Since things had been pretty calm since the ursa minor came into Ponyville, nothing much had gone on. There was an incident involving a dragon that was snoring out smoke on a mountain cave not too far from the town, but the girls had taken care of the matter, Celestia ordering Sora to stay put and let them settle this matter peacefully. He was a bit on edge, not knowing if Heartless would have shown up on their way up the mountain trail, but thankfully there were none. They came back safely, and the dragon had left its roost on the mountain to find a new place to sleep.
To his surprise, Fluttershy was the pony who actually got the dragon to leave. Twilight tried reasoning, but that only got her to breathe in a lungful of smoke. Rarity tried using her charms, which was strange, but she flattered a sea serpent back in the Everfree Forest. Pinkie tried...being herself, and that failed. And Rainbow decided brute force would be a good idea. Against a dragon. That was at least twenty times bigger than her. Sora planned on giving Rainbow some lessons about self-control if she was going to flip her lid and think punching or tackling something would solve all their problems.
Today, everyone in Ponyville was busy cleaning up the trees around the town. There was going to be a terrible storm that'll rain down later this afternoon, and it was going to be worse than any storm the teen had ever been in. They had to make up for the lack of rain the past week, and before the storm starts, everyone had to get rid of the loose branches in the trees before they could get picked up and cause some serious damage to anyone's houses.
Sora was tasked with taking off the branches in the park, along with Rarity and Applejack. The only problem was Rarity kept trying to fix the trees, making them look better than thinking about everyone else's safety. The trio managed to get the branches off just in time as the heavy downpour began to rain down on Ponyville.
"Darn it! Bad timing for it to start raining now!" Sora said, getting completely soaked.
"Oh no! My mane! It's going to get ruined!" Rarity complained.
"Rarity, if ya didn't go and keep fixin' the branches when they should have been taken down, then ya wouldn't have to worry about your hair!" Applejack shouted, getting annoyed with the unicorn's constant nuisances clearing the trees.
"Sora! Rarity! Applejack!" The trio looked over to the Golden Oak Library, spotting Twilight ushering them over. "Hurry! Get inside!"
Not needing to be told twice, the drenched ponies quickly ran to the library, rushing inside to get out of the rain. Twilight levitated some towels to them, drying themselves off before they caught a cold.
"Yeah. You guys have a great system for the weather," Sora said sarcastically, taking off his soaked jacket and shirt. "Let's control it and make it rain on this day, or on some other week. I kinda miss the random weather I know back home."
"Ah'd rather have weather that can be controlled than have a random storm come out of nowhere," Applejack said, wringing out her soaked hat.
"Well, since the storm is going to last until tomorrow morning, you three might as well stay here for the day," Twilight suggested. "Spike's up in Canterlot for the next couple days, so I was going to be alone. But now I've got company." The lavender unicorn suddenly gasped, running over to one of the nearby bookshelves and pulled out a book from the shelves. "This is perfect! We can have a slumber party!"
"Slumber party?" Sora asked.
"Yes!" Twilight held out the book to the three confused pony guests. "'Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask'! I've always wanted to have a slumber party when I was little, but I never had the time! And today's the perfect opportunity to have my very first one ever!"
While Twilight was beaming, her eyes literally sparkling at the idea of a sleepover, Sora took the book and opened it. His eyes widened as he read the table of contents, which literally went through a step by step process of having a slumber party. Applejack and Rarity saw it too as the three of them looked at each other in nervousness.
"...Well, Twilight, darling...A slumber party sounds...fun and all, but...well..." Rarity tried to find the words to let Twilight down easy, but was unable to say anything.
"It's just that...slumber parties are mostly for fillies," Applejack continued for the white unicorn. "Plus, Sora's here, so Ah don't think he would like it all that much."
"Hey, I had sleepovers with my friend Riku when we were kids!" Sora argued. "We stayed over at each other's houses on the weekends! The only difference is that we did boy stuff."
"Then it can be co-ed!" Twilight said, snatching the book back. "This is gonna be so much fun!" She looked through the contents, unable to find anything that would involve Sora in any of the activities inside, all of them mostly girly things. "Hmm...If only this thing was a co-ed edition...Maybe there's one on the shelves I overlooked."
Sora facehooved, approaching the nerdy unicorn and snatching the book away. "Ok, Twilight, one thing you must know is that books can never really give you every answer you need. And a book on how to throw a slumber party..." He tossed the book aside, ignoring the shocked look on Twilight's face. "That's just ridiculous."
"That's the library's book!" she yelled.
"Twi, head out of the evil books," Sora said, gently patting her cheeks to get her to focus on him. "If we're going to make this a fun sleepover, then we're gonna do it without instructions. Right, Rarity? Applejack?" He turned around to look at them, giving them a look that said, "Play along and don't mess it up."
"Y-Yes!" Rarity exclaimed. "We'll make sure your first slumber party goes through without any trouble!"
"Right!" Applejack chuckled nervously, all three of them going to have a pretty awkward evening together.
"Alright! Now, let's see what we can do first." As Sora turned back to look at Twilight, his hooves still pressed against her cheeks, her face was bright red, feeling his strong, yet gentle hooves on her face. "...Uhh, you ok, Twilight?"
"...I think I hear my laundry upstairs. Excuse me!" Twilight immediately bolted up the stairs, Sora, Rarity, and Applejack hearing her bedroom door slam shut.
"...Ok...?" Sora looked back at the other two mares, both of them shrugging their shoulders, having no clue what happened to Twilight either.
First up on Sora's mental list for Twilight's first sleepover was something that all of them could play; Truth or Dare. Though he never really played this game all that much with Riku, or Kairi whenever she wanted to join in, he mostly got involved with doing any stupid dare their young minds could think up. The rules were pretty simple for Twilight to follow once she came back downstairs after doing her laundry, which he doubted she had since many ponies don't wear clothes.
"Alright, Truth or Dare, Applejack," Sora said, starting the game off first.
"Dare me," the farm mare challenged.
"I dare you to hop around the room on one leg! You fall over or land on any other limb, you're gonna have to start over!" Applejack gulped, unsure if she could do something like that. "You've got a minute, starting now!"
Applejack managed to do the dare, looking a bit silly as she hopped around on one of her hind legs while trying to stay balanced. Rarity and Sora heckled the earth pony to get her to slip up and start over, but she succeeded, sitting back down with the group.
"Ok, mah turn. Rarity, Truth or Dare?" Applejack asked.
"I'm going with Truth," the white unicorn answered.
"Have ya done anythin' in your life where ya got filthy, and loved it?" she asked.
"Absolutely not!" Rarity received looks from both Applejack and Sora, knowing she wasn't being completely honest. And with Applejack as the Element of Honesty, there was no way anyone could hide anything from her eyes and ears. The unicorn eventually broke and gave a truthful answer. "...W-When I was a foal...my father took a picture of me playing in mud and kept it...Apparently, I had fun in it."
Applejack burst out laughing and fell on her back, but Sora couldn't help but imagine what Rarity looked like as a baby and wanted so desperately to see that picture. "There any way I can find out where your dad is and ask for a peek at that picture?"
"NO! I don't want anypony to see that! It's embarrassing!" Rarity leered at Applejack, still guffawing as the fashionista who cared about being clean and neat was a messy and dirty foal just like everyone else as an infant. Groaning in embarrassment, she ignored the farm mare's chortling and turned to Twilight. "Twilight, Truth or Dare?"
"...Ummm...Truth?" Twilight was a little worried, having no clue what crazy dares any of them could give her that she couldn't do, or whatever questions she had to answer honestly.
"Hmmm...Have you ever embarrassed yourself in front of Princess Celestia?" Rarity asked.
"...Uhhh...W-Well..." Twilight gulped as she began sweating in nervousness. Applejack finally stopped her uproarious laughter and stared at the lavender unicorn with Rarity and Sora, all of them waiting for her response. "...W-When I was late to meet with the princess for my first study session with her...I got so overexcited that I accidentally spilled the writing ink I brought with me...all over her room...and her face."
As Twilight hid her face in her hooves at the embarrassing moment, Sora chuckled as he imagined how that had turned out. "I have got to ask Celestia to give me the details about that."
"No! Don't ask her!" Twilight pleaded with the teen. "It was so embarrassing! I thought she was going to banish me to the sun after I ruined her room and splashed ink on her face! I thought she was going to expel me as her personal student! I thought she would put me in magic kindergarten for the rest of my life!"
Seeing how Twilight suddenly went serious over the embarrassing slip up, Sora gently pet the stressed unicorn's head while Applejack and Rarity seemed a little worried. "Twilight, relax. Why would Princess Celestia, a kind and just ruler who doesn't even look like she could hold a grudge against someone over a little accident, want to disown you?"
"S-She...She's powerful, and-" Sora quickly pressed a hoof to her lips before she could ramble and panic even more.
"You're overthinking everything. I mean, if anything, I think Celestia herself is a goof behind closed doors." Twilight's eyes widened, shocked to hear the stallion say something about their ruler, and still sound casual addressing the royal alicorn. "You will not believe how casual she was when she knew much about the outside worlds that she shouldn't know. And she made a point when I captured and brought up to Canterlot; I was able to escape all this time, but I stayed caught so I wouldn't cause anymore trouble. Not to mention those dumb Gala tickets..."
"Oh goodness," Rarity said, quite surprised as Sora gave a brief description of his captivity. "I hope you weren't too roughed up, Sora."
"Eh. I've had buildings thrown at me that did worse than a punch to the gut." All three mares stared at the Keyblade wielder in shock and awe, surprised to see him still alive after getting struck by several hundred pounds of stone, wood, concrete, whatever those buildings were made of. Though he did take on tougher foes in the past, maybe one day, he could actually tell him about what worlds he's been in and what foes he's taken on. "Ok. Now, let's continue with the game. Twilight's turn."
"...Ok...Sora, Truth or Dare?" Twilight asked.
Sora crossed his forelegs together in thought, comically wasting time as he hummed over what he wanted to decide. "...You know, I'm gonna go with Truth. I've done too many dares from Riku in the past."
"Ok...uhh..." As Twilight tried to think of a question, she looked at Sora and couldn't shift her eyes away from him.
She found him so awkward when they first met, his happy-go-lucky attitude and grin that could rival Pinkie Pie's, his odd antics and jokes, even in a serious situation, and always so relaxed and confident while constantly being friendly to the point of irritation. But after going through the Everfree Forest, saving her as she fell and being there to protect her from danger, along with his incredible skills as a fighter and magical ability unlike anything she had ever read, she can't stop thinking about him.
Her eyes trailed over his body, his clothes taken off so they can dry, giving her access to every hidden feature of his upper body that was covered by those garments. Even though he was skinny, he was really fit from all the fighting he's done in the past and constant training every day, Twilight's eyes lingering on his slightly muscular chest. Her face lit up, unable to contain her blush as she imagined being hugged by him again, only without his clothes to get in the way of feeling his fur brush against hers. His strong forelegs wrapped around her, feeling his heart beating against his firm, toned muscles. He might not be like the muscular stallions in the royal guard, but he wasn't as intimidating, and he was far stronger than all of them combined.
She slowly moved her gaze away from his body and up to his face. His blue eyes, his brown, spiked mane, that goofy grin he always makes. He always acts like a child, goofing off and always joking around, but he has a level of maturity that overrides that silliness when he saves those that are in danger. Even when she was overwhelmed by any of her stress when it came to her friends, he always knew what to say to reassure her and help her. She got lost in those eyes of his, his pupils sparkling like tiny stars in the lighting inside the library, or it might be her imagination, but she didn't care if it was an illusion or if they were really twinkling.
"Uhh, Twilight?" She was snapped out of her daydream, shaking her head to clear out her thoughts, trying to remember what she was doing. Twilight looked at the three guests stuck in her home as the powerful storm outside kept them trapped until tomorrow, all three of them concerned about her sudden silence and reddened cheeks. "You ok? I didn't think it would take that long to come up with a simple question."
"Huh?" Finally realizing what they were all doing, she let out a nervous chuckle, playing around with her mane as she tried to play off her dazed dreaming as best as she could. "S-Sorry...I think I overthought what question I wanted to ask, and began thinking of too many."
"And this is why you need a vacation," Sora said. "If I need to, I'll drag you onto the train to the beach, or I'll just carry you there myself."
"M-Maybe..." Twilight's blush just couldn't disappear, part of her wanting to be whisked away by the otherworldly stallion to a nice vacation spot. She shook her head again, not wanting to get lost in another daydream and continue having fun on her first sleepover. There was a question she wanted to ask him, but she was unsure if she should just ask him right here and now when Rarity and Applejack were around. She swallowed the lump growing in her throat and decided to just ask. "...D-Do you...have a.......special somepony?"
"...Uhhhhh...Y-You mean...someone I care about?" Sora asked to clarify what Twilight meant by her question.
"Ooooh!" Rarity squealed. "Do you have anypony you hold dear, Sora? And don't lie!"
"Oh, he does, Rares." Both unicorns looked over at Applejack, Rarity with excitement, Twilight with slight fear. "He told me about this mare of his the day after he crashed in the orchard. He didn't give any name, but he was fixated on that little star she gave him."
Rarity gasped, lunging at Sora and shaking him. "TELL ME EVERYTHING! A warrior such as yourself must have had one mare that caught your attention, and I must know! I love tales of romance!"
Sora escaped from Rarity's shaking, feeling his brain rattle around in his head. And since he picked Truth, he had to be honest. Applejack already confirmed them with what he told her and the rest of her siblings, so he couldn't really back out.
"Well...Heh, yeah...Applejack's right. I...do have someone I...really like." Sora winced as Rarity let out a squeal, already enthralled. He blushed, scratching the back of his head as he began to talk about his biggest crush. "Her name's...Kairi. And I've been friends with her when she arrived where I was from. Apparently, to me, that friendship wanted to be something more...but I've been too afraid to tell her how I felt."
"So that's her name," Applejack said.
"Yeah...And...well, Twilight, if your question meant if I was going out with her or anything...No...We're not." He looked over at the lavender mare, staring at him blankly as she began to feel her hopes dashed away. Sora sighed, thinking back on the long and tiresome journey he went on, just to find Riku and Kairi. "...I kind of had a rough road to travel when I was traveling around the worlds to find my friends...And there was a lot that all of us went through.
"When the Heartless took over my home, I got separated by Riku and Kairi...That's when I discovered the Keyblade, and began looking for them." Sora's memories went by in a blur, remembering all the worlds he had visited: meeting new friends, defeating the Heartless, stopping villains from taking over their own worlds with the Heartless, meeting with Riku, only to have him turn against him because of the lies he was told and the darkness in his heart, but his mind lingered more on when he finally found Kairi on Captain Hook's ship in Neverland. "After so long, I finally found her...but...she was like a puppet. Her heart was gone."
"Her heart?" Rarity gasped. "What do you mean?...Did the Heartless take it?"
"...Not exactly." Sora slowly moved a hoof up to his chest, placing it over his heart. Before he continued his story, he excused himself and went over to his damp clothing, pulling out Kairi's charm from one of his pockets. If he was going to fully explain what happened to her, he needed to tell them about the legend of the paopu fruit, a legend that wasn't much of one anymore. As he sat back down with the other three mares, he held out the handmade charm made of seashells. "This is a charm she had made before everything went down back on our island...It's supposed to give good luck for sailors out at sea. But it's also shaped like a star-shaped fruit called a paopu fruit.
"There was a legend that went with it. They say if you share a paopu with someone you care about, it's said your hearts become intertwined as one." He placed the charm down for the others to get a good look at it as he rested a hoof back over his heart. "No matter where you go, or how far apart you are from the one you shared the fruit with, you'll always have their heart with you."
"That's so romantic," Rarity said, holding the charm closer to look at the design. "Was this a gift?"
"Not at first, but she constantly teased me by saying, 'Be sure to bring it back to me!'" Sora chuckled, rubbing his neck. "I think she meant to give it to me as a gift, but I have no idea what she thinks."
"So, what happened next?" Applejack asked. "Her heart was gone, but she didn't turn into a Heartless, like ya said how it's supposed to happen...right?"
"Yeah, you turn into a Heartless if you lose your heart to them...but Kairi's heart was special," Sora continued. "Riku and I didn't know this, but Kairi's actually a princess." Rarity let out a loud gasp, accidentally dropping the charm, but Applejack caught it before it hit the ground. "Yeah. Shocking. She's one of seven unique princesses with hearts made of pure light. No ounce of darkness in them at all."
"You're like her knight in shining armor, and she's your damsel in distress." As much as Rarity swooned over the thought of Sora and Kairi as the perfect couple to be, Twilight's ears drooped as she continued hearing Sora's tale.
"I guess it seems that way..." Now was the part that was sure to get them upset, and hoping they don't tell anyone else about what had happened to him. "...Then, I finally found her, trapped inside of the castle where an evil witch, named Maleficent, had taken not only Kairi, but the other princesses too. While there, my heart acted strange, as if I knew this world when I had never been there. But when I found her and tried to wake her up, Riku, who was being controlled by a Heartless named Ansem, told me what had happened to Kairi's heart; it was in mine."
Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight gasped in shock. "So, that legend from your world...It came true?" Applejack asked.
"Mhmm..." The fight against Riku Ansem played back in his mind. He had to fight his corrupted friend by himself, struggling his hardest to keep Kairi's heart away from the dark Keyblade in his friend's grasp, made out of the six other princesses' hearts. "I fought against him, with no help as my friends, Donald and Goofy, were blocked out by a barrier. I had to do this on my own, and as I fought with everything I had, I won.
"He had a Keyblade that was made from the hearts of the other princesses, able to open any heart to release them." He then summoned his Keyblade, mimicking exactly what he did with the dangerous blade. "I wanted to wake her up...I wanted to save her...And, as stupid as it was, I didn't care as long as I knew Kairi was ok. So, I took the Keyblade, and I plunged it right in my chest, right in my heart...her heart." Sora saw the mares' eyes widen, seeing them well up with tears. He couldn't blame them, his sacrifice trying to save the girl he loved being so stupid that it ended up killing him. "It was...quite painful. But I ignored that pain as I unlocked her heart and watched it fly out of me. And back into her.
"I heard my friends calling out to me, faintly, as I began to fade away. I even heard Kairi's voice...I was glad to see her awake again, disappearing with a smile on my face." Sora sighed, dismissing his Keyblade. "But, as I've told you girls, when one loses their heart...they become a Heartless...And I had turned into one." He could see their tears rolling down their faces, all of them wanting to ask so many questions but were so sad at his sacrifice to even speak. "I know what you're all thinking...and I honestly have no clue how I'm still here.
"The last thing I could remember when I gave Kairi my heart was floating in an endless sea of darkness. Then, I felt this bright light, shining out in the distance, hearing her voice trying to call out to me. I flew toward it, getting closer and closer, fighting back against the darkness that tried to swallow me until I was a part of it. When I finally grabbed it, I was out of that darkness, holding Kairi in my arms. Her light brought me back, freeing me as the Heartless I turned into." Sora grabbed the charm and held it up to his face. "It's kinda funny. I saved her, yet she saved me...She had always been with me since that day we got split up, and I never knew until I actually found her in that world.
"But, guess she doesn't need me to save her anymore, now that she has a Keyblade too." When he looked back at the girls, their tears were flowing down their cheeks at the tragic, romantic sacrifice they had ever heard. Sora let out a nervous laugh, moving his forelegs behind his head. "Well, that simple yes or no question ended up turning into story time. Heheh. I think now calls for a slumber party snack. I'm gonna see if Twilight's got some stuff to make s'mores!"
Sora excused himself and headed into Twilight's kitchen to grab the ingredients to make s'mores, leaving the unicorns and earth pony to recover from the sad story. While they were glad to have meet a stallion who was selfless enough to give up his own life to save someone he loves, Twilight was greatly conflicted. Her crush on him either meant one of two ways: Sora would return her affections she has to him, or he wouldn't and it would break her heart. It fell under the latter, but she didn't have a chance since he was already in love with another girl. As much as she wanted him, she didn't want to ruin the friendship she already had with the pegasus.
As it got late in the evening, Twilight laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. For her first slumber party, it was enjoyable, though she hid her sadness after Sora's story about him and Kairi. They snacked on s'mores, Rarity the only one of them who tried to be clean with eating a messy, gooey snack that's a delight for camping, then they had a pillow fight, mares against Sora, though the teen ended up losing as he was ganged up by the girls, then some pretty spooky stories they shared with each other, the lightning shooting outside perfect ambiance for the scary tales.
Sora was downstairs, deciding to take the couch, while Twilight had pulled out a spare bed for Rarity and Applejack in her room. Even though Spike could have probably used this bed instead of the small pet bed, he didn't mind sleeping in the smaller bed. Her two pony friends were already fast asleep, but Twilight couldn't. She held onto the Elven Bandanna Sora had given her, tears welling up in her eyes as she realized she would never be with him.
Twilight climbed out of bed, wiping her eyes with the bandanna. She headed downstairs, hoping a drink would help her fall asleep. Being careful not to wake anyone up, she made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk.
"Can't sleep?" Twilight yelped, nearly losing her focus on the bottle and glass of milk in her aura, turning around to see Sora standing behind her.
"D-Don't do that," she whispered, almost getting a heart attack from Sora's surprising stealth. "You scared the hay out of me."
"Sorry." He took the bottle and poured himself a glass, putting the milk away for the unicorn. He also had a plate of some leftover s'mores on one of his wings. "Kinda wanted a midnight snack. Want some?"
Reluctantly, Twilight nodded and followed Sora into the living room, both ponies sitting down on the couch that was the teen's temporary bed. She needed some more comfort food, taking one of the s'mores and nibbled on it. They sat in silence and munched on the marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker delights. Twilight occasionally looked over at the stallion, her heart aching as their love wouldn't come to be. She wanted to be jealous of Kairi, but she couldn't, not after Sora had literally given his heart to her.
"...That was a really sad story." Sora stopped munching on his snack, looking over at Twilight. "...Kairi must be really lucky."
"...Heh. Yeah. Maybe," Sora said, his cheeks turning red. "She means a lot to me."
"...How come you never told her how you felt?" Twilight asked.
"Uhh..." Sora looked up in thought, licking his lips of some marshmallow. "...I don't know. Nerves, I guess."
"Nerves?" she questioned. "Somepony like you being nervous?"
"Yeah," he chuckled, giving Twilight that same grin he always makes. "I've taken on Heartless of all sizes, I've beaten an organization of Nobodies, but I'm too nervous to tell a girl I like how I feel about her and ask her out on a date." His grin slowly melted as he looked down at the floor. "That, or maybe it's also because I now know she's a princess and I don't want to screw up our friendship."
"...Does she like you the same way?" Twilight asked.
"...I think so?" Sora scratched his cheek with a hoof. He had a feeling the answer was yes when he walked back in their Secret Place back on the island, finding the drawings he and Kairi had made when they were younger. He was surprised to see she had added more to the "quality" portraits of each other. When he added him giving her a paopu, she did the same thing when she must have returned back to Destiny Islands after stopping Ansem. "She's really good at hiding stuff from me though...But I'm sure she likes me the same way. Kairi's probably been waiting for me to tell her first, and I get too nervous that I end up acting more silly than ever just to try to hide my nerves.
"Last time I talked to her was when I left to come to Equestria...I didn't think I would have crash landed here, cause I told her that I might be gone for a long while, and none of my friends know I'm stuck here until they come here." Sora took a sip of his milk as Twilight continued listening. "I wanted to tell her how I felt, just in case I don't see her again...but I choked. At least now I know she can protect herself if I'm not around to come to her rescue, already becoming a Keyblade Master just a few months ago. I'm happy as long as she's safe...That's all that matters to me."
Sora downed the rest of his glass, Twilight looking down at her own, completely untouched. "...What if they never know you're stuck?" she asked as he gave her an odd look. "What if Kairi meets somepony else? What would you do if you remained here in Equestria, unable to leave and go back to her?"
"...Well..." Sora really didn't think that far ahead. With no one realizing he hasn't reported to Master Yen Sid, he might be stuck in Equestria for a long while. He was already the jealous type, always being teased by Riku when he wanted to fight over Kairi's affections, but if she found someone else? Maybe it would happen, maybe it wouldn't, but he would never know. Sora sighed, running a hoof through his hair. "...As long as she's happy, I don't care who she ends up with if it's not me. And if I never leave Equestria...maybe I'll find someone else. I mean, Kairi was from a different world. It wouldn't be that weird to me if I dated a mare in this world."
Twilight gave a faint smile, the teen unaware of her slightly lifted mood. She didn't bring her hopes up too high if Kairi ever finds out and searches for him, but there was a slim chance. She gulped down her entire glass, levitating both their glasses into the kitchen sink.
"Kairi's lucky to have someone like you, Sora," Twilight said as she stood up. "You've got a heart of gold."
"Actually, it's made of light," he joked, making the unicorn laugh.
"That too." Twilight yawned, finally feeling tired. "I think I'm going to head to bed."
"OK. Night, Twi," Sora said, laying back on the couch, unaware of the unicorn's blush as he called her "Twi".
"Good night, Sora." She headed back upstairs, quietly heading into her room and slipping under her covers.
She might not be able to tell Sora how she feels about him, but maybe in time, things could change. Even if Kairi does arrive in Equestria one day, she won't fight with her and be happy knowing that the stallion would be with the mare who stole his heart, just as he would be happy for her if she was happy. Feeling her eyes starting to droop, Twilight rolled on her side and closed her eyes with a content smile, holding the red and copper bandanna close to her chest as she fell to sleep.