//------------------------------//
// The Struggles of a Dragoon 
// Story: My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria 
// by Codex92 
//------------------------------//

Freya remained where she stood after giving her name to the many ponies who faced her. Though her expression seemed cold, her visible eye seemed curious about them. While the others were wary, Sora approached the mysterious dragon.

"Did you take down the Heartless that were attacking the Crystal Empire?" he asked.

"...No. Just one Darkside," she said with a snarl, making Sora jump as he took a couple steps back. "How many more are there in this world?"

"Uhh...W-Well, we heard there was a whole lot more, but...I guess someone else got to them first." Freya loosened her tense muscles with a huff. Sora tried to get a better look at Freya, but her attire made it difficult to see her face or what she truly looked like underneath. "I guess you might be on our side. My name's Sora."

"...Hello," Freya mumbled.

Confused, Sora expected Freya to be surprised by his name. She was a Key Bearer, someone neither of them had ever seen or known of like the Dandelions in Valhalla, but she didn't recognize his name or his face.

"W-Wait, aren't you a...Dandelion, or something?" Sora asked.

"I'm a dragoness, not a weed," Freya grunted.

"Huh? You haven't-?" Freya called back her Keyblade and aimed it at the stallion, making him yelp and back away, shaking his hooves wildly in self defense. "Wait, hold on a second! I'm not your enemy!"

"Then why are you questioning me!?" she shouted accusingly. "Do you find me a threat? Do you claim ME responsible for bringing the Heartless here to this world!? You and your comrades standing like confused livestock are also bearers as I!"

"I-I didn't say anything of the sort!" Sora explained. "Honest! I thought you recognized me or knew what my name was! I helped save several worlds and saved the universe from the threats of darkness numerous times!"

"Your face and your name hold no meaning to me," Freya growled. "Even if you are a famed hero in this universe, where I hail, you know not what I have been forced to suffer through, whelp."

"Did she just say 'this universe'?" Aqua uttered.

"Are there a lot more worlds than we thought outside of where we've been?" Terra mumbled curiously.

Overhearing the other wielders, Freya glanced at them, and with surprising speed, startling Sora as she seemed to have disappeared, she reappeared in front of the others with a light drop. Yelping, the Mane Six and the otherwordly wielders leapt back and summoned their Keyblades in self defense.

"...I have been traveling through countless worlds for fifteen years," she claimed. "...My world was taken by Heartless...And I lost everything..." Despite her aggressive stance, she let out a depressed sigh, her Keyblade fading away in a flash of light as she brought her right claw up to her snout. "...I lost track of how many I've been to. But I care not what they were, who resided there, or if they perish just like my world had..." While she seemed upset, when she removed her hand, the glare in her eye intensified and her teeth could be seen, scowling with hatred and disdain. "All I care now...is destroying every single last one of these monster born from the abyss of the deepest darkness for what they've done."

"Destroy every Heartless?" Twilight questioned. "But...that's physically impossible."

"It matters not. I will make it possible, even if it costs me my life," Freya said. "And I want these heartless cretins to suffer like I have. I will make them feel fear, by my blade-" She slammed her tail hard into the ground, shaking the ground and kicking up snow with such powerful force. "-and my own claws."

With how angry she was, everyone thought she would have wound up tapping into the darkness with such rage billowing from her being. It was a miracle she hadn't if her life was as tragic as she claimed.

"We're sorry for your loss," Xion said.

"Your pity will not mend my pain," Freya mumbled.

"But we can try to make you feel more welcome," Twilight offered. Freya turned her head, her eye drooping as she felt fatigued. Seeing she has calmed down a bit, everyone introduced themselves to the new, hopeful, ally. In the distance, Spike stood back up after watching Freya's entrance, even saving him with such a powerful, flashy attack. He flapped his wings and tried to get a closer look, seeing the color of her scales almost matching exactly to his, landing gently in the snow behind her. "So...which world did you come from?"

Freya glanced at the equines in silence for a moment. "...Equestria," she answered, surprising everyone.

"E-Equestria!?" Sora exclaimed.

"T-There's another world like ours!?" Twilight added.

"Though both this world and mine have similarities, there are some differences I've noticed," Freya said. "I know a majority of you are not of this world, judging by your clothing."

"Yeah. Only Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy are native in Equestria," Riku confirmed. "We've made Equestria into a second home, and our base to fight off Heartless that appear in other worlds."

"We're only able to see what's spread out within...a certain range," Aqua added. "Which...just so happens to be our own galaxy. Nowhere else."

"...I see. Are there dragons in this world?" she asked.

"Yes, but...they're a bit rough around the edges," Rarity said.

"Hmph. So they are barbarians and not loyal dragoons like I," Freya huffed, crossing her arms in disdain. "Wonderful."

"Uhh, 'dragoon'?" Lea asked.

"A dragon knight," the dragoness explained. "The Keyblade is more well-known from my world, with all sorts of creatures being able to wield it if they are worthy. Dragons who bear the Keyblade are given the role and title of dragoon, and train to serve and protect the defenseless from the darkness that threatens the world..." Freya frowned and looked away, feeling ashamed. "...And we were blind to notice before they found..."

"They...found the heart of your Equestria," Sora guessed.

"...We got careless," Freya mumbled. "...It is gone...lost in the Realm of Darkness...forever."

Aqua frowned, understanding exactly how Freya felt. They both lost their homes and everyone they knew, and from the pained expression and the misery coming from her voice, she was overcome with grief and anger as she had.

"Well, you saved all of us and the Crystal Empire." Flinching, Freya turned and looked down at Spike, neither of them realizing he had been standing there looking up at her for some time. Upon staring at the baby dragon, Freya let out a small gasp as she gazed in Spike's eyes, finding familiarity within them. "I thought I was a goner, but you came at just the right time."

Slowly, Freya turned her body, never keeping her eye off the baby dragon. Her silence began to worry the wielders, neither having any idea if she was still fuming or in shock. Her hands trembled as she slowly grabbed her hat and removed it, her horns barely catching in the holes with her shaking hands. As she revealed her face, everyone gasped; she looked almost exactly like Spike from her lighter shade of purple scales and a bright green underside from her neck down. She lowered her arms at her sides, her hat held in her left claw until it slipped out of her fingers and flopped into the snow beside her.

"...Y-You..." Freya took small steps, her whole demeanor shockingly changing from the rough and aggressive dragoness she was before as she approached Spike. She dropped to her knees, getting a closer look at him while he seemed a bit wary. Her hands reached out to Spike, gently cupping his cheeks as her eyes slowly scanned every inch of his face, all while constantly drifting back to his eyes. "...You have his eyes..."

"Huh?" Spike uttered. He remained still, feeling Freya's claws gently rub and caress his head, cheeks, ears, almost like a mother affectionately cherishing a newborn baby. Tears began to well in the dragoon's eyes, a sense of longing and sorrow washing over her. "...W-What?"

"...Your egg," she mumbled. "...Was it...light purple...with darker spots all around the shell...in the same color?"

Twilight let out a gasp in shock after hearing Freya describe Spike's egg perfectly. "...Y-Yeah," Spike confirmed.

With a shaky breath, Freya's tears flowed down her face. For the first time since they met her, the dragoness cracked a small, joyous smile. She brought her hands under Spike's arms and picked him up, startling him as her body trembled with overwhelming relief and happiness, a feeling she had never felt in so long.

"...You were spared from the clutches of darkness," she uttered. Sobbing, she brought Spike to her chest and hugged him tightly, cradling him and refusing to let go. "...Tis a miracle...My baby remains in the realm of light...My beautiful baby boy..."

Spike had no idea what was happening until Freya dropped such a massive bombshell, his eyes growing wide in shock. "B-Baby?" He tried to glance up at her, but Freya was too busy smothering him as she cried in joy. "...Y-You're...my mom?"

The Mane Six and Key Bearers all gasped in surprise. They didn't want to believe it was true after thinking Sludge was Spike's father a year prior, but seeing how tightly Freya clung onto Spike and was broken to tears made her claim sound genuine and true. Spike was still in disbelief, part of him not wanting to believe her and be let down like Sludge did to him. It made sense seeing how similar their scales were, and the anxiety of her question about his egg had swiftly faded into relief from whatever anguish she experienced in the past. Twilight was happy for Spike to have finally met his birth mother, who was from a completely different universe from theirs, which meant Spike was not from her world at all. Which brought up more questions as to how Freya got separated from Spike while he was an egg, and hearing her mention he had someone else's eyes, who Spike's true father was.

Freya kissed Spike's head softly as she felt tired, content, slowly laying down while holding her child in her arms. "My baby...Estinien...It's...a boy..." Her eyes wearily closed as she began to slip into unconsciousness. "...My...baby........."





Freya stirred, squinting her eyes open. Her body had finally worn out from her exhaustion, both physical and emotional after several days without rest and discovering her long-lost child was alive. She had no idea how long she was asleep for, but she was a lot more rested than she ever felt in a long time. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, gazing at her surroundings. No longer out in the freezing cold, she was sitting in a comfortable bed in a room that was made out of crystal. From the regal decor, she was resting in a guest room of a royal palace. Glancing down at herself, she wasn't wearing her red coat any longer, revealing her torso and a birthmark of a crescent moon in a patch of white scales.

Thinking she was robbed, Freya hopped out of bed and approached the door. When she went to open it, she startled Spike as he yelped and jumped back, dropping a bowl of warm water with a soaked washcloth that was inside it. She was even about to charge out to find her baby, relaxing as she was relieved to see him.

"D-Didn't know you woke up," Spike said, only to squeak as Freya immediately picked him up and hugged him.

"You are not to leave my sight ever again," she mumbled. Reluctantly, she lowered Spike back down, her gentle claws lingering on his cheek before she forced them to move away and focus on their surroundings. "Where are we?"

"We're in the Crystal Empire, inside the castle," Spike said.

"I thought as much from the furniture and lush bedspread," Freya uttered. She then noticed the bowl of spilled water and washcloth beside Spike. "...What were you doing?"

"Oh. I was gonna...place a warm washcloth on your forehead," he said. "You were out cold for a couple days." Freya blinked, unaware she had spent that long unconscious. "We all thought you were a little sick and exhausted...When did you last sleep?"

"...Weeks, at most," Freya admitted. "I...rarely ever rested..."

Her stomach suddenly began to growl, even startling herself. "Or ate?" Spike sheepishly asked. Freya blushed slightly with an embarrassed grunt. "Well, we're about to have lunch. I'll show you where the dining room is."

After Spike picked up the spilled bowl and washcloth and evaporated the puddle of water with his fire breath, he led Freya through the halls of the crystal palace. Passing a window, Freya got a look outside and saw the grand city of the Crystal Empire below. The city was peaceful, sitting inside of the domed barrier of light that protected the kingdom from the cold climate. She didn't linger long, not wanting to get lost, her stomach begging to be filled, and to avoid losing Spike. She caught him glancing behind him, looking at her, being sure she was following him.

The two dragons passed some of the servants and guards, all of them bowing to Spike as their great savior calling him 'brave and glorious'. Freya wanted to ask what Spike had done to be praised so highly, but she frowned, worried he may have put himself in peril with something that could have harmed a baby dragon his size.

They finally reached the dining room, where the ponies she first met were gathered around the table, along with Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart. Upon seeing the dragons, Flurry Heart squealed and flew toward them, glomping herself onto Freya's snout.

"Big Pike!" she playfully said.

"Uhh, ok," Freya uttered. Gently peeling the alicorn baby off her face, she looked down at Spike. "She's adorable, but why did she call me 'Big Pike'?"

"I think she's confused you with me," Spike said. "And she's trying to say 'Spike'. Which is...my name."

"...Oh." Flurry squirmed and wriggled out of Freya's hands, then flew back and hovered around Riku and Twilight.

"Freya," Twilight greeted. "How are you feeling?"

Her stomach rumbled again, her hand instinctively rubbing against her belly. "Starving," she said.

"Lunch will be ready soon." Freya turned to the royal couple as they walked over to her. "We'd like to welcome you to the Crystal Empire, and express our gratitude for slaying that...massive Heartless that could have attacked the kingdom. You've already met Flurry Heart. I'm Cadence, and this is my husband, Shining Armor."

"We were surprised to hear from Twily and the others that you're Spike's mother," Shining said. "It's great to finally meet you in person. My family's raised Spike like he was another brother to me and my sister."

"Your family...found his egg?" Freya asked in disbelief.

"Actually...Princess Celestia found his egg," Twilight interjected. "It was sitting by itself when she was out on a stroll not too far from Canterlot. She took it when she thought it was abandoned, and when I took my test to be enrolled in her school for magically gifted unicorns as a filly, I had a magic surge that hatched him."

"...His egg was used as a test dummy for your magic test?" Freya questioned with a scowl.

"...Umm...W-Well, dragons are very highly resistant to magic," Twilight reasoned. "I-It was just to test how strong a unicorn foal's magic is for their age. We never...intended to harm the egg...I was the only one powerful enough to...pop him out of the shell?"

"Prematurely?" Freya snarled.

Before Freya lost her cool, Cadence stepped in, not wanting to show their guest no ill will toward her or her long-lost son. "I understand this sounds bad, but Princess Celestia is my aunt. I even saw her bring in Spike's egg that day she found it," she said. "Dragons weren't really known to be nice, so we didn't know how to properly incubate his egg. She made sure it stayed warm, it was safe and in a comfy spot in her chambers, and the magic tests on it was to see if a unicorn had the magical capability to help hatch an egg when it's expected to on its own passes for too long. It had been months before Twilight took her entrance exam and managed to hatch Spike."

Shocked, Freya's anger quickly turned to horror. She looked back down at Spike, dreading the thought of her egg being dormant with no life, even after they had gotten separated. She couldn't bear to have that hope torn away from her after finding her child still in its egg after all these years, basically stillborn. Freya wilted, lowering her head in shame.

"...I...I apologize for my accusations," she said. "...I truly believed everyone I knew was gone from my world."

"It's alright. I don't blame you for thinking that," Twilight assured. "But I took care of him with my family. A lot of hiccups raising a baby dragon, but it was quite a learning experience for all of us."

Freya solemnly nodded, her hand gently rubbing Spike's head, consoling herself as she was grateful Twilight and her family took very good care of him. Lunch was finally served as they sat around the long, crystal table with several different dishes native to the Crystal Empire. Freya grabbed herself a bit of everything, but unlike the other dragons, she actually had respectable manners at the dinner table. She used her utensils and savored the food instead of chowing down despite how hungry she was.

Taking a breather from her plate, she glanced at Spike as she took a sip of tea, only to pause when she saw him munching on a bowl of sapphires. "...Why are you eating sapphires?" Freya asked, perturbed.

Spike paused his munching as he looked at her, confused by her question. "Umm...They're really good?" he answered. "You ever try some?"

"I have never eaten a precious mineral in my life," she admitted, shocking the ponies and baby dragon. "...Doesn't that hurt your teeth? Or your...stomach?"

"No. I've eaten different types of gems growing up," Spike said. He grabbed one and held one out to her. "Wanna try one?"

Baffled, Freya took the small gem and stared at it. She didn't see gems as a source of food, but her curiosity made it tempting. Opening her mouth, she put the sapphire in her mouth and bit down on it. Her sharp fangs shred the gem to pieces, but as they sprinkled on her taste buds, her eyes widened in surprise. She continued chewing, humming to herself, then swallowed the gem, stunned.

"...It tasted like a blueberry," she uttered in awe. "...I didn't know we could eat gems."

"Seriously?" Ventus asked.

"My lifestyle was much different in my Equestria than this one's," Freya said. "Wish there were some meat dishes that complimented these vegetarian ones."

The Equestrians choked, slowly glancing at the dragoness in distress. "...Uhhh...Hopefully...pony isn't on the menu?" Fluttershy asked nervously.

"No. I'd rather much have beef, or maybe some pork," Freya assured, though it didn't do much to lesson Fluttershy's mortified grimace. "I've protected all sorts of creatures with a higher sense of sentience than the common livestock. It would be immorally wrong of me to do something that heinous."

"Amen to that," Lea said. "I'd like some nice, juicy steak for dinner once in a while, but you can't really enjoy it as a pony with these flat teeth meant to grind leafy greens."

"Were there other humans you've met who were wielders where you're from?" Kairi curiously asked.

"A few, but I've rarely ever left my home world for long periods of time," Freya said. As she glanced down at herself, she then looked up and around the table. "By the way, what happened to my clothes?"

"I took the liberty of patching it up for you while you were passed out," Rarity said. She levitated Freya's outfit, neatly folded, setting it beside her on the table, and sitting on top of it was her hat. "And...cleaned it. It was...quite filthy, too."

"Thanks." Freya got up from her seat and put on her coat. She could smell how clean it was after not having washed it for quite a while. Or herself. Even her ribbon was washed up as well, finding it in one of the pockets after buttoning up her coat. She sat back down and tied the orange ribbon around the base of the spade-shaped tip on her tail. "Next time, however, ask before you take something of mine. I was about to go on a rampage looking for my clothes."

"Is your outfit that sentimental to you?" Cadence asked.

"...No..." Freya brought a hand to one side of her coat, opening a hidden pocket around the upper left of her chest that Rarity failed to notice as she examined the dragon's clothing. "Two items I keep near my heart are..."

Pulling said items out, one of them was a locket with the same symbol that hung on the end of her Keyblade's chain. Flicking it open, inside the locket was a picture of her, and holding her from behind was another dragon. He was male by his build, standing a head taller than Freya with his appearance quite thin, but with plenty of muscle that made him a valiant warrior. His scales were black with short silvery-white spines trailing down his back, though he lacked any horns like Spike. His gray eyes looked fierce, but the content, loving smile on his face nuzzled up to Freya's made him look less intimidating. The other item she pulled out was a ring, but the gem on it was a bright red ruby shaped like a heart.

Spike recognized that type of gem. "Is that a fire ruby?" he asked.

"...Yes..." Freya sniffled as she slipped the ring ever so carefully on her right ring claw. "...On a beautiful wedding ring your father proposed to me with."

"My dad?" She gave Spike a solemn nod, handing him the locket with the picture of the dragon she loved. Spike saw how happy Freya looked with him, but he grew confused as he looked at the drake. "You said I have his eyes a couple days ago...But...mine are like yours."

"I wasn't talking about the color of your irises; you have the same selfless, courageous, and compassionate gaze I've seen in his," she said. "...It's like I saw a window of his soul within yours..."

Spike looked at Freya, then back to the picture. "...At least he looks more friendlier than a dragon who claimed to be my dad, but lied to me just so he could live in the lap of luxury while I waited on him hand and foot."

Freya tore her gaze away from her ring and looked at Spike. "What!? Who dared to impersonate Estinien and behave like a lazy slob!? And to treat you like a slave while he pretends to live like a fat king without any remorse!? WHERE IS THIS PATHETIC SLOB!?"

Taken aback, Spike almost dropped the locket in fear. "The faker was named Sludge," Sora answered. Freya quickly turned her neck to leer at the stallion, breathing heavily in anger. "And you don't have to worry about hunting him down...He met his end and turned into a deadly Heartless."

Growling, Freya sighed, blowing out a stream of smoke from her nostrils as she settled back in her seat. "...Good. Besmirching my husband's identity to my child...If I had met him, I would show no mercy, Heartless or not."

"I'm not sure if you wanted to see what Sludge turned into," Spike mumbled, still feeling nauseous after seeing what that humanoid Heartless turned the lazy dragon into. He looked back at the picture, wondering what became of his real father. "...I still can't believe this is real...My real mom is from...a completely different universe..."

Freya's expression softened, feeling hurt hearing Spike's disbelief. "But...I am being honest with you. I truly am your mother."

"I know, but...I was scared of being disappointed again after Sludge," Spike mumbled. "It just feels...strange, but..." Nervous, Spike glanced up at Freya. "...I really do want to get to know you more. And...dad, too."

Freya reached her hand out, taking the locket back from Spike. A clawed finger softly brushed against her husband's face in the photo, fresh tears beginning to well in her eyes.

"...I do not even know where to begin...What to say..." She couldn't find the words to tell everyone present about him, herself, their lives together in their world, the tragic fate that led her to wander the cosmos endlessly in a blind fury to make an impossible cause possible.

From her left, Sora held out his memory ornament in her line of sight. "Then maybe you can show us?"

Lowering her locket, she looked at the stallion offering her the ornament. She looked at the sphere, sensing an enchantment held within, and took it into her hand. Before Sora was able to instruct her how to use it, she closed her eyes and looked back on her memories. As the image began to appear, Twilight used her magic to enhance it for all to see. Freya looked up as well as the tears began to roll down her face.





Many years ago in an alternate version of Equestria, the world was not like the others had seen. Though the modern era was quite similar, many different places within Freya's world were not quite so, especially for the kingdom where the dragons reside. Though they live in the craggy mountain region with volcanos and lava flows, stone buildings were built as homes, and the dragons only grew to a smaller height as the teenage dragons. They lived in peace with the other species of this world, and many of these dragons were gifted with the power of the Keyblade, where they were immediately trained into becoming protectors of their realm and beyond; dragoons.

Freya went on a casual flight through the skies, overlooking the peaceful towns and cities beyond her land's borders. Expecting a peaceful flight, she then heard screams as she gazed down below, spotting Heartless popping up and attacking a pony town and its population. Extending her left hand, she summoned her Keyblade, then gave it a swift toss, sending it hurtling down and dove down after it with blinding speed.

A Soldier clanked about as it chased a mare down the road, only for its body to get impaled by the Keyblade and releasing its heart. Freya landed, picking up her blade and slashed down Heartless that were alerted to the bane of its existence.

"Hurry and flee to safety," she advised the frightened mare. "They will only come after me."

"T-Thank you, miss!" the pony said with gratitude before high-tailing it out of town.

The Heartless surrounded her, numerous smaller ones, but nothing the dragoness couldn't handle. She then hopped into the air, vanishing before reappearing on top of a clumped up group and diving down, unleashing a shockwave that scattered them off their feet. They were no match for her speed and strength, mixing her dragon breath to further injure them before slicing them for the killing blow. Her flames were a bright emerald and scathed the Heartless, sparing the buildings and structures as the impromptu battlefield. Preferring lighter clothing as a dragoon, she was not held down by the weight of heavy armor and could weave and flip out of harm's way. Even as she spun, Heartless that dared to strike her in her blind spots would get smacked by her powerful tail, the orange ribbon tied to it a warning that they refuse to notice.

With a mighty leap, she flapped her wings and dove back down, running her Keyblade through a Large Body's tiny head, then blasted it to embers with her Fire magic. She relaxed as she took down the last of the Heartless, but her instincts told her it wasn't safe just yet. She turned toward the threat, then managed to lean back as a dark fist nearly struck her face, only knocking the brim of her hat and slipping it off. Vaulting off her hands, she flipped back and got some distance, glowering at the cheeky Air Soldiers who nearly got her.

Preparing the charge in, a massive volley of spears made of light suddenly rained down from the heavens. The Heartless were unaware as they were repeatedly impaled before perishing. Freya grunted as she held up her Keyblade to block the incoming attack, the spears purposefully missing her and only attacking the Heartless. When the barrage ended, she peeked behind her sleeve, watching one lone Heartless weakened, barely clinging on, but it met its end as a dark blue Keyblade struck its back, releasing its heart. Freya recognized the Keyblade, knowing who it belonged to as the owner hovered down with a light tap, armor clinking as it pulled the blade out from the ground.

"Need some assistance, miss?" the warrior asked.

Standing before her was a dragon she'd heard about, but never thought she'd meet. Beneath the full-body azure scale armor, she could see the scales of the dragon were black, the spines on his tail a silvery-white. The Keyblade he wielded was a dark blue, thin and pretty lengthy for longer reach. The teeth of the Keyblade were jagged dragon claws, the guard around the hilt in the shape of a shield in a silver sheen, and the keychain hanging from the pommel was a dragon's eye in a yellow hue. Though most of his head was concealed by a helmet with curved dragon-shaped horns rising from the back, she could see his muzzle visible underneath.

"The Azure Dragoon," Freya uttered.

The armored dragon noticed Freya's hat on the ground. He knelt down and picked it up, then approached the awestruck dragoness, holding her headgear out to her.

"I would suggest a little bit of armor to avoid a close shave like that," he advised, giving her a coy smirk.

Freya puffed her cheeks, snatching her hat back and placing it back on her head. "I could have handled it without your assistance," she remarked. "I am also a dragoon. I prefer not to let armor weigh me down."

"I have seen your skills from above. It is a shame I was not the first to answer the cry for help." Taken aback, Freya blushed slightly at the comment, thankfully obscured by her wide brim hiding most of her face. Behind him, her eyes widened, both of them missing a Soldier that managed to survive the dragon's holy lance hail. "A fair maiden such as you shouldn't risk her life with such treacherous demons."

The Soldier leapt up and was about to strike the dragon from behind. Freya reared her hand back, confusing her savior, then flung her Keyblade like a javelin at him. The dragon flinched, thinking she'd gone mad, but the Keyblade whizzed past his head by an inch or two, but the speed of her throw managed to blow his helmet off his head and revealed his face. Before he asked what was wrong with her, he heard the telltale sound of a heart releasing from a Heartless, turning just in time to watch the Soldier fade away and its heart flowing up into the sky.

"I am no damsel in distress," Freya assured. She smirked as he turned to see his reaction, which faltered when she got a look at the face hiding under the helm. Her earlier blush intensified as she marveled at his handsome features, his attractive gray eyes. He was stunned by her accuracy, completely speechless. He turned to gather his helmet, but Freya beat him to it, swiftly leaping and snagging his headgear from him. "If you were distracted by my beauty, I believe your life is more at risk."

He scoffed, unable to hide his grin. "You are correct. I was not able to avert my eyes from your graceful combat." He reached his claw out to retrieve his helmet, but he pulled the same trick Freya did, a swift leap and landing appearing behind her, startling her as he held his Keyblade to her neck. She froze, watching the blade slowly, teasingly pull away from her neck, all while his hand brushed against hers as he took his helmet back. "Or...perhaps I was unable to look away from your eyes that sparkle like emeralds."

Freya's breath hitched in her chest, letting out a quiet gulp in bashfulness. The Azure Dragoon dismissed his Keyblade, setting his helmet back on his head. Freya timidly glanced back at him as he looked over his shoulder back at her with a grin. Without another word, he took to the air, leaving Freya weak-kneed with her heart pounding and her cheeks burning red. She brought her hands to her cheeks as his compliment left her flustered.

"My eyes...sparkle like emeralds?" she uttered. "...The Azure Dragoon...did he really...mean that?"

Days and weeks had passed since their first meeting, but it surely wasn't the last. Whether Freya traveled from town to city around the world to fend off the Heartless or enjoy exploring the other kingdoms, the Azure Dragoon was always there to bump into her and offer her assistance. Part of her believed he was doing this on purpose, a very famous dragoon just so happening to be around the exact same locations she was at. Despite their playful and teasing banter, they worked well together as the denizens of the towns they rescue commented on their chemistry. They both had a tendency to challenge each other, and the victor was the one who managed to fluster their opponent enough to render them speechless. She lost most of them with his sly, suave compliments, but she didn't mind it in the slightest. The problem was, she never knew of his name, nor did she give him hers.

A month later, the royals of the pony tribes wanted to personally invite the dragons to a special ball to thank them for saving their cities from the Heartless. Freya was obviously invited, her actions known far and wide along with the Azure Dragoon. And if she was invited, then so was he. Her heart soared at the prospect of seeing him without his armor on, and to get to know him a little more outside of their banter.

At the ball, creatures from across the land have come to commemorate the dragoons' good deeds as warriors of light. Freya dressed herself up in a beautiful red dress with slits that revealed her legs at the sides, the upper chest left more exposed to reveal her crescent-shaped birthmark. She greeted the many dignitaries who wanted to congratulate her for her bravery, though she shrugged them off and was only doing her duty as a bearer of the Keyblade. She got to sample some of the food, even though pony dishes weren't exactly her favorite. Once she had her fill, she stood by herself, listening to the orchestra and watched couples dancing together. As exciting as this ball was, she didn't find any sign of the Azure Dragoon anywhere. Was he afraid of revealing his identity when she got a look at his face and caused an uproar of his adoring fans to surround him?

"May I have this dance?" To her left, she let out a gasp when she saw who it was who offered her a dance.

Standing before her, wearing a regal azure-colored robe befitting for a knight to wear at a royal ball was the very dragon she was expecting to see. His attire had gold trimming along the folds and sleeves, and bore the insignia of the dragoons on the upper left chest. She was tempted to take his hand and enjoy a lovely dance to the slow waltz the ponies were playing, but she resisted and gave the dragoon a coy smile.

"The Azure Dragoon a dancer?" she questioned skeptically. "I find that hard to believe."

"Well, I have heard dancing is similar to combat," he answered confidently. "But instead of countering and expecting what your opponent will do next, you have to be in perfect synchronization with your partner, following their lead...or letting them follow you."

Impressed by his response, Freya let out a playful sigh and took his hand. "Since you asked, I will oblige," she said. The two walked out to the dance floor, finding a suitable bit of space for them among the other groups. With their hands still clasped, Freya brought her free hand to rest on his shoulder while his rested at her waist. The two then followed the tune, their movements perfectly in sync as they focused on each other. "So you do know how to find a rhythm. I'm actually shocked."

"I could accidentally step on your toes if you want me to mess up so badly," he teased.

Freya giggled, shaking her head. "I'd rather you not spoil the moment." The two continued dancing, ignorant of the eyes now glued on the pair of dragoons enjoying a lovely dance together. Freya didn't care about the attention; all she cared about was the dragon who managed to sweep her off her feet. "...You know, we've always bumped into each other, but we've never properly introduced ourselves."

"Hmm...Yes, I suppose you're right," the Azure Dragoon agreed. "While everyone refers to me as the Azure Dragoon, my real name is Estinien. Estinien 'Wyrmblood' Varlineau."

"...Freya. Freya Crescent," she said.

"...Lady Freya. Beautiful." Freya blushed, her eyes gazing down in defeat, but it was a loss that was worth it.

After their dance, they decided to take a little bit of fresh air on the balcony outside of the ballroom. While they were alone, they began to talk about themselves and learn from one another. Freya was surprised to know that Estinien was a prodigy and received extensive training from another world, even though he was also born in the same village as her. Her skills weren't much to brag about when the Keyblade chose her, but she surprised her mentors and rose up to learning more advanced techniques and spells. She was embarrassed to admit this to him, but she had always fantasized about meeting the Azure Dragoon for a long while, though not exactly how they first met.

Not wanting to go back inside to mingle with the crowd, they could still hear the orchestra from the balcony and shared another private dance with each other. Under the light of the full moon, they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I feel blessed getting to know you," Freya mumbled.

"As do I," Estinien agreed. "Fate must have brought us together." Freya slowly nodded her head, their dancing slowly dying down as they stood together, never breaking eye contact. "...Lady Freya."

"Y-Yes, Ser Estinien?" she asked.

"...I...had never imagined ever getting to meet a dragoness as yourself," he said, his words making her heart race as her cheeks turned pink. "You are strong, beautiful. You face such terrible threats with little protection, but you are ever so graceful, and you are such a kind-hearted soul to the defenseless creatures of our world."

"...E-Estinien..." Freya uttered.

Estinien brought his hand to her cheek, gently caressing it as their muzzles inched closer. Freya became hesitant, but she let her heart speak for her as they both closed the gap and shared their first kiss. It was brief, but she silently begged for more, leaning closer against him and brought their lips back together for another, more passionate kiss. It was a night she would cherish forever, spending a romantic evening with the dragon who took her heart, just as she took his.

Since the ball, their romance blossomed and strengthened with time. They spent more time together, whether it was rescuing others from the Heartless or enjoying quality time with each other when danger wasn't on the rise. They still held their competitive natures, but it was all in good fun rather than their casual flirting before becoming a couple. And as they trained, Freya had learned how to use Estinien's powerful holy lance attack to further aid in decimating the hordes of Heartless that appeared. They became the most powerful and well-renowned dragoons among the land.

A year in their relationship, Estinien surprised Freya with a proposal, asking her to marry him. On bended knee, he offered her engagement ring, where a beautiful fire ruby sparkled in the sunlight. Overcome with joy, she gave him his answer by tackling him and kissing him deeply. She felt just as nervous as the day she first met the Azure Dragoon, but when he put the ring on her, she had never felt so happy in her life. Their wedding was held months later in their homeland, and it couldn't have gone perfectly. Estinien wore his regal attire from the royal ball while Freya stood beside him, wearing a beautiful white dress that made the other dragonesses witnessing the occasion jealous of her. The elder who proceeded the wedding was wrapping the ceremony up, but just barely before Estinien pulled Freya closer and sealed their marriage with a passionate kiss.

Their love didn't tear them away from their duties as warriors of light. Together, they were able to put a stop to the threats attacking Equestria. When bystanders watched them battle from a safe distance, it was if they were dancing together as well as fighting the enemy, coordinating together without any verbal communication or signals. It's like they knew what each other were planning to do, mirroring each other with such speed and ferocity. If others weren't in danger, they would have asked for an encore.

Many months since their marriage, Freya was enjoying some time away from the daily grind of combat. Enjoying a relaxing shower, she let the water cascade down her scales. With the sound of running water tuning out her senses, she wasn't aware of an unexpected guest climbing in to join her. A pair of dark-scaled arms slipped between her arms, gently embracing her. She let out a gasp in surprise, only to grin when she felt her lover's warm breath against her neck as he planted a soft kiss on her skin.

"Mind some company, dear?" Estinien asked.

"I would have tossed you right out of this bathroom if I didn't," she giggled.

"I'd like to see you try," he goaded with a playful rumble in his throat. She tilted her head to gaze at his face, the two bringing their muzzles together in a light, amorous kiss. Estinien's claws teasingly trailed up her chest, tracing her birthmark, which made her squirm under his gentle touch. He relented his teasing, planting a small peck on her cheek as his both his hands drifted down to her abdomen. Freya blushed as he rubbed her belly, placing her hands over his. "Excited to be a mother?"

"...Terrified," she admitted. "But I cannot wait." She nuzzled Estinien's cheek, leaning into his chest as she sighed, loving his gentle hands caressing her belly. "Tis a shame I cannot fight alongside you while carrying our egg. I will need to find time to get back into shape."

"I am capable of handling the Heartless on my own," Estinien assured. "They cannot hold a candle to me."

"I know, love." Freya squirmed slightly, a bit disappointed from moving out of her comfortable position as she turned around to face her husband. "I do worry if the worst comes. If something were to happen to you...I..."

Placing a finger underneath her chin, Estinien gently tilted Freya's head up. "Nothing will stop me from being by your side," he promised. "Now and forever, not a single Heartless will tear me from your life. Or our child's."

Freya smiled as happy tears trickled down her face along with the water sprinkling down on them. The two came together for another kiss, Freya's tail swishing happily behind her. She trusted Estinien and knew he was strong enough to never fall to the Heartless or the darkness they were sworn to fight.

More months passed and Freya laid Spike's egg. She had grown a bit more lethargic as the time came, and it was exhaustive to lay the baby dragon egg by herself as Estinien was out protecting another village from more Heartless. He returned late in the night, finding her in their bed, gently cradling their egg in her arms. Her eyes were weary, trying to stay awake as tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. Estinien grinned, just another month or two away from being a proud father. Stripping from his armor, he carefully crawled into bed behind Freya, wrapping his arm around her and gently placed his hand over one of hers. Feeling protected by her lover's embrace, she finally passed out as the fatigue finally caught up with her. Her life could have never been happier.

Sadly, one week since laying Spike's egg, things would only get far, far worse than she imagined.





Freya was taking a nap in hers and Estinien's bed, keeping her egg close to her with a small blanket wrapped around it to keep it snug and warm. Her body took its toll during her pregnancy and laying her egg and needed more rest than usual for a dragoness like her, but Estinien was reassured by a more experienced dragoness neighbor of theirs who had a few kids of her own. It would either be over in a second or it could tire out the mother whether if they were new or had laid an egg once or twice before.

She was woken from her blissful nap when she heard thunder in the distance. Groaning, she forced herself awake and sat up slightly.

"A storm? Mrf. Sometimes, those weather pegasi just can't follow a-" After rubbing her eyes and glancing out the window, she snapped out of her groggy state when she saw the sky. It was far darker than storm clouds were supposed to look, blotting out the sun and brought an eerie sense of foreboding. "...No...This is not normal..."

Panicking, she expected a terrible outcome in this ominous storm. Donning her clothing, she gently cradled her egg and hurried outside, her home no longer a safe haven for her baby. Afraid to take to the air from a stray bolt of lightning, Freya ran through the empty streets, wondering where everyone else was. She didn't know how long this storm was going on for, but with how quiet it was, either every dragon evacuated their home, or something awful happened.

Ahead, she saw someone flying in her direction. Panting and with a terrified expression, a young dragoon dove to the ground, stumbling as he landed and fell on his stomach.

"L-Lady Freya!" the drake called out. "Y-You must flee!"

"What is happening?" Freya asked.

"...T-The Heartless...T-There were so many," the young warrior uttered, clearly traumatized and concerning Freya. "W-We didn't...We didn't see them coming...They found...found the heart of our world!"

"No...How!?" Freya asked.

"I don't know! T-They just found it!" He started to freak out, but Freya smacked his face hard with the back of her left hand.

"Do not lose your sanity on me!" Freya ordered. "Where is everyone!? Where is my husband!?"

"S-Ser Estinien...he's trying to eliminate them...He tried to give us time to evacuate, but...I-I was the only one who made it," he uttered with guilt. Freya flinched, but she didn't give up hope. Estinien promised her he wouldn't let any of the Heartless take his life, and she knew he would hold true to his promise. The young wielder stood up, grabbing Freya's shoulders. "We cannot kill them all. They are swarming our world. It's being destroyed as we speak...We couldn't protect our world..."

"There must still be some survivors," Freya assured, but the younger dragon shook his head.

"No, you do not understand! There's millions of them!" he exclaimed. "And they're all being led by something far worse than a Darksi-GAH!"

A pair of blood red claws suddenly shot through the drake's chest. Startled, Freya leapt back, watching the young wielder tremble as he slowly looked down at the impaled wound right through his heart. The claws swiftly pulled back, making the dragon gasp as he fell to his knees, his body glowing until he faded in a flash of light, his heart being released and absorbed by the dark clouds above. Behind where he stood, Freya gasped as she saw what struck down the young warrior. A bipedal Heartless, bearing the same claws eyed the dragoness with a wicked grin. A pair of black, slightly tattered wings were attached to its back, with dark gray and black striped pants and a hood bearing the same striped pattern with short, warp-tipped horns, and a pair of red, thorned ropes crossed around its torso. Freya summoned her Keyblade, keeping her egg as far away from the Heartless with a scowl.

Expecting it to make a move, the strange Heartless pointed a clawed finger at her. "...Darkness...consume...all hearts..."

Her jaw dropped, hearing a Heartless actually speaking. "...W-What creature of darkness are you?"

Suddenly rising from the ground and appearing around her were numerous Shadows, Neoshadows, Darkballs, Invisibles, Flame, Water, and Earth Cores, and numerous Pureblood Heartless. She panicked, looking around while clutching her egg close to her. When she looked back at the unknown Heartless, it disappeared in a void of darkness with a casual, if nor ominous wave. It was unnatural to see a Heartless have any sentience, but Freya was in deep trouble. She couldn't take on this many Heartless by herself, not after she had been bedridden since laying her child's egg.

Thinking quickly, she performed a quick leap into the air, reappearing on the ground outside of the surrounding Heartless, then made a run for it. She could hear them chasing after her as more began to appear to bar her path. She swatted the barricading Shadows away, but Neoshadows swiftly tailed her and made a lunge for her with their sharp claws. She managed to hop away from them, letting out a gasp as a trio of them appeared from dark puddles they left as they dove into the ground. They leapt and slashed at her, grunting in pain as she covered her egg from their blows. Freya hit the ground, scrambling to get up and continue her escape. She was already winded, knowing she wouldn't last, but she had to keep running, find safety, solace, anything. Even though she was capable of flying to other worlds with her own glider for safety, she was afraid the vacuum of space could harm her child.

Sprinting as fast as she was able down a hill, she looked back, regretting her decision as she tripped over a stray rock on the path. She grunted as she fell, tumbling several yards as she rolled to the bottom. Her egg fell out of her hands and rolled a few feet away, terrifying her as she crawled to it. Thankfully, there were no cracks, but as she tried to stand, she was suddenly struck in the back once again by an Invisible's razor sword. Hitting the ground with a grunt, she got to her knees, glancing back, only to gasp at the sheer number of Heartless that were chasing after her. Several of them leapt forward, dropping down toward her. All she could do was cover her egg with her body and take the fatal blows, clenching her eyes tightly as she awaited her demise.

Through the darkened clouds, a hail of holy spears came pouring down to the earth. Hundreds of Heartless perished as the piercing light struck the ground, clearing a line of Heartless that were after Freya. When she looked up, a weakened Invisible tried to rise back up, only for her husband's Keyblade to fall at blinding speed through its abdomen, followed by the Azure Dragoon himself roaring and slamming his fist into its fast and obliterating it. As relieved as she was to see Estinien come to her rescue, she saw so many scuffs on his armor and face, pieces of it chipped off from whatever he had fought prior to the dark storm surrounding the world.

"Freya, we need to go!" Estinien said. The Heartless tried to charge at them, but the Azure Dragoon released a mighty roar, a massive blast of dark red flames flowing out of his mouth to block them from getting any closer. He panted, exhausted, but he refused to relax. He quickly ran over to his wife, helping her back on her feet. "The world is dying...Everyone's lost to the darkness."

"B-But how?" Freya asked. "T-The baby-"

"There is a ship hidden in a cavern inside the mountain north of the city gates," he explained. "It may look not look like much, but it can fly. Just press the button that says 'autopilot', and it'll take you and our child off this world to somewhere safe."

"No, I won't leave without you!" Freya argued.

"There's no time!" The storm grew worse, and forming above them was a void that began to expand to engulf their world into the Realm of Darkness. "Freya, I swear I will be right behind you. I don't want you two to fall into darkness."

She wanted to argue further, but in the state she was in and the sake of their baby, she reluctantly nodded her head. "Don't die on me."

They both gave each other a kiss, not lingering for too long as their lips parted. Freya began to back away, refusing to look away, but she forced herself to and hurry off to find this vessel that would save her and her egg. In the distance, she could hear Estinien roar and the sound of his Keyblade slashing wildly at the near infinite horde of Heartless. She headed north as she left the gates leading to the dragon city, searching the mountain range her home was built on for a cavern. Panting heavily, she found her salvation, just as Estinien said.

She began to run toward the cavern, only to nearly lose her footing as the earth began to shake. Hearing a loud crack, she gasped as she saw the ground beneath her feet starting to break apart. She forced herself to leap back, narrowly avoiding falling into the newly formed chasm, and into the dying heart of the world down below. Watching pieces of earth and debris being sucked in, she looked up, only to gaze in horror as the void above was getting larger and larger. She had to reach that ship and pray Estinien will follow.

Pieces of the land started breaking apart, forcing Freya to hop from island to island. She was far too tired, losing all her strength from escaping and the injuries she took. The leaps she made were becoming far more distant, attempting to glide with her wings to catch a bit more air, but the gravity began to get lighter and lighter as more of the land was being sucked away. Just as she was about to make another jump, getting closer and closer to her destination, the earth on the island she was on crumbled and grew smaller. She backed up, preparing to make a running leap, and with her egg clutched tightly in her arms, she sprinted forward and long jumped across the wide pit.

By just a couple inches, she was able to bound to safety, tripping forward upon landing and dropping her egg once more. Freya gasped, scrambling back to her feet and chased after it, growing frantic as she watched it begin to float up and be sucked into the void.

"No no no no no!" She jumped after it, quickly catching it as she headed straight for the side of the mountain. It was a fatal mistake as she suddenly felt too light and was about to be sucked into the void along with the rest of the dying world. Summoning her Keyblade in her left hand, holding her egg tightly under her right arm, she dug her Keyblade into the mountainside. She held on tightly as her feet suddenly lifted off the side of the mountain, letting out a scream as she was dangling from her weapon, gravity completely flipped upside down and terrified of being lost in the dark void eating away at her home. She grunted, struggling to hold on and beg the mountain to remain standing while keeping her egg held tightly to her. "I-I can't...hold on...Estinien, please! Where are you!?"

As if her prayers were answered, as she looked out to her home being torn apart by the gravitational pull of the darkness, she spotted Estinien racing toward her. He leapt over the broken islands, coming to her rescue as his armor helped weigh him down enough to keep him from being pulled in as well.

"Freya, hold on!" Estinien called out.

He made a powerful leap up to the mountain, but as he was almost halfway toward her, he was suddenly backhanded into the side of a mountain by a Darkside's massive arm. The impact shook the mountain, tearing the earth and almost dislodging Freya's Keyblade from its resting place. Her grip was fading fast after being shaken up like that, her muscles burning while refusing to let go of her child to save herself. He burnt the Darkside's hand with a fiery roar, freeing himself from the crushing blow, nearly doubling over as he wheezed in pain.

"E-Estinien!" she cried out. Her fingers slipped, letting out a startled gasp as she was suddenly sent flying up from the void's gravitational pull. Estinien looked up, fighting back his pain and flapped his wings hard, jumping up after her. They both reached their hands out to each other, whether to be brought back down to finally escape or to face the darkness, they were going to do so together. Their fingers were just about to reach, but the Darkside that struck Estinien caught him by his tail, pulling him down and dragging him away. They both shared astonished, horrified gazes, pulled away from each other at the last moment. "ESTINIEN!!!!!!!"

"FREYAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" the Azure Dragoon roared.

Shedding tears, she braced herself and clutched her child tightly to her chest as she would have to face the inevitable and lose her husband all at once. The whole world turned dark once she was sucked into the growing void, wondering how painful it would be to die this way just before she suddenly slipped into unconsciousness.





Out in a serene field full of all sorts of flowers, the peaceful landscape was filled with the sound of birds chirping under the clear, sunny sky. Among those flowers, Freya's body laid among them, somehow spared from her traumatizing fate. Her claws twitched as she let out a weak groan, squinting her eyes open. She noticed the flowers around her, blinking slowly as she tried to remember what happened to her. Picking herself up with her arms, she grunted as she tried to sit up on her knees. She took off her hat and rubbed her head, groaning more as she felt weaker than when she laid her child's egg.

"W-Where...What happened to-?" As it finally came to her, Freya's eyes shot open. Her world was being consumed by the darkness, a contrast to the peaceful environment she found herself in. She wasn't dead, as far as she could tell, but where she ended up, she had no idea. "...Estinien...Estinien!?" She looked around frantically, but as she tried looking for her husband, a flash of what happened made face pale. A Darkside dragged him back to their dying world as he reached out for her while she and their egg were swallowed by the void. Remembering her baby, she stood up, nearly losing her balance and searched the wide field for her egg. Sadly, all she could see were bright red, orange, and yellow flowers. Her heart instantly shattered, finding no sign of at least a piece of the purple eggshell around to let her know that her child at least came through into a safe haven with her. "...No...No...Please, no..."

She lost everything. Tears ran down her face, falling back down on her knees as she hyperventilated. Memories of her life flashed, from her training, to meeting and falling in love with Estinien, their plans to start a family. The happiness was gone, only replaced by sorrow as the last time she would ever see her husband's face was when he was being pulled away from her right as their hands were so close, but so far from sharing one last touch before he fell along with their home. And their child was gone forever, lost in the Realm of Darkness, most likely cracked open as it fell or most likely festering to turn her baby into another Heartless.

With a deep breath, she tilted her head back to the heavens and let out an ear-piercing wail of pain. She cried her heart out, wishing it had been taken from a Heartless to avoid feeling the emptiness that lied within after everything was taken from her. She fell leaned forward, her hands dropping into the colorful flowers as her claws tore them from their roots, the serene beauty in the land mocking her for the unfathomable sorrow of her loss. Freya was spared, but her family wasn't. She crunched the flowers that were caught in her claws as she cried even harder from her loss.

Sensing her despair, the land suddenly grew cloudy and began to rain. But her depression also brought out the Heartless, several Shadows rising up among the flowers, silently stalking the lonely dragoon. Freya looked up, seeing the Heartless through her blurred, teary vision. Their dark bodies, their yellow eyes, they only driven goal to take hearts and cast the worlds into darkness. Her sobs lessened as her sorrowful gaze soon turned deadly, her teeth gritting painfully so as she growled at them. She slowly got to her feet, her Keyblade appearing in her left hand, gripping it tightly to the point where she felt her palms bleeding from the burning rage that started to fill her broken heart.

The Shadow in front of her lunged for her and tried to slash her with its claws. With her right hand, she swiftly shot it forward, grabbing its head and glowered at it. It flailed and tried to scratch her arm and wrist, but she inhaled, and with a terrifying roar, she unleashed a powerful blast of fire from her maw, incinerating the Heartless and catching the field on fire. She didn't care if the fire spread and she destroyed a beautiful landscape. All that mattered to her was that these Heartless, if they were part of her world's destruction or not, would suffer for what they had done to her. Once she stopped breathing fire, the Heartless had already been turned into mist.

She then leered at the rest of the Shadows, going into a full-fledged, anger-fueled frenzy. She was so focused on causing pain, she barely even realized she had a weapon that could have wiped them out with one swing still firmly clutched in her hand. Freya slammed her fists down on them, struck them with her tail as they tried to attack her from behind, bit their heads with her teeth and tried to tear them off their bodies, whatever she could do in her rage to make them feel her pain. She grew frustrated as they sank into the ground, thrusting her arm into the earth to try to dig them out and even setting the rest of the field ablaze to drag them out from their cowardly tactics. She wiped them all out, except for one as she lunged for it, grabbing it by its throat, then started slamming them down into the ground repeatedly until it was nothing but a dazed, limp ragdoll. After slamming it back to the ground, she gripped her Keyblade with both hands, and with an enraged scream, she stabbed it right through its head, destroying it into a puff of dark mist.

Freya panted heavily, kneeling where she slayed the last Shadow, her hands trembling as she gazed at the fire ruby on her ring. Her tears endlessly flowed, masked by the pouring rain that doused out the flames she caused. The flowers were nothing but ash, matching the emptiness that overcame her heart. She wept as she grieved over the loss of her love, their child, everyone they knew.





Princess Celestia enjoyed the nice weather as she slipped away from her castle to go on a little stroll. Her ponies never gave her a moment to be by herself, fearing for her safety when she has more power than they could wave a hoof at. Even when they know how powerful she was, they also fear upsetting her would instill her wrath upon them, even after nearly one thousand years of her rule.

Sighing to herself, Celestia still regretted what she did to Luna, or what she didn't do, to prevent her from turning into Nightmare Moon. "What I wouldn't give to turn back time and right the wrongs I have committed toward you, sister..." As she looked up, she grunted in surprise, feeling something suddenly wrap around her face. Pulling it away from her, she was startled to find a small blanket had fallen onto her. "A blanket?" She looked up, thinking a pegasus foal being carried by their mother accidentally dropped it, but there were no other ponies on this side of the mountain besides her. "Where in the world did...?"

As she wondered who could have lost the small, comfortable blanket, she climbed a little further up the hill. Over the ridge, the alicorn gasped, finding a lone purple egg with dark purple spots. From the size of it, she could tell this was a dragon's egg. Stunned, she didn't know there were any dragons that came this close to Canterlot, not with the dragon sneeze trees planted around the city to keep them away from causing harm to her subjects in her kingdom's capital. There was no nest showing any sign of a dragoness having settled to lay a clutch, but if there were any in sight, the guards would have been alerted.

Making certain there was no other signs of life nearby, she approached the dragon egg curiously. As dangerous as dragons were to ponies, she didn't have it in her to just abandon the poor thing. If it was already abandoned by its mother, or if something terrible happened to her, it wouldn't be able to survive on its own. Not in this climate, nor the mountain range. Using the blanket that floated onto her, she wrapped the egg in it to keep it warm. Celestia lifted it with her telekinesis, giving the land another once-over just in case, but found no sign of either of its parents.

"Every life is precious," she said to herself as she spread her wings and flew back to the castle. "Even the most ferocious of creatures..."

Several weeks after bringing the egg back, Celestia began to worry. She's tried to warm it in any way she knew she could, but there wasn't a single twitch. She didn't even know how old the egg was, but she was certain it should have hatched by now. She feared the baby dragon might have been stillborn from being left on that mountain. She thought using her magic would have helped it hatch, but she wasn't able to make it possible without accidentally pouring too much magic into it. Perhaps a unicorn would be able to successfully hatch the egg.

Leaving the egg in her school faculty's care, she allowed them to use it to test young and gifted unicorns to gauge their magical prowess. After the Summer Sun Celebration, she caught wind of a unicorn filly with so much magical potential within her among the crowd as they watched her raise the sun. While she believed she could be the one to save her sister, perhaps she might also have the potential to save the little dragon egg as well. On the day where she would take her exam, Celestia walked through the halls of her school to surprise her.

At first, she heard a small boom in the distance, glancing outside to see Rainbow Dash's first sonic rainboom. While admiring the odd spectrum shockwave lighting up the sky, she winced as she felt a powerful surge of magic coming from the classroom where Twilight's exam was being held. A moment later, she saw a massive dragon's head peeking out from a hole it made in the roof, baffling the alicorn, but she quickly shook her head and rushed to the exam room. Inside, Twilight was going through a powerful magic surge, having cast multiple spells in rapid succession. She calmly stepped in, placing her hoof on the floating filly's shoulder, startling her and slowly calming her down.

Her spells wore off, lowering the pony judges grading her prowess, turning her parents back to normal after being turned into plants, and bringing baby Spike back down to his tiny, infant size. While Twilight looked down in disappointment, she didn't notice her future mentor was relieved to see the baby dragon hatched thanks to her magic surge. And he looked healthy, just sitting where his egg was resting on the now broken cart, sucking on his tail. Celestia turned her attention back to Twilight to give her the big news.

"Twilight Sparkle, you have an incredible gift," she said. Twilight's ears perked up as she gazed up at the princess. "I have never come across a unicorn with latent magical power like yours. But, seeing how unstable it is at this moment, you will require a lot of focused studying in order to fully harness that potential. Which is why I would like to make you my personal student at this school." Seeing the look of shock on the filly's face growing more and more, Celestia was tempted to break her facade and giggle at her reaction with amusement, but kept her composure. "Do you accept?"

"Yes!" Twilight cheered as she began bouncing around and chanting "Yes" over and over and over.

She celebrated even more when Celestia pointed out her cutie mark. While Celestia was proud of her, she turned her attention back to the infant dragon. She walked over to him, who gazed up at her curiously while still sucking on his little spade tail. She picked up the baby dragon in her magic aura, being extra gentle with him. After seeing herself out and expecting Twilight to show up to her castle for her first lesson, she returned to her castle.

After a thorough inspection of the infant, Celestia was relieved to see a clean bill of health after expecting the worst. She prepped her chambers with fire-proof wards to prevent any accidental fire burps that could burn her room. She had a little trouble wondering what his diet would be as a hatchling, but thankfully, he was able to eat solid foods, specifically sapphires that were crushed enough for him to chew.

As the weeks passed with Twilight's personal lessons, she decided to pay a visit to the Sparkle homestead. With Spike in tow, wrapped up snug in the same blanket she wrapped his egg in, she gave a curt knock at the door, where a young Shining Armor opened it, surprised to see the princess at their home.

"P-Princess Celestia?" he uttered, then bowed in respect to her. "Your Majesty!"

"No need to bow, young colt. Or formalities for the moment," she said. "Are your parents at home?"

"Y-Yes, princess," Shining said.

As she was invited in, the future royal guard captain ran to search for his parents and Twilight. Despite requesting no formalities, Night Light and Twilight Velvet couldn't help themselves as they made some tea to accommodate their royal guest. She took a small sip, enjoying the brew before setting her cup down.

"I know my appearance may be a bit sudden, but this has nothing to do with Twilight," she assured the nervously grinning parents.

"Phew. Thank goodness," Velvet sighed.

"But...what did bring you to our home, Your Majesty?" Night Light asked.

"I know you two were aware of Twilight's prerequisites to be enrolled in my school," she said to the two unicorn parents. "Since she was able to hatch this little dragon out of his egg, I thought it'd be best to have him raised with the pony who helped him into this world."

"A dragon!?" Shining gasped, glancing over at his little sister, who was surprised by Celestia's request. "You had to hatch a dragon egg!? Why didn't you guys tell me!? That's so cool!"

"Really?" Twilight asked. "You...want me to look after him?"

"Of course," Celestia said with a nod. She lowered the napping dragon, who began to stir and open his eyes with a little yawn. "I can help set up wards to prevent your home from accidentally getting burned, but other than that, he's not as ferocious as other dragons. And I will assist in bringing you gems for his diet as well."

"So, Twily's gonna be his mom?" Shining asked.

Celestia placed Spike on the ground, letting him squirm out of the bundle of his blanket and crawled over to Twilight. The filly smiled, giving him a small pat on the head.

"I think I'd rather be a big sister," she said. "He is kinda cute...What's his name, Princess Celestia?"

"I haven't given him one, yet," Celestia said. "What do you think would be a good name for him, Twilight?"

"Hmm..." Twilight thought about what to name him, looking down at him while he gazed back at her with an innocent smile. "...How about...Spike?"

"That sounds like a lovely name for him," Celestia agreed.

The baby dragon cooed as he reached out to touch Twilight's foreleg. "Come on, Spike. I wanna show you my room."

With her magic growing stronger since learning under Celestia's tutelage, Twilight was able to telekinetically lift the baby dragon and set him on her back. Spike let out a giggle as he was given a ride, Twilight heading upstairs with Shining Armor following to make sure his new little brother didn't fall off his sister's back. Celestia immediately cast her fire-proof wards in the Sparkle home, then looked down at Night Light and Velvet.

"I need to tell you how I found a dragon egg and brought it to use as a test for my school," she said. "But...don't let your children know about this."

"Uhh, why is that, Your Highness?" Velvet asked nervously.

Sighing, Celestia looked up the stairway, making sure there were no prying ears before she continued. "I was afraid Spike would have been an...well, 'dormant' state. I found his egg up on the mountains not too far from the city. There were no sign of his parents, or any sign they made him a nest or made a den in the mountainside. I'm thankful there wasn't a...body, but I believe his egg might have been abandoned."

"Oh, goodness," Night Light uttered. "So, do we need to worry if...they may come back?"

"I don't believe so. But he is lucky I found his egg before it was too late," she said. "I know Twilight will take very good care of him. And...I hope you are able to treat him as part of the family, even if he is a dragon."

"Why, of course we will, Your Highness," Velvet said. "It's so horrible to hear that those dragons could just...leave their own baby like that. I actually thought hatching it was just some kind of test to measure how strong a young unicorn's magic was, not actually making it hatch."

"We'll treat him like the son we've never had," Night Light agreed.

Celestia nodded with a smile. "Thank you. I will send some gemstones for him to eat," she said, finishing her tea before she took her leave. As she closed the front door behind her, she could hear giggling from Twilight upstairs through her window. Quietly flapping her wings, she peeked through the glass, watching Twilight playing peekaboo with the baby dragon and watching his reaction. Shining Armor was also present as he kept an eye on Spike, acting as the best big brother ever to his adoptive dragon brother. "You truly are a lucky little dragon, Spike."

Celestia then flew off back to the castle, knowing Spike was in good hooves with his new family.





Everyone fell silent as they watched all of Freya's memories with Estinien, up until the horrible, tragic ending of her world, her husband, and the unexpected outcome of Spike's egg. The dragoon broke down in tears, barely able to focus on the fate that befell Estinien, the very last time she would ever see his face. Her hand trembled as she heard herself cry out in anguish from her loss, followed by the fury against the Heartless who promised to reunite her with her loved ones, but refused and vowed to make them pay for taking her husband and their unborn son away.

She dropped the ornament as her body was wracked with sobs, gently thudding onto the table and slightly rolled back over to Sora. He knew what going through that storm was like, and he experienced it twice; when his world was being swallowed as the beginning of his journey as a Keyblade wielder, and when he went back in time to rescue his father from that very same storm. But while he fought Shadows, Freya was up against almost every sort of Pureblood Heartless that came to bring more destruction. And what was worse, that very same Heartless that Aqua and Kaito saw was there in Freya's world, too. Whatever the young dragoon was trying to warn her before it killed him, the dangerous threat might have been that very same Darkling they spotted.

They all felt sorry for what Freya had to go through. They didn't blame her earlier aggressions upon meeting her or while they were eating just moments ago. Losing her family had closed her heart, flying around the cosmos between her universe and most likely theirs, wandering around while releasing her pain on the Heartless who took it all away. She didn't want to trust anyone or let her sorrow overcome her, even when she showed it ever so slightly. To recall such painful memories hurt her just as much as living it, but they at least knew what became of her and what brought her to feel so cold before she saw Spike.

Seated beside her, Spike began to tear up after watching her life unfold. She was so happy and relished the enjoyment of taking down Heartless to protect her world. She saw how closely she was to his father, even with their competitive banter as it seemed like the dragons' way of flirting with each other. Estinien put his life on the line to protect him and Freya, and he didn't know if they survived before the darkness swallowed the last of their dying world. He was afraid her admittance being his mother was a lie, but he knew without a doubt now that Freya truly was his birth mother.

Freya had her face buried in her hands as she wept in her grief. Spike hovered onto the table and stepped closer to her. He reached his hands out, gently grasping hers, making her look up with a tearful, ashamed gaze at her son.

"...I'm sorry you went through something so horrible," Spike said, his voice breaking. "I...I never thought I would be able to meet you...But...I'm glad we made it, at least."

More tears trickled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes, hanging her head. "I should have done more," she whimpered. "I'm...a disgrace to the Keyblade...As a dragoon........As a mother." Freya sobbed harder as she beat herself up. Spike's tears began to shed, hearing his own mother feel like she had failed everyone. "I lost you two...I believed you were gone forever. Only a week after I birthed your egg, and I couldn't protect you...I'm so sorry."

"But it's not your fault," Spike assured. "You...You did everything you could. Even dad couldn't handle them by himself." Gripping her hands tighter, he lowered them from her face and brought his hands to her cheeks. "He wanted both of us to make it out alive. Even when you thought it was all over, you were safe in another world. And...And I made it safely here, in this Equestria." Freya opened her eyes, seeing the small, emotionally joyful grin on his face. "We're together now...Dad would have wanted that, right?" Freya wanted to agree, but the words couldn't come out. She knew it, and Spike knew it after seeing how brave and selfless Estinien was. She then felt Spike wrap his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. "I love you, mom."

Freya's heart nearly stopped, hearing her child say those four special words she wanted to hear for so long. Her breaths hitched, unable to hold her emotions back as she wrapped her arms around Spike, holding him dearly and terrified to let go of him again. She nuzzled his cheek as she sobbed heavily, feeling his smaller claws rubbing her neck to console her as he quietly wept along with her. Though she still regret not doing enough, to see him alive, and her arriving in this world at the right moment to save him and his friends was destined to happen. If she were too late, she would have seen her baby's heart flying into the sky, and she would have never known.

The others were happy for them. The girls were in tears, Pinkie sobbing loudly as she cried waterfalls of tears at such a heartfelt moment between a separated mother and son. Twilight had been afraid of losing Spike since her family took him in. If he wanted to stay with Freya, she would be fine with that as long as he always comes to visit her. Part of her hoped Freya would want to stay in Ponyville so Spike could spend as much time with her without moving, if the dragoon planned to find a new home in Equestria.





Emotionally exhausted, Freya was sleeping in her guest room, but she wasn't alone. It was a silly request from her, but she asked Spike if he wanted to sleep with her. He said yes, not wanting to leave her side and see her upset. Her muzzle held a small, content smile, holding Spike close to her chest, her hand gently rubbing her son's head. It was a shame their family would be incomplete without Estinien, but Freya would keep his memory in her heart.

Quietly opening the door, Twilight peeked inside, being careful not to wake the sleeping dragons. She still felt concerned about Spike one day leaving as he got older, but as long as he was happy, she wouldn't hold him back if he wasn't ready to leave. Closing the door, she let out a sigh, wiping away a stray tear that ran down her cheek. Walking to her guest room to head to bed with Riku, she found Aqua waiting by her door.

"Aqua?" she mumbled.

"I saw a lot of myself in Freya when she showed us what happened," she said. "I just hope Spike will be enough to ease the tension and anger in her heart."

"I know he can," Twilight said. "I still can't believe Spike is actually from another world, too. Another Equestria from a completely different galaxy..." Her ears drooped in sorrow. "...Well, it used to exist..."

"Speaking of Spike..." Twilight looked up, suddenly feeling uneasy with Aqua's tone. "We need to have a talk with him about what he's done a few days ago...Before Freya arrived."