It was almost nighttime when the train arrived at it's next destination. The keyblade guided them to where Twilight could be next, and it led them straight towards Manehatten, one of the biggest cities in all of Equestria. The city itself is pretty much the size of San Fransokyo, one of the many worlds that Sora and his friends had visited before. Manehatten was a bit different actually, since it resided on the eastern coast of Equestria, connected by a long railroad bridge! The city of Manehatten, nicknamed the Big Apple by Applejack and her family, is best known for it's amazing details and sights, such as the Crystaller Building, the tallest skyscraper with the top being the head of a pony, the Statue of Filly Liberty, which was a green statue of a mare holding a torch, and of course, the Bridleway District, the city's central square that consists of broadway performances, and it's the area that Sora and co. were lookin at.

Sora was wondering around the town, amazed by the lights and the sights the city had to offer. While San Fransokyo was the first big city he has ever seen, he has never seen another city as big as this one! A smile was all over his face as he went from left to right, and kept giving words of awe as he scanned the area.

"Well, he's not the only one." Donald said, pointing straight at Rarity, who was pretty much excited herself, wondering the huge city of Manehatten. Given that she's a unicorn who likes to make beautiful dresses, she is no stranger to some of the dazzling places of Equestria, such as Manehatten.

"This place is beautiful!" Rarity said as she looked around. "I've always wanted to come all the way out here. The gigantic buildings, the fancy shops, and of course the theaters!" Suddenly, she was pulled by the tail by Applejack.

"Now Rares, we're not here to sight see." Applejack said. "We're here to find Twilight, remember?"

"Oh, yes of course." Rarity said, straightening her mane, remembering their purpose for being here. "But this place is really big, and far more bigger than Canterlot. It'll take all day to find Twilight."

"If she's here." Rainbow Dash said, hovering past the two. Pinkie Pie was hopping up and down the street, until something caught her eye. She zoomed up to one of the buildings, which was revealed to be a toy store! Her eyes widened up and her smile grew even bigger, seeing all the huge stuffed animals inside, ranging from elephant, monkeys, lions, and giraffes!

"Oh my gosh!" Pinkie Pie said. "Look at the size of those toys in there!" Fluttershy looked from the window along with Spike, seeing the toys.

"Oh my, those are pretty big toys." Fluttershy said. Suddenly, the two heard some grunting. Back with Sora, he looked up at the crosswalk, seeing the massive screens and posters that hung on the buildings. He kept smiling as he saw them.

"Wow... this place is awesome!" Sora called out. He then turned around and pulled out his phone, trying to type in a number.

"But we just got here." Goofy said. "We didn't even check any of the shops yet." Donald only rolled his eyes.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Sora asked as he put his phone away. "Let's go check it out!" He then was about to bolt to check out more of the city, until he was halted by a magical aura, colored in light cornflower blue.

"Not so fast, darling." Rarity said, showing her horn was glowing, and she was using her magic to keep him from running off. "You can't just run off. This is a big city, and you could easily get lost. We should check out surroundings first." The boy then understood what she was telling him. This was unfamiliar territory, and with it being a big city, it can be easy to get lost here without a map.

"But don't worry." Rarity said. "Let's take this moment and take a good time to explore the city. Just remember, don't be afraid to show generosity to everyone around you."

"Ok." Sora said. "I'm good with being generous." Suddenly, music began to pick up and start playing, much to Donald's notice.

"I think this is one of those cities where people go out on the streets and sing." Goofy said.

"What?!" Donald asked. "Who does that?!" Suddenly, Rarity appears before the boys, but her sight was drawn to the wonders of Manehatten.

As Rarity turned her head, she noticed that Spike was feeling a bit grouchy. She turned once more to see a carrot dog stand, which sold carrots on a bun with mustard on top. She bought one and then gave it to Spike, who happily accepted it, only for it to be taken by a flying bird.

The group made their way to the ferry, the boat which carries citizens and travelers to see the Statue of Filly Liberty.

"Welcome to the ferry!" One of the boat workers said. "Please, step inside to see the wonderful statue."

"Do keep it all." Rarity said as she placed the gem into the stallion's pocket. "I insist." The worker gave a tip of his hat to Rarity and the group as they got onto the boat to see the Statue of Filly Liberty, amazed by it's grand structure.

Soon after the boat ride, the group made their way towards the deeper part of town, where some of the citizens were acting a bit moody today, probably because they were late for work, or blaming each other for an accident.

Suddenly, Rarity bumped into one of the stallions dressed in a fedora and suit. He turned around and gave a mean stare at the fashionista. But Rarity didn't feel threatened, knowing that he just needs a good pick me up to get in a better mood. She then took a flower from the flower cart, paid the flower owner a nice gemstones, and placed the flower on the stallion's fedora, much to his surprise. A kind smile formed on his face.

Suddenly, the group came across a wagon that had broken down. No doubt there was an accident, as the driver, the passenger and another pony were arguing. Taking everything they learned from Rarity's generosity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie rushed in to help them, as Sora, Donald, and Goofy helped fix the wagon. With the wagon better, everyone was now happier, thanks to their generosity.

Sometime have passed since the group had tour much of the city, though there were some parts that they haven't explored just yet. But they seemed to be more familiar of the city now. So now it was the time to stop sight seeing and find Twilight.

"This is a pretty big city." Fluttershy said. "She could be anywhere... alone... cold... hungry..." The butter colored Pegasus began to whimper as she thought of Twilight being alone and hungry.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy." Pinkie Pie said. "I'm sure she's fine, though there is a good chance she could be alone, cold, and hungry. Oh, maybe she's with those bad ponies who go out and attack other ponies! Or maybe she's been abducted and forced to do things with stallions against her will! Oh, or maybe she committed a crime such as robbing a store or bank, and now she's locked up in a prison ward! Never To Be Heard From Agaaaain!!!" As the party pony began to ramble on and end with a shout and her eyes facing in opposite directions, Fluttershy began to whimper more, showing a face of horror and sadness. All that stuff Pinkie just said, it could be happening to Twilight right now!

"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity shouted, taking a newspaper and whacking her on top of the head, which a squeak was heard instead of something getting punched. "Stop being ridiculous!"

"Awww, but I like being ridiculous!" Pinkie Pie said as he eyes spun from the newspaper hitting her head. Spike too started to show worry as well.

"But what if she's right though?" Spike asked. "What if that's what's happening to Twilight right now?" He and Fluttershy only whimpered, until Applejack placed a hoof around their shoulders.

"Don't worry, you two." Applejack said. "I'm sure Twilight is ok. I was in the Big Apple when I was a filly, and nothin' bad happened to me."

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said in agreement. "In fact, I can fly up and find her myself. I am pretty fast! I can check this city in ten seconds flat!" With that said, the rainbow maned Pegasus took off flying, very fast.

"STOP!" A voice shouted, along with a whistle blow, stopping the Pegasus in her tracks.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, turning her head to see two officers right on the sidewalk, staring at her. One officer was a Pegasus stallion, a bit tall and fit. His mane was black and short, along with his tail, giving him the tough guy look. His partner was a unicorn mare, her mane and tail were longer and brown. They both were wearing shades and police uniforms. It was the police, stallions and mares who work to make sure everyone is following the law, and catch bad guys.

"Excuse me, miss." The stallion officer said. "You were flying way over the speed limit. You don't fly by the limit, we'll give you a ticket." He pointed at the sign for the speed limit, which showed 25 mph.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash asked, pretty shocked. "Since when did that become a thing?"

"We're police, ma'am." The mare, Officer Benson said. The rainbow maned Pegasus only stared at the two and showed an unamused face. She didn't like to be called ma'am.

"Oh, great." Rainbow Dash said. "Well, for your information, I'm not a ma'am, ma'am."

"Well, I'm not a missy either." Rainbow Dash said, getting even more unamused. The rest of the ponies, and Spike behind her began to show worried looks. Rarity went over and attempted to get things cool.

"Apologizes, Officers." Rarity said. "She's not the kind of pony who likes girly things. This is actually our first time here, well, it's actually Applejack's second time, but everypony else's first time, including myself."

"Well, that explains it." Officer Stable said, before turning his head to look at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "And these three are your friends too?"

"Yes." Rarity said. "That there is Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Don't worry, they're good people." The three gave a happy wave, while the officers stared at them and smiled.

"The spike one and dog look nice, not sure about the duck though." Officer Stable said, getting Donald's attention. "He looks like the kind of guy who's willing to steal anything."

"Just a compliment." Officer Benson said, before turning back to look at the girls. "And the rest of you?"

"Oh, where are my manners." Rarity said. "I am Rarity, head of the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville. That there is Applejack, Futtershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike. They are all from Ponyville as well." As the rest of the girls and Spike gave a wave, the stallion gave a smile.

"Oh, right, the Elements of Harmony." Officer Stable said, surprising the group.

"Yeah, you're the girls who defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord." Officer Stable said. "Good job on those, though you didn't do a good job protecting Canterlot from those changelings though." That negative comment made Rainbow Dash tilt her head.

"Oh, we heard about the wedding in the paper." Officer Stable said, holding up a newspaper, showing a picture of the Changelings invading ponyville. The headline said and quoted.

Changelings Attack! Student Knew, But No One Listened!

In the wake of the Royal Wedding, Canterlot was under attack by a swarm of changelings, led by their Queen, who was actually posing as the bride, Princess Cadance, where the real one was hidden away. One pony, Twilight Sparkle, the star student of Princess Celestia was the only one who knew something was wrong, but no pony listened, not the Princess, not the groom, Captain Shining Armor, nor the Element Bearers. While the attack was repelled by the real Princess Cadance, who was rescued by Twilight Sparkle, ponies are demanding answers and are pinning the blame on the invasion on Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, and the Elements of Harmony.

Citizens are protesting that due to Celestia's failed security, demanding answers. Some are also requesting to hold a petition to have Princess Celestia removed from power and vote for Twilight Sparkle, the true hero of Equestria, to take her place.

The eyes of the girls and Spike widened up as they read the paper. The ponies of Canterlot are blaming them and the Princess for what happened at the wedding, and want to remove the former with Twilight? It seems that Princess Cadance's comment to the reporter really made him and others spread the news even further.

"What?!" Applejack asked. "You gotta be kidding me! They're wantin' to remove Princess Celestia from power? She doesn't deserve this kind of trash-talk!"

"Absolutely, she didn't know that the bride was the Changeling Queen!" Rarity said. "Neither of us did!" While the girls were reading the paper, Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other. Since they weren't speaking to the cops, the boy decided to take this opportunity to talk with them.

"Excuse me." Sora said, speaking to the policeponies. "Have you seen anyone named Twilight Sparkle? She's a lavender colored unicorn with a blue mane and tail, with a purple and magenta streak on her left, with a six pointed star cutie mark." The two cops looked at each other.

"She ran off?" Officer Stable asked. "Is that why she's not with them?" He pointed his hoof towards the girls.

"I can see why." Officer Stable said. "These girls didn't take their friend's warning seriously, caring more about some stupid wedding than their friend." The girls lifted their heads up in shock and anger.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew up to Officer Stable's face. "Don't be pinning this out on us! Like we said, we didn't know that Bug Queen was posing as the bride."

"Well friends don't leave their friends crying on the stairway." Officer Stable said. "Yeah, I read the newspaper."

"Yeah I do, Miss Rainbow Firefly Dash from Cloudsdale." Officer Stable said. "Champion of the Little Fliers Flight competition, and daughter of Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles." The rainbow maned Pegasus began to blush with shock as she heard that. How did this cop know about her middle name, her flight competition at Flight camp, and her parents names?

"Because I used to go to school with your parents, Firefly." Officer Stable said, showing a cocky smile, with his partner looking at him with worry. "They send me letters about your greatest achievements. Bet they're probably gonna be real ashamed that you let Canterlot get attacked on your watch." Rainbow Dash blushed, but her eyes showed anger.

"Eli, please don't." Officer Benson said, pulling her partner away. But it was too late, the rainbow maned Pegasus lost her cool.

"That's it!" Rainbow Dash said as she was about to attack the officer, but the girls pulled her back.

"Rainbow, no!" Applejack shouted. "You punch them, we'll be spending the night in jail!"

"Don't care!" Rainbow Dash said as she tried to break free to attack the officer. Applejack was right. Assaulting an officer of the law will land her a night in a cell, or longer. Seeing the group fighting was too much for Sora. He didn't want to hear any more of this backlash and what not.

"ENOUGH!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, getting everypony's attention, even surprising Donald and Goofy.

"Sorry." Sora said. "Just stop shouting everyone!" Officer Stable only stared at Rainbow Dash, who only gave a snort as she turned around.

"Fine." She said as she turned around and went on trotting, with the girls following suit.

"So sorry, officers." Rarity said as she and the others went about their way. Sora then approached the officers.

"It's no hassle." Officer Benson said as she approached the boy. She then glanced at the boy for a few seconds from bottom to top, much to his notice.

"There's something about you." She said. "Something really special." The boy was taken back by this, but he smiled.

"Thanks." He said with a nod. "Have a good day, officers." He then glanced back at the girls and he, Donald, and Goofy followed suit, while the officers only looked on. Officer Benson looked back at Officer Stable with a disappointed look.

"Do you always have to be so stubborn?" She asked. The stallion only shook his head annoyed.

It was already a few minutes as they left the Bridleway District, with Rainbow Dash still frustrated with the conversation with the two cops. Who did they think they were, undermining her like that.

"Can you believe that guy?" Rainbow Dash asked. "He didn't have the right to talk about me or us like that."

"Rainbow, just calm down, alright?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash only shook her head, but then glanced down at the ground, seeing a small puddle and her reflection within it. She then felt sad, knowing that the cop was right. She and the other girls did leave Twilight when she needed them most, and Equestria almost fell in a matter of minutes because of their ignorance.

Behind them, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were following close, still looking around the big city.

"I hope we don't get lost around here." Donald said. Suddenly, before they kept going any further, a sudden sound came from nearby. Turning their heads, the group saw a small unicorn filly, with purple eyes, a dark blue mane, and her coat was a turquoise color. And she was crying.

"Uh oh." Applejack said as they saw the sobbing filly. The group approached the little pony, who was dressed in a very ruined dress.

"Alright, see you later." Donald said as he began to walk away, only to have his tail pulled by Sora, preventing the duck from leaving.

"Donald." Sora said, showing a disapproving look. The royal wizard only sighed, while Rarity approached the crying filly.

"I... There's a huge party going on at my friend's house... and... and..." She said as she continued to sob.

"I tried to dress up in a royal style, but I ruined my dress." The filly spoke, showing her ruined and messed up attire. There were ripped holes in the dress, with the sleeves and ribbons torn up. Rarity gasped at the sight.

"Oh my stars!" Rarity said. "That's horrible! Of all the worst things that could happen... this is... The. Worst. Possible. Thing!"

"I know!" The filly said as she continued to cry. Donald and Goofy tilted their heads.

"Well, that is pretty sad." Goofy said. The filly continued to cry, until Rarity wrapped her up in a warm hug, comforting the little filly.

"There there, darling." Rarity said. "There's no need to cry. What's your name darling?"

"Well Azure Drop, you don't really have to dress all fancy if it's in any style." Rarity said. "You should dress in whatever you want to, not what other ponies are dressing up as."

"Of course, darling." Rarity said. "It's not really what's on the outside, what really matters is what's on the inside." She then examined the dress the filly was wearing. She noticed that the rips could be patched up and fixed, and with the right accessories, she can make it even better!

"How about I fix the dress up for you?" Rarity asked. The filly looked up at the mare.

"Of course, it's no trouble at all." Rarity said. "And besides, leaving a dress in this state is a crime... in fashion." She then turned to her side and pulled out a small purse, that was hanging from her side. She opened it up and it revealed some sowing tools, some hairspray, some make up, some accessories... ok, how much does this fashionista carry with her?

"Hold still for me, dear." Rarity said, as the filly stood still. Pretty soon, Rarity went to work, using her tools to fix up the filly's dress, while tearing away some of the stuff that is not needed, and added a few additions to it as well. As for the noticeable stitching, she covered them with accessories so no pony would notice. This took about a couple of minutes, as Sora and the group watched with astonishment. Pretty soon, Rarity was finished. She then revealed the new Azure Drop, showing her dress fixed up, and with a couple of new accessories added to fill in the pieces. The filly looked down at herself with amazement. It was a beautiful green and blue dress to match her color scheme. There were a couple of diamonds on her sleeves and a nice ruby gem upon the front part of the dress. It was indeed beautiful.

"Wow!" She said. "I look amazing! Now I can go to the party! Thank you Miss Rarity!"

"Of course, darling." Rarity said. "And there's no need to give me anything in return. Seeing you happy is all I need."

"I can't wait to tell my friends about you." Azure Drop said. "You're the most amazing fashion designer in all of Equestria!" Hearing that made Rarity smile. The little filly sees her as the most amazing fashion designer in the world? That was so sweet.

"I will!" Azure said as she waved goodbye. "Goodbye!" She then took off for the party.

"Goodbye!" Everyone said as they waved, seeing the little filly happy as she went to the party. Rarity felt so proud of herself, as she managed to life a pony up with her generosity. But then suddenly, the fashionista formed a frown and lowered her head, feeling sad.

"What's wrong, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked. "Aren't you happy you helped the dear?"

"I am." Rarity said. "But... I can't help but think of Twilight. You all remember her birthday, right?" The girls nodded.

"Well, I can't stop thinking about how I chose to attend some Canterlot party instead of Twilight's birthday." Rarity said, remembering when Twilight asked the Princess to let her friend stay in Canterlot at the palace for the week. During that time, Rarity planned to make a dress for Twilight, but she got so caught up to be a Canterlot pony to gain the attention of Fancy Pants, she completely ignored it and chose to go to the garden party than Twilight's birthday party. When the Mane Six arrived to surprise Rarity, Rarity had to keep up the horrible lie that she wasn't a Ponyville pony and keep her promise to be at Twilight's birthday by going back and forth to both parties. But when the royals showed disgust towards her friends, Rarity stood up for her friends and proudly declared that she was a Ponyville pony. Her friends have forgiven her for all that, but to be honest, Rarity had started to think back on that after the whole wedding thing, especially the unfinished dress.

"The dress I made for Twilight, I planned to do something more with it to thank her for asking the Princess to let me stay at the Castle during my week in Canterlot." Rarity said. "But when I was acting as a Canterlot pony instead of a Ponyville pony to get the royals to notice me, I ignored the dress completely. I suppose I cared too much of being a Canterlot pony instead of being a good friend to Twilight." The girls couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Spike, while he was still anger with Rarity for abandoning Twilight, also felt sorry for her. Sora approached the fashionista.

"It's ok, Rarity." Sora said. "There's no shame feeling like that. But let me ask you something. Did Twilight like the dress?" Rarity began to think back on it. Twilight actually did like the dress, even if it wasn't finished.

"And you did your best to be at Twilight's birthday right?" Sora asked. "And you stood up for her and the other girls against the royals, correct?"

"Of course I did." Rarity said. "Those snobby royalists had no right to make fun of my friends like that."

"Then that shows you do care about Twilight and the girls." Sora said. "You realized your mistake and managed to make things right."

"He's right." Applejack said. "It was nice of you to say that we're the most important ponies you know."

"Well that's because it's true." Rarity said. "You girls mean so much to me. If I had to choose between the world and your girls, I would choose you, and of course my family, because they mean as much as well."

"And we'll choose you and Twilight as well." Rainbow Dash said. The fashionista pony gave a warm smile, and she pulled her friends into a hug with her magic, including Spike.

"Thank you girls." She said as she hugged them, before turning to Sora. "And thank you too, Sora."

"What's up?" Sora asked, but then noticed that Goofy was holding Donald's beak closed, who was ranting a bit.

The sound of glass shattering from afar quickly got their attention. The group turned and looked around, wondering where the breaking glass sound was coming from.

"Wait, what that?" Sora asked as he turned his head, seeing a pony colored in blue with dark blue eyes, with her black mane in a bun and tail curled up. She was holding a flower in her hoof, and her cutie mark was of a green emerald.

"Whose that?" Sora asked. "What does she have in her hoof?" Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes a bit to get a better view. Apparently, the pony running was holding... a flower.

"Stop Her!" Another voice shouted, revealing two policeponies chasing the thief. It was actually Officer Stable and Officer Benson. It seems they were chasing after the thief, who stole a flower?

"You can't run forever!" Officer Benson shouted. The group saw them chasing the thief. Whatever that flower that she was holding was, it looked like it wasn't suppose to be taken.

"And help them?" Rainbow Dash asked, still feeling a bit sore of how Officer Stable berated her.

"Yes, we can't let the thief get away!" Sora said. "C'mon!" He continued to run after the cops to help them.

"C'mon girls." Applejack said as she and the rest of the group followed them too.

The mysterious thief, Rough Diamond, was not really having a good day. After stealing the priceless artifact from the flower store, she was hoping for a clean get away. But she wasn't counting on Officer Stable and Officer Benson to be on duty. She found herself galloping towards a wall. She quickly stopped in her tracks. She turned around, seeing the two officers approaching her.

"Not so fast, Rough Diamond." Officer Stable said. Rough Diamond looked left and right, seeing each side had a pathway. She bolted for the left side, but then, Sora, Donald, and Goofy emerged at the end of the pathway, with keyblade, staff, and shield in hand.

"Stop!" Sora shouted as he and the others went into their battle stances. Rough Diamond yelped and turned around, making the exit at the right side, but it was blocked by Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Spike, and Pinkie Pie, armed with her party cannon.

"Don't think about it." Spike said, blowing a little spark of fire from his mouth. Rough Diamond backed away and realized that she was cornered. She had nowhere to run now.

"It's over, Rough Diamond." Officer Stable said, then looked back at the Mane Five. "Thanks for showing up girls."

"No problem." Applejack said. Officer Benson then looked at Sora, and saw his keyblade. She couldn't help but smile.

"What can I say?" Sora said to the cop with a smile. He then looked forward to see Rough Diamond, and he noticed something in her hoof.

"What do you got there?" Sora asked, pointing his keyblade forward. Rough Diamond moved her hoof forward a bit, showing a flower with white and red petals, with two green plants at the end of it in a pot.

"No!" Officer Benson shouted. "It belongs to Mistmane and her family!" Rarity's ears perked up, showing that she knew that name.

"Wait... Mistmane?" Rarity asked. "You mean the Mistmane that gave up her youth to restore her village's beauty?!"

"Same one." Officer Stable said. "That flower was kept safe in the Manehatten Historical Flower Shop. I knew it wasn't going to be safe there."

"Actually, I thought it wasn't going to be safe there." Officer Benson said. Sora then looked forward to see the flower. That flower belonged to Mistmane. Mistmane was one of the Pillars of Equestria! If that belonged to Mistmane, was it one of the talismans?

"Probably." Goofy said as Donald looked at Rough Diamond closely. He then quacked in horror.

"Black Smoke!" Donald spoke out, pointing at Rough Diamond. The boy glanced back at the infamous thief and realized what Donald was talking about. He could see it, the little bit of black smoke particles steaming off of the pony. He had seen this before. This is what happens to those who have a heart corrupted with darkness!

"Darkness?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking around, seeing only lights from the street lamps and building windows. "It doesn't look dark to me." Applejack's eyes widened.

"No Pinkie-girl, look!" Applejack said, with the girls noticing the black smoke coming off of Rough Diamond's body. "She doesn't look right at all."

"It's the darkness!" Sora said. "Those who become too corrupt with darkness will eventually become a heartless!" The girls and Spike gasped. The two police ponies looked at each other with confusion. They didn't have full knowledge of what Sora was talking about, but they knew that Rough Diamond had to be stopped.

"Give us back the flower, Rough Diamond!" Officer Stable shouted. "And surrender."

"Never!" Rough Diamond shouted as she pulled out a grappling hook and threw it at the top of the building, attaching it to the side. She then clicked a strange device that was at the end of the rope. She then quickly flew up at the top of the building, making her getaway.

"Don't worry, we got this!" Sora shouted as he rushed up to the wall and started wall-running up the building. Rainbow Dash flew right behind him, to help him out and make sure he didn't fall. The two managed to run up the building and make it to the top. Sora prepared his keyblade to fight, while Rainbow Dash got ready to fight as well.

"Alright, Rough Diamond!" Sora called out. "The games... up?" The two stood there frozen, to see Rough Diamond on the ground, unconscious, and a bruise on her forehead. Standing over her was a masked pony wearing the purple hat and cape! It was Mare Do Well! He was the one who knocked out Rough Diamond.

"Mare Do Well!" They both shouted, as Donald and Goofy got up to the building, both also surprised to see the masked pony as well. Rainbow Dash looked closely at the masked mare, and saw that he had the Everlasting Flower in his hoof, and he placed it into his saddlebag.

"Stop!" Sora shouted as he, Donald, and Goofy rushed over to stop the mysterious masked pony. But suddenly, the pony threw some coins across the floor, making the trio trip, and hitting Rainbow Dash on the head, knocking them onto Rough Diamond instead, pinning her on the ground. The boy looked up and saw the masked pony escape, and jump off the building. Pretty soon, Pinkie Pie appeared behind the four, looking down upon them.

"I flew up here, that's what." Pinkie Pie said, seeing three balloons floating up into the sky. No doubt Pinkie Pie used those balloons to fly up to the top of the building.

"Pinkie, Mare Do Well was here!" Rainbow Dash said. "He stole the flower!" The party pony gasped and rushed towards the edge of the building, to see if Mare Do Well was still there. But he was already gone. No trace of him whatsoever.

"Well, at least we got the thief." Goofy said, showing that he, Sora, and Donald were still on top of Rough Diamond.

The sound of the doors bursting open nearly startled the group, as Officer Stable and Officer Benson, and the other girls and Spike emerging from the doorway that led to the roof. They were a bit surprised, seeing Rainbow Dash and the others on top of Rough Diamond.

"You guys caught here." Officer Stable said. The four looked down and saw that they were still on Rough Diamond, who was moaning in a bit of pain.

"Mare Do Well was here, and he stole the flower from Rough Diamond." Sora said. "We tried to stop him, but he got away."

"Well, at least you all are ok, and the crook has been caught." Officer Stable said. He and his partner approached Rough Diamond, who finally came to, only to have her hooves cuffed.

"No!... NO!" Rough Diamond shouted. "I didn't come this far to be caught now!" As she spoke, more black smoke began to steam off her body, and soon, a circle of black smoke began to form right under her. The two officer ponies stood back with surprise.

"What's happening?" Rainbow Dash asked, as Sora's eyes widened with shock, knowing what was about to happen. Rough Diamond was going too deep now!

"Everyone, get back!" He called out as he, Donald, and Goofy ran toward the edge, as the cops, Spike, and the girls, except Pinkie Pie, who was still staring down from the top of the building on the street, backed away as well, as Rough Diamond began to scream at the top of her lungs as she looked up at the sky, and a black force erupted from her body, covering her in a black and purple cloud.

"Wait, get back from what?" Pinkie Pie asked as she turned around, and her irises began to shrink down as she saw the dark cloud take shape and form. As the smoke began to clear up, a huge heartless took it's place, showing it to be a princess like heartless with a crown that had multiple crystals sticking out of it. In it's hands was a scepter with the middle part looking like a crown, and at the top was a huge gemstone followed by a red ruby. It's lower body had a long dress with both it's left ad right side in the shape of a tiara with red diamonds, and the rest of the body was a round orb, with spikes and a gear at the bottom, tipped with a diamond jewel. And of course, it had a the black hands and face, with the heartless sigil on it's chest. This was a heartless known as a Jewel Princess!

"What... the.... HEARTLESS!" Pinkie Pie screamed as she galloped behind Sora and co. Fluttershy also hid behind the group, frightened by it's size and look. Rarity gasped, but it wasn't because the heartless looked monstrous.

"Oh my stars!" Rarity said. "How do those heartless come up with the most amazing outfits?"

"Yeah!" Donald said as he brought out his staff, Goofy his shield, and Sora his keyblade.

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash said, flapping her wings and getting ready to fight. Sora looked back at the officers.

"Good luck!" Officer Stable said as he and his partner stood back, allowing the trio and ponies fight against the Heartless. The Jewel Princess glanced down at the group, and pointed her staff forward. With a bright glow, the staff shot out crystal shards upon the group.

"Incoming!" Sora shouted as they made the move, dodging the crystal shots. Good thing Goody's shield was strong enough to block the crystals. Rainbow Dash just did her usual flying, doing her best to dodge every crystal shard, except for one that hit her and sent her tumbling down. Sora leaped up as the shards finished raining down on the group.

"Take This!" Sora shouted as he threw his keyblade forward with his Strike Raid attack. As the blade struck through, it returned to the boy's hand, and he dropped down on the beast with a Blitz swing downward, whacking the Jewel Princess in the face.

"Here I go!" Goofy shouted as he performed his Goofy Bash, hurtling his shield at the heartless, almost like Strike Raid, but it was hitting the heartless multiple times. The Jewel Princess began to turn red with anger and it threw it scepter into the ground, summoning large crystal boulders. The boulders began to dive and bounce on the ground.

"Look out, everyone!" Sora called out as he, Donald, and Goofy made their efforts to dodge, while the ponies, even the policeponies, jump out of the way while the boulders continued to leap up and down, shaking the building a bit, and making ponies open their windows up and see what the ruckus was.

"Who's making all that noise?!" A Pegasus called out, until she looked up and saw the Jewel Heartless above the building next door. She gave a scream at the sight of it. Other ponies on the ground floor were watching with confusion and shock. They were thinking about running, but they saw Sora and company fighting it. They certainly didn't want to miss this. As the boulders finished the attack, Rainbow Dash flew straight towards the Heartless.

"Come get it!" She said, only to be whacked by the heartless's scepter. Seeing an opportunity to attack, Donald jumped in to launch a spell... hopefully.

"My Turn!" Donald shouted as he ran up and pointed his wand forward, charging up with what energy it could.

"Let it be good... FIRE!" Donald shouted as he pointed forward, but then Rainbow Dash, who was hit by one of the crystal shards, bumped into Donald, making his staff drop out of his hands and shoot a fireball... at him. It hit, and the duck was engulfed in flames. The royal wizard began to quack and shout as he began to run around, his behind in flames. To be honest, if this was a spell, this would be called the Blazing Donald! Seeing this sparked an idea in Pinkie Pie's head.

"Oh!" She said. "I know what to do!" She then pulled out her cannon out of nowhere and looked at Rarity.

"JUST... DO IT!" Pinkie Pie said, standing up on her hind hooves and lowering her front ones, giving a shout. Rarity then nodded and picked Donald, still screaming and in flames and hurtled him into the party cannon. Pinkie Pie then aimed it at the Jewel Princess and clicked the switch, shooting out a burning Donald with confetti, and he hit the heartless, making it drop it's scepter. He then landed on the ground in soot, giving a cough.

"Oh my!" Fluttershy shouted as she flew towards the royal wizard. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, you poor thing." Fluttershy said as she picked up the duck, who was moaning. "I got you." She then carried him to the side. The Jewel Princess began to get angry now, as it raised its hands into the air, summoning a large crystal with a pointy sharp end and aimed it at the group.

"Uh Oh!" Goofy shouted as he lifted his shield up. The heartless then turned it's head to see Spike, who was on the ground, looking at the monster with fear. The Jewel Princess aimed the crystal right at the dragon, hoping to crushing him.

"Spike, look out!" Sora called out, as the baby dragon tried to run, but tripped and fell on his stomach. He looked up to see the heartless ready to drop the crystal on top of him.

"Oh great." Spike said. "Never thought I'd get squashed by my favorite food!" Rarity gasped in horror as she saw the little dragon about to be crushed by the crystal. She then looked down at the ground and saw the heartless's scepter. She picked it up with her own magic. She rushed forward between Spike and the crystal, aiming the scepter with her magic. It glowed brightly and then the crystal suddenly stopped, surprising the heartless.

"You wicked heartless beast!" Rarity shouted. "No one tries to crush my Spikey-Wikey!" The heartless tilted its head in confusion. Rarity then nudged the staff forward, shooting the crystal and making it break into multiple pieces. Then with it, she fired the crystals at the Jewel Princess, hitting it with each shard. As she did, Spike just watched with amazement. Rarity saved him, and she called him her Spikey-Wikey! He couldn't help but smile. As all the shards hit the heartless, the Jewel Princess was in a daze. This was now a good time to strike!

"Alright!" Sora called out as he rushed toward Goofy, who then tossed his shield up into the air and Sora swung his keyblade, hurtling the shield at the Jewel Princess multiple times. This was their Knockbash Joint Attack, moves that can be executed with a teammate. After a couple of knockbashes, the two then did their Duo Raid, throwing their weapons like boomerangs a few times at the enemy.

"Hey, let me join too!" Rainbow Dash called out as she flew on top of Goofy, who began to rapidly shake, and Rainbow Dash spread her wings.

"Rainbow Cosmic Boost!" The three called out together and Goofy flew right out of Sora's arms like a rocket, with Rainbow Dash flapping her wings, leaving a rainbow trail as the two flew around and slammed into the heartless, bashing it. It was now heavily damaged.

"Ok!" Sora shouted as he rushed forward and made a great leap. With a shout and swung his keyblade, slicing through the heartless with a mighty slash. The ponies on the ground watched with surprise and astonishment as the boy made a perfect landing on the other building. As he turned back to see, the heartless then began to twitch as a bright light emerged from it's chest. A red pink heart burst out and flew up into the air, and the Jewel Princess was no more, disappearing and fading away.

"Oh boy!" Donald called, leaping out of Fluttershy's hooves as he and Goofy cheered with joy. The ponies and Spike also cheered as well, seeing the heartless was no more. Sora made another leap back to the building the others were on, and Donald and Goofy gave him a big group hug.

"Thanks, but we all did it." Sora said. "We did it together." After the two gave a nod, Donald looked over the side of the building and smiled.

"Hey, look!" He said, pointing down at the streets. Everyone made it to the edge and saw the ponies on the streets cheering and applausing, thankful that they stopped the heartless and saved the city.

"Garsh, we have an audience." Goofy said as he, Donald, and Sora waved happily, while the other ponies did the same, with Rainbow Dash flying above them.

"Thank you!" Rainbow Dash said. "Thank you!" She was then pulled by Rarity, who was telling her to calm down and not let her ego get the best of her again. Suddenly, there was a grunt sound, like someone was waking up. Sora looked over behind, and surprisingly saw Rough Diamond on the ground, alive and slowly waking up.

"We got this." Officer Benson said as she and Officer Stable went on ahead and approached Rough Diamond, who was finally waking up again.

"Wha... what happened?" Rough Diamond asked. "What's going on?" Suddenly, the two officer ponies pounced her and held her down on the ground, finally placing hoof-cuffs on her.

"You're under arrest, Rough Diamond." Officer Stable said with a smile, as Rough Diamond gave a grumpy pout.

"You Darn Do-Gooders!" Rough Diamond shouted as she was placed into the prison wagon. "You haven't seen the last of Rough Diamond!" The gate closed up, and the wagon drove off towards the prison building.

"Yeah, but the flower is now in the hands of Mare Do Well." Sora said, looking back at the two. "Now Mare Do Well's got two talismans already."

"And we managed to recover the other items that she has stolen." Officer Stable said as he approached the trio. "You three have our thanks."

"It was nothing." Sora said. "We wouldn't have caught Rough Diamond without our friends." He then looked at the ponies and Spike, who all gave nods of agreement. Officer Stable then approached Rainbow Dash.

"Miss Dash, you have my apologies." Officer Stable said. "It was wrong of me to, you know, criticize you like that. I know that you and your friends, and the Princess are not fully responsible for what happened at the wedding." Rainbow Dash gave a smile and nod.

"Hey, it's cool." Rainbow Dash said. "But you are right. It is our fault for chasing Twilight away like that."

"But we will do whatever it takes to make things right again." Rarity said. "We owe that to Twilight." The other girls nodded in agreement.

"It's probably time for us to leave." Sora said. "We still need to keep searching for Twilight. And we won't rest until we find her and make things right." The girls and Spike all gave another nod.

"Hopefully when we find Twilight, we'll fix that too!" Goofy said. He, Sora, and Donald also nodded.

"Well, you guys take care out there." Officer Stable said. "If you want, how about we find you guys a nice place to stay tonight. We owe you so much." The girls looked at each other. It would be nice to stay at a nice fancy hotel. But they didn't want to. Twilight was still out there, and they needed to find her and make things right. Besides, it wouldn't feel right for them to stay at a nice hotel while she didn't. No way they were going to leave her out again.

"It's very nice of you, but no need." Rarity said. "It wouldn't be right for us to have a nice room without Twilight."

"But if we happen to come back, can we have a reservation for all of us, including Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You take care, and use that key of yours wisely, alright?" Officer Stable asked.

"And if you happen to get the glower back, make sure it's kept safe, ok?" Officer Benson asked.

"You got it!" Sora said. "See you again!" They then turned to leave, while the ponies waved goodbye to the officers.

"Goodbye!" Donald and Goofy called out with the girls and Spike, as they continued on their journey, as the music was playing in the background.

Soon the group made their way towards the train station. If Twilight wasn't here in the city, then she's probably somewhere that's out of town, like a forest or field and such. Perhaps they should search areas like that. Needless to say, with the moon now out and raised by Princess Luna, they'll likely have to make camp tonight.

"Well, Twilight wasn't here, either." Applejack said. "I wonder where she could be."

"I'm a bit more worried how we're gonna tell her we're sorry." Fluttershy said. The farmpony then glanced over to Rarity, who was alone in her thoughts.

"I'm fine, but I can't help but think about the Everlasting Flower." Rarity said.

"It's not just any flower, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said. "It belonged to Mistmane, the most beautiful and kindest unicorn is the old legends of Equestria. She gave up her own beauty to save a friend and an entire village."

"First Mare Do Well steals Rockhoof's shovel, then Mistmane's flower, why is he stealing artifacts that date back thousands of years?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Maybe the artifacts are used for a ritual to summon an evil monster." Pinkie Pie said. As the girls were discussing about Mare Do Well, Sora, Donald and Goofy couldn't help but wonder the same about Mare Do Well and his motives.

"You know, this Mare Do Well seems to be a couple of steps ahead of us." Goofy said. "I wonder who he is?"

"But what kind of crazy pony would want to release a monster just to get back at the girls?" Donald asked. The trio continued their way to the train station, with Sora making a stop to look up at the sky. Whoever this Mare Do Well was, he sure had a lot of nerve to go around and stealing the artifacts that could potentially release the Pony of Shadows. But why? And who?

Sora then noticed that Spike was walking beside him, looking at the ground with a worried face.

"Oh..." Sora said, understanding the little dragon's worrying. "It's ok. We're all worried about her too."

"I just can't stop thinking about where she could be." Spike said. "She's probably all alone out there somewhere, and no doubt she's probably starving by now."

"But what if something bad is happening to her?" Spike asked. "What if she's being attacked by a vicious manticore or a ursa major? Or worse, what if she comes across Mare Do Well, and he does something bad to her?!" He was about ready to panick, but the boy placed his hands on the baby dragon's shoulders.

"Well..." Sora was about to speak, but then he started thinking. Spike did have a point on that. How could he even know if Twilight's ok? Heck he didn't know that Xehanort would use Terra's body and ambush him.

"He's right..." A familiar voice said, making Sora silently gasp. Lifting his head up, he saw someone behind Spike. Someone in a black coat, with white silver hair and yellow eyes. It was Young Xehanort!

"How can you be sure?" Young Xehanort asked. "You can't know everything... not even the horrible fate your friends almost endured..." The boy then gasped, as the scene around himself disappeared, showing the Keyblade Graveyard. Looking forward, he saw Xehanort, in possession of Terra's body, did away with Ventus and Lea. Then the entire area flashed, as it switched to the Heartless swarm, which was sucking up Aqua, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, Ventus, Lea, and Kairi…

"Sora!" Kairi's voice rang out as the scene of her being sucked into the swarm played through his head. Then the image of Riku trying to hold off the swarm only to be destroyed as it came for Sora next.

"Are you ok?" Spike asked. The boy then looked around, seeing that they were still in Manehatten. It was probably another hallucination.

"Yeah." Sora said as she shook his head, trying to get the scenes out of his mind. "I'm fine. What were we talking about?"

"Um... about how could be sure that Twilight is alright?" Spike asked. Sora then turned his head to think. How could he know and be sure? How can he even answer that?

"I... I don't have a good answer for that, Spike" Sora said, while the baby dragon tilted his head.

"Well, all I can say is, just don't worry about what could happen to her." Sora said. "You just need to focus on what you can do for her now. We just focus on finding her and then we focus on making things right again. And I know that you won't let her down." Spike then started to think. Sora was right. He shouldn't think about what could happen to Twilight. He needed to focus on finding her and making it up to her. The baby dragon gave a nod and a smile.

"Sora!" Donald called out, getting his and Spike's attention. The two looked to see Donald and Goofy looking at them.

"Ok!" Sora called out. Getting back on his feet, the boy and the dragon continued on, with Spike going ahead. He then looked back at Sora, remembering that weird face the boy was making. The face was like Sora was having an episode or something, and whatever it was, it was probably frightening. He never saw Sora look so spooked before.

"Oh, ok." Spike said as he continued onward to join the others. As he got far ahead, Sora's smile slowly disappeared and he gave a heavy sigh. Truth be told, he wasn't fine.

"I wish that were the truth, though." Sora said. These frightening episodes really need to stop. Now even Spike's worriedness was enough to start one. He's not sure if he can handle another one. He recalled that Aqua has told him that he should talk about it with Donald and Goofy. But could they understand? They don't remember anything about it. After all, Sora returned to before the swarm attack and he's the only one that does remember it.

Sora then started to think about Twilight, still out there all alone. Come to think of it, how come whenever they're close to Twilight, she suddenly seems to be more out of reach? Could the darkness finally get her?

No, Sora thought. He didn't want to think that. He needed to stop thinking so negatively. It wasn't healthy. He needs to focus on finding Twilight and restoring the magic. He also needs to stop thinking about what could happen to Twilight. He knows that Twilight would never stoop that low. Never. There is still light in Twilight, he knows it.

"Twilight... I hope you're ok out there." Sora said, his face out to the sky. "I'll find you again. I promise."

It was sometime around nightfall when he was giving his speech at a motel conference room at Whinneyapolis. There was only one pony in attendence, listening to a tall minotaur with an grayish cobalt blue upper body, and a dark blue colored lower body from the waist to his hooves. He had silver horns and a black tie.

Iron Will was his name, and while he had a brutish appearance, he's a very cunning, and legalistic minotaur, and somewhat deceptive at that. His personality ma be very forward but he always shows to honor promises and contracts. He likes to refer to himself in the third person, which is usually during situations in which he's confident or proud, sometimes both. Now he was working to get ponies onto his Self-Esteem Seminar, where he teaches ponies and all creatures to be assertive, for money at least...

"And you can learn all of Iron Will's secrets to being the new assertive you!" Iron Will continued. "For just four easy payments of-" Before he could finish, the only pony that was in the audience was leaving.

"Leaving." The pony said, heading for the doors unamused. "This seminar stinks."

"Wait, Stop!" Iron Will shouted. "If you act now, Iron Will shall throw in this easy pocket horseshoe cleaner!" He held up a horseshoe cleaner up, hoping to lure the pony back in, but the stallion was already gone. The big minotaur only sighed in defeat as he lowered his head.

A while back, Iron Will was in Ponyville to get customers to try out his Self-Esteem Seminar, where he can show that he can teach anyone to be assertive with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and attempted to get Fluttershy to act more assertive and no longer be a doormat, though it was probably so he could leech money off of her. It worked, as Fluttershy managed to stop being a pushover, which resulted in her insulting her friends. When he came by to collect the money, Fluttershy realized her wrong doings and refused to pay since his seminar made her push away her friends. Since she wasn't satisfied, he kept his word and left. Since then, his business for his Self-Esteemed Class has suffered, and he barely had any money to provide for his wife and son.

Next to him was a grey goat with an orange mane with grey horns, it's eyes looking in different directions. It was Bertha, which was most likely his pet. Iron Will looked at the goat, as if it was telling him something.

"Iron Will doesn't know, Bertha." The minotaur said. "It's like Iron Will has lost all of his charism.! Even the other goats have left me."

"You're right!" Iron Will said. "I did say me! Now I said I! Iron Will is losing it!" Suddenly, there was a clap, coming from the empty audience. He turned his head to see a man shrouded in a black coat and hood, clapping. The same mysterious man who spoke with the dragons back at the Dragon Lands.

"Bravo, Bravo!" The man said, ending his clap. "That seminar was quite a show." The minotaur looked at the strange man.

"Apologies, Mr. Will." The man said as he got up from his chair. "No need to be assertive now, for I was just watching your class, which is empty by the way. My name is of no importance, but you can call me a friend."

"In a way, yes." The hooded man said, looking around in the room, seeing the empty chairs. "I see that you're class for Self-Esteem isn't packed. And how did this come to pass?"

"A long story." Iron Will said. "Iron Will used to be good at teaching ponies how to be assertive, like Iron Will. But after Iron Will had his first dissatisfied customer in Ponyville, Iron Will has lost his charisma! Ponies no longer want to take my class, and I can't make profit anymore. Darn it! I referred myself in the first person again!" He then shook his head with grief and frustration. While his hooded shrouded his face, the man was smiling.

"Oh, so you've lost your charisma?" He asked. "Well... I can help you get it back." The minotaur looked at the man.

"Of course." The man said. "I need someone with your brute strength and your assertive appearance to help me with a special cause. And you, my friend, have all the qualities for the job." The minotaur gave a look of suspicion. This man wants Iron Will to help him with a special cause? What cause?

"Why should Iron Will listen to you?" Iron Will asked. "You're not even a pony, nor do you speak in the third person."

"Because the ponies' fear sparked you charisma." The man said. "Everypony, and everyone used to be afraid of minotaurs like you. And now that they're not, you're charisma will be gone very soon. But, if you join me, they'll be afraid of you again, and you shall have your charisma back, and I'll be more than happy to pay you for your services." The minotaur then looked at his goat, who just replied with a bleat. This guy wants to help him get his charisma back and he's willing to pay him money? Well, if he doesn't get any money soon, Iron Will's wife would scold him. No way he was gonna let an opportunity like this slide away. But... for what?

KINGDOM HEARTS: Fractured Friendship

by KHXhero

Chapter 08: Little Manehatten