//------------------------------//
// My Little Pony Movie (Part 1) 
// Story: My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria 
// by Codex92 
//------------------------------//

Across the seas far from the kingdom of Equestria lies a kingdom surrounded by storms. Many airships sailed through the skies, coming in and out from the northeast, docking near a dark, pointed spire castle in the mountains. One of the airships approached the castle, hovering down to the private docking bay. As the ramp lowered down, several large, white primate-looking creatures with long tails marched down in pairs, all of them wielding two-pronged spears, black kite shields, and black and dark gray armor, their lower legs and arms between their shoulders and hands exposed. Behind them were two creatures unlike the primate guards, one a short gray hedgehog with a white mohawk while wearing a just a black vest, the other a dark purple mare, bearing a similar style of hair as the hedgehog, but her hair was a dark magenta. She wore black armor protecting her torso and flanks while wearing a pair of armored horsehoes that went a short way up her fetlocks. On her forehead was what was supposed to be a horn, only it was broken off, and she bore a scar running over her right eye. All of this small army bore two slitted markings on their armor, the tops curved slightly to look like horns, and they seemed to glow an eerie light blue on their dark outfits.

On the unicorn's back was what appeared to be a staff, the top end zigzagging until it reached a long, light-blue crystal embedded in it. "So, we've got this staff the Storm King's wanted," the hedgehog said, who had a lisp whenever he pronounced his S's. "How'd you know where it would be?"

"I do my research, and I have my ways," the mare said. "The problem is that the Staff of Sacanas needs powerful magic from the alicorn princesses in order to be active."

"And...he isn't gonna be happy about that," the hedgehog uttered nervously.

"We'll head for Canterlot once we deliver him the staff. They have a pretty poor record of protecting themselves from threats, and the Storm King's army, along with our secret weapon, will bring those ponies to their knees," the mare said. "Not even the princesses can hold a candle to what we have."

"Are you sure about that?" The unicorn's ears perked up, all the guards quickly turning around with their weapons at the ready as they heard the mysterious intruder behind them. The hedgehog yelped and hid behind the mare as she slowly turned to leer at the intruder. Standing before them was a stallion in a black coat, his face concealed by a black hood. "Sure, those ponies might not be tough enough for your army, but hope that secret weapon of yours is able to stop some much tougher 'mercenaries' who helped protect the whole kingdom from a lot more serious threats." The guards were about to charge him, only to freeze when they saw red lasers aiming at them from a distance. The mare squinted, pinpointing their trajectories to see strange white creatures wielding crossbows, able to take perfect aim at around a quarter of a mile away from them. "Relax. I'm here to make a proposition with this king of yours."

"What business do you have with him?" the unicorn questioned.

"You see, I couldn't help but overhear that staff you're gonna give him requires powerful magic. Magic from...alicorns, perhaps?" the stallion asked. The mare glowered at him, crouching down to attack. "Hey, easy, we have a similar goal in mind. I'm just warning you that taking over that kingdom is not gonna end pretty if you simply just waltz right in and ambush them. Those mercenaries I told you about? They're pretty tough, and they can ruin your plans before you get the chance to start." He began his approach toward the mare, giving her a smirk. "But, there's someone my boss wants me to take in, and he's one of those mercenaries. If we work together, we can get what we both want. I'll even let you in on who they are, and what they can do."

"Why should I trust you?" the mare asked skeptically.

"If you think I'm not trustworthy, then why is a pony like you working for a bunch of monkeys?" The mare's eyes widened angrily, then lunged toward the stallion. The creatures in the distance shifted their aim toward her, firing small red projectiles at her. With surprising agility, she managed to duck and dive away from the speeding arrow beams, even kicking or smacking away a few of them with her armored hooves, deflecting a couple back to the sniping creatures in the distance. She grabbed the stallion while still avoiding their fire, holding him as a shield, making them cease their shots. The stallion chuckled in amusement despite being used as a bullet shield. "Not bad. You could give them a run for their money with your skills."

"I don't care if you test me to prove my worth. I don't trust anypony," the mare growled, her broken horn crackling with electricity in a threatening manner. "Call off your snipers, or you'll see just what I'm really capable of."

"Heh. You think I'm completely defenseless?" he asked with a sly smirk. The unicorn's ears perked up when she heard something appear behind her, her soldiers and the hedgehog all gasping in shock at what was behind her. When she felt something tap the back of her head, she froze with her eyes wide open in shock. She thought it was one of the sniper creatures, but when she glanced at one of his forehooves, a strange void was wrapped around one of his hooves, and when he moved it deeper in, she felt whatever it was tapping the back of her head. "I learn to never underestimate my opponents. I'm considered a recon kind of guy, and I've got eyes everywhere in this world.

"So, you mind letting me go? I might have an itchy trigger finger, assuming I had any fingers." She slowly released the stallion, remaining perfectly still as he walked away, then turned around. He pulled his hoof out of the void as she watched it disappear, revealing a very strange weapon he held that was tapping her head: it appeared to look like a small, single-handed crossbow of a light pale, purple and white, the barrel of the weapon more like a spike, a ring over the grip and trigger with three short spikes, and six diamond-shaped spikes attached to the guard of the grip. "Did you really think I'd be dumb enough to walk in a fortified place like this without some kind of protection? As if." The mare growled, letting her horn spark again, heavily underestimating this pony. "If you don't believe me, then I can take my business elsewhere, and I'll watch your plan blow up in your face."

"Uhh, t-that's fine! Please leave! Don't shoot us!" the hedgehog exclaimed nervously.

"Shut up, Grubber," the unicorn hissed as she glared at her subordinate. She looked back at the stallion, still finding him untrustworthy, but if he information she didn't, then she was willing to take anything she can to get what she desired most. "...If you plan to double-cross us, you're going to regret it."

"So that's a yes, then?" the stallion asked with a chuckle, dismissing his weapon. "Alright. And don't you worry. I'm not interested in money or any material goods. Just one kid, alive, and gift wrapped to my boss." With a tap of his hoof, the creatures aiming at the soldiers disappeared through a gray void, startling the primates before sighing in relief. The stallion approached the unicorn, who grunted in disapproval, but she would have to deal with him if the Storm King accepted his assistance. "So, might I ask your name, miss?"

"...Commander Tempest Shadow," the mare said.

"Heh. Commander, eh? Nice. I'm technically a second in command, too." The stallion raised a hoof, pulling back his robe to reveal his face: purple fur, a horn on his forehead, black slicked back hair with several gray streaks with a long ponytail running down his back, his eyes yellow with his right eye covered by an eye patch, a jagged scar from his left cheek to under his left eye, and his ears seemed a bit more pointed than an average pony's. He gave Tempest a toothy smirk. "Call me Xigbar."





It has been a month since the Pillars of Equestria had returned from their millennia of imprisonment in limbo. Star Swirl and his fellow Pillars decided to head off and travel the world to see what else had changed, no longer needing to worry about the protection of their world with the current protectors taking the mantle for them. Even Stygian went along with them, considered an equal among Star Swirl and his friends after the unfortunate circumstances that led the young stallion to become the fearsome Pony of Shadows. Hopefully they'll all find a way to adapt with the changes made in the last one thousand years, from advanced technology to the mannerisms of today.

During that time, the Warriors of Light, the Mane Six, Spike, Starlight, and Lea stuck around, Twilight deciding to host a special event for all of Equestria she calls the Festival of Friendship. Yen Sid and Mickey had to go back to their homes to keep tabs on any suspicious activities from Xehanort or his new Organization, whereas Sunburst returned to the Crystal Empire to help watch over Flurry Heart. For the festival, which was going to be held in Canterlot, Twilight had laid out a plan for what'll be there, and every pony was invited if they were able to come. Word had spread quickly within the first few days, and already, several cities across the kingdom were waiting in anticipation for the festival.

The day of the festival was near, and Canterlot was already packed, and more just keep coming. Decorations were getting set up, pastries and a plethora of different dishes were being prepared for the huge banquet of a buffet, and everyone was excited for the Festival of Friendship to start. Out on the streets, Spike was passing by guests and locals, several scrolls held tightly in his arms as he made his way to the castle.

"Excuse me! Dragon on the move!" Spike called out. "Important princess documents coming through!"

As hurried down the road, he overheard some of the ponies talking about the festival, how lucky they were to get a room at the many hotels around Canterlot, and about Princess Twilight Sparkle hosting this spectacle while not freaking out about the preparations. At the castle, however, Twilight waited in the main hall outside the throne room, eyes closed while humming a mantra, and wearing her crown for the occasion she had planned.

"Ohhhhmmm," she chanted quietly to herself. "Ohhhhh mmmmmy goodness, I can't handle this!" Her moment of calmness didn't last long as she began to shuffle around and pace anxiously. Riku sat against the wall, watching her be as cool as a cucumber one moment, then shift into the antsy, incredibly nervous and overreactive pony she always was. He knew she was going to lose it eventually, again, shaking his head with a small sigh. "Nothing's working! Riku, help me relax!"

"You sure there'd be enough time for us to go to our guest room for that?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Not like that! That's giving me more anxiety!" Twilight exclaimed. Riku lost his grin, questioning himself how she would get more anxious doing activities in the bedroom than what she wanted to do right at this moment. She ignored his deadpanned expression and continued pacing while talking to herself. "I have to get it together. Just go in there! And ask! This is your Friendship Festival! Everypony's happiness rests in your hooves..."

"And we're helping you out with that, so there's nothing you should worry about," Riku said calmly. Twilight groaned with worry while rubbing her forehead. The doors on the opposite end of the throne room opened, Spike walking over to them with his armful of scrolls. "There you are, Spike."

"Streets were all crowded with ponies, but I got all your charts and graphs, Twilight," Spike said.

"Oh, thank goodness you made it, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed. "I'm so nervous about this meeting!"

"Whachoo talkin' bout?" Spike questioned.

"She's going to ask Celestia, Luna, and Cadence for a big favor for the festival," Riku stated for Twilight. He let out a disappointed sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "I kinda wished she brought Flurry Heart. She probably would have loved the party."

"More like she loves being with you," Spike said with a snicker. "It's like she's attached to her Uncle Riku. And you're quite attached to her."

"Well, after the last time I babysat her, it almost ended in disaster," Riku said.

"Guys! FOCUS!" Twilight shrieked, startling the stallion and baby dragon. "This is a really important favor I need to ask the princesses!" She began to whimper and slowly force herself over to the throne room doors. "What if they reject me?"

"Come on, Twilight, it'll be fine," Spike assured his overly worried surrogate sister. "Just remember the most important thing."

"...Smile!?" Twilight turned her head to Riku and Spike, giving them the most awkwardly forced, toothy smile she could ever make.

The two males stared blankly at her, then glanced at each other before Riku looked back at her and spoke up. "No, I don't think that's the right answer," he said. He approached the stressed out alicorn, gently rubbing her cheeks to relax her clenched jaw, then gave her a kiss on the snout. "You're a princess, too. They'll at least hear you out and let you down gently if it's not so great."

"...You're right," Twilight mumbled, her frazzled nerves slightly settled, but it didn't get rid of all the butterflies in her stomach. She took in a deep breath to calm herself, then faced the double doors and opened them. She, Riku, and Spike walked inside, where Celestia, Luna, and Cadence had been waiting for Twilight for the meeting she requested from them. "Good morning, Princesses. Thank you all for seeing me. I have an idea that I think will make the Friendship Festival the most wonderful celebration Equestria has ever seen!"

"Yes, Twilight! We are very excited!" Celestia said.

"Ponies have been arriving from all over all morning," Cadence added.

"And Flurry Heart wasn't one of them," Riku pouted. "Thanks for keeping me away from my future niece."

"Maybe next time," Cadence promised with a giggle.

"I would like to think that the ponies came to see us, Songbird Serenade might be the bigger attraction," Luna stated, slightly amused by the vocal artist Twilight chose to perform at the festival.

"Yes, she IS the...'mane' event!" Twilight said, giggling at her own joke. Riku wasn't impressed, groaning at the terrible pun that he was sure Sora could make funnier. "And to make it EXTRA special, I could use your help. Spike?" On cue, Spike pushed over a whiteboard, some equations already written on it in the corners along with some sticky notes placed on the sides. Twilight used her magic to control a marker, drawing out her idea while explaining it to Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. "Songbird Serenade's performance is not scheduled to start until after you begin the sunset. And based on my precise calculation, to get the very best lighting for the stage, Princess Celestia, I was hoping you could make sure the sun stays about 28.1 degrees to the south, and, Princess Luna, if you could raise the moon 62 degrees north at the same time, it would reflect sunlight on the other side and really frame the entire stage perfectly!"

Already, the princesses were a bit baffled by Twilight's idea. They even glanced to Riku, who was just as dumbfounded and lost as they were, clearly unaware of what his marefriend had in mind.

"...You want them to-?" he tried to ask, but Twilight quickly interrupted before they asked any questions until her presentation was done.

"But wait! There's more!" she said, continuing her complex mathematical drawing of the stage, the sun and moon's light reflecting onto the stage, and more. "Cadence, if you could use your crystal magic to create an aurora above the stage, the sun AND moon will shine through it and create a truly amazing light show!"

To emphasize Cadence's job, Spike managed to climb up the back of the whiteboard, tossed a bit of sparkling dust above it, then held up a cutout of the performing artist that would sing in the show. "Presenting Songbird Serenade!" Spike announced. Riku never knew who Songbird Serenade was, but at least the small cutout Spike was holding while he was humming and dancing to emphasize the performance showed what she looked like: a pale yellow pegasus, really fluffed black and yellow hair that covered her eyes, a stylish black shirt, a large pink bow on her head, and her cutie mark looked like a rain cloud sprinkling over six hearts, each of them a color of the rainbow. Spike ended up slipping from his perch, falling on his back with a painful thud. "...Ta-da..."

Twilight nervously spread her wing, hiding Spike's slip and fall with a sheepish grin, ending the presentation of her favor to the princesses. "...So you're saying you want us to move the sun and moon for the party," Luna summarized, still perturbed by Twilight's complex idea.

"Well, I'd do it myself, except I don't have your magic," Twilight explained, letting out a dorky-sounding snort.

If Riku wasn't so flabbergasted, he would have found that snort fittingly adorkable for the nerdy mare after she geeked out with her presentation. Celestia approached her former student, shaking her head slightly in amusement.

"Twilight, each of us uses our powers to serve Equestria in our own way," Celestia said, herself, Luna, and Cadence lighting their horns in their magic auras to emphasize the princess of the sun's statement. She then gently brushed Twilight's cheek, helping ease her with their response to her request. "You are the Princess of Friendship. You have all the magic you need."

Twilight let her former mentor's words sink in. "...So, that'd be a no?" she asked.

Cadence couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at her question. "Sorry, Twilight. It's a no," she said, making the lavender alicorn pout.





Up in the skies above the mountain city of Canterlot, a rainbow blur dashed through the clouds, poofing them away and clearing up the air around a section of the city. Rainbow Dash looked around after taking care of the cluster of clouds, then saw a bunch in the distance getting punched through by Ventus. His side was cleared out in no time as well.

"Looking clear over here, Dash!" Ventus called out.

"We'll have the whole city cloud free in record time!" Rainbow said, then zoomed off to deal with more clouds with Ventus following.

Down in the main plaza, a huge stage was set up for Songbird Serenade's performance later in the evening. Everyone else was busy getting things all set up: decorations, entertainment, food, and more. Terra helped Pinkie blow up party balloons, already done lifting some of the heavier stuff for the stage's acoustics and speakers to play the music all throughout the concert area. He didn't have as much lung power as Pinkie, who was currently blowing air into a really long balloon. She almost smacked the other end of it in Terra's face when she turned her head toward him, then started making a balloon animal, only that animal happened to be Discord.

"...Wow. I don't know how you were able to make a balloon image of Discord," Terra said in awe. "I can't even make a balloon poodle with these hooves."

"Lots of practice, Terra!" Pinkie said. Suddenly, her Discord balloon creation's tail began to sputter, the elastic getting slightly torn, then sent the balloon flying off from the backed up propulsion of Pinkie's lung power. "NOO! Come back, Discord balloon!"

She began chasing after it, making the stallion shake his head in amusement. "Well, so much for that. I wonder why Discord isn't here." Out of nowhere, a piece of paper appeared in a burst of magic and hovered in front of Terra. "'I can't be here because I would break the movie and its plot, just like when I heard the Pony of Shadows was here.' ...Wait, can he see us? And what movie?" Another letter popped in beside him, and read it aloud. "'I have my ways, and you wouldn't get the joke, but the readers will?'" That left Terra even more confused, even as the slips of paper exploded into peanut butter and grape jelly, splashing the dazed stallion. "...Ummmmm...Ok then..."

Terra went back to blowing balloons after wiping off the surprise sandwich filling explosions courtesy of Discord. On the stage, Fluttershy was practicing a song with her bird choir while Kairi watched. The alicorn's ears perked up when she heard the sputtering Discord balloon zipping and zagging toward them.

"Whoa! Heads up!" Kairi warned.

The balloon flew past, startling the birds, and Pinkie making it worse trying chase after it. "Watch out! Out of control balloon!"

"Oh no, there go all the birds," Kairi groaned, then used her magic to catch them before they ran away from the random danger that sped by, Fluttershy helping calm them down and help them back on their choir perches.

"I don't think it's the balloon that's out of control, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said with a teasing grin.

Down the road and approaching the stage, Sora pulled a cart alongside Applejack, a few mugs with some freshly squeezed apple cider and a barrel filled to the brim with it attached at the back. "Hey, y'all!" Applejack greeted.

Sora spotted Pinkie chasing after her balloon, and they were headed their way. "Duck," Sora said, both ponies quickly lowering their heads as Pinkie dashed over them. The wielder shook his head and laughed at Pinkie's latest wacky antic. "Who's thirsty for some fresh apple cider!?"

Rainbow stopped what she was doing with her ears perked up, quickly turning around and spotting the cider cart Sora unhitched himself from. "Cider?" She licked her lips, dying to get another taste of the most delicious drink she craved on Cider Season in Ponyville. "Yes! Apple cider!"

Her cheer didn't go unnoticed as Sora looked up, catching her speeding off toward the cart. "Oh no you don't!" Sora jumped in her path and caught her, safely sending them over the cart and tumbling across the ground before he managed to pin Rainbow Dash down. "You're not drinking this whole keg dry, Rainbow! Everyone's gonna get at least one mug before you gulp down whatever's even left!"

"That's not fair!" Rainbow whined. "Applejack gave you a whole barrel of cider on your first Cider Season! You must have drank every ounce of it by now!"

Sora blanched, but kept his weight down on the needy pegasus desperate to wet her whistle. "...Uhh...I completely forgot I still had that in my Gummi ship," he uttered. Rainbow turned to glare at him upon mentioning that, to which he gave a sheepish grin. "Oops...I guess...it must have gone bad by now."

"Actually, Sora, we do sell some hard ciders to adults," Applejack said. "With our barrels lettin' the cider ferment for that long, it might have a bit more of a kick to it."

"Have you tried it before?" Sora asked curiously.

"Well...maybe once...when Ah was a filly," Applejack admitted with an embarrassed blush. "...Got into a bit of trouble when Granny found out, but pa laughed when Ah acted a little tipsy after sneakin' a small mug."

"If Sora's not drinking his share, I'll head back to Ponyville and drink it for myself!" Rainbow exclaimed, then struggled to break free to zip off and steal Sora's stronger apple cider.

Sora kept wrestling the mare down, reminding her she and Ventus still needed to clear the clouds in the sky with the other pegasi. Coming up along the road, Lea, Donald, and Goofy came up to the cart while carrying several more decorations for the stage, which Rarity and Aqua were working on. They came to a halt when they saw Sora and Rainbow in a bit of a scuffle.

"Uhh, what's going on?" Goofy asked curiously.

"Sora's tryin' to stop Rainbow Dash from drinkin' up all the cider we just made for everypony," Applejack said. She grabbed the mugs on the cart, offering them to the three. "Wanna try some, fellahs?"

"Eh, I can go for a drink," Lea said, then snatched his mug with his magic while Donald and Goofy grabbed theirs with their respective claw/paw. "Cheers, guys."

"Cheers!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed, all three of them clacking their mugs together and simultaneously took a swig of the cider.

Rainbow was twisted around enough to see Lea, Donald, and Goofy drink the cider in front of her. "NOOO! I wanted to drink the first mug!!!!" she whined, throwing a tantrum like a spoiled baby.

The trio finished their sip, letting out simultaneous sighs in satisfaction. "Mmm mmm! This cider's delicious!"

"I could buy a keg of this stuff myself," Lea agreed.

"Well, sorry to say this, fellahs, but that cider always tastes better when it's freshly squeezed," Applejack said. "The cider wouldn't really keep for that long if it's stored, as does the flavor. So that's why on Cider Season every year, we sell barrels upon barrels to everypony who comes around for a mug."

"Ah. That kinda sucks, though," Lea uttered, then downed the last of his cider, licking the foam off his lips before giving the mug back to Applejack. "You could make a killing if you can preserve the taste."

"Ah tried offerin' that to Filthy Rich when Ah was younger, but Granny Smith always said that our cider is best with the greatest quality and care," Applejack said. "Caused me a whole lot of trouble and almost cost Big Mac a leg."

Lea was lucky he wasn't drinking his cider, but Donald and Goofy weren't so fortunate as they choked and did a spit take, drenching each other with cider. "...Wait, say that again?" Lea asked.

"Heh. Long story," Applejack said sheepishly. "But the moral of it was Ah promised never to lie again."

"And trying to sell cider to someone almost cost someone their leg?" Lea asked, then burst out into laughter. "I need to hear this in full, no details left out!"

Rarity ignored the ruckus behind her as she hummed a little tune, tying up the ribbons to decorate the edge of the stage's walkway perfectly while placing blue diamonds in the center of them with just as much. Aqua was on the other end doing the same, and despite being farther away, she groaned when she kept hearing Rainbow Dash crying about "her cider" and how delicious it was.

"What is going on over there?" she asked.

"Sora's keeping Rainbow from downing the cider he and Applejack made," Kairi said, calming down one of the many birds that got startled from Pinkie's pursuit of her lost balloon. "I heard she was addicted to the stuff, but I didn't think it was THAT bad."

"I'd rather prefer herbal teas," Aqua said. "And to stay away from any other drinks that could have a hint of alcohol." She finished up her half of the stage, content with the symmetrical spacing and tied ribbons patterned along the side. "There. I'm done here." She walked over to Rarity's side, but just as she asked how far she was, she frowned slightly, seeing the fashionista was nowhere close to done, focusing on the first ribbon for the last several minutes. "And...Rarity isn't...This might take a while."

"You can't rush perfection, Aqua," Rarity said.

"We still have several things left to do for this festival," Aqua reminded the white unicorn.

While Aqua chided Rarity about rushing her job for the festival, Rainbow finally stopped struggling, though her gaze still lingered on the cider cart. "Are you done acting like a baby?" Sora questioned, earning an agreed grumble from the pegasus. "Good. Now, you're only getting one mug, Dash. Just. One."

"Mrf...Fine," Rainbow muttered. Sora got off of Rainbow and headed for the cart, making sure she didn't try to zip past him and sneak off a few more mugs with her speed. She noticed Rarity and Aqua getting into a little tiff, ignoring the cider for a moment to see the lack of work one of the two unicorns did to the stage. "Hey! Why's half the stage finished, Rarity!?"

"Twilight assigned Aqua and myself to make the stage fabulous for Songbird Serenade," Rarity said. "Fabulous obviously takes time."

"Well, 'fabulous' is gonna take forever!" Rainbow complained, then got an idea. "But 'awesome'..."

"What?" Aqua asked.

She got her answer when Rainbow sped past the two unicorns, and began to hastily decorate the side of the stage at a record pace. All the ribbons were messily tied together, the gems not even centered, and to Aqua's shock, Rainbow "fixed" her side as well, barely even noticing how good they even were compared to the only one Rarity did since they started. In her haste, she lost a strand of ribbon used to make the bows, flying past Kairi and Fluttershy, and not only did she startle the birds they just calmed down, but spun the duo around, tied together with said ribbon, and one of the decorative diamonds was placed on Fluttershy's muzzle.

She skid to a halt in front of the shocked unicorns, flashing them a cocky grin. "...can get it done in four seconds flat! Faster if I do my sonic rainboom!"

Rarity and Aqua were aghast, the latter especially when she ran over to her side to inspect the pegasus's hasty work. "Rainbow, you messed up my half of the work!" Aqua exclaimed. "This isn't even considered 'awesome'! It's a complete mess! Have you always been raised in a barn!?" When she went back around to glare at Rainbow, she winced, realizing what she said with Applejack being nearby. "Uhh...No offense, Applejack."

"None taken," Applejack said, understanding what Aqua meant with that phrase. "Especially since Ah wasn't raised in a barn. Mah family just happens to have a barn. Where Ah was born..." She began pondering the phrase some more while Sora poured some more mugs of cider. "And...spent most of mah formative years..."

"So, in a literal sense, you were raised in a barn," Sora formulated with a teasing grin, earning a deadpanned stare from his surrogate sister.

"Rainbow, where'd you go!?" Ventus exclaimed, hovering back down to earth with an annoyed scowl. "I screamed something about cider and left me to deal with the clouds!"

"She was 'helping' us decorate the stage," Rarity explained, pointing her hoof to the work she did in assisting the two mares.

Ventus winced at the sloppy ribbon placement, then up on the stage where Kairi and Fluttershy shuffled awkwardly while tied up with ribbon. "...Uh huh..." He then glanced at the cider cart, only to let out a sigh, remembering just how addicted Rainbow Dash was to Sweet Apple Acres fresh brew of apple cider. "Rainbow, I think you need help."

"At least she didn't drink the whole keg dry," Sora said, giving the thirsty pegasus her mug. "ONE mug, Dash."

Rainbow didn't care as she slurped down her cider without even so much as taste it. Twilight, Spike, and Riku approached the stage from the road leading to the castle, the princess too busy looking over her list of preparations.

"Hey, guys," Riku greeted.

"Finally back, huh?" Sora teased, then tossed his friend a mug, which he easily caught. "That meeting took forever."

"It didn't take that long, actually," Riku said, then sipped some cider. "Unfortunately, the princesses declined Twilight's grand debut for the stage."

"They really didn't," Twilight reiterated with a sigh. "They think I can make today perfect without their magic."

"And they are absolutely right, darling," Rarity said. "This festival is your brilliant idea and we know you're up to the task!"

"But what if I'm not!?" Twilight exclaimed. "What if Songbird Serenade hates the stage!? Or nopony makes a new friend!? And if I fail at the festival, then who am I!?"

While Twilight was having a panic attack, Terra joined the others after blowing up what balloons were left. "She having another freakout?" he asked, to which the others gave a nod in response.

Pinkie finally stopped chasing her runaway balloon, finally running out of air to splutter, and somehow able to overheard what happened in the last several minutes, she zipped up to Twilight, squishing her face between her hooves while staring her dead in the eyes. "Twilight, look at me! This will be the biggest celebration Equestria has ever seen! As the Princess of Friendship, you cannot fail! This day will define who you are! The pressure is intense! IT'S ALMOST TOO MUCH FOR ANY SINGLE PONY TO HANDLE!" Everyone stared in exasperation at Pinkie's "motivational speech", more likely putting more pressure on her than there was. Twilight had fallen on her back during Pinkie's inspiring words, wincing more and more, even as Pinkie randomly screamed near the end. The crazy seriousness quickly shifted to a confident smile on Pinkie, leaping away from Twilight to rejoin the others. "But you have us! So stop worrying."

"...Smooth, Pinkie," Riku uttered. "Real smooth..."

Twilight lifted her head up to see all of her friends, from her world and worlds beyond. While Pinkie smiled her usual cheerful smile, Rarity fixed up one of the bows on the stage while Aqua rolled her eyes at the crazy speech, Rainbow let out a burp after finishing her cider, Terra managed to untie Fluttershy and Kairi from their bindings, Ventus, Riku, and Applejack shook their heads in bewilderment from Pinkie's motivation for Twilight, and Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Lea just grinned sheepishly. Twilight could only respond with a nervous grin, hoping that nothing else goes wrong or gets screwed up on this special festival she came up with. Music began to fill the air, confusing Lea as he looked around, yet no one was playing any instruments as Applejack helped Twilight back up and dusted her shoulders off.

[Applejack]
It's time to show'em what you've got

The others approached Twilight as well sans a baffled Lea, Rarity helping fix Twilight's crooked crown back upright on her head.

[Rarity]
It's time to go and get things done

[Kairi]
But you don't have to do it on your own

[Pinkie Pie]
'Cause you've got friends right here to make it fun

Pinkie helped group everyone in a group hug around Twilight, squishing the alicorn between all her friends, her cheek conveniently squished up against Riku's while everyone wasn't even deterred by the impossible group hug.

[All but Twilight and Lea]
We've got this, you got this
We've got this together

As everyone broke the hug, Rainbow snatched Twilight and flew them up to the air with Riku following. Lea scratched his head, baffled, even as he felt his hoof tapping to the beat of the music.

"...Are you guys breaking into a musical number?" Lea asked.

"Yeah, this happens sometimes," Sora said. "You get used to it after a while and just go with it."

"Well, I'm not complaining, but it's just out of the blue," Lea said.

Up in the air, there were still several clouds hovering above Canterlot as Rainbow and Riku guided Twilight through the sky.

[Rainbow Dash]
Sometimes the pressure gets you down
And the clouds are dark and gray
Just kick them off and let the sun shine through

Rainbow quickly flew up, dashing through the cloud line and left a hole, letting sunlight filter through the hole. Twilight followed after her, finding no sign of a rainbow blur kicking away the rest of the clouds that needed to be cleared. Riku followed after her, draping a hoof around her.

[Riku]
And scary as it seems, more help is on the way
'Cause friends have friends that wanna help out, too

From beneath the clouds and getting poofed away, Rainbow came back along with several members of the Wonderbolts. Rainbow regrouped with the couple while the Wonderbolts circled around them in formation.

[Riku, Rainbow Dash, and Wonderbolts]
We got this, you got this
We got this together

Twilight was completely surprised seeing the Wonderbolts helping clear the skies. Although, as the stunt team flew off, she noticed a small bit of cloud still lingering up above them. She pointed to it, but Riku and Rainbow rolled their eyes, the two of them ushering Twilight to continue checking on the rest of the planning while they handled the skies. She hesitated, but flew back down and observed everything else for the Friendship Festival, from the different sorts of games and entertainment to the food and beverages. And among the ponies helping or visiting, there was a colorful cast of ponies she met before or have seen many times; Bulk Biceps, Trixie, Zecora, Cheese Sandwich, Moondancer, Party Favor, Double Diamond, Sugar Belle, Night Glider, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, Derpy, and many others.

[Crowd]
It's the Festival of Friendship
And we can get it done
A festival that they won't forget

A party to be proud of
A day of games and fun
Just you wait and see
A magic day in perfect harmony

Twilight's next stop was at a petting zoo with Fluttershy's animal friends, Terra helping the animal loving pegasus with the other animals while she held a bird in her hoof.

[Fluttershy]
You got this

[Bird]
[whistles melody]

From behind the mares, Harry the Bear snuck up on them and caught them in a big bear hug, Fluttershy barely bothered while Twilight was squeezed tightly by the friendly brown bear.

[Fluttershy and Bird]
We got this together

Twilight managed to squeeze her way out of Harry's strong, but gentle grip, deciding to check on some of the food for the banquet, which was Applejack's department. When she arrived, she was surprised to see all of Applejack's relatives from all over Equestria were here to help, baking and cooking an assortment of apple-based recipes for the festival. Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy helped Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith sort out the many pies the huge family finished baking. Spike was already there, checking off anything he's seen that looks good while also checking what Twilight had approved when they split up earlier.

[Sora]
With friends and family, you are never alone
If you need help, we've got your back

He pat Spike's back, accidentally making him cough out green flames that burned a hole through his list. Sora winced and gave an apologetic grin, but at least Spike wasn't aimed at the food, otherwise there would have been some burnt pies that would have upset the Apples. Twilight went over to join with Applejack as she watched over the cider making. She took a sip of the freshly made apple cider from a ladle, grimacing a little at the sour taste before adding in some more sugar to help sweeten it some more.

[Applejack]
You can be honest, let your problems be known

[Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Applejack, and Apple family]
'Cause you got us to pick up the slack
We got this

The Apple family set up more pies on the tables, Sora, Donald, and Goofy sliding a few stacks they carried down them to meet with the rest as they accompanied Big Mac at the other end.

[Sora and Big Mac]
Eeyup!

[Apple family]
We got this together

Back at the stage, Rarity and Aqua continued decorating the stage, fixing up the mess Rainbow made and continuing on  with their work.

[Aqua]
Pay attention to the details
Every gem even spaced
Make the colors perfect

Spike snuck his way over while the unicorns worked their magic, literally and figuratively, eyeing the diamonds used for the ribbons.

[Spike]
Takin' one or two to taste

He snatched one diamond and stuffed it in his mouth, which didn't go unnoticed by Aqua. "Spike!" she scolded, only for Rarity to levitate a new diamond out of the hundreds stashed in a basket back to the ribbon Spike sneaked a snack from.

[Rarity]
Inside and out, beautiful throughout
Generosity is what we're all about

Aqua almost forgot just how abundant gems and minerals were in this world, and Rarity always came prepared with enough gems. She must have known Spike would have hankered for a gem snack sooner or later, fixing the last of their decorations and hovered the last of them over to the baby dragon for him to munch on, which Spike gladly accepted and stuffed another diamond in his mouth.

[Spike]
[mouthful] You got this

[Rarity]
You got this

[Rarity, Spike, and Aqua]
We got this together

Twilight needed a breather from the festival preparations and took a bit of a flight around her home city. She was still stressed about making this event perfect, but she knew she could count on her friends to make things right, whether things work out in the end or if any complications arise. Regardless, this day was going to help unite Equestria closer than ever, and as the princess in charge of the Festival of Friendship, she would take the responsibility for how it goes, and prayed it would succeed.

[Twilight Sparkle]
Today needs to be perfect, it all comes down to me
I don't know if I'm ready
For all the things they need me to be
I am the Princess of Friendship
But that is more than just a crown
It's a promise to bring ponies together
And never let anypony down

Back in the center of Canterlot, Pinkie had somehow found a mixing bowl that was half the size of one of the houses, pedaling over the huge amount of batter on a makeshift bike/mixer to mix the thousands of ingredients scattered and piled up around her. Pinkie was wearing a sweatband around her head and forehooves, treating this like a workout as much as a massive baking spree, but at least her sweat from pedaling wouldn't get in the mix. Ventus and Lea were tasked to helping her with this, which was unfortunate for them, both stallions covered in flour as they continued pouring pound after pound of ingredients into this giant cake Pinkie was making.

[Pinkie Pie]
We've got an awful lot to bake

"How much more batter's for this cake?" Lea questioned, unintentionally rhyming and to the beat of the music, which he still wondered how this happened.

Oh, wait! There's something better we can do

Leaping off her exercise mixer, Pinkie dragged Ventus and Lea away from the messy mixing area, forcing them to drag a couple carts filled with building supplies and follow her.

We're gonna need some more supplies
To make a really big surprise
She'll be so shocked - she's sure to love it, too!

Both stallions gawked when they reached their destination. Piled up were a LOT more supplies, along with a wrecking ball, more flour, and a whole lot of miscellaneous stuff. Even Pinkie's pet alligator, Gummy, was waiting there for them with a wrench in his toothless maw. Before Ventus or Lea could even ask what she was planning, Pinkie was already running around like mad, a cloud of dust appearing as the construction of her big surprise began.

"Uhh, she's got this?" Ventus asked Lea, then appeared between the two stallions, smushing her muzzle against his.

[You got this!
We got this together!

As Pinkie gave each of them a one-legged hug while showing them her quickly built device, Lea and Ventus just stared both in awe and terror. "...What is that for?" Lea asked, but wasn't given a clear answer as everyone, their friends and the city itself, joined up near the stage.

[All]
It's the Festival of Friendship
Together we are one
A day we will never forget

And now everything is ready
So when the day is done

[Rainbow Dash]
The weather

[Applejack]
The banquet

[Rarity]
The style

[Fluttershy]
And music

[All]
All will be in perfect harmony!

Everything was all set up, and the festival would begin sooner than planned. Behind the stage, a massive cannon barrel rose up, aimed for the sky, and upon firing, startled everyone with the loud boom while confetti rained out, along with a five-layered cake with strawberry and vanilla frosting, candles included. They all looked up, Twilight gasping in surprise and shock, but not in the way Pinkie imagined. The cake fell right on top of her, letting out a yelp as each layer plopped on her while everyone winced and backed away slightly. The cake looked wobbly despite landing perfectly and symmetrical, but it went from gelatinous to liquefied, the batter barely baked as it left a huge puddle that got to the rest of the mares', the Keyblade wielders', griffon's, and diamond dog's feet.

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" they heard Lea yell out as he and Ventus headed for the stage to see what happened.

Riku stepped through the batter to the center mass of the cake. "Twi? You ok, hon?"

Twilight popped her head out of the unfinished cake, splashing frosting and batter on him while coated in it herself. "Pinkie!" she scolded, wincing when a candle landed perfectly on the tip of her horn.

Pinkie Pie peeked out from the barrel of the cannon, no one knowing how she got in there without climbing up the fifty yard-long confetti/baking cannon. "Oopsie! Guess my easy bake confetti cannon needs a little more fine tuning!"

"...How...?" Lea questioned. "How is a CANNON supposed to BAKE cake batter enough to be considered tuned up fine!?"

"Don't question it," Ventus uttered with a sigh.

"...That's it. I'm not doing anymore shenanigans with her," Lea said, then marched off through the batter puddle, trying to brush off the flour clinging to his coat.

Twilight let out a huff, blowing out the flame that was on the candle. Riku helped his lover out while they began hearing ponies voicing their excitement about someone as they made their way through the crowd. Two dark gray stallions in business suits and earpieces, one bald while the other had a black afro and mustache, pushed the crowd back, letting the star of the festival for the performance through: Songbird Serenade. Twilight immediately felt embarrassed, getting covered in frosting while meeting the famous singing celebrity, who arrived earlier than the alicorn expected.

"Hiya. I'm looking for the pony in charge?" Songbird asked. Out of nowhere, the photogenically crazed photographer, Photo Finish, went around and snapped random pictures of the songstress with her camera. Songbird happily obliged with the overly enthusiastic photographer's paparazzi attack, striking several different poses for each perfect shot before addressing who was in charge of the festival. "I need to set up for my sound check."

"Ms. Songbird Serenade?" Twilight waded out of the batter, ignoring Riku's helping hoof, but he shrugged and followed her to meet with the singer. "I-I was just about to check on you! Heheh! I'm Princess Twilight, and sorry about the mess." Twilight wiped off the batter clinging to her, ignoring the sticky mess, trying to make herself look presentable to their star of the evening. Riku did the same, muttering to himself a little, even as he tasted some of the icing out of curiosity. "I'm usually not so-"

Riku accidentally flung some frosting on Songbird's outfit, causing the crowd to gasp in shock at what he did. Twilight froze, seeing the slight shock on the pegasus singer's face, even with her eyes obscured by her stylish hair, but Songbird chuckled in amusement.

"Caked in cake?" she said, finishing Twilight's statement for her.

Twilight giggled nervously with an embarrassed grin. She glanced at Riku, who was unaware of what he did, nudging him hard in the side. Looking up in confusion, he looked at Songbird Serenade, then the small splatter of frosting he accidentally flicked at her.

"Oh. Umm...sorry about that," Riku apologized.

"Oh don't worry about it," Songbird said, brushing off the apology. "I've had stranger things flung at me that wasn't what I believe would have been an amazing cake.

One of the security guards beside Songbird Serenade, the bald one, reached a hoof to his earpiece. "You have visual on buttercream?"

The other guard reached to his earpiece as well and responded. "Visual confirmed. Go for cleanup," he said, then approached Songbird and wiped off the "offending" frosting off her shirt.

"...Was that even necessary?" Riku questioned.

"Yes, sir. Yes it was," the first guard answered.

"Are you not the princess's bodyguard?" the second asked.

"Not exactly; I'm her boyfriend," Riku corrected. He then got a sneaky idea as he looked at Twilight, seeing a bit of frosting still on her cheek. "But, I do see a dangerous substance on my princess's face. Better extract for further analysis."

"Huh?" Twilight was going to ask what Riku was talking about, only to shriek when he suddenly licked the icing off her face, making her blush as everyone, including Songbird Serenade, watched them.

Riku licked his lips and gave them a smack. "Mmm. Strawberry frosting. False alarm."

"R-Riku!" The crowd laughed at the cute display, embarrassing Twilight more while Riku just gave her a cheeky grin. Even Songbird was amused by the romantic affection and teasing. Sadly, the tone shifted heavily when the sound of thunder came from across the horizon. Everyone looked up curiously, seeing a storm coming in, even though the clouds over Canterlot had been cleared away. "Storm clouds? Rainbow Dash, I ordered perfect weather!"

"I...don't think those are storm clouds," Rainbow said, knowing her clouds, and she knew for sure that these clouds weren't like the storm clouds the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale makes.

As the clouds got closer, they saw an ominous blue glow coming from them, looking almost similar to a pair of slitted eyes that looked like a pair of blue lightning bolts. Ponies backed away nervously as the glowing "eyes" disappeared, and an airship came out through the storm clouds. Foals hid behind their parents in fear at the dark black hull with a dark purple balloon holding it. It wasn't any normal zeppelin; it looked like a warship.

"Ooh! I bet those are the clowns I ordered!" Pinkie cheered in excitement, baffling the others around her.

"Pinkie, I don't think clowns ride in a battleship like that," Ventus said to her.

The airship didn't care it was going, making its own docking place as it rammed into a couple of the pillars near the area, even knocking down Pinkie's "clowns" she ordered: a small cart with a cardboard cutout of a clown in a rainbow afro wig, squeeze horns, and big bowties.

"...Oh. They're definitely NOT the clowns I ordered, then," Pinkie realized.

"I don't like this," Aqua said.

"Me neither," Terra agreed.

The Keyblade wielders all looked to each other, silently nodding, and carefully approached the docked airship. Donald and Goofy joined them to help protect everyone from this mysterious intrusion. The ramp lowered down with a thud, alerting Celestia, Luna, and Cadence from the ship's presence and the mysterious storm clouds that rolled into the capital. The other three princesses flew down to join up with the others to "greet" the intruder. Walking down the ramp, to their surprise, was a pudgy hedgehog. He carried a box with that same glowing symbol that appeared in the clouds upon the airship's arrival, which he placed down as soon as he got to the bottom, which began clicking and whirring as a speaker extended from the top and holding a microphone connected to the box.

"Ponies of Equestria!" Grubber greeted, everyone hearing his lisp when pronouncing his S's. "We come on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty...Storm King!"

On the side of the zeppelin, a banner unfurled to show the Storm King to the kingdom. The Storm King was a tall, white-furred primate of some sort with black horns with blue grooves, wearing obsidian-like armor with the same blue lightning bolt symbols on the front of his chest plate, the image of him pointing out to his public with his three-digit paw.

"The Storm King?" Sora asked, hearing the other ponies mumble nervously, neither of them ever hearing of this strange-looking king.

"And now, to deliver the evil, evil message, put your hooves together for Commander Tempest!!!!!!" Grubber pointed to the ramp, where the commander appeared through the mist, their silhouette slightly lit up by a blue sparking coming from their forehead.

When they walked through, everyone was startled to see that it was a pony who stepped out, not some other creature invading their home. Dark purple fur, a magenta mohawk, and the sparking that slightly unveiled her came from a broken horn upon her head, wearing black body armor with the Storm King's symbol.

"Is that a...unicorn?" Twilight asked.

"What happened to her horn?" Kairi wondered, feeling pity for the stone-faced mare looking down at the large gathering from the top of the ramp.

"'Tempest', is it? How may we help you?" Celestia asked, being wary of this serious unicorn mare and the Storm King's intentions.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked," Tempest said, sounding sarcastically delighted, making her serious and threatening demeanor much more ominous. "How about we start with your complete and total surrender?"

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd while the Keyblade wielders all glanced at each other. "...She's kidding, right?" Lea scoffed.

Twilight peeked her head around Celestia, stepping around her while giving their "guest" a nervous smile. "Hi there. Princess of Friendship," she greeted. "Not exactly sure what's going on, but I know we can talk things out."

Tempest raised a brow in curiosity, counting the number of alicorns among them. "Five? When was there a fifth?" she muttered to herself. She slightly shook her head, ignoring the numbers as she made her way down the ramp. "Alright, here's the deal, ladies. I need your magic. Give it up nicely, please, or we make it difficult for everyone!"

"Why should we cower to you?" Luna questioned. "There is only one of you!"

Aqua stepped forward, summoning her Keyblade, the other warriors following suit and calling forth their weapons to defend the princesses from Tempest. "I suggest you surrender yourself if you think you can take on the likes of us," she warned calmly.

"You chose the wrong day to invade a kingdom alone, missy," Lea cockily goaded, leaning back with his Keyblade hanging behind his back in a lackadaisical stance.

Instead of backing down, Tempest just chuckled, not even bothered by the seven wielders blocking her path with their strange weapons. "I was hoping you'd choose 'difficult'."

From inside the airship, Tempest's soldiers stepped out from the obscured interior, the same species as the Storm King, though much more muscular and wore armored masks. They thought that was the army she brought, but through the dark storm clouds, more airships appeared through the clouds as the troops from the first ship stormed out and attacked.

"Sora, Riku, protect the princesses!" Aqua ordered. "Everyone else, split up and protect the ponies!"

"Right!" Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Ventus, and Terra ran off to fight the soldiers with Aqua while Sora and Riku stayed close to the princesses, keeping an eye on Tempest if she tried to harm them.

Twilight was about to summon her own Keyblade, but Riku quickly stopped her, shaking his head no. She understood, keeping Tempest from learning she was also a wielder if she wasn't deterred by their Keyblades. The storm clouds had wrapped around the mountain, revealing a lot more airships closing in, carrying several more soldiers to invade.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sora exclaimed, covering the princesses' backs when he spotted the incoming airships. Once they were over the city, more soldiers dropped down, terrorizing the ponies while brandishing their spears and shields. A group of them stormed over to the princesses, some stopped by Terra and Aqua while a few kept charging. "Riku, you got the girls covered!?"

"Yeah, I've got this!" Riku said.

Sora ran toward the soldiers, intercepting them and pushing them back with a hard swing of his Keyblade. Riku kept himself alert if any soldiers slipped by, but from the sound of swords clanging and smacking armor and spells going off, he knew they were to stop the invasion. Tempest finally made her move, her horn sparking as she tossed a strange black orb that glowed a green energy inside. She leapt to the air after it, then spiral kicked it toward them. He was ready to deflect it, but Cadence jumped in front of him and set up a barrier around them. The orb struck the barrier, but it began to push through as Cadence grunted, trying to keep her powerful shield up. Riku thought she had this, but to their shock, the orb somehow managed to break through the Princess of Love's shield and struck her.

Cadence screamed as the orb exploded, coating her in a green mist, and her body began turning to stone. "Cadence!" Celestia cried out in shock.

Twilight, Luna, and Riku helplessly watched as Cadence was quickly being petrified. "I-I can't stop it!" Cadence exclaimed, her magic failing her as she struggled before completely turning into a terrified statue.

"No! Cadence!" Twilight cried out.

Twilight ran up to her sister-in-law, but Tempest was far from done. Pulling out another of those magic-piercing, petrification orbs, flipping toward them and kicked another one at Twilight. Riku growled, quickly getting in the orb's trajectory, smacking the orb up into the air with his blade, smirking as it didn't explode upon contact with his Keyblade.

"Let's see how you like a taste of your own-!" Riku was about to kick the orb back at Tempest as it fell back down toward him, but from Tempest's airship, inside the hull, a red energy arrow zipped through the air at blinding speed. Before his hoof made contact with the orb, the arrow struck first, shattering the orb and covering Riku in green mist. "AHH!" he screamed out, Twilight gasping in horror as the same petrification process happened to him, starting from his hooves and up his body. "W-What...was that!?"

"RIKU!!!!" Twilight screamed, watching him struggling before his body turned to stone.

In the distance, the others were easily whupping the soldiers, some knocked unconscious while others were frozen, paralyzed from electric shock, or trying to put out the fires singing their long, flammable fur. They turned when they heard Twilight screaming and ran back to the princesses, only to recoil in shock when they found Cadence and Riku turned into struggling statues. Even Riku's Keyblade had turned to stone in his hoof. Twilight sobbed, trying to use her magic to free him and Cadence, but nothing worked.

"What happened to them!?" Aqua asked. She looked at Tempest, wearing a smug grin on her face. Growling, she pointed her blade at the broken-horned unicorn. "What did you do to them!?"

"The same thing we're gonna do to all of you!" Everyone quickly looked back at the airship, Sora, Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Lea, Donald, and Goofy recognizing the voice. Walking out casually with his signature arrowguns was Xigbar as a unicorn, levitating his weapons in a dark grayish aura as he stepped down the ramp, one hanging by his side while the other was lazily draped over his right shoulder. Xigbar smirked, reveling in his foes' shocked faces, especially on the original trio of wielders he met before as Braig. "Well, well, well. Ain't this a happy little reunion? I heard from the others you three twerps were back together."

"Braig," Terra growled.

"Call me whatever you'd like: Braig, Xigbar, Cyclops, doesn't really matter," Xigbar said. "Master Xehanort missed having your body, Terra. Kinda ruined our plans for another vessel involving that part of you, but we'll soon have all thirteen before you know it."

"You're not taking Terra away from us again!" Ventus exclaimed angrily.

"Quiet down, kid. You should have died when you killed Vanitas, but you somehow managed to survive." Xigbar chuckled as he heard the young pegasus growl, then pointed one of his arrowguns at Sora. "Now, I have some demands, too. Sora's gonna come with me, no ifs, ands, or buts, and we'll have to turn you all to stone just to get what we both want."

"And just why are you working with her and the Storm King?" Aqua questioned. "Aside from Sora, what else are you after? This world?"

"As if I want to be the Storm King's lackey," Xigbar scoffed. "I offered my services to help him get what he wants while I get what Master Xehanort wants. Kill two birds with one stone, as they say." Raising both his arrowguns, the spikes underneath the guard began glowing, and with a flip, a clicking sound echoed from them, his weapons reloaded as he took aim. "Good thing I shot that orb before Riku sent it back to sender, otherwise my partner would have been really peeved at me."

Twilight glared at Xigbar with teary eyes, the energy arrow coming from his weapons. "Turn my sister-in-law and my coltfriend back to normal this instant!" she exclaimed, summoning her Keyblade.

"So, she really is one of them as well," Tempest thought aloud.

Twilight yelled and charged forward angrily, blinded by her sadness watching two ponies she cared about turn to stone. "Twilight, don't!" Kairi called out.

Luckily, Tempest didn't pull out another orb, at least not yet. Xigbar teleported back a fair distance, leaving Tempest to fight Twilight. Twilight swung at Tempest, but the commander swiftly ducked, then backflip kicked the enraged alicorn, hitting her jaw and sending her stumbling back. The others were about to jump in and help her, but Xigbar tapped his hoof, summoning dozens of Dusks, Snipers, and Berserkers to block their path.

"Ah ah ah!" Xigbar taunted. "I'm curious to see this new wielder's potential for myself! Keep yourselves busy with my own army!" The Nobodies all scattered and took over harrassing the other ponies in place of Tempest's soldiers. With no choice and one wielder down, the heroes of light hurried after the Nobodies to save the ponies again. They knew Twilight could defend herself, though she hoped she could stand against Tempest. Xigbar grinned widely, combining his guns into a single sniper rifle. "Time for me to go hunting," he said to himself, his magic levitating several more petrification orbs from his coat before warping off to a good sniping point.

Celestia and Luna had no idea where Xigbar went, but they were in a lot more trouble than they thought. Twilight recovered from the kick, charging at Tempest again swung wildly in fury. Tempest barely batted an eye as she continued avoiding Twilight's blade, blocking a horizontal slash with one hoof and held it in place.

"You're clearly not a warrior princess, Princess of Friendship," Tempest taunted. "Getting upset hinders your judgement. And your combat prowess. Well, what little you have compared to the other Keyblade wielders."

"H-How do you...know about the Keyblade!?" Twilight questioned, trying to pull her Keyblade out of Tempest's stronger grasp.

"Xigbar informed me in such great detail about what they can do, and how strong you all are," the commander said, looking over at Sora as he slashed through the Nobodies attacking Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, the latter two fillies coming to Canterlot to enjoy the festival, only for them to be thrust into more danger yet again. "I don't care why he's so interested in that specific stallion, but what he wants is no concern of mine. All I care about is your magic, and what I wanted for so long."

Twilight kept getting frustrated trying to get her Keyblade back, struggling to aim it at Tempest's face. "FIRE!" she screamed, casting her spell through her Keyblade, but Tempest tilted her head far enough to avoid the small fireball to lick at her cheek.

Tempest wasn't amused, smacking Twilight's Keyblade away, then swiftly thrust her forehoof into the alicorn's chest, knocking the wind out of her. "Shouldn't have done that," Tempest growled in Twilight's ear, knocking the blade away from the alicorn's weakened magical grasp, then proceeded to deliver a few more hard punches to the mare's face and chest, followed by a hard buck that sent Twilight flying past Celestia and Luna.

Both princesses began to worry as they watched Twilight tumble painfully across the cobblestone ground. "Luna, quick! Go south beyond the Badlands!" Celestia said to her sister. Luna was a bit startled, but she quickly nodded, trusting her sister to help defend their subjects, petrified niece, and petrified Keyblade wielder. Neither of them paid attention to Tempest, wielding another orb and kicked it toward them, aiming it directly at Celestia. "Seek help from the queen of the Hippo-!"

Celestia screamed as the orb struck her and quickly turned her to stone. Luna gasped, struggling to hold back her tears and tried to fly away. Twilight groaned as she shakily stood up, underestimating Tempest's strength, but she managed to overhear her former mentor telling Luna to make their way south of Equestria to seek help. Luna avoided the Sniper Nobodies as they took aim at her, distracting her from yet another orb Tempest kicked toward her flight path. The orb hit with perfect accuracy, making Luna cry out and flail before she was petrified as well. Twilight gasped as she watched the stoned princess fall, quickly using her magic to catch Luna, saving her from crumbling to pieces and essentially killing her while turned into a living statue.

"L-Luna!" Twilight called out, gently lowering Luna to the ground while struggling not to drop her heavier weight from such a far distance from where she stood.

Tempest cackled, only one more target left until her goal was fulfilled. Leaping high again, she tossed another orb in front of her, flipped, and kicked it toward Twilight. With Luna safely settled, Twilight looked up, time slowing down around her as she gasped, unable to get out of the way in time.

"...TWILIGHT!" Out of nowhere, by mere milliseconds, Twilight was saved before the orb blew up in her face.

Tempest chuckled, unaware of her target being rescued through the green mist. "Easy as pie."

"Oh, I love pie," Grubber commented. "You totally got her good!"

As the mist cleared, Tempest's grin turned into a confused scowl. She hit someone, alright, but it wasn't Twilight: the pony was a pegasus, wearing a party hat over her forehead that looked like a horn in the silhouette when the mist disappeared, and her eyes were each looking in different directions. Derpy saw that Twilight was in trouble and tried to be a hero, only to take the hit while someone else faster than her swept the alicorn away to safety.

"That's not the princess!" Tempest growled, her horn sparking dangerously in anger. She looked around, finding her Keyblade, which quickly disappeared in a flash of light, meaning it returned to her. She then glared at Grubber, who was just standing there dumbfounded. "Grubber, don't just stand there! FIND HER!"

"R-Right! Guys, we gotta get the princess!" Grubber scrambled away, gathering whatever conscious soldiers were left to find Twilight so he didn't feel Tempest's wrath.

Tempest glared at the heroic, yet ditsy pegasus mare, then spotted Twilight's crown, having fallen off when she was whisked away by her true savior. Letting out a yell, she stomped her hoof on the royal headpiece, shattering the gems and smashing the crown to a crumbled mess.





A pair of mares screamed as a Berserker approached them, lifting up its heavy silver blade-hammer to slam down on them. Ventus intercepted it, Fire Surging into the Nobody and sent it sliding away from the helpless ponies.

"Hurry, get somewhere safe!" he exclaimed, the mares quickly getting on their hooves and galloping away from the giant battleground.

Ventus continued attacking the offending Berserker, while more Nobodies appeared and surrounded the Keyblade wielders, or targeted the civilians to lure them away from their friends to team up on the creatures of Nothingness. Dusks dove onto Ventus after he destroyed the Berserker. They tried to strangle the pegasus, only to get burned alive by a pillar of fire, Ventus coming out unscathed as the Dusks faded away in defeat. He looked up, seeing Lea's hoof reach out to him as he gave his fellow wielder a helping hand.

"Getting your butt whupped already?" Lea teased. Ventus grabbed his hoof, helped back up, then got back into his battle stance, the two wielders standing back to back as more Nobodies appeared around them. "You might not be Roxas, but it kinda feels really good fighting alongside someone who looks like him."

"It's too bad I'm not his twin, then," Ventus said. "You think you could handle all of these Nobodies on your own?"

Lea scoffed and looked at Ventus. "Please. I can handle these punks. But this time, I'm well ready, unlike Axel when he was thrown in the lion's den for insubordination with the old Organization."

"Try not to get too cocky, then," Ventus advised, then the duo lunged forward and continued eradicating the Nobodies.

Terra took on a group of Berserkers, his incredible strength able to push back these Nobodies' weapons. He shoved one back, slashing its hand holding the heavy weapon, then snatched it away in his mouth, letting out a roar as he swung wildly at the others. He sent many of them flying back, but they homed back in on him with their surprisingly agile aerial dives. Tossing the wide and heavy blade at them, he jumped up, then fell down with a yell, his Keyblade slamming to the earth and shot several earth spires into the other Nobodies around him.

Aqua flipped and cartwheeled around the raining energy arrows coming from the Snipers, narrowly avoiding each shot with her flexibility. She sniped back at them with her magic, freezing closer to her with Blizzard spells, then deflected another volley of energy arrows raining down on her with her own barrier shield, sending them flying back and hitting them, temporarily stunning them. Dusks slithered up behind the distracted unicorn, but Sora dashed up in their path, smacking them all away and forced them to go after him. He was even getting shot at by Snipers, but he kicked back their arrows, killing them with their own ammo.

"They just keep coming!" Rainbow said, her, the rest of the Mane Six, and Spike protected by Kairi, Donald, and Goofy.

"Of all our luck, it had to be that guy's turn!" Donald complained, zapping several Dusks coming their way with his Thunder spells.

"The Organization really wants to take Sora away from us!" Goofy said, smacking away a Dusk with his shield. "And he's teamed up with a pony who really knows how to fight!"

Kairi froze a Berserker lunging toward her with a Blizzaga spell, then thrust her Keyblade into it, shattering it to pieces. When she looked over to the princesses, she saw Xigbar in the background shifting his weapons into a rifle before disappearing.

"Oh no. Where'd he go?" Kairi looked around for any sign of the Organization XIII stallion. She caught a glimpse of something up on the balcony up on the castle. The glowing aura around his horn flashed, transporting something via teleportation before taking aim. Her ears twitched as she heard some of the Dusks around the battlefield let out a confused sound, and to her shock, she caught one of them nearby holding onto one of those dark orbs that petrified Cadence and Riku. One of them with an orb slithered toward Sora stealthily, his back turned while avoiding a Berserker. "Sora, behind you!"

Smacking away the Berserker, Sora quickly turned around, taken aback by a Dusk carrying an orb. "Whoa!" Sora dove away before the Dusk could throw it at him, the elastic creature missing him as it clattered to the ground, but remained intact as it rolled away. "It...didn't explode?"

Aqua noticed Sora's reaction, gasping at the sight of the dark orb that another Dusk picked up, this time coming straight toward her. "They blow up on contact with a living being. Guys, watch your backs! These Dusks have those orbs on them!"

She failed to watch her back when a few Dusks snuck up on her and wrapped themselves around her. She grunted and struggled to get free as the orb carrier moved closer. She tried to shove them away with her unicorn magic, but Xigbar fired an energy arrow at her horn, striking her horn, making her wince and yell in pain as her head throbbed. With her getting disoriented, Xigbar aimed another shot, this time aiming for the orb the Dusk approaching Aqua carried. It tossed the orb at her, and the other Dusks grasping her slithered off while she recoiled in the series magic backlash migraine. The sniping stallion fired again, his light-speed arrow striking the orb inches away from Aqua, blowing up on her and spreading its mist all over her.

"Oh no!!!" the mares and baby dragon being protected exclaimed in horror.

The wielders, Donald, and Goofy glanced to where Aqua stood, her body slowly turning to stone. "Aqua!" Ventus cried out in shock as he and Terra ran up to her.

"Urgh! C-Can't...move!" Aqua struggled to lift her Keyblade above her. "E-Esuna!" she exclaimed, trying to heal away the petrifying enchantment, but it didn't stop and kept encasing her in stone. "I-I can't...heal it! Ven! Terra!"

"No! Aqua!" Terra exclaimed.

Xigbar warped down to ground, twisting his combined arrowguns to split them up again with a chuckle. "Bullseye," he said with a smirk.

Ventus turned and glared at Xigbar. "You bastard!" he yelled, then flew after the smug sniper.

"Ven, don't!" Terra tried to warn, but Ventus was too upset to listen.

Memories flashed in the young pegasus's mind, from when he first saw Xigbar as Braig. He was left defenseless, frozen solid after getting manhandled by Xehanort. Aqua saved him from falling to his death, unable to move and shivering from the bone-chilling frost inflicted upon him. Braig suddenly shows up, distracting Aqua long enough for Vanitas to drop down and slash her when he fled. All he could do was watch as his body tried to thaw, and he felt that same helplessness now when Aqua was wrapped by Dusks, disoriented from an arrow beam striking her horn midspell, and turned into a panicked statue. Ventus wasn't going to let Xigbar get away with this again. Not to Aqua.

He brought his hoof back to swing at Xigbar, but the stallion teleported away, and Ventus headed toward a Dusk that hid behind him with a petrifying dark orb. Ventus swung at the worst time, the Dusk throwing it right as Xigbar warped away. He realized too late, slashing into the orb, and spread the explosive mist over himself, struggling helplessly as his body quickly turned to stone.

"Oh crud," Lea grumbled.

"That's three of you out of the way," Xigbar said. "Just make it easier on everyone, Sora! I'm taking you in one way or another!"

"Not a chance!" Sora said.

"Suit yourself!" Xigbar warped around, hovering upside down a few yards off the ground, and shot several rounds of energy arrows at them.

Sora and Terra deflected them back at Xigbar, grunting as he was struck by his reflected shots. His arrowguns flipped beside him while he clutched his hooves, reloading his weapons, then warped away when Lea leapt at him with a wide swing of his blade. While Lea kept Xigbar distracted, Sora was going to try to ambush him, but Terra immediately held him back.

"Sora, no. We both know just how much ground he can cover with his spacial warping," he said. "And as a unicorn, he's able to teleport himself and possibly anything just about anywhere. You need to get out of here."

"What!? No way! I'm not going to leave you guys to fight him, or be turned into statues!" Sora argued.

"Xehanort's more interested in you, and if you're lost, then we're out one of our strongest Keyblade wielders," Terra reasoned. They both heard Celestia scream, looking over to see her struck by an orb and turning to stone. Twilight was badly beaten by Tempest, but she was still conscious. They watched Tempest kick another orb at Luna, with perfect accuracy, and watched as she fell to the ground like a literal stone and caught by Twilight. "Damn it. Sora, you're our last hope right now! Tempest is after the princesses, and Xigbar's after you! Get Twilight out of here and protect the others!"

"But I can't just-!" Sora tried to argue further, only to get shoved back hard by Terra, narrowly avoiding a Dusk throwing an orb between them.

"Go, Sora! As a Keyblade Master, I'm ordering you to do as I say!" Terra exclaimed, begging Sora to get away before he was captured.

He ran off to help Lea distract Xigbar long enough for Sora to get away. Sora growled, but he obeyed, blasting the Dusk that tried to petrify him with a Firaga spell in anger.

"Oh no! The princess is in trouble!" His ears perked up when he heard Derpy Hooves. He questioned why she didn't get to safety yet, but when he saw her pointing at Twilight, he gasped as he watched Tempest leap high in the air, an orb hovering in front of her as she flipped, ready to kick it toward the lavender alicorn. "Hang on, Princess Twilight! I'll help you!"

"Wha-!? No, Derpy, you have to get to-!" He tried to stop the ditsy mailmare, only to get blindsided by a Berserker's heavy blade. He flipped back on his feet, rubbing his face, then ducked another swing. Time slowed as he looked up, watching the orb fly toward Twilight, the alicorn staring at her demise as it got closer. Hearing the Berserker shift around, Sora rolled away from another swing, then leapt up on the return, planting his hooves on the side of the blade, and pushed off it along with the Nobody's wide, hard swing, giving himself more momentum as he flew straight toward Twilight in a blur. "TWILIGHT!"

Snatching the shocked princess, he managed to save her in time, bending his wings to steer them back toward the others while staying out of Tempest's sight. He couldn't slow down enough, forcing him and Twilight to roll and tumble across the ground, avoiding bowling over their friends until they smacked into a pillar. They both groaned from the rough landing, but at least they weren't hard as rocks.

"Sora! Twilight!" Kairi called out as she and the others ran over to them. They both stood up, their friends checking on them to make sure they weren't hurt. Sora looked out to where he last saw Derpy, his jaw dropping when he saw the mist clear, revealing the very friendly, but accidentally clumsy pegasus turned to stone. He hoped her daughter wasn't around and saw her like this, and wondering if there was a cure from these enchanted magic bombs. "Sora, are you ok?"

"...I'll be fine," he uttered. "We gotta go. Now."

"No need to tell us twice!" Rarity exclaimed.

The group quickly fled, startled seeing more of the Storm King's troops coming after them along with some Dusks. Behind them, Donald and Goofy noticed more soldiers coming up after them.

"Sora, we'll stay behind and keep them all from catchin' ya!" Goofy said.

Sora forced himself to look back, skidding to a halt when his two friends stayed behind and fended off more troops. "Donald! Goofy!"

"Go, Sora!" Donald shouted out, squawking as he was smacked aside by a soldier's shield. He quickly retaliated with a Gravity spell, causing the soldier to grimace and fall to the ground, his heavy armor growing far heavier and forcing him on his stomach. "Don't worry about us! Just get out of-!"

Donald squawked in surprise, feeling an orb shatter on his back and encase him in stone by one of the Dusks. "DONALD!!!!" Sora cried out.

Applejack quickly grabbed his tail, pulling him back and keeping him focused on escaping. "Come on, sugarcube! There's nothin' we can do to break them free!"

Jiminy leapt out from one of Sora's jacket pockets, staying inconspicuously hidden and witnessed everything happening. "Sora, you have to run away! Terra has a good point!" he reasoned. "We can't save everyone with two different armies after us! Nobodies are much smarter than the Heartless, and these Dusks are very cunning with those orbs and all this chaos!"

Sora felt tears well in his eyes, Donald already turned into a startled statue while Goofy was by himself fighting the guards with his shield. "Go, Sora! We'll be alright!" Goofy reassured.

After another tug from Applejack, Sora screamed in frustration, then turned around and hurried after the others. He didn't dare to look back, his ears folding against his head when he heard Goofy let out a yell after another orb shattered.





Lea and Terra stood back to back, swinging their Keyblades to deflect Xigbar's shots as he ran and warped around the duo. Nobodies kept charging after them, exhausting the two wielders further.

"Forgot how annoying this guy was," Lea uttered under his breath. He called his chakrams to aid him, flinging them at Nobodies, missing Xigbar when he got in his line of sight. "Kinda glad I'm not part of that group again when I woke up."

"Lea, I can handle him," Terra said. "Go help Sora escape with the others."

"Are you insane!? There's no way you're that strong enough to fight off endless waves of Nobodies while dealing with him!" Lea exclaimed. "And don't give me any crap telling me you're my superior and I'm disobeying a direct order! The only one who's gonna boss me around is the old timer!"

"Then as your friend, I'm telling you to go help them!" Terra argued.

"Mind if I cut in with your little lover's quarrel!?" Xigbar teleported between Lea and Terra, blasting them both at point blank range with a barrage of arrows. They were sent flying back, quickly getting back on their hooves and stared down the long-ranged assassin. Xigbar combined his arrowguns again, this time forming a longbow with them, then aimed for the sky with a string of energy pulled back. "Try and dodge this!"

A bright blue arrow appeared on the drawstring, then Xigbar released it. It blew up high in the sky, creating a swirling void that began raining down thousands upon thousands of black energy arrows, starting around Xigbar, then slowly began to spread out in a wider radius. Lea and Terra quickly ran for cover, Lea ducking under a covered booth while Terra hid behind a pillar. They came out of this new attack unscathed, but they were both split up. Xigbar warped over to Lea, firing rapidly at the booth, tearing it to shreds. Lea  kicked a piece of his hiding place at the stallion, who warped away to avoid getting smacked by the wooden board, reappearing upside down and reloaded his arrowguns.

"That's a neat trick, Cyclops, but this is getting really old!" Lea shouted. He called forth his chakrams, building Fire magic in them as they spiraled around him. "Time to turn up the heat!" His dual-wielding weapons erupted in an explosion of fire, coated in flames and formed two small fire tornadoes around the red stallion. Grasping his Keyblade tightly, Lea roared and slashed wildly, sending a massive volley of fireballs toward Xigbar. "EAT THIS!!!!!!!!!"

"Oh, please. I'm scared of a hailstorm of charcoal?" Xigbar scoffed. He teleported away before they even made contact with him, reappearing behind Lea and watched the fireballs blow up around the ground where he hovered. "Don't you know not to play with fire? It's dangerous, Axel!"

"Not unless you get BURNT!!!!" Lea roared and turned around, slamming his Keyblade into both his chakrams, sending them flying as they left scorch marks on the ground in their wake. The spikes under Xigbar's arrowguns glowed, then fired a spray of energy arrows that were blue instead of red. Several repeated shots managed to deflect the chakrams enough to miss him. Lea grimaced as some of those blue arrows headed straight for him. He leapt and dodged out of the way, calling back his chakrams and prepared to charge them up with more magic. "Damn you!"

Xigbar teleported around, charging his weapons and unleashed three larger blue arrows, firing his ricocheting energy bolts and watched them bounce around before homing in on Lea. While the red unicorn kept a close eye on them, he didn't notice the dark purple stallion grin, bringing a hoof behind his back, creating a spacial void and dropped something through it. Lea deflected Xigbar's bouncing arrows, thinking he got all three of them, but their light trails they left lingered after a couple bounces, and he failed to notice the third one bouncing against the walls behind his back, then headed right for him.

"Watch your back, Axel," Xigbar purposefully advised.

"Heh. Thanks for the hint!" Lea quickly turned around and swung his Keyblade, only to grunt in shock when, a second too late, he saw a petrifying orb dropping down in his line of sight. His blade slashed through the orb, shattering it and covering him in mist, all while watching the last arrow fly a couple inches over his spiky red hair. Even as his body began to grow stiff and turn to stone, he could feel Xigbar's cocky smirk behind the back of his head, tricking him by dropping one of those orbs above him with his abilities and making him break the orb on him instead of letting the arrow break it the moment he turned around. "...Buck...you..."

Terra peeked around the corner of his cover, watching Lea resign to his fate as a statue. "This isn't good," he uttered. Hoping the others managed to escape, he pressed his hoof against his ear, activating his crystal communicator. "Sora, Kairi, did you guys manage to get out?"

"Tempest's soldiers are after us, and these Dusks have more of these orbs!" Kairi exclaimed, Terra hearing her grunt as she fought back against something. "We're heading for the bridge over the falls! I don't know how we're going to lose-! WHOA!!!"

Terra winced as he heard something blow up, both directly in his ear and hearing the same explosion in the distance. "Kairi!? What happened!? Guys!?"

"Sounds like something blew up," Xigbar remarked. Terra winced, hearing Xigbar behind him. Terra slashed his Keyblade through the pillar, cutting cleanly through it, then punched it hard, sending it falling over to where Xigbar stood. The Organization XIII member rolled his eyes with an amused grin, teleporting away from the marble pillar, reappearing on top of another one and watched the sliced one hit the ground, smashing to pieces. "You know the great thing about being a unicorn!? It really does enhance my skills! Who knew that this world's magic can give you such a power boost, huh!?"

"Why don't you show me by coming down here and facing me like a man!?" Terra goaded, trying to keep his composure despite being completely outmatched by someone like Xigbar.

"As if I'm going to tussle with an earth pony," Xigbar laughed, then warped down, slowly walking around Terra, his arrowguns hovering beside him. "You know, Terra, with you back to your old self, you kinda threw a wrench in Master Xehanort's original plans."

"And why is that?" Terra questioned, keeping his eye on the unicorn while slowly walking in the opposite direction, like two predators anticipating their opponent to attack them. "You want to bring me back, too?"

"Heh. Actually, to my surprise, he doesn't want your body again," Xigbar said. "No idea how you managed to regain control of your heart, but we lost quite a valuable member of the new Organization XIII. Doesn't matter, though; Master Xehanort always has a contingency plan for everything. We'll find our last few members sooner than you think."

"Then they're gonna be out one more. I'll make sure you don't come back again after what you did to Aqua and Ven!" Terra dashed toward Xigbar with his Keyblade ready to swing.

Xigbar teleported behind Terra, shifting the ground around them with his spacial rending powers and magic combined. Terra gasped, finding himself on a small platform of Canterlot's streets, but the rest of the city didn't exist; just a void of emptiness that seemed to go on forever. He quickly turned around and faced Xigbar, his body glowing blue as his horn unleashed his magical aura to his weapons.

"Let's make it interesting!" Xigbar taunted. Voids appeared around the smaller battlefield, firing blue energy arrows all around at the both of them. Terra avoided them, but Xigbar made it harder as he twirled around and rapidly fired similar arrows to make the Keyblade wielder slip up. Terra got hit a couple times, ducking and weaving through the arrows before Xigbar disappeared, causing the barrage to end. "You can't get away!" Terra searched around for Xigbar, but his ultimate attack wasn't over. He leapt back when arrows began raining down in a circle in the center of the tiny arena. The ground flashed a grayish hue, warping the arrows above where Terra stood. He looked up and dodged in time, avoiding a couple more volleys before lines of arrows split the ground up in safer segments. Terra ran into some when that happened, completely caught off guard, then got struck by Xigbar as he spun around and fired again. Xigbar teleported from the ground to the air, flipping his arrowguns to reload them, then shoved them down into a large void. "You better run!"

A void appeared under Terra's hooves, firing arrows from underneath him. He grunted in pain, rolling out of the way, only for the same onslaught to come back down on top of him. Terra panted as he leapt and dove away, the voids alternating from shooting arrows up from the ground and down from the air, continuously firing and leaving less and less room for the earth pony stallion to stay safe in. It didn't help much when his size left him vulnerable, the arrows grazing him and forcing him into a dangerous pillar of arrows. A bright flash blinded Terra, the world finally back to normal, slightly disoriented while his body stung from Xigbar's strongest attack. As soon as his vision returned, Xigbar aimed at him, levitating a dark orb over Terra's chest. He shot an arrow, shattering the orb on Terra, sending him staggering back while his hooves and chest turned to stone.

"D-Damn," Terra grunted. Not even his own strength could break through the powerful petrification, giving Xigbar one last glare before closing his eyes in defeat. "Sora...Please make it..."

Before his face was completely turned to stone, he could have sworn he heard Sora scream in the distance, fearing their last bit of hope in stopping Xehanort was gone.





Sora and Kairi lead the Mane Six and Spike through the city, slashing through Nobodies that tried to block their path. They had to avoid the Dusks that had a dark orb, which was difficult with how grouped up they were. Sora, Kairi, and Twilight had to use Aero magic to blow the orbs back, but the Nobodies' elastic bodies weren't enough to make the orbs break and turn them from rubber skin to an earthly statue. Sora tried not to look back, slowing down on occasion, feeling terrible leaving behind his friends as they all were helplessly turned to living rock. They approached a bridge, spanning over a river that flowed underneath, the water coming from the mountain creating the river as it lead to a waterfall that connected to a river all the way down near the base of the mountain.

"Sora, Kairi, did you guys manage to get out?" Terra called through the wielders' communicators.

Kairi quickly answered as they reached the bridge. "Tempest's soldiers are after us, and these Dusks have more of these orbs!" One of the primate soldiers leapt down from above, thrusting their spear down on them. Kairi blocked the long-reaching weapon, letting out a grunt as she flipped him over them, sending the soldier bowling over his own comrades, the Nobodies bending out of the way to continue their pursuit. "We're heading for the bridge over the falls! I don't know how we're going to lose-!" Kairi froze as they reached a blockade of the primate soldiers on the other side of the bridge. Twilight lit up her horn, desperate to get the last of her friends out, then fired a powerful beam of magic at them to push them out of the way. One of them held up their shield to block it, deflecting the beam at the Mane Six and Spike's feet, causing the bridge underneath them to crumble and make them fall with it. "WHOA!!!"

Sora and Kairi quickly flapped away from the destroyed section of the bridge, hearing the girls and Spike scream as they fell. "Kairi!? What happened!? Guys!?" Terra exclaimed worriedly.

His words were lost as the two wielders looked over the edge, watching the six mares and baby dragon fall into the water and get carried down the rushing river. "Magic-reflective shields?" Sora questioned. "We just got lucky that the ones attacking earlier didn't have anything..."

After the soldiers recovered from being startled by Twilight's magic backfiring, they threw their spears at the two remaining Keyblade wielders. Sora slashed them away, protecting himself and Kairi while Kairi avoided using anymore magic on the soldiers while using them on the Nobodies. They could only help the river was able to break their friends' fall, hearing them scream again as they went over the edge.

While the couple fought for their lives, Kairi noticed something going on with a trio of Nobodies far from the others trying to attack them: one Dusk with an orb, one Berserker, and one Sniper. They were planning something, which began to feel suspicious when the other Nobodies backed away from Sora and focused only on her. The Dusk tossed the orb up high as the Berserker gripped its heavy blade with both hands, while the Sniper enlarged its bow to a bigger size, charging a large red energy bolt loaded in it. The Sniper fired, its arrow zipping at insane speeds forward until it reached the ground, stopping on a bit, then aimed directly at Sora. The Berserker swung its weapon, smacking the orb with the wider blunt side hard, aimed right at Sora as well in the energy bolt's next trajectory. They were trying to turn Sora into stone.

Kairi panicked as time slowed down around her. Using her magic, unleashed a blast of light, sending the Nobodies around her flying off from the shockwave, even killing some of them. Clearing the way, Kairi ran toward Sora, too focused on the soldiers throwing their spears to keep him and Kairi from getting skewered. The orb was getting closer, and the arrow shot off to aim for it and break it on Sora. Kairi rammed her shoulder into Sora, pushing him hard toward the railing of the bridge. Startled, Sora grunted and got back up, only to watch as the orb approached Kairi, the Sniper's arrow striking the orb, and blew up on her as she let out a grunt.

"Kairi!" Sora screamed in shock, the mist already beginning to turn her body to stone. "No. No! No no no no! Why!?"

"S-Sora, g-get going," Kairi said, trying to slow the petrification process with her magic. Her ring shimmered brightly, managing to help slow it down to a crawl, but they knew it wouldn't last long. "They...need you."

"No! I'm not letting this happen!" Sora flapped his wings, blowing away the last of the mist. He tried to carry her, but Kairi held him back with her magic. "I'm not leaving you here like this! I-I'll find some way to stop it!"

"J-Just go!" Kairi insisted, her aura fading as her back legs were completely immobilized. "...Twilight and the others...need you now."

"No, Kairi! I-I can't!" Sora's tears streamed down his face, anger and sorrow conflicting his emotions. With Kairi's magic fading, he stumbled over to her, trying to drag her with him while ignoring the threats around them. "Not like this...I-I don't want to lose you. You should have just let me-"

Kairi smacked Sora in the face, shocking him senseless. "I'm not going to let them take YOU away from ME," she argued. "I know you worry about me...But after what happened when you and Riku took your Mark of Mastery exam...When you fell for their trap in the sleeping worlds, how do you think I felt when I heard about that?" Sora's lips quivered, but as he was about to continue arguing with her about the issue, Kairi silenced him with a deep kiss. She pulled away after only a few seconds, but to them, it felt like an eternity. Her flank and abdomen were next, her time running out. Using the last of her magic, Kairi cast a spell on Sora's wings, temporarily binding them to his sides. "I know you'll come back for us...For me."

"...Kairi, don't say that," Sora uttered, slowly shaking his head as he silently wept.

Kairi held him tightly, which he returned even tighter. "I love you, Sora," she said, then shoved Sora over the edge of the bridge, quickly planting them back on the ground as she felt her shoulders lock up.

Sora's eyes grew wide in shock, both from getting pushed over and his wings failing to open. He desperately reached his hoof out to her as he plummeted toward the water, the alicorn shedding tears of her own in prayer of her future husband's safety while smiling at him. Sora hit the water, the current dragging him down as he swam back to the surface. Gasping for air, he tried to swim back, barely making any progress as he headed closer to the falls.

"Kairi!!!" he called out. He watched as her engagement ring's light exhausted itself, Kairi closing her eyes as she succumbed to her fate, turning completely to stone. His struggles to swim harder failed, getting pulled toward the edge of the waterfall and down to the river far below. "KAIRIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!"

Sora's cries echoed throughout all the mountain range as he disappeared into the frothy mist near the base of the mountain. Grubber panted, his fat and pudgy body finally reaching the aftermath of the battle. The soldiers looked down at the falls where they lost the Mane Six, Spike, and Sora, the hedgehog slumping over to the edge while catching his breath to look down as well.

"O-Ok...R-Running...not my...thing," he wheezed. Looking down at the water, he heard the soldiers grunt, explaining in their language what had happened. "...So, uhh...Which one of you guys is gonna go down there?" he asked, earning more grunts from the nearby soldier. "Well, I would, but I just had a hearty meal, and I will sink and I WILL side-cramp." The soldier's let out collective groans and growls, unable to believe Tempest's second in command was a lazy, hungry slob, making up excuses to avoid doing any serious labor for her or the Storm King. "Hey, I am big boned, and I will sink. Very quickly." Ignoring the disgruntled grunts, Grubber turned around to look at Kairi. "Well, at least we got four of the princesses. That should be enough, right?"

One of the soldiers approached the petrified Princess of Light, hefting the alicorn carefully over his shoulder, then followed Grubber back to the castle with the rest of their soldiers. While Grubber was nonchalant about their success, the others were nervous. They lost two ponies who were also supposed to be important to catch for both Tempest and Xigbar. They knew Xigbar was tough with his powers, but they were terrified of Tempest's wrath. Her hoof-to-hoof combat skills were painful enough, but the sparks from her broken horn were far more shocking and agonizing, her anger much more scary than her deadpanned resting face.