//------------------------------//
// Discovering Ansem the Wise's Secret Studies 
// Story: My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria 
// by Codex92 
//------------------------------//

The next couple weeks were relatively peaceful, give or take a few bits of chaos to even it out. Since Riku was still badly injured, he's been recovering in the castle, leaving the others to handle the Heartless in the other worlds. Along with his predicament, Ponyville gained a new citizen, which just so happens to be Pinkie's big sister, Maud, having finished her education in rock science and earned her rockterate in her major and wanted to move to Ponyville, to Pinkie's glee. At first, her idea of living arrangements was in Ghastly Gorge, but Pinkie wanted to try to convince Maud to live closer and make some new friends. Ironically, when she was introduced to Starlight, she and Maud actually met once before, although that was when the former tyrant of Our Town asked for her opinion on a location to store the village's cutie marks, and got help in her old schemes from the rock expert. They hit it off well, but Pinkie kept pushing her big sister into them being best friends, almost driving Maud to Ghastly Gorge so she didn't upset her cheerful little sister and fail her. Thankfully, both their issues were sorted out, and Maud now lives in a beautiful cavern she found with Starlight that had an underground waterfall, a clear lake, and shimmering gems in the sunlight seeping through the hole where the falls were. And the best news was that it was close to Ponyville, or more adjacent to Ponyville, but it was enough for Pinkie, as long as she didn't interfere with Maud and Starlight's hangout time.

Fluttershy also had an animal sanctuary made to help all the sick animals that suddenly flocked to the town's veterinarian, giving them a place to recover and leave freely once they were better. Her plans were unfortunately derailed when Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie suggested three different ponies that were "perfect" in making her dream sanctuary come to life: a contractor using the trees around where she thought was a great location to not only destroy the setting, but also literally build an animal shelter, a designer who made several drapes that would end up getting ruined by the animals, even be a hazard to birds if they get caught in them when trying to bask in the sunlight, and an animal wrangler suggesting "keeping the animals safe" in confined metal cages, not giving them the freedom she wanted to give to her animal friends. Despite the "help", Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie apologized for the unsuccessful ponies they trusted for their own projects. Fluttershy didn't pay it no mind and decided to make her sanctuary her own way, but not without some help from a true expert on building in the wildlife of nature: Big Daddy McColt from The Smokey Mountains. With his, and everyone else's help, Fluttershy's dream sanctuary was made, and it was exactly how she wanted it to be.

Then came another incident involving Rarity and Sweetie Belle's relationship as sisters. Because of Rarity's busy work in her other boutiques she's opened, she began reminiscing on the fun she used to have with Sweetie Belle when she was a little filly, desperate to rekindle that spark from her nostalgia. To her disappointment, Sweetie Belle wasn't the little filly from those silly pictures they took back then, already growing into a young mare in her preteens with her own job with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo as Cutie Mark Crusaders. She had expected her big sister to take her out to do activities that would be fun for both their age groups, only to go to an ice cream parlor and eat one of the tiniest sundaes she recalled was a lot "bigger" when she was five, watched a dull puppet show put on by the one stallion Rarity helped build during the inspiration manifestation fiasco, and dressing up in silly costumes while doing a photo op. Sweetie had to get Sora's help, even though he was biased when he treats her and the other two Crusaders like his baby sisters, but she figured it was because he was a human that made it seem normal to be coddled by him. That, and he was able to protect them from all sorts of danger. Rarity eventually realized Sweetie Belle has been getting older and can't stay young forever, still holding the memories of their youth, but also leading to make some new ones as time passes. Sora was relieved to know that they wouldn't break apart in another fight like the first time, him being the better sibling over Rarity over the unicorn sisters' differences in personality.

As the days had passed, Aqua had suggested building a new Gummi ship where it can seat several bodies at once like a grand vessel instead of in small groups like Sora, Riku, and Kairi's small battleships. Luckily, the Moogle had started selling Gummi Blocks for any added features the trio wanted to add to their original builds. Using the field where the ships were parked, they began building a bigger ship with several thousand blocks to piece together. Twilight and Aqua agreed on what the design would look like: the Tree of Harmony. With custom painted blocks matching the tree's crystal bark, along with recreating the branches that housed five of the Elements of Harmony, placing rockets behind them to propel the ship forward, and the Element of Magic's place at the trunk as the massive cockpit with several chairs inside, their new vessel was fully built in no time at all. They no longer have to waste time with all three ships, each only holding three passengers at a time, and make it simpler to park one Gummi ship in a world than several ones together.

Today was a bit of a slow day, the Mane Six done with their chores, errands, or work, and the Keyblade wielders not needed to save the world from the threat of darkness. Sora lounged in his throne, staring at the Galactic Map in boredom. He let out a yawn, listlessly swiping his hoof across the galaxy, looking at all the different worlds.

"So bored," he groaned. "I don't want to make any wedding plans right now, and Riku's still out of commission after fighting that Replica Riku. I swear, this new Organization stooping that low to holding children and babies hostage to lower our guard...Why not face us themselves if they're that confident without using dirty tactics like that?"

Outside the castle, a shooting star swerved about through the sky as it began its descent down to Equestria. The light fell and landed on the ground at the entrance to Ponyville, a brief flash of light revealing a short griffon and a diamond dog.

"Boy is Sora gonna be surprised to see us. A-hyuck!" Goofy said.

"Along with what else we've got for him and the others," Donald added.

Jumping out of Goofy's vest pocket, a small bipedal cricket stood on his shoulder, wearing black blazer, a red vest and white high-collared shirt underneath, tan pants, yellow shoes with black tips, and a royal blue top hat with an orange band around the base. "You would have thought that, from all these wild adventures Sora's been on the last few years, he could have at least brought me along to record the strange adventures he's had in this world."

"Sora did arrive with a bit of a bang, so maybe you're lucky you didn't go with him, Jiminy," Goofy said with his trademark chuckle.

"That is a good point," Jiminy said. "Now, lets find them and give them the good and bad news."

Donald and Goofy nodded, then made their way into town to look for their old amigo. It has been quite a while since Sora's old battle buddies had been in Equestria, even if nothing new has changed in town. What did surprise them was the crystal tree castle off in the distance, which must have been he Castle of Friendship Sora had mentioned on his last visit to Disney Castle. It sure surprised Jiminy, letting out a whistle as he stared in awe at the magnificent structure.

They allowed themselves inside the castle, marveling the interior of the foyer, which was just as grand as it was on the outside. "It sure is purty in here," Goofy commented. "Don't let King Mickey know his castle's not as great as this one."

While admiring the entrance, Starlight wandered out from the hall while reading a book, her eyes glancing away for a moment to spot the new guests who helped themselves in. "Oh, hello," she greeted. "Didn't think anyone would actually waltz right into the castle without there being any guards...I think Twilight needs to hire some just in case."

"Hello there, ma'am," Goofy greeted with a wave. "We're lookin' for a friend of ours. Do you by any chance know someone named Sora?"

"Of course I know him. He's actually lounging in the throne room, bored out of his mind," Starlight said. "How do you know him?"

"We go way back," Donald said, his voice making the unicorn snort a little when he sounded more like he was squawking than talking. "I'm Donald, and this is Goofy."

Jiminy leapt up onto Goofy's hat, making himself a bit more visible as he politely bowed with his hat off. "And I'm Jiminy Cricket. Pleasure making your acquaintance, miss."

"AHH! A talking cricket!" Starlight exclaimed in shock. Using her magic, she snatched Jiminy off Goofy's head, making the helpless journal writer yelp and squirm as he was dragged closer to her. As she got a better look at him, she noticed he wasn't like any normal cricket, and judging by the odd duck-billed griffon and dopey face from the diamond dog, they weren't naturally from this world. "...Oh. For a moment, I thought I accidentally cast an animal language spell subconsciously. I can...see why you would be Sora's friends."

"You know about the other worlds?" Jiminy asked, more concerned with the balance of the world order than his own life now that Starlight wasn't going to squish him or toss him out the window.

"In the harshest way possible, but yes," she admitted. Starlight lowered Jiminy onto her hoof, giving him an apologetic look for handling him like that. "Besides, can you really keep order in a world with Heartless going around?"

"Well...I guess that is true, but it's the principal of the matter," Jiminy said.

"Right. Well, I'll show you guys to the throne room." Starlight lead her guests down the hall, Jiminy bounding up into Starlight's mane and enjoyed the ride while the guests took in all the castle had to offer. Reaching the double doors, Starlight opened the door, where Sora was lazily hanging upside down in his seat, spinning around the holographic globe of Equestria. "Sora, what are you doing?"

"Bored," he simply stated. "Must...find...fun..." While staring blankly at the map, his ears perked up when he heard two familiar people's laughs at his bored statement. Looking at the entrance, he immediately sat up when he saw Donald and Goofy. "Donald!? Goofy!?" Sora leapt off his throne, nearly tackling his friends over as he embraced them, the duo returning the friendly hug. "What brings you guys here!?"

"It's not just us," Donald said, pointing at Starlight.

Sora looked at the mare, barely noticing Jiminy Cricket perched on her head. "Jiminy! You're here too?" he asked. The small, anthropomorphic cricket leapt over to Sora's outstretched hoof, baffling the Keyblade wielder with his friends coming over to visit. "What's going on? Is there some sort of special occasion I don't know about?"

"Not quite," Jiminy said. "We are here for a reason, but we've also got some news to tell everyone."

"Alright. I guess we'll gather everyone in here to see what's up," Sora said.

He and Starlight left the room to find their friends, bringing them to the throne room. After the friendly reunion with King Mickey's guard captain and magician, along with introducing Jiminy Cricket to the gang, they all got settled in their thrones as they prepared themselves for the news they had to bring.

"So, Donald, Goofy, what news do you have for us?" Aqua asked. "Is it about Xehanort?"

"Sort of, but we'll get to that in a bit," Goofy said. "Got a little bit of a surprise to give you all." From his vest, Goofy pulled out an electronic tablet, able to fit in anyone's hands, or hooves. The case was black and red, the upper part gold with three triangular points, made to look like a crown. The mares all stared at the odd device, never seeing anything like it before. "It's called a Gummiphone!"

"Since we're always far away, Chip and Dale began making these to help communicate with each other intergalactically," Donald explained.

"I think we're one step ahead of you," Ventus said, showing Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy their enchanted crystal earpieces. "Magic communicators. But, only for us if one of us wielders needs some backup."

"Hmm. Interesting," Jiminy commented. "But, are you able to make contact with the king, or Yen Sid?"

"Not exactly," Terra admitted. "We could use other communication devices to help us."

"As helpful as this Gummiphone might be, why do we need them?" Kairi asked curiously.

"Well, it's clearly not for Sora to talk with us when he needs a chat," Donald said, letting out a snicker. "Because he's stuck with us once again!"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean!?" Sora questioned irritably.

Suddenly, the Gummiphone began to ring, startling all but the three guests. "Is that...making music?" Rarity asked.

"Must be, because this tune is catchy!" Pinkie said as she swayed and sang to the ringtone. "La-la la-laaaaa, la-la la la, la-la la-laaaaaa!"

"Almost sounds like one of those ringtone things from the girls' cell phones at Canterlot High," Twilight uttered in awe. They all soon looked at Sora as the tune kept ringing. "...And why does it seem to fit Sora so well?"

"Because it IS Sora's theme!" Pinkie said with a gasp. "It makes perfect sense!"

"Uhh...sure it is," Sora mumbled.

Goofy answered the call, swiping his finger across the green phone icon, the lit up blue screen quickly shifting to a video call, where the red-nosed chipmunk Gummi engineer, Dale, was on screen. "Hiya, Dale! You called right on time!"

"Dale? One of the cute little chipmunks back in Disney Town!?" Fluttershy asked with a squee.

"Looks like you and Donald are having an easier time using that Star Shard the king had!" Dale said. "Speaking of, the Gummiphone's all yours, Your Majesty!"

The camera from the other phone moved, King Mickey centered himself in the frame, but he was wearing a new outfit that was closely similar to Riku's, the only difference being the different colored pants. "Hey there, everybody!" Mickey greeted. "Hopefully I'm on speaker, Goofy."

"They can hear ya loud and clear, Your Majesty," Goofy confirmed, spinning around slowly as he pointed the screen toward everyone in the room to let them see him.

"King Mickey, long time no see!" Sora greeted.

"Wow, quite an impressive throne room," Mickey said. "Master Yen Sid was right when he told me what it looked like, and what it had."

"So, what was the news you wanted to give us?" Aqua asked.

"Well, there are several things I'd like to discuss, though someone else is going to have to give you more details on some important data," Mickey explained. "To start, Master Yen Sid has informed me about what has happened to all of you when members of the new Organization XIII attacked, mostly focusing on Sora and kidnapping him to become one of Xehanort's seeds of darkness." Sora grimaced, despising Marluxia and Vanitas's tactics, the latter almost succeeding had it not been for Chrysalis keeping control of all her changelings when one of them decided to desert his hive for a better life. "Whatever Xehanort has planned, he's probably intending to weaken all of you, or Sora, whether physically, emotionally, or psychologically."

"More than likely all three," Riku said, wincing a little as he moved one of his wings. "Like holding a bunch of kids hostage, or putting Flurry Heart in danger, knowing damn well I was going to take their blows trying to protect her..."

"They went after Riku?" Mickey asked, a bit shocked to learn about the latest attack.

"It was a replica of me, one I thought I destroyed back in Castle Oblivion, but it acted more like when Ansem possessed me," Riku explained. "He clearly has something against me, and he almost got me killed when I was protecting her from a Demon Tower."

"He also lost his Keyblade," Twilight mentioned, making Mickey gasp. Twilight teleported what remained of Riku's Way to the Dawn, showing the mouse the broken blade. "He has a new one that came completely out of nowhere, though, but it helped him in the end...And he also got a new haircut in the process. Which is a lot nicer than his old hairstyle."

"Is there any part of me you're never interested in?" Riku asked, giving his girlfriend a sly smirk.

Twilight bushed, returning Riku's old Keyblade back to their room, giving him a spiteful glare. "You know, you're lucky you're still in a lot of pain, otherwise I'd pummel you for that remark."

"I didn't hear you deny it," Riku teased, her expression making the others laugh, teasing her more.

"Anyway, back on topic," Mickey said. "Due to the new Organization now becoming active and forcefully take Sora by any means, you're going to be kept a close eye on, and I couldn't have picked the best partners you've traveled with to watch your back in case they strike again."

"Huh? So...Donald and Goofy...are my bodyguards?" Sora asked. "I can take care of myself fine with my new Formchanging abilities!"

"Sora, this is just for your own protection," Mickey rephrased. "I know you can defend yourself, but with the last two situations where you were blackmailed and actually captured, we can't afford to let Xehanort forcefully enlist you as one of the vessels he needs." Sora wanted to argue further, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He leaned back in his seat, sighing heavily, reminded of the looks of fear on the foals' faces when they saw him buckle under the pressure of their safety, especially when Scootaloo tried to help him and almost got killed by Marluxia. If it weren't for his friends and Kaito showing up in the nick of time, he either would have perished or been taken captive and reformed into Xehanort's Organization, whether or not Scootaloo or the other foals would have gotten hurt. "I do have faith in your skills, Sora, but it's only a precaution. Besides, you'll have Donald and Goofy at your side again. I know how inseparable you three are, so it should be a win-win for you, right?"

"...You're right, but what about your kingdom if you head out again?" Sora asked. "Who'll watch out for Queen Minnie and the castle?"

"We got everything all sorted out, Sora," Goofy said. "Maxy's gonna be taking my place as the new captain of the royal guard while I'm assigned to look out for ya!"

"And P.J.'s temporarily taking over as the court magician for me," Donald added. "But I'm far more powerful than him, so that spot isn't going to be his forever."

Sora chuckled, grateful to have them back again, and not for a vacation or a small visit, including Jiminy after their last adventure against the old Organization XIII. "Great! That's one bit of news over with. Now, I'm going to transfer the call to someone else for the next part."

As Mickey pressed a finger to the screen, his image faded into static. Not a moment later, the video feed came back, only this time it showed a person, a young man who seemed to be around Sora or Riku's age, wearing a white lab coat from what they could see on the screen, the background behind him looking like the lab Sora had discovered in Radiant Garden that belonged to Ansem the Wise. Riku gasped in shock as he recognized the young scientist's face and hair, his long steel-blue bangs hanging down, obscuring most of the right side of his face, leaving one of his bright blue eyes able to be seen through the thinner bangs on his left side. When he saw everyone as ponies, he was a little bit startled, but recomposed himself and cleared his throat.

"Hello, everyone," the young man greeted.

"Huh...He looks a bit...familiar to me," Ventus noted, trying to recall where he last saw this new ally.

"I know exactly who he is," Riku growled. "This guy was one of the Nobodies from Organization XIII. How are you still alive?"

"I believe you are misunderstood, though I cannot deny you could forget my Nobody, Zexion, after what he tried to do to you, Riku," the young man said calmly, unnerving everyone as he knew Riku's name. "My real name is Ienzo."

"So, he's just like Lea," Twilight figured. "He used to be a Nobody, but came back after it was destroyed."

"Correct. It is confusing to explain, but when someone has lost their heart to darkness, turning into a Heartless, they leave behind an empty shell, which is the-" Rainbow Dash interrupted with a bored groan.

"We know how the Heartless and Nobody thing happens!" Rainbow exclaimed. "We don't want to hear it again!"

"...Ok. My apologies," Ienzo murmured, clearing his throat once again before resuming where he previously left off. "I know some of you don't feel like I'm trustworthy, but I can assure you I'm no longer under Xemnas's influence, nor do I have any interest in Xehanort's ploys to claim Kingdom Hearts."

"So, you were evil, but that was a different you, and you're actually innocent in all of what happened?" Starlight questioned.

"Almost sounds a lot like you, Starlight," Fluttershy said. "...Only without the...other pony as you part."

The council looked at each other, wondering if Ienzo could really be trusted. "I believe him," Terra said, breaking the silence. "When I went back to Radiant Garden to search for Aqua, I recognized Lea and the two guards who tried to stop me as former Nobodies in Xemnas's Organization XIII. Looks can be deceiving when we can truly judge others by their actions."

Aqua growled when she was reminded of her trust in Xehanort, though that was immediately broken after learning he was the one responsible for killing Eraqus, destroying their home, and breaking apart her relationships with Terra and Ventus. "Ah. So that's how that mysterious passageway down there got broken into." Ienzo moved his Gummiphone over to the window, aiming the camera down to show everyone the giant hole Terra left behind when he searched for any trace of her down in the secret passage Xemnas knew. "Lea was vague on how this occurred, but now I see why." He turned the camera back to himself. "At least it grew my curiosity as to what was down there."

"I agree with Terra," Ventus said. "I can trust Ienzo."

"Wait, that can't be...Goofy, show me who just spoke." Goofy nodded, aiming the camera at Ventus to let Ienzo see. The scientist let out a gasp in surprise at his appearance. "Roxas!? But, that's impossible!"

"Heh. No, I'm not Roxas, even though I look like him...Or rather, he looks like me, but is actually Sora's Nobody," Ventus explained. "I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven."

"Ventus...?" Ienzo's brain went to work, trying to process how Sora's special Nobody looked so much like Ventus. "...I have so many questions to how that possibility came to be, but with the data I have to share with you all, I shouldn't truly be all that surprised to see Roxas back right away."

"What kind of data?" Kairi asked. "Is it about Roxas?"

"Yes, but more specifically, Roxas's heart inside Sora's," Ienzo explained. "I've been looking over Ansem the Wise's documents on the heart when I woke up. Most of his older works on the heart and the Heartless are vast, but the most recent data through his code revolved around Sora."

"On me!?" Sora exclaimed. "Was I a guinea pig in some crazy experiment!? I only met the guy once in The World That Never Was, and he blew up with that machine of his to break down the Kingdom Hearts Xemnas was building!"

"When you were asleep for a year after going through Castle Oblivion, the pod you were in so Naminé could put your memories back together was transferred to that mansion in Twilight Town," Riku answered. "That same place was also where I captured Roxas, placing him in a data version of the town to get him to return to your heart, along with whatever memories he had left inside of him."

"...Oh...Ok, then," Sora said, though he was still a bit uneasy about being studied while in a coma.

"Ah think all of us know Sora's pretty special in a lot of ways, but what did this Ansem fellah find out about Sora?" Applejack asked.

"I don't have a lot of data to go on from here in Radiant Garden, but if Ansem the Wise had another lab in another world, find it and tell me what you can find in his computer there," Ienzo said.

"I smell a road trip!" Pinkie said. "New world, new faces, new everything!"

"Well, if there's something Ansem the Wise may have had that could be useful to Xehanort, we need to find it and make sure he doesn't take it," Aqua said. "I'll stay behind to keep an eye on things here and continue working on the map. I really want to get this to search for Nobodies and Unversed."

"I'm curious to see what Twilight Town is like," Rarity said. "It must be quite grand with a name like that."

"And we can bring Starlight and Spike with us!" Pinkie added, startling the unicorn and baby dragon, Spike warming up to the idea much faster than Starlight.

"I guess it could be fun," Spike said. "Besides, I want to know what another world is like after experiencing it once in that enchanted Power Ponies comic crossed over with Dissidia Pony Fantasy."

"I don't know," Starlight said. "What if other humans from another world think we look strange and completely out of place?" When she looked at Sora, most of them gave her a deadpanned look, then pointed at Donald and Goofy, emphasizing their faces being completely different than average griffons or diamond dogs. "...Ok, I stand corrected. But, does everypony really find them normal?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Donald questioned.

"You're a griffon with a duck bill," Starlight answered with a blank leer. "Last I checked, griffon beaks are more curved and very sharp, like the eagle part of their anatomy." Donald grumbled to himself, crossing his arms over his chest in a pout. "That, and you sound like you're gargling a squeaky toy you accidentally swallowed when you talk."

Donald squawked at the comment, glaring at the unicorn. "I do not!" he said, his reaction making everyone else in the room laugh.

"We'll call you when we see what we can find on that computer, Ienzo," Goofy promised.

"Thank you. I'll also give you updates on anything else I've discovered on my end," Ienzo said before ending the call.

"I'm wondering if I should use a spell to temporarily change us human if all of us are going to Twilight Town," Twilight pondered aloud.

"Considering all the Nobodies that had appeared there a while back, I doubt anyone there has seen stranger things," Sora said. "Besides, without clothes, wouldn't there also be an embarrassing situation like what happened last time when you were with Riku?"

"Heheh. Right," Twilight giggled, both she and Riku blushing at that one awkward moment.





Out near the Gummi ships, everyone gathered in front of the newly built tree-shaped vessel. Aside from Aqua staying behind to continue studying how to upgrade both the maps in the castle and Riku still in recovery, Ventus and Terra also stuck around to keep tabs on Equestria. The others gathered out to where the Gummi ships were, Starlight finally getting a glimpse at what these space vehicles looked like, and their structures baffled her.

"So...these things can really...fly?" Starlight questioned, raising a brow and tilting her head trying to imagine something created out of what closely resembled giant building blocks could even lift more than an inch off the ground. She then looked over at the Tree of Harmony ship, barely even considered to be called a ship at all without the proper design of one. "I don't see how that one can. And we're...using that one compared to the other ones."

"You'd be surprised by the different blueprints Donald, Goofy, and I found with all sorts of different Gummis we could use," Sora said. "And yeah, they could all fly. Some just not meant for space combat like this one. Think of the Tree of Harmony Gummi as...a cruise ship."

"...Right. It's gonna cruise really well with how much resistance a tree can get while moving," Starlight said skeptically, which quickly turned to nervousness when she approached the docking ramp leading up to the big star-shaped cockpit in the center of the ship. While the other mares stepped in without much worry, she and Spike were slightly afraid, neither knowing if riding in this kind of vessel would be smoother or bumpier than any other vehicle they've traveled in. "You all sure this is safe?"

"Of course it's safe," Donald assured. "We use them all the time."

"Unless you count Sora getting his own ship blown up from the overused engine when he first arrived here," Kairi teased, making her fiance grumble irritably.

"I just...wanted to get here as soon as possible," he argued. Kairi giggled as she teased him, making him glower at her before he headbutted flanks, silently ordering her to get on before he left a worse mark on her rear, only to be teased even more by her swishing tail and swaying hips. Sighing in defeat, he trudged up the ramp after her, Donald and Goofy snickering at the scene after them, followed by Starlight and Spike until they reached the cockpit. The latter two stared in awe, seeing the interior of the highly advanced vessel, much bigger than the original Gummi ship's as it now had over a dozen chairs and much more room to walk around in. "Alright, everyone buckle in and we'll get the S.S. Harmony's maiden voyage underway!"

"'The S.S. Harmony'?" Twilight repeated. "It's not a boat, Sora."

"No one gave it a name, so someone had to. And I got dibs on the name," he said, sticking his tongue out at Twilight.

Starlight and Spike got into a seat, both of them strapping themselves in, clinging onto their chairs. "Oh man. This is...kinda exciting, but it's a whole lot worse than a roller coaster," Spike said.

"I'm driving!" Sora and Donald both said, the duo looking at each other before their stares turned to glares.

"I named the Gummi ship, so that makes me the captain!" Sora reasoned.

"Anytime you drive a Gummi, you always get us in loads of trouble!" Donald argued.

"Hey, you didn't want me to find Riku or Kairi back then, and that jungle world could have been the best place to search for them!" Sora argued back.

"Then you shouldn't have taken the wheel and plunged us in there when you should have listened to me!" While the two continued to bicker, making the girls all sigh in irritation, Goofy stepped up, separating Sora and Donald and sat in the captain's chair.

"How about I drive and you two relax for a change?" Goofy suggested. Sora and Donald leered at each other, then turned away with a pout.

"Fine," they both agreed, Goofy chuckling at their childish behavior before starting up the new Gummi ship.

"Here we go, everybody! Hold on tight!" Goofy announced, the engine humming to life, startling the two newcomers on their new adventure beyond Equestria.

Starlight and Spike jumped when they felt the ship begin to rise up, watching the ground disappear from the dome. "Whoa! We're actually moving!" Starlight exclaimed, feeling just as anxious as when she first rode on Aqua's glider, only she felt a lot safer in this Gummi ship while buckled up in a proper seat. The slow ascent picked up as the colorful rockets in the branches launched them forward and out into the atmosphere. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi returned to normal upon leaving Equestria while Starlight and Spike looked outside, amazed to be out in space as they left their world, which seemed far different than they had expected it to look through their scientific studies. "Wow..."

"This is so cool!" Spike cheered, wanting to get a closer look, but remained in his seat, still feeling a bit of trepidation from his first ride out in space.

"Yeah, space is pretty cool," Sora said.

"So, how long do you think it'll take to reach Twilight Town?" Starlight asked.

"It won't take long at all," Kairi said.

"Oh. So it's actually close to Equestria?" the heliotrope unicorn asked, hoping for a smooth ride across the cosmos.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie snickered, eager to see the expressions on Starlight and Spike's face when they find out how quickly they'll arrive. "Starlight, you've seen the map," Twilight said. "Many of the worlds are spaced apart from each other by light years. And I think Twilight Town, along with every other world beyond Equestria, is several billion light years away."

"...That's...pretty far, right?" Spike asked.

"Luckily, we've got a Warp Gummi part installed in this baby, just like our other ships," Sora said. "Warp speed, Mr. Goof!"

"Aye aye, captain!" Goofy said, playing along with his signature laugh and a salute, pressing a few buttons on the console.

"Ah think y'all should brace yourselves," Applejack advised.

"B-Brace ourselves?" Starlight asked, looking at Spike as he looked at her, both of them gulping audibly in fright. "W-What does that-?"

With one final command input, the Gummi ship's engine hummed loudly, then suddenly shot forward in milliseconds through a warp field, the intense G-forces catching Starlight and Spike off guard. They could barely scream as they felt like they were getting sucked into the cushioned seats in the cockpit, the others clearly used to the sensation as they heard Pinkie cheering like it was some kind of thrill-seeking attraction at an amusement park. The few seconds it took for the ship reach its destination felt like hours, finally slowing to a crawl, the world of Twilight Town off in the distance: a clock tower jutting out from the top with bells hanging from the curved arches at the top, the town taking up the rest of the world with a railroad track curving around, and the abandoned mansion could be seen hiding in the corner with some trees around it.

"Oh my, what a lovely town," Fluttershy commented.

"And all dedicated to Princess Twilight!" Pinkie said jokingly with a giggle.

"I don't think that's why it's called Twilight Town," Twilight stated, rolling her eyes at the friendly quip. She turned around to look at Starlight and Spike, both of them with startled and grimaced expressions while pressed against the backs of their seats. "You two ok?"

"...Define...ok...when I...can feel...my heart beat again," Starlight whimpered.

"Mommy, I want off the ride," Spike whined weakly, his claws digging into his seat, thrown for a loop while his first time going through a warp that wasn't normal unicorn teleportation ended up being so much scarier.

"We warned you," Rainbow teased, earning a glare from Starlight.

Goofy headed down to Twilight Town, cloaking the giant blocky tree ship as they reached the atmosphere, then docked it down in front of the clock tower train station. After landing, Twilight and Rarity helped Starlight and Spike out of their seats respectively, their legs feeling like jelly and gravity trying to throw them for a loop as they struggled to stand.

"You don't have to worry about that happening again," Rarity assured. "You get quite used to it really quickly."

"I should have just stayed in Equestria," Starlight groaned. "And I thought hitching a ride on one of those Keyblade gliders was bad enough."

Once Spike and Starlight finally got their bearings, everyone headed out of the ship and stepped onto the brick roads of Twilight Town. The ponies and baby dragon stared in awe at the expansive town, which felt more like a city, even with the sun in the distance setting a glow like it was a perpetual sunset.

"Land sakes," Applejack uttered. "Sure is nicer than how it looks in that fancy Galactic Map."

"Yup! Nothing like a perfect vacation spot than Twilight Town!" Goofy agreed.

Starlight looked over at Donald and Goofy, seeing their true appearance for the first time. At least it explained why their faces barely changed as a griffon and a diamond dog, and their appearance should definitely startle the locals in this world. But, if they've been here before, then it didn't really matter much if everyone saw seven colorful equines, two unicorns, two pegasi, two normal ponies, and an alicorn princess, or even a small purple dragon with green spines. She still wondered how no one else in other worlds questioned who Donald or Goofy were if they're clearly different from all the people they could see going about their days in the Tram Common.

"I wonder if Hayner, Pence, and Olette aren't too busy today," Sora said to himself. "Haven't seen them, or been here, in so long."

"Yay! More new friends to meet!" Pinkie cheered. "Let's go find them!"

Pinkie bounced on ahead, making her way down the path to Market Street to reach the Common. "Pinkie, wait up!" Rainbow called out before she and the others chased after her.

At the end of the sloped path, they reached the massive area, where people were bustling about, and Sora noticed a few new changes since his last visit years ago. Some of the shops he recalled were still around, along with the tram that slowly circled around on the tracks, stopping when others are walking past its path. There was a huge restaurant around the small tower shop in the middle of the circling tram tracks, titled "Le Grand Bristrot", the five-star looking business clearly popular with all the sorts of food they could see some customers eat at the tables outside. And where the empty alleyway was, there were people watching something that was being played on a projector on the upper walkway leading to it, no longer empty like it was last time.

"It's pretty busy here," Twilight said. Seeing all the other humans, young and old, none of them even glanced at the ponies and baby dragon awkwardly, though the little girls seemed pretty excited when they noticed them. "I guess not all worlds seem to care about there being different creatures after all."

"No thanks to Donald and Goofy, I bet," Starlight muttered.

The peaceful chatter was suddenly interrupted when they heard some screams coming from he other end of the Commons. Some people ran toward them as they seemed to be fleeing from something, three of them being the trio Sora met in Twilight Town when he woke up in this world: Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They wore different outfits now; Hayner wore a white shirt with the black skull design now smaller and moved to the left of his shirt, a black vest with the bottom half a red and black plaid design, blue jeans, and shoes matching the plaid coloring of his vest. Pence wore a black and white long-sleeved shirt, white stripes on the cuffs, the front bearing a skeletal dog with three bones hovering over it along with the words "Dog Street" over the image, black jeans, white shoes with black bottoms and red, orange, and yellow stripes on the side, an orange bandanna around his neck, and a black headband wrapped around his forehead. Olette wore a black shirt with stitch-like orange linings down the clothing, her pants had a red and orange plaid pattern with small vertical orange stripes and small horizontal blue stripes, black and grey shoes, the laces red along with her socks, and she had a bracelet and necklace she wore, red and black and red respectively.

"Hey, there they are," Kairi said.

The Twilight Town trio ran past them, grateful to see them. "Hey, Sora!" Hayner quickly greeted.

"Glad you're here!" Olette quickly added.

"HELP!" Pence screamed.

"What's going on, guys?" Sora asked. He got his answer when they heard a little girl cry out in terror. They gasped when they saw Dusks flying toward people, one of them looming closer to the little girl, intending to hurt her. "Nobodies!"

"We've gotta stop them!" Twilight said. She summoned her Keyblade, and using the Element of Loyalty's power, she shot off the ground and charged into the Dusk that was going to hurt the little girl. Smacking the Nobody back into the nearby building, she tackled into it again, thrusting her blade through its chest, killing it off in a spark of light. She looked down at the frightened girl, staring at her in awe. "Are you ok?"

Speechless, she nodded her head, only to shriek when more Nobodies began to surround them, Snipers warping in with their bows drawn on them and Creepers slinking closer as they pulsed, about to turn into swords to slice them. Twilight spread her wings out, standing in front of the girl to protect her.

"Kairi, watch the others! We'll handle this!" Sora said, summoning the Keyblade of Loyalty in his hand, Kairi nodding and summoning hers, keeping the other ponies and Spike safe from the Nobodies. Donald and Goofy pulled out their weapons, joining Sora as they charged forward. "Goofy, let's help Twilight!"

"You got it!" Goofy said.

Goofy held his shield up, letting Sora flip back and land on it. The two then shot up off the ground like a rocket, launching them high in the air while spinning around, a stream of smoke trailing behind them. Once they reached the apex of their launch, Sora grabbed Goofy's arm, spun in place, and after gaining enough momentum, flung his friend down toward the Nobodies surrounding Twilight and the helpless girl. Goofy's divebombed down, his shield striking the ground hard enough to create an explosive shockwave, sending the Nobodies scattering about, killing those that were unluckily close to Goofy's trajectory.

"Hurry, climb on my back!" Twilight said to the girl, who quickly obeyed as the alicorn lowered herself to let her climb on. "Hang on tight, ok?"

The little girl nodded and wrapped her arms around Twilight's neck tightly, letting out a yelp when she flapped her wings and flew over Goofy. Snipers tried to fire at her, only to get blasted with magic spells from Donald, and have their shots deflected back by Sora, warping toward the temporarily halted lasers as they began homing in on their target. She reached her friends safely, Kairi helping the terrified girl off the alicorn's back.

"Hurry and get to safety!" Kairi said, the rescued girl not needing to be told twice as she followed the other townspeople, reuniting with her worried mother before they all headed toward Market Street.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy regrouped, back to back, the Nobodies all focusing on them. "Feels just like the good old days," Donald said with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, but it's a whole new journey for us," Sora added. "How about we kick things up a notch?"

Using his new Formchanging abilities, Sora unleashed the Keyblade of Loyalty's power. He thrust the lightning bolt Keyblade through the ground, the spot where it disappeared suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning out of thin air. After another bolt struck, stunning the Nobodies around them, a rainbow spear shot up from the ground in front of Sora, the wielder's clothing turning red with lightning bolts scattering around his jacket, snatching the spear with a flair as he twirled it around, then gripped it with both hands and stood in a crane fighting style. Donald and Goofy were surprised to see Sora's idea of "kicking things up a notch", his new outfit much more than any new apparel that looked better than his old set.

"Sora, what just happened?" Goofy asked.

"How about I explain with a demonstration?" Sora said, grinning widely, his spear sparking with colorful electric energy.

"Is he really going to show off now?" Twilight questioned.

"Let him! He's using MY element Keyblade, and that spear is so awesome!" Rainbow gushed, the alicorn rolling her eyes at her friend's comment.

A Creeper warped in front of Sora in its sword form, only to have its swing blocked by the rainbow spear's hilt, then get pushed back by a jolt of lightning that came from the Formchanged Keyblade itself. With a twirl of the spear, Sora summoned storm clouds above him, the black ethereal clouds rumbling with thunder. With the others distracted by this form's abilities, neither of them noticed a Sniper perched on the corner of one of the rooftops, taking aim at the group of mares. Sora noticed the large red laser appearing in its crossbow, ceased his twirling and thrust the spear in the Nobody's direction, releasing a huge bolt of lightning from the cloud above him, zapping the Sniper and destroying it in a surge of rainbow sparks.

"Hey! You guys want me!" Sora yelled out. "So stay away from my friends!"

He lunged forward, jabbing and swinging his spear at the Nobodies, Thunder raining down on any unexpected ones he was nowhere near. Even with each thrust and smack, electricity sparked and stunned the Dusks, Creepers, and Snipers, all of them gladly heeding his goading and only went for him. The Dusks or Creepers couldn't even reach him with the thinner, longer-ranged weapon, and the Snipers couldn't get any potshots in when he's able to throw his spear at them, bringing it back to him in a spark of lightning coming from the storm cloud above him, or any Thunder spells automatically cast from said cloud.

Sora shifted the Keyblade of Loyalty's form once more, holding the spear up above him horizontally in both hands. The cloud released a powerful bolt of lightning down on him, only the bolt was rainbow colored, making the spear glow brightly on contact. He then snapped the weapon in half, the cloud turning white as it swiftly flew down and shrunk, splitting in two as they wrapped around his hands, merging with the transforming weapon. The spear tip had disappeared as both haves began to curve slightly, the clouds now hilts while the blades were colored lightning bolts, one striped red, yellow, and orange like Rainbow's cutie mark, while the other was striped green, blue, and purple, completing the colors of the rainbow. Even his stance changed, crouched down low ready to strike, one dagger held behind him while the other hovered low to the ground in front of him, similar to how he fought when he was Zidane in Spike's enchanted comic.

"Daggers? Aww man! That's not awesome!" Rainbow whined. Her complaints were silenced when Sora suddenly zipped forward, faster than anyone could blink, leaving behind a trail of rainbow light in his wake as he slashed through the Nobodies. They didn't even react when he rushed through them, his twin daggers sparking with electricity, but when he finally stopped, facing away from them, they all finally felt the impacts as they were knocked around, shocked from the electrical energy sparking from his small blades until they were destroyed. Rainbow's jaw dropped, along with everyone else's, witnessing the swifter style of the Keyblade of Loyalty's unleashed potential. "...Ok, I take it back. That's a hundred percent more awesome!"

More Nobodies appeared, most of them surrounding the girls and Spike. Twilight and Kairi were about to fend them off, but Sora was way ahead of them, zipping around and slashing them, creating a rainbow around the girls. While in awe as they watched the Nobodies poof away in a flash of light, Kairi squeaked when she suddenly felt something touch her lips. It was very brief, but it felt like a pair of lips kissing her, her shock turning into a blank stare, figuring it was Sora showing off and teasing her. She then yelped when she felt a slight jolt strike her but, a harmless zap that startled her, turning back to face a cockily-grinning Sora, wiggling his eyebrows in a flirty manner.

"R-Really, Sora!?" Kairi exclaimed with a slight blush.

"You just let your strong hero deal with these baddies," Sora teased, flexing his arms as he zoomed around, killing more Nobodies while standing in a new pose every time he returned back to Kairi.

Kairi growled, only to yelp again when she felt him kiss her for a quick second again before he went back out with Donald and Goofy. "...Rainbow, I think when he's Formchanged with your Keyblade, he holds the same air of egotism you have. Maybe worse."

"Well, at least he can show off and prove he has the strengths to be cocky while in a fight," Rarity stated.

"Or maybe he's getting back at you for the jab you made back in Equestria about his Gummi flying skills and the flirtatious hip-swaying you gave him!" Pinkie said.

Sora soon returned to Donald and Goofy's side, ready to unleash his Keyblade's finisher. With a powerful leap, soaring higher than even the clock tower in the distance as an ethereal pair of wings made out of electricity appeared from his back, he lazily fell backwards, the wings fading away as he dove back down to earth. Holding both daggers with his arms outstretched from his sides, he spiraled rapidly, creating a rainbow ring, surging dangerously with lightning as he picked up speed. Even the rainbow trail behind him spiraled along with him, a cone forming in front of Sora the closer he got to the ground. The moment he struck the ground, he created a contained sonic rainboom within several yards radius from the point his landed in, threatening to blow the Nobodies back, only to have a volley of rainbow lightning bolts drop down on all the remaining Nobodies like hail, decimating them until all anyone could see was rainbow sparks and dust clouds. The finishing blow didn't harm anyone as they too were caught, but all they felt was a light tingling sensation, along with their hair or fur standing up on end or frizzing them.

The charred ground faded away, not a single trace of the Nobodies remaining as the ambush dealt with. The daggers shifted back into a Keyblade, reverting Sora back to normal.

"Whoa. I guess there's something else in those clothes than a new fashion statement," Goofy commented with a laugh.

"Yup. Thanks to Master Yen Sid, once again," Sora said, dismissing the Keyblade of Loyalty. "Although, he didn't exactly tell me there was some added enchantments to my new clothes when they were a Christmas present not too long ago."

"So, does that mean any of your Keyblades you have can turn into something else?" Donald asked.

"Yes, indeed. So far, I've only done three of the Keyblades of Harmony, but I can't wait to see what the others can do!" Sora said. Slowly, everyone in town headed back to the Tram Commons now that the threat was taken care of, Kairi, the ponies, and Spike approached them, Kairi giving Sora a blank stare. "So, how was that?"

"Your fighting, or what you did while you were fighting?" Kairi questioned. Sora giggled and gave her a toothy grin, clearly proud of himself for getting away with zapping his fiancee's butt. His glee didn't last for long when she grabbed his ear, then yanked it down hard, making him yelp and nearly fall over, his lover clearly not happy with the teasing gesture. "Do that again in public, and I'll make sure to give you a 'zap' you don't want to receive a certain somewhere."

"Y-Yes, dear!" Sora exclaimed, hearing Donald snickering as he was getting whipped by Kairi.

Once she let go, Hayner, Pence, and Olette approached the gang, happy to have Sora around to help save them and Twilight Town again. "Man, Sora, you have got to teach us how to fight like you," Hayner said. "We wouldn't have much trouble with those Nobody things if we did."

"Sorry, Hayner, but it's a lot tougher than you think it would be," Sora said.

"Sure, hide all the secrets to yourself," Hayner said sarcastically with a smirk.

"It's great seeing you guys again," Pence said, then looked down at the seven ponies. "And...are these the ponies Kairi mentioned last time she visited? Didn't expect them all to be so...colorful."

"You don't find us strange? Or know we can talk?" Starlight asked.

"Uhh, did you SEE those Nobodies!? We've dealt with stranger things WORSE than talking animals!" Pence emphasized.

"...Right," Starlight uttered, chuckling sheepishly as hers and Twilight's doubts were quelled.

"Girls, Spike, this is Hayner, Pence, and Olette," Sora said, introducing the mares and baby dragon to the Twilight Town gang. "Guys, this is Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike."

When they noticed Spike, Hayner and Pence were shocked to see a living dragon, but Olette was the first to run over to him, picking him up and cuddling him. "Oh my gosh, he's adorable! I didn't know ponies could have pet dragons!"

"Uhh, I'm not a pet," Spike stated, startling Olette slightly. "I'm just like everypony else...except I'm a dragon."

"Cool!" Hayner cheered. "Can you breathe fire?"

"Of course I can." Turning his head away from Olette, Spike showed off his green fire breath with a belch, letting that out by complete accident as he put his hand against his mouth. "Heheh. Sorry. I think I'm still a little nauseous from the ride over."

"I hope he doesn't upchuck magma," Pence uttered to Hayner nervously.

Olette lowered Spike back down to the ground, leering at Pence and his dumb theory while Rainbow, Pinkie, Sora, Donald, and Goofy chuckled at the thought. "Well, it's nice meeting all of you," she said. She looked over at Kairi, the glint reflecting off her ring catching her eye. "Oh my gosh. Kairi, that ring is beautiful!" she gushed. Kairi lifted up her hand, showing Hayner and Pence the heart-shaped engagement ring. Olette walked over to her, grabbing her hand to get a better look and the enchanted gem. "When did you get this!?"

"Sora got it for me," she said. "It's...a really special ring. In more ways than one."

Donald and Goofy were just as shocked when they finally noticed her engagement ring. Olette was the first to put the pieces together, judging from the look on Kairi and Sora's light blushes, gasping in astonishment.

"Oh my...No way." She turned her head, shifting her gaze between the two lovers as her grin only grew wider. "He proposed to you!?" Kairi giggled, nodding her head bashfully. "AHHH! Oh my gosh, I knew you two were a perfect couple, but...This is so exciting!" Olette cheered, jumping up and down while still holding onto Kairi's hand.

"Proposed!?" Donald and Goofy exclaimed, the duo looking at each other before looking back at Sora with sly grins.

"Heheheh. Yeah...I proposed to her on Valentine's Day, and...I think you know what her answer was," Sora said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's excellent news!" Pence exclaimed. "When's the wedding!? And, are we invited?"

"We...haven't gotten that far into the planning just yet," Kairi said. "The worst part's actually the invites. And where to have it."

"Well, whenever you do have a date, you'd better send us an invite," Hayner said.

"Finally decided to pop the question, eh, Sora?" Donald teased.

"S-So!?" Sora asked. "And what about you and Daisy? You gonna tie the knot with her soon?" Donald squawked, stammering a bit, averting is gaze and avoiding the question. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"S-Someday, I will! Just...not now!" Donald exclaimed.

"Donald? Is that you, laddie?" Confused, everyone turned to the Scottish-accented voice, Sora, Donald, and Goofy recognizing who it was walking toward them. It was an anthropomorphic duck similar to Donald, but he wore a blue jacket with a folded-down, red collar, red cuffs, a yellow button near the neck, a red belt around his waist to keep the jacket closed, a black top hat with a red band around the brim, pince-nez glasses on his bill to see, red spats on his feet, and carried a brown cane with a gold tip. He also had a half-ring of ruffled feathers around the back of his head, showing he was definitely much older than Donald with the look of an old, balding man. "And Sora and Goofy! How've you all been, lads!?"

"Uncle Scrooge!" Donald greeted, a bit surprised seeing him here. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, dealing with ice cream got a bit boring for little ol' me, but I found the biggest opportunity to set up another business here in Twilight Town," Scrooge said, pointing to the five-star restaurant he walked out from. "I financed this little restaurant when I met a very talented cook on my walkabout here in town. Not much of a talker, but I call him Little Chef, and with his culinary expertise, I'm making a fortune!"

"Le Grand Bistrot definitely has some of the best food ever," Pence agreed, humming as he patted his stomach, imagining all the different recipes that Scrooge's best chef ever made. "Can't wait to go back in and try something else."

"Eh, sadly, Little Chef's gone out looking for some ingredients for his new recipes, but he hasn't come back in quite a while," Scrooge said. "Hopefully he makes it back on time. Today, I got a good deal that'll rake in the Munny. Play some enjoyable movies free of charge, and if they're hungry, they can always come to the bistro and order some vittles."

"Oh, so that's what was going on over there," Goofy said. "I thought I heard some cartoons playing from that projector."

"Are there any vegetarian options?" Rarity asked, Scrooge barely batting an eye when he saw the ponies and baby dragon with Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Aye, lass, anything Little Chef can cook, he can do it and make them worth six stars," Scrooge assured. "But, I'll have to find him. I swear, if he wants to look for fresh ingredients, I can order some for him, but he insists on finding them for himself. I'll see you all later!"

Scrooge walked back to his restaurant to oversee his business, even without his best chef there to cook the food. "So, did anypony else notice how Donald's uncle sounded so much different than somepony accidentally choking on a squeaker in a squeaky toy?" Starlight asked.

Donald let out an irritated huff while the others laughed at the unicorn's jab at Donald's voice. "Ha ha ha. Very funny," Donald grumbled.

"So, aside from saving our hides in the nick of time, what brings you by for a visit?" Hayner asked curiously.

"We're on our way to the old mansion outside of town," Sora said. "There's something we need to do there."

"It's not about trying to find that Organization XIII's hideout again, is it?" Pence asked curiously. "I thought it fell apart when you beat them, from what we learned."

"It's actually about some research left over from that computer back where Roxas was placed in that virtual Twilight Town," Sora said.

He pulled out the picture of Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas, the same one he got and still kept to this day when left with a box containing the photo and some sea-salt ice cream, clues left behind by Riku back then after the fight for Radiant Garden, when Saïx's attempts to have Sora defeat more Heartless were thwarted by Maleficent. Pence pulled out the same photo, but his didn't have Roxas in their group photo.

"That's still so weird about these pictures," Olette said. "I've never even met Roxas before, but...it does feel like there was something missing in our circle for a while."

"Yeah," Pence agreed. "Wish we could have met him."

Sora and Pence put their pictures away, Sora sensing Roxas's feelings within his heart, knowing he missed them too, even if they weren't the same Hayner, Pence, and Olette he knew. "We'll take you guys to the mansion," Hayner said. "But, getting there's a little bit different now."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked curiously. They soon headed for the wall Sora recalled that was cracked open, leading out to the forest, but when they got there, he gasped in shock when he saw it was fixed up. "Huh!? The wall's been fixed!?"

"Yup. For about several months now," Hayner said.

"Guess there must have been a lot of renovations since I last visited," Kairi said.

Sora sighed, hanging his head in bafflement. "So, where exactly do we go to get to this mansion?" Twilight asked.





"Why did you have to ask, Twilight!?" Rarity exclaimed in disgust. Hayner, Pence, and Olette lead the group of ponies, Keyblade wielders, and baby dragon through the Underground Conduit, though it felt more like walking through a sewer to Rarity as she winced with each step she took. "Eww, eww, eww, eww, eww. I would have appreciated the crack in the wall to stay cracked!"

"Uhh, I could carry you, if you want?" Pence offered, Rarity gladly accepting it as she leapt onto the slightly chubby young man's back, staggering him slightly before carrying her piggyback style.

"At least somepony's a true gentlecolt carrying a lady across mucky grounds," Rarity complimented, making Rainbow roll her eyes irritably.

"Such a drama queen," Rainbow muttered.

After walking down the winding sewer systems, they soon came up to what looked like a cellar door. Pushing the doors open, they were outside in the woods, not too far away from the abandoned mansion that was used as Ansem the Wise's secondary lab. While marveling the tall trees and shrubbery, Pence lowering Rarity down to his relief, Fluttershy noticed some fruit laying about on the ground. Her ears perked up when she heard some terrified squeaking, looking up, only to yelp in shock when she saw something in the trees.

"L-Look!" she called out, pointing up at the tree.

The others followed her hoof, finding Powerwild Heartless climbing around on the tree, surrounding a small blue rat cowering on a small tree branch. "Now there's Heartless!?" Twilight exclaimed.

"They're going to hurt that poor little rat!" Fluttershy said.

Looking up at the branch the Powerwilds were fascinated with, they saw the blue-furred rat unable to escape. "She's right! That poor little cartoon rodent in no way like any normal rat that should exist in this world!" Pinkie said. "Save him!"

"No problem!" Donald said, stretching out his wand-casting arm. "Thunder!" A barrage of lightning bolts struck the Powerwilds, sending them falling out of the tree and smashing into the ground. "Too easy."

"Let's take them down!" Sora said, but Kairi beat him to it, waving her Keyblade and unleashed an orb of light, flashing brightly as it made contact with one of the Heartless and destroying all of them in the explosive light. With the Heartless easily dealt with, wowing Hayner, Pence, and Olette with her power of light, Sora looked at his beloved princess, teasing him by twirling her Keyblade, then rested it on her shoulder while giving him a sly grin. "...Now look who's showing off."

"Like Donald said; too easy," Kairi said, winking at him with her tongue sticking out.

"Get a room, you two," Hayner teased, making the couple blush as everyone giggled at their friendly little spat.

Fluttershy flapped up to the branch, the little rat rubbing his eyes after getting blinded by Kairi's light. "Are you ok, little guy?" she asked. Seeing he was in no danger, the rat nodded his head, climbing onto the pegasus's hoof as she gently lowered him back down to the ground. "There you go. Safe and sound. I hope no more Heartless are around to startle you again."

"That's our Fluttershy; always concerned about the critters," Applejack said.

"Take care of yourself, little guy," Sora said, the group heading off toward the mansion. The rat looked around at the scattered fruit, letting out a sigh before skittering toward his rescuers. He climbed up Sora, startling him as the rat perched himself on Sora's spiky head, then began tugging on certain strands of his hair, causing him to turn about in place. "Ahh! What the-!? Whoa!"

The others watched as Sora awkwardly marched over to the fruit. "Sora, what are you doing?" Spike asked.

"I don't know! I can't control my limbs!" he exclaimed, yelping as his body lurched forward, picking up an apple near his feet, then stood back up.

"Hey, our new rat buddy's sitting on your head!" Pinkie pointed out.

"Why's he tugging on his hair?" Starlight asked curiously. Her answer was given when the rat began moving Sora again, making him do what he was doing with his hair as the controller to his body, picking up another apple in his other hand. "Is he...controlling Sora???"

"Sure looks like it," Goofy said. "How does that work?"

"Fluttershy, can you tell him I'm not a puppet!?" Sora requested desperately. "It's bad enough Xehanort wants me to be his, and I'm being manipulated by a little rat!"

"Ok." Fluttershy hovered over to Sora, thankfully stopping him from trying to pick up more scattered fruit. "Excuse us, little friend. Can you please stop controlling Sora? He'd like to have his arms and legs back." The rat gestured to the fruit, but he didn't say anything, knowing the humans couldn't really understand him. "You can talk to me. I can understand all kinds of animals. And I promise you won't be any trouble. We just want to know what you're doing."

Reluctantly, the rat finally spoke to Fluttershy with his squeaks, confusing Hayner, Pence, and Olette when they saw a pony who could talk like them communicate with a little rodent. "Uhh, she's not actually talking to a rat, is she?" Hayner questioned.

"That's one of Fluttershy's special talents," Twilight said. "She can communicate with all sorts of animals, perfectly understanding exactly what they say."

"That's pretty cool," Pence commented.

After talking with the blue rat, Fluttershy looked back at the others. "He wants Sora to help him gather up the fruit when those Heartless appeared and tried to hurt him."

"Why does he want us to do that?" Sora asked.

"Believe it or not, but he says he can cook," Fluttershy said. "Oh, and his name is Remy."

"A rat who can cook?" Olette questioned, shaking her head as she let out a disgusted grunt. "Aren't they a bit...unsanitary?"

"Not really. Rats can be pretty clean, and Remy hats getting his front paws dirty when he handles food," Fluttershy said. "He's different from his own family." She then turned back to Remy. "We'll help you gather your fruit back up, Remy, and then you can cook whatever your heart desires."

Remy grinned, letting go of Sora's hair, allowing him control of his body again. "I've heard of out-of-body experiences, but not when I'm still conscious in my own body," he said.

It didn't take long to pick up the assortment of fruit and put them in a pile for Remy. The little rat was satisfied to have his ingredients back together, waving bye to the group as they continued heading for the mansion.

"I wonder what a rat like Remy is gonna do with all that fruit?" Rainbow asked.

"How can a rat cook without a kitchen?" Spike stated.

"Maybe he'll just wing it, or eat the fruit if what he makes doesn't taste good," Starlight said.

They arrived at the gates of the mansion, the walls slightly worn down from time, though it still stood and could be a livable residence if someone decided to renovate it. One of the second floor's windows had white curtains, which brought back some memories from Roxas in Sora, where the virtual Twilight Town gang mentioned a rumor about a ghost lurking behind those curtains, which actually happened to be Kairi's Nobody, Naminé.

"Ooooh. Spooky," Pinkie commented.

"I hope it's not too dusty in there," Rarity whined. "Somepony could at least spruce up the yard."

"That's why this mansion's abandoned," Applejack reiterated. "It's supposed to be run down and messy 'cause nopony took care of it."

"Everything should still be where it was last time," Olette said, guiding the group inside the empty manor.

It was pretty empty inside, most of the furniture that used to be here either gone with the last owners or left behind to gather dust. The mares and dragon followed the Twilight Town trio, the engaged Keyblade wielding couple, and anthropomorphic dog and duck through the mansion, climbing upstairs to the second floor to the library, then back down through the secret passage that was still opened after all this time, finally reaching the computer room with the data Ienzo needs, assuming it was still there.

"Feels like forever since we've been here," Sora said. Turning to look at a section of the wall that once had the warp to The World That Never Was, he was given a flashback from Roxas at the rage-fueled frustration of being tricked by Diz, or Ansem the Wise, and Riku, sent into the virtual Twilight Town against his will as he tried to stop Organization XIII on his own. One moment that stuck with him was Roxas venting out his anger on the virtual computer, using the Kingdom Keyblade to smash the monitors and keyboard. He grabbed his head, the memory finally fading, wishing Roxas didn't have to go through such a traumatic, life-questioning journey after losing his memories while in the Organization. "Not really great memories here, huh, Roxas?"

"Hey, Sora, you ok?" Hayner asked, noticing the slight bit of pain Sora was in for a brief moment.

"Yeah. Just...spaced out for a second," Sora said.

The ponies approached the multi-screened computer, Twilight and Spike having some knowledge on more advanced technology Equestria didn't have. "Ooooh. Pretty screens," Pinkie uttered in awe, staring at the soft glowing blue screens.

"So, this is called a computer?" Applejack asked. She rubbed her head, trying to figure out how this new device was supposed to work. "Seems...complicated."

"Is it even on?" Starlight asked.

"Should be if power's still coming through," Sora said, making his way to the chair and sat down in it. Pressing a few keys, a screen popped up requesting a password to access the advanced computer. "And we just so happen to know the password to access more of your data, Ansem the Wise."

Sora typed in the password "sea-salt ice cream", a green check mark appearing after hitting the Enter key, granting them access to the terminal's system. When trying to access the files on screen, they were encrypted, unable to be viewed or even access any folders with several files pertaining to a certain subject that seemed important to the scientist.

"Well, that's not good," Pence said. "We can't even open them up. Do you by any chance know the encryption key?"

"Uhh...no," Sora admitted sheepishly.

The Gummiphone began ringing, which surprised the Twilight Town trio. Goofy pulled out the device and answered the call, Ienzo on the line again.

"Howdy there, Ienzo," Goofy greeted. "You called right on time. We found Ansem's computer."

"I figured as much when I got a message from here about someone accessing important files from the other computer," Ienzo said.

"Yeah, we can't open them," Sora said. "They're encrypted."

"Ah, I see," Ienzo uttered. "It would make sense to keep his important data from hackers with encrypted passwords."

"Can't Sora or Kairi just use their Keyblades to unlock the locked files?" Rarity asked out of curiosity.

Ienzo chuckled at the idea. "No, this is nothing like how the Keyblade is able to unlock certain things. Encryption is a type of security protocol people can use so only specific people can view them or to themselves. Unless someone has the encryption key, which is just a password like how you accessed the computer, no one can see what's written in the document files, or even in the folders with multiple files."

"...I think we can just leave all this...new technology stuff to the humans," Rarity said, unable to comprehend the advanced technology and the simplified explanation Ienzo gave them.

"I'd like to know how all this works," Twilight said intriguingly. She approached the computer and brought her hooves up to the keyboard, a bit disappointed that the keys were too small for her to even type anything unless she was a human with her flexible digits. "Maybe I can figure out how to make a keyboard fitting for hooves...assuming making one is simple."

"I'll figure out how to decrpyt the files from all the notes Ansem the Wise has left behind," Ienzo said. "Sora, can you set up a remote network so I can access that terminal from here?"

"...Uhhhhhhh...I'm not exactly great with technology," Sora admitted with a nervous chuckle. "Living in Equestria for so long, you get used to using magic as your main source of technological know-how."

"I can give it a try," Pence offered.

Sora let Pence in the chair, already familiar with the setup since last time. Ienzo walked him through the remote access setup, which took a bit with all the important information needed in order for it to successfully connect. Sora, Rainbow, and Pinkie ended up falling asleep during the walkthrough, Twilight the only one listening and watching out of interest while the others waited. After setting up the remote access, Ienzo took his time going through all of the programs and files in this terminal, astounded by the amount of data that was in it, including the teleportation program that was used to send Roxas to the data version of Twilight Town.

"This is...incredible," Ienzo said after examining what he was able to view after changing some of the privileges in the files, startling the two ponies and Keyblade wielder awake. "Inside the coding for the data Twilight Town, there's also Roxas's data inside of the constructed town as well. Since I woke up, I've been trying to decipher Ansem's Code and continue his work for him, and if there's a certain log inside this system, then I can try to solve that code much more quickly."

"And...that's a good thing, right?" Rainbow asked. "Whatever computer stuff you're doing, do all that."

"...Glad you're following along," Ienzo muttered to himself in amusement. "I'll get to work on these files right away." Goofy was about to end the call, but he remembered something else he wanted to inform Sora. "Oh, I almost forgot! There's a bit of unfortunate news I never got the chance to tell you earlier, or even to Lea before he left."

"What is it, Ienzo?" Kairi asked.

"It's about another ex-Organization member. His name was Vexen, but he was also Ansem the Wise's assistants, Even," Ienzo said. Sora didn't know anyone from the old Organization named Vexen, but Riku probably did if he knew Ienzo's Nobody and he was in Castle Oblivion as well. "He was 'recompleted' like the rest of us, but he remained unconscious. After Lea left, he just vanished."

"He vanished?" Sora asked.

"Aeleus and Dilan, or formerly known as Lexaeus and Xaldin, searched for him, but found no sign of him," he continued. "I'm starting to worry he might possibly be back on their side."

"We certainly know Xaldin in The Beast and Belle's world," Donald said. "He wanted The Beast's Nobody to control by messing with his head and get him riled up to make a strong Nobody."

"And Marluxia came back after I beat him, even though I can't recall what happened in Castle Oblivion," Sora said. "Thanks for the heads up, Ienzo."

"Be careful if you meet him," Ienzo warned. "He's incredibly intelligent, but also devious in his ways. Even I felt a little bit put off with his behavior when I was a kid, but Ansem the Wise trusted him. But now..."

"You just keep working on figuring out what Ansem had in those files," Goofy said. "Let us know what else you find, and you make sure to let the king know, too."

"Will do. Until then, everyone." Ienzo hung up and got to work decrypting the new files he now has access to.

"It won't take long, will it?" Spike asked.

"It could be, depending on how hard it is to crack down what are apparently electronic safes," Pence said. "I may not be tech savvy myself, but I know enough at this point to see that it's a tough process."

"And boring," Rainbow added. "I'll stick with flying and learning new stunts for routines, thank you."

"Well, it looks like you guys got what you need," Hayner said. "Let's head back into town and see if we can get something at Le Grand Bistrot if that awesome chef returned."

The others nodded, the visitors dying to try out the food and were feeling a bit peckish after all that's happened today as they began to leave the mansion. "Say, Sora, is it possible for Roxas to come back?" Pence asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," Sora said.

"It did happen once before with the Mirror Pool back in Equestria!" Pinkie said, bouncing beside the slightly overweight young man. "See, back when I was trying to have fun with everypony and couldn't be in two places at once, Twilight reminded me of the story of the Mirror Pool my Granny Pie told me about when I was a filly! So, I found the magical pool, bringing Sora along because he was in the downy dumps, and after reciting the enchanting phrase, I pulled a double of myself from the pool, but when Sora did it, the water flashed brightly, and instead of another Sora, it was Roxas!"

"Whoa, no way!" Hayner exclaimed. "Why isn't he with you guys?"

"He returned to the pool," Sora said. "He felt like he shouldn't exist, but maybe that was the clone of his talking, knowing that he wasn't the real Roxas."

"And you all think you can bring Roxas back?" After passing the gate and wall of the mansion's property, everyone jumped at the mysterious voice that spoke to them.

Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy heard that voice before, even Twilight. They all turned around, the Keyblade wielders, guard captain, mage, and alicorn gasping in shock when they saw Ansem leaning against the wall with a smug grin on his face, the Heartless of Xehanort in their presence.

"Ansem!" Sora exclaimed, summoning his Keyblade, quickly getting in front of the others with Donald and Goofy. A portal of darkness appeared beside Ansem, and out came Xehanort's Nobody, Xemnas, looking far more serious than his Heartless counterpart with his "unemotional" beliefs. Both forms of Xehanort's had similar darker skin and silver hair, but Ansem's was hung down while Xemnas's is more spiked, bearing some differences aside from their emotions, or lack thereof for the Nobody. "Xemnas!? Give me a break! Can't you guys stop pestering me and my friends!?"

"Roxas should never have existed in the first place," Xemnas said, ignoring Sora's question. "What you seek is impossible."

"If he was standing there all that time, he must not have heard Pinkie talk about how Roxas was able to come back," Spike uttered to the others.

"You said it was a clone that behaved like Roxas," Ansem said, startling the baby dragon. "It was merely the Nobody of a Nobody. The real Roxas would not have succumbed to his fate as nothing that soon."

"Well, I'll have you know Roxas does exist!" Sora said, clutching his hand over his heart. "His heart's inside my heart!"

Hayner, Pence, and Olette were shocked at the revelation, but after seeing what Roxas looked like and meeting Sora, they could almost be related in some way. "And in the unlikely event that the two of you would separate again, and not by any magical means in a cloning pool, where exactly do you think you can put his heart?"

Sora didn't have an answer, but if the Organization XIII members had managed to come back, then Roxas could as well. "What about the virtual Twilight Town?" Twilight asked. "There was data of him inside there, so...if we could bring the real Roxas back...we could stick him in there?"

Ansem chuckled at the naive answer the alicorn suggested. "Do you even know what you're saying, princess?" he questioned, startling Twilight with his knowledge of her being royalty in Equestria, but then again, the new Organization had been watching them all this time. "The other Twilight Town is just data."

"There's hearts all around us, so they can exist anywhere!" Sora exclaimed in defiance. "Even in data."

"But, aren't those two the same person?" Starlight asked, still confused, but remembering how both the men before them used to be Xehanort, one his Heartless and the other his Nobody. "If Xehanort is really back, then how come these two are able to exist outside of him?"

"Agh! I don't get it!" Rainbow exclaimed. "My head already hurts trying to figure out what a computer is, and I'm getting a migraine with THAT question stuck in my head now!"

"But it does make sense," Kairi said. "If there was a way for Ansem and Xemnas to return, then Roxas, Naminé, and even Xion could come back and live their own lives."

"Right! I still need to thank Naminé!" Sora said. "And Xion...Xion definitely deserves a second chance, not as a puppet, but as a person with a heart."

Xemnas let out a disapproving grunt at the mention of Xion while Ansem grinned at their crazy ideas. "In that case, by all means," Ansem suggested.

"Nothing will please us more than Roxas's return, of course," Xemnas added.

Sora growled, his eyes flashing for a moment. "As if I'm going to listen to you ever again!" he said, shocking himself and his friends as Roxas let out his disdain for the former Nobody leader.

"So, you do still exist, Roxas," Xemnas said, highly amused. "But you do recall how a Nobody is created, right?"

"When somepony loses their heart to darkness," Twilight responded.

"And the only way Roxas can come back is if Sora gives up his heart as well," Xemnas continued. He then extended his arm, pointing at Sora. "Have you finally decided to call upon the darkness?"

"I'll show you darkness. And I'll send you two back to where you really belong!" Sora crouched into his stance, Donald and Goofy joining him with their weapons drawn along with Kairi and Twilight.

"Go on then," Ansem said. "The shadows are never out of reach."

With a slight nod of his head, Ansem summoned Neoshadows around the defenseless ponies, Spike, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. The mares gasped and huddled close, Kairi and Twilight quickly jumping in front of the Heartless to protect them. Xemnas waved his hand, summoning Dusks to join the Neoshadows, a tough combination with Heartless and Nobodies joining together, the former more aggressive while the latter has more tact.

"Not again!" Twilight exclaimed, reminded of her past encounter with Neoshadows, only now made worse with Nobodies teaming up with the Pureblood Heartless.

"Now, set your heart free," Ansem and Xemnas said as one, a portal of darkness appearing around them.

"Get back here!" Sora shouted, rushing toward them and swung his Keyblade, only to miss as the portal faded away, the Heartless and Nobody of Xehanort making their escape. "Grr! Damn it!"

"Sora, worry about them later!" Kairi said, covering Olette as a Neoshadow lunged at them.

Growling irritably, Sora turned around, focusing on the enemies threatening to harm his friends. "Don't they have anything better to do than get under my skin?" he uttered to himself, then threw his Keyblade at a Dusk heading for Starlight. Calling his blade back, he regrouped with the others, only to have more Neoshadows, and new types of Nobodies they have never seen before completely surround them. These new Nobodies appeared to wear a type of hood that shrouded their faces, long and eerie like a cloak worn by the Grim Reaper himself, a strangely designed dress that were in layers like a flower's petals, no feet sticking out underneath as it hovered around, and wielded a pink-bladed scythe, which reminded Sora of Marluxia's scythe, only the blade was shorter and the hilt was mostly black, the pommel ending with the Nobody's sigil. "New Nobodies!? ALL of the old Organization XIII members had certain Nobodies they can control!?"

"I don't like the look of these ones!" Hayner said. One of the new Nobodies, Sora deciding to call them Reapers due to their long, shrouded hoods and weapons, shifted into a flowery form, spreading pink petals all around the yard. As the petals made contact with everyone, they all yelled out in pain, the petals not as harmless as they appeared. "Ahh! W-What's going on!? Why do these petals hurt!?"

"They must be enchanted!" Twilight said. She quickly cast a barrier around everyone, using the Element of Kindness's power as a pink bubble protected them, which released pink moths inside, sprinkling everyone in a regenerative magic aura. "Are these...Marluxia's Nobodies?"

"Makes sense," Sora said. "Out of all the different types of Nobodies, how come we never ran into the other ones back then!? Or even in Castle Oblivion if I could remember everything!?"

"Maybe we can ask those questions later until we're all not going to die by beautiful rose petals!" Pinkie screeched, the petals barely phasing Twilight's strong barrier as they faded away on contact.

Before Sora could rush out and deal with the Heartless and Nobodies himself, more Nobodies appeared, only they were Kaito's Swashbucklers, surprising the enemies as they charged into the Neoshadows and Dusks with their blade hands. The Reapers looked around in confusion, only to be blasted by a stream of water through a portal of darkness, crashing it into the perimeter wall of the mansion. Rushing out was the Nobody of Sora's father himself, his oceanic cutlass held in his hand as he sliced through the Neoshadows that sensed his portal.

"Need a bit of a hand!?" Kaito asked.

"Do we ever!" Applejack said.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, recognizing the sword and the voice coming from the scraggy-haired man who jumped in out of nowhere to help them. "Hey, doesn't that look like...?" Goofy asked, only to have his question interrupted as a huge spout of water lifted the pink barrier up and moved them inside the mansion's front yard.

The Swashbucklers quickly grouped up around the Twilight Town trio, ponies, and baby dragon, nodding to the wielders, mage, and guard, promising to keep them safe while they handled the rest. Sora, Kairi, Twilight, Donald, and Goofy ran back out to join Kaito, standing back to back as they faced the Heartless/Nobody horde.

"What are you doing here?" Kairi asked.

"Fight now, ask questions later," Kaito said.

"Sounds good to me," Sora said, charging in with Kaito, Goofy and Donald staying beside Kairi and Twilight to assist them.

Sora and Kaito took care of the Dusks and Neoshadows with ease, working as one as they traded slashes, stabbing or smacking away those about to strike the other's back, even using magic to blast those waiting for a chance from afar. Goofy protected the three proficient magic casters, though the Reapers were a bit of a nuisance with their teleporting, slashing with their scythes when they get close enough, even when they rain deadly rose petals on them since they're apparently invincible while in their flower bulb state. It's not truly invincible when Donald decided to cast Fire on them, burning them and disrupting their petal storm. Any strays that tried to go after the others were halted by the Swashbucklers, able to outmatch the Reapers as they warped closer while keeping the Neoshadows from phasing up from the ground with their shadow sneaking.

The double-teaming ambush was dealt with quickly, leaving no trace of any Heartless or Nobody alive or intact. The Swashbucklers warped away, no longer needed to defend the helpless group, their appearance making Hayner, Pence, and Olette wary of their intentions unlike the enemy Nobodies that attacked them all. They walked outside the gate, joining back with Sora, Kairi, Twilight, Donald, Goofy, and Kaito.

"So, this guy is definitely on our side," Pence said. "But...he kinda fought like Sora."

"Thanks for the assistance, Kaito," Twilight said. "But those Neoshadows...At least I wasn't alone actually fighting those."

"Didn't expect to actually get into a fight today, but I'm happy to help," Kaito said.

"Sora, isn't this the guy who helped us back in Disney Town?" Goofy asked.

"Mhmm," Sora said with a nod. "Donald, Goofy, this is Kaito..." Sora rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground nervously. "...He's...my dad's Nobody."

"A Nobody!?" Donald squawked, surprising not only him and Donald, but also the Twilight Town gang.

"Wait, this guy's a Nobody!?" Hayner exclaimed.

"And your DAD'S Nobody!?" Olette added.

"It's a long story; one I really...really don't want to relive ever again," Sora said.

Kaito scratched his cheek with a timid grin, hopefully not expecting to fight Donald or Goofy now that they knew what he was. "I know it may be farfetched , but...Sora's telling the truth," Kaito said. "I was given the name Kaito, which was really his father's name, and if things had been different in the past, I would have ended up being you enemy rather than a friend."

"And...those Nobodies who helped us?" Pence asked.

"They're mine. I call them Swashbucklers, my merry crew helping their captain protect the weak," Kaito proclaimed, even posing like a guardian to emphasize his point. He was met with silence, awkwardly laughing as what he thought would get a giggle out of someone didn't quite work. "But I do command them to do what I want."

"Well, it's nice meeting ya, Kaito," Goofy said. "Glad to have somebody lookin' out for Sora just like we are."

"What are you even doing here?" Sora asked. "Don't tell me Aqua asked you to keep an eye on me."

"Actually, it was your mother who was worried about you after what happened on Christmas," Kaito said. "She wanted me to check up on you, but when I got to the castle, you and most of your friends weren't there." His expression soon turned serious, crossing his arms and closed his eyes, looking like a disappointed father as he tried to find the right words to scold his child. "That's when I learned that the Organization almost got you again; caught by shape-shifting bug ponies, one of them a member of that Organization, and is Ventus's darkness incarnate. Was that pretty accurate to what happened about a month ago?"

Sora winced, groaning irritably, expecting Kaito to be constantly checking on him now after almost getting captured by Organization XIII again. "That's...pretty accurate," Twilight confirmed. "We all got tricked by the changelings. All of us were captured aside from Ven, Starlight, Trixie, Thorax, and Discord."

"Of course," Kaito grumbled, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I already gave Ven the scolding of a lifetime for doing something that reckless. He knew it was dangerous, and yet he couldn't have bothered to contact me, or even your two friends!? After what happened with Marluxia and his hostage situation, he could have asked for more reliable backup!"

"Kaito, the changeling kingdom had an enchanted throne that negated all but changeling magic in the region," Kairi explained. "I don't think Ven was even sure if you could help if your magic could also be sealed by that throne's power."

"I could still handle myself with a sword, so that's no excuse not to ask for my help, even if the odds were against them!" Kaito exclaimed. He calmed down with a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead in stress. "...I was worried when Marluxia nearly got his hands on you with that cruel scheme of his. I panicked after hearing what happened to you and almost all of this world's inhabitants...If I was this ill with worry, imagine what your mother will think if she knew about what was almost a successful kidnapping."

"That's why we're with Sora," Donald said. "As long as he doesn't stay out of our sight, we'll make sure he's never leaving any of us again." He nudged Sora's side with his staff, giving him a stern look. "And if you try to take your heart out to save someone else, I'm gonna give you a taste of my full power, Sora."

"I won't. Promise," Sora said. "Not even if we can't find a way to bring Roxas back. I won't satisfy Xehanort giving him another powerful Keyblade wielder to join his ranks."

"Pinkie Promise?" Pinkie asked, mostly demanding with the deathly gaze she gave him.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Sora said without hesitation, the gestures he made as he made the Pinkie Promise baffling Hayner, Pence, and Olette with how awkward and childish the promise seemed. He looked back at Kaito after assuring Pinkie and the others that he won't give up his heart to anyone, hopefully assuring him and his mother he would be alright now. "Kaito, if I ever do need help, I swear I'll contact you...If I'm actually conscious."

Letting out another sigh, Kaito's lips curled into a smile. "I know you're strong, Sora, but it never does hurt to rely on your friends to fight by your side."

"Well, I know that much," Sora said, hearing Donald and Goofy chuckling behind him. "My friends give me my true power, whether they're with me now or in my heart."

"Good," Kaito said. He summoned a portal of darkness, ready to head back to Destiny Islands. "I won't tell your mother about the changeling fiasco, but if she gets it out of me, you know she's going to give the both of us an earful."

"Heh. Right. And thanks," Sora said.

Kaito waved good-bye to everyone and walked through the portal. "Even though that guy is a Nobody, if we didn't know, I'd think he really was your father, Sora," Pence commented.

"Sure sounded like it when he scolded you," Hayner said.

"Yeah, but he's reacting from my dad's memories he's been having since he was 'born'," Sora stated. "When I first met him, I...was in a state of disbelief after I just recently figured out what really happened to him when I was younger. Seeing him back in Disney Town when he stopped Pete from blowing up the town, I didn't really want to believe my dad was alive again...I was right knowing he wasn't my dad, but part of my denial of grief losing him as a kid still lingered, especially when..." He paused, that night on his father's boat flashing through his mind. He didn't want Hayner, Pence, and Olette to know he was able to travel through time, and it was already troublesome trying to not alter the present after it's happened several time with Starlight. Sora shook his head, leaving out that spell to their knowledge. "Anyway, I respect him as a friend, not my real father. And since he's watching my mom for me, I'll be glad knowing she's in good hands while I have others I need to worry about."

"Sorry for your loss," Olette said. "But, at least you have another father figure, even if he kinda-sorta is your dad."

Sora chuckled a little at the thought, though Kaito was far from being anywhere near a father figure to him. His stomach suddenly began to growl, making Kairi groan.

"Bad time for your stomach to start rumbling," Kairi said.

"Hey, I can't help that I'm starting to get hungry," Sora reasoned.

"Let's head back into town and get a table at Le Grand Bistrot," Olette suggested. "I'm dying to have more of that mystery chef's food."

"Me too! I'm starving!" Rainbow added.

They left the mansion and made their way back to Twilight Town through the forest, thankfully with no more Heartless or Nobodies getting in their way. Once back after going through the sewers, Pence being Rarity's carrier once again through the underground passage, they returned to the restaurant, where Scrooge came out to meet them, carrying a white box in his free hand.

"There ye all are!" Scrooge said. "Been wondering where ye all ran off to! Little chef's returned, and told me ye saved him."

"Really?" Twilight questioned. "I don't know if there was somepony else who we had to rescue."

"To thank you all for rescuin' him, he made ye a little something for your bravery." Scrooge held out the box, which Sora gladly accepted, opening it up to see what the chef made for them.

He gasped when he saw what appeared to be an expertly crafted fruit tart, the pastry layered with apples, oranges, limes, blueberries, and strawberries, shaped to look like a blooming flower. The others looked inside, their mouths watering at the sight of the delectable pastry.

"A cake!" Donald and Goofy both said.

Pinkie looked in the box, shaking her head. "No, that's not a cake, sillies, but that would be a much tastier fruit cake than an actual fruitcake," she said. "This is a tarte aux fruits, or a fruit tart in Equish. And it smells yummy!"

Scrooge's hat shook slightly, something bouncing around that made the old duck wince a little. "Aye, that's what Little Chef calls it. Somebody knows their pastries."

"Well, I work at a bakery, and I've baked a lot of different pies, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, tarts, mousses, and much, much, MUCH more!" Pinkie said with pride.

Scrooge's hat shuffled again, getting everyone's attention as it shifted about like he was hiding something. "Alright, alright, don't fuss. I'll introduce them to ye." Taking off his hat, Scrooge revealed the Little Chef, who just so happened to be the same rat the others rescued in the forest; Remy. "Everyone, this here is my Little Chef."

"Remy's the Little Chef?" Applejack questioned. "Ah thought it was some kinda title because he was...well, short. Not this small, though."

"Oh, so that's what he did with the fruit we helped gather for him!" Fluttershy said. "He did have a kitchen to work with to make this. And it's for us?" Remy nodded his head, earning a nuzzle from the yellow pegasus. "Thank you so much."

"What's with the name 'Remy'?" Scrooge asked curiously.

"It's his name," Fluttershy answered. "I have a way with animals, and I can talk to him."

"Ah, I see. I know I can't understand him, which is why he uses gestures to mime out what he tells me," Scrooge said. "Better start calling him Remy instead of Little Chef from now on." Remy got Scrooge's attention, acting like he was chopping something and sprinkling spices on the imaginary food in front of him. Fluttershy could see why the little rat chef pantomimed to talk, seeing how not everyone could communicate with animals like she could, and was used to doing it rather than speak with her. "And he's saying he wants to cook some more for ye."

"Awesome!" Rainbow cheered. "We're all down to eat, and we can't wait! What's he gonna make?"

"We'll let that be a surprise for all of ye!" Scrooge said, Remy nodding his head in agreement. "And, next time Lit- er, Remy, I'll order ye some fresh ingredients so ye don't have to get your whiskers in a jam when you're on your own."

The rat rubbed his head sheepishly, needing to let go of his scavenger instincts and let the investor to his culinary arts buy him the fresh food he needs for his recipes. While everyone gathered around several tables to wait for Remy to give them all surprise meal fit for a king, or a princess with Twilight's status, neither of them noticed a couple spies watching them from the top of one of the buildings from a distance. Ansem and Xemnas watching them chat, giving them a small reprieve to their eventual, inevitable fate. Behind them, a portal of darkness appeared, and out walked Xigbar, joining Xehanort's Heartless and Nobody and observed the group of heroes down at the bistro waiting for their meals.

"You two laid it on a bit thick there, didn't you?" Xigbar questioned. "Why not just make it more obvious about what we planned?"

"We were instructed to guide him," Xemnas responded, Ansem nodding in agreement to their orders by their original self.

"Just look at them all," Ansem said. "Especially those equines from that world Sora and his friends have set up as their new base. All of them would have been clueless had we not spelled it out for them."

Xigbar let out a small laugh and grinned at their answer. "Fair enough, but don't forget how many times Sora still managed to rain on our parades back then." Ansem grunted, always reminded of how a young teenager was able to best him, and he was only just starting out as a Keyblade wielder at the time. Before Xigbar continued, he sniffed the air, catching a hint of something. "Is that seawater I smell? Twilight Town's nowhere near the ocean from here."

"It was the Nobody who eluded us after I personally brought him in," Xemnas said. "He showed up to aid Sora and destroyed the Heartless and Nobodies we both sent after them. I am surprised he is still alive, and Sora hasn't claimed his life."

"Heh. I thought Marluxia was kidding, but I recognize that salty sea air as if it were yesterday," Xigbar said. "He might cause a delay in our plans, too."

"If he does, we'll destroy him," Ansem said. "Including Sora if he diverts away from the path we're guiding him down."

"Hey, you heard Xehanort," Xigbar warned bitterly. "He needs Sora alive, otherwise we'll have to find ourselves another vessel."

"That is why we never have just one iron in the fire," Xemnas said ominously now that he knows Roxas still lives on in Sora's heart. He then looked at Twilight and her friends, looking back at the amount of recon the Sniper Nobodies have given them with their unique magic, the Elements of Harmony, along with Sora's inherited Element powers as Keyblades. "The pony princess and her little friends could throw a wrench in our plans, seeing how she has a Keyblade as well, along with their world's most powerful magical items that could even rival that of Kingdom Hearts if need be."

"Hard to separate such close friends," Xigbar noted, then glanced at Sora and Kairi. They were holding hands and talking, spotting the ring on Kairi's finger Vanitas had mentioned in his botched attempt to kidnap Sora. He grinned, letting out a chuckle in amusement. "Or even a pair of lovebirds about to be hitched. Things are really going to be a lot more interesting..."





After eating a hearty meal made by Remy, everyone's dish different, along with giving the ponies vegetarian dishes, the new customers would rate the food ten out of five michelin stars if it was possible. They didn't know how someone that small could maneuver their way around a kitchen and make everything so flawlessly, but Remy was far more talented than he appeared. They all shared the tarte aux fruits as their dessert, which was better than they expected with all the fresh fruit the little chef had gathered. With their bill on Le Grand Bistrot's head chef for saving his life, Sora and his entourage had to depart and go back to Equestria, promising Hayner, Pence, and Olette he'll try to visit often this time, and one day introduce them to Roxas if they ever find a way to truly bring him back.

The Gummi ship ride went a lot smoother for Starlight and Spike after their second ever warp drive back home, even with a full stomach fit to bursting. Once back home, Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy back into their Equestrian forms, they headed back to the castle and let Aqua know about what they found in Ansem the Wise's lab in the mansion in Twilight Town and Ienzo detailing what he's found when he decrypted the files he gathered. It was a shocking first time for Starlight and Spike to venture out to another world, but despite the danger, the Twilight Town gang were pleasant, not even bothered by the Equestrians' appearance and intellect, and learned a bit more about what lied beyond Equestria, just so long as they don't get into a close call with Heartless and Nobodies.

Sora lead Donald and Goofy down to their guest rooms, which, for their sake in watching out for him like best friends do, are close to the bedroom he shared with Kairi. "Fancy rooms," Goofy commented. "Sure is gonna be a lot harder to get around in here than at Disney Castle."

"Twilight made maps for newcomers and future envoys from other countries," Sora said, pulling out a pair of those special maps, handing them to his friends. "Hopefully, you'll figure it out faster than Starlight did. Heard she walked in on Terra when he was shaving."

The trio laughed at Starlight's mishap. "Let's just hope you and Kairi don't get too 'comfortable' in your room when we need you for anything," Donald teased, snickering deviously as Sora leered at him.

"How about I bring Apple Bloom over and see if she can help you fix that duck bill into an actual hawk's beak so you actually look like a real griffon?" Sora countered.

"Alright, you two. Break it up," Kairi said, dragging Sora away from the duck-billed griffon with her aura. "It's getting late, and I'm ready to turn in." Donald smirked, then squawked in pain as Kairi plucked a feather from his head. "Don't instigate, Donald. I know you two love to bicker, but save your temper for the Heartless."

"I do not have a temper!" Donald argued, not helping his case with the outburst he made.

"Ya kinda do have a temper, Donald," Goofy whispered, making the small griffon grumble. Donald stomped off into his room, turning himself in while Goofy chuckled and made his way to his room. "Don't have too much fun, you two. A-hyuk!"

Sora blushed heavily while Kairi giggled, dragging him back in their room, closing the door as she let out a yawn. "Goodness. After today with the Heartless and Nobodies and Remy's cooking, I can't stay awake much longer."

"We should go back there again for a date," Sora suggested. "I didn't think any fancy food like that would be that good, but that's definitely worth going back for." He watched Kairi make her way over to their bed, magically stripping out of her clothes, sashaying her hips as she climbed into bed, all while giving Sora that come hither gaze. "I thought you said you were tired, Kairi."

"I am," she said, laying on her side facing him, getting herself comfortable. "But since you still have so much energy to burn, you can do all the work."

Sora let out a sly chuckle, fumbling with his jacket to take it off and join his beloved princess. "Oh my, I probably shouldn't linger for too long in here if that's the case!" Kairi yelped, Jiminy's voice startling both her and Sora as the alicorn completely hid herself under the covers in embarrassment. Jiminy popped out of one of Sora's pockets, chuckling sheepishly as he hopped out of the stallion's clothing and toward the bedroom door. "I'll see myself out! Don't mind me!"

The cricket managed to squeeze himself under the door frame and bounded off to retire for the evening. Sora turned back to Kairi after watching Jiminy leave, blinking away his shock as Kairi poked her face out from under the covers.

"...Was he really hiding in your pocket all that time?" Kairi asked.

"I guess so," Sora said, then began to laugh, which didn't make his flustered fiancee feel any better. "I think we forget he's around most of the time, but at least he kept a good track of our journeys and gave his two cents on any past situations Donald, Goofy, or I couldn't figure out."

"It's not funny!" Kairi exclaimed, only making Sora laugh some more as he stripped out of his clothes. She huffed, keeping herself curled in her blanket cocoon as she turned away from him. "I change my mind. I'm going to sleep."

"Aww, come on, Kairi," Sora whined. She refused to answer, even as she felt his weight shift the bed as he climbed in with her. She even felt him smirking impishly, feeling his hooves run over her back under the sheets. "Now, where's the 'unwrap' button on this thing?"

"It's not gonna 'unwrap' when I'm utterly embarrassed and not in the mood," she grumbled, keeping herself from losing control of her wings, even as she felt them twitch and threaten to flare out.

"Ok. Guess I have to do it manually." Wrapping his hooves around her, Sora tossed Kairi up with a flick, making her yell as she spun in the air, unwrapping herself from their cocoon, plopping down on the mattress with their covers landing on the floor. He then pounced on her, keeping her from rolling away as she stared at his silly, toothy grin of triumph. Kairi pouted, turning her head away, leaving her neck wide open for Sora to nip at. Kairi stifled a groan, regretting her decision as she tilted her head up, letting him lavish her neck with his lips and tongue. "Giving in already? Seems like you got over getting embarrassed wooing me with Jiminy hiding in my pocket."

Her hooves suddenly wrapped around his head, making him squeak in surprise as she forced his lips to mash against hers in a heated kiss, lasting a moment before she pulled him back and leered at him. "Don't ruin it," she warned before pulling him back in for a deeper kiss.