//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Test // Story: Universe is Magic: Kingdom Hearts // by cybirddude //------------------------------// ------------------------------- (Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle's House) It had been three days since Twilight's books had been stolen, and it wasn't something she would forget anytime soon. The police told her that her books were on another planet and she became hysterical. She cried, screamed, and complained for hours after she learned this fact, making the people around her feel uncomfortable, yet understandably sympathetic towards the mare. Seeing as how she wouldn't be seeing her books anytime soon, she decided to buy replacements. But she was still pissed. "Spike, do you know how many books I lost?" she asked her dragon companion, who rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Thirty. You told me three days ago," he said flatly. Twilight nodded. "Correct. Now, do you know how many bits I had to spend to replace them!?" she asked with annoyance. Spike sighed. "Seventy-five. Again, you told me three days ago," he said with annoyed sarcasm. Twilight then smirked and used her magic to levitate a notebook and pen over to herself. "Again, correct. Now do you know how we will replace those bits?" she asked. This time Spike was confused, and shrugged. "Do you remember that pony we met named Ventus?" she asked eagerly. Spike nodded. "Yeah! He was awesome! His moves were like scenes from a movie, but in real life!" he said excitedly, before looking confused again. "Wait, what does this have to do with making money?" Twilight opened her door while levitating her notepad and pen. "Three days ago, I made a deal with Ventus that I could learn about his sword. I want to know where he obtained it, how it works, who gave it to him, etc. I want to sell my findings to the military. Just think of how mass-producing it could benefit them. And best of all It'll make me rich!" Twilight explained excitedly before going outside. "I want you to stay here and guard the house while I find him. If anyone comes over, tell them that I'm busy today." Spike nodded unsure and closed the door. Twilight walked forward while looking in all directions in order to find Ventus. Thankfully, it didn't take long, as she literally bumped into him. She smiled as she found the target of her research, however that smile was ruined when she saw another pony beside him. "Hello...Great One," she said in disgust. "What brings you here?" Great One chuckled. "I can see your dislike for me is as strong as ever Twilight Sparkle. How adorable," he said condescendingly, making Twilight gain a tick mark on her forehead. "Anyway, Queen Celestia has ordered me to bring you and your new friend here to Canterlot," he explained, making Twilight suspect ,and Ventus confused. "Three things:" Twilight began. "One: Why does Queen Celestia want him to come? Two: Why doesn't she want the other elements to come? Three: How did you know what Ventus looked like?" Twilight asked. Great One sighed and began walking forward, eager to get to Canterlot. "I'll explain things on the way. So follow me," he told the other two. They obeyed him. "To answer your first question, Twilight, I was told to bring him to Canterlot because he is a," he then leaned closer to Twilight and Ventus to talk in a tone that only they could hear. "Keyblade wielder," he answered, making Ventus nervous. "Key...blade?" Twilight asked, eager to learn more about the sword Ventus used. She immediately wrote this down in her notebook, making Ventus more afraid. However, at that moment something unexpected happened: A pink, fluffy-maned, blue-eyed, grinning pony with balloons for a cutie mark appeared in front of Twilight's face out of nowhere. She was also carrying a pink duffel bag Great One, Twilight, and Ventus were shocked, Twilight less so. Ventus's wings went stiff for a split second. Twilight's face went back to normal. "Hey, Pinkie Pie. What brings you here?" she asked the pony in front of her. Pinkie Pie opened her bag and began explaining herself to Twilight as she felt through the bag with one hoof. "Well, Applejack told me about your new friend, Ventus! I wanted to meet him and throw him a party! But I couldn't find him. You told me yesterday, the day before that, and the day before that that you didn't know where he was. I went to your house today to ask you again, but Spike told me you went to find him. I overheard you talking about how you have to go Canterlot without me," she said before taking a huge breath and continuing. "So I brought this," she said before pulling out a green rectangular device with multiple buttons and a screen out of her bag and giving it to Ventus. Ventus looked at the object in confusion. "What is it?" he asked curiously. Pinkie Pie then pushed a button on the back of the device, turning on the screen. On the screen was a large, green, digital land mass that had many names beside it. Pinkie Pie began her explanation. "It's a digital map! All those names are cities, towns, and landmarks.You can see any place in the country. I bought one for you since you're from a different planet!" The screen had a list titled, "Cities." Ventus saw the name of one called Canterlot, and clicked on it. The screen then zoomed in to show a rich city full of large shops, gardens, waterfalls and mansions. At the edge of a cliff was a large, white and gold castle. It looked like a city designed for the aristocrats. Ventus was amazed to see all of this. He wasn't a pony who necessarily cared for the upper-class lifestyle, but he was still excited to get a chance to go to such a large and luxurious city. He also secretly hoped the Queen was going to give him a reward, especially if it was a monetary one. "And that's not all! Watch this!" Pinkie said, interrupting Ventus's thoughts. "How do you get from Ponyville to Canterlot?" she asked the device. Suddenly, the map zoomed out to show Canterlot on one end and Ponyville on the other End. It then drew a line from a dot marked "Ponyville" to a dot marked "Canterlot" on the map. "Now you can never get lost!" Pinkie stated. Ventus smiled and was about to thank Pinkie Pie, however he wouldn't get the chance to, as a light-blue aura appeared around her, and she was tossed with great force and speed. "My leg!" was the pink pony's cry. When Twilight and Ventus looked over, they saw that the culprit was Great One, as the glowing horn told them. Ventus was shocked, confused, and slightly angry. Twilight was just very angry. "What did you do that for A-hole!?" Twilight demanded to know, trying to punch the aqua pony in retaliation. However, her hoof only went through him, as he was using an intangibility spell. Twilight was so frustrated, she didn't stop trying to punch him, and kept on trying as the he explained. "She was taking up valuable time that we could have been using to get to Canterlot," he explained as he began walking forward, the other two following him. "Anyway, to answer your second question, that's none of your business," he answered, making Twilight confused. Before she had a chance to say anything, Ventus asked his own question. "What are these elements that Miss Twilight mentioned?" Ventus asked. Twilight was happy to explain. "They are the Elements of Harmony. Six powerful, magic artifacts that are wielded by me, and five others. Applejack, and that other pony you met are also wielders," Twilight explain, making Ventus look like a kid being told a bedtime story. "Awesome. Tell me more," he requested with a smile and stiff wings. Twilight cleared her throat to begin her long explanation. "Queen Celestia and her sister originally found them to battle Discord, a spirit of chaos," she began, Ventus being fully absorbed into her explanation. While they were having their chat, Great One looked back at them and smiled. "Even if he is dangerous, I'm sure Twilight can easily befriend him. Which will make him loyal to Celestia by extension," he thought, eager to make Ventus his pawn. He then looked forward, and saw on the outskirts of Ponyville, a silver Piaggio P.180 Avanti jet that had a symbol of the sun on its nose. "-and then we used the Elements to seal Discord again when he escaped his prison" Twilight finished. Ventus was amazed at this. To think that he happened to be friends with a wielder of such powerful artifacts. He felt like Twilight was someone he could relate to. He and Twilight were snapped out of their bonding by Great One. "If you two lovebirds are done flirting, then we can leave for Canterlot," he said with a smirk on his face. Twilight and Ventus blushed at his words. To them, the idea of hooking up now would be foolish. They barely even knew each other. "S-so, how exactly did you find Ventus?" Twilight asked, remembering that she asked the same question before in order to change the subject. "Don't you remember,Twilight? You mentioned his description in the letter you sent to the Queen," the stallion replied before getting in his plane. Ventus nodded. "Mister Great One found me via some kind of spell," he answered, satisfying Twilight. Both he and Twilight then boarded the plane. The interior of the aircraft was small. There were only eight passenger's seats, all of them made of some kind of blue fur. Unlike most planes, the pilot's seat was visible from the passengers' view and there only seemed to be one. Other than the seats, the inside of the plane looked ordinary. Great One took the pilot's seat, while Twilight and Ventus took passengers' seats directly behind him. "All set?" Great One asked. The other two nodded in response. After this, the plane took off to the sky with great speed. The sudden burst of speed almost made the three ponies have heart attacks. In less than twenty seconds, the plane was in the air. To Ventus, being this high in the sky was nothing new, but to Twilight, being so high at great speeds made her a bit uncomfortable and queasy. This wasn't the first time she had been this high, but it was the first time she had gone this fast. Ventus noticed Twilight's discomfort and tried to distract her with a conversation. "I noticed that you don't like Mister Great One. Why's that?" he asked, making Twilight have a greater look of discomfort on her face. This was obviously a touchy subject for her. "Because he's a fat, sociopathic, arrogant, unreasonable douche," Twilight responded. "Seriously, if I had one wish, I would wish that his mother miscarried when she was pregnant with him so my life could be happy," she said casually, causing Ventus to have a shocked look, and Great One to chuckle. "Ouch," the portly pony responded sarcastically. Ventus was almost speechless. "So... what did he do to make you wish that?" he asked with a scared look on his face. Twilight had to clear her throat. "He's an ex-teacher from Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorn's, one of the most renowned magic universities in the country. And I had the misfortune of having that psychopath as my teacher," Twilight explained in stress while pointing at the psychopath in question. "You know Twilight, I would think you would be a little grateful, seeing as how you wouldn't have the amount of skill necessary if it weren't for me," Great One countered. Twilight started growling and lighting up her horn. "What did he do that was so bad?" Ventus asked in a tone that indicated both annoyance and curiosity. Twilight then calmed down, though she still looked pretty angry. "Where do I begin? Well, for starters, he threw chalk at the students whenever they incorrectly answered a question!" the mare yelled, her horn sparking a bit. Ventus looked confused. "That doesn't sound so bad," he said, unprepared for what Twilight would say next. "When I say he threw chalk, I mean he threw it hard. As in, hard enough to get stuck in somepony's throat! Mainly mine," she expounded, making Ventus's mouth gape in shock. "But that's not all. One time, he actually deprived his students of food and water as part of our training. He claimed it would make us better at performing magic." It was then that Ventus's opinion of Great One changed. Ventus thought he was just kind of a jerk at first. Now, Ventus thought of him as a monster. "That sick bastard," was all he had to say about the other stallion. "It's a good thing he isn't a teacher now," Ventus said, before getting a piece of chalk thrown at his forehead by Great One. It was surprisingly painful for Ventus. "Ouch!" he said rubbing his forehead. "I have no problem with you calling me a monster," Great One began, before levitating another piece of chalk. "However, saying that me not being a teacher is a good thing is something I will not accept," he finished before throwing the other piece of chalk at Ventus's stomach. Ventus's yelped in pain and rubbed his stomach. It was at this moment that Twilight decided to stand up and defend her friend. "This what I mean!" she yelled before trotting over to where the pilot was. He paid her no attention and continued flying. "Don't you ignore me! I don't care if you are the Queen's advisor nor do I care you are part of a milita-" "Oh look we're at Canterlot, can we continue this conversation never?" the cruel pony said before going for his landing. The plane then started nosediving downwards. Unfortunately, since Twilight was standing up, gravity took effect and she was flung and stuck behind the pilot's seat. Ventus, who was wearing a seat belt, then summoned his Keyblade and used telekinesis, unsticking Twilight from the seat and suspending her in the air until the plane landed. And soon enough, it did, as Twilight and Ventus could tell. The landing was somewhat rough, but not dangerously so. As soon as the plane was still, Twilight was let down, and she started wobbling and feeling sick. After this, Great One got out of his pilot seat and magically opened the plane's door. Twilight then immediately ran out. Retching noises were heard, making Great One grimace. "She can't even handle a little rough landing. I'll have to fix that," the adviser thought while writing down something in a notebook he summoned via magic. He then teleported the notebook and pen away before Ventus noticed. Great One then went outside, Ventus doing the same. When the two males got outside, they saw Twilight with a dizzy look on her face. She wobbled around, almost falling off the edge, if not for Ventus's quick thinking of using telekinesis. After Twilight was rescued, Ventus looked at his surroundings and saw that they were on a rectangular, floating, metallic platform. When Ventus looked around he saw various other platforms of around the same size, some of which also had planes on them. The platforms were arranged in an way that formed a circle, and in the center of them was something that made Ventus's jaw drop. A tall, prominently white castle with golden spires, flags with symbols of the sun, flowers and various other decorations. He could see rich ponies going in and out of the castle. Ventus thought it looked cool, and couldn't control himself. Since there was seemingly no way to get to the castle by foot, he foolishly decided to try to fly in order to get a closer look. Unfortunately, he was stopped by Twilight Sparkle's magic. "You can't just go flying around the Canterlot castle as you please! The guards will shoot you," Twilight warned as she gently lowered the pegasus. Ventus then blushed in embarrassment and tried to change the subject. "Since you know that I wield a Keyblade, I want to know why you called me," he said to Great One in a serious voice. Great One was ignoring him while his eyes were closed and his horn was lit. "You know, it's rude to ignore someone," Ventus said. Great One was still ignoring him, so Ventus sighed. Seeing as how he wasn't allowed to fly to the castle, he wondered how he would get there if the platforms were so far away. He soon got his answer. Suddenly, Ventus felt motion under his feet. He looked around and tried to see what this new phenomenon was. He looked down, and saw that the platform was moving towards the castle. Ventus was impressed once again. This world would probably never cease to amaze him. As the platform got closer to the castle, the three ponies saw an extended, rectangular section of the castle made of metal that was sticking out on the same altitude as the platform they were standing on. The platform they were standing on connected to the extended section, allowing them to access the castle. Great One then walked forward and motioned for the other two to follow him. They did so, with Twilight simply walking forward, and Ventus looking around to observe the scenery. He then remembered something. "Hey, I wanna know two things: One: How do you know what a Keyblade is? Two: Why exactly have you invited me here?" he asked with a somewhat suspicious voice. This time Great One was willing to respond, though he didn't look back. "To answer your first question, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to give out that information," he said before coming across a large metal door with a red screen with a raven on it. "It's me," he said to the door. At that moment, the screen turned blue, and the raven spread its wings. The door then opened automatically. Behind the door was a dark passageway with descending stairs. The three then went started trotting down them, continuing their conversation. "Before you ask him anymore questions, Ventus, I want to know what a Keyblade is," Twilight asked in an authorative tone. "It's the sword I use," Ventus said, trying to give as little information as possible. Unfortunately, Twilight wasn't satisfied with just that amount of information. "I know that," Twilight said while rolling her eyes, insulted by Ventus's pathetic attempt to avoid answering questions. "I mean I want to know more about it. I want to know how it works, where and how they're made, and other general information," Twilight demanded. Ventus was about to say something, when Great One interrupted. "Keyblades are made from hearts," Great One said, making Twilight shocked. "Hearts!? I think I'm gonna be sick," the mare said. Great One chuckled and continued his explanation. "I don't mean the physical heart, Twilight. I meant heart in the emotional sense. You see, Keyblades are not manufactured, and given, they are born from individuals who have certain traits in their hearts." "What traits are those?" Twilight asked with a grin. This was getting juicy. At this point, Ventus had given up on trying to prevent Twilight from learning, simply choosing to let Great One explain. "Courage, determination, confidence, and numerous others. There have been many Keyblade wielders throughout history. They can come from any species on any planet. Ventus's status of being a Keyblade wielder is the reason we have called him for an extremely important duty," he explained. At this moment Ventus chose to speak up. "What duty is that exactly?" he asked suspiciously. "Do you remember the thief you apprehended three days ago?" Great One asked. "Yeah?" Ventus said, wanting to know where this was going. Great One's tone turned to one of worry. "Well, as it turns out, he was actually working for an army that lives on an entirely different planet. He was only stealing things to make it stronger," he explained, with Twilight and Ventus gasping in shock, the later gaining his composure quickly before turning his face into a frown. At this point, Ventus could figure out why he was called. "So I take it you're requesting for me to fight for you?" Ventus said with a noticeably angered tone that made it seem like he didn't want to fight. This change in tone didn't go unnoticed by Great One, so he tried to gain sympathy by giving himself a frightened tone. "Please, I ask of you to assist us, Keyblade wielder! Our planet is in danger of being colonized! In fact, the one we are fighting has an army of three planets," Great One revealed, making Twilight and Ventus gasp with fear and shock. Ventus had taken on many powerful foes in the past, but an army of that size was something new. He had heard of stories of rulers colonizing countries before. However, an army strong enough to take over other planets was insane and frightening. Even so, he was still willing to fight. He may have hated war, but it was cleat that the citizens of this planet were obviously victims. Twilight had similar feelings. Although she had fought a few powerful foes in the past, something of this level of danger was off the charts compared to what she had faced then. Although the Elements of Harmony were powerful, Twilight had a feeling they wouldn't be enough for what they were going to face. "So when and where will they first attack?" Ventus said courageously. Great One smiled at the fact that Ventus was willing to help. Twilight felt a sense of hope and courage in her heart and put on a serious face. "Two days from now this castle will be attacked. In addition, I have called you here in order to test and train you for the upcoming battles," the noble explained with a tone worthy of that of a leader. "But be warned, my training is very strict and is probably like nothing you've seen before. Are you up for the task?" Ventus gave a cocky smirk and summoned his Keyblade. "I'll use my Keyblade to protect the innocent regardless of the opponent's strength." As if on cue they had reached their destination. It wasn't what Ventus and Twilight were expecting in the least. The area was a wide library with hundreds of books on the steel shelves, all of which contained black magic. The floor was concrete, something you wouldn't expect in a castle. Most noticeable was a tall electric fence that blocked access to the books. Ventus was confused. "A library? Reading is my training?" he asked with disappointment. Twilight took offense at his tone and socked him in the jaw. "You idiot! Don't you realize how useful this is?" she said before grinning widely and beginning to talk quickly and excitedly, almost like a fangirl. "These books books contain the spells used by the Dark Angels, one of the most elite military forces in our country! What this means, is that they are going to give us access to their-" "I'm afraid you're incorrect Twilight Sparkle," the other unicorn said, spoiling Twilight's fun and causing her to gain a look of shock on her face. "You know Queen Celestia has laws regarding dark magic. She would kill me if I gave out these books to just anypony." Disappointed, Twilight teared up and looked at the spell books the same way one would look at a dead loved one. "I love you," she said to the forbidden books, which made Ventus look at her with pity and fear. "So if we're not here to learn new spells, then what are we here for?" Ventus asked. Suddenly, a shining light appeared in front of the three ponies, forcing them to cover their eyes. After the light died down, they saw the beautiful and majestic Queen Celestia. Twilight and Great One bowed before her, with Ventus doing the same a few seconds after. Ventus looked up a the Queen, admiring her. She was everything he expected to see in a queen: strong, beautiful, and giving a off a sense of trust. The three smaller ponies stopped their bowing, ready to get to business. The queen then trotted towards Ventus, staring at him in disapproval. The pegasus looked up at her with slight fear in his heart. "I assumed he would be much taller and fit," Celestia said, with Ventus gaining a tick-mark on his head. Celestia noticed this. "B-b-but I'm sure size isn't everything. Now tell me, have you been informed of why you are here?" Ventus and Twilight nodded. "Queen, If it doesn't bother you, I would like to ask a question," Twilight requested. "What is it,my student?" Celestia asked nicely, yet cautiously. Twilight gulped at her cautious tone. "Why exactly didn't you have the other Elements come here? I'm sure they could have helped," Twilight said, hoping she didn't ask anything offensive. Princess Celestia answered suspiciously hesitantly, almost as if she was lying. "Well you are the only one I can trust. Your rational and analytical personality along with specialization in magic make you a valuable asset in the war," she said, with Twilight becoming shocked and shaking. She wasn't expecting to have to be a participant. "With all due respect Queen, I simply can't. While both of those things you said are indeed the truth, I'm not in any way, shape, or form, a warrior. Besides, I still don't see why we can't tell the rest of the Elements. Why do you want only me?" Twilight asked with fear and suspicion. Celestia leaned down at Twilight and whispered. "Because I need you for an important part in this war," she said to Twilight who was confused by her whispering. Unfortunately, Ventus decided to speak his mind to the Queen. "Why does Miss Twilight have to fight in this war!?" he yelled audaciously as his Keyblade glowed, looking as if he was ready to attack. Great One intervened, standing in front of the Queen as his horn was glowing. Suddenly, Ventus felt pain in his internal organs. It felt as if they were being stabbed. He merely grunted despite the torture. "Now, now, now, I should warn you that if you try anything hasty, there will be worse than what I just gave you," Great One stated calmly as he stopped his spell, letting Ventus feel relief. Great One then went over to Ventus and glared at him. "Just for that, I'm going to make your test two times harder." Ventus was confused. "Test? What am I going to be tested in?" he asked while Great One's horn was glowing. Suddenly, the floor they were on started shaking. Celestia and Ventus flew, while Twilight tripped and lied on the ground. Suddenly, cracks in the ground started forming, and the temperature started rising at a rapid pace. Eventually, a horrifying monster popped out of the cracks, directly in front of Twilight. The monster in question looked like a large, train-sized worm made of magma, only it had a large, perfectly circular mouth with a row of sharp teeth. The rocks of the magma didn't seem to be budging any time soon, so the ponies were safe from lava spillage. Twilight was scared due to being almost eaten, Great One smirked, Celestia looked slightly afraid, and Ventus looked ready to fight. The monster seemed to be interested in Twilight, as everyone could tell from the way the monster leaned down at her. It seemed almost allured by her scent. Twilight sweated at the violation of her personal space Ventus immediately rushed over to the monster, blocking the its "view." "I assume this is the test," he stated with a serious voice. He then used a spell to put a shield around himself and Twilight. "A cherufe. Not bad." Twilight's eyes then widened after she calmed down. "You've seen this thing before?" she asked in confusion. Ventus ignored her, focusing on keeping up his shield, even though the monster didn't seem to be paying attention anymore. Celestia then used a spell to teleport both herself and Twilight on the other side of the electric fence. "Why did you have him summon that monster!?" Twilight yelled at the Queen. She was glad to be safe, but she still wanted to help her friend. Celestia sighed at her emotional subject, but was willing to explain. "Twilight, this is how we are going to test him for the battle. But more importantly, there are two pieces of key information I need to tell you," she said before leaning down and whispering. "Without him hearing." Twilight whispered to Celestia, deciding to play along. "What exactly is it you need to tell me that he can't hear about?" she asked before hearing a loud roar from the other side of the fence. She looked over, and saw that the cherufe was ready to attack. The creature opened its mouth wide, trying to bite the shield Ventus created. Surprisingly, the mundane method seemed to be effective, seeing as how Ventus not only had to struggle to keep the shield up, but how the shield was also cracking in spite of his efforts. Eventually, the worm managed to bite through the shield, with Ventus just barely escaping. He soared in the air, high above the beast's reach. He then tried to use magic to shoot shards of ice at the creature. As soon as they hit, they started expanding, as if they were trying to freeze the beast to death. However, the creature's body heated, and melted the ice. Great One then clapped sarcastically. "Because shooting ice at a creature made of lava would work. Even if you didn't know what a cherufe was, it should have been obvious," he chastised. He then took out a notebook. "Note to self: Ventus is an idiot." Ventus then smiled sheepishly. "I just assumed my ice spell would freeze the bastard. Guess I got a bit cocky. Besides, I know what a cherufe is: They live in volcanoes, ancient cultures sacrificed to it, hoping it would leave them alone, and it prefers to snack on virgin girls," he explained. At that moment, the creature opened its mouth even wider, and it started glowing. In five seconds, a stream of fire came out, forcing Ventus to fly around. "Yes but they also like virgin males as well. Tell me, do you have a lover? If not have you ever had sex?" asked Great One. This was an odd question to Ventus, so he acted accordingly. "Why are you asking that sort of thing in a situation like this!?" Ventus asked disgustedly while blushing before deciding to use magic. His Keyblade glowed brightly, and he shot a white energy ball towards his opponent. As soon as it hit, it didn't damage the creature at all, rather it stopped moving entirely. It didn't even seem to be breathing. Ventus sighed as he was finally able to take a moment of rest and think of a plan, however, that would have to wait. "I merely asked you because we are going to have to get to know each other," Great One stated. Ventus hit him over the head for this. "Yeah, but haven't even know each other for that long! Besides, why would you want to know if I have a lover anyway?" he asked, unable to believe that he was having this conversation. "I suspected that you didn't due to the fact that the cherufe was chasing you," Great One explained before pointing behind Ventus. "Speaking of the cherufe," he said before teleporting away, which Ventus instantly knew was a bad sign. He was right, as the cherufe had became unfrozen, and continued to breath fire, which Ventus reacted to by flying around. Celestia took this time to continue her conversation with Twilight. "As you can see Twilight, having a Keyblade wielder as a member of our military would be a most wonderful thing. That is why I need you," the Queen explained while looking at the battle. At this point, Ventus left behind a trail of small swords made of light as he flew, which circled around the cherufe. Twilight was still confused. She knew she could simply copy Ventus's spells, but that wouldn't instantly make her a great fighter. That would require months of training. "I don't get it. In what way can I be useful? All of the spells I know generally aren't something you would see in war, or fights in general," Twilight explained. She then looked at Ventus and sighed. "In what way can I be useful?" Celestia smiled. "Your only duty will be to get to know and become close to Ventus," she said to Twilight who sighed in relief, but was still quite confused. "How will befriending him help us in our battle?" she asked. Celestia then chuckled, and said something Twilight never thought she would hear Celestia say. "I never said you would befriend him. I want you to become his lover," Celestia said. At this moment, Twilight was definitely more surprised. All of these surprises, from the Knowledge of the Keyblade, the news of the war, and now this! "Whoa, hold the phone! Why would I want to become his lover? Yeah he's nice, strong, and kind of handsome, but I barely know the guy!" Twilight said in fury. She wasn't even interested in starting a relationship. Celestia put her hoof over the smaller mare's mouth to explain herself. "You don't have to fall in love with him," Celestia stated. Twilight let out a muffled "Huh?" in response. Celestia then looked over and pointed at Ventus, who pointed his sword at his magma covered enemy. As soon as he did this, the smaller swords flew at his target at high speeds, stabbing it. The creature didn't cry out in pain or flinch. However, it did flinch a bit as soon as they did something unexpected: explode. This power of the blast managed to destroy a small part of its "skin" causing some of the lava inside to leak a little. Celestia then turned towards Twilight. "Even if he is kind, his powers are simply too great to ignore. That is why I need you to form a false romance with him," she explained, before taking her hoof off of Twilight's mouth. Twilight respected her Queen very much, and while she sometimes made questionable decisions, this was too far. "That sounds worse! It's against my morals to manipulate somepony in any way, shape, or form!" Twilight yelled in Celestia's ear before getting her mouth covered again. Celestia then decided to explain herself more clearly to Twilight. "Twilight, are you loyal to me?" she asked. Her student nodded slowly but surely. "Then you must understand that by forming a relationship with him, he will also show loyalty towards me, thereby insuring that he will not try to harm us," Celestia explained before taking her hoof off of Twilight's mouth. Even though Celestia explained herself to Twilight, this was still a serious consideration. Twilight didn't want to have to manipulate someone for power, but seeing that Celestia, her role model, was telling her to. Twilight was completely confused. She didn't answer. Celestia saw the look of confusion in Twilight's eyes and tried to make things easier for her. "Twilight, I know this goes against your morals, however, you have to remember that morality is not completely black and white. Many people considered heroes have had to commit unrighteous acts in the name of the greater good." This seemed to make things slightly easier for Twilight. "I'll think about it. Anyway, what was that other piece of information you wanted to tell me?" Twilight asked, trying to change the uncomfortable subject. Celestia sighed at the pleased that Twilight didn't accept her decision completely. "I will have to explain it to you somewhere more private," Celestia said before teleporting both herself and Twilight, meaning the only ones in the room were Ventus and the cherufe. While Twilight and Celestia were speaking, Ventus was struggling against the cherufe. It's armor was surprisingly tough, plus its ability to breath fire made it hard to attack the inside of its mouth. The only form of progress Ventus had made was cracking some of its armor, and even then that had only gave him less room on the floor due to the lava that spilled out of the wound. Ventus had shot some water spells at the lava, solidifying it, but not cooling it. Ventus was basically in a pickle. "Why couldn't I be fighting something easier? Like a phantom? Or a harpy? Hell, even a freaking hydra would be a cakewalk compared to this guy," Ventus complained. He then began to try to think of a plan. "I know in the original story, it was killed with a freezing sword, but my ice spells wouldn't even give it frostbite." The cherufe then did something unexpected: it stopped breathing fire. This was surprising considered that it seemed to be working, keeping Ventus at bay, making him wonder what its next course of action would be. He got his answer: the ground started rumbling, and the cherufe was sinking into the ground. "Did it decide to give up?" asked Ventus to himself, hoping it did. His wings were getting tired. Unfortunately, the rumbling underground answered unfavorably. The cherufe popped out of the ground, deciding to eat Ventus. Ventus naturally used his wings to fly out of harm's way, barely managing to escape the beast's mouth due to his lack of energy. Ventus watched as the gargantuan monster rose out of the ground, intimidated by its massive length. It almost reached the ceiling! The cherufe eventually stopped after it seemed to realize that his meal was below him. It then "looked" down, diving at the pegasus. Ventus obviously scared. His wings barely had enough juice to fly anymore, and the floor was littered with lava. He cursed under his breath as the beast got closer. In spite of the stressful situation he was in, he still wanted to fight this enemy. After all, if he died, he wouldn't be able to save this planet of becoming a colony. "Well it looks like I only have one choice," Ventus said under his breath as he pointed his Keyblade at the cherufe. In spite of the tiredness of his wings, he had plenty of energy to use magic. Ventus's Keyblade glowed with a blue light as he channeled all of his strength into it. He would die if his plan didn't work, so he had nothing to lose. After a few seconds he shouted "Blizzaja!" and shot a lance made of ice out his sword. The lance flew with the speed of a bullet. Its target: down the cherufe's throat. The cherufe's mouth was wide open, meaning that the lance would have no trouble getting down the beast's throat. The monster swallowed the lance just as Ventus's wings gave out and he started slowly gliding towards one of the spots that didn't have lava on it. After three seconds, the cherufe screeched in pain as the ice started to cool its body. Unlike the previous ice spell, this one seemed to effect the cherufe, due to its increased power. The inside of its mouth rapidly turned blue, showing that the blizzard magic had harmed it greatly. Eventually, the blue spots were covered in ice. The cherufe tried to heat the inside of its mouth, but it was found impossible. Eventually, the beast lost its energy as the ice started sticking out of its mouth, crashing down on the ground. Ventus looked over at the cherufe, and saw that it was dead, making him sigh in relief. "Dead from frostbite and suffocation. What a way to go," he said before fainting from the lack of energy. After this, Great One teleported back inside to observe the results. He didn't seem to shocked to see his monster dead, but he was still disgusted by Ventus fainting. "I thought you would have been stronger than that. Guess I should up the level of training for the battle," he said. After this, a black spider crawled over to Great One. He let it crawl up his hooves before lifting the hoof he was looking at to observe it. "Thanks to these Allseeing Spiders, I effectively have eyes in multiple places. I don't know how I would've found Ventus if not for you," he said before using his magic to teleport the spider away. He then used his magic to levitate Ventus before walking out of the entrance they came in. "After I take him to a bed, I need to send an email to the other country's rulers. Queen Celestia has some interesting deals and proposals in mind: proposals that they will have to be stupid to not to agree to," Great One said to himself as he exited the training room.