Manami sloshed around soap water in her kitchen sink, cleaning up a round of dishes from breakfast. While focusing on her task, she paused, letting out a bored sigh. Walking in from the living room, Kaito heard her sigh and approached her.
"Something on your mind?" he asked.
"...Kind of," Manami mumbled. Lowering the plate she was cleaning back in the sink, she sighed again and looked at the Nobody. "I've been wondering what's happening in Equestria. Ever since my vacation ended with me staying inside the castle, I just can't wait anymore for them to finally be rid of the madman who wants to gain ultimate power and hurt the entire galaxy. I was even hoping to come up for winter, but I guess Sora is probably a bit too busy saving worlds along with Equestria and teaching their new students."
"You're also worried about how Sora's doing as well, huh?" Kaito asked.
"I know he can handle himself...for the most part," Manami mumbled.
She gave Kaito a small pout, glancing up at him with sad, puppy dog eyes. He rolled his eyes, unable to hold back his grin.
"You want me to check in on him for you?" he asked, suddenly wheezing as Manami hugged his ribcage tightly.
"Please! And tell me how the Crusaders are doing!" she said. "I also need an update on when Sora and Kairi's wedding is going to start! I am not going to miss that for anything in all the worlds!"
"Agh! Ok, ok!" Kaito gasped. Manami finally let him go as he brought back some oxygen in is squished lungs. "Yeesh. How did the real me deal with your spontaneous strength?"
"The same way I had to deal with his corny jokes and childish behavior," Manami said, sticking her tongue out playfully toward the Nobody.
"Good thing I don't have his sense of humor, then." Waving his hand, Kaito summoned a portal of darkness behind him. "I'll be back. Just try not to get yourself into trouble. Again."
"I'll try not to," Manami promised. "My track record so far as the damsel in distress isn't looking that great from being kidnapped by a fat cat or messing with a punk who battles with a guitar and water magic."
"Keep that number low for Sora's sake," Kaito warned. Manami let out a sigh as if she was being scolded by her father, but she knows he was only looking out for her for both her husband's Nobody and her son's concerns. The two shared a small kiss before Kaito walked through the portal. The other end of his portal appeared near the edge of the Everfree Forest, far enough from civilization to avoid scaring anyone into thinking they were being attacked. Stretching out his wings after being out of Equestria for nearly a year, he tapped a hoof to his communicator to let Sora know he was around so he wouldn't freak out. "Hey, Sora, it's Kaito. You busy?"
"Oh. Hey," Sora greeted. "What's going on? Is mom doing ok?"
"She's fine, but she's been a bit antsy since she wasn't invited to any holiday hijinks you guys might have gotten yourself into," Kaito said with a smirk. He could tell Sora might be wincing, most likely forgetting his promise months ago when Manami was here for her interrupted vacation. "I'm in Equestria right now. She wants to hear every detail, including when your wedding date's finally set."
"Wait, you're here right now?" Sora questioned. "...Are you still wearing your coat?"
"Yes...?" Kaito answered, confused. "I needed it to travel through these portals."
"Well, we've had some of our apprentices bump into some of the Organization, and if they see you in that, they might attack you," Sora said. Kaito glanced down at his coat, letting out a disgruntled sigh. Though he woke up in the clothes the real Kaito perished in, and despite needing this coat to protect him from traveling through the darkness to jump from world to world, he despised what the Organization had done to him, to Sora, and now to some new Keyblade wielders being trained by him. "If you aren't in town yet, take off your coat and hide it somewhere. Just as a precaution."
"Don't worry. I get what you're saying. I'll meet you at the castle," Kaito said. Stripping out of his coat, he folded the garment up, finding a sizable hole in one of the nearby tree trunks to hide it in. Once it was safely stored, covering the hole with some leaves to keep wanderers from discovering it, he flapped his wings and flew into town. "I wonder if he's busy with these new students of his right now. Or maybe he's hanging out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
Spotting the crystal castle, he also spotted Twilight on the ground with some flagpoles spaced out an equal distance. What actually baffled him was when he thought he saw Spike weaving through the flagpoles, but in the air. With wings on his back. He touched down next to Twilight, gawking at the now winged baby dragon, surprising Twilight when she looked up from her notepad.
"Kaito? What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I'm...here to check in on Sora...Is that Spike flying around? And...he sprouted wings?" he questioned.
"Yeah. A few months ago, actually," Twilight explained. "We learned how adolescent dragons get older by going through a molting phase. It was...quite a roller coaster of insanity. Didn't Manami tell you?"
"No. I think she must have left out that part while she was here around that time." He and Twilight looked up when they heard Spike as he almost lost his balance while practicing his flying. "He having some trouble with his wings?"
"We're just practicing his flight training now," Twilight said. "Like with me when I ascended, it took some getting used to some extra appendages that sprouted suddenly and learning to control them before really flying. Along with Spike's fire belches getting a bit stronger as he's growing up, that was a top priority after his molting gave him indigestion."
"Ah. That sounds incredibly dangerous. He's doing pretty well, though." After another few swerves, Spike glided back down to the ground, surprised to see Kaito watching him fly along with Twilight.
"Hey, Kaito," Spike greeted. "Where's your coat at?"
"I hid it in the Everfree," he said. "Sora warned me about your new 'special' students who ran into some of the Organization."
"Yeah. That makes sense," Twilight said. "Neither of them know you're not with them. Otherwise, they might attack you on sight to defend themselves."
"And I'd rather not be a training dummy that fights back in self defense," Kaito added.
"So, since you're here, you want to help Twilight evaluate my flying?" Spike asked. "Was I doing ok?"
"A little wobbly while you reoriented yourself going straight, but your turns looks good," the Nobody praised.
"Heh. Cool. Been out of practice since I first flew after growing them," Spike said. "Felt so easy when I was saving Rarity and Zecora from a roc that was originally after me."
"...You fought...a rock?" Kaito asked. Twilight whispered in the stallion's ear, explaining what the creature was, which made him grimace. "Oh. Yikes. That's...kind of impressive and reckless."
"But he did great, and he's been improving slightly," Twilight said. "Now, let's try a flip. Remember: two flaps, then straight up."
Spike nodded, then took flight as he hovered several feet in the air. Doing as instructed, he gave his wings a couple hard flaps and kept himself straight, but he didn't put in enough power in his wings, dropping to the ground and kept losing altitude. He tried to gain some more air, unable to right himself back into a hover as he splashed into a nearby pond. Spluttering out water as he poked his head out, he swam back to shore, wondering what had gone wrong.
"Uhh...That was a decent attempt," Kaito said. "Maybe put some more oomph in those two flaps. Gain some more height and momentum to fully loop into a flip."
Spike got out of the water, shook himself off and his wings, then took off to try again. Despite the advice that was given both by Twilight and Kaito, Spike either veered off course, causing him to crash into the nearby trees, bushes, or toward the castle, or lose control of his flight path and crashed to the ground or back in the water. After a painful faceplant, Spike stood up with a groan, feeling sore and embarrassed from all the crash landings.
"You're doing great, Spike," Twilight said, trying to bolster Spike's confidence. "Now let's see the big finish!"
"O-Ok..." After a couple stretches, Spike shot off from the ground once more and flew up high into the air. He weaved around the clouds and circled around the crystal star-shaped spire at the top of the castle. He was doing good so far, but then his balance began to look uneven, his wing flaps suddenly making him flip out of control. "Whoa! WAAAAAH!!"
Spike began to nosedive, unable to get himself steady and dive straight toward Twilight and Kaito. "Uh oh! I gotcha, Spike!"
Kaito shot his hoof toward the pond, pulling it back to manipulate the water. With a swift wave, he thrust his hooves out toward Spike, creating thick walls of water into his dive to slow him down. He crashed through each block of water, spluttering and gasping between each pass, his speed slowing down enough for him to avoid any serious injury. As Spike got closer to the ground, Kaito jumped forward and hovered next to the last water wall. He caught Spike, getting knocked back a bit, but kept on his back hooves as he skid safely across the ground. Relieved, Twilight let out a sigh as she rushed over to check on her number one assistant.
"Ugh. Thanks," Spike said.
"I think you should take five, little buddy," Kaito said.
He lowered Spike on the ground, the baby dragon seeming disappointed in himself. "Are you ok, Spike?" Twilight asked with concern.
"Whoa! What the hay was that!?" Startled, Kaito, Twilight, and Spike looked over at the nearby tree Spike had crashed into earlier. Standing beneath it was Smolder, who seemed to have been watching Spike's flying lessons for some time. She gawked at Kaito after witnessing his aquatic manipulation, which worried the Nobody. He wasn't a unicorn, so any form of magical prowess that doesn't involve clouds shouldn't be seen by others who truly know about his skills. "How did that pegasus do that with the water!?"
Kaito stammered, trying to find an excuse, but Twilight stepped in. "I did that, actually," the alicorn said. "With as much magical prowess as Aqua or myself have, or even Master Yen Sid, we're able to cast certain elemental spells without our Keyblades present."
"...So then what was with all the weird leg motions he did?" Smolder questioned.
"Err...I was panicking!" Kaito said, letting out an uncertain, fake laugh. "I didn't know if I should have helped the little guy the moment he lost control, but my body didn't seem to function right and I finally acted at the last minute!"
He grinned nervously, hoping the lie would be believable. "...Alright," Smolder said with a shrug. "As long as any new spells I learn can be used with my dragon breath in battle, I'm not gonna bother with using any without a Keyblade."
Kaito was confused, giving Twilight and Spike a small glance. "That's Smolder. She's one of the new apprentices," Twilight whispered.
"...Ah," the stallion muttered, a little astonished that one of the apprentices happened to be a dragon.
"What brings you out here, Smolder?" Spike asked. "I thought you were training with the others."
"It was a free day today," Smolder said. She looked at Kaito, squinting her eyes as she focused intensely at him. "...The hay? You...kinda look like Sora. Except older. Are you his dad?"
"Uhh...Not exactly?" Kaito answered sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his head almost similarly to how Sora would, not really helping deter the dragoness's guess. "I'm...his uncle. His father is my identical twin."
Twilight frowned at the poor lie, but to her surprise, Smolder gave another shrug. "Eh. Whatever. Some of you ponies look a lot alike anyway." Kaito relaxed, nearly dodging a bullet, but he was going to need to keep his powers in check to avoid another close call. "Anyway, I was watching Spike flying. And he's doing it all wrong."
"Huh? How?" Twilight asked. "I'm giving him all the advice I got from Sora, Riku, and Rainbow Dash when I first practiced flying."
"Because you're teaching him how to fly like a pony instead of a dragon," Smolder stated, pointing to her own wings as she gave them a small flap.
Twilight and Kaito looked at their own wings, then back to the two dragons'. "...Oh. Maybe that might be the problem," Kaito said. "Dragon wings are webbed. Unlike feathered wings, we can easily catch wind currents and shift them for lift and drag while gaining or dropping altitude."
Twilight felt absolutely silly for forgetting about the difference between their wings. Smolder offered to help teach Spike how to fly like a dragon, which he immediately accepted. After a few pointers, Spike's first proper flight had him flying like a pro in record time. Kaito and Twilight watched how the dragons' wings were supposed to flap to help them gain or lower speed and altitude, hover, dive, even aerial stunts. Spike showed off as he and Smolder touched down, hovering over the ground with a twirling pirouette before landing with a dainty finish.
"Wow! I did it! And I didn't crash or lose control!" Spike cheered. "How'd you know I just needed to bend my wings?"
"Honestly, this kind of stuff is Dragon 101," Smolder said. "Usually dragon parents teach you this stuff."
Twilight grimaced, glancing over to Spike. She had helped raised Spike when she hatched him from her egg from her magic surge as a filly, though who Spike's real birth parents are were a mystery. Not even Celestia knew, or even explained where she found his egg. Taking on the role as his guardian, she knew next to nothing about dragons. Aside from figuring out his dietary needs as he was being raised, not a single book was written about dragon habits where he needed to understand who he was as a dragon the most. Though she didn't feel like he was a mother figure to her, she was like an older sister to him, and she wanted to do as much as possible to help her little brother with whatever was bothering him.
"Well, I don't really know a lot about what dragons do," Spike said to Smolder. "I was raised by ponies. Before the dragons made peace with Equestria, nopony ever dared to study dragons without getting hurt. That's why I never knew what dragon molting was until you explained it to me and Riku."
"Oh. That's right," Smolder uttered.
"But you've helped teach me so much about dragons, and didn't treat me like a baby like some teenage dragons I met during the dragon migration a few years ago," Spike added. "I should make you a special throw pillow!"
"...Eh. I think I'll pass on that for a gift," Smolder shrugged off.
"Hey, I'll take that pillow if you won't," Kaito chimed in.
The dragon teen snorted and rolled her eyes. When she looked up, she noticed something odd up on the sky.
"Hey, what's that?" she asked as she pointed to the object.
Both ponies and Spike looked up to see what caught her eye. Expecting to see a famous pegasus or a threat swooping in from the sky, it looked like a massive fireball. It got bigger as it headed straight toward them.
"Oh crud! It's coming this way!" Kaito exclaimed. He was about to douse out the fireball if it was going to explode on impact, but because of Smolder, he couldn't and began to panic. "Damn it. Take cover!"
They flew out of the way in the nick of time. The fireball crashed into the earth, the flames snuffing out as it slid a fair distance across the ground, leaving a small crater at the end of its trail. Smoke rose up from the crater, both ponies and dragons curious to know what it was inside the fiery ball of destruction. Stepping up to the edge, they heard a pained groan as a green-scaled claw rose out from the hole. Grabbing the edge, the creature pulled itself out, grunting in pain with each movement until it fully revealed itself. Surprisingly, the creature was another dragon like Spike and Smolder. A bit taller than Smolder, it looked and sounded male, light green scales with a paler shade for his overweight underbelly, his ear fronds being a darker shade of green, and light pale blue spines. His body was covered with soot and scuffs from the landing, wincing slightly as he tried to stand.
"Ugh. That hurt," the dragon muttered. As he got his bearings, he finally noticed Twilight, Kaito, Spike, and Smolder staring at him. "...Hey."
"'Hey?' That's all you can say after you crashed to the ground in a raging inferno?" Kaito questioned.
"Huh?" Looking down at the crater he made, he realized what the Nobody was talking about. "Oh. Eh, this is nothing," the dragon chuckled, only to grimace as he clutched his side, his body wracked with pain.
"What happened to you?" Spike asked.
"I don't need to explain anything to a couple of ponies and two baby dragons." The dragon tried to walk away, but he groaned and fell to his knees, doubling over in pain.
"Either way, you're hurt and need medical attention," Twilight said. "Do you think there's any internal injuries from the fall?"
"I'm perfectly fine," he assured. "I make landings like that on a daily basis."
He tried to stand up, but ended up collapsing on his stomach as his body gave out on him. "I'm surprised this old coot is still alive at this point," Smolder muttered to herself.
Spike rushed over to help the injured dragon, Kaito helping as they stood on either side of him and helped him back up on his feet, using them as leverage to keep him standing. "Let's get you back to the castle and patch you up," Spike said. "You might not need help, but we're gonna help you anyway."
"Castle?" As the dragon was guided to the castle, he saw the look of the crystal tree palace he crashed next to.
"I'm Spike, and this is Kaito, Twilight Sparkle, and Smolder," Spike said, introducing the dragon to his helpers. "What's your name?"
"Name's Sludge," he said, though he seemed too distracted by the look of the castle while he responded.
Once inside the castle, Twilight grabbed a wheelchair for Sludge to let him sit in to try to relax himself while Smolder decided to get some more training in before the day ended. The rest of the Mane Six and Keyblade wielders learned of what happened and were introduced to the injured dragon, most of them feeling bad for the sorry state he was in. Despite Sludge's protests, claiming he was fine, his body said otherwise when he tried to leave and collapsed again. The Mane Six and Spike insisted that he stay at the very least to recover and recuperate after such a painful landing.
During Sludge's recovery, Kaito stuck around to help Sludge as soon as he was able to move around. He and Sora had a little chat involving Manami and her worries, along with feeling left out from celebrating the last few holidays. Sora felt bad, partially forgetting about escorting his mother to Equestria for the winter holidays, but after her run in with Demyx, he felt it was much safer for her to stay at home with Kaito watching out for her. He at least got what she wanted to ask him for, though during his own visits if he pops in, he asked Sora and the others to mention him as Sora's uncle when around any of the new bearers. After the close call with Smolder, he wasn't going to risk slipping up with his magic, fighting prowess, or summoning his Swashbucklers.
After a few days of rest, Sludge was up and moving again, ready to strengthen up his muscles. However, despite the R&R treatment from Rarity and Fluttershy, it was a struggle to get the dragon into proper shape. With cider season back in the fray, Applejack thought it was a good idea for Sludge to use the apple presser's treadmill to help give him a good workout. Much to his reluctance, he jogged alongside her for a little bit, but when he noticed the cider being poured out in the barrels, he hopped off and laid under the spigot, gulping down the strong beverage meant for the next barrel.
For his flight rehabilitation, Rainbow Dash flew alongside Sludge while Sora, Riku, Ventus, and Kaito hefted the heavyset dragon over their heads so he can stretch his flight muscles. However, he barely did any flapping, just lazily enjoying the ride instead of getting himself back in flying shape. Rainbow had to constantly remind him, which he did for only a brief moment before just slumping down on his four pegasus lounge chair, frustrating all the pegasi. He was heavier than he looked, the wielders and Nobody doubting that Terra could lift Sludge on his own back by himself.
Pinkie had an excellent idea to get Sludge moving. He enjoyed Pinkie's baking, she decided to use her sweets as a lure to get him motivated enough to chase them and fill his belly. With Lea and Xion's help, Pinkie strolled a cart through the halls, passing by the room Sludge was staying in, letting the tantalizing sweets fill his nostrils and bait him out. He caught their delicious scent and poked his head out of from the hallway. He began to follow Pinkie, who looked back to see him right where she wanted him, then rushed on ahead. Sludge followed, but Lea and Xion stayed behind Sludge the moment he stepped out of his room, both of them casting Gravity around his legs to slow him down. He had no idea what was weighing him down, but the thought of eating all those baked goods didn't stop him. He kept moving, fighting back against heavily-weighing spells, even flapping his wings to lift himself and fly after Pinkie. Her plan surprisingly worked, the dragon back to perfect health, and was rewarded with his sweets in the throne room.
Outside the castle, Sludge never felt better as the group were ready to see him off. "Good to see you back in tip top shape, Sludge," Kaito said.
"Next time we volunteer for flight rehab, I'm going to refuse," Riku grumbled. "I think I need to take that extra strength massage back at the spa for my back."
"And despite your reservations, we're glad you're feeling a lot better," Twilight said.
"T-Thanks, I guess," Sludge said, almost hesitating. He looked down at Spike, who seemed all the more eager out of his friends to have helped him. "You know, you're pretty lucky to have friends like these, kid."
"Actually, I was orphaned as an egg," Spike said, the sudden topic making Twilight frown in concern. It felt like such a touchy subject involving who Spike's real parents were, but he never seemed bothered by it, not even when she talked to him about her lack of dragon knowledge to help him progress as a growing dragon. "But Twilight raised me, and she hatched me. Everypony's more than just my friend; they're my family."
Twilight was relieved to hear that as the Element bearers all gave the baby dragon a group hug. "We try our best," Twilight said. "But, sometimes I worry that Spike is..."
"Missing something deep down and dragonish," Spike finished.
"Really?" Sludge asked, surprised, then immediately relieved. "Wow. I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that."
Confused, everyone looked at each other. "Wait, you're glad?" Sora asked.
"Why would you be glad to hear that?" Kaito asked.
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything since your life seemed so perfect," Sludge said to Spike. "But I have a confession to make. Coming to Ponyville wasn't an accident; I was looking for you." Taken aback, the ponies and baby dragon began to wonder just who Sludge was and what he was saying, and why he was specifically looking for Spike. "...Spike...I am your father."
Gasps rang out and jaws dropped. "Father!?" everyone exclaimed.
"You're Spike's dad!?" Sora asked.
"I can kinda see some resemblance between the two," Terra uttered.
"So you crashed here in Ponyville on purpose?" Twilight asked.
"Well, the crashing part wasn't on purpose," Sludge chuckled as he approached Spike, draping an arm over his shoulder as they climbed past the others to the front door of the castle. "But heading here was, and I've been looking everywhere for you, kid."
"Really?" Spike asked, still struck with disbelief, but was overshadowed by the joy of finally getting to meet one of his birth parents. "Did you ask around the Crystal Empire? I'm kind of well-known there."
"Actually, Spike's well-known everywhere," Pinkie corrected, leaning up against Sludge while popping up by his side out of nowhere. "Not a lot of dragons were hatched by the Princess of Friendship."
Everyone else silently agreed, but as everyone was elated for Spike, Kaito had slowly went from surprised to neutral as he stared at Sludge. The big dragon began to choke up as he urged Spike into the castle.
"You all make it sound so easy," Sludge said, leading everyone back inside and toward the throne room. "I wish you had all been there to help me search."
Kaito lagged behind, leering at the back of Sludge's head. "'Search', huh?" he muttered.
"This is so awesome!" Spike cheered. "I've finally met my dad!" They all entered the throne room, Sludge seating himself in Twilight's throne while the others had gathered around the Cutie Map. "I have so many questions!"
"Well, ask away," Sludge said as he leaned back, getting himself comfortable, though to Kaito, it wasn't for storytime. "Answering questions are what dads are for."
"I guess my biggest question is simple; why was I an orphaned egg?" Spike asked, looking up sadly at his father.
Sludge grimaced, stammering slightly as he broke out of his relaxed state. "You sure you don't want to ask something else?" he suggested.
"I think all of us want to know what happened to you and your mate," Aqua said.
Kaito noticed Sludge was starting to panic, which seemed odd for a father who had been desperately searching for his lost child, but the dragon began to choke up again. "It...brings up a lot of painful memories," he said. Seeing the many curious eyes waiting with bated breath, Sludge let out a morose sigh as he looked down at Spike. "Your mother was the best dragon I ever met. "The Dragon Lord even picked her to scout for the Great Migration. And even though she had just laid your egg, we knew she'd have to go."
"What did she look like?" Fluttershy asked.
"She was taller and slimmer than I was, and Spike was the lucky little guy who shared similar scale and spine colors, but a bit brighter," Sludge described. As the others envisioned what Spike's mother looked like, Kaito rolled his eyes, lingering on the stump chandelier above them with all the enchanted ornaments hanging from the roots. During his stay in the castle, he learned of what the enchantments do, but as he half expected, he didn't see any of the ornaments show any memories of Sludge's past, nor a dragoness who Spike closely resembled. They showed glimpses of everyone else's within the room, even his own, but not Sludge's. He looked back at the dragon, listening intensely to his "story" with a disapproving frown. "Finding a Migration route could take a lifetime, and you deserved the chance to know your mother, Spike.
"So I went looking for her, carrying your egg to places no pony or dragon has ever gone," Sludge continued. "Past Mt. Aris, the abandoned home of the hippogriffs-"
"Ooh! Have you visited Kludgetown?" Pinkie interrupted.
"Wait, you've been to Kludgetown?" Sludge asked skeptically.
"Oh yeah. We wound up there when we went to search for the hippogriffs during the Storm King's takeover," Sora mentioned.
"And the hippogriffs have returned to Mt. Aris after we defeated the Storm King," Twilight added.
Suddenly growing nervous, Sludge glanced around as he didn't expect anyone of Spike's friends to have traveled that far from Equestria. "Well...Have you all heard of the Land of...Scale Collectors?" Even though the Mane Six and Key bearers had access to the Cutie Map, neither of them have ever heard of nor seen the Land of Scale Collectors on the map. They shook their heads silently in response as Sludge looked back down at Spike to continue his tale. "Because that's where your mother's trail finally led.
"It was a prison world of dragon hunters, where I was forced to choose between surrendering myself or surrendering your egg. Of course, there was no way I was going to sacrifice my boy, so they took me instead, and that's where I had been ever since," Sludge concluded, trying his hardest not to break down in tears. "Locked up somewhere not even the Princess of Friendship has heard of."
While everyone felt sympathetic for the dragon, Kaito didn't as he could tell something was not right with the whole story. "So, you've been locked up since you gave up Spike's egg?" Kaito questioned. "How exactly did you know your child was going to be a boy?"
"What about Spike's mom?" Xion questioned. "Where is she?"
"What was her name?" Fluttershy asked.
"And if you were caught by these Scale Collectors, how did Spike's egg wind up in Equestria?" Twilight added. "Princess Celestia had Spike's egg for some time when I was a filly...Then again, I never asked her where she found his egg through all the time I've been studying under her tutelage."
The bombardment of questions made Sludge anxious until the dragon burst into tears. "I wish I had all the answers," Sludge said before he leaned forward, burying his face into the table and began crying.
Despite all the lack of answers of Spike's origins and the fate of his parents, everyone sans Kaito felt sorry for the dragon. From being locked away in a prison by dragon poachers, it did make sense as to how he couldn't come up with many of the answers. Worst off was what happened with Spike's mother, possibly caught herself and was either still alive, or from how unbearable the pain of those memories worry, she was gone.
Spike hugged his father's side, getting Sludge to lift his head up to look at him with teary eyes. "It's all in the past. The only thing that matters now is that we're together. And I'm gonna make up for lost time."
Sludge smiled, hugging the baby dragon tightly. Most of the girls teared up at the heartwarming reunion, Twilight especially, knowing her little brother had finally found some closure in discovering one of his parents all these years later. Though the others were proud of the father and son, Kaito wasn't. He glared at Sludge, growling under his breath before he stormed off. Sora noticed his father's Nobody suddenly leaving from the corner of his eye, wondering what was bugging the stallion.
Throughout the next couple days, Spike had shown Sludge around the town, wanting to make up for all the years he had been apart from his biological family. He had made a list of things he wanted to do with his dragon parents if he ever met them, and though he was hesitant to do activities that wasn't dragon-like, Sludge didn't turn him down and promised to do everything on the incredibly long list. From playing buckball, to missed holidays, and even baking, Sludge never winced at the many silly ideas Spike had in mind if it would make the baby dragon happy.
Kaito, however, watched the duo from afar, sneering in disdain at the older dragon. He should have been happy for Spike the moment Sludge announced he was Spike's father, but aside from his sob story, there was this sixth sense he felt in part to his original self's paternal instinct. Where he despised Pete back in Disney Town for talking down to his own son, P.J., he was able to tell the villainous cat was truly a proud father when his son was born. With Sludge, however, he felt nothing, which bothered him more than the lack of precious memories Sludge kept and "shared" with everyone.
While moping around on a cloud over town, he didn't hear Sora flying up and land behind him. "There you are," he said. "I thought you were going to head back home and tell mom I'm behaving and everything else is all fine here." Kaito didn't answer. Sora began to get concerned as he moved to sit beside the Nobody. "Is...something wrong?"
"...Yes. Something is very, very wrong," Kaito finally spoke.
"...Did you and mom have a fight?" Sora wondered.
"What? No. Nothing's wrong between us." Letting out a sigh, Kaito stood up and began to pace around. "It's Sludge."
"Huh? Spike's dad?" Sora questioned. "What do you mean?"
Kaito paused, gritting his teeth as he let out a frustrated snort, then stared intensely at Sora. "I don't think that dragon is really Spike's father."
Stunned, Sora stood up and faced Kaito. "What? Those two have been spending quality time together for the last couple days," Sora said.
"I...Look, I don't know how to explain it, but part of me just...'feels' some kind of connection when it involves a father and their child," Kaito said. "Back when I first met you in Disney Town. That bumbling oaf and lousy excuse of a father, Pete?"
"What about him?" Sora questioned.
"When you all were fighting him, I was watching from the sidelines before I had to intervene," Kaito said. "Even before learning about how much resentment his son had toward him, I had a feeling his role as a father was nothing but emotionally scarring for the poor kid. If I could, I would have punished that fat cat more if his son didn't stop me with his powerful magic...But then there's Sludge. I felt bad when he crashed into town and got injured, but when he admitted he was Spike's 'father' and kept explaining Spike's 'origins'...I didn't feel anything."
"...Uhhh...ok?" Sora uttered, confused by what the Nobody was trying to explain. "So...you're mad at Sludge...but you don't sense him being a bad father because...he barely fathered him after being separated from Spike's egg?"
"No! I felt nothing because that dragon has no true connection to Spike at all!" Kaito corrected angrily. "His little story the other day back in the throne room is also all over the place with inconsistencies and lack of any proper answers! Even if the dragons in this world are a bit rough around the edges, if they can find love, why doesn't he tell us if he ever found Spike's mother or admit if she was killed by these so-called Scale Collectors!? Spike should at least deserve to know the truth! And if his story is true, then why didn't any of those baubles hanging from the ceiling even show any kind of proof that his memories were just as he described in his sob story!?"
Sora reeled back from Kaito's sudden rage. Sludge's true relation to Spike was really eating away at him, but Sora couldn't see why. Spike was happy to have Sludge finally be a part of his life, a part of his life he had been missing since he was hatched. From Kaito's ire toward horrible fathers, Sora stared at the older stallion as a thought began to cross his mind.
"Wait...Are you...jealous of Sludge?" Sora asked.
Kaito gave Sora a dumbfounded look, his eye twitching as he processed the wielder's assumption. "...What?"
"Well, having dad's memories and all, I think you're a bit disappointed you wanted to bond with me if I was younger," Sora pondered.
Growing frustrated, Kaito shook his head with a grunt. "No! Why would I be jealous!? I told you I had no intention to replace your father, his memories be damned!"
"Are you sure?" Sora questioned. "Since you met mom and learned about who you are, you two are technically dating. And anytime I'm in trouble, you immediately jumped in to lift my spirits and help me. Even when I wanted you dead while I was still mourning after watching him die out at sea."
"That's...I'm not..." Kaito was at a loss for words. Despite what he claimed to be for Sora and Manami, he was beginning to question if this was what he wanted or if this was what the memories of the real Kaito wanted. Questions he had since he woke up in the Realm of Darkness were answered. Though Xemnas had tried to conform him to joining the Organization back then, to give him some kind of purpose to his existence as an empty shell, he thought that his true purpose was to find Sora and Manami and reunite with them. Was he truly staying with Manami and protecting her and Sora from harm, or was he still driven by a loyal man's purpose in another life and he really was trying to replace him? A part of him did want to bond with Sora, though the who among his own thoughts and the real Kaito's memories raising Sora were beginning to conflict him. "...Is this what I really want anymore?"
Sora could see the Nobody's confusion, regretting ever mentioning his questionable existence. "Look, I've long since accepted the fact that you exist. I'm actually relieved that my dad had such a strong heart to have a powerful Nobody like you be born. And while I'm away, I worry about mom if something were to happen to Destiny Islands again." Sora approached the muddled stallion, placing a hoof on his shoulder. Kaito glanced at Sora, who gave him a reassuring smile. "If mom had wanted us to bond more, I would gladly do so. Without dad around, there was a lot he missed out on. But I'm not a kid anymore. You can always see me more often than when I just need help as long as mom is safe. We can hang out and...maybe talk or practice sparring. Whatever you want to do."
Kaito smiled back at Sora, but he quickly frowned again as he looked away with a sigh. "...I...appreciate that," he said, subconsciously grabbing the younger pegasus's hoof with his. "But I promise you I'm not jealous. I just...have this sinking feeling about Sludge."
"Maybe you should get to know him better," Sora suggested. "You're...technically new to fatherhood, even with dad's memories. Perhaps this sixth sense of yours about horrible fathers isn't working right because he's never really experienced it for himself after being separated from Spike's egg."
Kaito growled, feeling certain that his gut instinct was spot on regardless of Sludge's past. As the stallion looked out toward the castle, his brow quirked when he saw objects being flung out of the window from what seemed like Spike's bedroom. There was some vases, books, a chair, drapes, random stuff that was in Spike's room that was just getting tossed out. Out of nowhere, a bathtub was thrown out, with Starlight Glimmer inside as she was in the middle of taking a bath. Luckily, the unicorn caught herself with her magic, teleporting herself back inside while possibly looking very confused.
"The hell is going on over there?" Kaito questioned.
"Uhh, no clue," Sora pondered, being just as confused as the Nobody. "I did hear Sludge tell Spike he was going to teach him how to be a real dragon before I went out to look for you. Ever since the Dragon Migration a few years ago, Spike had been wanting to know more about his kind and their 'culture'."
"Hmmm..." Kaito still couldn't shake the feeling Sludge had different intentions the moment he crashed into town. "I'm gonna see what's going on."
Gently releasing Sora's hoof from his shoulder, Kaito leapt off the cloud and flew toward the castle. He wished there was more about dragons to learn about through books, or even personal notes taken by Twilight or any other brave enough scholar to truly understand how they live far in the Dragon Lands. But throwing out Spike's personal belongings, and even a random bathtub with someone inside it seemed far too suspicious to be anything revolving dragon culture.
Making his way through the halls, Spike had quickly turned the corner, accidentally bumping into the stallion's legs. "Ah! Sorry, Kaito! Kinda busy!" he said.
"Where are you even going?" Kaito questioned. "And why were you throwing stuff out of your room?"
"Oh. Dad's teaching me how to be a real dragon," Spike said, a huge grin on his chubby cheeks as he called Sludge his father. "All the stuff we've been doing was too ponyish and kept me from learning about all the dragonish things I could have done."
"...Including an occupied bathtub?" Kaito questioned skeptically.
"Uhh, I guess in the excitement, I kinda forgot Starlight was in there while we chucked that out," Spike giggled sheepishly. "Dad's got me grabbing all the cushy pony stuff I can find and tell me what's acceptable for dragons or too ponyish to be around."
"...Uh huh," Kaito mumbled, growing even more suspicious.
"I gotta get going! Maybe I can throw out my favorite toothbrush and toothpaste since dragons never brush their teeth." Spike ran off, laughing giddily.
As Spike rounded down the next hall, Kaito watched him before turning back to the hall where Spike's bedroom lies. Furrowing his brow, he quietly trekked down the hall, spotting Spike's slightly ajar bedroom door. Inside, he could hear Sludge laughing, though instead of the laugh of a proud father eager to bond with his son, it was more sinister and selfish. Peeking through the crack, he could see Sludge lounging in Spike's bed in a red robe, dozens of pillows and piles of sweets scattered about the room with one pile sitting beside the bed, which the dragon scarfed down like a slob.
"This is the life!" Sludge chuckled. "All this hospitality from those ponies and all this soft, lush stuff is far better than the bland Dragon Lands. Those other jerks don't know what they're missing." Munching down some more cupcakes, he let out a disgusting belch. "That little dragon is just as gullible as those stupid ponies. He really thinks I'm his father. And they all believed me!" While Sludge was busy laughing at the others who had been willing to help him while he was injured, Kaito snarled at what he admitted. He knew something was wrong, and having Sludge play at Spike's heart and get his hopes up infuriated him to no end. "Why would I even bother to have any eggs to look after? Kids are nothing but a hassle, and I'd prefer not doing anything after all the struggles back home. Hope my 'son' comes back with some more snacks, because 'dad' is hungry and loving living here."
Unable to hold himself back, Kaito kicked the door hard, slamming it open and startling Sludge. "I knew it!" Kaito exclaimed. He didn't give Sludge the chance to stammer a poor excuse as he flew into the dragon, pinning him down to the bed as he stood on top of him. "You've been lying about being Spike's father and you're USING him as your own personal slave!?"
"Whoa, whoa, easy there!" Sludge said. "Don't ruin the robe!"
Growling, Kaito shoved his left hoof into Sludge's neck, pinning his head into the soft pillows he was laying on, then summoned his cutlass in the other, holding the blade dangerously close to the dragon's shocked face. "If you say one more word, I will not hesitate to slice those flapping lips right off your fat, scaly face," he warned. "You think we ponies are gullible? Maybe next time you gloat about your scheme while on your lonesome, make sure no one's around to hear you!"
"...How did you do that?" Sludge asked as he eyed the ocean-themed sword.
"Don't underestimate me, you lazy slob," Kaito growled. "I had a feeling something was up with you when you were struggling with your recovery. Or was that all faked just to receive our 'hospitality', even when you didn't want to heal up after crash-landing here?" Sludge kept his mouth shut, feeling the blade of Kaito's cutlass press against his cheek, and it wasn't an illusion from the thin metallic texture able to even slice through a dragon's tough scales. "I'm going to reveal your fraudulent actions to everyone, especially Spike. That little guy has been wondering who his real biological parents were, and your lies are making him far too hopeful that'll just as badly crush him if he finds out far too late that you've been lying about everything."
Expecting the dragon to comply, Sludge actually smirked as he gave Kaito a malicious gaze. "...So, you're going to tell Spike that I'm not his real father?" he asked.
"Yes," Kaito said. "And you're not going to backpedal out of this."
"Ok...but would the runt believe you over his 'dad'?" Sludge questioned. Kaito was about to lose it and just take the dragon's life, unsure where Sludge was getting at when he was supposed to be the one being threatened. "I was separated by his 'mother' from the Scale Collectors, far too emotionally distressed to recall those painful memories to tell my 'son' and hurt him even more. Would you want to be the one responsible for breaking his spirits and make him lose hope that his actual family is still out there and perhaps never wanted him?"
"...The hell are you on about?" Kaito questioned.
"Have you seen the kid since I revealed myself to be his dad?" Sludge asked, casually tilting the stallion's sword away from his face as he noticed the hesitation in his expression. "He's never been happier. Those dumb things on his list were dumb and boring, but I kept up the façade to grow a bond with him. Or, should I say, to have him grow a bond with me?" Kaito didn't respond as his concerns for Spike's emotions when the truth would be revealed could be devastating for him. At Spike's age, after growing up with ponies for all his life, he always wanted to know who his real family was. His curiosities reflected his own questions with his existence and if what he believed was more of the real Kaito's wants than his own. Sludge distracted him from his thoughts after seeing the pegasus immediately drop his glare with a sinister chuckle. "Would you really want to upset the kid after he had been dying for answers for so long?"
Kaito grunted bitterly, but Sludge had a point, despite his own selfish intentions. He dismissed his blade, climbing off the dragon while avoiding the scattered mess around the bed. His ear twitched as he heard Spike hum out in the hall, entering his room with a pile of baked goods in his arms.
"I got some more sweets for you, dad!" Spike announced.
"Attaboy, son!" Sludge praised, watching the baby dragon place them next to the bed as he twiddled his claws eagerly before snatching a cupcake with pink frosting.
Kaito sneered at Sludge as he stuffed the cupcake in his mouth, despising him for his act and defeating him psychological despite the disadvantage the dragon had against him. "What were you and dad talking about, Kaito?" Spike asked.
He glanced at the baby dragon, then back to Sludge helping himself to filling his belly with food. "...Just...making sure your...father was treating you right," Kaito answered, feeling sick to his stomach for forcing himself to lie for Spike's sake.
"Why of course I am," Sludge said.
"Yeah! And tonight, I'm going to be sleeping outside so I can get more in touch with my dragon side," Spike added.
"...With your...dad?" Kaito asked with a wince.
"He wanted me to do it by myself," Spike explained. "I'm not a baby baby, and dad believes I can spend a night outdoors on my own."
"I know he can do it," Sludge said. "A chip off the old block. Best son I could ever have."
"And you're the best dad ever!" Spike beamed.
Bile began to creep up from his stomach as Kaito's face went pale. "...Well...then...I'm...so happy...for you two," he forcefully said, faking a genuine smile. He could see the snide, victorious grin on Sludge's smug face while Spike wasn't looking, his hooves trembling with unbridled rage, but he couldn't do anything or risk upsetting Spike. "I'll...leave you to...teaching him how to be a dragon."
Kaito left the room, hearing Spike and Sludge talking about what the baby dragon would do for his 'father' as it made his stomach churn. He wanted to yell, he wanted to expel the contents of his stomach from the lies he was forced to say, he wanted to end that dragon's life for making a mockery of him and teetering Spike's hopes to shattering with one slipup. He couldn't even tell Sora what he discovered without proof, and the assumptions would only prove the wielder was right about him being jealous of Sludge and make things worse. It felt like torture, and he wasn't able to hold his lunch for long, quickly finding the nearest bathroom and threw up, hoping the bile would wash out the lies that came from his twisted tongue.
The next couple days were agonizing for Kaito, and began to get aggravating for the others. Sludge had made himself a bit too comfortable living in the castle and his dragon lessons for Spike devolved into treating the baby dragon like his servant than a son. Spike had slept outdoors the last two nights instead of in his own room, which was more occupied by Sludge and his growing hoard of cushy stuff he said Spike couldn't have if he wanted to be a real dragon. By this point, Spike was far too deep into admiring his "father", even his behavior had changed a bit from the friendly, helpful dragon he always was.
One day, Kaito overheard Spike talking with Twilight in the library. Twilight confronted Spike about Sludge's methods of teaching, especially by kicking the baby dragon out of his own room and making a mess everywhere. Despite saying she was glad Sludge was in his life, Spike thinks that Twilight was jealous of him because she had been responsible for taking care of him ever since she hatched him. What really hurt the alicorn the most was when Spike said she didn't like that he had a real parent raising him. Kaito could practically hear the mare's heart break after such a low blow when all Twilight wanted was for the baby dragon not to change who he was as Spike, not the dragon he thinks he was meant to be.
Out by the pond where Kaito saw Spike learn how to fly over a week ago, the stallion stared at the water, wondering what he could do without hurting Spike's feelings. "Hey." Glancing over his shoulder, he was surprised to see Smolder, the dragon teen walking up to him. "You're Sora's uncle. Uhh...Keeton? Kailou?"
"Kaito," he corrected.
"Right. I thought that pony names were hard to remember, but human ones are...stranger, I guess." Smolder stood next to the stallion, picking up a small pebble and skipped it across the water. "So, what's up?"
"...Well...A lot, actually," Kaito sighed. "It's about Sludge."
"Sludge? The dragon who crashed into town last week?" Smolder asked. "He's still here?"
"He's living in the castle," he explained, letting out a small growl as he glared at the water. "He's...Spike's 'father'."
"Seriously?" Smolder asked, surprised.
"Absolutely not!" Kaito yelled, slamming his hooves into the water. The force of the splash made Smolder recoil as she nearly got wet, confused by his claim. "That dragon is no father figure! I heard him talking to himself and his scheme to trick everyone into believing him! Especially Spike! He's treating Spike like his slave while he thinks he's got a right to live in the lap of luxury while forcing Spike out of his bedroom and sleep outside to be a 'real dragon'!"
Taken aback, Smolder processed what Sludge had been doing with Spike and began to grow suspicious. "Wait. Sludge is teaching Spike how to be a dragon?" she questioned. "What exactly is he making Spike do?"
"I don't even know where to begin." Kaito gave Smolder a brief synopsis of what Sludge has been teaching Spike, all while he lives that luxurious life in his fancy red robe and his own personal servant. From the constant waiting on claw and foot, throwing out Spike's things while Sludge kept some of them for himself, and barely getting out of Spike's bed or even the castle to show him what else dragons do. After finishing his tirade, Kaito looked at Smolder, who seemed to be as miffed as he was. "...What?"
"Ok, Sludge is not teaching Spike anything about being a real dragon," Smolder said. "Dragons are supposed to be rude and rebellious. Even if he's a parent, they don't take advantage of their kids while they sit around in their dens like lazy lumps. I may live at the school during my studies, but we don't just sleep anywhere outside. We need shelter to sleep in just like every other creature."
Kaito's ire only grew, grateful to know that someone believed him, and she was a dragon who knew more about her own culture than Sludge claimed. "I knew he was just using Spike," he uttered. "But even if you helped call Sludge out, I don't think Spike would believe us. He looks up to Sludge too much now." Kaito wracked his brain to think of a way for Sludge to break and admit to Spike that he was only pretending to be his father. As much as it would hurt the baby dragon, he needed to know the truth before he wound up pushing away everyone else in his real family, especially Twilight. Looking at his hooves, Kaito had a curious thought as he looked back at Smolder. "...Do dragons fight over territory?"
"Oh, you have no idea," Smolder said with a laugh. "Land, dens, gems, we fight over anything. Winner takes all."
"Ok. Then...what about against other creatures who threaten their 'territory'?" he asked, getting a sly smirk from the dragoness as she seemed to get what he was thinking.
Spike yawned as he carried several platters of food to his room. The huge lunch was more for Sludge, though he was a bit sluggish and sore from practicing sleeping outside while also impressing his father with all he's learned from him. He didn't let it get him down as he was eager to learn more about being a dragon. Entering his room, Sludge was relaxing in bed, waiting for his meal.
"Here ya go, dad," Spike said as he laid the smorgasbord of food on the bedside table. "The tastiest lunches in Ponyville that could fill ten dragons' bellies full."
"Ah, the best kind of lunch there is," Sludge said.
Salivating, he wondered which dish he should start with first. His train of thought was derailed when the bedroom door slammed open, startling both dragons as Kaito waltzed himself right in.
"Hey, Spike. Sludge," he greeted as he approached the bedside table stacked with food. "Ooh. Lunch. Don't mind if I do."
Kaito snatched all the food, taking them away from Sludge as the pegasus found a comfy spot with the pile of pillows in the corner of the room. "Uhh, Kaito, that was all for my dad," Spike said.
"Maybe, but I was feeling a little peckish, and I didn't feel like cooking." Kaito took a hayburger and chomped down on it, eyeing Sludge as he saw the older dragon leering at him, wondering just what he was doing. "Mmmmm. Delicious! And with such comfortable pillows. I think I'm gonna make this my new bedroom from now on."
"But...this is my room," Spike uttered.
"Hey, my son got all that food for me!" Sludge exclaimed, finally getting his lazy tail out of bed as he approached the stallion menacingly.
"Did he? Well, that's a shame," Kaito mocked, taking another bite of the juicy hayburger. "It was just sitting there with no mouth to chomp it all down. And all these soft, cushy, luxurious pillows just sitting unattended are just begging to be laid on. This is the perfect bedroom for me. You two dragons can get out of my room now."
Spike was confused, never once seeing Kaito act this way. Sludge, however, was fuming, steam coming out of his nostrils.
"This is my room!" Sludge winced as he stammered at his choice of words. "I-I mean, my SON'S room! Which he's letting me stay in while I teach him how to be a dragon!"
"Oh? Really? I don't see anyone's name around here claiming it to be Spike's," Kaito said. He finished the burger, relishing the frustration on Sludge's face as he began to turn the tables on him. "I had a little chat with Smolder and asked her some questions about dragon culture that got me curious. After all, she did help teach Spike how to fly like a dragon because of the difference between our wings." He stretched out his wings, wiggling them to emphasize the different anatomy, then used one of his wings to grab some hay fries from another plate, stuffing them in his mouth and chewed in front of Sludge mockingly. "I was curious about them fighting over stuff, and dragons can pick a fight with anything if they try to take what 'belongs' to them."
"They do?" Spike asked. He looked up at Sludge, who had flinched at the idea. "Well, I did hang out with teenage dragons who love to fight over everything. And there was one moment where I ran away from Ponyville when Owlowiscious stuck around to help Twilight, I found another dragon's hoard of gems and...kinda ate some of gems. He wasn't happy about that."
"Uhh...W-Well, I guess that's true," Sludge confirmed, suddenly feeling a bit anxious.
"And, if this is supposed to be your territory, I'm encroaching on it and taking over," Kaito teased. "If you can't fight a pony, what kind of dragon are you?"
Insulted, Sludge grunted as he stepped forward, but began to hesitate. "You...You dare to take my - our stuff!?" Sludge questioned. "I'll show you a thing or two!"
Calmly, Kaito set aside the food as he stood up from his pillow pile, licking his wing tips of the greasy hay fries lingering on his feathers. "Ok. Bring it on, tubby."
"Oh, you're...you're asking for it!" Sludge stomped forward, rearing his arm back to punch Kaito.
He threw his fist, but Kaito swiftly ducked out of the way. Sludge went for another punch, but the pegasus grabbed his fist between his hooves, tossing him right out the open window. Sludge yelped as he was flung, quickly flapping his wings to slow his fall. He didn't see Kaito dive out after him, slamming into his back and sent them plummeting to the ground. He landed with a painful thud, wheezing heavily as his gut struck the ground first with Kaito adding insult to injury by standing triumphantly on his back. Spike flew out after them, and as he reached the ground, he spotted Smolder watching the two adults fight by the base of the castle.
"Smolder?" Spike uttered.
"Hey, Spike," Smolder greeted. "Getting used to flying?"
"Uhh, yeah. But, what's going on?" he asked.
"Kaito wanted to help teach you a little more about dragon culture," she said. "And I don't think your 'dad' taught you about how dragons deal with jerks who try to but into what they own. Even against other creatures who think they're tougher than us."
"Huh. I guess that is true." Spike looked back at Kaito and Sludge, the former leaping off the latter's back while still struggling to breathe. "Come on, dad! Defend your pride!"
"Yeah, 'dad'. Defend what dignity you barely have," Kaito mocked.
Sludge finally got back on his feet, panting slightly as he finally found the oxygen to breathe. "Ugh...I'm...just going easy on you," he said. "Still a bit sore from last week."
"I think you're more than well rested at this point. Now come on! Charge me!" Kaito goaded as he lowered his stance. "Don't even worry about singing me with fire breath. I can take the heat."
"...Alright. You're asking for it." Sludge turned his head, breathing out purpleish-green flames toward Kaito.
Waiting until the last second, Kaito jumped over the flames, using the heat to gain some lift as he unfurled his wings. Sludge snarled and blew more fire at the pegasus, but was too slow to aim as Kaito flew behind him. He kicked the dragon in the back of the head, making him stumble, then grabbed the heavy dragon's tail with his teeth. Despite Sludge's weight, it barely strained Kaito when he yanked hard, flopping Sludge on his stomach, then started to spin around, gaining more speed as he lifted the dragon off the ground a few inches.
"Round, and round, and round we go~!" Kaito sang over Sludge's yelling. Kaito leapt into the air, angling his spin to be more vertical, keeping Sludge's face from impacting the ground while the dragon kept getting dizzier and dizzier. "Where this dragon stops, only I will know~!"
Kaito let go after several more seconds, sending Sludge flying toward the ground at a similar angle he crash-landed into Ponyville. Though he wasn't a flaming fireball, Sludge struck the ground, bouncing and flopping against the grass a few feet before he slid to a halt. Groaning from the pain and his head spinning out of control, he tried to stand up, only to get tackled back into the ground as Kaito divebombed him. Pinning him down, he grasped one of Sludge's arms and pulled it behind his back in a painful arm lock.
"Agh! G-Get off!" Sludge roared, unable to grab the stallion on top of him with his free hand, both from the arm lock and his small arms barely able to reach his back.
"That's not how fighting for your turf works!" Kaito said, tightening his hold, making the dragon yelp and desperately struggle. "Come on, Sludge. Why don't you show your 'son' what it's like to be a real dragon? Knock me off and crush me with your fat butt!?"
"Roll over him, dad!" Spike cheered on, wanting Sludge to win. Smolder rolled her eyes, seeing the older dragon's performance far too pathetic against a surprisingly tough pegasus like Kaito. "Knock him over and pin him!"
Sludge couldn't take it anymore, feeling his arm about to pop off. "OW! I give up! You win!" he shouted.
Kaito's competitive expression immediately changed to a deadpanned leer, releasing Sludge's arm. Spike was disappointed that his father gave up too easily, though Smolder wasn't all that surprised considering how lazy the adult dragon was. Kaito hopped off of Sludge, letting the beaten dragon stand up as he rubbed his twisted arm.
"Pathetic," Kaito grumbled. "And here I thought that dragons were supposed to be tough and live for a good rumble."
"I ain't no spring chicken," Sludge complained.
"Neither am I, but unlike you, I don't just sit on my butt and pretend to be someone I'm not." The last point Kaito made had him grimace slightly, but he shook it off, focusing on revealing Sludge's true intentions. "There's not a lot of knowledge about dragons in Equestria because they used to be feared as dangerous, sentient beasts that could raise an entire village if they felt like it. As one, you should be stronger than at least twenty of me if you got pinned down that easily."
Spike and Smolder came up to the two, the latter approaching and confronting the lazy adult. "A dragon like you gives other REAL dragons a bad rap. Kaito told me what you were teaching Spike; nothing you're even teaching him is close to what we do! If a parent bosses their kid around, that kid's gonna fight for dominance to get what he wants! Not wait on him like a servant and treat them like royalty!" She then grabbed Sludge's robe he was still wearing, ripping it off of the startled dragon. "Especially soft and comfortable stuff like that!
"Hey!" Sludge exclaimed angrily.
Confused, Spike watched Smolder and Kaito gang up on Sludge. As much as he trusted the older dragon, he knew Smolder a lot more and was close friends with Dragon Lord Ember. What the dragoness Key bearer had taught him seemed more true than what Sludge had been telling him, but he had never questioned it because he was his father.
"What's...what's going on here?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, Sludge. How about you explain to your 'son' just what's going on?" Kaito questioned. "Tell him the truth!"
"W-What truth?" Spike asked, feeling more confused and worried than ever.
Sludge stammered, but was backed into a corner. Kaito nabbed the dragon's other arm and was about ready to twist it behind his back, but with the intention of ripping it off.
"Unless you want to lose an arm, tell him now!" Kaito demanded. Sludge grunted, letting out a yell as the stallion used his other hoof to push hard against his back, keeping him upright as he was prepared to tear his arm out of its socket. "I don't care if Spike is let down anymore so long as he knows the truth right now before you stupidly decide to crush his hopes years down the line!"
"Kaito, what are you doing!?" Spike ran up to the two, trying to pull the stallion away from Sludge as he screamed in agony. "Let go of my dad!"
"AGH! Alright, fine! I'll say it!" Sludge exclaimed. "I'm not his father!"
Spike froze, looking up at Sludge with a mortified frown. Kaito shoved Sludge forward, releasing his arm in the process.
"...W-What?" Spike mumbled. He looked up at Kaito, who continued leering at the dragon as he nursed his other arm with a grimace. "...He's...But I thought...Did you-?"
"I can't explain it, Spike, but I've known he was lying when he started explaining where he had 'been' in your life," Kaito said. "A couple days ago, after you left to get this slob more food, I overheard him talking to himself. Even how gullible we ponies are, as well as you for believing him. All so he can feel like a king in his own castle and pretend to be your father just to treat you like a slave."
"Hey, I saw an opportunity and took advantage of it so I could live that sweet castle life," Sludge explained. "That's what dragons do, kid."
"No, it's not," Smolder said, crossing her arms as she glared at Sludge. "Real dragons would have immediately taken over and ran the ponies out. But that's not going to happen today while I'm representing the Dragon Lands and learning about friendship. And Kaito even gave me a rundown on that dumb story you told everyone. The Dragon Migration has always been the same route for hundreds of generations. The Dragon Lord doesn't send a random dragon to find a route. You would know if you weren't so lazy and pathetic."
"You watch your tongue, you little brat," Sludge growled.
Smolder cracked her knuckles, glowering more intensely at the older dragon. "If your tail just got whooped by a pony, I can take you down with both my eyes closed and both arms behind my back," she warned.
Sludge grimaced and backed away slowly, only proving just how cowardly and worthless he is as a dragon. Spike was hurt, but he was also just as angry after being lied to. He actually believed Sludge, believed every word he said in the hopes of finally learning about his biological family, only to be shot down as he was used for Sludge's own personal greed.
"We helped nurse you back to health," Spike said. "We got you back up on your feet...and you just...lied to us...To me."
"I had to make up something to try to stay and live in that castle forever, but I guess some ponies just can't keep their noses out of things," Sludge said. As he continued slowly backing away, he was unaware of a humanoid Heartless rising up from a void in the ground behind him, stealthily approaching him. "No offense, kid, but I never wanted kids, and I probably wouldn't ever adopt a runt who was raised by a bunch of ponies."
"I think that's highly offensive," Kaito growled. "I think he's far better off being raised by Twilight than a deadbeat wannabe like you."
"Yack all you want! I don't need to be talked down to by a bunch of brats and a stupid pegasus like yo-OUGH!" Sludge lurched forward with a strangled gasp.
Kaito, Spike, and Smolder gasped, seeing a dark claw run right through the dragon's chest, piercing through his heart. The claw pulled itself back, letting Sludge fall over as he struggled to breathe, his body twitching slightly. Behind where he stood, the trio saw what attacked him, which was a Heartless they had never seen before. It held Sludge's heart in its palm, but despite having his heart taken, Sludge didn't disappear in a flurry of light. Around his chest was an aura of darkness, preventing him from disappearing.
"W-What the hay is that!? A Heartless!?" Smolder exclaimed.
The Heartless stared intently at the glowing heart, its fanged maw curling into a menacing grin. It set its sights on the still writhing, gasping dragon the heart belonged to, somehow keeping his body whole while clutching his heart as darkness began to taint it, along with a faint gray aura that began to glow in the center of it. The Nobody and two younger dragons were too stunned by the Heartless, wondering what it was doing as it approached Sludge, flipping him on his back, then forced his mouth open.
Become...Sloth...
It thrust the heart straight down Sludge's throat, making him gag as his heart was plunged back inside of him. It quickly pulled its arm out, backing away slowly as it continued to watch the dragon now convulse wildly, clutching his chest and throat as it seemed like he couldn't breathe. While it was distracted, Smolder summoned her Keyblade, but bringing it out immediately diverted its attention to the young wielder.
"What is this-?" Smolder suddenly yelled and ran toward the Heartless. "Smolder, wait!"
Igniting Dragon's Fury with a mix of ice and fire breath, she leapt up and slammed her Keyblade down on top of it. It leapt to the side, avoiding a small shockwave of dual elemental energy that trailed down from the impact. She was about to chase it down, but the Heartless disappeared through a void, escaping to wherever it came from.
"Darn it. Stupid cowardly Heartless," Smolder growled.
"D-Did...Did it talk?" Spike questioned frightfully. The question was ignored when they heard Sludge gargle and gag, his cheeks beginning to puff out as the darkness around his chest began to intensify. Spike and Smolder ran over to the dragon, worried about him turning into a Heartless after what the other one did to him. "Sludge? Sludge!?"
Kaito noticed something wrong with a mysterious billow of steam emanating from Sludge's nostrils, a visibly dark purple with an acrid scent that he could smell from where he stood. "Spike! Smolder! Back away!" he quickly called out.
They looked at him, only to look back down when they heard Sludge's last breath before his mouth and eyes shot open, his pupils gone completely white as a foul, poisonous cloud poured out of his mouth. Startled, Spike and Smolder winced and braced themselves, then yelped when something grabbed them from behind and carried them back to Kaito's side. The poison shrouded Sludge as it continued to grow, and though it was several dozen yards away from the castle and the town, if it continued, it could enshroud the entire town and harm everyone.
As Smolder was released by whoever saved her, she turned to see who it was, only to gawk at WHAT it was instead. She may not have encountered any while in the Toy Box world, but she's seen enough of Gallus's memories from his adventure in the Kingdom of Corona to know these creatures were Nobodies. Bearing a bandanna that covered their left eye and an eyepatch on their right, tattered shorts with floral patterns, and wielding a silver cutlass in their right hands while their left hands were replaced with hooks, Kaito's Swashbucklers saved the two dragons from being deathly ill by the poison spewing out of Sludge's mouth.
"Nobodies!?" Smolder was about to strike the one that saved her, but Kaito summoned his ocean cutlass, barring the dragoness from one of his loyal crew.
"They're with me," he said. The sight of the sword and the smell of the ocean baffled Smolder as she looked at him. "It's a long story, but I'll explain it to you when we're out of danger." They heard a low grumble coming from the growing purple cloud of poison. Through the deadly fog, they saw a pair of sluggish, glowing eyes through the dark purple mist. Around the yellow glow that is a clear sign he's turned into a Heartless, his irises, however, gave off a dull gray glow. Slow, heavy thuds shook the ground as Sludge crawled out of the mist, his new appearance shocking the trio. He had grown as big as the poisonous cloud, reaching five times his normal height, but his scales and spines seem to look decayed and rotted as they turned dull and gray. Every breath he took expelled more poison, getting dangerously closer toward town and the pegasus and dragons in his sights. "This is not good. It's too late for him."
"Uhh, I don't think I can take him on now," Smolder uttered as she, Kaito, and Spike began to back away from the Heartless dragon. "The hay is that smoke? And why does it smell so...foul?"
"It's poison, and you don't want to breathe that in," Kaito advised. "It's not safe if that cloud spreads all over town." Bringing a hoof to his mouth, Kaito released a shrill whistle, calling several more Swashbucklers behind the trio, startling Smolder when she saw how many he summoned. "Spike, Smolder, fly into town and get everyone far away from here! My crew will help evacuate! If you can find Sora or the others, tell them what's happened! I doubt they'll miss seeing a deadly, poisonous cloud looming over Ponyville!"
"W-What are you gonna do, Kaito?" Spike asked.
"Ol' Sludge wants a rematch?" The stallion grabbed the hilt of his cutlass in his teeth and crouched down, surprising Smolder as he stood in a similar stance to Sora's. "Then I'll give him one."
Smolder had a lot of questions to give Kaito, but he was right. Until this is over, she was going to get some answers. She and Spike flew on ahead to find help and get everyone away from Sludge, the Swashbucklers racing behind to assist.
There was no chance Kaito was going to take the Heartless on without getting caught in the poisonous miasma surrounding it. His blade turned to liquid as he began swinging, launching water shockwave slices at its face. They struck as it barely bothered to avoid the slashes, slowly retaliating as it blew its poisonous breath at him. Kaito jumped and flew into the sky, avoiding the poison, but as he looked down, he saw it was heading right toward town. Waving his hooves, he snatched the water from the nearby clouds and created a barrier to block the deadly cloud from hitting anyone nearby. He tried to funnel the cloud away from the buildings, but with how thick it was, it seeped into the water and contaminated it, barely dissolving it.
Cursing under his breath, he had to keep the poison contained. He pulled the water blockade back toward him, straining his power as the cloud made the weight of the water much heavier. With a grunt, he flung his forelegs, forcing the cloud to flow back toward Heartless Sludge and dropped his hold on the water. The water splashed to the ground, but the contaminated water affected the earth as the grass quickly wilted and the ground dried up and cracked. His attempt to save the town was only going to destroy it unless he killed the Heartless, but he was on his own until help arrived.
Keeping the dragon's focus on him, he kept to the sky to prevent anymore poison dragon breath from dangerously flowing into town. Dodging the growing cloud around the Heartless, Kaito continued slashing it from a distance. Much like his water blockade, it was getting harder to hit it as his water shockwaves and spells were barely getting through. His powers were completely useless as he struggled to avoid the growing miasma creeping closer to him. The dragon let out a bored roar, controlling the poison to completely surround the Nobody and trap him inside.
Kaito covered his mouth and nose with his hooves, holding his breath to avoid breathing in the noxious gas. He could practically taste it as the smell burned his eyes. Just as he was about to pass out and risk taking a breath, a stream of rainbow light struck through the cloud, dissipating the poison around the beam of colorful light. Seeing his opening, Kaito quickly flew out of the cloud, gasped for breath and coughed heavily from the overwhelming stench.
"Kaito!" Sora called out, hovering down to him while in his Harmony Form, his Keyblades flying around and slicing away the deadly poison. From the ground and air, the rest of the experienced wielders came to help eradicate the Heartless and blow back the miasma with Aero magic. "Twilight alerted us to a Heartless invading Ponyville. What's-?" As he looked down, he caught what was creating the poisonous smog, which startled the Key bearer. "Is...Is that Sludge!?"
"Y-Yeah. Some weird Heartless snuck up on him and took his heart," Kaito said. "It's nothing I've ever seen before. But when it took his heart, Sludge didn't fade away...and it...talked."
"What?" Sora gawked at Kaito and the vague details of what this Heartless did. He looked back down at Sludge, noticing the odd coloring of his eyes before he exhaled and tried to shroud its face in its poisonous breath. "His eyes...He became a Corrupted Heartless."
"A Corrupted Heartless?" Kaito questioned.
"We'll explain later. Where's Spike?" Sora asked.
"He's helping evacuate the town with Smolder and my Swashbucklers," Kaito said. "I'm going to have to tell Smolder everything...and hope she can keep it a secret from your other pupils."
"Just as long as they're out of harm's way." Sora recalled his Keyblades and flew down to joint the others while Kaito watched, having done all he could do with only water elemental abilities.
Aqua, Twilight, and Xion continued to blow away the mist and send it toward Kairi, where she used her power of light to eradicate the dark poison. While she revealed the Heartless's body, ignoring the disturbingly gruesome form it took, Riku, Ventus, Terra, Lea, and Sora blasted the dragon with magic spells. Even as they cleared the poison, they didn't want to get too close in case it spewed more and more to defend itself. It was incredibly resilient, but it was no match when Sora and Kairi grouped together to purify Sludge. The couple nodded to each other as they both charged their respective purification beams, aiming directly at the dragon's heart. Together, a beam of pure light and a swirl of rainbow light struck the Heartless in the chest.
The dragon let out a pained roar, slowly writhing as the light seared through its body. The poison from its opened mouth was dissolved by the light until not a single puff of it was around. As the group had expected Sludge and his Heartless to be peeled away from him, the dragon let out another painful cry before it seized up, then begin to fall over and start to disappear in a flurry of lights. Floating out from the dissipating body was Sludge's heart, disappearing up into the sky as it was released. He hadn't turned into a Heartless for that long, but the Heartless that took his heart must have been far more powerful than it seemed, implanting its darkness within it to permanently change and turn Sludge into a deadly Heartless.
Confused and horrified, the others looked at each other as they believe they ended up killing Spike's father. As much as Kaito was relieved that it was over, Sludge didn't deserve to die like that, even after lying to everyone.
"What...What happened?" Kairi asked. "He hadn't been transformed for that long, was he?"
"I don't think he was," Sora said.
"No. He wasn't," Kaito said as he landed beside the couple. As everyone looked at him, Kaito grimaced as he looked toward the spot Sludge had once stood as the grotesque Heartless dragon. "He was attacked by a Heartless. We didn't see it until it was too late."
"None of us were around the throne room until we heard him roar like that," Aqua said.
"Man...Poor Spike," Lea mumbled. "Found his dad, only to lose him far too soon."
"Sludge was never Spike's father," Kaito interjected, baffling the group. Sora was about to say something, but Kaito cut him off as he dug his hoof in the wielder's jacket pocket, pulling out his memory ornament and held it out for everyone to see. "Just watch."
The ornament began to show the last few moments before Sludge was attacked. Though they thought it weird how Kaito had goaded Sludge into a fight, and won, when they heard the dragon admit he wasn't Spike's father, they were appalled as he not only toyed with Spike's emotions, but was using the lie he made to freeload around the castle. It was a major disappointment, but from the way Sludge had behaved before and after recovering from his crash landing, it was a huge weight off their shoulders. Twilight was incredibly relieved, but she felt bad for Spike after hearing the truth. She knew how much his dragon heritage meant to him and wanting to search for who his real parents were. But whether he had found his biological family, she didn't want him to forget about the family who had been with him since he was born.
As soon as they saw Sludge's demise toward the Heartless, the sudden claw through his chest startled them. From Sludge's wide, chunky build, there was no chance Kaito, Smolder, nor Spike could have seen it coming up behind him. When Sludge fell and they saw the humanoid Heartless, everyone gawked at the new Heartless, but Aqua gasped, recognizing it immediately.
"No way," Aqua uttered.
"Aqua? What is it?" Ventus asked.
"I've seen that Heartless before." The first terrifying Heartless that trumped the Shadows back in her past still lingered in her mind. It was the very same one that took the heart of the town bully back in her home world. "Before I was brought to The Land of Departure...when the world I was born in was being destroyed by darkness. I saw it take a boy's heart right in front of me before I passed out in shock."
"We've never seen anything like that before," Riku said.
"Is it still around?" Twilight asked nervously.
"No. It ran away when Smolder tried to attack it," Kaito said. Aqua growled, needing to give her dragon apprentice a firm reminder of rushing into danger recklessly, especially against a Heartless no one knew anything about. "Just keep watching. You're not going to like what happened next."
As the memory continued, they watched the Heartless return back to Sludge, darkness tainting his heart while the center of the glowing heart began to light up a similar gray color matching the Corrupted Heartless's pupils. "Become...Sloth..."
"I-It spoke!?" Sora exclaimed.
"'Become sloth'? It...brought out the corruption?" Kairi asked.
"But how was his body still present?" Terra questioned. "When a Heartless takes a heart, they disappear, their heart and bodies separating into another Heartless and a Nobody."
Pondering how Sludge was still present, they continued watching as the Heartless forced open Sludge's mouth, then shoved his heart down his gullet. The dragon struggled to breathe, Smolder soon chasing after the Heartless before it ran away, then began to transform Sludge expelled the poisonous smoke as the darkness and corruption of a deadly sin transformed him into the undead monstrosity. They were grateful for Kaito's Swashbucklers jumping in to save both Smolder and Spike as they ran up to the writhing dragon, but now they had another mysterious threat from another kind of sentient Heartless.
"...Great. So now we something else that's gonna give us grief," Lea sighed in annoyance.
"Where has that thing been hiding?" Aqua mumbled. "I haven't seen that Heartless in nearly two decades. There isn't a single mention about that type in the library either..."
"Well, it can't be the cause of the Corrupted Heartless," Sora said. "Twilight's came from her envy toward Kairi when she...liked me."
Twilight groaned at the reminder, but ignored it. "And then there was Sunset Shimmer who wanted revenge against Princess Celestia when she was her former student, and she was filled with wrath."
"The Arimaspi's Heartless back in Griffonstone with its greed after it died stealing the Idol of Boreas," Riku added.
"And the Sphinx back in Somnambula when its Heartless attacked the cursed pyramid, too prideful to lose when its riddles were solved," Kairi added as well.
"So Sludge should have been freed from the corruption," Ventus pondered. "...Unless...that Heartless is stronger than it seems."
"Probably," Aqua uttered. Unable to figure out what it was or what its motives were, she shook her head with a defeated sigh. "Let's just hope it's smart enough not to show itself around more than a dozen wielders and skilled fighters who can combat against the Heartless. Let's inform everyone that the town is safe and they can return home."
The group nodded, then started to head into Ponyville to tell everyone the news. Kaito stood where he was, looked down at the ornament as he stared at the expression on Sludge's face the moment his chest was run through by the Heartless's claws. Through the shock, he was absolutely terrified. He could only hope the dragon didn't suffer too much, but he would be lying to himself after what the mysterious Heartless did to him.
"Kaito?" Sora called out, snapping the stallion out of his daze.
Noticing the concerned look on the Keyblade wielder's face, Kaito cleared his throat, giving Sora his ornament back. "...I told you I had a strange feeling," he said. "I just...didn't expect the end result to go...like that."
Sora pocketed his ornament away, unsure what to say to the Nobody. "...I...I believe you," he said.
Kaito let out a small chuckle, subconsciously rubbing Sora's head with a hoof and ruffled his spikey mane. "That's all I need from you, son." He froze, realizing what he was doing. Quickly removing his hoof, Sora and Kaito both awkwardly stared at each other in silence. "...I...That wasn't me who...I didn't mean to..." Their prior conversation a couple days ago came back to the Nobody. All the memories flooding his mind of Sora, Manami, Destiny Islands, everything from the real Kaito meshed with his own memories before knowing and meeting them. Clearing his throat again, Kaito shuffled away from Sora. "I...think I've stayed away from your mother long enough. I'm gonna...go back and tell her everything...We'll...see ya at the wedding."
Kaito turned around and flew off in the direction of the Everfree Forest as fast as he could. Sora watched him leave, feeling a bit worried that what he said the other day might have confused the Nobody and made him go into an existential crisis.
Kaito passed through a portal of darkness back to Destiny Islands, donning his black coat again to protect him. There were still some leaves stuck to his outfit, but he brushed them off, contemplating his mixed memories and his existence. He trudged through the port town, making sure no one saw him exiting the portal as he headed back to Manami and Sora's home. Ignoring his own problems, and completely forgetting his promise to Smolder, he focused on the earful he was going to get for being gone for so long.
Walking up to the house, he walked inside, smelling lunch being cooked by the matriarch of the home. "Manami? I'm back," he called out.
As he walked into the kitchen, Manami turned away from the stove with an annoyed pout. "You've been gone for nearly a week and a half!" she complained. "What's going on in Equestria that I've been missing!?"
"Er, quite a lot, actually," Kaito said. "Had a little...Heartless situation earlier today, but it's all taken care of."
Manami huffed, turning back around to the stove to keep the food from burning. "Besides something dangerous threatening the world and everything, what else happened?" she asked. Kaito sat himself down at the table, unsure where to start. "But first; when is Sora's wedding?"
"They're almost done with the planning," he said. "He was going to give me a call through my communicator to let me know the exact date. It should be soon."
"Thank goodness," Manami sighed. "That'll give me enough time to pick out a good dress to wear." She finished cooking up some fried fish on the skillet, shutting the stovetop off, then plated her lunch before joining the Nobody. "And we need you dressed fancy for the occasion as well. We'll see if that monkey suit of Kaito's is able to fit you."
"R-Right," Kaito mumbled.
As Manami was cutting up her fish, she noticed the troubled look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Did something happen between you and Sora?"
"N-No! Not at all!" Kaito answered nervously. Able to read him like an open book, Manami put down her silverware and gave him a skeptical leer. Wincing at her gaze, Kaito wilted, letting out a defeated sigh. "Ok, maybe...a little bit. But we sorted it out. Promise."
Manami stared at him for a few more seconds before she picked up her cutlery again. "Alright. But if you two are causing any trouble with each other, I'll know and set the both of your straight. Understand?" Kaito gulped nervously, nodding his head in understanding. Manami dropped her gaze and took a bite of her food. "So, what went wild in Ponyville that forced you to stay behind?"
"Heh. Well, when I arrived, I saw Twilight teaching Spike how to fly with some new wings he got. Thanks for telling me, by the way." The woman chuckled and shrugged her shoulders, playfully teasing him despite having forgotten to inform him of the baby dragon's new addition to his growing body. "I thought I could give some pointers, but dragon wings function a little differently from a pegasus's..."
Later that evening in Equestria, things had been getting back to normal. Spike made up with Twilight for the hurtful comments he made, and even if he hadn't discovered who his real parents were, he knew that his real family was with Twilight's and the friends the two have made. Smolder was miffed that Kaito had left so suddenly and was given an explanation about his true identity through Sora. She realized her first guess had been spot on that Kaito was technically Sora's father, but that he was the real Kaito's Nobody had stunned her. Despite this strange bit of news and the warning she would give to her friends about the new Heartless they saw, the group agreeing to call it a Darkling, she promised to keep Kaito's existence a secret from the other apprentices. After seeing his Swashbucklers, she was sure the others would have probably been on their guard around him as a precaution from what half of them experienced.
Terra decided to take a little stroll around The Land of Departure. Making his way up the mountain to the peak where he, Aqua, and Ventus stargazed, he stopped in the center of the flat field and sat down on his knees. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate, contemplating just what this new threat was and if he should try to search for it before it went after anyone else. Aqua already had one Heartless chasing after her for years, he was not going to let another haunt her more than she's already been since her youth.
As he concentrated on his thoughts, through the darkness of his closed lids, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. Glowing faintly before him, there was a familiar figure that stood over him, watching him. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but the summit and the night sky. He hummed in thought, glancing around himself before he began to focus on meditating again. A moment of silence and focus passed, and he was able to see that figure again. He remained still, waiting for the figure to move. It stepped closer and kneeled down before him, causing Terra to tilt his head up to see their face. The figure began to glow and appear much more clearer until he was able to see who it was, making him gasp as he could see who it was, giving him a calm, warm smile.
"...Master?" he uttered.
Terra opened his eyes, no longer sitting on the mountaintop, but within his own heart to see his former master in front of him, his body surrounded in an ethereal white light, yet made the man visible enough to see clearly. "Hello, Terra..."