//------------------------------// // Chapter 09: Broken Dreams // Story: KINGDOM HEARTS: Fractured Friendship // by KHXhero //------------------------------// Chapter 09: Broken Dreams He gave a little grunt, feeling very sleepy. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, seeing nothing but pitch black. Shining Armor got back to his hooves slowly, trying to figure out what was going on? He looked around, but saw nothing. There was nothing but darkness. "Hello?" Shining asked. "Is anyone there?" "You never loved her. You only pushed her away." He turned his head, hearing the strange voice. But yet he didn't see anyone. He was the only pony here in this dark strange place... or was he? "Who's there?" He asked. "Show yourself!" Before he heard a response, a door suddenly appeared before him. He slowly approached it, and it opened, showing darkness inside. It then opened up, and the stallion saw what was inside. It was Twilight. And she was crying. "Twily!" Shining called out. Without a moment of hesitation, the stallion jumped into the door and it closed behind him. Suddenly, he found himself on a familiar red carpet. He looked up and saw the familiar glass stained windows and the white and grayish purple structures and designs on he wall. He was back in Canterlot! How was this possible? He looked around, and spotted a familiar pony walking down the hall, reading a book. The unicorn with lavender fur, blue mane and tail with the purple and magenta streaks, and the six pointed star as her cutie mark. It was his sister, Twilight! "Twily?" Shining asked as she was walking away. "Twilight, wait!" He galloped after her, and to his relief, she stopped. She turned her head to stare at him. But he stopped, a bit surprised. Seeing her face, she didn't look too happy to see him. "What are you doing here, Shining Armor?" Twilight hissed, which made Shining feel a bit uncomfortable. "W... Well I found this strange door, and I saw you crying." Shining said. "I thought I made it clear to never speak to me." Twilight spoke. Shining's eyes widened with even more surprise. Never to speak to her again? Where did that come from? "Wha… What are you talking about?" Shining asked. "Oh, you don't remember?" Twilight asked. "Then let me jog your memory." Lifting the book in her hoof, she slammed it on his head. He covered his poor forehead, feeling pain from the book's impact. "Ow!" He said. "Twily, that hurt!" Hearing Twily made Twilight turn her face to a glare. "Good, now you know how I felt when you ditched me for some snobby wife!" She spoke, her voice full of venom. Shining then realized what this was all about. When he abandoned her at the wedding rehearsal to check on the fake bride. "Twily… I didn't mean to leave y-" Shining said. "Yes, you did!" Twilight shouted. "You meant every word of what you said! And it hurt! It hurt!" She then fired a magical beam, hitting him and sending him to the floor. He tried to get back up, but he was then caught in a magenta colored aura, and he was pulled to Twilight. "Twily, please!" Shining said. "Stop calling me that!" Twilight spoke. "I hate it when you call me that!" "Twily, you know that's not true!" Shining begged. "Please, stop! I didn't mean for this happen! I should've never turned you away like that! I'm sorry!" "Oh, so now you're being remorseful?" Twilight asked. "Of course you are, because now I'm a threat to you, aren't I?" "No, that's not true!" Shining said. "Well if anything, I should thank you." Twilight said. "Because you showed me how life can be cruel, and that even our actions can have disastrous consequences." Shining lifted his eyebrow in confusion. "Wh... What do you mean?" Shining asked. "Here, let me show you." Twilight said. With her magic, she threw him towards the door, it impact bursting them open and made him drop onto the ground. He lifted his head up, and opened his eyes, which then widened with horror. Before him as Canterlot, but it wasn't pretty and beautiful. It was all in ruins, Changeling soldiers patrolled the skies, the buildings covered in Changeling slime, with multiple ponies, soldiers, families, mares, and children locked away in cocoons. The stallion was horrified at what he saw. Canterlot has fallen! He soon turned to his right, seeing one of the cocoons twiggling, and it slowly opened up, revealing a pony slipping out of the shell. Shining's was now afraid, seeing before him. It was Cadance! But she wasn't pink, no. She was black and her teeth were fangs. She opened her eyes, showing no pupils and her sclera was bright light blue. She was a changeling drone now! "This is all your fault!" She spoke, and she gave a hiss. "AAHHHH!!!" Shining shouted as he ran for it, but he soon stopped in his tracks, seeing more Changeling drones, but these two that he saw scared him the most. "Mom...? Dad...?" Shining asked, seeing the changelings with his parents mane and tails. "You did this to us!" They both shouted. The stallion screamed again as he tried to run, only to stop in the other direction, seeing changeling drones that had the rest of the mane five's manes and tails. "You made us betray our friend!" They shouted. Shining only backed away, horror made him unable to fight or run. "All of this was because of you, Shining." Twilight's voice said. "You abandoned me... You Left Me! And that in turn made all of Equestria fall!" Shining then felt a shiver down his spine. He slowly turned his head to see the silhouette of Twilight. "Don't you know... what I've become?" She asked, stepping out of the doorway of the castle, revealing her mane and tail all messy, her skin was pitch black, and while she retained her eye color, the pupils were slanted like the Changeling Queen's. And she had insectoid wings! Shining gasped, seeing his sister was a changeling! "Twilight... what did they do to you?!" Shining asked. "Oh, they didn't do anything to me." Twilight said, showing her fangs as she stepped down the stairs. "You did this to me. When you left me all alone in that wedding hall, the Changeling Queen sent me down below and trapped me in a cocoon. When I came out, I was reborn... into her Changeling Princess!" She let out a hiss, making the stallion tumble back and on the ground. "I found a new life calling." She continued. "I have become one with the Changeling Hive. And you, Shining, shall suffer my wrath as I drain you of your love and essence, just like my friends did when I drained them too." Shining was now terrified, not for his life, but that his sister was now a changeling! Fear paralyzed his entire body as she approached him. "Twily, No!" He shouted, as tears came out of his eyes. "Please Twilight, don't do this! I'm sorry! I'm Sorry!!!!" "Oh, don't worry..." A familiar voice said behind him, making his eyes shrink down to the size of pencil tips. He looked up and saw the Changeling Queen herself! Chrysalis! "You will be!" She said as the Changelings surrounded him. "Now my little princess... FEAST!" Shining looked back at saw Twilight going for him. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" He shouted as she pounced him. "TWILY!" He shouted as he lifted his head up. He gasped, opening his eyes. He froze, seeing no pitch black anymore. He saw that he was covered in a blanket, and he was in a bed with a pillow. Looking around, he saw that he was in bed, riding on the train. He looked out the window, seeing nothing but grassy plains, and the starry night up in the sky lit up by the stars and the moon. It was a dream. He gave a sigh of relief. It was only a dream. But... it felt so real. It felt really real. Then he remembered, how he abandoned Twilight at the wedding rehearsal and she was taken underground by the Changeling Queen. What... What if what he experienced in his nightmare happened instead? What if she ended up turning Twilight into a changeling, which would've allowed her to take over Equestria? It could've happened. "Captain?" The sudden voice made him jump, and turned to the door. It was only Riku, who was leaning into the room. No doubt that he heard the long shout from outside the room. "Are you ok?" He asked. The stallion looked away and lowered his head. "No." Shining said. "I'm not ok." The boy tilted his head. He was up to use the bathroom, and after finishing up, he heard the captain scream. Curious, Riku stepped into the room, wondering what was bothering the stallion. From the shout he heard from outside the room, it was probably a bad dream. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked. "Yeah." Shining said. "It was pretty scary." "How scary?" Riku asked. The stallion slowly lifted his head. "Do you ever wonder, what could've happened?" Shining asked. "What do you mean?" Riku asked. "Well, What if Twilight wasn't sent to be trapped forever in the Caverns?" Shining asked. "What if the Changeling Queen decided to turn Twilight into a changeling and use her to take over Canterlot?" "Is that what the dream was about?" Riku asked. "Yeah, half of it." Shining said. "I found myself in a dark place, and I found this door. Twilight was inside and I went inside too. She was berating me for not listening to her, and she threw me out of the castle, and when I looked up. All of Canterlot was under Changeling control. It was horrifying." "I'm sorry." Riku said. "But, you should be glad that it didn't." "But I can't." Shining said. "Why not?" Riku asked. The stallion only buried his face into his hooves. "Things are never going to be the same again." Shining said. "Even if your friend finds Twilight. She's never going to forgive me after everything that's happened." "Don't be so sure of that." Riku said. "I mean, you were under the Changeling Queen's influence. So you probably didn't know what you were doing, right?" The stallion lifted his head up, showing realization. Everything was coming back to him. Everything! "No... I think I did." Shining said. "I was in control the whole time. I remember lashing at Twilight because I thought she was ruining the wedding. But then I felt bad after what I did, and I wanted to make things right with her." Riku raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what do you mean?" Riku asked. "After I shouted at Twilight and kicked her out of the wedding, I felt pretty bad about what I said." Shining said. "I knew deep down that Twilight was only being concerned about me. So, I went back to the rehearsal hall to talk with Twilight and making things right. But then... I saw... everything!" Riku knew what he was talking about. "Twilight being sent to the Caverns below." Riku said. "Yes... I saw it." Shining said. "With my own two eyes!" At that moment, he was now remembering everything! A couple days ago... Shining was walking down the hall, heading back to the rehearsal room. He was feeling pretty bad in his stomach, and he knew why. After he just told Twilight that he didn't want her to come to the wedding at all, and her friends followed him suit. He realized that that was a terrible move on his part. Sure she said some nasty stuff about his soon-to-be wife. But in his heart, he knew that there was truly something wrong, and Twilight would never act like that unless it was serious. And from the way she was acting, it was serious. Well, he knew what he had to do. He had to make things right and make amends with Twilight. He was going to tell her that he was sorry for what he said, and that he was going to listen to her side and everything. He finally reached the doors to the wedding hall. He was about to open it up. But he heard something inside, like someone was shouting. "What the?" Shining asked as he slowly opened the door, and then, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. There near the stairs, was a green flaming circle, and Twilight was inside, scared for her life. Standing before it was Cadance, and her horn was glowing green. "Cadance, wait, please!" Twilight shouted. "Sorry, but I'm not gonna have a little foal like you ruin my plans." Cadance said as her horn flashed, and Twilight was sinking into the ground. Shining gasped. "Twily!" He shouted as he charged into the room. "HELP!" Twilight shouted. "SPIKE! PRINCESS! SHINING!!!" "TWILY!" Shining shouted as he rushed over, but Twilight was already deep into the ground, and the green magical circle disappeared. Shining stopped in his tracks, seeing his little sister gone! "No!... No, no no no no!" Shining said as he knelt down to the ground. He then turned his attention towards Cadance, who was showing no remorse at all. She was smiling, and it was an evil smile. "Cadance!" Shining demanded. "What did you do to Twily?" "Oh, don't worry, dear." Cadance said. "You said you didn't want her at your wedding, so I took care of the problem." "Where is she?!" Shining asked. "Oh I put her someplace where no pony would ever think to look for her." Cadance responded. "Cadance, bring her back!" Shining shouted. "I didn't want this!" "Oh, I can't do that, Shining." Cadance said. "I can't have her ruin my big day when I finally rule all of Equestria." Shining tilted his head, but then saw something. Something in Cadance eyes. They were not light purple! They were moderate harlequin with dark opal eyes. Shining's eyes widened up with shock. "I don't believe it!" He shouted. "Twilight was right about you all along! You are evil! And I'm not gonna let you ruin this special day! Now bring my sister back!" The fake Princess gave a laugh, and her voice became a cackle, distorted with another voice. "I can't do that, Captain." Cadance said, though her voice was distorted with another's. "And I can't certainly let you ruin everything!" Instantly, the fake bride's horn began to glow green and trapped Shining in the grip of her magic. "No!" He shouted, unable to break free. "Let me go!" "Oh, no." The fake Cadance spoke. "I'm never letting you go, my darling soon-to-be King." Then she fired her magic upon the stallion. He tried so hard to fight back, but her magic was too strong! He didn't have the strength to fight it off. "No!" Shining shouted. "Twily!....." Suddenly, his jerking stopped, and his eyes opened up wide, showing his pupils now glowing green. He was then dropped to the floor, where he landed on his hooves. He looked like a zombie, completely zooned out. That only meant one thing. He was now under the fake bride's control. "Now, you're going to forget everything that happened here, and we're going to continue our special day." The fake bride spoke. "Is that understood, my pet?" "Yes, mistress." Shining spoke. "Now, go get ready." The fake bride said. "We have a big day ahead of us." The stallion gave a smile and nodded. He then departed from the room, while the fake Cadance only stood there, giving a big grin, showing fangs on her teeth. "This day is going to be perfect..." She spoke as she walked out of the room, giving an evil laugh. "At that moment, she finally took control of me!" Shining said, as tears started to form in his eyes. "And I forgot everything that happened..." Unable to keep the tears back he only lowered his head in shame, letting them drop. "I failed her..." He said. "I let Twilight down!" "Captain Armor." Riku said. "That's not true." "Of course it is!" Shining said. "All Twily was trying to do was to protect me, and I pushed her away. And I wasn't there when she needed me. I don't deserve to be her brother, nor do I deserve to be Captain of the stupid Royal Guard. It doesn't matter anymore anyway." "What?" Riku asked. "The reason I joined the Royal Guard, was to protect ponies, including Twilight." Shining said, wiping the tears away, though more kept dropping. "Twilight was always bullied because of her studious nature. That was the reason why she didn't have many friends when she was young. I took it upon myself to protect her, to be there for her when she needed me. She's the reason why I even have a cutie mark." The stallion looked down at his flank, seeing the cutie mark of a blue shield with three lighter stars above it, and it showed six pointed magenta star on the shield, which represented Twilight. However, there was a slight crack on the star. "One day a couple of bullies a year older stole her Smarty Pants doll, and they were about to beat her up." Twilight said. "But I rushed over there and told them to back off, and they listened. They gave back the doll and ran away. Twilight was so happy that I was there to protect her. Back then I was always interested in being a Royal Guard. That day, I realized what I wanted to do with my life. To be part of the Royal Guard to protect people, but more importantly, to protect my sister. But now, with everything that's happened... I don't deserve to be a royal guard, nor be Twilight's brother. I was her big brother best friend forever... but now, we'll never do anything together. Forever." He hung his head, and surprisingly, his color started to become less bright and more dull. This usually happens when they're in pain or become so depressed, losing themselves. Riku was about to speak, but first, he stood up and faced the captain. "Captain... you don't believe that." Riku said. "I know you don't." The stallion lifted his head up, staring back at the boy. Riku, then suddenly froze for a second and started to think. "Strange..." Riku thought. "Why does it feel like I've said those words before?" Riku tried to think on it, but he couldn't recall when he said it. Did he ever say it? He doesn't even remember or recall when he said it. But how comes it feels like her has? Well, that didn't matter. "Huh?" Shining asked. "You think that you're beyond redemption, but that's not true at all." Riku said as he sat on the bedside next to the stallion. "Sure you screwed up, but that doesn't mean you don't have a chance to make things right." "How would you know?" Shining asked. The boy then sat next to him again, and stared at the ground. "I'm gonna be honest with you, I've done some bad things in the past." Riku said. "Terrible things. When I was cast out of my home for the first time, I gave into the darkness and turned against my best friend. I believed that he abandoned me, and valued his new friends more than us. I took everything away from him, and I nearly destroyed our friendship. And when I was at my lowest, I lost my body, my heart, everything." Shining tilted his head in surprise. He has heard of keyblade wielders in the past turning to the darkness, but he never expected that this young man was one of them. He never really saw that. "Wow." Shining said. "I too believed that I could never be given a second chance." Riku said. "But a good king saw the good in me, and helped me redeem myself. And someone special to me helped me find the light in my darkness. Through them, I walked the Road to Dawn, and worked to help Sora get his memories back. I will admit, I kept my distance from him when he woke up, because I thought I didn't deserve his forgiveness. And despite everything that's happened between us, he forgave me. He was even willing to face death just to find me, even lost his own memories to do so." The boy glanced out the window, seeing the stars twinkle in the sky. "Maybe it's because Sora is just so nice, even for his own good." Riku said. "And I'm really proud to have a good friend like him." "You're pretty lucky." Shining said, giving a weak smile. "If anyone can save your sister, Sora can." Riku said. "And I'm certain that Twilight will forgive you. She just needs to remember the good times, not the bad." "But, what if she doesn't." Shining asked. "Then you prove to her that you're sorry." Riku said. "Redemption isn't too hard to get. Light is easy to find." The stallion glanced down at the floor. Riku was right. There was still a chance to make things right with Twilight. It may take some time, and a lot of work. But things will be right again. He'll do anything to make amends with his sister. "Thank you, Master Riku." Shining said. "Riku's just fine." The boy replied. "And your welcome, Captain." "You don't have to call me Captain." Shining said. "Fair enough, Shining." Riku replied with a smile. While the two were talking, outside the train room was Princess Cadance, who was listening on to their conversation. She couldn't help but show a face of guilt, and let out a heavy sigh. In her heart, she felt truly horrible being mean to Shining. She didn't want to be mad at him anymore. Deep down she knew that Twilight running away wasn't really Shining's fault. "Princess?" a voice asked. The young princess turned to see King Mickey, looking at her with concern. "Are you ok?" Mickey asked. The pink alicorn lowered her head, and only sighed. "No." She said. "I've been mad at Shining for no reason..." She only dropped to the floor and cried softly, with the king making his way toward her and hugged her, comforting the sad princess. Rainbow Dash felt so dizzy, as she struggled to open her eyes. She slowly nudged her head as she began to come too. As she opened her eyes up, getting her sight back on track, she gasped. She lifted herself up, seeing that she was in Canterlot Castle, inside the Princesses' throne room. But it wasn't colorful however, as it was grim, and dark. But that wasn't the kicker as she gasped once more. All around her were bodies, the bodies of Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. They were all grey and black, their colors were no longer there. Their eyes were pitch black, with a couple of cracks forming from them. The Pegasus gasped as she saw her friends. They were not moving. They were not sick, or sleeping. They were dead. "No... No!" Rainbow Dash said as she looked around, looking at her dead friends. "Applejack... Rarity... Pinkie Pie!" She then looked at Fluttershy's corpse. Her best friend! Her most closest friend. "Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said as she held up her winged friend. "No... No..!" "Muhahahahahaha!" A familiar evil laugh called out, making the rainbow maned Pegasus look around startled. She had heard that laugh before. And it wasn't Pinkie Pie's laugh. "Who's there?" She asked. "Behind you..." The voice said. Rainbow Dash turned to the throne room, to see the Changeling Queen sitting on top of the throne. Next to her worse the lifeless bodies of Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna, all of them no moving like the other girls. But Rainbow Dash had her eyes set on Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings, who was licking her lips. "You!..." The rainbow maned Pegasus hissed. "Well, well, well, it's the Hero of Ponyville." Chrysalis said. "Rainbow Dash, isn't it?" "Yeah, what's it to ya?" She asked. "Well, if you were truly a hero, then you should've saved Equestria by now." Chrysalis said as she walked down the steps of the throne. "Oh wait, you didn't. Guess you weren't fast enough after all." Hearing that insult made Rainbow Dash's blood boil. She took off into the air and flew towards the Changeling Queen to strike. However, the queen's horn lit up, trapping the Pegasus in her magic. "Let me go!" Rainbow Dash said. "Too slow." Chrysalis said as she tossed Rainbow Dash out the throne room, crashing outside the castle itself. As the rainbow maned Pegasus came to, her eyes opened wide with shock. The entire town of Canterlot was in ruins. All of it was in ruins. The buildings were broken, houses were in flames, and there were even more dead bodies of ponies in the streets. "Wh....What?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Do you see that?" Chrysalis asked. The Pegasus turned around to see the Changeling Queen coming out of the castle. "This is what happened while you were so busy planning your stupid little wedding, while more focused in wanting to meet the Wonderbolts. All of Equestria has fallen under my control, and you have no one but yourself to blame. You should've heeded Twilight's warning from the beginning." Rainbow Dash was about to speak, but then it hit her. Twilight! She wasn't among the bodies of her friends. She then glared at the Changeling Queen. "Where is she?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "Where is Twilight?!" "Oh, you care about her now?" Chrysalis asked. "What did you do to her?!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Oh, I did nothing." Chrysalis said. "You did it yourself." The rainbow maned Pegasus looked at the Changeling Queen in confusion. "Wh... what do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked. She then looked forward, and saw Twilight's tower just next to the castle. She took off flying and flew straight to the door. She tried to open it, but it was locked shut. With all her strength, she pushed the door with her entire body, breaking it open, but pushing herself through the doorway. She then looked around, trying to find Twilight. "Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Where are you?! Twi-" She then stopped as she turned her head forward. Her eyes widened up, showing horror as her mouth dropped. "No.... No...!" She spoke. Right before her was Twilight Sparkle, floating in the air just above the ceiling lamp, with a noose hanging from it, and tied around her neck. Twilight... hung herself. And she was dead. "NO!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew up and ripped the noose from the lamp, and caught the unconscious Twilight. She undid the nose around her neck, but she showed no signs of life. "Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Twilight, wake up! Twilight!" The lavender unicorn didn't move, or respond. She wasn't breathing. She was dead. Though there were tear stains on her cheek. Rainbow Dash started to produce tears in her eyes. Her friend was dead... and it was all her fault. "You did this to me..." a voice said from Twilight's mouth, getting her attention. "Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked. Suddenly, a magenta colored aura wrapped around Pegasus's neck, preventing her from getting air into her lungs. She was then lifted her into the air, as Twilight's head leaned forward and opened her eyes, showing black sclera with red glowing irises. "You did this to me!" Twilight shouted. "You killed me!" "Tw...Twilight... Please...!" Rainbow Dash said as she was slowly pulled into the air as she was being choked, and the undead corpse of Twilight hovered up with her. "You abandoned me. You left me!" Twilight shouted. "And now you lost. Goodbye, Rainbow Dash." As Rainbow Dash started to suffocate, the lavender unicorn then grabbed Rainbow Dash's body and threw it down to the ground with great force, causing the rainbow maned Pegasus to scream as she fell through the floor, which shattered into pieces as she fell into the darkness. "No! No! Twilight!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she fell through. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she leaned up screaming. The screaming ceased, and the rainbow maned Pegasus began to pant as she looked around, seeing that there was a campfire in front of her. She then turned to her right, seeing that her friends were sound asleep, snuggling with sleeping bags. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were ok, and not dead. And course, Spike was wrapped up in a blanket, safe and sound asleep too. Just sleeping. She took a sigh of relief, thankful that they were ok. She then looked down at herself, seeing that her right wing was around her neck. She used her left hoof to push it off as it drooped to the ground. She let out another sigh. But then suddenly, she felt something grab her wing. She almost yelped, her head turning to look at whatever grabbed it. She saw a hand, a white glove with just three fingers. She looked up and saw Goofy, who was mumbling in his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, but not all the way open, only slightly. He then lifted his head and turned slowly to Rainbow Dash, giving a sleepy smile... it was kinda creepy... but funny. "How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?" He asked. The rainbow maned Pegasus looked at him with a bit of confusion. "Uhhhh… thirty in a half?" She asked. Within a couple of seconds, Goofy dropped back to the floor face up and just went back to sleep, snoring. Rainbow Dash let out another sigh. She then looked past Goofy and saw Donald sleeping on his front, quacking quietly as he snored. Apparently, the group had to make camp out here in the forest, since the train was unable to take them any further. They had to resort to walking, and camping out here for the night. Luckily, Rarity was able to bring some supplies and camping materials. She's not one for camping, but she'll put up with it, even if it means finding Twilight. While everyone else was asleep, he rainbow maned Pegasus only got up and stared at the campfire, thinking about that nightmare she had. "You ok?" The sudden voice made her yelp almost, and she turned to see Sora, who was next to the campfire. He was looking at her with concern. He must've woken up before she did. "Huh?" She asked. "You ok, Rainbow?" Sora asked. "I heard you scream." The Pegasus then realized that he heard her. She looked away. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said. The boy tilted his head, seeing that she didn't look ok. "You sure?" Sora asked. "You can tell me." She then turned her head, to look right at the boy. She then let out a sigh and got up. "I just need to use the bathroom." She said as she trotted away slowly, onto the path. Sora then got up and followed her, knowing that something was still bothering her. "Rainbow, are you sure you're alright?" Sora asked. The Pegasus stopped in her tracks, and turned her head. "Do you always have to butt into people's business?" Rainbow Dash asked. The boy was almost taken back by that question. But he didn't feel offended. "Sorry, I can't help it." Sora said. "I just don't like seeing people in distraught. You're actually the second one who didn't want my help." The rainbow maned Pegasus only sighed. She knew that the wasn't gonna let her up on what's bothering her. So she sighed and spoke. "I had a nightmare." Rainbow Dash said. "About what?" Sora asked. "About the whole invasion." Rainbow Dash said. "That happened at the wedding. It was horrible." "How horrible?" Sora asked as he approached her. "Like my friends were dead around me, Canterlot was destroyed, and Twilight hung herself and came back as a zombie to kill me." Rainbow Dash said. The boy was shocked hearing all that. Clearly he wasn't expecting that. "Wow..." Sora said. "That's scary... and disturbing." Rainbow Dash only lowered her head, and couldn't help but think. What if Twilight never escaped the crystal caverns? What if she wasn't sent down there at all? What if she instead took her own life, because of how Rainbow Dash and the other girls abandoned her? "What if that happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What if Twilight killed herself and was never sent to the caverns and found Cadance?" Sora, honestly, didn't want to think about that. "Well to be honest." Sora said. "I really don't want to imagine that. But be glad that it didn't." Rainbow Dash only sighed. She couldn't stop thinking about it. She wasn't there for Twilight. She wasn't there to help her when she needed it. She started thinking back at when she spoke with Cadance, who was actually the Changeling Queen in disguise. She was able to control Shining Armor, and make him do things for her. Was it possible that when Rainbow Dash spoke with the imposter, did the latter place some sort of spell on her to make her leave her friend? Yet, she didn't feel anything holding her. She felt no magical surge gripping on her those times. So maybe it wasn't the Changeling Queen's magic at all. Maybe Rainbow Dash wasn't loyal enough to Twilight the whole time and just cared about impressive the Wonderbolts. She only hung her head down with guilt. "Why wasn't I there for her?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I'm suppose to be the Element of Loyalty! I'm always willing to help ponies! But I couldn't help Twilight. She was right. I guess I was chasing a stupid dream." "Aww, c'mon Rainbow." Sora said. "Don't think like that. The Rainbow Dash I know wouldn't leave a pony hanging. Don't you remember when we ventured in the Everfree Forest to the Castle of the Royal Sisters?" The Pegasus lifted her head up and started thinking. She remembered that, when she went to get the bridge up, and she encountered the Shadowbolts, an illusion created by Nightmare Moon to turn her against her friends. "Yeah, I remember that." Rainbow Dash said. "When those Shadowbolts tried to persuade you to join them, and Twilight was hanging on the side of the bridge in peril, you turned them away and chose to save Twilight instead." Sora said. "You chose your friend over a dream. That shows how loyal you are. And I know you won't let Twilight down." The rainbow maned Pegasus looked at the boy and began thinking. He was right. She did choose Twilight instead of joining the Shadowbolts. That showed she was loyal. And when Twilight needed help with something, she was always willing to help her with anything, even if it was boring. A smile formed on her face. "You're right, Sora!" Rainbow Dash said. "I am loyal! And I'm going to be more loyal to Twilight than I ever have before. We'll find her and bring her home!" The boy smiled hearing that. "That's the spirit!" Sora said. Rainbow Dash turned away, and saw the horizon, with the sun slowly creeping up from the end. "It may take time to make things right, but I'll use all my heart to prove to Twilight that I do care about her!" Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly, all around her, time began to slow down, just as the sound of drums began to play. She then started walking slowly, and she found the urge to sing. I have so much more to say But I live in slow motion From moment to moment, hey Holding back from day to day The clock's ticking slowly But time cannot hold me down The rainbow maned Pegasus looked down at the path before her, seeing a nice pathway towards the horizon. She tapped her hooves a bit, ready for a running start. I find myself in the rhythm of my feet Feel it in my heartbeat The time is now, and I won't hold back, hold back Then, with everything she got, she started to gallop forward and her wings began to flap allowing her to hover above the ground at a very fast speed. Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' Watch me, yeah-yeah, I'm runnin' Seeing a log in front of her in the road, the rainbow maned Pegasus smiled and flew right over it with a neat spin, allowing her tail to leave a rainbow trail behind. I let go in this moment, all roads open Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' I was born to break free The Pegasus then took off flying into the sky, as Sora surprised by how fast Rainbow Dash was flying, watched the sky, seeing the rainbow maned Pegasus perform incredible moves. "Whoa..." Sora said, just as Donald and Goofy were finally waking up from their slumber. The two shook their heads, trying to get out of the sandman's spell, and then noticed Sora looking at the sky, while Rainbow Dash continued to sing, flying among the clouds. I choose my path, I choose my dreams My spirit's a fighter A passion igniter, yeah All I need's inside of me A light shining brighter A spark to a fire now She looks down below, and sees a couple of camping ponies awake, but all of them were in chaos. A pony about to spill his drink on a mare, with a filly tripping over their dog, and a stallion almost flying out of control, about to spill cupcakes onto the floor. I find myself in the rhythm of my feet Feel it in my heartbeat The time is now, and I won't hold back, hold back (Whoa-oh-oh-ohhhh-oh) With a couple of stretches, Rainbow Dash flew in, with time still slow around her, and managed to help the ponies. She picked up the cupcakes before they dropped to the ground and placed them all back into the tray the stallion was holding. She then picked the fill up and balanced her back on the ground, and placed the leash back onto the dog. She then the cup that was almost spilling and gathered up the liquid before it got on the mare. With everything in place, she then flew to the sky. And time went back forward, and the ponies were not harmed and safe. They were a bit startled at first, but they looked up at the sky, seeing Rainbow Dash waving at them with a wink. They all waved back in thanks. Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' (yeah-yeah) Watch me, yeah-yeah, I'm runnin' (I'm runnin', runnin', whoa) I let go in this moment, all roads open Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' I was born to break free Afterwards, Rainbow Dash punched through a cloud, grabbing ahold of some of it, morphing it into an electric guitar. Despite having hooves, the Pegasus began to play the cloud guitar with style, as it sounded like a real guitar, performing a near solo as the song went on. "Sora?" Donald asked as he and Goofy approached the boy, who was still staring at the sky, seeing Rainbow Dash perform. The duck looked up and his eyes widened with complete shock. "Look at that." Sora said, as Goofy and Donald looked up, watching with amazement. The girls then slowly got up from their slumber, and so was Spike. Then they looked up in the sky, seeing Rainbow Dash playing the cloud guitar. That probably what woke them up, but they were amazed by how Rainbow Dash was playing. "Whoa, nelly." Applejack said. "I didn't know Rainbow Dash could play the guitar." Pinkie Pie said. I find myself in the rhythm of my feet Feel it in my heartbeat The time is now, and I won't hold back, hold back (Whoa-oh-oh-ohhhh-oh) As she got high enough, she then turned and flew back down, this time so fast, that her whole body was stretching a little bit. But with a mighty flap from her wings, she glowed up and zoomed forward at super sonic speed, with a burst of rainbow colors flashing from her body, forming a massive circle shaped Rainbow Boom that cleared the clouds away and lightning up the forest. What she did, was a Sonic Rainboom. It's pretty much a Sonic Boom but colored in a great rainbow. Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' (yeah-yeah) Watch me, yeah-yeah, I'm runnin' (I'm runnin', runnin', whoa) I let go in this moment, all roads open Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' I let go in this moment, all roads open Gonna break free, yeah, I'm runnin' I was born to break free She flew down to the group's level, flying past the girls and Spike. They all watched with amazement and smiles, to see Rainbow Dash flying in the sky, with no doubt whatsoever. Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched the sky, still seeing the energy from the Sonic Rainboom as it spread across the sky with multiple colors. "Wow..." Sora said, astonished. "That was just... wow. So that was a Sonic Rainboom?" "Garsh, Rainbow Dash sure has a lot of energy." Goofy said. "Yeah, and she looked happy." Donald said. The boy stared up at the sky, and smiled, glad to not only see the Sonic Rainboom, but also Rainbow Dash happy again. "Yeah." He said. "Definitely." As he continued to see the rainbow, he was thinking. He was pretty glad that he helped Rainbow Dash open up about her nightmare and worries. But then he started to think about his own dreams. The recurring nightmare of him and everyone back at the Keyblade Graveyard, where all of them were taken out one by one. He never had the chance to tell Donald or Goofy about his own dilemma, but it wasn't important right now... was it? "Wish I could do the same." He thought, lowering his head. Suddenly, the sun began to flash in his eyes. He looked up to see the beautiful red and yellow rising from the horizon. As he looked on, he started to remember something. Months Ago... It was only just before Sora had to leave. The day he first arrived to Ponyville and helped Twilight and her friends defeat Nightmare Moon and save Equestria. He was just about to leave, but he wanted to say goodbye to Twilight first. "I'll come back and visit you again." He said as he knelt down to her level. "W...What?" Twilight asked. "You and I are friends now." Sora said. "So nothing can stop me from visiting you." The unicorn tilted her head a bit with surprise. "You and me... we're friends?" Twilight asked. "We've been friends ever since we met." Sora said. "Friendship is magic, right?" Hearing that made Twilight giggle. "Yeah, it sure is." Twilight said. "Oh, if there's also any problems, don't hesitate to call me if you have to." Sora said. "I'll swing by and help out, and I'll even bring some of my friends too." "I would like that." Twilight said. "And remember Twilight." Sora said. "Even if I'm not here, I'll always be here." He then pointed at Twilight's chest, directly to her heart. The unicorn knew exactly what he meant. "Friends in our hearts." Twilight said. "Yep." Sora said. He extended his hand out, offering to shake her hoof. However, Twilight walked toward him and placed her front hooves around him, giving him a tender hug. Surprised at first, but he wrapped his arms around her too, completing he hug. "Oh." Sora said, remembering one more thing. "I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. It was a necklace, with the latches and string holding it together being small chains. And in the middle was a yellow crystal star. "What's this?" Twilight asked. "It's a friendship necklace." Sora said. "I want you to have it. So that way, you won't forget about me. And a part of me will also be with you too." He placed it around her neck, and the necklace hung there, giving a twinkle as the light glanced on it. The lavender unicorn lifted her head up with a smile. "Thank you, Sora." Twilight said with a nod. As the memory went through his head, the boy couldn't help but reflect on his first visit here. How he met Twilight, joined her to Ponyville, helped her make friends, travel to the Castle of the Royal Sisters, defeated Nightmare Moon and helped her learn the joys of friendship. He remembered the necklace he gave her. The necklace that was a sign of their friendship. "I wonder if she still has the necklace." Sora said. He's pretty sure that she does. It was near the morning when they trotted along the trail, going through the forest with a red luxurious wagon behind them. The ponies in question that were pulling it were two very identical unicorns, showing that they were twins. They both had moderate pistachio eyes, coated with pale, light grayish olive coloring, and their manes were moderate red with white stripes. They both had sales uniforms on, consisting of a striped blue and white shirt with black bows and nice hats that are usually worn by acapella singing groups. These were the Flim Flam brothers. The difference between them was that Flim had no facial hair and a left facing apple slice cutie mark, and Flam had a mustache and an apple with a slice missing cutie mark. They are traveling salesponies... well actually they're con artists, and they were suffering hard. Their recent scam was to broker a deal with Applejack's family to allow themselves buisness in ponyville in producing cider for them. But when the brothers wanted 75% of the profit and wanted to give 25% to the Apples, the family refused, with the brother declaring to drive Sweet Apple Acres out of business, provoking them to partake in a Cider-making competition to garner the town's favor. The brothers were using their technology to overpower the Apples with their Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. But Applejack's friends offered to help the Apples and it gave them a lead. The brothers resorted to cheating, turning off their machine's quality control settings to get a faster lead, and while they produced the most barrels, the cider was contaminated with rocks, branches and dirt. The ponies of Ponyville favored Sweet Apple Acres, and the brothers retreated to try and sell their next product. Unfortunately, the news of their horrible cider spread across Equestria, and they were losing business bad. Instead of blaming it on themselves, they blamed Applejack and her family. The two brothers recently left Baltimore in defeat, as no one wanted to buy their products. "Well brother, that's another scheme foiled." Flim said. "Another day, another bad apple in the bunch." Flam spoke. "You can say that again." Flim said. "We used to have it big, you know. We managed to get ponies into our scam and make money." "But now because of that Apple Family, we got no business anymore." Flam said. "You said it." Flim said. "Is there anywhere in Equestria two honest conmen can set up a scam without Applejack and her family showing up and ruining it?" Flam gave a sigh, but as he lifted his head up, he saw someone in the distance, walking towards them! "Brother, look!" Flam said. "A customer!" "Excellent!" Flim said as the two rushed forward, their excitement allowing them to pull the wagon to meet this person. "Hello there sir!" Flim said. "Would you like one of our products? It's a limited time offer!" "Oh, no thank you." The person said, revealing himself to be a man in the black coat. The same one that was with Maleficent, Pete, and had just spoken with the Dragon Trio and Iron Will. Yes, it was the hooded man. "I was just passing through. You two looked like you were a hurry with... whatever you were doing." The two brothers only lowered their heads in defeat. "Well, that's just great." Flam said, while the hooded man looked down upon them. "Why so sad?" He asked. "You two look like a couple of good salesmen... or salesponies to be precise." "Well, not anymore." Flim said. "Not after the Apple Family made fools of us." "The Apple Family?" The hooded man asked. "You mean those old ponies who rely on labor than technology?" "You said it." Flam said. "We challenged them to a cider making contest, and they ruined us. They made us cheat in the first place." "Cheat?" The hooded man asked, showing a smile on his face. "So you two are con-artists." The two brothers froze stiff, realizing that they mentioned cheating. They lowered their heads in defeat. "Yes." Flam said. "We're... con-artists. And the Apple Family exposed us." "Yeah, they made ponies care about quality." Flim said. "I mean, why do these Apples care so much? Who asked them to be hall monitors of all of Equestria." "It's a bum rap, it is." Flam said. "Every time we set up it's like apples fall right out of the trees." "We've got to do something about them." Flim said. "If they keep ruining us, we'll lose our Resort in Las Pegasus!" The hooded man gave another smile. "I can help you with that." He replied. The two brothers lifted their heads up in surprise. "You... you can?" They both asked. "Yes." The hooded man said. "What if I offered you the chance to get rid of that pesky Apple Family for good? What if I told you I had the power to give you wealth beyond your wildest imagination? I can make you rich beyond your dreams." The two brothers looked at each other with surprise. This stranger is willing to help them, and give them money? This could be a chance to get rich, and no longer have to scam ponies for the rest of their lives! They both nodded with excitement. "Of course!" Flim said. "We'll do anything!" "If the price is right." Flam said. "And for what now?" The hooded man knelt down and spoke. "We're going to mount a mutiny..." He whispered. RADIANT GARDEN Radiant Garden, one of the most beautiful and magnificent world ever known, mostly because of it's name. And yes, it was radiant. It is ruled by Ansem the Wise, who spent his time studying the heart in order to protect his people from the darkness. Going through the Castle Gate, passing the Outer Gardens and the entryway, visitors would find themselves in the Central square, which is located in the middle of the world, surprisingly. On the right side, Merlin's house could be seen, including the Marketplace where it houses a Moogle shop, where the friendly moogles would craft all kinds of trinkets and weapons, if given the right items to synthesize with. On the left side, there was a beautiful garden and taking the right path up north will lead visitors to the front doors of the huge castle. More than a decade ago, this once peaceful world fell victim to Master Xehanort's dastardly scheme when he possessed Terra's body and performed terrible experiments with the help of some of Ansem's apprentices, who betrayed their master and converted to nobodies to be part of Xehanort's Organization XIII. For ten years, this world was reduced when Maleficent took over the castle naming it Hollow Bastion, but the castle was restored to its former glory after Sora and friends defeated her, with the help of the Restoration Committee. After Xehanort's defeat, Ansem resumed his role as the leader, and his former apprentices, who saw the errors of their ways, and eventually redeeming themselves by helping Sora and Riku, resumed their positions as well. The trio were speaking to Ansem and three others. Ansem was the much older man with blond hair, worn long and slicked back. He sported a short mustache and goatee, and his eyes were bright orange. His attire consisted of a periwinkle labcoat, identical to the ones two of the other men were wearing, a dark grey vest underneath with a collared shirt and a violet ascot, as well as black pants and shoes. A red clothe of some sort draped over his shoulders. Next to him was a younger man, Ienzo, somewhere in his mid-twenties. His hair was steel-blue, with a bit of a messy style with long bangs covering the right side of his face, with his left bright blue eye visible. His labcoat was white, along with a white dress shirt and a grey sweater-vest underneath. He also had an ascot, which was purple. He even had knee-high silver-trimmed boots. The other was Even, who sported platinum blond hair worn long with two slightly shorter bangs what frame his face. He also has large bright green eyes, and like Ienzo, he wears the same labcoat and accessories with it. The fourth man, Aeleus was not wearing a labcoat, but a guard uniform, which was a grey uniform with white cuffs and a red heart on the chest. There were blue hearts on the cuffs of both his gloves. He possessed very angular and strong features, with a square chin, straight nose, and sharp cheekbones. His hair was auburn and slicked back into rather odd, messy spikes. His eyebrows were small, while his eyes were blue. A little note to know, Ansem has met Aqua down in the Realm of Darkness sometime after Sora and friends defeated Xemnas. How he ended up in there the second time, it's a bit complicated to explain. The last time he saw Aqua was when Xehanort's heartless blasted her into the dark ocean. But seeing her alive and well brought some peace to his heart, glad to know that Sora was able to dive in and save her. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus had arrived shortly to speak with Ansem and some of his apprentices. No doubt they too became aware of the mysterious magic outage that was happening across the universe. "Equestria." Ienzo spoke. "So that could explain why the magic is acting out of sorts." "Yes." Aqua said. "We believe that the Elements' disconnection may be the cause. And someone in that world is searching for artifacts that could awaken an evil spirit." "Hmmm... very troubling indeed." Ansem the Wise said. "And it may not be as simple we all can hope." Even said. "Equestrian magic is much more complicated than it sounds to be." As they were chatting, Aeleus was staring at Ventus for a moment, as if he was seeing someone that he knew. "Uh... you ok?" Ventus asked. "Sorry, you just look someone that I know." Aeleus said. "From my time in Organization XIII." "Aeleus, that's just Ventus." Ienzo said. "He only looks like Roxas, or the other way around exactly." Regardless, Aeleus shook his head and just left the room. Ienzo only shook his head. "You'll have to forgive him." Ienzo said. "He and Roxas have some history." "I can already guess why." Ventus said, knowing that he and Roxas look almost identical to each other. "Someone in that world is searching for mystical talismans that belong to the Pillars of Equestria." Terra said. "Do you all happen to know anything about them?" "The knowledge of the Pillars of Old Equestria is quite limited, I'm afraid." Ansem the Wise said. "But the Pillars have been active during the rule of the Royal Sisters, before the Great Celestial Lunar Rift." "There have been stories about the Pillars themselves." Ienzo said. "Some of which are rarely heard of today. The only thing that we know of so far is that a decade after Luna was imprisoned, they disappeared without a trace after battling a monstrous foe known as the Pony of Shadows." "Master Eraqus has told us that the pillars gave up their lives to stop the Pony of Shadows." Aqua said. "The talismans that this Mare Do Well is searching for are the keys to locking it away." "Interesting." Ienzo said, as he went towards the computer and turned it on, showing images of the Pillars of Equestria. "If these talismans are the key to locking the Pony of Shadows away, then the items that this masked pony is seeking has to be personal belongings that belong to the pillars themselves." "The only item we know so far is Rockhoof's shovel." Terra said. "Is there any information regarding what the others could be?" "I'm afraid not." Even said. "Our computer only has information regarding to what we managed to salvage from lost texts." "Well, I guess the library is out of the question then." Ventus said. "The only other person who should know more about them could be the Sun Princess herself." Even said. "She was a personal friend to Starswirl… or used to, so to speak." "Used to?" Terra asked. "What happened?" "We discovered a page that was probably written by Starswirl the Bearded." Ienzo said. "The page said that he and Princess Celestia had a fallout regarding a mirror, and since then Princess Celestia has cut ties with him ever since." Ventus could help but raise an eyebrow. "Wait, you guys found a page?" Ventus asked. "How did you guys find pages and info regarding Equestria?" "That's the thing." Ansem the Wise said. "It just randomly shows up out of nowhere. More than a decade ago before Xehanort's schemes, we discovered some old books and pages that just come into the main study out of nowhere. It's almost as if they magically appeared on their own. "Or maybe... someone from Equestria is bringing them here." Aqua said. "That would make sense." Terra said. "At least I think it does." "Hmmmm…" Ventus said, trying to think. Something was on his mind since coming here, regarding the magic. He remembered something he overheard from Master Yen Sid about the Elements, and how their connection is what helps the magic stay in balance. But he did recall overhearing how Discord broke free from his prison and turned the Elements against each other. But... during that time, the magic was working fine. "I just realized something." Ventus said. "What's that?" Aqua asked. "The Elements are suppose to keep the magic in balance, right?" He asked. "Right." Aqua said. "But I do remember Master Yen Sid saying that the Elements were turned against each other when Discord broke out of his statue." Ventus said. "The magic was working just fine when it happened. So what if the Element's disconnection isn't really the case? What if there's something else that's keeping the magic functioning?" Aqua and Terra looked at each other. Surprisingly, Ven was on to something there. The magic was working fine when Discord turned the Elements against one another. So what if the Element's disconnection isn't really the cause? "There may be something that might give us answers to that question." Ienzo said as he typed the keys on the board, showing the map of Equestria. Just south of Canterlot and a small town, a red dot was shown on the screen, in the middle of a forest. "We have detected a strange surge of magical activity happening somewhere in the deep forest." Ienzo said. "A forest that neighbors a small town known as Ponyville." Aqua's eyes widened. "The Everfree Forest." Aqua said. "The only part of Equestria that acts on it's own." Even said. "The home where strange creatures reside in." "Then whatever is happening in that forest might be the cause of the weakened magic." Terra said. "But... what exactly?" Ventus asked. "Whatever it is, that forest holds a much deeper mystery." Aqua said. "We better warn Sora right away." Everyone gave a nod in agreement. If Sora was going to save Equestria and restore the magic, then he's definitely going to need to know about this.