed the magical portal. Quickly grabbing Maleficent, despite her weak struggles to make him let go of her, and her staff, he hid in some deep foliage just outside of the clear field as Sora and Riku rushed in. The two teens spotted the trail of fallen trees, heading deeper and deeper into the forest. "Whoa. Whatever charged down that direction must have gone berserk or something."
"There's no sign of Aqua," Riku said. "You think she's chasing-?" Riku paused when he noticed something gleam under the moonlight through the bushes. He spotted a green orb laying on the ground, connected to a familiar looking staff that was quickly snatched into the flora. Growling, he aimed his Keyblade at the bushes, shooting a ball of flames that incinerated the plant, revealing the culprits responsible for the attack. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Pete and Maleficent." Before the two teens prepared themselves to fight, they noticed the battered state Maleficent was in. "Wait, did Aqua beat you two?"
"Shut it, boy," the witch groaned, clutching her staff with her hooves as she used it as a crutch to stand herself up. "I'm already humiliated enough after having my plan backfire from getting beaten by her and that Heartless destroying my portal."
"...A portal to where?" Riku questioned.
"Where else would an endless mass of Heartless appear? Use your heads, you idiots." The teens gasped in shock, looking at each other, then back to Maleficent.
"From the Realm of Darkness!?" they both exclaimed.
"Obviously," Pete said. "And you call me a dimwit, Maleficent."
"If those Heartless came from the Realm of Darkness...then, that means..." Sora and Riku's faces went pale, looking back at the trail of destroyed trees. "Oh no...The Dark Hide's here AND it's chasing after Aqua!?"
"Hey, how do you three know about it?" Pete questioned.
"The same way Aqua knew about it," the witch said. "That Heartless looked like it had a vendetta against her. That explains why I haven't seen hide or hair of her during my previous plans."
"She needs help. Riku, you make sure those two don't escape," Sora said as he flew down the trail to help Aqua.
"Oh, they won't." The pegasus hovered slowly toward the beaten witch and Pete, tapping his Keyblade against his hoof as he leered at Maleficent. After hearing her lies and tricking him into hurting his best friend, he was ready to get back at her for making him her pawn. "Been quite a while since we've seen each other, Maleficent. I think I should get payback for making me fight my best friend and endanger the worlds. Along with making me side with the darkness."
"You would have made quite the apprentice, Riku," Maleficent said with a smirk. "But you should blame your own gullibility, believing someone you've never met and putting trust in whatever lies they might tell."
The teen growled, preparing to thrust his Keyblade straight into the unicorn's chest. Before he lunged forward and attacked, an Invisible got in his way, blocking his blade with its own. The distraction let Maleficent transport herself and Pete out of Equestria, the witch no longer resorting to summoning a portal to the Realm of Darkness with a Heartless that dangerous in the future. Riku destroyed the Invisible just as the green fire disappeared, both villains fleeing and hiding away in defeat.
"Damn it!" he shouted as he slammed his Keyblade into the ground. Riku had one simple job, even dealing with his own problem with the witch who ruined his and his friends' lives, and an Invisible distracted him and his eyes turned away from them. He calmed himself before he let his anger get out of control, looking back in the direction where the Dark Hide ran off to. "Forget them. We have a bigger problem to worry about."
Aqua leapt from branch to branch through the tree tops, leaping off each one to gain some distance away from the Dark Hide as it chased after her. The Heartless was still catching up with her, slashing through the trees with its claws as it destroyed everything in its path just to get its prey that had eluded her for far too long. It caught up and smacked her, sending her flying through the branches until she flew out of the forest, rolling across the empty plains by the base of a mountain nearby. She came to a stop, wincing in pain as the Heartless leapt out to pounce on her.
Aqua quickly rolled out of the way and leapt back, but as she landed, it reappeared in the air behind her, its pouncing merely an afterimage. It flipped and lashed its tail at the mare, smacking against the barrier she put up in her defensive stance. Before she could retaliate, she kept her barrier up as it slammed its claws down hard, straining her focus as each blow grew stronger and stronger. She heard her magical shield start to crack, shocking her as her hold wouldn't last much longer.
"Every single time...you get stronger and smarter after you're beaten!" she grunted. "Why couldn't you just give up!?"
Her question will forever remain unanswered by the beast that wanted her life, and her heart. It reared up on its hind legs, letting out a roar as it slammed both its claws down hard, the impact shattering through her barrier and flattening her into the ground. She could barely let out a cry of pain when her shield broke, its fists knocking the wind out of her as it left a print of her body in the ground. She squinted her eyes, wincing in pain as the Dark Hide leered at her, eyes flashing from yellow to red, as if waiting for her to get back up and try to stop it this time.
Aqua struggled to breathe, reaching out for her Keyblade with her hoof, her head pounding as any kind of spell she tried to cast gave her a painful migraine. The Dark Hide didn't attack her while she was now vulnerable, goading her to give it one final challenge before she finally fell. As she stood up, memories of the past resurfaced: her moments at the Land of Departure, meeting Terra and befriending him, meeting Ventus, their time training, anything that made her happy flashed through her eyes. But those faded away as she saw more of the bad and worst memories, even viewing moments in Sora's, Riku's, and Kairi's eyes while she was trapped in the Realm of Darkness. The loss of her friends, the three teens forced to fight in a battle that was hers, Xehanort's never-ending plans to obtain the X-blade and Kingdom Hearts, Aqua began to question why she continued fighting when all she could see now is despair and darkness.
She looked up at the Heartless as she stood on shaky legs, holding herself up with her master's Keyblade that was now hers. "Why...don't you just end me?...You have me...right where you want me..." She grew angry as she thought of Xehanort, the old master who betrayed them all and killed Eraqus, controlled Terra's body, and used Ventus as a vessel for the X-blade. Now he had put many more lives in jeopardy over his plans, unable to stop him for good as the three teens she met in the past have joined in this deadly fight. She ignored the throbbing pain in her head, using her anger to fuel her, the air around her growing cold, rationale as a Keyblade wielder thrown out the window as she had suffered enough pain, enough misery, and enough bloodshed. "...Fine...You want me to fight with everything I got? I'll do it!"
Aqua's horn flashed as she unleashed her rage, her magical surge changing her into the icy pony she became from her outburst toward Rainbow Dash a while back. Her body was now clear and her hair stood up in jagged spikes. The Dark Hide seemed to let out a growl of excitement as it was about to enjoy the fight against the Keyblade Master, but Aqua intended to end her long-drawn duel against the Heartless and be done with it. She covered the entire area in ice as she screamed in frustration, the Heartless standing firm as she ran toward it, her Keyblade turning into a giant sword made of ice.
As it was struck, it left an illusion and charged at her from another angle, melting the ice behind it as it lit up in flames. Aqua created a large wall of ice in front of her, barely slowing it down as she pushed back against the wall with all her might. It broke through and slashed at her, the enraged mare flipping back as she skated around the field of ice, firing gigantic icicles down upon the Dark Hide to impale it. She wanted it gone, dead, unable to focus on strategy as she used brute force and her powerful magic. The icicles went through it, screeching in pain as she slid across the ice to thrust her frozen blade deep in its skull.
Her biggest mistake was when she put up that ice wall to black the flaming tackle, a pair of red eyes gleaming behind Aqua as she rushed forward. The moment her blade went into its skull, she slayed an illusion, gasping in shock as she was tricked. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by four afterimages of the Heartless, all four fakes charging into her with no way for her to evade or avoid them. While she was smacked around by the afterimages, the real one leapt up high in the air. It fell down on top of her, the unicorn unable to move in time as it roared above her, slashing her hard as she was tossed in the air by a clone, sending her slamming into the ground and shattering the ice around her. It landed and created a massive shockwave around it, injuring Aqua more as she was tossed up in the air again, only to be slapped hard by the Dark Hide's tail, sending her flying to the base of the mountain.
She hit the wall hard, dispelling her magical surge, along with a sickening crack as she felt a large jolt of pain in one of her forelegs. Her leg hit a rough edge of the mountain, breaking the bone as it fell limp, sliding down it until she hit the ground. The pain inflicted on her, along with the migraine she felt again pounding in her skull, caused her to pass out as she collapsed. Her adrenaline forced her to wake up a moment later, her eyes squinting open to see the Dark Hide approaching her, a disappointed growl coming from its throat as her best was a bust.
"Why bother fighting it, Aqua?" In her delirious state, she saw an image of Xehanort looking down at her, grinning sadistically as he looked down at her. "In the end, you will all fall. Darkness reigns supreme, and you should have given in once you saved me." The illusion chuckled as he snapped his fingers, making Ventus and Terra's illusions appear behind him. Only, they weren't her friends: Ventus wore the same dark red and blue armor Vanitas wore, his eyes glowing yellow, while Terra's hair was white, his eyes the same yellow as Xehanort's as he was possessed by him. "Your friends and master are gone, Aqua. Darkness had bested them, and they are no more. Give in to the darkness and join them. End your suffering and embrace your fate."
The three humans in her delusion held out their hands to her. She didn't want to believe them, but she was so tired and wracked with pain that she didn't care anymore. She looked away from the illusion of her controlled friends and the man responsible for her misery when she heard the Dark Hide growling, getting her attention. It opened its maw, charging a Mega Flare to kill her at point blank range. Aqua didn't look away, awaiting her inevitable fate, wanting the pain of her mistakes to go away forever.
Before the Heartless fired after it fully charged its attack, Sora flew in and smacked its head up with his Keyblade, the surprised creature screeching as it shot its Mega Flare into the air, exploding and lighting up the night sky. The Dark Hide snapped its head down and screeched in fury at the pegasus, its eyes glowing red as it slammed its paw down on him. He avoided it and the razor sharp claws, jumping into its face and began slashing away. It soon lunged its tail forward to slam him into the mountain, but Sora dodged it, grabbing it tightly as it reared back, using the momentum to fling the Heartless far away from Aqua.
As it got back up on its feet, growling at the new Keyblade wielder saving its kill, Sora looked back at Aqua, seeing how badly injured she was. "Aqua, are you ok!?" Her vision began to fade as she passed out, seeing Ventus in Sora's place looking at her with a worried gaze before blacking out. "Stupid question. Of course she isn't..."
He faced the Dark Hide as it began to charge after him, now with a new prey to kill and steal their heart. As it reached halfway across the field from how far it was tossed, Riku flew in, tossing his Keyblade into the side of the Heartless's head along with a swift kick in the eye, making it screech in agony as it skid across the ground. He landed next to his friend, both teens ready to slay this Heartless that had haunted Aqua, hopefully for the last time.
"They got away," Riku said. "An Invisible popped up and distracted me, giving Maleficent enough time for her and Pete to escape."
"We'll deal with them when they show up again. That thing hurt Aqua pretty badly." The Dark Hide stood up, its yellow eyes turning a bright and deep red as it stared down the two stallions. "Ready to team up on it?"
"Whenever you're ready." The Dark Hide roared and charged forward, creating several afterimages of itself to surround them.
As the Heartless lunged forward with their claws ready to sink into the two teens, Sora sacrificed his mana to perform his Limit with Riku. The two stallions began flying around, unleashing a barrage of slashes with their Keyblades, staying together as they worked as one to destroy the fakes. Once the first phase of their attack was done, they alternated thrusting their weapons repeatedly around the real Dark Hide, moving too fast for it to swipe at them or attack back, even dealing in some extra ranged damage from a volley of dark orbs they shot out from their hooves.
In phase three, the two smirked at each other, hovering back to back as they began spinning around, their Keyblades shimmering with light as they alternated slashing at it and summoning thirteen blades of light, spiraling around them as they struck the Heartless repeatedly. It couldn't even counter or create a clone of itself to take the fall, repeatedly slashed at by the ethereal blades appearing from Sora and Riku's combined power. The two soon turned around, tossing their Keyblades above them as they hovered in the air, facing each other as they were surrounded by spheres of energy. The spheres clashed, creating a gravitational pull that kept the Dark Hide from escaping or using an afterimage as a meat shield, the energies from both Keyblades creating an explosive force that surrounded the area.
The power was too much for the Heartless to take as it screeched, its body burning away from the light as it evaporated in the explosion. Once the light faded away, the Keyblades fell back to their owners, Sora and Riku catching them as they saw no sign of the Dark Hide. They faced each other and hoof bumped, Sora grinning widely as they beat it with no problem.
"We're a good team if we don't tear each others throats out," he joked, earning a punch in the shoulder from Riku.
"And you instigate them," Riku commented. Their celebrating immediately stopped as they looked at Aqua, both teens racing up to her. She was unconscious and badly beaten, along with a broken foreleg from her impact with the mountain, but she was still breathing. "At least she's still alive. I don't know how she managed to survive fighting something like that on her own, even with the state of her mental health, too."
"And judging by the melting ice around her, she either did some really serious Blizzard spells, or she wound up in an enraged magical surge." Before they tried to move Aqua, the two had to splint her broken leg so they don't accidentally bend it out of place and end up causing her more pain than she's already in. Sora ran toward the forest and found a few decently sized pieces of flat wood from the splintered remains of the trees for a makeshift splint, Riku tearing away a bit of his Grim Reaper cloak to tie them to her leg. After making sure it was stable enough to move safely, the stallions carefully picked Aqua up, laying her down on both their backs as they began to slowly make their way to Ponyville. "With the portal gone, there shouldn't be anymore Heartless appearing."
"For now, at least," Riku corrected. "Let's take Aqua to the hospital and check on the state of Ponyville once we drop her off."
Sora nodded, making sure to keep an even pace with Riku as they made their way back to town.
The next morning, with there being thankfully little collateral damage from the Heartless attack, the buildings in Ponyville were patched up. It was unfortunate that Nightmare Night was ruined by the surprise invasion, but everypony was glad that Sora and his friends were able to protect them, along with the princesses as they were a part of Ponyville's holiday celebration without even noticing. They had no clue what that menacing roar was outside of town, but they didn't want to know; the only ones who did where the ones who were aware of what the Heartless really were.
In the hospital, Aqua rested in one of the rooms after Sora and Riku dropped her off last night for her serious injuries, including her broken leg. At least the staff were at work, knowing full well that a night like Nightmare Night could wind up with some young foals or rebellious teenagers getting themselves hurt with any dangerous pranks like spooking others with lightning clouds. Her left foreleg was in a cast while bandages covered her deeper wounds left on her by the Dark Hide. She slowly stirred awake, squinting her eyes open, awaiting the afterlife, or the Realm of Darkness, wherever she would go once she lost her heart to the Heartless.
She was still alive, inside a plain white hospital room, her body sore and in a lot of pain. She tried to move, only to grunt as her limbs shot up in pain. After getting pummeled by the Dark Hide, she knew she must have gotten some broken ribs and plenty of deep cuts from its claws. Aqua looked down at her broken foreleg, remembering the excruciating pain after smacking into the mountain. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was being saved by Ventus before the Dark Hide killed her, along with her delusion from the pain in her body making her see Xehanort and her possessed friends looking down at her while the old Keyblade Master taunted her, telling her to join them and fall into darkness. She shook her head, wincing as her head began to pound, knowing Ventus was still unconscious, and it was Sora who had saved her.
The door to the room opened up, Sora himself walking in with a bouquet of flowers in his mouth, grinning with relief as she had woken up after last night. "Hey, Aqua. Feeling ok?"
"...I guess..." Sora set the flowers down in a vase he brought along with him, placing it on the side table. Aqua stared at the assortment of flowers, almost forgetting how bright and colorful they were after so many years seeing nothing but darkness, even when she had been in Equestria for roughly a month. "Are those all from you?"
"Uhh, kind of?" The teen blushed in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's from all of us, even Celestia and Luna. I was unfortunately outvoted to deliver them to you, mostly because they all teased me at how 'close' we were while we were in Manehattan." Aqua let out a small laugh, seeing how flustered Sora was from his explanation. "Speaking of, we'll have to find some time to introduce you to the princesses here in this world. You should have seen their costumes last night. They were dressed as each other."
"That sounds pretty silly," Aqua said. "...So, what happened?"
"Well, good news, Ponyville is safe, and so is the rest of Equestria." He paused, unsure if he should tell her the bad news. She pressed him just from her gaze alone, needing to know exactly what happened with everything she didn't know or when she passed out. "...Bad news...Maleficent and Pete managed to escape from Riku after I chased you and the Dark Hide in the Everfree Forest."
"...They got away?" she asked. Aqua groaned in annoyance, leaning her head back against the hospital pillow. "I don't know why I bothered trying to save them when that thing chased after me. I wanted to kill her after she tricked Terra into stealing a young woman's heart for her in the Enchanted Domain and everything she did to you, Riku, and Kairi...But I couldn't when I heard that Heartless..."
"Yeah...We all kind of wish she stayed dead," Sora said. "I practically beat her after she had the darkness in her heart take her over, and I thought that was the end of her. Maleficent just doesn't know when to give up and crawl back where she came from." He let out a sigh, running a hoof through his mane. "This year's night of horrors turned out more horrifying than expected. Luckily, Riku and I killed the Dark Hide together before it got to you, or roamed about the world."
"I barely managed to hurt it this time...I don't know what I would have happened if you two didn't come after me." Sora chuckled at the compliment, happy to know that Aqua was safe now. As she looked at him, she kept expecting him to turn into Ventus again, unable to figure out why she always saw him. "...Sora?"
"Yes?" he said.
"...Do you think I'm losing my mind?" she asked, making Sora tilt his head in confusion. "Every time I see you, whenever I feel at my lowest, I keep seeing Ventus in your place. Am I hallucinating, or do I have a mental disorder from the trauma and isolation I've experienced for the past decade and a half?"
"...I...I don't really know," Sora said, a bit surprised to hear Aqua say something like that. "But I don't think you're crazy, if that's what you mean. You just want to help your friend, and since I remind you of him, you're probably just desperate to find his heart and wake him back up." She took his answer to heart, though she doubted herself a little. She didn't want to mention seeing Xehanort, Ventus-Vanitas, and Terra-Xehanort as a hallucination, telling her to commit suicide to end her endless misery. Sora stood up and stretched as he prepared to leave. "I better get back out there and see if anymore homes need some repairs from the attack last night. Get some rest, and hopefully in a few days, you're able to move around again. We want you to come along for the Equestria Games preliminaries for the main events. Riku and I are going to fight for Ponyville's team in the Struggle tournament, but I don't think the rest of the competition stands a chance against us."
He left the room and let Aqua rest, the unicorn letting out a sigh as she turned her head toward the window. "Even if you think I'm not crazy, I'm still mentally unwell...I was so level-headed, always focused in combat, never letting my emotions get the better of me...But in my time in the Realm of Darkness..." She spotted her clothing laying over the back of one of the chairs in the room for guests to sit in as they visit patients, replaced with the hospital gown she now wore until she was better. She fought against her splitting headache as she levitated her Wayfinder out of her clothing's pockets, lowering it down into her hoof. "...I still feel so alone, even with all of you around to help me..."
She brought her charm up to her chest and held it there, closing her eyes as she began to drift off to sleep as a lone tear slowly rolled down her cheek.
Happy early Halloween/Nightmare Night, everyone!
And I am also hyped for Kingdom Hearts 2.8 after watching the opening trailer for the game! I've been listening to the "Simple and Clean - Ray of Hope MIX" over and over, and I can't get the song out of my head! 
I cannot wait until it's finally out!
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Amazing, yet so sad. The links really helped set the mood, especially the Aqua one.
codex92 it fiit the game so well
the emaning of the song goes hope wehn all seem hopeless andthat hope is sora
this was an awesome chapter even though I feel deeply bad for Aqua from how bad she got hurt. I feel like that if she tells Celestia and Luna her problems, maybe their guidance and wisdom will help her out. and with her in bad shape physically and mentally, i feel like she really needs those that can be deeply close to her now more than ever.
With Dark Hide destroyed and Maleficent and Pete's plans put to rest, Sora and the others can now finally rest after the most horrifying thrill they ever went through. But even with the heartless defeated, it came with a price of Aqua almost losing her life and in serious condition physically and mentally. Will Aqua ever recover from the pain that scars her emotionally that Xehanort has left her? Will Sora and the others ever find a way to help Aqua before her condition gets far worse? if not, will Celestia, Luna, and King Mickey know how to help her? Will Twilight ever visit other worlds? Find out in the next adventures of My little Pony Soras misadventures in Equestria!
7682898 Timbo, dude, I know what you're trying to say, but ease those itchy typing fingers and read what you type before your comment comes up. Not being rude, but...
Check your spelling. It's not like making a comment is like a required test you had to take and you didn't study for it.
7682788 Thanks. Hopefully, I don't overuse the same songs for the parts I did put music links in the story. I love the music in Kingdom Hearts, and I can't help but use the same ones I like for different scenes.
Speaking of KH songs...Ray of Hope Remix of Simple and Clean for KH 2.8 opening trailer...
Season 4 looks good so far and I kind of feel bad for Aqua now...she's having these illusions of Ventus every time when she sees Sora.
7683427 the meaning of the ray of hope song is hope when all seem hopeles hope when there nothing to hope and that hope is sora at the end of the trailer which is sora saving aqua at the end
Poor Aqua. I hope you can find some peace, for it's hard for me to see you like this. I hope you can find your friends. They haven't given up on you yet. So you shouldn't either.
I wonder what will happen to Aqua in the new game. Also, that intro cut scene and song...I love them! They truly show the pain Aqua went through, and her attempt to recover from it. I can't wait for January, for I must know what has happen to my favourite Keyblade Wielder.
7685618 Same here, if I can get my hands on a PS4 before then. Curse you, money issues and real life!
Oh my gosh that was amazing!
After being in the Realm of Darkness for so long, I can imagine that some darkness may have seeped into her and her ice powers. C'mon! I wanna see some more awesome borderline ice supervillain stuff! I've often wondered how far Riku, Sora, and Aqua could take their element weilding powers if they were taught in a similar fashion to how Lea and the rest of the original Organization were taught.
We know Lea as Axel was able to do some crazy awesome shit with his fire powers and Roxas was able to do his own fair share of crazy awesome shit with his light based powers seeing his Limit Break during his boss fight with Sora. I'm sure he could probably do more than that, but they just decided not to show it. It makes me wonder what other new things Riku could learn or bring back and be able to control. Like his super powerful Dark Aura attack. Or what Sora could do if he was able to learn some of the tricks Roxas was able to do when he was still in the Organization
Lol, I expected Jack Skellington to show up and have it be a slice-of-life chapter. It was still interesting though, I can’t imagine what Aqua will feel when Discord betrays them. She will probably try to kill him on the spot.