//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: It's Time To Come Together (sort of) // Story: Kingdom Hearts: Equestria Girls // by Golden Flare //------------------------------// Twilight ran as fast as she could. Her friends were all at Rarity’s choosing dresses for the Fall Formal. The Fall Formal that would be too late to do any good. But even if the girls couldn’t help, she had promised to come, and the boutique was a good place to think. Twilight blew open the door and darted into a dressing room, oblivious to Fluttershy’s and Rarity’s worried glances. She set Spike’s backpack down on a stool, leaned against the wall, and took a deep breath. Rarity’s muffled voice came through the curtain. "Everything okay in there?" "Yes!" shouted Twilight, but her frantic whisper told the real story. "Only it's not okay. It's not okay at all. If I don't get my crown tonight, I won't be able to go back to Equestria for another thirty moons. Oh, what are we gonna do?" Spike lifted a paw over his heart. "Hmm... We tell them the truth. Let them know what's really at stake if you don't get the crown tonight. They'll help us figure something out." He touched Twilight’s leg reassuringly. "But what if they won't? What if when they find out just how different I really am..." Twilight looked in the mirror and to her surprise saw the pony she was looking back at her. "Twilight, these girls rallied around you because they saw what was in your heart." Spike sat up so Twilight could see him in the mirror. When she looked back to her own reflection, it was human again. "They aren't gonna feel any differently about you when they find out you're a pony princess in Equestria." Twilight turned away from the mirror. "I'm glad you followed me here, Spike." She patted his head. Spike wagged his tail. "Me too," Spike said, but he glanced at the ground. "Unless, of course, we get stuck here for another 30 moons." * * * Sora shoved the boutique’s door open and crouched in the threshold, panting heavily with his hands on his knees. He looked up to see the girls, all but Twilight, holding clothes and gathered around a drawn curtain. "Where's—Twilight—" Rarity, the only one sitting down, flicked her eyes at the curtain. "She came running in here like there was no tomorrow, just like you. Do you know what could have upset her so?" Donald popped his head out of Sora's backpack and he and Sora shared a panicked look. They knew, alright. But before they could say anything, Twilight whipped the curtain open. The girls turned to look at her, and Sora sighed in relief at being off the hook. "You okay?" Applejack asked. "The Fall Formal isn't happening tonight." Twilight said. "What!?" Pinkie screamed, her eyes wide with shock. "It had to be postponed because Sunset Shimmer had Snips and Snails ruin all of Sora’s and Pinkie Pie's decorations.” "WHAT!?" Pinkie screeched. Sora and Donald cringed. "But the Fall Formal has to happen tonight." Twilight insisted. "Wha—?" Applejack put a hand over Pinkie's mouth. Twilight sighed, "You see..." Pinkie pulled free and took a huge breath. "You're from an alternate world and you're a pony princess there and the crown actually has a magical element embedded in it that helps power up other magical elements and without it they don't work anymore and you need them to help protect your magical world and if you don't get the crown tonight you'll be stuck in this world and you won't be able to get back for like a really, really long time!" She finished with a huge smile and a proud *squee*. Twilight, Spike, Sora, and Donald looked slack-jawed at Pinkie, but Rainbow rubbed the back of her head and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure that isn't the reason." "Nope, she's pretty much spot on." Spike said. "He can talk!?" Rarity gasped. "Oh, yeah” Twilight grimaced as Spike reared up on his hind legs. "And back where I come from, I'm not even a dog. I am a ferocious fire-breathing dragon!" Fluttershy pushed Rarity and Pinkie aside to get at Spike. "This is so amazing! Tell me, what are you thinking right now?" Spike sauntered over to Rarity and looked up at her longingly. "Sure would love a scratch behind the old ears." "Gah..." "Uh, maybe later." "Hey!" squawked Donald. "How come you guys don't freak out like that when I talk!?" Fluttershy picked him up and hugged him. Donald sighed. "How did you know all that?" said Twilight. "Just a hunch." Pinkie shrugged. Applejack put up her hands. "Wait a minute! Lemme get this straight. You're a pony?" "You're a princess?" Rarity chimed in, having found her voice. "You're from another world?" added Fluttershy. Twilight rubbed the back of her head, blushed, and gulped. "Mm-hmm." "That...is...awesome!" Rainbow said. All the girls gathered around Twilight, eagerly asking her about life in Equestria. "See? Told ya." Spike said. Twilight just smiled. "Um, guys?" Sora hated to ruin the moment, but there was a chance the girls would accept his apology like they'd accepted Twilight. Everyone turned their attention to Sora now, and Donald jumped out of Fluttershy's arms to stand loyally with Sora. "Is somethin' the matter, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. Sora looked at all of them and sighed deeply. "...I'm an idiot." "We saw Snips and Snails go into the gym after Sunset ordered them to trash it. We tried to stop them, but..." "But, you didn't?" Twilight guessed. "No... We did... But in the process we destroyed it." Sora could see the disappointment in their eyes, especially Twilight’s. "I messed up, okay? I was just trying to help. I'm really sorry." Sora hung his head. "It was my fault, too!" Donald said stoutly. "Sora, I almost lost my crown because of you! If Flash hadn't found the evidence to prove I was innocent..." It was Twilight's turn to lower her head. "I would've failed my friends at home...and all of Equestria." "...I was just trying to help." Sora repeated. He and Twilight looked at each other for a long time. Sora could feel the others watching him, but he kept his eyes on Twilight, waiting for her answer. "C'mon girls," she said at last, her brow furrowed in determination. "Let's do something about the gym." She marched out the door, the other girls filing out behind her. Sora scooped Donald up and joined the back of the line, but barely made it out onto the sidewalk before Twilight noticed him, "And just what do you think you're doing?" she snapped, not looking at Sora as she walked. "Uh, going with you guys?” "I think you've done enough." Twilight kept walking. "But Twilight—" Twilight turned, and Sora backpedaled away from her glare. Sure he wouldn't follow, Twilight continued down the street, leaving Sora standing in the doorway. Sora looked desperately at her friends, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash peeled away from the group. "It's alright, sugarcube. She jus' needs a little time." "Yeah," Rainbow nodded. "If it makes you feel better, I still think you're awesome." Sora forced a smile, which seemed to be enough for Rainbow. "C'mon, AJ, if we run we can still beat them to the gym." She gave Sora a pat on the back and took off down the street. Applejack lingered a little longer, chewing her lip as if she wanted to say something, but eventually followed Rainbow, leaving Sora and Donald alone in the boutique. "Sora..." Sora turned to Donald, his fake smile replaced with a confident grin. "You know..." he said, "Twilight could use some help." Donald's beak flapped open in confusion. "How are we supposed to do that?" Sora gave Donald a devious wink. "Without getting caught." Donald snickered knowingly. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" he declared, and jumped into Sora's backpack. Sora shut the door behind him and ran towards the school. I just hope we're not too late... * * * The girls and Spike surveyed the damage done to the gym. Overturned chairs and tables littered the floor. The decapitated tips of streamers looked forlornly from the ceiling at their bodies on the floor. Somehow the disco ball had survived the fall from its fitting without smashing into a million pieces, but there was no hiding the jagged gash that tore across it like a mangled mouth. "I simply cannot believe they did all this." Rarity said. "If I only had some kind of...party cannon that could decorate everything super fast." Pinkie's voice fell when she realized she didn't. "I know it seems impossible, but maybe if we all work together?" "Now that's the kind of can-do spirit Ah'm lookin' for in a Fall Formal Princess!" Applejack stuck her hand into the middle of the group. "Let's do it, y'all!" "Absolutely!" "Rock on!" "Yes, indeedily!" "Yaaay!” One by one, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Fluttershy placed their hands on top of Applejack’s and looked expectantly at Twilight. She hesitated, but finally put her hand on top of theirs and joined them as they raised their hands in the air. * * * Sora and Donald poked their heads into the gym. He grimaced at the the mess, but the sight of Twilight and Spike carrying brooms and buckets out of a supply closet brought a smile to his face. She tossed the brooms to her friends, which worked about as well as Sora expected. Rarity’s hit her in the stomach, but she managed to grab it before it fell. Fluttershy flinched before her broom reached her. It hit her back and clattered to the ground. Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie, however, caught theirs easily, Rainbow twirling hers in the air. "Okay, it's not too late, let's do this!" Sora whispered. Donald nodded vigorously. "We just can't let Twilight see us!" They tiptoed into the gym and ducked behind a table with bent and crooked legs. Sora worked his magic under the cover of the table and the girls' sweeping. "Wind!" he whispered, casting an Aero spell. Streamers, balloons, and shards of glass blew into a nearby garbage bag. Seeing it was full, Applejack tied the top and tossed it to Fluttershy, who tossed it to Rarity, who tossed it to Rainbow, who made a basket into a garbage pail held by Pinkie Pie. Meanwhile, Twilight grabbed the edge of Sora's table, and he and Donald had to duck between the bleachers and a dented backdrop with popped balloons hanging off it. She struggled to drag it out the door, and Sora readied a Zero Gravity spell to help, but before he could cast, two athletic-looking boys appeared in the doorway. They each took an end, but stopped and stared as Applejack passed them carrying another table under her arm. Twilight giggled at that, and Sora, unbeknownst to Twilight, couldn't help but chuckle himself. Seeing this, the other girls started trying to attract more help themselves. Pinkie started sweeping with her pink, poofy hair, holding her broom high in the air. No one came to help, and when she stood up her hair was covered in garbage, but still she giggled like she didn't have a care in the world. Fluttershy and Rarity had more success tossing the streamers into the rafters, skipping and high-fiving as they worked. Two well-dressed girls noticed and decided to help. More students, from every clique in the school, followed, and gradually they started to forget their differences. A mustached boy wearing a headband and a shirt with a globe logo joined the fashionistas in hanging streamers. One of them used some leftover streamer to copy his headband; and they all laughed when another started handing out streamer necklaces. A petite girl with glasses joined one of the boys who had helped Twilight in carrying an amplifier onstage. They passed a boy with a bowl-shaped haircut trying to hang a new spotlight. He started to greet them, but overbalanced; he would have fallen if a burly boy hadn't steadied his ladder. He gave the smaller boy a thumbs-up. Twilight smiled proudly. As more and more students came to help, Sora and Donald found it harder and harder to stay out of sight. Fortunately, someone had left a bag of balloons behind their hiding spot, so Sora started blowing them up while Donald used Zero Gravity to make sure they'd float. When the coast was clear, Sora poked his head out from behind the backdrop, tied them to the front, and ducked back under cover as quickly as he could. He'd seen a knot of students approaching with paintbrushes and hammers, and it looked like Applejack was with them. "Just sit tight, Donald," he whispered. "How come?" Before Sora could explain, he heard Applejack's voice through the plywood barrier. "Well Ah'll be..." "You say something, Applejack?" said an unfamiliar voice. "Nope, nothin'." * * * It was done. They'd fixed and decorated the gym in time for the Fall Formal. Even Flash Sentry's band was ready, despite Twilight bumping into Flash during soundcheck. "This...looks...sooooo GOOD!" Pinkie said. She was right. It was a job well done, and they had done it together. The sound of clapping came from the door, and all the students turned to see it was Principal Celestia applauding their work. Vice Principal Luna stood behind her, holding a locked blue box with a slot in the lid. "Alright, everyone!" Celestia said. "Fall Formal is back on for this evening." The students cheered, but quieted when Celestia spread her arms. "So you'd better get out of here and start getting ready. Oh, and don't forget to cast your ballots for Fall Formal Princess on your way out." The students began to file out the door, scribbling on papers as they walked and slipping them into Luna's box. "You got my vote, Twilight." one said. "Mine, too!" said another. "Mine, too!" "Mine, too!" Applejack, however, hung back as her friends cast their ballots. "Hey, uh..." They turned to hear what she had to say. "Can Ah meet up with y'all later? I just wanna take care of somethin' real quick." "Okie dokie!" The others nodded and murmured in agreement with Pinkie, and filed out behind the rest of the students. "Vice Principal Luna? Could ya stay here for a moment?" "Of course, Applejack," Luna said. "What is it you require?" "You'll see." Applejack marched up to Sora's and Donald's hiding spot, now painted a fresh white, festooned with balloons and flowers, and emblazoned with a bountiful cornucopia. "Alright, y'all can come out now." Sora looked up at Applejack. "We're caught, Donald." "Awww, phooey!" Donald flapped grumpily into Sora's backpack. Sora crawled out from under the backdrop, stood up, and dusted himself off. "Twilight didn't see us, did she?" "Naw, you're safe, sugarcube." Applejack smiled reassuringly. "Is she still mad?" Applejack sighed. "I think so." Sora slumped his shoulders, but perked up when Applejack continued. "She still really likes you though. Ah can see it clear as day." Slowly, her meaning dawned on Sora. He was suddenly acutely aware of Luna's presence, and blushed, but the Vice Principal seemed to be very interested in her nails. "Then… what should I do?" Applejack looked hard at Sora. "You kinda like Twilight the same way, but you don't know how ta act on those feelings." It wasn't a question, but slowly, Sora nodded anyway. He could hardly believe, but Applejack made sense. Maybe he did like Twilight that way. "If it'll make ya feel better… maybe Ah could take ya ta the Fall Formal, and—" Sora grinned, seeing a chance to turn the tables. "Applejack? Are you asking me to be your date?" It was Applejack's turn to blush. "W-What!? No! Ah...Ah meant Ah could take you ta meet up with the others and—" Sora and Donald burst out laughing. "That wasn't funny!" Applejack barked. "I was just trying to lighten the mood." Her expression softened, and Sora figured they could start over. "Honestly, Applejack, were you asking me to be your date to the Fall Formal?" She blushed again. "Ah... Ah guess so. Yeah." Sora smiled. "See you tonight." "Yeah... See ya..." Applejack filed her ballot and left to meet her friends. Behind her, she could hear Sora begging a pen and paper off Vice Principal Luna. Oh, Sora… she thought, If only it were me you were fallin' for... * * * Sunset Shimmer cracked open the broom closet door, letting her spy on the students casting their votes. She scowled and rounded on Snips and Snails, sitting next to her on the floor. "You're lucky she was able to pull this off. Next time I ask you to make a mess of things, try to show a little restraint!" She turned back to the closet door and grinned a wicked grin. "I need this Formal to go on tonight just as much as she does." To Be Continued...