//------------------------------// // What Happened to Aqua? // Story: My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria // by Codex92 //------------------------------// Aqua waited for some kind of reaction from the three teens she had met as children many years ago, but they just stood in silence as they stared at her. She figured they were trying to process when they had met her, but they were probably too young to fully remember her after leaving their worlds. Not even the Mane Six moved or said anything, while Lea's jaw had dropped at the sight of the mysterious woman hiding underneath her armor. Pinkie was the first to act, as usual when it came to meeting new friends, ran up to Aqua and grabbed her hand in her hooves, shaking it rapidly into a rough, yet friendly hoof/handshake. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, Aquatica!" The woman chuckled and gently pried her hand away, not expecting to greet one of the ponies so quickly. "It's Aqua. And it's nice to meet you too." "Let me introduce you to my friends from Equestria!" Pinkie grabbed Aqua's hand with her tail, curling it tightly around her wrist as she dragged the surprised Keyblade wielder over to the rest of the group. "You seem to already know, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Twilight, so I'll skip them." She bounded past Sora and Twilight, helplessly dragging Aqua while they shook their heads, feeling sorry for the Keyblade wielder as she began introducing her to their friends. "This is Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and the tall human with the spiky red hair that's more spiky than Sora's is Lea!" "Uhh, yes." Aqua managed to untie Pinkie's tail off her wrist, chuckling nervously. "Nice to meet all of you." "And you're not going to kill us?" Rainbow questioned as she hovered next to the woman. "I was just spying," she admitted. "I saw those odd ships and had no idea who was coming here to this world...But why are all of you here in this graveyard?" "We were searching for you," Lea replied as he approached Aqua, draping an arm around her. He gave her a grin, getting a bit too close to her liking. "How'd a woman like you go about becoming a Keyblade wielder?" "I wanted to protect the worlds from darkness, fulfilling every duty a Keyblade wielder has." Aqua grabbed Lea's arm and pulled it off of her. "And I would like my own space, if you don't mind." "Hey, just trying to be friendly." Lea chuckled, though the blue-haired woman was not amused. "Sure. 'Friendly'." Ignoring Lea, she walked past the ponies and approached Kairi. "You've really grown into a beautiful young woman, Kairi. Do you remember me?" "A little," Kairi admitted. "Ironically, the memory of you came to me not too long ago." "I'm actually glad that little spell I put on you had protected you for as long as it did." She looked down at the teen's hand, Destiny's Embrace gripped in her hand. "May I see your Keyblade?" "Oh. Ok." Kairi held out her Keyblade and gave it to Aqua. As the Keyblade Master held onto her accidental successor's weapon, she remembered acquiring a similar one back then after she saved Kairi from the Unversed. She was given a small bouquet of flowers the young girl had picked, the thoughtful gift adding an optional Keyblade in her repertoire. It was a shame she wound up losing them after giving them up trying to save Terra. She hid her sorrow though, giving it back to Kairi. "You're magically gifted," Aqua complimented Kairi. "I hope you've been practicing hard enough." "It was difficult, and kind of sudden, but I got the hang of it," she said. "...Good. Good." Kairi noticed Aqua had hesitated as she praised her for how far she had gotten, but didn't question it. She looked around, wanting to go into a topic that bothered her since she spotted them out here in the Keyblade Graveyard. "What are all of you doing here in this world?" "Well, it's not for the scenery, we can say that much," Rarity answered, shuddering as she felt more dust brush against her hooves, coat, and hair. "And this place is so arid and filthy. I need a shower as soon as we leave this dreadful place!" "We actually came here to try to find you," Sora said. "We told Master Yen Sid when you came to Equestria and helped Twilight. And we kinda wanted to see what the Keyblade Graveyard was like...but, I think we all kind of regret it after seeing this area." Aqua nodded in agreement, this land nothing but bad memories for her. "It is depressing here..." She looked around, seeing all of the many Keyblades stuck in the ground. They were once disturbed as one specific apprentice of the elder Keyblade Master made a living snake out of many of them, using them as projectiles to attack her and her long-lost companions. As she looked back at the non-Keyblade wielding ponies, she wanted to question why they were outside their world and threatening to destroy the world order, but after what she saw through that potion, she didn't have the heart to scold the three young warriors, or angrily lecture a bunch of colorful talking ponies that came from a little girl's fantasy. "Let's get out of this place and see Master Yen Sid. I'd like to hear about what happened while I was...on my own." "But what happened to you?" Kairi asked. "Master Yen Sid said you mysteriously disappeared and went missing until now." "I'll explain everything when we meet with Master Yen Sid..." Aqua slightly frowned, pulling out something from her pockets. In her hand, she held a blue charm in the shape of a star, similar to the one Kairi had made that Sora now has, though it wasn't made out of shells like hers. Sighing sadly, she gently closed her hand around it and brought it to her chest. "...I'd rather tell you all just once...It's...a long story..." On the way back to the Gummi ships and the flight back to the Mysterious Tower, Sora, Kairi, and Riku told Aqua about their adventures in the past few years, while the Mane Six gave them some more information on their home in Equestria. She already knew what had happened to them through the magic of the potion she kept hidden on her person, feigning surprise at the accomplishments the young Keyblade wielders had made. She really was proud to see how far they've come, and despite Riku's small moment where he sided with the darkness, they stayed as defenders of light and stopped Xehanort several times. But what made her upset was the fact that it was all her fault that they were in this mess. Once they reached the blocky spaceships, Aqua couldn't help but think that this mode of transportation for traveling throughout the worlds seemed primitive than using her glider. But, seeing the large group around her consisting of one adult, three young adults, and six ponies, they were reliable for bringing others along. She decided to ride along with them out of curiosity, finding the internal controls a lot more advanced on the inside than it seemed on the outside. Before they took off, she decided to travel with Sora and switch places with Pinkie, leaving Lea to deal with his new passenger. It was a different experience to sit around in a large ship and watch the worlds they passed than using her glider. She didn't have to wear her armor to protect her from the vacuum of space and not having to focus on one direction as she rode around to each world. And even though it was a bit slower to travel, it was a pleasant ride she could grow to like, but she would always prefer her Keyblade glider. Sora set the auto-pilot and turned around in his seat, unable to stay patient as he was dying to ask Aqua so many questions. "So, what do you think of the Gummi ships?" "They're...ok, I guess," she said. "Better for transporting multiple parties, but it's not as fast as my glider." "We could have warped to the tower, but I don't think the others want to have another case of jelly legs with the Warp Gummis. Well, except for Rainbow Dash." Sora pointed his thumb at the pegasus in the other seat, fiddling with the belt to try and take it off, but failing as her hooves couldn't get it off right. "We're going to use that warp thing when we get back to Equestria, right?" Rainbow asked, earning a nod from the teen as he laughed at her eagerness. "Sweet! It's like making a sonic rainboom, but a hundred and twenty percent faster!" "A what?" Aqua asked, never hearing of such a thing in all her life. "If Rainbow decides to show it off, you'll be amazed at how it looks than how odd it sounds." Rainbow nodded her head in agreement at first, but leered at Sora for calling the sonic rainboom an odd sounding trick. "So, earlier at the Mysterious Tower, Master Yen Sid had mentioned those gliders and that armor. You think you might be able to teach us how to make them?" "Master Yen Sid couldn't teach you?" she questioned. "Has he gotten too old to show an example?" "He said he preferred transporting with magic. And I don't think he mentioned he used to wear armor." Sora tried to imagine the old wizard in a full suit of armor, though the image in his head made the strict mage more awkward. He shook his head, getting rid of that thought as he looked at Aqua. "But...you can teach us. Right?" "You're really that eager to know how to forge your own Keyblade armor and call a glider from your Keyblade?" Sora nodded his head rapidly, grinning with anticipation as his eyes shimmered with eagerness. Aqua laughed at how excited he was, reminding her of Ventus after he warmed up to her and Terra. "Alright. I guess I can teach you." "Yes!" Sora cheered, pumping his fists in the air. "But you're not going to show both your armor and glider off every moment you get," Aqua warned before he began celebrating too much. "Is that clear?" "Yes, ma'am!" he happily said with a salute. "And how about us?" Rainbow asked. "Can we get cool armor too? Or does Twilight only get it?" "Keyblade wielders only, Rainbow Dash." The pegasus groaned in disappointment as she sulked. The ships soon reached the Mysterious Tower, setting down on the small strip of land outside of the enchanted tower. The others were already out of Gummi ships and were at the front entrance, but Aqua slowly stepped out and looked at the magical tower. Nothing had changed since the last time she was here. As much as she loved to be back, she would eventually have to tell everyone what had happened to her and where she had been for the several years she had been missing. A part of her hoped that Yen Sid wasn't home, but she needed to tell them what happened and why she wasn't able to help for all these years. Steeling her resolve, Aqua took in a deep breath and followed the others, climbing up the long stairway to the wizard's study. Once they stepped inside, Yen Sid was waiting for them, sitting at his study while going through his books. He looked up as he heard them enter, his eyes growing wide when he saw Aqua stand before his desk after over a decade since he last saw her. "I have returned, Master Yen Sid," Aqua said as she bowed to him, rising back up and standing at attention. "...It has been a long time, Aqua." Yen Sid stood up from his chair and walked around his desk. He stood before her and looked her over, surprised to see how different she looked now. "You haven't been heard from for several years. I expected the worst had happened." He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, his hardened eyes filled with relief. "Welcome back, Master Aqua." "Thank you," she said, slightly at ease as the old wizard wasn't mad at her for disappearing. "A lot has happened since then," Yen Sid said as he backed away. "But what happened to you?" "I hid the Land of Depature, as I was told by Master Eraqus before I went off to find Terra and Ventus when it was shrouded in darkness, and I left Ven there to hide him until I was able to find the pieces of his heart." As Aqua explained, the others listening were shocked to know that one of her friends had wound up losing their heart. Wherever the transformed world was and whatever it turned into now, they all hoped that Ventus was still safe. "Once the deed was done, I was about to head off to find Terra. While flying around the different worlds, I sensed a dangerous dark presence in Radiant Garden and went to investigate..." She pulled out the blue star charm out of her pocket and looked at it, the memory of that day forever haunting her. "...I found Terra...but...Xehanort took control of him...and I fought him." "What!?" everyone except Yen Sid exclaimed. "Xehanort did what!?" Sora asked. "He took control of his heart. It must have happened when we all fought back in the Keyblade Graveyard." Aqua tried to control her breathing, feeling her frustration and anger try to come out. She didn't want to lose her composure in front of everyone, and certainly not in front of Master Yen Sid. She was a Keyblade Master, and she had to show by example to the new Keyblade wielders to be strong, even if the painful guilt had welled up for many years over her actions. "I knew it was Xehanort because he was wielding that Keyblade of his...Terra's heart is gone..." "...Aqua?" She looked up at Riku, sensing the foreboding question that he was about to ask. "Back then, I remember meeting a man before you came by the islands...Was he your friend Terra?" Sadly, Aqua nodded his head. The teen lowered his head, slightly shocked as the young man who spoke with him, who gave him the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony and made him his successor, was forever gone. And having his body stolen by Xehanort made him want to take him down even more than his Heartless and Nobody had done, or rather, Terra's Heartless and Nobody. "...I'm sorry..." "No, I am." Riku looked up as everyone looked at Aqua in confusion. "Why are you apologizing?" Kairi asked. "It doesn't seem like what happened to your friend was your fault," Twilight reasoned. "But it was," Aqua said, clenching her fists in anger. "I managed to beat him. But I couldn't free Terra. After fighting Xehanort, his body began to disappear through a dark portal that appeared underneath him. I dove in after him to try to save him...but it was the biggest mistake I have ever made in my entire life." Lowering her head down, her face concealed by her bangs, she held out her hand and called out Eraqus's Keyblade. "We were both sent down into the darkest depths, and there was no way out. I was hoping there would have been a chance to save Terra, so I sacrificed my freedom, along with my old Keyblade and and armor, sending him back while I fell into the Realm of Darkness in his place." The room was filled with gasps of utter shock, even Yen Sid was horrified at what Aqua had done. "You saved the bad guy!?" Pinkie exclaimed, asking everyone's question for them. "What in all of the universe made you think that was a good idea!?" "Ya should have let that varmint fall and stay lost in that place," Applejack said. "...I should have...but..." Aqua began to shudder, tears welling up in her eyes as the emotional dam started to break. "...I did it to save Terra...I saved him, not Xehanort, but it didn't even matter. I did it because he felt like a failure after the power of darkness accidentally came to him during our Mark of Mastery exam, and he didn't trust me as I was ordered to bring him back home and threatened to tear ours and Ventus's friendship apart." Her hand shook as her grip on the Keyblade was lost, the weapon clattering to the floor as it disappeared in a flash of light. "Because I cared about him, I ended up causing you all so much misery." "Aqua, what are you talking about?" Sora asked, stepping up to the distraught woman. "We've saved the world from darkness plenty of times. We told you how we stopped Xehanort's Heartless, his Nobody and Organization XIII-" "Don't lie to me!" Aqua shouted, making Sora step back and wince. "What about what had happened to you, Sora? Your friends? Kairi!? Every single world out in this universe!?" She looked up at him, tears running down her face as she showed sorrow and guilt in her eyes. "You sacrificed your own heart to save Kairi...Riku was possessed by Xehanort too...None of you told me everything that happened...but I saw it." None of them had any idea what she was talking about. Sora, Riku, and Kairi told Aqua about their adventures, both around the worlds and in Equestria, but how she saw them go through their journeys and the terrible moments they didn't mention while she was in the Realm of Darkness was beyond them. Sora and Riku never even knew she was in the Realm of Darkness since their times there for only a few brief moments. Aqua pulled out the magical potion bottle and placed it on the ground, Twilight and her friends immediately recognizing what it was. "That potion," Twilight spoke up, seeing only a little bit of the white liquid remaining inside of it. "You swiped it from Discord?" "I heard that creature say it could see moments of the past, and I wanted to know what happened..." Aqua fell to her knees, everything she had seen still fresh in her mind. All of their moments where they fought, splitting apart as their world was destroyed, their destinies as Keyblade wielders thrust upon them in a time of crisis, the two young men before her lost in the darkness in some way and the young princess she swore would be kept safe, all of their troubles were her fault. "...I regret saving him...I shouldn't have..." "Aqua." She looked up at Yen Sid, expecting him to scold her and revoke her status as a Keyblade Master as she recalled her greatest mistake. Instead of being reprimanded, the elder man looked at her with sympathy, his eyes softer as the woman had explained her actions. "Do not blame yourself. You did what you thought was the right thing, but everyone makes mistakes." Confused, Aqua looked at the new Keyblade wielders and ponies, none of them showing any spite or anger toward her. They actually felt bad for her, having gone through the worst of times after losing two of her friends and wound up in the Realm of Darkness trying to save Terra when it was a lost cause. Being pitied only made her feel worse as more tears fell. "B-But I-" "Aqua, you were just trying to help your friend," Sora said as he got closer and knelt down in front of her. "If I were you back then, I probably would have done the same thing. I wouldn't have been able to get where I am now without the new friends I made from every world I've been to. Plus, it took a long while for Xehanort to begin his plans again, starting with his Heartless. If we're able to stop his Heartless and Nobody, then we can handle whatever else he might have up his sleeve." "He hasn't shown himself in a while, either," Riku said. "But no matter what he does, he's going to be dealing with all of us when the time comes." "And we'll help as best as we can, too!" Rainbow exclaimed as she flew above everyone. "Even though we don't have Keyblades...Or the Elements of Harmony anymore..." "Ah think Dash means we'll give y'all moral support," Applejack said. "Sora's done a lot to help us back home." "And he's dealt with villains who appeared in our own world I don't think anypony else could handle," Rarity added. "Discord being one of them with his chaotic magic." "Or going head to head against Sombra with his strongest of Drive Forms," Twilight said. "He had such powerful darkness in him that the only thing that could have defeated him was the light of a magical artifact from a long-lost kingdom called the Crystal Heart." "A thousand years with his heart fueled by darkness. Sombra sounds a lot more powerful than Xehanort, right?" Aqua just stared at Sora, knowing he was a lot stronger than he seemed, but nowhere near that strong. As she processed how positive they all were, even after all the worst of times they had experienced, she looked down at the Wayfinder in her hand. She probably won't let go of her one mistake for a long while, but Xehanort had been thwarted several times. Looking back up at Sora, who held his hand out to her to help her back up on her feet, she saw a small glimpse of Ventus replace him for a few seconds. Thinking her mind was playing tricks on her, she rubbed her eyes, drying away her tears and looking back to see Sora again. "...I guess...you are a lot stronger than you look." She took his hand and he helped her back up on her feet. "I knew you were very special when we first met all those years ago." "Just doing whatever I can to help others in need," Sora said as he grinned while putting his arms behind his head. "But, uhh...while you were in the Realm of Darkness, when exactly did you get out?" "A couple months ago," Aqua said. "I spent so long trying to find some way out, but while I was trapped there, I began to give up hope as the years passed." "I sense more story time!" Pinkie pulled out some popcorn out of her mane and began munching as she sat down in front of Aqua. Aqua looked at the others, having no clue how the pink pony waiting eagerly to hear a story like a little kid managed to keep a bag of freshly popped popcorn in her hair, but they all shrugged their shoulders. "...Ok then...Well, Sora, Riku, I'm not sure what parts of the Realm of Darkness you've been in, but I probably scoured every single inch of the Realm trying to find a way out. Pureblood Heartless appeared endlessly, but there was one that was far more fierce than a Darkside, but far more ruthless, and it was out to get me no matter how many times I beat it. Every time I slay it, it comes back, revived by the darkness around it and always seeking revenge every time I step away from the safety of the dark shore..." In the Realm of Darkness, through the shade of the endless abyss of darkness within this dangerous Realm, there were endless roads and platforms that lead around in long winding paths. No matter which direction one would go, it would always lead them back to where they began or in a new section of the massive lands. Heartless reign in this dark world, spawning in a never-ending cycle, pureblood Heartless continue to grow in the darkness as fierce creatures to escape this world and take over others and drown it in darkness for their next dwelling. Aqua ran through the endless section, no longer lost as she's been through this part of the Realm of Darkness one too many times to count in the past. The weaker Heartless became a nuisance to her as she slashed through them with her Keyblade, now hers after her master had perished by Xehanort's hand so many years ago. The only one that kept giving her trouble was what she called Dark Hide. No matter how many times she ran into this dangerously powerful Heartless, no matter how many times she's killed it, it always came back to try to kill her. She dared to look back, seeing the menacing yellow eyes through its invisible form, blending into the darkness of the world. Those yellow eyes began to turn red, then disappeared. Sensing the Heartless had moved, despite how big it was with it's highly impressive agility, she stopped running and tried to find it. "Why do you never learn to just stay dead!?" she shouted at it, the many years being trapped in the Realm of Darkness frustrating her to no end. She was also starting to go insane from her isolation, her patience growing thin and desperate to be free and see light and color again. She had no idea where that mysterious man she had met on those dark shores a while back was anymore, and she already missed his company. "Why don't you stop hiding and fight me!? Quit hiding like a little-!" Aqua was suddenly struck from behind as the Dark Hide tackled her with blinding speed, leaving a trail of flames in it wake. Pinning the Keblade Master down under its claws, she looked up at her enemy, seeing the same exact beast she had encounter many times. It had a jagged mouth, blue markings around its body, on its back and making up its mane were dark magenta tentacles, and around its forelegs above the purple claws clenching down on her were chains, almost like it was a caged monster that broke free from its bonds. Staring down at her, the Dark Hide opened its maw, a large orb of flames beginning to grow in its jaws, about to shoot her point blank with a Mega Flare. With her hand still holding onto her Keyblade, she called a circle of magical mines around her, the Heartless's claw being blasted up as the mines appeared. The sudden explosion and pain it caused made it roar out and lift its head up, shooting the Mega Flare up into the air. Aqua quickly vaulted back up on her feet and slashed its face, teleporting behind it as it tried to swipe at her. "Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!" Aiming her weapon right at its rear, she fired her own Mega Flare at point blank range, making it screech as it flew off into the air from the explosion. She didn't beat it just yet, the Heartless turning green and disappearing. It was an illusion, and even though it took a large chunk of damage from her spell casting, it was hiding in the shadows again. Growling angrily, she searched around for it again, this time aiming for it as she tried to lock on to it and perform a Shotlock ability. She managed to find it, its eyes glowing menacingly as it waited for her to turn around and catch her by surprise again. Completely locked on to the foolish Heartless, she received the maximum locks she could get on it and unleashed her Shotlock power, Lightbloom. Spinning rapidly in place like she was a figure skater on ice, she fired several beams of light out from her Keyblade that homed in on the Dark Hide, even from the distance they were apart. It reacted too late as the lights struck it, screeching in agony as the light found and unveiled it, unable to move as it flinched from the several thousand beams locked onto him. Aqua didn't let up and unleashed every bit of her Shotlock, repeating it again as she maximized it out again and fired more. As the second Lightbloom ended, she rushed forward before it could run from her again, sick of being treated like prey for the past several years. Yelling out in anger, she leapt up into the air as high as she was able, casting Deep Freeze to encase the stunned Heartless in a frozen mountain of ice. Diving down toward it, she stabbed her Keyblade down into its skull, repeatedly stabbing it into its frozen head over and over, going faster and faster as she took out all of her anger and rage into its head. With one more stab, the Dark Hide broke free from its icy prison and roared, Aqua holding on for dear life as it tried to fling her off. Not willing to let it toss her or smack her off with its claws or tail, she cast another Mega Flare, this time inside its head. The Heartless's screeching got higher and louder as the powerful ball of magic built up inside its skull, and once she fired, the blast sent her hurling into the air while blowing its head clean off. She landed a good distance away from the headless Dark Hide, slowly standing up as she swiped her Keyblade down to her side. She didn't look back as she heard the rest of its body go limp and fall over, the loud thud accompanied by it disappearing, fading back into the darkness to regenerate itself and attack her all over again. With the adrenaline slowly ebbing away, Aqua fell to her knee and clutched her stomach, the pain from the earlier attack finally making itself known. Casting a weak Cure spell over her to numb the pain, she shakily stood back up. As she looked up, the rest of the pureblood Heartless making themselves present as they appeared out of the ground or through dark voids. Shadows, Neoshadows, Darkballs, and Invisibles, all of them eyeing her and ready to deal the finishing blow where their most powerful of brethren could not. "Leave me alone," she uttered, not in the mood for another fight. They would never leave her be, all of them rushing toward her with claws, fangs, and sword. Casting a barrier around her to block them, she shattered it and sent a counter wave of light into them, destroying all of them with one blast. As more came, Aqua ran to the safety of the dark shores where none of the Heartless ever dared to tread. After navigating her way through the long and confusing paths in the Realm of Darkness, she reached the dark sandy beach of the Dark Meridian, an area that looks like the darker version of a sea shore, the sand and rocks as dark as the sky, the only sign of light coming from a dim orb that was either supposed to resemble a sun or moon. It was the only closest thing to light she'll ever see while trapped in the Realm of Darkness. Her legs gave out on her as she collapsed on her knees, panting heavily in exhaustion. She clenched her fingers through the dark black sand, sick of being in this Realm, sick of fighting the same Heartless day in and day out, sick of seeing the same places in this dangerous place. She looked up at the black sea, half expecting that man in the black coat to be there, but he was long gone. Wherever he went off to, she hoped he was somewhat safe. "I've searched everywhere in here," she said, slowly standing back up, her legs buckling but managing to stay up. "I'm stuck here...forever. Until I lose my mind...or I turn into a Heartless." Aqua slowly trudged across the sand, reaching one of the nearby rocks and sat down on it. She looked down at her tattered clothing, torn apart from so many stray Heartless attacks that she failed to notice while in her anger-fueled guilt or carelessness against them. "It's been almost fifteen years since it all started...fifteen years stranded in the Realm of Darkness...Sora, Riku, Kairi...I hope you three are ok..." As she rested from the tiring and repetitive war she's had against the Dark Hide and the pureblood Heartless, she noticed a small glint of light reflect off something in her peripheral vision. She looked over to where she saw the light, which seemed to come up from near the shore line. It wasn't like the small glimmers that came from the stones, which were more like stars in the distance than any form of light in the Realm of Darkness. Curious, she stood up, wincing as her tired body told her to rest, but she limped forward to find out what it was. Near the gentle waves lapping at the land, Aqua spotted what was reflecting off of the faux moon in the sky: an empty bottle. She knelt down and picked it up after digging it out of the sand, surprised to see something that came from outside of the Realm of Darkness wind up here. It wasn't like the potion bottles she had carried on her, more like what one would use to stuff a message in a bottle and send it out at sea. She noticed something else that was out of the ordinary in this realm along with the bottle, which was a slip of paper, a corner of it sticking out of the sand. Carefully digging around it and holding it in her hand, she brushed off some of the dirt and read what was written down on it. Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish. And who knows: starting a new journey may not be so hard, or maybe it has already begun. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky — one sky, one destiny. After reading through the oddly made letter, with no idea who sent it and who it was meant for, Aqua felt something magical that came from those words. The letter began to glow, surprising her as it slowly began to hover in front of her, slowly levitating itself over the shallow shore. The light grew brighter, blinding the Keyblade Master, the first true sign of light she had ever seen in so long. She squinted her eyes open, watching the page shoot out a small beam of light above it, creating a keyhole. "What is this?" she asked, hoping whatever this keyhole held may help her. Summoning her Keyblade, she aimed it at the keyhole and fired a beam of light into it. The light intensified, blinding her yet again as it began to form a doorway made out of light. Once she could see again, she gasped as she saw the light, the power it had similar to that of Kairi's when she first met her. "Light?...A door made out of light?" The letter floated back to Aqua, the woman taking it in her hand as she looked at it, then back at the Door to Light. "...Is this...a way out?" Stashing the paper away, she decided to take the chance, wading through the water and passing through, the overwhelming light warm as it drifted her to unconsciousness. It was a clear, sunny day down on Destiny Island, everyone in the town going about their day. Down on the island off the shore, the waves gently crashed onto the shore, the land empty aside from the tropical birds tweeting in the palm trees and tiny crabs skittering across the sand. Out toward the ocean, falling through the sky was what looked like a shooting star, which was an odd occurrence to see in the middle of the day, and it was falling straight toward the water. The star splashed into the water, barely disturbing the waves as it crashed. A moment later, Aqua poked her head out of the water and took a big gasp of air, being the "shooting star" and suddenly waking up to find herself underwater. She sputtered and coughed out the salty ocean water as she tread water, highly confused as to what had happened to her after she walked through that door of light. She began to look around, her eyes growing wide as she saw brighter colors aside from black, gray, dark purple and blue, and the yellow eyes of the Heartless. "...I-I'm...I'm out???" she questioned as she looked up at the sky. Aqua spotted the island nearby, recognizing it as the land she met Sora and Riku on. She swam up to shore and stepped foot on warm sand, still stuck in disbelief that she had finally escaped from the Realm of Darkness for over a decade. Feeling the heat of the sun on her and slowly drying her off was enough proof that she was out of that cursed Realm. "I escaped..." As happy as she was to know that she was glad to be back outside, she worried about what had happened to the other worlds if they were still in trouble. She pulled out the letter that had saved her, highly sure of herself that the light that came from the paper had definitely come from someone with a heart of pure light. "Once I realized I was free, I scrounged up some metal and forged myself a new pauldron, recreating my old suit of armor from my Keyblade's light." Aqua finished her story as she held out the same paper she kept that had helped her escape the Realm of Darkness. "I went through every world the past couple months to make sure they were all safe, and I was surprised to see that they all were kept safe from the darkness." "And that's when you came to Equestria and you rescued me," Twilight said, the woman nodding her head at her response. Kairi stepped forward and took the paper Aqua held, recognizing her handwriting and the words she wrote. "Hey, I wrote this. I sent this out to sea one day, hoping it would get to Sora." Sora looked at the paper over his girlfriend's shoulder, remembering those same words he read while he and Riku were stuck in the Realm of Darkness for only a few moments. "Huh. I knew I forgot something before Riku and I left. Maybe it was a good thing I dropped it, otherwise we wouldn't have met Aqua." "I guess this means I paid you back after you saved me back then, huh?" Kairi asked Aqua, the Keyblade Master nodding her head. "I still feel like I owe you a lot more, but we can call it even." Kairi surprised Aqua with a hug, catching her off guard as she was embraced by her successor. "Good to have you back, Aqua," Kairi said. "Yay! Group hugs! Everypony hug Aqua!" At Pinkie's exclamation, she and her friends joined Kairi as they welcomed her into their growing group of friends. Sora, Riku, and Yen Sid watched in amusement as Aqua was surrounded by the girls, though Lea grumbled at the girly mushiness he was witnessing. "Hey! You all know what this calls for, right!?" Pinkie leapt out of the group hug and landed next to Lea, surprising him as she pulled out her party cannon out from behind her. "A party!" "Wait, how did you get that-!?" Pinkie pushed the button on her cannon, the barrel aimed right at the man as he was blasted with confetti, covering him head to toe in the millions of small bits of party paper. As the mare fired her cannon more, shooting out a small buffet table with premade snacks, drinks, and sweets and decorating the study into a party room, Lea spat out some confetti that got into his mouth. "Never mind. Not going to say anything." As amazed as Aqua was at how Pinkie's cannon was able to set up a party within only a few seconds, she was a bit worried that Master Yen Sid wouldn't approve having his tower littered with party decorations. Turning her head to the wise wizard, she was surprised to see him going along with it as he poured himself some punch. "Well, I guess this does call for a celebration for the return of a Keyblade Master who had survived living in the Realm of Darkness for over a decade. A feat no one would be crazy enough to do on a dare." Taking that as his permission to party, Pinkie began playing some music as the others either got snacks or began to dance to the song that was playing. Aqua shook her head and grinned as she approached the buffet table, her stomach in need of food after spending so much time worrying about the worlds than her hunger. Yen Sid watched Aqua as she picked out her assorted snacks and got herself a drink, noticing the elder man catching her attention as she walked up to him. "You deserve a long deserved vacation for what you've gone through in the Realm of Darkness. Even after you escaped, you still look exhausted." "I can't afford to rest if Xehanort's still out there," she argued. "Who knows what he might do?" "He hasn't made his presence known since Riku had destroyed his younger self in the dream worlds. If he shows himself, I know you will help Sora, Riku, and Kairi take him down, once and for all." Aqua wanted to argue further, but she believed him. With her power combined with the young Keyblade wielders, there might be a chance that they can finally end the life of the man who started their troubles since day one. "I think you should accompany them when they head back to Equestria, Aqua." "To help them?" she asked. "Yes, and to train them to your level of experience as their master, too," Yen Sid said, taking a sip of his beverage. "Plus, you can relax there and ease your mind from all the trauma you've had in the past. Not to mention, creating gliders with their Keyblades and their armor for any rough encounters in the future." "Right..." While the party went on, Aqua watched Sora as he danced with Kairi, unable to place the odd hallucination she had earlier. She shrugged it off, deciding to finally take the time to take a break after the arduous battles from the past events and inside the Realm of Darkness, munching on her assorted snacks she picked out at the table. "It won't be easy, but I think we can finally put an end to all this madness Xehanort has wrought."