Kingdom Hearts: The Path of the Heart

by Tetsuya Kintame

Episode 4: Boast Busters

Kairi, Twilight, and Spike moved their way to the front of the crowd, and got a look at some sort of miniature house on wheels. Kairi knew there was a proper name for it, but she couldn’t remember it off the top of her head. This was probably going to bug her for a little while, or at least until she forgot about it. It had red roofing with yellow wooden walls, and where the windows should be were small wooden doors to open with purple hearts on them. It certainly made for an interesting house, though it looked like it would be quite cramped inside.

She was pulled from her thoughts as a voice suddenly called out from somewhere. “Come one, come all! Come witness the amazing magic of The Grrrreat and Powerful Trixie!” To her surprise the wall fell open, and folded out as legs came out to support it, presenting a decent sized stage to walk on. The two sides of the walls and roof open back, revealing trumpets and decorations that she supposed was to create some sort of mystical vibe. A puff of smoke erupted from the center of the stage, and once it cleared, a pony wearing a wizards cloak and hat appeared in a shower of sparkles.

From what she could tell, this Trixie’s coat color was light blue, her eye color was purple, but her two-toned mane was two shades of even lighter blues, it was almost impossible to distinguish the colors apart. At this display the crowd oohed at her appearance, though Kairi was still a little confused. Was this pony supposed to be a magician? “Watch in awe as The Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” Trixie exclaimed, raising up on her hind legs as she threw out hooves. Several things happened at once that Kairi couldn’t keep up with most of what happened, but she knew fireworks went off despite lacking the scent of gunpowder, and some green flames erupting out of nowhere from the edge of the stage. Thanks to Trixie’s billowing cape, she got a good look at Trixie’s magic wand with sprinkling pixie dust Cutie Mark.

“My my my, such boasting.” She heard from her left, and saw it was Rarity. In fact, a quick look around showed her friends were all here as well.

“Come on, no pony’s as magical as Twi-“ Spike said, before noticing he was talking to Rarity. He mumbled a little bit before clearing his throat a little. “Oh, uh hey Rarity. I uh…mustache!” He looked a little nervous, and zipped behind Twilight from Rarity’s view.

“Huh, wonder what that’s about. Hi Rarity, I hope you had a good day,” Kairi said with a smile.

“I did, but it looks like somepony is happy about something. You can tell me all about it when we get home,” Rarity said, returning Kairi’s smile. Twilight walked over to the two of them to ask a question, a worried look on her face.

“There’s nothing wrong with being talented, is there?” she asked.

“Nothin’ at all, except if somepony goes showing it off like a school filly like she has fancy new ribbons,” Applejack said, looking at Trixie when she conjured a bouquet of flowers. Even though she knew this world had some extraordinary magic, Kairi was still impressed the pony did so, and figured this Trixie was just hiding her horn under her wizard hat. The pink magical aura that produced the flowers certainly suggested such.

“Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic does not make one better than the rest of us,” Rarity added.

“Especially when you got me going around being better than the rest of us,” Rainbow said, about to chuckle. When Applejack gave her a hard glare, she thought better about she just said. “I mean, uh, magic shmagic. Booo.” She looked back at Applejack, hoping that sufficed as an apology.

“Well well well, it seems we have have some neigh sayers in the audience,” Trixie said.

Kairi cocked an eyebrow, and said, “Wait, did she just-“

“Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of The Great and Powerful Trixie? Do they not know they’re in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria?!” Trixie more or less stated rather than asked. Kairi was starting to understand her friend’s position with Trixie now; she certainly was quite boastful to declare herself as the most magical unicorn.

“Pfft, just who does she think she is?” Rarity asked rhetorically.

“Yeah, especially when we all know that Twilight is-“ Spike said before Twilight interrupted him. Kairi then watched as she moved Spike away from the crowd, and decided to follow after her.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asked once they were far enough from the crowd.

“Did you see the way they reacted to Trixie? I don’t want anypony thinking I’m a showoff,” Twilight answered, obviously bothered by this.

“I highly doubt you need to worry about that, Twilight. You don’t seem the type to show off for attention,” Kairi said, having overheard her worries.

“Still, I don’t want-“ Twilight had started to say before being cut off by noise from the stage. It was just Trixie showing some more of her magic again, earning a frown from Kairi. What was the point of doing that?

Rainbow flew up in front Trixie’s face, and asked, “So Great and Powerful Trixie, what makes you think you’re so awesome anyway?”

“Heh, why only The Great and Powerful Trixie has magic powerful enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major!” Trixie stated boldly. An explosion of magic from the trumpets flew up into the air, and created what looked like a neon sign of a bear with an eight pointed star on its head. Kairi heard from somepony in the crowd say “What!” or “No way!” when this was stated. “When all hope was lost, the ponies of Hoofington had nopony to turn to! But The Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in, and used her awesome magic vanquish the Ursa Major, and send it back to its cave deep within the Everfree Forest!” As Trixie describe her ‘supposed’ victory over the Ursa Major, Kairi saw the neon light figure of Trixie holding a wand in her hoof, joined by more of the same magic but with a different color overlaying the bear. Its light flickered before bursting in a show of sparkling magic.

From in the crowd, she heard two colts say, well, rather dumbly, “Suh-weet!” Rejoining the crowd herself, she saw the two colts who had spoken standing in front of the stage.

“That settles it,” said the one with the blue coat and orange mane.

“Trixie truly is the most talented, most magical, most awesome unicorn in Ponyville,” said the colt with the brown-orange coat and green-blue mane. To Kairi, these two sounded far too easily impressed, and Trixie’s story seemed more like a tall tale. This unicorn certainly had a big mouth, and she was making it known rather well, though the rest of the ponies in the crowd didn’t seem to pay attention to that fact.

“No, in all of Equestria!” the first colt added.

“How do you know? You didn’t see it. And besides, Twi-!” Spike had started say, before Twilight zipped his mouth shut with magic. Kairi couldn’t believe there was such a spell to do that.

Trixie just chuckled at Spike’s outburst, and said, “It’s true my enthusiastic little admirers. Trixie is most certainly the best in Ponyville.” This statement was followed by silence among the crowd of ponies. “Don’t believe The Great and powerful Trixie? Well then, Trixie challenges you Ponyvillians, anything you can do, Trixie can do better.” Kairi believed that was a bold claim, there had to be a few ponies in Ponyville who could out show this showoff. “Any takers? Anypony? Or is Trixie destined to be the greatest equine who has ever lived!” Her stage flared to life again when she finished her sentence. If Kairi gave her any credit, she certainly timed her magic well with her dramatic flairs.

Spike unzipped his mouth, and begged Twilight, “Puh-huh-lease, she’s unbearable! You just got to show her, you just gotta!”

“There’s no way I can use my magic now Spike, especially since-“ she said, looking back up the unicorn who has scanning the crowd. Kairi saw her friends hesitation, and wondered why she just wasn’t going to teach Trixie a lesson. It certainly seemed the mare needed one.

“Hmm, how about…” Trixie said, still looking for a Pony show up, before looking in Kairi’s and Twilight’s way, pointing towards them. “You!” Twilight audibly gulped, and Kairi just raised an eyebrow. What, did she really want one of them to demonstrate their talents?

“Well, is there anything you can do that The Great and Powerful Trixie can’t?” she asked rhetorically. Twilight stammered a little before Trixie added, “Well, little hayseed?” Kairi blinked, and looked her left, and saw the unicorn had been addressing Applejack the entire time.

“That’s it, I can’t stand for no more of this,” Applejack said loudly, and hopped up on stage to show up Trixie’s obnoxious attitude.

“You show her AJ!” Spike called out.

“Can yer fancy magic do this?” she stated more than asked, and started showing off her lasso skills using her tail. Kairi was far more impressed at this. She didn’t even know Applejack could perform such a trick, and with her tail no less. Kairi and several other ponies began cheering the farm pony on. At the end of her routine, she managed to snag an apple from a nearby tree, and it zipped into her mouth easily, gulping it down in one bite.

“Woohoo! Way to go AJ!” Kairi yelled.

“Top that missy,” Applejack said, crossing her left foreleg over her right.

“Oh ye of little talent,” Trixie said, her hat glowing as she raised it off her head, and finally revealing her horn. “Watch, and be amazed at the magic of Trixie!” Her horn glowed with the same pink aura, and the length of the rope Applejack used was easily enveloped. One end moved smoothly in front of Applejack, moving in way a serpent would, and holding her attention. The other end of the rope moved to grab another apple from the same tree. Before Applejack knew what happened, she was hog tied easily, and the apple had been stuffed into her mouth. The crowd laughed a little, and oohed at what had happened as Applejack hopped away while still tied up, obviously sour about how Trixie showed her up instead.

“Once again, The Great and Powerful Trixie prevails,” Trixie said, as if proud of her accomplishment.

“There’s no need to go strutting around, and showing off like that,” Rainbow said as she flew up to Trixie. She was apparently going to be her next challenger.

“Oh?” the blue unicorn said.

“That’s my job!” Rainbow said, zoomed off towards the windmill. Using the windmills wooden blade to help her accelerate a little more, then launched fast into the air, and punching holes through several clouds. In the bright sun, she posed proudly for a second, then flew back through the clouds, and was quickly followed by water droplets. She used the windmill again, only this time to launch herself back at the stage, and came to full stop when she landed on the wooden platform. The water splashed against Rainbow when she stopped, and created a rainbow above her. During her little show, Kairi had missed when Rainbow brought her Keyblade out, but couldn’t stop what happened next when the rainbow mare used her Thunder spell. This caused several smalls jolt of lightning to strike close around her, adding quite the flair for the dramatic. Just as quickly as she summoned it, she unsummoned her Keyblade as she spoke, “They don’t call me Rainbow and Dash for nothing.” Her little stunt earned her quite a few cheers from the crowd. Kairi kept herself quiet, a little upset Rainbow used her Keyblade spell in such a way, but she did see that her friend had gained some control over the spell. She was going to get a lecture later, but she appreciated Rainbow’s effort.

Trixie was just a bit stunned at first, but quickly regained her confidence. “When Trixie is through, the only thing they’ll call you is loser,” she said, lighting her horn to cast her magic. The rainbow above Rainbow Dash began swirling around her, and spinning her around in circles before being thrown off the stage. She was still spinning for a few seconds after, and she felt fairly dizzy after the ordeal.

“Ugh, I think I’m gonna be sick,” she mumbled, and laying done properly as her head showed just how dizzy she felt. Kairi felt some anger at the display Trixie made of her friend, though she was thankful nopony was laughing this time.

“Seems like anypony with a dash of good sense, would think twice before tussling with the Great and Powerful Trixie,” Trixie said, her horn lighting up again. What Kairi saw next was a black thunder cloud conjured up behind Rainbow, before it struck her on the flank with a flash of lightning.

“Ow!” Rainbow cried out, rubbing her sore flank.

“That does it!” Kairi shouted, sounding fairly angry at this display. She jumped on stage, and her expression showed just how miffed she was at seeing her friends treated. Twilight blinked as she watched, not sure what Kairi was going to do.

“I could stand watching up until now, and only be angry at seeing my friends humiliated. I would have been just fine staying out of this. But when you struck Rainbow with a lightning bolt from behind her, that’s where I draw the line!” she said, almost raising her voice.

“Oh please, what kind of challenge could you give Trixie? I’ve already bested an earth pony before you. What could you possibly do to offer a new challenge?” Trixie rhetorically asked, not even bothered about how mad this new pony was that was challenging her.

With a smirk, Kairi simply stated, “How about a magic duel. I bet you wouldn’t mind that.”

At this Trixie was silent for just one second before bursting into laughter. This continued for the next few seconds, some of the ponies in the crowd joining in a little. When she finally calmed down, she said, “You, challenge me to a magic duel? How absurd, you’re an earth pony, you can’t use magic.”

“Oh, I can use magic alright, don’t you fret. Just ask the two ponies you’ve shown up till now. They’ll back me up,” Kairi said back, her smirk never faltering.

“It’s true, she really can use magic. Ah seen it mahself,” Applejack said.

“Yeah, of course she can use magic. How do you think I learned to cast that lightning spell?” Rainbow added.

Trixie cocked an eyebrow at the ponies that spoke, before returning her attention back to Kairi. “Trixie doesn’t believe it, but if that’s what you want, Trixie will accept. What are your terms?”

“First rule: Only the basic Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells. You can perform those, right?” Kairi asked, though her determined look never left.

“Of course, but those are offensive spells. Why only use those spells when we should outdo each other?”

“I have my reasons. Second rule: No magic while the other has their back turned, or casting magic from behind. We wait until we’re facing each other to cast magic, and always from the front. No cheating using a fireball to attack me from behind while I’m facing you.”

“If you insist, and what is your last rule?”

“Third rule: If one us gives up, or falls off the stage, then they are the loser. Any objections?”

Trixie thought about this for a second, before saying, “Nope, just bring your best, but the Great and Powerful Trixie will obviously win.”

“Good,” Kairi said, moving to the edge of the stage for a second. “Twilight, do you mind starting us off. I need to teach Trixie a lesson? And do you mind holding onto my bags, Rarity?”

Rarity nodded without a word, and used her magic to retrieve Kairi’s saddlebags. Twilight then approached hesitantly, looking at Trixie the entire time, before asking Kairi, “Are you really sure about this? What if the others start hating you because of this?”

“Trust me, Twilight, you’re thinking about this all wrong. I know my friends won’t hate me because of what I’m doing. And you shouldn’t either,” Kairi said, hoping to dash some of Twilight's worries about her, and especially about herself.

“Well, alright then,” Twilight stepped back, and Kairi retook her place on the stage, facing Trixie with determination. “Alright girls, keep this magic duel clean. Ready.” Trixie gave Kairi a grin, but then she blinked when Kairi seemed to conjure some sort of large key shaped object from nowhere. Kairi gripped her Destiny’s Embrace firmly between her teeth, and was ready to get this magic duel started. Trixie’s grin came back, despite not knowing what was going on. Perhaps the earth pony in front of her held some truth after all. “Set,” Twilight called out, and both ponies positioned themselves to start flinging spells around. A bead of sweat ran down Kairi’s cheek, itching to move.

A silent moment passed before Twilight finally called out, “MAGIC!” Instantly, the first few spells were flung, a fireball rushing at Kairi while a chunk of ice flew towards Trixie. Both countered the others spell perfectly with a defensive fireball wall around Kairi, while Trixie struck the ice with a few bolts of lightning. Kairi was the first to strike after she recovered, and sent a fireball towards the unicorn. Trixie jumped to the side, and shot her own fireball towards Kairi. She was quick to dodge as well, before running forwards at Trixie. The unicorn was surprised by the forward approach, conjuring a chunk of ice to fling at her, but Kairi jumped back as the ice struck the stage where she had been. Trixie sent two more at Kairi to make her back off, and she did so, and managed to fling a fireball towards Trixie after the second ice chunk struck the stage. Trixie barely managed to block the fireball with another chunk of ice, causing a small, yet dramatic show of exploding magic and sparkles to shower to the floor. Both paused for a moment, both collecting their breath.

‘Okay, I’ll give her credit, she does know her stuff. I thought I’d have an advantage by now, but I think we’re still evenly matched,’ Kairi thought.

“Trixie has to say, she wasn’t expecting this sort of challenge from an earth pony. Congrats, you’ve impressed Trixie, but only a little bit,” Trixie said, “But you’re going to have to do better if you want to beat The Great and Powerful Trixie.” Trixie said confidently.

Kairi really wanted to wipe that smug grin off of the unicorns face, only managing to make it fade after a few spells was not enough. ‘I’ll show you better.’ Jumping to the side, Kairi fired off a fireball to distract the unicorn. She then jumped forward, and flung a chunk of ice at her when Trixie dodged the first spell. Kairi moved forward, attempting to force Trixie further back on the stage, planning to make her fall off the stage. Trixie made this harder by dodging left or right, but slowly she was being pushed towards the end of the stage, and Kairi was getting closer with each spell. Being forced to move so much between spells, Trixie didn’t have enough time focus a spell to retaliate, it was only too late before she realized Kairi’s plan, and she was almost right on her. Now within range, Kairi charged a quick Thunder spell, attempting to make Trixie jump off the stage to avoid the spell. However, Trixie caught sight of this, and instead jumped and rolled past her far enough to avoid the spells lightning strikes.

Kairi was surprised when she saw this happened, turning to face Trixie fast enough to see the Blizzard spell she was about to cast. With a last ditch effort, she cast her own Blizzard spell at Trixie’s hooves, making the mare jump back before flinging the ice at Kairi. Just at the last second, Kairi jumped over the spell, gaining some distance from the stage edge, but now she dodged ice chunk after ice chunk Trixie was flinging her way. She even had to block a few with a defensive Fire spell to keep from getting hit. The entire time, the stage floor was gaining spots of slick ice on it because of Trixie’s magic. Deciding it was time to end this, Kairi jumped over one spell, then jumped again once she landed, and managed to spin in the air in the process, able to spin twice when she did. And each time she spun, Kairi flung her own Blizzard spell, and managed to freeze Trixie’s hooves to the stage floor. It was only when Kairi landed on her right front hoof that she realized her mistake, and instantly slipped on the slippery surface of ice. The motion managed to make her tumble right off the stage in front of everypony, and landed with a soft thud on the hard ground.

Kairi blinked several times as the action replayed itself in her head, and how she managed to forget to take in her surroundings as it changed. She sighed, feeling defeated as her Keyblade vanished from sight. The crowd had stayed silent for a little while, before cheering up a storm, not because of Kairi’s loss, but because of the dramatic display of magic they saw. “Hmph, Trixie told you didn’t she? Nopony can beat The Great and Powerful Trixie. Was there ever any doubt?” she said, before taking her leave behind the purple curtains, apparently having managed to thaw herself from the floor. Her stage quickly folded back up into the mobile home it looked before.

“Aw come on, that wasn’t fair. Kairi slipped on the ice, that shouldn’t count!” Spike said as the crowd dispersed.

“No, it’s fine Spike. I fell out fair and square, and only because I didn’t keep an eye on the floor,” she said, not minding the turn out of the duel. She was sure she had seen Trixie’s panicked face at some point during her spinning jump, and that was enough for her.

“You were totally awesome, Kairi! Way cooler than what I did,” Rainbow enthusiastically exclaimed.

“Thanks Rainbow, but you’re not escaping my lecture. Oh yeah, I’m going to talk your ear off about your little stunt,” she said, grinning at Rainbow Dash, who only returned a sheepish smile of her own.

“I gotta say, I knew you were plenty good with yer magic, but I didn’t expect such a show. I could barely keep up with all them spells flying around,” Applejack said.

“Wait, you guys aren’t mad at her for using her magic like that?” Twilight asked, now a little confused.

“Why of course not, Twilight. Whatever made you think we’d be mad at Kairi for trying to teach that boastful pony a lesson?” Rarity asked. She had been in awe just as much as every pony that had been in the crowd.

“It’s just, you were all against Trixie when she was showing off her magic. I just thought-“ Twilight was going to continue only to be interrupted by Rainbow.

“Whoa whoa whoa, is that what this is about? Trixie’s just a loud mouth, and bragging about what she could do. Kairi was just coming to our defense, Twi,” Rainbow said, “Is that why you didn’t try to show up Trixie yourself? You thought we’d hate you if you used your magic?” Twilight paused for a moment before nodding slightly.

“Oh sugarcube, ya didn’t have to worry about that. There ain’t no way we’d stop being yer friends because you could use a lot of magic. And I’m sorry if Ah made ya feel that way,” Applejack said, wrapping her leg around Twilight's shoulders.

“That’s what I said, but you didn’t listen to me,” Spike said, grumbling a little bit after.

Twilight just smile, and pulled him into a hug. “You were right Spike, I shouldn’t have doubted you. I’m sorry.”

“Heh, alright, apology accepted,” Spike said, returning the hug. Kairi finally stood up, smiling at Twilight.

“I’m glad your worries have been put to rest Twilight,” she said.

“Yeah, I guess you were right earlier. I was worrying about nothing. Well, I need to get back to the library. I need to look up some information that’s just come to light,” Twilight said. With other reasons being brought from the others, they bid each other a small goodbye, and left the town square in different directions, with Kairi walking alongside Rarity as she still levitated her saddlebags in front of her.

“Thanks for holding my bags Rarity, I needed as much weight off of me to move around more,” she said.

“You’re quite welcome Kairi, and I must say you looked amazing up there on the stage. Why, I’d say you were having a lot of fun,” Rarity commented.

“Yeah, it was kind of fun flinging spells around. I guess it has been awhile since I moved around that much.” Kairi smiled as she said this, positively beaming.

Rarity giggled softly, and said, “Well I’m glad you had a little fun then. Now, how was your day? Before this whole Trixie business, you looked extremely happy.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right! I got a job! I’m going to be starting on Monday at Time Turner’s Clockworks!” Kairi said excitedly.

“Time Turner’s little shop, why there of all places? Last time I was there, his prices were quite outrageous,” Rarity said, remembering that detail.

“Nothing about the prices has changed, but with me on the team, I’ll make sure most of those prices drop to a considerable range. I mean, who sells a toy for a thousand bits? Seriously, I would understand maybe ten, but a thousand? That’s just over the top.”

“My goodness, I dare say the prices are worse than they were the last time I was there. I’d like to know how he’s managed to keep his shop open for so long. I know he makes sure the clock tower in working order, but even that isn’t a lot of a work. Well I don’t suppose it is anyway,” Rarity said.

“I have no clue, all I know is I’m going to bring more business whether he likes it or not,” Kairi said, giving a little chuckle.

“Well it sounds like you have a plan to tackle the situation at his shop. I hope you do well on your first day,” Rarity said.

“Thanks, so do I,” she said, before pausing in her step. “Oh, that reminds, I need to learn what average pricing ranges are here. The universal monetary system being used on some of the other worlds out there is very different than it is here.”

“Oh, I know all about pricing, darling. I can give you a few tips on what you should be looking out for,” Rarity said, “That said, I think Twilight has a book that’s a little more accurate than my accounting experiences. You might be better off heading towards the library before you return.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” she said, turning to head back towards town square. She was stopped when Rarity strapped her saddlebags back on her.

“Just in case you come back with a book or two,” Rarity said.

“Heh, thanks Rarity. I’ll see you a little later,” she said, and made her way towards town square. As she moved through the square, she saw the same colts attempting to interact with Trixie. She rolled her eyes, kids could be so impressionable. She then noticed Spike making small talk with the two colts when Trixie obviously dismissed them as she walked past, wondering what he would be talking to them about. Perhaps she should ask once she saw him at the library. That was where he lived with Twilight after all.

It took Kairi the better part of fifteen minutes to find her way to Golden Oaks Library, her memory of the way a little fuzzy because she hadn’t visited much. She decided she needed to get out a little more often so she wouldn’t forget where the place was. Once she stepped up to the door, she knocked three times, and backed up a little. She heard Twilight’s voice calling out that the door was open and went inside. Seeing the interior of the library, she couldn’t help to feel some nostalgia from her past.

“Hi Kairi, I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon after today,” Twilight said from the small table at the center of the room.

“Well, I was talking to Rarity on the way to her house, and I realized that I’m not too familiar with the pricing here. The universal monetary system I’m used to doesn’t exactly translate well to this world’s currency,” she said as she closed the door behind her.

“Well I’m sure I have a current book somewhere. Just give me a minute to look around,” Twilight said as she got to her hooves. Flexing her magic, Kairi saw her horn glow with a purple aura, and several books began floating around the library.

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop being impressed by that. I think levitating things with my Keyblade is a bit beyond my reach,” she said, watching as all the books moved through the air as she made her way to the table.

“Really? Well that’s no good, then again it kind of makes sense. I’ve only seen you use a type of barrier spell, three different kinds of offensive magic, and a healing spell,” Twilight said while sorting through the books she was looking at.

“Most of the magic I’ve used are just basic spells though, and they have a type of evolutionary chain. With practice and training, I can be able to use more powerful spells, and the name slightly changes with it.”

“Hmm, sounds like the magic you use is similar to the magic that was used before Equestria was founded, ones that have a simple make up without taxing the mana reserves of the body too much. Unicorn magic has evolved in lots of ways since those times, but the Keyblade only seems to help with connecting a pony into their mana more directly, which could explain why Rainbow was able to make that lightning. It doesn’t seem like it can accurately direct magic like a unicorn’s horn can, only help draw from the pool to form the magic needed. Maybe that’s why you don’t think levitation would be possible, you don’t have the knowledge yet to utilize it,” Twilight said. Kairi just blinked, somewhat lost to what Twilight had just theorized.

“That…sounds plausible I guess. Huh, I guess I never really thought about it before. I shouldn’t really be surprised, Merlin can teleport to anywhere he pleases,” Kairi said. The idea that the Keyblade helped its wielder tap into magic seeming to make sense. But then why was Merlin able to use magic? Was he just naturally gifted?

“Who is Merlin? I don’t think you’ve mentioned him before,” Twilight asked, not taking her eyes away. She knew she had a book on accounting somewhere, she just couldn’t remember where she placed it.

“He’s a wizard I know, and he’s helped Sora out a few times in the past. He’s always been a good friend, and he helped teach me magic when I was in training,” she said, answering Twilight’s question.

“He sounds like a good guy,” Twilight said. As she looked at the covers for the books she was levitating off and on to the shelves, Kairi spotted one that had an interesting cover. Reaching up with her hooves, she plucked it out of the air, and out of Twilight’s magical grip.

“Huh, what’s this? Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone?” Kairi questioned.

“Oh, it’s not what you’re looking for, but it’s the first in a series of books published by A.K. Yearling, who writes about the fictional adventures of Daring Do. She’s a pegasus who’s an adventuring archaeologist, and she travels to dangerous places to recover precious artifacts,” Twilight answered, finally finding the book she had been searching for. She levitated the book over to Kairi while simultaneously returning all the books she had plucked from the shelves with her magic.

“Hm, sounds like an interesting read,” Kairi said, putting the book down for the moment. “Book rental doesn’t cost much does it?”

“Why would it cost anything, it’s the late fee you only have to worry about,” Twilight said with a smile. Kairi smiled back glad to know that checking out a book from a library was the same no matter where she was. Twilight had then enveloped the Daring Do book in her magic, and levitated it up with the other book for Kairi. “I’m pretty sure I can trust you to bring both back on time,” she said.

“Hehe, well alright then, though I don’t know if I’ll be able to get around to it,” Kairi said, though she wasn’t expecting to go home with two books.

“I have the series myself, and they really are a great read. I hope you enjoy it,” Twilight said. She then walked over to one of the book stands, her magic retrieving a tan slip of paper, and placed it on the hard surface. “If you have five bits, I can give you your library card. I’m going to guess you haven’t learned to write yet.”

“Considering I’d be writing with my lips and teeth, it isn’t the first thing I want to jump into doing just yet,” she replied, not really eager about holding a quill in her mouth.

“You got to learn sometime though. I’ll just fill in your name for you then.” Twilight went ahead, and started writing on the card as Kairi retrieved the satchel from her saddlebag. Before she knew it, Twilight had already levitated it from her grasp, and pulled five bits out to add the library’s funds. She then blew softly on the card to dry the ink faster, before slipping it into one of the books. She then placed the satchel and books in Kairi’s saddlebags while smiling, and said, “Well, that’s that, I hope you enjoy the books.”

“Thanks Twilight, I really appreciate the help,” Kairi said back.

“It’s no problem at all, I’m just happy to help out. Have a good evening, Kairi.”

“Thanks, you too Twilight,” Kairi said as she opened the door, and left the library. Just as she closed the door, and began walking away, she saw Spike coming towards her. “Hi Spike.”

“Oh, hi Kairi,” he replied, though he wasn’t very enthusiastic when he said it.

“What’s wrong? Still upset about the whole Trixie thing?” she asked.

“Yeah, a little bit. You did really well in your duel against Trixie, it was amazing to watch. I just wish you beat her,” he said.

“Yeah, I was really trying hard to win myself, but I’m pretty satisfied all the same. I’ve gotten pretty good dodging on my hooves, and if it hadn’t been for that one spot of ice, I’m sure I would have won,” she said. In truth, she was a little sore for not keeping an eye on her surroundings, but that was the only thing that bothered her about it.

“That’s why I think it’s unfair. She won on a technicality, not through her own ability,” Spike said. He made some sense, but ultimately she did fall off the stage.

“Really Spike, it’s okay. Think of it this way, I fell out because I didn’t keep a better eye out, not because she managed to push me out,” she said.

“Yeah, I guess you have a point. You didn’t technically lose to her at least. That’s at least worth something.”

“Mmhm, it is, and I’ll know better in the future. Speaking of Trixie, what were you talking about with those two colts earlier?”

“Oh, Snips and Snails? Just that they shouldn’t believe everything Trixie says. I mean no one actually saw Trixie vanquish an Ursa Major, and I’m sure we would have heard something about one rampaging in Hoofington by now.”

“Good point, though I’m not sure how big an Ursa Major might be. I get the feeling I don’t want to know either.”

“I’ve heard about them, but not much though. I think I heard that they are pretty big though, maybe bigger than a house.”

“Oh, definitely never want to see one then. Knowing that is enough knowledge for me.”

“Hehe, yeah. Well, I should probably get inside, and help Twilight with whatever she’s doing,” he said, and walked past Kairi. “See you around Kairi.”

“See you around Spike,” she said as Spike walked into the Library. She then began trotting back towards Carousel Boutique, eager to start learning more about the monetary system in Equestria.

---

Five hours later

---

Kairi had her face down in the couch cushions, groaning as her head hurt from her read. Paragraph after paragraph was just buried under text that, while she tried to make sense of it, was just hurting her brain more by the minute. She had settled down on the couch in order get comfy for a long reading session, but now she was just struggling to get through a paragraph.

Rarity entered the room, and saw Kairi’s predicament. “Is something wrong Kairi?” she asked. After she got a mumbled mess as Kairi talked into the cushions she raised her head, and sighed heavily.

“This book has so much text, and it’s so detailed that I can’t make heads or tails out of it. Why can’t it just be explained in a simpler manner?” she said. She then dropped her head on the cushion, causing the book flop down on her face. Despite Kairi’s circumstances, Rarity couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped her.

“Perhaps you’re just pushing yourself too hard. I’m sure a little more exposure will help just as much. And in any case, you do have three days before Monday comes around, so perhaps a small break will help you,” Rarity said, “Besides, dinner is ready.”

Kairi lifted her head, the idea of having some food in her belly sounding like a good plan at the moment. Memorizing the page she was on, she lifted the book off her head, put it down on the coffee table before she followed Rarity to the kitchen, and sat at the dining table. “It is sort of hard to focus on an empty stomach,” she said.

“As I thought, you’ve barely moved from the couch since you got back. You must have worked up an appetite by now, so I prepared something I think will be quite delicious for the both of us,” Rarity said. She then levitated two bowls to the table, setting one in front of Kairi, and the other for herself as she sat at the table. Kairi saw the sliced up fruit in the bowl, and a fork stabbed into a sliced strawberry.

“Oh, it’s looks great Rarity,” Kairi said, before looking at the fork. She was instantly reminded of her body’s form, and sighed softly. “I really do miss my hands sometimes. Oh well, I need learn to use these hooves somehow.” For a moment, it looked like Rarity was about to say something, but Kairi cut her off before made her offer. “It’s fine Rarity, you don’t need to help. I can learn to use a fork with my hooves…”

Even though Kairi said it, she was rather doubtful she could use her hooves like she wanted. She reached forward with her right hoof, and carefully bent it enough to feel the metal press against her leg. She then tried picking it up, only for it to fall, and clatter in the bowl, the sound made was none too pleasant to hear. She frowned as Rarity watched, who wasn’t eating while Kairi hadn’t. Over and over again, she tried picking the utensil up, only to drop it though thankfully it never left the bowl.

“Rrr, how does Rainbow Dash make it look so easy? She can hold her Keyblade with ease, but I can’t pick up a simple fork,” she said angrily to herself. She stared daggers at the utensil, as if blaming it for not working for her.

“Well, Rainbow Dash has had a longer time to learn to hold things in her hoof. This is your first time trying, Kairi, so it’s not going to come to you so easily,” Rarity said.

“I know, I’m still getting used to some things. Just got to keep trying until I get it right,” Kairi said, and continued to pick up the fork multiple times again. It was only until several minutes passed by before she laid her head on the table, looking defeated. Rarity just could not find the right words to say to cheer her up, try as she might.

“I really miss having fingers right now. If I had some feeling in my hoof, I’d at least know how hard to grip it,” she finally said after a minute of sulking.

“Perhaps that’s where you’re thinking wrong, darling,” Rarity said. This caught Kairi’s attention, her ears swiveling up and towards her friend. “Perhaps you’re not gripping it hard enough. Silverware is specially made to be extra durable, so don’t worry about bending the metal.”

Lifting her head, Kairi looked at the fork with a raised eyebrow, and reached for it one more time. As she bent her hoof around the handle of the utensil, she used a little more strength to grip it, and found that had indeed been the problem all along as she lifted it up. “Huh, well I feel silly now,” she said, giving a slightly sheepish smile.

Rarity just smiled back, and said, “Instead of feeling silly, why don’t you go ahead fill that empty belly of yours.” With a nod, Kairi leaned her head forward, and plucked the strawberry off the end, not yet trusting herself to keep a firm grip yet. She did however managed to stab several more slices, and found herself enjoying the taste of the blue berries, mangoes, bananas, and other fruit in the bowl a lot.

However, dinner was soon interrupted by the sound of a loud, growling roar coming from outside. Kairi had never heard that sound before, and looked at an equally shocked Rarity across from her. “What was that?” she asked. When Rarity shook her head, they both left the table, and decided to peak outside through the front door of the boutique. What they saw was a gigantic starry bear stomping its way after two little dots in the distance. Kairi caught a glimpse of a pointed star on its head, and instantly realized what it was. “That’s an Ursa Major?!”

“Oh my goodness! It’s positively huge, there’s no way Ponyville will be safe if it wreaks havoc in town!” Rarity said, obviously frightened.

“Well we can’t just stay here, we need to warn everypony!” Kairi said, opening the door wider. She managed to dash a few steps before something else caught her attention. “No. No no no NO! Not now! Why are they here now?!”

“Kairi, what’s wrong?” Rarity asked, sounding even more frightened.

“Urgh, long story short, I can sense darkness, and I just felt several Heartless popping up! And they’re in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, probably even trying to attack the Apple family!” Kairi explained.

“Oh no, this just can’t-“

“Don’t say it, or you’ll jinx it!” Kairi said, cutting her off, “Look, can you warn everyone else? I can’t just leave them alone to deal with the Heartless.”

“Of course, I’ll do what I can to help. You just be careful, Kairi,” Rarity said.

“Sure thing, and you stay away from the Ursa Major as best as you can. See you when I see you,” she said, before leaving Rarity behind. She galloped as hard as she could in a mad dash to get to Sweet Apple Acres. “I hope they stay safe until I get there. I don’t see a barrier yet, which is always good news.” Kairi couldn’t help but think the entire thing with the Ursa Major and Heartless wasn’t a mere coincidence.

---

“Get back ya filthy varmints! Ah ain’t a lettin ya near mah family!” Applejack yelled. She stared at the numerous Shadows that suddenly popped up when she and her family stepped outside to see what the commotion had been about. Now they were pinned up against the side of the barn. Each time one had come close enough to strike at them, either her or Big Mac would buck them back into the crowd. Out the corner of her eye, she saw another making another attempt to attack her little sister, and she was there to buck it back again. “Ya’ll best give up now, ‘cuz we ain’t a family ya’ll want to mess with!” She yelled angrily.

“Eeeyup!” Big Mac yelled just as angrily, swiping another Heartless away before it got the chance to attack Granny Smith. He was easily holding his own, and made sure none of the Shadows had struck him. But the Heartless just didn’t understand the fact that they wouldn’t claim any hearts attacking one at a time, and kept trying to sneak past the two adult ponies. The first time they had tried this, the Apples had quickly caught on, and made short in bucking them back into their group.

This was the sight Kairi saw as she galloped up the path to Sweet Apple Acres, and she was quick to yell out her arrival. “Applejack! I’m here!” she yelled, though she should have stayed quiet.

This was not a distraction Applejack could afford as she looked at the oncoming pony, and was about to call out to her before she was interrupted by a scream behind her. The sound traveled chillingly down her spine, turning just in time to see one of the Shadows had snuck past her, and was about to lunge at Applebloom! “HEEEEELP!” the little filly screamed.

Applejack stood frozen as time stood still for just one second. Big Mac had his own distraction to deal with, and she couldn’t expect Granny Smith to do anything in her old age. Kairi was too far away to do anything as well. She didn’t know what to do; the Shadow was far too close to buck it away from Applebloom, and she wasn’t sure if she could retaliate if another decided to attack her then. If she was honest with herself, she was rightfully scared for her family. That little spark of honesty in her heart sparked a sensation in Applejack that she could only describe as sudden confidence as she turned on her hooves, and jumped at the attacking Heartless.

In the second Applejack jumped for the Heartless, she bared her teeth as a glow surrounded her, and swung her head hopefully. The Heartless exploded into harmless shadows as its heart was released, and the Keyblade that formed in Applejacks mouth glowed softly before the light dimmed. Just as another Shadow had attempted to strike Applejack from behind, a blast from a fireball quickly halted and destroyed the Heartless effortlessly. Turning around, she saw Kairi had jumped right into the middle of the crowd of Heartless, and fired off a spell to protect her. She breathed easily, gave the weapon in her mouth a quick glance. It very much resembled an apple tree, with the handle and guard made of strong roots, the blade itself forming the trunk with a bunch of metal leaves and apples at the tip, and the tooth being a fairly large apple. The keychain attached to the handle was an apple as well, but it looked like a jewel rather than metal like Rainbow Dash’s.

“AJ, go help Kairi deal with these ruffians! Big Mac can handle protecting us both,” Granny said. And she looked like she wasn’t going to take no for answer. Turning to look at Big Mac, he just simply nodded as he knocked another Heartless away. She nodded back, and charged straight into the crowd where Kairi managed to take down another of the offending dark creatures, taking out a few on her way.

“Ah’m here Kairi, what’s the plan?” she spoke around the handle, almost as if it wasn’t hindering her speech at all. Kairi showed the plan she had in mind, and attacked one of the Heartless when it lunged at Applejack. “That’s mah kind o’ plan!” She lifted up on her hind legs, and shouted, “YEEHAW!” With that, she began attacking just as harshly as Kairi was, dropping the numbers of Heartless easily within a few minutes.

It was only when their numbers began dwindling that new heartless emerged, and Kairi counted off at least six ponified Soldier Heartless. She cringed a little when one managed to charge her from the side, and hit her by surprise. A small flame of darkness sprouted where she was struck, and she would have been hit again if Applejack hadn’t hit it away from her. “You varmints just don’ learn yer lesson, do ya!” While Applejack had been preoccupied, another of the Soldiers charged at her, and Kairi managed to see it just in time to hit it with a Blizzard spell. Looking at where Kairi had fired her spell, she saw the Heartless knocked off its hooves. “Thanks, but what about you?”

“I’ld fe vide,” Kairi said, knowing she sounded weird talking past her handle. That was the only reason she never talked when she did have her Keyblade out. She quickly cast Cure on herself, before striking away another of the Heartless. They were starting to become a little bolder, and Applejack could sense it as well. This needed to end now and fast. She had an idea, something she had been wanting to teach Rainbow Dash a little later, but she was pressed for time as it was. “Kab boo ubertad be?”

“A little bit, yeah. What’s up?” Applejack asked.

“Wed Ah shay bow, chabel yer adacks wib bide,” she replied. They had all of the Heartless attention now, and it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment to strike back. She then saw the Heartless start to move, and that’s when she yelled, “Bow!” At the same time, the two ponies were enveloped in a white and yellow aura, and both spun with their backs to each other as their Keyblades struck the first few Heartless that had launched an attack on them. Applejack then tensed her muscles as Kairi hopped on her back, standing on her hind legs with Keyblade pointed to the sky, and shot several beams of magical energy from the end to strike at their foes. When she hopped down, they moved further into the crowd of Heartless, and struck again as they spun like a circle, with climbing on top of Applejack to strike with her magic again. They repeated the cycle several times, reducing their opponent’s numbers drastically every time.

It was then in between their attacks that the Heartless attacked all at once, but this too was trumped as Kairi and Applejack connected their weapons at the blade. Applejack shouted, “Honesty’s Judgment!” and bright light emanated from the both of them, the magical energy exploding outwards, and wiping out the remaining Heartless.

It was silent for the next minute as the light faded from them, the Apple family awestruck with what they had witnessed. Both of them panted the entire time, looking over the area again and again, making sure the place was cleared of all Heartless. Sensing no darkness from the area, Kairi breathed a sigh of relief as she let her Keyblade vanish. “Okay, it looks like it is all clear now. And a terrible time for them to show up out of nowhere, and in such numbers too,” she said.

Applejack did the same in letting her Keyblade vanish, and turned to Kairi, “Ah’ll say, but as long as mah family is safe, then Ah’ll be happy,” she said, her expression hardly changing from how serious everything was. “How did ya know to come here anyway? I’m not lookin’ a gift horse in the mouth or anythin’, but there was no way any of us could get away to tell ya,” she asked.

“Short answer is I can sense the darkness, and I felt the Heartless pop up when-“ She was cut off by a loud growling roar in the distance. “Oh shoot, the Ursa Major! Come on, we got to hurry, and warn the rest of Ponyville!” She exclaimed, and started galloping down the path back into town. Applejack had been shocked to her exclamation, but followed shortly after her.

Before they had galloped far from the homestead, they soon heard soothing music playing over a gentle wind. They both looked at each other, and both wondered what was going on. They then saw what Kairi believed was the towns metal water tower floating in the air without the tower. It more or less looked like a metal bottle now, and it was engulfed in a purple magical aura. The sight of this stopped them both in their tracks, and followed its path through the air to watch it dump its liquid content in a nearby creek. It then floated towards a barn, and the resulting moos Kairi heard in the distance made her believe it was being lived in by cows. When it floated out of the building, and watched the top pop back on, Kairi asked, “What in the world is going on?”

“Ah have no idea, but Ah think that’s Twilight’s magic being used,” Applejack said, before looking towards town square. She saw the Ursa Major with its blue starry glow, and how it was wobbling on its legs. And in front of it was a unicorn, her horn glowing brightly as she continued to cast her magic as she lifted the now drowsy bear up into the air, and started rocking it as the metal container was brought up to it. Its lips was easily around the narrow tip, and was sucking on it like a baby bottle as it was levitated out of Ponyville back to where it belonged. Kairi had seen this all happen as well, and she still couldn’t believe it happened.

They both walked towards town square, and saw the light of magic finally dim down as the pony responsible for saving the town start panting from using so much magic. And they both saw it was Twilight sitting there, catching her breath. She was brought out of her composure when she heard cheering from the gathered ponies of Ponyville, all who had seen Twilight’s magnificent feat of magic. “Golly, Ah knew you had ability, but Ah never knew ya had that much,” Applejack said as she and Kairi approached.

“That was awesome Twilight, I think you could give some of the wizards I know a run for their money,” Kairi said, wearing as bright a smile as Applejack.

“Eheh, thanks, but I was just doing what I could to help. I-I wasn’t even sure I could do all that myself,” Twilight said, giving a sheepish smile. “You girls really don’t mind my magic tricks then?”

Before Kairi knew, Rainbow had flown in from whatever cloud she had been on when she watched Twilight work her magic, and said, “Are you still nervous about that? Like we said before, you have nothing to fear if you want to show us some of your magic tricks.”

“Sugarcube, yer magic is a part of who you are, and we like who you are. Ah think Ah speak for all of us when Ah say we’re mighty proud to have such a powerful unicorn as our friend,” Applejack said.

“And after vanquishing that ursa for us, I’d say we’re even prouder,” Rarity said. She had been among the crowd as they watched Twilight, and only now stepped forward to walk up next to her friend.

“You are?” Twilight asked, feeling genuinely happy as she spoke.

She heard an affirmation to her question from her friends, smiling as they did. Then Spike spoke up, “Wow Twilight, how did you know what to do with that Ursa Major?”

“That’s what I was doing when you came into the library, Spike. I was intrigued by Trixie’s bragging that I did a little reading up on them,” she replied.

“It is possible to vanquish an Ursa Major all by yourself?” Spike asked, sounding intrigued where this was going.

“That wasn’t an Ursa Major; that was just a baby, an Ursa Minor,” Twilight explained.

“That was just a baby?!” Trixie said suddenly, earning herself a couple of glares.

“And it wasn’t rampaging, it was just cranky because somepony woke it up,” Twilight said, turning her eyes to the two responsible for bringing the Ursa Minor into Ponyville. Kairi followed her gaze, and saw the same two colts from earlier in the day, the ones Spike named Snips and Snails. Considering the short, blue chubby colt had a scissors Cutie Mark, and the tall, brown-orange lanky colt had a snail Cutie Mark, it was safe to say who was who. Kairi just facehooved when she learned this bit of information. As mean as it was, she was now convinced these two had simple minds.

“Well, if that was- You know what, nevermind. I don’t want to know. I’d rather not imagine something any bigger than an Ursa Minor. I like my peaceful sleep,” Kairi said, shaking her head while earning a couple of giggles from the ponies around her.

Even Twilight giggled a little before saying, “Trust me, you really don’t want to know.”

“Humph, you may have vanquished an Ursa Minor,” Trixie said as she approached Twilight. Despite what must have happened during the commotion, she seemed to bounce back with her usual ‘mightier than thou’ attitude. “But you will never have the amazing, show stopping power of The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She rose on her back legs as she said all this, and then stomped down on the ground, causing a small smoke cloud to erupt. When it dispersed she was already several feet away.

“Wow, what got under her fur, and bit her?” Kairi asked.

“She’s probably sore that her house-slash-stage got crushed during the commotion,” Rarity said.

Kairi blinked, and watched Trixie’s retreating form before she vanished out of sight. “Wow, that’s got to be an ego hit since it was her own bragging that caused this to happen,” she said, feeling just a little bad for the mare now.

“Well, just let her go for now. Maybe someday she’ll learn her lesson,” Twilight said, “Now, about you two.” She was quick to prevent Snips and Snails from doing their own disappearing act.

“Uh, we’re sorry about waking up the Ursa Minor,” Snips said.

“We just wanted to see some awesome magic,” Snails said.

“Yeah, and the way you vanquished that Ursa Minor was awesome!” Snips exclaimed.

Seeing Twilight’s un-approving face made them quick to deflate their happiness.

“We deserve whatever punishment you give us,” Snails said, both him and his friend low to the ground as the full weight of their irresponsible behavior bore down on them.

“For starters, you can clean up this mess,” Twilight said, looking over to Trixie’s busted home. “And what do you think Spike. Should I give them number twenty-five?”

“Ooohh, twenty-five, yes, and I think I deserve it too,” he said. This caused the colts to wonder loudly what the two were talking about.

“I think you’re right,” she said, and ignited her magic. The two colts looked scared about what their fate was about to be, closing their eyes to receive whatever pain was coming their way. Kairi would have stepped in by now, but Spike was standing next to them, and was pushing his head up and out, as if expecting something different to happen. Seeing his actions, she waited to see the outcome. She did not expect Twilight's magic to give each of the boys a different style of mustache. She found herself giggling, her worry having been unfounded. Each of the boys had said “Sweet!”, and with that the crowd of ponies began returning to their homes to turn in for the night.

Looking around, Kairi noticed this, and said, “I think everypony has the right idea. I’m beat after today.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely time to hit the hay. I’ll see you girls in the morning. Night,” Rainbow said, taking to the air, and heading for her home.

Snips and Snails had already started heading home, deciding to leave cleaning for the morning, and commented on each other’s mustache. Spike on the other hand, walked up to Rarity, and asked her, “So, Rarity, how do you like my mustache? It’s pretty cool, right?”

She just giggled, and patted him lightly on the head, “I think you look fine, Spikey-Wikey, but it just isn’t you. You look better without it.”

“Aww…” he said. Kairi couldn’t help but giggle, it was just too adorable watching him trying to impress Rarity.

“Well, I think Kairi and I will take our leave then. Twilight, Applejack, have a good night the both of you,” she said. She nodded her head to direct Kairi’s attention as she turned to leave.

“Yeah, good night you two,” Kairi said, and followed after Rarity.

They heard their friends wish them a good night as well as they left. Once they were out of hearing range, Rarity asked, “I’m glad you got to Applejack in time.”

“So am I, but I’m far more proud at both Twilight and Applejack,” Kairi said, feeling a little drowsy now.

“Oh, is that so? I know why you’re proud of Twilight, darling, but why of Applejack?” the fashionista asked.

“Because, Applejack summoned her Keyblade tonight. I would have liked it more if it didn’t happen because of the danger her family was put in, but I’m happy that she did so to protect her little sister,” Kairi explained.

“Oh, that’s wonderful news. This means you will need to teach Applejack magic as well, right?”

“It does, but right now the only thing I can focus on is a bed,” Kairi said as yawn managed to escape her. Whatever worries she should have could wait for the morning. A bed was calling her name, and she was far too obliged to answer that siren call when they got to Rarity’s Carousel Boutique.

Author's Note:

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. The heartless battle and magic duel were especially fun to write. Hope you all enjoy.

Also don't forget to like, favorite, and follow if you enjoy this story. A comment about what you like and don't like is also welcome.

Comments

[Tetsuya Kintame]

6231846
Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

[Dapper Guy]

Even more Heartless! So, I wonder if ponies will begin to draw the lines with the sudden arrival of Kairi and the creatures of darkness suddenly popping up around Equestria. I don't doubt they'll start appearing in other places besides Ponyville but where's the head Heartless at? What's it gonna look like? I must know.

[JediAlexColbent]

Honestly, I can't find a single thing wrong with this chapter, or the story for that matter. It all seems pretty pitch perfect thus far. Admittedly, I WOULD like to see some of the other members of the Mane Six (probably excluding Fluttershy) learn to use a Keyblade, but its probably for the best that you stick to the small group you have right now. Then once they've mastered everything Kairi has to teach them, they can teach other ponies what they've learned.

[Lord Nopony]

Daww! So adorable! Liked this. Especially the Magic Duel!

[SkyiteGaming]

Girl how can you resest this?!