//------------------------------// // To Where and Back Again (Part 3) // Story: My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria // by Codex92 //------------------------------// Vanitas leered at the transformed Ventus, disturbed by the bright white chitin body that seemed to radiate a light stronger than he ever felt. He wasn't going to show his other side fear or worry, proving he was the stronger half, not Ventus. "...You think you scare me?" Vanitas asked. "You look just as bad as the green moose you're trying to protect. Changing like that's not going to help you beat me!" "Then why don't you come after me?" Ventus taunted, crouching low as he readied to pounce. "If you want to run your mouth, then show me you're still stronger than me now." Growling, Vanitas flinched, which made Ventus smirk, practically sensing his fear. Vanitas looked around, then spotted Starlight standing by herself, too enthralled with Ventus's D-Link changeling form. Vanitas had a wicked grin on his face, then leered at Ventus with manic, psychotic eyes. "Oh, I will...After I make sure you suffer!" he said before rushing off toward Starlight. Starlight gasped when she heard Vanitas's footsteps heading toward her, the dark Keyblade wielder moving too fast for her to escape. She flinched and lifted her hooves up to defend herself. Vanitas yelled and swung his blade down, but Ventus warped in front of Starlight, swinging his right foreleg and, in a flash of light, blocked his darker side's Void Gear Keyblade with his own, but it wasn't the Wayward Wind. Vanitas leered at Ventus for protecting Starlight, but when he looked at what he used to block him with, his jaw dropped at what he saw. In Ventus's hoof was a Keyblade unlike anything anyone could imagine: it looked like two Kingdom Keyblades crossed together, as well as joined by their guards, the teeth facing outward, a filigree similar to the Ultima Keyblade's wire-like design in the center where the blades crossed, jutting out between them was another blade, making its reach longer than the original Kingdom Key's length while it glowed a bright white, and the chains connected at the ends of the hilts joined, the end of the chain bearing a red and black heart similar to the Heartless emblem's design, only without the jagged etchings and had two Kingdom Keys crossed over it. "Starlight, stay by Thorax," Ventus warned. Starlight nodded and ran to Thorax, staying far enough away from the two Keyblade wielders. "Stay away from my friends. I'm done letting you push them around and hurting them." "...W-W-Wha...Y-You...You...!?" Vanitas stammered, staring at the X-blade in utter disbelief. "Oh. You like my new Keyblade?" Ventus teased. "I figured you weren't going to use it when you died in a previous life. How's it feel to be on this end?" Vanitas was speechless, a glint of fear reflecting in his eyes, which was a first for Ventus to see since he finished him in their last battle. Ventus lunged his head forward, headbutting Vanitas and dazing him, then lunged forward, his translucent wings buzzing as he slammed his darkness into the wall in less then a second. In a flash of light from the X-blade, Ventus reverted Vanitas back into a changeling, sucking away the magic of his transformation. "Now we're evenly matched. And how fitting: you as a black, heartless changeling, while I'm the light one, far more superior by sharing love than stealing it." "S-Shut up!" Vanitas shouted, missing Ventus as he swung his blade, the white changeling backflipping away and landing in his battle stance. "That...That X-blade is supposed to be mine...You're the inferior half! I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY YOU!!!!!!" Vanitas hissed angrily, then flew forward, slashing his Keyblade across Ventus's chest. He managed to hit him, smirking in success, but Ventus grinned, and the next instant, he disappeared. Vanitas didn't have any time to look around as Ventus reappeared behind him, kicking the back of his head and slamming his face deep into the ground. Ventus flapped his wings, spreading sparkles of light all around Vanitas as he struggled to pull his head out. They weren't physically harming him, but Ventus used what abilities came from his D-Link with Thorax. Vanitas finally freed his head with a comical popping sound, shaking his head as he squinted through the sparkling dust. Ventus began charging toward him, but as Vanitas blinked, Ventus had suddenly turned into Sora from his point of view, shocking him as he held the same powerful X-blade in his hands. He quickly got his mind focused on surviving, lifting his Keyblade to block the illusion's, then flew high out of "Sora's" reach. Looking up at the cocoons, he saw the real Sora was still trapped inside, baffled, shaking his head as he tried to snap out of whatever spell Ventus cast on him. "What's the matter, Vanitas!?" "Sora" taunted. "Afraid to take on who will eventually be your ally if you actually beat Ven!? I heard you were menacing, but you're just a coward!" "...I am no coward!" Vanitas screamed. He looked down at the changelings, all of them muttering to each other as they were wondering what he was seeing when all the others, including Thorax, Starlight, and Chrysalis only saw Ventus and his Wayward Wind Keyblade, the white changeling mimicking Sora's voice and fighting stance if he were human. "What are you idiots looking at!? Fight him! Do something besides stand there and watch him humiliate me!" "What is he talking about?" Starlight asked. "What is Ven doing to Vanitas?" "I don't know," Thorax said. "Some kind of illusion, but he's not physically transformed." Vanitas yelled and dove down toward Sora, but as he got closer, he was suddenly smacked in the side by someone else, grunting in pain as he skid across the ground. When he saw who attacked him, he swore he was seeing things as he now saw Riku with the X-blade, using the same battle stance he does as the silver-haired human illusion smirked at him. "Giving up already?" "Riku" teased, the audience seeing Ventus standing where the mirage was in Vanitas's eyes in the same pose and mimicking his voice perfectly. "Come on, Vanitas. I thought you were stronger than that." "W-What? T-Two!?" Vanitas looked up again, the real Riku still just as trapped as Sora was, but when he looked at the illusions again, he was starting to lose it as his mind tried to process the manipulative magic invading him. He closed his eyes, rubbed them with his hoof, and even shook his head, but when he opened them again, he was suddenly surrounded by the other Keyblade wielders': Kairi, Aqua, Terra, Twilight, Lea, Mickey, and even an illusion of Eraqus, knowing full well the former master was already dead long ago. All of them bore the X-blade, his tricked brain making him panic as he tried to search for Ventus, but there was no sign of him anywhere. "S-Stop hiding behind this trick! Fight me like a man, unless you're still a little boy, cowering in fear of my power!" "Didn't you also use this 'trick', turning into Sora to kidnap and catch us?" "Aqua" asked. "You're the true coward here, Vanitas," "Terra" insulted. "Creating Unversed to stop us, but they only helped us grow stronger while all you did was taunt and toy with us." "You're a practical joker turned nuisance; to us, and even to Xehanort," "Mickey" added. "J-Joker!? You think I'm a joke!?" Vanitas screeched, getting irritated and heavily flustered as he searched for his opponent hiding behind one of these fakes. "You have no idea who I am! I AM VANITAS! I'M A GOD COMPARED TO ALL OF YOU!" "A 'god' who follows orders from someone else who wants to be all powerful, more likely," "Eraqus" said. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!!!!!!!" Vanitas screamed, then charged toward "Eraqus". He went straight through the deceased Keyblade Master, only to be met with Ventus's hoof straight in his face. Sent flying back, Ventus swung his Keyblade, sending the illusions after him as they struck him one by one. Despite the fact they weren't real, each strike hurt as Vanitas staggered about, trying to fight back but only hitting air as he flailed about. On her throne, Chrysalis grunted as she stood up, shocked to see someone was managing to beat someone she thought was stronger than Sora. "Don't think that I'm out just yet," Chrysalis growled, leaping toward Ventus. He leapt away, staring the changeling queen down while his spell over Vanitas continued affecting him. "You will not ruin what I have been planning for the last couple years to take over Equestria! All the love in the world will be mine to consume! And don't even THINK you can try to change my mind after seeing Thorax turn into...that!" "There's no need to," Ventus said. He spun his Keyblade in his hoof, then crouched low as he leered at the changeling queen. "Because you don't deserve a second chance! Especially when we know just how low you'll go to control someone!" Chrysalis fired a beam at Ventus, only for it to be deflected with a swing of his blade. He charged forward and swung, moving faster than the queen expected as she used her magic to create a shield to defend herself. It didn't last long as it shattered in one blow, getting caught in a flurry of wild swings that left her immobilized. As the two fought, Starlight grimaced when Ventus said Chrysalis didn't deserve a second chance. She knew that in the alternate future where she had succeeded using Kairi as her mind-controlled slave, in more ways than just a super soldier, she had also hurt that Kairi far worse than she was already hurting after losing Sora in that timeline. The Chrysalis in that timeline had given her physical, mental, and psychological pain, but she didn't even know there was a way for her and her subjects to live without spreading fear among ponies and stealing their love to eat. Vanitas yelled and continued flailing about, the illusion starting to fade away as the sparkles surrounding him began to disappear. He panted heavily, badly injured as he looked around, finding no sign of the irritating mirages anywhere. He turned to face where he heard fighting, spotting Ventus and Chrysalis clashing with each other. His jaw fell when he saw Ventus's original Keyblade instead of the X-blade, his blood boiling as he was tricked, grinding his fangs as a dark aura surrounded the changeling. "You conniving little BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vanitas screamed. Vanitas teleported toward Ventus, quickly ducking a horizontal slash aimed for his head as he now dealt with his enraged other half and the queen of the changelings. Ventus wasn't deterred as he accepted the challenge, blocking and avoiding Vanitas's berserk-like slashes while dodging magic beams from Chrysalis. The changelings watching were in awe, all of them silently hoping Ventus would win as his power as a temporary changeling seemed far superior than their queen's. Starlight and Thorax hoped he would beat them both before his D-Link wore off, but they had confidence in the young Keyblade wielder. Ventus backed away aimed his Keyblade at Vanitas and Chrysalis, freezing them in place as he performed the move Time Splicer. As soon as both his foes were Stopped, Ventus warped around them, slashing wildly in all directions. When time resumed, the duo yelled in pain as the strikes connected, then were caught in a powerful Tornado spell, Ventus in the eye of the harsh whirlwinds and watched as Chrysalis and Vanitas flailed about as the winds injured them. He followed up with a Collision Magnet, pulling them toward him, and with a powerful swing, Ventus slammed Vanitas and Chrysalis hard across the room, crashing them into the throne as it cracked more from the impact. "Ugh...Get...off me!" Chrysalis groaned, the two changelings tangled up in each other's limbs as they writhed in pain. Ventus landed back on the ground, facing the changelings as he walked over to Thorax and Starlight. "Changelings, listen to me!" he called out to the crowd of black bug ponies. "For so long, your kind has been seen as monsters, heartless and disturbing as you hunt ponies, impersonate loved ones, and steal the love they give! This was a dark road that Chrysalis had lead you down, and she has been selfish with a greed for power to even care about how all of you would survive, much less herself! Look at the changeling who you all saw as an outcast; he had discovered that making friends, GIVING love instead of taking hasn't starved him, and the benefits are much greater as you are accepted by those who can give you a chance if you truly wish for a second chance!" Thorax looked away bashfully, but after witnessing the first reformed changeling's transformation, they were willing to give it a chance for a better life. "So, what do you all say!? Do you want to keep hiding behind masks of other's faces and keep going hungry, or do you want to show your true selves by giving love to others instead of taking them!?" Without needing much convincing, the changelings all began to mimic Thorax and give love. They all floated as their chest shot out love energy, beginning their metamorphosis. Starlight, Thorax, and Ventus grinned as they chose the best option. Ventus lifted his Keyblade up in the air, gathering the love energy the hive was releasing. The tip of his Keyblade also began to build up light, increasing their magic's power as he turned to face the throne, Chrysalis, and Vanitas. After it was fully charged, Ventus aimed his blade at the throne, firing a heart-shaped beam into the base of the stone throne, causing cracks to build up all around and reach the top. Chrysalis and Vanitas looked down with wide eyes, then to each other, having a huge feeling they were going to be caught in an explosion. The numerous cracks were too much for the enchanted stone throne, beginning to glow brightly as it was about to blow up. Thinking quickly, Ventus cast a powerful barrier spell around himself, Thorax, Starlight, and their trapped friends hanging above. He protected them all in time as the throne released a massive explosion, destroying itself to pieces as well as blowing up the highest spire of the hive, where Chrysalis's throne room was held. With no more ceiling holding the cocooned captives hostage, they began to fall, but now that there was no more magic-sucking stone taking magic away from the Changeling Kingdom, the magic around the Keyblade wielders returned, turning them back into ponies, and Starlight had her magic back, catching everyone before they hit the ground. As the captured victims landed safely, the changelings around Ventus, Starlight, and Thorax fully transformed, turning into bright and colorful changelings like Thorax, each different with combination of brighter colored bodies, wings, tails, and eyes, though they all didn't have antlers like Thorax. They looked at themselves and each other in awe, no longer feeling hungry and were also really glad to change. "This is incredible," Starlight said. She then looked at Ventus, who was still in his changeling form. "What did you do to Vanitas? He said you had the X-blade thing you mentioned before, but you didn't." "I think it was a bit of a Confuse spell, but with a changeling twist," Ventus guessed. "Since changelings are pretty good at tricking their victims, I thought it would be sweet to get some revenge for what Vanitas had done to me, Aqua, and Terra in the past. Too bad the illusion didn't last forever, but I had my fun toying with him." "And even though you mimicked the others voices, you didn't transform into them," Thorax noted. "I don't think I've ever heard the last two's voices before Vanitas began flailing and stumbling around while he was 'attacked'," Starlight added. "Right. You never met King Mickey before," Ventus said. "He was the second to last one...but the last one...was our former master, Eraqus...He was involved with what happened back then, too." Ventus let out a sad sigh, wishing his existence and his part in Xehanort's plan didn't end up with Eraqus and Terra fighting against each other, resulting in the former's death. Looking past those memories, Ventus looked over at the cocoons, stepping toward them with his Keyblade held high. "Let's get these guys out of there." With several wide slashes, he cut through the cocoons, freeing their friends as the slimy goop inside spilled out. Everyone groaned and coughed, feeling disoriented and slightly weak, wondering what happened to them. "Ugh. Not again," Riku groaned in irritation, kicking the pieces of his and Twilight's membrane prison. The others managed to get up, though Sora felt far weaker as his and Kairi's cocoon had mostly been trying to drain him more than the rest. "Is this how changeling goop tastes, Riku? Bland, slimy broth with no flavoring?" "Thicker than broth, but yes," Riku said. Kairi stood and helped Sora up, letting him lean against her. "At least we're out," she said. "What happened to-?" As she rubbed her head, Kairi bumped her hoof against her horn, but failed to feel something else that should have been there. "Huh?...M-My engagement ring! It's gone!" "Huh!?" Sora looked at his beloved's horn, letting out a shocked squeak as he noticed it was missing as well. "NOOO! What happened to us!?" Kairi exclaimed. "Who stole my ring!?" "Kairi, relax," Ventus said as he approached the couple, digging through his pocket and pulling out the pink unicorn's ring. "...Ven!?" Sora asked, shocking the others as they saw his transformed state. "Yeah, I know. Weird look, huh?" Ventus said, chuckling at everyone's reaction. "But, I think the other changelings look just as weird as I do." Looking around, they saw the transformed changelings, confusing and striking them with awe in their new forms. "...Ven, what happened to us?" Aqua asked as she and Terra approached the white changeling. "Uhh...it's a pretty long story," he said. Ventus placed Kairi's engagement ring back on her horn for her, then transformed back into a stallion as his D-Link finally wore out. "I forged a D-Link with Thorax pretty quickly. These changes never happened with my other links in the past, but I guess while in Equestria, the magic around the world helps me transform, even in the human world through the magic portal." Starlight ran over to Trixie as she was snapping awake, hugging the magician, happy to see her unharmed after getting swarmed by the Unversed. When Discord came to with a groan, he looked around in confusion, watching some of the reformed changeling hive helping the others out of their cocoons, even cleaning them off from the disgusting slime they were surrounded in. "Fluttershy?" the draconequus called out worriedly. He spotted the pegasus, turning to hear her name being called. "Fluttershy!" Discord teleported closer to her, forgetting about his magic returning as he picked the yellow mare up and hugged her tightly. "It's, umm, good to see you too," Fluttershy said, her cheeks glowing with a light blush as she hugged Discord back. Twilight approached Starlight, her legs shaking as she stood up after being held in that cocoon for nearly a day. "Starlight, what happened?" "We defeated the changelings without magic at all, Thorax appears to be the new leader seeing how different he looks compared to the others, and...they're all kinda...good now," Starlight briefly summarized. The short version didn't explain much as the others were baffled, wondering what happened while they were kidnapped and how they were so easily tricked. They didn't have a chance to get more answers as they heard some of the rubble in the distance shift. Facing the moving rubble, Chrysalis pulled herself out of the debris of her ruined palace, hissing violently, only to balk in shock as she saw her captives have escaped and her hive of changelings were as colorful as Thorax. The other wielders summoned their blades, everyone glaring at the now former changeling queen, outnumbering her in both numbers and power. Chrysalis knew she was outmatched, sitting in defeat as she looked down in thought. Starlight was the only one out of the massive group who pitied her, stepping up to the beaten changeling queen. "When Twilight, Sora, and the others beat me, I chose to run away and seek revenge. But you don't have to," Starlight said. "You can be the leader your subjects deserve..." Starlight held her hoof out to Chrysalis, giving her a chance to change and no longer be considered an enemy of the entire kingdom of Equestria. The former queen looked at the unicorn, shocked to be given that chance despite terrorizing everyone and kidnapping the most important ponies, and the universe's greatest warriors, taking the love from her transformed drones to feed for the rest of her existence. Sora wasn't going to believe she would ever change, not after what he experienced, and Ventus silently agreed as he stared her down, having more energy to strike than the others as theirs was more drained. Chrysalis began to reach out for Starlight's hoof, but instead of shaking it, she leered at her and smacked her hoof away, shocking Starlight at her response. "There is no revenge you could ever conceive of that will come close to what I will exact upon you and that colt one day, Starlight Glimmer!" Chrysalis hissed. Just as she was about to fly away, Ventus rushed forward, casting Magnet and attracting the former queen toward him. She yelped as she was forced back by the gravitational pull, turning into a pained grunt when Ventus leapt up and slammed his Keyblade down onto her, sending her crashing to the ground. Landing and pinning her to the ground, the young pegasus brought his blade to Chrysalis's throat, pressing a hoof down on her horn when she tried to use magic to break away with enough force to threaten to break it off if she did. "You're not getting your revenge; not today, or tomorrow, or anytime in the future," Ventus said. "Starlight gave you a chance. A stupid idea, but it was a chance you just wasted, and all of us knew you wouldn't want to. All you care about is yourself, not your hive, or even finding better ways to keep you all from starving. You just wanted power, addicted to stealing love and growing from its strength. And even if you did escape, we won't let you bring anymore pain." He forced her head to turn to look at Sora, staring at the intense glare of the stallion as he stood by Kairi, who moved in front of his fiancee protectively. "In another time, you did succeed in your invasion, but you used Kairi instead." "Her? Why would I have used her in my invasion?" Chrysalis questioned, confused by what he meant by another time. "You don't need to know," Ventus growled, pressing his blade harder against her throat. "And you will never find out...It's over. You lost everything. And you'll be lucky if you see the light of day again when we throw you in a prison cell." Starlight was disappointed, hoping to turn Chrysalis's ideals around like Ventus had to the changelings. At least everyone knew exactly what her sentence would be, considering she had tried to take over Equestria twice, kidnapping Cadence and impersonating her during the royal wedding the first time and then the more important ponies in the world with the same goal as the first, along with letting Vanitas take Sora away after weakening him enough through those love-draining cocoons. Her ears twitched when she heard something moving where Chrysalis came out from the rocky debris. Turning toward the sound, she gasped when she saw Vanitas crawl out, looking far worse than Chrysalis as he seemed to have taken the full brunt of the throne's explosion with several bruises on his face, one of his eyes closed with a pretty bad one as if a large piece smacked him in the blast. The changeling growled, his good eye leering at Ventus as he aimed his Keyblade at him. "It is over...for you. Dark Mega Flare." The end of Vanitas's weapon began to build up an orb of dark flames, growing bigger and bigger until it was almost as big as he was. When he unleashed the powerful fire spell, everyone heard the sound as they turned their heads in Vanitas's general direction. "NOOO!!!!" Starlight shouted, running in the Dark Mega Flare's trajectory, using her magic to create a barrier to protect herself from the spell. As soon as the ball of flames connected with Starlight's magical shield, it shrunk in on itself, then expanded in a massive explosion, the radius barely reaching Ventus and Chrysalis as the shockwave nearly blew everyone away. They could all hear Starlight's barrier shatter, the mare sent flying out of the Dark Mega Flare's explosion and knocked unconscious. Everyone gasped in horror, Aqua and Terra staring at Vanitas in shock as they saw him back again. "Starlight!" Twilight shouted, trying to chase and catch her pupil as she fell, only to wince as her strength hadn't fully recovered yet. Thorax flapped his wings and flew after Starlight, catching her before she hit the ground and carried her back to the others. Ventus was speechless as he watched Starlight run into the incredibly powerful spell and get flung from the explosion, but when he turned back to Vanitas, he growled, ignoring the startled changeling queen as he leapt off her and ran toward his dark side. "VANITAS!!!!!!!!!" Ventus screamed, slashing the changeling, but only hit an afterimage as his darkness reappeared down near the base of hive. Chrysalis took the chance to flee, no longer held down and dove over the edge. Sora tried to chase after her, only to wince and collapse, gravely weakened by her magic while he was trapped. She regrouped with Vanitas, avoiding the aggressive spells from Ventus when she spotted her from burning fireballs to bolts of lightning. Chrysalis got far enough away and flew as if her life depended on it, passing Vanitas as he and Ventus glared at each other for a moment before the changeling flew after Chrysalis. Ventus panted heavily, letting out a frustrated scream that echoed throughout the wasteland, throwing his Keyblade in a vain attempt to hit Vanitas, only for it to come back in his hoof a moment later. When his anger subsided, guilt and sorrow struck his heart as he turned around, running back to the others as his friends and the reformed changelings hovered around Starlight, Thorax gently laying her down on the ground while greatly worried for her. "She doesn't look good," he uttered. Aqua kneeled down and looked Starlight over, the heliotrope unicorn covered in burn marks, but she was still breathing. "A lot of burns...but she's still alive," Aqua said, though that didn't relieve everyone's worries after watching her miraculously survive such a blast. "That barrier she cast was strong enough to lessen the damage, but I'm surprised by how strong it was to survive without getting so much as a scar of darkness on her." "S-Scar of darkness?" Trixie asked nervously. "If an injury on someone with the power of darkness is strong enough, it will leave behind a scar," Terra explained. "Master Eraqus had one on his face, and I gave a certain assassin working for Xehanort a good one when I was using it back then. It's permanent like a normal one, but it doesn't fade away as time passes." Aqua held her Keyblade over Starlight, casting Curaga and healed away the burns all over her body. Ventus stared at the unconscious unicorn, tears beginning to well up in his eyes as history seemed to be repeating itself. Vanitas had harmed one of his friends, and almost killed her if she wasn't strong enough to defend herself. He blamed himself for what he got Aqua and Terra into when he was under Xehanort's tutelage and had Vanitas created by force from his own darkness, and now that he's back, he's going to do it all over again. "...Starlight...?" Ventus uttered, his voice cracking as he fell on his haunches. Aqua heard Ventus, seeing the distressed look on his face. "Ven, she'll be ok," she assured. "She's just unconscious." Her words didn't reach him, tears slowly rolling down his cheeks. Aqua stood up and approached Ventus, gently placing a hoof on his shoulder. "Ven?" Ventus grimaced, choking back a sob as he buried his face in Aqua's chest. Though slightly startled, Aqua held Ventus gently, both her and Terra looking at each other as they had a feeling this was just like what happened when they met up again in the Keyblade Graveyard. As much as they want to know about what happened and Vanitas's return, it was best to wait until Ventus had calmed down enough. While Thorax lead the changelings to Canterlot and the Crystal Empire to tell their brethren impersonating the royals that Chrysalis is no longer in charge and their change proof of showing they don't have to live in hiding and have to starve, Discord teleported everyone back to Ponyville with a snap of his fingers for them all to rest and recuperate. Far out in the wastelands, Chrysalis panted heavily as she rested for a moment, seething with anger at her second failed attempt to take over Equestria. Vanitas walked up behind her, just as mad as the former changeling queen, and even more so that Ventus had humiliated him, tricked him into thinking he had the X-blade, and was still alive after Starlight jumped in front of his Dark Mega Flare. And with how useless Chrysalis was, too busy gloating instead of killing Starlight or Thorax earlier, Sora was freed, and he had nothing to bring back to Xehanort. "One day, I am going to get my revenge on them," Chrysalis vowed. "They will pay for this..." She then turned to her ally, glowering at him for his failure to beat Ventus and for that spell aimed at him that could have engulfed her as well. "I thought you said you were supposed to be stronger than those Keyblade wielders, but your other half, as you call that runt, bested you. And used my own game of trickery to make you fight against the air!" "Shut up," Vanitas growled. "Why didn't you use THAT magic spell on him earlier instead of toying with him!?" Chrysalis questioned angrily. "We both could have won in a heartbeat! But you could have killed me with that when he had me pinned! For somepony who's strong, you're clearly not smart enough to deal with a child!" That pinched a nerve in Vanitas, suddenly warping in front of Chrysalis, backhanding her in the face and sent her falling to the ground. "You have no right to mock me!" Vanitas shouted, leaping onto the changeling queen and rammed his hoof into her chest, knocking the wind out of her before grabbing her neck and choking her. "What about you!? How about you do something instead of hide behind stupid masks and sit on your fat ass while your army does the job for you!? If you have the guts to call me out over me losing, which I don't need to be reminded of-!" He emphasized his statement by slamming Chrysalis's head into the ground, scaring her while she was being choked and gasping for breath. "-you should look in the damn mirror and see how much of a screw up you are when you lost your drones' respect for you as a leader and did nothing to Ventus when you tried to 'assist' me! So unless you want to piss me off even more than I am now, you better learn to keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you!!!!!" Vanitas slammed Chrysalis's head into the ground again, letting go and let her breathe in a huge lungful of air and coughing after the harsh blow to her chest. Stepping away, he growled, rubbing his sore eye with a hoof, hoping it would heal up and not end up wearing an eyepatch like Braig. Chrysalis managed to sit up, rubbing her strangled neck while leering at the Keyblade wielder. "You...and I...made a deal," Chrysalis reminded Vanitas. "You promised...to help me. You failed me..." "You're the one who failed," Vanitas growled. "I gave you my services in exchange for an emotionally empty Sora. I help in their capture, I pretended to be him for your plan to go off without any complications, but then came along a member of your hive, a coward who barely did anything you expected of him, who waltzed right in and 'gave you all his love', knocking you back, turned into a mutated rainbow moose-butterfly, and got the rest of your 'loyal' changelings to turn into those same disgusting things in defiance against you. Right now, I don't have an emotionally undead Sora in my clutches, you're left without an army, and I was beaten by my weaker half in the most embarrassingly humiliating way possible...Our deal is off, queenie. "Or, I should call you former queenie since you no longer rule your kingdom anymore." Chrysalis glared spitefully at Vanitas, but he didn't look back, summoning a portal of darkness before him. "Oh. By the way, even if we were successful, I wouldn't have pranced around celebrating when you became queen of this world." Vanitas turned his head, glancing at Chrysalis with his good eye, and gave her a sadistic smirk. "In less than an hour with Sora as Xehanort's thirteenth vessel, this world would have fallen to darkness, and you and your precious little kingdom would no longer exist." "W-What?" Chrysalis gawked in surprise. "Y-You...You were going to betray me all this time!?" "I was gonna betray you before I even stepped foot on this pathetic world," Vanitas stated, chuckling darkly at the shocked expression on the changeling's face. "You were just a means to an end no matter what happened. I would love to kill you right now for screwing things up and bringing us back to square one, but I think leaving you to stew in your own mess is just as satisfying than turning you into a Heartless...Besides, you don't have a heart to take from how deranged your ideas for world domination and feeding habits are, so I guess that already makes you a Heartless anyway." Chrysalis growled, her eye twitching as she charged her horn to blast Vanitas. "Have fun being wanted for your own worthless leadership skills." "Don't you dare walk away from me!" Chyrsalis shouted and shot a powerful beam at Vanitas, but she missed as he already walked through the portal, disappearing as soon as he fully went through. Glaring at where the portal was, betrayed by someone she thought as an ally despite his forced entrance through her hive, and now betrayed by the hive she lead for many years by an outcast who transformed into something better than her. She refused to change because she wanted to be powerful, just like Ventus had explained earlier, and she was going to stay as she was to prove to him and Starlight, if she survived getting blown up by Vanitas's spell, getting her revenge not only on them, but also on Vanitas for the eventual backstab he was going to pull on her if they won. "Vanitas...Mark my words, I will find a way to prove you wrong. You're also on my list, and if you show yourself when I figure out how to grow even stronger, I'll torture you until you beg me to kill you..." Starlight groaned, squinting her eyes open as she recalled what had happened to her. When she tried to move, she winced in pain, her whole body feeling like she was battered repeatedly by a crusher. She simply laid still, grunting slightly as she took in her surroundings. She was back in her room in the castle, even though she remembered being in the Changeling Kingdom, having just dethroned Chrysalis and saved her friends and the royal ponies with Ventus. She finally remembered what happened next with a gasp, getting blown up by Vanitas's Dark Mega Flare when she ran into it, sparing Ventus from getting hurt. She was surprised she was still alive, and looking down at her hooves as best as she could, she didn't have a scratch on her, but still felt immense pain. As she examined her hooves, she caught sight of Ventus in her room near her bed. His head was resting on the mattress, sitting beside it while slumped over, fast asleep with a tired, sorrowful expression on his face. She figured everything had worked out fine in the end; Chrysalis was arrested, Vanitas was taken care of after she was blown up, and the Changeling Kingdom were now allies with Equestria now that they were good. "Ven?" Starlight called out. Ventus groaned, lazily squinting his eyes open as he sat up. He cracked his neck and back after sleeping in such an awkward position, releasing a relieved sigh as his joints popped back into place. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked at Starlight, now wide awake seeing her awake. He was startled, relieved, happy, and guilty, the latter of his mixed emotions expressed more as he looked away from her. "...You...feeling ok?" he asked. "Like I was blown up in a fiery explosion," Starlight said, laughing at her own joke, but she didn't notice the pegasus cringe at what could have been a horrible end to her life. "I'm pretty sore, though...Guess my magic was strong enough to keep me from getting third-degree burns...Or should they be fourth-degree burns when it's dark fire? Then again, blue flames are much hotter than red, but are they hotter than black-?" "This isn't funny!" Ventus shouted, startling Starlight from her tangent while she silently looked at the irritated, distressed glare in the young pegasus's eyes. "Don't you get it, Starlight!? You could have died! What the hell were you thinking!? I could have survived something like that, but not you! That had to be the dumbest thing you've ever done, and that pales in comparison to your reasons for taking everyone's cutie marks in Our Town!" "...I'm...I'm sorry," Starlight apologized, but instead of making Ventus feel better, it agitated him even more. "Oh! Oh, so you're sorry you got in the way!? Yeah! That helps me, Starlight!" Ventus exclaimed. "Were you trying to protect me!? Or were you trying to protect Chrysalis!? I could take the hit, and none of us give a damn if that heartless bug were to get caught in that blast! You know what she did, what she could have done, and now she's gone and run off because of Vanitas! They both got away because you had to make the stupid decision trying to be a hero!" "I-I don't understand," Starlight said, starting to worry about Ventus as he continued blaming her. "Vanitas wanted to-" "Of course you don't understand! None of you do!" Ventus interrupted, nearly screaming at the unicorn as tears began to roll down his face. "I should have killed him, but I didn't check to make sure he was dead after destroying that throne like an idiot! He hurts everyone I care about, and it's all my fault!" "How is it your fault?" Starlight asked. "BECAUSE IF I DIDN'T EXIST, THEN HE WOULDN'T HAVE HURT YOU, AQUA, TERRA, AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO CAME IN CONTACT WITH MY LIFE!!!!" Ventus panted heavily, shocking Starlight with his outburst. His anger soon turned into sadness, more tears flowing down his face as he broke down into sobs, burying his face in his hooves as he lowered his head to the mattress. Starlight was speechless, confused and disheartened by the teen putting the blame on himself for what happened to her and for the others in the past. "It's all my fault...It's all my fault..." Starlight's bedroom door opened as Aqua entered, surprised to see the injured mare was awake, though she grew concerned with Ventus as he sobbed and muttered to himself. "Ven," Aqua called out as she walked over to him, sitting beside him and holding him closely as he cried. She gently shushed him and rocked back and forth to get him to calm down like a mother would to her child, an odd sight, but fitting as Aqua always coddled Ventus like he was her son. "It's ok, Ven," she cooed softly. "Why don't you go to your room and rest? You haven't slept well the last couple days." "Last couple days?" Starlight asked, surprised to know she was out cold for days since they thwarted Chrysalis's plan. Ventus hesitated, but he nodded as he began to leave, Aqua giving him a kiss on the head before she let go of him. Starlight caught a glimpse of Terra's body from the doorway, helping escort Ventus back to his room, both him and Aqua making absolutely sure he was getting some proper rest. "...Did I...say something wrong?" "No. Ventus has been a little emotionally unstable after what happened at the hive," Aqua said. "After Vanitas's spell hit you when you ran into it, which was not the smartest move, because it could have killed you if you didn't have your magic back." Starlight cringed, wishing she had the strength to hide under the covers in embarrassment. "I'm actually surprised you had that much magical power to protect yourself enough to avoid getting burned by the dark flames and get permanently scarred...You really can rival Twilight in magical prowess, and she's an alicorn...I dread to know how well you would last in a duel against Celestia or Luna." "Umm, let's not and say I would immediately forfeit if that ever happened, because I don't want to get banished to a celestial plane," Starlight uttered with a nervous giggle. "It's not funny joking around with darkness, Starlight," Aqua chided, making Starlight wilt, her ears drooping in shame. "Vanitas could have killed you if you weren't careful...which is why Ven is so upset right now." "He said he blamed himself for what happened to me, but it was Vanitas who hurt me, not Ven," Starlight reasoned. "Yes, but deep down, Ven feels absolutely guilty because of Vanitas," Aqua said. "Those two are one in the same; two sides of the same coin with Ven as the light and Vanitas as his darkness. When he discovered the truth about who Vanitas was back then, when we regrouped in the Keyblade Graveyard...he practically asked me and Terra to end his life." "What!?" Starlight exclaimed, instinctively trying to sit up, only to let out a yelp as her body stung in pain with her movements. Aqua gently forced the mare back down on the bed as she hissed in pain, forced to lay in bed to her annoyance, incredibly shocked by this unheard of moment from Ventus, Aqua, or Terra until now. "He...wanted to die!? Why!?" "Because he felt responsible for causing so much trouble for all of us," Aqua explained. "He was Xehanort's apprentice before meeting us, Vanitas was created from the darkness of his heart forcefully pulled out by Xehanort, and being a part of him, Ven felt like that burden on us was all his fault. All three of us believed we were responsible for what happened in the past, when Xehanort fooled us and used us as pawns in his plan. Terra followed the wrong advice from the wrong man, I nearly lost my two best friends and saved Xehanort from falling into darkness when he possessed Terra's heart, and Ven's darkness created the Unversed, hurting the worlds while Vanitas toyed with us...Ven even blamed himself for causing Master Eraqus to attack Terra, resulting in his death by Xehanort's hands after getting weakened when he figured out how important he was to Xehanort. "And when you got hurt...that guilt from his past came flooding back, and he's been blaming himself, saying he wished he killed Vanitas when he had the chance a couple days ago..." Aqua frowned, closing her eyes as she rested a hoof over her heart. "It hurt when Ven said he wished he was never born so that Terra and I would still live peacefully with Eraqus in our home, getting Sora, Riku, and Kairi involved in the war we were caught in...even your attempted sacrifice just to save him from Vanitas." Starlight felt horrible making Ventus feel this way. She didn't know his past was so depressing, filled with so much emotional trauma someone who was that young. Not even Sora's life was worse compared to Ventus's, barely remembering anything else in his life before Vanitas's birth: not his parents, his true home world, or even a decent childhood. Starlight looked up at the ceiling, regretting joking about her injuries now. "Starlight, why did you do that?" "...I felt like I owed Ventus for what I did to him while I was...on the run," Starlight said. She had to get this off her chest at some point with Aqua, and if it ended with her getting her magic sealed again, she'll take that over dying by Aqua's blade. "Ven caught me and tried to bring me in. We talked about why I did what I did, and while he was distracted enough...I erased some of his memories, but only the moment when he saw me at that restaurant in Canterlot with Twilight and her old friends and confronted me out in the park." She flinched and shut her eyes, waiting for Aqua to lash out angrily at her. When nothing happened, she squinted an eye open and looked at Aqua, the blue mare staring at her with a bit of anger, though she restrained herself as she let Starlight continue with her reason why she wanted to give up her life for Ventus. "...I felt so guilty when I found out he lost memories before, and I told him about it after the time travel fiasco I sent Twilight and Sora through. Understandably, he got mad at me, and lost all his trust in me at that moment, so building it back up was a bit rough...I wanted to make it up to him and throwing myself in harm's way might not have been the smartest thing to do, but I figured saving his life would make us even when I was almost killed by him twice before I was blown in that dark fireball of death." Aqua leered at Starlight, growling menacingly, but she closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and exhaled. "...You had a right to cringe, because if you weren't already badly hurt right now, I would throw you through several walls of this castle," Aqua said, making Starlight gulp nervously at the thought. "...Even though it seemed a bit too late to tell us about this, at least you told Ven...But why didn't he tell me?" "...Because...he didn't want you to worry about him too much?" Starlight said. "Kinda like...how motherly you were to him just now?" "I've always worried about him ever since Xehanort brought him to the Land of Departure when he had an episode when Terra and I tried to get to know him," Aqua said. "Every single day, since his heart was shattered and he fell comatose, even when I was trapped in the Realm of Darkness, I was scared to death leaving him alone in Castle Oblivion, where I hid him to keep him safe until I found his heart...He's the little brother I never had, and I care so much about him and Terra...We lost so much, and each other, and I don't want that to happen again. And now that Vanitas has returned again...I won't let him go anywhere near Ven. I'll stake my life on it." "...I can never really make anything better, can I?" Starlight asked herself. She took the wrong path when she lost Sunburst when he moved, she tried to get revenge by altering time and changing the future, she disappointed Twilight at first when her first friend she made by herself was Trixie, someone who had caused trouble before in Ponyville, she manipulated the rest of the Mane Six to accomplish friendship lessons in quick succession and nearly destroyed the castle while giving them migraines when her spells were removed, and now she's made Ventus emotionally unstable because she wanted to save him from his darkness's attempt to kill him without thinking he could live through it. It feels like she didn't make much progress as a leader at all, only hurting others and worrying about what she would do next that could hurt others' feelings. Starlight sighed, still needing to learn more, then looked back at Aqua. "So...What happened after I blacked out?" "Well, Chrysalis had escaped, and with all of us too weak to give chase, we couldn't do much to chase her," Aqua began. "Vanitas escaped as well, so I'm sure we won't see the last of him anytime soon, or the Unversed if they begin appearing now. The princesses took back their thrones while Thorax managed to convince the disguised changelings impersonating them to change after seeing how their new transformation would benefit their lives. And with no one to lead them, Thorax actually took the stand as their leader, and it wasn't because of how different he looked compared to the rest of them. I've got a lot more notes to take with their new, colorful shells and wings, along with their eating habits now that they don't need love anymore." "At least that's some good news," Starlight said. "If only I didn't screw up." "If it makes you feel any better, Starlight, they say people do crazy things for those they care about," Aqua said with a grin. "I tried to save Terra from falling in the Realm of Darkness, taking his place while rescuing him despite Xehanort now taking full control of him after that. Sora sacrificed his heart for Kairi to wake her from her heartless coma. Even Twilight gave up all the alicorn magic she was given when Tirek was on the loose in exchange for releasing us from his hold, keeping us prisoner after draining our magic." Starlight had no idea who Tirek was, but if Twilight had so much power when fighting such a monster, she wouldn't be surprised she would choose to be powerless to have her friends back against someone that villainous. "Honestly, there doesn't seem to be a right or wrong way to do something that noble of a sacrifice. We try to do the right thing in situations like that, most of the time without thinking of the consequences if they resulted in the worst. "I'm sure Ven is grateful for your help, even if it wasn't the best idea you had in mind." Starlight highly doubted that after telling her how stupid it was for her to get hurt. "Just give him a little time. He's been worried sick about you ever since we got back, mostly staying up all night watching over you." Starlight was a bit startled at that. She figured that's why Ventus was asleep when she woke up, but after that outburst from him earlier, she had a feeling he was worried sick about her. "Speaking of, you should get some more rest. Celestia and Luna are planning an event honoring the five of your for your heroic efforts, and both Equestria and the Changeling Kingdoms meeting up together to form a peace treaty. Hopefully when the day comes, you'll be able to stand and Ven won't keep putting himself down." Starlight nodded, mostly hoping Ven will recover more than she will. Aqua left the room to let Starlight rest and check up on Ventus. The next morning, Starlight was finally able to move about, limping slightly with each step, but she was out of bed at least. Slowly, but surely making her way to the throne room, she found everyone talking about the celebration soon to come as they sat in their thrones, including Trixie and Discord. "Starlight!" Trixie ran over to Starlight, happy to see her back on her hooves as she hugged her, although a bit too tightly as she was still in a lot of pain. "OW! Trixie, I'm still hurting!" Starlight exclaimed. Trixie backed off, giving her an apologetic, sheepish grin. "I don't want to end up back in bed. Or a hospital if you crushed me any further." "I think I would have taken getting burned alive than getting zapped to unconsciousness," Discord grumbled. "Discord," Fluttershy scolded, reminding the draconequus by pointing a hoof at Ventus, who was still feeling down as he slumped in his throne. "Oops. Too soon?" Discord asked with a shrug. "Didn't you learn anything about keeping your mouth shut?" Trixie questioned. "Shouldn't you still be resting, Starlight?" Twilight asked. "I'm glad you're alright, but you should be in quite a lot of pain." "I don't like sitting in bed for too long. I get all antsy," Starlight said. She limped over to Ventus's throne, looking up at him. "Ven? How are you feeling?" "...Physically? Fine," he said. "And emotionally: miserable," Starlight added. "Ven, I'm very sorry for worrying you. I know what I did was dumb, and I can't guarantee that I won't do it again, but if it helps...at least Vanitas didn't get satisfied hurting you more than he had in your fight?" She grinned, but Ventus sighed, her "helpful" words barely doing much to assuage him. "Ok. That sounded better in my head, I guess..." "And you say I need to keep my mouth shut," Discord whispered to Trixie, his head looming over the magician's head with his neck stretching out across the Cutie Map. Trixie growled, pushing Discord's head back across the crystal table. "Ven, what Vanitas did wasn't your fault," Starlight said. "He may be you, but he isn't really you at all. All of us know you're nothing like him, so don't think you were the one who actually hurt any of us." "Starlight, you almost-" Ventus's lips were suddenly sealed by Starlight's magic aura, silencing his arguments. "And I almost died when Twilight and Sora dragged me through a time where Equestria was swallowed in the Realm of Darkness when that Demon Tower thing attacked us, the Crystal Heart was shattered and thousands of Heartless ambushed the Crystal Empire, and we were in the midst of changelings when we came back from my old village without realizing it," Starlight listed. "I think there's plenty more moments in the future where all of us are going to face death one way or another." "I think we're used to this kind of stuff, right?" Rainbow asked, the rest of the ponies and baby dragon voicing their agreements. "Not me," Trixie said. "I've had enough dangerous adventuring to last me a lifetime. Next time there's something threatening, I'm just going to stay far enough away from it all. I'll stick with my illusions, thank you very much." "Good luck with that!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Once you're involved in one crazy adventure, there's going to be a whole lot more!" "Oh, how true that is," Riku agreed, looking over at Sora, who grinned widely in response. "And it's an adventure I wouldn't trade away for anything," Sora added, getting more agreements from the group. Trixie grumbled, knowing she's going to end up facing more than an ursa minor, evil changelings, and the Unversed creatures that captured her in the future. "Don't worry about Vanitas, Ven. If he ever shows his face again, we'll all take care of him. He's also my darkness, even if he's from an alternate timeline, so don't let what he does make you think it's your fault. He's been given his own life, so anything he does is all on him, not you." "Finally got it in your head that your own darkness weren't your own fault when ya couldn't control it?" Applejack asked teasingly. "Yes, but now that I can control it now, I don't have to worry about it too much," Sora said. "I will if you use that new Anti-Form constantly," Kairi muttered. Ventus said nothing, even when Starlight freed his muzzle. She then levitated the young pegasus down off his throne and down near her, confusing Ventus. "Ven, do you regret meeting Aqua and Terra if you blame yourself?" Starlight asked. "...No. Of course not," Ventus mumbled. "Then why did you tell Aqua that if you were never born, all of us would have been better off without you in our lives if it meant Vanitas would never exist?" Starlight's questioned shocked Ventus. Looking around, the others knew what he thought as Aqua had told their friends, all of them having been concerned with him since he fell into his depression back at the hive. He lowered his head in shame, none of them wanting him out of their lives after all they've been through. "Ven, we wouldn't know what would happen to us without you. You're our friend, and if you were gone...we would all miss you terribly." Ventus looked up at Starlight, then gasped in surprise when she hugged him. Tears welled up in his eyes, touched to hear that, even after he wished he wasn't around because of Vanitas. Ventus hugged Starlight back, being careful not to hurt her. "...I'm sorry," he apologized. "I-I just-" "It's alright, Ven," Starlight said. She pulled away, letting Ventus wipe away his tears, only to have Pinkie suddenly pounced the teen. "Group hug for Venny!" she exclaimed. "Pinkie, no!" Ventus protested, but his words fell on deaf ears as all his friends gathered around him and caught him in a massive group hug. Ventus wanted to be miserable, but it was impossible for him to hold back his smile, his friends loving him and never wanting to let him go. "Let's have a party to help cheer you up," Pinkie suggested. "Actually, Pinkie, I don't think you'll need to be setting up one," Starlight interjected, then looked at Discord. "There's one already going on, and I think we can make it for the final few hours." Back in Our Town, the last of the week-long Sunset Festival was coming to a close. Party Favor and Double Diamond were wondering if they should take the banner down now or later this evening when they heard a magical popping sound come from the entrance. Turning around, they were surprised to see Starlight again, along with all her friends, including the royal sisters and the Crystal Empire's royal family, Trixie, and Discord. The unicorn limped over to the two stallions, both of them greatly concerned with how she was walking. "Starlight? What are you doing back here?" Party Favor asked curiously. "You left in such a hurry before, we kinda thought you didn't want to come," Double Diamond added. "Yeah...I guess after the way I used my magic on all of you, I wasn't sure I was the perfect pony who would watch over a simple baking contest," Starlight said. "I was afraid of going back to being the pony I used to be. But I realize that sometimes you don't have a choice. You have to step up, and I have changed for the better. I can handle it; whether it's saving Equestria or helping out my friends with the Sunset Festival." "Is that why you're walking so funny?" Party Favor asked. "It's a long story," Starlight blatantly responded with a small laugh. "I'll tell you later. But I brought a few more friends than just Ven or Trixie. I know the festival's almost over, but you guys don't mind if we stay for the last day, do you?" "Are you kidding!? Of course we don't mind!" Double Diamond said joyously. "Great! Now, where's that baking contest? This pony is in need of tons of cupcakes right now." Starlight walked off to find the baking contest, in dire need of food after spending the last few days unconscious and being served nutritious food the previous day that wasn't exactly filling enough for her. The others mingled, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadence appreciating the offer to come when Discord teleported before them and invited them, needing this little break after getting kidnapped and dealing with their peace Treaty with Thorax and the newly reformed changelings. Flurry Heart flew around, hanging around her Auntie Twily and Riku while giggling playfully, dragging her future uncle along to get him to play with her. Trixie and Discord watched the others enjoying the food and talking to the other ponies. "So, does this really mean I'm going to get involved in fighting strange monsters?" Trixie asked. "That would be a definite yes, so I suggest you practice more real magic than fake magic," Discord suggested, making Trixie huff at his comment on her illusion performance magic. "But, I must say that some of those illusions were slightly above average." "...Wait, was that a compliment from you?" Trixie questioned, highly confused by a surprisingly descent comment from the draconequus that wasn't filled with snarkiness or sarcasm. "If that's what you want to call it, then yes," Discord said. "And if you ever need a little chaos in your act, let me know." Trixie let out a small laugh in amusement. "When pigs fly!" "Your wish is my command!" The magician winced, regretting her choice of words as Discord snapped his fingers, making his flying pigs appear underneath them. Discord smacked the one Trixie was sitting on in the rump, making it squeal and fly off down the road. Trixie screamed, holding on for dear life while Discord chased after her on his mount in a race he forced the unicorn to take part in. Flurry babbled excitedly as the flying pigs went by, plopping down on Riku's back and pointed at them. "What does she want me to do?" Riku asked, feeling the infant alicorn's hooves kicking his back, trying to get him to go. "I think she wants you to join the race," Twilight guessed, stifling her giggles at her niece's demanding to get him to join Discord and Trixie's race. Riku gave his girlfriend a blank stare, then looked back at the babbling filly, using her hooves to try to move and flap his wings. "...Do I look like a pig?" he asked Flurry Heart. She looked up at him, then nodded her head, breaking Twilight as she began laughing at the absurd imagination the baby had. Riku grumbled, grabbing Flurry and holding her out to face him. "I am not a pig, little missy. If anyone's a piggie, it's you." He poked Flurry's belly, making her giggle and squirm. Riku looked up, yelping in surprise when Trixie and her flying pork mount began flying toward them. Though Flurry was excited, Riku fled, carrying the alicorn infant as the pig began chasing after him. "DISCORD, STOP THIS CRAZY THING!!!!" Trixie shrieked. As Riku flew past Shining Armor and Cadence, he handed their daughter back to them while dodging the squealing swine with wings trying to pounce him. Flurry whined, upset that she couldn't play with the flying piggies, so she instead chose to play with someone more fun, flying over to Sora and landed on his head. "Ah! Oh no! A baby leech!" Sora exclaimed playfully, gently tapping Flurry Heart in an attempt to try to pry her off. "Kairi, help! It's going to eat my hair!" Kairi laughed and snatched the alicorn infant, then began tickling her. While Flurry giggled from the onslaught of tickles, Sora noticed Ventus across the way, still feeling a bit down. Leaving Kairi to handle Flurry Heart, he walked across the road, ducking and leaping over Trixie and Discord in their nonexistent race, ignoring the draconequus whooping and the magician's screams of terror as he approached Ventus. "Hey, you don't look like you're enjoying the festival. Don't make me bring Flurry Heart over, because she can zap you out of your gloomy mood with just a glance." Ventus couldn't help but smile a little at that, shaking his head. "I'm still really worried, that's all," Ventus said. "Vanitas is back...I truly thought he was gone for good, but with one of him in your heart as your darkness, and the one who's my darkness brought from the past where he's still alive..." "Hey, don't sweat it," Sora assured, patting Ventus's back. "The good thing is that we're learning who else is working under Xehanort in his new Organization. If we fought them before, we'll know who we're up against. We've got this." "I really hope you're right." Ventus pulled out his Wayfinder, still able to feel the Dimension Link with Vanitas within the enchanted charm. Even though he wasn't able to use it unless they were united and in his heart, that link and the knowledge of a Vanitas in Sora's heart as his darkness was all he had to worry about before his past literally came back to haunt him once again. "Guess you can never really get away from your darkness, even when it's already been destroyed once." "Yeah, that's true," Sora agreed. "But we can show our darkness that our light is much stronger. Vanitas had a chance when you had no magic when that throne was still around, and he screwed it up by toying with you instead of ending you on the spot. So if he's all play and no work, Xehanort chose the wrong darkness to take under his wing back then, and picked a terrible member to be a seed of darkness." Ventus never really questioned Vanitas's messing with him in the past. Claiming to be stronger, he toyed with him and Aqua mostly, waiting for Ventus to grow stronger for them to fight as Xehanort must have ordered him to do, and now that they had no use in uniting to forge the X-blade with just each other fighting, he began wondering why Vanitas ignored him when he was pinned down and went for Starlight when she told Chrysalis how the changelings could truly live in harmony. Sora slung his foreleg around Ventus's shoulders, snapping him out of his deep thinking over his darkness's actions. "If he shows up again, we'll both take him on and show him how much stronger we are with friends by our side. Deal?" "...Deal," Ventus said with a more confident smile. "Sora, heads up!" Kairi warned. Both pegasi looked across the road, finding Flurry squealing as she escaped from Kairi and flew toward them. "Uh oh! Ven, be my meat shield!" "Huh!?" Sora quickly pushed Ventus in front of him, being Flurry's target as she rammed into the younger stallion's face, clamping onto him while burbling playfully. "Darn it, Sora." "Run from the tiny love leech!" Sora exclaimed and ran away, Flurry letting go of Ventus's face and began chasing after the older tan pegasus. Ventus sighed and rubbed his face. He felt a bit silly worrying about Vanitas, forgetting just how powerful he and his fellow Keyblade wielders were compared to him. Putting the disaster and his depressing thoughts behind him, he decided to move forward, actually joining in the festivities, starting with helping Flurry Heart get Sora after using him to take the "hug of deadly cuteness" from the infant alicorn. He didn't know when Vanitas will show himself again, but the next time he hurt anyone else he loves, he wasn't going to hold back and make sure he was the one to suffer for his actions.