Out in the wastelands, where no sign of plant life can be seen for miles away, a craggy mountain in the center of the desolated terrain stood. Holes lined the mountain, though what made it ominous and strange were the fact that the holes shifted randomly, closing and opening randomly all over. Inside of the structure, dozens upon dozens of changelings flew around, patrolling the magically enchanted structure for any intruders who dared to enter. Deep within the transforming mountain in the center of it all, Chrysalis sat on a throne of the same material, tapping her hoof anxiously with a sinister giggle.
"Oh, this is too rich," she said gleefully. "That little warrior marrying that pink unicorn, the same one who saw through my disguise just like 'Princess Twilight Sparkle'. Pharynx did wonderfully performing reconnaissance during Hearts and Hooves Day, even if that heartfelt engagement speech was cheesy." Chrysalis stuck her tongue out, despising the romantic sentiments her most loyal changeling drone reported back. She hummed, thinking back to part of that speech Pharynx retold involving a future event where Kairi was harmed by a queen of sorts. It could have been her, or anyone else, but she shrugged the thought aside. "Regardless, my plan this time shouldn't fail. As much fun as it is to take love from Sora again, I don't want a repeat with someone knowing his beloved little 'princess' with how close those ponies are.
"But, when I capture them, I'll be sure to keep them together in the same pod. Couples do so give out so much love, especially with him." Chrysalis chuckled, licking her lips as she couldn't wait to sink her fangs into Sora's delicious love energy. "Changelings! Prepare yourselves for our next, grander invasion! This time, we cannot-!" She was interrupted when she heard her subjects yells echo throughout the mountain, along with fighting and thumps throughout the random holes in the walls. "What in the name of Equestria is going on!?"
One of her changelings, her best soldier, Pharynx, flew in, panting heavily. "My queen, we're under attack!"
"Who would be dumb enough to attack us!?" Chrysalis questioned. "And why are you running away, Pharynx?"
"W-Whoever it is...they're just as strong as that pegasus you hypnotized in the wedding invasion," Pharynx said nervously. "And he's not alone."
"What is that supposed to mean???" Chrysalis got her answer as some of her changelings were flung into her throne room.
Stepping through the entrance where they were tossed, several creatures none Chrysalis had ever seen before swarmed in: their colors were mostly dark blue as they took many different forms, some small with pointed limbs or claws, some large with bulky army despite looking squishy, and many more, but all of them had similar colored red eyes that make their designs more threatening than they appeared. Behind them, a male voice chuckled darkly as the creatures stood aside to let him through, the stallion's body covered in a black cloak with a hood concealing his face, making him mysterious as there were no distinct features to be seen.
"What a nice welcoming committee you gave us," he said, the changeling queen raising a brow as the voice sounded familiar, but also different. "Could have been better, but I guess beggars can't be choosers."
"And just who do you think you are entering my kingdom unannounced?" Chrysalis demanded, flying off her throne and stood before this mystery stallion and his monstrous pets.
"I got a bit curious and decided to...pop in," the stallion said. "Is that ok with you, queenie?"
"You are not welcome here, pony!" Pharynx yelled, letting out a hiss as he lunged toward him, despite the lingering fear of this stallion's prowess.
The creatures did nothing to stop him, the stallion letting out a small laugh in amusement. Pharynx lowered his head and thrust his curved horn into the intruder, only to stumble as he somehow went through an afterimage before getting kicked hard in the face, the mysterious figure appearing beside him and sent Chrysalis's toughest changeling flying hard into the wall. During the kick, the pony's hood fell down to reveal his face, or what looked like a helmet that still concealed his face.
"Heheheheh...Nice try," the stallion mocked, cracking his neck as he looked at the shocked changeling queen. "Got anymore insane bugs of yours to throw at me? Because I need a bit more exercise, if you catch my drift."
Pharynx groaned, coughing a few times as he got the wind knocked out of him. A couple changelings flew over to grab him, staying far away from the tough army of red-eyed monsters behind the helmeted stallion. Chrysalis grimaced, knowing she was outmatched, but she wasn't going to back down from this pony invading on her territory.
"...How did you do that? Magic?" she asked. "In this land, no magic aside from changeling magic can work here."
"Oh really? Is that what you're called?" the stallion asked, though his smirk grew behind his visor as he reached his hooves up to his helmet. "Is that what...I am?"
Removing his helmet, he showed the changelings and their queen his true face, startling them when they saw who it was underneath. It was a changeling, but his eyes were yellow, and his face looked just like a certain somepony they knew, to Chrysalis's shock.
"W-Who...Who are you?" Chrysalis demanded.
"So you recognize this face?" he asked, letting out another dark laugh as he tossed his helmet to one of his minions, who caught it as the stallion approached the dumbstruck queen. "I take it you got your butt whooped by him and his band of friends, right?"
"Y-You know Sora?" she questioned.
"Oh, we all do," he said. "Had a little Flood spy sneak in and overhear your little plan to take over this world. It's a nice little fortress you have here with all these passageways shifting and changing. Too bad your guards aren't smart enough to notice the glowing red eyes in the shadows."
"...How much of my plan do you know?" Chrysalis asked.
"Everything." The queen grunted, beads of sweat rolling down her head. The mysterious changeling laughed, amused by the fear Chrysalis was trying to suppress. "Oh, don't go and wet yourself. It's not you I'm after; it's Sora. You see, someone higher up where I'm from wants him, but he's got too many 'bodyguards' in that little town a colleague of mine noted when he showed up last winter...But, I think your grand invasion just might work, and you'll need my help with getting not only Sora, but the rest of the Keyblade wielders as well."
"'Keyblade'?" Chrysalis said. "You mean those strange swords those three ponies have?"
"More than just three; there's seven wielders, one of them a purple pony with wings and a horn," the stallion mentioned, making the changeling queen gasp in surprise.
"Twilight Sparkle has one!?" she exclaimed, gritting her teeth and growled in irritation.
"Don't fret, queenie. All you need is someone who's strong enough to take them on...Or maybe have a Keyblade as well?" Holding out his hoof, a flash of dark light suddenly appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Now in his hoof was a strange looking sword, the blade mostly gray with a small bronze gear connecting the top and bottom parts, half of a black and red gear made up the teeth of the weapon, and the hilt and guard seemed to hold the other half of it. On both ends around the hilt and base of the teeth was a blue eye, almost making it seem like the weapon was alive. The changelings stared in shocked awe as they looked at what seemed similar to those same weapons Sora, Riku, and Kairi used during the royal wedding invasion; a Keyblade. "Someone like me?"
Chrysalis looked at the stallion, then his Keyblade. He had much more information to give than Pharynx did in his recon, and he knew more about the wielders far more than they do. Her lips soon turned into a grin, putting her trust in this mysterious changeling willing to help her in her plan.
"You wish to help us?" she asked curiously.
"I can do more than help," he said. "Here's the deal: I help you succeed in your invasion, capture every single pony in this world, I get Sora in return."
"And these...creatures you control. Will they obey my command along with you?" Chrysalis asked.
"They only listen to me, but I don't think it's necessary having my Unversed startle those do-gooders into figuring me out." Raising his head, his horn lit up as the creatures he called Unversed marched toward him. To the changelings' surprise, they seemed to merge with him, almost as if the Unversed were a part of him until the last of them were absorbed into him. The mystery stallion let out a breath he was holding, chuckling slightly as he stared at Chrysalis again, eyes glowing a little before fading. "I thought it would be fun to mess with you." Chrysalis huffed at the statement, clearly not amused having most of her changelings beaten up before her biggest invasion plan ever. "So, what do you say, queenie? Do we have a deal?"
He held his hoof out to her, giving Chrysalis a look that ensured trustworthiness. "My name is Queen Chrysalis, not 'queenie', foal," she warned, but her scowl turned into a grin as she shook hooves with him. "We have a deal, but after I suck the love out of him, then he's yours...What did you say your name was?"
The stallion grinned, bearing his fangs with sadistic glee. "You may call me..."
"Ven, are you sure you've got all of those?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, I got them." Making their way down a flight of stairs in the Castle of Friendship, Twilight, Starlight, Ventus, and Spike carried several boxes full of books of various genres and subjects, the young pegasus carrying at least three times the weight the other three are carrying on his back.
Spike, however, had some difficulty carrying his, tripping over himself as he underestimated how far the steps were due to his sight being blocked by the box. The baby dragon tripped, the box and himself caught in both Twilight and Starlight's magic.
"Well, not ALL of us have magical horns," Spike said with a sigh. "Or are super strong."
"I have been meaning to move these older books to my reference section for a while," Twilight said. "Got to keep the new books front and center!"
"Does it get old rearranging the thousands of books you own?" Ventus asked.
"Nope!" the alicorn responded, Ventus letting out a sigh and shook his head. "Thanks for the help, guys."
"Are you kidding?" Starlight said. "After all you've done for me, it's the least I can do."
"Oh, please. I haven't done that much," Twilight modestly said.
"Nah. You just taught me the value of friendship," Starlight said sarcastically. "Not much at all."
"I may have offered you some guidance, but you're responsible for the pony you've become," Twilight said. She then placed a hoof on her pupil's shoulder. "I'm proud to call you my student and my friend."
As the duo hugged, Sora stumbled into the room, looking incredibly exhausted as he leaned over one of the boxes. "Sheesh, Sora, you alright?" Ventus asked.
"Ugh...I didn't think planning a wedding could be so stressful," Sora said, then let out a yawn, forcing himself back on his hooves. "I know most of the stuff can be done with you guys helping, but the location and invitations is a big nightmare. Should we have it here? Radiant Garden? Destiny Islands? In a massive Gummi ship built like a cruise ship???" He began to stress even more, tugging at his spiky mane while continuing his rant. "And with the amount of friends I have, how can I invite EVERYONE when the rule of not showing other worlds to locals of their worlds is that tempting to break!?"
"I'm guessing you and Kairi are taking a break from this and you're trying to unwind?" Starlight guessed.
"'Trying' definitely the keyword in my predicament." Sora groaned, rubbing his face in irritation. "It looked so easy during Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding."
"That's because it was Chrysalis who pretended to be my sister-in-law and had everything planned out for her invasion," Twilight said. "How about you help us take out these books and get rid of these boxes? That might distract you for a while."
"So you want me to do physical labor to get away from mental labor..." After a moment of silent pondering, Sora shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Ok. Why not?"
"Hey, guys, I see something out the window," Spike said, looking out at the nearby window as he spotted something in the distance.
Sora, Ventus, Twilight, and Starlight gathered around to look outside as well. "Is it a bird?" Twilight wondered.
"Is it a parasprite?" Starlight asked.
"Is it a plane?" Sora asked.
"What's a plane?" Twilight, Starlight, and Spike asked.
"Uhh...maybe Equestria will make one someday," Ventus said. "You got trains and hot air balloons...although planes might not be good for cloud cities like-"
"Whoa! Incoming!" Spike warned, pointing at the object getting closer to the castle.
They quickly ducked out of the way, the object flying through and crashing into the boxes of books, sending them scattering all over the room. The unidentified flying object happened to be Derpy Whooves, the gray pegasus mare letting out a groan as she sat up from the mess of old books, dressed in her mail uniform. Her eyes looking normal for a moment before shaking her head, making them cock-eyed again.
"Boy, that was a pretty bad tailwind," she said. Derpy ducked her head in her mailbag, pulling out a letter. "Special delivery!"
"Oh. I usually get letters by dragon," Twilight said as she approached the ditsy mailmare.
She tried to take the letter with her magic, but Derpy pulled it back. "No no, it's not for you, Princess Twilight. It's for a miss Starlight Glimmer."
"For me?" Derpy handed the letter to Starlight, who took it in her aura as she looked at it curiously. "Who would be sending me a letter?" She opened the envelope and pulled out its contents, suddenly growing worried when she read who it was from. "It's...from the ponies in my old village."
"Are they in trouble?" Sora asked.
"Are they upset with you?" Spike asked.
"No, worse!" Starlight said. "They've invited me to the annual Sunset Festival!"
While Starlight looked in abject horror, the others, including Derpy, stared at her in confusion. "...Uhh, isn't that supposed to be good news?" Derpy asked. "Did I give the wrong letter again? I just don't know what went wrong..."
"No, it's the right address and addressee," Twilight said as she examined the envelope. "Starlight, that should be great news."
"...Right!" Starlight said, laughing nervously as her tone changed abruptly. "Just kidding! Had you guys going, didn't I!?"
"...Sure, I guess?" Sora said.
"Well, look at the time! I better get some shuteye for that festival tomorrow!" Starlight quickly said before teleporting away.
"...That was weird," Derpy said, expressing the others' thoughts aloud. She then looked at Sora and waved. "Hi, Sora! Congratulations on your engagement with your marefriend!"
"Heh, thanks," Sora said tiredly. "I'll make sure to invite you and Dinky to the wedding."
"Can Dinky be the flower filly?" Derpy suggested, the idea making Sora's ear twitch as he and Kairi forgot about the flower girls.
"...We'll think about it," he answered with a nervous, high-pitched giggle.
"Great! I can't wait for the big day!" Derpy flew over and hugged Sora. "I love weddings, and I hope yours is better than Cranky and Matilda's! I promise not to mess anything up!"
She let go of him, then flew back out the window to continue her duties. Sora let out a small laugh before sighing heavily, his eyes rolling in the back of his head as he collapsed on the pile of books Derpy made in her crash landing.
"I think I'm gonna find Kairi and hope she's not having as much of a mental breakdown as Sora is," Twilight said.
"I'll take Sora to his room, then," Ventus said, the pegasus picking up the unconscious Sora while he and Twilight left the room.
"Hey, wait, you're all not leaving me with these books, are you!?" Spike called out. Getting no response, he sighed and slumped his shoulders, picking up the books strewn about the room. "Why do I always have to pick up after Twilight and her huge pile of books all the time?"
Starlight walked down the road, finding the town she built where she had brainwashed others into thinking cutie marks were evil. She didn't recall how she got here, but she could see the village was decorated for the Sunset Festival, and she had the invitation with her. Steeling her nerves, she made her way down to the entrance, where she saw everyone gathered around, Party Favor and Double Diamond putting up the big banner for the event. The others saw her as she let herself in, most of them giving her odd looks as she approached the two stallions.
"Uhh, hey there, everypony," she said.
Party Favor and Double Diamond turned around, surprised to see Starlight. "Uh...hey, Starlight. What are you doing here?"
"I-I...was invited," Starlight stammered, holding up the invitation in her telekinetic aura. "To the Sunset Festival?"
Party Favor took the invitation in his own aura, both stallions staring at it before leering at the unicorn mare. "Yeah, but we didn't think you'd actually show up," Double Diamond said.
"You didn't think we really wanted you here, did you?" Party Favor questioned.
Starlight was utterly confused, then grew disheartened when Double Diamond tore up her invitation and Party Favor flung the pieces at her face. "B-But...I apologized. I thought everything was fine." The ponies of Our Town began to laugh at her ridiculous statement, almost as if her last visit and apology didn't mean anything. It was like her reunion with Sunburst again as her anxiety began to build, everyone she knew and forcibly indoctrinate them on her past beliefs mocking her and reminding her how much of a horrible pony she was. She shut her eyes, unable to ignore their laughter, not noticing their eyes shifting to a black iris and red pupils as they slowly approached her in a menacing way. "Please...stop! Stop!"
"Begone, foul Nightmares!" Starlight crouched as she saw crystal spires suddenly shoot out from the ground, some piercing through the ponies while the others leapt away, growling while looking up on one of the building's roofs. Standing above them, Sombra wielded his signature crystal sword in his telekinetic grasp, the crescent moon inside the clear blade shimmering as it changed the time of day to night, making the red pupils of the ponies around Starlight and reveal the Dream Eater marks on their chests. His own mark glowed in the light of the moonlight, his body shifting into light as he shot down, zipping around and slashing through the Nightmare ponies, slaying them and rescuing the mare from them. Shifting back to his normal form once they were dealt with, Sombra dismissed his blade as it shattered, the shards harmlessly splitting off and fading in the moonlight. He approached the cowering Starlight, holding his hoof out to her. "Are you alright, miss?"
Starlight slowly looked up from her hooves, avoiding the stallion who helped her as she looked around, the sun replaced by the moon and with no sign of the mocking ponies. "W-What happened?" She then looked back at Sombra, confused and startled by this mysterious unicorn savior. She stared at the odd sigil on his chest, pushing his hoof away and backing away from him. "W-What kind of Heartless are you? What did you do to my friends!?"
"Heartless?" Sombra uttered, slightly hurt being called that because of his darkness's actions in the past. He looked down at his chest, realizing Starlight didn't know what the symbol marked on him was meant to be. "Oh, fear not, young maiden. I am not a creature of darkness."
"Then why did you kill my friends!?" Starlight exclaimed. "Why is it dark!? Who are you!?"
"...Do you not...see that you are dreaming?" he asked.
"W-What? D-Dreaming???" Starlight asked as she looked around again.
"Sombra, must you run ahead of me." From the moon in a flash of light, Luna teleported inside Starlight's dream, hovering down beside her stallion, who bore a sly grin at her remark.
"Sorry for staying in shape," Sombra teased. "Have you gotten lethargic from your big sister ordering you too many desserts the last few months? I think I'm starting to see a bit more belly than your slim and slender frame should have."
"Art thou calling me fat, dear?" Luna questioned with a raised brow, baffling Starlight with the playful banter the two were sharing.
"Why, not at all, my love," Sombra assured, then made Luna yelp as his tail swatted her flanks hard enough to turn her cheeks red. "In fact, I always wondered how you'd look with our foal. You'd still be as beautiful as ever, even with a bit of baby fat."
"S-Sombra, you cad!" Luna squealed, swatting the stallion away with her wing while he chuckled.
"P-Princess Luna?" Starlight uttered, but her voice went unheard as she watched Sombra hop back to Luna's side, bringing a hoof to her cheek and turned her head to face him, giving her a kiss that shocked the unicorn. "W-What the hay is going on!? H-Have I gone insane!?"
Nearly forgetting they were in another dream, Luna pulled away from Sombra as she composed herself. "No, Starlight, you are perfectly sane. You are merely dreaming, though we are free to travel the dream realm to help our subjects when they suffer from terrible nightmares."
"...I'm so confused," Starlight said. "So, you're saying I'm asleep, and I'm dreaming." The couple nodded their heads. "...But you two are real, right?"
"As well as the Nightmares who sensed your anxiety and fear," Sombra said.
"'Nightmares'?" Starlight asked.
"They are known as Dream Eaters, but the ones surrounding you acting as the ponies you called friends did so to feed on your fear," the stallion explained, then gestured his hoof over his chest. "The marks like the one on my chest tell if they are such a Dream Eater, but while those are Nightmares, I am known as a Spirit, and rightfully belong to my dear Luna." Starlight blinked, still confused as all of this was passing over her head. "Sora can explain it better. Allow me to introduce myself since you know my beloved alicorn goddess of the night." Luna blushed, scrunching her muzzle as she lightly smacked Sombra in the back of the head with a wing. He smirked, brushing his slightly tussled mane back in his preferred, wild look. "My name is Sombra."
"Sombra?...Wait, you don't mean King Sombra, the same Sombra who took over the Crystal Empire and tried to destroy Equestria with powerful darkness, do you???" Sombra winced at the mention of his dark persona, but reluctantly nodded his head. Starlight's pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks, desperate to get away from this stallion after figuring out who he was and Luna was dating the once evil stallion. "AND YOU'RE MARRYING HIM!?!?!?!?!?"
"That wasn't the real Sombra who took control of the Crystal Empire," Luna said. "Somepony from a thousand years ago had unleashed the darkness in his heart, creating the monster who threatened to destroy Equestria. Who you see before you is the real Sombra, a kindhearted stallion who was loyal to the Crystal Empire, and me." She nuzzled Sombra, who nuzzled her back, then pointed her hoof at her engagement ring she wore on her horn. "He was supposed to be my future husband...Think of him what you will, Starlight Glimmer, but I do not EVER want to be apart from my beloved ever again."
Starlight winced, looking down at the ground. She was surprised to see Sombra in the flesh, the real Sombra and not the tyrant everyone else knew him as, and she felt guilty for assuming and questioning their love.
"S-Sorry," Starlight apologized.
"No apologies necessary," Sombra assured. Luna was about to object, but the Dream Eater gently pat the alicorn's shoulder, giving her a look telling her it was ok before looking back at Starlight. "You have a right to be suspicious of me. After what my darkness had done, I don't expect forgiveness from anypony. Not even the crystal ponies I had terrorized and kept trapped in a temporal stasis for a millennia. I may not redeem myself as a pony, but I can do so in the dream realm as a Dream Eater."
"...How did you...become a Dream Eater?" Starlight asked curiously. "From what I heard, the Crystal Heart's light destroyed all trace of you."
"Not all of me. Some of the light still within me was in Luna's wedding ring I crafted to propose her with, and Sora helped bring it to her," Sombra explained. "Luna and I may be together again, though our wedding planning keeps getting...derailed. What with us both protecting the realm of sleep for our subjects every night."
"We have all the time in the world to finish our planning and host our wedding, Sombra," Luna said. "I want to take the time for us to catch up after a thousand years."
"As do I, my love," Sombra said, the couple leaning close for a short, tender kiss.
"Oh, and speaking of weddings, we should congratulate Sora and Kairi on their engagement," Luna said. "But not before we help Starlight."
"Didn't you already help me?" Starlight questioned.
"Against the Nightmares, yes," Sombra responded with a nod, then pointed his hoof at the unicorn. "But not the emotions flowing from you over what your own nightmare was about: this town, the ponies you knew from here, and the rejection you experienced in the worst-case scenario your subconscious created from your own fears."
Starlight grimaced, then sighed as Sombra figured her out so easily. "I guess I'm more afraid of coming back to the village than I thought...What do I do?"
"Why not seek advice from a few very special ponies?" Luna suggested. "They helped me overcome my past, and freed Sombra from his. You are very fortunate to have them as friends."
Starlight seemed to understand, nodding her head and promising to tell them when she woke up. Luna began to fly up into the air, reaching the moon as she phased through it. Sombra leapt up onto a nearby roof to follow her, turning back to Starlight.
"You know, between us former, reformed villains, Luna and I can say from experience that things will get better," Sombra said. "It may have taken us over a thousand years for our futures to be brighter, but time, no matter how long, can heal all wounds."
He left with a nod, shifting into a form of light as he leapt toward the moon, flying like a shooting star as he phased into the giant glowing sphere after Luna.
Starlight gasped as she woke up, the dream she had still fresh in her mind along with her fears of the festival she was invited to. Looking at her clock, it was only about another hour until sunrise, letting out a sigh as she got herself up and motivated, promising Luna and Sombra to tell everyone how she was really feeling about the invite back to her old village. After an agonizingly long wait until the sun and the others in the castle were up, she gathered everyone into the throne room and told them what she experienced last night and her thoughts on the Sunset Festival.
"I knew you were acting odd when you said how terrible that festival sounded," Sora said once Starlight was finished.
"Why are you afraid, darling?" Rarity asked. "You went back to apologize, and they accepted it."
"I agree, and I saw them forgive you, remember?" Aqua reminded the mare. "They moved on, just like we had." Starlight gave the blue unicorn a blank stare, raising a brow at that statement while silently reminding her how she treated her. "...Well, it took me a while, but I've had a rough past. It's difficult for me to trust someone after being lied to and almost destroying the universe from some petty revenge scheme..."
"But have they really forgiven me?" Starlight asked. "They don't really know how much I changed. Or even worse, I haven't changed as much as I think I have..."
"You have changed quite a bit since you came to your senses," Riku said. "As awful as you were, at least you haven't done as worse as Xehanort."
"I traveled through time to try to change the past!" Starlight exclaimed.
"And his younger self did the same exact thing," Riku stated. "He also managed to bring back his Heartless and Nobody to join in his new Organization with the same kind of time traveling bull he managed to discover in his never-ending exploits at gaining power."
"I don't think they would have sent an invitation if they didn't want you to come," Fluttershy added. "I'm sure they'd be happy to see you."
"And getting an invitation to a party and NOT GOING!?" Pinkie exclaimed. "That's like...It's like...Well, I don't know what it's like, but it is definitely bad."
"Just be honest with them," Applejack advised. "Ah'm sure they'll understand where you're comin' from."
"I understand how hard this must be for you," Twilight said, stepping up to Starlight's side. "Maybe if you took a friend along, it might make things easier. Somepony you trust who would look out for you?"
Starlight hummed in thought, considering Twilight's suggestion to bring a friend along with her to gain a bit more confidence in facing her biggest fear. It didn't take long, figuring out the best pony she can trust to watch her back if she got a bit too stressed.
Trixie lifted her head up as she leaned out from inside her wagon, pulling up a pair of saddlebags in her mouth as she helped pack up some stuff for the trip with Starlight to Our Town. Twilight stood by the wagon in complete exasperation as Starlight picked Trixie to go with her, Spike and Ventus helping the unicorns pack up.
"Thanks so much for doing this, Trixie," Starlight said. "When Twilight said I should bring a friend, you were the first pony I thought of."
"Great idea, Princess Twilight," Trixie said, though she relished the irritated look on the alicorn's face as she gloated being Starlight's first choice than anyone else for her trip to her old village. "Asking me, Starlight's BEST friend, to help her on this difficult journey really shows how wise of a princess you have become."
Trixie poked Twilight's muzzle, further irritating the alicorn, but she gave a forced smile and giggled anxiously. "Thanks, Trixie," she said before leaning to Ventus. "I was talking about me, though."
"Feeling jealous already?" Ventus asked.
"Don't push it, Ven," Twilight hissed, but the teen smirked and continued helping Trixie and Starlight pack.
"The festival lasts a whole week, but I'm sure we won't stay long," Starlight said.
"Oh, I don't know, Starlight. Time really FLIES when you're spending it with your BEST friend!" Trixie said, teasing Twilight on purpose as the alicorn's grin looked even more forced, her eye twitching while struggling not to blow up on the magician.
The others soon came out of the castle to see them off, Kairi wearing her engagement ring on her horn, never taking it off since Sora proposed to her. "Just try to have fun, Starlight," Kairi said.
"If I don't have a panic attack," Starlight uttered, but she promised she'll try.
"Well, that's an interesting ring," Trixie said, staring at Kairi's ring in awe. "Is that even a real gem or a bauble made out of cheap plastic to make it shine like that?"
"Oh, it's real, Trixie," Sora said, draping a hoof around his fiancee's withers and gave her cheek a nuzzle. "I propose to Kairi Hearts and Hooves Day, and we're gonna get married. And F.Y.I., the diamond is most definitely real."
"Hmmm...Trixie will be the judge of that." Using her magic, Trixie held the ring in her aura after Kairi took it off and handed it to her. As soon as the light azure unicorn's aura touched it, the heart-shaped diamond suddenly lost its luster, surprising her as the light was now gone and was suddenly tainted. "Ahh! What did Trixie do!? Trixie did not perform any magical feats to ruin it!"
"And that's what happens when the diamond senses someone who wants to use that diamond selfishly for their own personal gain," Sora teased, taking the ring back and placing it back on his future bride's horn, bringing back its translucent, shimmering form.
"...W-Well, whatever. Trixie doesn't want a gem that can pull the wool over Trixie's eyes, anyway," Trixie said, failing to hide her jealousy. "Let's go, Starlight."
"Ok." The duo were about to set off, but Starlight paused, still a bit uncertain having Trixie by her side would help her. As great of a friend as she is, she had a gut feeling something else could possibly go wrong. Looking back at the others, her eyes fell on Ventus. Knowing how busy the rest of her friends were going to be busy, both with their own daily routines and helping Sora and Kairi with their wedding plans, though Ventus wasn't all that busy this week when he accepted helping her and Twilight yesterday. That and she still felt like she needed to make it up to him for erasing a little of his memories that day when she was on the run. "...Ven, can you come along with me and Trixie?"
"Uhh, really?" Ventus asked curiously. Twilight's jaw dropped as, yet again, Starlight avoided picking her to come along to help her. "...Well, sure, I guess. I've got nothing better to do this week anyway."
"Oh, come on!" Twilight whined. "How much more obvious do I have to be!?"
"Ok, I think you should calm down, Twilight," Riku said, patting Twilight's back to keep her from popping a blood vessel. "It's Starlight's choice with who she wants to come with her, and like it or not, you can't force her to choose you." Twilight grumbled at the ironic statement, seeing how Starlight used to force others to do what she wanted and was desperate to do the same just to help her pupil. "How about we go back inside and sort out those old books in the library? Won't that be fun?"
"You don't like doing that," Twilight muttered.
"Then I guess your geeky ways are rubbing off on me for once." Riku guided Twilight back inside the castle while the rest of the group saw them off, the trio making their way down the road while Trixie pulled her caravan.
After long, several hour trek, Ventus, Starlight, and Trixie stood on the hill overlooking Our Town. They could see the decorations for the Sunset Festival were already being set up, which made Starlight nervous seeing how this same scenario happened in her dream last night.
"There it is!" Trixie pointed out. "The town where you-"
"Magically stole everypony's cutie marks, replaced them with equal signs, and forced them to hide their natural talents?" Starlight immediately said as she interrupted Trixie. "...Yes..."
"...I was going to say where you came from, but yours is a more...emotionally traumatic answer," Trixie restated her own opinion before her friend took a while guess.
"I just want to blend in," Starlight said. "Be just another pony in the crowd enjoying the Sunset Festival with my friends."
"Sounds good to me! And if things get weird for you, just let me know," Trixie said.
"Let US know," Ventus corrected. "We both have your back."
"Promise?" Starlight asked.
"Not just a promise; a great and powerful promise!" Trixie swore, spontaneously throwing down a smoke bomb hidden in her cloak at their hooves.
The smoke caused the trio to hack as they breathed in the smoke, Ventus quickly flapping his wings to blow away the smoke. "Can you not suffocate us with your random smoke bombs?" Ventus questioned. "Even though we can all tolerate you now, try to keep the magic acts on the stage."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Trixie asked, both offended by the pegasus's comment and confused when mentioning tolerating her. "I've never met you since the day I met Starlight."
"...Uhh...well, from what I heard the first two times you were in Ponyville, you were pretty bad," Ventus said, almost forgetting Trixie didn't know he was around, just not physically at the time. "I felt like silently judging you before you finally quit trying to get back at Twilight and Sora." Trixie hummed skeptically, leaning closer to Ventus as she squinted her eyes. Ventus sighed and gently pushed her away. "And before you ask, I am not Sora's brother. We're not related."
"...You sure do look like it," Trixie uttered.
"Ok, let's quit stalling and get this over with, you two!" Starlight said anxiously, despite how amusing it was seeing Ventus and Trixie interact with each other.
Trixie unhitched herself from her wagon as they walked down the path and up to the equally lined houses set on the sides of the only road in town. Starlight's old home was taken down since her last visit, though it was for the best considering how much of a monarch she was in her community of equality, which was ironically unequal now that everyone wasn't blinded by her old philosophies. Starlight still felt uneasy, feeling like the exact same scenario was happening just like in her nightmare. And she was expecting the odd looks from everyone as they approached Double Diamond and Party Favor, the two stallions setting up the huge banner just like in Starlight's dream. Instead of being skeptical when they turned around, both stallions looked excited to see her again.
"Starlight, you came!" Double Diamond said while Starlight grinned nervously and waved.
"We were worried you wouldn't make it!" Party Favor said. "Are you gonna stay the whole week? We have different events planned for each day!"
"How is it living in the castle?" Sugar Belle asked, the other townsponies soon joining in as they welcomed Starlight back and asked her how she was doing.
"Oh, yeah. These ponies are 'terrifying'," Trixie mockingly said, laughing at what she expected from Starlight's worries about them rejecting her.
"And Ventus, great seeing you again," Double Diamond greeted as he bumped hooves with the Keyblade wielder. "The others couldn't come along?"
"They're pretty busy with their own jobs," Ventus said. "And a future wedding for a certain couple; Sora and Kairi are engaged."
"That's amazing!" Party Favor cheered. "Are we invited to the wedding?"
"Uhh, I'd rather not include anymore guests to invite and make things even more complicated for them. They're already having a hard time figuring out where to hold the wedding, along with who specifically they want to invite," Ventus said. "But we'll let you know if you get invitations when things...calm down."
"Let's hope we don't get our mail too late when the time comes," Sugar Belle said.
"But you three are just in time to help us out," Party Favor said. "We're having a debate on the banners. Which ones do you think feels more 'sunsetty'?"
A group of pegasi flew up and held up a couple different banners, each of them designed with a sunset that fit with the festival being held. All the ponies in town looked at Starlight, expecting her to give an answer, which only made her more nervous as flashbacks of her leadership in this town came back.
"W-Well, you don't need me to decide for you," Starlight said, her voice shaky, but she kept her composure with a nervous laugh. "Whatever you think is best."
"Uh, well, how about helping us with the routes for the relay races tomorrow?" Double Diamond suggested. "Can you take a look?"
Ventus noticed Starlight's trepidation, her body shaking slightly as she failed to let them know she didn't want to take charge in anything, especially for the festival. "Oh, I-I shouldn't. You all g-go ahead. I just want to...enjoy the festival."
"But you WILL be a judge for the baking competition, right?" Sugar Belle asked.
"We had a few questions about the order of the acts for the talent show," Double Diamond added.
"And the unicorns have a fireworks show planned!" Night Glider said as well. "We could really use your help!"
Starlight panicked as the ponies she made amends with all suddenly pushed these important tasks on her. They continued asking for advice, for her assistance in making decisions on different things, and they kept getting closer, pushing her anxiety to a breaking point. Scenarios flooded through her mind over which choice she made, which could cause a dispute over everyone else's opinions that could end up turning into a hostile fight over what would be better for a simple festival. Trixie could see Starlight was starting to freak out like Ventus was, both of them trying to get the ponies to back off, but it was too late when Starlight's horn began to spark.
"NOOOOO!" Starlight's horn lit up as she screamed, creating a barrier that shoved the pestering group away, sending them flying several yards away from her and crashing to the ground.
As the flung ponies groaned and sat up in a daze, Starlight hunched down and buried her face in her hooves as her whole body shook. Surprisingly, Ventus and Trixie weren't forcefully shoved back by Starlight's barrier, though they could see she had a pretty bad panic attack after being crowded and given random tasks they all wanted her to do. Seeing their trip wasn't going exactly as planned, they were going to have to cut it short and leave. Although how without arousing any suspicion was a difficult thought, Ventus and Trixie looking at each other before Trixie finally came up with an idea.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie would like to thank you all for being such an amazing audience," she announced, Ventus facehooving when the showmare barely did anything magical to wow the recovering crowd as they wondered what happened to Starlight. "Sadly, it is time for us to depart. Good night, fillies and gentlecolts!"
Trixie threw a smoke bomb, only this time, they were ready as they held their breath, veiling themselves while the rest of the ponies around them coughed from the sudden explosion of smoke. Ventus grabbed Starlight, carrying her back out of town on hoof to avoid clearing the smoke with Trixie running alongside him, making their getaway in the distraction while the others believed they vanished into thin air. They reached Trixie's wagon undetected, Ventus lowered Starlight, giving her a moment to breathe and calm down a little.
"You ok, Starlight?" Ventus asked.
"...No. No, I'm not ok," Starlight mumbled. "I panicked, a-and I pushed them all away with magic and...UGH! Why did I do that!?"
"Just breathe, Starlight," Ventus said, patting the distressed unicorn's back while she rubbed her temples, trying to regain her composure. "I guess...you were under a bit more pressure than you should...Kind of like when meeting Sunburst again?"
"Mhmm," Starlight nodded, sighing heavily as she leaned against Trixie's wagon, the magician hitching herself back up to begin heading back. "I was absolutely horrible when I led that town...I was actually prepared for them not to trust me, but...I wasn't ready for them putting me in charge again! I should never be put in charge of anything ever again! There, changing time to get revenge, trying to make my own friends before meeting Trixie, and even the friendship lessons I wanted to get over with while manipulating the other girls were all horrible decisions I myself made!" Starlight hung her head, tears welling in her eyes as the potential of making even worse mistakes in the future would be worse than what she's already done in the past. "...I'm...I'm not a good leader...I can't even trust myself to make the right choices..."
"...You're starting to sound like Aqua." Starlight looked up at Ventus, who helped sit her back up and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "She blamed herself for her past mistakes, and she's had her moments where her self-confidence is waned because she tries to be a good leader, even when the choices she makes are wrong, and she knows it. Sometimes, it takes some advice from friends to help the one in charge make the best decision." Ventus picked Starlight up on her hooves, guiding her beside Trixie as they headed back to Ponyville. "All of us have made some terrible choices in the past, but that doesn't mean you should linger on them and what the results were. Learn from it and move on so you don't make that same mistake again."
"Yeah, it's no big deal," Trixie agreed. She then looked around, making sure no other ponies or creatures were around before she leaned over to Starlight. "Don't tell any other pony I said this, but even Trixie's made mistakes." Ventus could hear her, rolling his eyes, hearing he admit that NOW after the past few years she's made her screwups in Ponyville. "I know. Hard to believe, right?"
"I sure find it hard to believe," Ventus said.
"Well, I find the easiest way to move past something is to pretend it never happened," Trixie added. "So, what ursa major did I inspire two dumb colts to bring to town that night after I weaved those tall tales? What Alicorn Amulet did I wear after some mysterious mare with curved horns on her hooded cloak got it for me to get revenge on Sora and Twilight with its powerful magic?"
"Wait, who???" Starlight asked, both her and Ventus blanching as they recognized that description of said mare being none other than Maleficent.
"SHE helped you get that amulet!?" Ventus exclaimed.
"You two know that pony?" Trixie asked curiously.
"You have no idea," Ventus grumbled.
"I did run into her after I escaped when everypony found out what I was doing back in the village," Starlight said. "She tried offering my assistance, but I stole her cutie mark and overpowered her."
"Y-You did!?" Ventus exclaimed.
"Yeah. I told you before, remember?" Ventus shook his head in response. Starlight was about to remind him, only to realize she erased his memories of them meeting and talking in Canterlot that evening, part of their discussion involving the wicked sorceress. "...Oh...I guess not..."
"...Please tell me you didn't give it back to her," Ventus asked. Starlight didn't respond, but the look on her face said otherwise. "Ugh...I really don't like her..."
"Well, whoever that mare was, she knows not to mess with Starlight ever again," Trixie said confidently, though Ventus and Starlight know Maleficent was not going to give up, always finding a way to win against foes who were physically stronger than her.
After a long trek back to Ponyville, Starlight heavily apologizing to Ventus and Trixie for the wasted trip, the trio made their way back to the castle. Ahead of them, they saw Pinkie bouncing along her merry way.
"Hey, Pinkie Pie!" Starlight called out, running after the pink earth pony, who stopped bounding and turned to face her.
"Hey...you!" Pinkie greeted, though the slight pause was a bit odd.
Ventus and Trixie met up with Starlight, though instead of being greeted the usual way by Pinkie, she barely acknowledged the other two like with Starlight. "So, you're probably wondering why we're back so soon."
"Where were you?" Pinkie asked, puzzling Ventus and Starlight.
"...You knew where we went," Ventus said. "Starlight's old village she took over? For the Sunset Festival?"
"Ooh, sounds fun! How was it?" Again, Pinkie's behavior made the two her knew her most grow suspicious.
"Well, it was a disaster," Starlight said. "I came back early because I freaked out."
"Ooh, sounds awful!" Pinkie said cheerfully, quite the opposite to how one would normally react if their friend had a rough time at a party. "Bye!"
She soon bounced away, though Ventus's ears twitched when the sproingy bouncing sounds Pinkie always seemed to make sounded...different. "...What the hell...? That was...strange..."
"Isn't she always strange?" Trixie asked.
"Yes, but not THIS strange," Starlight muttered. They spotted Applejack, Rarity, Aqua, and Kairi walking down the road, Starlight quickly running up to them, hoping they can get a better understanding of Pinkie's even more unusual behavior. "Hey, girls, I'm back!"
"Oh...Welcome back?" Rarity said, sounding unsure whether to find that good or bad news.
"Is Pinkie acting a bit weird to you guys?" Ventus asked.
"Pinkie Pie ALWAYS acts strange, Ventus," Aqua said, which surprised Ventus when she always called him "Ven" after getting to know each other back then.
"Told you so," Trixie commented, but she didn't assuage the young pegasus's worries after Aqua spoke.
"Anyway, I wanted to talk to all of you," Starlight said. "Things didn't go quite the way I thought they were going to go at the Sunset Festival."
"What happened?" Kairi asked.
"...I kind of freaked out and ran out of the village." The four mares stared at Starlight before they suddenly burst out laughing, highly inconsiderate considering they all know about her worries about how the ponies in Our Town were still feeling about her.
"Y-Ya freaked out and ran away from a festival!?" Applejack asked, snorting with laughter that started to gripe at Ventus, something clearly not right with the girls that were supposed to be friends. "That's the funniest danged thing Ah heard all day!"
"L-Let me guess: the decorations were TERRIFYING!" Rarity said, making the mare burst out into more uproarious laughter, confusing and disheartening Starlight, and Ventus had enough.
"What the hell's your deal!?" Ventus exclaimed, stepping in front of Starlight to defend her from their surprisingly out of nowhere bullying. "You all know how worried she was before we left! Why are you making fun of-!?" He paused when he leered at Kairi. There was something missing on the Princess of Heart's horn, lacking the engagement ring she never once took off. "...Kairi, where's your ring?"
"What ring?" Kairi questioned.
Ventus was about to point out the missing heart-shaped diamond ring, only to be interrupted when Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Riku flew down to the group, Fluttershy whispering something to the girls. "Sorry to cut the chat short. We've got some important business to attend to," Riku said.
"What kind of business?" Ventus asked. "Is it Heartless? Another friendship problem?"
"Nothing you should be sticking your nose in, twerp." Riku smacked Ventus in the face with a wing, not enough to hurt, but it shocked the teen regardless.
After Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, Aqua, Kairi, and Riku left for this important, private meeting of theirs, Starlight and Ventus looked at each other in shock. "...Well, as much as I'm not impressed by your friends, that seemed a little...harsh for Ventus."
Without uttering a word, Ventus and Starlight ran off to the castle, needing to speak with Twilight and Sora immediately about what was going on. Trixie wondered as well, but she shrugged and continued dragging her wagon, finding a good spot to settle it and relax after the long trip and back. At the castle, Ventus and Starlight reached the front doors, but for some odd reason, they were locked.
"Ok, something seriously wrong is happening here," Ventus uttered to himself.
While trying to open the doors, the viewing slide opened, where a pair of dragon eyes leered at the duo. "What do you want?" Spike questioned. "Twilight's very busy!"
"Spike, it's us," Ventus said. "Why are the doors locked? We need to talk to Twilight and Sora!"
"Then make an appointment!" Spike said irritably, slamming the hatch and leaving them.
"Spike, we live here!" Ventus shouted.
"Even Spike's acting odd," Starlight muttered to herself.
Ventus grumbled and was about to summon his Keyblade to unlock the door, but the doors opened up, where Sora and Twilight stood before them. "Sorry about that," Twilight apologized. "Apparently, some dragon didn't take his nap today." Spike scoffed and walked away, muttering to himself. "He's been acting off all day today. I think he missed a meal or something."
"He's not the only one," Starlight said. "Everypony's been acting strange."
"Well, it's probably one of those opposite days," Sora said with a chuckle, though Ventus swore that he heard Sora's tone sounded a bit deeper than it usually was. He rubbed a wing in his ear to check if his hearing was working right, or maybe he was imagining things after seeing everyone acting oddly since they left for almost half the day. "So, what's up, guys?"
"Actually, not all that great," Starlight said. "You're probably wondering why we're back so early."
"I didn't want to bring it up, but yeah, it does seem strange," Twilight said sympathetically. "Did it not go well?"
"The townsponies kept asking me things, like they expected me to be in charge again," Starlight said. "But being a leader was the LAST thing I should ever be...So, we left. Very suddenly. In a puff of smoke."
"Quite literally with Trixie's smoke bombs," Ventus added. "It was pretty bad up there, and Starlight kinda...pushed them back with magic when she panicked."
Twilight and Sora looked at each other, until the latter snorted in amusement. "Wow. That sucks. I think that tells you to stay far enough away from that town."
"W-What?" Starlight asked while Ventus's jaw dropped at Sora's response.
"If you were worried about what they thought of you before, it's probably way worse now," Twilight added. "I'd cut my losses if I were you."
"...That's...surprising advice, coming from you," Starlight said nervously.
"Surprising!? That's the worst kind of advice you can give!" Ventus exclaimed in shock. "They forgave you, Starlight, but that doesn't mean you should just give up on them when they made you freak out by asking for your opinions!"
"She can always make more friends," Sora said. "Besides, how can you deny two of the best ponies who know more about friendship than us? I mean, I probably have some old friends out there that I haven't seen in a while, but they've probably moved on without me around to interfere with their lives. Part of the rules being a Keyblade wielder, right?"
Ventus couldn't believe what he just heard. He knows Sora values his friendships with everyone more than anything. No matter what world, he never forgets the friends he makes, no matter how long they are apart or if they never see him again. And the way he said it disturbed the young teen, including the look in his eyes when Sora looked at him. He swore that gaze looked familiar, but he couldn't put his hoof on it.
Before he could press the duo for anymore information, the throne room doors opened, Terra poking his head out from inside. "Time for the meeting, Your Highness."
"And speaking of friends, if you'll excuse us, we have important business to attend to," Twilight said as she and Sora walked off to meet Terra.
Spike joined them after having his little tantrum, gesturing with his claws that he's watching them, making sure they weren't doing anything suspicious. Ironic, considering how they're behaving was more suspicious than a White Mushroom in a group of Black Fungi. Ventus marched after them, but just as he reached the door, Terra shoved him back.
"You're not allowed in here," the earth pony stallion grunted.
"I'm just as much a part of this friendship group, Terra," Ventus said angrily, feeling hurt that he and Aqua were treating him much more differently. "I have my own throne in there, too! What are you keeping me out of!?"
"This is a confidential meeting for adults, not runts like you," Terra growled.
He slammed the door shut, locking Ventus out. "...What is going on???" Ventus grunted angrily. "Terra wouldn't...He would never treat me like that..." He looked at Starlight, who was just as confused as he was. They had a hunch something was definitely wrong, and so far, they were right. "...Starlight, you can't seriously believe Sora and Twilight, can you?"
"I-I don't...Maybe...they are?" Starlight said questioningly. Ventus huffed, knowing something was up as their friends were definitely acting suspiciously. "Look, it's late. I'm a bit exhausted from the trip, and still reeling over what happened...I'm gonna head to bed. Maybe they all had a rough day and things will get better in the morning."
"Starlight, one thing that drew red flags for me was the moment I looked at Kairi," Ventus said. "She wasn't wearing the engagement ring Sora gave her."
"Maybe she put it away for safekeeping?" Starlight suggested.
"She NEVER took it off since Hearts and Hooves Day, since Sora PROPOSED to her and placed the ring ON. HER. HORN," Ventus emphasized. "Not to mention Aqua calling me by my full name, Riku acting like a jerk, Terra calling me a runt, and Sora's 'advice' to you..." Ventus placed both forehooves on Starlight's shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes. "Starlight, something is NOT right here, and it's not stress from the wedding plans." As much as Starlight wanted to try to come up with an excuse for everyone's behavior, she couldn't find one. She knew they weren't this cruel, basically the Elements of Harmony that were based around the magic of friendship, and wouldn't put her down like they did mockingly out in town. "...Just watch your back for now. I don't know what's wrong with everyone, but I'll figure out how to fix this."
Ventus split up and made his way to his room, leaving Starlight to herself as she headed for her own bedroom. It was too bad they couldn't enter the throne room with the group having a secret meeting behind their backs, nor could Ventus try to pry into what they were talking about through his enchanted communicator. Starlight decided to turn in early, though her thoughts mulled over what Twilight and Sora said; cutting her losses with the ponies she forcibly lead who forgave her in the end didn't sound like the right answer.
Starlight opened her eyes, finding herself back at the entrance to Our Town in the middle of the night, the full moon shining down on the gloomy atmosphere. She saw the familiar faces of the ponies in Our Town wandering about, quickly walking up to them to get their attention.
"Hey, I wanted to apologize about my behavior," she said to Double Diamond, but the stallion walked past her, not even hearing her. Starlight then approached Party Favor, waving her hoof in front of him to get his attention, but it was like she was invisible. "Party Favor? Can you hear me?...Can any of you see me?"
"I told you you can never speak to them again!" Startled, Starlight turned to face Twilight, along with the rest of the Mane Six and the Keyblade wielders, all of them leering at her disappointingly, including Ventus.
"W-What are you all doing here?" Starlight asked.
"Making sure you do what I said!" Twilight scolded. "I'm your teacher, aren't I!? Didn't I say to never come here again!?"
"Y-Yes, but that doesn't seem right," Starlight uttered. "You aren't acting like yourself...Something is-"
"Starlight!" Shooting down from the moon, a stream of light struck the ground like a meteor, slamming down onto Starlight's friends, scattering them as they disappeared in a puff of mist. Sombra appeared in the crater, panting heavily as he looked greatly concerned. "Thank goodness I've reached your dream in time!"
"S-Sombra? Am I dreaming again?" Starlight asked.
"There's no time!" Sombra exclaimed, leaping out and approached the unicorn. "I've already sent word to Ventus! You two need to find help urgently!"
"But this is a dream," Starlight reasoned, but Sombra shook his head, grabbing the mare's shoulders.
"No, not in the dream realm; the waking realm!" he said. "They've already taken Celestia and Luna, and apparently, it's far worse than the last time!"
"W-What are you talking about?" Starlight asked, starting to feel nervous. "Who's taken the princesses?"
"You can't trust anypony! You and Ventus need help! The changelings have returned and-!" They heard a scream in the distance, Sombra gasping in horror as the scream came from the princess of the night, looking up at the full moon. "Luna, my love! Just a little longer!"
"I-I can't!" Luna's voice echoed in the dream. "Sombra, please hurry!"
"Tsk...I hate how powerless I am to assist as a Dream Eater," Sombra growled to himself. He then gasped when he looked down at his hoof, his body slowly fading away. "No. If she returns to the waking world, I'll be forced back into her ring until she next drops into the realm of sleep. Starlight, you must wake up! Now!"
"H-How!?" Starlight asked, already scared to know the changelings have returned.
Sombra panicked as he was about to disappear. "...I don't have much of a choice at this rate." Creating his crystal blade out of thin air, he aimed his weapon at Starlight, stammering in confusion at the strange and possibly dangerous decision he made. The sword began to glow brightly, along with his horn as it was firmly held in his red aura. "I apologize in advance for this."
"W-Wait, y-you're gonna-" Sombra grunted and lunged his sword into Starlight, stabbing it through her chest as the impact pushed her far across the dreamscape road of Our Town.
"AHHH!" Starlight screamed, falling out of bed with a grunt. She panted in shock as Sombra woke her from her dream in one of the most deadliest of ways possible, but it worked and snapped her awake. She rubbed her chest, sighing with relief, almost feeling how real it felt to get stabbed through the chest by a sword. "Makes sense to be woken up by something physically traumatic in a dream." The door to her room was suddenly opened and shut quickly, Ventus pressing his back to the door as he snuck from his room to hers. "Ven?"
"Keep your voice down," Ventus hushed. "...Unless you really are Starlight?"
"What are you-?" Ventus quickly rushed Starlight, grabbing her, and slamming her down on her bed.
Starlight yelped, but Ventus pressed his hoof against her mouth. When he summoned his Keyblade and aimed it at her, she whimpered, confused, then remembered Sombra warned her about the changelings.
"How do I know you're the real Starlight Glimmer?" Ventus questioned. Starlight tried to tell him it was really her, but with her voice muffled by his hoof, he wasn't going to let her speak unless he thought she would scream for help. After a moment of silent thinking, Ventus had an idea to tell if the Starlight he was holding down was real. "One evening, I was with Twilight in Canterlot helping her rekindle her old friendships with ponies at a restaurant. I don't remember the rest of the evening when I passed out suddenly and woke up in the middle of the park. What happened that night?"
He slowly moved his hoof away from Starlight's muzzle, understanding the situation as she looked the pegasus dead in the eyes despite having a blade aimed at her. "...You saw me spying on Twilight in that restaurant. You chased after me, cornered me, and we talking about what my ideals were about, my plan for revenge and the spell I took from the Royal Archives. But you don't remember what happened because...I erased your memories of you meeting me..." Starlight looked away in guilt, still feeling utterly responsible for doing that after knowing far later that Ventus's memories were already tempered with once, though far worse than what she did. "...I still feel bad doing that to you...You were just as mad as Aqua was when I admitted it and lost all your trust in me..."
Ventus silently judged her response, dismissing his Keyblade and picked Starlight back up on her hooves. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just had to make sure."
"And how do I know you're not a changeling?" Starlight asked. Ventus gave the mare a deadpanned stare, then turned to his side and pointed at his Wayward Wind Keyblade cutie mark, emphasizing what he had pointed at her a few seconds ago. "...Oh. Right."
"We need to get out of here and find help," Ventus said.
"Right...but who?" Starlight asked. "...Maybe Kaito can help us? Or maybe Lea, or Sora's friends, Donald and Goofy?"
"I...I don't know," Ventus muttered. "It's really risky considering how easy it is for changelings to fool everyone. They might believe us, but if they turn into us, they can get just as easily tricked, attack us instead, and get captured too...We need a small group to avoid getting confused if they ambush us."
"And with ponies who we know we can trust without being deceived ourselves," Starlight added, sighing miserably as outside help would make matters worse.
"I think there's one pony we do know who we can trust, and I think she's not too far away from the castle." Ventus approached the window, silently opening it and looked down.
Starlight looked down as well, finding Trixie's wagon down near the castle's backyard. Both ponies snuck out, Ventus carrying Starlight down with a gentle glide to avoid making any noise to alert the impostors to their awareness. As they touched down, Starlight ran up to the magician's caravan and knocked on it gently enough for only Trixie to hear.
"Trixie? Trixie, it's Starlight," Starlight quietly called out while Ventus kept a lookout for any changeling spies. "Are you awake?"
"Of course, Princess Celestia," Trixie said, sounding like she was sleep talking from how tiredly over-exaggerated she was sounding. "I would love to perform for peanut butter crackers..."
Starlight blankly stared in the distance as she had her face pressed against her friend's door. Even Ventus gave her the same look, hearing the sleep-talking showpony from where he stood.
"Gee, what a life that would be," the teen said sarcastically. "Performing for crackers. Trixie's living the dream."
"Trixie, wake up!" Starlight said a bit loudly.
That seemed to get Trixie to stir, only for the unicorn mare inside the wagon to accidentally set off some magical fireworks. Starlight and Ventus winced as the explosions burst in the silence of the quiet night, looking around as someone could easily hear the fireworks going off and investigate the suddenly loud racket. Thankfully, no one else came as they finally died down, Trixie opening her caravan's window to let out the smoke while she hacked uncontrollably. Now awake, though still sleepy, Trixie looked outside as she rubbed her eyes, wearing a night cap that matched her magician's attire.
"Starlight, what time is it?" she asked tiredly.
"Late, but we found out what's happened to our friends," Ventus said.
"I have a whole list of things that are wrong with your friends," Trixie yawned, smacking her lips as she ducked back inside her wagon. "We can go over it in the morning."
"You are not falling back asleep!" Ventus exclaimed, leaping through Trixie's window.
Trixie yelped as she was tossed outside, hitting the ground with a painful thud. Trixie grumbled, now wide awake while leering at the pegasus who threw her out of bed and out of her mobile home.
"Ok, ok, I'm awake!" Trixie exclaimed.
"Trixie, shush!" Starlight hissed, clasping her hoof over the azure unicorn's mouth. "We're in terrible danger!"
Trixie growled, shoving Starlight's hoof away. "How are we in danger?"
"Our friends are-" Starlight paused, remembering Sombra's advice involving the situation they were in now. It was possible this could be Trixie, but there was a chance the changelings could have kidnapped her when she and Ventus split up to figure out why everyone was acting strangely. She had to make sure this was the real Trixie and not a changeling in disguise, and the only way to tell was to hear from her something only she knew, just like what Ventusdid to her. "What did you tell me never to tell another pony?"
"Starlight, if you and Ventus woke me up to play guessing games-" Trixie was interrupted, Starlight not willing to risk wasting more time and get them caught by the changelings.
"After we left my village, what did you tell me to NEVER tell another pony you said?" Starlight repeated.
Trixie growled, pouting as she let out a frustrated sigh as she responded. "That even Trixie makes mistakes," she grumbled through her teeth.
"Trixie, for the love of light, quit acting like a five-year-old and answer us!" Ventus demanded.
"That even Trixie makes mistakes!" Trixie said again, loud and clear while more irritated. "There! Are you two happy!?"
Starlight answered by hugging her friend, startling Trixie. "Yes. Sorry," Starlight apologized. "We had to make sure you weren't one of them."
"One of who?" Trixie asked.
"A changeling," Ventus said, jumping out of Trixie's home and scanned their surroundings. "They've taken the princesses, and they also took our friends and impersonating them to fool us."
"WHAT!?" Trixie screamed, now completely awake. Ventus quickly slammed his hoof into her muzzle, shushing her harshly with a stern glare, warning her to shut her big mouth before she got them caught. Her brain catching up to the realism of the situation, she swallowed nervously, keeping her voice down as Ventus moved his hoof away. "W-W-What are we gonna do? W-We need help."
"We are the help," Ventus said. Trixie squeaked in fright, her limbs shaking as they were completely helpless. "We need to find out where they took everyone. Come on, we're sneaking in."
"A-Are you crazy?" Trixie questioned, her voice cracking in fear. Ventus moved on ahead, which made Trixie gulp nervously as Starlight guided her along, having no choice but to help now. "No. I'm crazy for sneaking up on changelings with you two."
"We have to do something, Trixie," Starlight said. "Ventus is a good fighter. He can protect us if things get hairy."
The unicorns followed the youngest Keyblade wielder around the Castle of Friendship, the front doors still locked, but was easily opened with a flick of Ventus's Keyblade. He kept his weapon held in his hoof, staying alert as he crept inside. Starlight and Trixie stayed right behind him, the azure magician quietly closing the door behind them before staying incredibly close to Starlight. They could see the throne room doors up ahead, though it was left slightly ajar, someone forgetting to lock it behind them. Peeking through the slightly cracked open doorway, they could see the impostors gathered around, the ones impersonating the Mane Six settling in their thrones, but with the other five Keyblade wielders in the room, it was obvious they were fakes since their thrones weren't there as well. Ventus kept any part of him from the perimeter of the room to avoid having his appear and startle them while he spied on them.
The Spike double was getting physically abused by the other ponies after drawing a dumb face on the fake Fluttershy, smacked away from the pegasus and hitting the Cutie Map while the fake Rarity laughed at the fake dragon's misfortune. As soon as Sora showed up, the fakes clowning around ceased as he approached the map.
"Well, is it ready yet?" Sora asked, sounding impatient.
"Just one more," Applejack said, holding up what appeared to be a black scarab.
On the table, Ventus noticed there were three other scarabs set on its surface. The fake Applejack placed the last one down, pushing them closer to the center with the aid of the three doppelgangers who were closer, forming a square shape. The wings of the black beetles opened up, revealing a green aura inside them, firing out beams that completed the square shape. They soon shot up in the center point of their connection, releasing ooze-like strands as they swirled into a sphere, the magic growing bigger as it seemed to create a magical portal or window. And inside that window was none other than the queen of her shape-shifting, love-sucking parasites, Chrysalis.
"Chrysalis," Ventus muttered under his breath. "Of course she would come back again. What kind of crazy scheme did she come up with this time?"
Chrysalis looked at the ponies circling the table, letting out a scoff at their forms. "I can't take any of you seriously when you look like that," she said.
"Oh, right," the fake Twilight said.
One by one, Starlight and Ventus's "friends" revealed their true selves, their bodies shifting in a flash of green, reverting back to their original changeling forms. All except for Sora, who stood smugly.
"You too," Chrysalis growled.
"Come on, queenie, just think about it," the pegasus said. "Your enemy working with you willingly? How hilariously dark would that be?"
"I told you not to call me that!" the queen shouted. "It's bad enough that you rendered by best soldier unconscious upon your arrival, but I will not have you belittle me and ruin my plans. Now, change back to your true self...even though there isn't much of a change, to my chagrin."
The stallion rolled his eyes, but Chrysalis's comment on Sora's impostor confused Ventus by what she meant. The fake's forehead began to light up, his body suddenly surrounded by flames as he transformed. Slowly, the flames flickered away, starting from his hooves and moved up to his head. Gone were Sora's clothes and fur, the impostor's body mostly concealed under an all familiar black coat Ventus knew all too well. His tan face turned black, a tough exterior similar to the changelings' hides as the flames revealed his face, but the rest above the changeling's neck made Ventus gasp in shock: similar facial structure that Sora had, yellow eyes instead of green like the other drones around the table, and similar hair just like Sora's, only black instead of brown.
"...No...No way...I thought that..." Ventus was at a loss for words. "He couldn't have...That's impossible."
"Oh my gosh...Sora's a changeling all this time," Trixie whispered. "That explains so much."
"That's not Sora," Ventus uttered. He couldn't look away from the grinning changeling, standing out among the drones as he shared unique differences like Chrysalis with his hair, clothes, and especially his glowing yellow eyes. He thought this nightmare was forever sealed away in Sora's heart, but the dark entity he heard that was trapped inside Sora must be his own darkness, just with this monster's form and memories thanks to Ventus's light joined to Sora's heart. And with that black coat, he was working with Xehanort yet again, brought back by possibly the same kind of power he used to bring Ansem and Xemnas back as on of his thirteen seeds of darkness. "...That's...Vanitas..."