Slice of Life
Bright and early on the other end of Ponyville, an old donkey made his way to a cottage on the outskirts of the friendly town where he decided to settle down after many years trying to find the love of his life he met in Canterlot at the Gala. He was a new resident a couple years back by the name of Cranky, and with a wild and crazy meeting with Pinkie in her attempts to make friends with everyone who comes into town, he was finally reunited with his lover, Matilda, who was actually in Ponyville all the time he searched for her. Granted, it was his fault for not noticing the note she left for him after the Gala many years ago, but all that time searching was worth it, even suffering through Pinkie Pie’s antics, constant pestering, damaging his memory book, and chasing him around town to apologize for her annoyances.
Today, he was a little bit annoyed with most of the ponies who were in town that morning about the wedding, he and Matilda finally tying the not after so many years trying to find her. Straightening his blonde wig Pinkie got for him after destroying his old toupee that hid his bald head, he approached the door to his home and walked inside, finding his fiancee sitting in front of a table going through her own memory book they both now shared. He let out an exhausted groan as he slammed the door, dropping his groceries on the floor and alerting his beloved to his return.
“I’ll never understand the ponies in this town,” Cranky said with a huff. “Everyone was all gussied up and kept looking at me funny! Kept asking me if I was ‘nervous’.”
“Did they forget that the wedding is tomorrow?” Matilda asked after pressing a wedding invitation into her book to look back on.
“Well, maybe they just might be a bit too excited for us to be married as I am.” The couple giggled as Cranky nuzzled Matilda, already anticipating the big day tomorrow.
“Well, everyone’s going to feel silly when they realize they’ve got the wrong date.” Matilda looked down at the wedding invitation, she gasped when she saw the date on their big day. “Oh no! The invitations are wrong! This says the wedding is today!”
“Huh? But I got a good deal on those,” Cranky muttered.
“Everypony in town got these!” Matilda exclaimed in a panic. “Even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna RSVP’d!”
“I knew we should have just eloped,” Cranky grumbled. “Would have made things a whole lot easier for the two of us.”
“Oh dear. The caterer, the flowers, the musicians!” Matilda continued, ignoring her fiance’s complaints as her big day needs to be moved immediately. “We have to move it all to today!”
“What!?” Cranky exclaimed in shock, unable to calm his beloved donkey bride as she ran out into town.
“WHERE’S MY WEDDING PLANNER!?” Matilda screamed as she disappeared down the road.
Cranky looked at the invitation, sneering angrily at how the pony at the post office mixed up an important date for his and Matilda’s wedding. He marched out of the cottage and made his way to the post office, where he met the pony that he placed full responsibility on the wedding invites.
“You told me you could do it for half of what the others charged!” Cranky yelled. “And then you sent the invitations to everypony in town with the wrong date!”
The cranky old donkey snorted in irritation as he complained to Ponyville’s ditsy mail carrier: Derpy Hooves. The gray pegasus mare stared at Cranky with her cocked eyes, lowering her head down and pulling out a basket of fresh muffins she baked as she smiled apologetically at him.
“Muffin?” she offered, but the old donkey huffed and stormed out, a complimentary muffin not going to help now that his wedding was moved to today. Derpy let out a sigh, feeling guilty as she screwed up again. “I just don’t know what went wrong...”
Ventus and Spike walked back into Ponyville after watching the others head out to the Mysterious Tower to find out what Sora’s fate will be. Spike was a little dejected that he had to stay behind again, wanting to come along and see the rest of what else the universe had out beyond Equestria. Every time something happens, he’s always left behind when it involves anything exciting or fun. Granted, some of those events were dangerous, even for a baby dragon, but he was a part of the Castle of Friendship just like the others.
“Hey, don’t fret over everything, Spike,” Ventus said, trying to cheer Spike up. “It’s better not to get into any dangerous situations in the first place. Trust me. I ended up being Xehanort’s apprentice and had my darkness extracted from my heart.”
“Yeah, but I’d like to do something to help out aside from being Twilight’s number one assistant and sitting on a throne,” Spike said. “I don’t think I can even be called by the map because I don’t have a cutie mark. Yet you, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, and Terra can be called by it, both for here and out in the other worlds.”
“Well, just because you’re not called doesn’t mean you can’t be helpful with anything else,” Ventus reasoned. “Take us Keyblade wielders. Sometimes, problems come up in other worlds, many of them not involving the Heartless. Even though we aren’t supposed to be involved, we end up getting pulled into that problem and work with those in trouble to get it solved.”
“But you got stuck here while Aqua and Terra left. And they treat you like a kid, too.” The pegasus nodded his head, though he was never bothered by it ever since he first met them.
“I know, but they’re always concerned about me,” he said. “I wasn’t exactly myself when I first met them. Having part of my heart forced out of me, all of my darkness that created Vanitas, I was incredibly weak and had no idea what happened to me. I even screamed in pain when I first met them, overwhelmed with them getting to know me while I tried answering them.”
“...Wow...Was that really painful?” Spike asked curiously, bringing a claw up to his chest.
“It felt like I almost died while also losing a part of myself,” Ventus answered, making the baby dragon cringe. “Aqua and Terra always worry about me, even if I can fend for myself. I know they’re just making sure I don’t get hurt like I had the first time I met them, but they don’t see me as a helpless little kid. All of us know you can hold your own sometimes, Spike, but even if you’re confident enough to do something on your own, you might end up regretting it if it’s too much to handle. Like the Dragon Migration where you tried to discover who you were.”
“How were you even-?” Spike paused, completely forgetting that Ventus knows everything Sora had seen and done before his heart returned to his body. “Oh yeah...” During his journey to meet with other dragons during the migration, he thought he would be able to fit in easily when he met dragons close to his age. Unfortunately, Garble and his friends weren’t as great as he thought they would be, more rough and reckless than what he liked. If Sora and Kairi weren’t there transformed as dragons, he would have had a more difficult time fitting in, or be made fun of as a dragon raised by ponies. “...I guess I really couldn’t handle those teenage dragons by myself, huh?”
“Yeah. They were the absolute worst.” Ventus pat the baby dragon on the head, to his annoyance. “At least you’re not like them, so that’s one good thing. Better to have this Spike than a Spike raised with his own kind.”
“...Yeah. I’d rather much be a pony, even though I’m not.” Spike smacked away the teen’s hoof as they giggled. “So, do you know when everypony’s going to stop worrying about us?”
“It’s hard to say, but eventually, they’ll stop and notice that we aren’t the same little kid they knew,” Ventus said. “Maybe some day, we can let you tag along, but for now, they need us here to watch over the map. Or, we could do something else.”
“Like what?” Spike asked.
Pulling out a letter from his pocket, Ventus showed Spike what was inside it. “Well, we got ourselves a wedding invitation early this morning. Maybe it’ll be as action packed as Shining Armor and Cadence’s.”
“I don’t think the changelings will show up again after they were shot out of Canterlot,” Spike said. He took the invite and read it over. “Huh. Cranky and Matilda are getting married, huh? I heard Pinkie tried to be friends with that old donkey. About time he and Matilda are going to get hitched.”
“Just don’t try to plan him a bachelor party.” Ventus laughed as Spike cringed, knowing what a bachelor party was meant to be at the end of the royal couple’s wedding.
“I wish Sora didn’t tell me that,” Spike grumbled. “Anyway, as embarrassing and awkward as a bachelor party for an old donkey sounds, I wonder if we should get them a wedding present.”
“Depends on what a couple their age would like for a wedding gift.” While the two pondered over what they should get for Cranky and Matilda, Ventus spotted Derpy sitting at a table outside the cafe with a brown earth pony stallion with a darker brown mane, an hourglass cutie mark on his flanks, wearing a green bowtie around his neck.
“Oh, I really messed up with those invitations,” the mailmare said miserably. “I feel just awful, Doc!”
Overhearing how she messed up invitations, Ventus took back the wedding invite from Spike as they both approached the table. “Hey, Derpy.”
“Oh. Hi, Sora,” she greeted back sadly.
“Uhh, no. My name’s Ventus,” the teen corrected.
Looking at him closely, squinting her derpy eyes before realizing her mistake. “Oh! I’m sorry. You look an awful lot like him. I didn’t know he had a twin.”
“More like a half brother,” Ventus said. “Anyway, I overheard you saying you messed up some invitations. They wouldn’t happen to be these wedding invitations to Cranky and Matilda’s wedding, are they?”
“Yes. I put in the wrong date,” she said. “I told Cranky I could get them printed for cheap, but that meant hiring somepony with a printing press.”
“Weddings are pretty expensive,” Spike said. “There’s all the food that needs to be made, setting up the banquet, rings, dresses and suits, the cake, everything.”
“I just wish I was able to go back in time and fix all this,” Derpy said.
The other stallion tapped a hoof to his chin. “I think I might have the solution to your predicament,” he said. After paying for the lemonade he was drinking, the stallion ushered Derpy, Ventus, and Spike to follow him to his house, but inside was a lot bigger than it appeared on the outside. The younger of the two visitors gawked in awe at all the technological equipment, models, and other devices that would be every scientists’ dream lab to want to work in. “But, going back in time is old thinking. I was working on a cutting-edge theory of making time come forward to you!”
“...Uhh, isn’t that the same thing as traveling through time?” Ventus asked in confusion.
The stallion didn’t answer as they heard Derpy making random engine noises above them, having flown up onto a model blimp, sitting in a hole big enough for her size while wearing a strainer on her head. Lowering the pegasus mare down, ruining her fun, he took the strainer off her head.
“My life’s work, decades - centuries, really - of research and experimentation, and I nearly had it cracked!” he continued. “Turned out there was a magic spell for it. Who knew?”
“Wait, did he just say ‘centuries’?” Spike asked Ventus, the teen just as surprised as the baby dragon at this stallion’s work.
Before getting any answers out of whoever this pony was, Derpy interrupted them as they heard the sound of something electrifying. They saw her messing with a plasma ball, touching her hoof against the glass as it made her mane and tail stand up from the electrical current. The stallion approached her, continuing his ranting while ignoring the questions the two younger boys asked.
“But there are so many things magic can’t explain,” he said, stopping the gray pegasus mare from making her hair stand up and droop, causing his own hair to spike up from the harmless shocks. “Where science and mathematics are the real magic!”
“Like these?” Derpy asked, looking at a case filled with strangely colored, flowery-looking objects. “They’re pretty.”
“Ah, yes. My flameless fireworks.” Ventus and Spike looked at the case, amazed to see these special fireworks, though they had no clue how it was possible to ignite them when the term “fire” is in the name. “I never could figure out how to get them to ignite.”
“And yet you made these things,” Ventus uttered. “How exactly did you make all this? And just who are you?”
“I have studied science my whole life,” he answered. “Ever since a particularly traumatic experience as a foal, I’ve been looking for ways to make sense of the world around me. Science provides explanations of things we’ve never thought possible!” After his speech, he now focused on the current topic, though in his rambling he completely forgot. “Now, why did we come here again?”
Ventus and Spike facehooved while Derpy tried to remember as well after being overwhelmed by his speech. “We came in here to help Derpy fix her mistake with the wedding invitation date.”
“Oh yeah!” Derpy exclaimed. “I accidentally put in today’s date instead of tomorrow’s on Cranky and Matilda’s wedding invitations!”
The stallion gasped in shock. “Great whickering stallions! I completely forgot!” He then ran over to a closet, pulling out a suit and began running out of his home. “I still need to get my suit tailored! To the Carousel Boutique!”
“Hey, wait!” Ventus called out. “Rarity’s not at...her store.” It was already too late as he ran out the door to the closed boutique. The teen sighed and looked back at Derpy, still stuck with her problem. “Who was that guy?”
“I don’t really know his real name, but he just calls himself ‘The Doctor’,” Derpy said.
“...Just ‘The Doctor’?...Odd name to be called, though I’ve heard worst.” Ignoring the odd nickname given to the Doctor, Derpy, Ventus, and Spike exited the stallion’s home/laboratory. “Well, I guess the wedding’s going to be today instead.”
“Oh, I still feel guilty,” Derpy said. “I need to do something, anything, to make up for that terrible blunder I made.”
They soon heard a bear-like roar and screams from some of the ponies. “What in Equestria was that?”
Looking over to where the sound came from, the trio’s jaws dropped as they saw the strangest looking hybrid terrorizing the town. It was some sort of bugbear, a large black and white bear that was cross-bred with a giant wasp, bearing a stinger on its behind, a pair of insect wings, two sets of arms, antennae, and insect eyes.
“I think the right question is ‘What in Equestria IS that!?’” Ventus exclaimed. Summoning his Keyblade, the young Keyblade wielder prepared himself to fight this odd bugbear. “No idea where it came from, but that needs to be stopped before it ruins the wedding! Spike, can you get the others somewhere safe until I get rid of this thing!?”
“Yeah! Just...don’t get stung,” Spike warned. “I have no clue if it’s poisonous or not.”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take!” Flapping his wings, Ventus sped off and headed straight for the bugbear while Spike tried to get everyone to safety. The pegasus made it just in time as the odd creature hovered over a group of ponies by the bowling alley, many of them the foals from the schoolhouse, including the CMC, Octavia Melody, Big Mac, and several others. “Hey, ugly!” he called out, flinging his Keyblade, landing a direct hit at its head. It turned around and roared in anger, spotting the pony that struck him from behind. “Yeah, you! Come after me! Got a big target for you to sting right here!”
Luring it away from the group, ponies watched in awe as Ventus avoided the bugbear’s multi-armed slashes and its stinger. He was a little surprised at how quick the bugbear was able to move for how big it was, though that must have been accounted for its insect DNA as an ursine wasp. Spike ran up to everyone, making sure to avoid being seen by the attacking creature as he tried to warn them to get inside somewhere safe.
“Quick, everyone hide!” he said. “Ven can totally handle that thing by himself!” He heard the pegasus yelp, nearly avoiding the bugbear’s stinger as he blocked its four arms with his Keyblade. “At least, I hope he can.”
“Why must there be a monster attack now of all times?” Octavia questioned with annoyance. “I have to perform at the wedding ceremony this afternoon, and I haven’t even figured out what I should play. How am I even supposed to practice with a monster invading Ponyville as well!?”
“Ah think Ven can take that giant bear...bug...thing out!” Apple Bloom said. “Go, Ven!”
“Guys, come on!” Spike exclaimed, waving his arms around to get their attention. “It’s dangerous out here! There’s no time to be worrying about the wedding today!”
“Where’s my wedding planner!?” Matilda screamed, shoving aside a few ponies. “Where is Pinkie Pie!? I haven’t seen her anywhere in town, and I need her now!”
Spike facepalmed, his voice unheard as he grumbled to himself. “Pinkie’s not in town. She left for some...important business.”
“Now!? ON MY WEDDING DAY!?” the female donkey screeched, knocking Spike over. Hearing the roars coming from the bugbear and Ventus’s grunts and yelps, her anxiety shot through the roof as there was a monster attacking Ponyville as well. “Oh, this is already a disaster, and the wedding hasn’t even started! What am I going to do!?” Looking around, desperate to find someone to help her wedding plans at the last minute she spotted a pale magenta unicorn with a violet mane with light purple highlights and trio of diamonds for a cutie mark began getting other ponies to a safer distance away from the threat Ventus was taking care of. “You!”
The mare heard Matilda, looking around in confusion before realizing she was asking for her. “Me?”
“I need to move an entire wedding from tomorrow to today!” Matilda requested.
“Really?” she asked. “Nopony’s really asked me to organize anything ever since Twilight came to town.”
“So you’ll do it?” Matilda asked hopefully.
“Of course!” she said. “I used to be the best organizer in town. Name’s Amethyst Star.”
The mare and donkey winced as they heard Ventus cry out in pain as he hit the ground, the bugbear slamming the young pegasus to the ground and tried punching him. Ventus kept blocking the bear’s fists with his Keyblade, trying to crawl or roll out of the way to escape. He found an opening and rolled to the side, but was suddenly grabbed by the tail, then flung off to a building, crashing into it. Amethyst and Matilda both cringed at the amount of pain the Keyblade wielder had just taken, but they knew he was just as resilient as the other ponies with similarly shaped swords like he has.
“We better hurry to the salon before that monster flattens it to the ground with everything else in its wake!” They hurried off to the spa, but as they ran, Derpy flew after them, willing to do anything to help with Matilda’s sudden change in her wedding plans being moved.
“Matilda, I just feel so bad about the invitations!” she apologized. “Is there anything I can do-?”
“FLOWERS!” Matilda yelled.
Derpy stopped and grinned widely, given a very simple job she can’t possibly screw up as she flew over to the three florists in Ponyville. While she went to get the flowers for Matilda, Ventus groaned as he sat up in the rubble of the house he slammed through.
“How much money is even left in this town’s budget from most of the reconstruction whenever a disaster comes around?” he asked himself, climbing out of the hole in the wall and flew back into the fight. “This bear’s pretty tough. Who took his special honey that made him go on a rampage?”
Gripping his Keyblade tightly, Ventus charged into the bugbear, his body engulfed with fire as he used Fire Surge, singing the hybrid’s body as it roared in pain. While he kept the bugbear distracted, Spike continued trying to get everyone somewhere safer, but with all the wedding plans and how often Ponyville gets attacks, it’s almost like an ordinary day for everyone. The baby dragon spotted Derpy, hoping to at least get her out of harm’s way as she was talking with the florists: Lily Valley, Daisy, and Roseluck.
“You mean you want Matilda’s arrangements!? Today!?” Lilly asked before the three mares all fainted simultaneously.
“This is awful!” Daisy exclaimed.
“The horror, the horror!” Roseluck said in misery, the three mares over-exaggerating the situation of the wedding.
“So, there’s no way you can do it?” Derpy asked.
The three mares stood back up as Lilly spoke. “We don’t even have Matilda’s flowers in yet, much less arranged! This is a disaster!”
“Ok,” the gray pegasus mare said dejectedly. “Thanks anyway...”
As she walked away, Spike approached the florists. “Yeah, I think the bigger disaster is that we’re being attacked! You girls should probably-!”
Spike was interrupted as they heard Ventus yell as he was flung toward them, crashing into the ground and skid to a halt in front of the three florists’ flower cart. His Keyblade came sailing over, nicking one of the flowers as it stuck into the ground past them. The trio of mares gasped in shock.
“Oh no!” Lilly cried out, all three of them looking at the nicked flower than the slightly dazed teen beneath them. “A broken stem on one of the zinnias!”
“What!?” Daisy exclaimed.
“What?” Ventus and Spike questioned as the mares fell over and freaked out over one broken flower.
“The horror!” Rose cried out. “Oh, the horror!”
Ignoring his injuries, Ventus stood up and looked down at the fainted mares. “Are you three serious!? Do you have to pass out and freak out over a broken flower!? We’re in the middle of a wild animal attack, and you’re more focused on a flower!?”
Noticing the bugbear slowly approach the unaware pegasus, Spike backed away and tried to bring Ventus’s attention to it. “Uhh, Ven?”
“What, Spike!?” he asked before hearing the bugbear growl right in his ear. Both his ears drooped, not bothering to turn around as he felt its four paws grab his body. “...Oh sh-” Letting out a mighty roar, the beast flung Ventus with all his strength back to the center of town toward Town Hall. “-OOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo...”
As it looked down at the baby dragon and three passed out mares, Spike giggled nervously as he backed away. “Uhh, nice throw?” he said before running for his life, the hybrid ignoring the three florists and continued its rampage.
Inside Town Hall, two mares were busy setting up the building for the wedding ceremony. Those two mares were Lyra and Bon Bon, a pair of friends where everyone in Ponyville has seen them together almost every single day since they first met. Even though the wedding was suddenly moved to today, the two of them managed to get most of the hall set up for Matilda when she rushed by as she headed for the spa to get herself ready.
“You know, I have to admit,” Bon Bon said. “When Matilda said we needed to get this place ready by today, I was a little nervous.”
“Hey, with you by my side-” Lyra bumped her flank against Bon Bon’s as they gave each other a sly look. “-I knew we’d get it done on time.”
“There is nothing like a ‘best friend’, is there?” the earth pony asked.
“Anything’s possible when you know somepony as well as we know each other!” As the mares continued working, they heard a roar come from outside.
“What in Equestria was that?” Bon Bon asked with concern.
“I think there’s another monster attacking Ponyville or something,” Lyra said.
“Oh boy. What is it this time? Another creature from the Everfree Forest?” Bon Bon asked. “Or one of those strange black creatures that are showing up in Equestria?”
Before Lyra could take a guess, they heard Ventus yell as he got closer to Town Hall, flying straight through an open window and crashing into a box of decorations. Lyra and Bon Bon were startled by the sudden intruder, quickly approaching the dazed pegasus as he sat in the crushed box with some of the wedding decor wrapped around him.
“Put me back in, coach!” Ventus said deliriously as he raised a hoof up. “I can still beat him!...Just get me a cool drink...”
“Goodness! Are you alright, kid!?” Bon Bon helped Ventus up, Lyra using her magic to untangle him from the extra decorations.
Shaking his head to snap out of his daze, Ventus rubbed his head. “Yeah. I’ve taken worse, like crashing into a house earlier.”
“What in the world is going on out there?” Lyra asked. “And why did you crash into a house?”
“I really have no idea what that thing is out there, but it’s some sort of bugbear thing attacking Ponyville.” At the mention of the bugbear, Bon Bon winced in a panic and looked out the window.
“Did you just say ‘bugbear!?” she asked, quickly closing the opened window and pulling the drapes to conceal the room. “How did it find me!?”
Confused, Ventus and Lyra looked at each other, neither of them having any idea what was up with the earth pony. “What are you talking about, Bon Bon?”
Knowing she had a lot to explain, Bon Bon let out a heavy sigh. “My name isn’t Bon Bon. It’s Special Agent Sweetie Drops.” “Sweetie Drops” peeked through the curtain, spotting the bugbear going on a rampage and terrorizing Ponyville. “I work for a super-secret anti-monster agency in Canterlot, or at least I did until the bugbear went missing from Tarterus a few years back.” Looking back at her friend and Ventus, she eyed the young stallion, knowing a lot about him and the rest of his friends. “The agency was also brought up on those black creatures that are called Heartless; monsters that take the hearts of living beings in order to create more, and try to bring our world into the destruction of darkness.”
“...Uhhh, yeah,” Ventus said. “That’s...exactly right.” He looked at Lyra, all of this information flying past her head as she was utterly confused. “So, Celestia had informed you, and several others in this agency, about them?”
“Yes, along with her other elite units spread throughout Equestria,” “Sweetie Drops” answered. “And we know of you and your friends who wield those special blades that can destroy the Heartless; the Keyblades.”
“...I...don’t get it,” Lyra admitted.
“But, unfortunately, when that creature escaped, we had to shutter down the agency.” The secret agent approached the box Ventus had landed on pulling out a briefcase he was surprised he didn’t crush either, unlocking it with a special code as it opened up, revealing some of her spy gear: a grappling hook, a watch, and a disguise. “Every last shred of evidence of the organization’s existence was destroyed. And Celestia demanded complete deniability.”
“...Uhh...ok...?” Ventus said, voicing Lyra’s confusion as well as she was a little bit overwhelmed.
“I was the one who captured that bugbear,” “Sweetie Drops” continued. “I had to go deep undercover and assume the name ‘Bon Bon’. I never thought it would have been able to track me...but now, it has...”
“I’m not sure if going on a rampage is considered a form of tracking if it was after everyone else,” Ventus said.
“Are you saying that our friendship was based on a lie!?” Lyra exclaimed, feeling hurt that the pony she knew was just an alias to cover her true identity.
“I’m sorry, Lyra,” “Sweetie Drops” apologized. “But I couldn’t tell you for your own protection.”
“B-But the lunches, the long talks, the benches we sat on...” The lime-green unicorn began tearing up as her relationship with the earth pony truly wasn’t meant anything anymore. “None of it was real?”
“Of course they were real,” “Sweetie Drops” assured, gently pressing a hoof to Lyra’s cheek. “You’re my very best friend.”
Seeing the truth in the mare’s eyes, Lyra gave a small grin as she gently held “Sweetie Drops’s” foreleg. Ventus caught more of a romantic vibe between the mares than a platonic friendship, especially with the gesture the earth pony made and how they stared into each other’s eyes.
“...Uhh, are you sure you two aren’t more than just friends?” he asked. “Kinda put a bit of emphasis on the ‘best friends’ part.”
The moment was ruined as they heard the bugbear roar again, “Sweetie Drops” approached the window, readying her grappling hook. “I need to take care of that bugbear before it can cause more harm. Hopefully, you did enough to weaken it for me, kid. I’ll handle the rest.” Putting on a pair of dark-tinted sunglasses, she set up the hook and jumped out the window. “I’ll see you later at the wedding.”
As the mare rappelled down, Lyra approached the window and yelled out to her as she snuck off to deal with the bugbear. “Fine! But we’re going to talk about this later!”
“...Well...this has turned out to be a weird day today,” Ventus said to himself. “I guess I’ll let...’Bon Bon’ deal with that bugbear. Hope she has better luck not getting nabbed by that thing than I had.”
Leaving Lyra to herself as he left Town Hall, Ventus saw “Sweetie Drops” sneak around to a building, following the bugbear as it began flying off to another part of Ponyville. Whatever she planned on doing, he hoped she didn’t end up getting stung. If she handled it once, she could possibly deal with it again.
“Ven!” Spike called out, panting heavily as he ran up to him, catching his breath before speaking. “You ok!?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” he said, casting Cure on himself to heal his injuries.
“Where’d that bugbear go?” the baby dragon asked.
“Hopefully, far away from Ponyville,” Ventus said. “That thing was pretty tough to even lay a scratch on it. Probably should have had some backup.”
“So, it’s just going away?” Spike asked.
“Well, someone else is going to take care of it, actually,” Ventus said. “Someone from a disbanded agency in Canterlot who dealt with that thing before and finally finish the job.”
“Huh...I guess I’ll take your word for it.” Seeing as the actual crisis was averted, the bugbear now far away from Ponyville, Ventus and Spike walked through town and looked at the shops. “So, let’s get to finding a wedding present for Cranky and Matilda.”
“Yeah,” Ventus said. “I just hope this wedding doesn’t actually get crashed. Not including earlier, since the wedding hasn’t truly started yet.”
Inside the bowling alley, the Doctor stood in front of the lane he was in, staring down a dreaded seven/ten split. He unfortunately couldn’t find Rarity as her boutique was closed and followed Ponyville’s DJ, Vinyl Scratch to where he might find her, unaware that she couldn’t hear him due to the fact that she was blasting her music through her headphones. He had a suspicion that Rarity wouldn’t set hoof in a place like this, surprised to see some well-dressed stallions that were sure to be a suitable replacement for the fashionista if she wasn’t around. Luckily for him, they were tailors as well, and if he helped them win the league as their fourth, they would tailor his suit for the wedding today. Despite all the long and complicated mathematical and scientific variables that wracked through his higher than average mind, he used their simple method of “throwing the ball straight”, they had a shot at winning if the Doctor is able to pick up the hardest split in a bowling match.
“Seven/ten split, man,” one of the trio of stallions said. “Harshest of the harsh. But if you can pick this up, we’ll win the whole shebang!”
“Ok,” the Doctor said, taking in a deep breath as he ran more solutions through his head to how hard to roll his ball and at what angle to ensure hitting both pins.
Holding his bowling ball in one hoof, he began taking his steps to throw, but Derpy barged in after trying to find him, a little more happy now that she finally figured out how to get Matilda’s flowers. “Doc!” The stallion yelped, dropping the ball as it rolled down the lane, too late to stop it as it counted as his second shot in the final frame. “I finally figured out how I can help! Your flameless fireworks look just like flowers! I’ll use them for the wedding!”
As Derpy left, the Doctor gasped and shook his head at the horrible idea Derpy had with his special fireworks. “Great whickering stallions! Derpy, wait!” He hurried out of the building, unable to see how his poor throw nearly got both pins, but only succeeded and knocking down the seven pin to the bowling stallions’ dismay. Barging through the door, he caught sight of the gray pegasus running back to his abode for his flameless fireworks. “My flameless fireworks are extremely volatile! Without knowing what the trigger is, they could go off at any moment!” Before he could chase after her, the Doctor froze as he saw the bugbear flying past the bowling alley, being lead by something as its rampage was focused on “Sweetie Drops” luring it out of Ponyville. “...My word. Was that a bugbear?”
Down at the spa, Matilda couldn’t relax as she continued worrying about all her wedding plans being moved. “Oh no! There’s so many things I’m forgetting!” As she laid on one of the comfortable hooficure chairs in a white robe, one of the spa twins, Lotus, was about to prepare the donkey for her big day. Unfortunately, with her anxiety and the panic of rushing, she couldn’t get her to relax enough to start. “I hope Cranky remembered to tell the musicians! Oh! I’ll never get my mane done in time!”
“You must relax, my dear,” Lotus assured, gently pushed Matilda down onto the chair until she was in a proper, more relaxed position. “We can handle anything. We once did a pony’s hair during the ceremony.”
“Oh, it is so true!” a male voice said, surprising Matilda as she saw who it came from. Lounging in the hot tub, though his body was pretty long to fit in it, let alone the entire room, was a familiar purple sea serpent with an orange, stylishly coiffed hairstyle and long mustache the Mane Six and Sora had met in the Everfree Forest during Nightmare Moon’s return. “These girls really are the best, Matilda! And I must say, I feel like we’re family already.”
Slightly confused, Matilda stared at the strangely friendly sea serpent who knew her more than she knew him, Lotus busy putting curlers in her hair. "You...do?"
"Of course!" the serpent said. "I'm Stephen Magnet, Cranky's best beast!"
"...You're Stephen Magnet?" she asked.
"Well, what did you expect, a bugbear?" Stephen asked. "I have known Cranky nearly forever! I'm sure he must have told you about the time he saved me from Flash Freeze Lake?"
"Oh...So you are Stephen Magnet," Matilida said, a little annoyed that her husband-to-be left out the part where Stephen wasn't a pony, or any other quadrupedal creature she imagined.
The serpent laughed in amusement. "Oh, I know! Typical Cranky, leaving out minor details, like the fact I'm a sea monster, right?" he said, slapping his hand in the water as he chuckled. "I love that old burro!"
"I'm sorry, Stephen," Matilda apologized. "I assumed you were a pony. I didn't even know you two went on adventures together."
"Oh, honey, you don't even know the half of it," Stephen said. "But let me tell you something. In all the things we've been through, the only thing he ever cared about was finding you."
Matilda teared up, touched to still know that even as she and Cranky had been apart after their time at the Grand Galloping Gala all those years ago, she was always on his mind. "Really?"
"Well, that and a baldness cure," Stephen added with laugh.
"He is the sweetest thing, isn't he?" Matilda said. Even if Cranky's attitude matched his namesake after all these years, he was still the caring donkey she knew when they first met. She had worried at first that he wouldn't remember her and their romance was just a one-time fling, but they had both longed to see each other again after a few decades. "Oh, all the stress that I've been putting myself through. All the stress I put him through." As she finally relaxed, Lotus pulled the curlers out of Matilda's mane, her hair perfectly curled and ready for her big day. "All that matters for us right now is that we're together. The wedding isn't the important thing - the marriage is."
Stephen began laughing harder, ruining the heartfelt speech Matilda had made as both she and Lotus stared at the sea serpent in confusion. "Oh, goodness gracious. If you believe that, then do I have a bridge to sell you! All of these ponies traveling to Ponyville, putting on uncomfortable clothes and sitting through a long ceremony, you think any of them care about the marriage?" As soon as the serpent calmed down, he stared at Matilda with a serious gaze. "Honey, the wedding is EVERYTHING."
Matilda's anxiety shot back up to skyrocketing levels again, now utterly worried how terrible the wedding will go and how everyone will react to it. Lotus let out an annoyed sigh, more annoyed than their masculine pegasus masseuse, Bulk Bicep, when he's called to escort someone to the massage table after breaking through one of their walls.
"Did you really have to say that?" the spa pony questioned.
"Well, it is true, isn't it?" Stephen asked.
"...I think your time is up in the hot tub, Mr. Magnet," Lotus said, the serpent shrugging his shoulders as he slithered what part of his large body out of the water.
"I'll see you at the wedding, Matilda!" he called out, not needing to dry his scales as he made his way out of the building. "You look fabulous already, and you're not in your wedding dress yet!"
Seeing how tense Matilda was, now panicking over her wedding dress, how it will look, if it'll fit her right, along with everything else again, Lotus guided the donkey over to the massage parlor. "Ok, Matilda. Let's see if we can get you loosened up with a nice, relaxing massage. Don't want too stressed for your big day."
Vinyl Scratch bobbed her head as she finished listening to her latest beats, making her way to her home that she shared with her roommate, Octavia. Taking the headphones off and hanging them around her neck once the song was done, she opened the door, hearing her friend playing the Wedding March on her cello. Despite how far apart their favorite genres of music were, they were pretty good friends and tolerated each other's opposite styles of music they like. Vinyl knew better than to mess with Octavia when she was practicing, especially when today was Cranky and Matilda's wedding. After a while, the gray earth pony stopped playing, groaning in irritation.
"Ugh. All these wedding songs are so...standard," Octavia grumbled.
"Well, they're supposed to be boring," Vinyl said, grabbing the half-empty bottle of milk from the fridge in their kitchen. "At least when I play my songs at the reception, everypony's gonna be having a blast after the ceremony."
Octavia rolled her eyes as she lifted up her bow, ready to resume playing. "Yes, I know. But I want Cranky and Matilda's wedding to be special."
She continued playing, but Vinyl began thinking of a way to help her friend make the Wedding March just a bit more special. It finally hit her as she ran off to her DJ booth nearby, lifting her headphones to her ears as she began adding some mixing into Octavia's cello playing. Admittedly, it was a terrible mix of classical and dubstep music clashing, creating a horribly made piece that distracted Octavia's playing. She stopped playing, prompting Vinyl to stop.
"Thanks, Vinyl, but I don't think that would even be remotely appropriate for a wedding," Octavia said, resuming her playing.
After a moment, Vinyl tried again, this time finding just the perfect beat to add her dubstep into Octavia's cello. Surprised, the earth pony looked at her friend, the music this time a lot more fitting, putting a modern edge to the classical score she was playing.
"Yeah!" Vinyl said. "There we go! Better, 'Tavi?"
"Yes," she agreed. "That's more like it!"
Some may think it a strange idea to combine classical music with modern, especially something like techno or dubstep, but these two musicians were able to make it work. Vinyl and Octavia had worked together making a few songs like this, but it was only for fun most of the time. The duo took a momentary break, looking at each other as they both can pull off something much more perfect with their combined talents.
Vinyl spinning a record and Octavia twirling her bow, they continued playing, making another epic song with the low hum of the cello and the techno beats coming from the DJ's turntable. Their home was soundproofed so they didn't disturb their neighbors, but they felt like letting all of Ponyville know this new style of music they created. They took another break, only this time, their stares at each other grew competitive, playing again as they tried to outplay each other on their instruments. It turned into a musical battle, both mares pulling off insane solos while simultaneously creating another song by complete accident. Their fight got so intense that they ended up taking their instruments, lunging at each other as if they were going to hit each other with them.
"STOP!" Octavia shouted, finally coming to her senses as they stopped, Vinyl's tinted sunglasses askewed and her pink bowtie around her neck nearly undone.
"What!? What happened!?" Vinyl asked. "...Wait, were we actually going to hit each other with our gear? We must have been deep in the zone if we were going to actually have a literal musical duel."
"As weird as it was losing ourselves like that, we're going to be late for the wedding!" Octavia reminded. "It's going to start any moment now!"
"Then how about we get there in style?" Vinyl suggested with a smirk.
After wandering around some of the shops in town, Ventus and Spike had finally found a wedding gift for Cranky and Matilda. Spike carried the present in his hands as the duo made their way to Town Hall, the wedding close to starting.
"Hope Matilda and Cranky will like this," Spike said.
"At least that bugbear's no longer around," Ventus uttered. After he let Bon Bon, or Sweetie Drops as she's really known as, take care of it, he wondered if she managed to stop it and didn't get too badly hurt. Just as he felt like taking off to try to find her, his ears perked up when he heard what sounded like a cello playing with a dubstep beat approaching them from one of the streets. "Do you hear music?"
"Yeah. What is that?" Looking in the direction of the blaring music getting louder, they saw the strangest looking mobile turntable rolling down the road at dangerous speeds.
Sitting in the booth was Vinyl and on top of one of the speakers was Octavia, though they also had a few stragglers unfortunate enough to hitch a ride on the transportational mixer with attached speakers. Both Ventus and Spike screamed as it headed straight for them, the pegasus quickly grabbing the baby dragon and leaping away from the runaway booth. They managed to avoid it, unlike any others who got caught in its path as they were flung up and hitched a ride. It headed straight for Town Hall, running into Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the twins, the wedding cake the couple carried, and Matilda in her wedding dress, and nearly missing Cranky in his tux, though his wig was blown off his head, exposing his bald head.
It didn't stop to a halt as the wheels tripped over a familiar golden Twilight scepter someone dropped, sending everyone flying off and toward the opened doors of Town Hall. Miraculously, everyone inside, including the booth and cake, made it safely inside, the ponies plopping down in different seats, the booth set up in a section of the main foyer, and the cake kept in perfect condition as it landed on the banquet table, wedding toppers of the bride and groom and all.
Ventus lowered Spike back down to the ground, both still a little shocked and amazed at what they avoided and witnessed. "...Can anything else just randomly come out of nowhere and cause more trouble?"
"Please don't jinx it, Spike." They headed inside Town Hall, everyone that had hitched a ride on Vinyl's DJ booth seemed to have acted like nothing happened as they chatted and waited for the wedding to start. A pair of light flashes over by the gift table caught Ventus's attention, spotting Celestia and Luna appearing as they were invited to the wedding as well. "Hey, Celestia and Luna are here. Didn't think they were invited to a normal wedding."
As he and Spike walked up to place their gift, they overheard the alicorns bickering with each other. "What do you mean you left it on the counter!?"
"I thought you were bringing it!" Luna hissed, the two of them arguing over who was supposed to bring the gift they got for the soon-to-be married donkeys.
"Well, this is just wonderful!" Upon noticing the Keyblade wielder and baby dragon approach, Celestia's leer toward her sister shifted as to not arouse any suspicion of the royal sisters' arguing. "Ventus! Spike! Wonderful to see you again!"
"You two having a little sibling spat over here?" Ventus asked, making the princesses balk for a brief second.
"W-Why, no!" Luna denied. "Of course not! We were just...talking about how the wedding will go!"
"Uh huh. Sure you were." Spike placed his and Ventus's gift on the table and went off to find a seat for the ceremony.
"Say, where are Twilight and the others?" Celestia asked. "I would think they had been invited as well."
"Actually, everyone else had some...important matters with Master Yen Sid," Ventus lied, though half of it wasn't exactly completely false. "Mostly involving Sora. That, and Terra wanted to let him know he was ok."
"...I see," Luna said. "Your other friend. What has happened to Sora? Is he well?"
"It's actually a long story, and mostly just between us," he said, not willing to tell the princesses that the person who had saved their world several times had a dangerous darkness that could be unleashed by pure chance. "I don't know when they'll be back. They might miss the wedding."
"Well, that's a shame," Celestia said. "Hopefully, whatever it is, I'm sure whatever trouble Sora got into, it won't be too severe."
"You don't know the half of it..." Ventus made his way over to where Spike sat as he saved a seat for him.
While waiting for the wedding to begin, he noticed some other ponies he knew were there too, including Shining Armor and Cadence of all ponies. The unicorn stallion was the one bawling his eyes out, apparently liking weddings more than the Princess of Love he was married to. "Sweetie Drops" had returned, announcing that the bugbear had been vanquished to the relief of the town, although how she did it, no one will know. She approached Lyra, who was awkwardly sitting in her seat as if she were a human being, apologizing to her friend about keeping her life a secret, only to have a secret Lyra hid that she revealed to her. Sadly, it was disappointing to overhear that the big secret the lime-green unicorn mare had over Bon Bon was eating her expensive imported oats, but at least the two made up in the end. Ventus could swear there was more between the two "best friends", but he wasn't going to pry into their lives just to see if the two of them are actually dating each other or are that close as friends, though his thoughts did go more toward the former.
Derpy and the Doctor made it just in time, the earth pony stallion wearing an overly long scarf instead of the outfit he planned on wearing earlier before running out of his house. Ventus even noticed the flameless fireworks Derpy took from the Doctor's home to use as flowers, and even if they looked pretty, having those things go off at any moment could ruin the wedding. In the back, Cranky began fidgeting nervously, his blonde wig nowhere to be seen after it was blown off his head earlier. Luckily, his friend Stephen Magnet had his back, sacrificing half of his orange mustache to give him using one of his scales as a replacement wig. At least he wasn't upset about it like last time in the Everfree Forest, taking a lesson of generosity from Rarity after she fixed his sliced off mustache by sacrificing her own tail.
With the room now filled up and everyone taking their seats, Derpy shut the doors as the mayor stood at the altar with Matilda and Cranky. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two in mare-trimony. As I look around this room, I can only imagine just how uncomfortable Cranky must be." The audience chuckled to the donkey's dismay, Cranky grumbling a little as he was utterly nervous as the crowd watched him and Matilda as they were being wed. "But I also see so many ponies from all trots of life, brought together by love.
"Cranky searched all across this great land of ours to find Matilda, and no matter what obstacles kept them apart, love would finally bring them together, just as it has brought all of us together now." Ventus looked around the room as Mayor Mare continued her opening procession. There were many familiar faces sitting in the seats or up on the balcony, however, one caught his eye that surprised him. Sitting in one of the seats was a changeling of all creatures, many of the foals that were sitting in the empty chairs around it huddled together as they stayed far away from the love-stealing parasite. What was odd was that it didn't even do anything but sit there; it didn't show any signs of hostility and just watched the ceremony, probably feasting on the love energy from afar. Ventus didn't want to interrupt the mayor, not when Matilda and Cranky have already stressed enough having their wedding moved to today, so he remained in his seat, but kept his eye on the non-wedding crasher. "It's remarkable to me how a story like Cranky's search for Matilda could fill this room with such a unique collection of ponies!
"It makes you realize that everypony is the star of their very own story. And it's not just the main characters in our stories that make life so rich! It's everypony - those who play big parts and those who play small." Those words had sunk in to everyone in the foyer, especially to Spike. What Ventus said was true; everyone had a role in something, no matter what it was. If it was or wasn't important, there was always someone taking part, and he felt sure of himself that he was important to the many thrones back in the castle, though what it could be was still a mystery. "If it weren't for everypony in this room and many more who couldn't be here today, Cranky and Matilda's lives wouldn't be as full and vibrant as they are.
"And so, in front of all these loved ones." Mayor Mare looked at Cranky, ignoring Stephen Magnet in the far back already crying, grabbing Bulk Biceps as he was the closest living being to hug tightly. "Cranky, do you take this donkey to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"You bet I do!" Cranky said without hesitation.
"And do you, Matilda, take this donkey to be your lawfully wedded husband?" she asked Matilda, the female donkey tearing up as she knew exactly what her answer would be before the wedding even began.
"I do!" she responded.
"Then I am proud to say, I now pronounce you jack and jenny!" The two donkeys got together and gave each other a kiss to seal their marriage, everyone applauding for the newlyweds.
Ventus and the Doctor suddenly noticed the flameless fireworks Derpy set up began glowing all of a sudden. They then shot up in the air and began exploding into several sparks of differing colors and sizes of their blast radiuses, surprising everyone as they had activated without any fire at all. The Doctor began laughing gleefully, figuring out exactly what the trigger was to his invention.
"Of course!" he cheered. "They need love to ignite! How could I have missed it!?"
"Love as the trigger to set off fireworks..." Ventus chuckled to himself at the odd circumstance. When he witnessed Sora finally kiss Kairi after so many years having a crush on her and saving her on several occasions, still in his heart at the time, Ventus practically saw the fireworks blowing up in his mind and heart. A figurative scenario when someone finds the perfect lover just from the first kiss, now made literal with the Doctor's flameless fireworks activated by love in the air. "I might need to borrow some of those if I'm right about Aqua and Terra being together."
While the audience and donkey couple stared in awe at the mysterious fireworks, the Keyblade wielder looked back at where the changeling was sitting. It was already long gone, having had its meal and left or was startled by the fireworks and fled. Either way, it was gone and no longer a bother, though if it was a spy for Chrysalis, then they might be in trouble if she planned on another invasion, this time starting their capturing of her highest priority targets who can stop her, then conquer Equestria. Then again, a spy would remain hidden in disguise, not walk around as their true selves and risk getting captured for their previous takeover of Canterlot.
Once the reception began as the sun began to set, Ventus and Spike left Town Hall and made their way back to the castle. "Wow, those flameless fireworks sure were pretty. Kind of weird how they lit up after Cranky and Matilda kissed. That Doctor stallion makes some pretty weird inventions."
"He may be a weird genius, but they were neat," Ventus said. "I'm going to ask him tomorrow if he has anymore lying around or make some more for me."
"What are you gonna do with one?" Spike asked. "Use one as a prank for Sora and Kairi? Riku and Twilight?"
"Not a prank," Ventus answered with a grin. "Just to prove a theory I've got."
As they reached the castle, they caught sight of the others as they returned from the Mysterious Tower. The Mane Six, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, and Terra walked down the road, but Sora wasn't with them, which worried Spike and Ventus.
"Hey, guys!" Riku called out as they met up with the two youngest members of the group.
"Where's Sora?" Ventus asked. "Don't tell us he's-"
"Relax, Ven," Terra assured. "Sora's on his way back. He just needed to tell his mom the good news."
"Good news? So, Sora's not leaving forever!?" Spike asked excitedly. "This is amazing! I need to find Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo and tell them!"
Spike quickly made his way back to Town Hall where he and Ventus last saw them at the wedding. "Well, so much for leaving it as a surprise for them fillies."
"What happened up there?" Ventus asked. "Master Yen Sid was ok with knowing about Sora's Anti Form?"
"Oh, you have no idea how 'ok' he was," Kairi said.
They explained what had happened while they were visiting Yen Sid, from the wizard knowing about Sora's Anti Form before even Sora knew to Vanitas revealed as Sora's darkness now trapped in his heart with his newly upgraded Harmony Form. Ventus was a bit shocked to hear his darkness had come back, though it wasn't much of a surprise to know Vanitas would have eventually come back if he had as well. At least he was dealt with, and hopefully Sora's Anti Form won't be as dangerous as before.
Up in the sky, a small glimmer of light shone from the slowly darkening sky, Sora returning as he nosedived into Equestria on his glider. Dismissing his Keyblade glider, he dove down, flipping over and landing on his hooves, his armor fading away in a flash of light.
"It is good to be back," Sora said.
"Sora!" Turning around, Sora managed to get a glimpse of three fillies before they tackled him to the ground. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo hugged him tightly, happy to hear the good news after Spike told them, the baby dragon panting as he ran out of breath, unable to keep up with anything on four legs. "Are you really still a Keyblade wielder!?"
"You're really not gonna leave us!?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Nope. I'm here to stay," Sora said as he hugged the Crusaders tightly.
"Good! And you better not leave us forever!" Scootaloo said. "We'll figure out a way to find you if you do!"
"Oh, I don't doubt you'll find a way. And that scares me." The fillies giggled at Sora's response, the stallion joining in, so glad to be back at his home away from home as he kept his role as a Keyblade wielder.
Later that evening, Sora was still wide awake as he sat in his throne, watching the universe on the Galactic Map. After today, he wasn't sure he could go to sleep at all, though he wasn't afraid of Vanitas causing any trouble in his heart anymore. Part of him still couldn't believe he was off the hook, despite his master's prior knowledge to his darkness before it even appeared while he activated his Drive Forms, half expecting to be held back a lot more in his training as a Keyblade Master.
"Well, well," Ventus said, snapping Sora out of his stupor. "Feels like deja vu, but now you wandered into the throne room instead."
"Actually, I didn't even head back to my room," Sora said. "I'm still kinda taking all of this in."
"You're not in any trouble, so don't worry about it." The younger stallion flapped his wings, leaping up into his throne. "I knew you would be fine."
"You made a complete guess," Sora argued. "You still doubted I would make it out with just a slap on the wrist."
"What!? I did not!" Ventus defended, though his expression said otherwise. After being leered at for a moment, the younger teen sighed in defeat. "Ok, maybe I had a bad feeling that you wouldn't be a Keyblade wielder anymore, but you aren't kicked out of the group. So that's a good thing, at least."
"...Yeah. I guess so." The two pegasi sat in silence as they watched the many stars floating around in the holographic map of the universe.
"...So, Vanitas turned out to be your darkness, huh?" Ventus said, breaking the silence.
"The others told you about what happened in my heart, then..." Sora pressed a hoof against his heart, part of him wondering if he could hear Vanitas scream in rage while he was trapped in the cage of light he trapped him in. "...You know, you could have told me he looked a lot like me."
"And yet Roxas looks like me," Ventus countered. "Not sure if we switched our lives around, but I'd rather keep Roxas than have Vanitas anywhere near me."
"Hey, Roxas is my Nobody! Get your own!" Sora and Ventus began laughing as they messed around with each other. Even though they aren't related in the slightest, it seemed like the two of them could very well be siblings separated from each other by unknown circumstances, though Ventus would have been considered the older brother since he was a lot older than Sora before they ever met. They did have a connection with each other, though it was out of desperation for Ventus as his heart shattered from his fight with Vanitas and an insane amount of luck finding the younger Sora back then, who willingly allowed his light access into his heart. "Hey, Ven?"
"Yeah?" Ventus asked.
"...Thanks for giving me the power to wield the Keyblade," Sora said, surprising the younger pegasus in the tall throne to his left. "I'm not sure if fate gave me one, but even if that wasn't the case, then without you, I probably wouldn't be here today. I've lived out a dream of mine to see other worlds out there. Now, I dream of keeping every world safe from the darkness, to protect the ones I care about. I probably wouldn't have saved Kairi or Riku back then, or everyone else."
Ventus lips pulled into a grin after recovering from the surprising thank you coming from Sora. "...I'm not sure if I did help you myself...but you're welcome, Sora." They stared at the map for a moment before Ventus began yawning, already tired from the exhausting day today. "I'm gonna turn in. Try not to stay up too late again."
"I'll go to sleep in a moment," Sora said. "Just a few more minutes."
Ventus nodded and leapt out of his throne, leaving the throne room to head to bed. Sora continued looked at the map, mostly at the worlds where he had made his many friends. He really was important to everyone he had met in the past, where all of them needed his help while he gained theirs in return. Friendship was a lot more powerful than anyone would have ever expected, even before realizing it was as magical as it was strong. With all of his friends from the hundreds of worlds he's been to and the memories with them never forgotten in his heart, Sora leapt out of his throne and headed for his room to get a good night's sleep. No matter what happens to him, his friends will still need him, and he'll be there for them when they need him the most.
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nice work
Amazing work with the slice of life ep to work with Ven and Spike while the others were away.
Just another average day in ponyville.
This was an awesome idea of how to use Ven and Spike while the others were away to deal with Vanitas in Soras heart. though I will admit that Twilights outfit in the dream world last chapter, was one I am surprise to have happen and think Twilight might have Rarity and Kairi help make sure she has some both as a pony and even as a human if she turns into one again. But I will say my favorite in this one was Ven interacting with the background ponies for them to help him out.
After both Vanitas being dealt with and The wedding for Cranky and Matilda going well, our heroes take a much needed rest with Ven gaining close friends with some past ponies. But Even though with both taken care of, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both have no clue of what events happen with Sora and of the darkness inside of him.
Will Sora and the others be able to keep Vanitas a secret from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? What will happen when they do find out about Vanitas? Will Ven ever get his flame less Fireworks to know if Aqua and Terra are in love? And Will Twilight ever get to take her vacation at Destiny islands with Riku? The excitement and wonders continue! Next time on My little Pony Soras Misadventures in Equestria!
I'm wondering, will Gilgamesh be in this story? He's never used in any kingdom hearts games nor kingdom hearts crossovers either.
8230203
FF5 Gilgamesh? I could see That!
Something seems wrong here.
way to avoid the question, doc
You know this makes me wonder if we'll get a fight between Roxas and Vanitas someday.
Man this episode could spin off in a series of it own focusing on the live of the pony who live In ponyville