//------------------------------// // Aqua's Lamentations // Story: My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria // by Codex92 //------------------------------// Aqua found herself in a dark void, wallowing in her confusion, knowing she was fast asleep. She was afraid of trusting everyone, even her own friends. Trust was what brought her, Terra, and Ventus to where they ended up when they thought the war was over, but Xehanort was always several steps ahead of them. She felt like a fool believing the old man she once looked up to as a master, oblivious to his intentions since the very beginning. And all of them were far too trusting in anyone they come across, whether or not they were allies that helped them on their journeys. She trusted Starlight to help restore the Crystal Heart while she defended them, and even freed her from the punishment she gave the unicorn, but she was scared that her trust was going to be broken if Starlight went back to being the equality-making dictator she was, abusing her kindness and turning it against her. Everyone was apparently giving her a chance while Aqua refused, only wanting what was best for everyone's safety than how Starlight was feeling. Terra accusing her of being untrustworthy, and questioning if she would have given him a chance if he was corrupted or manipulated and they never met really hurt her. It was just like before when he thought she was spying on him, fearing he would lose himself to the darkness he tried to control, and now because of how different she was after being trapped in the Realm of Darkness, he thought she couldn't trust anyone anymore and was going to leave her alone, along with the rest of their friends. She didn't want to be alone. She spent so long alone back in that horrible place filled with nothing but darkness, leaving behind most of her sanity. "You don't trust me at all, do you?" Aqua gasped, looking around as she heard Terra's voice. His voice echoed in the darkness, but there was no sign of him. "You think I'm going to turn back into Xehanort. Lose myself to my darkness. You probably won't even hesitate to kill me if you never knew who I was, why I did what I did." "T-Terra?" she called out. "I-I would never-" "Maybe you trusted me too much?" Terra questioned, finally revealing himself as he appeared from the darkness behind Aqua. "Why else would you save me from the Realm of Darkness when you beat me while under Xehanort's control? It's a mistake that will stay with you forever." Aqua turned around, staring at the angry gaze of her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend at this rate. His hair suddenly began turning silver and his eyes yellow, looking like how he was when Xehanort took possession of his body, the Heartless Guardian that he had summoned hovered behind him as it rose up from his shadow. The Guardian leered at her, frightening her as her fight against Terra-Xehanort came back where she had to endure fighting something that was impossible to kill with a Keyblade. "Why didn't you just end my life?" Now she heard Ventus's voice, wanting to find him in this darkness, but her eyes were focused on the transformed man standing before her. "Vanitas wouldn't have tried to take control of me, and Xehanort's plans to acquire the X-blade would have failed. Did you care about me that much that you couldn't bear to stop me, even as the two of us united as one?" Ventus now appeared, walking up to stand beside Terra, his clothing changing to look like Vanitas's armor while his eyes turned yellow like Terra's had. "If you're supposed to be a perfect, law-aiding Keyblade Master, then how come you caused more trouble to every single world by letting us live? Everyone would have been better off if we died, but your heart was too weak to let us go." "I-I didn't want to lose you two," she tried to reason, starting to back away as the duo began moving closer. "I can't do any of this by myself. Not without you...I never meant to-" "So it was our job to pick up the mess you left behind?" Quickly turning around, Aqua found Riku and Sora walk into view from the darkness. They stood before her, both their forms changing as Riku now wore the dark suit he was in when he fought using the power of darkness years ago, while Sora's whole body turned dark as he went into his Anti Form. "Quite the leader you turned out to be, Aqua. Leading us all to our demise. Your choices are cursed, leading to Xehanort getting a victory in some way even with each loss." "Why do you even have a Keyblade anyway?" Terra asked. "What did Master Eraqus see in you?" "S-Stop...Please, stop!" Aqua begged. "I-I just...I just wanted to protect everyone!" "By turning yourself on everyone and not allowing them a chance?" Sora asked, his voice distorted while in his Anti Form. "Starlight was alone all her life, afraid to make friends for fear of losing them when they got their cutie mark. Is there even a shred of sympathy left in that cold husk of yours holding that shriveled heart rotted away by darkness?" "No! It's not true!" The four darkened males slowly approached her, her reasons failing to reach them. "I do care! I just don't want to make the same mistakes again! I don't want to bring the worlds into total darkness!" Aqua ran away, trying to find some way out, but all she could see was blackness: no light, no other colors, and it appeared to run on endlessly. She looked back, surprised to see the four boys slowly walking toward her, somehow catching up to her as if she was running on a treadmill. "I was only doing what I thought was right!" She grunted as she ran into something and fell backward, or more specifically, someone. Looking up, she gasped when she saw Eraqus blocking her path, staring down at her in disappointment with his arms crossed against his chest. She cowered under his gaze, confused by the fact he was here and terrified that he was going to scold her harshly just like everyone else was. "I was wrong to make you into a Keyblade Master, Aqua," Eraqus said. "How can a leader such as you bring so much destruction to the worlds? You have failed me." Her heart sank as her deceased teacher told her she failed. "I-I didn't...I thought-" "You disgust me. Even though Terra had used the power of darkness in your exams, he was at least able to realize his actions were wrong, while you continue thinking you know the right answer, even as you fail." He summoned his Keyblade on her, spreading out his legs and held his blade out like a samurai warrior. "It was a mistake to grant you the right to become my apprentice. Now, I will set things right." "No. No, please, Master!" Aqua pleaded, summoning her Keyblade to block his swing. His power was stronger than hers, knocking her blade out of her hands and sending it flying into the darkness. She tried to call it back, but it never returned, making her panic as she screamed in terror, dodging another swing and ran for her life. Aqua ran to where her Keyblade was flung, but there was no sign of it. There was something up ahead, only instead of her Keyblade, it was the Door to Darkness. She ran to it, trying desperately to pull it open to escape from this darkness. "Help! Somebody, please! I can't...I can't-" "You can never escape, Aqua." Startled, Aqua turned around to see Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy stand around her, giving her the same disappointed stares Terra gave her. "You're not as great of a teacher as you seem. How dare you think this way about the ones you call your friends?" "For somepony who claims I can be too generous, you gave up too much of your life to rescue Ven and Terra," Rarity scolded. "You save them, but you also doom them, and everypony else." "I guess we must be too nice and forgive everypony," Fluttershy added. "Even if they were once bad, you still treat them like a villain. Do you secretly treat Terra that way? Or Ventus, Sora, or even Riku?" "You're not all that loyal to us either if you assume everyone's going to kill somepony," Rainbow Dash brutally said. "I think you like it better being by yourself, right? Go solo, take care of things yourself? Yeah, real smart considering you're pathetic on your own!" "And you're never really happy!" Pinkie exclaimed angrily. "I can tell how fake a smile is from a mile away! In fact, I saw it the moment the thought came from the writer's head, even before he thought about it! You're not happy with anypony taking somepony's side who does deserve mercy! You're not even happy with yourself, and I'm not even sad to say I feel bad for you!" "Why don't ya just quit lyin' to yourself and admit you're a phony to all of us?" Applejack questioned. "Ya ain't tough; all ya are is a filly, thinkin' she knows everythin', but now you're so unsure that ya have to make up terrible excuses that not even y'all believe in." "I'm disappointed to know I became your student in the way of the Keyblade," Twilight said, summoning her blade and tossing it at Aqua's feet. She was speechless as everyone's words hit her hard, tears rolling down her face as she failed to drown them out, huddled helplessly against the Door to Darkness in the fetal position. "If you were my student in the ways of friendship, you would fail almost immediately. If Starlight doesn't deserve a second chance from you, than I guess the rest of us don't deserve one either." Before she could say anything in her defense, the Mane Six all screamed in pain as bolts of lightning fired down on them, eradicating the mares instantly into rainbow dust. Taking their places in the colored specks, she saw Vanitas, Maleficent, Xehanort, Torrent, and Starlight Glimmer, her mane as it was during her reign over her town of equality she ruled. "You shouldn't have trusted me, Aqua," Starlight said with a sinister chuckle. "You all are so gullible to believe me. As if I would ever change. Should have kept that little charm of yours on me instead of smashing it under your hoof." Aqua tried to stand up and flee, but Maleficent struck her with a bolt of lightning, paralyzing her as Xehanort and Vanitas charged her, thrusting their Keyblades in her shoulders, making her cry out in pain. She tried to struggle out of her pinned state, but Torrent sent a wave of ice sailing across the ground toward her, freezing the rest of her body as she was permanently stuck against the Door to Darkness. "You had so many chances, so many simple choices to make, but in the end, you miss that chance to make things right, and you make the wrong decision that costs you greatly...Including trusting me." "N-No...Please," Aqua begged, feeling humiliated and cried as her worst enemies mockingly stared at her, all of them bearing smirking grins as they basked in the Keyblade Master's misery. "Now, now, Aqua, you don't have to worry about regretting this little mistake," Starlight assured, her horn lighting up as darkness billowed around her and her glowing appendage. "Because you won't have to feel that regret any longer." A massive beam of dark energy fired from Starlight's horn, making Aqua scream as she waited for the inevitable wave of agony that would likely destroy her. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Aqua screamed as she quickly sat up, panting heavily as she woke up from her nightmare. She woke up in a cold sweat, back in the Castle of Friendship in her bedroom, her covers tossed and thrown around as she had flailed in her sleep. Her nightmare haunted her, making her weep as everyone's words brought her down to the lowest of the low, and she believed every word they said. She was afraid to see or talk to any of them, afraid to hear their words straight from their own mouths over her poor decisions as a Keyblade Master, as a friend, and as a living being. If Eraqus were still around, he would have probably felt disappointed in her and would have disowned her as a Keyblade wielder. She flinched when she heard the door open, Terra walking inside looking worried after hearing her scream. "Aqua, are you ok?" Aqua began to panic, scrambling off her bed and tried to reach the window to escape from him. "Whoa, whoa, wait! Aqua!" Terra dashed forward, quickly grabbing her before she managed to get the window open, making her scream as she flailed her hooves trying to hit him. "Aqua, stop! What's gotten into you!?" "Let me go!" Aqua demanded, forgetting about her magic to help her teleport out of Terra's stronger grip. She grunted, her hooves barely making him flinch as he dragged her away from the window and back to her bed. "Aqua, relax," Terra calmly said, forcing her down on the bed and pinned her legs under his. Even though she was overpowered, Aqua continued trying to break free, sobbing while keeping her eyes away from his. Eventually, her struggling grew weaker as she eventually gave up. "It's alright. You can tell me what's wrong. What's the matter?" Keeping her eyes shut, more tears rolled down her cheeks, forcing herself to tell him what's wrong with her. "...I-I...hate myself..." Terra gaped at Aqua in shock, feeling the unicorn shuddering underneath him. "You...You all h-hate m-me...I'm...a t-terrible leader..." "...Aqua..." Her voice lowered, muttering apologies and pleas not to be alone. Terra felt sorry for Aqua, reverting back to the broken mess she was back then. He let go of her forehooves, wrapping his around her barrel and laid down beside her, the mare allowing his embrace as she buried her face in his chest, clutching her hooves to his shirt as tightly as she could. All he could do was let her cry it out and let her tell him everything that was bothering her. "It's ok, Aqua," he said, gently shushing her while running a hoof through her hair. "Everything's going to be ok." The afternoon slowly turned to night, Terra waiting patiently for the next few hours for Aqua to calm down. He never left her side, knowing he couldn't leave her alone, even if she wanted to get away from everyone. That spa day for her was unfortunately going to be cancelled since the his scheduled appointment for her had already passed, but now, it seemed like Aqua might need some therapy with how miserable and lost she seemed. After he made sure she wasn't going to do anything crazy like trying to run away, Terra headed to the kitchen to brew them some tea, hoping a nice, warm drink will help settle her nerves. He had half expected Aqua to leave while he was gone, but thankfully, as he returned with their tea, she was sitting on the bed while staring at the mattress. "Hey. You feeling a little better, Aqua?" Terra asked, but he got no response. Gently closing the door as he walked inside, Terra made his way over to the bed, taking the tray holding a kettle and some cups over to the bedside table, then poured the two of them some tea. He gave Aqua her cup, the unicorn slowly taking it, her eyes averted from him as she took a sip. "What's wrong? You're even more on edge than ever after we saved the Crystal Empire. Right after you gave Starlight a chance and allowed her to use her magic." Aqua cringed as Terra mentioned her decision to let Starlight off easy, which only unnerved her more as the old Starlight in her nightmare was probably going to come back. The stallion noticed her shivering, her eyes staring into space as her thoughts began to run wild. Terra gently rested his hoof on her shoulder, making her flinch at the contact, but it at least pulled her out of her head and back to reality. Aqua swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes shifting to look at Terra's hind legs as he sat beside her. "...Terra?" Aqua finally asked, getting Terra's full attention as he patiently waited for her to speak. "......A-Am...Am I a good leader?" "...Well, yeah. Of course," Terra said. "You've got more knowledge about the Keyblade than me or Ven, your magic skills are incredible, and you survived in the Realm of Darkness for ten years. Why would you ask that?" "...Because...I feel like I belong in a hall of infamy for my poor leadership skills," Aqua muttered depressingly. "Aqua, that's crazy. You have what it takes to be a leader," Terra said, trying to reassure her. "You became a Keyblade Master during our exam. Master Eraqus knew you would succeed, and I still needed training after my darkness appeared during our duel. Hell, even after all these years, I still don't feel ready to be a master just yet." "Then why do my choices to make everything better only make things worse!?" Aqua shouted in anger and sorrow, squeezing her cup in her hooves as more tears ran down her face. "I drove you and Ven away from me when I tried to bring you back home by Master Eraqus's orders! I hid Ven's body away in what remained of the Land of Departure when I turned it into Castle Oblivion, which those Nobodies from that Organization XIII who found it almost discovered him and could have possibly killed him! And I saved you when Xehanort possessed your body, which only lead to him causing more havoc, getting Sora, Riku, and Kairi involved in our fight, and I caused more worlds to fall into darkness because I couldn't bear losing you to the darkness!" "...Aqua-" Terra tried to interrupt, but the mare continued her frustrated ranting, squeezing her cup harder as it began to visibly crack. "And even when I escaped the Realm of Darkness after all these years, I still kept causing more harm!" Aqua continued. "I lose MYSELF to my own darkness out of loneliness, nearly destroyed Equestria and lost myself when Torrent appeared to me! I'm overly skeptical and lack any trust for anyone when they do something that's completely ridiculous, like Rarity's overly generous nature when we went to Manehattan for that stupid fashion show of hers! And now, all of you against me by what I know was rightfully justified with Starlight's actions for taking away ponies' cutie marks, stealing ours and keeping us prisoner, escaping us, and trying to change the past so she could get her revenge, causing so many alternate timelines where everything ended up in disaster, killing billions upon BILLIONS all because she missed her friend she never even bothered to try and keep in touch with!" Aqua's hooves slammed together, shattering her teacup into pieces, some of them flying off around the couple while a few sharp shards were embedded in her hooves, the last of her tea splattering on her lap. She barely flinched as she looked at her forelegs, some blood spilling from her wounds, but she didn't care. Terra did, however, only growing more concerned by the unicorn doubting herself so much while believing no one understood her thoughts. "Aqua, we're not against you in any way," Terra reassured calmly, taking her hooves and carefully pulling out the shards in her hooves. "All of us wanted to see Starlight get her just desserts, but...we all thought you were going a bit too far with your idea of bringing her to justice. We all know how much you've been through, and we can see how difficult it is for you to try to live a normal life while acting as our superior Keyblade Master, but Starlight doesn't deserve a death sentence." "Yes you are!" Aqua argued, pulling her hooves away from Terra, leaving a couple shards remaining to be pulled out as she glared at him with a pained expression. "You said I couldn't trust her, but I trusted you when Xehanort possessed you and tried to kill me! You gave me that same look like you did back then when I said something wrong while trying to bring you back! You HATED my opinions, guilt-tripping me and making me feel like I was doing the wrong thing! I can't even tell what's the right or wrong decision to make anymore because I can't even trust myself! I don't want my decisions to be mistakes, and I don't want you or anyone else to leave me..." Aqua began to sob, her anger ebbed away as complete sorrow reflected her eyes as she stared at him, silently pleading him not to leave her. "...I don't want to be alone again...I-I...I don't...want you t-to...h-hate me again..." Terra stared back at her, feeling a bit guilty for his attitude back in the Crystal Empire. He only meant to try to make Aqua realize that blaming Starlight at such a critical moment when the empire was under attack needed to stop so they could concentrate on rescuing everyone. He didn't notice just how hurtful he was and forgot Aqua's demeanor since her solitude in the Realm of Darkness for so many years had drastically changed. She only had herself while trapped in there, struggled for survival that none of them have ever experienced, and despite being free, she felt so much more vulnerable than ever. Aqua looked away from him, curling up in a ball on the bed and sniffled. It pained him to see her like this, the old Aqua he knew back then changed after so much pain, loss, loneliness, and despair. Now, she was a very sensitive woman filled with fear of being alone, of losing everyone she loves again, and despite her attempts to try to do the right thing, she doubts everything will ever be fine and feel responsible for the negative outcomes she highly expects. "...Aqua..." Terra moved closer to Aqua, gently wrapping his hooves around her again, lifting her back into a sitting position and held her close to his chest in a warm embrace. He brushed his cheek against hers apologetically, hearing her sad whimpers breaking his heart. "I'm sorry...I could never hate you." He let out a sad sigh, nuzzling his cheek against hers as his forehooves moved to hers, gently grabbing them while avoiding pricking her more with what shards of the ceramic cup were still left in her hooves. "We're never going to abandon you. Especially not me, or Ven. The three of us have been through so much together. And I don't want you to feel like we don't care about you. "...I think part of me wishes to bring the old you back...but that seems like wishful thinking with how sensitive you are now...With how emotionally and psychologically broken you are..." Terra continued pulling out the last few shards in Aqua's hooves, freeing her from the slight jabbing pains she felt numb to. He reached his hoof over to the bedside table, opening the drawer and rummaged through it to pull out some bandages. He gently wrapped Aqua's forehooves up, giving them a gentle squeeze and continued holding her. "But we need you, Aqua. Without you, I don't know where we would have ended up." "I can't," Aqua mumbled. "I'll just screw up..." "No one's perfect," Terra said as he gently cupped her cheek in his hoof, turning her head to look at him. "I've screwed up a lot. So has everyone else." He leaned his head forward, pressing their foreheads together as their muzzles touched. "Without those mistakes, we don't learn from them and prevent them from happening again...I know they'll bug you for the rest of your life, but don't let that fear make you believe it's the end of the world if you think it's going to happen again." Terra gave Aqua a light peck on the cheek, making her wince a little, but she didn't shy away from him. "Starlight's learning, too. You gave her a second chance, even though it was a desperate situation. And even though she was willing to give up her ability to use magic again when it was over, you didn't put that choker back on her. You trusted her enough to know she's willing to change for all of us." Aqua looked away from Terra, still unsure if what she decided was right or wrong. "...I did it out of confusion...and fearing you would leave me," she admitted, reaching a hoof to touch his that still held her cheek, squeezing it desperately. "I'm still afraid she'll relapse...She'll hurt us, and only prove how right I was at the time...What if it does happen?" "Then you have every right to say, 'I told you so,' but you won't have to worry about that at all," Terra reassured. "If it actually does, then you can scold me, zap me with magic, turn me into an ice sculpture, whatever you want to do to make you feel better." He managed to make Aqua smile a little, considering the idea if her instincts were right all along. Her smile faded as quickly as it appeared as she sighed. "It'll all get better soon, Aqua. I promise. I know you still need a lot more time to recover." Gently turning her head back to him again, Terra leaned closer and pressed his lips against Aqua's in a soft, passionate kiss. She let out a weak whimper, her tense body slowly relaxing as he felt his tender hoof gently caress her cheek, making her tilt her head slightly from the affection he still showed her despite her fears of them breaking up. Terra pulled away, to her disappointment, but not too far, his muzzle mere inches from hers. "I love you." Aqua tried to speak, her mouth opening and closing slightly, but instead of using words, she leaned forward and kissed Terra. He took that as her saying she loved him back, returning her kiss as her forehooves moved to wrap around his neck, pressing herself closer as she deepened their kiss. She was still scared, but Terra managed to assuage those fears with his comforting words, if only a little. She shifted her body until she was sitting in front of him, their lips still locked in a passionate seal of love, still shedding tears, but out of relief and longing for more reassurance instead of sorrow. Terra gently lowered Aqua down on her back, breaking their kiss for a moment to gently brush his hooves against her cheeks, wiping away her tears. She silently begged him to come back, her fear of him leaving her during this moment fading as he moved lower, peppering her neck with soft kisses that made her squirm. She wanted more, gently tugging his spiky mane with her bandaged hooves to pull him away from her neck and back up, letting his lips brush against hers. Obeying her silent command, the couple kissed again with more passion than the last, Aqua letting out a moan as she felt Terra's tongue lap at her lips, meeting it with hers as their tongues danced the lover's tango in each other's maws. Aqua's legs wrapped tightly around Terra, pulling him closer, feeling safe under him as their bodies rubbed against each other, their tails intertwining in a romantic gesture, making the unicorn under the strong earth pony lose herself in passionate bliss that made her fears melt away. As the early morning sun rose, the rays of light shone on the town of Ponyville. The light reflected off the crystal walls of the Castle of Friendship, thankfully not blinding any homes nearby and waking up any ponies who still wanted to sleep in before the sun was up higher in the sky. Inside one of the many bedrooms of the castle, Starlight forced herself awake, letting out a groan as she sat up in her bed. She expected her next friendship lesson with Twilight to be bright and early, and she wasn't much of a morning pony. Letting out a tired yawn, the heliotrope mare stretched, slumping over with a smack of her lips as she got up out of bed, got herself cleaned up, and left her room. Using the map again, to her chagrin, she tried navigating her way around the castle once again with it. "Ok, so, I have the layout of the castle, but I have to remember where each room is, and remember what floor I'm on...It still sounds convoluted. If only I could use my magic to-" Starlight paused, completely forgetting she was no longer bound to just using basic levitation anymore thanks to Aqua trusting her. Despite her giddiness, after seeing her freak out on the train yesterday as they came back to Ponyville, she felt worried that maybe Aqua really didn't trust her, and she wasn't thinking clearly after telling her just how miserable she felt after all her failures and mistakes she made in the past. "...I think my freedom might really be just a blessing in disguise if she still isn't in her...'delerious' state." While Starlight wandered the halls, she wasn't too far from Aqua's and Terra's bedroom, the blue unicorn slowly waking up after a thankfully dreamless sleep. She wasn't plagued by that nightmare like before, though that didn't mean her worries were still there. As she shifted a little to stretch, she felt Terra's hooves wrapped around her barrel, looking down to see him holding her, the both of them stripped of their clothes. Last night came back to her: her conversation with Terra about her anxiety and fears of failing as a leader, his comforting words and touch, even the passionate moment they shared that she desperately needed. She at least felt a little better, though those doubts of hers still lingered, just not as strongly as before. She rolled around, still held tightly in Terra's embrace, staring at her lover as he continued sleeping, watching his muscular chest rise and fall with his gentle breathing. Now that her head was a bit clearer, she was thankful to know Terra wasn't going to leave her, nor would anyone else. She should have let bygones be bygones, just like with how Terra first acted toward her when they first met as kids, Terra's search to try to control the power of darkness that came to him, or even with Sora and Riku when they had lost themselves to darkness, the former out of his control while the latter possessed by that same darkness from the man who guided Terra down the wrong path. And despite her protests with everyone forgiving Starlight for her actions, she thought that maybe her past living alone with the fear of losing friends as soon as she made them was understandable from the mind of a child believing the outcomes would always happen. Aqua let out a quiet sigh, needing to have a talk with Starlight today, but she needed a shower first. Before carefully squeezing out of Terra's grip, she gave him a small peck on the lips, making him stir slightly, but he was still deep in his slumber. She made it worse when he held her tighter, having a pretty nice dream as his hooves seemed to roam a bit lower down her body. Aqua squeaked when he squeezed her rump, leering at the dreaming stallion and wore a predatory grin despite him sleeping, apparently his dream far more pleasant than it seemed. Using her magic, she pulled his hooves away from her while also preventing him from waking up, deepening his slumber for just a little bit so she could crawl away from him. She stepped out of bed, hissing slightly as she landed on her forehooves. She looked down at the bandages, her hooves still a bit sore after breaking her teacup last night, but Terra had at least dressed her wounds and stopped the bleeding after pulling the shards out. Being careful, she made her way to the bathroom, turned on the hot water, and stepped inside and taking off her bandages. While the water ran over her body, she looked down at the small cuts she gave herself, nothing too serious that a simple Cure spell could remedy. Once she cast the spell, she sighed and relaxed under the showerhead. Even though she's taken it easy sometimes like when Terra takes her to the spa for some R&R, she was always worrying about something going wrong, the state of the worlds and the threat of darkness, and trying to live up to the same standards Master Eraqus had as a Keyblade Master. She figured that, for once in her life, she really should just take a vacation, even spend some time away from protecting the light of the worlds from the Heartless and training with her Keyblade. After her shower, quick-drying her fur and hair with a spell, she walked back in the bedroom and picked up her clothes, though they were a bit dirty after getting roughed around by the Heartless back in the Crystal empire, and the scent of tea she and Terra drank last night lingered after she spilled it while smashing her cup to pieces. Levitating her clothes beside her, she decided to go out in the nude, even though ponies never really wear clothes in the first place. Right as she was about to head off to do some laundry, Aqua and Starlight grunted as they both walked into each other, startling the Keyblade Master as she held her Keyblade out toward the other mare. "Ahh! Whoa! I'm not evil!" Starlight shouted, holding her hooves up in surrender. "S-Sorry," Aqua apologized, dismissing her blade. "Reflexes...instinct...Maybe even hallucinating from my insanity." Starlight blinked in confusion, especially at the last, utterly horrible reason for her brandishing her weapon on her. "...Never mind.." Both mares silently, awkwardly looked around them aside from each other. Neither one had any idea what to say, and Aqua's earlier statement on her own mental health supposed to be a joke, but even she found it cold and depressing. "...Well, I'm...going to get my clothes cleaned." Aqua turned to make her way to the castle's laundry room, but Starlight stopped her before she could leave. "Wait, Aqua." "What is it, Starlight?" Aqua asked. "...Are...Are you...feeling alright?" Starlight asked worriedly. "After yesterday, you were kinda...having an episode of sorts..." "...I'm fine," Aqua said. "I just...I think I need some psychological therapy that I've neglected to seek...Terra helped ease my ever-growing fears and anxiety a little." Her cheeks began to turn pink as last night's session with him played back through her head. "Or I really needed him and had to let all my stress out. Which I still have a lot of..." Starlight scrunched her muzzle in awkwardness, but she knew where Aqua was going with her brief summary of her night with Terra. "I...see...Well, at least you're still going to give me a chance and not secretly thinking of blasting me to the moon if I did any magic that looks harmless but you believe is too dangerous, right?" Starlight grinned nervously as she waited for a response, sweat starting to form around her head as Aqua's answer didn't come. "...Or you still can't trust me and you were speaking out of your lost thoughts..." "...I meant what I said on the train," Aqua said. "I'm willing to give you a chance. I acted out because I wanted to prevent disasters that came with trusting someone I thought I could before I sacrificed myself to the Realm of Darkness for Terra. But, I still have my doubts, even with my mind cleared and assured nothing bad will happen anymore. So, I apologize for giving you such a harsh punishment, thinking more about swift justice by ignoring how severe a child's imagination can run wild over something as simple as losing a best friend." "R-Really?" Starlight asked, always getting surprised by Aqua's forgiveness slowly becoming more sincere after some time between each one. "Even after I stole your cutie marks, rendered you powerless, and tried to change the past over half a dozen times?" "Well, you're still going to stay here in this castle," Aqua reminded Starlight. "...And you're punishment still stands. Only this time, I think it's enough for you to be Twilight's student as punishment enough. Have fun getting migraines from her overly studious habits during your lessons." For the first time, to Starlight, Aqua gave her a playful smirk. It unnerved Starlight a little, but she laughed a little, mostly out of nervousness as she got her synopsis on the lessons she would learn with Twilight. Aqua's smiled faded a little as she began to think. "Speaking of forgiveness...have you gone back to that town you created to see the ponies there?" Starlight cringed, gulping audibly in fright at the idea of seeing those ponies she manipulated and lied to again. "...N-No...Why would I want to go back there?" "To make amends with them and show them you've changed," Aqua simply stated, which only made Starlight worry even more. "Don't start worrying. If we're all too forgiving of a group to let your past actions go, those ponies there surely will. Equestria's too nice of a world to let grudges stay forever." "How do you know they'll even forgive me?" Starlight asked. "...Sora forgave you, and you got him killed in the alternate timelines you created. Do you have any idea how nice he can be, especially to someone who's supposed to be our enemy?" Starlight saw Aqua's point, even if Sora had scolded her harshly after he beat her back in the past. "Yeah...That's a downside, but his heart is probably just as pure as Kairi's." Aqua shook her head, unable to believe that Sora, out of all of them, had the potential to be a Keyblade Master while also having the strength to finally defeat Xehanort when the time comes. She could only hope that his skills would truly be enough, along with the power of friendship to aid him in his fight. Taking her clothes, she began walking down the hall. "Starlight, meet me outside." "Uhh, why?" she asked. "When I put my clothes in the wash, we're heading off to that town," Aqua said, making Starlight balk in shock, confusion, and anxiety. "W-Whoa, wait, what!?" Starlight exclaimed. "Today!? B-But, are we skipping one of Twilight's lessons? I think she had planned me to go back there and apologize to them for stealing their cutie marks and lying to them, but not so soon after I just made up with Sunburst!" "Well, some lessons need to be learned sooner," Aqua stated. "Much like how rules are made to keep order, but they end up getting broken regardless. That rule applied to us Keyblade wielders interfering with the affairs of other worlds, but we have to when Heartless are involved. Kind of counterintuitive to have learned for so long when the fate of a world is at stake when you think about it." Aqua continued walking until she was out of sight, making Starlight think about how important a Keyblade wielder's task was while contemplating their existence was supposed to be secretive. That was overruled when she realized Aqua does intend to help her make amends with everypony in Our Town, whether she wanted to or not. Shaking nervously, Starlight made her way outside the castle to wait for Aqua, managing to find the exit by herself with the map. It didn't take long for the Keyblade Master to walk out the doors and meet up with her. "Ok, so, maybe the train ride over will help settle my nerves," Starlight said aloud. "It'll take, what, an hour just to get to the end of the line? Then a half-hour walk across the valley to reach it? I think that'll be enough time." "We're not taking the train," Aqua said. "Huh? We're not?" Starlight asked. "Then...how are we getting there?" Instead of answering her, Aqua decided to show her. Summoning her Keyblade, she gave it a hard toss up in the air, confusing Starlight as she looked at the sky. Before she could ask why Aqua did that, she saw a glint of light in the clear morning sky, then gasped when she saw something fall in place of the blue unicorn's Keyblade, or rather flying down toward them. Aqua's glider swooped toward the ground, coming to a stop as it hovered a couple inches above ground. "W-W-Whaaaaaaa...!? W-Where did-What is-How did that-Huh!?!?!?!?!?" "To answer your questions: this is a Keyblade glider, it is my Keyblade transformed into this using my light, it was a method of transportation between worlds for Keyblade wielders, and it's always different depending on the wielder's preference to travel," Aqua said. Starlight was speechless as she stared at the glider, her jaw agape as her brain couldn't process the answers fast enough, some of the questions in her head still unanswered about this highly advanced vehicle. "...It's also a really cool way to travel." Aqua hopped onto her glider, baffling Starlight as she saw her somehow able to sit on it without there being a seat. "And it's safe. Get on." "Uhh, that thing is safe???" Starlight questioned. "I think I'd rather hold onto Rainbow Dash's back if she flies me around somewhere and back than ride...that, thinking Rainbow's safer than...this gliding thing!" "Just get on and quit stalling," Aqua commanded, Starlight tentatively approaching the glider and stepped on, getting behind Aqua and wrapped her forelegs tightly around her barrel. "So, we're just going to stay a few feet off the ground when we get there, right?" Starlight asked in a pleading tone. Unfortunately, her pleas were ignored as Aqua maneuvered her glider up higher into the air, making Starlight cling onto the Keyblade Master tighter. "Or not! Higher's even worse!" "You were able to fly using your magic when you were trying to change the past," Aqua reminded the terrified unicorn. "If you fell, you could just hover in the air." "I had a vendetta and focused on that more than fearing heights!" Starlight argued. "Me meeting with everypony back in that town again to 'make amends' is making me nervous, and I can't concentrate when I know it's going to end badly!" Aqua rolled her eyes, ignoring Starlight's screams as she flew off once they were high enough in the sky. There was one thing she ironically had in common with Starlight, and that was overthinking the simplest of things, always being more pessimistic than optimistic with their expected outcomes. It only took them a few minutes to reach the valley close to where Starlight's old village she built was, landing far from the small town's sight so the ponies there didn't see them. Once Aqua's glider touched down, she stepped off it with a shaking, terrified Starlight clinging tightly to her body. "We're on solid ground. You can let go now." Starlight looked down, dropping to the ground and began kissing it repeatedly. "I'm so thankful I wasn't born a pegasus!" she exclaimed. After getting reunited with the ground, Starlight stood up and leered at Aqua. "...Did you do this on purpose to get back at me for what I did?" "Well, considering you were scared out of your mind...I think so," Aqua admitted. Her glider disappeared in a flash of light, bringing Starlight's attention back to their objective as the blue unicorn walked ahead, overlooking Our Town down below. Starlight stood beside Aqua, swallowing audibly as she worried how everyone she had tricked would react to seeing her again. "Time to see how these ponies are faring after all this time." Starlight reluctantly followed Aqua, reaching the edge of town, where they saw Double Diamond, Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and Night Glider in the middle of a conversation. Night Glider was the first to notice them, alerting the other three when she saw Starlight approach them. They stared at her suspiciously, wondering why she had returned and wary of what she would do, slightly surprised by the change in manestyle. "Hey...Aqua, was it?" Double Diamond asked. "Nice seeing you all again," Aqua greeted. "It seems like everything's going well after we all left." "It has," Sugar Belle agreed. The quartet leered at Starlight, standing behind Aqua while awkwardly kicking the dirt, hoping if she can't see them by looking at the ground, they won't notice her. "But what's she doing here?" "Don't tell us she's come back to take our cutie marks again," Party Favor said. "If she were, I would stop her before she went on a cutie mark snatching spree," Aqua assured. Using her magic, a blue aura encased Starlight's hoof, making her yelp as she was pulled forward, stumbling slightly as she now stood before the group of ponies she's lied to. "Starlight has something she wants to say to you and everyone else in town." "...Uhh, hey, guys!" Starlight said awkwardly, trying to smile despite her nerves and their suspicious glares. "Uhh, howdy?" She bowed her head, feeling like an idiot trying to greet them after being put on the spot so suddenly. Hearing no response from the four ponies in front of her, she lifted her head to see their distrusting gazes still on her. "...I guess you guys aren't going to give me the really awkward, creepy grinning welcome committee, huh?" "As if we're going to continue using your crazy, equality-spouting rules," Night Glider said with a scowl. "And it was awkwardly creepy greeting visitors like that, by the way. For wanting more 'followers', you seemed to want to drive them away." "What do you want, Starlight?" Double Diamond demanded. Seeing how they wanted her to get to the point of their visit, Starlight let out a sigh, prepared to take the brunt of their hateful words as she spoke. "...I'm here to apologize...for everything I've done to everypony here. I made up a bunch of lies about cutie marks being evil, that they ruin friendships and make others jealous over their talents...But, even though I lied to you all about it, it felt like the truth to me." "That doesn't make any sense," the white stallion grumbled. "It did for me," Starlight reasoned. "Before I met any of you, when I was a filly, I did have a real friend. His name was Sunburst, and he was the first, and only, friend I ever made. We both had so many things in common, I thought we were inseparable. But then, one day, he got his cutie mark after saving me from a tower of books that were about to fall on me, stopping them with his magic and sent them flying back to the shelves. He got so excited that he went to show it off to everypony...ignoring me in the process. The next day, Sunburst left, and I never saw him again until just yesterday, reuniting with him as my first official friendship lesson from Princess Twilight herself." "...You didn't even bother to keep in touch with him?" Sugar Belle asked. "Or try to find him a lot earlier after you two split up?" Party Favor asked as well. Starlight's ears drooped, once again being told just how ridiculous she was when she could have tried to reach out to him before creating this village. "...It never came to my mind...I was only a filly, and just automatically assumed the worst. You were all foals once, too, and we always have some kind of overactive imagination, whether it's really just imagination and pretending or something traumatic that scars you. Didn't any of you overthink something as a foal, afraid you might get in trouble with your parents or believe it's the end of the world because you didn't do what you were told?" Double Diamond, Party Favor, Night Glider, and Sugar Belle thought for a moment as they recalled a point in their childhoods where they did something wrong and felt miserable as they expected a severe punishment. Their faces said it all as they did have that experience at least once, though they didn't take it as far as Starlight had. "I truly felt like I could never make any friends after Sunburst left, thinking any new friend I made who got their cutie mark before I did would end up leaving me like he did, and completely forget about me... "So, the only way I thought I could make friends was if none of us had cutie marks, that we were all the same with nothing special about ourselves splitting everypony apart." Starlight began to tear up as her past actions came back to haunt her. She looked at Double Diamond, the first pony who actually believed her false philosophies, feeling guilty for dragging him away from doing what he loved as her lies managed to reach him, allowing him to use the "Staff of Sameness" and take his cutie mark away. "I was so scared of being alone, without friends, I didn't know what else to do but lie...Lie about what I believed was true about cutie marks, lie about me being equal to steal them, and lie about what the true meaning of friendship really is...I'm so sorry...and I hope you can forgive me..." Starlight lowered her head, ready to hear the backlash from the four ponies before her. Surprisingly, none came as the quartet was a little shocked to hear the unicorn's story and why she tricked them in the first place. Granted, her actions were inexcusable over losing her best friend, but with any child's imagination, it could lead them down one way and stay on that track as they got older, some emotional scars unable to leave anyone if it hurt them enough. If they knew how horrible her experience losing a close friend was earlier without her tricking them and lying about cutie marks, they would have easily befriended her and showed her that she wouldn't lose them as friends. "...So, you're not taking cutie marks anymore, and you're learning about friendship from Princess Twilight, right?" Double Diamond asked. Starlight nodded her head, still keeping her head down and waited for their comments. He and the rest of the group looked at Aqua, the Keyblade Master nodding her head to confirm that Starlight had indeed changed. Double Diamond looked at his friends, Party Favor, Night Glider, and Sugar Belle nodding at him, then he approached Starlight. "You're actually going to give us a chance to be real friends this time?" "I swear," Starlight said. "...Then I guess we can give you a second chance." Surprised, Starlight looked up, suddenly surrounded by the four ponies and caught in a group hug. Completely speechless, Starlight smiled, embracing them back as they had forgiven her for throwing their lives away to follow a terrible life of living in equality. Aqua grinned, having expected this to happen with the world they were in. Despite being redeemed, Starlight didn't want to stay long in Our Town and have everyone else forgive her, wanting to be assured that they'll give her a good word about her reformation. She wanted to get back before Twilight woke up or wondered where she went if she had another lesson today, Aqua as well so she didn't worry Terra when he woke up with her missing. After saying goodbye, the two mares left the village and made their way back up the hill. "I can't believe they forgave me," Starlight uttered to herself. "Even after all those lies, deceiving them and sealing their cutie marks in that mountain...I still don't deserve it, but I can't help feeling relieved getting another chance." "None of us feel like we deserve a second chance," Aqua said. "But if a friend's stubborn enough, they'll see past your mistakes and find a reason to continue staying your friend." Once they were far enough away, Aqua called forth her Keyblade and transformed it into her glider. They both got on as the Keyblade Master lifted her glider up into the air, taking them back to Ponyville, though at a slightly slower pace than when they arrived at Our Town. "...Starlight, I hope you don't think I'm too harsh after...well, what I gave you as a punishment for your crimes." "I kind of expected myself to be banished to the sun, placed in a cell, or banished to the sun while in a cell," Starlight said jokingly. "But, I don't think the term 'harsh' is you at all...On the outside, you're brilliant, noble, and wise, but inside..." "I'm mentally and emotionally traumatized, broken, and insecure about myself and anyone else I meet?" Aqua finished, Starlight hesitating slightly before nodding her head. "Don't worry, I know you don't mean to offend me...I really am a mess..." Aqua let out a sigh, looking up at the sky. "I think I'm trying to live up to the expectations of my late master. I try to protect the Realm of Light, defeat the darkness that threatens to engulf worlds, try to teach my pupils how to be proper Keyblade wielders, all while constantly worrying about the fate of those worlds, Xehanort's eventual return, and constant panicking over everyone else's lives over mine...My stress only got worse after surviving the Realm of Darkness for so many years...and it changed me." "Well, I don't really know you all that well, but you seem to be more the original Aqua than the survivor Aqua. I can understand why you didn't trust me before because you wanted to look out for your friends." Aqua glanced back at Starlight, smiling at the compliment. "...Thanks..." Looking forward, they saw the Castle of Friendship on the horizon, along with the small town of Ponyville. Aqua flew them toward the castle, gently hovering down to the ground for a landing. They both stepped off, the glider disappearing by the Keyblade wielder's command as she let out a sigh. "I still have so much to do. Fixing the map is one of them, and doing more training." Starlight winced at the mention of the map, wanting to do anything to help fix it as she took a mental note to look up any useful restoration spells for magical maps. "Maybe you could actually take a break? You have been working on the map for a week since I was stopped from destroying the present and future." Aqua wanted to argue with Starlight about how important the map was to them and every other world, but paused, seeing how she did have a point. Her frustrations and tiredness from lack of sleep trying to fix the Cutie Map had left her exhausted, unable to focus, and lead her to nearly losing her mind last night. She needed to relax, and she promised herself she was going to have her vacation, starting now. "...Yeah. I could really use a break," Aqua said. "I deserve one, but this time, I'm actually going to enjoy myself instead of think of it as a menial chore to distract me from my work. I'm going to have to find Riku and Kairi, put them in charge, make sure everyone's paying attention to the Galactic map for any Heartless activity from any of the other worlds, have them go through a training regi-" She paused once again, grumbling to herself and slapping her cheeks, getting her mind off of work and onto relaxation. "No, bad Aqua. They know what to do. They can figure things out on their own...Sora and Riku have gone off to save worlds by themselves without a master's guidance, so I know the others will be fine." Using her magic, she teleported herself a small pouch of bits from her room, then made her way into town. "If you see Terra, Starlight, tell him I'm getting myself an appointment at the spa! His treat!" "Uhh, ok? Have...fun?" Starlight watched Aqua until she disappeared into town. Turning back to the castle, she made her way inside to find Twilight, pulling out her map to get her bearings and remember each room by heart. "Alright. Let's try to find the library...I just hope Twilight doesn't get too surprised that Aqua helped me make up with everypony back in that village, and that wasn't going to one of my lessons, like 'befriending those who you've wronged and make up with them', or something like that."