The sun had set down on Equestria, the moon beginning to rise and bring the night for ponies to rest easy or plan a little outing under the stars. Inside the Golden Oak Library, Twilight and Riku planned out another private date, though the idea of reading books is more considered a study date for the Keyblade wielder than a romantic date. And thankfully for him, Spike doesn't know they are going out, and tonight he was taking a seven hour bubble bath, which sounded as ridiculous as it was possible, but he is a dragon, and they have scales instead of skin.
The couple sat down together with a couple books out, though Twilight was talking about one of her experiences where she actually was a part of a storybook. "-and I didn't think I could bounce that high on those balloons, but it was surprisingly fun! I have got to ask Princess Celestia if Master Yen Sid might know of any spells to literally jump into any book and be a part of the story! I can't wait to be a part of the fictional novels and see how it all played out in the author's mind."
Riku poked her muzzle, immediately silencing her rambling. "You are such a dork, Twilight." She puffed her cheeks in anger, though unable to hide the light blush on her cheeks. "But that would sound like a great idea to explore a story you like. Sora mentioned that same book you talked about a few times, though, I think I would want to jump into something with action, not anything childish."
"You're just jealous because you don't have an imagination," Twilight said, poking Riku in the ribs. "And stop calling me a dork."
"Oh. Sorry," he apologized, leaning into her ear as she turned to pick up one of her books. "You're adorkable."
"Nooooo!" she whined, trying to swat his hooves away as he hugged her. "That either! I'm not adorkable!"
"Oh yes you are." Riku chuckled as he made Twilight blush harder, his grip tightening, keeping her from squirming away. She ended up getting pinned underneath him on the couch, his muzzle inches away from brushing against hers. "You're a lot easier to tease than Sora. But where I mess with him to pick a fight, I do it to get you all flustered and look more adorkable than ever."
"...You're mean." Before she could scold him for picking on his marefriend, Riku silenced her, giving her soft kiss.
It only lasted for a few seconds before he pulled back, watching the unicorn underneath him squirm and whimper, begging for another kiss. "I just like to tease."
He was about to move in for another kiss, but a knocking came from the front door. Completely surprised that someone was visiting the library at this time of the evening startled Twilight, accidentally shooting Riku with a beam of lavender magic, smacking him into the ceiling. Ignoring the groaning stallion temporarily stuck on the ceiling, the unicorn scrambled off the couch and ran to the door, fixing her mane to look presentable to whoever was at the door. She opened it, but instead of expecting one of their friends, it was a mail carrier.
"Got a package for a Twilight Sparkle from the princess," he said, holding out the parcel.
"From the princess?" She took the package, confused as to why she didn't send it through Spike, closing the door on the stallion before he held out a clipboard for her to sign for her delivered mail. "This is new. She never delivers messages, or gifts, through the mail service to me." As she walked over to the glass case where the Elements of Harmony were stored for safe keeping in case Discord acted up, Riku slipped out of the imprint of himself, falling to the ground behind Twilight. She looked behind her, remembering what she did to him, giggling nervously. "Oops. Sorry."
"Is there any way to turn that horn of yours off?" he asked, rubbing his sore back. "You're like a hair trigger when you get startled."
"There are inhibitor horn rings for unicorns, but those are mostly used for prisoners to prevent them from using magic." Twilight opened up her package, her eyes lighting up as it was obviously a book. It looked pretty old, the cover littered with stars, a few of them bigger as they were inside of what looked like a vortex. There was a note that came with it, written by Celestia herself. "'Dear Twilight Sparkle, What you hold in your hooves is Star Swirl the Bearded's spell book, and on the last page is his secret, unfinished spell.' Oooooooh."
"Nerd," Riku whispered, earning a hard elbow in the chest from his fascinated girlfriend.
"'He was never able to get the spell right and outright abandoned it before his time had come,'" Twilight continued reading aloud. "'I believe you might be able to understand it, rewrite it, and complete his legendary spell. Princess Celestia.'" Curious, Twilight opened Star Swirls spell book, her eyes skimming over the thousands of spells her legendary idol had made so long ago. "Oh my gosh. I am actually holding Star Swirl's book of written spells. In my hooves! Please tell me I'm not dreaming!"
"Oh, sure. Holding onto a book from a famous wizard is a lot better than being with me," Riku said sarcastically. "Might as well end the date now so you can get acquainted with your new spells."
"Oh ha ha. It's no wonder why Sora wants to get back at you all the time for mocking him." She flipped the pages over until she reached the final entry in Star Swirl's book. "Here's the spell Princess Celestia wanted me to see." Twilight's horn lit up as she held the book and began to read the words out loud. "'From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled.'"
Neither pony noticed Twilight had subconsciously cast the spell as her horn glowed while levitating the spell book. In the glass case, the Elements of Harmony all began to shimmer and glow faintly. The gems on the necklaces all began to change into a variety of colors at a rapid pace, finally stopping as the colored gems had been swapped around: Loyalty was now pink instead of red, Honesty was purple, Kindness was blue, Laughter was orange, and Generosity was red.
"...Uhh, did the spell work?" Riku asked, looking around for anything out of the ordinary.
"No. I don't think it did anything," Twilight said. "And it doesn't even rhyme."
"I don't think spells need to rhyme for them to work. Kind of like how our spells work." Riku summoned his Keyblade and waved it around. "Just aim, think, and shoot. Plain and simple."
"It may be easier for you, but you, Sora, or Kairi have no idea how complex the algorithms in your spells are so complex without a magical source to fire any spells." She snatched his Keyblade from his hoof with her magic and held the hilt in her own, waving it around as she spoke. "It may not be exhausting for you guys, or even Donald, to cast spells because you have a weapon used as a catalyst, focusing your magical power and releasing it without any physical exhaustion. For me, it's draining just to use the basic spells I was taught, and it drains a secondary mana pool I never knew I had, which isn't as strong as my own magic. That, and being completely vulnerable to being struck in the horn to temporarily disable me from using magic is a problem for me, like when those Nobodies attacked me and they were able to avoid my magic and were smart enough to weaken me, making me an easy target to-"
She was quickly silenced again by another kiss, her rambling thankfully stopped as she pressed herself closer to Riku. While distracted, he took his Keyblade back and pulled away.
"You really love to talk a lot," he said, dismissing his weapon before she tried to take it and attempt to break it down to pieces to experiment with it. "And I didn't need a lecture on how my own magic works compared to yours."
"...Well, I think you need to learn a lesson." Twilight's horn glowed again, her aura wrapping around Riku's wings. She began to apply a light pressure into the sensitive points in the muscles, making him yelp in surprise, then groan as his entire body felt like jelly, his legs about ready to collapse on him. "Never interrupt me when I lecture on magic of any kind."
"Nnnnnggghaaah...W-What the heck is happening?" he asked, letting out squeak as Twilight prodded a very sensitive joint, making his wings flare out and his face light up from the embarrassing noise he made.
"Pegasus wings can be extremely sensitive by a light, sensual touch." She poked the same spot, Riku quickly covering his mouth as he let out another blissful groan, finding the pleasure quite odd but enjoyable. "I learned a lot of things growing up, including the anatomy of different ponies. Kairi reminded me that when we had our time in the spa in Ponyville a while back, making Sora melt like putty in her hooves." Twilight leaned down, keeping her aura over Riku's outstretched wings while lightly teasing his muscles to keep him lax. "Still want to keep teasing me tonight?"
"N-No. I'm good. I'm done." Twilight believed him, dropping her aura. Riku shakily stood up, struggling to put his wings back down to his sides. "I guess I deserve that. Note to self: Don't mess with magically gifted girlfriend, or else she'll tie you down and torture you."
"If you think that's torture, then wait until I give you a forced lecture on the study of physics." The unicorn giggled as the pegasus shook his head, only finding a lecture on physics more boring than torturous.
"I was talking about physical torture, but whatever suits you." Riku looked out the window, seeing how late it was. "Looks like it's getting a bit late. I should probably get out of your hair and leave you to figuring out that new spell. And Spike and his seven hour bath...Is he still in there?"
"It's been nearly six hours, twenty-two minutes, and eleven seconds, but who's counting?" He raised a brow, but shrugged it off and hugged Twilight again. "I'll see you tomorrow? Unless you'll be off in another world stopping Heartless?"
"Not much trouble at the moment outside Equestria, but I'll come by tomorrow morning." They shared a small kiss, but not without one more little bit of teasing before Riku had to leave. "And I'm gonna buy one of those inhibitor rings so you don't end up blasting me to the moon so something like that doesn't happen to me again."
He pointed up at the ceiling where the pegasus-sized dent still rested, Twilight's cheeks burning in embarrassment. "You wouldn't dare."
"I'll give it to you for a birthday present," Riku chuckled as Twilight playfully smacked his shoulder.
"Get going before I leave a dent of you in the floor," she warned, unable to stifle her giggling. She watched him leave the library and head out to his Gummi Ship, using her magic to fix the ceiling. Twilight looked down at Star Swirl's spell book, pondering what the spell was supposed to mean and what it actually did. "Eh. I'll try and figure it out tomorrow. I'm ready for bed." She began to walk up the stairs, deciding to end Spike's bath a bit early than usually scheduled. "Spike, time to get out of the tub! It's about time for bed!"
The next morning, waking up bright and early, Twilight sat up in her bed, feeling like today would be absolutely perfect. Music began to play as she approached her window and opened it up, feeling like singing as the sun began to rise.
[Twilight]
Morning in Ponyville shimmers
Morning in Ponyville shines
She began to head outside, pulling Spike's blanket off to wake him up. The baby dragon did sit up, but was still tired, falling back in his little bed and got back to sleep.
And I know for absolute certain
That everything is certainly fine
Twilight wandered into town as she greeted her neighbors as she sang.
There's the Mayor en route to her office
There's the sofa clerk selling some quills
"Morning, kid!" the owner of the "Quills and Sofas" store said as his favorite customer for quills passed by.
My Ponyville is so gentle and still
Can things ever go wrong?
I don't think that they will
Twilight arrived at the nearby cafe and danced atop one of the tables, thankfully none of the food the customers had at said table arrived. None of them were mad, too enthralled with the song, even the waiter joined her on the other table.
Morning in Ponyville shimmers
Morning in Ponyville shines
And I know for absolute certain
That everything is certainly-
As the unicorn trotted down the road, her song was interrupted by a rain cloud soaking her in a waterfall of rainwater. Dripping wet and irritated that her day would immediately ruined by a prank, she had a right mind to give Rainbow Dash a lecture on raining on someone's parade, literally.
"Rainbow Dash, that was not funny!" she shouted as she looked at the sky, her anger ebbing away as she noticed the clouds were in an odd checker pattern.
"Oh, sorry about that darling," Rarity said, standing on the bridge nearby, using her magic rearrange the clouds. What was odd was the fashionista was moving the clouds around, creating patches of sky with the clouds, some of them not only raining, but snowing, and even hailing. "I'm not all that good with the thundery ones."
"What are you-?" Twilight gasped as soon as Rarity turned her back to her. But what she saw on her flank shocked her: Rarity didn't have her blue diamonds cutie mark, but instead having Rainbow Dash's lightning bolt cutie mark. "...Ok, maybe everything's not going to be fine..."
Riku slowly stirred awake in his bed on his ship, suddenly feeling a drop in temperature. He sat up and stretched out his legs, feeling his limbs crack as he yawned. A thumping sound came from outside his ship, someone knocking on it to try to get his attention.
"Riku!" Sora shouted. "Riku, if you're not in the middle of hibernating, wake up!"
"Ugh...What the heck is going on?" After putting his vest on, he approached the ramp and lowered it down. As soon as he was able to see what was outside, he was wide awake when he saw a blanket of snow in a small section of the ground around his ship, along with a very worried Sora and Kairi. "...Why is it winter in the middle of summer?"
"It's Christmas in July!" Sora joked. "Like we have any idea what the heck's up with the weather!"
"It was like this the moment we woke up," Kairi said. "And the clouds...I have no idea what the weather team is doing, but I don't think something like this is supposed to happen."
Riku looked up at the sky, seeing the clouds arranged in a checkerboard pattern, some of them releasing rain or snow in random patches. "Ok. That is weird."
"And that's not all!" Sora said. "I woke up this morning at Sweet Apple Acres, and I couldn't find the Apples anywhere! Not on the farm, not in the house or the barn, not even near the lake in the orchard!"
"Maybe they left somewhere and forgot to mention it to you," Riku figured.
"I would have known! But...I did see someone out in the fields...It was Pinkie Pie." The white stallion stared at him, not finding it odd that one of their pony friends was out in the Apples' orchards. "WITH APPLEJACK'S CUTIE MARK!"
"...Wait, what?" Riku asked in confusion.
"Pinkie Pie had AJ's cutie mark: triple red apples, not three balloons!" the tan pegasus exclaimed. "When I asked her what she was doing on the farm, along with doing a horrible job with the chores, she told me she had lived there all her life!"
"...So she's...pulling a prank?" he asked again.
"Oh, I would have known if it was a prank," Sora said. "She was dead serious. And her mane and tail were down too. She was dead serious, Riku!"
"Let's head to Twilight's," Kairi suggested. "Maybe she might have an idea to what's been going on around here."
The trio quickly made their way into Ponyville, avoiding getting rained or snowed on by the odd weather patterns made in the sky. Once they reached the library, Riku was the first to barge in, worried something bad had happened to Twilight. Hearing the door opening, the Twilight and Spike came rushing down after she told her number one assistant what was going on outside.
"Twilight, are you ok!?" Riku exclaimed.
"I'm fine, but I don't think everything else is," she said. "You guys saw the weather?"
"Yeah. It looks like something Discord would come up with, even changing Pinkie's cutie mark and giving her Applejack's while also making the Apples disappear!" Sora summoned his Keyblade, prepared to switch into his Harmony Form and find the draconequus.
"Unfortunately, it's not Discord," Twilight said. "He's with Princess Celestia, still learning to use his powers for good. And...did you say Pinkie has Applejack's cutie mark?" Sora nodded his head, only worrying the unicorn more and more. "This is bad...We need to find the others and see if they're ok. Though, with Rarity and Pinkie having their cutie marks switched around...I don't think they will be."
The four unchanged ponies and baby dragon quickly headed out into the wild weather that was Rarity's creative design, leaving Ponyville and toward Fluttershy's cottage. As soon as they arrived, they could hear quite a commotion inside, animal sounds screeching and roaring as they sounded like they were about to destroy the house. Twilight knocked on the door, but instead of the timid pegasus, Rainbow Dash poked her head out.
"Uhh, hey guys," she greeted, looking a little nervous.
"Rainbow? What are you doing in Fluttershy's cottage?" Twilight asked. A loud crash was heard from inside, the cyan mare quickly closing the door on them to deal with what was happening. "What is going on in there?"
She opened the door, and all five of them gasped at the state of the cottage. All the animals were running wild, completely out of control and trashing the place. Rainbow Dash was not an animal caretaker, the only pet she was responsible for was her tortoise, Tank, and Fluttershy was nowhere in sight.
"This is not gonna be a good day, is it?" Riku asked.
[Rainbow Dash]
These animals don't listen, no, not one little bit
They run around out of control and throw their hissy fits
As Rainbow tried to get back some control with all the animals, failing miserably, Sora had to avoid a kitten clawing up the drapes near one of the windows as it hissed at him and tried to scratch him.
It's up to me to stop them, 'cause plainly you can see
It's got to be my destiny, and it's what my cutie mark is telling me
After failing to round up some of the critters, they all spotted Rainbow's cutie mark was now Fluttershy's: three pink butterflies with pink wings. Unable to do much to help the pegasus out, the ponies and dragon hurried to Sugarcube Corner to find out who took over for Pinkie Pie if she was on the farm. Ironically enough, the pony taking Pinkie's place was Fluttershy, trying to entertain some ponies, and failing just like Rainbow was with her own job. And having the yellow pegasus try to be entertaining when she's incredibly shy around others, it was not a fun party.
[Fluttershy]
I try to keep them laughing, put a smile upon their face
But no matter what I try, it seems a bit of a disgrace
Fluttershy tried to blow a party noise blower, but didn't blow hard enough, barely making a noise.
I have to entertain them, it's there for all to see
She looked up when she heard laughter, thinking she made them laugh, but instead they were laughing at Spike, wearing a pair of joke goggles and dancing around. The others facehooved, the baby dragon's assisting not helpful as all the party goers' attention was all on him, as much as it was a good thing.
It's got to be my destiny, and it's what my cutie mark is telling me
"This is really, really bad," Twilight said, tossing the glasses off of Spike. "Sora, how bad is Pinkie messing up the farm?"
"I don't even know where to start." Sora lead the way to the orchard, and just from seeing how poor of a job Pinkie was doing, the farm was bound to fall to ruins.
Pinkie did work on a farm, but it was a rock farm, having no clue how to care for the important aspects of a farm meant to grow food, not minerals from the earth itself. And her hair wasn't as poofy either, straightened out like Sora remembered seeing it when he saw how she got her cutie mark. At least she still retained her pink hue and wasn't as dark as she was back when she was miserable on her family's farm, but seeing her hair like showed the others her life wasn't as fun as her coat and mane were.
[Pinkie Pie]
I don't care much for pickin' fruit and plowin' fields ain't such a hoot
No matter what I try, I cannot fix this busted water chute!
Pinkie tried to reach the gutter chute on the farm, grabbing hay bales and barrels to reach up to it instead of bouncing up to it like a spring. She managed to grab onto it and tried to put it back in place, but the pipe snapped off, causing her to fall, ignoring it for now and getting to the rest of the chores, making Sora wince at the damage she was doing.
I got so many chores to do, it's no fun being me
But it has to be my destiny, 'cause it's what my cutie mark is telling me
After failing to buck apples from a tree, some of them falling right on her head, Pinkie fell on her rump and pointed at her cutie mark, or more specifically Applejack's. Sora teared up, seeing his second family's farm going to fall apart, and with no sign of any of them anywhere.
"Where are the other Apples?" Kairi asked. "Granny Smith? Big Mac? Apple Bloom?"
"I don't know! What if they disappeared!? This is awful!" Sora collapsed in sadness, scared to know where they ended up in all this confusion.
"If Rarity's doing Rainbow's job, and Pinkie's here on the farm..." Twilight looked out into town, spotting the Carousel Boutique in the distance. "Then Applejack's at Rarity's home..."
Riku helped Sora back on his hooves, guiding him to the boutique. The tan stallion's fears were relieved when he spotted the Apples in town, avoiding getting rained or snowed on, just as confused as everyone else was in Ponyville, and they had no clue Pinkie was making a mess on their orchard. They walked into the boutique, wishing they were blind as they saw all the horribly crafted dresses put on display, something that would even make Rarity vomit in disgust. Sitting at a sewing machine with a bunch of fabric she put together was Applejack, and she looked even more stressed out than working on the farm.
[Applejack]
Lookie here at what Ah made, Ah think that it's a dress
Ah know it doesn't look like much, Ah'm under some distress
Could y'all give me a hand here and help me fix this mess?
Mah destiny is not pretty, but it's what mah cutie mark is telling me
And coming full circle, Applejack had Rarity's triple blue diamond cutie mark, showing it as she tried to put the ugly outfits she sewed together on a pony mannequin. There was no hope that anyone would want to buy anything like this, even making Sora, Riku, and Kairi consider walking around in the buff as ponies if they allowed Applejack to tailor their clothes. The group soon heard powerful gale winds from outside, running out and bracing themselves as they were nearly blown back by the wind generated by Rarity as she arranged the clouds.
[Rarity]
I'm in love with weather patterns, but the others have concerns
For I just gave them frostbite over top of their sunburns
Twilight, Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Spike cringed as they saw a couple ponies burnt red from the sunlight, suddenly having a small blizzard cover them in snow and stinging the burning pain with sheer cold.
I have to keep on trying, for everyone to see
[Rarity and Rainbow Dash]
It's got to be
[Fluttershy]
It's got to be
[Pinkie Pie]
My destiny
[Applejack]
Mah destiny
[Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy]
And it's what my cutie mark
[Pinkie Pie and Applejack]
It's what my cutie mark
[Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack]
Yes, it's what my cutie mark is telling me!
Escaping from the crazy weather created by Rarity from her "beautifully designed" sky, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Twilight, and Spike ran back inside the library, shaking off the snow that fell on them as they ran under a snow cloud. Ignoring the melting snow in her home, Twilight began pacing around, trying to figure out how their friends had their cutie marks swapped around and why they were doing each other's jobs.
"How did this happen!?" she questioned. "What in Equestria caused them to have their cutie marks switched around!?"
"My gut says Discord," Sora said.
"If he did anything like this, Princess Celestia would have warned you or me about it." After a moment, Twilight gasped and looked at the spell book on the table. "...Oh no...No. No no no no!"
"What is it?" Kairi asked as Twilight picked up the old book and looked at the last page.
"Star Swirl's unfinished spell...It must have done something to them." While Sora, Kairi, and Spike had no clue what Twilight was talking about, Riku looked at the glass case with the Elements of Harmony, noticing something different about them.
"Uhh, guys? Did something happen to the Elements?" Twilight looked at the case, gasping in horror as she approached it, noticing something had indeed changed.
"What happened to the gems!?" she asked. "This isn't right...They've been switched around! The butterfly is blue, the lightning bolt pink...Their cutie marks had also been changed along with what Element of Harmony they represent."
Curious, Sora summoned his Keyblade, but began to switch them around to the Keyblades of Harmony. The Keyblade of Magic was fine, but when he changed it to the Keyblade of Laughter, the design was still the same, only now it was orange. He kept switching between each one, and just like the Elements of Harmony, so had the Keyblades with their power.
"Oh no! Even the Keyblades had changed as well!" He dismissed the Keyblade of Loyalty, which was pink and no longer red. "Twilight, what spell are you talking about? What did you do?"
"Last night, Princess Celestia sent a package to me through the mail, and she gave me Star Swirl the Bearded's personal journal filled with all of his spells he has made when he was alive a thousand years ago." Twilight showed the others the last page with the spell that she cast last night. "She wanted me to finish his final spell, which had remained unfinished for a millennium. I tried to cast it to see what it did, but we didn't see anything happen and I thought it was a dud because it was unfinished."
"We?" Spike asked. "I didn't know about-"
Riku quickly appeared beside the baby dragon and shoved a hoof in his mouth. "But now I know what the spell did. It didn't affect me because I cast the spell, but it affected my friends. It changed the Elements of Harmony, and it changed them too...That's why their cutie marks are all wrong..."
"Then cast the counter-spell," Kairi suggested.
"There is no counter-spell," Twilight said, showing them the final page with nothing but the spell. "Star Swirl never finished it, so there's no way to reverse this!"
"What about the memory spell?" Sora asked. "Like the one we used when Discord warped your minds?"
"Sora, it's not their memories that's changed! It's their lives that were altered!" She closed the book and threw it, quickly caught by Kairi in her white aura before it got ruined.
"Zecora's cure for the cutie pox?" Spike asked after shoving Riku's hoof out of his mouth, leering at him for shutting him up.
"That won't work either!" Twilight headed to the stairs, her head hung low as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I changed my friends' destinies with that spell...I changed their lives. It's all my fault."
The others watched her sadly walk upstairs to her room. Kairi looked down at the spell book, reading the final spell.
"There has got to be a way to help them," she said. "This can't be permanent."
"I just hope we can find the answer fast, or else Ponyville will wind up with five mares with altered destinies, living miserable lives doing something they don't enjoy doing." Sora looked outside, the skies turning gray from the clouds above, even with the sunlight shining through the square spaces of the checkered sky.
While Sora, Kairi, and Spike tried to figure out what to do, Riku continued looking up at the stairway. His ears twitched as a sad tune began to play, walking upstairs to see if there was any way he could comfort Twilight. In her bedroom, he found her sitting on her bed, looking out at the dreary sky through the balcony window.
[Twilight]
I have to find a way
To make this all ok
I can't believe this small mistake
Could've caused so much heartache
Oh why, oh why?
Riku can imagine how miserable the rest of the mares were, working with their forced destinies from the spell Twilight cast. Pinkie Pie causing the farm to dwindle into a wasteland, destroying all the trees as they ended up dying out. Rarity's attempts to try to make the sky beautiful with clouds, but ending up using the storm clouds just to make it possible and cause all sorts of weather problems for the town. Applejack having to close up the Carousel Boutique, unable to sell her designs. Rainbow Dash unable to tame the animals in the cottage as they run around, doing whatever they please as they destroyed the property. And all the ponies in Ponyville becoming miserable, no longer able to have fun or enjoy a party from Fluttershy's attempts to tell a joke or make anyone laugh.
Losing promise
I don't know what to do
Seeking answers
I fear I won't get through to you
Oh why, oh why?
Twilight buried her face in her hooves and cried, feeling completely hopeless as she caused her friends to live with miserable destinies. Riku approached her, gently laying a hoof over her shoulder. She looked up at him and immediately held him as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"Oh, Riku...What have I done?" He held her tightly, gently rubbing her back as she cried.
"Twilight, don't blame yourself," he said softly. "We'll find a way to fix this."
"I don't even know how." As much as Riku had the same thought, along with the others downstairs, he didn't want to give up, and Twilight shouldn't either.
"...You know, when I was lost in the Realm of Darkness after Sora saved me, and even after a whole year on my own finding a way to stop Organization XIII while he was asleep the whole time...he never gave up on finding me." He pulled away and gently cupped his hooves against Twilight's cheeks. "He didn't give up on me after I tried to hurt him before that. If there's anything Sora taught me, he never gives up on his friends, no matter how bleak the situation is. He keeps fighting no matter how bad things get, even becoming so stubborn to try and find me when I didn't want him to see what I had become.
"There's always some other way if we can fix this. Your friends need you more than ever, and they don't want you to give up on them after one spell you were curious enough to try and accidentally flipping their lives around. Right?" Riku's words began to sink in, Twilight slowly nodding her head.
"You're right..." She wiped away her tears and looked at one of the pictures on her shelf. The one she stared at was a group photo of her with the rest of the Mane Six, the others beside it updated versions that included Sora, Kairi, and Riku. She stood off her bed and approached the shelf where that picture was resting. "They mean so much to me...My friends..."
Feeling her hope come back, her friends depending on her to solve this problem, and Celestia believing she can figure out how the spell works and finish it. Her body began glowing a lavender aura, blinding Riku, the stallion having no clue what was happening to her. Twilight opened her eyes, her cutie mark shining in her pupils as she figured out what to do.
"Uhh, Twilight? Are you transforming or something?" Riku asked.
"I got it!" she said. "I know what to do!" Twilight ran out of her room with Riku following after her, the unicorn quickly approaching the Elements of Harmony, taking them out of the case and putting on her Element of Magic. "I know how to get our friends back to normal!"
"You do?" Sora asked, he, Kairi, and Spike confused by her sudden change in attitude.
"I might not be able to remind them all who they used to be, but I can show them what they mean to each other!" Twilight levitated the rest of the necklaces and placed them in the same chest Celestia had them in before. "They can find the part of themselves they had lost by helping the friend they care about with their troubles!"
"And you're sure this will work?" Kairi asked as the lavender mare levitated the chest over Spike, the baby dragon carrying it for her.
"I know it will! Come on!" Twilight ran out to save her friends, the Keyblade wielders and Spike hurrying after her.
While avoiding the random rain or snow falling under the clouds, and the miserable or angry ponies wandering around, they spotted Fluttershy. But the pegasus looked like she was about to leave town, standing by a hot air balloon to head back to Cloudsdale, though she seemed to have forgotten she was a pegasus and could fly back.
"Fluttershy!" The mare turned around as she heard her name, dropping her bags.
"Oh. Hi, everypony," she said sadly.
"What are you doing?" Sora asked.
"I'm moving back to Cloudsdale. I just can't seem to make ponies laugh in Ponyville." Fluttershy pulled out a whoopee cushion and squeezed it, letting out a weak flatulent sound.
"...Yeah, comedy isn't your thing," Riku said. "But, we think you're perfect for helping Rainbow Dash out with a little predicament she has with the animals."
"B-But I don't know anything about animals," Fluttershy said as she fidgeted with her mane.
"But you do know about Rainbow Dash, right?" Kairi asked.
"...Well, I know she's a true friend, and I'll do anything to help her." After successfully convincing Fluttershy, they lead her back to her cottage to help Rainbow with her problem.
They arrived at the little cottage, but before any of them could knock on the door, they heard a loud crash and Rainbow screaming for help. The moment they walked in, they gasped in surprise as the animals all seemed to be revolting. All of the critters marched around the living room, carrying silverware as if they were weapons, circling a black cauldron with Rainbow Dash inside of it, her body tied up with rope.
"Help! These animals are about to eat me!" she screamed.
"Oh no," Fluttershy said. "Twilight, can't you do something?"
"I can't. None of us can. Rainbow Dash needs YOUR help." The timid pegasus looked back at her trapped friend about to be cooked into a stew for the animals, swallowing the lump in her throat as she hovered over to the rebellious animals.
"Um, hello? Little woodland creatures? I know you're all upset and want to give Rainbow Dash a hard time, but, umm, we'd appreciate it if you'd like to calm down and...rest for a little bit?" The animals soon stopped and looked at the pegasus, fully understanding her and doing as she asked them to do. Seeing it was working out better than she expected, Fluttershy flew into the kitchen and carried a few bowls of lettuce and nuts. "Uhh, look! Some nice, juicy leaves for you to munch on, and some crunchy acorns, too."
She lowered the bowls down, the animals finally getting what they wanted from Rainbow Dash all this time and approached the food laid out for them. "So far, so good," Twilight whispered, seeing Fluttershy was getting into what she should love doing.
"Oh my. I guess you were all upset because you were hungry." After eating their fill, all of them chattered in their animal tongue, thanking her for the food, and she was able to understand them. "Oh, you're all welcome, little friends." Fluttershy yelped as the grizzly bear, Harry, picked the pegasus up and gave her a kiss. "Goodness. I can understand them...like this is what I was meant to do. Like this is who I'm meant to be! My destiny!"
Fluttershy began to glow, a ping light shining around her as she hovered in the air. Twilight quickly pulled out the Element of Kindness, clasping around her neck, making the gem glow as well. The pegasus's eyes widened as memories of her adventures flashed through her mind, the light around her brightening in a blinding flash, forcing everyone to turn away.
"Ok. We really need to get sunglasses with all the flashing lights we wind up seeing," Sora commented.
Fluttershy sat up, feeling confused, having no idea what was going on."Ugh...What happened?"
"Fluttershy, look! Your cutie mark!" She looked down at her flanks, and to everyone's surprise, the pegasus got her butterfly cutie mark back. "It worked! It worked!" Twilight cheered as she hugged Fluttershy, the mare still having no clue what was going on as music began to play around them. "I'm so glad you're back to normal! Now, we need your help!
[Twilight]
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
A friend will be there to help them see
[Twilight, Fluttershy, and Riku]
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
To see the light that shines from a true, true friend
"Whoa, Riku! You're joining in the songs now! Good for you!" Sora congratulated, Riku realizing he actually joined in without even noticing as he blushed.
"Uhh, well..." He couldn't find an excuse to avoid the catchy songs that pop up randomly in Equestria. "Ok, I can't help it! I felt like singing, and I did it! I don't care if you tease me about it, but I'll do it if I can't help myself and sing along, ok!?"
"Tease you? Come on, Riku. I join in on some of these songs." Sora nudged Riku in the side with his elbow. "The first one I actually sang when I got here was with Pinkie. Something about 'giggling at the ghosties'. Sounds a lot worse than this one, don't you think?"
"...Sounds more childish than the other songs I've heard while I came here," Riku said.
"Uhh, hello!? Friend trapped in a cauldron over here!?" Everyone remembered Rainbow Dash was tied up in the cauldron, quickly getting her out and untying her as the song continued.
[Twilight]
Rarity needs your help
She's trying hard doing what she can
They all headed outside, Rainbow finally noticing the horrible state Ponyville was in with all the weather. She spotted Rarity struggling to try to move the clouds, but was too enthralled with making the sky beautiful than trying to clear the storming clouds.
[Fluttershy]
Would you try, just give it a chance
You might find that you'll start to understand
Fluttershy convinced Rainbow Dash to try and clear the clouds away, the cyan mare obeying and flying up. She was a little nervous at first, but approached a nearby cloud and bucked it away. Seeing just how simple it was, Rainbow began to fly around at incredible speeds, clearing away the clouds and giving Ponyville a clear, cloudless sky.
[Twilight, Fluttershy, Sora, Kairi, and Riku]
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
A friend will be there to help you see
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
To see the light that shines from a true, true friend
After clearing up the sky, and in ten seconds flat, Twilight quickly slapped the Element of Loyalty on Rainbow Dash's neck as her body glowed red, bringing her memories back and returning her Element's gem back to normal along with her lightning bolt cutie mark. Rarity approached the others after Rainbow helped her clear the skies, relieving her of her job, even though it was a shame to see her work to make the sky look fabulous gone to waste.
"Uhh, what just happened?" Rainbow asked after shaking her head from the cobwebs she mysteriously got.
"We don't have much time," Sora said. "But we're going to need your help. Applejack's making dresses at Carousel Boutique, and not doing a really good job of it."
"Say no more!" Everyone looked at Rarity, the unicorn confused as to what was going on as they dragged her off to her boutique.
[Rainbow Dash]
Applejack needs your help
She's trying hard, doing what she can
Inside, Rarity saw the state of the boutique with all of the horrid dresses on display. Applejack struggled to work on another terrible outfit, jamming up the sewing machine as she wound up sewing too fast. The unicorn looked around, feeling something familiar about her surroundings, her brain racing with design ideas as she gently scooted the farm mare aside.
[Kairi]
Would you try, just give it a chance
You might find that you'll start to understand
[Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Sora, Riku, and Kairi]
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
A friend will be there to help you see
Rarity began sewing up a storm, already creating designs for the different dresses, sewing those same designs with professional skill, levitating fabric, thread, and gems, a multitasking genius in her zone. While she worked, Sora and Riku gladly nabbed all of Applejack's designs, tossed them outside, and burned them back to the bowels of Tarterus where they belong. All the while, Applejack was astounded by Rarity's skill and all of the beautiful gowns, dresses, and tuxedos she made within the span of a half hour.
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
To see the light that shines from a true, true friend
As Rarity found her passion, her body emitting a purple light, Twilight attached the Element of Generosity to her neck, reminding her of her destiny and giving back her cutie mark. The fashionista leaned over her work table, highly confused as she found herself slumped over.
"Oh my. What a terrible dream." She looked over at a mannequin, spotting one of Applejack's fashion designs Sora and Riku accidentally forgot about. "Or maybe I'm still having it."
"Whoops! Knew we forgot something!" Sora quickly grabbed the outfit and ran outside, slashing it to pieces.
"Rarity, Pinkie Pie's about to lose the apple farm," Twilight explained. "We need Applejack's help!"
"Lose the apple farm?" Rarity asked. "Well, we can't let that happen, now can we?"
The group guided Applejack down the dirt road to Sweet Apple Acres, Sora grabbing the rest of his second family so they can all help fix the farm before Pinkie ends up destroying their home.
[Rarity]
Pinkie Pie is in trouble
We need to get there by her side
As soon as they arrived, Applejack was appalled at the state her home was in: crops were withered away, the land seemed barren, and the barn was more of a mess than it had been destroyed within the past year. And down near that barn was Pinkie, still trying to fix the water chute, getting splattered with water as she stood under it.
[Riku]
We can try to do what we can now
[Riku and Rarity]
For together we can be her guide
Applejack quickly ran up and helped Pinkie push the gutter back into place, easing the pink earth pony of her burdens. Everyone began to pitch in and help restore the farm back to the way it was: apples bucked the right way, seeds planted in fresh soil, Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh assisting as best as they can as the owners of their orchard and home, the job done much easier with Sora, as an honorary apple, and their friends to restore Sweet Apple Acres to look better than ever.
[Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Sora, Riku, and Kairi]
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
A friend will be there to help them see
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
To see the light that shines from a true, true friend
Once Applejack was reunited with her family and the orchard was back to normal, Twilight attached the Element of Honesty around her neck as her body began to glow an orange light, giving back her cutie mark and memories. "Yeehaw! Now that's more like it!" Applejack cheered as she looked down at her Element. "What's next?"
"Everyone in Ponyville's grumpy and miserable," Riku said. "Pinkie Pie needs to go back to being Pinkie Pie, and fast."
"Ah'm on it! Ah got just the thing!" Applejack lifted Pinkie onto her back, the mare highly confused as she was carried into town with the others following behind.
[Applejack]
The townspeople need you
They've been sad for a while
They march around, face a-frown
And never seem to smile
As they arrived in the square, Pinkie noticed all of the sad and grumpy ponies wandering around, a couple bumping into each other, one of them shaking their fist at the jerk that got in their path.
[Sora]
And if you feel like helping
We'd appreciate a lot
Sora quickly slapped a pair of joke glasses on Pinkie's face, spun her around, and pushed her out in the center of the square, where everyone spotted the mare stopping in front of them.
If you get up there and spread some cheer
From here to Canterlot!
Twilight attached the Element of Laughter, the last Element needed to be turned back along with their friend, Pinkie glowing blue as her memories and cutie mark came back to her. Her hair went all poofy again and she got back to her cheery and silly self.
"Come on, ponies!" Pinkie shouted. "I wanna see you smile!"
"Pinkie!" everyone cheered, their frowns turning to smiles as they all got their favorite party pony back, the rest of the crowd joining in the song as they all strolled through Ponyville.
[All]
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
A friend will be there to help them see
A true, true friend helps a friend in need
To see the light! (To see the light!)
That shines! (That shines!)
From a true, true friend!
The group of friends hugged each other, the mares back to their normal selves and Star Swirl's spell countered. Twilight was happy to know she solved the problem, gasping in surprise as she figured out how to finish the spell.
"That's it! I understand now! I know how to fix the spell!" Twilight broke free from the group hug as the others chased after her back to the library. Once inside, the unicorn levitated the book, grabbed a quill, and finished the broken, unfinished spell. "'From all of us together, together we're friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end!'"
After the spell was finished, Twilight closed the book and lowered it on the table as everyone gathered around her. Suddenly, the Element of Magic began glowing, pushing everyone back with a lavender shockwave. Confused as to what was happening, Sora, Kairi, and Riku's Keyblades appeared against their own will in their hooves, aiming right at the unicorn.
"What the heck is going on?" Neither teen could pull their forelegs back or dismiss their Keyblades as light began to build up at the end. Then, catching everyone off-guard, the remaining Elements of Harmony shot a bright beam of magic matching their gem's color straight at Twilight, surrounding her in an orb of light. "What's happening!?"
"I don't know!" None of them were able to move as they watched in horror as the Elements of Harmony were somehow attacking Twilight. Sora, Kairi, and Riku couldn't control their Keyblades as they fired larger beams of light, adding to the energy spiraling around the lavender unicorn trapped inside. "No! Stop! Why is this happening!?"
The combined magic grew too much, the sphere exploding with light and blinding the others, the shockwave knocking them all back against the walls in the library. As they came back to their senses, they waited until they were able to see again, but they regretted to regain their sight at what laid before them. Everyone screamed in horror as the only thing that was left of Twilight was a scorch mark in the floor where she stood, even Star Swirl's magic book was gone as well.
"What happened to Twilight!?" Sora panicked. "Did we kill her!? Oh gosh, we killed her! Why did the Elements of Harmony kill her!? Why did our Keyblades kill her!?"
Riku was the only one out of all of them not in a blind panic and trying to figure out what had caused the Elements of Harmony and their Keyblades to attack her. He just stared at the scorched spot, falling on his haunches as he forelegs shook, his eyes welling with tears. He then looked down at his hooves, at his Keyblade, everyone, including himself, responsible for disintegrating Twilight, his lover. He dropped his weapon, clattering to the floor as he began to hyperventilate, having killed the mare who he cared about and lost not even a few weeks since they began their relationship, the guilt of being responsible for the ones he cared about dying shattering his heart.
Riku ended up surprising everyone and shocking Sora and Kairi as he wailed in sorrow, collapsing on his side and began crying. This was the first time Sora had ever seen his best friend ever be this upset, let alone shed a tear since they first met. It was rare for Riku to show much emotion anymore after reuniting with him and Kairi after defeating Organization XIII, and now, he was watching his best friend crying his eyes out from losing Twilight, but why he was this depressed baffled him.
"Riku?" Sora called out, but Riku couldn't hear him as he sobbed. He reached a hoof out to him as he walked toward him, quickly stepping out of the way as he slapped his Keyblade across the floor. "Riku, what's gotten into you?"
The white pegasus didn't respond as he buried his face in his hooves, crying harder. It hurt Sora to see his friend like this, unlike how his usual demeanor was, even more so with the fact that all of them had ended up killing Twilight against their wills as their weapons of light and powerful artifacts just struck her with powerful magic. The others, including Spike, stared at Riku, unsure if they should help him if he would lash out at anyone who would try to comfort his grieving.
Pinkie decided to take that chance and hugged Riku tightly. Seeing he didn't push her away, the rest of the mares huddled around him in a comforting group hug, all of the mourning the loss of their unicorn friend. Sora looked down at the burnt area from the sphere of light Twilight was trapped in, then down at his hoof holding onto his Keyblade. He gripped it, able to move it freely now, but why it decided to do what it did confusing him.
Twilight began to wake up after blanking out from the explosive force of the sphere imploding on her. She had no clue what had caused the Elements of Harmony to react that way and attack her, or even Sora, Kairi, and Riku's Keyblades as well. As she stood up, she looked around her, finding herself in a strange, magical realm with endless voids of calming shades of blue and what looked like stars dotting the endless space around her.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing in the unknown realm. "Where am I? Is anypony here?"
"Congratulations, Twilight." Twilight turned around, finding Celestia walking toward her as she appeared in the realm in a flash of light. She seemed proud of her, assuaging her fears of being dead in some sort of afterlife after getting blasted. "I knew you could do it."
"Princess Celestia." She ran up to her mentor and hugged her, the alicorn hugging her back. "I don't understand. What happened to me?"
"You have done something today that has never been done before in Equestria, Twilight." Celestia summoned Star Swirl's spell book, opening it to the last page where Twilight had completed the old wizard's final, unfinished spell. "Something that not even Star Swirl the Bearded wasn't able to do many years ago. He never understood friendship like you had. All of the lessons you've learned in Ponyville have taught you well, and now, you have proven that you are ready, my student."
"Ready? For what?" Celestia began to walk on ahead on the invisible road they stood on, Twilight quickly following her while still a bit wary of this strange realm.
As the two walked forward, screens began to appear beside them, Twilight gasping in awe as they all showed fond memories of her time in Ponyville, meeting her friends, all the adventures they've been on, and the lessons she's learned from each moment. It was like a literal stroll down memory lane, staring at all of the memories playing back to her as a soft tune began to play through the realm.
[Princess Celestia]
You've come such a long, long way
And I have watched you from that very first day
To see how you might grow
To see what you might do
To see what you've been through
And all the ways you've made me proud of you
Twilight continued watching her fondest memories from when she came to Ponyville, never expecting to make any friends, up until the present where she had hung out with some of her friends. Meeting Sora for the first time was an odd meeting, a goofy pegasus stallion who's a lot more than he seems on the inside than the outside, never giving up on her or anyone else while fighting his hardest to defend them from danger. Kairi started out with a terrible first start during her little crush phase with Sora, but after a while, they were the bestest of friends, sharing a somewhat similar intellect when it comes to their unique magical skills. Riku didn't seem to be the friendly type, always looking so serious and staying away from any social interactivity, but she got to know him as a sensitive stallion who's troubled by his dark past, helping him open up with his problems and is now dating him. Twilight blushed as her first kiss with Riku showed on one of the magical screens, quickly fading away for her sake as the last thing she saw before they all disappeared was of her and her friends finding the Elements of Harmony and using them for the first time.
It's time now for a new change to come
You've grown up and your new life has begun
To go where you will go
To see what you will see
To find what you will be
For it's time for you to fulfill your destiny
While the unicorn was enthralled hearing her mentor/princess sing, she felt something begin to well in her chest, mostly around her heart. She looked down and saw a lavender light shoot out from her chest, floating in front of her for a few short seconds before it began to fly around her. As it spun around her faster and faster, Twilight was being lifted off the ground, scared to ask Celestia what was happening to her, but somehow calm as the light was warm and soothing. It was as if an unknown source of magical power hidden inside of her was finally being unleashed, the light around her glowing as it trapped her in a whirlwind of lavender.
She felt the power implode inside of her as another orb of light surrounded her, the lavender twister still visible in the white orb as she was levitated out of the realm. Celestia closed her eyes as the light flashed, sending Twilight back to Equestria.
"Time to surprise the others with Twilight's new change." The white alicorn teleported out of the magical realm in a sphere of light, transporting back to Equestria to meet everyone in Ponyville.
The sun had long since set, the moon rising up into the sky as the stars made themselves present in the clear night sky. Sora leaned outside against the Golden Oak Library, a little shocked by what had happened, and by what Riku had told everyone. After he had calmed down a little, Riku admitted that he and Twilight were a couple, and had kept it a secret to avoid feeling like he shouldn't be in love with someone from another world, let alone a sentient talking unicorn. That explained why he was so upset, along with the guilt he and everyone else shared after what they unintentionally did to Twilight.
Sora wasn't all that disturbed with Riku's decision to fall in love with someone in Equestria. Even he had that same thought if he was going to be stranded in Equestria after he crash landed over a year ago, despite how awkward it would have been at first. In fact, he was actually glad to know he was with someone after spending so much time brooding and being by himself for so long. He wouldn't want to hurt his best friend. Not after all they've been through in the past few years.
"...And it all started at the end of that camping trip they both went on," Sora uttered to himself. He looked up at the night sky, regretting teasing him with the paopu fruit like Riku had done to him. "...Why didn't he say anything? Was he really that worried I would have made fun of him for going out with a pony?" He ran a hoof through his hair, sighing heavily. "He knows me better than that. Like I would actually be that cruel and poke fun at him that would end up hurting his feelings. Maybe if he opened up a bit more, I wouldn't have tossed him that paopu fruit and teased him."
The front door opened up, Kairi stepping out to get a little fresh air. After closing the door, she sat next to Sora and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Riku's calmed down now, but he's still pretty upset," she said. "I had no idea he and Twilight were a couple...Why didn't he tell us? We're his friends."
"He must have thought he would have been ridiculed for going out with someone who was from another world, and is a different species," Sora figured.
"That last part might be a reasonable answer, but I doubt someone from another world counts." Sora looked at Kairi in confusion, having no clue why she thinks that. It soon dawned on him that Kairi wasn't from Destiny Island, being a princess from Radiant Garden before she arrived at his hometown, though they were both human. "Is Twilight really gone?"
"...Maybe she was transported elsewhere?" Sora thought, trying to stay optimistic, even though that possibility was bleak when there was a scorch mark in the library's wooden floor. He looked back up at the sky, only to squint as he saw something odd with one of the stars. One of them seemed to be getting closer, and was glowing an odd lavender hue. The bigger it got, his eyes widened when he saw something that was on that star: a familiar bright pink star surrounded by smaller white ones, the same as Twilight's cutie mark. "What is that?"
Kairi looked up and saw the star coming down, gasping in shock as she spotted the stars on the now glowing sphere getting closer to Ponyville. "You don't think that's actually-?"
"Get the others." Not needing to give a response, Kairi quickly ran back inside to alert the others while Sora ran to where the sphere would land.
Everyone quickly ran out of the library and where Sora was as Kairi told them about a star that was falling that had Twilight's cutie mark on it. As it got closer, everyone had to shield their eyes as the lavender light was nearly blinding, the sphere disappearing and leaving a pony silhouette within the slowly dimming light.
As the light faded, Riku peeked over his hoof, seeing Twilight slowly getting up on her hooves. "Twilight?...Is that really you?"
The unicorn stood fully up, but as she did, a pair of lavender wings spread out from across her sides, the unicorn now an alicorn. Everyone gasped in surprise as their jaws dropped, both at the fact that Twilight was still alive and she now has a pair of wings that were about as wide in length as Cadence's. Twilight opened her eyes, feeling the new appendages flex from her muscles as she looked at them, just as shocked as her friends as she looked at them.
"I-I have wings?" she asked.
"Twilight, you're an alicorn!" Rarity exclaimed.
Before the others could rush Twilight into a group hug, Riku flew into her and wrap her tightly in his hooves, grateful to have her back. "I'm so glad you're ok," he whispered, his tears flowing anew as he held her, no longer caring if anyone saw him cry. "I thought you died..."
The lavender alicorn was surprised to have Riku hugging her in front of everyone, and hearing just how scared he was of almost losing her. She looked at her friends, seeming to know about them when Riku had told them after she had been transported to the magical realm by the Elements of Harmony and Keyblades. She nuzzled the stallion and hugged him back, feeling horrible for making them all worry, especially Riku.
"I thought I was a goner, too," she said. "I'm so sorry I scared you all. I'm here now...but different."
"DOGPILE!" Pinkie shouted, landing on top of them as hugged Twilight tightly. "Twilight's an alicorn! This calls for a special alicorn party!"
"This is so awesome!" Rainbow said as she and the others ran up to the alicorn. "Twilight's got wings now! I got me an extra flight buddy!"
"You look just like a princess," Fluttershy said.
"That's because she is a princess." Everyone looked over at the flash of light that appeared behind them, Princess Celestia stepping forward toward her subjects and new princess.
"Wait! Hold on a second!" Pinkie Pie disappeared and grabbed a glass of water, taking a sip and doing a spit-take. "What'choo talkin' 'bout, princess!?"
"I-I'm a princess?" Twilight asked.
"Wait a minute..." Sora stepped up to Celestia, remembering what the alicorn had told him after they saved the Crystal Empire. "When you told my friends and I about Twilight helping save the Crystal Empire, and her test would proving her from something greater...You meant you would turn her into an alicorn princess!?"
"That is correct, Sora." The princess stepped around the pegasus as he was deep in thought over what he actually expected Twilight to earn. "Twilight, since your arrival in Ponyville, you've displayed the charity, compassion, devotion, integrity, optimism, and of course, the leadership of a princess."
"Really?" Twilight asked. "But, does this mean...I'm no longer your student?"
"Not like before," Celestia assured. "I'll still guide you and help you on your way, but are all your students now. You are an inspiration to us all, Twilight."
To her surprise, Princess Celestia bowed to Twilight, the mare absolutely speechless as her own mentor was bowing before her. Soon, the rest of her friends bowed to her as well in respect for the newest princess. Twilight was completely baffled, now an alicorn like her mentor, Luna, and Cadence, along with her new wings and her slightly enhanced magical power as an alicorn.
"This is...so sudden..." Twilight looked down at her wings, still finding it strange to have these extra parts of her as she fluttered them a little. "But, what am I supposed to do now? Is there a book on being a princess I should read about?"
Celestia giggled at her question, the others shaking their heads as Twilight believes a book on what she wants to know about will give her all the answers. "You will learn with time, Twilight. For now, we should have everything planned for Equestria to meet their newest princess within the week."
Twilight's coronation was about to begin after a few days of planning, some of it planned in advance by Celestia, knowing she would have become an alicorn sooner or later. All of Equestria heard about the coronation of the newest alicorn, many ponies finding the time to make it to Canterlot for the big event and see the new princess. Close friends and family were given a front row seat within the castle, everyone dressed for the occasion.
Twilight's parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, sat in the front row, along with Shining Armor, the crystal prince dressed in his captain's uniform. His wife Cadence stood at the top of the small stairway to the alter with Celestia and Luna, all three alicorns wearing their royal dresses: Cadence in a blue dress with her hair done similarly to the royal Crystal Empire traditional hairstyle, though a lot less complicated and with fewer gems, Celestia in a ruby red and gold dress, wearing a crown rather than her usual tiara, and Luna in a purple dress with bright stars above clouds, wearing a differently designed tiara that matched with her ring.
On one side were the mares in the Mane Six, excluding Twilight, and Spike, wearing outfits fashioned by Rarity herself, made to suit their personality while also in a style fit for such a royal occasion. The baby dragon was carrying a pillow, holding a golden tiara with the Element of Magic resting on top, a lot smaller and simpler than the original crown it was once housed. On the other were Sora, Kairi, and Riku, wearing soldiers uniforms similar to what Shining Armor was wearing, only designed to match their original outfits. Their Keyblades were held out, resting over their shoulders as they stood at attention.
Celestia cleared her throat, ready to begin her speech to announce Twilight Sparkle as Equestria's newest alicorn princess. "We are all gathered here today in celebration of a momentous occasion. My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, has done many extraordinary things since she has lived in Ponyville. Even helping me reunite with me sister, Princess Luna." She looked over at her younger sister, Luna smiling and nodding her head, equally grateful for Twilight, and her friends, for saving her and bringing her back to Celestia. "But, Twilight had done something more extraordinary than her heroic feats as an Element of Harmony. She had created a new, powerful magic spell, proving without a doubt that she is ready to be crowned Equestria's newest princess.
"Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" The doors opened, revealing the lavender alicorn herself, wearing a royal pink dress with yellow hemmed shoulders and collar.
[Choir]
The Princess Twilight cometh
Behold, behold
Twilight began to walk down the red carpet, four mare servants and four soldiers following her as they sang, looking a little nervous as everyone's eyes were on her as she approached her mentor and fellow princesses.
A Princess here before us
Behold, behold, behold
Behold (behold), behold (behold)
The Princess Twilight cometh
As she stepped up to the stage, Spike held out Twilight's new crown to Celestia, the alicorn levitating it off the pillow and placing it on her student's head. She turned to face her friends and family in the pews as they applauded their new princess. She was soon lead out to the balcony, where the rest of the guests waiting outside in the courtyard cheered as they saw Twilight. She waved at the crowd with a nervous smile, her friends joining her on the balcony with the princesses.
Behold (behold), behold (behold)
The Princess is
The Princess is here!
The crowd soon began to quiet down, Celestia approaching Twilight and whispered in her ear. "Say something, princess."
Realizing she needed to make a speech of her own, Twilight stepped up to the railing to address her subjects, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. "About a year ago, my teacher and mentor Princess Celestia sent me to live in Ponyville. I was sent there to study friendship, something that I didn't care about at all since my time studying under her. But that changed when I met a stallion who really got on my nerves as he guided me around town that day, only to find out he was a lot more than he appeared to be, along with the others I had first met on that tour." She turned around to look at her friends, Sora grinning widely as she mentioned him. Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were misty-eyed as Twilight gave her speech. "I wouldn't be standing here today if it weren't for the friendships I have made with all of you. Each of you had taught me something about friendship, and I will always be grateful for that.
"Today, I consider myself the luckiest pony in all of Equestria. Not only with so many friends, but I'm also lucky to have somepony to look out for me." Twilight blushed as she was about to do something crazy.
Using her magic, her aura grabbed Riku's jacket collar and dragged him over to her. His confusion was quickly turned to shock as Twilight kissed him on the lips, his face turning red as the crowd watching them whooped at the loving display between the new princess and the otherworldly Keyblade wielder. In the castle, Twilight's parents were a bit surprised, but happy to see their daughter had finally found her special somepony, though Shining Armor, being the overprotective brother, leered at Riku, not approving anyone to go near his little sister. After Twilight broke the kiss, the pegasus grinned nervously, trying to slowly shuffle away from his girlfriend at the public display of affection the whole world had seen, though it was only by a couple inches.
"Boo! More tongue!" Sora snickered, earning a smack upside the head by Kairi.
He just grinned, rubbing the back of his head, Twilight turning back to her subjects. "As I said, I feel like I truly am the luckiest pony in Equestria to have my friends, and coltfriend. Thank you, friends! Thank you, everypony!"
The ponies down below cheered loudly at the end of her speech, some stallions unfortunate to not have a chance to try and woo Twilight at any point in the future after kissing Riku in front of them all. Riku walked up to his friend, punching him hard in the shoulder for that remark he shouted out, which had embarrassed him further.
"You deserve that," he said.
"So, you and my sister have been going out with each other?" Riku flinched and turned around, Shining Armor standing before him, and he was not happy just now figuring out he and Twilight were dating. "And she didn't tell me or my folks, why?"
"Shining, relax," Cadence said, patting her husband's shoulder and calming him down before he flipped out. "Riku is Sora's friend, and all of us can trust him."
"After hearing he sided with darkness one time, I highly doubt he can be trustworthy around my baby sister." Shining glared at Riku, his gaze threatening and ready to pounce on the pegasus.
"Oh, is this the young stallion you're going out with?" The unicorn dropped his glare as his parents walked past him and up to Riku with Twilight, Twilight Velvet getting an in depth look at the pegasus's features. "White and messy bangs, giving that bad colt look, but also sweet and loyal, helping out your stallion friend we saw in the Hearth's Warming play in the Crystal Empire and your brother's wedding."
"At least he's a little more reliable in a fight than Shining was against that horrible bug disguised as our daughter-in-law," Night Light commented.
"Dad! I'm right here!" Shining protested. "Wasn't my fault I couldn't tell the difference between Cadence and that imposter..."
"Oh, hush, Shiny. We're just teasing," Twilight Velvet said, pinching her son's cheek and embarrassing him further.
"Mom, stop that! I'm not a colt anymore!" the stallion whined.
"Though he acts like one whenever I drag him around to carry my bags when I go out shopping." Shining Armor groaned, making Princess Twilight and Cadence giggle, the stallion's beloved wife kissing him on the cheek. "Learn to take a joke. And don't freak out about Riku and Twilight being together. It was obvious to me when we saw them back in the empire when they helped us get the Crystal Empire to host the Equestria Games."
"Wait, you knew and you didn't tell me!? How!?" Cadence raised a brow, giving Shining a moment to realize who he married. "...Oh...Right..."
"And seeing how happy he's made Twilight, I think we can allow them to stay together as a couple." Twilight Velvet turned back to Riku and gently grabbed his cheeks, though the air around the older mare, who he could swear could pose as Twilight's older sister, grew cold as he saw the serious glare on her face that only he was able to see. "But if you so much as break my little filly's heart, I will hunt you down and you will know what it's like to feel a mother's wrath when you hurt her babies. Am I crystal clear, mister?"
"Y-Yes ma'am. Understood, ma'am. Wouldn't even think of it, ma'am." Riku felt his whole body shiver as he answered the terrifying unicorn, knowing never to upset a mother when it came to their children.
"Wonderful!" she said, the frigid gaze now gone as the mare hugged the terrified teen. "Just don't go and spoil my daughter too much, even if she is a princess now."
"Ok, honey. Try not to break the kid." Night Light dragged his wife away from Riku, the mare giving him an icy glare while no one was looking, quickly back to being happy when he looked at her. "He's our daughter's first love, and you don't want to scare him off."
"What? Why would I do that?" Velvet asked innocently.
As Twilight's parents wandered off to speak with the princesses, dragging Shining Armor along to keep him from trying to be an overprotective brother like Twilight had during his wedding. At least she had a reason with her suspicions with "Cadence's" behavior to be overprotective, whereas he knew Riku was once evil, but only because he was manipulated by an evil witch.
"I think your mom's more scarier than your brother," Riku said to Twilight, the alicorn brushing up against him.
"My parents like you. Though, maybe I should have told them about us being together, but I wanted to respect your wishes until you were ready." Twilight grabbed Riku's hoof, knowing her family will warm up to him after knowing how worried he was when he thought they all killed her. "I didn't think you would have gotten that upset when I...'disappeared'. And you told everyone we were dating because of that."
"Yeah...And I really, really do not want to cry like that again." Riku lifted her hoof up to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. "Promise me you won't wind up getting yourself into trouble like that and make me worry that much?"
"With what all of us go through on a daily basis?" Twilight asked, shaking her head as she giggled. "I'll try."
Riku grinned and moved in closer to kiss Twilight, only for Pinkie to pop up between them and ruin their moment. "Best coronation day ever!"
"Someone needs to put a bell on you," Riku grumbled, the others walking up to them and surrounding Twilight.
"Congrats on being a princess, Twilight," Sora said. "Just try not to be the kind of princess that gets kidnapped and needs her heroic knight to save her."
"I doubt that, now that she's an alicorn," Kairi said after nudging her boyfriend in the side at the little jab of her being a damsel in distress a few times.
"We all love you, Twilight," Fluttershy said, the mares getting all misty-eyed again.
"I love you all, too." The gang all came together in a group hug, starting out with a day that turned out good, then mixed up, then even better with Twilight Sparkle now an alicorn princess.
As it was time to show the public their new princess, Twilight rode in a golden chariot pulled by a couple of Canterlot's Royal Guard, the rest of the gang up in front as they lead the parade. Music began to fill the air, the crowd cheering as they waved to their new princess, the lavender alicorn waving back.
[Princess Twilight Sparkle]
Life in Equestria shimmers
Life in Equestria shines
And I know for absolute certain
Twilight leapt out of her chariot and trotted alongside her friends down the path leading out to the castle gates.
[All]
That everything (that everything)
Yes, everything (yes, everything)
Yes, everything is certainly fine
It's fine
At the last note, everyone standing on top of the outer wall of Canterlot Castle, Twilight flew up to the sky and soared over the city, doing well for her first time. "Yes! Everything's going to be just fine!"
Once she reached the edge of the city, she realized she was up high in the air, her wings locking up as she saw how high she was from the ground. She screamed as she began falling, quickly caught by Riku as he followed after her, just in case.
"You know, you should probably learn how to fly first before taking off without any idea what you're doing, right?" he asked.
"Hehehe. Right," she agreed sheepishly. "But, I'm ready to learn how to get used to my new wings, and being a princess." Her eagerness suddenly disappeared, realizing she was now a princess, an important pony meant to rule a kingdom with more duties than she's ever had just from being Celestia's personal student, or even a hero bearing one of the Elements of Harmony. "I'm a princess now...Oh boy..."