//------------------------------// // Chapter 05: Equestria // Story: KINGDOM HEARTS: Fractured Friendship // by KHXhero //------------------------------// Chapter 05: Equestria "..." He opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. But then the blurriness began to fade as his sight became crystal clear. He found himself flat on the ground. He must've fallen asleep again. "Sora? Sora!" "Huh?" He asked. "Sora, get up!" Donald's voice shouted. "Whoa!" Sora shouted as he lifted himself up, waking up entirely. "I'm up!" He said. "I'm totally up!" He then froze, and noticed his surroundings. There was a purple rocks around him, as well as a couple of flowers growing nearby. He recognized the color. "Hey, did we make it to Equestria?" Sora asked. "Sora?!" Donald's voice asked. Turning his head, Sora glanced over to see Donald and Goofy. Both of them were staring at him. While Goofy looked ok, Donald looked like he was shocked. "Donald? Goofy?" Sora asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?!" "Well, uh." Goofy said, but Donald quickly covered the captain's mouth. "Sora, You're A Pony!" The royal wizard shouted. "Wait... WHAT?!" Sora asked, lifting his arms up... arms? Taking a quick look, he saw that his arms weren't hooves, but actual his own arms. Turning around, he saw the water puddle a little ahead. Looking down, he saw his own reflection, but not the reflection of a pony. Realizing that he was not a pony, he gave a sigh or relief. "Donald, don't scare me like that!" He said. "Sorry, just thought I'd get a good laugh." Donald said, giving a good laugh. "Did you see that movie where the dog princess went to the human world and turned into a human?" Goofy asked. "No." Donald said. "Why?" "Just kinda figured you were just pulling that on Sora." Goofy said. Getting back on his feet, Sora shook his head a bit, and looked around. "Huh... this looks familiar." Sora said, recognizing the area of the purple rocks. They're probably on the mountain where Canterlot is on top of. "Sora, Over Here!" Riku's voice called out. Turning to the direction the voice was coming from, the trio saw Riku and King Mickey looking from the edge of the surface. Approaching them, the three saw what they were seeing. What they were seeing was a beautiful view of green, blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, all sorts of colors of the magnificent land before them. "Whoa..." Sora said. "Here we are." Mickey said. "The Land of Equestria." The five took a moment to see the amazing sight of the world around them. "It's beautiful..." Goofy said. "Yeah." Riku said. "Probably the most colorful world I've ever seen." Sora glanced a bit lower and saw a town in the distance. The boy recognized the town as the town he and Twilight went to when they first met. "Hey look." He said, pointing at the town. "There's Ponyville." "Is that where your friend lives?" Riku asked. "Yeah." Sora said. "Um, can we admire this another time?" Donald asked. "We have work to do." "Donald's right, fellas." Mickey said. "We need to go see the Princess." "Right." Sora said. The group then turned around, and noticed that there was no view of the castle. They were only look at the side of the mountain. "Uh... where's the castle again?" Riku asked. "Well, we're not looking at it." Sora said, as Goofy looked around. "Hmmm... it looks like we're a little low off." He said. "Sora!" Donald said. "What?" The boy asked. "You said you knew where we were going!" Donald said. "Sorry, I can't help it if I'm a little off." Sora said. "A little?" Donald asked. "You mean a lot!" "Don't worry." Sora said. "We just have to head up the mountain, and then we'll see the castle." He then started making his way toward the steps upward. "Wait, we're climbing up the mountain?" Donald asked. "Well, duh." Sora said. "Up is the usual direction." "Haven't we climbed enough mountains already?" Donald asked. "Awww, c'mon Donald." Mickey said. "A little mountain climbing can't hurt ya." "And besides, you can use the exercise." Riku said as he and Mickey followed Sora, with Donald looking confused. "He's right." Goofy said with a chuckle. "You do look like you could lose some weight Donald." The royal wizard quacked in surprise. He then gave a defeated sigh, and then he and Goofy followed the others, completely unaware of a rainbow maned pegasus flying in the background, scanning the area. Rainbow Dash was flying around the mountain, hoping to find Twilight, where she could be. She's been flying up and down the mountain in the past couple hours, but was unable to find any trace of the lavender unicorn. Could it have been possible that Twilight took the train instead of climbing down the mountain herself? The Rainbow maned pegasus couldn't help but give a defeated sigh. "Twilight, where are you?" Rainbow Dash asked herself. Out of all the ponies, she felt the worse of letting her friend down and abandoning her. Twilight was right, she thought. There was an problem and they failed to listen to her when they promised to taker her seriously after the whole Smarty Pants incident. Rainbow Dash failed to listen to her, the one pony who taught her the wonders of reading books, and all she cared about was impressing the Wonderbolts. The rainbow maned pegasus gave a sigh, knowing that Twilight was right again. Her dream is just a fantasy, and she gave up the pony she loved just to chase it. Wait... Love? Where did that come from? Rainbow Dash shook her head, giving a weak blush as she kept thinking about Twilight. She had to focus on finding her and making things right, not thinking about her. She then turned to her right and stopped quickly. She saw two non-ponies hiking up the mountain, along with a creature with big ears, and some dog and duck... wearing clothes. "What the hay?" She asked. "First changelings, then this." Squinting her eyes, she saw the two boys walking. One of them turning his head to talk to the group behind them. Rainbow Dash froze, recognizing the boy's face. The spikey hair and blue eyes. "Wait... is that... Sora?" She asked. Suddenly, she gasped in realization, with a smile a hope forming on her face. "Sora's back...! Sora's back!" "Why do we always climb mountains?" Donald asked. "Oh, c'mon Donald." Sora said. "It's not that bad. It's like climbing the mountain back when we were in Arendelle." "And we fell off the mountain, TWICE!" Donald said. "You guys fell off a mountain two times?" Riku asked. "How did that happen?" "Oh, first time it was Larxene and some heartless." Goofy said. "The second time was when Marshmellow tried to scare us away." "You guys fought... a giant Marshmellow?" Mickey asked. "No, it was a huge snow monster named Marshmellow." Sora said. "It's a long story." "HEY, SORA!" a voice called echoed. Stopping quickly, the group heard the echo. "What was that?" Sora asked, with Goofy turning around and saw something out in the view, seeing Rainbow Dash waving her arms and calling Sora's name. "Hey, Sora." Goofy said. "Somebody's calling for you." "Huh?" He asked, turning his head to see the rainbow maned pegasus far away, waving at him. The boy tilted his head in confusion, but after a couple of seconds, his eyes widened, recognizing the pegasus. "Hey, That's Rainbow Dash!" Sora said with a smile as he rushed to the edge, and called out. "HEY, RAINBOW DASH!" "Whaddup Keyster!" Rainbow Dash called back. "You picked an awesome time to show up!" "Sure did!" Sora called. "Say, are the others here too?!" "You bet!" Rainbow Dash said. "Meet me at the city, and I'll gather everyone up!" "Ok!" Sora called out with a wave, and in a flash, the rainbow maned pegasus zipped fast upwards, with her sudden speed impressing Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey. "Whoa, she's fast." Riku said. "Yeah, speed is her thing." Sora said. "C'mon, let's get going!" Making their way up the mountain steps, the group began to see light coming from the end of the tunnel they were following. Stepping out, they halted to witness the next magnificent sight. There, standing before them, was Canterlot, the most beautiful city consisting of white colored buildings, with colors of yellow and purplish grey on the roofs and parts of the architectures. The front part of the city was a huge castle entrance, with the draw bridge lowered, and the doors closed. Neverless, the sight of the city standing by the side of the mountain, surrounded by the waterfalls, was breathtaking. "There it is!" Sora said. "Canterlot!" Donald said. "Garsh, it's amazing." Goofy said. "Let's go!" The boy said as he ran off toward the entrance. "Sora, wait!" Donald called out as the others followed him. The boy made his way to the entrance, where in front, two royal guard unicorns stood, standing feet apart, but side by side. The boy noticed that they were moving. But regardless, he continued his way, until a clash of spears by the guards formed an X, stopping him from getting closer and into the city. The boy was nearly startled by their sudden reaction. "Begone thee!" The first soldier said. "The city is off limits to all visitors until further notice!" The second guard said. "No wait, you don't understand." Sora said. "I'm here to see the Princess. You know, Princess Celestia?" The guards looked at each other, then glanced back at the boy. "Sorry boy, but the Princess is not seeing anyone today." The second guard said. "If you're here for the Royal Wedding, then you're too late." The first guard spoke. "It has been cancelled." Sora tilted his head in confusion, hearing the word wedding. There was suppose to be a wedding going on? "Wedding?" Sora asked. "Who's getting married?" "Sora!" Donald's voice made the boy turn to see his friends running up to him. "Don't just run off like that!" Donald said. "We have to protect the world order!" "Didn't you say border?" Riku asked. "I said Order!" Donald shouted. "Actually it sounded like you said border, Donald." Goofy said. The duck only quacked in fustration, while the guards looked more suspicious. "I got this." Riku said as he stepped forward. "Excuse me, but we're here to see the princess-" he spoke, only to be stopped by the guards aiming their spears right at him. "Don't come closer." The first guard said. "Who are you boys, anyway?" The second guard asked. "You don't look like you're from here!" "Maybe they're with the changelings!" The first guard said. "Changelings?" Sora asked. "Do you guys mean the Heartle-" "Order!" Donald shouted, causing Sora to close his mouth immediately. The guards looked even more suspicious. "Didn't you say that you had this?" Sora asked. "Well, I wasn't the one who made them uneasy." Riku said. "I'll handle this, fellas." Mickey said as he stepped through the group, approaching the guards. In his pocket, he revealed a seal, a seal with a Hidden Mickey on it, or a Lucky Emblem as others would call it. "My name is King Mickey of Disney Castle, and we're here to see Princess Celestia." The king said. The guards gasped in surprise as they saw the seal. "That's the seal of the House of Disney!" The first guard said. "That means it's him!" The second guard said. "The legendary king!" The first guard quickly hushed the second one, and the two gave a bow of respect. "We are honored to meet you, your majesty!" The first guard said. "It is so splendid to have you visit today!" The second guard, as he kissed near the mouse's feet.. "Um... Thank you." Mickey said confused. Usually while he is King of Disney Castle, everyone always treats him as a good friend rather than a ruler. So he's not used to this kind of royal respect. "Guess he's not used to this kind of respect." Riku said. "I suppose what they're doing is the royal treatment?" Sora asked. "As I was saying, we're here to see Princess Celestia." Mickey said. "It's very important." "Of course, your highness." The first guard said. "You may enter. Just give us a minute." The two royal guards turned away to look at the top of the city's gatehouse. "Hey, Open the gates!" The second guard called. "The King of Disney Castle is here to see the Princess!" Then, the gates that sealed off the castle began to raise up, allowing the entrance to open up. "Wow..." Sora said. "That's pretty cool." "Wait, how did you get into the city the first time?" Riku asked. "Actually, I found myself in the city the first time." Sora said with a shrug. "Well, you do have a tendency dropping us in unexpected places." Donald said. Sora was about to speak on that, but he only sighed in defeat. Donald was right about that. "Thank you, gentlecolts." Mickey said. "Of course, your highness." The second guard said. "Allow us to introduce ourselves." The first guard said. "I am Windwhirl Xaldin." "And I am Earthius Lexeaus." The second guard said. Then suddenly, Sora and Riku froze, remembering those names. Xaldin and Lexeaus. They knew those names. They were members of the first Organization XIII, founded by Xemnas, the nobody of Xehanort. And surprisingly, they noticed that the two ponies looked just like the two members. With the first guard's mane styled into distinctive dreadlocks that flair dramatically when the wind blows, with one of them used to tie most of the others into some sort of ponytail, while four thinner dreads dangle in front of his face, the violet eyes, and bushy eyebrows and thick sideburns that hook around his face. And the second guard, who's body was a bit larger than the other's, had very angular and strong features with a square chin, straight muzzle, and sharp cheekbones, along with his blue eyes and small eyebrows His auburn mane slicked back into rather odd messy spikes. Seeing the two ponies looking like the organization members made their heads tilt a bit. "What?" Windwhirl asked. "Uh... nothing." Riku said. "Yeah, you just reminded us of some people we know." Sora said with a smile. The guards tilted their heads and looked at each other. Neverless, the two shrugged. "Come, we'll take you to the castle." Earthius said as he and Windwhirl led on, with the others following them. "Please, forgive us if we were a bit brash back there." Windwhirl said. "We've been... on edge recently." "On edge?" Mickey asked. "Did something happen?" "Was it the heartless?" Sora asked. "No... worse." Earthius said. "Changelings." "Changelings?" Sora asked. "Monsters that feed off the love of ponies and drain them of their essense." Earthius continued. "It's been years since we last saw them." "When was that?" Riku asked. "Almost a thousand years ago." Windwhirl said. "It's a long story, involved some of the outer kingdoms falling and what not. It's kinda dark, really." "Then don't give us the details." Donald said. "So, what happened?" Mickey asked. The guards looked at each other and nodded, knowing that they had to explain. "It was suppose to be the wedding of the century." Windwhirl said. "Our captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, was suppose to be wed to the glorious Princess Cadenza Mi Amore. But apparently, there was a threat going on in Canterlot, but the two wanted to have the wedding still." "And?" Sora asked. "Well... it turned out, the bride Princess Amore, was actually the vicious Changeling Queen in disguise." Earthius said. "She trapped the real princess below in the crystal caves. And when the bride escaped and revealed herself, the Bug Queen dropped her disguise and invaded the city with her changelings. She defeated Princess Celestia, but Princess Amore and Captain Armor managed to blast them all away with a powerful spell." "Well, guess everything turned out ok." Riku said. "Not really." Windwhirl said. "There's been some chaos out in the streets. Ponies are demanding answers. And though no pony was physically hurt, they're definitely traumatized by the invasion." "And all of this would've been avoided if the Princess had listened to her student." Earthius grunted. "Now Lexeaus, don't start ranting again..." Whirlwind said. "Huh?" Sora asked. "You mean Twilight Sparkle?" "Yes, you know her?" Earthius asked. "Yeah." Sora said. "I've met her. I helped her and her friends defeat Nightmare Moon." The two guards looked at the boy. "Are you... her mate?" Windwhirl asked. The boy tilted her head, wondering what he meant by mate. Perhaps it's a pony slang for friend. "Well, something like that." Sora said, with Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey staring at him with surprise and confusion. "What?" He asked, noticing them looking at him. They sighed, realizing that Sora was too innocent to know what that means. Riku approached the boy. "Actually, Sora." He said. "Mate mean..." As the boy leaned in the listen, his friend whispered into his ear. Nobody heard it, but Sora could. In fact, the boy's expression went from confused to shock. "WHAT?!" Sora asked "What's what mate means?!" "Yeah..." Riku said with a nod. "Oh, No, No, No, No, No!" Sora said, waving his hands in a no manner. "It's not like that at all! Twilight is just a friend." "Ohhh..." Windwhirl said. "Figures, he isn't a pony." "Yeah, otherwise Captain Armor would've pummeled him to the ground." Earthius said as they continued, leaving Sora a bit more confused. Why would they say otherwise their captain would've pummeled him to the ground? Regardless, the boy shook his head. "So, again, what happened with her and the princess?" Sora said, continuing the conversation, and leaning in interested, hoping that he could learn more of why Twilight's gone. "Well, the poor girl knew something was off with the imposter." Windwhirl said. "She knew Princess Amore for years, and she knew that the imposter didn't act like the real one." "But no pony listened to her." Earthius said. "Not the Princess, and not the Captain." Sora was a bit surprised. Twilight knew something was wrong and the Princess didn't listen to her? "Well, she did make a scene saying that Princess Amore had gone evil." Windwhirl said. "Still, Captain Armor should've listened to her!" Earthius said. "Now, Earthius." Windwhirl said. "Don't be blaming him again." "But that was his sister!" Earthius grunted. "His younger sister was trying to protect him, but he just shunned her away, and the Princess and those girls, the so called Elements, followed suit." "But he was under the influence of the Changeling Queen." Windwhirl said. "He was brainwashed." "Well, he sounded in control when we saw him lecturing her like that." Earthius said. Hearing them speak made Sora wonder. Shining Armor, the Captain of the Royal Guards was Twilight's brother? "Wait, their Captain is Twilight's older brother?" Sora asked. "And... they and the Princess had an argument?" -BOOOOM- Suddenly, the ground shook around them group, almost throwing them off balance. "What was that?" Mickey asked. "Oh, now what?!" Windwhirl asked, picking up his lance, and Earthius his tomahawk. The group followed the two royal guards outside, out into the city. The five came to a halt just as the two guards did. To their surprise, they saw ponies running and screaming. They were being chased by the last thing the group wanted to see. The black shadow creatures with yellow eyes. The Heartless! There were various different ones, in two different categories. Some of them pureblood, and most of them emblem heartless. The purebloods are natural heartless born from the darkness in people's hearts. While they have less variety, they are more numerous in quantity and attack in swarms. The emblem ones were created from a machine designed to reproduce the process of a heart being consumed by darkness. These heartless are more common, bearing the red and black Heartless sigil, and mimic the shape of creatures and objects within other worlds. There were lots of Heartless running and attack, with Shadows, some Flutterings, Flame Cores and Water Cores, Soldiers, Creeper Plants, Crescendos, Tornado Steps, Minute Bombs, and Lance Soldiers. "Wha... What are those things?!" Windwhirl asked. "They're everywhere!" Earthius said. "The Heartless!" Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey called out. "Heartless?" Windwhirl asked. "The demons of darkness?" Earthius asked. "Yeah." Sora said. "Don't worry, we'll take care of them! You guys go get the rest of the guards and make sure everyone's safe." The boy then summoned his keyblade and charged forward. "Sora, Wait Up!" Donald called out as he brought his staff out, Goofy his shield, with Riku and King Mickey following suit. Earthius was about to follow, but Whirlwind stopped him. "No, let them." Whirlwind said. "We need to get the other guards and protect the ponies." "Right!" Earthius said as the two left, leaving the others to fight against the heartless. Riku and Mickey had their own keyblades, with the former's, known as Braveheart, looking like a dimple key for a pin tumblr lock. The blade was long and silver, with two parallel grooves running the length of the blade at the center, several circular intents are etched along each edge asymmetrically. The blade juts out and then cuts back in just before connected with the black and blocky guard. Like Sora's keyblade, the keychain was a hidden mickey token, but much more darker. King Mickey's keyblade, the Starseeker, was much different too. The guard was in the shape of two shooting stars, the blade is blue, curved slightly and decorated with stars, while the teeth was a crescent moon with a star in the middle, with spikes on the other side of the moon. The keychain itself is of a crescent moon as well with the chain consisted of three four pointed stars. Goofy and Donald brought out their own weapons, with Goofy pulling out his Knight's Shield, the circular shaped shield with thin gold edges, with the rest colored sky blue and had a black silhouette of a Hidden Mickey emblazoned on the shield. Donald's Mage's Staff had a black handle with a gold pummel and white ring near the tip and based. The lower part of the staff's head is bent and blue, with a collar with white edges folded over, and the upper half sporting a brown hat with a long curled tip and black belt around it. Armed and ready, the five entered the fray, with multiple heartless approaching them, ready to fight. "Remember, our magic isn't working, so we'll have to rely on normal attacks." Riku said. "Ok, we stick with the basics." Sora said. "Let's Go!" With that said, the group leaped into action, with Sora sliding his way across the floor with his Sliding Dash, whacking enemies away as he slid down, and jumped back on his feet. As the shadow heartless leapt to pounce him, the boy quickly reacted. "Circle Raid!" He called out, and threw his keyblade, spinning around like Strike Raid, except it was circling Sora while striking enemies. While taking out the Shadows, Riku was crossing his keyblade with the Lance Soldier's lance. As he pushed the soldier's lance out of the way, he performed an uppercut, throwing the heartless into the air. Riku jumped up and whacked it even higher into the air. And when it was high enough, the boy flew up for one more whack. "Goodbye!" Riku shouted as he smashed the heartless to the ground with his Aerial Slam attack. The King was leaping around like a ninja, given his small size, allowing him to dodge attacks without any problem while the Tornado Steps spun around. "They really don't know when to give up, don't they." Mickey said, as he sliced through the last Tornado Step in his sight. Goofy was whacking the Soldiers away with his shield. For it's big size, it was used not only for defensive tactics, but also for offensive. As a larger number of Soldiers began to surround him, Goofy quickly got ready to spin. "Here go's nothing!" He called out as he did his Goofy Tornado, where he spun around like a twister, not only sucking in enemies, but also bashing them with his shield. Surprisingly he didn't get dizzy as he got done spinning. Donald on the other hand, was having more trouble. Since he couldn't use magic, which is his greatest offensive, he resorted to hitting heartless on the head, only doing little damage. And it was a bit difficult not to get pelted by Creeper Plants, who were shooting sharp bullet seeds. But as he leapt out of the way, the royal wizard saw a Minute Bomb wondering around, looking for something to blow up. An idea came to Donald's head. "Aha!" He said as he rushed up and bashed the Minute Bomb, making it spark and begin to countdown to explode, a last resort should it ever be under pressure. But as it got close to explode, Donald quickly threw it into the heard of Creeper Plants, and as the number reached zero on it's head, it exploded, burning the Creeper Plants with it. As the heartless were destroyed, the ones with the emblems began to release hearts, which floated away into the sky. However, before anyone could celebrate, a lone Crescendo watched as its comrades fell. Taking a deep breath, it began to play a loud trumpet sound, summoning more heartless into the fray. "They just keep coming!" Riku said. "We're not giving up yet!" Sora said as they stood their ground, as the heartless began to charge toward them. "INCOMING!!!" A familiar voice called out. Looking toward the sky, they saw Rainbow Dash flying toward the fray. Spinning like a propeller, she charged right into the heartless, bowling them over like pins, and they disappeared and exploded as she made a perfect landing. The blast sent the Crescendo onto the ground, next to the rainbow maned pegasus, who squashed its head with her hoof, and it disappeared, releasing the heart trapped inside. "That's what I'm talking about!" She said. "Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Sora called out as he and the others ran up to her. "Hey, Sora!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew toward the boy and hovered around him with a smile. "You made it! What took ya so long?" "Sorry." Sora said. "Took a while to get up the mountain. Nice of you to drop in." "What can I say?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I never leave a friend hanging. Wait, there's something different about you." She hovered closer to him to get a better look. "Hey, you got a bit of a haircut!" Rainbow Dash said. The boy knew what she meant. When he got his current attire, he cut a bit of his hair for a more sleeker look. His hair is not as wild when he first came here. "Oh, yeah." Sora said as he scratched his head. "You're actually the first person to mention that... or pony if I should say." "Um, Sora?" Donald asked, tugging on the boy's arm. "Oh, right!" Sora said, knowing that they haven't met her in person yet. "Guys, I like you all to meet Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, this my friend Riku, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey." "Hello Miss Dash." Riku said with a wave, while the others gave one too. "So you're the cool guys Sora told us about." Rainbow Dash said, then began to examine Riku, much to his confusion. "Hmmm... rustled hair, black clothes, cool attitude?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Now this guy I like!" She then lowered her self to take a glance at mickey. "Royalty, quick on his feet, and king from another world." Rainbow Dash said. "You're cool in my book too!" She then turned her attention towards Donald and Goofy. "Though I can't say the same for these two, though." She said. "No offense." "Hey, what do you mean by that?!" Donald asked, feeling offended. "Hey, chill out, dude." Rainbow Dash said. "Any friend of Sora's is a friend of mine too." Despite that, Donald only gave a gruff. "Sorry, Donald can be hot headed sometimes." Goofy said as he patted Donald on the head, only irritating him even more. "So, what brings you guys here anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Did you come here to help us take care of this weird monster infestation?" "Well, not really, but we can still help." Riku said. "We came here to see Princess Celestia." "She's probably helping deal with the monsters." Rainbow Dash said. "But we can go find her, and search for the other girls too." "Alright, lead the way." Sora said. "Ok then!" Rainbow Dash said, and in an instant, she took off flying. "Hey!" Donald shouted. "Slow Down!" The rainbow maned Pegasus quickly halted, realizing that she was going too fast. "Oops, sorry." Rainbow Dash said as she flew back to the group. "Forgot about my own speed." This time, she went a bit slower, so the others can follow without getting left behind. As they made their way toward the middle part of town, Sora realized that he hasn't had the chance to ask Rainbow Dash about Twilight. Since she was with them, he took the chance to ask. "Say, Rainbow Dash." Sora said. "I need to ask you something." "What is it?" Rainbow Dash asked, coming to a halt. "Well, I was wondering, when did you last see Twilight?" Sora asked. The rainbow maned pegasus froze in place. He just asked her about Twilight. Oh no, she thought. He wasn't going to like this. "Um... I haven't seen her since yesterday." Rainbow Dash said as she floated to the ground. "Why?" "Because." Sora began. "Our master told us that our magic wasn't working. He said that the connection between the Elements have been broken. And, he told me that Twilight went missing, which is the second reason why we're here. From what I've heard from the guards, they said that you and the others were involved somehow." The Pegasus only lowered her head, and her face showing some guilt. "Sora... you're not gonna like this." Rainbow Dash said. "But this is kinda our fault." "Huh?" Sora asked, ready to hear what she had to say. -RUMBLE- The floor around them began to shake, almost making them lose their balance, and Rainbow Dash to hover above the ground. "What was that?" Goofy asked. "Look!" Donald shouted, pointing to the building far ahead. It was the Canterlot Opera house, and it was on fire! Surrounding the building were Flame Core Heartless, black ball shaped heartless with small wings, and flaming heads like Hades, Lord of the Underworld. They were spitting out fireballs from their mouths, spreading the fire. "Flame Cores!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy called out. "They're setting the building on fire!" Mickey said. "We have to stop them!" Riku said, with Sora giving a nod. "I'll take care of it!" Donald called out as he charged forward. "Donald, Wait!" Sora called out, but the royal wizard went on, his staff ready, and the Flame Cores turned around to see him coming. The duck raised his staff in the air. "WATERGA!" Donald called out, his staff glowing with a water-like sphere, only to pop and splash weakly all over the floor. The duck stood there shocked. Right, he thought. Magic doesn't work. "Uuuuhhhh…. uh oh." Donald said, seeing the Flame Cores staring at him blankly. Then, their bodies glowed hot red and they fired fireballs. -BOOM- The combined attack from the heartless created an explosion, sending Donald flying up into the sky and back onto the ground, right in front of the others. He laid there covered in soot, looking like a cooked chicken. "Oooooohhh…" The boys and Rainbow Dash spoke. "Well, at least he has his feathers on." Goofy said. "C'mon, we gotta stop that fire!" Sora said. "But how?" Rainbow Dash asked. The boy began to think, but then he remembered. The first time he met Rainbow Dash, she accidently crashed into Twilight, right into a muddy puddle. Rainbow Dash then used a cloud filled with water to wash the mud off of Twilight. Remembering that sparked an idea in Sora's head. "I got it!" Sora said, then he turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, get as many clouds as you can, and fill them with water." "How's that gonna help?" Riku asked. "The pegasi are in charge of the weather." Sora said. "They make and move clouds. We can fill the clouds up with water, and sprinkle them onto the burning buildings and the heartless." Hearing that made Rainbow Dash smile. "On it!" She called out, and then she flew off super fast. So fast that the speed blew the clothes and fur off of Donald's body. He quacked in embarrassment, covering between his legs. Then, Rainbow Dash came back with multiple clouds and stuffed them all together, forming a much bigger cloud. "Wow..." The group said in astonishment. "I got these from the Cloud Stadium." Rainbow Dash said. "And I filled them up with water." "Ok, place it over the Opera House!" Sora said. "Ok!" She called and the rainbow maned pegasus placed it on top of the Opera House and the herd of Flame Cores. With her feet, she quickly stomped on the cloud and made it sprinkle water, or rain, onto the building and heartless. The fires were then quickly dispatched, and the Flame Core's flaming heads went out completely, weakening them, much to their confusion. "It worked!" Mickey said. "Now's our chance!" Riku said. "CHARGE!" Sora called out as he and the others charged forward into the heartless herd, bashing, swatting, and hurtling them into the air, slicing and slashing through them, making them disappear and reduce to smoke, which faded away quickly. "Got 'em." Sora said as the group cheered, while Rainbow Dash watched with amazement. "That was awesome!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew down to Sora's level, giving him a fist bump, or hoof bump in her case. "Looks like you've improved a lot since the last time I saw ya." "What'd you expect?" Sora asked. "That was only the tip of the Iceberg." "You should've seen him at the Keyblade Graveyard." Goofy said. "He actually managed to take down a huge Heartless Twister with a barrage of keyblades." "Really?!" Rainbow Dash said, squeezing her cheeks together with a smile. "Sooo Awesome...!" "Yep, I sure did." Sora said. But then he froze, giving a slight gasp. The images of the fight against the Heartless Twister appeared in his mind, only the one where all of his friends were being sucked up by it, and then it went after him and Riku. "Sora? Are you ok?" Riku asked. "Huh?" Sora said, and turned his head to see Riku, Rainbow Dash, and the others looking at him. Seeing that he was back in Canterlot, he shook his head, getting the image out of his head. "Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said. "Dude, you looked pale for a second." Rainbow Dash said. Donald and Goofy looked at the boy closely. "Are you sure?" Donald asked. "Yeah, I'm sure." Sora said, trying to end the subject. "Just felt a chill down my spine, that's all." "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The scream caught them off guard, and they looked around quickly. "What was that?" Sora asked. "That sounded like Futtershy!" Rainbow Dash said. "C'mon!" She then took off at top speed. "Hey, wait for us!" Sora called out as he and the others followed her. The group made their way through the streets, passing several buildings and shops along the way, such as Donut Joe's Donut Shop, Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop, and of course the Art Gallery. But the group was making their way to the Canterlot Theater, where many live performances and plays were performed at. They made their way into the building and came to a halt. To their surprise, they saw multiple heartless inside, the same variations that they faced when they came into the city. But the monsters themselves were surrounding two earth ponies who were fighting back, one was an orange farmpony with a brown cowgirl hat and blonde mane, and the other was a pinkie pony with a puffy mane and tail. Above them, handing from the dangling stage prop, which was a round ball, painted white like the moon, at the top of the theater, was a butter colored pegasus with a long pink mane and tail. "Applejack!" Sora called out. "Pinkie Pie!" His voice got their attention. Turning to the voice's direction, they saw the group making their way toward them. Seeing Sora's face brought a smile to theirs. "Sora!" Applejack called out as she bucked a soldier heartless with her hind legs. "SORA!" Pinkie Pie called out as she threw a frosted cake at the Tornado Step, making it spin away. The group and Rainbow Dash joined the fray. "Hey Girls!" Sora said as he whacked a heartless away with his keyblade. "Sora, you're just in time!" Applejack said. "Guess we picked a fine time to arrive!" Sora said. Rainbow Dash looked up into the air, and saw Fluttershy hanging on for dear life on the stage prop. "Flutters!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew up to her friend. "What are you doing?" "Trying to hide from those monsters!" Fluttershy said, unaware of a Flame Core emerging from behind, ready to fire a fireball. Luckily, Rainbow Dash saw this coming. "Look Out!" She said as she pulled Fluttershy away and off the prop, just as the Flame Core burnt it to a crisp. The prop fell onto the stage and off, hurling into a couple of heartless, destroying them. "What are these things?" Applejack asked. "They're Heartless!" Mickey said. "Monsters from the Realm of Darkness!" "But what are they doing here?" Applejack asked. "They're probably here because of the magic not working!" Mickey said as he whacked a shadow away. "HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" A voice said, along with a few others. The boy turned his head toward the stage, seeing some ponies hiding behind the curtain. "We got to get them out of here!" Donald said. "Right!" Sora said as he, Donald, and Goofy jumped onto the stage and moved toward the ponies. "Hey, you guys gotta get out!" Sora called to them. "Quick, Follow Us!" Goofy said as he, Sora, and Donald leg the ponies off the stage. "Wait!" Applejack called out. "Where's Rarity?!" "AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" The loud scream nearly threw them off balance, almost making Donald scream himself. Rainbow Dash looked up to the balcony, seeing the white unicorn with the fabulous purple mane, surrounded by Lance Soldiers and Crescendos. She was holding a wooden chair up in defense. "Get away from you, you beasts!" Rarity shouted as she swung the chair with her magic, trying to keep them back, until a Crescendo blew it's loud horn into Rarity's face, making her mane fly backwards. "How Rude!" She said. "She needs help!" Sora said. "Don't worry, I got it!" Riku said as he leaped into the air toward the balcony, just as the heartless were ready to pounce the fashionista, making her turn around and cower and scream. But Riku managed to make it and spun his keyblade. "PRISM WINDMILL!!" He shouted, spinning his keyblade like a windmill and rushed into the heartless, blowing them away and destroying them. With the monsters gone, the boy took a deep sigh, then turned to see if Rarity was alright. "Are you alright, miss?" Riku asked, while Rarity turned her head to see the boy. But suddenly, she froze upon seeing him, and then, her eyes began to sparkle, as hearts began to float around her. In front of her was this fine, and muscular boy, his hair flowing a bit in the wind. He was... amazing!... and handsome to boot! Rarity formed a smile as two hearts filled her eyes. "Oh my... he's so handsome..." She thought. She slowly approached him, and was about to speak, only for her to bray like a horse, which is ironic because she's a pony. She covered her mouth making the sound. "Um... I.... Hello..." She said, giving a wide smile, trying to get her act together, while Riku stood there a bit confused. -RUMBLE- The ground shook around them, as did the entire building. The heartless did so much damage, the roof was going to collapse on everyone! "Uh Oh!" Goofy said. "The building's gonna collapse!" "Quick, let's get out of here!" Mickey said as he led the way, helping everyone get out. "Riku, Come On!" Sora called out, getting his friend's attention. Before Riku could respond however, the balcony began to shake and start to crumble. Rarity nearly screamed. "Hang On!" Riku said as he picked up Rarity and took a running start. He made a mighty leap, just before the balcony fell apart. Making a perfect landing onto the ground, he followed the others to the exit, just as the roof began to give in and fall. But Riku moved, dodged, and leaped through and over the debris, while Rarity, who was holding on to dear life, only had her eyes on the boy holding her, seeing nothing but hearts and sparkles. Sora, Donald, Goofy, four of the Mane Five, the King, and the ponies managed to get out of the building. Turning his head, the boy saw his friend almost to the exit. "Riku!" Sora called out. The other boy nearly made it, but the roof finally gave in, and the entire building collapsed, leaving a massive dust cloud to engulf the building and it's surroundings. As the dust cleared, Sora opened his eyes and saw the building destroyed, with Riku and Rarity nowhere in sight. "RIKU!" Sora called out as he, and the others expected the worst. As the boy stood there, all he could see was the image of Riku, holding off the massive Heartless twister, before it swallowed him. The boy froze, unable to get a word out. Donald and Goofy lifted their heads up, both their eyes widened. "LOOK!" Donald called out, getting Sora out of his trance. Shaking his head, he looked forward, to see a silhouette emerging from the entrance. It was Riku, holding Rarity, awake and well, stepping away from the debris unharmed. "Riku!" Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey called out. "Rarity!" Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy cheered. "You're ok!" Sora said as he approached his friend. "You almost gave me a heart attack." "What?" Riku asked. "You were worried?" Sora was about to speak, but he brushed it off and smiled. "Nah, I knew you'd be ok." Sora said, though his hesitation before said otherwise. "Thank goodness you're alright." Mickey said as he approached Riku. "Are you feeling ok?" "I'm fine, Mickey." Riku said. "And so is she." His head moved toward Rarity, who was still looking at him with an astonished smile. "Thank you so much, dear." Rarity said. "It's nothing, really." Riku said as he helped the unicorn back on her feet. "No really, thank you so much." Rarity said, but then she spotted some dust on the boy's face. "Oh my goodness!" "What?" Riku asked. "You got dust on your cheek." Rarity said. "Hold on a second." With her magic, she pulled out a hankerchief and gently rubbed the dust of Riku's face. "Uh, thank you." Riku said. "No trouble at all." Rarity said. "Hello, Rarity." Sora said, getting the fashionista's attention. "Sora!" she said. "You're back! It's good to see you, and I must say you've dressed practically well. Love the new garments you're wearing! Are the checker patterns the new style where you're from?" "No, they're just my new clothes." Sora said, as Donald and Goofy gave a chuckle. "SORA!" Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy called out as they approached him with smiles of joy. "Hey everypony." Sora said with a wave, only for Pinkie Pie to hop right into him, sending him to the ground. Despite that, he was still happy to see her. "Sora!" Pinkie Pie said. "You're back! I knew I would meet an old friend again!" "Good to see you too, Pinkie Pie." Sora said. "Wait, you knew I was coming?" "No, but I started hiccupping in a cute tone." Pinkie Pie said. "That means I'm about to meet an old friend. And it was you! It's one of my Pinkie Senses." "Pinkie Senses?" Sora asked. "Uh huh!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's an ability that allows me to predict events in the near future by interpreting various twitches and involuntary motions. Anyway, it's so good to see you again, Sora! It's been like forever since we last saw you. Wait, there's something different about you. Oh! Oh! You cut your hair!" "Yes, actually." Sora said. "I shortened it up a teeny-" "Oh, Oh!" Pinkie Pie said, glancing at Sora's friends. "And you brought friends too!" The others gave a nod, and Donald stepped forward to introduce himself. "Ahem, my name is-" Donald spoke. "HI!" Pinkie Pie said as she leaned in until her muzzle touched Donald's bill. "I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm a expert party planner! I throw parties for everyone, including newcomers like you! And I know everypony, mostly everypony in Ponyville. I live in Ponyville, to be exact. I live at Sugarcube Corner, with Carrot Cake and Cup Cake, who just had twins! I also know how to cook all kinds of treats, ranging from cakes, cupcakes, cakecups, you name it. I'm very good at ice skating, and I can play ten instruments! See?" As she continued to talk on and on, she popped from different directions around the four, almost surprising them with each direction, though no one could explain how there were four of her. And as she got to the ten instruments part, she zipped away in a brief second and showed up with ten instruments, consisting of symbols, a banjo, a harmonica, a tuba, a Sousaphone, an accordion, a bass drum, a tambourine, a maraca, and a triangle! She then started playing them, creating sounds of music in a fun marching way. "Wha… how did she do that?!" Donald asked. Before Pinkie Pie could continue playing, she was tugged on the tail by Applejack, who was telling her to stop. "Sorry, Pinkie Pie likes to meet new friends." Applejack said. "My name is Applejack." "I'm... Fluttershy." Fluttershy said, a little nervous. "And my name is Rarity." Rarity said. "My name is Riku." Riku said. "We're Donald and Goofy." Goofy said as he introduced Donald and himself. "And I'm Mickey, King Mickey Mouse." Mickey said. Hearing that made Rarity gasp. "A King?!" Rarity asked. With quick response, she gave a bow and kissed the mouse's feet. "Such an honor, your majesty." "Uh... you really don't have to do that." Mickey said with a smile. "Oh, forgive me, your majesty." Rarity said to the mouse. "It's just that you're royalty and I must be respectful." She then turned her attention toward Riku. "And this must be your handsome body guard, is he not?" She asked. "Bodyguard?" Riku asked surprised. "Oh, he's not my bodyguard." Mickey said to Rarity. "He's my friend." "Oh!" Rarity said, her attention still drawn to Riku. "Well still, he is quite dashing, especially his clothing. Please tell me sir, what is the attire you're wearing now saying?" The boy in front of her only raised an eyebrow in confusion. "It... it doesn't talk." Riku said. "It's just a jacket." "Oh!" Rarity said, realizing that she was being a bit attached and astonished by him. "Of course... sorry, um..." Applejack then took Rarity by the tail and pulled her away. "Rarity, don't suffocate him." Applejack said, then turned her attention to speak with Sora's friends. "Sorry about that." "Aww, it's ok." Goofy said. "Any friend of Sora's is a friend of ours too." "Same here." Applejack said. "It's really good to see all of you. Wish Twilight was here. She'd be very happy to see you again, Sora." Then suddenly, saying her name made the farmpony halt in her sentence. She then lowered her head, as did the other girls. Sora, however, nearly gasped in realization hearing Twilight's name. "Oh, Right!" Sora said, then turned toward the girls. "Girls, I need to talk to you about Twilight-" -CRUMBLE- The loud sound of something landing came from behind the group. They slowly turned around to see another heartless. But instead of a huge wave, it was a massive one. It was a huge monstrous humanoid Heartless with two paladin shoulders with horns, a chain around his neck, and both wrists. And in his hand was a massive axe. It was a Rock Troll Heartless, one of the biggest brutes within the Heartless species list, and there are many more just as big and frightning as this one. It let out a roar before looking around a couple times, then curiously glanced down at the group. "Uh oh..." Donald said with a worried look. "AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Fluttershy and Rarity screamed as they ran off to behind the group, while Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Mickey, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack glanced at the Heartless, which let out another roar in their faces. "This is Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said with an exciting smile. "Oh, no." Sora said. "Not a Rock Troll!" "Ok, gang!" Mickey said as he prepared to fight. "Get ready!" The boys then prepared their weapons, getting ready for the battle. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie got ready to fight too, much to Sora's surprise. "Girls, you should probably take cover." Sora said. "The Heartless aren't like the other creatures here in this world." "No way, we're gonna stay here and fight with ya." Applejack said. "Are you sure?" Sora asked. "Yeah." Rainbow Dash said. "If they wanted to fight with us, then she shouldn't have tried to hurt our friends." "Uh-huh!" Pinkie Pie said. "And it's a good thing I brought my Party Cannon!" Instantly, the Party pony then brought out a blue cannon with pink wheels that have big flowers on the front part of the wheels. Seeing the three ponies ready to fight brought a smile on his face. "Ok then!" Sora said. "Ready?!" "CHARGE!" Mickey called out as the group of eight charged forward to attack the Rock Troll, who raised his axe up and swung down, only to be blocked by Goofy's own shield. Despite the shield being smaller than the axe, it was strong enough to block the attack, making the Troll lose his balance, allowing Sora to jump and swing his keyblade with his Blitz attack, swinging down hard on the Rock Troll's face. The heartless became dazed, allowing Riku to perform Maelstrom, his mighty spinning attack. The Rock Troll got it's balance, and then jumped onto his own axe, and spun around, causing rocks to rise up from the ground and push the boys away. The king however, was able to jump up and dodge, while also zooming in and striking quickly multiple times at the heartless's head before jumping away. The attacks on him made the Rock Troll angry, steaming hot so to speak. "Hey!" Donald shouted as he ran up to the heartless. "I may not be able to do magic, but I can do this!" He then threw his staff forward, sending it hurtling toward the Rock Troll, hitting him on the head, though it was more of a tap than a hit. That made him roar and moved forward, while stepping on the wizard's staff, breaking it into pieces, making Donald quack with shock and then worry as the heartless approached him, ready to strike. Rainbow Dash, however, flew in fast and circled the Rock Troll, making it spin around and get dizzy once more, allowing Donald to escape and run. "Hey cool guy!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew toward Riku. "Hop on!" "Alright!" Riku said as he jumped onto the pegasus's back. The two then flew in around the Rock Troll, while Riku swung his keyblade to strike it multiple times, while the heartless swung it's axe, trying to swat them. But Applejack however leaped behind the heartless and brought out her rope and lassoed the Troll's arm, pulling him back and distracting him. "Oh, Oh, Oh!" Pinkie Pie called out. "My turn!" She then aimed her party cannon and fired balls of confetti at the heartless, covering him in lots of confetti. "Wheeeeeee!!!" The party pony cheered as she continued to fire, splattering so much confetti on the Rock Troll, who couldn't see with all the strips of paper and glitter all over his face. "Take this!" Mickey called out as he jumped up and struck the heartless with his keyblade. The Rock Troll swung his axe down, but the King leaped back, dodging the attack. "Ready for a little Rainbow Blast?" Rainbow Dash asked Riku. "Yeah, if you don't it getting a bit dark." Riku said. "Alright!" Rainbow Dash cheered as she flew up into the sky and sped her way down straight for the monster. "Here we go!" Rainbow Dash shouted as rainbow energy formed around her. "Like it!" Riku called out as his keyblade glowed with dark energy. The two of them slashed through with Shadow Rainbow Slicer, a spinning attack that allowed them to deal heavy damage on the Rock Troll, making him fall onto his face. "Alright, it's our turn!" Sora called out. "Ready?" Goofy asked as Donald and Sora got behind him, and the knight raised his shield up. "Here goes!" He shouted as he charged forward, with Sora and Donald pushing him forward, initiating their Trinity Guard attack, allowing them to charge forward fast, slamming the Rock Troll across the ground into a wall, making the cracks and broken pieces of the wall to fall right on him. "Got Him!" Sora said as he and Goofy high fived each other. Donald, however, was focused on the heartless, and gave a quack. "He's getting back up!" Donald shouted, getting the group ready for the next phase. The Rock Troll got up, and this time he placed his axe... over his face, showing that his axe was also a mask, attaching to his head, and making him glow and armor up. "Here he comes!" Goofy said as the Rock Troll gave one mighty roar, and charged toward the group. The captain of the royal knights raised his shield up once more, while Sora and Donald stood behind him to help him out. The attack collided. -BOOM- -CRACK- The force was so strong that it through the three backwards far across the floor. Sora managed to get to his feet, as Donald only moaned. Luckily they weren't badly hurt, but Goody's shield wasn't so lucky. As he lifted himself up, he saw a large crack on his shield, showing that it was heavily damaged. "Uh oh!" Goofy said, feeling a bit sad that his shield is broken. "Sora!" Riku said as he got off of Rainbow Dash, and the two, along with Mickey, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie ran toward the trio to see if they were alright. Rarity and Fluttershy also came to the scene. "Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked. "Are you hurt?" "I'm alright, Fluttershy." Sora said. But then the roar made them turn to see the Rock Troll, getting ready for another charge. "Don't worry, I got it!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she aimed her cannon and fired another ball of confetti, only for it to do no damage. "Uh oh..." The Rock Troll let out one final roar and charged forward to slam them over. "Get Back!" Sora called back to the ponies and he, Riku, and Mickey held up their keyblades to guard against the attack, while Goofy held up his broken shield in defense, with Donald cowering behind him, all of them protecting the ponies. The Rock Troll kept running closer, ready to bash them. -FLASH- Suddenly, a bright flash of light boom between the group and the Rock Troll, making it stop and take a couple steps back, looking up at the source. As Sora and the others glanced up at the sky, they saw a majestic figure floating to the battlefield. But they all knew her, for anyone and anypony can recognize the white alicorn with the magical flowing mane. "Princess Celestia!" They all called out. Yes, it was Princess Celestia. Regal and magestic as always, with a stern look on her face. Luckily, her face was aimed directly at the heartless. Making a smooth landing, she let out a snort. The Rock Troll tilted his head in confusion, but then let out another loud roar and charged forward, ready to pounce her. But then, the Solar Princess's horn lit up with a very light gold aura, and nudging her head forward, she fired a magical beam, striking the Rock Troll in the face, making him stagger back, surprisingly since attacks that small don't make him lose balance. He tried to charge again, but Celestia fired once more, making him back off every time she shot him with her magic. As she got him to back away more, she looked up at the sky. "Luna, Now!" She called out. Then, soaring from the tower windows was a tall, but slightly smaller, dark blue alicorn with a flowing mane, but colored sapphire blue. It was Princess Luna! And by her side, held on by her magic, was a might sword with the silouhette of a crescent moon on it. "Ha Zah!" She called out. "Stand down, foul creature of darkness!" She moved in and struck the a couple times in the face, then bring a mighty slash, pushing the beast back, and destroying his axe mask. She then flew beside her sister. "Shall we?" Celestia asked. "Gladly!" Luna said as the two flew up to the sky. Spinning together in a circle, both their horns charged up with magic. The two touched horns, forming a mighty sphere of magic. As it charged up all the way, the two alicorns fired the magic sphere onto the Rock Troll. As it made a direct hit, it exploded, incinerating the mighty heartless to dust. All that was left of it was the heart it stole, which floated up the sky and vanished. The ponies gave a wonderful cheer, as the princesses have saved the day. "Alright!" Sora said, raising his fist into the air, while Donald and Goofy danced in a victory dance, and the others cheered. The two royal sister descended onto the ground. As their hooves touched the floor, the Princess of the Sun gave a heavy sigh. "First the changelings and now this." Celestia said. "This has been one exhausting day." "Princess Celestia!" Mickey said with a smile as he approached the tall alicorn. Seeing his face made the sun princess smile with joy and hope. "King Mickey." She spoke as she lowered her head down and nuzzled his cheek. "It is so good to see you again, old friend." "It's good to see you too, Princess." Mickey said, as Donald and Goofy approached the two. "Your highness!" Goofy said as he gave a bow. "Your majesty!" Donald said as he too bowed. "Hello, Donald and Goofy." Celestia said with a nod. But then her attention was drawn toward Sora, who along with Riku, approached the pair. Seeing the boy and his happy smile, brought more hope to the Princess. "Sora." She said as she approached the boy. "You have returned." "Sure have." Sora said with a wave. "Nice to see you again, Princess." But then suddenly, he was pulled by the ear by Donald, making him lower himself in a bit of pain and confusion. "Sora, show some respect!" Donald said. "She's the ruler of Equestria!" "Donald, don't do that!" Sora shouted in a bit of pain. "It's quite alright, Donald." Celestia said. "I'm used to the casual talk." Surprised a bit, Donald released Sora, who rubbed his sore ear. But then the Princess's attention shifted toward Riku. "And who is this?" She asked. "I'm Riku." He answered, giving a slight bow of respect. "I'm Sora's friend. Master Yen Sid sent me too. It's an honor to be at your acquaintance, you highness." "Oh, thank you, Master Riku." Celestia said. "I'm glad Yen Sid sent us help." "Princess Celestia!" A voice called out. The group turned to see a white stallion with the sapphire blue mane and tail with cerulean and dark blue streaks. It was Shining Armor, and behind him was Whirlwind and Earthius. "The monsters are gone- huh?" He asked, his attention was drawn to Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. "Who are these guys? And why are they not ponies?" "At ease, Captain Armor." Celestia said. "They are our friends. Master Yen Sid sent them to help us." Sora then looked back at the stallion. "Captain Armor?" Sora asked. "Yes, I'm Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard." Shining said, introducing himself. "Ooohh!" Sora said with a smile. "So you're the infamous Captain Armor." "You heard of me?" The captain asked surprised. "Not really." Sora said. "I heard some of the guards rant about you a while ago." Hearing that made the stallion tilt his head, and blush. Apparently some of his soldiers were not pleased with how he treated Twilight at the royal wedding, some of them even threatened to have him demoted. Hearing what Sora said made Earthius blush and whistle, trying not to get attention, while Whirlwind shook his head. "And you are?" Shining asked. "I'm Sora." Sora said. "These are my friends Riku, Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey." The stallion tilted his head, but then he remembered. He remembered the name Sora. That was who Twilight told him about in her letters. His eyes widened upon staring at him. "Wait!" Shining said. "You're Sora?!" "Yep." Sora said. "Twilight told you about me, did she?" "Yes." Shining said. "She told me about you in one of her letters! She said you helped her defeat Nightmare Moon. But... you're not a pony?" "No." Sora said. "I'm human." "Well, she never mentioned that." Shining said. "I thought you were a coltfriend." "Coltfriend?" Sora asked. He looked back at the others, wondering what that meant. "I think he means boyfriend." Goofy said as he and Donald approached him. "WHAT?!" Sora asked, blushing nervously. "Oh, no, no, no! It's not like that! She's just a friend! Besides, I already have a girl back home! Oh!" He covered his mouth, blushing even more. Behind him, Donald and Goofy couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, good." Shining said. "Otherwise I would've pummeled you to the ground." "Hey!" Donald said as he stepped in between the stallion and Sora, taking the former's words as a threat. "You mess with Sora, you mess with me and Goofy!" The stallion, startled by the duck's response, stared at him and Goofy. "What are you two, his dads or something?" Shining asked. Donald and Goofy looked at each other confused. "Not really." Goofy said. "We look after him, and we make sure he doesn't cause any trouble." Donald said. "Hey, since when do I cause trouble?" Sora asked. "Well, you did run up to the castle without waiting for us." Goofy said. "And took over the controls and landed us in that jungle." Donald said. "And there's a lot more we can count." "Hey, I'm not the one who got us sucked into a computer." Sora said. Donald was about to speak, but he paused. He was right about that. When they were using Ansem's computer back in Radiant Garden, Donald alerted the MCP within the computer and got himself, Sora and Goofy sucked into the Space Paranoids. "Ok, that's a good point." Donald said. "But someone has to keep an eye on you, even if we have to act like your fathers." "Well, actually, I see you two more as the super cool uncles." Sora said. Hearing that made Donald and Goofy feel a bit of pride. "Aww, he sees us as super cool uncles." Goofy said as he gave Sora and Donald a hug, with the latter rolling his eyes. "What was all that noise?!" Another voice called out. Before them, a pink alicorn smaller than Luna approached the group. It was Princess Cadance. "Cadance!" Shining said. "Are you alrigh-" "Don't! Talk! To! Me!" Cadance hissed toward the stallion with her hoof up, making the stallion back away. "Uhhhh…" Sora said, with the alicorn quickly calming herself. "Sorry." Cadance said. "He and I aren't on speaking terms." "And, you must be his ex?" Sora asked. "I am Princess Cadenza Mi Amore, but I prefer Cadance." The alicorn said. Hearing the word Princess, and the name quickly made Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasp in surprise. "Oh, A Princess!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy spoke, and they quickly held postion and gave a standing salute... with Goofy's pants falling down, showing his underwear with rubber ducks on them. All three of them noticed this, with Goofy quickly lifting his pants up and giving an embarrassed smile. "Excuse me..." He said with a blush, as Sora gave a chuckle, and Donald facepalmed. The others behind them laughed at Goofy's moment. "Is it over?" Another voice called out. This time, the group saw a purple baby dragon with green spikes making his way to the group. "Are the monsters gone?" "Hey, Spike!" Sora called, getting the dragon's attention. The little draik smiled as he saw the boy. "Sora!" Spike called out as he ran up to Sora. He jumped into Sora's arms, who hugged him. "You're back!" "Of course I'm back." Sora said. "I did promise I come back and visit." "You sure did." Spike said. "Twilight would've been happy to see you too." The boy nodded, but then he realized. Twilight wasn't here. That's right, he thought. She's missing. It wasn't time for them to celebrate just yet. He looked at the others as he put Spike back on the ground. "So... Twilight is not here, is she." Sora said. The girls then realized it too, and all of them lowered their heads. To Sora's notice, it was of shame and guilt. "I... I believe we should talk privately." Celestia said. "Everyone to my chambers at once." The group gave a nod and they followed the Princess toward the castle. "Well, we better go with them." Goofy said. "Yeah." Sora said as Donald nodded in agreement. The three followed the others, with Sora behind the two. "You truly are something, aren't you. So special, just like Little Sparkle." The boy came to a halt, and heard the voice. He turned his head, to see someone watching from afar. This someone was wearing a black coat, a coat worn by Organization XIII! Sora nearly gasped in surprise, seeing him. "Sora!" Donald called out, getting the boy's attention. "C'mon, Sora!" Goofy called out. "Oh, right!" Sora said. "Coming!" He then took one last look at the mysterious figure, only to see him gone. The boy stood there for a second, seeing nothing. Was it just his imagination, or were the nightmares in his head playing with him. He only shook his head. "It's probably just a hallucination." Sora said to himself. He then ran off to catch up with the others, to find out what happened to Twilight. As he went into the castle, the man he saw was on the rooftops, watching the boy leave. The man had a smile on his face. "This has gotten much more interesting." The man said as he walked away into the shadows, to continue his secretive, nefarious work.