My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria

by Codex92

Spice Up Your Life

Aqua stood before her mirror after getting herself dressed, having had a good night's sleep after enjoying the last day of her well-deserved vacation. Not much has happened after Trixie's return with her apology tour and almost ruining her newfound friendship with Starlight.

Applejack had also needed a day off of her own after missing a spa date with Rarity, which ended up with her learning a lesson she ended up teaching the spa employees with their steam room's busted pipeline. Aqua was kinda glad she didn't choose a treatment involving the steam room that day, the ponies working focused on cleaning and heating warm towels for their patrons while waiting for the steam room to heat up, worrying about that small detail to keep ponies from waiting for too long. Applejack did fix it, yet again ruining another planned spa date because she wouldn't be satisfied without a moment in the steam room, but Rarity had also figured out why Applejack was always so late: she took so many steps in trying to get her chores done, which was similar to fussing over the small details when it could have been solved so much easier. Rarity had asked Sora why he didn't do any of the other chores, but he wasn't able to because Applejack was stubborn and insisted she do the long list of chores her way.

Then the group was introduced to Fluttershy's younger brother, Zephyr Breeze, which was a surprise to the Keyblade wielders because they never knew Fluttershy had any siblings. Or the fact that SHE was the older sibling. After explaining his return from mane therapy school, and by return she meant dropped out, he walked all over his parents as he rearranged everything in their house to loaf around, now knowing where Fluttershy got her shy, kind, and timid nature from, while Zephyr was the complete opposite. Fed up with her little brother's laziness and guilt-tripping their mom and dad, she tried to encourage her parents to kick him out of their house, managing to succeed while feeling guilty, as she expected, only to be surprised to see Zephyr had "moved" into his older sister's cottage without her knowing in advance.

She laid out some ground rules, that irritation siblings get boiling in her as she proposed him staying if he found himself a job in Ponyville, and actually kept it without giving up before he started. Sadly, he failed at everything, or made someone else do his work. Zephyr used Opal when Fluttershy guided him to Rarity's boutique like a mobile brush to dye the fashionista's cloth, only to make the feline run wild and make a mess of the room, "convincing" Spike he was a better window cleaner and insisted on getting a hooves on example on how to clean the windows throughout the Castle of Friendship, only to loaf around while Spike did all the work, and he couldn't even bust a cloud without ticking off Rainbow Dash, who he apparently has a crush on but can't take a hint when the athletic pegasus mare consistently said no while her horrified expression clearly expressed her response to his advances, earning him a harsh bolt of lightning from her when he got a bit too touchy with her than the clouds.

Aqua recalled Fluttershy's brother's visit, shaking his head as she heard Rainbow and Zephyr Breeze at the park as she lounged in the sun. It was kind of hilarious to see him getting shocked after not learning the meaning of the word no when a girl says it so many times to a guy she has no interest in, though. At least Zephyr finally got it through his head when Fluttershy and Rainbow instilled him with confidence to actually finishing the job he started instead of fearing he'll screw it up, which ended up messing up his jobs in the first place. She was glad Fluttershy didn't take him to her, Terra, Sora, Riku, Kairi, or Ventus, any simple jobs they had for him for any training or doing a simple errand in Ponyville could have ended in disaster, but she was glad he at least got some confidence in him and manage to recreate a hairstyle from his mane therapy training, actually finishing something on his own, and with no excuses.

Once she looked presentable, Aqua left her room and made her way to the throne room, getting back to business in solving the problem with the Cutie Map. She sat down before it, running her hooves along the flat surface as she got back to pondering how it can be fixed. There was only so much they could tell just from looking at the worlds from the outside with the Galactic Map hovering above the table. As she looked back down at the crystal table, the doors opened up as everyone gathered inside, the other wielders' thrones appearing as they all approached their assigned thrones, Starlight standing beside Twilight's as she didn't have one of her own.

"What's going on?" Aqua asked. "Is there a meeting I was unaware of?"

"Well, I wanted to gather all of us here for some good news," Twilight said. "Are you done with your vacation, Aqua?"

"Yes, and I have never felt better," Aqua said. "So, what is this good news?"

"I'm sure everyone is aware that, since the map was broken, it's been a long while since any of us have been sent on a friendship mission," Twilight said. Everyone then looked at Starlight, the mare grinning sheepishly as she was part of the blame for the Cutie Map losing its power. "But, as part of Starlight's studies, she's been assisting me in finding a way to fix it."

"I wanted to do something to make up for everything," Starlight said. "And I think we both found a spell that can help regenerate the map."

"We can...get the map again?" Aqua asked in shock. "But how!? I've been trying for weeks since you, Twilight, and Sora came back from your time traveling mishaps and found nothing!"

"Maybe because you were a bit too stressed out and weren't really thinking clearly?" Terra responded.

"I-I...W-Well, that is to say..." Aqua stammered, but she knew Terra was right. She really wasn't able to focus on finding a way to fix the map, getting more and more frustrated when her thoughts deviated to Starlight's mistakes. Aqua let out a sigh and wilted. "M-Maybe..."

"Let's see if this works." Twilight and Starlight lit up their horns, combining their magic and performed the spell on the map.

Aqua stepped back as all eyes were on the spiraling magenta and blue auras floating up, swirling around the Galactic Map and gathered it in a sphere of magical energy. Using the power from the magically holographic globe that was currently showing Equestria, several beams of colorful light shot down onto the marks on the thrones, lighting them up behind the ponies. More light shined from the thrones, flowing down into the center of the map. The table was illuminated by a bright light as it spread out around it, slowly revealing the layout of Equestria as its power returned.

Everyone stared in awe, excited to have the map back, but Aqua was dumbstruck. She approached the map, baffled by the fact that Starlight had been the one to help repair it with Twilight's help. She was struck silent, but Starlight took Aqua's silence as her way of expressing her gratitude for messing with it in the first place.

"Alright! Nice work, girls!" Sora complimented.

"Now we can finally pinpoint where the Heartless are in each world again!" Kairi added.

"And friendship problems!" Pinkie said as she noticed cutie marks beginning to appear over the map. They were a bit glitchy at first, the map slowly trying to get back to full power as it shifted a few marks over one location before showing others in another place. "Fluttershy and Twilight in Appleoosa! No, Terra, Sora, me, and Rainbow Dash in Las Pegasus! No, Kairi, Riku, and Venny in Yakyakistan!" Pinkie looked up in surprise, putting her hooves on her hips as she looked up at the ceiling. "Hey, we didn't have a yak episode for this story! Why's there a problem there!? And when are we bringing my Cheesy back!? We need to establish that I am NOT, I repeat, NOT going to be shipped with Venny!"

Ventus cringed at the odd statement Pinkie made as she seemed to talk to herself, but played it off as nothing. At least he hoped it was nothing. Pinkie's attention was brought back down to the map as the map chose several more random marks and locations, one of them oddly involving two of Twilight's cutie marks over the Castle of Friendship. After a while, the map finally gained some sense as it finally located the real problem, Pinkie's, Rarity's, Aqua's, and Ventus's marks floating around the city of Canterlot.

"Oooh! Canterlot!" Rarity squealed. "This is wonderful! I can take the opportunity to check on my boutique there and see how Sassy's doing! Maybe there'll be some social events we can take part in!" She then gasped and began to worry. "I'll have to pack extra outfits! What will I wear!?"

"You know, some ponies can get excited over the silliest of things," Pinkie said, making everyone roll their eyes when the mare herself gets overly excited about everything.

Aqua had finally snapped out of her stupor, ignoring the map calling her as she looked at Starlight. "...How?"

"I figured since that Galactic Map that showed what other worlds were out there had some kind of connection to the map table," Starlight explained. "I only used the table to travel back in time, using it to pinpoint the exact location where I wanted to go as I went back several years. So, Twilight proposed a regenerative spell that combined the bigger map floating there and the thrones where everypony's presence was how the table appeared in the first place would give back its power. Although, with how it was fluctuating like that just a moment ago, it might need a bit more time to charge back up, which means...finding Heartless might be a bit more difficult at first before it's fully functional again."

Aqua processed everything, slowly looking at the maps, the thrones, then back to Starlight. "...And yet you didn't go to study at Celestia's prestigious magic school...but Sunburst did?" She stepped away from the map, approached Starlight, and tapped her hoof against the heliotrope unicorn's head. "If your head could get any bigger, it probably wouldn't fit your brain with how smart you can be in such a small amount of time. And out of instinct as well."

"Maybe Starlight should have been Celestia's student instead," Sora commented. "Twilight, your pupil's going to surpass you before she even graduates from her friendship lessons."

Twilight leered at the pegasus stallion as Starlight rubbed her head, unsure if what Aqua had told her was a legitimate compliment or she was teasing her. "My instincts...aren't really the best. I used a similar spell like the Spell of Relic Reconstitution and thought it would work."

"And it had!" Twilight cheered. "Starlight, don't be so modest. You're practically a genius after reading through a book of spells and master them immediately. Well, after me, of course."

"Careful, Twilight," Riku playfully chided. "Don't have an ego and get jealous of Starlight." Twilight zapped her coltfriend with a bolt of magic, making him yelp and fall off his throne, crashing to the floor on his back. "Ow! Hit someone else besides me!"

"Ignore him. I'll deal with him later," Twilight said, giving him a lighter zap on his flank that made Riku squeak, making him scramble to sitting up as he leered at her with a light flush on his cheeks. "But, enough delaying. We're back to solving friendship problems! Aqua, Ven, Rarity, Pinkie, hurry over to Canterlot and find out who needs help!"

"I feel like I'm sort of going on another vacation," Aqua uttered to herself. "I was hoping to do some training so I'm not too rusty." She looked over at Terra, having planned to do something with him today, though going out on a date or training wasn't what was on her mind. She would have to postpone it for the time being, though she was unsure if he was ready, or if he thinks he isn't ready yet. "...Oh well. Let's head to the station."

"But what about my-?" Aqua levitated Rarity, not giving her a chance to waste too much time waiting for her to pack several suitcases to go somewhere they'll only spend a day or two in.

"Good luck, guys!" Twilight said as they watched the four chosen by the map leave, Rarity squirming and pleading to at least bring a scarf or fancy jacket. Once they were gone, the lavender alicorn turned to face Riku, grabbing his tail in her aura and dragged him toward the door, leading the way as she wore a sinister grin. "Now, as for you and that egotistical comment you made, Riku..."

Riku gulped nervously, pawing at the ground as he tried to crawl away. "Oh no! Help! Sora, she's gonna kill me!"

"Nope! You're on your own!" Sora called out as they heard Riku cry, apologize, and plead for Twilight to not hurt him too bad. Sora laughed at his friend's lucky misfortune, but when he looked at Kairi, she seemed to give him a similar look Twilight had, though less evil, his grin fading to a nervous frown. "Uhh, Kairi? What are you thinking?...Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Kairi answered. She got up from her throne, her magic gripping the collar of his jacket as she dragged him out of his seat. "Excuse us, everyone. Sora and I are going to have a day to ourselves."

"B-But uhh...T-The map?" Sora asked, hoping there was a Heartless attack in several different worlds where it required at least three of them to take care of.

"Terra can handle it by himself," Kairi said. She dragged Sora closer, whispering something in his ear that made him blush heavily.

"...Oh..." The pink unicorn giggled at Sora's stunned reaction, giving him a peck on the check before gently dragging him out of the room. "Umm...Terra, help? Somebody?"

"Sorry, Sora. Can't help you with whatever Kairi's got planned for you," Terra said with a smirk, the rest of the mares present giggling as they all knew what was bound to happen tonight.

"When in Equestria is he gonna finally pop the question?" Applejack asked. "They're too perfect to not get hitched soon."

"Kairi did catch the bouquet at Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding," Fluttershy mentioned. "Maybe Sora's waiting for the right moment."

"Or trying to find the right ring," Rainbow added. "Can't propose without a fancy, shiny rock to put on her horn...or hoof. Wherever it's going to go. But, whenever that happens, we're gonna make an awesome wedding for Sora and Kairi, and topped off with a sonic rainboom after the 'I dos'."

As Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow discussed how the wedding between the Princess of Heart and the future Keyblade Master's wedding would go, Terra hummed in thought as he stared at the map. He did notice the look Aqua gave him before she headed off with Ventus, Pinkie, and Rarity, almost as if she had something planned for him, and it didn't involve the same ideas Twilight or Kairi had with their lovers. He fidgeted nervously as he stared at Aqua's Keyblade floating over Canterlot on the Cutie Map, wondering what she had in store for him when she had the free time.

---

After the ride going up and around the mountain, the train stopped at the station in Canterlot, the quartet of mares stepping off onto the platform along with a few other travelers. "Now, as far as finding a friendship problem goes, I suggest we start at the castle and work our way around while asking around," Rarity said.

"Rarity, I don't think it's going to work like that," Aqua said. "Just like our last friendship mission in Manehattan, we aren't going to find the problem by calling out 'friendship advice' to everyone in the city."

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed. "The friendship problem finds you! We just go with the flow, until BAM!" As she shouted, she smacked Ventus in the face with her tail to emphasize her description, making the teen splutter and slap her poofy tail out of his face. "We get friendship problem'd right between the eyes."

"That was more in my face than between my eyes," Ventus said irritably, spitting out some pink hairs that got in his mouth. He smacked his lips, somehow tasting cotton candy. "What kind of shampoo do you even use? Or do you really slather your hair in cotton candy?"

"It's a secret!" Pinkie whispered, but the pegasus took it as a yes.

"Well, since this is a team effort, so if we should go with the flow, then the flow we shall go," Rarity said. "...But, where is the flow telling us to go?"

"You know more about Canterlot than we do," Aqua suggested. "Where do you think we should go first?"

"Oh, there's so much here: culture, couture, cuisine." At the mention of cuisine, Pinkie and Ventus's stomachs began rumble. "Well, judging by that sound, the flow's telling us to get some lunch. And I know just where to go!" Rarity lead the way, Ventus, Aqua, and Pinkie following her down the busy streets of Canterlot until they reached a road that had restaurants running down both sides. "Here we are! Restaurant Row! The absolute best place for fine dining in all of Equestria!"

Pinkie and Ventus stared in awe, looking over the numerous restaurant names, but were unable to pick which ones to try first. "Oh man. Where, oh where, should we stop and get a bite?"

"We can go to any establishments that have this-" Rarity pointed at a hanging sign underneath the awning of one of the nearby restaurants, marked with three hooves. "-the three-hoof rating."

"Three?" Aqua questioned. "Aren't they supposed to be rated from a scale of one to five? Or is that just us?"

"And who rated them?" Pinkie asked curiously.

"Why, Zesty Gourmand, the Queen of Cuisine," Rarity said. "When it comes to food, she is the ultimate authority in Canterlot and thus all Equestria. She judges a restaurant on cuisine, decor, and presentation. Without her approval, a restaurant simply cannot survive."

"Ah, so a food critic," Ventus summarized. "Aren't there any others? Why are Zesty's reviews more important?"

"She grew up around fine dining, and everypony hangs on her every word when it comes to cuisine," Rarity explained.

"Wow! Then that must mean the food must be amazing!" Pinkie exclaimed, excited to sink her teeth into something yummy and fills up her tummy. "Let's go in for some food!"

Pinkie bounced inside as the other three followed, seating themselves in a booth as they looked around the highly posh and clean dining room. "Well, this is certainly three-hooves material," Aqua commented.

After placing their order, a unicorn waiter brought their meals as they bought the same thing, though the portions were incredibly small to Pinkie and Ventus's disappointment. "Oh my. Such presentation," Rarity commented, levitating one of the few pieces of food on their fancily designed plates to her mouth. Aqua did the same, but upon tasting their first bite, their faces scrunched up a little, trying to guess what kind of flavor hit their tongues before swallowing with subtle grimaces. "Ah, y-yes. Very nice..."

Ventus looked down at his plate and picked up one of the tiny morsels while Pinkie planted her face down on the table, munching up every bit of hers before wincing and sticking out her tongue in disgust after swallowing her slight mouthful. Ventus took a bite and regretted it, tasting nothing but blandness as if he was chewing on flavorless taffy, then swallowed, barely feeling it hit the pit of his hungry stomach.

"Ugh," Ventus gagged. "Is this really considered food? I thought the point of a highly-rated restaurant was by how delicious the food is, not just the decoration and customer service."

"Yeah, I'm agreeing with Venny on this," Pinkie said. "I'm kinda not in the mood for...whatever this is. Maybe we should try someplace else?"

After paying for their small meals, though Ventus didn't consider it a meal at all and more like bread crumbs meant to feed a family of flies, they checked out another restaurant. Unfortunately, it had the same rich atmosphere like the last one, the same interior design with some minor differences in the shade of color, and even had the same exact menu choices that tasted just as bland and were minuscule in size. They tried again at another, and yet again, everything was the same, further irritating Ventus and his growling stomach, Pinkie clearly voicing out her disdain as she pushed her exact same plate away from her with a grumpy leer. As they left the last restaurant, Ventus let out a frustrated groan along with his stomach.

"What is up with this street!?" Ventus exclaimed. "All the restaurants are the same! So much for there being any culture, couture, or cuisine on this side of Canterlot! I'd rather have a hayburger back in Ponyville, and my stomach would be more satisfied than what it had to suffer digesting!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed. "How about we pick the next place instead of somepony else's hooves!?"

"Ugh, fine," Rarity grunted angrily. "Don't throw a tantrum like a toddler over Zesty Gourmand's perfect tastes."

"I don't think Zesty even knows what the word 'taste' even-" Before Ventus could elaborate his complaints on Rarity's ideas for a wonderful dining experience by some hotshot food critic, a very delicious, aromatic scent wafted over his muzzle. Pinkie smelled it too, their hooves guided by the smells of spice further down the road. "Oh man...That smells good."

Aqua and Rarity followed them, smelling that same spicy scent they were as they got closer to where it was coming from. "You know, Rarity, to be fair, Ven does have a point," Aqua said. "If this is supposed to be known as 'Restaurant Row', I figured there would have been a diverse blend of foods from different cultures, not the same menu items and decorations."

Rarity's stomach growled, her own body demanding something tasty to eat and betraying her reasons for the restaurants' perfect ratings. "Yes, I can see that, darling, but what Zesty Gourmand sees as perfect, everypony must do it so they don't go out of business. Canterlot is a noble city, and it makes sense for businesses to keep that professional and highly established feel."

"I get that, though I don't see how these restaurants can turn a profit with all of them selling the same things with no minor differences in taste, presentation...or prices." Aqua levitated their bills from the last three restaurants they tried, wincing at the amount each of them had despite them ordering four really cheap meals from each one. "...I hope Terra had been saving, because I'm going to have to pay him back in more ways than just money..."

They soon reached the building where Ventus and Pinkie let their noses follow, turning down an alley between two other buildings that housed another one. Unlike the other similar restaurants that Restaurant Row had, this one was more unique, Arabic in design to Ventus and Aqua, with warm orange and yellow colors that made them stand out, despite being at the back end of an alley. There was a sign that held the name of the restaurant, titled "The Tasty Treat", the symbol for the restaurant above it an elephant holding a spoon in its trunk, and above it was a blank blue sign with no hooves, apparently, and thankfully for the two hungry ponies approaching it, were unrated by Zesty Gourmand.

"The Tasty Treat...It's very...rustic," Rarity commented. She looked up at the blank slab of wood at the top of the building, noting the lack of hooves. "It hasn't even been rated..."

"I'd rather take no ratings at this point," Ventus said as he bounced along with Pinkie inside, making Aqua giggle at the pegasus's childish behavior over food.

Walking inside, the decor definitely screamed Agrabah to the pegasus teen, and it was a welcome sight compared to the boring, similar design of the other restaurants, actually expressing the restaurant's culture. It was surprising to see it was empty despite how wonderful the food smelled. The group seated themselves as they waited for someone to take their order.

"Are they even open?" Rarity questioned at the lack of wait staff, or even a greeter.

"Smells open," Pinkie said as she sniffed the air.

A moment later, a unicorn mare walked out from the kitchen after some cooking utensils clattered in the other room. She had an orange coat, long two-toned dark fuchsia hair, and wore an Arabic long-sleeved white shirt, a red bandanna around her neck, a pale gold headband, gold earrings embedded with small aquamarine gemstones, and her cutie mark was a saffron flower. She leered toward the kitchen before looking out in the dining room, shocked and elated to see guests as she approached them.

"Oh! Are you here for lunch?" she asked, her accent sounding Middle Eastern to the two Keyblade wielders.

"Yes, please!" Ventus said. "Menu now!"

"Ventus, behave yourself," Aqua chided.

"But I'm hungryyyyyyyyy!" the teen whined.

"Me tooooooo!" Pinkie whined with Ventus, making the two unicorn mares roll their eyes as they feel like mothers forced to watch their misbehaving children.

The Tasty Treat worker giggled at their behavior before introducing herself. "I am Saffron Masala, the chef here at The Tasty Treat, the most exotic cuisine in Canterlot," she said. "Would you like to hear about our specials?"

"Actually, we're in a bit of a-" Rarity tried to say before Pinkie and Ventus cut her off.

"Yes, please!" the two starving ponies said simultaneously.

"We have a curried oat cake," Saffron suggested.

"We'll take one!" Pinkie said.

"And a grass sandwich that has been marinated overnight in a mustard Dijon dressing," the chef added, making Ventus and Pinkie's mouths water, taking anything Saffron could make over what they had to suffer through.

"One of everything!" Ventus exclaimed, surprising Saffron, but Aqua forced her overly hyper friend back down in his seat before he bounced off the walls out of impatience.

"We'll take four orders of your specials of the day," Aqua ordered, ignoring Rarity's complaints not wanting to eat anything with no hooves on their restaurant.

Without even needing to write down what her only four present guests wanted, Saffron trotted excitedly back into the kitchen and began cooking. A moment later, another worker came out, a pudgy unicorn stallion with an amber coat and dark, short two-toned purple hair and mustache, his cutie mark a bowl of spices while he wore a simple brown Middle Eastern shirt. He grumbled to himself, using his magic to turn the seats around the opened tables upside down, placing them on the tabletops as if he was ready to close up in the middle of the afternoon.

"Hello!" Pinkie greeted. "What's your name?"

"Coriander Cumin," the stallion said.

"Are you a chef, too?" Pinkie asked, ignoring the fact that Coriander was putting the stools up.

"My daughter cooks, I host," Coriander said.

"Then why are you stacking the chairs?" Aqua asked curiously.

"Without customers, I have nopony to host for," he reasoned. "So I stack!"

"Father, stop it!" Saffron scolded, carrying out their customers' food as she left the kitchen. "Don't close up the restaurant around our guests."

"What does it matter!?" Coriander argued. "When they leave, nopony else will be coming in!"

Saffron huffed, setting down the food before the four ponies, Ventus and Pinkie diving in with the earth pony mare slapping her face down on her plate and munching away. "Well, your attitude isn't going to bring anyone in! Can't you at least pretend to be positive!?"

Saffron walked up to her father as they continued arguing, Rarity and Aqua watching them while Ventus and Pinkie ate their fill. "You are doing enough pretending for the both of us," Coriander said. "Nopony here wants to try anything new! I know when to throw in the trowel!"

"Uhh, maybe we should excuse ourselves," Rarity suggested, feeling awkward watching father and daughter arguing with each other.

"Rarity, Aqua, ya gotta try this!" Ventus said with his mouth full.

"Should we when those two are in the middle of a-?" Aqua's mouth was suddenly filled with some of her food, Rarity as well courtesy of Pinkie Pie. The Keyblade Master was about to scold Pinkie, but the explosion of spices distracted her as she chewed, surprising both unicorn mares as they looked down at their plates. "By the stars, that's delicious."

"Maybe if you would listen to my ideas for once," Saffron said to her father, but Coriander scoffed.

"Oh yes!" he exclaimed irritably. "I did not move halfway across Equestria for my daughter that I never listen to!"

Ventus and Pinkie began listening in after nearly finishing their plates, the friendship problem hitting them just like Pinkie had predicted. "...Guys, I think we just found our friendship problem," Ventus said.

"Yeah! It kablammed us right between the eyes!" Pinkie added, shoving some more food in Ventus's mouth, thankfully not between his eyes as he munched on the exotic morsel.

"But these two aren't friends," Rarity reminded Pinkie. "They're father and daughter."

"Well, that's technically not wrong," Aqua said, wiping her mouth with a napkin after eating some of the specialty dish before her. "Family are just like friends, only you've known them for life. Saffron and Coriander clearly aren't cooperating with each other, which can lead to their business to decline if they fight with each other in front of customers."

"What would you have me do?" Coriander continued. "We can't even get Zesty Gourmand to come to our restaurant. She took one look at how empty it was and said it wasn't even worth rating!"

Rarity gasped, now seeing that this was indeed where the map had wanted to send them. "That's it!" she exclaimed, throwing her hooves up in the air while also shocking the arguing unicorns from her outburst.

"Yes!" Pinkie cheered as she raised her hooves up too, only to look at Rarity in confusion. "Uhh, what's it?"

"The flow HAS led us here!" Rarity reiterated. "This is our mission!" She got up from her seat and approached Saffron and Coriander. "We are going to help you get a three-hoof rating and save your restaurant! I can get Zesty Gourmand here!"

"And I can pack this place with ponies!" Pinkie added, bouncing over the table and stood beside Rarity. "With some help from Aqua and Venny, too!"

"And how do you intend to do such a thing?" Coriander asked skeptically.

"Just leave it to us!" Pinkie and Rarity both said together.

"I will be back with some good news," Rarity said, making her way out the door to search for the food critic.

As soon as she left, Ventus looked over at Rarity's almost untouched plate, having finished his. "...So, can I have Rarity's plate if she's gonna be gone?"

He reached out to snatch the plate, only to receive a harsh slap on his hoof by Aqua as he pulled it back with a yelp. "I'll order you something else if you're still hungry. You're not taking Rarity's plate."

---

Nearly an hour passed, and Rarity was still gone. While they waited, Aqua ordered another round of food for Ventus and Pinkie, making Saffron's day, but not her father, Coriander. As Pinkie and Ventus licked their plates clean, the unicorn stallion was still packing things up for the day, even trying to remove some of the decor to actually pack away.

"Father, will you PLEASE stop packing things!?" Saffron scolded.

"When the lovely pony comes back and says she couldn't convince Zesty Gourmand to come visit us, we will need to pack all this up," Coriander said. "I'm just getting a head start."

Saffron groaned, shaking her head at her father's lack of optimism. "You guys don't know Rarity as much as we do," Pinkie said.

"I've done it!" Rarity said as she returned, Pinkie giving the two unicorns a look that said "I told you so". "It took all my charm and cajoling, but I was able to convince Zesty Gourmand to come and try the food!"

"What is the catch?" Coriander asked, knowing full well Zesty wouldn't have wanted to come back without some kind of compromise.

"Ah, yes. Well, umm...there is a bit of a challenge," Rarity nervously said. "The only time she could make herself available is tonight."

"Pfft. Oh, yeah, right," the portly stallion grumbled.

"And Zesty rates a restaurant on cuisine, decor, and presentation, and she has very specific tastes," Rarity explained to the two restaurant owners. Ventus rolled his eyes, wondering what Zesty even knows about "taste" with the three-hoof reviews she gave to the rest of the restaurants on the road. "If she's coming tonight, there is quite a bit of work that needs to get done."

"Like what, exactly?" Ventus asked, not liking where the fashionista was going with the "bit of work" that was needed.

"Oh, just a tweak here, a tuck there, some slight modifications to the menu," Rarity said with a nervous laugh. "We just need the place to feel more cosmopolitan."

Coriander just scoffed, unwilling to change their cultural restaurant for someone as stingy as Zesty Gourmand when she barely gave their food a chance. "Father, please," Saffron pleaded, desperate to get a second chance from Zesty. "After all the trouble Rarity had went through to do this for us, can't we at least try?"

Coriander grunted with uncertainty, but he reluctantly agreed, needing all the help they can get for their business to stay alive. "Oh, fine. I'm still not sure about this."

"I'll stay behind with Coriander to get the restaurant ready for Zesty's arrival," Rarity said. "Pinkie, you, Saffron, Ven, and Aqua, try to drum up some business."

"You sure you don't want me to help around The Tasty Treat?" Aqua asked.

"I can handle things here, and the more ponies there are advertising The Tasty Treat, the more customers will come. Now, hurry. We're wasting daylight." Aqua shrugged her shoulders, going along with Rarity's plan as the advertising party exited the building. Rarity noticed the nervous expression on Coriander's face, completely clueless with how he was going to try to impress Zesty Gourmand. "Coriander, I can understand your trepidation. But I promise you, we will get you those hooves by making this place feel just like all the other restaurants on Restaurant Row!"

Outside, Saffron, Pinkie, Aqua, and Ventus made their way out of the alley and into Restaurant Row, the chef letting out a worried sigh as they walked onto the street. "I hope my father doesn't drive Rarity crazy."

"Try being around Pinkie for a few years," Ventus said. "If Coriander does make her go nuts, then he deserves a medal for beating Pinkie."

"That'll be a challenge," Aqua commented.

"Don't worry about a thing, Saffron!" Pinkie assured, pulling out a few similar outfits that Saffron wore in different colors. She wore a yellow one with a purple bandanna, placed Ventus in a pale green one with a black and white bandanna, and put Aqua in a light teal one with an icy blue bandanna, somehow able to pull off the Keyblade wielders' clothes while putting on their new outfits. "Rarity's going to make sure The Tasty Treat is the most unique and beautiful restaurant in Canterlot! Not like all those stuffy places on Restaurant Row."

"I think a musical montage is going to happen," Ventus said. As he expected, he and Aqua heard music playing around them, similar to what was played in The Tasty Treat as entertainment for customers waiting to be seated or for their orders. It was definitely something they couldn't help but dance to, Pinkie handing them arrow signs with the restaurant's logo on it. "Or a musical number. That works, too."

While the group set out to attract the crowd to The Tasty Treat, Rarity began the number as she sat with Coriander, showing him what they needed to change in order to impress Zesty Gourmand and get the perfect rating they needed.

[Rarity]
Here's what I know:
If you want to succeed
You must follow the trends, that's the key

If you want to show
That you've got what it takes
You must be what they want you to be

Rarity had hired a team of interior designers, three unicorns with several artistic tools and materials to help shape the restaurant to the ideas she had in mind. Coriander was still unsure about the pictures of what made the other restaurants popular with Zesty, but if it meant getting that three-hoof rating for his daughter, he was willing to go through with it as he watched the designers begin moving things around and paint over the walls. Meanwhile, out on Restaurant Row, Ventus and Aqua went down opposite ends of the street, getting far enough to begin waving their signs around, dancing to the rhythm of the beat to attract passersby. Pinkie stuck with Saffron, having made several flyers for The Tasty Treat for the chef to hand out somehow, but the mare didn't bother to ask, distracted by the excitement of having customers come to enjoy her cooking.

[Pinkie]
Here's what I know:
Your food is so good
The flavor's so fancy and free

You just need to show
That unique sense of taste
Go on, be yourself, let them see

[Rarity and Pinkie]
It's gonna work
I know it's gonna work
It's gonna work out just fine, trust me
It's gonna work
I swear it's gonna work
It's gonna work out just fine, you'll see!

Back inside The Tasty Treat, as the designers continued their remodeling, Rarity continued assisting Coriander with the presentation and cuisine. Finding a gray and white formal jacket and shirt, she gave it to the stallion, covering him with curtains before revealing him wearing it thanks to her magic. She even replaced the food The Tasty Treat made with the same bland, small, and overly artistic dishes that the other restaurants had sold, Coriander sampling the new menu item while questioning how this was considered food to himself.

[Rarity]
You need to change
If you want to compete
But fear not, for I know what to do

I know it feels strange
But trust me, when we're done
We'll make sure that you're a hit, too

Pinkie bounced around Saffron as she helped promote the mare's business with Ventus and Aqua, the two Keyblade wielders surprisingly in sync as they pulled off tricks with their signs in time with the music. She also expressed how not to be like the other neighboring restaurants, looking the same with similar menu choices while keeping their buildings plain with no minor differences aside from their names to differentiate themselves with the others.

[Pinkie]
Don't ever change
Being different is good
Don't let what others do be your cue

Never rearrange
'Cause somepony said you should
Just trust your heart, it will know what to do

[Rarity and Pinkie]
It's gonna work
I know it's gonna work
It's gonna work out just fine, trust me
It's gonna work
I swear it's gonna work
It's gonna work out just fine, you'll see!

[Pinkie]
Be unique

[Rarity]
Just be the same

[Pinkie]
Trust your heart

[Rarity]
You'll make your name

[Rarity and Pinkie]
We'll help you every step of the way
Because we know what you need to do
And you should know it too

It's gonna work
I know it's gonna work
It's gonna work out just fine, trust me
It's gonna work
I swear it's gonna work
It's gonna work out just fine, you'll see!

The designers were finally done, the interior of The Tasty Treat sure to win Zesty Gourmand over once Rarity made sure everything was perfect, including Coriander's work clothes, clean floors and furniture, and food fit for a noble's seven course meal. The promotion for the restaurant, unfortunately, were meeting with no one in Canterlot's standards. Ponies walked past Ventus, Aqua, Pinkie, and Saffron, turning down their flashy spinning and flyers to come to The Tasty Treat for some exotic food. It began to grow frustrating as the sun was about to set, which only made Saffron worry that her and her father's business would go under without anymore customers.

Ventus twirled his sign around, trying his hardest to get customers while performing all sorts of tricks: hoofstands, spinning the sign with his wings, anything to wow the crowd into trying out the cultural restaurant. "Come to The Tasty Treat! Where the food is great and the atmosphere can't be beat!" he promoted. "Grand re-opening tonight with exotic cuisine!"

"How many hooves does it have?" a mare asked as she and a few of her friends grew curious with the teen's sign spinning.

Ventus paused in his spinning, debating whether or not he should tell her how high it was rated. "...Well, it doesn't have any hooves yet."

"Well,when it gets rated, you let us know," one of the other mares said, the group turning away and losing any interest in The Tasty Treat.

Ventus growled, hating the stupid "popularity" over Zesty's rating system as all the elites or nobles in any world selfish enough like these ponies only cared about what was in and everyone else was going for. "Stupid freaking hooves! Everyone only cares about how it looks, not the food! This is called Restaurant Row for a reason, but it should be renamed "Art Avenue" because everyone pays to look at the fancy, bland decor and not the disgusting, tasteless, tiny crumbs they call food!"

He threw his sign in frustration as he gave up, hearing a yelp when his sign almost hit someone as it dug into the ground in front of them. "H-Hey! Watch it!"

Ventus winced as he looked at who he almost accidentally hit. "Sorry! I didn't mean-Huh? Moon Dancer?"

Behind the arrow was Twilight's old friend and her non-related twin, a bit startled from the sign nearly hitting her while she had been distracted by a book she was reading as she walked. "Ventus?" Moon Dancer adjusted her glasses after getting spooked by the arrow. As she looked at him, she was surprised to see him. "Oh my gosh. What are you doing here?"

"Uhh, long story," he said as he walked up to her, taking the sign back with a sheepish grin. "I didn't hit you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine," Moon Dancer assured. "Though, I guess it was my fault since I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I guess I got so engrossed in this strangely exciting story that my stomach lead me toward someplace with food." She looked around Restaurant Row, grumbling to herself a little at all the different places. "Unfortunately, everything on Restaurant Row is practically similar, tastes like garbage, and are so expensive that I swear I'm paying to look at art for a few boring minutes."

"Well, someone's able to voice their opinion," Ventus said. "I'm with you on all these restaurants around here. Zesty Gourmand is some important food critic, yet she thinks what's perfect is the scenery and atmosphere, not the full stomach of a satisfied customer."

"I kinda don't see her reviews to be all that impressive if I want to eat somewhere with food that has flavor on a street literally called 'Restaurant Row'," Moon Dancer continued ranting, letting out a huff as she rubbed her belly hiding under her wool turtleneck. "I'll probably get something at Donut Joe's, I guess. At least his bakery's not anywhere around here."

Before the unicorn could turn and leave, Ventus suddenly had an opportunity to bring in a customer, or maybe a few more, quickly flapping his wings and blocking her path while holding up his sign. "Wait, do you like spiced foods?"

"Never tried much, but I'm hungry enough to get me some. Why?" Moon Dancer asked curiously.

"Then come on down to The Tasty Treat!" Ventus said, leaping back as he promoted The Tasty Treat to Moon Dancer. "One of the best places for some Saddle Arabian cuisine!" He paused slightly, unsure what ethnicity Saffron Masala and Coriander Cumin came from. "Uhh, I think it's Saddle Arabian...Point is, delicious spiced foods with a culture similar to Saddle Arabian."

"Is this supposed to be some kind of odd job you're doing helping a restaurant promote business?" Moon Dancer asked with a grin.

"It's more of a friendship mission, and it brought us here," he answered, flipping the arrow around in his wings. "We're trying to give Saffron and Coriander a three-hoof rating from...Zesty Gourmand." He stuck his tongue out at the mention of the critic, having a gut feeling she wasn't even going to try the food. "So, you wanna come by and try the food?"

Moon Dancer hummed in thought, only pretending to think as she wholeheartedly agreed with her stomach. "Alright. I'll stop by, and I'll bring the girls if they want to eat out."

"Great! The more customers, the better chances of helping The Tasty Treat! I'll see you later!" Moon Dancer waved and made her way back down the road to find Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts for a night at The Tasty Treat. After Ventus saw her off and had no luck with anyone else passing by, he made his way back to Pinkie and Saffron, Aqua already meeting up with them as she seemed to have had no luck on her end. "So, how did you guys do?"

"Barely got anyone's attention," Aqua said with a grunt. "And even if I did, they asked, 'How many hooves does it have?' Not every good place needs the highest rating unless they're blindly following a fad that's going to eat away at their wallets without any good food."

"We found a couple tourists from Whinnyapolis who were looking for a good restaurant, but that was all we could have gotten," Pinkie said. "Stupid hooves."

"That includes Moon Dancer and hopefully her other friends, so...we only managed to find about six customers out of the thousands roaming around this city," Ventus said.

"Oh yeah! Moon Dancer!" Pinkie said, remembering the studious, almost-hermit unicorn mare. "Glad to hear she's not a grumpy grump like Twilight first was, and it's so ironic that she and Twilight are practically the same, both in appearance and smartiness! Well, ALMOST looks like Twilight since she has glasses, wears a purple turtleneck, and keeps her hair in an awkward tie that says, 'Meh, as long as my mane doesn't cover my eyes, I'm good with how I look.'"

"Yeah...I kinda wish she let her hair down, though," Ventus said, recalling the similar looking manestyle Moon Dancer really had without her hair tied up. "She looks a lot better that way..." The three mares noticed the teen was starting to stare off into space while thinking of Twilight's non-related twin with her hair hung down. Pinkie was able to hear the nonexistent background music playing, and with the way Ventus was grinning, she gave the teen a cheeky smirk and looked at him with a knowing gaze. When he did come back to reality, his smile faded when he looked at Pinkie. "Uhh, why are you looking at me like that, Pinkie?" She said nothing and kept her amused expression, making Ventus feel awkward. "What? Stop looking at me like that!" Pinkie then placed her hooves on her hips, still staring at him while Aqua glanced at the two in confusion. "Pinkie, you're freaking me out more than you usually do, and I'd prefer the normal freaking out if you don't tell me why you're staring at me like you know something I don't!"

"You like Moon Dancer, don't ya, Venny?" Pinkie questioned, her question catching Ventus off guard as he blanched, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

"W-What!? N-No! Not like that!" he exclaimed. "She's just a friend, Pinkie! I haven't seen her since we left after throwing her that party last year!"

"But you started thinking about her," Pinkie said, contradicting his words with his blushing face. "I saw her put her hair down before taking that picture with you."

"You, Twilight, and Spike went on ahead without me! How'd you even-!?" Ventus stopped himself, refraining his questioning when Pinkie can find a way to know about anything, even if she's there or surprisingly out of sight. "Never mind...But I do not like Moon Dancer like that, Pinkie."

"Sure, denial now, but the heart wants what the heart wants," Pinkie said. "Now if only Cheesy can come back for a chapter instead of being mentioned while I keep getting letters from him! Although, I understand he's busy throwing parties everywhere and I don't know when he has vacation days when those parties ARE a vacation as well...Maybe for this season's Hearth's Warming episode I'll see him again. And with a mistletoe above us."

Ventus leered at Pinkie in irritation, his eye twitching from her assumptions of his feelings toward Moon Dancer when they only had a simple friendship, no romance or crush involved whatsoever. Aqua was a bit curious about meeting with Moon Dancer, wondering if her young friend had finally found someone he was interested in. After Pinkie and Aqua finally stopped teasing him, the group made their way back to The Tasty Treat, hoping they're ready for Zesty's arrival.

"Father, we're ba-" Saffron called out, only to gasp when they opened the door and saw what changes were made inside.

Pinkie, Ventus, and Aqua also gaped in shock as they witnessed NOT The Tasty Treat they last saw, but instead a similar, awful experience they had at the restaurants prior to The Tasty Treat's. All of the cultural look of the building was gone as Rarity changed it to the same bland decor, from the same boring wall paint, clean floors, and dining tables, to Coriander at the other end wearing the same apparel as the other waiters from all the restaurants on Restaurant Row, holding a plate of their new, tasteless and tiny menu items.

"Welcome to The Tasty Treat," Coriander said unenthusiastically, even him feeling uninterested in the changes. "You can eat here if you want. Or not. Who cares?"

They just stared in silent shock at the drastic changes, their eyes shifting to Rarity, who had finished cleaning the windows and noticed them walk in. "I know. Isn't it perfect?" Rarity asked. "Zesty is sure to love it!"

Ventus was the first to speak, letting out strangled squeaks as he pointed his hooves at the changed interior. "Rarity, what the heck is wrong with you!? We're supposed to be trying to make this restaurant stand out in Canterlot, not make it just like the others!"

Instead of being shocked by her mistake, Rarity simply laughed, which only irritated the teen. "We want to help Saffron and Coriander get three hooves for The Tasty Treat. That will only happen if this is like every other restaurant."

Ventus had no words, pulling his ears with his hooves as his promise to Moon Dancer that The Tasty Treat would be different was immediately broken, stomped on, and run over by a two ton boulder. Coriander approached them, bringing the plate with him in his dark purple magic aura.

"Father, what IS that!?" Saffron questioned in shock, and when the others saw what was going to be on the new menu, Ventus and Pinkie gasped in pure horror.

"Not that!" Pinkie wailed in distress. "Anything but that!"

"This is what we must cook if we are to succeed!" Coriander said.

"This isn't what I wanted!" Saffron complained. "I wanted Canterlot to like us for us! Not...this!"

"Rarity, you ruined everything!" Ventus exclaimed.

"Excuse me!? Ruined!?" Rarity questioned, appalled by the pegasus's accusations. "This was supposed to be a team effort, and we're helping SAVE this restaurant. And where are the other guests? How many ponies are coming?"

Ventus, Aqua, Pinkie, and Saffron looked at each other, then looked back at Rarity as Aqua answered for them. "At most...about six."

"Just six!?!?!?!?!?" Rarity exclaimed in shock. "Pinkie, I thought you had a good idea and could pack this place with ponies!"

"YOU said you could make the restaurant better, so I guess we both have no idea what we're talking about!" Rarity gasped, stammering in bafflement.

"OK! ENOUGH!" Aqua shouted, stopping the arguing before they ended up destroying the dining room. "Clearly, both sides were unable to get things right. Somehow, no one in Canterlot was even interested in our performances and promoting The Tasty Treat, and Rarity completely changed a culturally rich business to make it just like every other restaurant on this street. Maybe we can try to fix this before-"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Rarity gasped when she ran to the window and saw the small group of guests along with the guest critic of honor. "It's Zesty Gourmand! Everypony, places!"

"...Or not," Aqua muttered.

Saffron quickly made her way to the kitchen while Coriander straightened his outfit, putting on a fake smile to "greet" Zesty Gourmand and their other guests. Swallowing the nervous lump in her throat, Rarity opened up the doors for the guests, where Pinkie, Ventus, and Aqua met Zesty for the first time: a tall, skinny, light gray unicorn with a slicked back grayish-pink hair with grayish-raspberry stripes, her cutie mark unknown as she wore clothing consisting of a white dress shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt, draped in a large purple coat that was meant for an aristocrat of incredible wealth. Behind Zesty were Moon Dancer, Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and the pony couple Pinkie managed to find, Ventus able to see Moon Dancer's disappointed gaze when she saw the inside of the restaurant.

The ponies took their seats as Coriander first approached Zesty Gourmand, the critic taking off her heavy coat with a look of serious disdain left permanently on her face. "Welcome to The Tasty Treat. What can I get you this evening?"

"I hardly think it matters," Zesty said, her tone snooty and demanding like most of the nobles living in Canterlot. "But by all means, try your best to impress."

"Well, we're both going to try the special," the mare of the tourist couple said. "Maybe with a little kick to it, eh? We've been craving some food with actual taste."

"Same here," Moon Dancer said, glancing at Ventus, who was sweating nervously. The look she gave him told him to get over to their table, the teen obeying while dreading showing her what kind of food was now being served here. "I thought you said this place was different from the other restaurants, Ventus."

"Heheheh, w-well, funny story," Ventus said, laughing nervously while looking at anything else but the unicorn. "It WAS different. Honestly...Rarity kinda...screwed things up and..." Moon Dancer growled, promised to be served something delicious on Restaurant Row, and was about ready to leave while feeling embarrassed by bringing Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts here to another restaurant like all the others on the street. "...I'm just gonna check on the kitchen. Be right back." Ventus zipped off into the kitchen, finding Saffron busy cooking, breathing a sigh of relief as she began adding some spices to the pot of soup cooking on the stove. "Oh, thank the light of all hearts. Flavored food."

Coriander, Pinkie, Rarity, and Aqua came into the kitchen after they saw Ventus fly off in a panic, Saffron's father letting out a surprised gasp when he saw his daughter spicing up the soup. "Saffron Masala, what are you doing!?"

"I'm trying to save our reputations!" she said. Once there was enough, she took the ladle and tasted it, not truly satisfied, but it had tasted enough to get a little kick. "I've given it at least a little bit of flavor."

"No no no no no!" Rarity interjected. "This isn't what Zesty wants!"

"What!? What kind of food critic doesn't want flavor!?" Pinkie questioned, aghast at how crazy Zesty Gourmand was by wanting to eat bland, flavorless meals as part of rating a restaurant. "That's insane!"

"You know what, she's having this," Ventus decided, taking the ladle from Saffron and poured some of the flavored soup in a bowl. "Zesty's finally gonna have something hit her dead taste buds and realize how stupid she is by her dumb ratings!"

"Don't you dare serve her that!" Rarity exclaimed, trying to take the bowl out of his hooves with her magic as the two struggled to take it from one another. "Zesty is going to hate it! You're going to ruin everything!"

"I'm trying to fix what YOU ruined!" Ventus argued. "And I promised Moon Dancer she was going to like the food here, which was DIFFERENT from what the other restaurants were selling!" With his strength overpowering Rarity's magical hold, Ventus pulled too hard, sending the bowl flying out of the kitchen as he slipped on his back. They heard a splash and a startled yelp, everyone poking their heads out of the doorway and winced when they saw the liquid meal landed all over Zesty Gourmand's face, the mare glaring with resentment and regretted coming back if she was going to have her food flung at her. "Oops..."

Zesty grabbed a napkin, wiping off the food without even so much as trying it, then grabbed her coat as she began to take her leave. "I think we're done here."

"No, Zesty, please wait!" Rarity pleaded, running out to try to stop her. "Let me explain!"

"Rarity, when it comes to fashion, you are...adequate," Zesty said, shocking the fashionista and everyone else who knew the alabaster unicorn's skills with fashion over the critic's harsh criticism. "But take some advice from a friend; keep your opinions out of restaurants. Substandard food, laughable service, and I would think even you could recognize that the decor here is trying desperately while desperately failing. Recommending a disreputable place such as this could do serious damage to your social standing."

Rarity took a step back, offended by Zesty's rude remark about her standing in society when she's lived in a place like Ponyville all her life. Aqua stepped forward, already fed up with the critic's remarks as she questioned how rude the ponies who lived in Canterlot can really be when their word is like their main law in anything.

"You're kidding us, right?" Aqua asked irritably. "Did you even bother TRYING any of the food at the places you reviewed? TRIED anything that was actually that good?"

"Anypony can throw ingredients together and create an obvious taste that uncultured ponies like those six can register." Moon Dancer, Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and the couple gasped in shock, highly offended at the racist comment not only toward them, but also toward Saffron and Coriander with their cultural style of food. "It takes a true culinary artist to create a subtle taste, the barest hint of a sensation. That's what I bring to Canterlot. THAT is art."

"By 'subtle', you mean lacking any sort of taste," Aqua stated. "If this is what you consider art, you're clearly in the wrong profession, lady." The two mares glared at each other before Aqua gave up, tsking in disappointment at the "professional" critic as she turned away. "Just get out of here, and don't bother coming back."

"I don't intend on returning," Zesty said, making her way out the door and slamming it behind her.

The restaurant was left silent as the unicorn critic's leaving clearly meant she wasn't going to rate The Tasty Treat, and maybe even leave a review for Canterlot to avoid with the standards that didn't meet her specific expectations. Ventus, Pinkie, Rarity, and Aqua felt they had failed their mission, Ventus utterly embarrassed by the fact he made Zesty leave, even though she sort of did deserve to have the entire pot dumped on her for insulting everyone. To make up for the horrible display, Saffron and Coriander's customers who had been willing to stay after all that got a free meal as compensation, and that they might go out of business when Zesty's review does go out to the public.

While Saffron cooked and the rest of the group sulked at a table, Aqua and Ventus dressed back in their old clothes. Ventus took a seat with Moon Dancer and her friends, slamming his forehead on the table with a groan.

"So much for all that," Ventus mumbled. "We screwed everything up..."

"Well, I guess we should have expected something like this," Minuette said. "Zesty has a way of making all the best restaurants on Restaurant Row too fancy and uptight."

"I loved going to The Bake Stop and getting one of those delicious bundt cakes," Lemon Hearts said, starting to salivate as her stomach rumbled. "But, ever since they got those three hooves, they don't sell them anymore and sold that disgusting, tiny cupcake thing that didn't taste like anything. And it was more expensive than the original bundt cake they made."

"That's Canterlot for you, though," Twinkleshine said. "A city of nobles, yet the nobles forget how important it is to have ponies of lower classes work for them to do their bidding. Or if they're too lazy to get off their plots to do anything at all."

Ventus only grumbled, having seen just how selfish the ponies in Canterlot can truly be, always sucking up to those with more popularity than they were and believing their every word just to kiss up to them while getting on their good side. "Doesn't help that I ended up lying about how great this place was, even though I was honest and Rarity..." He let out a sigh, shaking his head as he was forcing the blame on Rarity, but she was trying to help in the way she knew would be a good idea as The Tasty Treat was part of Canterlot. "Well, I didn't know what she was thinking about making the place better anyway...We couldn't even bring other customers here because no one recognized us or glanced at the signs or flyers."

"The worst has happened," Coriander said, overhearing the teen's lamenting. "No use crying over spilt food."

Saffron soon came out, carrying several bowls out and giving each pony one, including one for herself. "Here. This cheered me up when I was younger."

When Coriander looked down at the food his daughter prepared, he gasped as he recognized the smell. "My spicy flat-noodle soup...It has felt like ages since I've made this for you when you were upset."

Everyone took a sip of the soup, the spiced liquid complimenting the soft noodles floating in the broth as it was an immediate delight, especially for those who had been looking for anything with flavor on Restaurant Row. "This is incredible!" the stallion of the tourist couple complimented, slurping up more of his soup without using his utensils. "Finally, somethin' cooked up with a side of deliciousness!"

"This is the best thing you made so far!" Pinkie said, downing her soup and licked the bowl clean. "And I thought the food before was the best!"

"This is all I've ever wanted to do, father," Saffron said. "Make food for the ponies of Canterlot like the food we made together when I was a filly."

"It has been a long time since we ever cooked together," Coriander said, recalling fond memories of the two of them in their old home's kitchen. "Remember how you used to hide the ingredients you did not like?"

Both father and daughter laughed as they remembered the silly, nostalgic moments they had. After slurping daintily at her bowl, Rarity had made a realization with how important The Tasty Treat really was.

"You know what? Who cares what some stuffy unicorn thinks of the food here?" she said. "It's exquisite, and it doesn't need three silly hooves in your window to prove it."

"Exactly," Aqua said. "Everyone just needs to give it a chance, like we had."

"So many truths that numbers can't count how right they are!" Pinkie said in agreement.

"But without Zesty's approval, nopony will even try our food," Saffron sadly reminded the group. "We couldn't even gather a big crowd to come here."

"Oh, they'll come alright," Rarity said. "Pinkie, Aqua, Ven, we ARE the perfect team for this, but we were doing the wrong jobs!" She stood up from her seat, greatly determined to set things right and accomplish their goals as the chosen ponies by the map. "I'll go out and bring the crowd, having my own name around Canterlot with my boutique here as my reputation is sure to gather ponies, while Pinkie, you, Aqua, and Ven stay here and make this place as unique and rustic as it was the moment we walked in!"

"Maybe if Sora were here instead, he could have helped you bring ponies in, too," Aqua said. "Everyone would easily recognize him with how much he's done to save Equestria."

"And what about us?" Coriander asked.

"You two are going to cook!" Rarity said. "Make whatever you want, and make a lot of it! I intend to bring a crowd!" Rarity made her way to the door, stopping by the tables where Moon Dancer, the other unicorns, and the Whinnyapolis couple. "Finish your bowls and leave, but be sure to come back in an hour for seconds! We're going to be having a grand re-re-opening, and with a lot more variety of food, too!"

"Well, I sure could go for some seconds after this sample!" the mare tourist said excitedly. "Come on, hon, let's go and see some more of the sights and come back for the main course!"

The guests took their leave, promising to come back once everything was ready, Rarity leaving after them while bringing flyers and the arrows for The Tasty Treat with her. As she went out onto Restaurant Row, where everyone in Canterlot who had been to her store recognized the rising fashionista and grew interested in this strange restaurant she liked to go to, Pinkie, Aqua, and Ventus got to putting everything in The Tasty Treat back to how it used to be. No more boring bland walls or stuffy and expensive dining tables and booths and back with the rustic, eye catching colors, cultural decor and furniture, and the sign of the restaurant back in their rightful places. All the while, Saffron and Coriander where in the kitchen cooking up whatever their hearts' desired, knowing whatever they liked, their customers will love just as much. Both father and daughter even had themselves a nostalgic moment when Saffron hid one of the spices from her father, just like how she did when she was a filly when Coriander wanted to put in a spice she used to hate.

The hour was up, Rarity returning with a large mass of ponies outside waiting to come inside The Tasty Treat, and the interior of the restaurant was back to its normal self, and Coriander was no longer wearing that stuffy waiter's outfit and was back in his old, more comfortable shirt. "Wow. This place is going to be packed," Ventus noted as he looked outside, spotting Moon Dancer and the other mares outside waiting with the rest of the gathered group.

"Everypony ready for the grand re-re-opening?" Rarity asked.

"Before we open," Saffron said, she and her father looking at each other before turning back to their surprisingly helpful guests. "My father and I want to say thank you for all your help. We've both been so stressed out about the restaurant succeeding that we forgot what it was we loved about it in the first place."

"Cooking is something we loved to do together," Coriander added. "No matter what happens next, thank you for reminding us of that."

"Oh, you guys!" Pinkie said tearfully. "Group hug!" She pulled everyone into a tight group hug, all arguments toward each other forgiven and forgotten now that they fixed everything again, Zesty's approval no longer important to them. "Now, let's open up that door and throw us a party!"

Aqua used her magic to open the door, inviting everyone in as they were already taken in by the interior design of the owners' culture. Even the returning couple who came by earlier were impressed, glad to see something different on their vacation in Canterlot. Everyone helped themselves to a seat, Coriander and Rarity going around carrying several plates and bowls of food for the hungry customers.

"Welcome to The Tasty Treat!" Coriander greeted the newcomers as they walked in, placing down some bowls for those who had taken their seats. "Make yourselves comfortable!"

The whole building was packed, ponies sampling the food the owners had prepared and commented on the exotic delicacies, definitely planning to come back again for more in the future. Outside the restaurant, Zesty Gourmand strolled down Restaurant Row to see how the restaurants she reviewed were faring. She found it odd that most of them didn't have any business, and found out why when she passed The Tasty Treat, hearing a lot of commotion going on at the place she disliked greatly. Confused, she made her way inside, shocked to see most of Canterlot had grouped up at the rustic dining tables while eating Saffron and Coriander's tastier meals.

"What is all this!?" she exclaimed, stopping the music and chatter in the building as all eyes fell on her. "What is everypony doing here!? This place has no hooves!"

"Oh, Zesty Gourmand," Aqua greeted, lacking any enthusiasm as she approached the critic. "What a surprise. I thought you said you weren't ever going to come back here. Change your mind?"

"This restaurant is not in keeping with the level of cuisine that I have set for Canterlot!" Zesty said, ignoring the Keyblade Master. "Nopony told you this place was acceptable!"

"Uhh, Rarity and her friends said it was good?" one of the patrons spoke up. "They told us."

"THEY told you!?" Zesty exclaimed, pointing her hoof at the four ponies sent to help The Tasty Treat. "And who are THEY to tell you anything? Rarity can tell you what hats to wear with which skirts. The pink one can tell you how to maintain a tragic look with a frizzy mane. And these two can tell you when to run away from monsters that anypony with magic could easily subdue. They CAN'T tell you what food you can eat!"

Rarity, Pinkie, and Ventus looked at each other, seeing how Zesty just put herself in a corner with that statement she made. It was time to nip this unicorn's snide, haughty ideals of the perfect cuisine for a street entitled Restaurant Row.

"You know what, Zesty? You're right," Ventus said snidely. "We can't tell anyone what they can eat. That's their choice...And it's clearly not yours, either."

"Excuse me?" Zesty questioned, raising a brow at the teen's tone.

"He has a point, Zesty," Rarity said. "Nopony has a right to tell these ponies what to think about anything! You have very...specific-"

"And very strange!" Pinkie added.

"Yes, and very strange opinions about food, and that's your right," Rarity concluded.

"However you like your food a certain way, that's fine by you, but don't force what you like on everyone else," Ventus said. "All the restaurants had the same exact foods, and because you're so 'famous', they follow your terrible advice, and because of that, they all suffer because they can't make the food THEY like to sell to others who like them just as much! And your tastes must be like plywood, because your idea of 'good food' is eating those tiny portions I like to call garbage!"

"How dare you, you juvenile ingrate!" Zesty scolded. "MY food for these ponies is an art!"

"To look at, not to eat," Ventus said. "It sucks."

Zesty sneered at the young stallion, mocking her with a smirk. But before the critic lifted a hoof to slap the ungrateful colt, one of the ponies in the room stood up from his seat, a burly unicorn stallion wearing a white shirt and red apron with a cutie mark of a spatula speaking up.

"That kid is right!" he said, stopping Zesty from slapping Ventus, even though he could easily avoid it. "I think the food here is delicious! I own The Smoked Oat on Restaurant Row, and I HATE the food we make since Zesty Gourmand came along! From now on, it's all smoked, basted, and grilled!"

Another restaurant owner stood up, an earth pony mare wearing a white shirt, a purple apron, and had a cutie mark of a bundt cake voiced out her opinions as well. "This food is an inspiration! I own The Bake Stop, and I'm going to bake my mother's bundt cake the way she made it; full of flavor!"

Lemon Hearts squealed in delight at the good news from the owner making a change, able to get herself more of those special bundt cakes. Other ponies voiced their agreements, owners deciding to stop listening to Zesty's advice, throwing away her three-hoof rating system and doing what they wanted, making the food they loved to make and want others to try while bringing back how they wanted their restaurants to look to make themselves stand out from the others. Zesty was flabbergasted, her word no longer mattering, now staring at the grinning faces of the four ponies who stopped her from making Restaurant Row nothing but a street of perfection befitting a city like Canterlot, clearly not seeing how diverse Equestria was for so many years.

"Zesty, are you sure you don't want to try the food?" Rarity asked as Ventus held out one of The Tasty Treat's signature dishes toward her, still smirking at her. "Ignoring a unique and fresh establishment such as this could do serious damage to your social standing."

Too stubborn to admit her ideals were wrong, Zesty huffed and made her exit, slamming the door behind her. "Oh well! More for us!" Ventus said, the crowd cheering in agreement as they had more of Saffron and Coriander's cooking. He nearly dropped the plate he was holding when he, Pinkie, Rarity, and Aqua felt their cutie marks tingling, signalling their mission was a success as they saved the restaurant community from Zesty's terrible choices. "Mission accomplished. Now time to celebrate by pigging out!"

---

"Ooooogh...I think I ate too much," Ventus groaned.

After celebrating with Saffron and Coriander with the other patrons, The Tasty Treat owners thanking them for not only saving their restaurant, but also rekindling their father/daughter relationship, Ventus, Pinkie, Rarity, and Aqua boarded the train back to Ponyville. They also brought back some leftovers for the others to try, though the pegasus had a bit too much as he clutched his overly stuffed stomach, the ride back not helping his nausea.

"I warned you," Aqua chided. "Eating too much spicy food can be a bit dangerous for your digestive tract."

The train finally arrived in Ponyville, the group walking off with their food as Ventus lagged behind with a grimace. "At least it was better than I expected," Rarity said. "I think I should try my hoof at making some exotic dresses or outfits from other countries."

"And Venny seemed to have had fun with Moon Dancer," Pinkie said cheerfully. "He was talking to her a lot when she wasn't stuffing her face with Saffron's deeeeeelicious food!"

"Pinkie, Moon Dancer and I are just-" Right as Ventus was about to argue with Pinkie on his friendship with Moon Dancer, his stomach grumbled, making him groan as he clutched his abdomen. "Ooogh! Oh man! Bathroom!"

He zoomed off toward the castle, flapping his wings as fast as possible to reach his destination before it was too late. "I better get some medicine ready for Ven," Aqua said, shaking her head with a sigh. "Spicy food can go straight through you. I'll see you girls tomorrow."

After saying bye to Rarity and Pinkie as they made their way to their homes, Aqua headed off to the castle to reunite with Terra, and also find some medicine for Ventus's upset stomach. While making her way through the halls, she heard Ventus groaning from behind the doors of the closest bathroom from the entrance of the castle. Taking note from which bathroom he was in, she entered the dining room to set down their bags of takeout, finding Sora and Riku sitting in the room.

"Hey, Aqua," Sora greeted, sniffing at the containers of food with a lick of his lips. "What did you guys do in Canterlot? 'Cause whatever you brought back smells awesome."

"We helped a community of restaurant owners bring back their spark for creating food they like while helping one specific place try to win the approval of a very strict critic with no taste whatsoever," Aqua summarized. "Trust me when I say that this food is several times better than what she 'approved' as delicious."

Sora helped himself to a little snack, humming in delight as his taste buds exploded from the several spices made into the smorgasbord of meals Aqua brought. "This food reminds me of Agrabah. I wonder how Aladdin and Jasmine are doing there, and if Iago isn't causing any mischief again."

"Say, have you two seen Terra?" Aqua asked.

"Well, after Twilight woke me up from the coma she put me in after teasing her today-" Riku shuddered, still feeling sore around his rump as he winced with each slight movement he made in his seat. "-she said she last saw him in the throne room."

"Is he still there?" Aqua asked worriedly, wondering if something was bugging him.

"No," Sora answered, swallowing his mouthful of food. "Kairi and I saw him leave to train after we were done with our date. Didn't see him again even after a little private time to ourselves."

Riku growled when his best friend mentioned his and Kairi's time to themselves while bearing the silliest of grins, almost mocking him from the less-than-pleasant time he had with Twilight. "I'll go check our room...And bring up some food. He's probably hungry."

Aqua took a container with her, making her way back through the halls and to where her and Terra's room was located. Peeking through the door, she found Terra laying in bed, staring at the ceiling while lost in thought. She knocked on the door as she stepped in, though the food surely got his attention before her knocking did.

"Hey," he said. "How'd it go?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," Aqua said, approaching the bed and sitting beside her beloved. "Something goes wrong at first, but we figured out the problem and solved it. Although, Ven's got a bigger problem with how much of this he ate at the restaurant we helped."

She opened the styrofoam box, revealing the leftovers from The Tasty Treat to Terra. "Wow. That smells and looks good." Taking a piece, he ate some of it, humming in approval at the spiciness. "Definitely tastes good. I always did like exotic foods."

Aqua let out a small laugh as she watched him eat some more. "So, everything ok?" she asked, making him pause in his chewing for a brief moment.

"...Uhh, yeah. I'm fine," he answered. He shifted his eyes around the room, almost expecting Aqua to do something to him, but she continued sitting beside him while looking really worried at him. "...You're not going to do anything crazy to me like how Twilight and Kairi dragged Riku and Sora off to do...'things' with each other?"

"'Things?'" Aqua asked questioningly. "What do you me-...Oh." Aqua blushed slightly after realizing what Terra meant, failing to notice the way Sora and Riku were behaving back in the dining room. "No! No no no, I didn't plan on doing anything intimate with you!...At least not tonight."

"Oh, gee, that's reassuring," Terra uttered with a playful grin.

"Well, fine, if you want it so badly." Aqua moved the container out of her way and onto the side table, pouncing onto Terra as the couple giggled and wrestled each other for dominance. Even though Terra was much stronger than Aqua, he let her win, being pinned down underneath her. Their playful aggression softened as they gazed into each other's eyes. Aqua laid herself down on top of Terra, bringing her lips to his in a tender kiss. She rested her head beside his, letting out a sigh as she felt his hooves wrapping around her and rubbed her back. "But, for real, Terra, not tonight."

"Were you that exhausted?" Terra asked.

"No...I just want to be ready for tomorrow," she said, hesitating slightly with the plans she's got for Terra. Terra noticed just how nervous Aqua was feeling, whatever she meant about being ready either something good or really bad that she dreaded to tell everyone. "...Terra?"

"Yeah?" he uttered.

"...How long have we waited for the chance to be Keyblade Masters?" Aqua asked.

"...A long while, since we were kids," Terra answered, tilting his head to look at Aqua. "Is...this a trick question?"

"I just wanted to ask..." She buried her face against his shoulder, trying to get to sleep before she stayed up all night overthinking things.

Aqua wondered to herself if Eraqus knew they were ready to become Keyblade Masters that day. Did they have enough experience to take their Mark of Mastery exam? Were they prepared for the responsibilities of becoming a master, and teach future apprentices the way of the Keyblade and what they must do to protect the worlds? Even though she was chosen over Terra through obvious reasons, she wondered what would have happened in their lives if Terra hadn't called the power of darkness by accident, if they both were able to pass or she was the one who failed while he succeeded.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Terra shift them on their sides. She looked up at him, met with a deep, passionate kiss on the lips that assuaged her worries. As much as she wanted this to last, Terra gently away, brushing his lips against her cheek and neck as he turned her over on her other side, wrapping his forelegs around her barrel in a protective embrace. He nuzzled her cheek, smiling as he heard her sigh in content as she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Night, Aqua," Terra said, moving his head so it rested on their pillow while letting out a yawn. "I love you."

"Love you, too," Aqua said back, snuggling closer to his chest and then closed her eyes, letting sleep take her, knowing she's going to need all the strength she'll need for Terra tomorrow.

Comments

[zachary12]

nice work.

[Prince Nightfire Grace]

Loved this episode a lot! Happy to see that it got the treatment. Great work and I can’t wait for me!

[MagicLover2128]

Enjoyed this chapter, I did enjoy the episode it was based on when I saw it originally, plus the Easter’s eggs like a Gordon Ramsey styled Pony in one scene.

[ArcanaMaverick7]

This was a great chapter! I think that they should make art of Aqua and Ven in the Indian/Middle Eastern outfits Pinkie put them in.

I think that Ven doesn't need a love interest at the moment, but Pinkie's teasing was hilarious.

For the rest of the map episodes, it looks like Sora and Riku are going to help out at the Wonderbolt Academy again while Terra and Kairi go to Las Pegasus with AJ and Fluttershy. However, it would make sense for Sora to deal with Flim and Flam again. We'll just have to wait and see.

[solartiger]

Awesome chapter

[Garuda IV]

I really hope that we'll get a Cheese Sandwich episode this season. Also a bit curious to see if this thing with Ventus and Moon Dancer will go anywhere. The guy is the only Keyblade Wielder in their group without a special somepony, and I'd hate to see him become sad and lonely from being the group's third wheel.

[Noctis Prism]

Cool job here. Love how the Moon and Ven thing was going.

[everydaygamer]

It was pretty good but I gotta admit I'm not a big fan of these chapters that just retell episodes with little to no difference. The original stuff is good but then you have what is basically just the episodes but with additional characters that don't really add much.

I mean we know how these episodes play out we don't need all the details and if that leads to a shorter chapter then so be it.

[ShadowDragon007]

Good chapter. Can't wait for more.

[MLPFanForever]

Awesome chapter, man! Can't wait for the next one!

[BenictheHedgehog]

This was a really awesome chapter Codex! kinda really liked that part of Kairi wanting to go on a date with Sora but wanting to tease him before they got to have a lot of fun. As for Twilight and Riku, I think Riku is gonna need to learn to lighten up on the tease a bit so he gets less hurt from his girlfriend, or Twilight will put him to jump a lot of hoops.

[BenictheHedgehog]

After reuniting with Moon Dancer and proving a critic wrong, Ven and our heroes have completed their mission to help save a family Restaurant. But even though good food was saved, Ven ended up taken more than he barged for while Aqua and Terra end with a good night together.

Will Vens stomach ever recover from the spice Food? What sort of ideas did Aqua have in mind for Terra? Can Riku ever stop getting hurt from Twilight? And where would the map take our heroes next with it restored? Find out next time on My Little Pony Soras misadventures in Equestria!

[Nova Blaze]

Haha, my ship! She sails! I shall christen it Vendancer.

[Tigonpony6]

Have you thought about having this crossover a little with Descendants?

[diablo4000]

I read a different version of Zesty, who a master cook, and chief. Doesn;t go with the bland food, thou still has the same personality, and she not racist at all.

Not with her bloodline, and how she went thru bullying as a foal..............She may be half Donkey.