As early morning came around, the forecast clearly on schedule as Ponyville was drenched by a massive downpour. Since there couldn't be much work to be done today with the heavy rain, the Apple family decided to take a little day off, especially after Sora did an entire week's worth of apple bucking for them yesterday. The teen loafed around on the couch in the living room, Winona resting on his chest as he pet the sleeping collie. She really seemed to take a liking to him after only a couple days.
Since today was a Monday, Apple Bloom had to go to school, and in this weather, there shouldn't be any school if any of her school supplies got soaked. He looked around the room, spotting Big Mac going through some papers, probably business related over their farm's sales and profits. Granny Smith was napping in her rocker, just like yesterday, and Applejack was in the kitchen making a fresh apple pie, a perfect snack for a rainy day like today. He couldn't wait to have some once it cooled, which would feel like forever once it was done baking.
Suddenly, a knock came from the front door, waking up Winona as she barked. "I got the door, guys!" Sora said, lowering the collie down to the ground as he approached the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Rainbow Dash, along with some other stallions in golden armor, all of them soaking wet from the rain. "Rainbow Dash? What are you doing out in the rain?"
"That's him, guys," she said, pointing a hoof at Sora. "He almost got me killed with those black monsters yesterday, and his freaky magic!"
"What!?" Sora exclaimed. "What are you doing!?"
"Don't play dumb! I knew there was something off about you the minute we bumped into each other the other day! You're up to something, and whatever it is you're planning, it's not gonna happen!" One of the guards dragged the pegasus back before she could attack the teen.
"Sir," the captain said as he approached the door. "I'm going to ask you to come quietly. Refuse, and we will use force."
"Rainbow Dash, I told you to forget about what happened yesterday!" That made the guards more suspicious than ever, Sora realizing his poor word choice as he smacked himself in the face. "Darn it..."
"What in tarnation is goin' on?" Applejack asked as she wondered what the commotion was. "What are the royal guard doing here?"
"Ma'am, step away from the pegasus. He's under arrest for attacking Miss Rainbow Dash yesterday," the captain said.
"What!?" Applejack exclaimed, looking at Sora in confusion.
"Look, this is all a misunderstanding! Let me just explain everything!" The captain and the guards aimed the spears they were carrying at Sora.
"This is your last warning! Come quietly, or we will use force!" the captain barked, not taking no for an answer at this point.
"I'm not dangerous! Just let me-!" Sora couldn't explain himself as Rainbow Dash broke past the guards to take matters into her own hooves, tackling him back inside the house.
"You're not going to explain anything!" she yelled.
Unable to talk his way out of this, Sora had no choice but to run. Wrapping his hind legs around Rainbow's waist, he flung the pegasus over him, smacking her head down hard on the wooden flooring, knocking her in a daze. With his self defense as an assault to the guards, they stormed in to try to capture him. He quickly ran through the house and out the back door in the kitchen, running out into the rain.
As the guards chased after him, Rainbow rubbed her sore head as she sat up. "Rainbow, what in Equestria is goin' on!?"
"That Sora isn't who he thinks he is, Applejack!" Rainbow growled as the stallion easily flipped her over. "Yesterday, these strange black things appeared out of nowhere and attacked me, and he ended up 'saving' me!"
"That don't excuse him for bein' bad!" the farm mare argued.
"You don't get it. He has magic! And he's a pegasus!" Rainbow explained, grabbing Applejack's shoulders and shook her. "When I confronted him yesterday for stealing some rain clouds I placed out in Ponyville, he somehow managed to freeze me in time and dragged me back in town on the clouds he took! He has this giant key he used to cast that spell! He's dangerous!"
"...Rainbow, that's impossible. Nopony can freeze time! And Sora ain't like that at all!" Applejack shoved the cyan pegasus's hooves off her, unable to believe Sora was evil. "He might know much since he lost his memory when Ah found him that one night when a shootin' star fell down near the orchard, but he ain't evil!"
"Oh, forget it! Believe what you want, but he's got you fooled! I'm gonna stop him before he calls more of those black things to pretend acting like a 'hero'!" Rainbow flew out of the house, too quick for Applejack to stop her.
Sora ran through the orchards, avoiding beams being fired at him from the unicorns in the group of guards chasing him. Of all the worst times for him to be running from something, it had to be on a day like this. Even after he saved Rainbow Dash, she still had the nerve to call him out as the one responsible for calling the Heartless. He saved her life, and she didn't trust him. If only he was given the chance to explain, maybe they wouldn't have to use force, but because of that pegasus's stubbornness and misunderstanding him, he was on the run.
He swerved through the trees, avoiding the magical beams either trying to capture him or stun him, making his way out of the orchard and into town. Looking back, he didn't see any sign of the guards, having given them the slip. Unfortunately, he didn't lose the rainbow-maned pegasus bent on stopping someone who had saved her life from becoming a Heartless. Spotting him from above in the downpour, she grabbed a storm cloud and bucked it hard, sending a bolt of lightning down on him. Unable to react in time, Sora shouted in pain as he was struck, quickly shaking off the electricity coursing through his body.
He was tackled again by the speedy pegasus, both of them tumbling across the muddy road. Sora flipped Rainbow off of him, getting annoyed at this point with the mare accusing him after all he did to help her, both from her nearly fatal crash and the Heartless attack.
"Cut it out!" he shouted. "I told you to forget what happened yesterday!"
"So you could try and destroy Ponyville!? It's going to take a lot of convincing to try and trick me, and I'm not easy to fool!" Rainbow argued, charging at him, only for Sora to hold her back as she flapped her wings hard.
"You don't understand! If those things killed you, you'll turn into one of them!" Sora explained, but his words seemed to be falling on deaf ears.
"To build up your monster army!? Not on your life!" Rainbow Dash tried to headbutt Sora, only for him to toss her down, flopping her down to the ground as he escaped.
"What is wrong with her? She isn't listening to a word I say!" As Sora ran, he avoided another swooping tackle from the swift pegasus. He didn't want to use his magic on her again, which would only get her more angry, and he wasn't going to hurt anyone in this world unless they really do mean to intend harm on others or him. After another dodge, he quickly grabbed hold of Rainbow Dash as he forced them to tumble again, this time Sora holding her down as they stopped close to a schoolhouse. "Stop this! I'm not going to hurt you!"
"Good, cause I'm gonna hurt you!" Rainbow managed to kick on of her hind legs in between Sora's, making the teen yelp in agonizing pain, doubling over and flipped on his back, where the pegasus struggled to give him a black eye.
Inside the schoolhouse, where Apple Bloom and her class were busy with a group assignment, she overheard something coming from outside. "What's goin' on out there?" She looked out the window and squinted through the pouring rain, gasping in shock as she saw Sora getting beat up by Rainbow Dash. "Sora!?"
Hearing the filly's distress, the other students gathered around the windows to see what she was looking at, catching their teacher's attention. "Everypony, get back in your seats!" Apple Bloom's teacher, a dark magenta earth pony mare with a light pink and white mane, her cutie mark a trio of smiling flowers, looked out the window with them. "What in Equestria?"
While Sora was struggling to get Rainbow off of him, along with ignoring the searing pain from where she kicked him, he heard a sound he did not want to hear come from behind them. "Oh come on. Not now!"
Rainbow heard the noise too, seeing more Heartless surrounding them. "I knew it! You are calling those things to help you!"
"No I'm not! Get off me so I can get rid of them!" She wasn't listening as the Shadows got closer. Sora had to slay the Heartless before Rainbow or any other pony gets hurt, even if it meant knocking her out before they both turned into one of them. Summoning his Keyblade in his hoof, he smacked the guard around the hilt against her head, knocking the pegasus out. "Trying to save your life, and you just keep ignoring the real threat."
As he dealt with the Shadows before they could reach the unconscious pegasus, the foals inside watched Sora in awe as he destroyed these strange black creatures with yellow eyes with an odd looking sword, which had appeared out of nowhere. While Apple Bloom's classmates all asked who that stallion was and wondered how he was able to pull off those awesome moves, the filly was more concerned about why he was being attacked by Rainbow Dash and what those black creatures were. She squeezed by her classmates and ran out of the classroom, wanting to help Sora in some way.
"Apple Bloom!? What are you doing!?" her teacher called out, the filly ignoring her to help the teen.
She ran out into the rain and out into the schoolyard, running toward the danger present around Sora. Apple Bloom skidded to a halt as one of the Shadows rose up from the ground, barring her path and staring at her. She screamed in terror, Sora's ears perking up as he looked at the school, finding Applejack's little sister about to be attacked by a Heartless. Growling, he tapped into the power of his Drive Forms, knowing the risks he'll take if they turn him into his Anti-Form.
His body glowed as a mysterious force burst out from him, the sound of crashing glass echoing across the area as the raindrops around him scattered away from him. As the light around him dimmed down, his black jacket now turned blue, his hooves emitting blue sparkles as he hovered a couple inches off the ground as he was now in his Wisdom Drive Form. With his Keyblade in his mouth, he hover skated toward the Shadow about to thrust his claws into the terrified filly. Without needing to utter a magical spell's name in this form, he aimed his Keyblade above him, causing a powerful magnetic force to swallow up the Shadow and all the other Heartless about to attack Rainbow Dash, all of them flailing about as they spiraled together in a clump.
Sora began casting a barrage of different spells, spinning around rapidly as his Keyblade shone brightly with each magical spell he unleashed: Firaga spells spiraling around him as he flew around the black hole of Heartless, Blizzaga spells shot out and freezing the Shadows, Thundaga spells constantly raining down upon them with each strike being stronger than the last. Finishing off the remaining Heartless that managed to survive, he fired hundreds of blue energy bolts from the tip of his Keyblade, guiding them all up in the air and sending them flying straight into them, destroying the rest of the beings of darkness before the Magnega spell faded away.
Seeing no more Heartless coming at them, Sora sighed, ending his Drive Form and reverting back to normal. "...Wow..." Apple Bloom whispered.
Hearing the filly, Sora approached her and knelt down. "Are you alright, Apple Bloom?" She nodded her head, quickly scooped up in his forelegs as he hugged her. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt."
"I'm sorry," Apple Bloom apologized. "Why was Rainbow Dash attacking you? What were them black things? And that key?"
"I can't tell you everything, Apple Bloom." He lowered the filly down, patting her head. "Get back inside before you catch a cold."
"But what about Rainbow? Ya hurt her," she said.
"I know, but I'll make her feel better. Just head inside before you get into more trouble." Apple Bloom reluctantly headed inside, Sora watching her to make sure she didn't stray off and ignored the awed stares from the fillies and colts watching him through the window. He turned back to the unconscious pegasus, wincing a little as the low blow she gave him began to creep back up on him. "Sorry I had to do that, Rainbow Dash. I didn't want you getting hurt."
With his Keyblade in his hoof, he gently rested the tip of his weapon over the pegasus mare's head. But just as he was about to utter the Cure spell to heal her, a beam of magic struck him from out of nowhere, zapping Sora for a second before he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. From across the road, the unicorn captain approached the stallion, panting slightly after running all around the town searching for him. Using his magic, he formed shackles on the teen's legs, chaining them together, while also tying his wings down tightly to his sides.
As the rest of his troops regrouped on him, he checked on the unconscious pegasus mare, who began to slowly wake from the blow to the head. "Ugh...Where...Wha happen?"
"She just has a concussion," the captain diagnosed. "Two of you take Miss Dash to the hospital in town. The rest of you, carry this one to the train station." They saluted to their commander as two of the guards carried the dazed mare off to the hospital to treat her injuries. While the rest dragged Sora to Ponyville's train station, the captain stayed around as he sensed an unknown magical essence in the area. He noticed small shards of ice on the schoolyard's grass, scorch marks from magical lightning bolts, and a hint of a change in gravity in the air above the scorch marks. "What kind of magic is this?"
Sora groaned, his limbs feeling like jelly as he began to wake up. Whatever hit him that knocked him out, he didn't even see it coming. As he sat up, he heard a clattering sound as he moved one of his legs. Looking down, his front legs were shackled together, as well as his hind legs. He couldn't move his wings, which were also tied down by chains, the teen sighing as he was captured.
"Well, how can this possibly go wrong?" As he asked himself a question that tempted fate, his Keyblade reappeared in his mouth, a common thing that happens if he was too far from his weapon or if someone else has it.
"Hey! Where'd the weapon go!?" He heard one of the guards outside in what looked like a prison car for a train, hearing the others looking around for his Keyblade. One of them opened the cell he was in, the captain in purple and gold armor leering at him. "How the hay did you do that!?" The captain swiped the weapon out of Sora's mouth with his magic, only to have it disappear and reappear back to its owner. "Quit fooling around with me! You're already in way over your head after you ran from us!"
"It does that," Sora calmly said, dismissing his Keyblade. "You keep taking it away, it's just going to keep coming back to me."
"You're treading on very thin ice. Hand over your weapon," he commanded.
"Look, I'm not going to use it. I know well enough if I'm caught," Sora said. "I would have come along quietly if Rainbow Dash didn't tackle me and you guys let me explain what happened."
"You can give your explanation to her highness, Princess Celestia when we get to the castle." The train began to stop, Sora unable to brace himself as he fell flat on his face, hearing steam billow out from the engine. Two guards flanked the teen as they forced him to stand up on his hooves, shoving him out of the cell and bumping into the unicorn captain. "Better set your story straight before you meet the princess, otherwise you'll be dealing with her instead of us."
"Yippee. I don't have to meet your queen. You know queens are always the evil members of the royal family if a woman's in charge?" Sora received a hard punch in the chest from the captain for his joke, coughing heavily as he got the wind knocked out of him. "I-I'm just saying."
"Move!" Not wanting to get hit again, Sora hobbled forward until he reached the entrance to the prison car.
As soon as the doors opened, he squinted as the bright light of the sun blinded him for a moment. When he could see again, he was in another part of the world. He was now in a grand city, where many of the ponies walking around wore fancy outfits, acting all haughty and sophisticated. Farther down the road was a grand castle, the same one he saw before crashing into the world a few days ago. There wasn't a cloud in the sky in this city though, assuming the weather scheduled differently for each town or city in Equestria.
Taking too long sightseeing, the guards shoved him off the station and toward a carriage towed by a couple more guards. The captain opened the doors, lifted Sora in the air, and threw him inside, slamming them shut behind him as he fell on his side.
"I guess this is what the special treatment feels like for a prisoner," Sora mumbled to himself as he watched the city pass by through the small window in the back of the carriage. "I hope their princess isn't like the Queen of Hearts. 'Off with his head.' 'Off with his wings.'" While trying to make light of the situation, it failed to make him positive as he leaned against the wall. "I just hope this world's leader will hear me out and not judge me for trying to be a hero..."